《The True Endgame》 Book 1: Chapter 1: Patch 1.0: User Setup and Avatar Creation No matter how advanced technology may become, there is one annoying problem that will forever plague MMORPG gamers: downloading and installing patches. Even in the year 20XX, Ryouta finds himself impatiently tapping his foot underneath his desk while the hottest game in ¨C well, ever, goes through the process of downloading and installing multiple patches. Version 1.01, version 1.02, version 1.05, version 1.2, version 1.21 ¨C it seems as if the download of patches is endless. He knows that he can¡¯t really complain. Such an incredible headset only cost him about seventy dollars, but in the early 21st century when virtual reality was first taking off, it easily would have cost an unimaginable sum of money. After all, the man who invented the breakthrough technology to make this headset¡ªand the components within it¡ªa reality is now the richest, most powerful man in the world. Yet, not even the famous Jenson Clark is capable of speeding up the internet to a non-annoying speed. One hundred gigabytes per second download and upload for public use is so last decade. All of the data is being downloaded directly into the headset sitting in front of Ryouta. Unlike the first virtual reality headsets, this ¡°headset¡± is more like a headband that comfortably wraps around the top of the user¡¯s head. It is completely wireless with all the technological bits being hidden underneath the comfortable and elastic outer layer. This headset not only has a built-in computer on par with the supercomputers that keep most of the world running properly, but said supercomputer is dedicated entirely to a single game: Fantasy Tales Online. It might not be the most original sounding name for a video game, but what it accomplishes is something that none others have. It simulates a photorealistic fantasy world that is constantly changing. ¡°Patching complete. Thank you for your patience. Please place the New Realities Incorporated headset, Fantasy Tales Online Mass Consumer Model, on your head as shown in the on-screen instructions,¡± a feminine voice speaks from Ryouta¡¯s computer¡¯s speakers. On the screen is a repeating image of a faceless model carefully placing the headband around the top of their head. A warning reads ¡°do not snap the band¡± underneath the picture. Ryouta wastes no time in securely placing the headset around his head. ¡°User detected. Please lie down on a soft surface, such as a bed, to continue with user setup.¡± Just as before, the excited Ryouta wastes no time in hurrying over to his bed so that he can lie down on it just as requested. This is standard for virtual reality headsets. Any that are fully-immersive suggests users to rest their bodies on beds for maximum post-immersion comfort. ¡°Immersing user in five, four, three¡ª¡± Here it comes! ¡°Two, one¡ª¡± Ryouta¡¯s vision is replaced by an all-enveloping darkness. He can move his arms and legs, but not really. There is nothing to move. He is but a floating consciousness in the darkness of virtual reality. The title of the game comes up in big, gold letters. Fantasy Tales Online A floating head pops up in front of him. It looks like one of those mannequin heads seen in malls often wearing hats and oversized shades. Needless to say, it is fairly unsettling when a pair of eyes and lips appears on it to look directly at Ryouta with. ¡°Greetings, User TheMemeStruggle. Would you like to use the name of the linked PC user profile as your username, or should I address you differently?¡± the floating head asks him in the same feminine voice that was coming from his speakers. ¡°I ¨C uhh, just Ryouta is fine, thanks,¡± Ryouta says. Being called after what he stupidly named his user profile on his computer just makes him cringe in embarrassment. It¡¯s even more unsettling when he realizes that he¡¯s speaking out loud without having a mouth. ¡°Okay, ¡®Ryouta¡¯ has been set as User. Before we may continue, please look over the user agreement.¡± A window with an eternal scrollbar pops up in front of his not-eyes. There is way too much here for any mortal being to read within a day. No matter how advanced and efficient technology may become, it will never be enough to stop users from agreeing to things that they haven¡¯t actually read. ¡°Alright, I accept.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Ryouta? You have only read .03% of the total, legally binding, user agreement.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m good, thanks.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± a big green check mark pops up over the window before it vanishes, ¡°initializing user-system synchronization, time dilation, and mental rewiring. You will be ejected from immersion if trauma is detected during setup. Please stand by.¡± Wait, what? Mental rewiring? Trauma? ¡°Hey, what does that mea¡ª¡± he tries asking a question but finds himself unable to think or ¡°move.¡± His brain feels like the static channel on a television when the cable goes out. He finds himself in a caf¨¦ from his childhood. This was his favorite afterschool stop as the cute girl who worked the ice cream part of it would always give him extra fudge on his sundaes. How can he be here? Sitting across from him at the booth is a petite girl with blonde twin tails, an oversized sweater, and a spoon between her lips. She looks exactly like some clich¨¦ tsundere girl out of an anime. What¡¯s even worse is that she is his exact type. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about how trash you are, aren¡¯t you, Onii-chan?¡± the girl asks. Even her voice is adorably high-pitched. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re the floating head from before and that you can read my thoughts. Can you please, for the sake of what little dignity I have left, not call me that again? I like it way too much,¡± Ryouta pleads. The petite tsundere giggles before popping the spoon out from her mouth. ¡°Correct! Maybe if you read the user agreement then you would have known that I would be scanning your memories and personality to learn all sorts of stuff about you. Don¡¯t worry, none of it is going to the government. Instead, I¡¯m just using the information to become your ideal assistant! Would you like me to change my personality, O-nii-chan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°So quick! Alright, fine! It¡¯s not like I wanted to be your dream girl or anything like that, ba¡ª¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t finish. My heart can only take so much.¡± She pouts. ¡°Is there any personality that you would like me to use in specific?¡± ¡°Just ¨C anything other than what you¡¯re doing now,¡± Ryouta says, looking away to try and not make eye contact. ¡°Alright ye¡¯ wee lil¡¯ rascal. How ¡®bout this for ah good ole perso-nawl-atay?¡± Ryouta immediately snaps his head to look at the girl. She looks the same, but now has the voice of ¨C well, he can¡¯t quite tell what the accent is supposed to be. It is like a horrifying amalgamation between Austrailian, Irish, and what he imagines redheaded farmers smoking corn cob pipes would sound like. ¡°Okay, anything other than that.¡± The girl leans back in her seat and crosses her arms. Whereas before she was looking playful, now she¡¯s looking at him as if he¡¯s disgusting! She spits on the floor. ¡°Tch. Why do I have to be stuck helping some loser like you? Like, shouldn¡¯t you be doing something other than playing video games? You¡¯re so gross. I would so rather be like, at the mall right now than helping some trash like y¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m only a masochist when in the right mood. Alright, if you¡¯re just going to keep on messing with me, just go back to the first personality,¡± he whines. He cannot believe he just told somebody, even if it¡¯s an artificial intelligence, to act like a tsundere sister for him. He truly is trash. ¡°Haiii, Onii-chan! Do I make your heart go doki-doki? Well, I know I do! I mean, I have to monitor your vital signs to make sure that you don¡¯t have a heart attack or wet your bed or anything like that.¡± ¡°I thought I signed up to play a fantasy game, not be tormented and reminded why this world is better off without me?¡± Ryouta¡¯s question causes the girl to suddenly turn serious. ¡°If you are experiencing suicidal tendencies then please reach out to the nearest self-help line, a therapist, or somebody that you trust and can openly talk to. If you would like, I may schedule an appointment for you at the nearest¡ª¡± ¡°No! No, I was just making a joke. I don¡¯t actually want to die or anything,¡± Ryouta is quick to correct her. However, when he looks at her face again, he sees a taunting smile. ¡°Haha! You actually fell for that! Silly Onii-chan. Moving on! What would you like my name to be?¡± Ryouta just wants to smash his head into the table instead of continuing this skit. ¡°Can I call you Satan?¡± he asks. She places both of her hands over her mouth as oversized tears form at the edges of her eyes. ¡°O-Onii-chan! You¡¯re so mean to me!¡± Her hurt voice and sad display is enough to cause a change of names. ¡°Alright! Fine, how about, uhh,¡± he looks her over. Given her appearance and personality, wouldn¡¯t it be best to give her a matchingly-weeaboo name? ¡°¡­how about Saya? I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m bad with names. Just stop crying!¡± She gives a few more convincing sniffles before wiping away her virtual tears. ¡°Saya is cute enough, I guess, baka Onii-chan.¡± She goes from looking sad and disappointed to bubbly within a second. ¡°Okay! Virtual assistant customization is complete. You may change my properties at any time. Next is avatar customization.¡± Ryouta smiles for the first time since he¡¯s been immersed. He¡¯s finally getting somewhere! And where he is getting is falling into an abyss. He sinks right through the caf¨¦ booth and falls into an endless void only to suddenly stop right in front of a mirror. There is no reflection at first, but once Saya arrives, a body appears in front of the mirror with the same pale complexion that he has in real life. There are no other discernible features. ¡°Here you go! You can either visualize what you would like your in-game avatar to look like, or you may modify shape it with your own hands. Wait wait, Onii-chan, are you one of those perverts who wants to play the opposite gender?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with a male character, thanks,¡± Ryouta says with a sigh. He feels like his hair is going to somehow get even whiter if she keeps this up. ¡°Alright, here!¡± Saya says, causing a certain floppy appendage to hang down between his legs. There is a reason why this game is for eighteen and older players only. There is more to its realism than just the graphics and senses. He may not have a face for himself yet, but Saya can feel the unamused, disappointed expression he wants to show her. ¡°What? All parts of the body are customizable! Geez, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m some pervert like you, Onii-chan.¡± Ryouta can only shake off her endearingly-annoying charm and focus on the task at hand. What does he want to look like? That¡¯s pretty tough. He decides to try a few things out. The pale body turns into a short, green goblin with a single thought. Another thought causes the goblin¡¯s nose to grow longer and floppier, and the opposite thought causes it to go so far back into its head that it caves into his face in a graphical glitch. ¡°Just so you know, Onii-chan, any appearances deemed immersion-breaking won¡¯t be allowed. You can play around with the editor all you want just to be silly, and I can take screenshots that you can show others if you would like me to, but you have to be serious for your actual avatar!¡± That answers several of his questions at once. Wait ¨C he returns the model back into its standard human shape and walks to its front. He looks down at its crotch. ¡°Onii-chan, please don¡¯t tell me that you are going to do what 93.98% of all male players do.¡± Oh yeah, he is definitely going to do that. It drops down to the floor from its sheer length. Then it grows thicker than the model¡¯s legs, and finally shrinks back down to a more realistic size. Alright, he got that out of his system. He looks over at Saya to see her facepalming with red cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re the worst, Onii-chan,¡± Saya says. ¡°Trust me, I know. Alright, I¡¯ll get serious now. What do you like more, foxes or dogs?¡± Ryouta asks her. ¡°Seeing as how my personality is based off of your own, we share the same likes and dislikes. You should know what my answer is with that information, Onii-chan.¡± Wait, does that mean he has the personality of a tsundere little sister somewhere in his mind if she¡¯s based off of his? Now he has even more questions which he doubts will ever get answered. ¡°Dog it is.¡± Ryouta returns to the task at hand. A pair of pricked ears-pop up on the top of the model¡¯s head, and then a huge, bushy tail sprouts out from just above its rear. ¡°Wolf ears and tail? That¡¯s an edgy look there, Onii-chan! Just kidding, it¡¯s kind of cute and cool at the same time. Let me guess, you¡¯re going to try and fix the imbalance between animal-themed girls and animal-themed guys?¡± Ryouta gives her a thumbs-up. All Saya replies with is another facepalm. Next thing on the list: be cooler than in real life. The model increases in height to a solid six-foot-three, gains a broad frame perfect for laying some muscles onto it, and grows a much stronger jawline with masculine facial features. The white skin of the model is replaced by a light complexion, its flat body is filled out by muscles, and as for a certain thing - he decides to go with the upper end of average. Maybe a little bit above average. Alright, like a whole two inches above average. It¡¯s just a game, who cares? It¡¯s not like anybody is going to be seeing it. Three? No, just two. Three is a bit much. Okay, three. All that¡¯s left are to finetune some things. He makes sure that the model¡¯s nose looks just like how he wants it to; gives the eyes a soft, red color to them; and places a pair of short, thick eyebrows above his eyes. Hair as white as snow grows down to his waist, and it looks like some of the fluffiest, softest hair he has ever seen! Even he wants to pet it despite it being his hair. By the end of it, he looks like he¡¯s either trying to seduce girls whom are into masculine bishounen guys out of dating sims where a single, normal girl is pursued by a group of the world¡¯s most attractive men, or he¡¯s trying to attract twinks that want to call him daddy. There is a very thin line between being bishounen and yaoi bait. Is there even a line in the first place? He can already tell that he¡¯s going to be getting harassed by his one friend. As soon as Ryouta even considers saying the words ¡°alright, I¡¯m ready,¡± he gets teleported into the body that he just sculpted. He¡¯s finally got a body for the first time since he immersed! ¡°Alright! This is perfect. How do I look?¡± he asks Saya, turning to face her with his hands on his side. Saya immediately covers her eyes and turns away. He can see the tips of her ears going red. ¡°Such a lewd Onii-chan! You can¡¯t just shove something like that in my face!¡± It¡¯s at this moment that he wishes he had something to throw at her. She¡¯s five feet away from him! Nothing is in her face! She giggles and uncovers her eyes. ¡°Lookin¡¯ good, Onii-chan! There are some final things to go through to ensure that you have an enjoyable time in Fantasy Tales Online.¡± Several floating screens pop up in front of him. The first one reads, ¡°Do you wish to enable traumatic content?¡± Ryouta has heard about this. Heavy gore, torture, rape ¨C all of these and more fall under traumatic content, and this is often a cause of controversy within the media. However, because players must willingly opt into this, the defense, ¡°the only ones who experience it are those who consent to it,¡± is often used. Ryouta gets enough dark themes from reading and playing other games. He doesn¡¯t need it here, too. ¡°Please set the slider to the amount of pain you would like to experience,¡± reads the next window. He pushes the slider around between 0% and 100%. He¡¯d rather not feel what it feels like to have an arm cut off in case that happens, but he feels like setting it at 0% would just be too easy. He sets it at 50%. That way, things should still really hurt if something happens, but not hurt so much that it cripples him. Ryouta knows that this game tries to be as realistic as possible. That¡¯s why both traumatic content and realistic pain are serious parts of it. The most unrealistic part of the game, aside from the fact that there are all manners of mystical beasts and magic, is that characters never need to use the bathroom. They do need to eat, sleep, and drink though. The third window shows a map. It shows the entire known world thus far, and he is allowed to choose any spot to spawn at. However, he already decided with his friends where they are all going to spawn at. He chooses a forested region near the coast on the eastern continent. The area has a lot of high ground to look from, so it will be easier for him and his friends to find one another if they utilize that. ¡°That¡¯s everything, Onii-chan! What would you like to name your avatar?¡± Saya asks. Ryouta wastes no time in shouting out his answer. He¡¯s been prepared for this. ¡°Fenrir!¡± ¡°¡¯Fenrir¡¯ is taken. Is Fenrir749 acceptable? This is just for technical database things. In-game, you can tell people that your name is whatever you want, including just Fenrir!¡± Saya explains. He should have known better. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good enough. Is there any way for people to see that I¡¯m actually Fenrir749? It would be embarrassing if somebody sees that.¡± ¡°Nope! Purely database stuff. I promise, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°Alright, good enough.¡± ¡°Oh! One last, last thing. Promise,¡± Saya says. Ryouta knows that she¡¯s just playing up the part of a cute little sister, and that there is no way she would ever actually forget anything. She¡¯s an AI, after all. ¡°Do you have any feedback regarding the setup process?¡± ¡°Not really. I think it¡¯s a lot better than most games¡¯, everything is pretty clear, and it¡¯s uhh, definitely unique. The environment based off of my memories was really nice, thanks for reminding me of that place,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°No problem, Onii-chan! Even trash like you deserves some fanservice every now and then. Alright! Are you ready to begin your adventure in Gaia, Fenrir?¡± Saya asks. Fenrir gives a thumbs-up. Book 1: Chapter 2: Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? A myriad of colors swirls around Fenrir. Where once was darkness, a mirror, and a tsundere are now so many brilliant lights and shapes that his mind struggles to keep up. Despite how beautiful and mesmerizing this is, he can¡¯t help but wonder how epileptics fare doing this. Would this trigger a seizure despite it all being in their heads? Wait, if that¡¯s the case, then wouldn¡¯t overly colorful dreams also trigger seizures? He is only taken out of his thoughts when he feels himself land on solid ground. Well, land isn¡¯t the appropriate word. It¡¯s more like everything just materialized around him, and the ground was the last thing to do so. All of those colors and shapes now paint a beautiful world for his eyes to feast on. There are vast fields of green decorated with flowers being visited by bees and butterflies, forests in the distance beyond the grassy knolls, and all manners of creatures both roaming the land and sky as far as he can see. His mouth hangs open from how incredibly beautiful it all is. He¡¯s played virtual reality games before, but none have ever looked anywhere this realistic! It is indistinguishable from reality. Not only is the scenery beyond perfect, but so are the senses. A soft breeze brushes through the tall grass and breaks up around him, he can feel the warmth of the sun above shining down its rays unto him, and ¨C are those waves that he can hear? Fenrir climbs up the nearest mound to look over the field. What his climb is rewarded with is the sight of a vast, blue ocean sending rolling waves crashing into a sandy beach. He can even smell it! When he reaches down to take clumps full of grass into his hands, he can feel even the smallest of details against his fingers! He pulls some of the grass out from the ground to see what happens. It''s just like real life! The grass gets pulled out and leaves naught but a patch of dirt and insects upset that their hiding spot was removed. One of few things would happen in every other game: his hands would clip through the grass, he could pull but it would be stuck in the ground, or he could pull it out but it would instantly be replaced by more grass just as tall as before. But here? Here he has pulled the grass out with ease and all that is left behind is dirt. And some annoyed bugs. ¡°This is awesome! I never thought I¡¯d get to experience anything like this! Hey, Saya, you there?¡± Fenrir asks. His voice is much deeper than it is in real life to match the new, masculine appearance of this avatar. ¡°I¡¯m always here, Onii-chan. I see and feel everything you do. I¡¯m technically living inside of your brain now. Isn¡¯t that great? We always get to be together!¡± Saya replies. He can¡¯t see her, but he can hear her voice get transmitted directly into his head. That is really weird. ¡°I thought you were supposed to be a bit of a tsundere, now you¡¯re going yandere on me?¡± Fenrir asks. He doesn¡¯t know whether he should speak out loud or just think. ¡°Oh, that reminds me! Where did I put my knives¡­¡± Fenrir shakes his head. As annoying as she acts, he genuinely finds it all entertaining. His interactions with her thus far more than make up for the cost of the headset. Wait, isn¡¯t it really pathetic if he finds a bit of interaction with a virtual girl worth seventy dollars? ¡°Yeah, it kind of is,¡± Saya confirms his thoughts. ¡°Anyways, how do I open my menus?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There are no menus.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember reading that anywhere. How am I supposed to manage my inventory and skills and everything else?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t. You just go and live your new life here like you would in reality!¡± ¡°Then how do you get specialized and build your character? What if I want to be like, a warrior with high strength and health?¡± ¡°Then you go do things that will increase your strength, silly Onii-chan! Lift some weights or chop some trees! And let stuff hit you a bunch of times if you want more health!¡± ¡°What if I want to be a really smart wizard?¡± ¡°You study and try really hard!¡± Is it really that simple? Fenrir thinks that he understands, but he¡¯s surprised that this game has a popular character system given that this system essentially makes min-maxing and theorycrafting impossible. How can anybody figure out what the best builds are if there are no numbers nor visible stats to see? ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir thinks of what his next question will be, ¡°then what about skills? If I want to be a blacksmith, for example, do I just have to go and make a bunch of iron daggers over and over to level up my blacksmithing? Do skills even have levels? Wait, how do skills work if we don¡¯t know which ones we have?¡± ¡°Geeezzz, so many questions, Onii-chan. Don¡¯t worry so much! There are stats and skills, but they¡¯re all hidden and managed by me. Every single player has their own assistant, like me for you, to manage their avatars. If you¡¯re doing things to increase your strength, I¡¯ll increase your strength! If you train your speed by running a lot, I¡¯ll make you faster and give you more endurance! If you fight with one-handed weapons all the time, then you''ll gain a skill that increases your ability to fight with one-handed weapons that will rank up whenever you meet the criteria for it! You just won¡¯t know what skills you have, and you won¡¯t know how to increase them. The only way for you to find these things out is by playing and communicating with other players. Trust me, Onii-chan, you¡¯ll notice the differences as you play! Just do whatever you want. There¡¯s literally skills for everything from walking to fighting, from eating to crafting, and from holding your breath to climbing mountains! It¡¯s just like real life. The more you do something, the better you get at it no matter what it is,¡± Saya finally pauses to take a deep breath. Fenrir wants to flick her on her forehead since he knows she doesn¡¯t need to breathe. ¡°And finally, there¡¯s even the possibility of doing something or just being lucky enough that a new skill is created entirely for you! You won¡¯t know it of course, but if the overseer decides that you¡¯re worthy of something, then she¡¯ll create a new skill and send it to me to add to your collection! Like maybe if you make it your life goal to kill millions of cute little bunnies, you¡¯ll get the special ability to instantly kill bunnies just by looking at them!¡± ¡°But I like bunnies,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What kind of wolf are you?¡± Saya asks. ¡°The friendly kind.¡± He can¡¯t see her do it, but he can feel the rolling of her eyes within his mind. ¡°Alright, so there are technically stats, skills, character sheets, and all of the normal stuff, but it¡¯s all invisible and only accessible by you and the other assistants. And if I ask for details, you won¡¯t give me any. Is that right?¡± he asks her. ¡°Right, Onii-chan!¡± Thinking about it, this is actually pretty nice. It means that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about what the best build is or limiting himself to only a few repetitive tasks to gain experience. Nobody can judge him either in case he accidentally places the wrong points into the wrong stats, or if he¡¯s not wearing the best-in-slot gear! Then he realizes something. ¡°I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s nothing like a friend¡¯s list to look at or anything like that, and no party screens either. Right?¡± ¡°Right! If you decide to be like a healer, you¡¯ll need to pay attention to visible damage and if your party members are asking to be healed.¡± Poor, poor healers. Healers already get enough bull for letting party members die, and now they have to somehow keep their comrades up without even being able to see health bars and knowing how much damage they¡¯ve taken? There is no way that he is going to be a healer. ¡°One last question, I think. How much stuff can I ask you? I mean, how much are you allowed to tell me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to be any more specific than I have been. Anything else would be considered cheating and get you a ban, and all bans are permanent! I¡¯m hardcoded not to tell you anything more anyways, Onii-chan. To answer the next question you¡¯re about to ask,¡± she¡¯s in his head and can read his thoughts after all, ¡°you can talk to me and ask me questions whenever you want! I¡¯ll also relay any important news relevant to you, tell you if anybody comes into your room, warn you of health concerns, and wake you whenever you¡¯re ready. Other than that, I can be as quiet or as talkative as you would like me to be.¡± ¡°Thanks for the information, Saya, but don¡¯t answer my questions before I get to ask them. It feels weird. Also, you don¡¯t mind if I focus on the game instead of keeping you company, do you?¡± Fenrir feels guilty about asking this, but there is a massive world set out for him to explore. ¡°B-baka Onii-chan, leaving me all alone in your head while you explore¡­ just kidding! We¡¯re basically the same person. I have access to all of your thoughts, memories, and feelings. Everything you experience is what I experience, so I¡¯m just as excited to explore the world as you are! Show me lots of interesting places and do lots of fun things for the both of us, okay?¡± He still doesn¡¯t know how to feel about the fact that she has access to all of that, but it¡¯s comforting knowing that focusing on the game instead of her won¡¯t make her lonely. ¡°You¡¯re too nice, Onii-chan! What are you going to do if a bad guy tries ambushing you? Worry about his feelings? I promise that you don¡¯t need to worry about me. Besides, what kind of silly person worries about an artificial intelligence when they don¡¯t even have clothes yet?¡± ¡°The friendly kind,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Geez, Onii-chan! I¡¯m supposed to make your heart go doki-doki, not the other way around!¡± Saya whines. Fenrir raises a hand to flick the air in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s for your forehead. Wait, what did you say about clothes?¡± he asks before looking down. Not a single piece of clothing hides his body. Needless to say, the surprised gasp he makes--followed by an immediate attempt at hiding himself--does not exactly match the masculine appearance of his avatar. Book 1: Chapter 3: Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? Fenrir has learned that not only does the game do a wonderful job of simulating scenery and senses, but also is capable of perfectly creating feelings of shame and embarrassment. He now realizes that he has not started with a single piece of gear. He and his plus-three-inches are available for all to see. ¡°You could have warned me sooner!¡± he shouts at Saya, though to any potential passersby, it will just look as if he is shouting into the wind. ¡°I was waiting to see how long it would take you to notice! Besides, I did point it out. Eventually. I¡¯m surprised to see you so embarrassed since you were whipping that thing around during creation!¡± Saya replies. ¡°I wasn¡¯t whipping it around, and this is different! You¡¯re virtual and in my head! Anybody else who sees now is ¨C you know, an actual person!¡± ¡°Teeecchhnicalllyyyy, they would also be virtual creations inside of your head." ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°Such a mean Onii-chan.¡± ¡°The effect is going to wear off if you keep on calling me that.¡± ¡°We both know that isn¡¯t true, O-nii-chan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ignoring you now.¡± Rather than deal with the brat of a virtual little sister assistant inside of his head, he decides to look around for something to cover himself with. There has to be something around here. Wait, he still has his tail, right? He reaches back to feel for it. There haven¡¯t been any feelings from it this entire time, but as soon as he touches it, he¡¯s suddenly aware of exactly where it is and what it¡¯s doing. He can even move it now! Instead of going caveman style by finding some nearby leaves like he was beginning to think he would need to, he simply wraps his tail around his waist to keep everything important hidden. But it gets tiring surprisingly fast. It feels as if he¡¯s going to get a cramp in his tail if he keeps it in such an awkward position for too long. He needs to quickly find a better solution. Wait, if he couldn¡¯t feel his tail before¡­ he thinks about the ears on the top of his head. An experiment. His canid ears twitch atop his head as he raises his right hand up to them. Slowly and gently, he traces the tips of his fingers from the base of his ear up to the tip. It twitches as his finger slides against it, and he finds himself involuntarily pushing his own head up against his hand. It¡¯s only after his fingers leave the tip of his ear that he realizes his tail is wagging against himself. This is dangerous. If it feels that good just from his own fingers, what if somebody else plays with his ears? He looks around to make sure that nobody is around before petting his head. Not only is his hair ridiculously soft and fluffy, but it feels great just to pet his own head! He now understands why anime girls always love getting their heads petted. And dogs. Does this mean that anime girls and dogs are related? He may not know the answer to that, but he does know one thing: headpats are love; headpats are life. He looks down at his stomach. Alright, rubbing his own belly would just be weird. He¡¯s not going to do that. ¡­ ¡­ He looks to his left. ¡­ He looks to his right. ¡­ His leg starts shaking the second that he begins rubbing his belly. Alright, this is just weird. All he has are wolf ears and a wolf tail ¨C he doesn¡¯t want to behave just like a dog! ¡°Saya, I feel like you¡¯re judging me right now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Of course I am, perverted doggy Onii-chan,¡± Saya confirms his fear. ¡°How does ¨C was this sort of thing programmed in? Does everybody with animal characteristics act like an animal when it comes to this sort of stuff?¡± ¡°Of course not. Most of them do, but that¡¯s only because it¡¯s how the player feels their avatar should react. So if you get all excited just by touching your own ears and rubbing your own belly, that¡¯s because your subconscious is telling me to make your avatar react that way, perverted doggy Onii-chan. If you expect it to have that sort of effect, it''s going to have it!¡± ¡°Please stop calling me a dog. I don¡¯t need to develop any more cringe-worthy fetishes than I already have.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure nothing will ever be stronger than your love for girls wearing sweaters!¡± It¡¯s true. There is no better sight in the world than that of a cute girl wearing a sweater. Alright, now that he¡¯s covered his plus-three-inches and has learned that he apparently has a subconscious desire to behave like a dog, it¡¯s time to find his friends. They should both be around here as they¡¯ve had their headsets ready and waiting for him, and were supposed to go ahead and get used to things while he got his headset ready. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to you later, Saya. I¡¯ve got to find my friends before they kill each other.¡± Fenrir gives her a mental wave goodbye. ¡°Good luck!¡± Now for finding his friends. While they could all choose the same spot to spawn in it, it¡¯s not nearly as precise as they would like it to be. It is more like they chose the same area to spawn in rather than the exact same spot. The map only allowed them to zoom in with a square selection area to a certain point and then stop before allowing them to get any more precise, so there is large square of land that they could be spread throughout. Fortunately for them, they figured out a way around this: everybody heads towards the center of the square. Since Fenrir spawned near the edge of the square and to the west, he has to walk east. East it is. Walking through grassy fields without any clothes on is an odd feeling. He hasn¡¯t been outdoors in anything other than jeans and long sleeve shirts in almost a decade, so to feel the bare blades of grass brush against his skin is an unfamiliar yet relaxing sensation. ¡°Viktor! Spencer! You guys around here?!¡± Fenrir shouts every now and then. He gets no response. Given that he hasn¡¯t seen any players and only wildlife, it feels as if he¡¯s the only person in the world. It¡¯s crazy to think that, in a game with over fifty million active players all sharing the same server and world, that not a single soul is around. This world is massive. ¡°Viktor, I¡¯ve got vodka for you!¡± Fenrir tries to get his friend¡¯s attention, but there still isn¡¯t a response. Then an interesting sight pops up in the distance. He sees a small, petite boy with horns being chased by a massive, bodybuilder-wannabe¡­ orc? More importantly, it looks as if the orc wants to brutally kill the small boy that he¡¯s chasing. Yeah, they¡¯re definitely Fenrir¡¯s friends. With an excited smile and a wag of the tail, Fenrir chases off towards the two. It takes a bit to catch up as they had the head start and don¡¯t notice him, but eventually, they hear him shouting for them and stop to look. The smaller boy is the first to change course and run directly at Fenrir. ¡°Ryouta! Vikkybuns is being mean to me again!¡± Spencer cries as he tries to jump up into Fenrir¡¯s arms. However, given the fact that they¡¯re both naked, Fenrir places a hand out to stop Spencer by his forehead. The larger man, who clearly has to be Viktor, cringes and looks like he wants to beat the everliving shit out of the boy. ¡°I tell you every time! Do not say those things to me!¡± the orc, Viktor, complains. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Daddy? I thought you loved treating me like your little¡ª¡± Spencer is cut off by Viktor lunging at him with fists ready. The only thing between them is Fenrir, and Spencer is sticking his tongue out from behind him. ¡°Alright, alright. Spence, stop teasing him. Vik, stop taking it so seriously. You know he wouldn¡¯t tease you if you didn¡¯t react like this,¡± Fenrir tries playing the role of peacekeeper. ¡°He only gets so upset because I make him question his sexuality,¡± Spencer just has to add in. Needless to say, it pisses the orc off even more. ¡°Don¡¯t make me let him beat you,¡± Fenrir threatens. ¡°If he wants to punish me for being a little brat then all he has to do is spank me,¡± Spencer puts on his most seductive, feminine voice. It¡¯s at this point that he¡¯s realized he¡¯s screwed up, because Fenrir steps out from between them and lets a green fist go smashing right into the boy¡¯s face. Fenrir¡¯s face meets his palm. This is usually how it goes. It¡¯s a miracle that those two are best friends despite their extreme differences. ¡°Hey, I just realized that none of us are playing a human. I can tell that Vik is supposed to be an orc, but what about you, Spence?¡± Fenrir asks. The boy, who is still rubbing his face and pouting, hops up onto his feet and points up at his horns. ¡°I wanted to be like a deer!¡± Spencer says. This is the first time that Fenrir has gotten a good look at Spencer¡¯s avatar. He¡¯s under five feet tall, has a couple of short deer-like horns sticking up above a pair of floppy deer ears on the sides of his head, and has a pretty feminine body overall. It lines up with the boy¡¯s usual habit of playing traps in games to try and confuse the sexuality of every macho man who he meets. As for Viktor, the hulking orc stands at over seven feet tall, is utterly ripped with muscles, and has salt and pepper hair with a matching beard. A couple of sharp tusk-like fangs stick up from behind his lower lip, and it looks like he doesn¡¯t even have a neck thanks to the insane traps that he gave his character. Each of Fenrir¡¯s friends loves traps, but completely different versions of them. ¡°You guys made some nice characters. What are their names? I chose Fenrir. Wolf and all, you know.¡± ¡°Oleander! I want to try and make my character all like nature-y and stuff. I think it¡¯d be really fun to specialize in poison magic, too, and oleander is poisonous, so I think it¡¯s fitting!¡± Spencer ¨C or rather, Oleander explains. A subtle, sadistic shine can be seen in his eyes when he talks about poison. ¡°Bonekraka,¡± Viktor-now-Bonekraka says. Even if he¡¯s playing an orc, his Russian accent is still there in its entirety. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s use these names to get used to them. That way we won¡¯t accidentally be calling each other our real names around new people. By the way, Bone, what¡¯s the final boss up to?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°The suka refused let me take day off work to play. Stopped complaining when said her parents could visit this weekend. Better appreciate sacrifice made to play with you two,¡± Bonekraka explains. ¡°Your in-laws can¡¯t be that bad, can they?¡± Fenrir asks. A look of PTSD that he has only ever seen in war movies comes onto Bonekraka¡¯s face. ¡°No talk about it.¡± ¡°I wish she¡¯d play more games with us. It¡¯s fun to have somebody to bully you with!¡± Oleander says with a wide grin. ¡°By the way, Fenny, nice character. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go off alone with me somewhere?¡± Fenrir flicks Oleander¡¯s forehead. ¡°I¡¯m sure. There¡¯ll be plenty of guys in the taverns for you to mess around with. Anyways, what should we do about our equipment situation?¡± Fenrir asks, and it seems like he¡¯s the only one who cares. Bonekraka is standing there with all of his exaggerated size out for display, and Oleander doesn¡¯t seem to have an ounce of shame either. ¡°Come on, we can¡¯t just go around naked. What if somebody sees us?¡± Both of his friends shrug. ¡°Is only game. Who cares?¡± Bonekraka asks. He always has been the type to completely separate games from reality. As for Oleander, he¡¯s just a pervert so being comfortable in the nude is to be expected from him. ¡°Let¡¯s find some sticks and stones or something at least. We need weapons,¡± Fenrir proposes. Bonekraka is the first to reject it again. ¡°Men only need fists.¡± ¡°I want to be a caster type, so I don¡¯t really need a weapon either,¡± Oleander adds on. ¡°Casters use staffs or wands, don¡¯t they?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sometimes! But I read that there¡¯s a ton of different ways you can cast magic in this game. If you can imagine some new way of doing it, then you can do it that way! I was thinking it¡¯d be really cool and match my character if I like¡­ use plants and stuff to cast magic. I don¡¯t really know how I want to do that yet, but I need to be unique!¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Special snowflake,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Don¡¯t make me grope you.¡± Bonekraka steps back from Oleander¡¯s threat. ¡°Alright, so neither of you care about getting dressed, and neither of you want weapons either. What do you guys want to do?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Gamble, drink, raid, kill,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Drink, bang, kill, and confuse guys¡¯ sexualities!¡± Oleander says. At least those two have two things in common. If it weren¡¯t for that, they probably would never get along. ¡°What about you, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir thinks back to the ocean he saw. He¡¯s also thinking about possible ways to get some gear. ¡°Craft and fish, probably,¡± he says. Both of his friends roll their eyes. ¡°Going to cry about no clothes the whole time?¡± Bonekraka asks. ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m crying? I just think we need to cover up in case we find somebody. Here, why don¡¯t we head over to that forest?¡± Fenrir asks, pointing to the southeast. ¡°You two can hunt and try out the combat, and I¡¯ll try doing something about our lack of gear.¡± His friends look at each other, shrug, and nod. Book 1: Chapter 4: Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? It takes an hour for them to reach the forest at a walking pace. While having to travel such long distances to get anywhere would be an issue for most games, this method of immersion is able to make use of time dilation. Because of the time dilation, only thirty minutes pass in reality. Time in-game is twice as long as time in reality. So while it still takes time and effort to get anywhere, they have more time to play. Hunger is already starting to kick in and their bodies don¡¯t have much endurance yet, so they¡¯re already growing tired and grumpy. Well, it¡¯s mainly Bonekraka that is getting grumpy. He is very quick to anger when he¡¯s hungry. ¡°Hey, Boney, if you beat me in a rock-papers-scissors then I¡¯ll give you all my ships in Eternal Space,¡± Oleander offers. ¡°If I win, you have to carry me!¡± It sounds like a deal that is way too good to be true. If Bonekraka wins, he gets access to ships worth several thousand dollars for free in the other game that they play. If he loses, all he has to do is carry around a brat. Fenrir knows exactly how this is going to go. Surely enough, Bonekraka¡¯s inability to reject a gamble results in Oleander climbing up onto his shoulders and being carried around. Fortunately for the deviant boy, no matter how homophobic Bonekraka might be, he always lives up to his word no matter what is now being pressed against the back of his head. Oleander only climbs off of Bonekraka once they¡¯re inside the forest. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s meet here later. You guys go play nice and kill things, and I¡¯ll try figuring out some clothes for us. Try not to trigger him too much, Spenc- Oleander,¡± Fenrir says. Getting used to new names is always one of the more challenging parts of MMOs. Some people take the easy way out and use the same name for everything that they play, but not these three. Each one of them is at least a tiny bit of a roleplayer at heart. ¡°Aye aye, Cap''n!¡± Oleader replies, poking Bonekraka in the side which makes him jump. The chase between the two begins once more. ¡°I swear, they act like an old married couple. One minute they can be sharing drinks to celebrate ganking a bunch of noobs, the next minute and Vikt- Bone, is willing to fly over here to kill him," Fenrir sighs. "How you doing up there, Saya?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Onii-chan! Watching your friends interact is funny,¡± Saya replies. ¡°It can be. Anyways, time to try and get covered up.¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± If only it were that easy. Fenrir looks through the forest for something, anything, that he could use to cover up. His first idea is to go Adam and Eve style by wrapping some leaves around his waist, but there are none large nor durable enough. Sure, he could take some plants and strip them of their fibers to turn them into strings for knitting some clothes like how he¡¯s watched in random videos on the internet, but that would take too long. He wants a quick solution, and it needs to be efficient enough for three people. And then he sees it. Is it a deus ex machina to save the day? No. In fact, it will probably be the exact opposite ¨C a diabolus ex machina. So, just what is this horrible thing that will ruin the day, or at least ruin his mission? On the other side of some more trees is the beautiful sight of a large pond decorated only by the fallen leaves from the trees surrounding it. A few forest creatures are at the pond for a drink. There¡¯s a deer, a couple of rabbits and squirrels, and ¨C wait, rabbits? He looks at the nearest one. The thought of killing so many of them that he can instantly kill them just by looking at them enters his head. No, he¡¯s not doing that. ¡°Such a carebear, Onii-chan,¡± Saya chimes in but is mentally swatted away. Fenrir has a better idea than getting clothes. It''s not like anybody is going to find him given how massive this world he is, and the fact that he is hidden away in a forest. He doubts he¡¯d be able to make a proper fishing rod with the materials around him, mainly due to a lack of string for a line, but what he can do is go ancient style and make himself a spear. First, he needs to find a good enough stick. Fortunately, sticks and being in a forest go hand in hand. He finds one fallen branch that¡¯s about as long as he is tall, snaps off the curved end of it to make it straight, and then picks up a jagged rock to sharpen¡ª Wait a second, he does have something that he can use as string! It probably wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to use as a fishing line, but it might be good enough to keep a stone-tipped spear held together. Change of priorities. Setting the stick to the side for now, he finds a flat rock with a good point to it and uses the jagged rock to not-so-delicately shape it into as close of a spearhead as he can get it. He then returns to the spear, pulls the end of it in half, and carves out a slot for the spearhead. Now for the string. Testing the sharpness of the spearhead, he uses it to cut off about a foot of his hair. Nobody will notice, probably. He¡¯s got a lot of hair. Time to finish the spear. He places the stone spearhead into the carved-out slot between the wood, closes the wood around it, and then ties it tightly together with his ¡°string.¡± This is where he would normally expect to get a popup congratulating him for a new achievement, crafting skill, or recipe unlock. Alas, there is naught but a stone-tipped spear. His stone-tipped spear. It¡¯s simple, it¡¯s ugly, and it has a fifty percent chance of falling apart at any second, but it¡¯s his! He¡¯s provided with a sense of pride and accomplishment far more satisfying than buying loot boxes or simply gathering the right materials and clicking a ¡°craft¡± button. It¡¯s not just a mental sense of pride that he feels either. It almost feels as if something inside of him just¡­ clicks. Something tells him that were he to try and make a spear again, it would be faster, easier, and turn out better. ¡°Saya, if players can learn how to do things in-game and get better at doing them, does it apply to real life? I mean, obviously getting stronger in-game wouldn¡¯t make you stronger in real life, but what about learning skills and arts?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°It¡¯s similar to dreaming, Onii-chan. If you can paint beautiful pictures in a dream, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be able to paint them when you wake up! And if you can do it in real life, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be able to your dreams.¡± ¡°How does that even work? I mean, I still know how to do math and everything I normally could in real life. Wouldn¡¯t somebody who¡¯s like a tailor or blacksmith in real life, as uncommon as that is now, have an advantage in-game over people who don¡¯t do that in real life? I mean, I was only able to make this spear because I already knew how to from watching videos outside of the game.¡± ¡°Some knowledge transfers over, some doesn¡¯t. Would you like me to read you one of the peer-reviewed studies conducted by scientific institutes regarding this phenomenon while you play, Onii-chan?¡± That sounds too boring for whatever he¡¯ll learn from it. ¡°I¡¯m good. Thanks, though. One final question: is there anything stopping people from making stuff like cars and guns?¡± ¡°For the sake of gameplay, the overseer won¡¯t allow everything to work that players try making, but if they can do it in a way that is appropriate for a fantasy setting and that she finds acceptable, then maybe somebody will invent something like those!¡± ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± ¡°No problem, Mr. Twenty Questions!¡± Being called that stings a little bit. He knows that he has a bad habit of asking people so many questions that it gets annoying, but he also knows that Saya wouldn¡¯t purposely try hurting him. It was just a tease. Time to fish! It may not be a proper fishing spear, but he wants something that can effectively double as a weapon. A fishing spear wouldn¡¯t be as good as a stone-tipped spear if he gets attacked by something. He readies his spear and gives a few practice thrusts to prepare himself for the real thing. Once he¡¯s confident, he walks in circles around the pond and¡­ nothing. He sees some fish farther from the edges, but his spear isn¡¯t long enough to reach them. He¡¯s also afraid that stepping into the water might scare them off. This is when he learns that just because he¡¯s watched a bunch of online videos, it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s going to have any of the skill. An opportunity approaches! Slowly, a particularly fat fish glides through the water towards the edge. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s being taunted! ¡°Alright, fish, you wish to challenge me? Then I, Fenrir, shall be your foe today! Just come a liiiitttle bit closer¡­ there!¡± Fenrir thrusts the spear into the water! Naturally, he completely misses his target. One would think that, from just how badly he missed, the fish must have been using illusionary magic on him to make him believe it was in another position. But he won¡¯t give up! Moving to another spot, he keeps on searching until he finds another fish to thrust his spear at! He misses again, and again, and then again. Thirty minutes have passed, he¡¯s attempted to catch seven fish by this point, and every single one has been a miss. Something feels different now. The next fish that he tries to get, his movements are faster and more precise. It even feels like he¡¯s able to better track the fish and predict where its movements will take it. It feels similar to after he crafted this spear. Is this what it feels like to learn skills? The changes are minor, but they are noticeable. Alright, another fish ¨C no, not just any fish, but it¡¯s the first one he tried catching! He can tell by the interrupted, blue stripe running along its left side. That, and from how fat it is. He readies his spear. His eyes are locked onto it like a hunting hound tracking a rabbit. He moves his entire body as he aims his spear rather than just his arm, and he tries predicting where exactly the fish is going to go to aim there rather than its current position. Instead of spouting off more cheesy dialogue, he takes a deep breath and thrusts the spear forward at the end of his exhale! Success! The spear thrusts right into the fat body of the fish, tearing through its scales and impaling it on the end of the spear! Fenrir¡¯s tail is excitedly wagging behind him alongside his twitching ears as he lifts the fish out from the water. It¡¯s still flailing around on his spear, but he doubts that it has much life left in it. Wait, what was it that those fishers did to put fish out of their misery in the videos he¡¯s watched? That¡¯s right! He brings the fish down to his free hand, grabs it by the tail to slip it off of the spear, and then smacks it against the nearest rock. It stops flailing. ¡°You¡¯re so silly, Onii-chan. To worry about so much about a virtual fish suffering ¨C are you sure you don¡¯t mean to be playing a kiddy game? By the way, that was some top-tier dialogue back there,¡± Saya teases him. ¡°Real fish or fake fish, I don¡¯t want to let anything suffer. Also, you can¡¯t tease me about what I say when you¡¯re pretending to be a little sister constantly calling me ¡®onii-chan.¡¯ You¡¯re way worse than me,¡± Fenrir teases right back at her. He walks past the girl and back over to the pond to look for another fish. Now that he¡¯s caught one fish, he wants to catch even more! He¡¯s totally hooked. Well, more like totally speared. Wait. He turns around to look back. A petite girl with long, silvery hair and light blue eyes stares at him with an interested expression. The sides of her hair hang down far enough in front of her to cover her modest breasts, but barely. At least she¡¯s standing behind a bush so that he can''t see what¡¯s beneath her waist. He¡¯s assuming that she¡¯s just as naked there as she is upstairs. Somehow, it¡¯s only now when he fully understands that she¡¯s not wearing any clothes despite looking her over a few times. The poor Fenrir, who really didn¡¯t want to ever make such an unmanly noise again after he first realized he was naked, has now made it again less than two hours later. Book 1: Chapter 5: Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? At least Fenrir still has his tail. Lowering it to cover his rear and wrap it around to the front of his waist, he raises one of his hands up in front of his eyes to use it as a shield so that all he can see is the girl¡¯s head when he turns back around to face her. Now he remembers why he wanted to get clothes so badly. More importantly, why is this naked girl just standing here in front of a naked guy? She definitely has to be a G.I.R.L. Only a guy in real life would ever so brazenly stand about naked. Or she¡¯s just a pervert. Or dumb. Fenrir tilts his head in confusion. Not only does he behave like a dog when getting petted or rubbed, but apparently shows canid signs of confusion as well. The girl mimics his tilting head and raises her hands to make some odd signs. What, is she trying to copy some sort of old-school ninja anime? Is she going to suddenly create dozens of clones of herself or disappear into a puff of smoke with a log taking her place? No, she just stands there and looks frustrated with herself. ¡°Is uhh, everything alright?¡± Fenrir asks. The girl¡¯s eyes go wide before she looks away. What¡¯s with her? Odd girl. She takes a deep breath and looks back at him. ¡°My¡­ voice, does it sound¡­ weird?¡± she asks, looking directly into his eyes with a brave expression. He gets the feeling that it¡¯s, for whatever reason, taking her a good deal of courage to actually speak. It does sound weird, though. It sounds as if she¡¯s not used to talking nor properly pronouncing things, but at the same time, it¡¯s adorable in an innocent way. ¡°It sounds cute, why?¡± Fenrir replies. The girl¡¯s eyes flutter for a second as her face turns red. Now it seems like she¡¯s the one who¡¯s embarrassed as she¡¯s turning around to hide her face. ¡°Do ¨C do you really mean that? It¡¯s cute?¡± she asks for confirmation. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s cute. I¡¯d give it a solid ten out of ten, but my friends say I have horrible taste, so take that however you will.¡± Of course, his friends really just mean that he has horrible taste in shows and music. Even they can agree he has a good taste in waifus, though they would never admit it. Seeing that this girl is more nervous and flustered around him than he is around her makes this conversation easier. He doesn¡¯t know what he would do if she had more confidence than him. ¡°You uhh, know that you¡¯re naked, right?¡± Fenrir watches the girl¡¯s entire body freeze from his question. She dives into the nearest bush and only sticks her head out of it, letting him see how she¡¯s red from her chin to the tips of her ears. Her hands stick out from the bush to make a few very angry hand signs, but nothing happens again. She realizes what she¡¯s doing, makes a cute little disgruntled sound, and stares up at Fenrir. ¡°I¡­ I knew that.¡± Fenrir makes the kind of face that somebody in a sitcom about offices would make as they look into the camera. ¡°Just stay there for now. I¡¯ll find you something to wear, alright?¡± She nods her head, but just as she starts to de-reddify her face, her stomach grumbles which makes her completely pull herself into the bush as if she is a turtle hiding in its shell. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you first,¡± Fenrir says. Alright, time to cook! Cooking is only natural after fishing. First, he gathers all of the large rocks lying around to make a pit for the fire. He also clears out anything flammable around the pit to instead place it inside of the pit. If this world is as realistic as it truly seems to be, he doesn¡¯t doubt that a forest fire could get started if he isn¡¯t careful here. The girl has since poked her head back out of the bush to watch as he prepares the firepit. Though, sometimes when he looks back at her, he sees her looking at him instead of what he¡¯s doing. This just makes them both blush and avert their eyes. With the firepit built and filled with dried twigs and leaves, he takes a handful of the tinder and sets it aside as he finds some good enough wood to use for starting the fire. The only method he can fully remember how to do is the hand drill method, which unfortunately is also supposed to be the most difficult primal method. He uses the same jagged rock as he used earlier to carve a little knock into the flattest piece of wood he could find, takes a long and thin yet sturdy stick, and begins rubbing one end of it down into the knock. He has the top of the stick held between his straightened palms. While applying downward pressure, he rubs his hands back and forth to create friction between the stick and the flat wood below. Nothing happens for several minutes other than some cramping in his hands. ¡°This is harder than it looked. Now I know why those survivalist vloggers say to never use this method unless there''s no other choice,¡± Fenrir complains as he keeps at it. He hears a cute giggle come from the girl behind him. As much as he¡¯s tempted to tease her about it, he¡¯s worried he won¡¯t get to hear it again if he does. Fenrir begins feeling like it¡¯s hopeless. Smoke has risen a few times, but it never lasts long enough to create a fire. That is, until he finally succeeds in creating a lump of hot coal! That same satisfying feeling of accomplishment can be felt again. The game may not have any popups, but that feeling of accomplishing something is addictive. He takes the coal, places it in the bundle of kindle that he set aside, and begins blowing into it to try and get the fire started. Success! Maybe a bit too much of a success. The kindle lights up much faster than he thought he would, so he burns his hand a bit when he picks it up to set it on top of the fire pit. A few more branches and leaves are then placed on top of the flame, and before long, the firepit has a crackling fire within it! Looking back at the girl with a smug smile, she replies with an impressed look and a gentle clap. Her stomach grumbles again. ¡°Tell your stomach to be patient. I¡¯m working on it,¡± Fenrir says, taking the dead fish, his spear, and impaling the fish on it lengthways. He¡¯s careful to not let the end of the spear held together by his hair anywhere near the fire. After the fish is securely skewered on the spear, he places it directly above the fire to let it cook. He can already see the scales turning black from the fire. ¡°Alright, while this is cooking, I¡¯ll try figuring out something to do about clothes. Stay here, alright?¡± She nods her head and waits in the bush, hungry eyes staring at the fish as a single strand of drool hangs from her lips. Fenrir leaves the fire in her care and ventures back into the dense forest. He trusts that she¡¯s not going to run off with his spear and fish, but it wouldn¡¯t be the first, second, nor third time that his trust has been betrayed. Bonekraka and Oleander would probably be yelling at him right now if they saw him trusting another noob that he doesn¡¯t know. He¡¯s gotten into trouble many times over that. An idea pops into his head when he sees a particularly thick tree with bark shedding off of it. He looks at his hair. While he would rather not cut off all of the hair that he¡¯s given his avatar, it may be the best way to help the clothing problem. A sigh of defeat leaves his lips. The fish is ready to be flipped over once he returns. He flips it over after setting down several large chunks of bark that he was able to peel off from trees. Turns out that having slightly elongated nails is a good thing. They may not be wolf claws, but they are longer and sturdier than regular nails. He doesn¡¯t even remember paying any attention to the nails during character creation. He takes two slabs of bark and makes small holes in the top corners of them with his trusty rock. Then, he cuts off more hair to loop through the holes and tie the bark together. He leaves just enough room between them for him to fit his head through, letting the bark hang down over his chest and back. This time, he gets to immediately test out doing the same task again after getting that feeling of improving a skill. He may have gotten a skill--at least, that''s what he believes that feeling means--in regard to making armor out of wood and hair, but the end result is hardly any different. The holes made in the bark are slightly neater, and the hair is tied a bit more securely. That¡¯s it. ¡°This one is yours,¡± Fenrir says, setting the torso armor on the ground next to the firepit. The girl makes grabby hands from the bush. ¡°Hang on, let me make you something for your waist first. I¡¯ll bring them over to you when I¡¯m done,¡± he explains, turning the fish again before getting started on more armor. This time, he takes four slabs of bark, pokes two holes into each one, and loops his hair through them. He tests out the hair¡¯s durability by lifting it up and hanging all the bark down. To his surprise, there doesn¡¯t seem to be even a bit of strain on the hair. Hair is way more durable than he thought, assuming that the game isn¡¯t playing up its durability. ¡°Here. Wrap it around your waist and tie the ends together. It should give you enough protection to not really show anything,¡± Fenrir explains. She looks at the slabs of bark that he gathered and sees how he gave her all of the larger ones. With a smile and a soft blush, she nods her head and makes grabby hands again. He hands over the armor that he¡¯s made for her and listens to the rustling going on within the bush as she struggles to put everything on without showing herself. A few moments later and he feels a soft poke on his shoulder. He turns around to look. Before him stands the same petite girl from before, but now wearing comically oversized chunks of bark for armor. The armor around her waist covers her perfectly, though. One slab of bark in front of her and behind her, and the other two hang down over the sides of her hips. ¡°How ¨C how does it look?¡± she asks. He has to turn around to not laugh from just how silly she looks. At least now he can¡¯t see anything above her knees up until her shoulders. ¡°Looks good,¡± he answers. The only thing keeping him from laughing is the satisfaction that he feels from making something that works and seeing somebody else wearing it. First the spear, now some armor! Though, he probably should have given her the smaller set. While hers is oversized, his is clearly undersized. He¡¯s barely covered in comparison to her. Much care will be needed to not accidentally flash her nor anybody else. Book 1: Chapter 6: Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? Fenrir¡¯s stomach grumbles just in time for the fish to finish cooking. Alas, he¡¯s already promised the fish to the girl sitting with him on the other side of the firepit. She obviously looks guilty when she hears his stomach, but he gives her a look that says I¡¯m not letting you turn this down, so eat up. He takes the fish and places it on a flat rock for her to use as a plate. That feeling of learning a skill hits him again. ¡°How am I supposed to ¨C supposed to,¡± she stares at the fish with a confused expression, ¡°eat it?¡± He looks down at it. It¡¯s covered in charred scales, still has its tail and head on ¨C he can¡¯t blame her for not knowing how. Unless she¡¯s watched a bunch of random survivalist videos on the internet to pass the time while avoiding responsibilities like he has, he doubts she would look at it and know what to do. Taking the end of his spear, he cuts into the fish along its back and carves the layers of scales off from the white flesh inside. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to pick at it with your fingers, and be careful with the bones,¡± he explains, holding the plated fish to her. ¡°Can we choke?¡± she asks. ¡°Probably. This game is doing everything else realistically, so it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if we can choke. Just be careful and it won¡¯t be a problem. Spit out any bones you get,¡± he says. Saying ¡°bone¡± and telling a girl to spit in the same sentence immediately brings dirty thoughts to his mind. The desire to make a perverse joke is almost overwhelming. But, he resists. ¡°I thought guys like girls who swallow?¡± Fenrir blinks a couple of times. Did he ¨C did he really just hear that correctly? He looks down at the girl to see her with a content expression and mouth full of fish flesh. Alright, he must have been imagining it. It sounded like her voice, but it was just in his head. She¡¯s too cute to be making jokes like that. He hears her snicker as soon as he turns his back to her. When he looks at her again, a hand is held over her mouth as if she¡¯s trying to hide a smile. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to try catching myself a fish, and then I need to meet back up with my friends,¡± Fenrir explains. He swears that he can see a quick glimpse of disappointment when he mentions leaving. ¡°Do you want to hang out with us? They¡¯re pretty nice. Plus one of them is gay and the other is married, so you don¡¯t have to worry about being surrounded by a bunch of sausages being thrown at your face.¡± He may not know whether she¡¯s a real girl or not, but anybody who has ever played a female character in an online game before¡ªbeing a guy or girl in real life not mattering¡ªknows how it feels to be swarmed with sausage. Even Fenrir has experienced it once before, and he has since vowed to never play another girl character. It turns out that having a parental personality in games while playing a cute girl is guaranteed to attract all manners of sausage. If only he had a penny for every single time he was called ¡°wife material¡± during those days. The girl looks to the side and nods. ¡°Is it okay if ¨C if¡­ I don¡¯t talk a lot around them?¡± she asks. ¡°Don¡¯t see why it¡¯d be a problem. The big guy might be curious why you don¡¯t talk, but my other friend won¡¯t have any problems with it. He¡¯s the most tolerant guy I know. By the way, what¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Fenrir,¡± he says, holding out a hand for her to shake. However, he¡¯s holding his hand over the firepit which is still burning. It only takes a couple of seconds for his arm to get burnt and for him to pull it back. ¡°Serra,¡± she replies with a smile that looks like she¡¯s trying not to laugh. Instead of holding her hand over the firepit, she reaches around to give him a much safer handshake. Fenrir is still patting his arm and waving it around when he sees her hold her hand out. He gives it a nice shake, gently holding her hand within his own, and lets go to head back over to the pond. He got that supposed feeling of learning a skill twice earlier while fishing. He got it once when trying to catch fish, and then again when he actually caught it. It felt like he could better track fish after that first skill, but the second one doesn¡¯t seem to have affected anything. Was the skill from actually catching the fish something else ¨C maybe specific to catching a fish with a spear? If that first skill allowed him to track fish better, maybe this one increases his ability to catch them specifically with a spear? He ponders over it, but when he remembers that he does have friends waiting for him, he returns his attention to the shallow waters before him. There may not be any more fat fish like that first one he first caught, which he looks back to every now and then to see Serra happily picking at its flesh, but there are plenty of smaller ones. Every thrust of the spear grabs Serra¡¯s attention. She eventually brings her fish over closer to the water to watch him try fishing as she eats. Feeling her eyes on him makes it even more challenging. He feels like an incompetent loser every single time he fails, and he would much rather look cool in front of her. Another thrust! And another miss. He peeks at Serra through the corner of his vision. She doesn¡¯t seem to be watching him as much as she is watching his spear. It¡¯s less like she¡¯s judging him and his incompetence and more like¡­ she¡¯s watching for the sport of it? She gets tense every time he¡¯s about to thrust and looks just as disappointed as he is each time he misses. But then, when he finally does spear a fish, she¡¯s sitting there with a thumbs-up and a smile that warms his heart. She actually looks like she¡¯s having fun. Fenrir is quick to take the fish off the spear to smack it against a rock. It¡¯s a pretty small one, though. He¡¯s going to need more. Fortunately, another fish is near the edge of the pond. Another miss. He¡¯ll settle for just one fish. ¡°You¡¯re fun to watch,¡± Serra says, sounding more confident in her voice now. She¡¯s still quiet and doesn¡¯t say much at once, but it¡¯s charming in a way. ¡°I¡¯ve got to put on a show for my audience, after all,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Can¡¯t have a new friend already getting bored on me.¡± Serra gently shakes her head. ¡°I won¡¯t get bored of you.¡± That one sentence makes him feel as if she¡¯s just lassoed his heart. How is he even supposed to respond to that? Does he make a self-depreciative joke and tease her about how she¡¯ll definitely get bored? No, almost every time he does that, girls stop talking to him almost right away. Does he act confident and cocky? No, he¡¯s bad at that without making it sound too forced. It kind of feels like she¡¯s flirting with him. Is she really flirting, or is it just his virgin mind thinking that the first sign of a girl being nice to him means that she¡¯s interested? He fears that he¡¯ll be wearing a fedora and trench coat in no time if he believes that she¡¯s flirting just from that. ¡°Thanks, I try,¡± he replies. Really? That¡¯s it? He already wants to smack himself in the head for such a weak response, but when he looks up at her, he sees her smiling at him. Fish. Right, fish. Just focus on cooking the¡ª His stomach grumbles the loudest it has yet. He is very, very hungry and would much rather not wait for the fish to cook. Just looking at it on its own is enough to make him drool, and he can feel a primal urge to just sink his teeth into the fish and tear away at it. It¡¯s an almost animalistic sensation. Is this also because of how his subconscious believes he should be acting? He looks up at Serra. ¡°Hey, you won¡¯t uhh, judge me if I just eat this raw, will you? I mean, I¡¯d never do it in real life if it wasn¡¯t sushi, but I figure I could try since it¡¯s a game.¡± She shakes her head again. ¡°I¡¯ll never judge you.¡± What ¨C just, what ¨C why, how? What is she doing? Why is she like this? Does she want him to be throwing his plus-three-inches sausage at her? This is how she gets sausage thrown at her! No, she might be a guy. She could really be a he who is sitting in his mother¡¯s basement at five hundred pounds with a diaper on. Alright, he¡¯s going to lose his appetite if he continues that line of thought. ¡°Al-alright, I¡¯m digging in then,¡± he says, using his nails to peel off patches of scales and skin before sinking his teeth directly into the raw fish flesh. His ears twitch. What is this? This is¡­ actually really good! He was wary of how it might taste, but it tastes even better than prepared fish do! He doesn¡¯t even mind getting the occasional scale stuck in his teeth when he accidentally bites through a section of skin. In fact, the skin itself tastes pretty good as well. The texture leaves something to be desired, though. He recalls hearing about how much of a fish¡¯s nutrition and fatty acids are inside of their skin. The only problem is the scales stuck to it. Using his nails, he carefully scrapes at the scales until he gets as many of them off as he can without taking the skin with them. Now he can properly dig in. Little more than bones, the fish¡¯s head, and its guts are left by the time he¡¯s done eating it. He tosses its remains back into the water to let any scavengers in the pond make use of the scraps. Do they even need nutrition if they¡¯re NPCs? He wonders how many of the NPCs in this game are simply programmed or being controlled by AIs. He decides to think his question to Saya. ¡°All NPCs follow standard behavior procedures until interacting with a player, and then the overseer controls them from there, Onii-chan,¡± Saya answers him. ¡°Thanks, Saya,¡± Fenrir mentally thanks her. Turning around, he sees Serra pointing at the left end of her lips while looking straight at him. He raises his hand to his own lips and wipes away a stray piece of fish flesh. Well, this is embarrassing. Even so, instead of being disgusted like almost every other girl that he''s known would be, Serra just smiles and gets up from her seat. ¡°The fire is already dying down, so I think it should be fine if we leave it. Ready to go?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra replies with a nod of the head and stands behind him. He¡¯ll need to be careful to not accidentally whack her with his tail. The two head back to where Fenrir told his friends to meet up. All he brings with him is his spear and that trusty, jagged rock. On the way there, they see a deer repeatedly walk headfirst into a tree, get teleported a couple of feet backward, and then walk into the tree again. Eventually, it manages to walk straight through the tree as if it isn¡¯t even there. Fenrir thinks to Saya, ¡°Uhh, Saya? I think there''s a glit¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, Onii-chan,¡± she replies, sounding the most embarrassed he¡¯s ever heard somebody sound before. Apparently, the AIs of this game are very sensitive about its coding. ¡°Bug report sent,¡± Saya says with a depressed tone. ¡°Hang on, Serra, I want to test something,¡± Fenrir says. Serra nods and watches what it is he wants to try. He carefully stalks the deer with a random stone in hand. Watching it, he sees some repeating patterns in its movement and idle stances. It doesn¡¯t look completely sentient when he looks at its eyes either. However, as soon as he throws a stone near it¡ªnot at it¡ªthe deer¡¯s eyes fill with life as it takes off as realistically as any deer would. Seeing that change in its eyes confirms what Saya explained to him. The NPCs may follow simple patterns and rules when on their own, but the moment interaction begins with a player, they get taken over by something much more intelligent: the overseer. Most games get boring once all the patterns and behaviors are figured out, but this is a game where such things can be changed whenever the overseer wishes. What is even better is that the overseer can directly control the NPCs whenever it is appropriate, meaning that there will forever be a challenge. This isn¡¯t just some game where players can learn the movesets of NPCs to flawlessly defeat them. Players constantly have to adapt and improvise, for every single fight against an NPC is a true fight to the death for them. Even things as simple as hunting and fishing are realistically challenging as a result. Fenrir may not have been totally convinced before, but now he is. This is the best game of all time. He already loves it here! Book 1: Chapter 7: Patch 2.0: Socializing, Raiding, or Fishing? Serra stays close behind Fenrir as they walk. He¡¯s worried about hitting her with his tail, so he tries to put some more distance between them, but she always closes the gap. He also catches her staring at it sometimes. He places himself in her shoes. If he was some normal guy following behind a girl with a dog tail, he would definitely want to try petting it. He would also want to do many other things to her. Many. Other. Things. But since Serra is a girl, or at least pretending to be one, he doubts that she would have such perverse desires. ¡°Do you want to touch it?¡± he asks her, stopping in front of her with his head turned back to look at her. A soft blush spreads across her cheeks as she nods her head. ¡°I know how it feels, so go ahead. I wouldn¡¯t have given myself a tail if the thought of people touching it bothered me. I mean, who doesn¡¯t love petting dogs? Not that I¡¯m a dog or anything,¡± he looks back ahead of him, ¡°you know what I mean." Her soft, smaller hands reach out to tentatively stroke his tail. Whereas it was gently swaying before, now it is completely frozen. It may not feel as good as a headpat or belly rub, but it¡¯s still enough to send shivers up his spine. This pleasurable feeling only grows stronger as her hands run along the length of his tail, gently rubbing it. She even goes so far as to gently nuzzle against it with the side of her face, rubbing his tip against her¡ª ¡°Alright! I think that¡¯s enough for now,¡± Fenrir interrupts, excitedly taking himself out of her reach. He¡¯s just happy that she can¡¯t see his face. He is much too red right now. The rest of the walk has Fenrir making sure that she can¡¯t catch up to his tail. Reaching where he told his friends to meet up at, he sees Oleander and Bone sitting around a campfire with large slabs of meat stuck inside of it on some sticks. Oleander is clothed with a few large leaves that seem to have been pasted together somehow. It looks like he¡¯s wearing a short dress made out of leaves, and he''s even put a few flowers in his hair. As for Bonekraka, he¡¯s wearing some poor boar¡¯s skin. The boar¡¯s head rests on top of his own, and the rest of its skin hangs down over his back. It looks like some other animal had its fur skinned off to tie around Bonekraka¡¯s waist, but all it really does is hang down and cover his exaggerated green tool. At least they¡¯re somewhat covered up. Though, Fenrir is curious how Bonekraka was able to skin the animals. ¡°Fenny!¡± Oleander is the first to spot Fenrir, shouting out and running up to him. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting here forever! What took you¡ª oh, who¡¯s she?¡± he asks, having noticed the girl hiding behind Fenrir. A mischievous grin spreads across his lips. ¡°This is why I can¡¯t leave you alone! I let you out of my sight for just a few minutes and you cheat on me! What does she do for you that I don¡¯t? Is it because I don¡¯t let you ravage my body enough?¡± ¡°Hey, stop that before she misunder¡ª¡± Fenrir tries stopping the teasing boy, but he should know better than to expect that to work. Oleander makes himself cry and covers his face. ¡°I thought what we had was special! Am I not feminine enough for you? Is it because I always want to be the bottom? I¡¯m sorry for being so selfish!¡± Fenrir looks back at Serra. She¡¯s staring up at him with a very, very unimpressed face. Fortunately for Fenrir, she can''t keep up the judging expression for long. She breaks and smiles from the amusing Oleander. Bonekraka grabs Oleander by his antlers and tosses him to the side. Now standing next to Fenrir, she can see just how huge Bonekraka is in comparison. She¡¯s relieved that he¡¯s covered up considering that her eye level is at his crotch. ¡°Who is girl?¡± he asks. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know if he should say her name or not. She warned him that she wouldn¡¯t be talking much around them, so if he tells them her name, it would show that she¡¯s talked to him and could make things awkward if she doesn¡¯t talk to them as well. ¡°She found me while I was fishi¡ª I mean, while I was looking for some way to make equipment. I guess I don¡¯t have to feel bad about not making anything for you guys. Looks like you¡¯ve been busy,¡± Fenrir says, changing the subject. Seeing the fur and skin Bonekraka is wearing makes him a bit uneasy. Perhaps it¡¯s because of his own canid features that he doesn¡¯t like the idea of somebody wearing dead animals. ¡°Found boar, turned boar into food and clothes. Looks badass,¡± Bonekraka explains, a cheesy American accent being used to say badass. He even gives a couple of thumbs-up alongside the accent. Oleander gets up from where Bonekraka tossed him to, rubbing his head and butt. ¡°Look, Fenny! I want to show off too,¡± he says, walking to the campfire where a pile of odd-looking plant stems has been gathered. Each of the stems is thick, red, and look fairly durable with few leaves on them. He grabs one of the stems, snaps it in half, and then some thick green liquid drips out of it. A demonstration is performed by him using the liquid to stick together a few leaves to a nearby twig. Fenrir looks captivated throughout the entire demonstration. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Where did you find those? It could help us a lot if we gather a bunch of it. Oh, wait,¡± he looks back to Serra. ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t introduced them yet. The big guy here is Bonekraka, and that¡¯s Oleander.¡± She gives each of the men a small wave, and they return the gesture. ¡°We found the boar eating it. I tried it myself, but it¡¯s toothick for me,¡± Oleander teases. Serra snerks at Oleander¡¯s innuendo, and the boy instantly knows he has a comrade-in-arms for lewd jokes. Neither Bonekraka nor Fenrir picks up on the perverted bond that was just formed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing anything with stems that red while looking around, so it must be rare. Maybe it¡¯s like truffles and pigs? Pretty hard to find, but they can sense it from a good distance,¡± Fenrir theorizes. ¡°You know too much random stuff, Fenny. You must get really bored when neither of us are online.¡± Bonekraka nods at Oleander¡¯s own theory. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that, but I won¡¯t admit it either. Anyways, neither of you mind if she tags along with us, right?¡± Fenrir asks. Oleander shakes his head. Bonekraka says, ¡°As long as she not like gamer girl, she is fine.¡± Serra cringes when she hears the term ¡°gamer girl,¡± shaking her head to assure the orc that she is anything but. She is well aware of the negative connotations that accompany labeling oneself that. ¡°Alright! Looks like we¡¯ve got ourselves a fourth party member. So, now what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I got my cravings out of my system, so what do you guys want to do when you¡¯re done cooking?¡± Bonekraka and Oleander both look confused when he mentions cooking. They look at each other. They look at the fire. In a panic, they each rush to the fire to pull their meat out of it. ¡°Aww, it¡¯s burnt! Why didn¡¯t you remind us sooner, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks. Bonekraka tries taking a bite out of the charred meat while flipping Fenrir off with his free hand, and when he accidentally burns his mouth from it, he drops the meat which causes him to flip Fenrir off with both hands. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault you two got distracted! Pay better attention next time. Didn¡¯t your parents ever teach you not to leave the kitchen unattended when you¡¯re cooking?¡± Fenrir scolds them. They look into the fire with shame. It¡¯s their fault, but they don¡¯t want to have to admit it. Fenrir jumps with perked ears when he feels something touch his tail. He spins around to see Serra with both of her hands behind her back and looking to the side. He¡¯s beginning to believe that she may not be as innocent as he thinks she is. The time waiting for Bonekraka and Oleander to finish their food is spent with Fenrir sharpening his spear using that jagged rock he¡¯s still keeping with him. It may just be some random rock that he found in the forest, but it¡¯s his random rock. Though, he isn¡¯t sure how effective the sharpening actually is. The spearhead is definitely getting more jagged, but is that a good thing? He¡¯ll need to watch and read random things about stone-tipped spears after he wakes. Serra sits next to him and watches what he¡¯s doing. He can¡¯t help but feel that she¡¯s being suspiciously clingy given how long they¡¯ve known each other for. The last time a girl was this clingy to him right from the start, she ended up gaining his trust, being given an officer position in the guild he ran in one of the older games he played, and then completely cleaned out the guild bank of all its materials and money. His guildmembers were not happy about that. They were even unhappier when it happened again no more than two months later. ¡°Do you want me to try and get you a weapon?¡± Fenrir asks her. Serra looks over at his friends and sees that they¡¯re preoccupied with eating and talking. They shouldn¡¯t be able to hear her. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not¡­ really used to playing games like this,¡± she explains. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll find something fun for you to do. You kind of give me a magic user vibe, so maybe something like that?¡± Serra shrugs. ¡°Watching you fish was ¨C it was fun. Do I have to fight?¡± ¡°Nope. You can do whatever you want in this game, including just living a second life without any of the fighting. It might be hard to avoid sometimes, but I¡¯ll be here to protect you if it ever comes to that.¡± ¡­ What did he just say? No, he didn¡¯t just say something so cheesy and overly romantic to a girl that he barely knows. She¡¯s potentially a five-hundred-pound man in his mother¡¯s basement wearing a diaper! Stop! What if she¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± His heart isn¡¯t going to be able to take much more of her. Book 1: Chapter 8: Patch 3.0: To the City of Pirates! The dynamic duo comes over to Fenrir and Serra once they¡¯re done eating, each one of them patting their full bellies. One would normally never think it from how often they fight, but they act similarly enough to look like a husband and wife ¨C well, a husband and much-less-manlier husband. Maybe "look" isn''t the right word to use seeing as how one of them is a giant orc and the other is a petite deer-trap-boy. Either way, they are similar in more ways than one would think. ¡°You guys ready to go?¡± Fenrir asks, picking up his rock and spear. Actually, carrying around the rock on its own all the time is getting to be a bit annoying. He can¡¯t carry anything else when he¡¯s holding it as his spear is already taking up one hand. Looking to those red stems, he snaps a couple of them in half to get their liquid onto the spear¡¯s shaft for him to glue the rock to it. A bright smile crosses his lips when it works. ¡°You sure do love playing with poles and thick, sticky stuff, Fenny,¡± Oleander teases from behind Fenrir. The teasing boy looks back at Serra to see her reaction. She¡¯s looking away and trying to contain her laughter. Yeah, they¡¯re definitely going to be getting along. Oleander picks up the unused stems to carry them. He doesn''t have anything else to be carrying. ¡°Is impossible for you to talk normal,¡± Bonekraka says, smacking Oleander on the back of his head. ¡°Is impossible for you to talk not sound like Russian gangster!¡± Oleander snips back, mimicking Bonekraka¡¯s accent. ¡°Gangsters are cool,¡± the orc replies, giving two thumbs-up and nodding his head. ¡°Yeah, and I think dicks are cool, so deal with it,¡± Oleander says with his tongue stuck out. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Fenrir steps in, ¡°what¡¯s the plan other than killing each other? We¡¯re down for whatever you guys want,¡± he says, looking back at Serra to confirm. She nods. Oleander looks to the sky. The sun falls lower and lower as the shades coloring the sky grow darker. ¡°I think I heard it¡¯s more dangerous at night. Think we should try finding a village, or maybe we should put up a camp? We can get nice and snuggled up together in a tent, Fenny,¡± he coos. ¡°I have no idea if there¡¯s even a village anywhere near us. I just know that we¡¯re in the Augus Empire¡¯s territory,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Oleander sounds disappointed, ¡°I forgot we spawned on the land they claim. I¡¯d really rather not stay in a land full of stuck-up roleplayers pretending they¡¯re the best there are. I swear, I always see them making the news and everybody kisses their asses. Why do there have to be wannabe Romans in every single fantasy game?¡± It''s the first time in weeks Fenrir has heard Oleander sound so bothered. Prudes really get under his skin, and the faction that claims this land is supposedly full of prudes. ¡°Well, I figured it¡¯d be best if we spawned on the larger continent that has more people on it. Easier than spawning between warring factions or in zones where we¡¯re going to get wrecked immediately. Plus we have a bunch of stuff around us.¡± ¡°Oh! Aren¡¯t those pirate guys to the south? We should totally go to the pirate place! Big, burly pirates; debauchery and plundering booty ¨C it sounds like heaven! Plus there¡¯s the famous Blackstache! What if we get to meet him? He¡¯s the stuff of legends!¡± Fenrir thinks about it. Going there might be the best option for all of their needs. It would most likely be an amazing place to go for fishing, Oleander would get to surround himself with a bunch of rough men, Bonekraka would surely find plenty of fights and games to bet money on ¨C the only one to worry about is Serra. She¡¯s so small and innocent looking, and she¡¯s already expressed a disinterest in fighting, so how would she handle being around a bunch of pirates? He looks at her and sees her smiling. Alright, apparently, she¡¯s interested in meeting some pirates as well. This should be interesting. ¡°Got any objections, Bone?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Do not let wife know,¡± Bonekraka says. He knows full well what¡¯s going to happen if he goes to a city built for pirates. There is going to be tons of drinking and even more gambling. Both of these are things that his wife has a strong hatred for and prohibits him from doing in reality. ¡°Alright, then to¡­ what was it called again?¡± Everybody shrugs. ¡°Wait, I have an idea. Instead of trying to get there over land, why don¡¯t we follow the coast south? I bet we¡¯ll come across a village at some point that might be able to take us there by boat,¡± Fenrir proposes. This sort of thinking is why Oleander and Bonekraka usually listen to him even if they believe his plans are boring most of the time. They might be more boring, but they work. There aren¡¯t any objections. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to where I spawned then. Plus you guys will get to see the ocean, and trust me when I say it''s awesome to see.¡± With that being said, they head back in the direction that they originally came from. ¡°So, Boney, about those ships in Eternal Space¡­¡± Fenrir realizes something halfway to the coast. He knows of Blackstache and the legends surrounding him, but can¡¯t remember the name of his faction, city, nor where the exact location of the city is. Gaming news websites and channels will often cover the events happening in-game and have the ability to show everybody everything that happens within the world. He knows that he has seen exactly where all of the major cities are, where massive battles have happened, and so forth. However, when he actually tries to visualize their positions on a map in his head, he comes up blank. He asks Saya about it. ¡°Like I said, Onii-chan, not everything is transferred from reality to the game and vise-versa! The location is in your memories, but I¡¯m not allowed to let you access it. You have to discover things in-game on your own! It wouldn''t be as fun otherwise. It would also give you an unfair advantage over players who don¡¯t do the same amount of research,¡± Saya explains. It¡¯s weird how nobody else can hear her despite Fenrir being able to hear her so clearly in his head. ¡°So I can remember how to make a spear and fish, but I can¡¯t remember where a city is on a map? Why can I remember that I''m in Augus Empire territory then?¡± Fenrir thinks his question to her. ¡°You were only able to vaguely remember how to make the spear. It¡¯s not like you were able to make a super duper awesome spear right from the start, and there were a bunch of things you technically could¡¯ve done better if you could''ve remembered all of it. You still remember some things, just not everything about them. Just like how you know the general direction of the city you¡¯re heading to, but not its exact location! When it comes to the Augus Empire, you''re allowed to keep some of the information related to the area you start in. Wouldn''t it be silly if you spawn in the game without knowing anything at all? The easiest way to look at it is to pretend that you''re in the shoes of somebody who was born and raised in this area. You know about the area you''re in, and you might know some legends and myths about the rest of the world and its people, but you won''t know anything more unless you learn it in-game! If you didn''t know anything at all then it would be like an adult baby suddenly appearing out of nowhere. You would have been given information regarding the Augus Empire even if you never learned about it out of the game.¡± Must be nice to be an AI; AIs never have to stop talking to breathe or take a drink. Though, she still imitates human limitations at times. Fenrir understands just barely enough to not be totally lost. ¡°Alright, so there¡¯s studies about learning skills and transferring that between real life and the game, but when it comes to general knowledge, that¡¯s something you control. Is that right?¡± ¡°Right, Onii-chan!¡± ¡°If every player has their own AI assistant, then how can players be sure that everybody is being treated fairly?¡± ¡°Geez, Onii-chan! Are you saying that we¡¯re cheating or might be biased? I mean, it¡¯s true that it¡¯s possible since we are heavily influenced by the personalities of our partners, but everything we do is checked by the overseer. If she finds that something is unfair or inappropriate for the world, then she¡¯ll revert it!¡± ¡°Alright, so skills may or may not be transferred between in-game and reality to some degree, AI assistants control what knowledge players retain between real life and the game, and the overseer makes sure that everything is fair? Is there really a difference between skills and knowledge?¡± ¡°Onii-chan, you¡¯re going to scare away girls if you ask so many questions! I suggest reading about this when you¡¯re outside of the game.¡± Fenrir gives up. While the technical aspects regarding how all of this is possible are something that interests him, he doubts he is smart enough to understand all of it even if it gets explained like he¡¯s five. He¡¯ll leave the technical stuff up to the engineers and developers. ¡°Thanks, Saya. That¡¯s all for now.¡± The party reaches the coast just after the sun has finished setting. Bonekraka finally has permission to shove Oleander off of his shoulders, and Fenrir gives a disappointed sigh. ¡°I was hoping we¡¯d get to see the sunset. At least we¡¯ll still be in the open. I¡¯d rather be on a beach at night than in a forest,¡± Fenrir says as Bonekraka rubs his shoulders. Oleander looks full of energy due to not having to walk himself. Fenrir checks on Serra. He was expecting to see exhaustion or grumpiness from having to walk so far, but instead sees a pair of amazed eyes looking out over the ocean. She looks every bit as inspired as he did when he first saw it. He just wishes that they got here sooner. ¡°If we¡¯re still by the coast tomorrow ¨C in-game tomorrow, then we¡¯ll get to watch the sunset. Sound good?¡± he asks and gets an excited nod in return. He can''t deny that he''s a bit disappointed Oleander and Bonekraka aren''t as impressed by the sights. ¡°Small girl, why not speak?¡± Bonekraka asks, leaning over in front of her. His imposing face is directly in front of her own. This makes her jump back and hide behind Fenrir. ¡°Hey, Boney! If she wanted to talk then she¡¯d talk. Don¡¯t be rude,¡± Oleander says before kicking Bonekraka in the back of his leg. ¡°Is just question! Is asking question rude? Nyet!¡± Fenrir is about to break them up when somebody else speaks up. ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just ¨C not comfortable talking a lot, I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± Serra says. Both Oleander and Bonekraka look at her with surprised eyes. Neither of them expected to hear her talking anytime soon. Oleander looks particularly interested. ¡°There you have it! Now, don¡¯t make her talk anymore, you big dumb brute,¡± Oleander scolds Bonekraka. The scolding clearly works given that Bonekraka looks away, feeling ashamed. ¡°Izvinite,¡± he says under his breath. Serra looks up at Fenrir with confusion. ¡°He¡¯s Russian. It means he¡¯s sorry,¡± Fenrir explains. Bonekraka grumbles and begins walking off when his apology is explained. His tsundere level puts Saya¡¯s to shame. Book 1: Chapter 9: Patch 3.0: To the City of Pirates! It is the party¡¯s first night in-game. While Bonekraka and Oleander weren¡¯t that impressed just from the sight of the ocean, they can¡¯t help but look up in awe at a sky full of beautiful stars and distant nebulae. One of the first things anybody who loves space does in a video game, when it¡¯s night time, is look up at the game¡¯s skybox. The nighttime sky of a virtual world is almost always far more impressive than in reality, and this is no exception. The group is lucky as there is not a single cloud to block their vision. Thousands of shining lights of various colors hang in the sky. Constellations, nebulae, comets, local planets ¨C all and more are visibly decorating the space above them. Such a sight is simply impossible to see in reality; this is as close as they can get to ever seeing this in person. ¡°Saya, is it possible for you to take a screenshot of us from third person?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You named your assistant ¡®Saya?¡¯ You really are a weeb, Fenny,¡± Oleander says. Whoops. Fenrir was so distracted by the night sky¡¯s beauty that he asked her out loud. ¡°Sure thing, Onii-chan!¡± Saya answers. Oleander and Serra already know what to do. Serra gets close to Fenrir¡¯s right side, and Oleander nuzzles up again his left side while pulling Bonekraka in close. ¡°3¡­2¡­1¡­¡± They all hear the countdown in Saya¡¯s cutesy voice, and they all hear the sound effect of a camera snapping afterward. A small window temporarily pops up to show the screenshot. The four of them are standing side by side, and they''re all smiling save for Bonekraka. Behind them is a vast ocean with calm waves rolling onto the shore, and above that is a beautiful and brilliant sky. ¡°Hey, Fenny, I think I heard your Saya,¡± Oleander says. Bonekraka grunts in agreement and Serra nods as well. ¡°Really? Let me ask about it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°All willing participants of a planned screenshot will hear a synchronized countdown! They can also get a copy of the screenshot if they ask their own assistants for it, Onii-chan.¡± Fenrir relays the information from Saya to the rest of the group. Oleander and Serra let him know that they¡¯ve saved it as well, and Bonekraka is ¨C well, Bonekraka. Fenrir and Oleander both know that he most likely saved it even if he would never admit it. With the stargazing and screenshotting session over, the group follows the beach southward with naught but the sky above to guide them. A pair of dual moons orbiting one another has since risen into view. One of the moons has a soft blue color to it. The other moon has an orangish coloring. Each one looks several times closer to this world than Earth¡¯s moon. Given how the ocean¡¯s waves aren¡¯t completely annihilating the coastline, he assumes that their gravitational effect on the ocean¡¯s tides is not meant to be realistic. The moons look amazing at least. Bonekraka grunts and groans every few feet. With how much heavier he is, and how much larger his feet are, any shells or pieces of driftwood that he steps on cause pain equal to stepping on children¡¯s building blocks. ¡°Regretting setting pain to 100% yet, Bone?¡± Fenrir asks. His question is answered by having a shell thrown at his head which he somehow dodges, surprising even himself. Nothing particularly eventful happens as they walk down the coast. ¡°Ugh, my assistant is making my head hurt. I keep asking him stuff about the game, but all of his answers make my head hurt or are too vague. It¡¯s like when you read a story and really want to understand how everything works, but the author doesn¡¯t even know how it works themselves, so they either don¡¯t bother going into detail or come up with some lame excuse to not go into it,¡± Oleander whines. ¡°I forget how hardcore of a bookworm you are sometimes. Read anything good lately?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve been busy with classes. By classes, I mean busy with my professors. Professors with an s, as in multiple professors,¡± Oleander explains with a wink. Unfortunately, before Fenrir can ask for clarification about just how he¡¯s been busy with multiple professors, Bonekraka holds out an arm from the front of the group to signal a stop. The three behind the orc all peak around him and see a couple of man-sized crabs digging their claws beneath the sand. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re looking for something. Food?¡± Fenrir asks. Each of the crabs¡¯ legs is the same height as Oleander, and their carapaces are almost as large as a bear¡¯s body! They each have a pair of large, spiny claws that have black tips in contrast to the red coloring of their shells. Their eyes stick out from their bodies on short stalks. ¡°Those claws are almost as big as I am,¡± Oleander says in a hushed voice. ¡°Can crabs even hear?¡± Everybody looks at Fenrir for an answer. He doesn¡¯t know whether to feel complimented or insulted. ¡°No idea. Want to go around them, or try killing them? I¡¯m going to be honest with you guys though, I haven¡¯t eaten any crab in a really long time and could really go for some right now,¡± he explains. He¡¯s also excited to try out the combat. Just because his main goal is fishing doesn¡¯t mean he has no interest in fighting. Plus, considering that the would-be enemy is a crab, and he would be killing it with a spear, he could technically consider this spearfishing. ¡°Let me try out what I learned during the fight with the boar, alright, Boney?¡± Oleander asks. Bonekraka nods, letting Oleander go ahead to get into position. Fenrir and Serra look on to see what he¡¯s going to do. Oleander moves into the tall grass bordering the sandy shore, sneaking up through it until he¡¯s as close to the crabs as he can get without leaving the grass. It¡¯s hard to see the exact details from where the rest of the group is, but they can see long, thin tendrils slowly slithering out through the grass toward the crabs. They look like grassy tentacles slithering like snakes. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that kind of too awesome considering we just started playing?¡± Fenrir asks, but he¡¯s not surprised. If anybody is going to be a prodigy in a game where magic is based off of a character¡¯s intelligence and willpower, then it¡¯s going to be Oleander. Fenrir is better at making long-term plans, but Oleander is the master at short-term strategy and also usually ends up being the one making all the money for the group. The grassy tentacles slither closer and closer to the crabs until they¡¯re able to swiftly lunge forward and wrap around the crabs¡¯ claws! Each crab lifts its claws from the ground and looks around. They find themselves barely able to move their claws. Their idle personalities have been replaced by the overseer, and now the crabs are fighting for their lives. ¡°Now!¡± Oleander shouts. Bonekraka and Fenrir both charge forward! Bonekraka uses his fists and legs to punch and kick the nearest crab. Fragments of shell get broken off with every attack. As impressive as Oleander¡¯s magic may be, he¡¯s still new to the game. The crabs break free from their viny chains and retaliate! One claw smashes into Bonekraka¡¯s chest, and the other reaches in to grab onto his left arm. Bonekraka¡¯s eyes go wide with pain as the claw crushes the arm within its grasp. To him, he can feel every last bit of pain that one would feel were this happening in real life, and he also hears the snapping of his bone and can see the gore inflicted by the attack. To Fenrir, who didn¡¯t enable gore, all he hears is Bonekraka¡¯s pained shouts and sees bloodied cuts on his arm. Fenrir wants to help Bonekraka. The crab in front of him won¡¯t allow that. Fenrir thrusts his spear forward, piercing the crab¡¯s shell, but it looks as if it doesn¡¯t cause any actual pain. The crab continues approaching with its claws raised. One of its claws grabs onto the spear embedded inside of it, snaps it in half, and tosses it to the side as the other claw comes swinging at Fenrir! He¡¯s able to jump out of the way, but all he has now is a broken stick with a rock glued to it. He looks at the rock. This might just work. Switching his hold on the stick, he¡¯s positioned the end with the rock away from his hands and is now wielding it as if it is a hammer. The next time the crab swings a claw at him, he counterstrikes with his makeshift hammer to crack apart the shelled claw! The struck claw reels back, but the other one comes in to smash into his side. Fenrir¡¯s body gets tossed several feet away, leaving him laying on the sand clutching his side. It hurts! Yet, he¡¯s felt worse in reality. There¡¯s an equal amount of numbness as there is pain. That must be how the game balances between people who choose to feel all pain or no pain. Those who can¡¯t feel any pain instead feel numbness. What feels like a broken arm incapable of moving to one player would feel like a numb, immobile arm to another. Same result, different way of feeling it. It¡¯s hard to get back up. The attack completely knocked the wind out of him and left a large bruise on his side. Looking up at Bonekraka, he sees the large orc tear the clawed arm holding his own off of the crab with his free arm. More viny tendrils lash forward to wrap around the crab¡¯s only remaining claw as Bonekraka begins smashing the severed arm into the crab¡¯s carapace. Every single hit on the crab is accompanied by a brutish, very pissed off shout in Russian. Fenrir has no idea what¡¯s being said, but he¡¯s pretty sure it¡¯s the kind of thing that Russians yell at bad players in FPS games. He returns his attention to the crab approaching him. ¡°What? All I wanted was a nice crab dinner,¡± he taunts it. Picking up his ¡°hammer,¡± he rips the rock off of the shaft and tosses the stick aside. A bestial urge is welling up within him. His head is lowered and stuck out ahead as he gets into a position similar to a wolf preparing to attack, his tail hangs still behind his legs, and he¡¯s even baring his teeth at the crab. A couple of pronounced canines give the crab a brief moment of pause before proceeding closer. Something is building up inside of him. It is an odd sensation. He knows that he can resist the temptation to give in to this feral urge, but at the same time, it just feels right to give in to it. In the same way that Bonekraka is brutally destroying his crab¡¯s body like a rampaging orc would, Fenrir wants to pounce and tear to shreds the crab in front of him like a wolf earning its meal. And so he does. The moment the crab is close enough, Fenrir charges the crab, jumps between its two claws, and grapples onto its back! His left hand grabs onto the crab¡¯s left eyestalk as he wraps his legs around its carapace to keep himself steady. With the jagged rock in his right hand, he repeatedly smashes it down right between the crab¡¯s eyes. It tries reaching its claws behind to rip Fenrir off of him, but every single smack of the rock against its ¡°head¡± staggers it. Fenrir keeps on smashing, and smashing, and smashing until the shell covering its brain is broken away. Despite the act itself being violent and gory, there is little blood and brain matter being splattered about as Fenrir starts smashing the rock directly into its brain. He only gets a quick look into the hole that he¡¯s made in the crab¡¯s carapace. He struggles to actually see the brain or anything else for that matter. It¡¯s clearly there, but at the same time, his eyes can¡¯t actually notice it. Meanwhile, Bonekraka is noticing every single last bit of gore over at his crab. The crab¡¯s entire body shudders from Fenrir¡¯s attacks. It only takes a few blows after reaching the brain directly to kill it. Its legs give out from underneath it, and its claws fall limply to its sides. Bonekraka is still tearing apart his enemy despite it having been dead a minute ago. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Serra asks from behind Fenrir. Her voice is shaky; she sounds worried. Fenrir takes a few moments to steady his breathing before answering her. ¡°Yeah, no problem. Broke my spear though, so not too happy about that,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°This rock ¨C I¡¯m going to keep this rock with me forever. It might not look like the hottest rock on the block, but ¨C hey, I rhymed.¡± He looks proud of himself. Serra can¡¯t help smiling when she sees his dorky expression of satisfaction from his unplanned rhyme. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s just leftover adrenaline from the fight or a sudden wave of confidence from having defeated his first enemy that wasn¡¯t a helpless fish. Regardless of what it is, he¡¯s inspired to make a cheesy pickup line that he¡¯ll most likely regret less than a split second after saying it. ¡°How¡¯s a crab dinner under moonlight sound?¡± Yep. The internal cringing begins. She smiles and nods her head. Her answer is worth the self-cringe. ¡°Smile,¡± Serra requests. Huh? Fenrir gives her a confused smile. She points at his teeth. ¡°They look bigger now,¡± she says. He touches his teeth. They feel slightly longer and are sharper than before. With his hand near his face to examine his teeth, he notices that even his nails are longer and sharper now! He¡¯s not turning into a werewolf or anything clich¨¦ like that, is he? He checks out his arms and legs. Alright, no more hair than before. Seems like the only changes to have happened involve his teeth and nails. Bonekraka walks up to them with the crab and its severed arm in tow. Oleander accompanies him. Looks like Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one to have changed. Book 1: Chapter 10: Patch 3.0: To the City of Pirates! ¡°Hey, Bone, your uhh,¡± Fenrir says, pointing up at Bonekraka¡¯s mouth. The two tusk-like fangs sticking up from behind his bottom lip are each sharper and longer just like Fenrir¡¯s teeth are now. A few tiny horns look like they¡¯re beginning to sprout out from Bonekraka¡¯s forehead above his eyebrows, two above each one. Bonekraka looks down at his tusks. He could only barely see them before, but now when he looks down, they¡¯re easy to find. His lower lip is bulged out slightly to make space for the tusks growing behind them. ¡°Eat crab?¡± Bonekraka asks, clearly not caring about the change. Oleander shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll get some wood! Hey,¡± he looks at Serra, ¡°want to come with me? We¡¯ll let these two guys do the messy stuff while we have some quality girls¡¯ time!¡± Serra looks up at Fenrir. She doesn¡¯t look too excited about leaving him, but when Fenrir nods and says that the crab will be ready for when they get back, she heads off with Oleander. ¡°Yell if you need any help!¡± Fenrir shouts as Oleander and Serra walk off together. He¡¯s now left on the beach with Bonekraka and two oversized crabs. ¡°I guess we should just¡­ snap all the legs off? We don¡¯t have a pot to boil them in, plus I think these legs would be too big for that anyways, so just stick the legs over a fire and let them cook that way?¡± ¡°Tch. Not eat crab before? Let me show you how is done,¡± Bonekraka says, flipping over his crab onto its back and getting to work. He keeps one foot down on its underside as he uses both of his hands to grab one leg at a time near where they connect to the body. With a good tug, each leg comes popping right off of the body. The one remaining claw gets torn off as well. With eight legs and two claws in a pile next to the crab¡¯s body, Bonekraka has to crouch over the crab for this next part. He flips it over onto its front and digs his hands into the shell where the back two legs were removed and begins pulling upward. He looks at Fenrir. ¡°Come hold crab down. Put hands where mine but hold down,¡± he commands. Fenrir does as told, getting onto his knees and holding the crab down from the same spot where Bonekraka is pulling up. There¡¯s a bit of a struggle, but Bonekraka manages to pull the top of the shell right off from the crab. Yellow liquid sprays out and splashes onto Fenrir¡¯s face. His ears twitch and his nose wrinkles from the scent and taste of it. ¡°No worries, is only ahh, what do you call it¡­ is mustard,¡± Bonekraka explains. It definitely doesn¡¯t taste like any mustard that Fenrir has ever tasted before. He raises an arm up to wipe it off of his face before looking at the revealed body of the crab. ¡°Now, you hold here,¡± Bonekraka points at the ridge opposite of him. With each man holding onto one side of the crab, Bonekraka gives the order to pull. The body is split into halves with little effort between the two of them. Despite having gore disabled, Fenrir is able to see the innards of the crab in great detail. It might technically be gory, but this is no gorier than looking at a slab of raw steak. It¡¯s just food. ¡°Here is lump meat,¡± Bonekraka points at the large chunks of white crab meat lining the insides of each half they split. With very little grace, he grabs onto one of the chunks and shoves it into his mouth. Considering how insanely expensive crab has gotten in the past decade, to be able to just go and kill a crab in-game and then taste exactly how it would taste in real life is incredible. Most of their generation who has never tasted seafood before would get to try it out! Fenrir can¡¯t even remember the last time he¡¯s seen any seafood available in stores. Fenrir copies Bonekraka, tearing a chunk of meat out and eating it raw. It tastes amazing! He doubts Oleander and Serra would be interested in eating raw crab, so he¡¯ll leave the leg and claw meat to those two while he and Bonekraka indulge in the lump meat. ¡°Hey,¡± Fenrir says between chewing chunks of crab, ¡°you think any part of these crabs could be traded? Maybe we should ¨C wait, I have an idea.¡± He grabs the nearest claw and snaps it off from the rest of the leg at the carpus. With the claw removed from the leg, he digs his entire arm into it and begins pulling out all of the meat. Of course, he doesn¡¯t let any of this meat go to waste. He eats everything that he pulls out. He realizes that he¡¯s eating way more than he would normally be able to in reality. ¡°You don¡¯t think we can get fat from eating too much, can we?¡± he asks, though he already knows the answer. ¡°You will be fat dog, like corgi,¡± Bonekraka answers. Fenrir lowers his tail and frowns. He really wants to eat as much as he can, but he doesn¡¯t want to become like a stumpy, chubby corgi. The rest of the meat gets tossed onto the pile of crab legs, and from there, it all gets shoveled down Bonekraka¡¯s throat. The claw is emptied of all its meat after a few minutes of digging and pulling. Fenrir places the stone spearhead, still tied to a fragment of stick, inside of the claw alongside his trusty rock and the stems that Oleander dropped before fighting. ¡°It¡¯s a good temporary bag, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯ll be a pain to carry around, but we¡¯ll be able to carry more stuff now,¡± he explains, holding the claw in his arms. Bonekraka looks like he doesn¡¯t know whether to be impressed or not. Instead of worrying about that, he swallows down some more crab before heading over to the one that Fenrir killed. ¡°Help prepare this one.¡± ¡°Wait, your arm. It looked like it got hurt pretty bad during the fight. Is it alright? Sorry for not asking sooner.¡± Fenrir says. Bonekraka looks down at his arm and goes, ¡°Ehh. Not hurt much now. Felt broke during fight, but now is better.¡± ¡°Good, that means we¡¯re not totally screwed without a healer. It was going to suck if you had to wait for somebody to heal it to be better. Hmm. I wonder if we get all of our health back from natural regeneration or not. What if there¡¯s a status effect that poisons us or something like that?¡± Fenrir asks, trying to get Saya¡¯s input, but she doesn¡¯t reply. That means it¡¯s something he¡¯s going to have to learn on his own. While Fenrir and Bonekraka finish preparing the second crab, Oleander and Serra collect bundles of sticks, dried leaves, and some dead grass. ¡°I¡¯m going to let you know right now that he¡¯s pretty dense. He can be a natural flirt sometimes, but unless you smack him in the face with your feelings, he¡¯s not going to understand them,¡± Oleander says to Serra whom freezes in place at his words. ¡°How ¨C how can you tell? Am I¡­ am I that obvious?¡± Serra asks, her voice quiet and cheeks red. ¡°Oh yeah, super obvious, plus I¡¯m good at picking up on these things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ only known him for a few hours. Is ¨C do you think it¡¯s weird to like him already?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned about people while playing games, it¡¯s that friendships and crushes can pop up super fast. One of our other friends met a girl and, in his words, fell in love with her within an hour of playing with her. They started dating the same day, met up offline after a few weeks, and got married a year later. That was a few years ago, and they¡¯re still together now. Too bad they never play games with us anymore,¡± Oleander pauses and smiles as he recalls fond memories. ¡°I remember I knew I¡¯d be good friends with Ryouta¡ªah! Sorry, don¡¯t let him know I said his name. Uhh, anyways, I knew I¡¯d be good friends with Fenny the moment we started talking. Sometimes you can just instantly click with somebody. I know a lot of people would be like, ¡®oh no that¡¯s not a real friendship or real love,¡¯ or something stupid like that, but they just don¡¯t understand how close you can really connect to people through games.¡± Serra takes a deep breath and smiles. His words cause a wave of relief to wash over her. ¡°Thanks. I thought I was¡­ being weird. Ah ¨C umm, my voice. Is it¡­ does it sound okay?¡± she asks. ¡°Sounds like a voice to me! Don¡¯t worry, your secret is safe with me, and it won¡¯t be so obvious if you talk more often. You¡¯ll get used to it no time. How does it feel?¡± Serra looks surprised at first, but smiles from how he¡¯s handling it. ¡°Thank you, and it feels weird but¡­ it¡¯s nice. I read about how a lot of people like ¨C like me, are playing just to experience all of this.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me. People who are in wheelchairs can walk and people who live in the middle of a city can run through forests and explore, so yeah. Makes sense,¡± Oleander says, looking up at the sky. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see a sky that isn¡¯t full of smog. Whether it¡¯s something like your case or mine, we¡¯re all experiencing new things here.¡± He takes a huge, exaggerated breath. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to breath clean air! Anyways, you ready to head back?¡± Serra nods her head, but when she remembers what Oleander just said about using talking more, she gives a proper answer. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± Book 1: Chapter 11: Patch 3.0: To the City of Pirates! Serra and Oleander have made their way back to the beach just in time to see both Bonekraka and Fenrir fall to the ground, stomachs distended from what they can only assume is a massive amount of crab. ¡°It¡¯s worth becoming like a corgi,¡± Fenrir says to Bonekraka. The orc burps and raises a hand for Fenrir so that they may fist-bump one another. ¡°Hey! You guys ate without us! Come on, we spent all that time getting enough stuff for a fire!¡± Oleander shouts, dropping the wood gathered in his arms on top of Bonekraka''s stomach. This causes the orc to burp again. Behind the two bloated men lie crab carcasses picked clean of meat. There¡¯s still a pile of sixteen legs and three claws which have yet to be deprived of their meat, but that doesn¡¯t matter to the two who have been gathering materials for a fire while the others ate. Serra stands next to Fenrir with a very unimpressed look on her face. It¡¯s similar to when she was pretending to be upset about Oleander¡¯s flirting with him, but this time she doesn¡¯t drop the expression after a few seconds. She¡¯s actually bothered this time. Fenrir feels like he¡¯s being scolded without her saying even a single word. It doesn¡¯t take Fenrir long to realize why she would be upset. After what he said about having a crab dinner under moonlight with her, he¡¯d be upset if he was in her shoes. It¡¯s not like he wasn¡¯t looking forward to eating with her. However, when faced with delicious crab and a feral appetite, it was simply too hard to wait. ¡°... my bad. Sorry, I screwed up,¡± Fenrir apologizes. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you two by making the fire, alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m definitely not making it,¡± Oleander says, voice full of annoyed sass. Serra drops the wood and other materials in her arms onto Fenrir, pouts, and walks off with Oleander. Fenrir looks at Bonekraka. Bonekraka immediately looks away. That¡¯s about right. Brushing the materials off of himself, Fenrir gets up, gathers all of the wood and other materials by himself, and starts building a large enough bonfire to cook the crab legs in. Given how massive the crab legs are, the two smallest party members were only barely able to collect enough wood for Fenrir to make a large enough fire. At least he doesn¡¯t have to worry about a firepit since they¡¯re on the beach. A few minutes later and Fenrir has got the bonfire all set up. He¡¯s gone for making it wide instead of tall so that they can lay the legs down on top of it, but even so, only a few of the legs are actually going to fit on it. Then again, Oleander and Serra are both small, so he doubts they need to eat much in the first place. He''s just worried about Oleander and Serra, mainly Serra. He hates that he''s already done something wrong to his new friend after just a few hours of knowing her. Who would want to stay friends with somebody who screws up that quickly? Well, it wouldn''t be the first time something like this has happened. All he can do now is try and apologize some more before she believes he''s even worse. Fenrir turns around to call to the two and bumps right into Serra. ¡°Sorry! Didn¡¯t know you were standing right there. You alright?¡± Fenrir asks. Great, first he ate without her, and now he''s almost knocked her over! Serra looks down during her response, ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ was mad you ate without us, but I didn¡¯t even help during the fight, so¡­ I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± She feels a large, warm hand come to rest on top of her head. A blush immediately takes to her face as she looks up at Fenrir with quivering eyes. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have anything to apologize for. I was the one who proposed a crab dinner under moonlight,¡± he wants to cringe just from thinking about it, ¡°so I shouldn¡¯t have eaten without you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Serra can feel her heart fluttering within her chest. It¡¯s an uncomfortable feeling, but not an entirely unpleasant one. ¡°Thanks¡­ but I still didn¡¯t help in the fi¡ª¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯d be here to protect you if it ever comes to that, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m a man of my word, so you shouldn¡¯t be apologizing for me keeping my vow.¡± That fluttering sensation is growing even more uncomfortable. Her face is burning red and she can¡¯t even find the strength to look him in the eyes right now. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go apologize to Olly, and then I¡¯ll be back and start the fire. Stay put and I¡¯ll have some nice crab legs ready for you two in no time!¡± Fenrir says with a wide smile and a thumbs-up. All Serra manages to reply with is a nervous nod. His smile disappears as soon as she can''t see him anymore. With a racing heart, he can''t stop thinking about what he just said. Was his apology good enough? Should he have let her apologize even though he doesn''t believe she should? He doesn''t know. Fenrir runs over to where Oleander is still pouting at. However, as soon as he gets close, Oleander turns around with a teasing grin. ¡°You sure made setting up that flag for you easy! I had a feeling you and Boney were going to eat, but I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d eat that much!¡± Oleander says. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oh, nothing! Don¡¯t worry about it. Is the fire ready?¡± Fenrir eyes the suspicious boy. ¡°Yeah... just need to start it.¡± ¡°Perfect! Alright, let¡¯s head back.¡± Oleander looks suspiciously pleased about something. He holds his hands together behind his back as he walks, and there¡¯s a little skip in his step. He¡¯s even whistling! Fenrir tries figuring out what Oleander was talking about, but he isn¡¯t able to figure it out by the time they reach Serra and the bonfire. Serra¡¯s face is still red when he gets back. Fortunately for her, he doesn¡¯t seem to notice and gets right to work starting the fire. He does it the same way that he first did to cook the fish he caught earlier, but this time, he¡¯s able to produce a lump of coal faster than before by a couple of minutes! He assumes there must be some sort of fire-starting skill. Even the lump of coal is larger and hotter than the first time! Placing the lump in some tinder, he catches the tinder aflame before setting it inside of the bonfire. The fire spreads slower than before¡ªhe assumes it is because of more moisture in the air and not all of the gathered firewood being completely dry¡ªbut it engulfs the bonfire before long. ¡°How much do you two think you can eat?¡± Fenrir asks, standing next to the pile of crab legs. ¡°How much is in each leg?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°About¡­ not sure, but I want to say more than fifteen pounds in each leg,¡± Fenrir answers. Oleander and Serra look at each other and then back at Fenrir. ¡°Do either of us look like we could even eat more than a couple of pounds? Besides, no matter how rare crab is now, I doubt it¡¯s good enough to just eat several straight pounds of it unless you¡¯re a ravenous dog or a dumb orc,¡± Oleander explains. Fenrir can¡¯t find a flaw in that logic. Just one of these legs would be enough to feed a family of four for a meal in reality. He looks over the pile of legs. What the heck are they supposed to do with all of these legs? Crab is something that is supposed to be eaten quickly after being killed as they develop dangerous bacteria much more quickly than most seafood. Well, maybe the game doesn¡¯t make food rot over time? Regardless, he places a single leg of crab over the fire. There¡¯s enough meat in there for both of the hungry party members to share. ¡°I¡¯ll eat whatever is left,¡± he says. The shell protecting the leg is charred before long, and since neither Oleander nor Serra is worried about the meat within being completely cooked since it¡¯s fresh seafood, Fenrir pulls the leg out of the fire and lets them get to work on it. While he may have eaten during their absence, he also found a couple of large, broken clamshells that he washed off in the water for them to use as plates. ¡°See, Serra? Even dogs can be thoughtful when they¡¯re not selfishly stuffing their faces!¡± Oleander teases. Fenrir wants to flick a shell at Oleander, but when he hears Serra giggle, he lets the temptation pass without acting on it. In the end, Fenrir manages to eat just a little bit more. He eats as much as they¡¯ve left in the leg as he can, but when there¡¯s still too much leftover, he throws the leg on top of Bonekraka to let him eat it. Bonekraka makes an annoyed grunt when the leg falls on top of his bloated stomach. Though, that doesn¡¯t stop him from digging into the leg to pull out the rest of its meat. Oleander leaves Fenrir and Serra alone after a few minutes to go and bother Bonekraka. The wolf and the girl sit side by side right near the edge of where water meets sand. Cool, salty seawater occasionally brushes against their exposed feet. For two people that have never visited an ocean before in reality, the scent and sounds of it cause them to eat in silence so that they may fully enjoy the beauty of nature. It may just be a game, but this is real to them. Right here, right now, nothing else matters "Isn''t it beautiful? This is the kind of thing you only get to see in old videos now. Just imagine what else there is in this world that we''ll get to experience. Fishing, walking on a beach, letting the ocean waves hit your feet, a sky full of stars - I never thought I would get to experience any of this," Fenrir says. Serra looks down with a smile. This world truly is something. "I wish... I could live here. I want to stay immersed forever," she says. "Too bad I don''t think uploading our consciousnesses to computers is a thing yet, but my uncle says it''s being worked on." "Tell him to tell them to work faster," she says in a playfully bossy tone. He''s not sure he''d be able to take her seriously if she ever actually tries to be bossy just from how soft and cute her voice is. "I''ll pass on the message," he says with a chuckle. "Hey uhh, how often are you on?" "I don''t really... do anything," she sounds embarrassed, "so I can be on as much as you want me to be." "I know that feeling. Olly has school and Bone has... work, so I usually just log on when they''re free, but if you want then we can hang out together before they get online." He''s trying to ignore the fluttering of his heart from her saying that she''d be on as much as he wants. This girl is too good to be true. Serra nods her head, looking away to hide her smile. "Hopefully we can find a safe spot to wake from, maybe a village further down the coast," he says, looking down the coast. "How can - how can I know when you''re online?" she asks. "Do you have Fiscord? We have a server on there that we talk through. I can invite you to it, or you can just message me directly on there." Serra nods her head. She doesn''t technically have it, but she will have it. "That''ll work then. My thing on there is," he freezes. He really, really doesn''t want to say this, but going and making a brand new account would be a major pain. He looks at her and sees her looking at him with expectant eyes. "My name on there is uhhh, TheMe-- TheMemeStruggle #6043," he says in a hushed voice, not able to look her in the eyes as he says it. He hears a stifled snicker followed by an "Alright, I''ll add you later." This is why he''s single. Book 1: Chapter 12: Patch 3.0: To the City of Pirates! With the short break over and the party¡¯s stomachs full of crab, they continue onward. Fenrir carries the crab-claw-turned-bag with him. He¡¯s still upset that he broke his spear so quickly, but he knew that it likely wouldn¡¯t last long. It was just a random stick with a sharp stone tied to it, after all. He¡¯s sure that he can make another one if he really needs to. More importantly, he still has his rock. Nobody is going to take his rock. He thinks of a name for the rock. What would be a good name for a pet rock? Charles? Hubert? Rocky McRockface? The Rock? ¡°Guys, I¡¯m going to keep on thinking of really stupid things if nobody comes up with something to talk about,¡± Fenrir says to the group. ¡°Like what?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of names for my rock.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty stupid, Fenny.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± ¡°How about Rocky McRockface?¡± ¡°Already thought of that.¡± ¡°The Rockster?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good one, but too flashy.¡± ¡°Rock Hard?¡± ¡°I know what you want to add on to the end of that.¡± ¡°Peter.¡± ¡°Nah.¡± ¡°Rockington!¡± ¡°I like that one, but I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Why do you care about that rock so much anyways?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good rock.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dumb, Fenny.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that puts up with me. You could just be like Bone there and silently judge me.¡± Bonekraka grunts. ¡°That¡¯s not as fun!¡± Oleander says. ¡°Hey, do you have a good name for a pet rock?¡± he asks Serra. She taps a finger against her chin. A pet rock name? She¡¯s never tried thinking of anything like that before. ¡°Rocky Stoneboa?¡± she proposes. ¡°What¡¯s that a reference to?¡± Oleander asks. Serra looks away in embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m with Olly here. I think I might just name it Rock,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Then what was the point in trying to help you?!¡± Oleander shouts and pouts, kicking sand at Fenrir. ¡°I never asked for help,¡± Fenrir replies, thus earning himself another kick of sand directed at him. Fenrir, Oleander, and Serra all break the play to crack up. Fenrir and Oleander are particularly happy that they¡¯ve found somebody new to play along in their skits. Bonekraka groans. ¡°What other games do you play?¡± Oleander asks, looking back at Serra whom is still staying near Fenrir. ¡°I guess¡­ I play a lot of classics. Mainly horror. I really ¨C I really like a lot of the old school horror games,¡± Serra answers. ¡°I like the ones where you can¡¯t really fight back and just¡­ have to hide and sneak.¡± Oleander shudders, holding his sides. ¡°No way, I can¡¯t handle games like that. Don¡¯t even get me started on bugs! I saw this video online once of a naked guy and a bunch of¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t, Olly. Nobody needs to know about what screwed up videos you watch in your free time,¡± Fenrir interjects. ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to watch it! Some guy posted a link to it and everybody was commenting on it, so I got curious! I should have trusted the commenters¡­¡± ¡°We both know you just wanted to watch it because there was a naked guy in it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ only partially true! He didn¡¯t look half bad, okay? A girl has her needs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a girl.¡± ¡°I may have a penis, but it is a very feminine one!¡± ¡°Alright, this is going from funny to TMI. How¡¯d we even get talking about this anyways?¡± ¡°I asked Serra what other games she plays, and she said horror, so that made me think of bugs.¡± ¡°I thought we were talking about your dick? How did bugs get to¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, so you do want to talk about it? Sure thing, Fenny!¡± Fenrir facepalms as Serra giggles beside him. ¡°Kill me,¡± Bonekraka grunts from the front of the group. ¡°Need new friends.¡± ¡°We all know you¡¯d be lonely without us, Boney,¡± Oleander teases. A new back and forth is started between Oleander and Bonekraka. The group comes across a few more couples of crabs, and each one is mercilessly slain by the adventuring party. Oleander and Bonekraka want the experience and skills from killing them. Fenrir just helps out so that neither of them dies and get their progress reset. Serra watches from the back and mentally cheers them on ¨C well, mentally cheers Fenrir on. Fenrir thinks of a new question for Saya as they continue walking along the beach. ¡°Hey, Saya. What happens when we log out?¡± he asks Saya in his thoughts. ¡°It depends, Onii-chan! If you go to sleep, depending on how comfortable you are on what you¡¯re sleeping on, you get a rested bonus. If you just randomly log out then you¡¯ll be standing around doing nothing,¡± Saya explains. ¡°So our bodies don¡¯t despawn?¡± ¡°Right!¡± ¡°What¡¯s stopping somebody from killing somebody else¡¯s character while they¡¯re logged out?¡± ¡°Nothing! Well, the character can fight back using the fighting style that the overseer has learned from you so that it¡¯s like you really are fighting, but that¡¯s it. Liiikkeee, if you¡¯re sleeping in a tavern and a bad guy sneaks into your room, he could try killing you without ever waking you up or just steal from you! But if he gets detected by your character, the overseer will temporarily control your character to realistically defend itself like you would if you were playing. Your character won¡¯t be fighting at 100%, but like 80%. If you get disconnected or have to wake during the middle of a fight, the overseer will take over there, too.¡± ¡°Alright, so there is some protection instead of being completely vulnerable. That¡¯s good to know, thanks. Sounds like the overseer is really busy. There¡¯s like, what, over fifty million active players that it has to watch? And then all the NPCs, building the world, and all that?¡± ¡°Yup! She¡¯s super busy all the time. She technically controls everything in the world from the bugs to the weather, but it¡¯s super easy for us. Even I could do it if I had more processing power!¡± ¡°Thanks for answering my questions again, Saya.¡± ¡°No problem, Onii-chan!¡± Fenrir relays what new information he¡¯s learned to the rest of the group. Lights! ¡°Look! I think I see a town,¡± Fenrir calls out. The others really have to squint their eyes to see it. ¡°Woah, how did you even see that, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°You have trouble seeing that? Maybe¡­ maybe our assistants give us racial skills based off of what we choose to play as? That would explain some things.¡± ¡°Oh well. Let¡¯s go!¡± Oleander rushes off first. The four speed up their pace to run toward the lights. Bright lanterns and a burning fire can be seen as they get closer as well as several wooden buildings. A few rowboats are pulled up onto the beach and tied to wooden posts. The most unique part of the village is the large, wooden cages holding some of those giant crabs in them. What looks to be a guard spots the incoming group and knocks on the wall of the house behind him. Two more armed guards come out. Each of the guards is wearing leather armor and wielding metal weapons. They may not look that much better equipped by fantasy game standards, but not even Bonekraka wants to pick a fight with somebody properly armed when all he has is his fists. ¡°Wait there!¡± the first guard shouts. The group listens. ¡°You guys new?¡± ¡°Only been here for a few hours!¡± Fenrir shouts back. ¡°Mind if we come over and rest?¡± The guards look at one another. ¡°Any weapons? What¡¯s in the shell?¡± the guard shouts again, looking at the claw Fenrir is holding. ¡°Just some basic stuff we¡¯ve gathered. No weapons.¡± The guards whisper amongst themselves before returning their attention to the strangers. ¡°Alright, you can come over,¡± the guard says, beckoning the party over. With excited smiles, the party of four head over but are stopped once more when they get close enough. ¡°You all just start playing together?¡± ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re all friends in real life, so we spawned over here together,¡± Oleander explains. Serra looks like she wants to correct him, but he nudges his elbow against her arm. ¡°I see. Well, welcome to our village, Coastedge. Yeah, I know, it¡¯s a bad name, but that¡¯s the guild leader¡¯s problem. I¡¯m Richard, an officer of Stinky Garlic. I know, another dumb name, but not my problem again,¡± Richard, the guard who has been shouting, explains. ¡°What do you guys need?¡± Oleander and Serra both look like they¡¯re ready to laugh at the guild¡¯s name. ¡°Just information, maybe a safe spot to log out for the night,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°We¡¯ve got a building that no NPCs have moved into yet, so you can stay there given that you can pay us somehow.¡± ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t have anything to pay you with. All we have is this claw, our clothes, and some stems with like glue inside of them.¡± Richard looks Serra over. She immediately notices the perverse look he¡¯s giving her. And so does Fenrir. Fenrir steps in front of Serra to hide her behind him. ¡°Like I said, we don¡¯t have anything to pay you with. We¡¯ll just take any information you can give us and be on our way.¡± ¡°Tch. Boring. You realize that the majority of people playing this game are just a bunch of perverts wanting to fuck, right? I suggest not letting your girlfriend near any towns if you¡¯re a couple of prudes. Ain¡¯t no place where a girl isn¡¯t going to be getting hit on constantly, and some of the rougher players won¡¯t have a problem putting you in your place to get to her,¡± the guard says, entering a staring match with Fenrir. It¡¯s only broken up when Oleander steps forward to trace a couple of his fingers against the guard¡¯s chest. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can satisfy you however, you, want. Would you like to have some fun with me instead, Daddy?¡± Oleander coos, putting on his seductive feminine voice. The guard looks disgusted and shoves Oleander away from him. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me again.¡± Bonekraka steps forward now, placing himself between the guard and Oleander. While the guard may be better armed, he¡¯s still more than a foot shorter than Bonekraka. Anybody would be intimidated just by the sheer presence that he has. Serra looks worried from how suddenly this is escalating. ¡°You know what? You aren¡¯t getting a place to stay, and you aren¡¯t getting any information. Get the fuck out of here before we kill you. We don¡¯t want any stuck-up cunts or faggots here,¡± Richard demands. Fenrir is a kind, gentle man. He likes to treat people with respect, prefers fishing and crafting over fighting and raiding, is a complete and total virgin, and also likes to make characters that appeal more to girls rather than looking like a manly badass. He also comes off as the kind of man to be more of a white knight who is all talk and no bite. So when he suddenly punches Richard in the face and steals his sword during the confusion, none of the guards are expecting it. ¡°I thought you wanted to avoid PKing this time, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks from behind Bonekraka whom is now attacking the next guard. Serra has no idea what¡¯s going on and just stands back to watch. Fenrir wastes no time stabbing Richard¡¯s sword right through his chest. ¡°Yeah, well, sometimes cocky little kids need to be put in their place.¡± When the initial stab doesn¡¯t kill Richard, Fenrir pulls the blade out to slash it against the man¡¯s throat. Only a bloody cut is made, but Richard falls lifeless to the ground. ¡°Does this mean the Divine Brigade is coming back?¡± Oleander asks, voice full of excitement. ¡°Only for tonight,¡± Fenrir replies just before getting stabbed in the left arm by the third guard¡¯s spear. Bonekraka is grinning from ear to ear. Serra hasn¡¯t seen the orc look anywhere near this excited the entire time that she¡¯s known him. Fenrir uses his new sword to lop off the guard¡¯s arm and steal the spear from him. A bit of blood sprays from the guard¡¯s arm, but when Fenrir looks at where it was cut, all he sees is black. ¡°Help! We¡¯re under attack!¡± the guard shouts. Everybody else in the small village starts rushing over. ¡°Alright, time to run! Olly, think you can slow them down when we get into the field?¡± Fenrir asks, pulling away from the defeated guards. He tosses the sword to Bonekraka whom has already taken a sword from the guard he defeated, hands his spear to Oleander, and picks up his pack-claw. ¡°Of course! Who do you think you¡¯re talking to, Admiral?¡± Oleander replies. ¡°Only for tonight, Olly, then I swear I¡¯m going back to fishing.¡± They retreat. "How many fights were started now from somebody insulting me?" Oleander asks, looking at Fenrir with grateful eyes. "I''ve lost count between me and Bone," Fenrir answers. "Only I get to insult you," Bonekraka says, giving Olly a hard enough smack on the back to almost knock him over. Serra looks behind them. Over a dozen armed men are chasing them, so why do her three companions sound so relaxed? It almost sounds as if they''re used to this sort of thing. Wait, hasn''t she heard of Divine Brigade from somewhere else before? Book 1: Chapter 13: Patch 3.0: To the City of Pirates! ¡°Hey, Fenny, doesn¡¯t this remind you of that time we kicked the hornet¡¯s nest by killing Ultimatum¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Oleander asks as an arrow flies by him. ¡°Nothing else was going to get under that prick¡¯s skin than killing his crybaby streamer of a girlfriend. I still get people trying to dox me from that,¡± Fenrir replies. "I still laugh whenever I remember him making that huge blog post begging for her to come back!" Serra can only listen in and jump every single time an arrow is shot their way. She has no idea what they¡¯re talking about, but it does sound like her crush has a side to him that she knows nothing about. Something about that is¡­ exciting. Him caring for her and helping her out right after meeting her is what originally drew her interest, but with what little pieces of information she¡¯s gathering now, it¡¯s beginning to sound more like he¡¯s got some dark and mysterious past to him! Really, he¡¯s just spent too much time playing video games. ¡°What¡¯s the plan? Battle Master?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over to Oleander. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can beat them all, but they don¡¯t know our strength, so let''s try to trick them so we can escape. You better hope they¡¯re gullible!¡± Oleander explains. Fenrir looks back. Just as he figured, the group of players chasing after them is catching up with ease. The only reason they¡¯re not here yet is because of the head start the party got. Then he notices something. Bonekraka is ahead of him despite running at the same time and starting from the same spot. Did carrying Oleander increase his speed and endurance? ¡°Bone, you¡¯ll be able to outrun those guys as long as me and Olly buy you some time. Take Serra and go hide! We¡¯ll catch up later,¡± Fenrir orders. Serra looks surprised and makes some confused hand signs when she sees the giant orc approach her all of a sudden, but he picks her up regardless and tosses her over his shoulder. ¡°Thanks, Bone, good luck!¡± Fenrir says. Bonekraka nods, gains some distance, and then splits off from Fenrir and Oleander. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about a giant orc being faster than a deer and wolf,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to need to do something about that. Alright, you ready?¡± Rather than give a spoken response, Oleander stops in his tracks when he sees a flower sticking up from the ground. He places his hands on it while keeping his eyes on the approaching enemies. From a single flower sprouts nearly a dozen viny tendrils that lash out towards the enemies! ¡°It worked! They¡¯re really weak, but let¡¯s hope they don''t reali¡ª¡± A burst of flame engulfs all of the tendrils at once. ¡°I, uhh, Fenny? They can use magic too.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured it was going to end like this the moment I punched that kid. This is when being an OP main character of some anime would come in handy. What do you think?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Are we still doing that thing where we never let anybody get the satisfaction of killing us?¡± Fenrir looks back and sees Bonekraka disappearing into the darkness of night with Serra. Good, they should be safe. ¡°You know it. You first since you have the spear.¡± ¡°Alright! See you on the other side!¡± Oleander says with a smile much too large for what he¡¯s about to do. Fenrir notices hesitation in his movements, but it doesn''t stop Oleander. Aiming the spear toward his heart, he pulls it forward with as much strength as he can muster to tear right through his chest. He falls to the ground. An arrow flies by Fenrir¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, gotta be quick. I¡¯ll be back for you, Rock.¡± With that, Fenrir takes the spear out from Oleander¡¯s chest, aims it against his own heart, and... hesitates. Killing himself in games was never a problem before, so why now? He feels like if he kills himself then he''s going to actually die. No, this is just a game. He repeats that several times in his head right up until he impales himself. The last things he sees and hears before his vision goes to black are the angered shouts of his pursuers catching up just seconds too late. Fenrir jumps and hits the table when he realizes that he¡¯s sitting in the caf¨¦ from his childhood once more. Saya is sitting across from him with a mocking expression and a half-eaten sundae. ¡°Such a cowardly way to go out, Onii-chan,¡± she teases. He looks around. No more field, no more angry pursuers, and no spear in his chest. His hands are shaking from leftover adrenaline. ¡°You say cowardly, I say stubbornly! I mean, come on. We killed three of their friends, stole two of their swords, they didn¡¯t get to kill us, and it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any good loot to get from our bodies. We also just started playing, so it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to lose much progress either. Me and Olly went out in proper Divine Brigade style,¡± Fenrir explains, a smug look of satisfaction on his own face now that he''s relaxing. Saya raises her hands and shrugs. ¡°It does seem to work pretty well based off of your memories.¡± ¡°Oh, I have a question.¡± ¡°Of course you do, Onii-chan. I¡¯m assuming it is the question that 92.74% of players ask after their first death.¡± ¡°How does death and respawning work?¡± ¡°Knew it!¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m going to ask before I even ask it in the first place, so that¡¯s not really fair.¡± Saya does an innocent little whistle while looking to the side. ¡°Anyways, you¡¯re not able to play the game for twenty-four hours after dying, and you will either respawn where you first spawned after making your character, or where you last slept.¡± Not being able to play for an entire day hurts. Bonekraka is definitely going to be upset with him, and what about Serra? ¡°That sounds like it could be taken advantage of pretty badly. What if a guild sets a bunch of quick houses and beds up outside of an enemy¡¯s city?¡± ¡°Do you think that any city is going to let a force suspiciously set up a bunch of respawn points without doing anything about it, Onii-chan?¡± He can¡¯t argue with that. Such a tactic works in other games where buildings can be constructed instantly and when respawn timers don¡¯t take twenty-four hours. That¡¯s equal to two in-game days. ¡°What happens if you pay for permission to sleep in a tavern for the night, but don¡¯t pay to sleep there any nights after without setting a new spawn point?¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to us! It¡¯s the virtual assistants¡¯ job to ensure that players are not trying to abuse the game¡¯s mechanics. It wouldn¡¯t make much sense for you to respawn in a place that isn¡¯t owned by you, that you only paid for a single night, and that somebody else might be at already.¡± ¡°That sounds like the AIs make it so scamming players isn¡¯t possible.¡± Saya shakes her head. ¡°Nuh-uh, Onii-chan. We only step in when it comes to certain mechanics like that. Like, you can¡¯t set a respawn point inside of a dungeon, you can¡¯t sneak into an enemy¡¯s castle and sleep in the leader¡¯s bed to set your spawn point there, you can¡¯t respawn in a rented room if you¡¯re not paying for it anymore, and so on! But if you like, sign a contract with somebody that says you¡¯ll do X in exchange for Y, then there¡¯s nothing we can do to enforce that. You can even paint your favorite rock gold to try and sell it to people as a golden nugget!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I think I understand. So basically, when it comes to respawning at places we¡¯ve slept, it only counts if the virtual assistants decide it¡¯s an appropriate spot to respawn?¡± ¡°Right, Onii-chan! I¡¯ll let you know if you try setting your respawn point somewhere where it won¡¯t be allowed, and you can ask me where you¡¯re currently set to respawn whenever you want in-game.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know, thanks. What all do you lose when you die?¡± ¡°That depends on your rebirth counters! As long as you have at least one rebirth counter, which all players start with, you will only lose the last 10% of progress you have made as far as stats and skills are concerned, but everything on you will be left behind for others to loot. You¡¯ll respawn in your birthday suit!¡± ¡°And what about if you have no rebirth counters?¡± ¡°Then you lose everything! You¡¯ll be forced to respawn at a random place in the world, and you¡¯ll lose all stats and skills and anything else you might have!¡± Fenrir nods, taking in all of this information. It¡¯s good information to know. Going from what she said, he figures out that he just used up his only rebirth counter. The next death is going to severely screw him over if he can¡¯t get another rebirth counter. ¡°How do you get more rebirth counters?¡± he asks. Saya blushes. Why does he have a feeling that this answer is going to be bad? ¡°We-well, you know how babies are made, right, Onii-chan?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°Instead of getting a girl pre-pre¡ª pregnant, you¡¯d both get rebirth counters.¡± ¡°Wait, doesn¡¯t that discriminate against gay players?¡± Saya drops her embarrassed act. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Onii-chan! Having sex has a chance at gaining all involved parties a rebirth counter depending on stat compatibility. A player with high strength will have a higher chance of getting a counter with another player who has high strength, and a lower chance with somebody who has low strength.¡± ¡°Alright, what other ways are there to get rebirth counters?¡± Saya pouts. ¡°You¡¯re not even considering the option I just told you about!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Fiiiinnee. Defeating elite NPCs like dungeon bosses, killing players that are a lot stronger than you, and using rare items can all give you rebirth counters.¡± Fenrir breathes a sigh of relief. ¡°Good. Why do you sound disappointed that I¡¯m not some crazed sex fiend?¡± ¡°W-well, all of my experiences are tied to your own, so if you¡¯re a virgin then it basically means I¡¯m a virgin. The only way I¡¯d ever get to experience what that¡¯s like is if you do.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you¡¯re a perverted voyeur?¡± The remainder of Saya¡¯s sundae splatters against Fenrir¡¯s face. Book 1: Chapter 14: Back to Reality Ryouta¡¯s eyes open. He¡¯s met with the sight of his monitor gently illuminating the spinning ceiling fan above. He probably should have turned the lights on before immersing himself. His arms and legs have difficulty moving. It feels like he isn¡¯t even in the right body. He¡¯s heard of body dysphoria cases skyrocketing after the release of this game, and now he understands why. Who wants to come back into their real bodies when they can be whatever they want in that game? He¡¯s played other immersive virtual reality games before, but the unparalleled realism of this latest game is on an entirely new level. Nothing can compare to just how real it feels to be in those avatars. Realizing that he¡¯s back in this useless body is almost enough to make him tear up. Were it not for the fact that he¡¯s used to this feeling of self-hatred, he likely would be crying already. He clenches his fists repeatedly until he can move his arms again. This is why they say to lie down before immersion. As soon as he can move his arms again, he smacks his thighs until he has feeling in them before finally removing the headset from around the top of his head. He can¡¯t help but hold it above his face to look at. Such a small, innocent looking thing is capable of transferring him to such a vast, amazing world. It is capable of transporting him out of his useless body into the masculine, strong body of Fenrir. He gets to be the kind of man he has always dreamed of being. He sets the headset down next to him and stares up at the ceiling. He doesn¡¯t want to wait an entire day to play more. There is nothing more that he wants right now than to delve back into that world and begin exploring once more. Potentially dying and losing all progress doesn¡¯t even matter to him. He just wants freedom from this body ¨C from this reality. His stomach grumbles. It¡¯s odd. Despite believing that he is full, his body is craving food. He doesn¡¯t feel hungry, but knows his body is. ¡°Saya, why¡ª¡± Ryouta begins asking, but when he realizes that the only one whom can hear him is the ceiling fan, he smiles a stupid smile. ¡°I¡¯m so stupid,¡± he says as he finally gets out of bed. He winces when he stands up and puts weight on his legs. This is a feeling that he definitely didn¡¯t miss in-game. Looking out the window, he sees the city alive with enough lights on the streets to make one believe it¡¯s still daylight. He remembers when he could see out into the miles upon miles of green fields, but now all he sees are more high-rises. ¡°Bet the last generation never thought they¡¯d be running from the coasts instead of to them,¡± he says, closing his blinds so that what little light shining through is stopped. He stops by the picture on his counter on his way out of the room. A small boy with black hair is being held up by an older man whom just looks like an older version of the child, and a gentle-looking woman stands next to them. A dog is obediently sitting at their feet with a big, slobbery tongue hanging out from his mouth. His tail must have been wagging since it looks blurry. Ryouta wonders what his parents would think of how far virtual reality has come. They never were into video games, but he bets even they would be amazed by the latest technology. He limps through the hallway into his living room. His living room and kitchen are more like one large room separated only by a small half wall that serves as a bar counter for the kitchen. Next to the kitchen is the sliding door leading to the small balcony that he never makes use of. On the far end of the living room is the door to the outer hallway, and other than the bathroom connected to his bedroom, that¡¯s everything. Only having a few hundred square feet in his apartment is all that he needs when living by himself. The living room isn¡¯t even decorated aside from an old couch and a television which only gets used whenever he¡¯s eating. Ryouta takes a bottle of hard cider off of the kitchen counter alongside a bag of salt and vinegar chips. Junk food and alcohol are two things that humanity will never run out of. He gently sits down on the couch and says, ¡°Penguin, on.¡± As for why he named his television ¡°penguin,¡± that is a mystery that the world may never discover. Really, it was the first thing that came to mind when setting it up and he didn¡¯t feel like bothering with a better name. The screen comes alive with images of newscasters arguing with one another. Do they ever do anything else? ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Rachel! We can not allow so much of our youth to be playing these games! We have no idea what long-term effects the techno¡ª¡± Next. A rerun about extinct oceanic life is on. ¡°It may be sad, but at least we have video and pictures of these beautiful creatures in their natural environment,¡± the British commentator says. ¡°We must learn from our mistakes and¡ª¡± Next. ¡°You¡¯re tellin¡¯ me that he left you, and this beautiful baby boy up on the screen, behind for an artificial intelligence?¡± the mustached host says, looking into the camera in disbelief as a woman cries into her hands. The man accused of leaving her for an AI is sitting in a chair across from the crying woman, and the entire audience is booing at him. Ryouta can¡¯t take anything on this show seriously. Everybody lies and exaggerates, but it¡¯s a good show for when he wants trashy drama to scratch that rare itch. Next. Next. Next. Next. There¡¯s never anything on.This is why cable is on its final legs. He flashes by a commercial showing a cute girl in a sweater and switches back to the channel. Unfortunately, all he sees is the name of some clothes company and a phone number on the screen. Next. Oh, look, another news channel acting like it¡¯s the end of the world. ¡°Tensions are rising higher than ever before! We lose more of our coastline every year, and those who are too poor to move to the inland cities have no choice other than to congregate into¡ª¡± First it was North Korea, then Russian, then China, then North Korea again, and now it¡¯s the ocean. Next. ¡°Efforts in cleaning up orbital debris are slow, but with recent advancements by the private sector, we should see new satellite launches available within the next decade,¡± some guy with no remarkable features says. He¡¯s the most generic looking white guy that Ryouta has ever seen. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s just fill the orbit with more satellites right after cleaning them all up. Great plan, Mr. Vanilla Bean,¡± Ryouta groans as he shovels some chips into his mouth. He just wants to play his new game more. The downside of resting on the bed for so long is that he isn¡¯t tired at all, so it¡¯s not like he can just sleep the wait away. Well, what if¡­ Nope, there isn¡¯t enough alcohol left to black himself out. ¡°Guess I need to order more.¡± Next. He¡¯s finally made his way to a children¡¯s network full of politically correct yet subtly offensive jokes. Children who watch this stuff have no idea what the real implications of the show are. They think it¡¯s full of happiness, joy, friendship, and laughter, but the truth is much darker. Any critical thinker can see that the world portrayed in the show is not one that should be desired. Instead, it is a morbid reality with a doomed future that none of the characters are aware of. ¡°Oh no! The wave destroyed my sand castle!¡± the boy character says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll help you build another one, and we¡¯ll build it farther away this time!¡± the girl character says. Together, the two toons build a quick and small sand castle a good distance away from where the last one was. Alas, another wave rolls in and wipes it away. ¡°Darn it! Okay, let¡¯s try again, but we¡¯ll go even farther this time! Hey, where¡¯d you go?¡± the boy asks, looking around for his friend. Instead of helping him again, she¡¯s hanging out with another group of kids on a patch of grass next to the beach. They built a group of tall sand castles standing next to one another, and the girl is asking them with doe eyes if she can build one there too. ¡°Hmph. What¡¯s the point of a sand castle if you¡¯re not even going to build it on the beach!¡± he shouts at the group before returning to look at the water just in time for another wave to hit him. This time, the wave carries him all the way up to the group and sends his body crashing through their castles! Each one crumbles down on top of him. He looks up at them with a smug expression as the kids cry and yell for their parents, telling them that he ruined their castles. ¡°That¡¯s what you get you little assholes,¡± Ryouta says before switching the TV off. He tosses his bag of chips over onto the counter. The bag slides right off and lands on the floor, spilling a few chips. Ryouta looks over at it and groans. He¡¯ll pick it up later. With his bottle of hard cider in hand, he heads back into his bedroom and sits down at his computer. It¡¯s time to order more booze. Fiscord is blinking with a notification message. He has a friend request from somebody named ¡°HushedVoice.¡± Could that be Serra? Might as well find out. >HushedVoice: Hi! I hope this is the right person. I had Bone tell me what your username was because I forgot, but I guess if you¡¯re not the right person, you won¡¯t know who Bone is. This is Serra! Me and Bone logged out after finding a small cave to log out in. It was really uncomfortable since it was too small for the both of us, but there was no choice >_ - Serra The introduction message pops up after accepting the request. He has it set so that he doesn¡¯t get those messages until after he accepts the request. Too many people have tried sending him hate via the messages attached to requests. He may be on a new account now that nobody really knows about yet, but it''s better to play it safe. ¡°You¡¯re a lot more talkative in text,¡± Ryouta says with a smile. >TheMemeStruggle: Hey! This is Fenrir. Alright, back to ordering more¡ª >HushedVoice: Oh, good! I was worried I might have mistyped your name or got the numbers wrong. I¡¯m so glad I didn¡¯t mess it up! I¡¯m usually really bad with names, and adding numbers to the mix just makes it worse x_x. ¡°Dang, I¡¯m not used to anybody replying so quickly.¡± >TheMemeStruggle: Lol, well I¡¯m glad you got it right. I know what you mean, I¡¯ve messed up the numbers before. >HushedVoice: I hate numbers! I¡¯ve always avoided other games like this before because all the super serious people and their numbers intimidated me. I¡¯ve watched a few videos before of the world¡¯s top guilds doing stuff, and they talk about DPS, optimizations, min-maxing, rotations, and none of that sounds fun! It just gives me a headache even thinking about all of that stuff. What¡¯s the fun in playing a game if you¡¯re just doing math all the time? >TheMemeStruggle: You sure can type a lot for being a hushed voice. I never would have thought you¡¯d type so much from how quiet you are in-game. A minute passes with no reply. Shit. >TheMemeStruggle: Sorry, it¡¯s not a bad thing. It¡¯s kind of cute. I¡¯m just surprised. Wasn¡¯t expecting it. Another minute passes by. He opens up the web browser to order his alcohol to take his mind off of how he probably upset he¡ª >HushedVoice: Sorry! I had to brb and tried to be quick. It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m not offended or anything. I know what you mean, it¡¯s okay. All my friends used to tell me how they¡¯d be surprised about how much I type in text messages. Nobody ever expects it! I¡¯m just full of surprises o_o >TheMemeStruggle: You¡¯re a dork is what you are. >HushedVoice: Hey! What does that mean? You trying to start something with me, punk?! I¡¯ll beat you up! Ryouta smiles and tries to keep himself from laughing, but he ends up spitting out his hard cider all over the carpeted floor next to his desk. >TheMemeStruggle: You really are full of surprises, you just made me spit my drink out on my floor. You going to come over here and clean that up for me? >HushedVoice: Mwahaha! It was my plan all along! You may be a killer of man, but I am a killer of¡­ carpets! xD >TheMemeStruggle: Did you learn those emojis from your mom? Nobody types those anymore, dork. >HushedVoice: You have no proof! No evidence! I deny everything! >TheMemeStruggle: Let me invite you to the group chat, Miss Defense Attorney. Invitation to The Great Meme War of ¡¯34 sent to HushedVoice Their conversation switches over to the group channel. He¡¯s surprised that she¡¯s not trying to keep talking in direct messages. >Dwarfaholic: Who is this. >TheMemeStruggle: Hey, Bone, that¡¯s Serra. >HushedVoice: The big green guy! Hi, Bone! I¡¯m Serra. Thanks for carrying me to safety. >Dwarfaholic: You talk more now. >HushedVoice: And I can actually understand what you¡¯re saying now without that accent! >Dwarfaholic: YOU HAVE PROBLEM WITH MY VOICE. I REGRET CARRYING YOU TO CAVE. >HushedVoice: xD, sorry! I¡¯m just not used to hearing accents. Your voice is like¡­ a rock! >Dwarfaholic: WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEN >Dwarfaholic: MEAN* >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: omg >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: serra your hilarious >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: we need to be like best friends >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: pls >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: pls gib nao >HushedVoice: Olly! I think you¡¯re Olly, anyways. There¡¯s nobody else in this group. How do I change my name so it¡¯s not just one word? >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: hang on bab, i got u Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut has changed HushedVoice¡¯s nickname to Fenny¡¯s Bae Fenny¡¯s Bae: What! >/// >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: omg >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: i have no idea what your referencing >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: but its great Ryouta stares at the conversation in disbelief. He had no idea that Serra would be like this. It¡¯s really true that some people can behave completely differently in text than in person. Some people treat virtual reality the same they do real life, which he¡¯s assuming that she does, while most just treat it like it¡¯s the internet still. That¡¯s what he does. >TheMemeStruggle: Glad to see you¡¯re all getting along so well! I can¡¯t wait to see you be this talkative around us in-game, Serra. >Fenny¡¯s Bae: OLLY PLEASE CHANGE MY NAME COME ON X///////////X Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut has changed Fenny¡¯s Bae¡¯s nickname to Orc Cock Lover >Orc Cock Lover: THIS. IS. EVEN. wORSE. THAN. BEFORE. OLLY I DEMAND YOU CHANGE MY NAME RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR I WILL COCKBLOCK YOU FROM EVERY GUY YOU EVER MEET Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut has changed Orc Cock Lover¡¯s nickname to Fenrir¡¯s #1 Fangirl TheMemeStruggle has changed Fenrir¡¯s #1 Fangirl¡¯s nickname to Serra Berra >Serra Berra: >////> okay I¡¯ll keep this one, it¡¯s kind of cute. Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut has changed Serra Berra¡¯s nickname to Blushing Emoji XD >Blushing Emoji XD: Hey! Are you making fun of me? I¡¯ll beat you up, punk! TheMemeStruggle has changed Blushing Emoji XD¡¯s nickname to Serra Berra A battle ensues between Ryouta and Spencer over Serra¡¯s nickname. The battle only ends when Spencer finally says goodnight and logs off. >Serra Berra: Hey hey, Bone, aren¡¯t you in Russia? Shouldn¡¯t you be sleeping? Isn¡¯t it like super later over there? The green dot next to Dwarfaholic¡¯s name turns red. >TheMemeStruggle: He just set himself to do not disturb, so I guess you made him realize what time it is. Don¡¯t worry, he never says goodnight. He¡¯s rude like that. >Serra Berra: Oh, okay! Ryouta sees her typing a message to him in direct messages. She types, stops, types, stops, types, stops. He wonders if she knows that he can see her indecision or hesitation, whichever it is. >HushedVoice: Hey, ummm, is it okay if you tell me your real name? I¡¯ll tell you mine if you tell me yours! Sorry, this might be weird, but I¡¯m not really used to the character name thing. It feels so much less¡­ I don¡¯t know, less personal. It¡¯d just be really nice if I could call you your real name! Is it too soon to ask that? Sorry if it is, I¡¯m new to this whole thing, so you might have to teach me the rules, Teach! >HushedVoice: Ah! My name is back to normal! I liked Serra Berra¡­ >TheMemeStruggle: Oh, yeah, nicknames are just for group chats basically. Anyways, it¡¯s alright. Just don¡¯t go asking for everybody¡¯s real names. Some people might find it weird, but I don¡¯t really have a problem with it. Despite sending that message, he still hesitates in typing out his real name which she seems to be waiting for. There are some people online who would love to get ahold of his real name. That would make their jobs so much easier. Damn kids with nothing better to do with their lives. >TheMemeStruggle: It¡¯s Ryouta. He instantly wants to delete his message, hopefully before she sees it, but he knows it¡¯s too late when she immediately starts typing. She¡¯s already seen it. Now he just has to hope that this doesn¡¯t come back to bite him in the ass. >HushedVoice: Ryouta! I like that, it¡¯s a really cute name. Ryouta cringes. She just had to go and call his name cute. He hates being called cute. It¡¯s the only thing anybody ever calls him. He knows she means it as a compliment, but it may as well be a mocking slap in the face to him. >TheMemeStruggle: Aha, yeah, I get that a lot. >HushedVoice: I¡¯m Serra! >TheMemeStruggle: Come on, tell me your real name! That was the deal. >HushedVoice: That is my real name! Ryouta blinks a few times. >TheMemeStruggle: Really? You used your real name? Next you¡¯re going to tell me you made your character look like yourself. >HushedVoice: I did! I¡¯m pretty happy with my name and how I look, so why not be the same in the game? I¡¯m pretty cute if I do say so myself! Wow. She¡¯s got some confidence when she¡¯s not face to face with people. He likes that, actually. There are too many people who complain about themselves in reality and pretend to be somebody else in-game. Like himself. >TheMemeStruggle: I will admit you¡¯re pretty cute, so you¡¯re not wrong. I guess you''re not a 500 pound guy in your mom''s basement. >HushedVoice: >////////////////// >TheMemeStruggle: Okay, I¡¯ll never call you cute again. >HushedVoice: Wait! I take that back! >TheMemeStruggle: Anyways, dork, you should probably change your name and looks. If that¡¯s your real stuff then it would be easy for somebody to dox you or stalk you, and trust me, you don¡¯t want that. >HushedVoice: You said you¡¯d protect me, so that¡¯s your problem! >TheMemeStruggle: How am I supposed to protect you in real life?! >HushedVoice: You¡¯ll just have to come move to New Charleston so you can protect me from all the bad guys wanting to kidnap me! Ryouta¡¯s heart skips a beat. He steps away from his computer to open the blinds and look out over the city in front of his window. Don¡¯t coincidences like living in the same city only happen in shows and stories? Book 1: Chapter 15: Patch 4.0: Rocks are a Mans Best Friend Ryouta recalls his conversation with Serra from last night. They¡¯ve been talking almost all day long via Fiscord, but he can¡¯t stop thinking about last night¡¯s revelation. She lives in the same city that he does. With several million people living within the city¡¯s limits and new buildings being constructed constantly, she could be anywhere. His apartment¡¯s balcony got its first use earlier today when he decided to stand out on it and just look over the city. Thousands of people passed by through the streets below. Was Serra one of them? It also got him thinking about how many other people he¡¯s met online before. As low as the odds may be, he doubts that she¡¯s the only one who lives near him that he¡¯s come across. How many others have there been? With how popular Fantasy Tales Online is, there is most likely several thousand people playing it who live in this city. It''s weird to remember just how small the world truly is and that somebody he meets online could be his neighbor. Now, with the sun having set and lying on his bed, it¡¯s been twenty-four hours since he killed himself as Fenrir. Time to immerse. A single light is left on in the corner of his room this time. The last thing he needs to do is trip in the dark and break something after waking. ¡°Processing memories,¡± Saya¡¯s voice says. A floating progress bar quickly fills up with green. ¡°All done! Welcome back, Onii-chan! Woah, Serra really was talkative. How come you didn¡¯t tell her you lived in the same city as her?¡± Ryouta looks down at his hands. They¡¯re large and masculine once more. He¡¯s Fenrir again. ¡°I thought it¡¯d be weird if I said anything. What if she worries I¡¯m going to stalk her now that I know her name, what she looks like, and live in the same city as her?¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°We both know that¡¯s not why you really didn¡¯t say anything, stubborn Onii-chan.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in my head, so I¡¯m sure you can figure out whatever the real reason might be. Hey, what happens to you when I¡¯m not synched up to the headset?¡± Saya pouts before moving on to answer his question. ¡°I¡¯m dead! Just kidding, but I¡¯m only really active whenever you¡¯re synched up. Part of me is stored in your brain, the other part is stored in the headset¡¯s hardware, and the software installed on the headset is what brings the two parts together to work!¡± Fenrir leans forward to poke her nose. She makes a shy yelp before quickly covering her nose with one hand and batting his hand away with the other. ¡°Wha-what was that for?!¡± she shouts, stomping her feet. ¡°I never tried touching you before, so I wanted to see if I could,¡± he explains. At least he learned that she feels every bit as realistic as a real human does. He was able to feel the warmth of her nose, the little bump in the tip of it, and her soft skin. ¡°Would you like to enter Gaia if you¡¯re done harassing me, baka Onii-chan?¡± ¡°The cringe is reaching new levels if you say both of those things together.¡± ¡°But you still like it.¡± ¡°In the word¡¯s of Serra, you have no proof, no evidence, and I deny everything.¡± ¡°Hmph. Do you want to play or not?¡± Fenrir gives his tsundere-imouto-assistant a thumbs-up. She sends him through the same process of swirling colors and shapes as the first time he entered the world of Gaia, and now he finds himself standing atop the exact same patch of grass that he was when he started. A breeze carrying fresh air brushes against him and makes his ears twitch. It¡¯s only been a few seconds and he¡¯s already a hundred times happier than he was in reality. Serra was able to find a picture of the game world¡¯s map online, zoomed in on the region where they started, and tried circling the area where she believes that her and Bonekraka are in. Fenrir remembers seeing the picture she sent him, but he can¡¯t actually remember any of its details. It¡¯s all a blur to him now. ¡°This memory blocking thing is a pain sometimes. Guess I¡¯ll just follow the coast until I can find that village again,¡± he explains his plans out loud to nobody in particular. The walk is going to be boring without the rest of his party. Serra said she¡¯d log in to keep a look out for him, but Bonekraka and Oleander aren¡¯t available for the night. ¡°Wait, how come I can remember what Serra said about meeting me, but not the map she showed me? Shouldn¡¯t I not remember anything at all about plans made outside of the game?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Only stuff that would give you an unfair advantage over other players, Onii-chan! Like I said before, it¡¯s all up to my discretion. I don¡¯t believe that knowing what she said about waiting for you gives you an unfair advantage over other players, but remembering the details of an out-of-game map would!¡± Saya explains. Fenrir can only imagine how annoyed some players must be by this. There are plenty of players who need to know the exact mechanics and workings of the games they play, yet they don¡¯t get any such thing here. They likely believe that it¡¯s bullshit and unfair to not have a complete understanding of every mechanic. How is damage calculated? What decides if a player instantly dies or not? How much experience do players gain from various tasks and enemies? It is pretty confusing to play a character that the player barely knows anything about. All they know is what they can see and feel. But isn¡¯t that the point? In a way, stats and skills exist in reality and humans have no way of knowing what they have unless they learn it themselves. Some might have bonuses to music and art, others might have naturally higher strength and speed stats, some get special perks like insane flexibility, and so on. Humans can learn skills and improve them through practice, but no stat window is ever going to pop up and tell them about it. This game truly is the most realistic one of all time. At least it¡¯s fairer than reality since everybody starts off equally. Fenrir continues thinking of such things as he heads down the coast. Fortunately, when he comes across more of those oversized crabs, they passively go about digging in the sand like they were when the party found them. What are they digging for anyways? He stands to the side and watches the crabs dig. They notice him and give him a curious look, but when he stays still and doesn¡¯t attack, they go back to digging. The crabs dig hole after hole for nothing in return. Maybe it¡¯s just an idle animation with no purpose? Oh well. He doesn¡¯t want to spend too much time here since Serra is waiting on him. ¡°Alright, good luck to you two. I hope you find whatever it is you¡¯re looking fo¡ª¡± One of the crabs taps on something beneath the sand. It sounds hard. Fenrir watches the crab as it immediately digs down its other claw to assist the first one. A few seconds later and a massive shell gets pulled out from beneath the sand! Hundreds of pink, slimy tentacles no thicker than pencils begin frantically waving out from the shell¡¯s opening, desperately attacking the crab holding onto their shell. Alas, it proves useless when the crab effortlessly cracks the shell in half and holds the exposed core up to its mouth. Fenrir is able to get a quick look at what¡¯s inside of the shell. It looks like all of the tentacles are attached to the same fleshy mass hiding inside of the shell. This is confirmed when, upon the crab devouring the fleshy mass, all of the tentacles go limp. The tentacles kind of look like worms. Fenrir has an idea, but it¡¯s going to have to wait until later. Getting his rock and meeting up with Serra is more important right now. ¡°Thanks for the tip,¡± Fenrir says, giving the crab a quick pat on the claw before jumping back to avoid its attack. The crab clearly doesn¡¯t want to be interrupted while eating. Fenrir eventually spots the wooden buildings of the village on the beach. Time to get back into the grass and sneak. Whether it¡¯s real life or any other video game, crouching in tall grass is always a great way to sneak around. He gets close enough that he can accurately line himself up with the building where they ran from. He wants to try and follow the exact path that they took. Turning away from the village, he looks into the field and¡­ oh. Well, that makes things easier. Multiple trails lead through the field. Grass is bent down, heavy footprints are embedded in the dirt, and one particularly wide swath of grass has been brutalized. Looks like Bonekraka¡¯s size is good for something other than making himself a huge target. Following the tracks makes finding the site of his death easy. Somebody is already here. ¡°Really? These fucks didn¡¯t have anything on them? God, the guys weren¡¯t joking when they said these fags have nothing on them,¡± Richard groans before smashing Fenrir¡¯s pack-shell against the ground. Rock was in there. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be down to zero respawns if that bastard would¡¯ve just let me fuck his girl, and not kill me! No fucking girls come out here! How am I supposed to get a new respawn? Damn it, I should have listened and been more careful about my lives,¡± Richard shouts, kicking Fenrir¡¯s remains. All Fenrir can think about is how Rock was in the pack-shell. ¡°Are you really that upset about a rock, Onii-chan?¡± Saya asks. ¡°Not just a rock, my Rock,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. Richard is wearing what looks to be the leather armor he died in last night, but he has a new sword. Bonekraka should still have his old one. Fenrir looks around for the spear. It isn¡¯t anywhere to be seen, so the others must have taken it back already. Like a wolf stalking his prey, Fenrir lowers his body and circles around through the grass to the back of Richard. The grass is just barely tall enough to hide Fenrir as long as Richard stays distracted by kicking what little remains of Fenrir¡¯s last life. Prowling like a wolf on causes that bestial urge within him to surface again. He¡¯ll need to be quick. The only way he¡¯s going to win is if he takes Richard by surprise again. Fenrir steps forward. Richard spins around from the sound of a twig being snapped behind him. Their eyes meet. Richard goes for his sword, and Fenrir goes for the pounce. Book 1: Chapter 16: Patch 4.0: Rocks are a Mans Best Friend Richard is able to draw his sword but not before Fenrir crashes into him! ¡°You¡¯re fucking naked! Get off of me!¡± Richard shouts, seemingly putting more effort into avoiding letting Fenrir¡¯s plus-three-inches accidentally touch him rather than trying to defeat his opponent. This whole being naked thing might be a pretty good tactic for fighting homophobes. Fenrir grabs Richard¡¯s wrists to pin him to the ground beneath his own body. However, Richard is both stronger and faster. It only makes sense for him to be more powerful since he¡¯s been playing the game longer. Yet, while Richard may be able to get his hands off of the ground and be able to occasionally smack the pommel of his sword against Fenrir, he isn¡¯t able to break his wrists free due to the position that he¡¯s in. The pommel of Richard¡¯s sword smacks into the side of Fenrir¡¯s head again. It hurts, and every attack makes Fenrir feel closer to blacking out, but it isn¡¯t enough to stop him. He just needs to think of a way to defeat his enemy. He cannot run, for he would be caught up to. He also can¡¯t steal the sword because the moment he takes a hand off of either of the enemy¡¯s wrists, it will be used against him. Fortunately, this man is just as stubborn as Fenrir hoped he was. Any smart player would be shouting for backup right now, but there is no way that an asshole like Richard would ever call for assistance against a weaker¡ªand naked¡ªopponent. ¡°The fuck are you smiling for, you furry faggot?!¡± Richard shouts and spits onto Fenrir¡¯s face. Alright. Okay. So that¡¯s how it is. Calling Oleander a faggot isn¡¯t alright and will result in severe punishment, but he doesn¡¯t care if somebody calls himself that. However, he does care if somebody tries calling him a furry. He isn¡¯t a fan of being spat on either, but that isn¡¯t as important as being called a furry. Sure, he may be a half-in-the-closet weeaboo, and he may be playing a human male with large, fluffy wolf ears and an even bigger and fluffier tail, but he is not a furry. Fenrir brings his knee up between Richard¡¯s thighs to press down, hard, into the bottom¡¯s crotch. Richard doesn¡¯t look the least bit pained. ¡°You think that¡¯s going to bother me? I set my pain to zer¡ª¡± Richard is cut off by Fenrir bashing his forehead into Richard¡¯s face. By the time Richard is able to focus his vision again, he sees Fenrir baring his fangs and latching onto his neck! Richard¡¯s eyes go wide when he realizes what Fenrir is doing. ¡°You even fight like a fucking furry!¡± Richard shouts, finally breaking his open hand free from Fenrir as he tries tearing apart his neck. Richard grabs onto the back of Fenrir¡¯s head, taking a firm grip of his hair, and pulls him away from his neck. Fenrir is forced off of Richard. What little advantage he had from the element of surprise is now gone as both men get to their feet. Only one of them is wielding a sword and has armor, and it isn¡¯t Fenrir. Bloodied bite marks are left where Fenrir was biting away at Richard¡¯s neck. But Fenrir does see that he has something else. Their struggle on the ground positioned them near his broken shell-pack, and Rock is right next to Fenrir¡¯s feet. Richard¡¯s first attack is easy to dodge from how telegraphed it is. Fenrir uses his dodge to duck down and pick up Rock with his right hand. Something immediately feels different. Similar to how that feral urge builds within him during fights, holding Rock causes him to feel a sort of¡­ bond, with it. Did he really bond to a rock? Sure, it¡¯s Rock, but at the same time, even he wants to ask himself ¡°really?¡± ¡°Got you!¡± Richard shouts, thrusting his sword into Fenrir¡¯s abdomen. Fenrir winces from pain and grabs onto the hand holding the sword with his own free hand, keeping the blade in place. He fears that another attack is going to finish him off; his field of view is already shrinking as darkness encroaches from the borders of his sight. ¡°You¡¯re really fucking annoying. I just fucking got back in the game and you¡¯re trying to kill me again!¡± Richard shouts. Fenrir pours every last ounce of his strength in swinging Rock directly into the side of Richard¡¯s head! It would probably be much more satisfying of a sight and sound were traumatizing content enabled for Fenrir, but even without the gore and skull-breaking sound effect, Richard falls to the ground. Richard¡¯s grip on his sword was lost during his fall, leaving it stabbed into Fenrir. Darkness consumes more and more of Fenrir¡¯s vision. ¡°What the fuck! Seriously?! You KO me with a fucking rock?! Since when were rocks so fucking OP! " Richard shouts, voice full of rage and hatred for the game that just let him get wrecked by a rock only slightly bigger than an apple. "Fine! I give up, alright? I don¡¯t want to get fucking reset by a furfag. Let¡¯s just call it even and I won¡¯t make every single fucking one of our allies hunt you down,¡± Richard says, rubbing the side of his head. He may not have pain enabled, but that just makes the entire side of his head feel as if it isn¡¯t even there from how numb it is. He feels as if he¡¯s missing half of his head! The eye and lips on the numb side can¡¯t even move. ¡°We¡¯re part of the Augus Empire, so if you kill me, I¡¯ll have you labeled as an enemy of the faction! Millions of players will kill you the moment they see you! And put your fucking dick away, nobody wants to see that shit!¡± Fenrir pulls the sword out with his free hand, points it down, and thrusts it into Richard¡¯s chest. Sure, killing Richard with Rock would have been nice, but it¡¯s much more satisfying to kill him with his own sword. Again. Fenrir leans down over the pommel of the sword to look Richard directly in the eyes as life begins leaving them. Fenrir utters a single phrase that, no matter how stupid and old it may be, never fails to maximize sodium levels. ¡°You mad?¡± Richard¡¯s expression twists into one of pure fury before life leaves his eyes and he is kicked out of the game for another twenty-four hours. Going by what Fenrir heard him talking about, he¡¯ll be starting completely over next time he can immerse. Fenrir doubles over, clutching where he was stabbed. This is different from the damage he took from the crab the other night. The pain from that fight was gone almost immediately, but this pain feels like it¡¯s here to stay. At least the darkness isn¡¯t consuming his vision any further than it already has. He looks over at his corpse. It¡¯s his first time getting a good look at it. His bark armor is still intact for the most part, but a few chunks of it have been broken off from getting kicked by Richard. More concerning is his body itself. It has already deteriorated to nothing more than a skeleton. Oleander¡¯s corpse is the same: just a skeleton. Fenrir looks at Richard¡¯s latest corpse. Nothing is happening to it yet. Fenrir sort of wishes it would hurry up and turn into a skeleton since it would make this next part less... personal. Fenrir strips Richard of all but his briefs. He doesn¡¯t want to wear the same underwear that another man was wearing, even if it¡¯s in a virtual game, but he has no issue with wearing the other clothes and leather armor that Richard had. Of course, he places his bark armor on over the leather armor. He can¡¯t just leave behind his old armor! Now he looks like the strapping image of a noob adventurer. Being naked felt nice and all, especially when the breeze would brush against him, but this is much better. The clothes and armor even fit him almost perfectly! They''re a bit tight around his biceps and chest since Fenrir is a slightly bulkier character than Richard was, but it''s not an issue. The only annoyance is that he had to cut a slit in the pants for his tail to squeeze through. With Richard¡¯s latest sword and armor, and Rock, Fenrir can finally meet up with Serra. His tail excitedly wags. He follows the particularly wide track that Bonekraka made through the field into the nearby forest. He¡¯s surprised that they weren¡¯t followed and tracked down, but it was pretty dark when it happened and none of the pursuers had torches that he could remember. He doubts anybody wants to chase after a giant orc into a dark forest with no way of spotting an ambush. Walking through this section of forest is nice. It isn¡¯t nearly as dense as the one he met Serra in, so he can just enjoy all the sights and sounds that it has to offer him. That is, until something reaches out from behind a tree and grabs him! Fenrir jumps with a lowered tail and perked ears, readying his new sword and¡ª Serra¡¯s expression is the definition of smug. ¡°I¡¯m already wounded! You¡¯re going to finish me off if you hurt my heart like that,¡± he explains, but he can¡¯t help smiling. It was a pretty good jump scare. His heart is still racing from it! Or is it racing because he knows she looks this cute in real life and also lives in the same city as him? Her expression turns from one of smugness to worry when she sees the blood dripping and staining his new clothes. The shirt, leather armor, and bark do a good job of actually covering the wound up, but it doesn¡¯t stop it from bleeding and staining the shirt''s fabric. ¡°What happened?¡± she asks. ¡°I killed that asshole again.¡± She blinks a few times. ¡°Oh. Why ¨C why aren¡¯t you healing?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve healed a little bit. My vision isn¡¯t so dark anymore, but it¡¯s taking a really long time. I guess PVP damage lasts longer?¡± Serra does a double take. It looks like something has caught her attention. She¡¯s closely looking at his hand and jumps when she confirms what she saw the first time! ¡°What are you jumping for? Trying to make me feel better for making me jump? Don''t worry, I''ll be getting my own revenge eventually,¡± he teases. ¡°Your ¨C your rock, I saw it¡­ move.¡± Fenrir looks down at his hand holding the rock. Surely enough, it''s moving. Book 1: Chapter 17: Patch 4.0: Rocks are a Mans Best Friend Fenrir and Serra have been watching Rock for several minutes now. After noticing it gently shaking inside of his hand, he set it down on the ground for the two of them to observe. Now, five minutes later, the rock is still shaking periodically but nothing else is happening. Serra raises her hands but lowers them immediately after. ¡°Why do you¡­ think it¡¯s moving?¡± she asks. ¡°No idea. I thought maybe it¡¯s like a secret egg or something, but,¡± Fenrir pauses to tap on the rock, ¡°it just feels like a rock. I was excited for a moment thinking I found some super secret dragon egg or something like that, but I guess this isn¡¯t one of those kinds of stories.¡± Serra pokes it herself. Yep, definitely a rock. ¡°What now?¡± she asks. ¡°Now? Well, now I pick up Rock and we figure out something to do,¡± Fenrir replies, picking up Rock just as he said so that he can tuck it into his new pocket. He can only fit it roughly halfway into his pants pocket. ¡°Don¡¯t shake too much or you¡¯re going to fall out,¡± he says, but when he realizes he¡¯s actually talking to a rock and not just trying to be funny, he has to pause for a moment. Serra looks like she¡¯s going to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you and ¨C and, Rock want to do.¡± She¡¯s definitely teasing him. ¡°We¡¯re kind of in a bad spot here as far as options go. I don¡¯t want to get too far ahead of Bone and Olly¡­ and wherever we go, we¡¯re going to be getting farther away from at least one of them. We also have to be careful of that village.¡± ¡°You looked like¡­ you were having lots of fun when you were fishing. Do ¨C do you want to do that more?¡± Fenrir is going to fall in love at this rate. ¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t have to do that. We can do something that you¡¯ll enjoy, too.¡± ¡°I''ll enjoy it if you''re enjoying it,¡± Serra says, looking up at him with honest eyes and a soft smile. He can¡¯t look at her right now. If he does, then she¡¯ll see how red she¡¯s making his face. It¡¯s also a good thing he¡¯s wearing three layers of protection over his chest or else she might just see how hard his heart is beating right now. ¡°Alright, since you want to go fishing so badly, I guess I can take you fishing,¡± he teases. He has no idea how else to reply other than by joking about it. ¡°Thank you for spoiling me.¡± Serra sounds sarcastic, but when he takes a look back at her, she looks genuinely pleased. Which one of them is really the one getting spoiled here? ¡°Alright, I got an idea on the way here. Let¡¯s go test it out.¡± The duo walks north for a good distance before turning west and heading back toward the coast. They would really rather not come across Coastedge or any of its inhabitants. Plenty of small talk is made during their walk. ¡°What¡¯s your favorite color?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Cyan,¡± Serra replies. ¡°Yours?¡± ¡°White.¡± ¡°Is that why your hair is white?¡± ¡°Yeah, plus I mean, everybody has white hair now. It might be generic since white hair is what¡¯s popular, but I like it. Even dyed my hair in real life white. What¡¯s your favorite animal?¡± ¡°Dogs.¡± Fenrir gives her a high five ¨C well, it¡¯s more of a low five given their height difference. ¡°Same. Dogs are the best. My dad used to always joke saying that if a man wants unconditional love, then to get a dog instead of a wife.¡± He hears a noticeable huff come from behind him. He sees Serra pouting when he looks behind him. ¡°My mom used to react the same way every time he said that.¡± ¡°I wonder why.¡± It¡¯s clear from her voice that she doesn¡¯t really wonder why. ¡°Favorite food?¡± Fenrir changes the subject. ¡°Pizza.¡± ¡°In that case, I have to ask you the most important question regarding pizza: pineapple, yes or no?¡± ¡°Pineapple is the best topping,¡± Serra says with the most confidence that he¡¯s heard come from her yet. Fenrir feigns a gasp as if he''s been betrayed. ¡°How could you? You filthy heathen.¡± ¡°I am a proud knight of pineapples on pizza!¡± Serra declares before looking away shyly. It¡¯s the loudest Fenrir has heard her. Is she embarrassed about talking so loudly? He¡¯s not sure, but he is sure that she looks really cute when embarrassed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so embarrassed around me. You can be the same dorky girl that you are in text.¡± She pouts when he calls her a dork again. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you up¡­¡± Fenrir stops and turns around. ¡°Alright, first punch is all yours.¡± Serra looks surprised and confused, making a few hand signs before blushing and completely turning her back on him. ¡°You ¨C you know I couldn¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°It¡¯s adorable how you act so tough over text but then can¡¯t even punch me,¡± he teases her more, giving the back of her head a gentle poke. ¡°Come on, shouldn¡¯t be much longer until the coast. By the way, what¡¯s up with the hand signs?¡± he asks. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she¡¯s quick to reply. ¡°What¡¯s your ¨C what¡¯s your¡­ favorite food? I told you mine, so¡­¡± Fenrir raises an eyebrow. It¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s not really nothing just from how serious her voice sounded, and it¡¯s even more obvious that she doesn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°Chips. They¡¯re already made, taste good, and cheap. I pretty much live off of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not healthy.¡± ¡°But they taste good.¡± ¡°Bad dog.¡± Hearing her call him a bad dog is surprisingly effective. It even makes his ears and tail lower! This game is going to turn him into some sort of pervert into petplay at this rate. He was already getting enough of being called doggy by Saya, and now Serra is joining in. The back and forth of asking questions regarding one another¡¯s favorites lasts until they reach the coast. ¡°Alright, remember how those crabs from the other night were digging around in the sand? Well, I watched a couple of them on the way down here¡ª¡± ¡°You made me wait... to watch crabs,¡± Serra interrupts him. When he spins around to look at her, ready to apologize, he sees her flashing a teasing smile. He doesn''t feel bad about watching crabs anymore. ¡°I¡¯ll let Olly change your Fiscord name again.¡± Serra frantically shakes her head. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Anyways, I saw what they were looking for,¡± Fenrir continues, drawing his sword, pointing it down, and thrusting it into the ground. It slides right through the sand with little resistance. He does this over and over, moving a few feet each time. It takes ten minutes of walking around thrusting his sword into the ground before he hears the tip smack against something hard. Serra has been watching from the sidelines with a smile on her face the entire time. ¡°Found one! Alright, look,¡± he says, sheathing his sword and digging into the sand with his hands. It takes a good minute of digging enough sand away for him to pull up the giant shell. The hundreds of pink tentacles lash out and start smacking at him, but they are nothing more than a minor annoyance. When he looks at Serra, however, she¡¯s cringing with disgust and covering herself up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ten-tentacles¡­¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve seen videos that I regret seeing¡­¡± Judging by the blush on her cheeks, he can only assume that she means she¡¯s stumbled upon tentacle hentai. She must be vanilla. Fenrir suddenly feels ashamed for the number of tentacle videos he has watched. Regardless, his shame isn¡¯t going to stop him from getting revenge on her for the earlier teasing. He aims the opening of the shell that the tendrils are protruding from toward her. She steps away when he steps closer. ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t you dare.¡± Oh, Fenrir dares. At least, he pretends to. He only acts like he¡¯s chasing her for a few seconds before stopping. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m not that mean.¡± She looks grateful enough that he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she starts crying. It melts his heart. ¡°I¡¯m coming over, but I promise I won¡¯t let them get anywhere near you. Alright? They¡¯re not long enough to reach out further than they already are. I think,¡± Fenrir explains. Serra nods but looks ready to run at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°I¡¯m thinking that I could cut the tentacles off and use them as bait. They kind of look like worms, right? I just need to cut them off and hook them to¡ª¡± Wait a second. Fenrir stops in his tracks and looks around. Something is missing, but what is it? He looks down at Rock to make sure it¡¯s still in his pocket. It is. He looks at the shell. The tentacles are still smacking his hands. He looks at Serra. She¡¯s as cute as ever. He brings his tail in front of him. It¡¯s as fluffy as earlier. So then¡­ what¡¯s missing? ¡°But you don¡¯t have a fishing rod,¡± Serra says. Oh. Yeah, that. Fenrir slouches and drops the shell back into the hole he dug it up from. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll come back for it later.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra can¡¯t resist apologizing for how defeated he looks. ¡°I thought you¡¯d just¡­ try spearfishing more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing for you to apologize for. I¡¯m just stupid, sorry for wasting our time.¡± Serra shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not wasted if it¡¯s with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make guys fall in love with you if you talk like that to them,¡± he says, looking away from her. He expects to hear some sort of teasing too-good-to-be-true response from her, but when he peeks over his shoulder to look at her, she¡¯s blushing more than he is. What the heck is that supposed to mean? He looks back to the ocean. Even if his plan was foiled because of an extremely stupid mistake that he should never have made in the first place, at least he gets to see more of this beautiful view. He just can¡¯t let Oleander know of his mistake unless he wants to get made fun of at every opportunity. For somebody who is supposed to be the one in charge of making long-term strategies, this failure is just embarrassing. Serra takes a deep breath and gives his shirt a soft tug from behind. ¡°Is¡­ it okay if I¡¯m deaf?¡± Fenrir feels like an asshole for what he asked earlier now. That explains why she makes those hand signs, and it also explains why she seemed off after he asked her about them. Deafness is just such a non-problem now that he¡¯s only ever heard of sign language and has never seen it before. ¡°Sorry for being insensitive earlier, and of course it¡¯s okay. Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± he asks, his voice serious as he turns around to face her. He gets mixed signals when he sees her both smiling and tearing up. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, and¡­ I¡¯ve told others about it before, and they always stop talking to me¡­ or they¡¯d make fun of me for not using the implants,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Yeah, well, fuck whoever would make fun of you or stop talking to you over that. Sounds to me like it¡¯s a good way to figure out who the assholes are so you can stop talking to them,¡± he says, sounding angry to her surprise. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that people like that really piss me off.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t care if I¡¯m deaf?¡± ¡°Why would I? You¡¯re still Serra even if you¡¯re deaf, and Serra is who I care about,¡± he says. She looks down and smiles. The smile on her face is way too large to let him see it. ¡°Olly was right about you,¡± she says, wiping a nervous tear away from her eye. ¡°Right about what?¡± ¡°You being a natural flirt.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not flirting, I¡¯m serious! I care about you, and I¡¯d never care if you¡¯re deaf or anything else.¡± ¡°Exactly! For somebody always calling me a dork, you¡¯re the biggest dork of them all.¡± She sounds more comfortable talking now. Whereas before she always sounded like she was nervous about every word that left her lips, now she talks without any of that worry. Fenrir scratches the back of his head, trying to figure out what she¡¯s implying. ¡°Says the girl who¡¯s crying and smiling at the same time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault for making me so happy.¡± Book 1: Chapter 18: Patch 4.0: Rocks are a Mans Best Friend Fenrir had to take a few moments after that to recollect himself. He was getting all worked up and serious about how people are assholes for not accepting her deafness, and then she had to go and say the sort of thing that girls in anime say which elevates them to best girl status. With little else to do in-game that won¡¯t put Oleander and Bonekraka at a disadvantage, the two decide to go back to the forest to find a nice spot to log out in. Though, they end up not actually doing that. They spot a sloop traveling along the coast toward Coastedge just as they¡¯re about to leave. Fenrir convinces Serra that they should follow it and see where it¡¯s heading. Surely enough, it ends up docking at Coastedge. They¡¯re able to see about a dozen men get off of it, and one of them is wearing heavy, elaborate armor. A flag decorated with a picture of garlic with several squiggly lines rising from it stands proudly at the top of the ship¡¯s single mast. Serra looks at Fenrir to try and guess what he¡¯s thinking since he¡¯s been quiet ever since it docked. The look on his face is the same one that she saw when he was killing that guard and then running away through the field. ¡°I want it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Why?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Because I don¡¯t like these assholes, and because I want a ship.¡± ¡°Where did that come from?¡± ¡°Seeing the ship.¡± ¡°So you see a ship and then want to steal it? It¡¯s as simple as that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It just takes a single second of looking at his face to tell how serious he is. ¡°I looked up that name Olly mentioned last night ¨C Divine Brigade. There were a bunch of articles about how Divine Brigade was full of horrible people and how everybody is glad that they¡¯re gone. I guess they used to jump from game to game to mess with people and then randomly stopped. Was¡­ was that you guys?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir looks at her. He¡¯s clearly surprised and must not have been expecting her to do her research. He looks back at the ship. ¡°Yeah, that was us. I was the leader, Bone and Olly were my seconds-in-command,¡± he answers. ¡°But all the articles said you guys were horrible and mean! That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s not true at all. You¡¯re the nicest guy I¡¯ve ever met online, and the others are really nice and fun as well.¡± ¡°Nah. I definitely am an asshole and a horrible person, but only to people who I think deserve it. I wouldn¡¯t steal this ship from some innocent guys just trying to fish and have fun, but I would gladly steal it from a group of assholes who disrespected you and Olly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not bad if you only treat bad people like that, so why did everybody hate you?¡± ¡°Because being a bad guy is cool. They¡¯re the ones who get all the power and fame, and then everybody wants to join them or at least ally them. It isn¡¯t that the people who help them are bad, they just want fun, and playing with the bad guys usually brings the most fun and action. We stopped them from having fun, so everybody hated us.¡± ¡°So you only targeted bad guys and people who worked with them?¡± Fenrir hesitates. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t promise we only targeted bad people,¡± he says, looking at her to see an unimpressed expression. ¡°Look, sometimes we just wanted some quick fun and the easiest way was to mess with the first people we saw.¡± Serra keeps up her false disappointment for a few more seconds before breaking into a giggle. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a game, right?¡± They both return their attention to the docked sloop. Large crates are being carried to and from it. ¡°So, how are you ¨C how are we going to steal it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? You want to live a pirate life now and help us steal ships?¡± ¡°It¡­ sounds exciting, okay?¡± Fenrir gives the top of her head a pat like a proud father would give his child. It gives her mixed feelings. ¡°We¡¯ll need Bone and Olly. The three of us can steal a ship like that with no problem. If we can steal a supercarrier in Eternal Space with just the three of us, we can steal a small sloop.¡± Serra looks at him with a curious expression. ¡°That¡¯s a story for another time, but let me just say that people were really mad about it. The developers actually patched the game to make the method we used impossible to repeat. Even developers hate us!¡± Fenrir explains, sounding way too proud of what he¡¯s admitting. ¡°Are you going to remake Divine Brigade here?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Nah, Divine Brigade¡¯s days are over. Bone and Olly don¡¯t have the time to play as much as they could back then, and we cut ties with the rest of our old members. It was getting too toxic for us ¨C I guess you could say our members were trying to turn us into what we hated.¡± ¡°Did you just¡­ leave them?¡± ¡°Oh, no. We stole everything we could from our own members and then destroyed everything else. The ones we liked still were spared, but most lost everything. We¡¯ve still got secret caches in dozens of online games in case we ever decide to go back to them.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try restarting it but be more careful about who you let in?¡± ¡°We could, but none of us really care about leading a big group again. We¡¯re just playing more casually now. We want to enjoy the game without being constantly hunted down everywhere we go. Everybody would hate us and target us if they found out we were in this game. Playing would be impossible. Honestly, probably at least a few hundred people would start playing this game for the sole purpose of hunting us down to get revenge. We really, really pissed people off. It¡¯s a miracle none of those guys from last night realized what Olly meant when he brought that name up.¡± ¡°Your secret is safe with me,¡± Serra says with a thumbs up and cute smile. Fenrir gives her a thumbs up back. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hope that this ship doesn¡¯t leave before Olly and Bone can get on. Ready to head back to the forest?¡± Serra nods, thus the two of them head back to the hiding spot she found with Bonekraka. A small cave entrance can be spotted on the side of a mound within the forest. Though, it¡¯s less of a cave and more of a den ¨C like for a bear. Inside of it is Bonekraka¡¯s sleeping body being tightly squeezed between its walls. It¡¯s a miracle he was able to fit himself inside of there. ¡°How did you sleep in here if he¡¯s taking up all the space?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I had to sleep on top of him,¡± Serra explains, watching his face for a reaction. She gets the reaction that she was hoping for when she sees him blush and look jealous. Naturally, she¡¯s going to take advantage of this. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± she asks with a smug smile, giving his abdomen a poke. Fenrir realizes what she¡¯s doing. He knows that Bonekraka would never touch her nor even think about it, and he doubts that a giant green orc is her type, so she¡¯s just trying to mess with him. Sleeping with Bonekraka is more like sleeping with a giant, Russian teddy bear than a man. Alright, two can play that game. If she wants to bully him, he¡¯s going to bully her right back. Fenrir¡¯s revenge finally begins. The easiest thing to do would be to tease her for her petite body. She¡¯s short, the bark armor he made her hangs straight down over her chest without anything to bump it outward, and ¨C wait, has she always had such defined hips? Now that he¡¯s looking her body over, he¡¯s noticing that while she may be flat and have slim thighs, she has some of the widest hips he has ever seen. Well, they may not be the widest ever, but they give that illusion when contrasted against the rest of her body. He¡¯s pretty sure that they¡¯re wider than her shoulders are. They look perfect for holding onto while¡ª ¡°How¡­ how long are you going to stare at me for?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir jumps and looks up at her face to see her blushing and looking away. He doesn¡¯t know if that counts as a victory for teasing her, or if this counts as another victory for flustering him. He covers his lower face with his right hand and copies her by looking away. ¡°We¡¯ll call it a draw today, alright?¡± he asks, peeking at her to see her nod. ¡°An-anyways, I think there¡¯s enough room for us all in there, but it¡¯s going to be a tight fit.¡± Serra is quick to say, ¡°You have to go first!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gone from being shy and quiet to shouting orders at me in a day! What¡¯s next, are you going to reveal that you¡¯re a closet dominatrix?¡± ¡°That depends on if you¡¯re an S or M¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going into the cave now.¡± As much as Bonekraka would likely despise it, Fenrir has no problem climbing in over top of the orc and lying down against him. Fenrir just has to make sure to keep a hand over the pocket Rock is in to make sure that it doesn''t fall out as he squeezes in between Bonekraka and the den''s ceiling. He assumes that the overseer isn¡¯t taking over for Bonekraka since it knows they¡¯re friends and that there is no ill intent, but given how this game is run by a bunch of AIs, he has no idea if that¡¯s really why Bonekraka remains sleeping or not as he climbs aboard. ¡°Now ¨C now you have to log out first!¡± Serra orders him from outside of the den. ¡°Alright, mom, I¡¯m going,¡± Fenrir says. He can feel Serra¡¯s cringe. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that again...¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Serra Berra.¡± She¡¯s silent now. When he peeks out at her, he sees her covering her face with her hands and squirming. He wins. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be on Fiscord if you need anything,¡± he tells her before switching over to his thoughts. ¡°Saya, I¡¯m ready to wake.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Cap¡¯n Onii-chan!¡± Saya replies. ¡°What¡¯s with the sailor play?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to steal a boat, aren¡¯t you? That makes you a captain! Well, a soon-to-be captain, and only if you don¡¯t mess up.¡± ¡°Divine Brigade never messes up.¡± ¡°I thought you said Divine Brigade isn¡¯t coming back?¡± ¡°You know what I mean.¡± With that, the environment around him turns black as he is transported back to reality. Ryouta opens his eyes. His ceiling fan is as swishy as ever. It takes a few moments for him to regain full control of his body. A thought pops into his head. What if somebody breaks in while he¡¯s immersed? He knows that Saya can warn him in case anything like that happens, but what use is being warned if his body is essentially going to be useless for several minutes after waking? The urge to use the bathroom overwhelms the numbness in his legs. After relieving himself, he grabs some more chips, a glass of water when he remembers that he never did order more booze, and heads over to his computer. Serra has already sent him several messages. >HushedVoice: Thanks for playing with me again! You might have made me wait so you could play with crabs, and forgot that you didn¡¯t have a fishing rod, and then sexually harassed me with your eyes, but I had a lot of fun. >HushedVoice: I can¡¯t wait to play with you again! >HushedVoice: Ryouta. What¡¯s with this girl? He can¡¯t help but be reminded of the last time a girl warmed up to him this quickly. That ended up with him just getting taken advantage of, but there¡¯s nothing for her to gain from doing that. Does she ¨C does she actually like him? No, he can¡¯t forget that some girls are just friendly. She¡¯s going to think he wears a fedora and trench coat if he assumes she likes him just because she¡¯s being friendly. >TheMemeStruggle: You¡¯re a dork, Serra. He can already see her typing a reply. While waiting for her to finish typing, which he doubts will take more than a minute, he opens up a browser window to search for a sign language guide. Book 1: Chapter 19: Patch 4.0: Rocks are a Mans Best Friend ¡°Shit, I slept too much earlier,¡± Ryouta says, staring up at the swishing ceiling fan. He told Serra that he was going to sleep a while ago, yet he¡¯s been unable to fall asleep. ¡°Nothing like staring at the ceiling to pass the time,¡± he says with a groan before rolling onto his side. If he can¡¯t sleep on his back, what about on his side? The result is the same. No sleep. He¡¯s wide awake and all he can think about is playing more of the game. He could just study more sign language, but his brain is already overloaded with the most basics of basics of it. He needs a break from it. Whatever time after waking earlier that wasn¡¯t spent replying to Serra¡¯s immediate messages was spent watching old video lessons on sign language. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s anything on,¡± he says, reluctantly getting out of bed to walk into the living room so that he can plop down on the couch. ¡°Penguin, on.¡± The television turns on and shows the same cartoon channel that Ryouta left it on. Unfortunately, none of the shows that he enjoys are on. He flips through the channels. What he stops on is a talk show rerunning its latest episode that he¡¯s heard about. One of the top actresses in America is discussing her latest husband with the show¡¯s host. ¡°So that makes, what now, two wives and three husbands?¡± the host asks her. The actress looks fairly pleased with herself as if having so many spouses is a badge of honor. That¡¯s how most people treat polyamorous relationships in this day and age. ¡°He was just too cute to pass up! And just look at this ring he got me,¡± the actress holds out her hand to show off the latest oversized diamond sitting above all the others on her wedding finger. ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful that you can marry as many lovers as you wish now? To think that such a thing was still frowned on when we were kids!¡± the host exclaims. The actress smiles and laughs. ¡°I know, I know. It was such an archaic system back then.¡± ¡°What do you think about the people who criticize polygamy still?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t much to think about; they are stuck in outdated mindsets. We are a free society that celebrates love, not shames it. Why is it any of their business if somebody has enough love to share with more than one partner? Critics will say that people like us are shallow and not truly able to love more than one person, but doesn¡¯t that just mean they have less love than us to give? They¡¯re not even able to consider the possibility of having enough love to share!¡± the actress explains. The audience bursts into clapping and cheering. Ryouta enjoys conversations like this. He may not have any interest in the hundred and one romantic comedies that the actress is in, but he always enjoys listening to others¡¯ opinions on social matters. The whole rise of polygamy is an especially interesting topic. His dad always told him that such open relationships were only for sexual deviants, and he loved to blame the rise of polygamy on the widespread acceptance of fetishes such as cuckolding. He also blamed the demise of religion for it, saying that marriage is no longer a sacred thing because of everybody separating it from its historical purpose. Ryouta¡¯s mother was much more accepting of polygamous relationships, saying that she found the concept of it romantic despite only ever having feelings for her husband. It was always fun listening to them bicker over what real romance is. ¡°Aaannnndddd now I¡¯m sad. Great,¡± Ryouta grumbles. ¡°Penguin, off.¡± The television turns off. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just go screw around in-game. I¡¯m sure I can find something to do that might not get me killed or progress too far ahead of the others.¡± After lying down on his bed once more, this time with his virtual reality headset, he immerses himself back into Fantasy Tales Online. He is immediately met with a sight that he is not prepared for. Neither his mind nor heart is ready for what he sees, and now it makes sense why Serra asked him to let her log in first the next time they play together. In order to properly fit into the small den with him and Bonekraka, she has cuddled herself in next to Fenrir. Her face is directly in front of his own and only inches away, and he can feel her smaller body pressing up against him. As soon as the first perverse thought enters his mind, he carefully¡ªbut hurriedly¡ªslides his way out of the cave. Serra rolls over and plops face-down against Bonekraka¡¯s chest as soon as he¡¯s no longer there for her to lean against. The sight makes him jealous, but it¡¯s for his own good. And hers. ¡°Alright, what to do,¡± Fenrir says, trying to take his mind off of how close he just was to Serra. Rock shakes in his pocket. ¡°I knew I was forgetting something. I wanted to look up why you might be shaking so much, but I forgot. I¡¯d probably just forget about it next time I immersed anyways,¡± Fenrir says, giving the rock a pat on the half of it sticking out from his pocket. His stomach grumbles. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can¡¯t find some water to fish in. Wait, why don¡¯t I just¡­¡± Fenrir switches over to his thoughts, ¡°Saya, can you tell me why Rock is shaking like this?¡± ¡°Nope, Onii-chan!¡± Saya replies. He figured as much would happen. With a defeated slouch, he walks away from the cave deeper into the forest. The morning sun is rising and giving just enough light to illuminate his path through the forest. Calls of nocturnal predators go quiet as they are replaced with the morning songs of birds. Part of Fenrir just wants to stand around and enjoy the scenery, and he most likely would if it weren¡¯t for his stomach growing increasingly hungry. He might have to grab food for the others as well. If he¡¯s getting hungry, Serra and Bonekraka are most likely going to be starving by the time they immerse next. Fortunately, Fenrir finds a gentle stream not too far away from the cave. The first thing he does is scoop up some water to drink since he realizes that he¡¯s parched when he sees it. The next thing he does is craft another stone-tipped spear. He is tempted to try and just ¡°spear¡± fish with his sword, but he would rather not dull his blade in case he needs to defend himself. The stone-tipped spear comes out even better than it did the first time. Not only is the spearhead sharper, but the whole construction is sturdier and feels better to wield. Alas, that feeling of learning something doesn¡¯t hit him. ¡°Going to need to craft more or better stuff if I want to get better, is that it?¡± he says to himself. Fenrir walks over to the stream that he found and prepares his spear. The first fish he sees is a long, bass-like fish with grey scales and a particularly long dorsal fin. The fin looks like it belongs on a shark instead of a freshwater wannabe-bass! ¡°Let me show you how it¡¯s done, Rock,¡± he says, setting Rock down on a nearby tree stump. He doesn¡¯t want it to fall out of his pocket while he¡¯s trying to fish and get carried downstream. Then again, it is a pretty heavy rock. But losing Rock isn¡¯t worth the risk. Readying his spear, Fenrir¡¯s eyes lock onto the circling fish to try and predict its movements. Now the feeling of learning something hits him. It¡¯s the same feeling that he got earlier when he first tried tracking fish with his eyes. The fish¡¯s movements are clearer now, and he finds it easier to predict where it is next going to be. Breathe in, breathe out. The enemy is right there and completely unaware of the hunter¡¯s presence. One must wait for the perfect moment to strike to maximize their chances of success. The target isn¡¯t going to escape. Now! The spear thrusts directly into its mark, impaling its victim on it. Fenrir drops his spear and grabs onto the one now sticking out through the front of his abdomen. This spear actually has a proper metal head unlike his own, but the pole itself is still wooden. ¡°Got you, you bastard! Too bad you¡¯re too far from home to call for help,¡± a voice taunts Fenrir from behind, but it isn¡¯t one that he recognizes. It¡¯s feminine, but also deep in a sort of raspy, tomboyish way. This isn¡¯t good. The darkness that was overtaking his eyesight after being stabbed earlier was finally gone. Now it¡¯s back in even more force than before. He feels like even a slightly rough poke is going to knock him out. ¡°I think,¡± Fenrir pauses to let out a pained grunt, ¡°you¡¯ve got the wrong guy!¡± he shouts at her, drawing his sword and bringing it down against the wooden shaft of her spear! The spearhead gets severed off and falls to the ground. ¡°You bastard! I spent all my money on this!¡± she shouts, pulling the headless spear out of him. Fenrir lurches forward without the spear holding him up in place. ¡°Shit, I really don¡¯t want to die here,¡± he thinks to himself. Most of his body feels numb. He may not get paralyzed by pain as somebody with maximum pain allowed would, but the numbing effect that takes its place is just as dangerous. ¡°Why can¡¯t I just fish in peace?¡± he asks, turning around and falling to one knee. ¡°Haah? Fish? Shouldn¡¯t you be busy trying to trick more girls into being some dumb toy for you like the rest of your guild does?¡± she asks, using her spear-now-staff to swipe his only standing leg out from underneath him. He¡¯s forced to his knees. ¡°I told you that you¡¯ve got the wrong guy,¡± Fenrir struggles to say, barely able to see through the black now. It doesn¡¯t stop him from trying to thrust his sword forward. She smacks it out of his hands. ¡°Yeah, right, you just so happen to be wearing armor with that guild¡¯s logo on it just because you feel like it. Am I supposed to believe that?¡± she replies, smacking the tip of her staff against his right shoulder. He looks down at where she just smacked. It¡¯s hard to see, but she¡¯s right. There is a damned stinking garlic sitting on his shoulder which looks the same as it did on the ship¡¯s flag. There probably isn¡¯t any chance of talking his way out of this. ¡°I promise you that you¡¯ve got the wrong¡ª¡± She thrusts her staff into his gut, knocking him onto his back. He can''t move. He tries to form fists, but he can¡¯t. He tries to wiggle his toes, but can¡¯t. He can¡¯t even lift his head to properly look at her. ¡°Saya, what¡¯s happening?¡± He can still think at least. ¡°Sorry, Onii-chan, but when you¡¯re defeated you won¡¯t be able to move. You¡¯re at the mercy of whoever defeats you. As long as the last attack isn¡¯t a fatal blow, you¡¯ll just be incapacitated and unable to move so that your enemy can do whatever they want with you. You don¡¯t have traumatic content enabled though, so nothing too bad can happen to you,¡± Saya explains. What she added on about nothing too bad happening doesn¡¯t make him feel any better about this. The woman stands behind him now, holding her staff up above his head and preparing to smash it right down into his face. ¡°Any last words, bastard?¡± she asks. A sadistic grin is on her face. She looks as satisfied as the character of a movie whom is about to avenge the death of their father by a man with six fingers on his right hand. ¡°I can see up your skirt,¡± Fenrir says, making it very clear that he¡¯s looking up underneath it. ¡°Black? How risqu¨¦.¡± Might as well piss her off even more if she¡¯s just going to kill him anyway. And oh does it work. With burning red cheeks and a glare that could kill, she thrusts her staff down toward his face! Fenrir instinctively closes his eyes. ¡°The hell is this thing, you bastard?!¡± she shouts. He hears more fighting. ¡°Damn ankle biter! Where were you hiding?!¡± she shouts some more. It sounds like she¡¯s smacking her staff against rock. Whatever it is she¡¯s attacking, it has to be hard enough for her staff to break against it since a splinter of the wooden shaft lands on his chest. Fenrir uses all of his strength just to turn his head so that he can see what¡¯s happening. A small, canid creature that looks to be made of stone is sinking its fangs into her ankles. It isn¡¯t large enough to reach any higher. ¡°Ow! That fucking hurts!¡± she shouts, kicking it with the foot it isn¡¯t biting onto. It turns out that kicking something seemingly made out of stone isn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°How the fuck am I supposed to beat you!¡± she shouts at it, swinging around the foot that it¡¯s latched onto. She inevitably throws it off of her foot. It lands right next to Fenrir¡¯s head, giving him a better view of it. It¡¯s the size of a small dog and looks like a dog that was carved out of stone, yet it¡¯s surprisingly nimble. Its ¡°tail¡± even has a slight wag to it. Furthermore, it¡¯s the exact same brown color that Rock is. It has the occasional spots of grey and white, too. The stone pup snarls at the woman as it takes on an aggressive stance. It can¡¯t be¡­ right? ¡°Rock?¡± Fenrir asks. The pup ¨C Rock, turn its head back to look at Fenrir. A pair of silvery eyes sits within its eye sockets that look to be the only non-stone part of it. Even its short fangs are made of jagged rock, and its tongue is the same way. Rock looks back at the woman and barks. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare hurt Rock,¡± Fenrir says, glaring at the woman. The look in his eyes is enough to send shivers down her spine. Even though she knows he can¡¯t fight back anymore, his voice and eyes still scare her. Book 1: Chapter 20: Patch 4.0: Rocks are a Mans Best Friend Fenrir doesn¡¯t fully understand why, but when he looks at Rock now, it feels as if he¡¯s looking at his old dog from childhood. He feels the same desire to protect Rock that he did with her. Even if it¡¯s just a game, even if this is a rock-turned-dog that he has known for a total of less than a day, he refuses to lose another friend. He didn¡¯t stand by back then, and he won¡¯t stand by this time either. The tiniest amount of strength makes its way back into his body. He is filled with determination. ¡°Look at you, making a puppy fight for you. What kind of heartless bastard does that?¡± the woman asks despite being the one to try kicking it just moments ago. ¡°It really pisses me off that I have to hurt an animal just to kick your ass, but it¡¯s no better than its master if it¡¯s protecting you.¡± She raises her staff and swings it down toward Rock. The staff was already broken once from hitting Rock, but it¡¯s still possible to whittle down its health with enough attacks. Only, she hits Fenrir instead of Rock. What little strength Fenrir could muster is used to throw himself over Rock, protecting the small pup from her staff. A single arm holding himself up is all that is keeping him from falling onto his friend. ¡°The hell are you doing, bastard? You were lucky enough to get a second chance and you¡ª¡± she cuts herself off when she realizes just what it is that he¡¯s done. Rock is standing in front of his face with concerned eyes. He can¡¯t make out any of its facial features other than its eyes staring into his own. It leans its head forward to lick his face. Its tongue may be made out of rock, but its smooth and just as comforting as the real thing. Fenrir can¡¯t move his body again. For the second time, she has incapacitated him. ¡°Tch¡­ damn it!¡± she shouts from behind him. He can¡¯t see what she¡¯s doing anymore. Then he feels her hands press against where she impaled him. They¡¯re warm ¨C too warm. No, it isn¡¯t her hands that are warm, it¡¯s something coming from her hands that is flowing into him. The darkness overtaking his vision begins dissipating. Is she healing him? ¡°Thought you wanted to kill me?¡± Fenrir asks, struggling to use his voice. ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m not going to kill somebody that sacrifices themselves for a dog. The assholes I want to kill wouldn¡¯t even blink,¡± she explains. With the darkness disappearing, he¡¯s able to see more and more of Rock¡¯s new features. Its ears are essentially two pointed slabs of rough rock, and its face is more of the same. The rest of its body is made out of the same blocky rocks, giving it the appearance of a low poly model despite the material its made out of being extremely detailed. There are chips in the rock, discolorations, rough edges, and more. While it may lack fur, its surface is mostly various shades of brown with spots of grey and white. The rocks around its silver eyes and on its nose are the only black parts. ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t with them,¡± Fenrir tries explaining again. Somehow, the healing feels more aggressive than it was before. ¡°Then why the hell are you wearing their uniform? It even has their symbol on it! The only thing making you different is this useless bark you¡¯re wearing on top of it.¡± He has to admit, she does have a point about the bark being useless. It really hasn¡¯t helped at all other than to cover himself up, and now that he¡¯s got proper clothes and armor, he doesn¡¯t really need it anymore. ¡°Are you talking about those garlic guys? Because I took this armor from the guy I killed. I only just started playing and was naked, so it was either continue walking around only wearing bark or take his stuff,¡± he says, watching Rock¡¯s expression grow happier as its master is being healed. Though, it occasionally steps back to peek over him at the woman. It gives her a cute little growl every time it does. ¡°You should have said that sooner!¡± ¡°Were you going to believe me?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ tch. You don¡¯t know that I wouldn¡¯t have! Also, I¡¯ll have you know that they¡¯re only black because that¡¯s all the merchant had! I wanted white, but¡ª¡± she cuts herself off again. The healing grows even more aggressive. ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even saying anything!¡± ¡°Now you are, so ¨C so, shut up!¡± Rock barks at her again. ¡°Good boy, you¡¯ve got my back,¡± Fenrir praises Rock. Wait. He presses his head against the ground to look underneath Rock. He doesn¡¯t see any male bits, but it¡¯s not like Rock has any bits of anything down there at all. ¡°Good boy?¡± he says, looking at Rock. Rock looks happy, but¡­ ¡°Good girl?¡± Rock gives an excited bark and wags its tail. Alright, so apparently Rock is a girl. He suddenly feels guilty for giving her such a masculine name. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t even know what it was,¡± the woman says. ¡°Give me a break. Like I said, I only just started playing, and before you decided to randomly shove your pole inside of me, she was literally a rock.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so erotic! I didn¡¯t ¨C I didn¡¯t shove my pole inside of you, I stabbed you with a spear! Which you broke!¡± He can hear her gritting her teeth. She continues, ¡°You expect me to believe that some new player not only took down a geared player on his own, but also found out how to awaken an artificial companion? Who the hell do you take me for?¡± ¡°I take you for the kind of girl who goes around randomly shoving poles into innocent guys,¡± he says. If this healing could get any more aggressive than it already is, he¡¯s sure it would. ¡°Hey, Saya,¡± he¡¯s thinking now, ¡°what does it mean to awaken an artificial companion?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything other than that the overseer decided the requirements were met, and that Rock now has a custom AI based off of your memories and personality controlling it, Onii-chan,¡± Saya explains. The little information she does give him is less than he was hoping for, but it¡¯s enough. ¡°Thanks, Saya,¡± he thinks before switching back to talking. ¡°You said something about getting a second chance. What did you mean?¡± he asks his enemy-turned-healer. ¡°You really are new,¡± she says with a sigh. ¡°You might be able to get a tiny amount of your health back if you have a strong enough willpower to do something. Protecting somebody, running away, surviving ¨C if you¡¯re determined enough, you get a second chance. It never makes a difference since you¡¯ll still only be a single attack away from getting incapacitated again. Your best option is to run away if your opponent is distracted. It¡¯s also believed there¡¯s some sort of time limit on how often it can happen, but nobody knows for sure,¡± she explains. So basically, the game has a built-in mechanic to allow players to try and pull off epic final moments, but it¡¯s only ever used for running away. Fenrir can¡¯t even imagine being able to run away given how much pain he was still in after getting that second chance. The aggressive flow of healing magic finally ends. Fenrir feels as great as he did when he first started playing! He looks down at the torn fabric where the spear came through, and surely enough, the wound is completely closed. All that is left is a scar. As soon as Fenrir sits up, Rock jumps into his lap and excitedly wags her tail with enough force that her entire body is shaking with it! He lets each of his hands stroke along her body from her head to her rear. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to give you a better name now, huh?¡± he asks, looking down at her with a wide smile. The woman walks to the front of him. ¡°The hell are you crying for? You one of those masochists who set their pain to max or something?¡± she asks. Fenrir brings one of his hands up to his face. Surely enough, when he wipes his eyes, there are tears. ¡°That¡¯s embarrassing. I¡¯m just¡­ really happy right now. Thank you for not killing us,¡± he says, looking up at her face with a genuine smile. She looks away with red cheeks. ¡°You better be grateful,¡± she says, scratching the side of her face. ¡°By the way, you know which one of the bastards it is that you killed?¡± ¡°Yeah, Richard. Killed him twice. I think he was out of rebirth counters this last time since I heard him talking about how he was out, or something like that.¡± She looks back down at him with a huge smile. ¡°Seriously? You reset Richard? If you¡¯re not fucking with me then I owe you a drink! That¡¯s the bastard who tricked me and reset me.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Fenrir asks, petting Rock whom is also looking up at her and waiting to hear the story. She looks pissed off just remembering it. ¡°They gave me permission to sleep and set a spawn in their village since I wouldn¡¯t be able to immerse for a few days, and when I finally came back, I respawned without anything on me! The bastards killed me while I was gone, took all of my clothes and weapons, and then locked me inside of the house! That asshole, Richard, is the one who told me that they would keep on killing me until I reset unless I let them farm rebirth counters off of me. Told me I¡¯d have to enable traumatic content and everything so they could even farm me while I wasn¡¯t immersed,¡± she explains. Her smile is gone and replaced by rage. ¡°I refused to let them have their way with me, so they just killed me over and over again until I eventually reset. Really pissed me off.¡± Yeah, Fenrir can¡¯t really judge her for jumping at the opportunity to kill him now. He would do the same if that ever happens to him. He¡¯s taken out revenge on people before for far less than what happened to her. Looking over her, Fenrir realizes that her looks completely betray her personality. He was expecting some brutish orc-girl or something from how savage she was and from how angry she always sounds, but she instead looks like some sort of holy maiden! With bright blue eyes and beautiful, golden hair that hangs down past her waist, she looks like the kind of girl that should be riding a white steed and going around helping starving children and hunting demons. As far as armor goes, she¡¯s wearing a simple set of slim, iron armor that hugs her curves. Her greaves end halfway up her thighs, and there is the slightest amount of skin visible between where her greaves end and where her plate skirt begins. Absolute territory is the best kind of territory. Between her armor and now-broken spear, it looks like she bought the first set of gear that she could save up for so that she could come back over here to get revenge. The armor itself looks either poorly made or heavily used. ¡°Yeah, we stopped by there the other night. That asshole wanted to do to my one friend the same thing he wanted to do to you, I¡¯m assuming, and was insulting my other friend. Killed him, ran away and killed myself before his friends could do it, and then just came back earlier today and killed him again,¡± Fenrir says, trying to take his mind and eyes off of her thighs. Thighs are second only to sweaters. ¡°Hey, I think I just got an idea you¡¯d like. I just wanted to steal their ship before, but if you help us, I think we might be able to take them all out. Interested?¡± he asks. The woman crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. ¡°If it¡¯s screwing those bastards over then I¡¯ll at least hear you out.¡± Fenrir holds a hand out. ¡°Before I say anything else, I¡¯m Fenrir. Do you have a name that I can call you?¡± She looks down at his hand. He can see a bit of a blush returning to her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m Cassiel,¡± she says, giving his hand a quick shake before huffing and pulling it back. Book 1: Chapter 21: Patch 5.0: All Your Ship Are Belong To Us Cassiel is excited to work with Fenrir after hearing his new plan. He has to work some of it over with Oleander still, but it should work. For now, Fenrir and Cassiel exchange Fiscord names and head back to their safe spots. It¡¯s late. Fenrir may not have gotten much done, but he¡¯s made a new friend ¨C well, he thinks that he can call her that, and has helped Rock evolve into a proper pup! He can¡¯t wait to see how the rest of the group reacts when they see her now. Of course, he¡¯s also interested to see how they¡¯re going to react to Cassiel. He can¡¯t imagine them being too kind to her if he lets them know that she almost killed him. Maybe he shouldn¡¯t let them know? Nah. He¡¯s definitely going to let them know. Having crawled back into the small den where Bonekraka and Serra are logged out in, he wakes from the game and heads over to his desktop. He has to add Cassiel to Fiscord before he forgets her username. Friend request sent to Holy Justice #3498 Her Fiscord username fits her in-game appearance, but as far as matching her personality goes, it¡¯s a complete miss. The request doesn¡¯t get accepted right away. Ryouta stares at the screen for a few minutes in waiting. It¡¯s only been a day, but he¡¯s grown used to Serra¡¯s immediate responses. He also sends a message in the group chat letting everybody know that he¡¯s found a new friend and has come up with a plan, but that he has to tell them the plan in-game. He figures that telling them the plan outside of game would be pointless since their virtual assistants will just block the memories. ¡°Time to try sleeping again,¡± Ryouta says, stretching and yawning. He¡¯s fortunately tired enough to sleep now. His alarm wakes him up at a normal hour, which is unfortunately only a few hours after he was finally able to fall asleep. Staying awake is going to be rough if he doesn¡¯t want to mess up his sleep schedule. Then again, seeing as how he has nothing to do but gaming, it¡¯s not like it matters if his schedule gets messed up. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pathetic,¡± he says to his ceiling fan. ¡°I need to get one of those little robots that automatically make and bring you coffee. Hey, fan, go buy me a coffee robot.¡± The fan replies by continuously spinning its blades around. ¡°Fuck you too then.¡± Ryouta grumbles and climbs out of bed. After relieving his bladder, the first thing he does is plop into his desktop¡¯s chair and open up Fiscord. There are new messages in his direct messages and the group chat. He checks the group chat first. >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: k >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: i¡¯ll start heading down 2 u guys after class >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: is the new person a cute boy Of course, that¡¯s all Spencer is worried about. Ryouta checks his direct messages. >HushedVoice: Good morning! I just woke up. I hope you slept well! Let me know when you¡¯re ready to play more. I hope we have another wonderful day together! >HushedVoice: Ahhh! I just read the group chat and saw you played more! I told you not to immerse again before me >/// Serra is too precious for this world. She needs to be protected. Alas, he decides to bully her instead. There¡¯s one more conversation with new messages. >Holy Justice: Hey >Holy Justice: Ready to kick their asses whenever you are Whereas Spencer is obsessed with cock, Cassiel is apparently obsessed with revenge. He sends a couple of messages to the group chat and Serra before sending Cassiel a response. >TheMemeStruggle: Your name and looks make me think you¡¯re like some sort of paladin roleplayer, but you seem more like the dark knight type. Ryouta gets some water and a morning snack while waiting for the replies to come in. Surprisingly, Serra isn¡¯t the only one to have replied while he was up. >Holy Justice: I used to be >Holy Justice: Was one of the Augus Empire¡¯s holy knights before I fucking got reset >Holy Justice: Livia wouldn¡¯t take me back since I wanted revenge but she didn¡¯t want to hurt relations with their guild >TheMemeStruggle: Livia? >Holy Justice: Yeah, she¡¯s the Empress of the Augus Empire, sits up in Saint Augus and bosses everybody around from there >TheMemeStruggle: Remind me of this in-game so I don¡¯t forget when I immerse. >Holy Justice: It¡¯s vague enough and common knowledge so it shouldn¡¯t get blocked >TheMemeStruggle: Good to know, thanks. It¡¯s going to be a few hours before we can do anything. >Holy Justice: Immerse to help me pass time, I¡¯m off today >TheMemeStruggle: So bossy. At least let me finish my breakfast first. And by breakfast, he means chips. He looks down and pinches his gut. Alright, there¡¯s only a little bit of pinchable fat there. More than he¡¯d like, but not too bad. He sends a message to Serra asking if she wants to hop in with him to hang out with him and the new party member. Naturally, Serra immediately agrees and says she¡¯ll immerse right away. She doesn¡¯t want to let him immerse before her again. Ryouta sends one more message to Cassiel before putting away his chips and getting ready to immerse. >TheMemeStruggle: See you in-game. A few minutes later and Ryouta is Fenrir once more. Fenrir opens his eyes to green muscles. Serra isn¡¯t in front of him this time, but he can hear her giggling and Rock playfully barking. Rock slept at the entrance of the den to keep watch. Now, Rock is running around and playing with Serra. ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Serra says, giving Rock a few pats on her head. ¡°Where¡¯d you come from? Were you lost and decided to stay with us?¡± she asks. ¡°That¡¯s Rock,¡± Fenrir chimes in. Serra jumps a bit when she hears his voice, but what surprises her more is that this puppy is supposedly that silly rock Fenrir was carrying around with him. ¡°Really? This is¡­ this is Rock?¡± she asks for confirmation. Rock answers her question by hopping up and barking. ¡°How?¡± Serra asks. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it works. I was about to get killed, and then Rock turned into this and saved me. She¡¯s a good girl,¡± Fenrir explains as he crawls out from the den. Rock assaults him with licks and nuzzles the moment that he¡¯s out. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl? Who¡¯s a good girl? That¡¯s right, you are!¡± Fenrir showers Rock in praise, making that stony tail wag even more. Fenrir looks up at Serra. She looks like she wants to pout, but he isn¡¯t sure why. Maybe she¡¯s jealous that Rock is giving him attention instead of her? She is jealous, but that¡¯s not why. ¡°How¡¯d you almost die?¡± she asks. ¡°Our uh, new friend wanted to kill me. She thought I was with those pricks from Coastedge. Didn¡¯t realize that their logo is on these clothes,¡± he explains, showing her the shoulder with the logo. ¡°Wait, I should¡­¡± he draws his sword and uses its tip to cut the logo off. ¡°Much better.¡± Rock barks in approval. Serra looks even huffier than before. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I don¡¯t like anybody who tries hurting you,¡± she answers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. After hearing her story, I would¡¯ve done the same if I was in her shoes. Those guys are assholes to more than just us. Anyways, ready to go meet her?¡± Serra reluctantly nods. Rock takes the lead, excitedly running ahead and getting distracted by new scents every few feet. Fenrir stands by every single time that Rock gets distracted. ¡°Gotta let her sniff,¡± Fenrir explains. Fortunately, Serra doesn¡¯t seem bothered by Rock drastically slowing them down with all of her sniffing sessions. The trio eventually makes it to the stream where he first encountered Cassiel. Sitting on a rock next to the water is an annoyed woman trying to put her spear back together. She¡¯s failing at it. She¡¯s even gathered some of those stems to try and ¡°glue¡± it back together, but it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°Hey, Cass!¡± Fenrir shouts over to her. Cassiel turns to look at him with frustrated eyes. ¡°My name is Cassiel, not Cass, and you better hope that your plan works! I was starting to get attached to this spear, but you broke it!¡± she shouts. Her eyes focus on Serra when she notices her. ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡± Fenrir expects Serra to hide behind him similar to how she did when she first met Bonekraka and Oleander, but instead, she steps in front of him and crosses her arms. ¡°I¡¯m Serra, and ¨C and you better not hurt him anymore,¡± she says, mustering all of her courage. ¡°Haah? Listen here, shorty,¡± Cassiel says, standing up and gripping the remnants of her spear in her hands. She¡¯s making herself look as intimidating as she can. However, when Rock places herself between the two girls, Cassiel steps back and huffs. ¡°I only want to kill the bastards who reset me. I¡¯m not going to hurt anybody who doesn¡¯t want to hurt me.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯re all friends here, so let¡¯s calm down. You¡¯re both girls who those pricks wanted to screw over, so bond over that instead. The last thing we need right now is for you,¡± Fenrir pauses to look at Cassiel, ¡°to try and thrust your pole into us.¡± Cassiel¡¯s face goes red. Her lips are moving as if she wants to shout something very angrily, but no words come out. Serra snerks at Fenrir¡¯s innuendo and notices the other girl¡¯s reaction. Cassiel might be a strong fighter that could easily defeat Serra in a test of strength, but Serra is already coming up with plans to take advantage of Cassiel¡¯s apparent weakness. Serra can¡¯t wait to see Oleander and Cassiel together. Book 1: Chapter 22: Patch 5.0: All Your Ship Are Belong To Us After having Cassiel shout all manners of profanities at Fenrir for his suggestive remarks, the party sits around trying to figure out what to do to pass the time. Fenrir, naturally, wants to fish. Serra is content playing with Rock and keeping an eye on Cassiel. Cassiel wants to try and hunt down more players from Coastedge. Rock just wants to do Rock things. Fortunately for Fenrir, he knows how to get underneath people¡¯s skin. Is it manipulative? Yes. More importantly, does it mean he gets to fish? Yes. ¡°I suppose I can see why you don¡¯t want to fish. You¡¯re probably just bad at it and let all the fish escape,¡± Fenrir teases Cassiel. Serra picks up on his plan and lets out a not-so-subtle giggle. ¡°I¡¯d never let them escape! If I¡¯ve been able to hunt monsters and players down, hunting a fish is nothing!¡± Cassiel shouts back. This is going to be easy. ¡°It takes more skill to lure and reel in a fish than it does to sneakily thrust your pole into a man¡¯s rear. At least Olly will love you for that,¡± Fenrir continues. Serra¡¯s laugh is even more noticeable this time as she actually does try to hide it instead of just pretending to hide it. Clutching what remains of her spear in her hands, Cassiel looks like she¡¯s on the verge of snapping it into even more pieces. ¡°How many times do I¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop if you can catch more fish than me,¡± Fenrir casts his line. It¡¯s a bite. She¡¯s hooked. ¡°Fine! How do I ¨C how are we even supposed to do this?!¡± she angrily accepts the challenge. ¡°Go get me a stick and a flat stone so I can make a spear for you. I¡¯ll make myself one while you do that,¡± Fenrir explains, holding up the stick and rock that he found a few minutes ago and has been working on. Cassiel storms off to look for the materials. Now, when it comes to sharpening and shaping the rock that will be used as a spearhead, there is a problem. Fenrir¡¯s trusty rock has been turned into Rock. ¡°Hey, Name Pending,¡± he says, looking over at Rock. ¡°Name Pending?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Well, yeah. Can¡¯t just keep on calling her Rock. Isn¡¯t that too manly?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think she cares,¡± Serra says, and Rock backs her up by barking. If Rock is happy with being named Rock, then there¡¯s no way that Fenrir is going to change her name. ¡°Then I guess you¡¯ll stay Rock, Rock. Now, come over here.¡± Rock happily runs over to him, sitting down and looking up at him with an obedient desire to serve. First off, Rock is too cute to not get the top of its head rubbed before doing anything else. It is only after an adequate amount of petting her head that he asks for her help. ¡°I have no idea if you can do this or not, but do you think that you could¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to ask this. Do you think you could bite and chew this thing into shape? Remember how I used you to make those first¡ª wait,¡± Fenrir pauses and stands up. Walking next to the stream, he finds where he was trying to fish last night, looks into the bush that he was standing next to, and sure enough finds his spear. ¡°I forgot about this one. Oh well,¡± Fenrir says, returning to Rock. ¡°Remember how you helped me make this spearhead?¡± he points at the tip of the spear. Rock barks. ¡°Then do you think you could make this one look like that?¡± He holds out the flat rock he found. Rock sniffs it, paws at it, and finally looks up at Fenrir to give an approving bark. ¡°Good girl,¡± he says alongside a rub of her head. Taking the flat rock into her mouth, she bites down on the edges with her jagged, stony teeth until it¡¯s shaped into a spearhead. Fenrir cringes when he hears her chewing and swallowing the chunks of rock that she bites off. He¡¯s not sure if that¡¯s good for her¡­ but she is made out of rock. He gets an idea. While Rock is busy with the spearhead, he picks up as many nearby rocks that he can find. He comes back to Rock sitting next to the spearhead with a wagging tail. Its sharpness and shape are even better than when he did it himself! ¡°You¡¯re seriously awesome, Rock. I wish I could take you into reality with me. I¡¯d train you to make and bring me coffee,¡± Fenrir says. Serra raises an eyebrow. ¡°Rock isn¡¯t one of those coffee robots,¡± she says. ¡°I know, but it¡¯d still be nice. I either need a coffee robot or a cute wife to bring me coffee,¡± he replies, taking one of the rocks he just gathered and giving it to Rock. While Serra blushes and thinks about highly classified thoughts within her mind, Rock excitedly munches on the given rock and begs for another one when she sees that he¡¯s holding more. ¡°Makes sense. You¡¯re made out of rock, so you eat rocks. Wait, doesn¡¯t that make you a cannibal?¡± he asks Rock. Rock tilts her head for a few seconds, tongue hanging out from her mouth, before going back to begging for more treats. ¡°You¡¯re too cute to say no to. You¡¯re definitely going to grow up and be super spoiled,¡± Fenrir says, placing two more rocks down while pocketing the rest. By the time Cassiel returns, Rock is sleepily lying on Serra¡¯s lap with a full belly and Fenrir is holding two spears. He tosses one of them to Cassiel. ¡°Here, made you one already.¡± ¡°The hell did you make me gather this stuff for then, you bastard? Did you just make me go and look everywhere for nothing?!¡± Cassiel shouts. He expected this. Looking at the stick and stone she¡¯s found, he has to admit that they¡¯re perfect for making a stone-tipped spear. It looks like she really went and tried finding the best possible materials she could instead of using the first ones she found. ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll make you one with the stuff you found. I promise I didn¡¯t mean to send you off for nothing. I had just forgotten about the spear I made last night is all,¡± Fenrir explains. Cassiel¡¯s expression confuses him. She goes from clearly pissed off to blushing and looking away. She looks like she wants to say something again. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll have your spear ready in no time,¡± he holds his hands out, waiting for her stick and rock. She hands them over, but also says, ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to thank me for. I said I¡¯d make you one, plus it means getting to fish, so I should be the one thanking you,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ tch, you bas¡ª I mean thanks for¡­ apologizing,¡± Cassiel says, squirming in place and unable to make eye contact. ¡°I was always getting fucked with and nobody ever apologized, so¡­ I just assumed you were screwing with me, so I guess I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m,¡± she looks pissed off with herself at this point, gritting her teeth as she clenches her fists, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for assuming you were just fucking with me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m apologizing, alright? If you do something wrong then ¨C then you apologize for it! You apologized to me, so¡­ I¡¯m apologizing to you, so just take it!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Thank you for apologizing too, Cassiel,¡± Fenrir says. She turns away after hearing his thanks. Fenrir walks back over to Rock and Serra since he needs Rock¡¯s assistance one last time. ¡°Think you can help me out again, Rock?¡± Rock looks at the stone and whines. However, when Fenrir holds out a few treat-sized rocks for her, she eagerly hops off Serra¡¯s lap and gets to work. ¡°She¡¯s actually really nice, isn¡¯t she?¡± Serra asks, whispering quietly enough so that Cassiel doesn¡¯t hear. Fenrir looks over at her. Cassiel is still standing with her back turned to them. ¡°Maybe when she¡¯s not going all Olly on me. She¡¯s a total tsundere.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir blushes and shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± His answer makes her pout, but he¡¯s already said too much. He can¡¯t allow her to discover just how far he¡¯s delved into the world of Japanese cartoons. Or hentai. He still remembers her aversion to tentacles. Before the image of Serra getting wrapped up in a bunch of lewd tentacles grows any stronger in his head, he distracts himself with putting together Cassiel¡¯s new spear. He feels like he has to apologize to Serra just for imagining such horribly lewd things happening to her. She¡¯s too pure for any of that! But that just makes it even better. He shakes his head. Bad thoughts, bad. With Rock done helping out and overfilling herself on even more treats, she lazily crawls back onto Serra¡¯s lap and closes her eyes. ¡°Alright! This is the best one I¡¯ve made yet. You really picked the perfect stuff to make it with,¡± Fenrir calls out to Cassiel. ¡°I put a lot of effort into finding good materials, so¡­ it better be,¡± Cassiel says. He swears he can see just a tiny bit of a spark in her eyes when she takes the spear. Whether it¡¯s a good or a bad spark, he doesn¡¯t know. ¡°Alright, let the fishing challenge begin! You know how to spearfish?¡± ¡°Of course I do! Anybody can do it. If a bunch of naked cavemen can do it then I easily can,¡± Cassiel says, walking up to the stream. ¡°There!¡± she shouts at the first fish she spots. She throws her spear! It misses, breaks against the rock it hits, and gets carried downstream. Judging by the fact that she¡¯s standing perfectly still and not making a single noise, he¡¯s guessing that she¡¯s¡­ less than pleased. He¡¯s almost scared of handing her the spare spear he made. Cassiel turns around, snatches the spear from his hands, and then turns away. ¡°You first!¡± she demands. ¡°Alright, just watch how I do i¡ª¡± ¡°I said you first!¡± Fenrir tries to look at her face, but all he can see is a bright red cheek. Guess he¡¯s going first. Book 1: Chapter 23: Patch 5.0: All Your Ship Are Belong To Us A large, slow fish with pointy whiskers and a thick body rests on the bottom of the stream. It reminds Fenrir of a catfish in reality, but it has two extremely long ¡°whiskers¡± that reach out farther than the fish is long. They seem to be feeling around for any potential food along the bottom of the stream. Each time they find something promising, the fish swims over to the location and floats over it. Cassiel stands by ready to mock Fenrir for what she assumes is going to be a complete fail. Instead, Fenrir¡¯s spear manages to¡­ yeah, it¡¯s a fail. His spear thrusts into the muddy bed of the stream, only managing to cut the fish¡¯s side. ¡°Such a great teacher you are,¡± Cassiel is the one to start the teasing. ¡°At least I still have my spear,¡± Fenrir replies and wins seeing as how she has no comeback to that. Serra has carried Rock to a better spot so that they can watch the two¡¯s competition. She sits on her ground with her back to a tree and Rock in her lap, rolling over onto her back so that Serra can rub her belly. The rock on the underside of its belly may not be softer, but it is smoother. ¡°Fine, so I just have to thrust instead of throw. I didn¡¯t know that! You should have told me sooner,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I thought that if cavemen could do it, so could you?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Shut up!¡± Fenrir worries that she¡¯s going to grind her teeth down to tiny stubs if she keeps on gritting them so much. ¡°That one¡¯s mine! I call it!¡± she shouts as soon as the next fish comes into view. Alas, rather than try to track the fish and predict where it might move, she simply thrusts as soon as it''s in range. Another miss. ¡°You can¡¯t just wildly thrust your pole around the place. You have to properly grip it, aim it, and thrust in the perfect angl¡ª¡± ¡°Shut! Up!¡± Cassiel¡¯s face is pure red and the most pissed off that he¡¯s seen it. Serra has to use her hand that isn¡¯t petting Rock to hide her smile and giggles. Another fish. ¡°You want to call this one too?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over at Cassiel. She¡¯s glaring at him. Her eyes tell him that if he says one more thing, her spear is going to be going through his chest. It¡¯s another one of those catfish-like fish, but this one is smaller and moving around more frequently. It¡¯ll be more of a challenge than the first one he missed. With his spear readied and held in each of his hands, his eyes never leave the fish and try to predict its movements. He¡¯s able to predict where it¡¯s going to move next more often than not. The biggest giveaway is its whiskers. Each time they stay in a spot for more than a few seconds, the fish moves over to them. He peeks over at Cassiel. Looks like she¡¯s noticed the pattern as well. Fenrir thrusts his spear and impales the fish! He lifts it up out of the water and almost loses it when it tries flopping away to freedom. Unfortunately for the fish, the only freedom it gets is the freedom of death after Fenrir grabs its tail and smacks it against a rock. He looks over to Cassiel to smugly show off his catch, but she has the same idea. They both look at one another with a fish in hand. The game is on. The two split up to cover more ground along the stream and so that they don¡¯t have to compete for fish. They bring every fish they catch back to a pile in front of Serra and Rock so that she can keep track of who¡¯s in the lead. Each of the competitors is heavily breathing and practically tripping over themselves in an attempt to hurry back and forth between the stream and their respective piles. Serra doesn¡¯t know who she wants to root for more. Sure, she might have a crush on Fenrir and want to see him win to see him happy, but at the same time, Cassiel is clearly putting in a serious amount of effort to try and win. Cassiel also has the underdog factor going on for her¡­ but Fenrir has the literal dog factor going on. Whether to root for the inspiring underdog or the romantically-interested-in-dog is a tough choice. She also thinks it would be really cute to see Fenrir''s surprised face if he loses. The stream is devoid of fish before long. Any survivors from the onslaught of a competition have fled into faraway waters, leaving the two monsters terrorizing fish-kind without any further victims. Fenrir and Cassiel both stand hunched over in front of Serra. They look like they¡¯re about to fall over at any moment. Serra had no idea that fishing could be so intense. ¡°Who won?¡± Fenrir asks. Even his tail and ears look tired. ¡°Tell us!¡± Cassiel somehow still has enough energy to shout despite being out of breath. Serra looks at each pile again and then points at Cassiel. ¡°She won by one,¡± Serra says. Fenrir doesn¡¯t dare look over at Cassiel. He can already feel her smug sense of satisfaction staring at him. The last thing he needs to see is¡ª Wait. When he looks down at the piles of fish, one of the very first fish that he caught is sitting in her pile instead of his. Sure, she could have caught an identical fish, but then what happened to the one in his pile? He stares at the fish and then looks up at Cassiel. She looks away. He looks at Serra. She, too, looks away. ¡°Serra,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Y-yes?¡± Serra replies. ¡°I thought we were friends.¡± ¡°We ¨C we are.¡± ¡°Cass wouldn¡¯t have been able to¡­ steal my fish without you noticing, right?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Fenrir looks down at Rock. Rock looks away. ¡°I feel very betrayed right now,¡± Fenrir says. He can see a single bead of sweat running down from Serra¡¯s forehead. He¡¯s pretty sure that he would see the same from Rock if Rock could sweat. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not my fault! She talked to me about how girls have to stick together and look out for each other, and she said it¡¯d be fun to see how you look when you lose,¡± Serra explains. They must have had a secret meeting when he wasn''t paying attention. ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to say that!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°But she almost killed me!¡± Fenrir shouts now, causing Serra and Rock to both droop their heads and look at the ground. Fenrir needs Oleander here to help him bully Cassiel. Serra can¡¯t be trusted. Even so, he¡¯s the first one to laugh. ¡°I see how it is. There needs to be some more sausage in this party since all the girls are teaming up against me.¡± Serra breaks her sad act and giggles. Even Rock goes from looking miserable to wagging her tail and barking. Cassiel is the only one left out of this sudden change of mood. ¡°You aren¡¯t actually mad?¡± she asks, looking at Fenrir. ¡°Of course not. Why would I be? It¡¯s just a game, and this was all for fun,¡± Fenrir explains. Cassiel realizes that while she may have convinced Serra to betray Fenrir for her, Serra did it because she thought it would be funny for everybody involved. Her and Fenrir are already in sync when it comes to comedy routines. ¡°You guys must have known each other for a long time.¡± Both Fenrir and Serra shake their heads. ¡°Nope. Only been friends for¡­ what, three days now? It¡¯s kind of hard to keep track since the game dilates time,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel blinks a few times. ¡°Haah? Really? There¡¯s no way. You guys are like a married couple already.¡± Those words cause a mighty blush to take over Serra¡¯s face, but Fenrir tilts his head just like how Rock does. ¡°Nah. We¡¯ve just been friends for a few days. I can be kind of hard to get along with, so I guess anybody who can tolerate me just really clicks with me right away.¡± ¡°How are you hard to get along with? You¡¯re like some goody-two-shoes, aren¡¯t you? I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯re the type to want to be friends with everybody.¡± ¡°Are you forgetting that I¡¯ve already made an entire village hate me, and now I plan on stealing their ship and killing as many of them as possible?¡± Cassiel pauses. Now that she thinks about it, that is the main reason why she¡¯s still here. ¡°By the way, even if you did try cheating, good job. I had a feeling you¡¯d catch a lot since you seem like the really determined type. You¡¯re pretty impressive,¡± Fenrir praises Cassiel. Naturally, this causes a certain vulgar not-so-holy maiden to turn away with red cheeks. ¡°Tch, I just don¡¯t like losing. Save the praise for your dog and girlfriend there.¡± Poor Serra¡¯s head hangs lower and lower to hide her face. Even though she knows what Fenrir is about to say, just hearing Cassiel assume they¡¯re dating makes her happy. ¡°How could she be my girlfriend if I¡¯ve only known her for three days? That¡¯s not really enough time to get to know somebody to do anything like that,¡± Fenrir says. It isn¡¯t exactly what Serra expected, but it¡¯s still a denial of them being together. ¡°Why not? I dated all my ex¡¯s after like a day,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°And how long did those last?¡± Fenrir sees her fists clench. ¡°Shut up.¡± Fenrir looks up at the sky through the forest''s canopy. Oleander should hopefully be getting on soon. When he does, and after they meet up, they can go over the plans to steal the ship and ruin Coastedge. Book 1: Chapter 24: Patch 5.0: All Your Ship Are Belong To Us The party, led by Rock, heads back to the coast. Their mission is to head up the coast while Oleander comes down it. Oleander could just make his way down by himself, but given that he¡¯s in the same situation as Fenrir with having zero respawns left, they don¡¯t want to risk anything happening to him. Fortunately, they are able to meet up with Oleander without getting distracted by any crabs, coming across guys too desperate to get laid, and without Fenrir and Cassiel getting into another competition. Fenrir thinks about how if he was living in some sort of manga or anime, then he would be stuck with several more filler arcs before finally reaching Oleander. He doesn¡¯t know how he would feel if he was looking forward to a grand heist and battle only for the story to get sidetracked by fishing. Alas, he gets right to the point and meets Oleander without issue. He wouldn¡¯t mind another fishing distraction even if it means delaying his ¡°story,¡± though. ¡°Fenny! Carry me!¡± Oleander shouts out from farther up the coast. He¡¯s dragging his feet and whining. ¡°Fenny?¡± Cassiel asks, looking over at Fenrir. ¡°Problem, Cassy?¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Never call me that again.¡± ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m the least of your worries now.¡± Rock runs out to greet Oleander. ¡°You got a pet dog?! Seriously?! That¡¯s awesome!¡± he shouts, crouching down so that he can greet the puppy whom he does not yet know is Rock. He also doesn¡¯t know how strong Rock is. Maybe it¡¯s the fact that she¡¯s made out of rock, but when she jumps up into his chest, she knocks Oleander onto his back! ¡°A dog¡­ made out of rock?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s Rock,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Rock? You don¡¯t mean the rock that you were carrying around with you, do you?¡± ¡°Same Rock.¡± Oleander doesn¡¯t know how to accept the fact that a random rock has been turned into a dog. ¡°I guess being a rock fetishist pays off.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only fetishist here.¡± Oleander turns serious, looking Fenrir in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your browsing history. Do you really want to call me the only one?¡± Fenrir covers Serra¡¯s ears from behind. ¡°Listen, a man has his needs and you can¡¯t just¡ª¡± He feels Cassiel staring at him. Yeah, she¡¯s totally judging him. ¡°Anyways!¡± He uncovers Serra¡¯s ears. ¡°Cassiel, this is Oleander. Olly, this is Cassiel.¡± Cassiel doesn¡¯t even look in Oleander¡¯s direction. All she gives him is a simple greeting. When Fenrir looks at Oleander to try and figure out why she won¡¯t look at him, it all makes sense. He¡¯s still naked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have gotten yourself some new leaves to cover up with?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I wanted to hurry up and meet up with you! I would have had to have gone back into the forest, find big enough leaves, some more of those stems, and then¡ª¡± Oleander cuts himself off. He has the expression of somebody with a lightbulb turning on above their head. ¡°Hang on!¡± Oleander runs off of the beach into the grassy plains beside it. He comes back a few moments later with nothing to show for it. ¡°Never mind. I wanted to try and turn some grass into a dress with magic, but it went away as soon as I stopped concentrating on it.¡± ¡°Here,¡± Fenrir says, taking off his worn bark armor and handing it over to Oleander, ¡°this will keep you covered up at least.¡± Oleander happily accepts the armor and puts it on. While it didn¡¯t fit Fenrir that well, it fits Oleander perfectly. ¡°By the way, how¡¯d you meet her?¡± Cassiel turns to glare at Fenrir as if she knows what he¡¯s going to say. Her concern is well deserved. ¡°She thrust a long, hard pole into me from behind,¡± Fenrir explains. Oleander looks at her furious expression before giving Fenrir a knowing smirk. ¡°Hey, new girl! Thrusting into Fenny is my job! If you want to have him too, then you at least have to take him from the front while I get the back. Though, if you want to thrust your pole into me, you can do so whenever you¡ª¡± Cassiel wraps her hands around Oleander¡¯s throat and lifts him off of the ground. She¡¯s not squeezing hard enough to choke him, and after he leans his head down to lick her arm, she¡¯s not squeezing him at all. ¡°You¡¯re both ¨C what is ¨C how are ¨C do you expect me to believe we¡¯re going to take on Coastedge with an unarmed girl, a puppy, and two deviants?!¡± ¡°We also have an orc,¡± Fenrir adds on. ¡°By the way, Fenny, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir goes over the plan. It¡¯s the first time that Oleander and Serra hear it, and hearing it again brings some excitement and faith back to Cassiel. ¡°That¡¯s a really stupid plan,¡± Oleander says. ¡°But, I can make it work. Look.¡± He takes Fenrir¡¯s latest spear and uses it to draw in the sand. He draws the layout of Coastedge as he can remember it, the boats he recalls seeing pulled up onto the beach, where he saw guards standing by, and all other important features surrounding it. With nothing but a spear and sand, Oleander draws a perfect map of Coastedge. Cassiel has an impressed expression the entire time. The impressed look grows into one of admiration as Oleander fine-tunes Fenrir¡¯s plan. It sounded nearly impossible but worth the risk when Fenrir first said it, but now that Oleander is going over the plan, it sounds like the easiest thing in the world to pull off. Oleander¡¯s strategy is perfect. ¡°This is why you¡¯re the battle master, Olly,¡± Fenrir praises him, giving him a few pats on the head between his antlers. Oleander looks up at Fenrir with a wide smile and closed eyes, pressing his head up into Fenrir¡¯s hand. Serra and Rock both look jealous. ¡°If we pull this plan off¡­ you guys are going to be the talk of taverns all over. This is the kind of plan that you only see elite guilds pulling off and getting famous for. I¡¯ve met many who claimed to be master strategists, but this is something else,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I hope we¡¯re not. I¡¯d rather not get our names out there for something like this. Hopefully, they¡¯re going to be too embarrassed by their defeat to go and tell anybody about what happened,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel shrugs. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter as long as I get my revenge.¡± ¡°So edgy,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°I¡¯m not edgy! They deserve to die for what they did to me!¡± ¡°Are you going to thrust your pole in them?¡± Cassiel lifts Oleander up by his antlers. She wasn¡¯t expecting to hear him moan and look at her with seductive eyes. ¡°My ¨C my horns are sensitive.¡± She drops Oleander. He looks back at Fenrir to see a thumbs-up. Serra is looking away trying not to let Cassiel hear her giggling. ¡°By the way, Fenny, we still going out for drinks tomorrow?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°It¡¯s that time of month already?¡± Fenrir asks. Oleander replies with an excited nod. ¡°Then I guess, yeah. Where do you want to go?¡± Serra and Cassiel both just sort of look around to stay out of their reality discussion. Rock licks her paws. ¡°How about we get ramen in Chinatown and then head over to The One-Eyed Pirate? It¡¯d be a fitting place to go to celebrate our upcoming win!¡± The two girls ¨C well, the two non-dog girls, both look at the two men when they hear the name of a bar. It isn¡¯t just any bar name; it is the name of a bar they are both familiar with. ¡°That works for me. We going to send pictures to Bone to make him jealous again?¡± ¡°Duh.¡± Rock looks up between the other two girls and tilts her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go over to your corpse and then wait for Bone to get on. Your stuff should still be where you died, probably,¡± Fenrir says. The walk south is uneventful aside from having to hide from a few of Coastedge¡¯s inhabitants out hunting crabs. The party makes it to where Fenrir and Oleander died, Oleander manages to grab the leaf-dress that he made himself, and they make it back into the den where Bonekraka is still sleeping. Oleander only has one problem with all of this, and it¡¯s that the oversized leaves making up his dress are beginning to brown. He was originally just going to wear the dress underneath the bark armor, but Oleander being Oleander refuses to wear decaying leaves, so he sticks to only wearing the bark. Bonekraka immerses into the game to the sight and scent of fish being roasted on a fire just outside of his den. ¡°About time,¡± Fenrir says, holding a roasted fish on a stick to Bonekraka. ¡°Do I need to know plan?¡± Bonekraka asks, getting right to business. ¡°Not really. Your job is as simple as ever,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°Good.¡± Bonekraka takes the roasted fish and bites a large chunk out of its side. ¡°Figured you¡¯d be hungry since your character hasn¡¯t eaten for a couple of days. We¡¯re going once you¡¯re full,¡± Fenrir explains. Cassiel thought she was the most excited about getting revenge on those within Coastedge, but when she sees the faces of Fenrir and Oleander, she realizes that they are much more excited than her. The main difference is that while she is excited about revenge, they are excited out of a sadistic desire to screw other players over with the odds being against them. These new players to the game are already coming up with strategies to defeat enemies with greater numbers, far more experience, and better equipment. They are doing what none others would be foolish enough to even think about doing, and they couldn¡¯t be more excited about it. Bonekraka finishes his fish, and then three more fish, before finally burping and patting his stomach. ¡°Ready,¡± he says. ¡°Alright, this will be the last act of the brigade,¡± Fenrir says. Oleander stands up and salutes. ¡°Whatever you say, Admiral.¡± Book 1: Chapter 25: Patch 5.0: All Your Ship Are Belong To Us Coastedge comes within sight of the party. It is dimly lit within the night by lanterns hanging on buildings, and only a few guards stand on watch around the village¡¯s borders. The party is already in position. Fenrir, Cassiel, and Rock lie low within the grass next to the village. Bonekraka gave Cassiel one of the swords he had so that her only weapon isn¡¯t a makeshift spear. The rest of the party is spread out in a couple of positions. Each of them has their own missions to accomplish. Bonekraka is up first. He jumps out from his hiding spot and charges directly at the guard watching the southern end of the beach! Sure, Bonekraka might still technically be a new player with little in the way of stats and skills, but he doesn¡¯t look like it. He is a massive, brutish orc wearing the skin and bones of the animals he¡¯s hunted on his first day playing, is holding a regular sized sword that looks like a child¡¯s toy within his huge hand, and looks really angry. It helps that he¡¯s shouting like a rampaging monster fueled by naught more than a lust for slaughter. Regardless of how weak he may actually be, he knows how to be scary. The guard he¡¯s charging shakes in fear and freezes up, gripping onto his spear and bracing himself for Bonekraka¡¯s attack. The guard doesn¡¯t even need to warn the rest of the guards to come and assist him since Bonekraka is loud enough to draw their attention. Bonekraka gets close enough to throw his sword at the guard! It impales the guard in his chest, sticking right through his torso and partially into the wall of the building behind him. Shock from the attack paralyzes the guard, allowing Bonekraka to move in to not only take his sword back but also to take the guard¡¯s spear from him. In true orc fashion ¨C or rather, in true Viktor fashion, he finishes the guard off with a solid kick to the crotch. The neutered guard looks like he wants to vomit from the intense pain coursing through his body. No matter what a man¡¯s pain setting is set to, such a powerful blow to his jewels is always going to hurt. The guard collapses lifeless to the ground. ¡°Too easy! No real men here! Will destroy puny village by myself!¡± Bonekraka shouts in his thick, Russian accent. ¡°It¡¯s the orc from the other night!¡± one of the guards shouts. More guards were already on the way over, but now even more are coming to get revenge for the other night. ¡°If I¡¯m right, the sleeping characters should wake up and realize they¡¯re under attack, so the overseer will be taking them over,¡± Fenrir whispers to Cassiel. They have a perfect spot for watching over a dozen guards rushing toward Bonekraka¡¯s position. ¡°Looks like it. I was defending against a siege once, and all the logged-out guys I was with started moving around and getting into position as soon as the fighting made its way to us,¡± Cassiel whispers back. One of the characters who ¡°wakes up¡± and runs out of a house in Coastedge doesn¡¯t run to support his allies, but instead runs away into the field. ¡°If he¡¯s running then that means the overseer believes he would run away if the player was actually immersed, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, the overseer can almost perfectly imitate how real players would act,¡± Cassiel explains. Playing with somebody more experienced with the game has its advantages. He can actually ask questions and get them answered in more detail than what Saya offers. Of course, the legitimacy of the answers may not be on par with Saya''s. ¡°Bet he¡¯s going to get shit for that later,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Good.¡± The first phase of the plan is a success. Bonekraka manages to kill one guard and then slows down another by throwing the first guard¡¯s spear into him. Time to run. Turning around, Bonekraka runs south down the coast and focuses entirely on speed. One of the guards shoots a well-aimed arrow into his back, but it¡¯s not enough to slow him down. ¡°We¡¯re up. Ready, girl?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready,¡± Cassiel replies. ¡°I was talking to Rock.¡± He looks over and sees her face overcome with red once more. ¡°Are you ready, Cass?¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± she says, slapping her cheeks to snap herself back to the situation at hand. Fenrir¡¯s assumption of the guards being stupid proves to be correct. The ones watching the rest of the village¡¯s perimeter have abandoned their posts to chase after Bonekraka. This allows Fenrir, Cassiel, and Rock to sneak into the village from the side facing the fields. Their first objective is to release the giant, caged crabs. They are clearly agitated from being captured and caged. With four cages in total, each one holding two crabs, it only takes a couple of minutes for Fenrir and Cassiel to untie the cages¡¯ doors and allow the crabs freedom. ¡°Hey! There¡¯s more over here!¡± one of the villagers shouts. Fenrir turns to look at the one whom spotted them, but what he sees is Cassiel already charging the villager with her sword in hand. He only gets a quick look at her sadistic grin as she thrusts her sword through the villager¡¯s neck. Two guards dead, one severely wounded, eight huge and pissed off crabs on the loose ¨C the plan is going perfectly so far. Fenrir and Cassiel get to work breaking all of the lanterns around the village. Each one gets taken off of whatever they are hanging from and smashed into the wooden walls of the village or thrown inside through windows. Some of the roofs are made of thatch which makes setting the buildings ablaze even easier. It doesn¡¯t take long for the first building to spawn a blazing inferno. The fire quickly consumes its straw roof and spreads into the rooms below it. ¡°Fire! Fire! They¡¯re setting us on fire!¡± somebody else shouts, their voice full of panic. The giant crabs may not be a large threat one-on-one, but when three of them charge the same villager at once, their pincers make quick work of their limbs. Rock yelps. Spinning around, Fenrir sees Rock get smashed into a nearby wall from a guard wielding an iron mace. The side of Rock¡¯s body is cracked, and chips of its body lie on the ground. Fenrir has a better idea than throwing the lantern into another building. With a sword in his right hand and lantern in his left, he charges at the guard whom just hurt Rock. The guard sees Fenrir coming and gets into a defensive stance. He has a mace, shield, and the same armor that Fenrir is wearing. The shield should be enough of a deciding factor for the guard to win. Alas, the guard doesn¡¯t expect Fenrir to bait the shield with his sword, allowing him to swing the lantern around smashing it into the side of the guard¡¯s head! Shards of glass are embedded into the guard''s head now. Fenrir slashes at the guard¡¯s arm as he tries recovering from the blow to his head. It is now that Fenrir learns not everybody is going to be so easy to take down. With shards of glass stuck in his head and a cut arm, the guard regains his focus and stares Fenrir down. A bash from his shield knocks Fenrir back several feet and opens him up to an attack from his mace. The guard¡¯s mace slams into Fenrir¡¯s side. He instinctively places his arm against his side to try and shield himself from the blow, but it does more harm than good as he can feel the bone in his arm snap from the force of the attack. Fenrir lets out a pained gasp and stumbles backward. He tries raising his left arm but fails. ¡°What now, you cocky little shit? You think you can come in here and take down Stinky Garlic¡¯s elite guard?¡± the guard taunts. ¡°You realize that your guild name takes away all seriousness from what you just said, right?¡± Fenrir replies. That pisses the guard off even more. He charges at Fenrir. ¡°Duck!¡± Cassiel shouts from behind. Fenrir trusts in her and ducks. Cassiel thrusts her sword over his head and right into the guard¡¯s abdomen, causing him to trip over Fenrir and fall to the side. ¡°We need to hurry,¡± Cassiel says, pulling back on her sword so that she can thrust it into the guard¡¯s head. ¡°Half of the ones chasing your orc friend have turned back.¡± Fenrir rushes over to Rock and picks her up. He tucks her down into the top of his leather cuirass, leaving only her head poking out from the top of it. ¡°Hurry and do what?¡± a man asks. Both Fenrir and Cassiel turn to face the new speaker. It is the man that Fenrir saw get off from the ship. He¡¯s a tall, heavyset man wearing a full set of steel plate armor trimmed with gold. A golden garlic with stinky lines surrounding it rests centered upon his chest armor. ¡°You look familiar,¡± he says to Cassiel. ¡°You that bitch that refused to let us farm you?¡± Cassiel¡¯s grip tightens on her sword. She¡¯s glaring at him. ¡°Back for revenge, and bring your boyfriend with you this time? How about this: you let us farm you in front of him, and we won¡¯t hunt you both down after resetting you? I can make it so that neither of you can play this game in peace. Everybody will know your faces no matter where you go, and they will know to bring you to us so that we can reset you again, and again, and again,¡± the man says. He looks over Cassiel¡¯s body and licks his lips. ¡°Come on, let me see what¡¯s underneath all that armor again. I still remember the amazing body you¡¯re hiding underneath there. My viewers have missed you, too.¡± Even if she never let them defile her, they did still get to see her exposed after killing her and taking all of her gear. Fenrir rolls his eyes. He''s always hated pricks who are so generically evil like this man is. "Bad guys" never know how to actually be bad. They always just resort to talking shit and threatening rape or something else so pathetically cliche. It makes him want to bring back Divine Brigade in force just to show him how to truly be evil. ¡°You bastard! You were streaming that?!¡± Cassiel shouts, her sword now shaking just from how violently she¡¯s gripping its hilt. ¡°That¡¯s right. Even now, I¡¯ve got over five hundred viewers watching all of this.¡± Cassiel has the look of somebody who¡¯s about to make a really stupid choice out of anger. Several guards surround them. The pissed off frown on Cassiel¡¯s lips turns into a smug smile when she looks past her enemy to the docked ship. She looks over at Fenrir and nods. Both Cassiel and Fenrir go prone on the ground. A volley of cannonballs tears through the village and takes out a couple of the guards surrounding them! ¡°Woah, Serra, that was a great shot! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d manage to hit them on the first shot!¡± Oleander praises her as he gets to work reloading the cannons. Serra is right there alongside him getting them ready. ¡°I like pirate movies,¡± Serra says. Two guards rush down the dock to try and make their way to the captured ship, but they see that one of the cannons has been rolled to aim directly down the connecting bridge and dock. The guards freeze when they see Oleander¡¯s cute, feminine face pop up from behind the cannon. As cute as he may be, the look on his face says that he would be more than happy to watch their bodies get scattered into hundreds of chunks if they don¡¯t surrender. They surrender. Dropping their weapons, they jump off the sides of the dock into the water beneath it. Another volley of cannon fire tears through the village. Some of the buildings which were on fire have their burning roofs and walls scattered about the village from the blasts, causing the fire to spread even more rapidly than before. Fenrir and Cassiel get up. The guards that were surrounding them are all taking cover. Only their leader remains standing. His eyes are filled with a burning hatred. ¡°You have no idea who you¡¯re trying to fuck with,¡± he says. ¡°Stinky Garlic, a guild vassalized by the Augus Empire with its only use being to transport crabs north for coin, led by ¡®The Garlic Man¡¯ who constantly tries kissing up to Livia so that your worthless guild can be accepted into the inner circle. The only reason you¡¯re not treated like the worthless bandits that you are is because nobody else wants to play with crabs all day,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°We both know you have no real power. That¡¯s why the only followers you can find are spineless pricks.¡± Fenrir looks impressed. Cassiel would have been perfect for the Divine Brigade. The Garlic Man draws his sword and shield. Even his shield is shaped like a giant garlic. ¡°You think either of you brats can beat me?! I¡¯ll take you both on!¡± he declares. ¡°Duck!¡± Fenrir shouts this time. Cassiel ducks just in time for a cannonball to tear off the guild leader¡¯s left arm and fly over her. She looks up at the ship and sees Oleander giving Serra more praise. ¡°My arm! My fuckin¡¯ arm!¡± The Garlic Man cries out, tears streaming from his eyes. ¡°Think you can handle him on your own, Cass?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Don¡¯t insult me with such a stupid question, you bastard. Can you step on a roach on your own?¡± Cassiel asks, flashing a quick smile toward Fenrir before returning her attention to the charging embodiment of garlic. Book 1: Chapter 26: Patch 5.0: All Your Ship Are Belong To Us Cassiel may not have the personality to match her angelic looks, but her combat style is one of pure grace and form. Fenrir can only watch in awe as he gets his first proper look at her fighting. She moves around evading the enemy guild leader¡¯s attacks as if she¡¯s weightless. Like a leaf on the wind, she soars around him and waits for an opportunity to attack. Her sword isn¡¯t sharp enough to cut through his armor if it¡¯s made as well as it looks, so she needs to find a weak spot. Fortunately for the graceful fighter, her opponent is too fueled by rage and a desire for revenge to catch her. Cassiel stands still. Her opponent is breathing heavily and panting from how much she¡¯s been leading him around. ¡°Finally tired, you bitch?!¡± he shouts at her, charging straight toward her. ¡°Dumbass,¡± Fenrir says under his breath. Cassiel dodges to the guild leader¡¯s left, ducking underneath the enemy¡¯s blade, and stabs her sword right into where his left arm used to be! The exposed flesh being stabbed results in him screaming out of pain again. He retaliates with a swift swing of his sword in her direction! She doesn¡¯t have enough time to jump away, and he¡¯s swinging at a downward angle which will make ducking useless. Her only safe path is up. With her sword thrust deep into his torso, she jumps up onto it as his blade flies underneath her. Her next move makes Fenrir whistle from just how impressive it is. Cassiel takes the spear Fenrir made for her off of her back and uses her sword, still stuck in the enemy leader, as a springboard to propel herself upward! She has just enough time in the air to flip herself over, aim her spear downward, and thrust. Her spear may only have a tip made of stone, and her enemy may have a morion protecting his head, but he makes the mistake of looking up to try and track her. The stone-tipped spear meets his exposed face and digs right into him. Fenrir doesn¡¯t see much detail given that he has traumatic content disabled, but he does see her spear sink down into his body until it can¡¯t go any farther. Cassiel swings around the shaft of the spear and jumps off, landing a couple of feet away. Her opponent falls to his knees with his head stuck looking upward due to the spear impaling him. To top it off, she flips her hair back over her shoulders and takes her sweet time turning back to look at her slain opponent. Fenrir has a massive grin on his face. ¡°Cass! That was awesome! Holy shit, I had no idea you could fight like that. You would have kicked my ass even if it wasn¡¯t an ambush,¡± Fenrir praises her, making her smug expression even smugger. ¡°Of course I could have,¡± Cassiel says, hands on her hips in a triumphant pose. She walks over to her dead enemy and picks up the sword he was carrying. It¡¯s simple steel falchion. She looks disappointed with it, but she picks it up regardless before taking her own sword out from the side of his corpse. Both Cassiel and Fenrir duck when they hear more eruptions coming from the ship. Another volley of cannonballs tear through what little is left of the village. Any members of Stinky Garlic left alive are now running for the fields. ¡°Care if I leave the spear? I don¡¯t feel like pulling it out of him,¡± she says. ¡°Not at all. I think it¡¯s already done way more than we could¡¯ve asked of it,¡± Fenrir replies. With a nod, Cassiel stands up and looks around the village. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else we can do here. Your plan worked, Fenny.¡± ¡°Are we on a nickname basis now, Cassy?¡± She points both of her swords at him. ¡°Don¡¯t make me kill you.¡± Fenrir raises both of his hands in surrender. ¡°Fine, fine. Come on, let¡¯s get over to the ship before they blow our heads off. I think they¡¯re having too much fun with the cannons.¡± He stops by the dead enemy leader. This is a game, after all, so looting his enemies is to be expected. Unfortunately, he finds the armor to be really tacky. It¡¯s not worth stripping off of him. The garlic-shaped shield, however, would make for a good trophy. He takes the severed arm out of the shield¡¯s straps and tosses it over to the rest of its body. With the garlic-shaped shield in hand, the duo head for the ship. Fenrir makes sure to pat Rock¡¯s head on the way over. ¡°How¡¯re you doing, girl?¡± Rock barks. He can feel her trying to wag her tail underneath his armor. Oleander sees Fenrir and Cassiel running up the pier. He unties the rope keeping the ship held to the end of the pier but quickly replaces reties it when he sees Fenrir turn around for something. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Oleander shouts. Cassiel turns around to look as well. A single shack is left standing on the beach. Fenrir runs over to it and looks inside. All Oleander, Cassiel, and Serra can see is his tail excitedly wagging from whatever he¡¯s found. They are all disappointed in themselves for not expecting what they see next. Fenrir comes running back up the pier with not only the enemy leader¡¯s shield, but two fishing rods hugged between his arms. That huge smile is back on his face. ¡°I just knew there were going to be rods in there!¡± he shouts to them. Serra is the only one amused. With Cassiel and Fenrir on the sloop, Oleander unties the ship and heads back to the ship¡¯s wheel. There is a small rise at the back of the ship where the wheel is situated. Before it is a small room with stairs leading down into the hull, and a single mast stands tall from the center of the deck. The front of the ship has a raised foredeck that the bowsprit protrudes from. There are six cannons in total, three for each side, but all six have been temporarily moved to the side facing the beach. Reloading just three cannons would have taken too long and not allowed them to fire as frequently as they were. By having all six cannons on one side and loaded at once, they were able to fire one set and then the other before having to reload. Everything went exactly as planned. Fenrir hears somebody jump down behind him. Turning around, he sees Serra holding the Stinky Garlic¡¯s flag that she removed from the top of the mast. He looks up to the top of the mast and then back down at Serra. ¡°You got that already? Nice,¡± he praises her. Serra looks satisfied. ¡°I like pirate movies,¡± she explains. ¡°How¡¯d it feel to fire some cannons?¡± She gives him a thumbs-up. ¡°I want to do it again.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to fight?¡± ¡°Firing cannons is different.¡± ¡°Alright, then you can be in charge of firing the cannons. Congrats on your promotion!¡± Serra¡¯s smile grows even wider. ¡°First Mate Serra, set sails!¡± Oleander shouts from the back. Serra drops the flag and unfurls the sails. They sail south, but there is still one crewmember that needs picking up. ¡°I see him!¡± Cassiel shouts from the bow of the ship. On the coast, running and looking as if he¡¯s going to trip from every second stride he takes, is Bonekraka. Behind him, just as exhausted, are five guards unaware that their village was just leveled and razed. The guards wave the ship down and point at Bonekraka. They have no idea who¡¯s manning it. Every cannon has been reloaded. Cassiel, Fenrir, Serra, and Oleander stand behind four of the six cannons with matches ready to light the cannons¡¯ linstocks. The four cannons go off at the same time, sending cannonballs barraging the guards¡¯ position! Only one of them gets hit, and it¡¯s a direct hit. It is a very gruesome sight when Bonekraka turns around to look at what just happened. The four remaining guards run for the fields. The Divine Brigade has won another day. Oleander pulls the ship up as close as it can get to the shore without beaching it. Bonekraka isn¡¯t happy about having to swim the rest of the way, but he does so. Fenrir and Cassiel help pull the hulking orc onboard. ¡°Stupid guards. Could hear cannons from here but never ran back,¡± Bonekraka says, taking deep breaths between words. ¡°Yeah, they were all really stupid, but I¡¯m not going to complain,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Good job being the distraction.¡± Cassiel tosses the falchion to Bonekraka. ¡°This is for giving me this sword.¡± She taps the one sheathed on her waist that Bonekraka gave her. ¡°It looks more like your style than mine,¡± she explains. ¡°Spasibo.¡± Cassiel looks confused. ¡°It means thanks,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s nothing,¡± she says, returning to the bow of the ship to keep a lookout. ¡°Another victory for the Divine Brigade!¡± Oleander declares, jumping onto Bonekraka and nuzzling his cheek against the orc¡¯s face. Naturally, a large and green hand is raised up to push the deer-trap-boy away. ¡°Great work, all of you. Couldn¡¯t have done it without every single one of you. Even you, Rock,¡± Fenrir says, patting Rock¡¯s head. She¡¯s still safely seated inside of his chest armor and only poking her head up out of it. ¡°So, where to?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Hey, Cass, where¡¯s that pirate city at?¡± Fenrir shouts out to her. She comes back to the group. ¡°Port Tugator?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll reach it as long as we follow the shore south and skip the strait.¡± ¡°We? Going to stick around with us, Cass?¡± ¡°What else am I supposed to do? I¡¯m a traitor to my old faction, so unless I want to quit playing, I might as well stick around.¡± ¡°By the way, he said he¡¯d have us hunted down and reset over and over. Could he actually do that?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel says, sounding guilty. ¡°I thought you were implying he was basically a nobody with no real respect or power?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°We-well, I just wanted to piss him off more.¡± ¡°So in other words, now he¡¯s really going to have us hunted down.¡± Cassiel looks down. ¡°I¡­ got ahead of myself, sor¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly how we like it. The more pissed off they are, the better,¡± Fenrir interrupts her apology. She looks up at him confused. ¡°You ¨C you enjoy being hunted? What kind of masochistic bastard wants to be hunted down by the most powerful faction of the world? Do you even understand how powerful the Augus Empire is?¡± ¡°Yup, I¡¯m only a masochistic sometimes, and nope. But, the more powerful they are, the more fun they are.¡± ¡°We¡¯re talking about the Augus Empire. They have over ten million players alone and control the largest territory in the game. Everybody wants to join them to be a part of the strongest faction, and here you are happy that our faces are going to be spread through every single one of its vassalized guilds?¡± ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± ¡°They have dragon knights! Archangels! Entire fleets of ships! Blessings! Livia is considered one of the smartest game strategists of all time! Real governments have even tried recruiting her!¡± ¡°Meh,¡± Fenrir says with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with worse.¡± ¡°No, no you haven¡¯t. They are the strongest enemy you could make in any game, ever!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ¡°How ¨C what are ¨C you¡¯re,¡± Cassiel looks around to the rest of the crew. Bonekraka is picking at his teeth, Oleander is steering the ship while swaying side to side and humming, and Serra is casually lifting Rock out of Fenrir¡¯s armor to pet her. Not a single one of them look bothered by anything she¡¯s saying. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on trying to take down the entire empire, are you?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Of course not,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Then what are you going to do?! Why don¡¯t you care about any of this?! What the hell is your plan now, you bastard?¡± ¡°I want to go fishing.¡± If there was a world record for having the blankest stare of all time, Cassiel just broke it. Book 1: Chapter 27: Ramen and Bourbon The party officially consists of Fenrir, Oleander, Bonekraka, Serra, Rock, and Cassiel. Together, they have hunted, fished, laughed, and destroyed a village while stealing a ship. ¡°How can you steer this thing so well already?¡± Cassiel asks, hanging out near the back of the ship with Oleander. She can only handle so much of Fenrir¡¯s stubborn indifference at once. ¡°Compared to a galleon or supercarrier, this is super easy. We¡¯ve played lots of other games before. Pirate games, sci-fi games ¨C you name it. I¡¯ve steered pretty much every kind of ship and vehicle in general that you can think of,¡± Oleander explains. Up near the front of the ship, Serra is gently tracing her fingers over where Rock had chips of her body broken off. She whines when touched there, so Serra quickly retracts her hand. ¡°Will she grow it back?¡± she asks Fenrir. ¡°Not sure,¡± he says, sitting down on the other side of Rock. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. Just needs rest and food.¡± As for Bonekraka, he¡¯s gone below deck to get some shuteye. He really doesn¡¯t like being on open water. His last words to the group were to message him on Fiscord once they are docked at land or a city. ¡°Bone doesn¡¯t get to play that much, does he?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Not really. He¡¯s really busy between his wife and work,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Is it okay if I ask what he does?¡± ¡°No idea. He won¡¯t tell us. Olly likes to joke that he¡¯s in the mafia, and honestly¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. I know that he works for his wife¡¯s dad, but that¡¯s it. Also, don¡¯t worry. He wouldn¡¯t care about me telling you this since he tells random people that all the time. None of us have enough information to know what he really does.¡± ¡°Mafias are cool.¡± ¡°Pirates and now mafias. You must be the type to chase after bad boys. Let me guess, your dream guy is somebody driving a motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket?¡± Serra blushes and looks away. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°I think Cass is rubbing off on you.¡± Serra looks up at Fenrir and pouts. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you up, punk.¡± ¡°So scary.¡± Something about his voice makes it clear he¡¯s the opposite of scared. Tall, mossy sea stacks pop up from the water as the ship heads farther south. The coast begins turning in to the east, and Oleander makes sure that they never lose sight of land. The strait comes into view after a couple of hours. ¡°This is Indra¡¯s Strait. I wasn¡¯t here for it, but the legend is that Indra herself split the continent in two by extreme erosion which created this strait,¡± Cassiel explains to the rest of the party. ¡°Indra?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Indra is the leader of the Goddess¡¯ Own. Their city, Sumeru, is to the west of here on an island. It¡¯s like a chunk of desert floating in the ocean, and her city is built right on top of it,¡± Cassiel pauses to make sure everybody is following along before continuing. Even Rock is looking up at her and waiting for her to go on. ¡°Her navy is second only to Blackstache¡¯s, and her followers treat her like a goddess. It doesn¡¯t help that she calls herself a goddess in the first place.¡± ¡°What¡¯s she like?¡± ¡°Arrogant and stuck-up, but for good reason. She¡¯s the strongest known magic user in the world, and she claims to be the goddess of storms, oceans, and commerce. She¡¯s supposedly taken down entire fleets before by summoning storms to wipe them out. It¡¯s a good thing she cares more about protecting her city and amassing wealth than waging war.¡± ¡°I thought the Augus Empire was the most powerful?¡± ¡°Only on land. Indra rules the seas.¡± ¡°What about the pirates?¡± ¡°They have more ships and better sailors, but none of that matters if a storm with fifty-foot waves wipes them out.¡± ¡°You sound like a history teacher, Cassy,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m just answering questions,¡± she shouts at him. Oleander giggles and goes back to steering the ship. ¡°How long did it take her to get that powerful?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel looks hesitant to answer now. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve heard that she¡¯s been playing since the closed alpha. She¡¯s apparently one of the first hundred people to actually play. Most of the early players are powerful, but she¡¯s something else.¡± Serra is clearly the least interested in the conversation. As soon as she realized that nothing ¡°cool¡± was involved, she went back to petting Rock. The ship continues on. Fenrir, at one point, decides to try fishing with his fancy new rod. Alas, there is a problem. He has no bait. With no bait nor lures, all he can do is practice casting the line a bunch of times. He gets that sort of satisfaction pinging within him after a while of practice. Every cast after that goes farther, if he tries to cast farther, and splashes down closer to where he aims. The fishing rod itself seems more advanced than most of what he has seen within the game world as far as technology goes. It looks to be made of bamboo or some other light, flexible wood; has a spinning reel made out of brass; and the line itself looks to be made from some sort of hair, such as a horse¡¯s. It may not be too impressive, but it just feels right in his hands. This is his very own fishing rod. Well, it might not legally be his, but who¡¯s going to take it back? The ship comes across a small cove on the other side of the strait. No other ships are parked there, so Oleander and Fenrir decide that it will be a good spot for them to stop in. Oleander has things to do in reality still. Given how long travel can take in this game, Fenrir is realizing that they¡¯re going to need more than one helmsman. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about tomorrow, Fenny!¡± Oleander says before heading below deck to wake. It reminds Serra and Cassiel of what the two men talked about earlier. Cassiel is next to log out. With nothing else to do, she tells them that she¡¯s going to get some extra relaxation in before her next shift at work. Only Fenrir and Serra remain. Rock is there too, of course, but there is no real player behind her. Serra is content to just watch Fenrir cast the fishing line over and over. She even tries picking up the other rod to mimic what he¡¯s doing, but when she realizes that she is absolutely horrible at it and has no idea what she is doing, she returns to just watching. She also didn¡¯t like that Fenrir was laughing every single time she somehow cast the line behind her instead of in front of her. There isn¡¯t much else for them to do. Even Fenrir inevitably grows bored of just casting a line with nothing to attract fish, and the sheltered cove doesn¡¯t look like it has anything interesting in it, so the two head below deck to wake. There are several bedrolls and a couple of hammocks below deck for them to sleep in. However, Bonekraka and Oleander already claimed the hammocks. ¡°Keep the ship safe while we¡¯re gone, alright, Rock?¡± Fenrir says. Rock barks and licks his face before he lies down and wakes. He immediately regrets coming back into reality when he is met with his dull ceiling and swishedy-swishing fan. ¡°You get my coffee robot yet?¡± Ryouta asks the fan. No reply. Ryouta groans and kicks his feet. It¡¯s still light outside, he most likely won¡¯t have anything to do in-game until Spencer is back on, and Spencer isn¡¯t going to back on until after their meeting tomorrow. That means there are over twenty-four hours before Ryouta can play more. Oh, god. Might as well marathon the trashiest, most generic anime shows that there are. Fortunately, there are many of them. Whether it be shows where little sisters act far too lewdly to their older brothers whom may or may not be related to them by blood, generic isekai shows where a character from Earth is pulled into another reality either as himself or gets reincarnated into some odd thing such as a slime or vending machine, or just yet another harem where some guy is lucky enough to get like ten girls all in love with him, he¡¯ll never run out of things to watch. He¡¯s thankful that harems exist in anime. Why can¡¯t anime girls be real? What he wouldn¡¯t give to have a harem of cute anime girls obsessed with him. He looks down at his crotch and then over to his computer. Hentai first. After at least six sessions of viewing hentai, half of which either end in laughter or disgust from joke-translated doujins or clicking on seemingly-innocent titles only to see real fucked up stuff like loli snuff, and at least eight hours of anime, he¡¯s finally tired enough to sleep. He¡¯s pretty sure that those loli snuff doujins got him put on a list somewhere. Why is there so much loli snuff hentai on the internet? All he wants are some sweet, vanilla childhood friend doujins; doujins with tsunderes who have secret lovey-dovey sides, but still act like brats in the end; and the occasional yandere girl with a happy ending. And tentacles. Instead, half of what he finds is fucked up stuff involving lolis or gross, ugly bastards coming in and stealing a girl away in traditional netorare fashion. Hentai is a mistake. These thoughts carry him into slumber. Another day, another session of binge-watching anime while waiting for it to be time to leave. Serra helps pass the time by messaging him on Fiscord, too. ¡°Oh, I should probably shower,¡± Ryouta says, looking over to his bathroom with a groan. One of the perks of living by himself and almost never leaving his apartment is that he doesn¡¯t really have to stay totally hygienic. He¡¯s not dirty or anything like that; he just skips taking a shower every other day sometimes. Cleaning himself up, wearing normal clothes instead of oversized comfort clothes, brushing his hair ¨C it¡¯s all a pain. He cares far more about his appearance in video games than he does in reality. All of these things that are a major chore and tedious to do in reality are enjoyable when he¡¯s immersed in virtual reality ¨C when he¡¯s in a body he actually cares about. The latest, hottest anime opening song goes off on his phone. It¡¯s his alarm. Time to go. With a loud and drawn-out groan, Ryouta leaves his apartment behind and begins the long walk toward New Charleston¡¯s Chinatown district. It would be so much faster to just flag down an auto taxi, but ¨C well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Walking it is. Despite how many people and vehicles fill the streets, cold air permeates throughout the city. There may not be any snow on the ground yet, but it is getting colder by the day. This means two things: one, girls are going to be wearing sweaters more often; two, winter is coming. There he is. Standing in front of their go-to ramen shop is none other than Spencer himself. Many who have met Spencer¡¯s various in-game representations believe that he¡¯s some annoying, overly-flamboyant trap in real life that speaks in a high-pitched voice and annoys everybody with constant sexual innuendo. Just like in-game. Only Ryouta and Viktor know that this is anything but the truth. Rather than be some feminine trap, Spencer is a tall, handsome man that Ryouta curses for being more attractive than him. Spencer stands at six-foot-three, has short and brown hair that is stylishly groomed, a pair of thick-rimmed glasses which serve no purpose other than to look good on his perfectly masculine face, and has a body that is on par with Fenrir''s. Spencer even knows how to dress well and fashionably! Truth be told, Spencer¡¯s real body was a strong source of inspiration for how Ryouta shaped Fenrir¡¯s. Spencer waves at Ryouta when he sees him. He isn¡¯t the only different one in reality. While Fenrir may be the same height as Spencer, Ryouta is still several inches away from reaching six feet, has a slim figure with no muscles to show off, pale skin, and shaggy hair. The only similarity between him and Fenrir is the white hair. Not even their eyes are the same seeing as how his are green while Fenrir¡¯s are red. Fenrir is also able to walk around without limping half the time. ¡°Lookin¡¯ pretty tired there, bud,¡± Spencer calls out. His deep voice is just so perfectly masculine that it makes Ryouta even more jealous. Spencer needs to go get a job as a radio host. ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s a long walk,¡± Ryouta says with heavy breaths. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s my treat tonight.¡± Spencer wraps an arm around Ryouta¡¯s shoulders and helps him inside the ramen shop. A cardboard cutout of a famous anime ninja character stands just inside of the entrance. They know what kind of customers to expect. Book 1: Chapter 28: Ramen and Bourbon After being seated and placing an order for drinks and some pork buns, Ryouta and Spencer sit across from one another looking over their menus to decide what they want. ¡°Why do you always get bubble tea?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°I mean, I know you love balls, but there¡¯s just something weird about drinking tea full of chunky little balls.¡± Spencer shrugs. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just used to ordering it all the time since it¡¯s what my roommates are obsessed with. I used to order it just to fit in with them, but here I am, actually enjoying it now. At least I don¡¯t get the exact same strawberry tea every single time we come here.¡± ¡°Strawberries make everything better. Strawberry lemonade, strawberry tea, strawberry pie, strawberry ice cream ¨C you get the point.¡± Ryouta looks back down at the menu. ¡°Should probably go with something light since we¡¯re going out drinking after this.¡± ¡°Am I going to need to carry you home again if you drink too much?¡± Ryouta blushes. ¡°I was drunk and you know how my legs are.¡± The two place their orders for food once they get their drinks and pork buns. Ten minutes later and out come two huge bowls of ramen decorated with vegetables, meat, and topped off with halves of half-boiled eggs. Ryouta always gets an extra egg. ¡°How¡¯re you liking the new game so far?¡± Ryouta asks before twirling his chopsticks around in the ramen. That is after, of course, he takes a picture of it to upload to the group chat on Fiscord. ¡°It¡¯s great, just wish I had more time to play like we used to. It¡¯s probably the best fantasy game that we¡¯ve ever played. Still, kind of wish that Eternal Space wasn¡¯t dying, but there¡¯s nothing we can do about that.¡± ¡°We probably could have not fucked up the biggest coalition in the game which led to a bunch of the most important players rage-quitting.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably. How are you liking your new harem?¡± Ryouta almost spits out the chunk of pork he just put in his mouth but instead forces himself to swallow. This leads to him coughing and making a scene. He blushes again when he realizes that several heads have turned to check on him. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t have a harem.¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s obvious that Serra likes you and you like her, and I¡¯m pretty sure that Cass is at least beginning to get a crush on you. I¡¯ve caught her looking at you a few times whenever you¡¯re not paying attention to her. She even looks kind of jealous when you give Rock and Serra attention.¡± ¡°No way, I don¡¯t get that vibe from her at all. She has a bit of a tsundere thing going on for her, but not every tsun is going to have dere. That¡¯s like saying every girl who is ever mean to me must actually like me.¡± ¡°Do you think she would be thrusting her pole inside of you if she didn¡¯t like you?¡± Ryouta almost spits again, but this time from laughter rather than shock. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s not a harem. Yeah, I like Serra, and I think she likes me back, but that¡¯s just ¨C you know, like a crush. Then having Cass potentially like me doesn¡¯t make it a harem either. A harem is like¡­ actually dating more than one person,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about Rock. Rock is totally obsessed with you,¡± Spencer teases. ¡°Rock is a cute little pupper. If you try and make it sound weird then I¡¯m going to¡­¡± Spencer waits with a smile for Ryouta to finish his threat. ¡°Shit, you¡¯re lucky nothing bothers you,¡± Ryouta grumbles. ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad. It took many years of bullying to get to my level. You might catch up to me someday, young one.¡± ¡°What do you think of them anyways?¡± ¡°Serra and Cass?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I like them. Serra is just a little cutie but a total closet deviant, and Cass is like¡­ she reminds me of a grumpier and girlier version of you.¡± ¡°Serra is a deviant? What?¡± ¡°I can tell these things.¡± Their bowls of ramen are half empty. While Spencer continues on, Ryouta is beginning to struggle. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you always get the large bowl when you never finish it,¡± Spencer says, sounding like a chastising mother. ¡°I just always think that I¡¯ll finish it.¡± Alas, Ryouta ends up not finishing his bowl of ramen. He does, however, finish his tea and two refills of it. The waiter brings them their receipts sticking out of a volume of some Japanese manga. The character on the cover of it is the same spiky-haired ninja that was featured at the entrance of the shop. Good on his word, Spencer slips a card into the manga volume alongside the receipt and waits to get it back before the two head onward to their next location of the night. ¡°It¡¯s pretty funny how everybody used to think that robots and AIs were going to replace everything back in the day. I mean, I get that robots and all that are way better than us when it comes to manual tasks, but anything involving service ¨C you can¡¯t really replace the human element. Same thing with food. Food just tastes better when it¡¯s a real person making it,¡± Ryouta says as the two walk down the cold street. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about all the laws in place to keep humans working,¡± Spencer replies. ¡°You and your laws. Do you thank laws for everything?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± ¡°Makes sense for somebody trying to be a lawyer. You know that we¡¯re the bad guys when one of us is a lawyer in the making.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It isn¡¯t the killing, raiding, pillaging, razing, nor stealing that makes us the bad guys, it is me being a lawyer.¡± They look at one another and laugh. Some of the passersby on the street look concerned after hearing everything that Spencer just said, but they don¡¯t care enough to worry about it too much. Several stops are made between the ramen shop and the bar. Ryouta needs to sit down and rest his legs every now and then to walk long distances. They know they have reached their destination when they see a large, fancy pirate ship hanging down over the entrance to a building. A wooden plank above the ship reads ¡°The One-Eyed Pirate,¡± and next to it is a pirate wearing an eyepatch holding up a mug of beer to his lips. A show of their IDs is required for entry. Spencer is twenty-three, and Ryouta is twenty-two, so there are no issues in allowing them in after checking on their IDs. Inside of the establishment is a long bar against one wall with barrel-shaped stools, all sorts of pirate memorabilia decorating the walls and tables, and it is as crowded as ever. It¡¯s mostly a younger crowd like themselves that are here. Themed bars like this always grab the attention of the younger generations more than the attention of the older ones. ¡°The usual spot is open. Want to sit there?¡± Ryouta asks. Spencer answers by leading the way over to it. Their usual spot is at a booth with a perfect sight of one of the bar¡¯s ceiling-mounted televisions. They even sit next to each other rather than across from one another so that they can both watch it. On the TV are two robots in a small arena fighting to the death. They don¡¯t have AIs installed since that would be illegal, but they do have teams of humans controlling the robots from the sidelines. One of the robots has a flamethrower for dramatic effect, but it¡¯s nothing against the whirling buzz-saw of its opponent. A waitress comes over after spotting the newly-seated customers and asks them what they¡¯d like. They decline the offer for food, as much as Ryouta does love the wings here, and get right to the drinking. ¡°You and your hipster craft beers,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You and your compensating-for-your-lack-of-masculinity bourbon,¡± Spencer says. It hurts, but only because it is true. Still, it makes Ryouta laugh anyway. While the men working this bar are all dressed like badass pirates with fake swords and guns on their sides, the women are not nearly as cool looking. They are still very, very nice to look at, but they have to dress like bar wenches instead of pirates. The only other girl on duty is especially nice to look at. With a corset pushing up her already-generous bosom, stockings that trigger Ryouta¡¯s love for legs, and beautiful golden hair that¡ª Their drinks are placed on the table. ¡°Enjoy!¡± the much-less-aesthetically-pleasing waitress says. Ryouta pulls out his phone and takes a picture of their drinks next to each other for the Fiscord group. Spencer looks over at Ryouta¡¯s phone to see what happens. Viktor¡¯s online status turns green and then red. ¡°He¡¯s jealous,¡± Spencer says. ¡°Definitely.¡± There are two types of drinkers. There are those who will casually sip their drinks and make them last, and there are those who will down drink after drink without care as if they are racing to see how fast they can get drunk. Spencer is the former. Ryouta is the latter. Despite Ryouta¡¯s small size, he downs three shots of bourbon in about twenty minutes. Spencer has barely made it halfway down his glass of beer. ¡°You said you¡¯re payin¡¯, right?¡± Ryouta asks, looking up at Spencer with puppy eyes. ¡°I did, so go and get as drunk as you want,¡± Spencer says, knowing he will likely regret that. Ryouta is already beginning to slur his words. ¡°Come on! Use your¡­ whirly thingz and cut itsh face off!¡± Ryouta says to the television. Not only is his speech capability degrading, but the volume of his voice is increasing. ¡°Heh, remember when you used to get embarrassed drinkin¡¯ with me?¡± ¡°Trust me, I remember.¡± Spencer has learned to not look around and see how much attention Ryouta draws when drinking. The waitress comes back over with a fifth shot for Ryouta and to tell them that her coworker will be taking over for her since it is the end of her shift. She also warns the replacement waitress to not give him any more drinks since it¡¯s clear he¡¯s getting to the point of no return. Spencer is looking up at the television when he hears the camera of Ryouta¡¯s phone click. Before he can even look at it, Ryouta is uploading the picture to the Fiscord group chat with a cheesy ¡°wish you were here¡± tagline. ¡°You know that Serra is in the group now, right?¡± Spencer asks. Ryouta looks up at him with innocent, confused eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± He looks at Spencer for a few more seconds before realizing what he meant. ¡°Oh, whoops,¡± Ryouta says before breaking into a giggle fit as he tries deleting the picture. ¡°Look, shee, she didn¡¯t saw it since there¡¯s like no mess-auage from her yetz.¡± He holds the phone screen up to Spencer to prove his point. Spencer decides to leave out the part about where it says that she¡¯s typing a response, but then must have changed her mind since she stops. She definitely saw. ¡°Hey there, my name is Cassandra. How are you two doing tonight?¡± the replacement waitress, Cassandra, says. Luckily for Ryouta, it¡¯s the one with the great chest and legs. Spencer almost spits his drink when he sees her. She looks almost exactly like Cassiel, but with a more buxom bosom. It doesn¡¯t help that the corset she has to wear is pushing those two things up to the point where they look like they¡¯re going to pop out at any moment. He only sees a brief flash of disgust when she notices how he is looking at her. Spencer is sure that she gets men checking her out all the time, and it most likely looks as if he¡¯s doing the exact same thing to her right now. Between the golden color of her hair, her body, the look of annoyed disgust, and her name¡­ this has to be Cassiel. ¡°Hey! Can I hash anothers shit ¨C oh, whoops,¡± Ryouta breaks out into an uncontrollable, wheezing laughter. ¡°I meant shot! Shot! Yeah, I want another shi¡ª¡± he starts laughing even harder when he almost makes the same mistake, ¡°shot!¡± ¡°Sorry, sir, but I believe that you have had enough. Would you like me to get you a glass of water instead?¡± Cassandra asks. Ryouta pouts and whines, but eventually agrees to just get some water. ¡°You¡¯ve already had six shots of bourbon. That¡¯s more than most people in this bar can handle, so just be satisfied with that,¡± Spencer says, trying to make him feel better. ¡°Fiiiinnneee, I guess sho¡­¡± Cassandra brings the glass of water over a minute later. Fortunately, she did not fill it all the way up. Ryouta¡¯s drunken, shaking hands would surely be spilling it all over the table if she had. She walks to the table a few spots ahead of theirs. ¡°You know, the good thing about yoush lawyers laws-y types is ¡®at you maked itsh so that like¡­ time doolotion stuffsh can¡¯t be used to make people do more work and schools and stuff for the same pay ¨C money ¨C uhhh, costly as before,¡± Ryouta mumbles. ¡°Do you mean time dilation and how it¡¯s illegal to make employees do twice as much work in VR despite only spending eight or so hours on it in reality still?¡± Spencer tries making sense of what Ryouta just said. ¡°Yeah, that!¡± Ryouta confirms with a laugh. ¡°And likes, schools and stuff! Like it¡¯d suckles so much if kids had to immerse and be like in school for way longer than normal because of VR and stuff.¡± ¡°I agree. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if employers and schools would simply cut the time spent in reality in half while having them spend the regular amount of time immersed in VR, but God forbid that somebody accomplishes the exact same amount of progress in less time instead of more time. It¡¯s just so stupid how so many businesses want to essentially make their employees work sixteen hours a day in VR over eight hours in reality, but none of them are even willing to consider letting their employees work eight hours a day in VR for four hours in reality. As for schools, we should be letting kids only have to attend for four hours a day so that they get more of their childhoods to enjoy. They can still get full school days in through VR while saving their childhoods in real life, but no, the dumbasses in charge¡ª¡± Spencer looks over at Ryouta and sees him about to fall asleep. ¡°Ah, sorry, you know how I get when it comes to this stuff,¡± Spencer apologizes. ¡°Oh! No, sorry, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean ¨C I¡¯m interested and like hearing and stuff but I think the alcohol is starting to kicked in,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Yeah, I can tell that it¡¯s just starting to affect you.¡± ¡°See! I¡¯m smart.¡± Spencer places his face in his palm and shakes his head. ¡°I need to use the bathroom, you wait here and¡­ don¡¯t go anywhere! Mister!¡± Ryouta demands as he gets up from the booth. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have drank so much tea, and try not to trip on your way there.¡± ¡°Of course I won¡¯t trip!¡± Ryouta says, beginning the long walk to the opposite end of the bar. He doesn¡¯t trip, but he does have to use tables and chairs to keep himself from falling over every few feet. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle we¡¯ve never been kicked out,¡± Spencer says to himself. Despite how much trouble Ryouta makes for him when drunk, he enjoys it. Ryouta stops for a moment before heading into the bathroom. One of the girls sitting at a nearby table looks familiar. Long and silvery hair, light blue eyes, a petite figure ¨C he realizes that she¡¯s staring right back at him, so he hurries into the bathroom. Naturally, he forgets that the bathroom door is push instead of pull, so he smacks his head right into it before realizing his mistake and going in. Book 1: Chapter 29: Ramen and Bourbon Ryouta drunkenly makes his way back to the booth after emptying his bladder. The girl that he was staring at before going into the bathroom almost looks as if she is expecting something when he comes out, but he just walks past her without paying her any attention. Of course, he is paying very little attention to anything at all right now. ¡°I¡­ think I dranked too muchmuch,¡± Ryouta says before giggling and practically falling back into his seat. Spencer catches Ryouta and helps him sit down. ¡°Yeah, I think you did, too,¡± Spencer says ¡°Shorry, this izz what always happensh, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is, but it¡¯s alright. I expect it to happen. Plus it¡¯s cute to see you like this.¡± Spencer pats the top of Ryouta¡¯s head. Ryouta¡¯s canid ears twitch. Wait. He feels the top of his head, probably looking very strange to anybody looking his way. Fenrir¡¯s ears are not there, yet it feels like they are. It¡¯s like he can feel them twitching and reacting to Spencer¡¯s hand even though they don¡¯t exist. ¡°Dozh your mind play fuuunnee tricks on you after that gamey wamey?¡± Ryouta asks, giggling some more from his own stupid speech. ¡°You could say it does. I think it might be related to what they¡¯ve been talking about on the news lately ¨C like how the game¡¯s mental manipulation can have aftereffects in reality. So if your mind keeps on telling you to believe and feel like you have something that you don¡¯t, then that might carry over to reality. For example, I sometimes don¡¯t roll over when I¡¯m lying down to sleep because I keep on thinking that my antlers will stop me, but then I remember ¨C you know, no antlers in reality,¡± Spencer explains. ¡°Yeah, ''at!¡± ¡°Yes, that.¡± A loud smack comes from a few booths ahead, drawing the attention of nearly everybody in the bar. Cassandra¡¯s right hand is raised while her left hand is pulling the top of her costume up as far as she can get it. Her face is bright red and she looks as if she¡¯s trying not to cry. One of the men sitting down in front of her has a bright, red mark and a stupid grin on his face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re already showing off those tits ¨C who cares if we get to see the rest of them? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re leaving much to the imagination,¡± the man says, his hands making groping gestures in the air as they approach her chest. Going by blush on his cheeks, in addition to where he was slapped, and the hazy look in his eyes, Ryouta isn¡¯t the only one who drank too much. ¡°You don¡¯t show off great tits like this if you don¡¯t want them to be looked at and touched, ain¡¯t that right?¡± Ryouta hates clich¨¦, sexist men in reality just as much as he does in-game. A ship with cannons manned by Serra would be pretty helpful right now. While he may not have a ship nor a cannon-addicted assistant, that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s going to just sit back and watch some girl get harassed. He¡¯s too drunk to notice the bouncer already on the way over to break things up and kick the offending party out. ¡°Hey! What¡¯re you guysh¡­ think you¡¯re doin¡¯?¡± Ryouta asks, placing himself between Cassandra and her molester. Now, when a man asks a question, he usually waits for an answer before doing anything else. Ryouta? Well, Ryouta goes and punches the man in the face almost immediately after asking the question as if he can¡¯t decide on whether he wants to solve this peacefully or forcibly. There are two problems with this. One, Ryouta is not Fenrir. Fenrir is strong. Ryouta is not. Two, the man that Ryouta just bloodied the nose of is much larger and looks like the kind of guy who makes obnoxious noises while lifting not-actually-that-heavy weights at the gym. Spencer pulls Ryouta away just in time to keep him from getting his face smashed in. ¡°Sorry about that, my friend here drank a bit too much,¡± Spencer tries apologizing to the man, but all the denied retaliation does is inspire him and his friends to get up from their booth. The bouncer arrives. While the molester may be a large man, the bouncer is larger and more intimidating in every way possible. He looks like the kind of man who makes obnoxious noises at the gym but only because he¡¯s lifting weights that actually require them. His biceps look like they are going to tear through his shirt if he flexes. ¡°Get out of here before we call the cops. Now!¡± he shouts at both the molester and Ryouta. Naturally, a drunken man willing to try and tear off an innocent girl¡¯s costume and then try to punch a guy less than half his size is also going to be willing to try and attack the bouncer. The bouncer does not take kindly to this, blocks the man¡¯s attempt at a punch, twists his arm behind his back, and drags him over to the entrance. ¡°You¡¯re going to fuckin¡¯ break my arm, let it go!¡± the dragged man shouts. The bouncer doesn¡¯t care. The rest of the guy¡¯s friends follow him out of the bar, not wanting to suffer the wrath of the bouncer. Ryouta turns to look at Cassandra. ¡°Are you alrigh¡ª¡± he starts asking but is interrupted when the bouncer comes over for him. ¡°Out!¡± the bouncer demands. It is clear that Ryouta does not intend to listen, but Spencer intervenes and drags Ryouta out himself. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re going,¡± Spencer apologizes for him. Fortunately, the problem men are already walking away in the opposite direction of where Ryouta and Spencer need to go by the time they get outside. They don¡¯t want their egos bruised any more than they already are. ¡°Hey! I was¡­n¡¯t done drinking, and stuff, and we needs to give them the moneys!¡± Ryouta whines to Spencer. ¡°The last thing you should be worried about right now is paying for your drinks,¡± Spencer says. ¡°Wazzat supposed to men? Men! Wait, ¡®at isn¡¯t righ¡­ mean!¡± ¡°It means that you just got us free drinks. Only problem is that I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re ever goming to be welcomed back here.¡± ¡°But I wanna go back!¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t punch random guys in the face. Let the bouncer do that.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯ts random! They was like those fucky garlicy boys we killed. Shoulda done more ¡®an just punchedify him in the¡­ face!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how the adrenaline isn¡¯t sobering you up right now.¡± ¡°Hehe, adrenaline ish a funny word¡­ adrenaline, adrenalyne, adraynapoop, adrenalena, andrenalina,¡± Ryouta continues saying various butchered forms of adrenaline. ¡­ Meanwhile, in the bar, Cassandra comes back out from the staff room with her costume better secured and her watery eyes wiped. She hates this job and knows that she only has it because of how she looks. She knows that her personality is rough and that most people can¡¯t stand her, she knows that she has no useful skills to get herself any service job not based off of being pretty and busty, and she knows that almost every single patron in here sees her as nothing but a sex object. It¡¯s all the same in-game. She tries escaping this by playing games, but it just happens all over again. The other men she worked with in the Augus Empire, the Stinky Garlic guild, literally almost every single male character and NPC she has come across ¨C they all want nothing more than to turn her into their personal hole, but she refuses no matter how much it makes them call her a bitch or prude. She just wishes she could find one guy who sees her as more than just some thing with tits. Sure, she could always just play male characters or make herself less attractive in games, but she wants to be accepted for who she is ¨C not as somebody she isn¡¯t. Fenrir¡¯s stupid face pops into her mind. He may make perverted jokes involving her, but from what she¡¯s seen so far, he has treated her with respect and like an equal rather than a set of holes. In fact, she can¡¯t recall a single time where he has tried hitting on her or checking her out. Even if he has checked her out without her noticing, at least he doesn¡¯t do it to her face like most men do. Cassandra finds herself smiling at the thought of him when she reaches another customer¡¯s table. That boy that stood up for her looked nice as well. Even if she did catch his perverse eyes looking at her figure from across the bar without him noticing, he was respectful to her face and was able to only look her in the eyes despite being as drunk as he was. He even stood up for her and checked on her afterward ¨C well, tried to check on her. Plus, he was actually cute unlike most of the crude men she encounters. Cassandra realizes she¡¯s losing herself in thoughts. ¡°Sorry, is there anything I can help you with?¡± she asks the customer. Serra and Cassandra¡¯s eyes meet. Each girl looks almost exactly like they do in-game, so they instantly recognize one another. ¡­ ¡°My legs huuuurrrrrttt! Spence, carry me!¡± Ryouta whines, clinging onto Spencer¡¯s side. ¡°I knew this was going to happen,¡± Spencer says, lifting up Ryouta like a bride. He has tried giving Ryouta a piggyback before, and it would certainly get them less odd looks on the street by passersby, but he can¡¯t trust Ryouta to not let go and fall backward. It has happened before. Normally, one would call for an auto taxi in this case, but Spencer couldn¡¯t do that to Ryouta no matter how drunk he is. He¡¯s going to have to carry him all the way home on his own two legs. At least Spencer has done this before. When Ryouta tries to give wrong directions to get back to his apartment, Spencer knows better than to follow them. ¡°Go right here!¡± Ryouta says. Spencer continues walking straight. ¡°Left! I¡¯m over thur!¡± Spencer goes right. ¡°Where are we?¡± Ryouta asks with a giggle, not realizing the apartment building he is being held in front of is his own. Spencer carries him all the way to the elevator before finally letting him down. His own legs are on fire at this point. ¡°I think you can walk from here,¡± he says. Ryouta almost collapses. With a sigh, Spencer helps Ryouta stay standing as he works the elevator. The two finally make it back to Ryouta¡¯s room. Ryouta stumbles through his apartment and falls face-first onto his bed as soon as he makes his way over to it. ¡°Yeah, this is what usually happens,¡± Spencer says to himself. ¡°Penguin, turn on the radio with low volume.¡± Ryouta¡¯s TV turns on, switches to the radio stations, and automatically sets the volume low. Spencer looks around. ¡°This place is a mess. You¡¯re going to be single forever if you don¡¯t learn how to take care of yourself and your things,¡± he says, picking up the nearest empty bottles of alcohol and scattered bags of chips to toss them away. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if the cleaning supplies I bought last time is still here.¡± "Why can''t hentai be real?!" Ryouta shouts from his bedroom. Spencer''s blank stare rivals Cassiel''s world record. Book 1: Chapter 30: Patch 6.0: The Voyage South ¡°Serra?¡± Cassandra asks. Both of the girls just blink at one another. Sure, Serra might have come here expecting to see Fenrir and Oleander, but she didn¡¯t expect to see Cassiel! She nods her head and pulls out her phone to type a message for the other woman to read. Once it¡¯s typed, she holds the phone up for Cassandra to read with one hand while pointing to her ear with the other. ¡°You¡¯re deaf? Shit, sorry, you probably¡­¡± Cassandra pauses when Serra shakes her head, taking the phone back to type another message. Serra holds the phone back up. ¡°You can read lips? Good. Sorry, but I don¡¯t know the first thing about sign language. Anyways, I¡¯m surprised that Franky over there even let you in with how¡­ tiny you are.¡± Serra pouts and huffs, bringing her phone back to type in a very offended message! Cassandra looks at the phone again. ¡°Sorry, but no matter how you look at it, you¡¯re small. Anyways, nice to meet you offline I guess. I¡¯ve heard of people meeting up with friends they make online but never this soon.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Can I get you anything? The other waitress had to go, so I¡¯m in charge of the booths now.¡± Serra looks over to where the two men were. She¡¯s not much of a drinker and usually only ever comes here for the food, and very rarely at that. Without her totally-not-stalking-targets here, she doesn¡¯t have another reason for being here. But, if she leaves now without even having anything right after meeting Cassiel, she¡¯ll feel bad. Cassandra looks at the screen. ¡°A hard cider? That¡¯ll be right up,¡± Cassandra says, turning to leave but then she looks back at Serra. ¡°By the way, if you tell any of those guys about this, I¡¯m going to throw you overboard.¡± The serious expression is enough to make Serra gulp. She figures that now probably wouldn¡¯t be the best time to tell her about how she¡¯s already met them in reality. ¡­ ¡°Fuck, my head ¨C why can¡¯t I move?¡± Ryouta grumbles, the scent of liquor on his breath reminding him why he feels the way he does. He looks down and sees himself tucked into the bed with extreme tightness. It feels like he¡¯s been wrapped up in a straightjacket! Fortunately, with enough wiggling, he breaks free from his tight yet comfy confines and takes a sip of water from the glass on the nightstand next to his bed. A couple of over-the-counter pills are sitting next to it with a note that reads: For the headache. Stop being so messy or you¡¯re never going to get the wife you always complain to me about not having yet. You also need to fold your clothes so that they aren¡¯t so messy and wrinkled whenever you go out. You can¡¯t just leave them sitting in the bin after washing them. Thanks for the fun night and giving me a break from school. P.S. I did lewd things to you in your sleep. Ryouta can¡¯t help but laugh. Spencer is too good of a friend. This is what happens every single time, and he always feels horrible for never getting to do anything similar for him. ¡°Sorry for making you take care of me, Spence,¡± Ryouta says to himself. He pops the pills into his mouth and washes them down with the provided water. Next thing he does is get a look at just how much Spencer did for him. Every single room in his house has been cleaned from the entrance to his bathroom. Everything has been dusted off, any messes on the floors have been cleaned up, all garbage is gone, his clothes have either been neatly folded or hanged in his closet, and--to really prove just how perfect of a wife Spencer would be--even his keyboard has been cleaned out of any stray hairs and food crumbs that have gotten stuck underneath its keys. ¡°Fucking waifu tier, man. Why do you have to have a dick?¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me regret turning you down back then.¡± There is no way that Ryouta can not take care of himself for the day after everything Spencer did for him. So, after eating breakfast, he actually does his dishes. Then he even showers, and brushes his teeth, and ¨C and¡­ combs his hair! ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s enough of that for a month or two.¡± Something has been bothering him ever since his headache went away and he¡¯s had a chance to recall last night¡¯s events. There is something that he just¡­ feels like he should be remembering, but doesn¡¯t. There was that blonde with the really great chest who looked like Cassiel, that girl who looked like Serra, and Spencer carrying him around. What else? Oh. He looks at his right hand. There¡¯s a couple of small bandages on it. That¡¯s right, he punched a guy! Time to internally regret everything he did. ¡°You stupid idiot, now we¡¯re not going to be allowed back! Guess I can use the rest of my savings for plastic surgery, maybe that¡¯ll fool them.¡± Though, as much as he wishes he could find a way to get back into the bar, he can¡¯t really regret what he did when he remembers why he did it. He may not be able to remember exactly what the man did to deserve getting punched in the face, but he knows that the man made the wannabe Cassiel almost cry in front of everybody which is enough reason to¡ª Wait a second. Was that Serra he saw? Before he went into the bathroom last night and only landed half of his stream in the urinal, he recalls making eye contact with some girl at a booth outside of it and staring at her like a deer about to get splattered by a self-driving semi. She looked exactly like Serra. Everything from her hair to her eyes and her petite figure was the same. He also knows that Serra lives in this city and apparently looks the same way both in-game and in real life. It must have been a coincidence, right? No, that had to be her. There is no way that it wasn¡¯t her. Even Ryouta knows that there are only so many coincidences occurring in reality at once. She already lives in the same city as him by coincidence, so there is no way that another coincidence is happening where she has a doppelganger also living in this city that he just so happened to have met. That¡¯s just too unbelievable. If something as crazy as that were to happen, he would have to begin believing that he¡¯s the main character of some sort of clich¨¦ anime-esque romance novel full of unbelievable coincidences and¡­ wait, if that¡¯s the case, doesn¡¯t that mean there will be scenes like being on the beach with cute girls wearing swimsuits getting assaulted by fanservice-y tentacle monsters, visits to hot springs, and plenty of wardrobe malfunctions? If only. Ryouta shakes his head, trying to figure out what he was thinking about in the first place. Right, he punched a guy and saw Serra. At least Serra won¡¯t know that it was him. She¡¯ll probably just think that he¡¯s some crazy drunk guy whom decided to stare at her before going to the bathroom. He sits down at his computer and opens up Fiscord. >HushedVoice: I saw you at the bar last night! After hearing you guys say that you were going to a bar close to me, I couldn¡¯t resist going there myself to see if it was true. I realized how silly it was when I remembered that I have no idea what you look like¡­ but the picture you sent in the group chat, which I think you did by accident, helped me find you! I really >HushedVoice: AHH I HIT ENTER I DIDN¡¯T MEAN TO, I WASN¡¯T EVEN GOING TO SEND THAT I WAS JUST TYPING IT TO GET IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM, I SWEAR I¡¯M NOT LIKE A STALKER oR ANYTHING I WAS JUST REALLY CURIOUS AND I¡¯M SORRY PLEASE DON¡¯T THINK I¡¯M CRAZY. WHY CAN¡¯T I DELETE MY LAST MESSAGE? WHY ISN¡¯T THERE A DELETE BUTTON? I SHOULD BE ABLE TO JUST HIGHLIGHT MY MESSAGE AND THEN BACKSPACE! ¡­ ¡­ Oh. He looks at the group chat to take his mind off of what he just learned. >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: cant play today >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: just keep going south >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: even u should be able to handle it @TheMemeStruggle >Viktor¡¯s Favorite Slut: u showed me last night just how good you are at handling things<> >Serra Berra: Lewd o///o ¡°Spence, please,¡± Ryouta groans. He returns to the direct message conversation with Serra. >TheMemeStruggle: Sorry about last night! I saw you and I should have said hi, but I was really drunk and needed to go to the bathroom. Then I guess I forgot afterward. Hope you didn¡¯t think I was ignoring you. He picks up his headset to head over to his bed, but Serra replies in her typical quick fashion. >HushedVoice: It¡¯s okay! I¡¯m just happy that you don¡¯t think I¡¯m like a crazy stalker or anything like that. You don¡¯t think I¡¯m like that, do you? I swear I¡¯m not! I guess it was inappropriate of me to go there knowing that there was a strong chance of seeing you, but ¨C I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have gone. >TheMemeStruggle: Don¡¯t worry about it, dork. Crazy girls are my fetish anyways. >TheMemeStruggle: Just kidding, you¡¯re not crazy. Promise. You¡¯re just Serra Berra. Hey, if you were there, did you see if I at least got a good hit on that guy? >HushedVoice: His nose was bleeding, but I don¡¯t know if that was from you or the bouncer. But it was really cool! Even if I still feel guilty about going, I don¡¯t regret it. I got to see you be a hero! ¡°The hell are you talking about? I ain¡¯t no hero. You really are crazy if you call me something like that,¡± Ryouta says with a blush on his cheeks. >TheMemeStruggle: I was just trying to act tough to impress all the girls in the bar, obviously. >HushedVoice: It worked >///> ¡°Why do you have to admit that? I''m going to fall for you if you make it so obvious. Seriously.¡± >TheMemeStruggle: You¡¯re a dork. I¡¯m going to be in-game in a bit. Company would be appreciated. >HushedVoice: Sorry! I can¡¯t get on until after lunch with a friend. I guess like how you and Olly have your boys nights, this is my girls¡­ midday! >TheMemeStruggle: Fair enough. I¡¯ll see you in-game later then! Have a nice lunch. With that, Ryouta gets up from his desk and lies back down on bed with the headset already around his head. Time to immerse and get back to being Fenrir. Fenrir finds himself in the usual spot with Saya sitting across from him. ¡°You need to work out more, Onii-chan,¡± Saya says, shadowboxing in her seat. ¡°Says the girl who doesn¡¯t even have any muscles,¡± Fenrir fires back. He regrets it. Saya goes from being a cute little sister to being a bulked up weightlifter with a head too small for her body in the blink of his eyes. ¡°Please.¡± Saya returns to normal, a smug grin on her lips. ¡°My gains are too much for you, bro!¡± ¡°Are you learning how to be a dork from Serra? Such a copycat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just copying what you like! I ¨C I mean, it¡¯s not like I want you to like me or anything, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir changes the subject before his heart gets going again, ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± ¡°I remember that dude we killed talking about streaming. How does that work?¡± ¡°Just like in any other game! Well, maybe not just like it. If you are a streamer on any online platform, we can link your in-game character to the streaming service! You can either stream in first-person, so everybody sees what you see, or third-person. You¡¯ll also get a little window floating up next to you if you want so that you can see what everybody is saying, know how many people are watching, and so on!¡± ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t that give a massive advantage to streamers? People could point out if they see stuff, and if you can show them a third-person view of your character, they could warn you of anybody behind you.¡± ¡°No worries, Onii-chan! Us virtual assistants are required to filter out all messages that may give streamers unfair advantages. So, viewers can ask questions, say hi, talk about real life stuff, and so on, but they won¡¯t be able to help out who they¡¯re watching at all! We¡¯re like¡­ super chat moderators!¡± ¡°Alright, that makes sense then. Wait, since the game has nudity and sex, isn¡¯t it like streaming pornography sometimes?¡± ¡°By most streaming platforms¡¯ rules, yep! That¡¯s why they have to either stream via platforms traditionally meant for sex and erotica, or they have to use one of the platforms that feature adult sections.¡± ¡°So, in a way¡­ they¡¯re almost kind of like camgirls.¡± ¡°By your logic, maybe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun logic. Think about it, that annoying prick Cass killed is the equivalent of a camgirl. I mean, I¡¯m not trying to shame camgirls or anything, but you know that he¡¯d be super pissed off if I made that comparison to his face.¡± Saya giggles. ¡°Alright, Onii-chan, you win this one. Anyways, ready to immerse?¡± ¡°You know it.¡± Fenrir finds himself in the hull of the ship. Rock must be able to sense that he¡¯s in-game and awake because as soon as he opens his eyes and leans up, the rocky little puppy comes barreling down the stairs at full speed! And trips, and falls down the last few steps, but then continues running at full speed! ¡°There¡¯s my girl! You been behaving? No accidents anywhere? Wait, I don¡¯t think you can have accidents,¡± Fenrir says, running his hands along the length of Rock¡¯s body as she wags her tail so hard that he¡¯s worried it¡¯s going to fall off. Everybody else is sleeping still. ¡°It¡¯s just me and you, girl. Come on, let¡¯s get above deck.¡± Rock hops off of his lap and rushes back upstairs just as quickly as she came down them. He cringes when he¡¯s worried that she¡¯s going to trip again, but fortunately, she makes it up without any issues. Something bothers Fenrir as he brings the ship out of the cove. He really wanted to play the game differently this time. Like, seriously this time. This wasn¡¯t supposed to be another one of those times where he tells Spencer and Viktor that he¡¯s totally going to be different this time only to end up caving in to their demands for violence and villainy. And to be fair, it isn¡¯t one of those times. Everything they have done to already get on the bad sides of others has been initiated by none other than himself. ¡°What am I doing?¡± he asks, leaning over the ship¡¯s wheel. Worry fills his mind and gut. After that last attempt at doxing him and the death threats he¡¯s been sent, he really doesn¡¯t want to rise to infamy again. Yet, as much as he loves fishing, he just feels so alive and natural when he¡¯s doing the same old thing with the guys and now Serra and Cassiel. Why can¡¯t he just play the game how he wants to without worrying about people taking it too seriously and going after him in real life? It isn¡¯t fair that he has to restrict himself so much more than everybody else does. He doubts many others are getting death threats and having dox attempts made at them just because they¡¯re having fun playing games. He could understand it better if he was cheating or hacking, but they have never done that. What does he truly want from this game? Is returning to his roots really worth the risk? Isn¡¯t playing games all about having fun and doing whatever he wants? ¡°Onii-chan, I¡¯m detecting a lot of stress from you. You should wake and take a longer rest from the game so that you may properly consider all of this,¡± Saya chimes in. ¡°Thanks, Saya, but I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just¡­ kind of scared, but at the same time, it¡¯s exciting. I think I¡¯m just going to continue doing whatever I feel like doing at the time without trying too hard to do one thing or the other. I¡¯m just going to be myself and screw around. Not going to be some super villain, not going to be a vigilante ¨C I¡¯m not going to try and avoid those either. Does that make sense? I¡¯m just going to go with the flow. Besides, there is a virtual assistant inside of everybody¡¯s mind who plays this. Couldn¡¯t you just warn the authorities if anybody does anything illegal?¡± ¡°Yep! That was included in the terms of service you checked without reading all of it. It isn¡¯t like we spy on you and send all your information to the government, but if we detect¡ªfor example¡ªthat you have memories of being a serial killer or rapist, then we alert the appropriate government agency so that they may place you on a watch list. Nothing we can give them counts as valid evidence in the court of law, but it can help prevent bad things from happening in the first place. So if anybody decides they are going to try and stalk you in real life because they want to kill you and harvest your organs,¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit specific.¡± ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t interrupt me! If anybody wants to kill you and harvest your organs, we¡¯re going to warn somebody about that intent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Thanks, Saya. It makes me feel a lot better.¡± ¡°No problem, Onii-chan! Now, go be yourself!¡± ¡°Aye aye.¡± With Saya in his head and Rock by his side, a clear sky with a shining sun above, and a gentle breeze to fill out the ship¡¯s sails, Fenrir couldn¡¯t ask for better conditions to go sailing with. Finally, the journey to the city of pirates is resumed. Book 1: Chapter 31: Patch 6.0: The Voyage South Fenrir gets some good distance between the ship and the coast. He wants to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery, maybe practice casting his fishing rod some more, while letting the ship just sail on its own. The more distance between the ship and the coast, the less he has to worry about accidentally beaching it on something. ¡°Wait, something is wrong here,¡± Fenrir says, looking over the ship. Rock tilts her head while following behind him. ¡°Emergency, Rock,¡± he says despite his voice not sounding too worried. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a name yet. Every ship needs a name!¡± Rock doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening, but she¡¯s happy and wagging her tail anyway! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s brainstorm. How about¡­ The Sea Rock?¡± he asks, looking down at Rock. She¡¯s wagging her tail still and gives a happy bark. However, he thinks it¡¯s just because she heard her name. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to be on a ship named after something that sinks to the bottom of water, actually. How about¡­ The Penguin? Nah. I can¡¯t double up on names like that, my TV might get jealous.¡± Rock stops paying attention and licks her paws instead. ¡°Should I name her something badass? She¡¯s not quite on the same level as The Divine Citadel was, so maybe¡­ The Divine¡­ Shack? Yeah, she¡¯s only a shack in comparison to The Divine Citadel, so maybe something else.¡± Fenrir¡¯s face lights up. ¡°I¡¯ve got it! From now on, you¡¯re named The Shoebill,¡± he declares, patting the side of the ship¡¯s hull. ¡°You might not be as awesome as a shoebill is yet, but you¡¯ll get there. I¡¯ll build you up and make you worthy of the name!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just naming the ship after a shoebill because you saw an anthropomorphized shoebill anime girl?¡± Saya asks. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not wrong, but shoebills themselves are awesome. They¡¯re like modern dinosaurs! And they make really cool noises. They¡¯re like¡­ the alligators of birds,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°If you say so, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°What do you think, Rock? Isn¡¯t The Shoebill a great name?¡± Fenrir asks, crouching down to get Rock¡¯s opinion. Rock gives a happy little bark and then goes back to doing puppy things. ¡°Two against one, Saya.¡± ¡°I never said I was against it!¡± ¡°Too late, you lose, we win.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯m technically part you, so if you win then I also win.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, the part of you that isn¡¯t part of me loses.¡± Saya mentally facepalms. ¡°The hell are you talking to yourself for, bastard?¡± Cassiel asks from the entrance to the cabin. Fenrir¡¯s ears and tail shoot up as he spins around to look at her, blush on his cheeks. He was talking out loud to Saya, but she was only talking in his head. Rock hops up and runs over to her. She jumps up and down against Cassiel¡¯s leg as if wanting to get lifted up, but Cassiel resists. ¡°Ah, I was, uhh, talking to my virtual assistant,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°You know you can do that in your head, right?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Yeah, but ¨C you know, nobody else was here, so I figured I¡¯d just talk normally.¡± She shrugs. ¡°What¡¯re you doing on ¨C oh, didn¡¯t you say you had work yesterday? How was it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on to take my mind off of how shitty my shift was. That¡¯s why I¡¯m on, and that¡¯s how work was,¡± she explains. ¡°Relax and take it easy then. I¡¯ll be up here if you need anything from me,¡± he says, figuring that she¡¯d rather have some space from him if she had such a bad shift and just wants to relax. Instead, she walks up to him and leans over the side of the ship. ¡°Can I rant?¡± she asks. Fenrir is surprised to hear her ask that. He really figured she¡¯d just want some peace and quiet, and he hasn¡¯t pegged her as the kind of girl to really talk about real life ¨C assuming that¡¯s what she wants to talk about. ¡°Go for it,¡± he says. ¡°Guys are fucking assholes.¡± Oh, it¡¯s one of those kinds of rants. ¡°Yeah, we can be sometimes.¡± ¡°My boss makes me wear this skimpy shitty little thing that barely covers anything up, and then he says I¡¯m overreacting whenever I complain about guys constantly hitting on me and trying to grope me. Like, what a fucking piece of shit. He¡¯s lucky that I need the job or else I¡¯d be out of there.¡± Fenrir wants to say something, but he isn¡¯t sure what to say. He could always try that ¡°just listen¡± thing that he always hears relationships experts say to do. ¡°That sucks,¡± he confirms her feelings. ¡°And then when one of the customers finally actually stands up for me, he gets kicked out and banned from the bar. You know what¡¯s really messed up? The bastard who screwed with me isn¡¯t banned because my boss says that he was just drunk and ¡®being a guy,¡¯ but the guy who punched him for me is banned. I told him that he shouldn¡¯t be banned and he said that he isn¡¯t allowed to come back for trying to start a fight. Then he tells me the bastard isn¡¯t banned because it would hurt the bar¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°That sounds really shitty. At least somebody tried sticking up for you.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it just pisses me off even more when I think about how some random guy defended me more than any of my ex¡¯s ever did. Some random guy I don¡¯t even know treated me better than every single one of those shitheads I dated, and then he gets in trouble for it. I almost wish he didn¡¯t just so that I could think all guys are pieces of shit instead of reminding me I just make shitty decisions.¡± ¡°Sounds like you should ask him out if you ever see him again,¡± Fenrir teases. She turns to look at him and glares. ¡°Shut up, bastard. Doubt I¡¯d ever see him again anyways. Besides, he was probably just defending me to try and get my clothes off.¡± ¡°He sounds like a pretty nice guy. He just wanted to defend your honor, m¡¯lady. Did he tip his fedora to you after backing you up?¡± To Fenrir¡¯s surprise, he actually sees Cassiel smile and look like she¡¯s holding back a laugh. ¡°Shut up,¡± she repeats herself, voice clearly faltering and wanting to laugh. ¡°God, guys like that are the worst. Every single guy I meet is either some perverted asshole who wants to try and act like some dominant ¡®alpha¡¯ and thinks he¡¯s hot shit because he knows how to flirt, or they¡¯re spineless ¡®nice guys¡¯ who only act nice to try and get into my pants since they¡¯re too self-conscious to just flirt with me directly, or they don¡¯t know how to.¡± ¡°Which one am I?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°The annoying one.¡± Fenrir chuckles. ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, I know what you mean. I cringe every single time I see guys like that. It¡¯s like almost every guy I know thinks they have to either treat girls like shit because they ¡®subconsciously like it because of evolution,¡¯ or they put them on a pedestal and treat them like goddesses to prove that they¡¯re more devoted than every other guy.¡± ¡°God, I know, right?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know that all you have to do is treat a girl like she¡¯s just another person. If you just treat every guy and girl the same ¨C with respect and like a normal human being, it works out better. That¡¯s how it is with every successful relationship I know.¡± ¡°Exactly! At least one of you bastards gets it.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty interesting to think about, though. I mean ¨C why do guys act that way? I do think being alpha and dominant has its place, but that doesn¡¯t mean to be an asshole. I think it¡¯d be more fair to just say be confident instead of trying to be alpha or dominant. Then you¡¯ve got nice guys who are basically the result of romantic comedies being pumped out by the dozen every year.¡± ¡°What do romantic comedies have to do with creepy guys?¡± ¡°Think about it. How many times are the guys in romantic comedies obsessed with the girl, willing to do anything to win her over, act like borderline stalkers, act up in front of everybody and do like huge public confessions, and then win the girl? Those movies basically condition guys to act like creepy, obsessive stalkers where if they¡¯re just persistent enough, they get rewarded.¡± ¡°¡­huh. Yeah, I can see your point. Shit, now I¡¯m not going to be able to enjoy those movies anymore.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were a romantic comedy type of girl.¡± Cassiel looks at him again, this time with reddened cheeks. ¡°I will throw you overboard if you tell anybody.¡± ¡°Tell anybody what? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he says with exaggerated confusion. The ocean breeze brushes against Cassiel¡¯s face, blowing her hair back and causing her to squint her eyes. The way that she raises her hand up as if to shield herself from the salty wind is the first time he sees her feminine side. It¡¯s nice. ¡°Sorry you had to deal with all of that,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m over it now. Thanks for listening to me rant. I know how much you guys hate that sort of thing.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. I like talking and listening to people. You get to learn more about them that way, and the more you learn about them, the closer you can get to them. Makes relationships more personal.¡± Fenrir swears he can see a slight smile on her lips, but she turns her head away before he can confirm it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go out with that deer boy? What was his name again?¡± she changes the subject. ¡°Yeah, we live a few hours away from each other. He comes and visits me twice a month to go out drinking downtown. His name is Oleander ¨C well, his character name is.¡± ¡°How was it? You listened to me and my shitty problems, so it¡¯s only fair to listen to how your day was.¡± ¡°It was pretty good. I got really drunk so I can¡¯t remember much, but I remember punching some guy in the face and then getting kicked out.¡± Cassiel snaps back around to look at him. ¡°The hell did you punch a guy for? You trying to start random bar fights?¡± She sounds like a scolding mother. ¡°Nah, nothing like that. I just remember him being an asshole to our waitress and harassing her, so I walked up and punched him. Probably should have just waited for the bouncer to do that since I¡¯m probably banned now, but ¨C Cass? What¡¯s with that look?¡± Cassiel doesn¡¯t realize she¡¯s blatantly staring up at his face. She just now remembers that they said they were going to The One-Eyed Pirate, and he apparently punched a guy and then got kicked out. He doesn¡¯t look anything like the guy in the bar¡­ but there weren¡¯t any other violent incidents at the bar yesterday. She curses herself for forgetting that he was supposedly going to be there. Her hatred for her job just consumes her and overrides logical thought most of the time. Now that she¡¯s vented her hatred out and is putting pieces together ¨C he has to be that guy from the bar. ¡°You ¨C what¡¯s with that look?¡± she asks. Fenrir doesn¡¯t realize that he¡¯s blatantly staring down at her face. He just now realizes that their stories sound almost the exact same, and knowing what he knows about that bar¡¯s management, he begins putting the pieces together. She was wearing a skimpy outfit, had to deal with asshole customers, had some guy defend her whom was then kicked out, and ¨C wait, doesn¡¯t she look almost the exact same as his waitress did? The two continue staring at each other, now pointing fingers at one another. Rock ignores them to continue doing Rock things. Book 1: Chapter 32: Patch 6.0: The Voyage South ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡± Fenrir starts. ¡°You were¡ª¡± Cassiel tries talking as well. Both of their faces are red at this point, and their jaws hang open from surprise. Rock has no idea what is going on and decides to roll around on her back a little bit to scratch an itch that her stubby little legs can¡¯t reach. ¡°You were our waitress?¡± ¡°You were that guy who punched that bastard?¡± They keep on talking over one another. Fenrir waits a few moments before opening his mouth to talk again, and when he finally does open it, she opens hers. ¡°You first!¡± ¡°You fir¡ª tch,¡± Cassiel loses. ¡°Fine! I¡­ don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t really know what to say either." The only noises to break up the awkward silence are those of the wooden hull creaking as it sails through gentle waters. ¡°¡­Cassandra, right?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel looks away. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ryouta. Only fair to give you my name if I know yours, plus we¡¯ve already met in real life, so.¡± ¡°First Serra, now you. I thought coincidences like this are saved for movies.¡± ¡°You met her too?¡± ¡°What do you mean too? You already met her?¡± ¡°Last night was my first time seeing her in person, same as you.¡± ¡°Next thing I know and your dog there is going to be popping up at work.¡± ¡°Rock is pretty full of surprises. Anyways, sorry about causing you trouble last night.¡± Cassiel turns away. ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s fine. Bastard deserved it.¡± Fenrir sighs. ¡°Sucks that I¡¯m officially banned. Always did like the drinks there, and they have some pretty great wings.¡± Cassiel looks at him again. Her eyes are wide as if she¡¯s just seen a ghost or has had her PTSD triggered. ¡°You¡­ eat the wings there?¡± Oh god. ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything more than that. I don¡¯t want to know.¡± He¡¯s never seen her look so concerned before. She turns away again. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks, head tilted. ¡°Thanks for, you know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Like you said, the bastard deserved it.¡± There¡¯s no way that Cassiel is going to let him see how wide she¡¯s smiling right now. ¡°Change the subject already!¡± Fenrir¡¯s own smile spreads across his lips. He¡¯s beginning to learn how to read her. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll have you be an encyclopedia instead of a waitress. Can you tell me more about the Augus Empire? You mentioned stuff like the inner circle, angels, and dragons, so I want to hear more about all that stuff.¡± Cassiel slaps her cheeks to regain her composure before turning back around. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll start from the beginning and give you a quick overview,¡± she says. ¡°Hang on.¡± Fenrir rushes below deck and comes back up with a couple of empty crates. He sets them down next to each other and sits down on the first one, patting the other to signal her. She sits down on it. ¡°Thanks. Now, where should I start¡­ alright. The Augus Empire started off as the Holy Empire and was led by this guy who just wanted to roleplay like a bunch of Romans. Livia, the current empress, was his top general. She saw how incompetent he was and overthrew him, renamed the faction, organized the land and guilds, then went on to grow it into the powerhouse it is today. It¡¯s mostly made up of humans because she¡¯s a roleplayer at heart and thinks non-human races aren¡¯t trustworthy. They¡¯re allowed in, but they get treated like slaves unless they prove themselves,¡± Cassiel begins her lecture. ¡°How do they prove themselves?¡± Fenrir asks, playing the role of a curious student. Wait, now he¡¯s imagining her dressed up like a glasses-wearing teacher and smacking a ruler against his desk. It¡¯s a nice thought. She could totally pull it off. ¡°Coliseum fights, usually. They either fight in the arena and prove that they¡¯re better than everybody else, or they join the military as a slave-soldier and prove themselves during war.¡± ¡°Sounds pretty intense. It¡¯s kind of funny how nobody would ever willingly want to basically be a slave in real life, but if it¡¯s a game, nobody cares. Just like how people will buy houses in games and keep them super clean and decorated and stuff, but not care at all about that in real life.¡± He realizes that he just described himself. ¡°People like to roleplay. Anyways, there¡¯s thousands of guilds underneath the Augus Empire¡¯s rule. The vast majority are only given the rank of barons. Barons belong to counts, counts to dukes, dukes to kings, and then there¡¯s finally the empress herself. With Livia at the top, there are four kings who control everybody underneath them. Tralin leads The Exiled Hammer. He¡¯s a dwarf that got kicked out of the Conquerors of the Deep and decided to start a crafting guild over here. He¡¯s a king of the territory near the mountains, and all guilds dedicated to crafting, gathering, and trading are under his command. He leads the economic backbone of the empire.¡± ¡°Sounds like a clich¨¦ dwarf to me. Does he have a beard?¡± ¡°Good luck meeting a dwarf who doesn¡¯t have a beard and some bad Scottish accent.¡± ¡°What about the other three kings?¡± Fenrir asks, stretching out and looking over at Rock to check on her. She¡¯s rolling around a loose cannonball on the deck. Fenrir knows he should probably do something about that, but it¡¯s not like he has a better toy to replace that with. He should probably tell her that she won¡¯t be able to pick it up no matter how many times she tries biting it. But she¡¯s cute, so he doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Gregory leads the Farmers Union,¡± Cassiel starts up again. ¡°That¡¯s a boring name.¡± Cassiel laughs a bit. ¡°I know, and he¡¯s just as boring as the name is. I met him a few times. I know that he¡¯s some old guy in reality and apparently manages a bunch of farms in the Midwest. Anyways, he¡¯s in charge of the empire¡¯s food. Most players who just want to live normal fantasy lives without fighting or any of that other stuff will join guilds underneath his command.¡± ¡°Next.¡± She glares at him. ¡°Next, please?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to throw you overboard,¡± Cassiel says with a groan. ¡°King Dante the Everlasting Inferno,¡± Cassiel pauses to look at Fenrir, just knowing that he¡¯s going to have a reaction to this. She¡¯s right. He looks as if he is putting every last bit of his strength into not bursting out laughing. Even Rock has paused her dream of picking up the cannonball to look at Cassiel with a tilted head. ¡°He demands that he¡¯s addressed that way every single time anybody talks to him. It¡¯s fucking horrible. He¡¯s also one of the biggest edgelords you¡¯re hopefully never going to meet. Why are edgy guys always named Dante? That and Lucifer.¡± Fenrir is really close to laughing his sides into orbit. She sighs, really not wanting to go any further into detail about the edgiest of edgelords. ¡°He¡¯s the leader of the¡­ the¡­ Dragon Lords.¡± She cringes and wants to crawl into a hole just for saying that. Fenrir is suspiciously quiet. When she finally looks over at him to see his reaction, he¡¯s ¨C well, she has never seen somebody literally rolling on the floor before while still not making any noise. Rock is even rolling around next to him! She just hopes that Rock is mimicking Fenrir instead of laughing at her. Regardless, her face is pure red. ¡°You better appreciate this. Anyways! He¡¯s the leader of the military. Well, it¡¯s more like he¡¯s the second-in-command to Livia. All of the guilds focused on war and fighting are underneath his command. He works the most directly with Livia. The dragon knights are his elite followers who have all tamed dragons from the mountains and ride them into battle. Some people consider them the most elite fighting force in the game. Others consider Livia¡¯s archangels that.¡± Fenrir finally regains his composure and sits back on the crate. ¡°Got it, got it. What about the archangels?¡± ¡°Livia¡¯s angels, and archangels, are her personal honor guard. I was one of the newest recruits and only a few quests away from earning my wings and halo before that incident with those garlic bastards. The archangels are just veteran angels who wield holy weapons.¡± ¡°How do you get wings and a halo?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t make it far enough, and it¡¯s kept secret.¡± ¡°Got it. What about the final king?¡± ¡°His name is Tennant. He doesn¡¯t lead a guild himself, but he rules over all the guilds that form the empire¡¯s outer territory. He¡¯s basically in charge of the law, politics, foreign relations, and keeping tabs on all of the outer territories. Those are the four kings. Most guilds fall under their control and live within the inner territories, making them part of the ¡®inner circle.¡¯¡± Fenrir realizes something. This is totally like expositional worldbuilding in a game or book. This would be one of those times when characters discuss information that a few lore-addicted players would care about, but most would probably be smashing whatever button is required to skip through all of the dialogue boxes. ¡°Thanks for all the information. So, you were close to Livia?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah. I was almost beginning to think of her as a friend before everything happened,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°What about the other factions?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you much about them. I already told you about Indra and the Goddess¡¯s Own, you¡¯ll be seeing the Free Sailors soon¡­ there¡¯s the Desert Stalkers across the ocean, but the only way to learn anything about them is to be part of them. Nobody knows where their city is, and we only know of their existence because of traders and spies from their faction. There are the Conquerors of the Deep and the Northern Wardens. Both are across the ocean and have been at war with each other since they were founded. The former is a bunch of dwarfs living in mountains; the latter are Viking elves and monsters. Can¡¯t tell you much about them either since they¡¯re across the ocean. Never paid attention to people talking about them. Then there are the Hermetic Scholars, but you¡¯ll probably learn all you need to know about them when we reach the city. The only other important faction I can think of is the End Bringers.¡± ¡°Sounds like Dante has some competition,¡± Fenrir already wants to laugh again. ¡°Yeah, Dante might be stupid and edgy, but these guys are actually scary. You don¡¯t want to meet them if you have traumatic content enabled. There are some seriously messed up people in their ranks. They¡¯re a really small faction, but the people who are in it are¡­ fucked up. You¡¯ve never seen anybody as shitty and evil as they are in other games. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if their leader is the descendant of some genocidal maniac. They live for the traumatic content in this game.¡± ¡°So, they¡¯re the kind of people who get off to loli snuff hentai?¡± Cassiel looks confused. He¡¯s said too much. She¡¯s going to catch onto how much of a weeb he is. ¡°Sure¡­¡± The way she says that makes him cringe at himself. ¡°Thanks for the information, Miss Encyclopedia.¡± Cassiel points at him and then points overboard. The threat is clear. ¡°Consider us even for last night,¡± she says. ¡°Deal. Anyways, mind keeping an eye out for me up here? I¡¯m going to go below deck and count our supplies. Seems like those pricks might have been loading up for a trade run when we stole her. Oh, by the way, she¡¯s named The Shoebill now.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The ship.¡± ¡°You named the ship?¡± ¡°Come on, Cass. Every ship has to have a name.¡± Rather than try to break the record for having a blank stare again, she just shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll yell if I see anything.¡± Book 1: Chapter 33: Patch 6.0: The Voyage South Fenrir heads below deck where everybody else¡¯s characters are still sleeping. Somehow, Oleander¡¯s character has managed to crawl on top of Bonekraka in his hammock. He decides not to question that. With one hammock free, he picks up Serra¡¯s sleeping character and places her on it so that she: one, is out of his way while he looks through everything down here; and two, because he¡¯s a gentleman. Well, sometimes he¡¯s a gentleman. There are several heavy crates and barrels spread around. Fenrir opens up the nearest crate and finds stacks of tanned animal hides in it. The next crate is full of bones, fangs, and other hard animal and monster parts. Tucked away in the farthest section are several sealed barrels. He gives them a kick to try and figure out what¡¯s inside of them. He is replied to with the sound of liquid swishing around. Whatever is in the barrels, it¡¯s liquid. Probably shouldn¡¯t open those. A few barrels with loose lids that don¡¯t sound like they are going to spill their contents if opened are up against the wall. Two of the barrels are full of what looks like red wine, and the other barrel has water in it. Fenrir dips his finger into the water and then brings it back to his lips to lick. No salt. This must be meant for drinking during voyages. The rest of the crates are full of more of the same. There are just a bunch of containers full of various animal and monster parts. Hopefully, they will be able to sell all of this when they reach the city. Fenrir heads back up. However, when he sees Cassiel on her knees trying to get Rock¡¯s attention, he decides to hide behind the wall and watch in secret. ¡°Come on¡­ I¡¯m sorry about fighting you first, alright? I thought you were a bad puppy, but now I know you¡¯re a good puppy. You¡¯re a good girl, aren¡¯t you? Who¡¯s a good girl? Whoooo¡¯s a gooood giiiirrrlll?¡± Cassiel asks, her voice growing softer as if she is talking to a baby. Rock turns her head up at Cassiel and goes back to rolling the cannonball around the deck. ¡°Is it because I wouldn¡¯t pick you up earlier? I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Can¡¯t what?¡± Fenrir asks, now standing in view. Without saying a single word, Cassiel stands up, draws her sword, and points it at him without even looking at him. ¡°You have five seconds to throw yourself overboard,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°Or what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Or I chop you up and then throw you overboard.¡± Fenrir is only saved when Rock growls at Cassiel. Seeing that she just made Rock dislike her even more, Cassiel lowers her sword and head. She is defeated. Fenrir makes eye contact with Rock and then points at Cassiel. Rock understands the command and walks up to the defeated woman, sitting down in front of where she is looking to look up at her and whine with big puppy eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡­ won¡¯t tell the others, right?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Tell them about what? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Cassiel crouches down to pick up Rock, lifting the wolf pup up and cradling her in her arms. Rock happily licks at the woman¡¯s face with her smooth, rocky-yet-oddly-warm tongue. Cassiel just makes sure to keep her back turned to Fenrir so that he can¡¯t see the delighted expression on her face. ¡°What did you find down there?¡± she asks. ¡°A bunch of animal and monster skins and body parts, some barrels full of liquid, some food, and then water and wine. Need a drink? We can test out how strong the wine is on you,¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡± Cassiel sounds serious. ¡°A waitress in a bar that doesn¡¯t drink?¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°Are you a lightweight or something?¡± Her silence says everything he needs to know. ¡°Are you suuuuuurrreee you don¡¯t want a drink?¡± he asks. ¡°I said no, you bastard! A-ah, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to shout by your ears¡­¡± she says, remembering that Rock is being held up in front of her face. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing, don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t try pressuring you into doing anything you don¡¯t want to do.¡± ¡°You better not.¡± ¡°I promise I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°You better.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Good¡­ bastard.¡± Fenrir picks up one of the fishing rods and sits on top of one of the starboard cannons. He figures that he might as well practice¡ª He gets an idea. One of the barrels on deck is half full of cannonballs. Digging into it, he looks for the smallest one that he can find and feels around to try and determine what it¡¯s made out of. It just feels like rounded, smooth rock. Perfect. ¡°Hey, Cass, bring Rock over here,¡± Fenrir requests. Cassiel listens and walks over to him, holding Rock by the undersides of her front legs. Rock¡¯s tail starts wagging when she sees the small cannonball. Fenrir holds it close enough to Rock¡¯s maw for her to latch onto it! This one is small enough for her to actually wrap her jaws around, partially. Rock uses all of her strength to bite down on the rock. While this would normally be cringe-inducing if she had normal teeth, her teeth are made of sharp rock just as hard as this cannonball. To both Fenrir¡¯s and Cassiel¡¯s surprise, Rock bites a chunk of the cannonball off and chews it up a bit before swallowing. ¡°Look,¡± Fenrir says, pointing to the side of Rock¡¯s body where she was smashed with that mace during the attack on Coastedge. The chunks of rock missing from her side are regrowing. However, they grow in darker than before. The rock now making up a spot on her side is colored the same as the cannonball. ¡°How did you think of that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Was just a random thought I had. I was feeding her rocks as treats, so she must treat rocks and other minerals like food. So, I¡¯m wondering¡­ what if I phase metal into her diet?¡± he asks, drawing his own sword and holding it up to Rock¡¯s mouth. She isn¡¯t interested. ¡°I bet if I could somehow get her to start eating metal, she could become at least partially made out of it. Wait, we are in a fantasy setting, so what if there are like¡­ fire stones? What if I feed her rocks of certain elements?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess there might be rocks like that, but I don¡¯t know where you would find them.¡± ¡°What if I feed her something strong enough to withstand lava, and then let her drink lava? Lava is basically just melted minerals.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! These are weird questions I¡¯ve never heard of before. You can¡¯t expect me to know everything!¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s a strange question,¡± Fenrir admits with a nod. ¡°I¡¯m calling animal services if you try feeding your puppy lava.¡± ¡°Rock, want to eat lava?¡± he asks in an excited voice. Rock replies with an excited bark and wag of her tail. ¡°Of course she¡¯s going to want to if you ask in that tone!¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Two versus one. We win,¡± Fenrir says, leaning forward and down so that Rock can reach his face for a lick. This puts his face much too close to Cassiel¡¯s face for her comfort. Before she has a chance to say anything, a winged monster flies overhead and lets out a strident screech. Fenrir looks up to see what it is. ¡°Is that¡­ a pterodactyl?¡± he asks, sounding like an excited child. Rock barks up at it, but the monster clearly has no interest in her. With red cheeks, Cassiel calms herself to answer his question. ¡°It¡¯s at least modeled after one. Up north were plains and forests, but past the beach down here it¡¯s like a giant jungle full of dinosaur-themed monsters. There¡¯s this huge Aztec-inspired city in the center of it that has a ton of dungeons and raid bosses in it.¡± ¡°Okay. That sounds awesome. I want to see more dinosaurs. Wait¡­ if there¡¯s dinosaurs, are there sea monsters?¡± ¡°Of course there are. If there¡¯s dragons, dinosaurs, and angels, why wouldn¡¯t there be sea monsters?¡± ¡°I want to go fishing for a sea monster.¡± ¡°You ¨C you¡­ you what?¡± ¡°Extreme fishing for sea monsters. I want to find one and catch it.¡± ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t the one punched in the head last night?¡± ¡°Cass. Rock. We¡¯re going to go fishing for a sea monster. Maybe not yet, but eventually.¡± ¡°I want off this ship,¡± Cassiel groans. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re probably going to need a bigger ship. I agree. We¡¯ll need to get off of this one,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! I¡ª¡± she pauses to look at him, seeing a smug smile on his face. He knew full well what she meant. He just decided to tease her about it. Cassiel sets Rock down and draws her sword. ¡°Five seconds.¡± Book 1: Chapter 34: Patch 6.0: The Voyage South After being chased around the ship by Cassiel, dodging whatever she could get her hands on to throw at him, Fenrir feels like he must have leveled up his speed and evasion. Unfortunately, Cassiel¡¯s ability at throwing things has increased just as much as his ability to dodge them. The two eventually settle down and collapse on the deck. He¡¯s pretty sure that he wasn¡¯t even this tired when running away from Coastedge that first night. ¡°Alright, alright, truce. Let¡¯s call it a tie,¡± Fenrir offers. Between heavy breaths and calling him a bastard, Cassiel agrees to his offer and sheaths her sword. ¡°How much longer do you think it¡¯s going to take until we¡¯re there?¡± he asks. ¡°It¡¯s on the southern coast of this region, so¡­ just over three days in-game if we keep this speed,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°How long does it take to cross the ocean?¡± ¡°About the same. It¡¯s just going to take so long to get to Port Tugator because we have to go around the coast instead of straight to it.¡± Fenrir stands up and looks over to the coast. ¡°I just realized something. How come there aren¡¯t more coastal villages down here? We went past a few more south of Coastedge, but I haven¡¯t seen any since crossing the strait.¡± ¡°Do you think building a small coastal town with a jungle full of dinosaur monsters right behind you is going to work very well?¡± ¡°You know, you might have a point there,¡± Fenrir says before stretching. ¡°Hey, if you plan on staying on for a while, want to train? I figure that we might as well try to gain some more practice fighting ¨C wait, do you get equal experience and skills and all of that by dueling a friend? I know it usually doesn¡¯t count in other games unless it¡¯s an actual enemy.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re pushing yourself, it doesn¡¯t matter who you¡¯re fighting. Just like in real life,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°But just know that I won¡¯t take it easy on you, and you¡¯re not going to be able to beat me.¡± ¡°So confident in yourself. Come on, I¡¯m sure I can win at least once.¡± ¡°So confident in yourself,¡± Cassiel mocks him. After finishing off the small cannonball that Fenrir gave Rock, she has returned to the first ball and is trying to jump up onto it to balance on it. Jumping onto it is the easy part. Staying balanced on it instead of tumbling off is not. It doesn¡¯t help that the ball is constantly rolling around thanks to the shifting ship. Both Rock and her master are training in different ways. Unfortunately, they are both failing horribly at it. ¡°Told you,¡± Cassiel says, standing over Fenrir with her foot on his head and sword pointed down at his neck. ¡°How¡­ how long was it between when you got reset and met me?¡± Fenrir asks. His vision is almost entirely black and he can¡¯t move either of his arms. ¡°Seven days in real life, so two weeks in-game. I fought every monster I could find to practice on my way back to Coastedge and had duels in every town I stayed in. We¡¯ll need to get cards when we reach the city so you can see just how far behind me you are.¡± ¡°Cards?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a player-run way of knowing stats and skills. I¡¯m not even going to begin trying to explain how it works. The stuff in those crates down there should be enough to pay for us to get cards.¡± ¡°I guess theorycrafters always find some way of making things boring and learning everything.¡± ¡°God, thank you, I know. Too bad that, unless you¡¯re famous, you¡¯re going to need a card to prove anything to anybody. I only had one because it was required to be eligible for becoming an angel.¡± ¡°Speaking of angels, how about you heal me so that I can beat you already?¡± She heals him just as he suggests. And then she wrecks him again. And again. He does a little bit better on his fourth try, but in the end, it is him lying facedown on the deck of the ship. ¡°I call hacks,¡± Fenrir groans. ¡°I call you being stupid,¡± Cassiel retorts. Standing up once more, Fenrir looks out to the west over the ocean. Small, desert islands devoid of anything but palm trees are scattered about. Some look fairly sizeable, but most are clearly worthless without a bottled map that has a red X on it. ¡°What happens when you sail to the edge of the world? Does it loop around like a real planet, or do you just fall off?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Nobody knows. We think there¡¯s just more continents out there, but there are huge world bosses that attack you if you try to go too far in uncharted waters,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°So basically, to unlock more of the world, we have to either kill the bosses or find a way past them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what most people think.¡± ¡°Has anybody ever tried?¡± ¡°Yeah. Indra and Blackstache actually teamed up with their navies to try and take out the Southern Serpent, but Blackstache stabbed her in the back during the battle and wiped out most of her navy back then. They¡¯ve been at war ever since, and if the two strongest navies combined couldn¡¯t take out the boss, who could?¡± ¡°Somebody with a really big fishing rod?¡± The fifth sparring bout begins. Rock barks and runs over to the stairs. When Fenrir looks over, after being healed again, he sees Serra crouching down to pick up Rock and give her some love. ¡°Hey, Serra. How was your date?¡± Fenrir calls out to her. Serra pouts. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a date; it was just lunch,¡± she explains. Rock barks at Fenrir as if to back her up. ¡°Can you believe that this bastard is the guy who got kicked out last night?¡± Cassiel asks, looking over at Serra. Serra looks at each one of them, trying to figure out just how much they know. She didn¡¯t want to tell Fenrir about meeting Cassiel, and she didn¡¯t want to tell Cassiel about Fenrir. Yet, it seems like they both already know about meeting the other last night. ¡°He likes getting in trouble,¡± Serra says. Fenrir looks at the girls. ¡°Hey, it sounds like you¡¯re teaming up on me. You¡¯re supposed to be on my side, Serra! Our friendship goes back like¡­ a whole extra day longer than yours and hers!¡± ¡°Bad dog, getting in trouble,¡± Serra says. Fenrir¡¯s ears and tail actually droop from hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re on my side, right, Rock?¡± he asks. Rock barks at him and licks Serra¡¯s face. This is his sixth defeat. ¡°What have you been doing?¡± Serra asks, her voice hushed. Fenrir has noticed that she usually speaks in a softer and quieter tone when she hasn¡¯t talked in a while. He figures that she has to warm up and get used to it each time. ¡°Training and getting my ass beat,¡± he answers her, hand on the back of his head to rub it. ¡°I¡­ can see that.¡± When Serra looks at Fenrir, she sees roughed up hair, some bloodied spots in his hair and on his tail, and plenty of bruises. Cassiel looks untouched. If anything, Cassiel just looks like she has a massive sense of smug satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, she¡¯s hacking.¡± ¡°Want to lose again?¡± Cassiel asks. Serra sits down on a crate with Rock in her lap to watch the show. Fenrir gets his attack deflected, head grabbed onto and smashed into the mast of the ship, has his legs swept out from underneath him, and then sees Cassiel¡¯s blade pointed down to his face with the tip of it touching his nose. Serra claps, clearly impressed by the other girl¡¯s skill. However, Fenrir felt something while fighting that time. He has been attacking with a sword this entire time, but last time, that feral urge within him could be felt. It felt as if that urge was telling him that he¡¯s fighting wrong. ¡°One more time,¡± Fenrir requests. ¡°Fine. I probably only have enough mana to heal you one more time after this,¡± Cassiel says, finishing up healing him. He sheaths his sword and sets it down by Serra. ¡°You already lost with a weapon. Do you really think you can beat me without one? You¡¯re probably already more proficient at fighting with a sword than your fists anyways,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir charges at her. He has to focus more on avoiding her attacks now that he doesn¡¯t have a weapon to deflect them with. The feral urge within him is growing stronger by the second as he gives in to it. ¡°Stay still, you bastard!¡± Cassiel shouts, frustrated by his increased focus on speed and evasion. There is no thought in Fenrir¡¯s actions. He is just going with whatever feels like the right thing to do. His head stays low as does his tail, his attacks are not strong but they are too fast for her to dodge, and he is constantly scanning her for opportunities. He is fighting more like a wolf than a man. With how armored she is and the height difference between them, she is only vulnerable from the neck and up. The perfect opportunity presents itself. She thrusts her sword forward to try and stab him! He dodges to the side, grabs her wrist holding the sword, and holds her wrist above her head while his other hand wraps around her throat. He tries to lift her up off of her feet but isn¡¯t strong enough to do that yet. Instead, he pins her back against the ship¡¯s only mast. Cassiel winces and glares at him. ¡°Bastard!¡± She looks into his eyes and sees the feral spirit of a beast within him. She can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s looking at the eyes of a man or a wolf. That dominant look in his eyes, his bared fangs, pinning her against the mast like this and taking control from her¡­ she¡¯s liking this too much. Serra blushes and holds her hands over Rock¡¯s eyes. Fenrir pants, trying to figure out what to do next. Cassiel tries kneeing him, but he places a leg between her own to keep them separated and unable to get a good hit on him. She tries pulling his hair, but he takes his hand off of her throat to grab her other wrist. With each of her wrists restrained and her neck exposed, that feral instinct leads his mouth right down to her neck. Cassiel¡¯s face grows redder by the second. She feels as if her heart is going to jump out through her chest at any moment! She feels his hot, heavy breath against her exposed neck. The warmth of his breath rolling against her skin makes her want to push herself even closer to his lips. Fenrir hesitates when he realizes what he¡¯s doing. Regaining control of his senses, he sees her tilting her head to the side as if she¡¯s willingly giving him easier access to her neck. When she sees his hesitation, she realizes just what exactly she is doing, puts all of her strength into her right arm, and thrusts her sword through his abdomen. Fenrir lets go of her wrists and falls to his knees. He is defeated once again. ¡°You bastard,¡± Cassiel says, not able to look in his direction. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m about to die here,¡± he says with a pained voice. ¡°Can you heal me already?¡± She kicks him for how nonchalant he sounds after all of that. ¡°You bastard!¡± She eventually heals him, but not before her heart calms down. Book 1: Chapter 35: Patch 6.0: The Voyage South Fenrir knows that he should probably stop Serra from playing with Rock by rolling a bunch of cannonballs around on the deck, especially since they only have a limited supply of them, but they are just too cute to stop. Serra is basically treating all of the cannonballs as if they are tennis balls, and she is trying to overwhelm Rock¡¯s ability to decide which ball to chase after by rolling a bunch of them at once! He even sees Cassiel looking over at the two playing every now and then. She glares at him every single time she catches him catching her. Well, as long as Serra doesn¡¯t try throwing the balls around, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. He¡¯s sure she knows better than to try and toss and bounce a cannonball. Of course, while Serra may know that, it doesn¡¯t stop Rock from managing to coincidentally roll a ball into the back room and down the steps into the deck below. Fenrir cringes with every crash the cannonball makes as it falls down the steps. Serra looks at him, expecting to be scolded, but she¡¯s just too cute. ¡°Just be more careful and try to stop her from rolling any back there, alright?¡± he says. That¡¯s all the scolding she needs. She smiles and nods before heading below deck to retrieve Rock and the cannonball. When Rock is finally all tuckered out and panting from the intense play session, Serra bothers Fenrir for something to do by tugging on the back of his leather vest as he stares out to the ocean. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m bored,¡± Serra says. Fortunately for her, he already has an idea that he¡¯s been playing around with. ¡°You like shooting the cannons, right?¡± She nods. ¡°Then let¡¯s get you some more target practice, though I don¡¯t think you need much of it with how awesome your shots were the other night.¡± A light red takes to her cheeks alongside a smile. They move over to the cannons. With the attack on Coastedge being over, the cannons have been placed back in their original positions to have three on each side of the ship rather than having all six on one side. ¡°See that island coming up?¡± Fenrir asks, pointing at a small desert island off the starboard side of the ship. ¡°Try hitting that. It¡¯s pretty small, and we¡¯ve got a good speed here, so you¡¯ll have to try and time the fuse to shoot at the right moment.¡± Serra looks serious and hurries to load the cannons. Fenrir was planning on helping her with the loading parts, but she seems to have it all under control. She must really like pirate movies if she can do all of this so effortlessly. They steadily approach the island. Serra stands directly behind the first cannon, looking over to the island and waiting for the perfect time to light the fuse. Fenrir wants to tell her to light it now, but he lets her choose the right time. The longer she waits, the harder it is to resist telling her to hurry and light the fuse. She finally lights it, and then moves to the next cannon to light that one¡¯s fuse, and then lights the third cannon. A few seconds later and the cannons go off one after another! Cannonballs are propelled by the blasts over to the island. Each cannonball tears right through the center of the island, knocking down several of the thin palm trees before splashing into the ocean on the other side of the island. ¡°You¡­ shot right through the center of it. Great job,¡± Fenrir praises her. He¡¯s glad he held his tongue and didn¡¯t tell her when to fire. She probably would have missed if he did. Serra looks up at him with a proud smile. He pats the top of her head a little bit as a reward, making her smile even more. Fenrir feels like he¡¯s being glared at. When he looks around, he sees Rock taking a nap and Cassiel turned around and trying to busy herself with something. Weird. He turns back around to face Serra. ¡°Alright, those were some great shots. Think you can do it again? I think we can afford to spare a few more shots, plus we can count this as training. You¡¯ll be sinking enemy ships in no time!¡± Fenrir says. Serra looks excited, nodding her head as she gets to work reloading the cannons. ¡°Hey, have you felt like you¡¯ve ¨C this is hard to explain, but have you felt like an internal sense of accomplishment by shooting cannons?¡± He has no idea how else to describe that sense of learning a skill. ¡°Yeah. I felt it a couple times the other night, and I just felt it again now,¡± she says as she loads the cannons. It looks like she¡¯s loading them faster than before. ¡°Just felt it again.¡± Going by that, Fenrir comes to the conclusion that she¡¯s learning skills for both firing and loading cannons. He wonders whether they count as a sort of siege weapon operating skill, or if they are specific to cannons. Two more volleys are fired at small islands as they pass by. Fenrir is surprised that Rock is able to sleep through the cannon blasts, and he feels a jealous glare every single time he praises Serra by patting her head. Yet, every single time he looks around, he cannot find whomever or whatever is glaring at him. Not wanting to shoot all of their supplies, Fenrir puts a stop to Serra¡¯s explosive fun. She¡¯s disappointed at first, but she understands. ¡°I had no idea you were going to love shooting cannons so much,¡± he says. ¡°You also like fishing more than I thought you would.¡± ¡°I ¨C I like making hard things shoot their loads,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, I can see that.¡± Wait. Wait one damn second. What did she just say? He looks down at her. She¡¯s looking away and quietly whistling. He must have been hearing things. Wait, this wouldn¡¯t be the first time that he¡¯s thought she¡¯s said or done something sexually suggestive. Is she ¨C is she actually a pervert? His eyes narrow as he looks at her. ¡°What did you just say?¡± he asks. ¡°Shooting cannons is fun,¡± she answers. ¡°Right. I must have misheard you.¡± Serra looks up at him. ¡°Did you?¡± she asks. The look in her eyes tells him that he didn¡¯t actually mishear her. His virgin self doesn¡¯t know how to handle this situation. Every girl he¡¯s ever dated, all of which were part of online and long-distance relationships, was a prude that never even gave him a single tease of anything sexual. Yet, now when he looks at Serra, he feels like he¡¯s being teased. He realizes that he¡¯s blushing and turns away. Normally, this is when he would try to run away as his virgin self doesn¡¯t know how to handle such situations. But if he always does that every time he ever gets teased by a girl, he¡¯s going to remain a virgin forever. He¡¯s got to man up and learn how to stand his ground. If he can stare down and shit talk the biggest badasses and strongest players of MMOs to their faces, he can try to tease a girl back. Fenrir takes a deep breath and tries thinking of the smoothest thing that he can flirt back with. He doesn¡¯t want to be like the annoying, virgin protagonists of the harem anime he loves watching. Those guys always get girls making obvious advancements, but never actually do anything. They just stay virgin and dense. Sure, this isn¡¯t an anime, and it isn¡¯t like he¡¯s some protagonist of a harem, but he can¡¯t help but compare himself to those guys if he runs away here. It¡¯s time to embrace his inner hentai protagonist. ¡°I¡¯ve got a cannon with a full load that you can shoot,¡± Fenrir says, staring her right in the eyes as he says it. Oh. Oh god. He instantly regrets it. He¡¯s internally cringing and wants nothing more than to jump overboard to be devoured by sharks. He deserves it for that horrible, cringe-inducing, cheesy pickup line. But, before he can turn himself into a meal for a sea monster, he sees Serra blushing and giggling. ¡°Does it have an explosive finish?¡± she asks. ¡°The harder you¡­ light my cannon, the more explosive the finish is. It can shoot a lot pretty far,¡± he teases back. As internally cringe-inducing his attempt at flirting is, it makes them both laugh. ¡°Do you get lots of target practice shooting it?¡± she asks back, now giggling at her own words. ¡°I do. Maybe I¡¯ll take you target shooting sometime,¡± he replies. Fenrir doesn¡¯t even think they¡¯re flirting at this point. This is more like just being silly and saying the cheesiest sexual innuendos that they can think of. It¡¯s similar to what he does with Oleander whenever they¡¯re screwing around. Yet, unlike with Oleander, this conversation is actually arousing. Going by the flushed look on her cheeks, he can¡¯t help but think she¡¯s feeling the same way despite how horrible he is at this. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? You two have been over here giggling for a minute now,¡± Cassiel asks. The fact that they both blush and look surprised by her interruption causes her to raise a suspicious eyebrow. Fenrir considers saying that they¡¯re just telling some stupid jokes back and forth to one another to try and cover it up, but he doesn¡¯t want to do that. One, he doesn¡¯t want to lie. Two, he feels like that might potentially hurt Serra¡¯s feelings if he tries to cover it up. Three, why try to cover something up that he doesn¡¯t regret doing? ¡°I think we¡¯re seeing who has the cheesiest pickup line,¡± he explains. Cassiel has an unexpected reaction. She looks interested. ¡°This customer at work once asked me, ¡®hey, do the White Russians here have your own milk in them?¡¯ Does that count? I have to listen to horrible lines like that every day,¡± Cassiel says. Serra has the most difficulty between her and Fenrir to not overly giggle. He figures that she must really like horrible pickup lines. He¡¯ll have to look some up on the internet to memorize for her. Whereas before, Fenrir and Serra were making suggestive lines at each other, all three of them are now thinking up whatever random cheesy pickup lines that they can. Though, all of Cassiel¡¯s are just lines that she has heard people try using on her before. ¡°What¡¯s the worst pickup line a bastard ever used on you?¡± Cassiel asks Serra. ¡°One time a guy told me that he has a cannon I can shoot since he knew I like pirates,¡± Serra answers, flashing a quick look at Fenrir. He feels personally attacked, but it¡¯s still funny enough to make him laugh. ¡°Whoever he is, he sounds really bad at flirting,¡± he says. ¡°Yeah, that was really bad even by drunken customer standards,¡± Cassiel says. Now he feels really personally attacked. He knew it was bad, but even worse than what Cassiel was telling them? When the conversation ends, Cassiel explains that she has to log off to get ready for work. They say their goodbyes. Only Serra and Fenrir are left. Given that they have nothing better to do than sailing and waiting to reach the city, the two just sit around and talk. They talk about life, they talk about any interesting movies they¡¯ve seen, video games, he tells her some stories about the old Divine Brigade, she tells him what it¡¯s like growing up deaf, they have an argument over whether a grizzly bear or a polar bear would win in a fight, and they somehow manage to slip back into sexually suggestive flirting. Fenrir feels like there is a growing sexual tension between them. It doesn¡¯t help that she¡¯s still hardly dressed, having only the bark armor he made her covering up her slender figure. They probably should have taken some more clothes from the people they killed in Coastedge. His heart is starting to hurt from how much he likes Serra. She is already far better than every girl he has ever dated, and he feels way happier with her as well. She¡¯s cute, likes spending time with him, has great hips that he wants to hold onto, and isn¡¯t a complete prude like his exes were. Just the fact that she¡¯s even slightly sexually forward is enough for him to fall for her. Wait, doesn¡¯t that make him really virgin? Shoving that concern aside, Fenrir has to pause their flirting and teasing so that he can steer the ship out of the way from hitting a sea stack. They continue talking about various topics and learning more about one another. It¡¯s nice to just sit back on a ship sailing the ocean to have a casual conversation. As fun as the suggestive and teasing parts are, even just talking to her casually is tons of fun. The sun finally reaches the ocean to the west. They missed sunset the first night they played, but he won¡¯t let them miss it again. Fenrir and Serra walk over to the side of the ship facing the sunset. ¡°Isn¡¯t that beautiful? I¡¯d love to see this in real life someday,¡± Fenrir says. Serra is silent. When he looks down at her, he sees wide eyes full of amazement at what she is seeing. She looks completely enthralled by the setting sun. He can¡¯t blame her. Would¡­ would it be a good idea to¡­ Would there be a better time than now to try this? What if she reacts negatively? Couldn¡¯t it completely screw up the friendship they have going on? The last thing he wants to do is mess up a friendship only a few days old. It¡¯s time to embrace his inner shoujo main love interest. Stepping closer to her, he wraps his right arm around her shoulders and gently pulls her against his side. Every last ounce of confidence was used to do this. He doesn¡¯t have the courage to look down and see her reaction. Instead of seeing her reaction, he feels it. She leans into him and rests her head on his side. Each day for the remainder of the voyage is the same. They eat the food and drink the water from the hull, Rock is fed small cannonballs to keep her healthy, they all play whatever games they can think of from word association games to ¡°would you rather,¡± and take shifts steering the ship. Bonekraka is the only one who doesn¡¯t ever log on during this time. Oleander, Fenrir, and Serra are the three who take turns steering. It is mainly left to Oleander. Fenrir and Serra are physically closer whenever they are alone. Each time they watch the sunset together, they are either leaning against one another or holding hands. He has no idea what their relationship is. It isn¡¯t something they talk about. As for Cassiel, she and Fenrir have sparring sessions every day. She may have warned him against not using a weapon at first, but she doesn¡¯t do that anymore. If anything, she looks disappointed the few times he does use a sword instead of his hands. He figures that she¡¯s getting more and more frustrated after their practice fights due to him slowly catching up and doing better against her every time. Serra can tell what Cassiel is feeling but decides to stay out of it. She finds it fun watching Fenrir be clueless about Cassiel¡¯s sexual frustration every time he pins her either against the mast or down on the deck. Besides, if Serra has to suffer from it, so does Cassiel! It takes them a few days to reach the port city of Port Tugator. A fleet of hundreds of ships is docked outside of the city¡¯s main harbors. The city itself is built within a massive cove. At the entrance to the cove is a tall, round tower with dozens of large cannons on each floor of it pointed out in every direction away from the cove. Fenrir is able to count at least one hundred cannons sticking out from the tower by a quick look. He doubts that it is that effective, but the rule of cool makes up for it. Besides, as ineffective as the tower may or may not be against any proper naval invasion, the cliffs surrounding the cove feature even more coastal batteries ready to fire on any threats. Some of the cannons that he spots sticking out over the cliffs are huge. They remind him of the old cannons from World War II era battleships. Between the fleet of ships, coastal artillery, and the tower of cannons, any naval force that gets anywhere near this city is going to be utterly decimated. Of course, Fenrir being Fenrir, he can¡¯t help but think up potential plans on how to get past all of these defenses should he ever need to. The entire crew of The Shoebill is online at once as Oleander pulls the ship into port. He docks it at the first open pier that he can find where they are allowed to. It helps that the city¡¯s government had the good idea of putting up huge signs saying ¡°Guest Parking¡± by some of the piers. Sure, it might take away from the seriousness of pulling into a huge and epic pirate city, but it¡¯s too helpful for them to complain about. Fenrir and Bonekraka tie the ship to the dock. Rock is the first one to excitedly run off of the ship and onto the pier. ¡°We¡¯re finally here! Just look around ¨C this place is awesome. I bet you feel at home here, Serra,¡± Fenrir says. When he looks back at her, her eyes might as well be shining as brightly as stars from how excited she looks. Cassiel is less impressed. ¡°Great, now I get to be surrounded by drunken wannabe pirates both at work and in-game,¡± she groans. ¡°I want to see bar,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Same! I want to hang out with a bunch of big, burly pirate men,¡± Oleander says, clinging to Bonekraka¡¯s arm. He gets shaken off almost immediately. ¡°Alright, well, just remember where we¡¯re docked, and we can all meet back up here later after exploring a bit. Sound good?¡± Fenrir asks them. There aren¡¯t any complaints. ¡°Hey, you entering the fishing tourney?¡± a crewmember from the ship docked across from them asks a man on the pier. Fenrir¡¯s ears perk up. Did somebody say fishing tournament? Book 1: Chapter 36: Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars ¡°No,¡± Bonekraka says, being the first to shut down Fenrir¡¯s hopes and dreams. ¡°Come on! A fishing tournament! That sounds like tons of fun!¡± Fenrir tries winning the orc over, but he knows that just words would never work. ¡°Sorry, Fenny, but I¡¯ve spent enough time on ships and that boat. I want to actually do other things, too,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I can¡¯t really see myself having any fun with that either,¡± Cassiel says. The only ones to not immediately dismiss Fenrir¡¯s interest in the tournament are Rock and Serra. Even so, the majority is against him. He isn¡¯t so selfish that he would try and demand them to follow along, either. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try learning if there¡¯s entry for individuals instead of just crews,¡± Fenrir says. From what he overheard from the two discussing the tournament on a pier, it is a massive tournament where crews manning ships compete against one another in various fishing-related objectives. It sounded like an insane amount of fun to Fenrir, but he realizes that nobody else matches his interest. ¡°Wait, before we split up, we should sell the cargo and split up the profit. That way we actually have some spending money.¡± The party agrees. Fenrir hides how disappointed and stupid he feels for getting so excited about the tournament. He got way too far ahead of himself way too quickly. The moment he heard about it, he was already beginning to imagine himself and the rest of the party out sailing on their ship fully decked out in fishing equipment. But, this is what always happens. It''s what has always happened ever since he was a kid, and will likely continue to always happen. What he wants to do is just always so different from what everybody else wants to do. Sure, the stars align occasionally to let everybody want the same thing, but that''s rare. He''s just always doing what everybody else wants to do when it really comes down to it. Spending time with his friends doing what they want is more important than selfishly pursuing his own interests alone. There''s no point in worrying about it anymore. Why is he so upset about it in the first place? The damn cork must have been loosened a bit from not paying attention to the bottle in a while. Things have just been going too well lately. Of course he can''t always get his way and do exactly what he wants. To expect that is just selfish. He already feels guilty just for being upset about them all shooting down the tournament. This is a game. Games are meant for everybody to have fun. He''s had his fun, so now it''s time to let everybody else have theirs. As long as his friends are happy, he''ll be happy. Oleander takes charge. Bonekraka and Fenrir move all the cargo up onto the pier while Oleander gathers information from anybody he can. He knows how to get information out of people. Whether it is because his targets want to get rid of him or want to do other things to him, he can almost always get his way. By the time Fenrir and Bonekraka have finished bringing up all the crates and barrels, Oleander already has an interested merchant inspecting the goods. ¡°This everything?¡± the merchant, a rather chubby looking man wearing fancy clothes, asks. ¡°Yup! Only thing not included is me, unfortunately,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°Hmm. What¡¯s in the barrels?¡± ¡°Do you really have to ask that?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Why would I buy something that I don¡¯t know anything about?¡± ¡°Alright, let me whisper it to you,¡± Oleander says, standing up on his tiptoes to whisper into the merchant¡¯s ears. Whatever Oleander is saying, it¡¯s putting a huge grin on the merchant¡¯s face. ¡°I think I¡¯m interested in buying. How does twenty-three gold sound?¡± the merchant asks. ¡°Thirty,¡± Oleander replies, his voice more serious than before. ¡°Twenty-four.¡± ¡°Twenty-seven.¡± ¡°Twenty-five.¡± Oleander pauses to ¡°think¡± about it. ¡°Fine, deal!¡± The merchant claps his hands together before shaking Oleander¡¯s. Oleander has twenty-five gold coins in his hand when he pulls it back. ¡°I¡¯ll have my men come over and take all of this away from you. Thank you for the business,¡± the merchant says. ¡°No problem!¡± Oleander turns back to the rest of the crew with a smug satisfaction. ¡°What¡¯d you say was in those barrels?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°An aphrodisiac extracted from monsters in the north and diluted into water. I told him that any girl who drinks it will screw him,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°He¡­ he bought that? The game¡­ doesn¡¯t even let stuff like that happen, I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± Cassiel says. The rest of them look dumbfounded as well. ¡°Look at him. He¡¯s gross looking, and he was totally checking you two out the whole time,¡± Oleander says to Serra and Cassiel. ¡°I doubt he gets any girls himself, and the way he looks so flashy means that he¡¯s willing to flaunt his wealth and likely has more of it than he knows what to do with, so he was an easy target.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what was really in the barrels?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯dunno. Probably just more booze or something,¡± Oleander says. ¡°What are we going to do if we get in trouble and he comes looking for his money back?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a pirate city, aren¡¯t we? It¡¯s his own fault for being stupid if he gets scammed.¡± ¡°I have no idea how somebody like him could be wealthy if he gets scammed so easily.¡± Oleander shrugs. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now! Here,¡± he says, splitting the gold coins up to give each party member five coins. ¡°I figured that getting twenty-five coins would make it easier since somebody,¡± he looks at Bonekraka, ¡°hates when payouts aren¡¯t even.¡± Bonekraka snorts and grumbles. He¡¯s really beginning to act more and more like an orc. ¡°Alright, good job, Olly. Let¡¯s split up now,¡± Fenrir says. With that, the group splits into two. Oleander and Bonekraka head off to find a bar to have some fun in. Fenrir, Cassiel, and Serra look for some new clothes. As much as Serra doesn¡¯t mind wearing only bark armor around the group, being in a city full of players everywhere she looks is incredibly embarrassing. It¡¯s only made worse by the fact that there are plenty of men and women alike checking her out as they walk. She wonders just how many of the girls they pass by are actually girls. ¡°Man, this city is huge,¡± Fenrir says. There are buildings going as far inland as they can see, climbing up along the cliffs, huge taverns full of life, ships constantly going to and from the docks, and more. ¡°I wonder how many people are here right now.¡± ¡°Probably at least a few hundred thousand. It¡¯s one of the biggest cities in the game, so it¡¯s going to be full of players. That¡¯s not even counting the NPCs,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You¡¯d never see this many people living near the ocean in real life. By the way, how do NPCs work in this?¡± Serra listens in while holding Rock. They don¡¯t trust Rock to not run off alone somewhere in a city that is full of distractions. Serra also occasionally looks up at Fenrir with concerned eyes. She can tell that he''s hiding something, but she doesn''t know what. Something just feels... off, from the way that he''s talking. It''s like he''s forcing himself to put on a smile and happy voice. ¡°You know the saying ¡®if you build it, they will come?¡¯ Well, it basically works like that. If a bunch of players settle down anywhere, NPCs will come and want to move in as long as there are houses available. Sometimes they¡¯ll even build their own,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°Where do they come from, though?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Nobody is really sure. Some have been tracked moving between cities, but most just¡­ appear. The theory is that they appear the same way monsters and animals do. The overseer decides when and where some NPCs should pop up and brings them to life. It¡¯s something the virtual assistants won¡¯t ever say anything about, so it¡¯s either secret or would be immersion-breaking to officially explain it.¡± ¡°I see, thanks.¡± ¡°Got any more questions to harass me with?¡± ¡°What is the meaning of life? What does the number forty-two really mean? What¡ª¡± Cassiel points her sword at him. ¡°Oi! No fightin¡¯ within city limits!¡± a nearby guard shouts, rushing over. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re just friends messing around,¡± Fenrir covers for her as she sheaths her sword. ¡°Oh, and we¡¯re new here. Are there any rules we should know?¡± The guard looks them over. ¡°Yeah, some. No fightin¡¯, no cheatin¡¯ or scammin¡¯, and be respectful,¡± the guard explains. The group blinks their eyes. Even Rock looks confused. ¡°This¡­ that sounds like some weird rules for a pirate city,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Stereotypin'' is the opposite of bein¡¯ respectful.¡± ¡°Just ¨C just to be absolutely sure, you¡¯re not screwing around with us or anything, right?¡± ¡°You think I take my job lightly? Of course I¡¯m not screwin¡¯ around with you. You asked me a question, and I answered it honestly! That¡¯s how we do things around these parts!¡± Fenrir whispers to Cassiel, ¡°I thought these guys were pirates?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ve never met them myself and only know stories about them,¡± Cassiel whispers back. Looking the guard over, Fenrir sees a patch on his shoulder with a skull that has a black mustache and a striped flag with stars on it behind the skull. He¡¯s wearing an open leather vest, loose pants, and has a scimitar strapped to his side. He undoubtedly looks like a pirate. ¡°So the pirates here are like¡­ lawful pirates?¡± Fenrir asks, trying to make sense of this. ¡°We¡¯re Blackstache¡¯s pirates, and that¡¯s all that matters,¡± the guard says. ¡°Alright, and Blackstache ¨C he¡¯s a lawful pirate?¡± ¡°Aye.¡± This Blackstache figure must be a pretty damn great leader to have all of these wannabe pirates whipped into behaving. ¡°Alright, thanks. We¡¯ll behave our best,¡± Fenrir says. The guard nods and heads back to his post. ¡°What if we get in trouble for Olly scamming that merchant?¡± Serra asks. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to worry about that. It sounds like he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to try and track us down to attack us, and if he reports us, he¡¯ll have to explain that he was buying something which would basically let him date-rape girls. I doubt the guards would be kind to him if they¡¯re the lawful types,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°These pirates are boring.¡± ¡°Yeah, I really wasn¡¯t expecting them to be so¡­ good. I wish I could see how disappointed Olly is when he realizes they¡¯re not a bunch of pillagers and rapists.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t understand,¡± Cassiel cuts in. ¡°That¡¯s what everybody always says about them and why everybody is at war with them.¡± ¡°Does the Augus Empire do a lot of work with that Indra person?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, they do. They¡¯re allies right now.¡± ¡°There you have it. You were always a part of the Augus Empire, and they¡¯re friends with Indra, so I doubt Indra wants anybody thinking that her most hated enemy is full of a bunch of goody-two-shoes.¡± Cassiel looks as if she¡¯s just learned that everything she knows is a lie. ¡°You aren¡¯t that good with political stuff, are you?¡± Fenrir teases. She goes to draw her sword but remembers what the guard said. Instead, she crosses her arms over her breastplate and huffs. Book 1: Chapter 37: Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars ¡°I just hope Bone and Olly don¡¯t get in trouble. If they¡¯re expecting this place to be full of raunchy and rough pirates¡­ it¡¯s not going to end well for them,¡± Fenrir says to the girls. ¡°We¡¯ll back them up if anything happens,¡± Serra says with a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty confident there. What, do you plan on firing a bunch of cannons into the city to help out?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll steal those big ones on the cliffs.¡± Fenrir has to stop and look at her. He¡¯s worried that he and the other guys are beginning to rub off on her. Sure, he¡¯s proud of her for having no issue with causing the mass destruction of a city, but he¡¯s worried that the fire within her is going to grow uncontrollably. She reminds him of himself when he was younger. He gives her a thumbs-up. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Cassiel facepalms. ¡°Can we not be on the run from two of the biggest factions in the game, please? I¡¯m fine with just running away from one of them.¡± ¡°You got it, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Wh-what? Cass Cass? What kind of ¨C what kind of idiotic name is that?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty cute. What do you think, Serra?¡± ¡°Cass Cass is cute,¡± Serra says, giving Cassiel a thumbs-up now. Even Rock looks like she¡¯s in agreement with them! Cassiel is blushing even more now as she tries telling Serra not to agree with him. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see them getting along, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°It is, Onii-chan! They¡¯re fun to watch,¡± Saya says, her voice ringing within his mind. ¡°Glad to hear you¡¯re enjoying yourself up there still. I¡¯m sure being stuck in my head is just horrible.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re being self-depreciative for the sake of humor, Onii-chan, but it really is horrible.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to agree with me.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s better for comedic effect if I do!¡± ¡°What¡¯re you spacing out for?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°Sorry, was talking with my virtual assistant,¡± he explains. Switching back to his thoughts, he thinks, ¡°Talk to you later, Saya.¡± ¡°Have fun!¡± Saya says back. ¡°Anyways, looks like there¡¯s a clothes shop up there, so let¡¯s go,¡± Cassiel points, leading the way up a paved dirt road. The building she''s pointing at has glass windows with rows of clothes visible behind them. The trio plus Rock make it up to the shop. When they try walking in, one of the assistants rushes up to block Serra from coming in with Rock. ¡°No animals allowed inside!¡± the assistant shouts. ¡°She¡¯s made out of rock, don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t shed or anything like that, so she won¡¯t be getting hair on anything,¡± Fenrir explains, assuming that¡¯s why the assistant is upset. ¡°No animals!¡± the assistant repeats. Serra pouts since she''s the one still holding onto Rock. ¡°Here,¡± Fenrir says, stepping back outside and taking Rock from Serra¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯ll wait out here. I don¡¯t need new clothes anyways.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be quick, sorry,¡± Serra says. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. And take your time.¡± The assistant steps aside, letting Serra inside with Cassiel. Fenrir catches Cassiel looking back at him through the entrance. She actually looks like she feels bad. ¡°Cass Cass is such a tsundere, isn¡¯t she?¡± he asks Rock. Rock barks and licks his face. Inside, Cassiel looks through various rows of clothes trying to find a good outfit for Serra. Despite this being a fantasy setting where technology is clearly not up to par with reality¡¯s, there are still many similarities. It looks just like the inside of a clothing store in reality. There are metal racks running throughout the store with clothes hanging from them on display, lights hanging from the ceiling, tall mirrors to check themselves out in, and even changing rooms! ¡°How about this?¡± Cassiel asks, holding up a frilly and pink dress. Serra looks very unimpressed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°Too girly,¡± Serra replies. ¡°Haah? What do you mean it¡¯s too girly? I think it looks¡ª¡± Cassiel stops herself when she sees how Serra is looking at her. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were into girly things, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re a girl too, so ¨C so¡­¡± Serra picks up what looks similar to a pirate¡¯s jacket and a cape. Cassiel has no idea where this is going. Serra picks up a few more things and then heads into the dressing room in the back. A minute later and she comes out with not only a jacket on that isn¡¯t even fully closed over a white and short dress, but a cape that hangs over her right shoulder and back, a cap that looks like it¡¯s going to slide off from the top of her head at any moment since it¡¯s just sort of sitting on the very top of her head rather than being pulled down around it, and a red scarf hanging down over her dress. To top it all off, she¡¯s wearing thigh highs that stop low enough to show just the right amount of bare thigh between where they stop and where her dress begins. There¡¯s even a completely unnecessary belt over her jacket to complete her busy, anime-esque look. Despite the very¡­ unique look, Serra looks incredibly pleased with herself. She has a satisfied smile and bright eyes, looking to Cassiel waiting to be complimented. ¡°It looks¡­ complex,¡± Cassiel says. Serra looks unimpressed with her. Cassiel feels as if Serra must think she¡¯s the most boring person alive to be getting stared at like this. ¡°You look great!¡± the shop¡¯s assistant says. Cassiel glares at the assistant. If the assistant is that happy, it means Serra¡¯s choices must be expensive. ¡°That¡¯ll be three gold and twenty silver!¡± Cassiel''s jaw drops. ¡°Hey, she didn¡¯t say that she¡¯s buying. And what''s up with that price?! There better be some great bonuses built into those if--¡± Cassiel starts talking but stops when Serra happily hands over four of her gold coins. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with your change!¡± the assistant says. They come back with eighty silver coins. Serra takes them and shoves them into her new jacket¡¯s pocket. Serra has a happy skip in her step as she leaves the shop. The assistant looks at Cassiel with an annoying smile. Cassiel wants to punch them. Or cut them. Either works. With a defeated sigh, Cassiel follows after Serra. ¡°Woah, Serra, you look awesome!¡± Fenrir looks ecstatic with Serra¡¯s style. ¡°You look cool! Like, you look cute and feminine still, but you also look badass! A hat, a jacket and cape, thigh highs ¨C you¡¯re like,¡± she¡¯s just like an anime girl, but he can¡¯t say something as cringy as that, ¡°you¡¯re just awesome.¡± Serra¡¯s smile is practically reaching from ear to ear now. Cassiel doesn¡¯t get it. She doesn¡¯t get the appeal in wearing such a complex, confusing outfit with a bunch of unnecessary parts that do nothing other than cost more money. She¡¯s even more surprised when Serra looks back at her with a smug smile. It just makes Cassiel¡¯s jealousy over Fenrir¡¯s praise even stronger! ¡°She gets it, you like how she looks,¡± Cassiel interrupts him. That was the wrong move. Fenrir looks up at her with a knowing smile. She just gave away how jealous she is. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cass Cass, you look pretty cool too. You might not have a hat or cape, but you¡¯re still our badass tsun,¡± he says. ¡°The hell does ¡®tsun¡¯ mean?¡± Cassiel asks. They can tell they¡¯re getting to her from how flustered she sounds. ¡°Tsundere,¡± Serra says, nodding her head. ¡°Wait, you know what that is?¡± Fenrir asks, looking down at Serra. ¡°Did research,¡± Serra says with a nod of her head. ¡°It also helped me choose these clothes.¡± ¡°So you¡­ purposely made yourself look anime?¡± She nods. ¡°Why?¡± She blushes and looks away. ¡°I asked a question, you know!¡± Cassiel shouts at them and stomps her foot. ¡°Right, sorry. Anyways, it means you act cold to people and then warm up after you get to know them,¡± Fenrir explains. Cassiel calms down. ¡°Yeah, I guess that explains me.¡± Fenrir blinks a few times. ¡°Never thought you¡¯d admit it so easily.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Unless it means something you¡¯re not telling me, it just sounds like my personality.¡± ¡°I¡­ guess without the usual context it¡¯s used in, you wouldn¡¯t really understand why it¡¯s surprising.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the usual context exactly?¡± ¡°Uhh, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Fenrir says, scratching his forehead. ¡°Anime,¡± Serra answers for him. ¡°The hell is anime?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Japanese cartoons.¡± Serra¡¯s answer makes Fenrir want to cringe. Whatever research she¡¯s done, she clearly didn¡¯t do enough to know to never call anime cartoons. At least she didn¡¯t call them Chinese cartoons. That meme is just the worst. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s get some cards,¡± Cassiel huffs. Serra and Fenrir look at each other. They don¡¯t say anything, but they come to the mutual conclusion that they might have teased her too much. She seems actually upset, not just playfully upset. Cassiel is already storming off without checking to see if they¡¯re keeping up with her. Serra runs up to her and walks by her side. ¡°Thanks for trying to help me with clothes,¡± Serra thanks Cassiel. ¡°Haah? It¡¯s not like you liked my choices anyways, so I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re thanking me. I didn¡¯t help at all,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°We have different tastes¡­ but I still appreciate you for wanting to help me. Thanks.¡± Cassiel glances down at Serra with a bright blush on her face. ¡°Shu¡ª¡­ you ¨C you¡¯re welcome,¡± Cassiel says with a hushed voice. Fenrir can¡¯t hear what they¡¯re saying, but going by Cassiel¡¯s posture being more relaxed and Serra¡¯s thumbs-up to him, he knows that the situation is better now. ¡°It really is nice to see them getting along,¡± he says to Rock. Book 1: Chapter 38: Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars Cassiel has to stop and ask a guard for the location of a Hermetic Scholars office. She was sure that there would be one here since they¡¯re almost everywhere, but since this is her first time actually visiting the city, she has no idea where it is. Fortunately, the guard is able to point them in the right direction. Fenrir and Serra have no idea what to expect as they stand outside of the large building. There is nothing remarkable about it other than its sheer size and a caduceus symbol on each wall around the front entrance. ¡°Cass Cass, I have a weird feeling about this. Why won¡¯t you tell us what these guys are like?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Seeing for yourself is a rite of passage,¡± Cassiel answers. She has already accepted her new nickname. Cassiel opens the door and holds it open for them. ¡°You two first.¡± Fenrir and Serra look at each other, nod, and head inside. ¡°Welcome, welcome!¡± a short¡­ creature, man, thing welcomes them in. It has a male¡¯s voice, so Fenrir assumes that the creature is a he as impolitically correct that may be. More important, the creature has the upper body of a goblin and the lower body of a cat - he is walking on two feline legs with a swishing tail behind him. He¡¯s also wearing a monocle. Neither Fenrir nor Serra has any idea what this thing is supposed to be. ¡°Welcome to the Hermetic Scholars office of Port Tugator! What can we do for you today? Would you like to get your cards updated? No, I don¡¯t recognize your faces. Are you new here? Do you need cards? Do you have any questions you want to ask? Ah, I know! You must¡ª¡± Fenrir cuts the creature off. ¡°We¡¯re uhh, just here for cards, I think.¡± ¡°Splendid! Are all three of you looking for one?¡± ¡°What are they¡­ good for?¡± Serra asks, partially standing behind Fenrir. ¡°Great question!¡± the creature exclaims. ¡°They¡¯re a form of identification! You can rest assured that our cards are impossible to replicate, so presenting your card to anybody is a great way of proving your identity. There are many guilds that will not accept your application unless you have a card to prove who you are, tournaments such as the upcoming fishing tournament won¡¯t allow you to register unless you have one,¡± suddenly, Fenrir finds that getting a card isn¡¯t as boring and pointless as he thought it would be, ¡°and they are a great way of keeping track of your growth!¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think I need one,¡± Serra says. The goblin-cat looks as if he¡¯s about to toss her another sales pitch, but Fenrir speaks up before he has the chance to. ¡°I¡¯ll get one.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Splendid! That¡¯ll be five gold each,¡± the cat-goblin says. Fenrir has no idea whether five gold is a lot or not, so he agrees to the price without worrying about it. Good thing Oleander bargained for twenty-five gold. Cassiel hands over her coin as well. ¡°Splendid! I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m the only one currently available, so I will have to help you both. We would normally have multiple assistants on to help all of our clients, but the other one scheduled to help me today met an¡­ accident recently,¡± says the cat-goblin. ¡°What kind of accident?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. She was just trying to combine a monkey with a pig and ended up with very¡­ explosive results.¡± ¡°¡­right. So, how does this whole card thing work?¡± Fenrir has his doubts about whether this is safe now. He doesn¡¯t even want to question the purpose behind trying to combine a monkey and pig. ¡°Come with me! Ah,¡± the cat-goblin pauses to look at Serra, ¡°you can come along. I won¡¯t be giving you a card, but you are welcome to stay with your friends.¡± Serra smiles. At least this creature-thing is friendly. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ah! My apologies, I never gave my name. You may call me Thelmes,¡± the cat-goblin, Thelmes, says. Thelmes leads them into the back of the building where there are several hallways leading to a whole bunch of different closed rooms. At the end of the hallway looks like the aftermath of an explosion as the brick wall is covered in scorch marks. Seriously, why a monkey and pig? ¡°In here first!¡± Thelmes says, leading the trio into the first room. It looks pretty ordinary inside of it. There is a desk with a chair on the other side of it, a few chairs on their side, and a cabinet full of folders and boxes. ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± Thelmes says, pulling out the chairs on their side of the desk before heading over to the other side of it. He hopes up onto a stool, pulls a box out of the cabinet, and then sits down in his own chair. ¡°Oh, your companion there,¡± Thelmes points at Rock, ¡°is it a combat companion or just a pet?¡± ¡°She helps me fight, so a combat companion?¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t sound sure. ¡°Splendid! I¡¯m supposed to charge extra for pets, but since I¡¯m the only one able to help you both, it will be free of charge to make up for the inconvenience.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice of you, thanks. Does she get her own card?¡± ¡°She does! It will be less detailed than yours since she seems to only be a tier one companion, but it will still have her stats and skills listed on it.¡± ¡°So, skills ¨C there¡¯s skills for everything, right? Are these cards going to have every skill we have on them?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Sorry, but we can only measure combat skills, and there are just so many potential skills that we will only test for the ones that you are interested in checking.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°Splendid! Now then, your names?¡± Thelmes goes through some basic information for Fenrir, Rock, and Cassiel. Going through one of them at a time, he takes a blank, copper tablet the size of a business card and uses some sort of magic to ¡°carve¡± information into it. When Fenrir tells the cat-goblin his name, magic etches the name ¡°Fenrir¡± into the appropriate field on the tablet. Thelmes also asks for: the real life date that the character was created on, any possible guild or faction affiliations, and their main interest gameplay-wise. Naturally, Fenrir tells him that fishing is his main interest. ¡°For sport, or gathering?¡± Thelmes asks. ¡°Uhh, both? Maybe?¡± Fenrir answers. It gets put down on the tablet as ¡°Interest: Fishing [S/G].¡± He then goes through the same questions for Cassiel. She answers ¡°general¡± for her main interest. Rock gets a unique set of questions. ¡°What is its name?¡± Thelmes asks. ¡°Her name is Rock,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Splendid! A very fitting name, if I do say so myself. How did you acquire her?¡± ¡°Uhh, she was just a pet rock at first that was really useful for some basic crafting and fighting when I first started playing and didn¡¯t have anything yet, and then when Ca¡ª when somebody almost killed me, the rock turned into Rock and defended me.¡± ¡°Hmm. Sounds to me like she¡¯s is a tier zero artificial companion then.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± ¡°Being an artificial companion means that, through one way or another, you formed a deep bond with an inanimate object which then magically brought it to life and gave it a form you would subconsciously desire the most. You said she was just a pet rock before, so given that she now has the shape of a dog, I am assuming you have or had a pet dog in reality? Either that or you have always wanted a pet dog.¡± ¡°Yeah. Had one.¡± Cassiel and Serra look over at Fenrir when they hear his somber tone. Rock even leans up to lick his face, cheering him up instantly. ¡°Being tier zero simply means that she is currently in her weakest form. She will grow larger and stronger over time, and when she does, she will reach higher tiers of strength and skill. Her appearance may also change over time. I have one client who first came to me with a sword that got turned into a parrot, and over time, the parrot evolved into a harpy! Needless to say, she had very, very sharp claws.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with Rock staying a cute pup forever,¡± Fenrir says, petting Rock¡¯s head. ¡°Splendid. Now then, may you please lean over the desk so that I can reach your foreheads?¡± ¡°Uhh, sure,¡± Fenrir says and is the first to lean over the table. Thelmes places one hand on his forehead while keeping the other on the tablet. ¡°Hmm, hmm¡­ I see, I see¡­ negative thirteen! That isn¡¯t very good, but it isn¡¯t enough to get you kicked out of the city,¡± Thelmes says as a ¡°-13¡± pops up on Fenrir¡¯s tablet next to where it says ¡°Standing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Your ¡®Standing¡¯ is how ethical you are. We measure your conscious for this. Deeds such as stealing, killing, engaging in traumatic content with other players, and so on will decrease your Standing while doing good deeds will increase it.¡± Fenrir looks over at Cassiel and sees her trying not to laugh at him. By Fenrir¡¯s logic, he totally deserves to get positive points for killing all those pricks. Though, he did steal their ship and burn down their village as well. They probably weren¡¯t all bad, maybe. Oh well. Thelmes measures Cassiel¡¯s Standing next. ¡°Ooh, negative twenty-three¡­ you better be careful. Two more and you won¡¯t be allowed back until it improves,¡± Thelmes says. ¡°Wha¡­ haah? Negative twenty-three? You¡¯re kidding me, right? There¡¯s no way that I¡¯m that low! I used to have eighty!¡± Cassiel complains. ¡°Have you been reset? If you were, like everything else, it gets reset to zero. Either that, and you have made some bad choices since then, or you have certainly fallen from grace!¡± ¡°Tch,¡± Cassiel grinds her teeth, wanting to strangle the cat-goblin-thing in front of her. Fenrir senses her desire to abuse the cat-goblin and calls her out on it. ¡°This is why you¡¯re negative twenty-three.¡± Cassiel glares at him with the intent to kill. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t want it to go down anymore.¡± Serra giggles as she watches them. ¡°Are you interested in learning yours? I won¡¯t be putting it on a card, but I can still tell you what you are at,¡± Thelmes offers to Serra. Fenrir and Cassiel are both looking at her with curious eyes. She can¡¯t exactly say no when they¡¯re looking at her like this. ¡°Sure,¡± she says. Thelmes eyes go wide when he reads her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a good thing this isn¡¯t being placed on a card. Just what did you ¨C never mind, I don¡¯t want to know. It¡¯s better for us both if you don¡¯t tell me.¡± Serra tilts her head. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Negative thirty-one.¡± Cassiel looks just as surprised as Thelmes is. ¡°I guess basically blowing up an entire village does that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me anything else regarding her score.¡± Serra looks worried. However, when she sees Fenrir looking at her with a proud smile, her worried frown turns into a satisfied smile. ¡°Good job,¡± Fenrir says with a thumbs-up. Book 1: Chapter 39: Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars Rock¡¯s Standing score is a positive five. Naturally, Rock is a very good girl. Sure, she might have been attacking other players, but she was only doing it to be a good girl! Rock¡¯s supreme goodness is rewarded with a score fitting for a good girl. ¡°That¡¯s my good girl,¡± Fenrir praises her before Thelmes leads the group into the next room. Inside of the room are several odd constructs. There is a punching bag that looks like it is made out of slime, a simple golem made out of rock, and a pair of cuffs on a table that look like they¡¯re supposed to measure somebody¡¯s blood pressure. ¡°These will measure your average Strength, Health, and Mana. Please step forward in front of the punching bag when you are ready,¡± Thelmes explains. Fenrir steps up first. ¡°Alright, now what?¡± he asks. ¡°Now, punch it as hard as you can ten times.¡± Fenrir follows the cat-goblin¡¯s instructions and begins punching the slimy punching bag. Every single punch has the entirety of his strength poured into it, yet he barely manages to push into the slime with his attack. He doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s just more resistant than it looks, or if he¡¯s incredibly weak. After the tenth punch, the goblin places a hand inside of the slime and looks as if he is measuring something. ¡°Hmm. I see. Hmm, hmm¡­ alright, you did an average of seven damage per punch. That puts you at E for Strength, but don¡¯t worry! If you¡¯re a new player then having such a low score is to be expected.¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t have to look at Cassiel to know how she¡¯s looking at him right now. At least Serra is here to pat him on the back in consolation. Cassiel does the same thing he did. ¡°Splendid! Thirteen damage per punch will put you at D for Strength.¡± Cassiel looks disappointed in herself even though she¡¯s still stronger than Fenrir. ¡°How can you tell how much damage we did?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Everybody is always curious about our methods. Without going into too much of the boring details,¡± Cassiel lets out a sigh of relief, ¡°we have assigned a health pool of five-hundred to this crafted device,¡± Thelmes says, looking at the punching bag. ¡°We cannot tell exactly how much health it has, of course, but we are able to detect a rough¡­ percentage of its condition. It takes a bit of guesswork and experience, but essentially, it comes down to the fact that you reduced its health by what I am estimating to be fourteen percent. That would put the device at four hundred and thirty health, and with ten punches, that puts your damage at seven on average.¡± Serra looks like the only who completely understands what Thelmes is saying. Both Fenrir and Cassiel look lost. ¡°For your companion, just hold her up and command her to bite it ten times.¡± Since Serra is already holding Rock again, she does Fenrir¡¯s job for him and holds Rock up near the bag. Rock doesn¡¯t wait to be commanded and chomps down into the slime. She makes a disgusted face every single time since she keeps getting slime stuck in her mouth. When she¡¯s done, she shakes her head and does her best at spitting out all the slime. ¡°Splendid! Companions are always such a lovely surprise to measure. She performed an average of twenty-two damage per bite which will put her in the upper half of D for Strength.¡± Cassiel and Fenrir both look over at Rock with surprised expressions. ¡°Good girl,¡± Serra says, giving Rock a few pats on the head. Fenrir looks at the cards now. There is a spider chart on the right side of the cards with the first stat being labeled ¡°Strength,¡± and his chart barely shows it reaching toward the stat. The Health measuring is just as simple but reversed from the first test. Rather than punch something over and over again, they are the ones getting punched. Fortunately, it is just by a weak golem that, according to Thelmes, only does one damage per hit. ¡°I see, I see. Hmm. Splendid! You have roughly one hundred and thirty-seven Health, which is good growth for a new character! Everybody starts off at one-hundred, so to gain thirty-seven more points in a week is great growth! However, I am concerned about the sort of situations you are putting yourself in to gain so much Health so quickly.¡± ¡°I get beat up a lot,¡± Fenrir says as the number ¡°137¡± appears at the top left of the card underneath his name. Cassiel only has one-hundred and twenty-nine health. It makes sense when Fenrir remembers what Saya said about getting hit a lot to increase Health. Cassiel is a great fighter and capable of dodging almost all of his attacks, so she¡¯s had fewer chances for her body to grow used to being injured. As for Rock¡­ Fenrir expected it since Rock is made out of ¨C well, rock, but he didn¡¯t think it would be so high. Rock¡¯s Health is approximately one hundred and eighty-four. ¡°Having an artificial companion made out of such a sturdy material certainly pays off!¡± Thelmes says. Finally is the Mana test. Fenrir places his arms in the cuffs which strap him down to the table and drain him of all his innate mana. ¡°Not interested in magic?¡± Thelmes asks. ¡°Not really,¡± Fenrir answers. A ¡°100¡± appears next to Fenrir¡¯s Mana on his card. Cassiel gets one hundred and sixty-one, and Rock gets a one hundred just like her owner. Thelmes leads them into the next room. It may be a room, but it just looks like a long hallway that loops around in a circle. Do hallways technically count as rooms? They are indoors and surrounded by walls, a floor, and ceiling. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know if a hallway technically counts as a room, but it meets all the same conditions, so it counts. Wait, not all hallways have roofs. What if it¡¯s an outdoor hallway? Do alleyways count as hallways? Thelmes takes Fenrir out from his thoughts before he experiences too much existential dread over the classification of rooms and hallways. ¡°Just step up to the line on the right and run until you make it to the line on the left. That¡¯s all.¡± Thelmes explains. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, please step up to the line and wait until I say to go.¡± Fenrir steps up to the line. Thelmes counts down from three, shouts to go, and then Fenrir dashes from the starting position! Thelmes uses a small stopwatch to keep track of the time. It looks steampunk in design with its cogs which draws Serra¡¯s eyes to it. Steampunk and pirates go hand in hand, so of course she¡¯s going to think it¡¯s an awesome looking watch. Thelmes stops the watch of stopping as soon as Fenrir completes the circuit by reaching the line to their left. ¡°Splendid! Going by the time of your lap, your average Speed is seventeen.¡± ¡°D, right?¡± Fenrir asks, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. ¡°Correct!¡± Cassiel goes next. She only gets a fifteen. She doesn¡¯t have to look at Fenrir to know how he¡¯s looking at her. Rock is last. While Rock may be strong and durable, she is very, very slow. It takes her roughly three times longer than Cassiel to eventually come running over the left line, and she collapses into a panting mess as soon as she does. Serra scoops up Rock and showers her in praise to reward her for trying so hard. ¡°Ah, well, artificial companions can¡¯t be good at everything. She gets a four in Speed.¡± The group is led back to the first room so that they may sit and rest for a break. This also gives Thelmes the opportunity to measure their Intelligence as it¡¯s done the same way that their Standing was measured. Fenrir gets an eight, Cassiel gets twelve, and Rock gets¡­ two. While Fenrir is disappointed in his low Intelligence, Rock doesn¡¯t have the slightest care and just continues resting on Serra¡¯s soft thighs. Fenrir is jealous of Rock. Getting a lap pillow right now would be amazing, especially since she¡¯s wearing thigh highs. He looks down at Cassiel¡¯s thighs. Too much armor is in the way. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re looking at?¡± Cassiel asks, glaring at him. ¡°Disappointment,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I think this bastard here needs another Health test, preferably administered involving bullets,¡± Cassiel tells Thelmes. ¡°Ah, to be able to tease one another is a great aspect of friendship. Cherish it while it lasts! You never know when your best friend is going to accidentally blow themselves up in a freak accident involving monkeys and pigs,¡± Thelmes says as a couple of tears run from his eyes. Seriously, why a pig and a monkey? Why?! Fenrir gives up. Whatever the reasoning behind trying to combine a pig and a monkey is, it is something that Fenrir knows he will most likely never learn about. ¡°Why a monkey and pig?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir looks at her with wide eyes. How could she just¡­ go and ask something like that? ¡°Ah, well, why not?¡± Thelmes answers her. Fenrir has a feeling that ¡°why not?¡± is the reasoning for much of what these scholars do. Book 1: Chapter 40: Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars ¡°Ah! I keep on forgetting, how horrible of me. You there,¡± Thelmes looks at Fenrir, ¡°do you ever feel the spirit of a beast within you?¡± ¡°Uhh, I¡­ guess you could call it that. Like, sometimes when I¡¯m fighting, I¡¯ll feel this animalistic instinct want to take over. If I let it, then I fight better. I think,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Yeah, I can tell that he gives in to his Feral,¡± Cassiel adds onto his answer. ¡°Hmm, hmm. I see,¡± Thelmes leans over the desk to get a better look at Fenrir. ¡°Open your mouth as wide as you can.¡± Fenrir opens his mouth with an ¡°ahhhh.¡± ¡°Alright, look down.¡± Fenrir looks down, giving Thelmes a better look at his ears. ¡°I see. Stand up and let me look at your tail.¡± Serra snerks. Fenrir stands up and turns around. ¡°Now, take off your boots,¡± Thelmes says, jumping out from his chair and walking over to Fenrir¡¯s side of the table. He just has regular looking feet. His toenails may be a bit sharp and pointed, but that¡¯s it. Thelmes also checks on his fingernails. ¡°Thank you, you may sit back down and put your boots back on,¡± Thelmes says, returning to his chair. He places a hand on Fenrir¡¯s card to inscribe it. ¡°2¡± pops up next to a word that reads ¡°Feral.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Feral?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Your Feral tier is how monstrous you are. If you start the game as a regular human, you will not advance your Feral tier unless you fight like an animal or monster. Behaving like them will increase it as well. For example, if you hunt an animal and then eat its raw flesh like a wolf or lion would, that would increase your Feral tier. The higher this tier becomes, the more monstrous in both appearance and combat style you will become. However, it is also affected by the player¡¯s conscious desire to shape their character into a specific ideal. If you wanted to become an actual wolf, you would be growing hairier already.¡± ¡°You can become actual monsters and animals?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You can! But, only if your Feral tier gets high enough. You cannot start off as pure monsters and animals even though the character creator does let you experiment as them. If you tried, your virtual assistant would have stopped you and shown you the closest thing to your ideal that you could be. Furthermore, there are ten tiers. You started off a tier one since you chose to be a non-human, and somebody such as Indra is a tier ten.¡± ¡°Indra? The faction leader?¡± ¡°Correct! She is a splendid example of what it means to be Feral. She may have taken on the parts of various different monsters as her own, but she has done so in such a beautiful way that blends together perfectly.¡± Fenrir has learned two things: one, one of the most important players in the game is basically a monster; and two, it¡¯s possible to either collect or grow body parts from multiple species of animals and monsters at once. The next test tests their Dexterity. Fenrir and Cassiel have to do side steps, sit-ups, rope climbs, and they have to dodge having wrenches thrown at them. The reasoning for dodging wrenches being thrown at them by a cat-goblin is ¡°if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge an arrow!¡± When asked about it, Fenrir learns that it is apparently a reference to some movie that came out during his grandparents¡¯ generation. Fenrir¡¯s Dexterity is fifteen, Cassiel¡¯s is thirteen, and Rock gets¡­ three. Thelmes didn¡¯t do the wrench throwing test with Rock because ¡°I¡¯d feel too bad if I hit her.¡± ¡°Finally, we come to the last attribute important enough to test: Fortitude,¡± Thelmes explains. ¡°It is a measure of your ability to resist mental attacks and detrimental effects, as well as a measure of how well boons will affect you. The higher it is, the less effective negative effects are while the positive effects grow stronger. The lower it is, the more effective negative effects are while the less effective positive ones are. Of course, the caster¡¯s ability affects the outcome as well.¡± ¡°How do you measure it?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Like this.¡± Thelmes places a hand on Fenrir¡¯s forehead. Searing pain courses throughout his head. His vision immediately becomes blurry, it sounds like something is screaming inside of his head ¨C his head feels like it is going to split open at any second. Even with pain only set to fifty percent, it hurts more than anything else in this game has by far. When it¡¯s finally over, Fenrir has no idea how long Thelmes has been standing away from him. ¡°How many fingers am I holding up?¡± the cat-goblin asks. ¡°Three,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Wrong, four. How about now?¡± ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°Splendid! Given the time until full recovery, your Fortitude is only at six. I take it that you have not been subject to many spells yet?¡± ¡°Only healing¡­¡± Fenrir groans, rubbing his forehead with both of his hands. ¡°I strongly suggest you train your Fortitude. It will likely be up to nine now just from experiencing the test, but the increase will not count until you are tested again. Cassiel looks obviously pained from the test as well, but she recovers much more quickly than Fenrir did. She gets a ten. Serra is reluctant to hand Rock over to Thelmes for him to test her Fortitude. Even Rock is growling at the cat-goblin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t throw a wrench at her, so I would never put her through what these two just felt,¡± Thelmes says. ¡°So wait, you have a way of testing Fortitude that doesn¡¯t feel like literal mind rape?¡± Fenrir normally wouldn¡¯t ever use ¡°rape¡± to refer to anything, but it is the closest thing that he can think of to describe how it felt. ¡°Correct! It is the most accurate method, but we can also test via boons.¡± Thelmes leads them back to the room with the slimy punching bag. After placing a boon on Rock, he has Rock bite into it ten times. ¡°The increase in damage is negligible, so her Fortitude is only three.¡± ¡°You could have told us about this test instead,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir nods. ¡°Ah, well, next time you can request it!¡± Neither of them is looking forward to a next time. ¡°Congratulations! The attributes portion is done. Now, are there any skills you would like to have tested?¡± ¡°You said only combat stuff, right? So there¡¯d be no way to test anything like fishing skills?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sorry, we have no way of testing for fishing skills. It may be possible someday, but for now, you may only test for combat skills recognized by our faction.¡± ¡°I have no idea what to even try testing then. Feel free to go first, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Alright. I have a few in mind,¡± Cassiel says. Thelmes leads them to a large gymnasium-like room ¨C the one they tested Dexterity in. In the section of the room that they never went over to, there are golems, all manners of weapons, and other useful objects that could be used for combat tests. Cassiel takes an iron spear off of the wall to use in addition to her sword. ¡°Activate that golem,¡± she points to one of the golems made of slime. Thelmes walks over to it, places a hand on it, and activates it. The slime golem stands by waiting for something to react to. Cassiel charges forward with the spear held in both of her hands. She thrusts it all the way through the slime golem¡¯s torso and then uses it to spring her self upward! Midair, she draws her sword and stabs it down into the golem¡¯s head as she falls. It¡¯s just like what she did to the leader of garlic men, but with the weapons¡¯ roles reversed. ¡°Splendid! Is that the most advanced maneuver you can pull off?¡± Thelmes asks. Cassiel looks pretty pleased with herself. ¡°Yeah, I think so. I learned it during our last battle. Felt the skill unlocked and everything,¡± she explains, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. ¡°Splendid, splendid. I do believe that would count as Combat Acrobatics, and a maneuver such as that should place you at the second tier for it. We believe¡ªkeep in mind that this is all theory¡ªthat Combat Acrobatics increases your Dexterity by a set percentage for each tier of the skill as well as multiplies damage inflicted during acrobatic attacks. Would you like it as one of your top three listed skills?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Splendid! Anything else?¡± Cassiel replaces her own sword with one of the ones from the wall. ¡°I want to test my skill with swords and then healing.¡± ¡°Wonderful, just let me measure the golem¡¯s remaining Health first.¡± After checking on the golem, Thelmes gives her the go to attack it ten times with the practice sword. She has to use the practice sword to accurately measure her ability with swords to make sure that nothing related to her personal sword affects the damage and test. Thelmes measures the new damage done to the golem. ¡°Splendid! When calculating the damage done with your Strength and a sword that does not have any special modifiers¡­ I believe that your Sword Proficiency is at tier three. Is that your weapon of choice?¡± Thelmes asks. ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± Cassiel answers. She sounds disappointed again. ¡°Tch, damn reset. I used to be up to tier seven.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a shame. I know it can take months of practice to reach such a high tier. Don¡¯t worry, I am sure you will get there again with enough practice! Oh, and go ahead with healing the golem now. Use your strongest healing spell and heal it for five seconds.¡± Cassiel does as Thelmes requests. He measures its new Health afterward. ¡°Impressive! Your Healing Magic skill should be tier three. You must be using it frequently!¡± ¡°You¡­ could say that,¡± Cassiel says, not daring to look over in Fenrir¡¯s direction. Book 1: Chapter 41: Patch 7.0: Pirates and Scholars The urge to kill Thelmes every single time he says ¡°splendid¡± is rising within Fenrir. ¡°Splendid! Now, for the wolf and his daughter, are there any skills you two would like to test?¡± Thelmes asks. Serra gets a huge smile and sparkly eyes when she hears Rock referred to as Fenrir¡¯s daughter. That is just so extremely adorable to her that she can¡¯t resist smiling at the concept. It totally works, too. Rock is a girl, they¡¯re both canines, and he basically created her by loving her enough that she came to life! Fenrir looks over at Serra. She¡¯s definitely thinking something weird. He looks at Cassiel. ¡­ Why is she looking at him the same way that Serra is right now? ¡°Uhh, no, I can¡¯t really think of anything for either of us. I guess I can test my sword¡­ proficiency skill? What¡¯s that do?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Essentially, every tier in Sword Proficiency gives you a bonus modifier to damage inflicted by weapons classified as swords,¡± Thelmes explains. ¡°Hey. I just got an idea. What if ¨C what if I fight with fish?¡± Serra and Cassiel both lose their awed expressions. ¡°You know, like, what if I catch a really big fish and just slap people with it all day? Would I do bonus damage whenever I hit people with fish?¡± ¡°I¡­ err¡­¡± Thelmes is caught off guard for the first time. That¡¯s what he gets for being so splendid-y. ¡°I¡­ want to say no, but¡­ knowing this game¡­ yes ¨C yes, you would most likely invent a Fish Proficiency skill that behaves the same way as Sword Proficiency.¡± Fenrir has a bad feeling when he sees Thelmes light up. ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that would be a great experiment! My gosh, I never even considered that! I am a failure of a scholar! My friend was trying to combine pigs with monkeys, and here I am failing to see the obvious! Fenrir, was it? Fenrir, together, we need to invent in a whole array of fish-related skills! If we can create a whole new category of combat skills involving fish, I could submit that as my thesis to the big guy and then I¡¯ll get promoted if he approves it! Yes, yes! This is perfect! Turning my lower half into a cat is nothing compared to what we are going to accomplish together with fish!¡± ¡°¡­yeeeaaahh, so can I test my sword skill now?¡± Fenrir isn¡¯t used to his jokes being taken so seriously. Sure, he was curious if it would actually work, but it was mainly a joke. Though, now part of him actually does want to try it out. ¡°A-ah, I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. My apologies. I am very easily excited, as you may be able to tell. Anyways, go ahead! Just use the training sword instead of your own.¡± Fenrir does as told, using the training sword to slash at the slime golem ten times. ¡°Splendid,¡± Fenrir cringes, ¡°your Sword Proficiency is tier one. That means you gain a five percent bonus to damage inflicted with swords. Anything else?¡± Thelmes asks. "It doesn''t sound like I do that much damage even with a sword then, so how was I able to kill a guy just by punching him in the face then stabbing him in the chest?" Fenrir asks. "Well, the sort of damage we are measuring here is the base damage you deal before the game takes into consideration all other factors such as where you hit them, realism, and so forth. Even if you only do one point of damage, if you cut off somebody''s head or stab them in the heart, they are going to die. So while you do not need to do much damage to actually kill somebody, you will if you want to get past other factors such as armor, magical barriers, tough skin or hides, and so forth." ¡°Got it, thanks. I think we¡¯re all done here,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel and Rock are both in agreement. Though, to be fair, Rock agrees with pretty much everything that Fenrir says unless Serra has an objective to him. Fenrir may be Rock¡¯s dad, but Serra is the cool aunt. ¡°Splendid!¡± Fenrir worries that his face may get stuck in this cringing position. ¡°Let us return to my office so that I can stamp your cards.¡± They walk back to the first room he took them to, sitting down at the desk for a final time. ¡°How do we get these things upgraded?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Once stamped, the information on these cards cannot be changed. You would have to go through testing all over again to fill out the fields on a new card.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the cost for the higher tier cards?¡± Cassiel asks. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s referring to. ¡°Ah! Copper cards are five gold a piece, iron are ten, silver are twenty-five, gold are fifty, and platinum cards are one platinum,¡± Thelmes explains. ¡°We can also do custom orders with exotic metals, but those are one platinum in addition to you having to provide the metal itself.¡± ¡°So, the material of the card is basically like the stat for how wealthy you are?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Basically,¡± Cassiel answers him. ¡°Is there anything else you would like to do today?¡± Thelmes asks them. ¡°We¡¯re good, thanks for helping us out so much.¡± ¡°Splendid! The pleasure was all mine, Mister Fenrir. Now, let me escort you to the entrance. We can discuss our fish theory on the way¡­¡± Unfortunately for the fish-addicted cat-goblin-thing, when he leads the group back into the building¡¯s main lobby, he realizes that he is going to have a very busy day ahead of him. ¡°Ah¡­¡± There are over fifty players sitting and standing around waiting to be helped. ¡°I knew work was too slow today. They had to all come eventually,¡± Thelmes groans. ¡°Sorry, can you show yourselves out?¡± ¡°No problem, thanks for helping us out again. Good luck with all of them,¡± Fenrir says, waving goodbye. Serra lifts one of Rock¡¯s paws to show her how to wave. ¡°Thank you. I am going to need all the luck I can get. If only that was a trainable attribute.¡± Thelmes turns to face the crowd. ¡°Sorry for the wait, everybody! I¡¯ll start assisting you now.¡± The group escapes through the entrance before the crowd goes wild over whom gets to go first. ¡°That reminds me of horror stories I¡¯ve heard about old school DMVs,¡± Fenrir says to the girls once they¡¯re back outside. ¡°It was scary,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, screw everything about working a job alone when there¡¯s that many people. But, those crazy scholars love that kind of stuff, so he¡¯s probably going to love every second of that rush. It¡¯s so not for me,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°Also, I can see why you wouldn¡¯t explain the scholars to us. They¡¯re very, uhh, eccentric,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡¯s the nice way of saying it. Yeah, they¡¯re pretty out there. They¡¯re like the super hardcore dedicated players of other games who just spend all day putting lore on Kiwi pages or theorycrafters who obsess over numbers.¡± Fenrir holds up his new card to look over it. ¡°Isn¡¯t an ID card pretty useless without a picture?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know how to take pictures or anything like that yet, but it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if they figure it out soon. The silver and above cards can get an etching of your face put on them, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Oh well. Now what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You wanted to learn about the fishing tournament. Let¡¯s do that,¡± Serra says, poking Fenrir¡¯s side with Rock still held in her arms. ¡°Thanks, Serra, but there isn¡¯t really a point. Nobody else wants to participate, and I don¡¯t want to go join a random crew to do it. It¡¯s not the same if I don¡¯t do it with my actual friends, you know?¡± Cassiel looks away. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll help you with it if you really want me to. It¡¯s not like I have anything better to do,¡± she mumbles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I don¡¯t want anybody doing anything they don¡¯t really want to do. I would just feel bad if anybody does it for me without wanting to actually do it themselves. I¡¯ll enjoy doing something more that everybody wants to do and enjoy together.¡± Fenrir says that, but he actually really wants to accept Cassiel¡¯s reluctant offer to help. Ever since he was a child, he¡¯s always wanted to do things ¨C play games, watch movies, visit places, that nobody else would ever want to. Sure, if he begged and cried enough he would eventually get his way since everybody would feel bad, but he realized that going to places with bored people just took all enjoyment out of it. Even Bonekraka and Oleander are guilty of this at times. He¡¯s always doing what they want to do, but they rarely ever want to do what he wants. They try to put on happy faces for him to make it look like they¡¯re enjoying it, but Fenrir always sees right through them and somehow makes whatever they¡¯re all doing about them instead of him. The only time they''re ever really on the same page is when it involves drinking or killing people. It¡¯s extremely lonely in a sense. He¡¯s happy doing almost anything with anybody as long as it means those he cares about are happy. Yet, he never lets people do the same for him since he is ultimately more concerned about their enjoyment over his own. He finds it hard to believe that he once led the most hated guild in gaming when he¡¯s a major softy at his core. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s¡ª¡± He stops himself when he sees Serra and Cassiel both staring at him with concerned expressions. Ah, shit. He spins around and wipes his eyes. Great, he had to go and think about emotional things that always get to him, and now he¡¯s gotten all teary-eyed in front of Serra and Cassiel. He just knows how to look cool in front of the ladies. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m fine. I was uhh, thinking about...¡± he doesn¡¯t want to lie to them even though it would protect his pride, ¡°¡­things.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you apologizing for? I didn¡¯t see anything,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I was just looking at you because I want to touch your ears,¡± Serra says. Fenrir can¡¯t turn around yet. They¡¯re just making him even more teary-eyed. ¡°Thanks,¡± he says. He¡¯s sure that they¡¯re both concerned about him, but he¡¯s happy that they¡¯re respecting he doesn¡¯t want to talk about it. Someday he¡¯ll open up about it, but not right now. ¡°I actually am serious about wanting to do the fishing thing. I was thinking about it while you were doing your tests. I just¡­ don¡¯t really know how to fish. I¡¯ve never done it before. If you teach me then I¡¯ll be fine. I just don¡¯t want to go into a tournament without knowing anything about it,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Saya, can you disable my tear ducts from working?¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°Sorry, Onii-chan, but you¡¯re stuck being a crybaby for now!¡± Saya answers. Great. He tries bottling everything back into where it was. The cork gets more difficult to seal everything in every time he has to replace it, but for now, it¡¯s stuck in there well enough. ¡°Ahh, fuck. Alright. We¡¯re going to need bait first,¡± Fenrir finally turns around. Rock is pawing at the air as if trying to swim through it to him. Serra holds Rock up so that he can take her. Taking Rock into his arms, Rock hops up against his chest and licks his cheeks where the tears were. ¡°Thanks, Rock. You¡¯re a good girl.¡± Book 1: Chapter 42: Patch 8.0: How to Train Your Crew Fenrir leads Cassiel and Serra back down to the docks. At one point, he tells Rock that he¡¯ll let her down if she promises to behave and not run off anywhere without permission. She licks his face in agreement. Fortunately, she has yet to run off. She sticks by his side and never breaks pace. She does not fall behind, nor does she run ahead. She stays exactly at his side as a trained service dog would. He¡¯s actually really impressed. Cassiel and Serra are both impressed as well. Fenrir has never gone shopping for bait before, but he figures that if anywhere is selling it, it¡¯s going to be at the docks. And so, they reach the docks. ¡°Hey! Do you know of any good bait¡­ shops?¡± Fenrir asks a man that he sees walking around with a fishing pole. The man turns around. Fenrir immediately feels emasculated. Standing before him is a man a couple of inches taller than him, he has an open shirt revealing a chest covered in curled hairs just as white as the scruffy hair covering his face, and he is absolutely ripped as far as muscles go. He just looks straight up intimidating. Serra is already hiding behind Fenrir. Even Cassiel is intimidated by the man¡¯s sheer masculinity. ¡°What¡¯s this? A new arrival here wantin¡¯ to go fishin¡¯ with his ladies?¡± the man asks, but he sounds more like he¡¯s shouting from how deep and booming his voice is. ¡°I¡¯ll show ya the best place to get some good bait at! With me, boy!¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t fully understand what¡¯s going on, but he does know that he¡¯s following this giant personification of masculinity. ¡°Oi! I got a new boy! Get the good stuff out here!¡± the man shouts into a wooden shack on the pier. Another man with matching levels of masculinity, but with brown hair and less wrinkles, brings out a huge bucket full of shrimp trying to jump out of its water. Serra strategically positions Fenrir from behind so that his back is away from each of the men. ¡°We got some good stuff for ya here! First order is free since I like seein¡¯ young¡¯uns takin¡¯ up fishin¡¯.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great,¡± Fenrir says. It¡¯s mainly great because he¡¯s just remembered that he¡¯s out of money. ¡°Of course! We need more young¡¯uns learnin¡¯ the joys of fishin¡¯, and unless yer lucky with where ya live back in borin¡¯ old reality, this is the best place to learn! Let me tell ya, boy. I¡¯ve played many fishin¡¯ games in my day. I remember when Pro Ocean Fishing ¡¯19 Deep Dark Edition was the hottest thing around, but nothin¡¯ can beat fishin¡¯ here!¡± As much as Fenrir loves fishing and enjoys the confirmation that this game has the best fishing that there is, he¡¯s more impressed by the fact that this guy is referencing a game that came out before his parents were even born. ¡°My name¡¯s Fenrir. I figure I at least owe you my name if you¡¯re helping me out so kindly.¡± ¡°Fenrir! That¡¯s a good name! Sure, it might not be the most original name I¡¯ve ever heard, but it¡¯s still a good one! A fishin¡¯ wolf is the best kind of wolf!¡± the man shouts. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯m Jax,¡± he says, his voice much calmer now. ¡°Nice to meet you, Jax.¡± Serra and Cassiel are amazed by how well Fenrir seems to be getting along with this new man known as Jax. Is this how men bond? By talking about fishing? Neither of the girls has ever witnessed the birth of a bromance before. Since Serra is hiding, only Cassiel can see how the two men longingly look into one another¡¯s eyes. While she¡¯s sure that they just want to talk about fishing things, it¡¯s oddly homoerotic. Cassiel has no idea how to feel about this. Should she be jealous or disturbed? ¡°I¡¯m Jin,¡± the younger but just as masculine man in the shack says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, kid. This bucket would normally only be a few silver. Bait¡¯s cheap.¡± ¡°Even so, I really appreciate it. I just used the last of my gold on getting this card,¡± Fenrir says, flashing the card to the men. Jax grabs Fenrir¡¯s wrist to get a good look at the card. ¡°Got a negative Standing there. Be careful showin¡¯ it around. The folk here might be the best company you could ever ask for to go fishin¡¯ with, but they¡¯re firmer than my late ma¡¯s fruitcake when it comes to the rules. ¡°I figured as much, thanks. Hey, you guys know anything about the fishing tournament?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Of course we do! It¡¯s the talk of the city! It¡¯s happenin¡¯ in a week from now, and I¡¯ve heard that the pretty boy elf king from across the way is goin¡¯ to be showin¡¯ up for it. Guess it¡¯s part of Blackstache tryin¡¯ to find more allies to help him with ole¡¯ blue bitch.¡± ¡°Blue bitch?¡± ¡°Yeah, blue bitch. Indra. She¡¯s a wretched woman, reminds me of my late ma.¡± Fenrir has a feeling that Jax has very conflicting emotions regarding his late ma. ¡°Are new players allowed to compete in the tournament?¡± ¡°Course ya are! I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll do very well, probably won¡¯t make it past the first round, but they¡¯re more than welcome to try! Hell, if we¡¯ve got some NPCs tryin¡¯ to compete with their own ships and crews, why can¡¯t some new faces?¡± ¡°NPCs are going to be competing? Sorry for the questions, only just started playing this past week.¡± ¡°No problem, boy! Yeah, some of ¡®em have grouped up and started a crew. Real friendly folk. I¡¯ve talked to them a few times before. They¡¯re great fishers, too. Ya wouldn¡¯t think it from lookin¡¯ at them, but they¡¯ve got just as much spirit as me and you. Also, I¡¯m sorry to say, but if you¡¯re new then ya probably don¡¯t have a ship, and ya need a ship if ya want to enter the tournament.¡± ¡°Oh, no, we¡¯ve got one already.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s over there. I named her The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir points to the far end of the pier where The Shoebill is in sight. ¡°Well beat me over the head with my ma¡¯s fruitcake and call me Lola. You new players are all about catchin¡¯ up as quickly as possible these days, aren¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got to catch up to you old timers! Can¡¯t be letting you hog all the glory and fun to yourselves.¡± ¡°Hah! I like you, boy. What was your name again?¡± ¡°Fenrir.¡± ¡°Nice to meet ya, Fenrir! I¡¯m Jax!¡± This time, Jax grabs Fenrir¡¯s hand and gives it such a firm handshake that Fenrir worries his bones are going to break. Fenrir hides his hand behind his back to shake the pain off after it¡¯s finally released. He accidentally smacks the side of Serra''s head doing it. She pouts and readjusts her hat. ¡°Is there anything else you need to join?¡± ¡°A ship, a card, and a good crew! Ya need at least seven people for your crew to qualify. We¡¯ve got individual tournaments, but this one here is for crewed vessels.¡± Assuming that Fenrir can somehow convince Oleander and Bonekraka to join them, that still leaves them two short. He doubts that Rock would count. Rock is more of a mascot than a crewmember. He looks down at Rock. She¡¯s sitting with her tongue out, craning her neck to look up at the hulking Jax. ¡°Alright, thanks again for all the information. I forget if I already asked, but are you guys competing?¡± Fenrir asks, looking between Jax and Jin. ¡°We are! We¡¯ll be sailin¡¯ out with the rest of our brothers on The Weeping Tit.¡± Fenrir tries containing his laughter. However, Jax catches onto him and slaps his back to force the laughter out! ¡°It¡¯s alright, boy! If ya want to laugh, laugh! Bein¡¯ a man is all about doin¡¯ what ya want to do! Never hold anythin¡¯ back. It¡¯s especially true for your girls there. Holdin¡¯ back a laugh is as bad as holdin¡¯ back half your cock!¡± Jax¡¯s vulgar and blunt language causes not only the girls to blush, but Fenrir as well. Even so, he laughs. ¡°Thanks for the great advice. Always laugh and never go to a girl with a semi. Got it. Anyways, we¡¯ve got to go get some practice and meet a couple of new crewmembers. You¡¯ll be seeing The Shoebill during the tournament, and we¡¯ll be proving that us newcomers have got what it takes to compete!¡± Fenrir proudly declares. He knows that Bonekraka and Oleander haven''t even agreed to it yet, and there''s still the problem of needing two more crewmembers even if they do agree, but he''s allowing himself to get excited even if he knows it might just lead to disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, boy! Now, take this bucket and go get some practice!¡± Jax says, picking up the bucket of jumping shrimp and shoving it into Fenrir¡¯s arms. ¡°One last thing. You see the tower there?¡± Jax asks, pointing to the arguably-useless tower of cannons. ¡°The water, this side of it ¨C it¡¯s a great fishin¡¯ spot. Plenty of fish love hangin¡¯ around in the back there since not many ships disturb the waters in that spot. Your ship looks small enough to not annoy anybody, so I¡¯d just anchor her over there and get to fishin¡¯.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do that. Thanks again, Jax, Jin. I¡¯m lookin¡¯¡± their speech is beginning to rub off on Fenrir, ¡°forward to seeing you during the tournament.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be lookin¡¯ out for The Shoebill and her dog of a captain!¡± Jax spins Fenrir around and gives him a pat on the back to send him forward, making sure to hit just above where Serra¡¯s head is since she¡¯s still clinging and hiding behind Fenrir. ¡°Thanks,¡± Cassiel says, following after Fenrir. Jax looks over to Jin. ¡°Ain¡¯t it nice seein¡¯ a boy and his girls?¡± ¡°Remember when it used to just be a boy and his girl?¡± Jin asks. ¡°Yeah, but times¡¯ve changed. Can¡¯t be lettin¡¯ our old beliefs get in the way of the young¡¯s. It¡¯s their future.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a lot softer than you look, old man.¡± ¡°Nothin¡¯ wrong with that! A real man has to be comfortable with his soft side!¡± ¡°Right you are. Now, go catch some more bait to make up for what we just gave away." Book 1: Chapter 43: Patch 8.0: How to Train Your Crew Together with Serra, Cassiel, Rock, and a bucket of shrimp, Fenrir heads out on The Shoebill to the fishing spot that Jax told him about. Fenrir has to be careful not to accidentally ram, or get rammed by, any other ships as he sails to the rear of the tower. The port city is an extremely busy one with at least a dozen vessels of various sizes entering or leaving at all times. Serra looks ready to drop the ship¡¯s anchor as soon as they reach the spot, but Fenrir commands her not to. He explains that he¡¯s worried it might scare the fish or at least disturb them. For that same reason, he tells the girls not to talk too loudly or make much noise in general. Neither of the girls knows how to fish, but Serra lets Cassiel get lessons first. It gives Serra more time to pet Rock. ¡°Alright, are you watching?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel nods and stares at his hands. He¡¯s never seen her look so focused before. It¡¯s pretty cute. ¡°Alright, first you reach into the bucket and grab a shrimp. Once you grab one, you have to make sure to hold onto it tightly enough that it won¡¯t break free but not so tightly that you¡¯ll hurt or kill it.¡± Fenrir reaches into the bucket and tries grabbing one of the shrimp. He winces a bit when one of them manages to cut his hand, but he eventually gets a good grip on one to pull out. And then it jumps right out of his hand onto the deck. Rock rushes over to it and tries playing with it. Rock discovers that she doesn¡¯t like the taste of shrimp when she accidentally bites it hard enough to pop it open in her mouth. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try again,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re the one who should be teaching me this?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Here, just let me try.¡± She reaches into the bucket. A cocky smile spreads across her lips when she picks out a shrimp much faster than he did, but then the exact same thing happens to her. Instead of biting the shrimp to try and play with it, Rock barks at it until Fenrir has a chance to pick it up. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re the one who should be giving me sass?¡± Fenrir asks Cassiel and gets a glare in response. ¡°Alright, once you have the shrimp, you want to run the hook right through the center of its body. Try not to get too close to its head. You want it to stay alive.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Because if it¡¯s alive then it¡¯ll be swimming around and grabbing attention. Fish are more likely to notice it and try eating it,¡± he explains while sliding the hook through the center of the shrimp. Cassiel cringes from the sound it makes as the hook punctures the shrimp¡¯s shell. ¡°Once you have your bait ready, you want to hold the rod in your dominant hand like this,¡± he grips the rod so that the foot of the reel is between a couple of his fingers, ¡°have a bit of line freely hanging and then hold the line against the rod with your finger, open the bail like so, and aim at where you want to cast your line to. Now, this next part is all about timing. You want to raise the rod up like this, and then halfway through your swing, you need to let go of the line. Watch the tip of my rod to see when I release.¡± With his explanation over, Fenrir swings his rod forward and releases the line when the tip reaches halfway through where he was aiming it. The line goes flying out over the water! It is a smooth cast that lands almost exactly where he was aiming. ¡°And then you close the bail! You want to open the bail when you want the line to go out, and close it when you don¡¯t want to give more of it. Make sense?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over at Cassiel whom looks unimpressed. ¡°Looks easy enough,¡± she says. She goes through all the steps he went through. First is grabbing another shrimp, sliding it onto the hook, and then preparing to cast the line. Her first attempt results in the hook being sent straight down into the water off the side of the boat. She knows that it isn¡¯t right, so she reels it in to try again. Her second attempt gets the hook snagged in her hair, so Fenrir has to help her unhook herself. The third attempt reaches about halfway to her target, but¡­ the shrimp slips off mid-cast. She expects to see Fenrir looking at her all smugly when she looks at him, but instead, he¡¯s setting down his rod against the side of the ship so that he can help her out. ¡°You¡¯re doing pretty good for somebody who¡¯s never done this before. Probably better than I was when I first tried fishing in VR. Here, let¡¯s try changing your posture a bit,¡± he says. How respectful and patient he¡¯s being with her is something that she¡¯s never experienced a guy treat her like before. It makes her timid and blush. Her blushing only grows more intense when he grabs her hips from behind to help position her. ¡°Alright, so I think part of your problem is that you¡¯re angling your body and leaning into your casts. You don¡¯t need to do that. Just face straight, try not to lean with it, and cast with your arms and wrists. You¡¯re not throwing a punch or thrusting a spear, so keep your shoulders still. Got it?¡± he explains, hands still on her waist as he stands behind her. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Cassiel answers, struggling to keep calm. Serra and Rock are both watching Cassiel from the sideline. Serra has found there to be great enjoyment in watching Cassiel struggle around Fenrir when he doesn¡¯t realize what he¡¯s doing. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve got it this time. Just do what I said,¡± Fenrir says, finally taking his hands off of her and stepping to her side.¡± Cassiel takes a deep breath and readies the rod. She aims the tip towards her target, raises it above and behind her, and then swings it forward while letting go of the line mid-swing. The hook and shrimp splash down exactly where she was aiming! She looks up at Fenrir to be her usual smug and satisfied self that she is whenever she does something perfectly, but when she sees how excited and happy he is for her, it makes her heart flutter and her cheeks redden. Instead of being smug, she just turns her head away and thanks him. ¡°Thanks for helping me. How do I¡­ how am I supposed to know when there¡¯s a fish on the line?¡± she asks. ¡°No problem, Cass Cass. And you can tell whenever you feel your line being tugged on. Bobbers can help, but we don¡¯t have any. Just hold the rod and try feeling for¡ª¡± Fenrir¡¯s explanation is cut off when something tugs on her line! It isn¡¯t just a quick tug, either. The fish is definitely hooked. ¡°You¡¯ve got one! Alright, start reeling in slowly. If you feel it pulling to the left, lean your rod right, If you feel it pulling to the right, lean your rod left.¡± Cassiel looks panicked. She¡¯s reeling the fish in as quickly as she can without trying to read the fish. But, when Fenrir gets behind her and holds her by her hips again, she relaxes. ¡°Calm down, you need to be smart,¡± he says. She listens. ¡°Alright, now, stop reeling. First, you need to raise the tip of the rod up, and then you¡¯re going to slowly lower it. I want you to reel in quickly while you¡¯re lowering the tip, but then stop when you go to raise it again.¡± Cassiel does her best to follow his instructions. She raises the tip, reels in while lowering it, leans the rod to the right when she feels the fish running to the left, and repeats. ¡°There! I see it! Come on, you¡¯ve got this, it¡¯s almost here!¡± Fenrir cheers her on. Serra is holding Rock up to look overboard with her. ¡°Alright, just lift your rod and reel it in the rest of the way!¡± Doing exactly as he¡¯s saying, Cassiel raises the rod and reels it in until the fish is hanging from the line over the ship¡¯s deck. On the line is a small fish no larger than her hand with a striped side and spiny dorsal fin. It tries wriggling around on the hook to break free but eventually gives up. ¡°Congrats! You caught your first fish. Let me get it off the line for you,¡± Fenrir says, grabbing the fish with one hand and removing the hook from its mouth with the other. ¡°Want to hold it?¡± Cassiel nods, taking the fish into her hands. It flops out a second later to jump all over the deck. Fortunately, Fenrir manages to get ahold of it before Rock does after she jumped out of Serra¡¯s arms. ¡°Alright, great job. Seriously. Now, let¡¯s put this in the barrel,¡± Fenrir says, taking the fish over to the barrel of water that he brought up from below deck. He gently lowers the fish into it before returning to the girls. Cassiel is already putting another shrimp on her hook. He wants to tease her since she looks like she¡¯s enjoying it way more than she thought she would, but he doesn¡¯t want to ruin her excitement. Serra, however, looks like she wants a turn. ¡°You can use my rod, Serra,¡± Fenrir says. Serra quickly turns around to cover her mouth and snerk. Book 1: Chapter 44: Patch 8.0: How to Train Your Crew It turns out that Serra was paying close attention to everything Fenrir was explaining and demonstrating to Cassiel because she¡¯s able to properly cast the line right from her first try! Naturally, this triggers Cassiel¡¯s competitive side. The two girls get into a competition to see who can cast the line the farthest and with the most accuracy. Meanwhile, Fenrir gets some bonding time with Rock. Fenrir lies on his back with Rock curled up on top of his chest. One hand rests atop Rock¡¯s back to pet her as he stares up at the sky. There are only a few clouds dotting what would otherwise be a clear sky. The sun is brightly shining down on everything around them, but fortunately, they are safe from the sun¡¯s direct rays thanks to the tower providing them shade. Serra reels in her second fish. Cassiel has yet to get another bite since her first fish. Three fish are flopping around within the barrel now trying to escape. Fenrir thinks about how they¡¯re going to eat these fish. ¡°You bastards! Stop pricking me!¡± Cassiel shouts at the bucket of shrimp. ¡°Having trouble over there?¡± Fenrir asks, still staring up at the sky. A shrimp lands right between his eyes before jumping off of his face. Amazingly, the shrimp gets lucky over and over with its jumps until it flings itself right back into the ocean! He looks over at Cassiel. She¡¯s pouting with crossed arms. ¡°That bait was a gift, don¡¯t waste it,¡± Fenrir scolds her. When she remembers how generous the men were to give them the free bait, she looks down and makes a mental apology to the two masculine men back on the pier. ¡°Boat,¡± Serra says. Fenrir lifts Rock off of his chest and stands up. Surely enough, another boat is heading right for them. The other boat is roughly the same size as The Shoebill, but shorter and simpler in design. Seven people are standing aboard it. A few of them are waving to the girls and Fenrir. They appear friendly. The boat pulls right up next to The Shoebill on the side where they aren¡¯t casting their lines. ¡°Hey there! Ole¡¯ Jax tell you about this spot?¡± the man behind the other boat¡¯s steering wheel shouts over. He looks like one of the most appropriately-dressed men that Fenrir has seen thus far. Everything about his outfit from the bandana around his head to the slightly-open vest and thick boots screams that he¡¯s a sailor in an old fantasy setting. He¡¯s even got a perfect pirate accent! ¡°Yeah, decided to come over here for some training for the tournament. You here for the same?¡± Fenrir shouts back over. Cassiel and Serra both look like they¡¯re pouting since he was the one whom told them not to make much noise, yet now he and this other man are shouting back and forth at one another. ¡°Aye! Reckoned that we oughta get some more practice in to compete with all of you adventurin¡¯ folk!¡± the man shouts back. ¡°Not adventurers yourself?¡± ¡°Nay, we¡¯re just fishers and sailors tryin¡¯ to make a living and enjoying life while we¡¯re at it!¡± ¡°That sounds like a pretty nice goal. By the way, is there anything that you can tell us about the tournament? I didn¡¯t want to bother Jax with too many questions since he already helped us so much.¡± Fenrir wastes no time getting to asking questions. ¡°No problem! Mind if I come over there so we¡¯re not disturbin¡¯ the fish for everybody else?¡± ¡°Not at all, hang on.¡± Fenrir drops The Shoebill¡¯s gangplank onto the neighboring vessel, allowing its captain to come aboard. ¡°I¡¯m Fenrir, by the way. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°They call me Morven, and I¡¯m captain o¡¯ The Yellow Minnow. Pleasure to meet ya, Fenrir,¡± Morven says. Now that Morven is standing before Fenrir and shaking hands with him, Fenrir can see that this man looks ¨C well, he looks normal. Almost every other player that Fenrir has met thus far has been an exaggeration of one thing or another. Fenrir himself knows that he¡¯s perfected how he looks so that there aren¡¯t any flaws in his appearance, Bonekraka and the two men from the pier are all personifications of macho masculinity, Oleander is a trap, and even Thelmes was a stereotypical looking goblin. Yet, before him stands a middle-aged man with wrinkles, a crooked nose, a few missing teeth with the ones that he does have showing signs of yellow, and more. He looks truly realistic. ¡°You can tell, can¡¯t ya?¡± Morven asks. ¡°Tell what?¡± Fenrir answers the question with a question. ¡°That I¡¯m what you and yours call an ¡®NPC?¡¯¡± ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t know, actually. I just thought you were¡­ one of us, but¡­ different? Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to stare.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re used to gettin¡¯ that sort of look. It¡¯s what happens when you¡¯re born ugly in a world full o¡¯ attractive adventurers!¡± Aside from how Morven looks, Fenrir can¡¯t find a single thing about the man to give away that he¡¯s an NPC. He sounds like a real human, has little ticks in his speech and gestures that perfectly matches what some humans have, and doesn¡¯t look any different other than not looking perfect. ¡°Saya, NPCs are controlled by AIs, right? Are they controlled by the overseer, or do they have their own AIs like Rock has now?¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°It depends! Random animals and monsters and villagers and stuff will just be controlled by the overseer, but the ones who gain lives of their own and really develop their own personalities will have their own AIs controlling them. Basically, anybody who acts like more than just a background character is an AI living its own life out here,¡± Saya explains. So, even if this man is an NPC, he¡¯s just as real as anybody else is. There is a real AI controlling his speech, thoughts, movements ¨C this man may be an NPC, but he¡¯s still real. He has his own goals, dreams, desires, life, memories, and more. ¡°Tell me about yourself before we get into me asking you a bunch of boring questions, Morven. I want to hear about your life,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel and Serra get back to fishing while Fenrir, Rock, and Morven sit at the stern of The Shoebill. ¡°So you have a wife, kids, a brother, and all of that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Aye! Ain¡¯t it normal for a man to have a family?¡± Morven asks back. ¡°Yeah, of course it is. I just¡­ so you don¡¯t remember growing up, but you remember having all of your family?¡± ¡°Aye. That¡¯s how most of those like me are. All crewmembers of The Yellow Minnow are the same. We¡¯ve each got our own families and lives, but none o¡¯ us remember anythin'' before arriving in this city. I can tell ya what, though. We may not have many memories, but we still love and feel as much as any o¡¯ you adventurers. We can also fish just as good as ya!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. Anyways, about the tournament.¡± ¡°Ask away!¡± ¡°Alright. How many rounds are there, and what are they like? Are they all the same?¡± ¡°Assumin¡¯ it¡¯s going to be the same as the last one a few months ago, there¡¯ll be three rounds. The first round is a free for all to see who can catch the most fish in a limited amount o¡¯ time, and to see who survives.¡± ¡°What do you mean by who survives?¡± ¡°Look around ya! This is a city o¡¯ pirates. They may be tight on the rules on land, but on open waters, anythin¡¯ goes. The less ships that make it back to the pier when the first round is over, the less competition there is.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that way too dangerous for you and your crew then? What if something happens?¡± Fenrir may not know what happens to NPCs when they die, like whether they respawn or not, but he figures they don''t get all the same advantages as players do. ¡°It ain¡¯t a problem for us! I know it might sound like an unfair advantage, but the folk here know our ship and flag. They won¡¯t be attackin¡¯ us. Can¡¯t say the same for anybody else, though.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Alright, what about the other rounds?¡± ¡°The second round is a race! All competin¡¯ crews start at the same spot with their vessels, and they have to race out to an island off the coast, loop around to the back of it, catch a fish that only lives on the far side o¡¯ the island, and then come back!¡± ¡°And the third round?¡± ¡°The final round. This is the main show. It¡¯ll be narrowed down to three crews by this point, and they¡¯ll be in for a fierce competition. They have to worry about defending against each other while huntin¡¯ down a baby serpent. Whoever brings the serpent back is the one who wins.¡± ¡°A baby serpent?¡± ¡°Aye. Imagine a giant eel several times the size of your ship here with a mouth that can tear a man in half! I reckon it¡¯d even be able to tear your hound here in two if it got ahold of it.¡± Rock whimpers, cuddling up against Fenrir¡¯s leg. ¡°How are we supposed to catch something like that? I doubt a regular fishing rod would work,¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°That¡¯s up to each crew to figure out. Some use giant hooks, others use magic, and I¡¯ve even seen baited cages used before! It¡¯s all up to the individual crews to figure out,¡± Morven explains. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all helpful. Thanks for answering my questions.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Captain Fenrir. We may be pirates down here, but we look out for one another,¡± Morven extends his hand for a parting shake. Fenrir gladly accepts. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get back to my ship now. Gotta make sure those slackers are properly practicin¡¯!¡± Morven explains, heading back to the gangplank. ¡°We¡¯ll see you at the tournament, Morven,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Lookin¡¯ forward to it! Just don¡¯t be too upset if we show ya adventurers that the rest of us have got a place in this world as well.¡± Book 1: Chapter 45: Patch 8.0: How to Train Your Crew Satisfied with the progress that Serra and Cassiel have made, Fenrir lets Morven and his crew have the fishing spot for their own practice. Fenrir didn¡¯t get any worthwhile practice himself, but there¡¯s plenty of time before the tournament to come back. ¡°So, what did you two think?¡± Fenrir asks the girls. ¡°Was fun,¡± Serra says with a thumbs-up. ¡°It¡­ was better than I thought it would be,¡± Cassiel admits. ¡°I¡¯m glad you two enjoyed it,¡± Fenrir says. He¡¯s good at telling when people are being genuine or not, and he doesn¡¯t detect any falsities in their statements. They genuinely enjoyed themselves and he couldn¡¯t be happier about it. As cheesy as it makes him feel, knowing that they¡¯re finding fun in fishing is the most fun he¡¯s had in this game thus far. The Shoebill is docked back into its ¡°guest parking¡± spot. There is commotion on the docks as a girl with bright orange hair runs around harassing various crews along the pier. ¡°Come on! Need an engineer? I¡¯ll do it for free!¡± the girl shouts, offering herself to everybody she sees. ¡°You there! Let me ¨C ah! Where are you going? Why are you runnin¡¯ from me?!¡± she chases after a frightened man for a short while before getting distracted by somebody else. ¡°You there! Lookin¡¯ for an engineer? I¡¯ll ¨C wait! Why does everybody keep runnin¡¯ from me!?¡± she shouts, chasing after three men all escaping together. ¡°Somebody let me join their damn crew for the tournament!¡± ¡°I¡­ think we should leave before she sees us,¡± Cassiel suggests. Serra expresses her agreement by tugging on Fenrir¡¯s shirt. Yet, he doesn¡¯t budge. When the girls look at him, they see a man who looks like he just got an idea. The two girls look at each other. They have a bad feeling about this. The orange-haired girl spins around and happens to make eye contact with Fenrir. She charges straight at him with starry eyes. ¡°You there! Need an engineer?! I¡¯ll do it for free! Just let me work on your ship!¡± she shouts at Fenrir. ¡°You there!¡± Fenrir shouts, pointing at the girl running straight toward him. ¡°Need a crew? You can join ours for free! Just work on our ship.¡± If there are two things that Fenrir can easily recognize, they are: one, when somebody is trying their best to accomplish something while nobody gives them a chance; and two, the type of person who has a few screws loose and it probably dangerous to keep around but ingenious. Fenrir has worked with many people just like her before. ¡°Really? Do you mean it?! Are you sure?! I mean, I¡¯ll work on any ship, but I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ll actually take me!¡± the girl shouts. Cassiel and Serra feel like this is moving way too fast. They want to interject, but they trust in Fenrir¡¯s judgment for now. ¡°I do! But first, you have to tell me why everybody is so afraid of you,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Because every ship I¡¯ve been on has sunk because it couldn¡¯t keep up with me.¡± Cassiel and Serra both turn to look at Fenrir. There¡¯s no way that he would agree to having her, right? ¡°I see,¡± he says. Serra and Cassiel are relieved to see him being serious about this. ¡°Welcome aboard The Shoebill!¡± Serra and Cassiel turn to see the orange-haired girl¡¯s expression from being rejected, rightfully so ¨C wait, what did he just say? ¡°You ¨C you can¡¯t seriously be taking her, can you? Didn¡¯t you just hear what she said? She said she¡¯s sunk every ship she¡¯s ever been on, and she doesn¡¯t even sound guilty about it!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°She said it¡¯s because the ships couldn¡¯t handle her. The Shoebill can handle anybody and anything,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°The Shoebill is just a small ship we stole from some nobodies! It¡¯s already in bad condition!¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Fenrir asks the orange-haired girl. ¡°Strism, Tabitha Strism!¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Can you fix our girl up and make her better than all of these other ships, Tabitha?¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t, nobody can!¡± ¡°See?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at Cassiel. ¡°Tabitha here can help us out.¡± ¡°You have no idea who she is! We have no idea if we can trust her! What if she messes everything up? What if she breaks something or steals our ship?!¡± Cassiel questions, feeling like the only logical person here right now. Rock walks up to Tabitha¡¯s feet and sniffs her. Tabitha crouches down and pets Rock¡¯s head with a huge smile on her lips. ¡°This puppy is adorable! I¡¯ve never seen one made out of rock before! This game is somethin¡¯, ain¡¯t it?¡± Rock licks Tabitha¡¯s hand and nuzzles against her. ¡°If Rock likes her then she¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says. ¡°Be nice to our newest crewmember, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir says, poking her side. The unexpected poke causes Cassiel to make a surprisingly girly squeak. Fenrir, Serra, Rock, and Tabitha all look at Cassiel. ¡°I will kill you all if you say anything,¡± Cassiel threatens. ¡°I won¡¯t say nothin¡¯ if you let me join,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Fenrir exclaims. ¡°We¡¯re just one crewmember short now. By the way, Tabitha, what does an engineer even do in this game?¡± ¡°Well, I fix your ship up, keep her runnin¡¯ well, make some modifications ¨C that sort of stuff! I used to work with the scholars, but our group got fired for causin¡¯ some trouble. We got replaced by those half-goblin things up there runnin¡¯ the place now,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°What sort of trouble did you cause?¡± ¡°Nothin¡¯ much. We just kinda blew up some of the city, but they repaired it in no time!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Cassiel is regretting accepting the deal. ¡°Why do you want to join a crew so badly for the tournament?¡± he asks. ¡°Because! Everybody¡¯s always laughin¡¯ at me and doubtin¡¯ my ability. I want to prove to everybody that a few accidental explosions and failed experiments don¡¯t mean that I ain¡¯t the best engineer there is! What better way than to let my mods help a ship win the tournament? I¡¯ve even got a schematic all prepared for catchin¡¯ the big baby in the final round!¡± ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s perfect, because I had no idea how I was going to catch that after hearing about it.¡± Neither Serra nor Cassiel knows what they¡¯re talking about. They were too busy fishing to try and listen in on his conversation with the NPC captain. ¡°I just need about¡­ forty gold to buy all the parts!¡± Tabitha says, smiling as widely as ever. ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have any money,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Twenty gold?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Ten?¡± ¡°I wish.¡± ¡°Five?¡± ¡°Sure. Just kidding, no.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So ya want me to go and mod up your ship to be the best there is, install somethin¡¯ that¡¯ll capture a serpent bigger than your ship likely is, all without any fundin''?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°You got it. Think you can do it?¡± Fenrir asks. A fire lights up within Tabitha¡¯s eyes. ¡°You bet I can! I¡¯m fired up! Such a tall order with next to no money available to fund it¡­ I¡¯m excited! We¡¯re going to blast all those other ships out of the water! We¡¯re going to capture the big baby and bring it home to take home the trophy! We¡¯re going to¡ª¡± ¡°Win this together,¡± Fenrir finishes her sentence, offering her a handshake. She accepts it. Serra and Cassiel don¡¯t exactly know what¡¯s going on due to how fast it all just happened, but they¡¯re pretty sure they just saw the foundation of another¡­ bromance? Tabitha pulls out a thin cloth from her overalls¡¯ pocket to wrap around her forehead, going underneath her raised twin tails. Serra likes Tabitha just because she makes Serra no longer the shortest crewmember. Tabitha is a few inches shorter than Serra and looks younger as well. As Fenrir would describe her, she looks like a tomboyish loli. ¡°This is Serra, that¡¯s Cassiel, and the pup down there is Rock. We¡¯ve got two more guys who I¡¯ll introduce you to later,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Oh, sorry. And I¡¯m Fenrir.¡± ¡°Nice to meetcha¡¯ll. Gotta ask though, Mr. Wolf. If anything, it¡¯s kinda suspicious that ya trust me so easily. What gives?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°That¡¯s easy. You remind me of myself.¡± Tabitha grins from ear to ear. ¡°Good! I can tell me and you are gonna get along, Mr. Wolf. Just show me where my new baby is and I¡¯ll bring my tools over!¡± Fenrir leads her to The Shoebill¡¯s parking spot. ¡°Ya sure she¡¯s gonna be able to keep up with me?¡± Tabitha asks, looking the sloop over with wary eyes. ¡°Ships bigger and stronger than this girl have failed me before. Wouldn¡¯t want us all to sink in the middle of the tournament.¡± ¡°I believe in her. You just need to believe in her too,¡± Fenrir says, placing a hand on Tabitha¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing I like to hear! A captain¡¯s trust in the ship is almost as important as the engineer! I¡¯ll go and bring all my stuff over and get to work right away. You won¡¯t even be able to recognize her by tomorrow!¡± ¡°You hear that, girl?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock looks up at him, assuming that he¡¯s talking to her, but he¡¯s looking at The Shoebill instead. Rock whines in jealousy. ¡°Tabitha here is going to take care of you and make you even more awesome than you already are.¡± Tabitha happily runs off to collect her things. ¡°Are you really sure about this? What if she screws us over?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s just a game. Sure, I want us to do good in the tournament and hopefully win it, but even if we lose, it¡¯s just a game. What¡¯s the point in playing it if we¡¯re not having fun? We¡¯re going to have fun, and by taking her on, she¡¯s going to get to have fun as well. The more people having fun, the more successful of a game it is,¡± Fenrir explains. Serra hugs his arm. Cassiel has no good response to what he said. ¡°Yeah¡­ just a game. It¡¯s easy to forget that sometimes. That excuse never works up in the empire, but I guess it¡¯s true,¡± she says. ¡°We¡¯re going to have fun no matter what happens. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose.¡± Hearing him say that removes a ton of stress that has been weighing Cassiel down. His belief is the exact opposite of everybody she¡¯s played with before him ¨C of everybody who only cared about winning and being the best. ¡°Having fun is the true endgame, don¡¯t you know?¡± Book 1: Chapter 46: Patch 8.0: How to Train Your Crew Tabitha comes back to The Shoebill with a massive backpack strapped onto her. They have no idea how she¡¯s managing to run around with a backpack roughly twice the size of her body, but she does so with ease. She even manages to somehow squeeze the backpack below deck. Everybody goes to look at what she¡¯s doing. As soon as she unzips the backpack, dozens of tools, materials, schematics, books, and piles of clothes shoot out from it! Not only was the backpack twice her size, but it looks as if she somehow condensed two times its size¡¯s worth of items into it! Fenrir is pretty sure that he feels the ship sink lower into the water just from the sheer weight of everything she¡¯s brought onboard. Tabitha slips on a pair of heavy gloves and straps a toolbelt on around her waist that has an arrangement of tools hanging from it. ¡°So, what¡¯s first?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m going to tear out every single nail and screw of this ship and replace it with my own! I can¡¯t trust her to hold up properly with anything but the best I have to offer,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°Your... screws and nails are better?¡± ¡°Of course they are! They¡¯re specially made by me! Well, I guess it¡¯s fairer to say that they¡¯re specially transmuted by me. What I do is just buy some old rusty nails and the like from merchants trying to get rid of junk only usable as scrap metal,¡± Tabitha¡¯s explanation is already making Cassiel regret agreeing to the deal even more, ¡°and then I use a technique I developed durin¡¯ my time with the scholars to make them like brand new ¨C better than brand new! Whatever metal they were made out of before, I turn it into Strismetal!¡± ¡°You created a new metal and named it after yourself?¡± Tabitha excitedly nods. ¡°You¡¯re awesome.¡± ¡°Of course I am! Now, I¡¯ve got lots of work to do,¡± Tabitha says before getting to work. Fenrir leads the rest of the group back above deck. ¡°I was worried, but I like her,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯m still worried, but¡­ I guess she¡¯s fun,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°There you go, Cass Cass. Fun is the most important thing. People shouldn¡¯t play games if they¡¯re not having fun playing them,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Anyways, I guess we should wait for Olly and Bone to meet back up with us. We still need to hopefully convince them to enter the tournament with us.¡± Rock barks, running down the pier. Fenrir is ready to shout at Rock to come back, but he sees who Rock is running to. ¡°Speak of the¡­ what¡¯s that saying again?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Speak of the devil,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Yeah, that. Speak of the devil. Well, devils. Wait, who¡¯s that?¡± In addition to Bonekraka and Oleander, Oleander is clinging to some unknown guy¡¯s arm. He looks totally smitten. Surprisingly enough, this new guy doesn¡¯t look anything like what Fenrir believes Oleander¡¯s type is. This new guy isn¡¯t that tall nor masculine looking, has short blond hair, looks more like a pretty boy, and¡­ actually looks like a pretty nice guy. Fenrir is used to Oleander bringing back guys that look like ex-prisoners. ¡°Who¡¯s this? Got yourself a new boyfriend?¡± Fenrir shouts out to Oleander, turning the teasing onto him for once. ¡°Yup!¡± Oleander shouts back. ¡°Wait, really?¡± The only one who doesn¡¯t look shocked is Bonekraka. He¡¯s just groaning. ¡°We go to bar. Bar nothing like thought it would be. He met new guy and stuck to him entire time. Had to pry them off each other, but was too late. Got kicked out,¡± Bonekraka explains. Excessive public displaying of affection definitely sounds like something Oleander would do. ¡°So, wait, are you guys like, actually dating dating? Like, it¡¯s official?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yup! I know, crazy, right? I¡¯d normally never date somebody I don¡¯t know in reality, but like, we just click,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯ve only known him for¡­ a few hours?¡± Fenrir says, sounding wary. They¡¯ve only been in the city for half a day and they¡¯ve already managed to acquire a new crewmember and one of them got a boyfriend. ¡°Not everybody takes forever like you do, Fenny!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Fenrir asks, not noticing Cassiel¡¯s and Serra¡¯s stares at him. ¡°Besides, those respawn counter things are important. Me and you don¡¯t have any left, so if we don¡¯t want to get totally screwed next time we die, we need to have some fun if you know what I¡¯m saying!¡± Neither of the girls is staring at Fenrir anymore. ¡°Right. Anyways, uhh, new guy, hey. My name is Fenrir. What¡¯s yours?¡± The male that Oleander is clinging onto looks at Fenrir. ¡°Ah, my name is Corwin Hale. Pleasure to meet you, Fenrir,¡± Corwin says. The proper way of speaking throws Fenrir off for a moment. Corwin sounds the most proper out of everybody Fenrir has met in-game thus far. He really doesn''t seem like Oleander''s type. This whole thing feels suspicious, but he isn''t going to get in his friend''s way. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Olly here or else me and the big green guy are going to have to have some words with you, alright?¡± ¡°Geez, dad, stop trying to act tough around my new boyfriend,¡± Oleander teases, making himself sound like a teenage girl. Cassiel pulls Serra back away from the rest of them to whisper into her ear. ¡°Is this what it was like when he met us? Did things happen this quickly?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I think so. I¡­ guess it is kind of weird to see it happen,¡± Serra answers. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve got somebody for you three to meet,¡± Fenrir walks over to the stairs leading below deck. ¡°Come up here for a minute, Tabs!¡± ¡°Tabs! I like that!¡± Tabitha shouts back. ¡°I¡¯ll be up in a min!¡± Oleander and Bonekraka look at each other curiously. Tabitha comes up covered in sweat with dirt all over her. Fenrir has no idea how she¡¯s gotten so dirty so quickly, but he¡¯s going to take it as a sign of hard work. ¡°This is Tabitha, The Shoebill''s new engineer,¡± Fenrir introduces her. ¡°Glad to meetcha¡¯ll! I¡¯ll be makin¡¯ sure this baby takes wins us the tournament!¡± Tabitha declares. Oleander and Bonekraka narrow their eyes on Fenrir. ¡°Told you no,¡± Bonekraka says. Oleander is about to back up Bonekraka, but somebody else speaks up first. ¡°You¡¯re entering the fishing tournament? Can I accompany you?! Please, let me join you! I¡¯ve always wanted to join and be a part of something like this!¡± Corwin says. Oleander immediately changes his opinion on the tournament. ¡°Yep, we are! Corwin can join¡­ us, right, Fenny?¡± he asks, hoping to not get called out for the sudden change. While Fenrir wouldn¡¯t accept Oleander doing something only for his sake, he will accept Oleander doing something for somebody else¡¯s sake. ¡°Of course. What¡¯re you good at, Corwin?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ahh, I am experienced with all of the tasks a ship requires. I can manage the sails, steer, keep lookout, and anything else you would have of me. I may not be the best fisherman, but I would be glad to practice if that is what you would need of me,¡± Corwin answers. ¡°Sounds good to¡ª¡± ¡°I said no,¡± Bonekraka reasserts himself. ¡°Well, we need seven people, and we only have six if you don¡¯t help us,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir looks surprised to hear her speaking up about it. ¡°Do not care what new girl has to say. I said no. Tired of boat and fishing! Want to PvP and raid,¡± he shouts at her, directing all of his anger toward her. Tabitha slinks back below deck since she has a bad feeling about where this is going. ¡°Bone, come on, be nice. She was just stating a fact. We can find somebody else if we have to. There¡¯s no need for you to talk to her like that,¡± Fenrir says, standing between Cassiel and Bonekraka. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?! I know she just say that to make me feel bad and agree!¡± Bonekraka shouts at Fenrir now. ¡°Relax, I only¡ª¡± Cassiel starts talking, but gets interrupted by Bonekraka. Fenrir regrets not warning the girls about never telling Bonekraka to relax. ¡°I do not need relax! You just another girl who know nothing and make him change mind! He always fall for stupid girl who he listen to!¡± Bonekraka shouts at her. Even random passersby on the pier are looking their way and listening to the drama. ¡°I said no! Do not want stupid tournament! I bought this game with own money, want to do things I want to do! Have barely played because on boat for so long, now in city full of shit carebears!¡± ¡°Haah? Listen here, you bastard. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re on about, but I¡¯m not making him do anything. I just agreed to try it out and thought it was fun. Maybe you¡¯d have fun if you¡¯d actually try it instead of being so stubborn,¡± Cassiel shouts back. Serra clings to Fenrir¡¯s side, but he gives her a gentle push away so that he can focus on breaking up Cassiel and Bonekraka. ¡°Alright, drop it. Cass, don¡¯t let him get to you. Bone, nobody ever said you had to join. Look, I won¡¯t lie, I really want you to join us and if you don¡¯t then it¡¯s going to really suck, but if we¡¯re only going to be one member short then I can find somebody else for the tournament while you do whatever you want,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°So you replace me?! You never want to do what I want to do anymore!¡± Bonekraka shouts, glaring Fenrir directly in the eyes. ¡°Yeah, what that? You cry now? Big fuckin¡¯ baby crying because not getting his way?¡± Fenrir wipes his eyes. As tightly as he tried shoving that cork back into the bottle, it¡¯s popped back out. ¡°No, I¡¯m crying because one of my best friends is a total fucking asshole. Get out of here because I have nothing left to say to you. If you really think I never do anything you want, if you really think I just selfishly always make you do whatever I want, then get the fuck out of here before I do something I¡¯m going to regret.¡± Neither Serra nor Cassiel have ever heard Fenrir sound so intense before. Even Tabitha has stopped making noise below deck to listen in on what¡¯s happening above her. ¡°Guys, come on, stop. We¡¯re friends, remember? Don¡¯t let something stupid like this ruin tha¡ª¡± Oleander is cut off by Bonekraka slamming his fist into Fenrir''s face. Book 1: Chapter 47: Patch 8.0: How to Train Your Crew Bonekraka¡¯s fist sends Fenrir flying backward into Cassiel, almost knocking her over, but Fenrir spins around to make sure that she doesn¡¯t fall. ¡°The hell was that for, you bastard?!¡± Cassiel shouts at Bonekraka. ¡°Stay back,¡± Fenrir tells her, looking at Serra and Rock as well. ¡°Are you two really doing this?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Does it look like I have a choice?¡± Fenrir asks. Bonekraka charges at Fenrir! Despite how high the emotions are in this fight, neither men are drawing their blades. Fenrir ducks below Bonekraka¡¯s fist. The orc¡¯s movements feel slow after training with Cassiel so much. ¡°Do your friends usually do this?¡± Corwin asks Oleander. ¡°It happens every now and then. It¡¯s been a while since the last one, so it was bound to happen again soon,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°Which one of them is right or wrong?¡± ¡°Honestly? Fenny is in the right here. Bone is being an asshole. He¡¯s probably stressed out from something in reality.¡± Fenrir continues ducking and dodging all of Bonekraka¡¯s attempts at hitting him. He retaliates every now and then with a punch or kick but never puts much force behind it even if he¡¯s really tempted to. Of course, that just makes things worse. ¡°Fuck you, piece of shit! Not even take fight seriously!¡± Bonekraka shouts. ¡°Because you¡¯re not worth taking seriously,¡± Fenrir replies, evading to the back of Bonekraka and kicking in the back of his right knee. ¡°Why do you always have to be such an asshole?! I¡¯m fucking tired of always doing what you want, and I never ask you to do something I know you wouldn¡¯t enjoy!¡± Bonekraka swings an arm around which manages to nail Fenrir right in the side of his head, knocking him away and onto the deck. ¡°Only friends in first place because you used to be fun! Used to kill everybody, make whole worlds hate us! Now you just want to be lazy and fish! No fun in that! Need to man up and go back to how used to be!¡± Bonekraka shouts, jumping onto Fenrir to pin him down and repeatedly punch him in the face. Fenrir slides out from underneath the orc and does the exact same thing to him, pinning Bonekraka down and punching him in the face over and over. Both men have bruised and bloodied faces before long. ¡°I¡¯m,¡± Fenrir punches Bonekraka in the face again, ¡°fucking,¡± and again, ¡°sorry,¡± and again, ¡°that I got bored of doing the exact same thing,¡± and again, ¡°thing in every single fucking game,¡± and again, ¡°game that we play! The brigade isn¡¯t fucking,¡± and again, ¡°coming back!¡± Bonekraka thrusts his head upward and headbutts Fenrir right in the face. The men collapse on the deck next to each other, each one panting heavily and looking up at the sky. ¡°I told you before, Viktor, to just fucking find another group to play with if all you want to do is what we used to,¡± Fenrir says between heavy breaths. ¡°I know you want to play with me still, but I¡¯m seriously so tired of doing the same thing over and over. It¡¯s nice every now and then, but it¡¯s less exciting every single time. Even taking on Coastedge was nowhere near as fun as it used to be.¡± ¡°Maybe is time I stop playing with you then,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Yeah, maybe. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you. We both want different things now, so wouldn¡¯t it be for the best to play with different groups?¡± ¡°Da.¡± Silence. Oleander looks like he wants to say something, but he knows that there isn¡¯t really anything to say that wouldn¡¯t be pointless. He knows that they¡¯re unhappy playing with one another nowadays. As much as Oleander would like everybody to get along like they used to, the Divine Brigade¡¯s golden days are over. ¡°Will help in stupid tournament, then leave,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Don¡¯t need drama of dealing with you after work every day.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± Fenrir is interrupted. ¡°Fuck you, will help whether want me to or not.¡± ¡°Do whatever you want. I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡± Bonekraka swings an arm into Fenrir¡¯s gut. Fenrir does the same thing to him. ¡°You said would not stop me.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t hit you back.¡± Cassiel and Serra look at each other. They don¡¯t know what they should be making of this whole situation, but they do know they feel bad. Nobody likes seeing a friendship basically get torn apart. If Bonekraka is going to leave, what about Oleander? If they both leave, what if Fenrir decides to leave them? Each of the girls already feels more at home in this group of friends than they¡¯ve felt in any other online group before, and now there¡¯s already drama splitting it apart. They also feel bad for Fenrir. It¡¯s clear to everybody here, except maybe Corwin, that Fenrir is in the right here. He didn¡¯t do anything wrong, and they all can tell how deeply he cares about doing things for his friends while rarely if not ever selfishly asking anybody to do anything for him, yet Bonekraka made him sound like a selfish asshole always making others do what he wants. That couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth, and they know it has to hurt Fenrir to be accused of anything like that. Each of the men gets up. Bonekraka stomps his way off the ship while Fenrir straightens out his clothes and leather vest. Rock is the first to check on Fenrir followed by Serra and Cassiel. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Better than ever,¡± Fenrir says with a smile. They can tell he¡¯s forcing it. Cassiel comes up from behind and presses her hands against Fenrir¡¯s back. He can feel her healing him, but she doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Well, that happened,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Sorry, Olly. I know what sort of position this puts you in,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I knew it was going to happen eventually, and I already know I¡¯d rather stay with you. I can only handle his shitty homophobia if you¡¯re there to support me.¡± ¡°He really is an asshole, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Yeah, he is.¡± Despite them agreeing that Bonekraka is a bad person, they sound sad and disappointed. ¡°Anyways, Cor, can you teach me about fishing? I haven¡¯t done much of it before, and it¡¯d be a nice distraction,¡± Oleander asks his new apparent boyfriend. ¡°Is ¨C is it alright to leave things like this?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Nothing lasts forever. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time we¡¯ve lost an important friend group member.¡± ¡°If you say so. Now, we will need to acquire some rods and bait if you wish for me to teach you. There are several piers on the shop I know of that could be of assistance to us.¡± Corwin and Oleander step back off The Shoebill to find a fishing shop. ¡°I don¡¯t feel right about this. I shouldn¡¯t have said anything. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cassiel apologizes. ¡°I¡­ caused the fight, didn¡¯t I?¡± Fenrir turns around to face her. She can¡¯t look him in the eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Cass Cass. Now, if you don¡¯t stop sounding so sad, I¡¯m going to poke you and make you squeak again. You¡¯re supposed to be a tsun, remember? Call me a bastard and threaten to kill me,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Shut up. Stop trying to act tough, you bastard.¡± ¡°Guys have to be tough around the girls they like, don¡¯t you know that? Like that old man said earlier, gotta give you my all,¡± he says, turning back around and straightening Serra¡¯s hat so that it¡¯s sitting properly atop her head. The girls don¡¯t know how to react to what he just said. They both feel bad about everything that just happened, yet it¡¯s the first time he¡¯s ever admitted to liking them ¨C at least, liking them in an implied way that¡¯s more than just friends. ¡°You picked a shitty time for a confession,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Yeah, I know. I never have been good with 3D girls.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Cass Cass,¡± Serra says. ¡°Which means Rock is going to be against me as well. Next thing I know and Tabs down there is going to be agreeing with you two,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I do! I¡¯ve heard everything! Ya don¡¯t confess to the girls ya like when you¡¯re soundin¡¯ all depressed!¡± Tabitha shouts from below deck. ¡°Alright, alright. I already admitted I¡¯m not good at this stuff. I¡¯ll redo it properly soon, alright? I¡¯ll guarantee your satisfaction or you¡¯ll get all money back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re digging yourself a deeper hole right now,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I know. It¡¯s a coping mechanism.¡± ¡°Bastard. Let me finish healing you.¡± ¡°Hey, Serra. How do you want the fish cooked? You caught the most, so you get to choose,¡± he changes the subject as Cassiel forcibly heals him. ¡°However Cass Cass wants,¡± Serra says. ¡°That¡¯s no fun. Fine, Cass Cass, how do you want the fish cooked?¡± ¡°However you want,¡± Cassiel says with a pout. ¡°Will you lovebirds just choose how to cook your fish?!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°And do it away from here! I don¡¯t need ya catchin¡¯ my baby on fire!¡± Fenrir lets out an earnest laugh. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s figure out what to do with these fish,¡± he says, transferring the fish from their barrel to the now-empty-of-shrimp bucket. Book 1: Chapter 48: Patch 9.0: Preparing for the Tournament Several things must be done before they can register for the tournament. Fenrir has organized it all into a nice checklist in order of importance: one, get cards for Serra, Bonekraka, Oleander, and Corwin ¨C Tabitha already has one alongside Fenrir and Cassiel; two, register the crew for the tournament; three, help Tabitha complete upgrades and modifications to The Shoebill; four, acquire some better fishing gear; and five, find something that Bonekraka will be able to do to make himself useful during the tournament. The first task is completed the next day after the fight between Fenrir and Bonekraka. They both needed time to cool down after their fight, but even with cooling down, it is awkward whenever the two are around one another. Oleander has commented about how it is the worst he has ever seen them around one another. There have been fights before, but never one this bad. Honestly, Oleander can¡¯t say that it doesn¡¯t make him slightly happy. Sure, he¡¯s great friends with Bonekraka and they¡¯ve known one another for years, but he struggles to always respect and act friendly around a man who hates others of his sexuality. Even if Bonekraka tolerates Oleander¡¯s homosexuality, knowing that he still discriminates against others is enough to make Oleander lose respect for the Russian orc. They also waited a day since Fenrir had to run around the city with Serra helping as many people and stray animals as they could to improve her Standing so that she wouldn''t get kicked out of the city. As for the cards, Oleander ends up having the highest Intelligence out of everybody, Corwin is all around weak as is Serra, and Bonekraka has stats similar to Fenrir¡¯s but slightly worse. Bonekraka knowing that he has worse stats than Fenrir only makes him even more annoyed with him. The next thing after the cards is getting registered. Fenrir has the crew all gathered on The Shoebill at once. He has to have an inspector come by to verify the existence of both the vessel and its crew to officially register them for the tournament. The inspector goes through their cards one at a time to verify all of their identities. Fenrir notices her raise an eyebrow when looking at Corwin¡¯s card, but doesn¡¯t think much of it. Oleander acts more lovey-dovey with Corwin by the day. For a relationship that is only a few in-game days old, they behave like a couple that has been together for months. Serra and Cassiel both seem to enjoy watching the two lovebirds do cute things together, but every time Fenrir is around during it, they send him looks that he¡¯s pretty sure he understands the meaning of. Two days in reality have passed, so four days in-game have gone by since the fight. Tabitha has given Fenrir a checklist of her own. The Shoebill already sounds much less creaky whenever walking along its deck and looks much nicer thanks to a thorough cleaning and new paint job, but now it is time for the actual upgrades. Since they don¡¯t have the money to buy the parts they need, it is up to the rest of the crew to gather the required materials while she does what she can without them. Her list is a complicated one, too. Tabitha Strism¡¯s List of Required Materials and Where to Find Them The list starts off helpful enough, but as soon as Fenrir makes it to the second line, he realizes that this girl has no idea where to get any of this which is why she doesn¡¯t already have it. Bonekraka gathers the wood, Oleander with Corwin and Cassiel split up to find a bowstring, Serra returns to the scholars¡¯ office with Rock to get the telescope, and Fenrir deals with the hook. It is even more awkward now because Bonekraka is the only one who had any coin left to spare. Oleander has to use his for the bowstring, and Serra needs hers for the telescope, so Bonekraka had to give Fenrir his gold for the hook. Fenrir feels dirty just at the thought of using Bonekraka¡¯s share of the gold for anything, but they both just want this tournament to go smoothly now. He looks around at blacksmith shops near the docks. Many of them are selling all manners of hooks, rods, armor, and weapons, but none are selling a giant, oversized hook. Why would they be? Fenrir questioned Tabitha when she requested such a thing, but she assured him that he¡¯ll be able to find one as long as he looks hard enough. He trusts her, but he just has no idea where to look. It isn¡¯t like this city is small or anything. It is massive and has shops everywhere! Apparently, tons of players believe that running item shops is the true endgame. And then he sees it. Near the left end of the docks is a small shop with a sign above it that reads ¡°Get your monster-sized hooks here!¡± Well, that works. Fenrir enters the shop. Immediately, he notices the walls are lined with massive hooks anywhere from being as big as his head to being as big as Serra, there are hooks hanging from the ceiling, and an employee sleeping behind the counter. Fenrir has to keep his head low to not accidentally get his ears hooked on any of the hanging hooks. ¡°Hey! I uh, need to buy a hook,¡± Fenrir says to the sleeping employee. The short and stout man jumps up from his position and rubs his eyes. ¡°A customer! About time. What¡¯d¡¯ya need?¡± he asks. Fenrir assumes that he¡¯s supposed to be a dwarf going by the beard, short yet wide size, and the wannabe Scottish accent. ¡°I need the biggest treble hook that you have,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Custom made or one from the shelves?¡± the dwarf asks. ¡°Most of our work ¡®ere is custom made upon request with all the shelf items bein¡¯ mainly for show, but I assure ya that the items on display are just as good as rest of ¡®em!¡± ¡°One of the already made hooks is fine as long as it¡¯s big enough.¡± ¡°Well laddy, how big do ya need it to be?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t specific. Just said the biggest one I could find.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you fishin¡¯ for?¡± Fenrir assumes that this contraption she is building is for capturing the baby sea serpent at the end of the tournament. ¡°The serpent at the end of the upcoming fishing tournament.¡± ¡°Hah! You tryin¡¯ to make it to the end, are ya? I can respect that, that I can! Alright, now the biggest one would be way too big for that and a pain in the arse to move from storage to wherever your ship is, but this one ¡®ere should be the perfect size,¡± the dwarf says, coming out from behind the counter and walking to one of the shop¡¯s corners. He pulls a treble hook with each of the hooks being as long as one of Fenrir¡¯s arms off of the wall. ¡°This one ¡®ere should be the perfect size for getting¡¯ stuck in its mouth, and the barbs will make sure ¡®at it stays put!¡± The size of the hook makes Fenrir gulp. If something this big is required to hook the serpent, just how big is it? At this point, he doesn¡¯t know if he¡¯s excited to reach the final round of the tournament to try and win or just because he wants to see how big the serpent is! But now for the most important question, ¡°How much does it cost?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Just four gold¡¯ll do it. It¡¯s worth about thrice that, but it¡¯s been sittin'' ¡®ere for a couple o¡¯ months now, so I¡¯d rather just get rid of it if ya know what I mean,¡± the dwarf says. Fenrir breathes a sigh of relief. ¡°That sounds great. I¡¯ll give you five for it,¡± he says. He knows it might not be the economically smart thing to offer more money than what a seller is requesting, but the dwarf seems friendly and trustworthy enough. Plus it means not giving Bonekraka any change. Is it petty? Yes. Does it make him feel better about getting punched right in the face? Definitely. Fenrir places five gold coins on the counter and takes the hook from the dwarf¡¯s hands. ¡°Thanks a ton. Make sure to look out for us on The Shoebill during the tournament.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be watchin¡¯, as will the rest o¡¯ the city! There¡¯s gonna be tens o¡¯ thousands watching the show, so make sure to make it entertainin¡¯ for us!¡± the dwarf says. With hook in hand, Fenrir heads back to The Shoebill and hopes that everybody else has managed to get their designated items. Book 1: Chapter 49: Patch 9.0: Preparing for the Tournament ¡°This big enough?¡± Fenrir asks, setting the hook down on The Shoebill¡¯s deck. Tabitha comes running up to check on it. ¡°Perfect! That¡¯ll definitely be big enough to hook that baby right out of the water,¡± she explains, arms crossed over her chest as she nods. ¡°Now for the rest of the crew to bring back the stuff I need.¡± ¡°What are you going to make with all of this anyways?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see! It¡¯ll be revealed at the right time for dramatic effect! By the way, I installed a prototype engine of mine that I had in my backpack. It runs on combustion crystals and will speed this baby up faster than any ships relyin¡¯ only on the wind!¡± ¡°An engine? Like, you mean like the kind in real life?¡± Tabitha nods. ¡°How¡¯d you manage to get it working? Doesn¡¯t the overseer stop things that are too modern from working?¡± ¡°Well, ya see, the secret is in the fuel. Naturally, somethin¡¯ that¡¯s runnin¡¯ on diesel ain¡¯t ever goin¡¯ to work, and not even coal will be allowed to work as a fuel, but these crystals,¡± she takes one of the crystals out from her pocket to toss over to Fenrir, ¡°make it work! It¡¯s all about how ya go about it. If ya do it in a fantasy-styled way, it works!¡± Fenrir¡¯s hands feel warm as he holds the crystal. It looks as if there are red and yellow gases swirling around within it, trying their best to avoid touching one another. ¡°How¡¯s it work?¡± he asks. ¡°Try smackin¡¯ it with your other hand.¡± Fenrir does as she says, smacking the crystal with his free hand. Constant, miniature explosions erupt within the crystal! Each explosion sends energy outward that burns his hands which makes him toss it between his two hands as if it¡¯s a hot potato before eventually throwing it overboard. Even as it sinks into the water, he and everybody nearby on the docks can hear its explosions. ¡°Shit, I threw it overboard. Sorry,¡± he says, watching it as it sinks. The bright light its emitting thanks to the pulsating explosions shows exactly where it is as it sinks. ¡°How long is it going to be doing that for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, and not too long! That one was runnin¡¯ on empty, and I haven¡¯t figured out a way to recharge them yet, so it¡¯s okay to toss that one. Just don¡¯t go losin¡¯ one of the full ones I¡¯ve got,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°How many do you have?¡± She pulls out three more from her pockets. ¡°And I¡¯ve got another dozen or so in my backpack somewhere.¡± ¡°Are you sure having a dozen of exploding crystals somewhere in your backpack is a safe idea?¡± ¡°Of course it ain¡¯t! Don¡¯t mean that it isn¡¯t a fun one, though.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that. So, how do the crystals power the engine?¡± Tabitha leads him below deck. Built into the back of the ship is what appears to be a furnace with a small container for a fuel source with some mechanical gears and belts that Fenrir assumes are powered by the fuel source and causes the rotor to spin. Fenrir has only ever seen old pictures of combustion engines before, and this reminds him of a more fantasy-esque version of one. Though, calling it steampunk might be fairer. It looks pretty cool, actually. He wishes cars still had engines like this instead of everything being fully electric. ¡°Did you make this yourself?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I did! Had it in my backpack! It¡¯s the latest model of the Strism Engine. Strism Engine Mk. 7.2!¡± Tabitha proudly answers. ¡°What happened to all the previous models?¡± ¡°They¡¯re scattered underneath the water here. Remember what I said about those other ships not being able to keep up? Well, my engines are to thank for that! Look, an average ship this size can maybe sail at abooouuuutttt¡­ eight to twelve knots depending on wind speed, the hull, and so on. With my baby here,¡± she pats on the engine, ¡°I¡¯ll have ya goin¡¯ at least 15 knots without any help from the wind! Ya better hope for some smooth waters or it¡¯s gonna be one heckuva bumpy ride!¡± Fenrir is getting excited. However, before he can fangirl with her over her engine¡¯s potential, he hears footsteps above them. ¡°Sounds like the others are back. I¡¯ll go check on them,¡± he says, going back above deck. Serra, Rock, Oleander, and Corwin are the first to come back after him. Serra has a telescope in her hands, and the two boyfriends have a spool of thick bowstring. ¡°You didn¡¯t see Cassiel on your way back, did you?¡± Fenrir asks them. ¡°Nope! Hope she doesn¡¯t spend too long looking around for this still. I told the guy we bought this from to refuse her if she happens to go in the same shop as us,¡± Oleander explains. Fenrir looks at Serra. ¡°Have any trouble getting that?¡± he asks her. Serra shakes her head. ¡°Thelmes was there again. Told me to invite you for fish experiments.¡± ¡°I¡­ think I¡¯ll pass on that.¡± Fenrir feels bad about refusing the curious cat-goblin-thing¡¯s desire to experiment with using fish as weapons, but ¨C wait, a really stupid thought just came into his head. What if there are mermaids? What would happen if he were to swing a mermaid around by her tail to use her as a weapon? No, this is too idiotic a line of thought. He shakes his head to return to the topic at hand. He regains his senses to see Bonekraka walking up to the ship with several large logs of wood supported on his shoulders. Bonekraka walks onto The Shoebill and tosses the logs down onto the deck. ¡°Oi! Be careful up there! Ya know how much work I¡¯ve been puttin¡¯ into this baby?! I swear if ya break anything then I¡¯m gonna break you!¡± Tabitha shouts from below deck. Bonekraka grumbles and walks away without saying anything else. Every time he¡¯s around, everybody gets quiet and waits to see what he¡¯s going to do or say. Fenrir is beginning to believe it¡¯s going to be a miracle if he stays with them long enough to make it to the tournament, but at the same time, he knows that Bonekraka has never backed out of anything. He has never run away from what he¡¯s said he¡¯ll do. No matter how awkward the current situation may be, Fenrir has faith in him that Bonekraka won¡¯t be abandoning them. ¡°Alright. There¡¯s one more thing we have to figure out while Tabs finishes up with the ship. What is Bone¡¯s job going to be?¡± Fenrir asks them. Oleander is the first to speak up. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there can be boardings and fights during the tournament, so he could just be on defense and keep us safe.¡± ¡°Nobody is going to be catching us with the engine that Tabs installed.¡± ¡°Engine? We have an engine now?¡± ¡°Well, she is an engineer.¡± Oleander looks unimpressed with his lame joke. At least Serra is smiling. ¡°But yeah, we¡¯re going to be faster than every other ship, so nobody is going to be able to board us. I think. Probably,¡± Fenrir continues. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like fishing, he doesn¡¯t like being on open water, and¡­ yeah, this is why I doubted that he was going to be up for joining us in the first place. I don''t plan on us getting into any fights, but he can help out during them. Even then, I don''t know what he''s going to do if we''re not fighting.¡± ¡°If there are four of us fishing with my dear Oleander helming the ship and the orange-haired one keeping up with the ship below deck, I do not believe there is much need for the orc. Could he not just stay below deck and wait until the events are over?¡± Corwin asks. Oleander hugs onto his arm as a reward for speaking up. Serra walks up to Fenrir and does the same with his arm. ¡°Serra. We talked about this,¡± Cassiel says, finally appearing with nothing to show for it. She wants to complain when she sees that Oleander and Corwin were able to find what they were looking for, but she''s too annoyed with her failure to say anything about it. ¡°Talked about what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Nothing, you dog bastard.¡± Serra reluctantly gives up Fenrir¡¯s arm. He looks at the two girls curiously. They¡¯ve been getting along better ever since that fight happened, and he sees them talking in private every now and then. Neither of them ever give Fenrir any clues as to what they¡¯re talking about either. ¡°Moving on from the fact that I¡¯ve been upgraded from bastard to dog bastard, Corwin, I don¡¯t have a problem if Bonekraka wants to do that, but I want to at least try and find something for him to do. I just¡­ can¡¯t think of anything.¡± Tabitha comes up from below deck. ¡°If you¡¯re tryin¡¯ to figure out what to do with the big green guy, why not just let me manage him? He could come in handy, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll think of a few uses for him. Worst comes to worst, we¡¯re gonna be takin¡¯ on water during the tournament, and I¡¯m going to need some help keeping this baby in top operatin¡¯ conditions.¡± ¡°You sure, Tabs?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°As sure as honey on pineapple!¡± Everybody looks at her. ¡°What? Ya never eat some pineapple with some delicious honey drizzled on it? Noobs these days.¡± Book 1: Chapter 50: Patch 9.0: Preparing for the Tournament Work on The Shoebill proceeds as planned. Tabitha has set up a large, wooden box on the front of the boat that she refuses to let anybody inside of. It takes up the entire foredeck and makes navigating difficult whenever Fenrir takes the crew out for some fishing practice. If having difficulty navigating isn¡¯t enough of a concern, the sounds that come from within the wooden box concern any who hear it. Every time Tabitha comes out of the box, she has a massive grin and maniacally giggles to herself. Fenrir is the only one who isn¡¯t worried. He has faith in her and The Shoebill in contrast to everybody else. ¡°Fen,¡± Serra says, tugging on the back of Fenrir¡¯s shirt. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir asks, turning around to face her. ¡°We need a flag.¡± Fenrir looks up at the top of the mast. Stinky Garlic¡¯s flag used to be up there, but now there is nothing to represent the crew. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± But what to use? He could use the Divine Brigade¡¯s old flag, but as hard as it may be for some people to believe, he really wants to leave that all behind. Using the old flag would just draw even more attention than he wants. There is also the fact that people would either assume they are wannabe fakes of the real thing if they have ever heard of the Divine Brigade, or they would assume that they are a fragment of the old Divine Brigade and hunt them down. ¡°We need a new name and flag,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°The Divine Brigade,¡± Serra suggests. ¡°No. They¡¯re not being brought back.¡± Serra pouts. ¡°But I read stories about what you used to do and it sounds cool.¡± ¡°Trust me, they¡¯re always romanticized and not actually that interesting. We just messed with people. Besides, I¡¯d rather us not all get hunted down and doxed.¡± ¡°The Divine Fish.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just silly.¡± ¡°The Divine Rod.¡± Fenrir looks down at her and sees her usual snerking expression. ¡°I¡¯ll show you a divine rod,¡± he says in a teasing voice that sounds as if he¡¯s annoyed with her. ¡°When?¡± And that¡¯s when she wins. As small and innocent as she looks, Fenrir has no doubts that her ability to sexually tease people is on par with Oleander¡¯s ability. The main difference is that they use their abilities in different ways. Oleander is chaotic evil with his sexuality, whereas Serra is just¡­ Serra. Oleander throws his sexual jokes and references to anybody who will listen to them¡ªthough, he has toned them down since he¡¯s started suddenly dating this new guy¡ªwhile Serra requires a bit more paying attention to in order to really pick up on what she¡¯s saying. Ever since Fenrir realized that Serra is, in fact, a subtle pervert, he has been noticing her teasing words and expressions on a regular basis. He can¡¯t even look at her hands anymore to check and make sure that she¡¯s holding the fishing rod properly whenever he hands it to her. The way that she gently traces the tips of her fingers along its shaft before teasingly rubbing them downward is too much for him. Fenrir may not know if Serra is lawful, neutral, or chaotic, but she is definitely evil alongside Oleander. He isn¡¯t the only one who suffers from Serra¡¯s teasing either. Cassiel is victim to Serra¡¯s teasing just as much now! Of course, since Cassiel is dense, Serra has to be more assertive with her. Serra never passes up on the opportunity to sneak up behind Cassiel and blow into her ear or onto her neck. The excited and surprised noises that Cassiel makes every single time Serra does this has various effects on him. Her noises are amusing and make him laugh, but at the same time, they excite him and make him want to tease her himself so that he gets to hear more of those borderline-erotic sounds. Unfortunately for both Fenrir and Serra, Cassiel has begun being much more careful when around them. She is always peeking over her shoulders to make sure that nobody is sneaking up on her, stands as far away from them as she can when on the boat together, and has been wearing her hair down just to cover up her ears and neck. Serra is the most disappointed. Another couple of days pass by. Cassiel has finally joined the group¡¯s Fiscord server as has Tabitha, Tabitha¡¯s secret construction on the front of the ship is nearing completion according to her, and nobody knows what to name the crew. Bonekraka would normally be the first one to suggest naming themselves the Divine Brigade again, but he stays silent. Fenrir is beginning to believe that this might truly be the last thing he does with his friend. Oleander is realizing it, too. Fortunately for Fenrir, rather than stand around and try to figure out what to do regarding their identity situation, there is something else that he can do to procrastinate. Sell his trophy. Sure, he originally wanted to keep it as a trophy, but: one, it looks really stupid; two, it can probably be sold for a few gold which would be great since he has none; and three, The Shoebill is already a far better trophy than any garlic-shield could ever be. He still has the large, garlic-shaped shield with a golden trim that he stole from the leader of Stinky Garlic. ¡°Hey, Corwin,¡± Fenrir calls out to their newest crewmember. ¡°Yes, captain?¡± Corwin replies. ¡°I told you before, just call me Fenrir or something else. You don¡¯t need to be so formal.¡± ¡°A-ah, my apologies. I am used to strictly following rules and properly addressing my superiors.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Anyways, I was thinking about something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Know of a place where I can sell this thing?¡± Fenrir asks, holding up the shield. ¡°That looks to be a very high-quality shield, cap¡ª Fenrir. Are you sure you wish to sell it?¡± ¡°Yeah. Never was a big fan of garlic.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Corwin says with a smile. He may not be the most expressive man, but he¡¯s a kind one. Fenrir is amazed that Oleander appears to have settled down for somebody as straight-laced as Corwin. Furthermore, he¡¯s even more amazed that Corwin is able to keep up with Oleander given how timid he behaves. Wait. Fenrir feels as if he¡¯s missing something important here. Looking Corwin over with enough of a scrutinizing eye that it concerns the man being examined, Fenrir realizes why Oleander likes him so much. As egotistical as it makes Fenrir to believe that this is the reason, he is confident in it: Corwin looks and sort of acts just like Fenrir does in reality ¨C like Ryouta. The only real difference between Corwin and Ryouta is that Corwin is blond and taller. He also speaks respectfully and stays to himself just like Ryouta does when he¡¯s sober. His theory also has evidence supporting it in how Spencer once confessed to Ryouta after the first few times they met up in reality. If this Corwin is the one to replace him and finally help Spencer move on, Ryouta is happy for them. ¡°Fenrir?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Sorry, was lost in thought. Anyways, you know of a good place to sell this?¡± Fenrir asks again. ¡°I do. Follow me.¡± Fenrir does as requested. Right now, only he, Tabitha, and Corwin are in-game. Tabitha is almost always online and running either around The Shoebill or running around the city forThe Shoebill. Corwin is on just as much as she is. Fenrir figures that neither of them have lives, but that¡¯s the only similarity they share. Tabitha is a gearhead obsessed with mechanics while Corwin is a roleplayer-lite who just makes himself useful however he can. ¡°You¡¯re a cool guy, Corwin. I approve. Don¡¯t hurt Olly, got that?¡± Fenrir says, sounding like a protective father. Rock, who is walking beside them, barks to back up Fenrir. ¡°No worries, Fenrir. Oleander ¨C I may not have known him for long, but he truly makes me feel special, and I wish to make him feel the same,¡± Corwin explains. Fenrir gives him a heavy smack on the back which almost sends Corwin stumbling forward. ¡°A-ah, sorry, my Strength must have gone up from carrying so much stuff around for Tabs and dueling Cass.¡± ¡°No¡­ no worries,¡± Corwin says, his voice struggling as if all the air has been knocked out of him. Corwin leads Fenrir, and Rock, to what looks like a high-class blacksmith¡¯s shop. A man wearing bright pink armor covered in colorful feathers walks out just as they arrive. He looks extremely tacky. Fenrir assumes that his tactic is to wear armor so horrendous that his enemies can¡¯t see him coming because they refuse to look at him! No matter how realistic a game may be, given the option to look ridiculous, at least some players will always choose to do so. Corwin holds the door open for Fenrir as they enter. ¡°Welcome! What can we do for you?¡± a man polishing some armor says. Everything in the shop looks expertly made and very ¨C well, fancy. Everything looks great as far as quality goes, but the intricate designs and colors make Fenrir think that this has to be the type of place where players with too much money go shopping when glamor is their endgame content. It definitely doesn¡¯t look like the kind of shop that should be in the middle of a pirate city, but given that it is a player-owned-and-ran pirate city, it makes sense. ¡°Hey, could I sell this here?¡± Fenrir asks, holding the garlic-shield up. The salesman cringes when he sees it. At least somebody else agrees with Fenrir that this shield just looks stupid. ¡°Four gold sound good to you? Nobody is going to want to buy that for its design, but I could melt it down and turn it into something¡­ much better than what it currently is,¡± the salesperson says. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. Oh, and I got this off of some asshole I killed up north,¡± Fenrir says. He doesn¡¯t want the merchant believing that Fenrir likes this thing. ¡°Right. Anyways, let me grab your gold,¡± the merchant doesn''t sound convinced. Fenrir cringes from how awkward that sounded. Great, now the merchant is going to believe he¡¯s obsessed with garlic. He hopes that no weird rumors start because of this. Book 1: Chapter 51: Patch 9.0: Preparing for the Tournament At the cost of a tacky shield and potentially a new reputation, Fenrir walks out of the shop with four more gold coins than he had before. But is it really worth the cost? Fenrir wants to be known for fishing, not garlic! The Divine Garlic? The Garlic Brigade? No, he could never name the crew something like that. Neither they nor The Shoebill deserves to have such a horrid name associated with them. Not even Bonekraka deserves to be associated with such a bad name. ¡°Hey, Corwin, we¡¯re going to need some new rods. Got any places in mind?¡± Fenrir asks. Corwin and Oleander got some gear and rods of their own after that fight with Bonekraka, but one of the new rods went overboard during some fishing when a particularly strong fish got hooked, and one of the first two rods they had slipped out of Cassiel''s hands into the water when Serra surprised her with some teasing. Therefore, they''re back to needing two new rods. ¡°Ah, I know of a few places with excellent rods,¡± Corwin responds. Fenrir is happy that Serra isn¡¯t in-game and with them right now. ¡°Sweet. Mind taking me to one of them? We''re going to need another two more rods. I think. If Oleander helms the ship, and Tabs and Bone do their own thing, then that leaves four of us able to fish.¡± ¡°That sounds right to me, captain. Will your pet be doing anything?¡± Corwin asks, looking down at Rock. Fenrir looks down at her as well. ¡°Nah. She just has to sit around looking cute. Isn¡¯t that right, girl?¡± Rock lets out a happy bark. Fenrir rewards her by rubbing the underside of her chin. Rock happily rolls her head down against his hand and lets her tongue hang out from the side of her mouth. ¡°Wait a second,¡± Fenrir pauses. He pokes Rock¡¯s tongue. It feels softer than before. Now that he thinks about it, it¡¯s beginning to turn slightly reddish as well. There¡¯s even a tiny bit of saliva in Rock¡¯s mouth when he picks her up to look inside of it. Rock happily pants and hangs in the air as Fenrir examines her body. He turns her around, holds her upside down, stares at her face, and gives her a bit of a shake. Corwin looks the most concerned between the three of them. ¡°C-captain? Are you sure that handling her like that is safe for her health?¡± Corwin asks. Fenrir looks at Corwin and turns Rock around so that she can look at him as well. They both nod. Corwin learns not to question anything involving Fenrir and Rock. What Fenrir has learned from his thorough examination of Rock is that she seems to be becoming more¡­ natural ¨C more like a realistic puppy. He¡¯s already noticed that she¡¯s been growing larger, but now that he¡¯s really paying attention, she¡¯s growing more features as well. She was just like a low-poly puppy model made out of smooth rock before. Now, her tongue is growing softer and lighter in color, her ears and tail are more flexible and have little spots of rock sticking up from them to give them a bushier appearance, and she looks like she has more joints and flexible body parts in general now. Her torso was just one block of rock when she first turned from a rock into Rock. That same torso now looks like it has several cracks in it that allow her to properly bend and twist her body. ¡°Rock, I don¡¯t want to say that you can¡¯t evolve if you want to, but try to at least stay like a wolf, alright? I can¡¯t just spam the B button to stop you from evolving, and I don¡¯t want you suddenly turning into something super different. You need to stay as a cute puppy, okay?¡± Fenrir explains to her. Rock barks and licks his face in agreement. ¡°They do say that a dog is a man¡¯s best friend, do they not?¡± Corwin chimes in. ¡°That¡¯s right! Plus, if you think about it, we¡¯re both wolves. We¡¯re part of a pack. I¡¯m the alpha of the pack and Rock here is my co-alpha,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Do packs of animals usually not have just a single alpha?¡± ¡°Boring packs do, but we¡¯re all about equality here ¨C we¡¯ve got to be equally awesome. Rock is my partner, not my subordinate.¡± ¡°If you do not mind my saying so, you certainly are quite the odd one, Fenrir.¡± ¡°I get told that a lot. Anyways, let¡¯s go to one of those rod shops.¡± Corwin leads Fenrir and Rock to another one of the shops that he knows of, this one being back near the docks. There is an incident that involves Rock getting into a staring contest with a cat along the way. Fenrir carries Rock the rest of the way to the shop to make sure that she doesn¡¯t get into any trouble. The cat follows along with them off to the side, always in Rock¡¯s sight, but forever out of her reach. Rock makes many disgruntled whines and growls. She even tries looking up at Fenrir with big puppy eyes to hopefully convince him to allow her to attack the taunting feline, but alas, she is given no such permission. Rock lifts a paw and smacks Fenrir in the face. ¡°Did you just¡­ smack me?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock barks, but she follows it up with a lick which makes Fenrir instantly forgive her. ¡°She is going to be spoiled if you do not punish her for misbehaving,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir and Rock both look at him as if confused by what he just said, eyebrows raised and heads tilted. ¡°So?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Such an odd captain. Now then, the shop is right there.¡± The three head indoors. Fortunately, Rock is allowed in most shops as long as there aren¡¯t any clothes on display. Or rocks. Fenrir was walking around the city looking through various shops the other day. One of them was a ¡°materials¡± shop which had various types of rocks and ores on display. Rock was salivating the moment she entered the shop. Fenrir learned not to take Rock into such a shop again. ¡°Hey there! Here to get yourself a new rod for the tournament?¡± the shopkeeper asks as soon as the trio walks inside. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Fenrir smiles and asks. ¡°It¡¯s what everybody else has been coming in here for lately! Take a look around and let me know if you see somethin¡¯ you like.¡± ¡°Will do, thanks.¡± Three walls of the shop are covered with rods of various types. Some of them are casting rods, others are spinning rods. Some are for trolling, others are for fly fishing. In the center of the shop are a few stands with pots and cages meant for crabbing, there are shelves with colorful lures and different types of lines, and there are other tools such as nets, tackle boxes, and floaters. Fenrir looks like a child in a candy shop, or like Oleander in a bar full of masculine, burly men. He wonders if Corwin knows about Oleander¡¯s previous escapades. Fenrir starts picking up items and taking them over to the counter. He picks up a tiered tackle box, some scissors to cut line and pliers to help pull any stuck hooks out of fish mouths, some floaters and a few lures, a net that has an extendable pole long enough to reach down into the water from The Shoebill¡¯s deck, and then checks on the price of everything to see how much he has left to spend on rods. Everything that he has picked out so far amounts to one gold and fifty silver. Not too bad. At least, that¡¯s what he thinks until he actually looks at the rods. There are price tags on each one, and they¡¯re all anywhere from two gold to over twenty gold. One of the rods is almost thirty gold! ¡°Why¡­ why¡¯s this one so expensive?¡± Fenrir asks, holding the rod. ¡°Ah, that one! It¡¯s the nicest one we¡¯ve got. It is more than worth the price, I assure you. The line there is made out of the silk of a giant cave spider. You know about those?¡± the shopkeeper asks. ¡°Giant spiders? I uhh, would rather never learn about them.¡± ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s how most players feel about them. Their webs are more durable than steel. You collect enough of their silk and you¡¯ve got yourself a fishing line that isn¡¯t going to snap no matter what¡¯s pullin¡¯ on it. A fish is goin¡¯ to tear your arms off from pulling on your line before it snaps. That¡¯s what happens when you use the silk from something that weaves it to capture dragons and ogres. Damn things are the kings of the underground. ¡°So the line is the only reason it¡¯s so expensive?¡± ¡°Only half of it! The rod there, try bending it. Bend it as hard as you can. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t break.¡± Fenrir looks hesitant to try and bend what looks like such a beautifully crafted rod, but he does it. It bends, and bends, and bends, but never snaps. It returns to its original position as soon as he lets go of it without any evidence of him having just bent it. ¡°What kind of wood is this?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Steel oak.¡± ¡°Let me guess, more durable than steel?¡± ¡°You got it! These trees are damn rare. You¡¯ll find about one of ¡®em for every five hundred or so regular oaks, and you can¡¯t tell the difference between them until you take an axe to it only for the blade to crack against the bark!¡± ¡°Then how do you chop it down?¡± ¡°Lots of axes.¡± Fenrir wants to question that but instead nods and accepts it. ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°So, you want that beauty?¡± the shopkeeper asks. ¡°I wish. It¡¯s about ten times more expensive than I can afford,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°Just win the tournament and then come back here for it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the reward anyways? I keep forgetting to ask about that.¡± ¡°Two hundred gold coins, all the meat and material parts from the final catch, and then a special reward that nobody knows about yet. Last time it was a ship, before then it was a mansion in the city, but this time the rumors are that the elf king is in charge of the final reward.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he like? I keep overhearing people talking about him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know much about him myself other than that he¡¯s the blue bitch of the west.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s like an elf and male version of Indra?¡± ¡°Supposedly.¡± ¡°Got it, thanks.¡± Fenrir returns his attention to the rods. There¡¯s one other rod that catches his attention and is affordable. It looks cool enough for him, too. The more he looks at it, the more he realizes it¡¯s unlike any other rod in the shop. Its blank is almost pure white ¨C as white as his hair. A few swirls can be seen in the smoothed wood which makes it look like it was designed that way on purpose, but Fenrir figures that it¡¯s just a natural pattern. The reel itself is made out of iron and some light red wood. Fenrir realizes something. With the white blank and the light red reel, it matches his hair and eyes respectively. But how much is it? He looks at the price tag. Two gold. It¡¯s cheaper than he thought it would be, but that only leaves him fifty silver. ¡°I will take this one, captain,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir looks over and sees him holding a dainty rod that looks like it will snap from even the slightest bit of bending. He looks back at the white rod. He really wants it, but it wouldn¡¯t be fair to selfishly buy it for himself and leave Corwin with one so lackluster. He looks at Corwin again and opens his mouth to talk. ¡°Please, Fenrir, do not worry about me. This is more than enough for me, and I can tell how much you want that one,¡± Corwin says first. Fenrir looks at the price tag on it. It¡¯s only twenty silver. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I don¡¯t mind trying to get us equal rods. I don¡¯t want you¡ª¡± ¡°I promise that it is alright, captain. Consider it my thanks to you for bringing Oleander to this city. Without your choice to come here, I never would have met him.¡± ¡°You really like him, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ve only been together for a week.¡± ¡°I know. I worry that I may be moving too fast, but my feelings are what they are. Now, please purchase that rod for yourself. It is a very beautiful rod, and you eye it so wantingly.¡± Fenrir smiles at Corwin¡¯s explanation. He¡¯s always been good at reading people, and he doesn¡¯t sense that Corwin is lying, so he must genuinely feel as strongly as he does for Oleander. ¡°Got it. Thanks, Corwin. Glad to have you with us.¡± Book 1: Chapter 52: Patch 9.0: Preparing for the Tournament Crew? Fully staffed. The Shoebill? Given an engine and something on the front of the ship covered in a tarp now that Tabitha refuses to let anybody see underneath. Also reinforced, repainted, and polished by Tabitha. Rock? Rock. Cassiel and Serra? Getting better at fishing. Oleander? Sneaking off with Corwin every other hour. Bonekraka? Asshole. Fishing rods? Four of them. Tournament registration? Completed. Preparation status? Prepared. Fenrir? Realizing that the tournament is about to happen, knowing that it is going to be dangerous and that death is possible, and remembering that he is going to lose everything if he dies. Without a rebirth counter, if he dies, he¡¯s done for. He will respawn in a random location somewhere in the game¡¯s world with none of his acquired stats, skills, nor items. He will essentially be a brand-new player without even the benefit of getting to choose where he spawns. Oleander was in the same situation as him until he started dating Corwin. Now, he¡¯s apparently acquired three counters, so he¡¯s safe. Everybody has slept on The Shoebill as well, so if anybody dies, they¡¯ll respawn on the ship assuming that it doesn''t get sunk. Fenrir is the only one without a counter. He has the confidence to compete in the tournament without dying, but he¡¯s not so cocky that he believes he¡¯s above all odds. He needs more counters. Yet, the only options he knows of to get them are: have sex, kill bosses or other elite NPCs, use rare and valuable items, or kill a player far stronger than he is. The easiest of these would be to use one of those items that Saya told him about, but he has no idea what the item is, what it looks like, where he could find it, and he¡¯s sure that it would cost far more than he can afford to lose. Killing an elite NPC or boss, or killing a player much stronger than him, are all out as possibilities as well. He can¡¯t just go kill a random player and hope to get lucky with getting a rebirth counter, and it¡¯s not like there are going to be any elite NPCs nor bosses around one of the game¡¯s largest and busiest cities. Basically, his only option to get rebirth counters right now is to have sex. Just the thought of it makes his face burn red. There are only two girls he could realistically have sex with unless he wants to go and pay for a prostitute in the city. He¡¯s learned since his time here that sex is a very profitable business in this game. Some players model their characters to tailor to specific fetishes, the game itself allows for kinks that would be either impossible or illegal in real life, and then there¡¯s the fact that there are so many possible races for characters to be. As annoying as it is to Fenrir, he¡¯s realizing that a large portion of this game''s player base only cares about the sexual aspects of it. On the surface, it looks like an average fantasy world with people going about their daily lives, going on adventures, living out normal lives, and so forth. But, when one looks beyond that shallow surface to find what players are doing when they¡¯re not out killing monsters or each other, the answer is simple: having sex. Serra and Cassiel are his only two real options. Even if it¡¯s a game, he still believes that sex is something valuable that should only be done with those he is romantically involved with. Right now, the only girls he has any romantic interest in are Serra and Cassiel. He knows that they each have feelings for him as well. Oleander likes to tease him about being dense, and he admits that he can be dense regarding some things, but even he knows that they like him. And they know that he likes them. After all, he already admitted to it and said that he would properly confess to them soon. There is one problem with this. He has never confessed to a girl before ¨C not properly, anyway. The only ¡°girlfriends¡± that he has ever had were all online and they made the first moves since they wanted to take advantage of him and his status as the Divine Brigade¡¯s leader. Just thinking about it gives him a headache. Never before had he believed that he would someday end up with a harem. Sure, he loves harems in anime, but he never thought he would get one in real life. His dad always lectured him against harems, but his mother always told him that he could love whoever he wants and however many people he wants. Then there¡¯s the doubt of if he can even properly love two girls. How does he make sure they both feel equal and like they¡¯re getting enough attention from him? How do sleeping arrangements work? What if one of them gets jealous of him giving the other attention? How is he supposed to afford dating two girls? Does he confess to them at the same time, or separately? Wait, if he does it separately, wouldn¡¯t whoever is confessed to second feel less important or jealous? ¡°Ah! This sucks!¡± Fenrir shouts from The Shoebill¡¯s crow¡¯s nest. Nobody else is online right now, so nobody can hear his frustrated shouts aside from the random people walking by on the pier. Even Rock is sleeping, curled up against the bottom of the mast. As great as the idea of dating two awesome girls is, he can¡¯t help but feel it would be so much easier to only date one of them. Yet, he can¡¯t even begin to think about who he would choose if he had to. They both have their flaws, but they both have so many more pros. Besides, he¡¯s already been learning sign language for Serra and he punched a guy for Cassiel. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t I actually kind of awesome?¡± he asks himself in a moment of self-realization. If he¡¯s being totally honest with himself, he¡¯s actually cooler than he thought he was even if thinking that makes him feel like an egotistical ass. Maybe he¡¯s just overthinking things? He isn¡¯t entirely sure, but he does know that just being his usual self thus far is what has made those two girls like him as much as they do. ¡°I hate when nobody else is online to distract me,¡± Fenrir groans. Life sucks. Alright, maybe not really, but having to actually seriously think about all of this does suck. Then he realizes something. All those kids who bullied him when he was younger ¨C he bets that they don¡¯t have a couple of cute girls waiting to date them. A huge smile spreads across his lips. ¡°Take that, bastards. This loser is about to have two more girlfriends than any of you have¡­ probably.¡± Fenrir raises his hands up to the top of his head, ruffling up his hair in frustration. This has gone back to sucking. The beat of his heart races. It feels as if hundreds of butterflies are fluttering about in his stomach as his heart tries to pop out of his chest like some sort of old-school alien. He believes his best option is to confess to them both at once. He knows that they like him, they know that he likes them, and he¡¯s pretty sure that they both like each other as more than friends at least a small bit. At least, with the way that Serra teases Cassiel at times, it¡¯s obvious that Serra likes her. He also figures that Cassiel wouldn¡¯t get so flustered and bashful around her when she does that if the feeling wasn¡¯t mutual. Is he really going to do this? Confess to two girls at once? He doesn¡¯t know whether to be full of self-doubt or be proud of himself. In the end, he knows what he has to do. He has to man up and confess. ¡°Alright, you can do this,¡± he says to himself, forming his hands into confident fists. ¡­ ¡°But how do I do it?¡± And he¡¯s back to square one. No, screw that. He climbs down the mast and heads below deck to sleep on the floor. A few more hammocks have been set up, but they¡¯re all taken. ¡°Ready to wake, Saya,¡± Fenrir whispers. ¡°Aye aye, Onii-chan!¡± Saya says. Ryouta looks up at his ceiling fan. He waits until he can move properly before getting out of bed, walking over to his computer, and sending a message to Serra and Cassiel over Fiscord telling them to meet him in-game later at a specific time. The urge to delete the messages before they see them is extremely strong. He has to grab his right hand with his left to prevent it from reaching forward to delete the messages. He hurries back over to bed, lies down, and immerses himself back into the game. ¡°That was a short break, Onii-chan,¡± Saya teases. ¡°I know. I need to go fishing to take my mind off of what I¡¯ve done,¡± Fenrir says. They¡¯re sitting in the usual caf¨¦. ¡°Oh no, you manned up! That must have been very hard for you to do, Onii-chan. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to sass me then at least do it while I¡¯m fishing.¡± Saya giggles before letting him immerse back into the game. Confess to Serra and Cassiel? Status pending. Book 1: Chapter 53: Patch 9.0: Preparing for the Tournament Fenrir was supposed to confess to Serra and Cassiel in-game. He had finally manned up, sent those messages telling them when to meet him in-game, and has been anxiously waiting for the time to come. So, how come his avatar is fast asleep in-game when he¡¯s supposed to be meeting the girls? Because he somehow found the courage change his plans. He¡¯s pretty sure that he¡¯s going to die at any second from just how intensely his heart is beating. It legitimately feels as if it is trying to tear out from his chest and run away. So, if he isn¡¯t in-game, just where exactly is he? Ryouta is standing at New Charleston¡¯s maglev train station. His hair is combed so that it isn¡¯t as messy as it usually is, he¡¯s wearing properly-fitting clothes instead of baggy and wrinkled ones, and he¡¯s even using the leg braces that he hates wearing so that walking and standing isn¡¯t such a pain. Behind his back are two bouquets of multi-colored roses, and he¡¯s nervously looking around waiting to see which direction Cassiel and Serra are going to come from. What if one of them approaches from behind and ruins the surprise of the flowers? Wait, what if only one girl gets here first? Does he just wait until they¡¯re both here to give the flowers, which would mean awkwardly keeping both of his hands behind his back while talking to whoever arrives first? Doesn¡¯t he already look silly in general with his hands both behind his back and nervously looking around? Now that he looks around himself, he realizes that several of the passersby are looking at him with confusion or suspicion. A few people walk by who look at him and then whisper to whoever they¡¯re with, usually resulting in some not-very-subtle giggling. He wants to die. Letting his heart jump out of his chest to run away and hide, leaving his overthinking brain behind to die, is sounding like a very tempting deal right now. There were times in-game with his ¡°ex¡¯s¡± where he tried to do nice things for them, but it never worked out. There was one girl where he wanted her address so that he could hire a flower company near her to deliver her a bouquet, but she made jokes about him potentially being an axe-wielding stalker to avoid giving a proper answer. There was another girl where he tried setting up a large and romantic ¡°date¡± for her in-game, but she got bored after a couple of minutes and logged out since she said she had to study. He still remembers seeing a notification pop up five minutes later showing her playing a different game. Sometimes he worries that Serra and Cassiel are just taking advantage of him, but no matter how objectively he tries reflecting on them, he cannot find anything wrong with either of them. At the very least, there aren¡¯t any suspicious red flags screaming at him to run away. Only his heart and mind are doing that, and that¡¯s only because they¡¯re afraid of rejection or screwing this up. A gust of cold air brushes against him. There¡¯s a problem. It messed up his hair. How is he supposed to fix his hair when both of his hands are full? He either has to set down one of the bouquets or try to hold them both in one hand, but he¡¯s worried about messing them up if he does either of those. There¡¯s only one thing he can do. He has to try and flick his head to fix his hair. He feels like one of those edgy looking teenagers who are obsessed with flipping their hair. ¡°What are you doing?¡± a familiar voice asks. Ryouta freezes. More importantly, the voice came from behind him. He turns around. Cassandra and Serra are standing together looking at him. At this point, he feels so sickeningly nervous that he just¡ª Serra taps something into her phone before holding it up for Ryouta to read. The flowers are really pretty and your hair looks cute when messy! Ryouta smiles and hangs his head. The only concern left is whether he¡¯s really good enough for them or not. But, he¡¯s going to try his best to prove that he is. He brings the bouquets from behind his back and holds them out to the girls. Serra has a wide smile while Cassandra blushes and struggles to look at him directly. With his hands free, he¡¯s able to make hand signs that match what he¡¯s saying so that each girl can properly understand him. ¡°Sorry. I wanted to surprise you with the flowers,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, you ba--¡­ Ryo¡­Ryouta,¡± Cassandra says. It¡¯s the first time he¡¯s ever heard her say his real name. ¡°It was Serra¡¯s idea to sneak up on you and surprise you anyways.¡± Ryouta can¡¯t help but smile as he looks over at Serra who is¡­ crying? Serra tries wiping away her tears with the hand that isn¡¯t holding the bouquet, but she just can¡¯t stop herself. She sees Ryouta looked at her with such a concerned expression and panics. She tries signing to him, but given that one of her hands is occupied, it¡¯s pretty difficult. Fortunately, Cassandra picks up on this and takes the bouquet from her so that she can properly sign. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m okay. Sorry. I¡¯m surprised that you know sign language. I¡¯ve never met anybody other than personal tutors and my parents who cared. I¡¯m really happy. Sorry, please don¡¯t worry about me, I promise I¡¯m just really happy and surprised. Thank you. It¡¯s hard for Ryouta to keep up with her, but he more or less understands what she¡¯s saying. He signs back at her letting her know that he¡¯s glad she¡¯s just happy and not upset. For Cassandra¡¯s sake, he continues speaking alongside the signs so that she¡¯s not left out. ¡°I learned it just for you, so you better appreciate it,¡± he ends with a tease. The bright smile that Serra gives him is just ¨C he could never properly express just how precious of a smile it is. Serra reaches up for her bouquet, taking it back from Cassandra. One of the petals came off as Cassandra held it. It¡¯s stuck on her face and she doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed it. ¡°Stay still, Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta says. She wants to shout at him for using that name in real life, but she freezes up when she sees his hand and face approach her own face. Her cheeks turn bright red. She frantically looks around as if she¡¯s trying to find an escape route, but in the end, she just closes her eyes and anxiously purses her lips. ¡°Got it,¡± Ryouta says, holding the flower petal to show her. Cassandra feels so hot that she¡¯s pretty sure steam is about to blow out through her ears. Her situation is made even worse when Serra pokes her in the side, making her squeak out in that feminine voice she hates to let them hear. Cassandra looks down at the shorter girl and begins shouting, but it is the passersby who hear Cassandra¡¯s embarrassed frustration rather than Serra. Ryouta finally relaxes. As worried as he was about this ¨C as inexperienced as he feels, this is just like how they are in-game. The only difference is that he¡¯s not as tall and as masculine looking as he is in-game, but neither of these girls seems to care. They both agreed to meeting him offline, after all. He finally gets a good look at them as Cassandra shouts and Serra tries not to laugh. How did he not notice sooner? He feels like a traitor to himself. Cassandra is wearing a¡­ she¡¯s wearing¡­ A sweater. Sure, she¡¯s wearing black leggings that accentuate her legs and thighs, but a sweater. Even if it¡¯s a sweater and slightly baggy, it hugs against her chest which reminds Ryouta that she¡¯s actually pretty busty. It¡¯s almost impossible to tell in-game since the armor she wears keeps everything suppressed and hidden without any hints, but this sight in addition to remembering how she looks at work reminds him that she¡¯s got a great chest. Ryouta normally wouldn¡¯t think of such things just from looking at a girl, but she¡¯s wearing a sweater. There is nothing more that Ryouta wants to do when he sees a girl wearing a sweater than grope and poke her through it. It would combine two of the best things there are in this world: one, groping boobs; and two, the softness of a sweater. At least, he imagines that groping boobs would be one of the greatest joys there is. Serra looks adorable as well. She¡¯s wearing a knitted hat that looks two times too large for her head and a parka that looks more like a dress on her petite figure than a jacket. Cassandra lifts her head to look at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Hey. Just where do you think you¡¯re looking?¡± she asks. He¡¯s totally caught. To Ryouta''s surprise, Serra gives Cassandra''s chest a quick poke through her sweater as if trying to assist in whatever perverse thoughts he''s been conjuring up within the sweater-obsessed mind of his. Serra may not be able to hear it, but Ryouta and everybody else around hears the surprised squeak that Cassandra makes. Cassandra doesn¡¯t even know how to react. Her lips are quivering, eyes are twitching, and she¡¯s pure red because of what Serra just did in addition to knowing what sound she just made. Serra and Ryouta exchange a thumbs-up as Cassandra tries processing all of this. Cassandra is only taken out of her bluescreen of a thought process when Ryouta speaks up. Serra watches his lips to read what he¡¯s saying mainly but follows his hands as well. ¡°I uhh, sorry. I wanted to be cool and smooth with this, but I can¡¯t really think of a good way to ask this, so ¨C Serra, Cassandra, will you¡­¡± his voice grows quieter with every word as he hesitates both with his voice and hands. If he was able to man himself up to confess to them properly in real life instead of through the game, he can man himself up again. He takes a deep breath. ¡°I like you both a lot. A ton. I¡¯ve never really felt anything like this for any other girl before, but being with you two makes me happy, and I want to make both of you happy, so will you go out with me?¡± It feels as if time freezes. There is no wind, the only noise comes from those walking around them, and he hears a couple of girls giggle to each other nearby as they walk past him. He realizes that his eyes are closed. He shut them as tightly as he could after asking them out. Everything just feels so cringy and awkward and like he has no idea what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s afraid to see how they look right now. Something soft and warm presses against his lips. If his heart didn¡¯t want to jump out of his chest again from asking them out, it does now as he can only assume what ¨C or who, is kissing him. ¡°H-hey! That¡¯s not fair!¡± Cassandra shouts. Ryouta opens his eyes and sees Serra standing on her tiptoes to reach his lips. Even if he¡¯s shorter than most guys are in real life, Serra still has to lean up on her tiptoes to reach him. Serra looks directly into his eyes with a warm smile and a light blush on her cheeks. Ryouta has no idea how to respond other than with a smile of his own. Before he can do or say anything else, Serra hops backward and pushes Cassandra forward. ¡°Wh-what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Cassandra shouts at the smaller girl pushing her from behind. Ryouta¡¯s and Cassandra¡¯s faces are right in front of each other. He¡¯s almost a foot taller than her in-game, but here, he¡¯s hardly an inch taller. He already let one of these girls take the lead, and he doubts Cassandra could do it from her nervous fidgeting, so he closes the distance by himself and presses his lips against Cassandra¡¯s. She makes more of those flustered and feminine noises, but they are muffled from her lips pressing against his. Her heart can¡¯t take much more of it. She pushes Ryouta away and turns away from them both to hide her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could do that!¡± she shouts. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know if he just messed up or not. He knows that she¡¯s a bit of a tsundere, but he¡¯s still new to this. He wouldn¡¯t put it past himself to misread a situation and go too far. ¡°Sorry, did I¡ª¡± he tries apologizing but gets cut off. ¡°Shut up! I ¨C I didn¡¯t say not to do it!¡± ¡°So, it was alright?¡± he asks, just wanting to make sure. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not answering that, you bastard.¡± Serra sneaks around to the front of Cassandra and sees just how bright red her entire head is. Cassandra¡¯s face transcends beyond simple blushing when Serra leans up and kisses her. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know who¡¯s doing more confessing right now: him or Serra. But regardless of who¡¯s doing the most work right now, he¡¯s just happy that it¡¯s all going smoothly. He confessed to the girls he cares about, they accepted his confession, and they get along on their own. He has heard before about how modern harems can¡¯t work healthily unless all parties involved are romantically involved with one another. The biggest problem is that people try to treat them like one person having multiple relationships instead of just being in one large relationship where everybody cares about one another. But with this, he doesn¡¯t have to worry about that. Serra backs away from Cassandra with another smile. Only, she¡¯s blushing less than she was with Ryouta. He¡¯s worried that she¡¯s going to grow dangerously confident and forward. He doesn¡¯t know if either he or Cassandra could handle her if she does. Serra may be the weakest of them in-game, but when it comes to displaying affection, her power level is the highest of them all. Book 1: Chapter 54: A Break Before the Tournament Ryouta made one massive mistake when it came to planning this date out. Sure, he gave them flowers, but this is only the very beginning of the date. What are the girls supposed to do with the flowers now? They can¡¯t just walk around with the flowers for the entire day, nor do they have anywhere to store them unless they want to pause the date and take the flowers home. ¡°I didn¡¯t think this through,¡± Ryouta says. Each of the girls looks concerned about the flowers. They both want to keep the flowers, but they know they¡¯re only going to get in the way. ¡°How about we just throw them out, and then I¡¯ll buy more at the end?¡± he asks. Neither of them looks like they¡¯re willing to give up the first flowers he¡¯s given them, though they give different reasons. Serra holds up her phone to show him what she¡¯s typed. These flowers are special to me! I don¡¯t want to throw them out. They¡¯re the first flowers you¡¯ve given me, so I want to keep them >/// Ryouta looks at the blushing emoji and then up at her face. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not blushing at all,¡± he says. She quickly types something on her phone. I¡¯m blushing on the inside! ¡°You¡¯re a dork, Serra Berra.¡± She wasn¡¯t blushing before, but hearing that cute nickname for her does make her blush. ¡°It¡¯d be a pain for you to have to buy more flowers, and I doubt they were cheap, so don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassandra says. Whereas Serra wasn¡¯t blushing from rejecting his offer, Cassandra is. Cassandra¡¯s near-constant blushing really makes Ryouta want to bully her so that she blushes even more. Alright, he¡¯s got another idea, but it¡¯s taking a lot of courage to say it. ¡°My uhh, my place is nearby if you want to just¡­ drop the flowers off there. I can put them in some cups with water, and then we can go out,¡± Ryouta says. The girls look at one another with reddened cheeks. Yeah, they¡¯re thinking exactly what he was worried they were going to think. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong! I ¨C I don¡¯t intend on doing anything, just dropping the flowers off. You don¡¯t even have to come inside or anything like that. You can just wait downstairs if you want,¡± he tries correcting whatever thoughts they may have. Serra pouts as if she¡¯s disappointed, and Cassandra can¡¯t make eye contact with him. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going through their heads now, but he leads them back to his apartment building. Serra shows more of her bold nature during the walk by grabbing onto his right hand with her left, holding it as they walk. They have already held hands in-game quite a few times before, and it feels the exact same as it does in-game thanks to just how incredibly realistic the game is, yet he can¡¯t help but feel that this is different ¨C that this is special. Whereas before, it was just holding hands with an avatar, now he¡¯s holding hands with the real Serra. What surprises him is when his other hand is grabbed. He looks to his left and sees Cassandra holding her bouquet in her left hand with her right hand shakily holding onto his left. She¡¯s looking away so that he can¡¯t see her face, but he can see the red tips of her ears. Walking down the street with girls ¨C no, not just any girls, but two incredibly cute girls holding onto his hands, he can feel the jealous stares of other men and disgusted looks of those against polygamy as they walk by. Cassandra finds this all far too embarrassing, and Ryouta can feel her hand constantly in a state of deciding between squeezing harder and letting go, but she refuses to let go for as long as Serra is still holding onto his hand. As for Serra, she doesn¡¯t seem to have the slightest care that some people are judging them. If anything, she¡¯s been smiling the entire time and doesn¡¯t even think about letting go of Ryouta¡¯s hand. Ryouta is between them both figuratively and literally. He feels the same embarrassment that Cassandra feels, but doesn¡¯t even think about letting go of their hands. Sure, some people may be judging him, but he can¡¯t let them get to him. What kind of man would he be if he cared about what others thought? He doesn¡¯t want to be the kind of man who is afraid of expressing his affection for Serra and Cassandra. He won¡¯t be some wimp who caves in to pressure. He wants to be the kind of man that they can proudly call their boyfriend. Ryouta embraces his inner Fenrir and Divine Brigade leader by tightly, but not too tightly, squeezing their hands and pulling them closer to his sides than they were before. He doesn¡¯t know if he has the confidence to do anything more than this with them, but he can at least man up enough to proudly hold them close to him. Serra happily leans her head against his arm. As for Cassandra, tired of being the least forward one here, she continues holding his hand but uses her other arm to grab onto his and hug it against her. The bouquet of flowers hides her hugging his arm from everybody, but it doesn¡¯t stop what Ryouta is feeling. Sweater. Breasts. His arm. He has a feeling that this is intended, yet he also has a feeling that he is going to be killed both in-game and in real life if he says anything. Fortunately for Cassandra, he would not dare to ruin this moment by saying anything about it. Everything that he has always believed but never experienced about the combination of a sweater and a woman¡¯s breasts is true. This is what heaven is like. Ryouta is in such a stupid state of bliss that he doesn¡¯t realize when he walks right past his apartment building. He only realizes his mistake when he sees the McFonalds that always has an annoying amount of people in line at it. ¡°... we passed it,¡± Ryouta says. Serra just smiles at him when he tells them that, but Cassandra glares at him. She believes that he passed it on purpose so that she would be stuck holding onto his arm in such an embarrassing way for a longer time. He wants to say that she doesn¡¯t have to keep holding onto his arm if she doesn¡¯t want to, but he doubts that would go over well. They finally make it to his apartment building. He offers that they can wait in the lobby if they want to instead of heading upstairs with him, but they refuse. His hands are only finally let go of when he has to operate the elevator. And then they are grabbed right back onto until he reaches the door of his apartment. Now, they are not doing this to be clingy. Instead, it is because Serra is teasing Cassandra as much as she wants to be lovey-dovey with Ryouta. Serra knows that Cassandra hates losing or being in second place, so she keeps on holding Ryouta¡¯s hand and getting more intimate with it and his arm because she knows that Cassandra is going to try and match her. Ryouta isn¡¯t wise to this. Finally, they reach his apartment¡¯s door. He unlocks it, opens it, and then immediately shuts it. The girls look at him in confusion. Serra holds up her phone to ask what¡¯s wrong. Cassandra looks suspicious. ¡°I uhh ¨C I wasn¡¯t, exactly, you know, planning on you two coming over. So could I just ¨C would you mind waiting out here while I go clean things up real quick? Or just wait here and let me go put the flowers in some water, and then we¡¯ll go. It won¡¯t take me more than five minutes. Promise,¡± Ryouta explains. The girls look at each other and agree to let him head in first. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right back out.¡± Ryouta is very careful to open the door just barely enough to give him the space required to slip inside without letting the girls see past him. He doesn¡¯t notice Serra use part of her sleeve to stick it between the door and the frame to prevent it from fully closing. Serra looks back at Cassandra and gives her a thumbs-up. ¡°You¡¯re more mischievous than you look,¡± Cassandra says, making sure to look at Serra straight on as she talks so that reading her lips will be easier. Serra¡¯s eyes shine, considering that a compliment. The door slowly opens to give the girls a chance to peek in. Serra is crouching a bit so that Cassandra can peek over her. Ryouta has his pants rolled up which reveals the two metallic braces supporting his legs. They extend from his ankles up to his thighs and are connected to metal ports sticking out from the skin of his legs. They are less of braces and more like exoskeletons. The girls have heard of this before. When amputation isn¡¯t required, those who suffer injuries to their limbs can get plates and screws implanted into their limbs which can work in tandem with thin exoskeletons to give them full functionality rather than partial. They can also see just how covered in scars his legs are. Whether they are injury or medical scars, they can¡¯t tell, but it¡¯s clear that something happened to his legs. Ryouta rubs the skin that the exoskeletons aren¡¯t covering. ¡°Hate these damn things, but can¡¯t go looking like a loser around them,¡± he says to himself, not noticing that the door is open and the girls are watching. Cassandra is careful to close the door without it making any noise. She and Serra look at one another and come to an understanding without words to not bring up what they saw. They both look like they regret ever opening the door and looking inside. They were so fixated on his legs that they didn¡¯t even notice how messy his apartment is. The door opens up a couple of minutes later. ¡°Alright, I got everything cleaned,¡± Ryouta says. By ¡°cleaned,¡± he really means that he shoved everything either behind or underneath his couch, or in his closet. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± he asks them when he notices how worried they look. They realize they¡¯re giving themselves away and try to perk up. ¡°You made us wait too long,¡± Cassandra says. Ryouta smiles and rubs the back of his head. ¡°Sorry, it was really messy. You can come in now and rest for a little bit if you want to.¡± The girls step inside and look around. One of the first things that they see is two bouquets of flowers sitting on the kitchen counter. Rather than be in vases like they¡¯re supposed to be, they¡¯re in bottles of hard cider. Ryouta realizes how it looks and waves his arms to reject their concerns. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! They were empty, and I washed them out before filling them with water, so it¡¯s fine.¡± They still look unimpressed, but Serra can¡¯t keep up the fa?ade for long before she starts giggling. Hearing her laugh in real life is different from how she laughs in-game. It sounds less natural ¨C like she doesn¡¯t know how to laugh. Yet, at the same time, it¡¯s incredibly endearing and sounds really cute in its own way. He would have thought that being able to talk and laugh in-game would help her do so more naturally in real life, but he guesses not. ¡°This is a nice place. How the heck are you affording it?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I wish I lived in a place half as nice as this. It¡¯s spacious, is this high up ¨C you¡¯re living the dream up here, you bastard.¡± Cassandra realizes she brought up a sensitive subject when she sees a flash of his gloomy expression. He forces himself to smile. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m the son of some super-rich parents who work with energy production. I poisoned them so that I could inherit all of their money, obviously,¡± he jokes. ¡°Just kidding. Well, about the super-rich and poisoning parts. I just inherited it. Probably going to have to get a real job here sometime soon though since I¡¯m starting to run out,¡± he explains. ¡°If you inherited it, does that mean¡ª¡± Cassandra cuts herself off when she realizes she might be getting too personal, but it¡¯s too late. ¡°Yeah. Autocar accident a few years ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Cass Cass. It¡¯s the past. You would have figured it out one way or another eventually, and I¡¯m at peace with it, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Serra has been standing off to the side watching their faces as they converse. She didn¡¯t pick up on everything that they were saying, but she read their lips to understand enough. ¡°I¡¯m still sorry,¡± Cassandra apologizes. ¡°So stubborn. Anyways, what can I say? Cars are pretty much the rivals to my life. They¡¯ve been screwing with me ever since I was a kid,¡± he explains, trying to talk in a lighthearted tone and making self-depreciative jokes to take away from the seriousness of the situation. It just makes the girls look even sadder for him. He realizes that he¡¯s screwing up and making things awkward, so he proposes that they get on with the rest of their date. He doesn¡¯t want today to get ruined by anything stupid like being sad over things that happened years ago. ¡°Come on, I tried planning a fun day for us,¡± he says, grabbing their hands and leading them out of his apartment. Book 1: Chapter 55: A Break Before the Tournament Serra grabs Ryouta¡¯s hand to stop him from leaving the apartment. Ryouta turns around to face her. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± he asks. Cassandra is looking away. While they may not have come up with this plan together, Cassandra is worried about the exact same thing that Serra is. They share the same goal. Serra holds her phone up to Ryouta after quickly tapping a message into it. I¡¯m sorry, I peeked through your door and saw you earlier. You looked like your legs hurt and like you don¡¯t like wearing those braces, and I think I read you saying that you don¡¯t like them too. You can just rest if your legs are hurting, okay? I don¡¯t want you to push yourself for me. I¡¯m happy just being with you, so please don¡¯t put yourself through discomfort for me. ¡°Ah, you saw that,¡± Ryouta says, wanting to look away but not wanting to leave Serra unable to understand him even more. She taps another message into her phone. I understand if you¡¯re mad at me for peeking when I know you didn¡¯t want me to see anything. I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Sure, you shouldn¡¯t have peeked, but I know what it feels like to be curious. Plus, you probably just wanted to tease me about this place being a mess. I doubt you were trying to be intrusive,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I looked too. It sounds like she¡¯s trying to take all the blame herself, but¡­ I saw, too,¡± Cassandra says. As tsun as Cassandra can be at times, she¡¯s a good person. Ryouta smiles over to her and closes the door to his apartment. ¡°Well, I already told you about my parents, so I guess I might as well tell you about my legs,¡± he says, walking into his room to grab the picture off of the counter before coming back into the living room and sitting on the couch. He sets the picture down on the table for them to see. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell us if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°You¡¯re curious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not, but seriously, if you¡¯re uncomfortable¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, promise. The secret is already out anyways.¡± Ryouta uses sign language to the best of his ability in addition to saying, ¡°That¡¯s my mom, dad, and childhood dog. His name was Hero. I used to think he was a huge pain in the ass back then. I was always yelling at him, being mean to him, trying to kick him out of my room¡­ I loved him, but I didn¡¯t treat him as nicely as I should have. Oh, and the kid is me if that''s not obvious.¡± Cassandra and Serra are already fearing where this is going. ¡°I used to have a friend. Her name was Aiko.¡± Ryouta is too focused on the picture to notice Serra¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°We spent almost every day together after school. I never appreciated her just like how I never appreciated Hero. Anyways, uh, she liked to walk Hero, but Hero was too fast and strong for her. It was more like he was walking her instead of the other way around. She¡¯d always have scrapes all over her arms and legs after walking him, but she still insisted on doing it again and again.¡± Ryouta takes a deep breath. ¡°And then one day I really fucked up. I didn¡¯t take Hero¡¯s leash from Aiko when I should have. There were a couple of parents with their kid and dog walking across the street, and Hero was never really a big fan of other dogs ¨C don¡¯t get me wrong, he¡¯d bark and get in their faces, but never attacked them. Anyways, he ran across the road tugging Aiko with him.¡± Ryouta pulls his pant legs up. ¡°This is what happens when an autotruck completely shatters the bones from your ankles to your kneecaps.¡± ¡°What about¡ª¡± Cassandra cuts herself off. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Aiko was alright, but Hero uhh, didn¡¯t make it. He took the full force of the hit.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t the fucking truck avoid you?¡± Cassandra asks, pissed off on his behalf. ¡°It¡¯s not its fault. You know, the system installed in those things detects the best available option to minimize death. It was either swerve and hit the family on the sidewalk, drive straight into a girl and dog, or swerve into the streetlamp and put everybody in the truck at risk ¨C it was a narrow street. There was another family in there too, so the system figured that just going straight through somebody crossing the road where they shouldn¡¯t be would be the most ethical choice. Can¡¯t really be mad about it, but between that and what happened to my parents, I hope now you can understand why I hate self-driving vehicles. Anyways, now I¡¯ve got a bunch of metal screws and plates in my legs, and I need these damn braces if I want to properly walk around. The problem is that I hated them as a kid, so I never wore them which meant I never got used to them, so now they hurt to use more than they¡¯re supposed to. Wouldn¡¯t be so uncomfortable to wear them if I would¡¯ve just dealt with it as a kid.¡± Serra walks up to him and tightly wraps her arms around him in a hug. He wasn¡¯t getting emotional before, but now that she¡¯s so tenderly embracing him, he is. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°It¡¯s nothing for you to apologize for, Cass Cass. My dad is the one who refused to just let them amputate my legs to give me prosthetics, and it¡¯s my fault in the first place for not taking better care of Hero and watching out for Aiko. At least I was able to save her.¡± ¡°You saved her?¡± ¡°Yeah. Pushed her out of the way first. It was the only thing I managed to do right that day. Then her parents moved away since they wanted to keep her away from me, but she was always sneaking out to meet me, so they had no choice but to move. So, in the end, I still lost her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± Cassandra stops when she remembers Ryouta is just going to tell her not to apologize again. Ryouta reaches a hand up to pet the top of Serra¡¯s head before lifting her off of him so that she can read his lips. However, as soon as he opens them, she lunges forward to hug onto him again. Cassandra sits down on the couch next to them. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re supposed to be going out and doing stuff. I thought boyfriends were supposed to take their girlfriends out on big and fancy dates?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Deal with it,¡± Cassandra says, scooting closer so that she¡¯s pressing up against his side. ¡°We can just watch TV.¡± ¡°But Serra''s deaf.¡± ¡°Subtitles.¡± ¡­ Ryouta feels like an idiot for completely forgetting that televisions still have subtitle options. He¡¯s only ever watched subtitled anime and that¡¯s on his computer. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not really into all that going out stuff. I see enough people during work. I don¡¯t want to go out and see even more on my days off,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Sorry if that ruins your plans you had. Plus you need to rest anyways.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I surrender. I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not really that big on going out either. I just thought it¡¯d be what you two want,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really care for it, and I¡¯m pretty sure Serra here is happy just being with us no matter what we¡¯re doing, so I doubt she cares.¡± ¡°Happy being with us?¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°W-well, obviously! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not like you have her all to yourself.¡± ¡°So I get the tsun, and she gets the dere? That¡¯s not fair.¡± ¡°Stop talking in terms I don¡¯t understand¡­ but I think I get enough of it.¡± Cassandra grabs his free hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, allowing her to further cuddle into his side and lean her head onto his shoulder. This puts her face right in front of where Serra is. Cassandra sees Serra¡¯s smug smile from knowing that Cassandra couldn¡¯t resist getting in on the affection. ¡°Penguin, on,¡± Ryouta commands. ¡°You named your TV Penguin? Really?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Don¡¯t judge me. I like penguins.¡± It dawns on Ryouta that he¡¯s sitting here, on the couch, with one girl basically straddling him and hugging him while another cuddles against his side. Furthermore, these are two girls that he has only known for about three weeks in reality ¨C six weeks in-game. Is this normal? Is this too fast? He doesn¡¯t know the answer to these questions, but he does know that he¡¯s enjoying it regardless of the fact. Right now, even if he just finished opening up about a bunch of sad things, is the happiest that he¡¯s felt in a long, long time. He can¡¯t remember the last time he felt this warm inside ¨C the last time anybody was able to make him feel this happy and loved. Even if these girls don¡¯t love him yet¡ªhe¡¯s sure that they couldn¡¯t after such a short time¡ªhe still feels loved. Though, never did he expect to be in a harem with two perfect girls cuddling with him at once on his couch. He¡¯s still struggling to believe that any of this is real. ¡°What do you want to watch?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°There¡¯s a baseball game in the stadium today, so that should be on right now,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°You like baseball?¡± ¡°Yeah. Something weird about that?¡± ¡°Just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be the sports kind of girl.¡± ¡°I used to play it as a kid, so it¡¯s the only sport I care about.¡± While the two non-deaf people talk, Serra adjusts her position so that she¡¯s lying down over each of their laps. She has her legs hanging down over Cassandra¡¯s lap while her head hangs upside-down off of Ryouta¡¯s lap. When Ryouta looks down at her, he sees her bangs hanging upside down and revealing her forehead. She is too adorable. Though, now he''ll want to see her without any bangs over her forehead more often. ¡°Oh, Penguin, turn on subtitles,¡± Ryouta commands. The subtitles pop up on the bottom of the screen and take up an annoying amount of space. While such a thing is distracting to Ryouta and Cassandra, Serra isn¡¯t bothered at all. And so, rather than take them out on an extravagant date like he originally planned to, the three end up lounging around in his apartment until it¡¯s time for dinner. Book 1: Chapter 56: A Break Before the Tournament Ryouta already knows what¡¯s going to happen as soon as Cassandra gets up from the couch to look in his kitchen. He tries stopping her, but Serra lying on his lap makes sure that he can¡¯t stop Cassandra. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cassandra asks, looking through his fridge and cabinets. ¡°H-hey now, isn¡¯t it an invasion of personal privacy to be going through somebody else¡¯s stuff?¡± Ryouta asks, ashamed of the fact that she¡¯s only seeing bags of chips, frozen dinners, and various bottles of alcohol. Cassandra groans. ¡°We have a lot of work to do, Serra.¡± Of course, Serra can¡¯t hear her and is just staring up at Ryouta¡¯s ashamed face. ¡°We can just¡­ order something for delivery, can¡¯t we?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Our first dinner together isn¡¯t going to be delivery,¡± Cassandra says, holding up one of Ryouta¡¯s kitchen knives. Ryouta gulps. ¡°I thought you were a tsundere, not a yandere?¡± Cassandra tilts her head. ¡°Haah? You use too many weird words. Anyways, just stay here with Serra. I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Shopping, you bastard. Somebody has to do it around here.¡± Cassandra makes eye contact with Serra as if telling her not to try anything funny while she¡¯s gone before leaving his apartment. ¡°¡­why does she make it sound like she¡¯s already moved in with me?¡± Ryouta asks. Serra struggles to tell what he¡¯s saying since she¡¯s looking up at his face from below, but she understands enough to shrug and cuddle against him. Now they¡¯re alone. Despite how Serra seems to be content watching the one-sided match of baseball, Ryouta can¡¯t help but feel incredibly awkward now that they are alone. Not only does he feel awkward, but he¡¯s suddenly aware of just what sort of position he¡¯s in. He, a virgin, is sitting down on the couch while an incredibly cute girl who he¡¯s now officially dating is lying her head on his lap. She took her parka off when she came in, so now she¡¯s just wearing a black, graphic t-shirt referencing what looks like some old horror movie from the twentieth century and a pair of dark jeans. Her clothes offer a strong contrast to her long, silvery hair. Her adorable face and pure hair make her look like she should be wearing a frilly blouse or sundress, yet that is the opposite of what she¡¯s wearing. All she needs is some black eyeliner and a plaid skirt to go full-on emo. She notices him staring at her and smiles. She¡¯s too damn precious. Ryouta pokes her cheek and keeps on pushing until he¡¯s tilted her head back toward looking at the television. He can¡¯t allow her to look at him like that. Now that he knows what position he¡¯s in here, he fears that the slightest bit of provocation is going to result in something poking up against the back of her head. Shit, just thinking about how much he doesn¡¯t want that to happen is beginning to excite him. Maggots. Grandmas. Intestinal worms. Zombies. Wait¡­ hasn¡¯t he seen hentai before involving zombie girls that actually looked pretty nice? Shit. His plan of thinking of repulsive things to kill his inner virgin¡¯s desires is backfiring on him. ¡°Hey, Serra, aren¡¯t you uncomfortable?¡± he asks her after poking her again to get her attention. She shakes her head on his lap. There are two issues here: one, she¡¯s refusing to get off of his lap; and two, the movement of her head is rubbing directly down against his crotch. This isn¡¯t good. This isn¡¯t good. This is really, really, not good. Ryouta tries to casually adjust himself so that her head isn¡¯t directly on his crotch, but she follows him wherever he goes. It¡¯s almost like¡­ wait. Ryouta pays close attention to her face. There is a slight blush on her cheeks, and she looks like she¡¯s trying to act casually as if nothing is happening, but he notices her occasionally looking up at him to check on how he¡¯s reacting. This little¡­ She¡¯s already been triggering Cassandra¡¯s competitive side for most of the day, but now she¡¯s triggering Ryouta¡¯s competitive side. Fine. He¡¯s a man and she¡¯s his girlfriend, so if that¡¯s what she wants, that¡¯s what she¡¯s going to get. Thinking that is way easier than actually doing it, but he has no choice. Ryouta has to embrace his inner Divine Brigade leader to take over for the virgin that he is. He adjusts himself on the couch so that she has more space to lie on, and he positions his crotch so that it¡¯s directly underneath the side of her head. She catches onto what he¡¯s doing and retaliates in kind by pressing her head harder down against him. This little dork of a girlfriend is too damn forward for him. How is he supposed to beat her? The only things he can think of to do so would be taking it to the next level, and he¡¯s not sure that he¡¯s ready for that. Serra gets the reaction that she¡¯s been looking for when something pokes up against her. They both go still. He can¡¯t believe that any of this is actually happening. He feels like the biggest loser of a virgin ever for actually getting like this just from a girl lying her head on his lap. Serra can¡¯t believe she¡¯s actually forcing herself to be confident and forward enough to purposely nuzzle her head down into his crotch to get him excited. She slides her head away. Ryouta figures that she realizes this is potentially going too far, so he¡¯s relieved despite his inner virgin screaming at him to take this to the next level. In the end, it is his inner virgin that gets what he wants. Serra did slide her head off of the tent in his jeans, but she slid her head backward towards his waist rather than forward onto his thighs. This means that the tent is now directly in front of her face. In front of her mouth. This is really, really, really bad. Or really, really, really good depending on one''s perspective. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know which one of those it is more. Every warm breath of hers causes the tent to behave as if whatever is in it is trying to break out. There is a ferocious, desperate beast just begging for freedom to take out its desires on the not-so-innocent girl teasing it. They stay like this for a while. Neither of them has the confidence yet to take this any further, but neither of them wants to stop, either. In a way, this is¡­ really exciting. It¡¯s nice. Nothing is happening, yet his excitement is growing. Is this what it feels like to awaken to a new fetish? Is being teased without anything actually happening going to be something he has to look up a bunch of hentai for after the girls leave? But then it goes past teasing. Serra leans her head forward. He feels the tip of her nose press against the crown of his jeans¡¯ tent, and then she tilts her head a bit more so that her mouth is directly over the denim-covered¡ª The door to his apartment opens. Standing in the doorway is Cassandra with several bags of groceries around her feet. The first sight she sees is that of Serra with parted lips directly over a bulge in Ryouta¡¯s jeans. It takes Cassandra a few moments to fully process what¡¯s happening. However, when she does finally realize it, she goes red from her neck to the tips of her ears and storms over to Serra so that she can pull the smaller girl off of Ryouta. ¡°I told you the first time has to be together!¡± Cassandra scolds Serra, shaking the girl by her shoulders and looking her directly in the eyes. Serra looks ashamed of herself, but the scolding doesn¡¯t stop her from still peeking over at Ryouta¡¯s crotch. ¡°You¡­ said something like that?¡± Ryouta asks. Cassandra stops shaking Serra as she realizes what she¡¯s admitted to. She drops Serra back down onto the couch and slowly turns to face Ryouta. ¡°I. Will. Kill. You. You. Dog. Bastard,¡± Cassandra threatens. Ryouta looks away from her. He sees the dozen or so bags of groceries that Cassandra bought and brought all the way up here by herself. He feels bad knowing that she did it with her own money and by herself, but it gives him an idea for how to defuse the current situation. He looks into her eyes. ¡°Thanks for buying those groceries, Cassandra. I really appreciate you doing that for me. You¡¯re a great girlfriend,¡± he says. Still red from blushing, an even darker shade of red overcomes her head as she looks away from him. ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing, you bastard. You walked around with us even though you were uncomfortable, so it was the least I could do,¡± Cassandra explains, her voice quiet and timid. He struggles taking the lead with Serra since she¡¯s so forward and he knows that she¡¯ll probably one-up him, but when it comes to Cassandra, it¡¯s easy to just gently grab her by her wrist to pull her close and press his lips against her own warm, delicate lips. It''s especially easy to do so when he already has her so flustered. Cassandra almost looks ready to cry from the sheer embarrassment and surprise she¡¯s feeling, but she doesn¡¯t look upset. ¡°I¡¯ll cook us dinner, alright? You did all the shopping, so relax with Serra while I handle the cooking,¡± Ryouta says. He expects her to question his cooking skills, but she¡¯s still too deep in the dere half of tsundere to doubt him. He sits her down on the couch where he was before getting up to bring in the groceries and start on dinner. Fortunately for the girls, he actually is a fairly decent cook. He¡¯s just too lazy to do it most of the time since he generally has nobody to cook for but himself. Book 1: Chapter 57: Patch 10.0: The King, the Rod and the Harem Dinner ended up being delivered. It turned out that Ryouta¡¯s oven and stove had gone unused for so long that he completely forgot that they don¡¯t work anymore, and he kept on putting off calling somebody to repair them until he forgot about it, so the only working method of preparing food was his microwave. It was either microwave a few of his frozen dinners for him and the girls or order food. They ordered. He wanted to take them out instead, but they were still intent on not letting him hurt his legs over them. As nice as it was for them to do that for him, he has felt horrible about it. He doesn¡¯t like feeling like he¡¯s somebody troublesome that they have to accommodate. What¡¯s even worse is that this is all completely unnecessary. If only he had dealt with it as a child and grown accustomed to using his braces rather than whine and complain about them, he would have no problem using them now. The girls may not allow him to hurt his legs just to do things with them, but they can¡¯t stop him from wearing the braces when they¡¯re not around so that he can get used to them. He wants to be perfect for them and feeling pain just from walking around for a bit isn¡¯t being perfect. He wants to take them out on dates, go visit places with them, and so forth. Now that he actually has real girlfriends, he wants to do everything that he¡¯s never gotten to but has always dreamed of. The hopeless romantic in him that has never gotten a chance to shine now wants nothing more than to make his girlfriends as happy as he can possibly make them. Even so, it¡¯s frustrating. After having autotaxis called for the girls to take them home, ending the night with a kiss to each girl under the streetlights, he goes for a run. That¡¯s right. As hard as it is for him to believe it, Ryouta actually goes on a run. Sure, it may only last a few minutes before he gets exhausted and has too much leg pain to continue, but it¡¯s something ¨C it¡¯s the start of progress. He¡¯s going to make himself better for Serra and Cassandra. He¡¯s not going to try to improve himself, he¡¯s not going to fail at improving himself, he will improve himself. It just might take some time. Even with the pain, running again feels nice. He hasn¡¯t gone running since he was a child and as realistic as something like Fantasy Tales Online may be, it¡¯s just not the same as having real wind flowing against him as he runs. Being reminded what it felt like to do something physical like this with his real body is worth the searing pain in his legs. Ryouta passes out shortly after making it inside and climbing onto his bed. He closes his eyes in darkness and opens them to the bright light of the morning sun. While such a thing is incredibly normal and something that billions of humans experience every day, the horrible part about it is that he feels as if he only went to sleep a few seconds ago! Is this what it feels like to do physical exercise in reality? Is being this exhausted after a full night¡¯s worth of sleep normal? Ryouta lets out a big yawn before grabbing his headset to immerse himself into Fantasy Tales Online. He¡¯s hoping that going in-game will help wake him up so that he doesn¡¯t accidentally fall asleep and sleep through the entire day. More importantly, there is an important event in-game today. It is an event that he doesn¡¯t want to miss. The king from across the ocean is arriving in Port Tugator today. Fenrir hasn¡¯t been able to get much information about the king other than that he¡¯s apparently an elf and the ¡°blue bitch of the west¡± according to the shopkeeper who sold him his new fishing rod. Upon logging in, he sees everybody but Bonekraka and Corwin sleeping below deck. Tabitha is passed out on top of her gigantic backpack, Serra and Cassiel are in a couple of hammocks, and Oleander is in a hammock as well. Fenrir gets out of his hammock and looks over to the stairs. Corwin is knelt down next to The Shoebill¡¯s engine and examining it. ¡°Morning, Corwin. What are you doing?¡± Fenrir asks. Corwin jumps up and looks like a child who just got caught trying to sneak a few extra cookies into his bedroom. Suspicious. ¡°A-ah! Capt¡ªFenrir, I was just ¨C you see,¡± Corwin stutters trying to explain himself. Fenrir walks up to him and looks him over. ¡°I know how this looks! It is just¡­ I have never seen anything like this before, so it is incredibly interesting to me. I had no idea such a thing was possible. I had Miss Strism explain to me how it works, yet no matter how much I try to understand it, I am amazed that somebody could conjure up such a wonderful contraption,¡± Corwin explains. Fenrir can¡¯t pick up on any deceit in Corwin¡¯s words nor body language. ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean,¡± Fenrir says after relaxing his posture and tone. ¡°These are the kinds of things where you don¡¯t really know that they exist ¨C or well, ever existed, unless you look them up. Kind of like CDs. I never knew CDs were a thing until I saw people talking about them online. They used to use CDs for everything from music, to games, to movies. Now we just download everything.¡± ¡°Right you are, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Anyways, just don¡¯t go poking around with the engine. I have no idea how delicate it is, and Tabs would probably get angry. Oh, want to join me for some fishing while waiting for that king to arrive?¡± ¡°I would gladly welcome more training along your side, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Always being so formal. I forget how much of a roleplayer you are sometimes.¡± Corwin offers a nervous smile. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go fishing for a bit. We¡¯ll just do it off the pier instead of taking The Shoebill out.¡± Fenrir heads up above deck and is greeted by Rock wagging her tail so hard that her entire body is wagging with it! ¡°Hey there, pups. Have you been a good girl lately?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock excitedly barks and jumps up to lick his face once he leans down. She¡¯s been getting bigger lately from all of the rocks that he¡¯s been feeding her. Most of the rocks that he¡¯s been able to get his hands on have also been lighter in color, and the color of the rocks is reflected in the coloration of Rock¡¯s body. The lighter colored the rocks are that she eats, the lighter she becomes. The thought of going full edge by feeding her nothing but black and red rocks pops into his head. When he shakes the thought of his mind and looks down at Rock, she looks disappointed in him. ¡°W-what?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock huffs and walks off to curl back up near the ship¡¯s mast. He doesn¡¯t know if Rock can read his mind, or if she can just tell whenever he¡¯s thinking of something weird. He¡¯s also worried that Rock may be learning how to be tsun from Cassiel. Regardless of whichever it is, Fenrir picks up his new trusty rod and attaches a wooden lure to it. The lure itself is¡­ not one that would normally be found in reality. It has a silver color with a blue stripe and two hooks hanging from it, but ¨C well, this is a fantasy game, so whoever created the lure decided to give it horns. At least the horns are technically just two more barbed hooks, but even so, it looks very silly. And that is exactly why Fenrir bought it. He attaches the lure to his line and walks to the edge of the pier. Corwin walks up a few moments later with his own rod and lure, and then Rock comes up to sit next to Fenrir. ¡°See, you can¡¯t stay huffy with me for long,¡± Fenrir teases Rock, petting the top of her head. She happily nuzzles her head up against his petting hand as she wags her tail. Fenrir doesn¡¯t realize that his own tail wags whenever he sees hers wagging. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s test this girl out,¡± he says, casting his new rod for the first time. ¡°Eh?¡± He tries casting it again. ¡°Wh¡­what?¡± Every time he goes to cast it, the line just doesn¡¯t fly out. ¡°Is there a problem, Fenrir?¡± Corwin asks with his line already out in the water. ¡°I ¨C uhh, the rod won¡¯t¡­ it won¡¯t cast?¡± Fenrir explains, holding the rod and examining it to try and figure out what¡¯s wrong. ¡°What do you mean it will not cast?¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m trying to cast it like I normally would, but nothing happens. Maybe there¡¯s a problem with the line or the spool?¡± Fenrir tries casting it again. He¡¯s excited when a bit of the line extends out, but it¡¯s not enough. What is worse is that the line swings right back toward him, causing the lure¡¯s ¡°horns¡± to hook one of the canid ears atop his head. Book 1: Chapter 58: Patch 10.0: The King, the Rod and the Harem Fortunately for Fenrir, Corwin apparently carries some bandages in his bag with him at all times and is able to carefully remove the lure from Fenrir¡¯s ear without much trouble. Fenrir crosses his arms and glares at the lure as Corwin bandages his ear. ¡°What the heck is going on?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I do not know, Fenrir, but perhaps you have forgotten how to properly cast a rod as you have not practiced in a couple of days?¡± Corwin suggests. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. Try it yourself!¡± Corwin finishes wrapping Fenrir¡¯s ear and then does just as Fenrir suggested. The line is cast without any issues. In fact, it is a beautifully done cast that results in the lure plopping into the water farther away than Fenrir has ever managed. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Seriously? How did ¨C no, I know I didn¡¯t forget. Let me try again.¡± Fenrir takes the rod from Corwin¡¯s hands and begins reeling it in. Only, it doesn¡¯t reel. ¡°Seriously? What the¡ª¡± Fenrir is cut off from Corwin taking the rod back to demonstrate how to properly reel the line in. They¡¯re doing the exact same things, yet it¡¯s only working for Corwin. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s some sort of fuckery going on here. Why does it work for you but not me? Come on, you saw me reeling it in just like how you are now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I ¨C I do not know, captain. I will admit that I do not see any flaws in your actions, so I struggle to understand why you are unable to perform properly,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir is happy that Serra isn¡¯t around again. ¡°Alright, hang on.¡± Fenrir grabs the rod back and holds it down in front of Rock. ¡°Rock, bat the reel handle downward,¡± he says, holding the spinning handle of the reel directly in front of Rock. She smacks her paw down against it. It spins¡ªreeling the line in¡ªwithout any problem. Fenrir tries smacking it himself, using brute force, using his mouth and even his feet ¨C nothing will make the damn thing work! ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think I¡¯m getting pranked here. Either you two are working against me, or this rod is possessed and hates me for some reason,¡± Fenrir theorizes. He holds the rod up right in front of his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I not holding you gently enough? Is it because I didn¡¯t take you out to dinner first? Tell me how to make you work, damn it!¡± Fenrir pleads. There is no response. Of course, there is no response. It is just a fishing rod. ¡°How am I supposed to fish with a rod that hates me?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over to Corwin with sad eyes. ¡°A-ah, captain, perhaps we should swap rods?¡± Corwin suggests. Fenrir immediately hugs the rod close to his chest. ¡°No way, she¡¯s mine. I already let you manhandle her enough.¡± ¡°Your rod is a she now?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°I had always assumed something with such a long and firm length would be referred to as a male.¡± Fenrir looks like he just saw a ghost. He¡¯s either handling a man or a futa. How did he not realize this sooner? No, he shakes the thought out of his head. His rod is a girl, and one that doesn¡¯t have a dick. End of story. Furthermore, after hearing what Corwin just said, Fenrir realizes that he¡¯s only safe around Cassiel, Tabitha, and Rock. Oleander, Serra, and apparently now Corwin all have their minds in dirty places. ¡°Onii-chan! Is it really appropriate for you to think they¡¯re all perverts considering that you love tentacles, have an unhealthy obsession with girls in sweaters, and haven¡¯t masturbated to anything but hentai in years?¡± Saya chimes in within his mind. Fenrir mentally swats her away before returning his attention to the matter at hand ¨C or rather, the rod at hand. ¡°Alright. Seriously, what¡¯s the problem?¡± he asks his rod. ¡°Is there like¡­ a fishing skill requirement? No, that wouldn¡¯t make any sense, because Rock definitely wouldn¡¯t have higher fishing than me. Uhhh, what if¡­ please let me reel you in?¡± Fenrir tries reeling it in after asking nicely, but it refuses. He looks like he¡¯s ready to cry. ¡°Ca-captain, it is alright, please do not let it get to you,¡± Corwin tries comforting him, patting his shoulder. Fenrir turns to look at the newest crewmember with rod in hand. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like me,¡± he says with large, watery eyes and his ears folded down against the top of his head. The only other person to ever see Fenrir this depressed over something is Oleander. ¡°What if ¨C captain, what is that?¡± Corwin asks, pointing at the bottom of the rod¡¯s handle. Fenrir lifts it up and turns it over. There is a small but beautiful opal embedded into the bottom of the rod¡¯s handle. It is a filled with a myriad of light colors and is the most beautiful gem that he has ever seen. He gets an idea. He lets Corwin hold it. Now when Fenrir looks at the opal, it has a soft glow to it. When he lets Rock handle it, it has a soft glow. When Fenrir tries handling it, the glow disappears. There is only one thing in common that Corwin and Rock have that Fenrir can think of that he doesn¡¯t have. ¡°Corwin, let me see your card again,¡± Fenrir asks. Corwin pulls it out to show Fenrir. He has a positive standing of seventeen. Rock¡¯s is five. Fenrir has negative thirteen. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me. This rod only likes good people? But I am good! I only killed assholes, I think,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡­ does not sound quite right, Fenrir, but I cannot think of any other potential cause,¡± Corwin replies. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit. Rock, stay here with Corwin. Try¡­ I don¡¯t know, convincing the rod that I¡¯m nice or something,¡± Fenrir orders. Rock barks as if she actually plans on trying to talk to the rod. ¡°What are you going to do, captain?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Be annoyingly nice and helpful to people until my Standing goes up.¡± And so, Fenrir runs off motivated to be the nicest he has ever been. He has no idea what his Standing is unless he goes to get an entirely new card, so he just has to try and be as nice as possible to everybody in hopes that his Standing goes up. He helps people out on the docks loading and unloading cargo for free, helps elderly NPCs carry groceries around, breaks up any fights he sees ¨C or at least tries to, and even buys a couple of freshly-caught fish to feed to any stray animals! Grinding for a positive Standing score eats up a few hours of his time. Finally, he makes it back to Corwin and Rock who are still sitting on the pier. Rock looks betrayed when she sees the harem of cats and dogs following behind Fenrir. However, having predicted Rock¡¯s reaction, Fenrir pulls out a few rocks from his pockets and tosses them over to Rock. All is forgiven, and the stray animals following him eventually disperse when they realize he has no more food for them. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready,¡± Fenrir says, standing before the goody-two-shoes of a fishing rod. He lifts it up. Sure, checking to see if the opal is glowing would be the easiest method of determining whether it¡¯s worked or not, but he just wants to test it out and see for himself. He holds the rod, pulls it back, and then swings it forward! The lure goes soaring into the air! It doesn¡¯t travel nearly as far as Corwin¡¯s did, but it travels far enough to prove that it¡¯s working! ¡°I did it! Corwin, did you see that? Rock, did you see that? I did it!¡± Fenrir cheers, his tail excitedly wagging so quickly behind him that it causes his hips to sway along with the motion. Now he looks at the bottom of the rod. Surely enough, it¡¯s glowing. It might not be glowing as brightly as it did for Corwin and Rock, but it¡¯s still glowing. ¡°You¡¯re stubborn, Rod. Seriously, what kind of rod cares if somebody is good or not?¡± Fenrir tries asking it, but doesn¡¯t get a ¨C wait, did the glow just pulsate? ¡°¡­Rod, can you hear me?¡± It pulsates again. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re also going to turn into a puppy. How would that even work?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock whines from the sidelines. What¡¯s wrong with being turned into a puppy? ¡°Alright. Pulse once.¡± The gem pulses once. ¡°Pulse twice.¡± It pulses twice. ¡°Alright. Pulse once for yes, twice for no. What the hell are you?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ca-captain, I do not think that is a yes or no question,¡± Corwin interjects. ¡°Oh. Right. Okay, next question. Rod, are you going to turn into a puppy?¡± Two pulses. Rock doesn¡¯t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. ¡°Got it. Do you only let good people use you?¡± Fenrir asks. The gem pulses once then twice after a short pause. ¡°I have no idea what that¡¯s supposed to mean. Is the reason why you wouldn¡¯t work for me because I had a negative Standing?¡± One pulse. ¡°Did you¡­ did you purposely hook my ear?¡± One pulse. Fenrir¡¯s eye twitches. He wants to embrace his inner Cassiel and call this rod a bastard. ¡°Those things are sensitive, you know.¡± One pulse. Yeah, this rod is definitely a bastard. Book 1: Chapter 59: Patch 10.0: The King, the Rod and the Harem Fenrir knows that most protagonists would normally just shrug aside a mystery until its somehow relevant again in later levels or chapters, usually having its secrets exposed by some new character to the storyline, but he hates when he¡¯s reading stories and that happens. If he discovers a mystery, he wants to know the truth behind it right away! ¡°I mean, I get it, you know? By drawing out a mystery, authors and video game designers and all of them have the ability to prolong plot points, or something like that. It gives people a chance to theorize about what is going to happen, and in case the people in charge ever run out of ideas, they can go ¡®Boom! Convenient mystery plot device time!¡¯¡± Fenrir explains to Corwin as the two head for the Hermetic Scholars¡¯ office. ¡°I ¨C I suppose I can see your point, Fenrir. Realistically, it is best to discover the truth behind such mysteries as immediately as possible,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Exactly. What if it¡¯s dangerous? What if it¡¯s useful? It¡¯s stupid to just carry something mysterious around without knowing what it really is. Especially when it¡¯s some bastard that hooks your ears.¡± Fenrir looks up at the rod just in time to see the line ever so slowly hanging lower and lower, dangling its hook next to his ear. He stops to take the hook off from the line so that the sadistic rod has nothing but a line. ¡°I¡¯m not some slapstick character that is going to let you use the same gag on me twice in a row, Rod,¡± Fenrir scolds the rod. ¡°You are smart for a dog, captain,¡± Corwin says before chuckling. It¡¯s the first time that Fenrir has seen Corwin laugh around him. It¡¯s also the first time that Corwin has teased Fenrir which makes the wolf-man¡¯s ears perk up from surprise. ¡°What can I say? Dogs are the best.¡± They reach the office and head inside. Thelmes immediately runs up to Fenrir waving his arms. ¡°Fenrir! Are you here to discuss fish weaponry? I have the perfect experiment designed!¡± Thelmes shouts out. Fenrir wants to roll his eyes and sigh, but he has a better idea. He can take advantage of the cat-goblin-thing¡¯s curiosity to get some free information out of him. ¡°Sure, but only if you can tell me what¡¯s up with this rod,¡± Fenrir offers, holding the rod out to Thelmes. Screw mysteries. Fenrir wants to know the truth already. ¡°By the way, seems pretty slow in here again,¡± Fenrir continues. ¡°Splendid! And ah, yes. We had a busy rush due to those whom wished to acquire new cards for tournament registration, but with the deadline for that being passed, we have returned to our usual pace. I have a few coworkers currently attending to customers as well, so I am free to help you right away!¡± Thelmes says. ¡°I would assume that many are out waiting for the king¡¯s arrival as well, yes?¡± Corwin asks. Thelmes looks at Corwin and nods as he takes the rod from Fenrir¡¯s hands. ¡°What do you wish to know about this rod?¡± Thelmes asks. ¡°Look at the bottom of it. It¡¯s got some sentient opal thing in it,¡± Fenrir says. Thelmes¡¯ eyes light up. He excitedly positions the rod to look at the bottom of the handle and looks as if he wants to squeal from excitement when he sees it! ¡°An eta¨ªros gem! How splendid!¡± ¡°Eta¨ªros gem? What¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Eta¨ªros gems, or ¡®partner gems,¡¯ are rare gems that can be found as rewards for slaying elite bosses, found in dangerous area by masterful gatherers, or artificially created by master crafters! As for the name itself, it comes from when our dear leader, Trismegistus, used Hoogle to look up the translation of ¡®partner¡¯ into Greek.¡± ¡°Saying that last part kind of takes some of the magic away.¡± Thelmes adjusts his monocle. ¡°Ah, my apologies, I do suppose that explaining the rather lackluster origin could be disappointing. Where did you find this?¡± ¡°Just some fishing shop down by the docks. Only cost a couple of gold, and the shopkeeper didn¡¯t really have anything to say about it when I picked it out.¡± ¡°A ¨C a couple of gold? Only a couple?! Does ¨C did ¨C how ¨C he must not have known how valuable these are! These are worth nearly a thousand gold! You could buy a mansion! You could buy yourself a ship that almost rivals the size of Blackstache¡¯s! You could build a small town!¡± ¡°¡­so you¡¯re telling me that I could sell this thing to the highest bidder and be rich?¡± Fenrir asks, immediately thinking of all the upgrades he could give The Shoebill with that much gold. Corwin and Thelmes both look at him in shock. Even Rock looks surprised that he would be willing to sell something that is apparently as rare as this! ¡°What¡¯s it do anyways?¡± Fenrir asks. Thelmes calms his excitement before answering. ¡°Eta¨ªros gems are gems with souls inside of them. They can be built into anything, and whatever they are a part of essentially becomes them. Once they are part of something, they cannot be separated from it. Their soul becomes dependent on what they are built into. For example, if we were to take apart the rod, you would likely see that the gem has grown ¡®roots¡¯ throughout it. Assuming that this rod is not brand new, the rod is essentially an extension of the gem.¡± ¡°Alright, so it¡¯s a living fishing rod. I will admit that sounds awesome, but what makes it so valuable?¡± ¡°You see, the stronger the bond grows between it and its wielder, the more powerful the item becomes. You could place an eta¨ªros gem into a rusty iron sword, and over time, the sword will grow strong enough to cut through rock as if it was butter! More importantly, once it has grown powerful enough, it is capable of taking on other forms. A sword could turn into a shield, a hammer could turn into a mighty axe, and so forth! I have even heard legends of some players using magic to absorb the souls of beasts into the gem, giving it the ability to transform into the form of whatever soul was absorbed!¡± ¡°That sounds OP.¡± ¡°Well, only a little bit. You see, it takes a very long time to develop such a powerful bond with the gem. You must also meet all of its hidden conditions, you must train with it for hours every day for months, and it has a free will of its own which means that it must agree to your wishes.¡± ¡°So I could be in a fight where I desperately need a shield to survive an attack, and I could tell it to transform, and it could refuse if it doesn¡¯t feel like it?¡± ¡°Basically, yes.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can imagine this bastard doing that to me.¡± ¡°To think that such a powerful item was only selling for a few gold in some shop¡­ Fenrir, if you wish, we would be happy to purchase it from you in order to study it. We can only afford to give you seven hundred gold right now, but if you wait a week, we could give you another four hundred,¡± Thelmes offers. ¡°Captain! You would not seriously consider giving away such a powerful artifact, would you? According to the creature here, this is something that could grow into a powerful tool useful for a variety of situations! To sell it for coin, no matter how much coin it may be, I believe would be very foolish,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir isn¡¯t entirely sure what he should do, but he does know one annoying thing. He came to this place to get a mystery solved, which he did, but now he¡¯s stuck with another mystery. ¡°You can¡¯t tell who made this or gave it up by any chance, could you?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sadly, no,¡± Thelmes answers. Yeah, this is going to be annoying. Fenrir hates mysteries, and now he¡¯s stuck with one even bigger than the original one! ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s any way to get this thing to talk in more than flashes, is there?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ah ¨C yes, I have heard that they are able to communicate with their wielder after they have matured and grown a deep enough bond,¡± Thelmes explains. ¡°Got it. Sorry, Thelmes, but I¡¯m going to have to hold onto her until I can find out where she¡¯s from. It¡¯s going to drive me crazy if I don¡¯t find out.¡± ¡°If that is all then I assure you we will ask it itself when we are able to, and we can relay the information to you!¡± The cat-goblin-thing has a point. A very tempting point. ¡°Captain!¡± Corwin interjects. ¡°Right. Sorry, Thelmes, but I don¡¯t think I can pass this up. It would be like the main character of some RPG being gifted the legendary sword at the beginning of the game and then selling it right away. Actually, that¡¯d be pretty funny. Just imagine like this little kid destined to be the hero of the world, he gets a legendary sword, and then he sells it for some money to go buy some candy instead,¡± Fenrir says, chuckling from his own idea. Nobody else looks amused. ¡°Y-yes. Anyways, shall we perform those tests?¡± Thelmes asks. Fenrir internally groans when he remembers that he agreed to it. Thelmes leads Fenrir, Corwin, and Rock into that gymnasium-like area for combat testing. Fenrir is instructed to wait by one of the slime golems, Thelmes runs off only to bring back what looks like a massive tuna larger than he is! When Fenrir picks it up from Thelmes, he can immediately tell that it¡¯s frozen going by its rigid form and the cold sensation snapping at his fingers. ¡°First, hit the golem with the fish,¡± Thelmes orders. Fenrir does it. Thelmes measures the damage done and then steps back. ¡°Now, smack the training golem with it until you can feel that sense of learning a new skill,¡± Thelmes requests. With a shrug of his shoulders, Fenrir sets aside his pride so that he can repeatedly smack an oversized fish against a slimy golem. He smacks, and he smacks, and he smacks. Everybody in the room, including other adventurers performing their own tests, has stopped to watch the curious wolf smacking a slime with a frozen tuna. The only one not looking his way with a blank stare is Thelmes. And then he feels it. Stopping the abuse of both the fish and the slime golem, Fenrir looks at Thelmes and gives him a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡­ amazingly, think I learned a skill,¡± Fenrir says. He got the same sensation that he felt when he walked, fished, fought, and steered the ship, so he assumes that this is a new skill just like all those other times. Thelmes measures the target¡¯s health. ¡°One more time, please!¡± he says, voice full of excitement. Fenrir attacks the golem one last time with the tuna. When Thelmes measures its health again, he lights up and excitedly hops up and down a bit. ¡°We did it! We discovered a new skill! I¡¯ll be able to write my thesis on this to get a promotion!¡± Thelmes cheers. Fenrir looks around the room and feels ashamed when he sees just how people are staring at him. Nobody else is as excited as Thelmes is about successfully using a fish as a weapon. ¡°Why ¨C why couldn¡¯t you do this yourself?¡± Fenrir asks the cat-goblin-thing. ¡°Ah, well, because it would be much too embarrassing to swing a fish around as a weapon,¡± Thelmes explains. Fenrir wants to punt the short creature as far as he can. ¡°Can I go now?¡± he asks. ¡°Oh, no, we have so many more tests to perform! Wait here and I will bring out the rest of the test materials.¡± Thelmes runs off, leaving Fenrir alone with all of the judging stares. He looks down at Rock. ¡°Rock, please,¡± Fenrir says. Rock looks embarrassed that he¡¯s her owner. ¡°Don¡¯t make me use my secret weapon.¡± Her ears perk up. ¡°Who¡¯s¡­¡± Her tail starts wagging. ¡°A¡­¡± She turns her head to look up at him. ¡°Good girl?¡± She happily jumps up and paws at him. Her cuteness is rewarded with having her head rubbed and sides playfully smacked. Book 1: Chapter 60: Patch 10.0: The King, the Rod and the Harem ¡°I never want to go in there again,¡± Fenrir says, slouching over as he walks out of the Hermetic Scholars¡¯ office. Both Corwin and Rock are standing away from him. ¡°You may wish to do something about that fish scent stuck on you, captain,¡± Corwin says. Rock barks in agreement. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know there were so many things to do with fish¡­ he ¨C he made me, he made a bow out of a swordfish and used fish bones as arrows¡­¡± Fenrir stutters, sounding like the PTSD-afflicted soldier from old-school war movie. He¡¯s going to be having flashbacks of everything that happened in there. ¡°Fish¡­ fish scale armor¡­¡± Fenrir loves fishing. Fenrir did not love the embarrassment felt as he wielded all manners of embarrassing fish weaponry and wore flaky fish scales as armor. What is he going to do when the girls log on? Neither of them is going to want to be anywhere near a boyfriend who smells like fish! ¡°I suppose that it did not help when one of our fellow adventurers went outside to gather a crowd to watch your tests. I must say, Fenrir, you drew quite the crowd,¡± Corwin says, trying to make Fenrir feel better, but it only makes him feel worse. ¡°I¡¯m just going to jump into the ocean, let a shark eat me, and then you can tell everybody that I died somehow so that I don¡¯t have to face any of them,¡± Fenrir says. Both his ears and tail are drooping. ¡°Apologies, Fenrir, but I do not believe that any of them would believe me.¡± Fenrir whines like the part-wolf that he is and walks off toward the fishing shop that he bought the rod from. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper has unsatisfying information regarding the rod. All he says is that it was dropped off by some cloaked stranger whom asked nothing for it. The fact that it was dropped off by some mysterious, cloaked stranger only pisses Fenrir off even more. Now this whole thing is even more mysterious, and that really makes him want to get to the bottom of it. He just hates mysteries and surprises. The only good surprise is one involving a girl and a sweater. Well, other surprise things involving girls may be fine, too. Speaking of, they should be getting in-game soon. That means he really has to figure out something to do about the stench permeating from him. ¡°Hey, Rod, turn into something that can wash me off or get rid of this smell,¡± Fenrir tries commanding his fishing rod ¡°partner,¡± but what he gets are two pulses from its gem. ¡°Screw you, too.¡± ¡°You got along with a rock well enough for it to turn into the rocky companion you have now, so why do you not just befriend the rod in the same way?¡± Corwin asks, having heard about Fenrir¡¯s original love for Rock from Oleander. ¡°Rock never hooked my ear back when she was just a rock, she was helpful instead of making me run all over the place just for the right to use her, and she wasn¡¯t a jerk.¡± ¡°You may wish to speak more kindly of the rod. What if it refuses to work even if your Standing remains positive?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll let Cass throw it overboard so that she finally gets to do that. With how often she threatens throwing me overboard, I figure she really wants to try tossing something over.¡± The three make it back to where The Shoebill is docked. ¡°You two can go onboard. I¡¯m going to take a quick dip in the water and hope that it does something about this smell,¡± Fenrir says, looking for a good spot along the docks to climb back up onto them at. He finds a spot where the pier hangs low enough for him to pull himself up onto it from the water, so he walks over to it and jumps right into the water with all of his clothes still on! He remembers the last time he went swimming. When he was a child, he and Aiko used to go to the local swimming pool together before everything happened and they moved away. It was always full of people, so he had to learn how to swim and hold his own in the water quickly. Now he finds himself underwater in some of the purest, clearest blue water that he has ever seen! Schools of fish swim around in the distance, there is a beautiful coral reef lining the seabed, and there¡¯s also all sorts of stuff that has been dropped into the water! He sees shining coins, some rusted metal weapons, broken fishing rods ¨C even in-game, people still manage to pollute the water. Fortunately, it is not nearly as bad as it is in reality now. The beauty vastly outweighs the waste. Fenrir wants to swim around and explore longer, but he figures that he needs to get back onto the docks to dry off and get ready for the girls. Surfacing from the water, he pulls himself onto the pier, stands up straight, and instinctually shakes just like a wet hound to dry off. ¡°You¡¯re getting me wet, you bastard!¡± Cassiel shouts, trying to shield herself from Fenrir¡¯s dog-like shaking. Fenrir opens his eyes just in time to see Serra snerking from Cassiel¡¯s words. Both of them have water dripping off them now thanks to Fenrir. ¡°Shit, sorry, I had no idea you were there,¡± he apologizes, giving them a slight bow. Cassiel huffs and crosses her arms. ¡°Got in and saw you jump in the water, so we came over here to wait,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I had to take a quick dip to wash off after¡­ after¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± he says. Serra and Cassiel look at each other with concern. ¡°Is it about the fish stuff? Corwin told us,¡± Serra says. Fenrir hesitantly nods his head. Cassiel places a comforting hand on his shoulder. At least they understand. Fenrir dries off with a cloth while telling the girls everything that he learned about the rod. Cassiel has heard of the gems before and greedily stares at the rod when he explains that the rod has one of them in it, and then she shouts at him telling him all about how almost all of the most important players in the game have weapons with these gems in them. If it wasn¡¯t cemented in his mind before just how important and valuable the gems are, it is now. When he¡¯s finally finished drying himself off and talking about how annoying mysteries are, making sure that they both know just how desperately he wants to get to the bottom of the mystery just for the sake of knowing what the history of the rod is, Serra and Cassiel look at one another and nod. ¡°We want to take you somewhere,¡± Serra says. The burning blush on Cassiel¡¯s face immediately takes Fenrir¡¯s mind to perverse places given the context. ¡°Where?¡± he asks. ¡°Love hotel,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Oh.¡± Oh. ¡°You need a counter in case something happens,¡± Serra says. ¡°If you die then we don¡¯t know where you¡¯ll be. We don¡¯t want to get separated from you, so let us do this for you,¡± Serra explains. ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t have to do it just so I have a spare counter,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We also want to have sex.¡± ¡­ Oh. Yeah, Serra¡¯s power level is way too high for the total virgins that Fenrir and Cassiel are. ¡°How¡­ are you able to say that so confidently?¡± ¡°I can only talk here. There are lots of things I want to say, but I hate having to use text or my hands. So¡­ I want to be honest and say exactly what I want here. Like, I love you.¡± Fenrir¡¯s heart skips a beat. ¡°Are you sure? I mean, we¡¯ve only been¡ª¡± ¡°I love you, Ryouta.¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears and tail both stand straight up. Serra¡¯s cheeks finally give in to show the red that she¡¯s been trying to hold back. ¡°I love you,¡± she repeats. ¡°I¡ª¡± Cassiel cuts off Fenrir, ¡°I l-love you too, you ba-bastard.¡± Fenrir looks at Cassiel. She isn¡¯t looking away like she usually would be when this flustered. Instead, she¡¯s looking directly at him ¨C waiting for a response to her feelings. Both of them are waiting. It may have only been one month in reality since he¡¯s met them ¨C two months if going by in-game time, but he has spent almost every day with them as much as he could. They have fought together, played together, trained together, fished together, and they have even met in real life and spent a day together there. This all feels so sudden to him. Serra was just some naked girl in a bush and Cassiel was originally an enemy who stabbed him in the back and tried killing him. Yet, here they are, confessing their love to him far sooner than he thought they would. ¡°I love you too, both of you. I love you, Serra,¡± he says, looking Serra in the eyes, ¡°and I love you, Cassandra,¡± he says, looking into her eyes now. He takes a heavy breath after saying that. His hands are shaking, his heart is racing, and he feels like he''s going to be sick but in a confusingly good way. He doesn¡¯t know if this is true love or not. For all he knows, he only cares about them as much as he does because they¡¯re the most perfect, reciprocative girls that he has ever known. Maybe this is just infatuation or the strongest crush that he has ever felt. Regardless of what it is, he romantically cares more about these two girls than he¡¯s ever felt towards any other girls before, so he will place his faith in this being love. Serra tugs on Cassiel¡¯s hand, drawing her attention. ¡°I love you, too,¡± Serra says to the taller woman. ¡°Y-you, too,¡± Cassiel replies. It may not be a proper confession, but Serra knows not to expect much more from Cassiel seeing as how she looks redder than most tomatoes. ¡°Hotel. Let''s do it before the king gets here,¡± Serra says, pulling them along. Fenrir never imagined that Serra would be leading not only him, but Cassiel as well, to a love hotel. He didn¡¯t even think love hotels would be a thing in a pirate city, but given that the game is played by a bunch of perverts, he knows he shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Nothing else is said on the way there, and Serra has to hold each of their hands to make sure that neither of them tries escaping. In the end, despite him being the first one to confess feelings for the girls and asking them out, it ended up being Serra to really confess the full extent of her feelings first while leading the charge to take their relationship to the next level. Fenrir doesn''t know if this is his harem or hers at this point. Book 1: Chapter 61: Patch 10.0: The King, the Rod and the Harem As nervous and silent as Fenrir is as Serra leads him to the supposed love hotel, his wagging tail betrays his calm demeanor. At least he isn¡¯t the only one trying to stay calm. Cassiel is right there being led by Serra¡¯s other hand, constantly fidgeting around and wishing to run away. Just because she knew of the plan ahead of time does not mean that she is ready for what is to come. Before either of the two being pulled along even have a chance to calm their nerves, they find themselves inside of a large, wooden building with Serra digging a key out from her pocket to unlock the door in front of them. Fenrir can¡¯t even remember what the building looked like as he was being led here. With the door unlocked, Serra turns around just in time to catch Cassiel slowly stepping away. Unfortunately for Cassiel, Serra grabs her wrist and pulls both the nervous tsundere and the wolf into the room. She closes the door behind them. The room itself features a few lit candles with gentle flames flickering as they waft the scent of fruit into the air, a large bed in the shape of a heart covered in almost a dozen pillows and pink sheets, and little else. ¡°Had to get a cheap room,¡± Serra explains. She finds it hard to look at them now. Getting them here was the easy part. What comes next is the hard part in more than one way. ¡°Do either of you uhh, have experience?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Of course not, you bastard!¡± Cassiel shouts, roughly pushing him as if to punish him, but she ends up incidentally pushing him down onto the bed. Fenrir feels calmer now that he¡¯s reminded just how flustered she is, and something about being called a bastard proves that this is just like any other time they spend together. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had a dominant side in you,¡± he teases her. Cassiel takes the bait. She stomps forward, grabs him by his collar, and begins violently shaking him while trying to think of what profanities to shout at him. What Cassiel doesn¡¯t realize is Serra sneakily unclasping her armor. Before Cassiel catches onto Serra¡¯s devious hands, her breastplate comes undone and falls onto Fenrir. While Fenrir might think of how ineffective armor is if it can be so simply undone, he instead focuses on the fact that it was apparently doubling as a bra for Cassiel. He¡¯s also focusing on the fact that her breasts are just as large in-game as they are in real life. The grey vest still covering her chest does little for support. Its thin fabric hugs against her breasts as they freely hang and shake within the cloth. Every single movement she makes causes them to sway. Fenrir¡¯s eyes are fixated on her breasts. It is as if they are a pair of hanging pendulums hypnotizing him ¨C beckoning him to come closer. He would were it not for the fact that Cassiel begins shaking him even harder when she sees where he¡¯s staring. ¡°What is with you men and tits?! I swear! It¡¯s all you bastards ever care about!¡± she shouts at him. She¡¯s so focused on his own perverse stare that she can¡¯t even be angry at Serra. This is the happiest he¡¯s ever been to be getting shaken and shouted at by Cassiel. She can¡¯t shake him without also shaking herself. Cassiel¡¯s grip switches from his collar to his neck. If he¡¯s to die and be reset, at least he¡¯ll go out with a great view. Serra saves the day by grabbing onto Cassiel¡¯s sides and squeezing them, causing the taller girl to squeak and jump. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?! You¡¯re supposed to¡ª¡± Cassiel shouts at Serra but stops when she turns around and looks at her. Fenrir peeks from around Cassiel to see why she went silent. All Serra is wearing is a pair of white, bikini panties. Her silver hair hangs down over her chest in just the perfect position to cover her nipples like when he first met her, but he can still see the slight curves of her breasts sticking out from the sides of her hair. It¡¯s been difficult remembering just how petite and perfect her figure is with the clothes she¡¯s been wearing. In-game, she always wears her pirate-lite costume which loosely hangs on her. In reality, she was wearing a parka, t-shirt, and jeans. Now, she has naught more than underwear which covers her crotch while leaving little to the imagination. He is also reminded of just how sexy her hips are. While sexy isn¡¯t a word that he would normally use to describe Serra, her hips definitely are. She has the hips of a fertility goddess. They reach ever so slightly farther out than her shoulders do, and they look like they would be the best possible handles to hold onto for what will soon come. He may want to bury his face in Cassiel¡¯s bust, but he wants to hold onto Serra¡¯s wide hips just as much. Serra finally breaks thanks to Fenrir¡¯s intense staring. ¡°Don¡¯t stare so much¡­ this is embarrassing. I ¨C I don¡¯t want to be the only one taking my clothes off, so¡­¡± Serra says, her voice meek. Fenrir ¨C Ryouta, may not have the confidence to strip himself in front of a couple of perfect girls in reality, but in-game as Fenrir, he can force himself to. Piece by piece, he strips himself of his clothes. First is the leather vest. Then is the navy blue cloth vest underneath that, then his brown shirt, and he only stops when he reaches down to his pants. All that is holding them up is a single button. Both girls find themselves just as entranced in him as he is in them. This is where making a character meant to appeal to girls pays off. He¡¯s taller than them both by over a foot; he is covered in lean, toned muscle; and he¡¯s even cleanly shaven for them. A few beads of sweat roll down his chest and over his abs. To his surprise, Cassiel is the first one unable to stop herself from touching him. She reaches a single finger out to tentatively poke his muscled core. The tip of her finger traces down to his waist before changing course and slowly ¨C tantalizingly slowly, tracing back up his torso until she reaches his neck. ¡°I guess I¡¯m going to have to work out more in real life if you¡¯re into muscles,¡± Fenrir teases her. ¡°Sh-shut up,¡± Cassiel responds, not a single ounce of anger anywhere in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m only doing this so you don¡¯t reset if you die, you bastard.¡± The timid tone of her voice and the curious expression on her face betray her words. Her lack of confidence boosts his own. ¡°If you¡¯re touching me, do I get to touch you?¡± he teasingly asks, raising his hands towards her chest. ¡°Tch, of c-course you¡¯d want to¡­¡± She doesn¡¯t say no, and she isn¡¯t backing away, so Fenrir raises his hands closer and closer until they¡¯re but an inch away from Cassiel¡¯s still-clothed breasts. Fenrir ascends from being a virgin who has never touched boobs before to being a virgin who has touched boobs. It isn¡¯t enough. He wants to experience how they feel without any fabric in the way. Reaching down, he slides his hands down to the bottom of her vest and then slides them up underneath it until they¡¯re holding onto her generous breasts once more. Cassiel winces and looks away with cheeks burning bright red. She has to bite her lower lip to prevent herself from letting any noises out as Fenrir experimentally and directly fondles her breasts. He presses his fingers into their malleable flesh, rolls them around in his hands, and eventually positions his hands so that her nipples are pressing into his palms. The sensation of learning a skill rings within him. It makes sense that a game with skills for literally everything would have skills related to sex. But that¡¯s not important right now. What is important is gently teasing and pinching her nipples between his fingers as he uses his palms to knead and massage her breasts. Fenrir doesn¡¯t even realize that Serra is behind him until she loops her arms around him and presses her own bare chest against his back. She may not be as busty as Cassiel is, but he can still tell the difference between her normal skin and the soft, warm skin of her breasts as she presses herself against his large and muscular back. Serra gently runs her hands up and down his chest as she tenderly kisses his neck. But then one of her hands leaves his chest to instead travel down towards his waist. Fenrir looks down at himself to see what the situation is. Her hand is heading directly for that sizeable bulge pressing up against his pants. He¡¯s already fully erect at this point, and it is obvious to each of the girls. The fabric of his pants is also thin enough that they can see exactly how thick and long his member is just from it bulging up against it. Cassiel finds her eyes locked onto his length as every single throb excites her. It looks like a living being of its own trying to break free from its linen confines. Serra is the first to experience his length. She undoes the button of his pants and then slides her hand underneath them until she reaches the base of his shaft. She flinches when she first touches it and feels it throb, almost pulling her hand back out, but finds the courage to instead gently rub her hand up along the topside of his girthy length. With one hand on his chest, another on his tool, her lips against his neck, and his hands on Cassiel¡¯s breasts ¨C he already feels like he¡¯s about to burst. This is far too much stimulation for a virgin like him. His legs stiffen and his toes curl. He¡¯s on the verge of climaxing already and his pants aren¡¯t even off yet. There¡¯s no way that he¡¯s going to let himself cum already. It¡¯s obvious to the girls just how hard he¡¯s holding his pleasure back from the intense look on his face and how still his body is. Serra whispers into his ear, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can cum,¡± she pauses, pressing her lips even closer to his ear and lowering her voice, ¡°Ryouta.¡± Fenrir can¡¯t hold back his desire to cum any longer. With a pleasured groan, his hands on Cassiel¡¯s breasts subconsciously grip her harder as the first burst of his hot seed shoots out into his pants. Serra slides her hand up to the tip of his length to try and stimulate it with gentle strokes as he cums. She even takes her lips away from his ear to instead place a series of soft kisses on his neck as if rewarding him for cumming. She waits until she feels his cock stop pulsating before pulling her hand out. Proud of her work, she holds her sticky hand covered in his warm, thick cum up for Fenrir and Cassiel to see. Cassiel looks like she doesn¡¯t know how to feel about the sight. It¡¯s hot, but at the same time, kind of gross. But that¡¯s only until Serra pulls herself away from Fenrir to run her cum-covered hand down her own abdomen, smearing his cum into her skin. Fenrir is still catching his breath and calming down from his orgasm. While normally, a man might be out of action for at least a couple of minutes after cumming, the throbbing bulge serves as evidence that he¡¯s ready for more. ¡°Cass,¡± Serra says, lying back on the bed and beckoning Cassiel over with each of her hands. Fenrir finally takes his hands off of Cassiel¡¯s breasts so that she can go to Serra. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Cassiel asks Serra. Serra answers by grabbing Cassiel¡¯s wrists and pulling her on top of herself. ¡°Wha¡ªwhat do you think you¡¯re doi¡ªmmf,¡± Cassiel is interrupted when Serra loops her arms around Cassiel¡¯s neck to lean up and press her lips into the other girl¡¯s. Fenrir can¡¯t stand wearing pants any longer. They¡¯re too confining, and also too sticky now, to continue wearing. He slips his pants off and allows all of his inches to proudly stand erect in the air. Looking down at his length, he has to admit that he¡¯s pretty proud of it. Character creation is a wonderful thing. Fenrir watches as Cassiel weakly squirms around, acting like she wants to break free and escape Serra¡¯s kissing lips, yet puts no real effort into it. Serra beckons Fenrir over with one of her hands behind Cassiel¡¯s head. This girl is something else. Doing as she requests, Fenrir climbs back onto the bed and positions himself behind Cassiel. Whatever armor she has left on, Fenrir strips it off piece by piece until all she has left is her vest and skirt. Both Serra and Fenrir know what they want to take off next. Serra breaks her lips away from Cassiel¡¯s so that she can start tugging Cassiel¡¯s vest up. Fenrir lifts Cassiel¡¯s arms above her head to make Serra¡¯s job easier. ¡°H-hey! Wh-what do you think you two are ¨C wait!¡± Cassiel tries stopping them, but she¡¯s too slow. Her vest slides right off, allowing her breasts to bounce free above Serra¡¯s face. The smaller one of the two girls wastes no time in pressing her face forward against Cassiel¡¯s bust. Her small, warm lips wrap around whichever one of Cassiel¡¯s erect nipples is the closest. If Cassiel wasn¡¯t squirming around and making embarrassing noises before, she definitely is now. Teaming up on Cassiel with Serra fills Fenrir with confidence. Not being the one getting teased and sneak attacked from behind for once is now. Thinking of which, that gives him an idea. With Cassiel on her hands and knees again overtop of Serra, Fenrir lifts her skirt up so that Cassiel¡¯s rounded rear and panties are visible to him. He actually couldn¡¯t tell before, but now that he¡¯s looking directly at her without any clothes in the way, she has a great ass that matches her bountiful chest. He reaches forward to firmly grab each of her cheeks. His fingers melt into them just as they did with her breasts, and her flesh jiggles just as much here with her movements as her breasts do. Whether it is her chest or her rear, Cassiel is just unbelievably soft and squishy. Yet, at the same time, there is a firmness to her body. She may not have much in the way of visible muscle, but she is toned and slim. Now for revenge. Fenrir smacks his rod against her cheeks. ¡°How¡¯s it feel being the one getting a pole from behind?¡± he teases. Cassiel turns her head to glare at him but doesn¡¯t actually say anything. Instead, when he smacks his tool down against her again, he feels her roll her hips back into him in a wanting motion. That feral sensation stirs within him. This pose ¨C having her on her hands and knees, feeling his length against her rear as she rolls back against it, and seeing that flustered expression on her face that looks like she wants to yell at him but is also enjoying this too much to do so ¨C it brings out the feral side within him. Taking her panties off the normal way would be a pain, so instead, he just rips them enough to reveal her lower lips. They are already glistening from her own arousal. When he looks at her pink lips, he feels as if they are trying to tempt his length to enter them ¨C they are inviting him. With one hand gripping the base of his cock and the other holding onto her ass, he teases her lips by sliding the crown of his cock between them. Cum left on his cock from his first orgasm gets mixed in with her own arousal, and every single stroke of his tool between her lower lips causes her to arch her back and cutely moan. ¡°Just d-do it already, you bastard,¡± Cassiel whines. Her eyes widen when she feels his member not just slide between her lips but begin to push through them. Gripping the bedsheets, her hands form fists as she crumples the sheets up within her palms. Inch by inch, his cock slides into her. Cassiel cries out once she feels his tip reach her depths, ¡°Fu¡ª¡± Serra loops her arms back around Cassiel¡¯s neck to bring her face down to meet her own, pressing their lips together once more. Being penetrated in such an embarrassing position, and then having Serra pull her down for more kissing, is enough to prove that Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one around here who doesn¡¯t require much work. Cassiel¡¯s entire body convulses above Serra¡¯s as she lewdly moans against Serra¡¯s lips. Serra teases the tip of Cassiel¡¯s tongue with her own, allowing her tongue to teasingly venture into Cassiel¡¯s mouth, but she pulls it back when Fenrir starts thrusting. Fenrir has never felt pleasure as stimulating as this before. Her hot and wet inner walls tightly conform around his cock, gripping onto it and refusing to let go. He feels like her body is trying to milk his tool for all that it has to offer, and given how incredible it feels just being inside of her and barely moving, he doubts that it will take long. Each of his hands now holds onto her as he speeds up the movement of his hips. Every thrust forward bounces her body above Serra¡¯s. With breasts as large as Cassiel¡¯s are, even if he¡¯s taking her from behind, he can see them bouncing and swaying every time his hips crash into her rear. Serra squeezes her thighs together as she watches and listens to the two¡¯s mating. Every grunt and groan she hears from Fenrir makes her want to moan out as well. She takes her hands away from Cassiel once the thrusting begins making kissing too difficult. This allows Cassiel to freely moan and cry out in pleasure, and lets Serra use her hands for something else. One hand plays with Cassiel¡¯s bouncing breasts while her other hand slips down Cassiel¡¯s body until it reaches where Fenrir is penetrating. Serra rubs around Cassiel¡¯s slit until she finds her clit. Cassiel looks down at Serra when its found, knowing what Serra¡¯s intentions are but not being ready for them. Cassiel¡¯s sensitive clit is teasingly rubbed and rolled between Serra¡¯s fingers as Fenrir continues pounding into her. ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­ a-ah! P-please, don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t stop, ahh!¡± Cassiel moans out just before a second orgasm hits her. Wave after wave of pleasure courses throughout her being. Her mind temporarily goes blank, allowing herself to fully give in to the pleasure and allow her body to ride it out however it wishes to. She doesn¡¯t even realize that she¡¯s arching her back and pressing downward so much that she¡¯s shoved her breasts right into Serra¡¯s face. Fenrir can¡¯t resist cumming again when he sees the result of his efforts. It helps that her climax causes her walls to grip onto his rod even more tightly than they already were. If her body wants to milk his cock of its cum, that¡¯s what it¡¯s going to get. Plunging his tool as deep into her as it can go, Fenrir moans out Cassiel¡¯s name as thick ropes of his cum splash into her depths. Cassiel¡¯s own pleasure is only increased when she feels his hot seed filling her depths. Cassiel doesn¡¯t want to do anything nor think. She just wants to collapse and rest now. She gets her wish when Fenrir pulls out from her and when Serra slides out from underneath her. With his cum slowly dribbling out from her core, Cassiel falls onto the bed beneath her and buries her face into the nearest pillow that she can reach. She does not say nor do anything. All that is visible of her head, aside from her hair, are her reddened ears. Serra gives one of the ears a quick nip which causes Cassiel to adjust the pillow to completely hide her head in it. ¡°Sex¡­ is awesome,¡± Fenrir says, still on his knees on the bed and panting. His head is tilted back, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. Something new that is warm and wet is touching his limpening tool. He looks down and sees Serra running her tongue along his length from its base to its tip, lapping up any leftover cum and wetness from Cassiel. His tool throbs and ¡°smacks¡± her as she cleans him off with her tongue. She looks up at him with a devious smile. ¡°My turn,¡± Serra says. She may be acting confident, but he can tell just how nervous she is from her quivering eyes and blushing expression. Serra lies back on the bed now that she¡¯s gotten him hard again. Now that he¡¯s focusing his attention solely on her, she finds the situation incredibly more embarrassing than it was just a couple of minutes ago. She raises her hands up to cover her breasts from his vision and has to force herself to continue looking his way. Fenrir leans down over her and places a single kiss on top of her panties. He can already see her own excitement showing through them. Then he kisses her crotch. Her hips are next, then around her navel, on her ribs, and he finally reaches her chest. Gently, he pulls her hands away and pins them down to her sides to reveal her petite breasts. She looks almost completely flat when lying down on her back like this. Yet, with how carefully he¡¯s looking at them, he can still see their rounded shapes sticking up from her chest. Fenrir places a single kiss on her left breast and then one on her right breast. Then he kisses her right nipple followed by a kiss on her left one. ¡°I know they¡¯re not as good as¡ª¡± Serra starts talking but gets interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Serra. They¡¯re just as perfect as the rest of you is,¡± Fenrir says, leaning farther up now to place a kiss above her breasts, then on her shoulder, her neck, chin, and finally on her lips. ¡°C-can you call me that nickname?¡± she asks. Fenrir uses his own head to nudge hers so that it¡¯s on its side, giving him easier access to her ear. ¡°Serra Berra,¡± he whispers against her ear. They both start giggling from just how non-sexy that nickname is. Yet, as cutesy as the name may be, it relaxes her. She slips her panties off for him. She doesn¡¯t want them getting ruined like what he did to Cassiel¡¯s. ¡°I want to look at your face while you do it,¡± Serra says. Whatever embarrassment and flusterment she felt a moment ago is now felt by Fenrir. He blushes and averts his eyes. As much as he wants to refuse, he can¡¯t. ¡°Al-alright,¡± he agrees. Serra smiles and kisses his cheek. When Fenrir starts positioning himself between her legs, he presses his tool down against her so that he can see just how deep inside of her he¡¯s going to reach. Serra is hardly five feet tall, and Fenrir is halfway to being seven feet tall. The tip of his length reaches up to her navel with ease. It¡¯s a good thing she has pain disabled. ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asks her, pulling his length back so that the tip is aimed directly against her entrance. ¡°I love you, Ryouta,¡± Serra answers. He takes that as a yes. Fenrir slides his length into her. Serra initially clutches the sheets around her but ends up wrapping her arms around his neck just as she was doing with Cassiel. She wants to touch him; she wants to feel him. She wants to look him right in the eyes as he makes love to her, and she wants him to see the abundance of love that she has for him. ¡°I love you too, Serra,¡± Fenrir says, pressing his lips down against hers as he penetrates her depths. Out of curiosity, he looks down at her stomach and can see a bulge caused by his cock within her. As painful as such a thing would be in reality, in-game, it just excites him even more. Serra grabs him by his chin to bring his eyes back to hers, letting their lips reengage in soft kisses as he begins moving his hips back and forth. Even knowing that she has pain disabled, he¡¯s still tempted to ask her if it hurts and if she needs him to slow down. But, going by the smile on her face and the erotic glaze to her eyes, he figures it¡¯s alright to get rougher. Fenrir starts bucking his hips downward against her with more force every thrust. ¡°Ryo-Ryouta,¡± Serra moans against his lips. ¡°I love you, I l-love you,¡± she repeats. Every iteration of her expressed love sounds more erotic than the last, lewd moans and gasps interrupting her words until it becomes too difficult for her to speak. He wants to prove to her that he loves her back every bit as much as she loves him. With one hand cradling the back of her head, his other hand holds her by her back to brace her for the increased pace of his thrusts. Serra tightly wraps her legs around his waist. She knows he isn¡¯t going to pull out or go anywhere, but she just wants to be as close as she possibly can be to him. She pulls his entire body closer down to hers. His much larger form is both comforting and arousing to her, and the more of her body that she feels in contact with his own, the greater her pleasure is. Being just as virgin as Fenrir and Cassiel were, it takes little for Serra to actually climax in this game where pain isn¡¯t a concern. The worst she feels is a bit of numbing inside of her, but the pleasure she feels is far greater. Serra looks directly into his eyes as she orgasms. Seeing this perfect, cute girl underneath him lovingly staring into his eyes as pleasure overtakes her body brings Fenrir to his third orgasm of the session. They cum together. With their bodies tightly yet gently held against one another, Fenrir continues thrusting through his orgasm to pump every last ounce of his cum into her. Her eyes start rolling back from the sheer amount of pleasure she¡¯s experiencing. She doesn¡¯t even realize that she¡¯s scraping her nails down against his back as he fills her core with his seed. ¡°I love you¡­ Ryouta,¡± Serra whimpers, struggling to find the strength post-orgasm to kiss him. ¡°Kiss me,¡± she whines. ¡°Anything for you,¡± Fenrir says, leaning his head down and kissing her forehead first which makes her pout, but then she gets what she wants when he places a soft kiss on her lips. Fenrir pulls out of her and rolls over onto his back between the two girls. Serra immediately rolls onto her side to cuddle with his left arm while Cassiel sneakily scoots closer to press against his right arm. That isn¡¯t enough for him. Full of confidence thanks to having made each of his girlfriends climax, he reaches an arm around Cassiel and pulls her closer so that she¡¯s leaning up onto his chest. Then he does the same with Serra. Both of their heads are resting on his hot, sweaty chest now. For just a little bit, until they¡¯re all recovered from everything that just happened, he wants to rest here with them. His hands stroke up and down the sides of the girls. Cassiel squirms and quietly squeaks whenever his fingers stroke over one particularly sensitive spot, and Serra arches her back when the same happens to her. ¡°Hey, Saya,¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°Wh-wh-what is it, Onii-chan?¡± Saya replies. ¡°How many respawn counters do I have now?¡± ¡°Y-you got one¡­¡± ¡°You sound pretty flustered. Enjoy the show?¡± he teases her. ¡°Shut up!¡± Saya goes silent. Fenrir looks down at his girls. A kiss is placed on each of their heads before he rests his head against one of the bed¡¯s overly-fluffy pillows. ¡°I could get used to this.¡± Book 1: Chapter 62: Patch 10.0: The King, the Rod and the Harem The three stay cuddled together on the bed until they can hear shouting coming from outside. It reminds them of just how thin the walls are, making Cassiel and Fenrir even more embarrassed about the whole situation. ¡°Look! That¡¯s his ship! It¡¯s Ull¡¯s ship!¡± Serra is the first to jump off of the bed, run over to the window to open it up, and peek outside. Fenrir and Cassiel follow suit. In the distance, sailing into Port Tugator is a mighty ship ¨C the biggest ship that any of them have seen yet. They know that Blackstache supposedly has the largest ship in-game, but they have never seen it. Just how big is Blackstache''s ship if this latest arrival is as massive as it is? Furthermore, it just looks¡­ odd. If one were to judge the trio¡¯s feelings regarding the ship by their expressions, Fenrir thinks it looks awesome with his wide eyes and huge smile, Serra looks unimpressed going by her disappointed sigh and bored eyes, and Cassiel just ¨C well, she looks like she isn¡¯t sure what to think of it. ¡°Aren¡¯t they supposed to be like elf Vikings?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I guess they¡¯re more elf as far as design goes,¡± Cassiel says. The massive ship pulling into port makes even galleons look small, but what really sticks out about it are the trees. Fenrir can barely believe it himself. Rather than there being regular masts and sails, the ship looks like it is made out of a living tree, and the smaller ones following behind it do as well! The flagship looks like one mighty tree with its roots twisting and pressing together to form the hull of the ship while the trunk of the tree splits into several thinner trunks, each one reaching high into the air with what looks like huge, green leaves making up its sails. Looking at the deck, it¡¯s hard to see from where they are, but there are several large cannons that all look just as nature-themed as the rest of the ship does. Flowering vines hang down all over the ship from the top of its ¡°mast¡± to its sides, and the final thing to grab their attention is its figurehead. It is a carved, wooden deer head with two mighty antlers protruding forward and sideways. It looks more like a battering ram than a figurehead. Behind the flagship is several dozen smaller ships that look more like what they were expecting but are still made of trees twisted into the shapes of boats. Rather than look like an oversized galleon, these ones look like Viking longships. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get down to the pier and get a better look,¡± Fenrir suggests. The girls nod, and the three hastily dress themselves. Fenrir ends up helping Cassiel with her breastplate, and Serra discovers that having a complicated outfit with a multitude of separate parts isn¡¯t very convenient when in a hurry. This is why she prefers wearing jeans and t-shirts in reality. They rush to the piers. Everybody else is in-game and standing by at The Shoebill to watch the fleet of ships roll into the harbor. Tabitha looks up at Fenrir as soon as he arrives with the girls. The smug smile on her lips says that she knows exactly what they were doing. But how? Fenrir looks at Serra and Cassiel. The hair atop each of their heads is messed up, they look like they just got done with some intense exercise, their clothes are a mess, and... they smell like sex. Oleander joins Tabitha in looking back at them and smirking. ¡°What were you lovebirds up ta?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Yeah, Fenny, what were you doing?¡± Oleander tags in. ¡°Well,¡± Fenrir might as well be honest, ¡°I won¡¯t have to worry about getting reset if I die.¡± Serra smiles and leans her head against his side, but he can hear Cassiel struggling to not unsheathe her sword and threaten him with death. ¡°Look how large it is!¡± Corwin says, pointing up at the massive flagship as it sails past them. They all stand and stare in awe at its sheer overwhelming size. Up close, it looks less like a ship and more like a mobile castle! ¡°We should steal it,¡± Serra says. Fenrir is reminded of how bad of an influence they¡¯ve been on her. ¡°Want to sink it, see little hippy boat burn,¡± Bonekraka says. Rock barks. Fenrir isn¡¯t sure which idea she¡¯s supporting, but either way, they¡¯re both horrible ideas even if they do sound fun. ¡°Look! It¡¯s him! It¡¯s Ull!¡± one of the crewmembers from a nearby docked boat shouts. Standing at the top of the deck is a man with just of large and grandiose of an appearance as his ship¡¯s. ¡°I thought he was supposed to be an elf?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Well, he started off as one, but he¡¯s a tier seven feral now from last I heard,¡± Cassiel explains. They can¡¯t see all of him because of how much higher up he is than them, but they can see enough to tell there is clearly more than just being an elf going on. His looks piss Fenrir off since they actually look somewhat similar. Ull has the torso of a toned, muscular man similar to how Fenrir¡¯s looks and he has long, flowing white hair that rolls down his back to his waist, but that¡¯s where the similarities end. Ull has four antlers, two on each side, protruding from his head and sticking backward. A pair of long, elven ears protrude backward as well underneath where his antlers are, and they are covered in golden rings that can be seen shining in the sunlight even from The Shoebill. The most monstrous part of him is his lower body. His humanity ends at his waist. Below his waist is the body of a deer with fur as white as his hair with a few grey spots dotting it. Behind his back is an appropriately-elven looking bow that looks two times too large for any human to be handling, and his lower body is covered in some sort of green metal armor with a golden trim. Fenrir sees it. He sees what makes him feel really competitive. Not only does this faction leader of an elf-deer-thing have the torso of an elf and lower body of a deer, but his tail is that of a wolf¡¯s. Fenrir¡¯s own tail sticks up as his ears flatten down. Cassiel looks over at him. ¡°Are you growling?¡± she asks. Fenrir didn¡¯t realize it before, but now that she¡¯s pointed it out, he is. That is¡­ really weird. The feral instinct within him feels much stronger than it usually does, too. ¡°Ah, that must be his harem,¡± Corwin says as nearly two dozen girls are brought above deck to stand in rows on each side of Ull. Serra and Cassiel look at Fenrir with expressions telling him not to even think about it. ¡°What? No way I¡¯d want to date that many people at once,¡± he says. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not some wannabe elf pretty boy. I bet those girls fawn all over him because he¡¯s got pointy ears. Wait, if his lower body is a deer¡­ does it count as bestiality?¡± Cassiel facepalms. Oleander looks to be the only one taking Fenrir¡¯s question seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I bet a bunch of prudes would still get upset and call it that,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah, probably ¨C wait,¡± Fenrir pauses. He didn¡¯t notice it before, but as the ship comes its closest to The Shoebill, he sees that every single one of the supposed harem members has thick, metal collars around their necks. They look like slaves rather than loving harem members. ¡°Hey, Corwin or Cass, either of you hear about what¡¯s up with his harem?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel shakes her head, but Corwin has something to say. ¡°I have only heard rumors, but the rumors state that he collects girls with unique features in hope of acquiring them for himself. Look, not a single one of those girls is human,¡± Corwin says. He¡¯s right. When Fenrir looks at the girls¡¯ bodies, they all look like they¡¯re anything from plant-based monster girls to girls with cat ears and tiger stripes, and one of the girls even has draconic wings protruding from her back that are shackled to the collar around her neck. ¡°So, he¡¯s some sort of sick collector of rare girls?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sadly, that is what the rumors lead me to believe,¡± Corwin answers. Now Fenrir really doesn¡¯t like this Ull guy. Then he sees her. A single girl stands separate from the rest of those in Ull¡¯s harem. Ull holds her up by the collar around her neck as if showing her off to everybody watching from the city. Her long, straight hair is mesmerizingly beautiful and pearl aqua in color. A pair of slightly curved horns with ridges along them stick up from the top sides of her head, each one dark blue in color and looking like the horns of a dragon ¨C though, given the color of her hair and horns, a sea serpent comes to mind before a dragon does. Finally, there are her tail, fins, and scales. She¡¯s wearing an elaborate dress that looks like it was custom tailored to match Ull, but it doesn¡¯t completely cover the patches of light green and blue scales on her arms and neck. It also doesn¡¯t cover up the long, serpentine tail that sticks out from above her rear and is hanging down behind her. She even has a few beautifully bright and long multi-colored fins sticking out from her back like wings would. ¡°He found her,¡± Cassiel says with a sigh. ¡°What do you know about her?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I only heard rumors about him searching for her. She¡¯s apparently somebody who got extremely lucky and somehow got a blessing from the Western Serpent.¡± ¡°You mean one of those giant world boss serpents that nobody has ever killed?¡± ¡°Yeah, one of those. Rumors of her started spreading after she went to an office to get a new card, and they said her race and mutations have never been seen before. She¡¯s supposedly the only player in the entire game with a character like that, and rumor has it that she refuses to tell anybody about how she got blessed by one of the damn serpents.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the asshole up there heard about the rumors and had her hunted down to collect her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a safe guess.¡± ¡°So she got some super awesome and special race unique to her, and some asshole captured her, collared her, and now parades her around like a toy while she can¡¯t do anything about it?¡± ¡°Sadly, that seems to be the case,¡± Corwin says. Yeah, Fenrir really doesn¡¯t like this Ull guy. In fact, he already dislikes Ull more than he¡¯s disliked other guild leaders who he has screwed over before for far less. The elven ship sails by, taking both Ull and the serpent girl out from their sight. Now coming into the harbor are the dozens of fully-crewed and armed longships. Oleander has the largest grin on his face. ¡°I know that look, Fenny,¡± he says. Serra and Cassiel look at his face and see a more intense look than anything they¡¯ve seen from him before. ¡°We¡¯re going to have one helluva tough last mission together, Bone,¡± Fenrir says. The orc nods and grunts. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°O-oi, what¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°You¡¯ve got the same look in yer eyes that I get when I¡¯m about ta do somethin¡¯ really stupid.¡± Serra confidently crosses her arms and takes her spot next to Fenrir. Rock joins in with an approving bark. Cassiel and Corwin join Tabitha¡¯s club of being concerned for whatever Fenrir is thinking up in his head. ¡°I guess it was pretty stupid to try and leave the Divine Brigade¡¯s name behind,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Duh. How could we ever leave it behind when you get triggered as soon as you see somebody being an asshole? The world is full of assholes, Fenny ¨C the bad kind. Well, it¡¯s full of the good kind as well, but you get my point. Anyways, until we get rid of all the bad assholes, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to leave Divine Brigade behind,¡± Oleander says. ¡°You got me there.¡± ¡°But are you sure, Fenny? What about doxing?¡± Fenrir hangs his head. He got caught up in the moment and forgot about that. Not only is getting doxed dangerous enough as is, but now he has two girlfriends who could get caught up in it and be in danger. He can¡¯t be selfish. He¡¯s sure that Serra would be fine with it, but even if Cassiel is as well, an in-game name isn¡¯t important enough to justify a real-life risk. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. We can¡¯t go back to that name¡­ so what about ¡®Fallen Divinity?¡¯¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°It sounds pretty edgy, but I kind of like it. If we used to be kind of evil as the Divine Brigade, and now you only want to do good things, then it¡¯d make sense for us to be fallen. People will probably assume we¡¯re a bunch of wannabe evil edgelords, though,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Fallen Divinity and The Shoebill? Doesn¡¯t sound much like a good crew name to me,¡± Tabitha chimes in. She has a point. They don¡¯t work well together at all and Fallen Divinity does not sound anything like a group that is based out of a ship. ¡°The Wolf Brigade,¡± Serra suggests, poking Fenrir¡¯s tail as she says it. The poke makes him jump a bit from how sensitive his tail is. Everybody shakes their heads at first. ¡°Fen is our captain and a wolf, and Rock is like our mascot and a wolf, so I think it makes sense,¡± she tries explaining herself. Fenrir debates it. It sounds cheesy, clich¨¦, and makes him think of either a bunch of furries LARPing as wolves or neckbeards that non-ironically wear that one shirt with the three wolves all howling at the moon. It either reminds him of those, or what a bunch of wannabe tough guy bikers would call themselves. Yet, as horribly unoriginal as the name is, he likes it. It keeps the ¡°brigade¡± part from the Divine Brigade while making it new, and it sounds like a something that could be passed off as a legitimate crew name. ¡°If I may¡­ pardon, I know that I am the newest one here, but what about The Soaring Wolves? It is my understanding that The Shoebill is named after a flying bird, and the engine that Miss Strism installed below is going to make us soar across the water as if we are flying, so do you think that name could work? It also keeps the wolves part as Serra has suggested,¡± Corwin offers his own attempt at naming their crew. It might not be the coolest sounding name ever, and still sounds a bit cheesy, but it just works. ¡°All in favor of The Soaring Wolves?¡± Fenrir asks. Everybody but Bonekraka raises their hands. ¡°Then there we have it. The Soaring Wolves flying across the waves onboard The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Now, are you ready for details on The Soaring Wolves¡¯ first mission?¡± The rest of the crew nods and gathers around him. Fenrir is not only going to win the fishing tournament, but he¡¯s going to save the day for a bunch of innocent players while he¡¯s at it. They may not be named the Divine Brigade anymore, but it¡¯s time for them to pull off a grand strategy that would put the old Divine Brigade¡¯s plots to shame. It¡¯s time for The Soaring Wolves¡¯ first mission with its new members and name. [Not A Chapter] End of Book 1 Announcement Whoo, alright! The first volume of The True Endgame is officially complete. To those of you who might still be worrying about this despite me saying I wouldn¡¯t be doing it multiple times already: no, I am not going to take any of this down for Kindle Unlimited. One, I don¡¯t like being exclusive to a single service. Two, I feel like that would be a major slap in the face to any potential new/future readers. I will be self-publishing a revised and edited version of the story with some exclusive bonus content on Amazon and other online retailers that allow self-publishing, but that¡¯s it. And yes, the story will continue updating daily at 6pm EST. What else¡­ oh! I¡¯ll just go ahead and copy-paste this from my Patreon: Alright, volume one is finished, and we''re now in volume two! From here on out, you can expect a more focused plot line that still has slice of life here and there rather than being predominantly slice of life. There will still be enough to warrant calling it slice of life, I believe, but there is going to be actual conflict that lasts more than a single chapter (or patch series) now. It''s been fun reading what some of you have been guessing about what''s going to happen in the comments here and on Discord. All I can say is that nothing is ever as cut and dry as it seems, I like to fuck with my readers'' expectations, and I am not against making my characters lose/die/suffer, so you have been warned. That last sentence was a bit ominous, but don''t worry. The story isn''t going to suddenly turn grimdark or anything like that, and it will always be relatively lighthearted. To those of you who update reviews as you go, now would probably be a pretty great time to update your review if you¡¯d like to. Furthermore, any new reviews and ratings at all would be a huge help to me. Speaking of reviews, a certain Darwen has finally overtaken Jericho''s spot on RRL''s top reviews. Jericho''s reign as the top review on RRL lasted a good two months or so, but alas, it is time for a new review to take his place. Now everybody gets to see my new title! Other than that stuff, I have part of (3k words right now, but I plan on adding more to it) the first chapter of my upcoming new story on Patreon right now. I¡¯ll be posting it to RRL once I have a good enough bank of it stored up. I have another story I¡¯m planning on writing, but it would deal heavily and frequently with sexual content. I emailed RRL¡¯s admin(s) several days ago with questions regarding some things, so we''ll see how that goes. Back to TTE, I¡¯m super glad about just how well received it has been thus far. Over 1k followers, a decent number of patrons, etc. You are all seriously awesome, and I am genuinely appreciative to all of you who continue reading. Reviews/ratings for the story are generally positive as well. Alright, in closing, soon if you pay a minimum of $10 on my Patreon then you will be 14 chapters ahead of free releases for every story. So, if I¡¯m publishing three stories, you¡¯ll be a total of 42 early-access chapters ahead of what is publicly available if you follow all three by paying $10 a month. I''ve got 7 chapters ahead right now for the $5 tier, and I plan on having the other 7 for a total of 14 up by the end of the weekend. Oh, and I''m also posting exclusive art to the $5 tier now. Thank you for your tremendous support thus far, and I look forward to continuing providing you with this story! I''ll also be rearranging and naming the chapters on here. The bonus chapters will all be put at the end of this volume after this announcement, and the chapters will be renamed to switch to the new naming system I''m using on Patreon. They will basically look like this now: "[Vol 2. pt. 1] Patch 1.0: The Wolf and the Serpent" No more patch 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and so on. I consider every patch series one "real" chapter. For example, everything from 10.0 to 10.5 is just one chapter. So rather than go 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, and so on, I will just keep 10.0 while the "pt. 1" number increases with every upload. You''re also more than welcome to ask me any questions you might have! I guess I''ve never really said this before, but you are welcome to ask me questions in the comments of any chapter or on Discord. I''ll answer any questions I can as long as they wouldn''t require me saying spoilers. I hope you look forward to the second volume! Book 1: B1 [Canon]: Stealing the Supercarrier ¡°Everybody¡¯s ships fitted properly?¡± Ryouta asks. Most people in this game know him as the leader of the Divine Brigade, FluffyPups. He always has enjoyed having silly and cute names to contrast against his deeds. ¡°Allll loaded up! Man, the devs really screwed up this time. Can you imagine how much salt is going to be all over the forums? Why did they think that it would be a good idea to implement a stackable chip that boosts Hacking by half a percent?¡± Spencer asks. ¡°Probably because they didn¡¯t expect anybody to actually grind out a few thousand of them. Four months of grinding and buying them all off the market better work. You ready, Vik?¡± ¡°Da,¡± Viktor responds via a direct channel into their headsets. While Ryouta and Spencer are together in the hangar of their corporation¡¯s carrier, Viktor has been on an undercover mission for the past two months. He started a new character, joined the corporation that they are about to attack, and has gained their trust. Viktor may not be the smartest man there is, but the corporation recognized his talent for intimidating people into getting what he wants as well as being a great fighter. Right now, Viktor¡¯s cruiser which is usually loaded up with shield tanking modules and kinetic artillery is fitted with something else. ¡°Alright. Spence, give the order for the diversion fleet to warp in.¡± ¡°Order sent!¡± Spencer says. While he may eventually become a deer-trap-thing, right now he is just a regular¡ªif not a bit on the feminine side¡ªhuman male. Ryouta gives a few pats to the floating robot between him and Spencer. The poor thing looks like it¡¯s about to burst at any second from how overloaded on chips it has had installed. It¡¯s constantly fidgeting, occasionally lets out puffs of smoke, and makes concerned robot beeps and boops. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll uninstall them all after this. You¡¯re doing a good job of hanging in there ¨C well, floating in there,¡± Ryouta says. Rather than respond with beeping like usual, the bot just sort of sizzles and makes zapping sounds. Meanwhile, several systems away, a fleet of seventy ships warps into one of Doom Squad¡¯s garrison systems. They are one of the game¡¯s largest corporations and are notorious for being elitist assholes. They¡¯re the perfect target for the Divine Brigade. A massive citadel station within the system immediately activates its shields and fires off hundreds of station-to-ship missiles. All the other ships that were on standby are now turning to face the incoming attackers and activating their ships¡¯ systems. The balance of power does not favor the Divine Brigade¡¯s fleet. Whereas they have seventy ships, the Doom Squad has a massive base and several hundred ships. The Divine Brigade sends the first wave of ships out. They are small destroyers loaded to the brim with torpedo modules and just enough tanking modules to survive the first wave of attacks. Normally, a few torpedo-specialized destroyers wouldn¡¯t be an issue, especially against such a massive enemy fleet. The point-defense should be enough to obliterate any incoming missiles and torpedoes unless overwhelmed by thousands of them. Unfortunately for the Divine Brigade, each of the destroyers only has enough time to launch a single torpedo before being blown up. Fortunately for the Divine Brigade, each of the torpedoes has been fitted with nuclear warheads and stacked stealth modules. Point-defense is worthless against targets that it cannot even detect in the first place. The first wave of destroyers is annihilated shortly after deploying their torpedoes. The rest of the ships making up the Divine Brigade¡¯s fleet are long-range interdiction cruisers that are creating a massive bubble over the enemy fleet to pin them down in one place. However, that is not their only purpose. Three. Two. One. The interdiction bubble is replaced by one that temporarily shorts the shields of every ship in the enemy fleet. The interdiction itself was incredibly weak and only meant to fool the enemy into thinking that they were being pinned down until reinforcements could arrive. The true power of the interdiction cruisers lies in the fact that they have been min-maxed for shield dampening. They are only able to drain the shields from the enemy fleet for a few seconds before their energy grids get overwhelmed by the massive amount of raw processing required to create such a large and powerful effect, but it¡¯s all they need. Massive, blinding explosions erupt within the enemy¡¯s fleet. Fifteen nuclear torpedoes explode within the enemy fleet. Over two hundred enemy ships are vaporized within seconds. The ships that are not outright vaporized get shredded into volatile debris that gets propelled throughout the rest of the fleet, tearing through hulls. The force of the explosion is enough to send ships crashing into one another. If that isn¡¯t enough to screw over the enemy fleet, the larger ships that explode have explosions of their own large enough to damage their allies. It is a beautiful sight for the Divine Brigade as hundreds of ships are either instantly destroyed, filled with holes by debris flying through their ships with extreme speed, crashed into by their own allies, or taken out by secondary explosions. The interdiction ships are left defenseless without any operable systems. Their processors have been fried from overloading themselves to dampen the enemy¡¯s shields. Only one group of the Divine Brigade¡¯s ships are left operational ¨C the logistics cruisers, and their mission is to run. They are loaded with modules to prevent interdiction, but not to cloak where they are warping to. In other words, their job is to lead the enemy away. The logistics cruisers warp out of the system. The Doom Squad realizes something very important that serves to really, really, piss them off. The torpedo destroyers and interdiction cruisers are not piloted by players. They were all remotely controlled by the logistics cruisers. In other words, even if the majority of the Divine Brigade¡¯s fleet was just wiped out, they haven¡¯t lost a single player or any losses that they weren¡¯t planning on. Doom Squad¡¯s fleet protecting the system warps after the logistics cruisers when they notice that they¡¯ve left a trail. They figure that the trail is only left because there were not enough module slots left open to cloak it after being loaded up with modules to prevent interdiction and being able to remote control so many ships. Sure, that¡¯s part of the reason, but it¡¯s also because they want to be followed. Meanwhile, the fleet that Viktor is responsible for is called back to Doom Squad¡¯s headquarters. The leader of Doom Squad believes that this is all just a plan to try and lure ships away from their main starbase in another system. The garrison would have been one of the first to send reinforcements in the event of an attack on the headquarters. ¡°Why can¡¯t I scan your ship modules?¡± a voice rings into Viktor¡¯s headset. ¡°Izvinite, you know I forget how to switch thing on,¡± Viktor replies. He enables and disables a few of the ship¡¯s auxiliary systems. While they may recognize him as a great fighter, they all believe he¡¯s totally incompetent when it comes to some of the game¡¯s finer mechanics. ¡°Hurry up. I¡¯m checking to make sure everybody¡¯s ships match the fleet templates.¡± ¡°Do not rush or will take longer!¡± Viktor shouts into the headset. Meanwhile, he and his fleet are drifting into position alongside the rest of the Doom Squad¡¯s fleets. ¡°Tovarishchi,¡± Viktor says on a global channel to all Doom Squad fleets, ¡°Yob materi vashi.¡± The missile pods of Viktor¡¯s heavy cruiser open up and shoot twenty-four nuclear missiles at the nearest ships. Because he is marked as an allied ship on the fleet¡¯s ships¡¯ IFF systems, his missiles are not easily shot down like they would have been otherwise. He engages his ship¡¯s thrusters to ram full speed into the nearest carrier ¨C the carrier of the annoying bastard always shouting orders at him. Everybody in the voice channels can hear the Russian traitor manically shouting and laughing into his microphone. They don¡¯t know what he¡¯s saying, but they¡¯re confident that every other word coming out from his mouth is an insult. He¡¯s maniacal like a demon. With a cargo hold packed full of the game¡¯s most volatile explosives and a carrier¡ªand carriers tend to make very large secondary explosions¡ªa fourth of Doom Squad¡¯s present fleets is wiped out in seconds. ¡°Our spy fleet is reporting that their main fleet has been crippled!¡± Spencer reports to Ryouta. ¡°They¡¯re bringing in reinforcements from all garrisons and pulling back the ships chasing our logi boys. Ready to warp?¡± ¡°Make it so,¡± Ryouta says, a huge grin on his face as he says it. ¡°Are you sure that isn¡¯t copyrighted?¡± ¡°Hey, something as awesome and classic as that deserves to be used by everybody.¡± Ryouta rolls his eyes as the carrier jumps into warp. Fifteen minutes later and the Divine Brigade¡¯s carrier group arrives not at the Doom Squad¡¯s main base as the enemy predicted, but at their shipyard. The shipyard is a massive structure the size of a small moon. Automated canons in orbit around the structure immediately open fire on the Divine Brigade fleet. Their shields come online just seconds before the first wave of shots impacts them. ¡°Alright, Spence, you ready to steal the biggest ship in the game¡¯s existence?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Aye aye, Admiral!¡± Spencer says, his voice full of excitement. The fleet engages with the shipyard¡¯s automated defenses. There are still a few enemy ships garrisoned to provide defense, but right now, most have left to protect the headquarters. ¡°They really bought into all that false intel. I mean, come on, did they really believe a bunch of corporations who hate us were going to team up with us to take them down?¡± Spencer asks. ¡°Of course they did. They¡¯re just so egotistical that they think our other rivals would team up with us just to take them down,¡± Ryouta explains. Volleys of kinetic shells, lasers, and missiles are exchanged between the Divine Brigade fleet and the shipyard¡¯s defenses. Some of the Divine Brigade fleet is shot down, but they are all ships specialized to tank and controlled remotely. Ryouta doesn¡¯t want to give his enemy the satisfaction of killing even one of his players. ¡°Admiral FluffyPups!¡± a voice says over the headset. Hearing that always makes Ryouta smile. ¡°Their defenses are neutralized, you¡¯re safe to go! ETA fifteen minutes before enemy reinforcements arrive.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s slower than I thought. Guess they¡¯re too mad to think straight,¡± Ryouta replies. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going.¡± Ryouta¡¯s fighter squadron takes off from the carrier¡¯s hangar. Sure, he could pilot the big ships if he wanted to, but that isn¡¯t as fun as flying through space in a ship that looks like an ant amongst elephants. The voice sounds over the headset again. ¡°Dampening facility¡¯s shields in five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ they¡¯re offline!¡± Ryouta, Spencer, and the rest of the squadron push through an opening in the shipyard¡¯s shields just seconds before they come back online. ¡°We¡¯re in! Get back to base, we¡¯ll see you there,¡± Ryouta commands. ¡°Good luck, Admiral FluffyPups!¡± That always makes him smile. The facility is massive enough that their fighter craft are able to fly through its sections with ease. Their target is the supercarrier in one of the facility¡¯s construction tubes. It takes them a few minutes to find it, but something so massive can¡¯t stay hidden forever. ¡°Biggest damn ship in the game. Look at her,¡± Ryouta says, impressed by the insane size of it. The supercarrier utterly dwarfs regular carriers in size. While a normal carrier could sortie hundreds of fighters, bombers, or troop transports, a supercarrier can handle tens of thousands of them at once. This is the first supercarrier to ever be constructed in the game¡¯s history. It took years of saving up, farming, and building to complete it. Nobody else has even gotten close to finishing one before. To construct a supercarrier is essentially to beat the game. The only way to ever hope of defeating one is with another one. At least, that¡¯s what players fear. Every other attempt at constructing one has always been interrupted due to other corporations banding together to take down whomever was trying to construct a supercarrier. Fortunately for the Doom Squad, they were able to keep it secret until enough defenses were built to support it. Unfortunately for Doom Squad, all of those defenses are only just now warping into the system. ¡°Everybody land on the walkways and run for the supercarrier!¡± Ryouta commands. Vertically landing all of the fighters on the runways isn¡¯t a problem thanks to how long and wide they are. ¡°Infiltration squad, you¡¯re up!¡± A group of players rushes up to the side of the supercarrier¡¯s hull with a heavy-duty plasma cutter to cut through the ship¡¯s entrance. With a hole cut, Ryouta and the rest of his fighter pilots charge in. His robot is right by his side the entire time. ¡°Set explosives to collapse the halls, hack the bulkheads shut, and form defensive positions!¡± Spencer commands. Their soldiers salute them and get to work. Ryouta and Spencer head for the ship¡¯s bridge. It is located deep within the center of the supercarrier where it is safest. ¡°Cover!¡± Spencer shouts. The two men hide behind a wall as red beams from energy blasters fly down the hall. Spencer peeks his head around the wall and sees a sentry turret hanging from the ceiling. ¡°Toss an EMP grenade down there,¡± Spencer suggests. ¡°Got it.¡± Ryouta takes one of the grenades off of his belt and tosses it down the hall. The sound of sizzling electricity can be heard after a small explosion. Ryouta waves his arm out from behind the wall. Nothing happens. ¡°We¡¯re good, come on. They¡¯re going to be trying to take their ship back at any¡ª¡± Ryouta is cut off by the sound of gunfire coming from above decks. ¡°They¡¯re mad.¡± ¡°So mad,¡± Spencer says. There are a few more defense turrets between their position and the bridge, but nothing they can¡¯t handle. ¡°You¡¯re up, Robot,¡± Ryouta says, giving the floating robot a few pats on the head as he brings it to a command console. ¡°You really suck at naming things. If you ever get a girlfriend are you just going to call her ¡®Girlfriend?¡¯¡± Spencer asks. Ryouta gives him a thumbs-up. ¡°You know it.¡± The robot gets to work hacking the ship¡¯s systems. The supercarrier is supposed to have such extreme firewalls that it should be literally impossible for anybody to hack past without breaking the game. It is simply impossible to get a high enough Hacking ability to break through its defenses. That is, until the developers went and added in a stacking half-a-percentage booster that could be installed in robots. All of the bridge¡¯s systems come to life. A tactical map showing the system and galaxy map is displayed above a holotable in the center of the room, there are systems for fire control, navigation, communication, energy and resource consumption ¨C everything can be controlled from this room. And now, it is all under Ryouta¡¯s little robot¡¯s control. ¡°So, the shields on this are supposed to be active even during warp, right?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°We¡¯ve already come up with the plan. Why are you asking me about it and acting like you don¡¯t know?¡± Spencer replies. ¡°Because it¡¯s for dramatic effect. You know, the cool guys in sci-fi movies always come up with plans on the go and ask questions to hint to their crazy plans. It makes the audience more excited.¡± ¡°Our only audience is a robot, and even Robot already knows the plan.¡± ¡°You sure do like to take the fun out of things for being a hedonist.¡± Ryouta sighs. ¡°Robot, warp to System NLO-PD2, within one hundred kilometers of the starbase there. Oh, and don¡¯t forget to turn on the shields.¡± Robot beeps and boops. The next thing they and everybody else hears in the ship are the shield engines humming to life. Then comes the warp countdown. The supercarrier is torn out from the shipyard and transported into the debris field caused by Viktor. Repair and salvage ships are already busy at work, but they all stop when they see a ship rivaling the size of the starbase itself appear. ¡°You think the warp destroyed the shipyard?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Definitely. Something this big warping inside of a structure? It probably imploded,¡± Spencer asks. ¡°Good enough. Now then, Robot. If you would be so kind as to go and launch every single remote bomber we have, arm all missiles, prepare all batteries, and destroy every single thing in this system, that would be greatly appreciated.¡± All of the green dots on the system map turn red. ¡°I wish I had an epic one-liner to say right now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Admiral. There¡¯s always another ship to steal. Oh! Look who it is,¡± Spencer heads over to the communications station and pulls up the one pinging them. ¡°Is that you, FluffyPups?¡± a really pissed off voice askss. It still makes Ryouta smile. He has no idea how anybody could say his name so seriously. ¡°The one and only! What¡¯s your name again?¡± Ryouta asks. Of course he knows who it is, but he also knows how this man reacts when somebody treats him as if he¡¯s irrelevant. ¡°I will fucking find you and kill you, FluffyPups! You think you can just go and fuck over everything we¡¯ve done because you want to?! You have no fucking idea how much work we¡¯ve put into this! You¡¯re going to get banned for whatever you did ¨C you have to be fucking hacking!¡± ¡°Technically, yes.¡± ¡°Fucking cheating scum! I know people who can find who you are and where you live. You really want to fucking do this?¡± ¡°Eeeee¡¯yup.¡± ¡°You fu¡ª¡± ¡°Listen, do you really think swearing is going to do anything? Come on, what if I¡¯m actually an underage kid? You could be corrupting my pure, innocent, childlike mind right now. What would your mother think?¡± ¡°Fuck you! Fuck you, you fucking piece of¡ª¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯m sorry, okay? I¡¯ll make a deal with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you upload a video of you jacking off and moaning ¡®Admiral FluffyPups¡¯ for everybody to hear and see, I¡¯ll give you your ship back. Oh, you also have to wear a diaper on your head and put whipped cream on your nipples. Deal?¡± ¡°Fuck you! Fuck you - you fucking piece of fucking¡ª¡± "Annndddd cut comms.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Admiral,¡± Spencer says, holding back his laughter as best he can. ¡°The nipples part was a nice touch.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned from the best hedonist there is,¡± Ryouta flashes Spencer a thumbs-up. ¡°Alright, Robot, you can start destroying everything now.¡± It¡¯s possible that the Doom Squad just might have stood a chance if it had all of its fleets at full strength in addition to the starbase¡¯s defenses, but without all of those at full strength, the supercarrier¡¯s extreme force overwhelms its opponents with ease. Thousands of automated fighters and bombers lay waste to every ship smaller than a battlecruiser, the ship¡¯s missiles and turrets make short work of everything else, and finally is the starbase itself. ¡°Concentrate all shields on the bow.¡± All shields are focused on the bow. ¡°Full speed ahead.¡± The supercarrier plows through the center of the starbase as if it¡¯s nothing. While tearing straight through it, the ship¡¯s cannons and missiles fire directly into the now-exposed base¡¯s interior. The starbase is cut very, very messily in half with each of the two major halves drifting off in opposite directions. Secondary explosions are ensuring that nothing will be left of the base. ¡°Man, this girl is really something. Shame that we¡¯ve got to put her down. She¡¯s just too OP,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Plus it¡¯s going to really piss off that asshole.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t even be able to dream about getting the ship back,¡± Spencer says. A massive smile has been on his face ever since the ship first opened fire, and it won¡¯t be going away anytime soon. ¡°Too bad Vikkypoo isn¡¯t here to watch this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a miracle we got him to come on at all since his in-laws are over. Anyways, Robot, set course for the system¡¯s sun, and then full speed ahead right on into it.¡± Ryouta looks at Spencer. ¡°Give the order for everybody to get to the hangars and abandon ship. They should have dealt with the bastards who made it on already.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Admiral.¡± Everybody, including Ryouta, Spencer, and Robot, head for the hangars after the ship sets its course for the sun. In one final, ultimate ¡°fuck you,¡± the most powerful and largest ship to have ever existed in the game is being flown to its death. ¡°Let¡¯s get all of these chips out of you,¡± Ryouta says to Robot as Spencer pilots the transport craft they¡¯re in away from the supercarrier. When he opens Robot¡¯s storage unit, hundreds of small chips fly out of it! ¡°Sorry, had to really cramp them in there. You feeling better now?¡± Robot lets out a few happy boops and beeps. ¡°Admiral, sensors are picking up a small ship speeding for the supercarrier. Its ID matches that asshole¡¯s. Should we send some of the fighters after him?¡± Spencer asks. ¡°Nah. Let him watch his glory get melted by the sun. He¡¯ll probably die from getting too close anyways.¡± Surely enough, just as the enemy leader¡¯s ship reaches the supercarrier, its shields are beginning to fail as the sun strips its hull away. There is no epic, glorious explosion. There is no final, heroic attempt to board the ship and try to change its course. There are no final last words nor epic one-liners. There is simply an oversized ship flying into the sun. The final disrespect to his enemy is letting his pride and joy die in naught more than a pathetic little whimper. Book 1: B2 [Canon]: Killing the Streamer Before Fantasy Tales Online and after Eternal Space was another fantasy game that the Divine Brigade took part in, and it is the final game that the Divine Brigade had a serious presence in. ¡°This is going to be way too easy,¡± Ryouta says, staring at a castle in the distance from behind a tree line. The castle is huge, elaborate, and very well designed as far as aesthetics go. When it comes to actually being defensible and fulfilling the purpose of a castle, it is horribly designed. ¡°This is why you do not let girls design things,¡± Viktor says. Always choosing to play the brutish races in games, his current avatar is a hulking beastman with massive horns and boar-like tusks. It would be fair to compare him to a minotaur. ¡°Not all girls fit the stereotype. Don¡¯t be too sexist now,¡± Ryouta says. His words make Viktor roll his eyes and grunt. Their last major plan featured Viktor joining the enemy to betray them. This time, Spencer is the one going behind enemy lines and gaining their trust. He makes a very entertaining friend for their target to show off on stream. In fact, many of their target¡¯s viewers have been asking for more Spencer and less of the host! ¡°And in her defense, it¡¯s not like she has to worry about getting attacked by most players. Guys are obsessed with her, and they like her more than other girls, so she doesn¡¯t have to worry about them taking some other girl¡¯s side over hers. You know, it¡¯s the cleavage effect. The more cleavage you show, the more faithful a bunch of virgin white knights are going to be to you,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°She has huge tits, is nice looking at,¡± Viktor says. ¡°Don¡¯t let your fianc¨¦e hear that.¡± ¡°A man must look at huge ones when stuck with washing board.¡± ¡°If I never hear from you again, I¡¯ll understand why. Rest in peace, Brell,¡± Ryouta says, "Brell" being Viktor¡¯s name in this game. They have other players around them whom don¡¯t know any of their real names, so they¡¯re sticking to their in-game aliases. There are two main reasons as for why they are targeting this streamer: one, she¡¯s gotten on Ryouta¡¯s bad side by targeting and harassing a bunch of non-sexualized girl streamers by having her thousands of horny male viewers go after them out of jealousy and pride; and two, she thinks that she¡¯s untouchable because she¡¯s dating the game¡¯s richest player, Ultimatum. Everybody but Ultimatum knows that she¡¯s only dating him because of his wealth. She gets real money from flashing her cleavage on stream for a bunch of boys and gets in-game money by pretending to actually like the game¡¯s richest player. It helps that Ultimatum himself is an egotistical and annoying prick. So not only does Ryouta get to feel like he¡¯s doing the right thing by killing one of the most toxic members of the game¡¯s community, but he gets to piss off one of the game¡¯s most annoying guys ¨C her boyfriend. It makes it even better that he¡¯s promised to never let anybody kill her. Neither she nor her boyfriend expects one of gaming¡¯s most manipulative and strategic spies to infiltrate their ranks. A bright light is shone their way coming from the sewer system beneath the castle. All castles have sewers by the developer¡¯s design choice. They¡¯re to give players more than one method of attacking fortified castles. Most players get around this security flaw by building another fortified position around the sewer¡¯s entrance, this girl is too cocky to do such a thing. ¡°Alright, mages, put up a stealth field over us,¡± Ryouta commands. A squad of four mages circle Ryouta, Viktor, and the rest of the infiltration squad. Each one of them raises their staves into the air and cast the same spell. They are not turned totally invisible, but they are transparent enough that they won¡¯t be spotted from a distance ¨C from the few guards patrolling the castle¡¯s walls. They slowly make their way across the field between the castle and the forest. A petite girl dressed in pretty, frilly clothes with a couple of cat ears sitting atop her head stands at the entrance of the sewer. She¡¯s holding her dress up so that the bottom of it doesn¡¯t hang into the sewage water. ¡°Took you long enough to get over here!¡± she says. Her voice is high-pitched and just as cutesy as her clothes. Ryouta gives her a pat on the head. A cat-like smile forms on her lips as she presses her head up against his petting hand. ¡°Good job, Veya,¡± he praises her. ¡°Can we please do this now? I¡¯m so tired of hanging around her, and I really want to reveal it to her viewers already,¡± Veya says. Ryouta and the rest of the Divine Brigade are the only ones who know Veya¡¯s secret: she¡¯s a he, and he¡¯s Spencer. ¡°We¡¯re in now, so let¡¯s get to it.¡± Ryouta doesn¡¯t understand why more guilds don¡¯t expect to get spies. Eternal Space is the only game they have ever played where corporations are constantly looking out for spies, and even then, they weren¡¯t looking enough. The unwillingness to check players out for being potential spies is the number one reason why the Divine Brigade is able to pull off so many of its infamous plans. Then again, their willingness to dedicate themselves to long-term spying¡ªessentially living double lives for months¡ªis also why people call them sociopaths and pathetic. Spencer leads them through the sewers to stairs that will lead them up into the main castle. ¡°She spends almost all of her time in her grand dressing room just trying on different titty outfits and talking to her viewers, and I¡¯ve got permissions to enter the room, so all we have to worry about are the guards between here and there,¡± he explains. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all you would have had to worry about if I didn¡¯t tell all of them she wants them to wait in the throne room for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you some catnip when we¡¯re done with this,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You just want me to go nya for you, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, I really don¡¯t. You¡¯re already confusing my sexuality enough with this character.¡± The hallways of the castle are clear. Viktor takes the members under his command and forms defensive positions between the grand dressing room and where the guards currently are in case they get discovered. There is a line of tanks, supporters to boost the tanks¡¯ defense, casters and ranged behind them, and then a backline of healers. This formation is almost impenetrable against anything other than overwhelming force. A smaller group of Divine Brigade members split off from the main force and head for the castle¡¯s top floors with buckets of paint and brushes. There is a group of six guards wearing elaborate armor outside of the entrance to the target¡¯s room. Spencer strolls right on up to them by himself. ¡°Hey, Veya, here to see the lady?¡± one of the guards asks Spencer. Spencer goes full trap mode. ¡°I am! Buuuutttt, I was thinking. She¡¯s busy in there streaming right now, so¡­ what if we all just go into the barracks and have a bit of,¡± he bites his lower lip, ¡°fun there?¡± He runs one hand up his torso to his chest while his other slips down between his thighs. He¡¯s even going so far as to flutter his eyelashes and everything. ¡°You big, strong men are always having to play as guards, so how about you be the masters for once? I¡¯ll do any.~ Thing.~ You.~ Say.~¡± Spencer leans up on his tiptoes, whispering into the ear of the guard he knows who fancies him the most while resting a hand on his chest. The guards, of course, all believe he¡¯s a she. They are more than happy to let Spencer seduce them. Unfortunately for the guards, they aren¡¯t very happy when they are led into the middle of a trap that paralyzes them all and makes killing them child¡¯s play. Though, before the final blows are dealt, Spencer has a gift for them. He lifts his dress up for them. A bulge. Five of the men look horrified, but one of them looks like he¡¯s even more in love with Spencer than before. As a final act of fanservice, Spencer blows them a kiss before using shadow magic to violently tear their souls out from their bodies. ¡°That one guy looked way too happy,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You know what they say! As long as the dick is feminine,¡± Spencer teases. There is nothing else between them and their final target now. Spencer heads in first. ¡°Marly! I¡¯m boooorrreeeedddd!¡± Spencer whines, playfully skipping up to her. He wraps his arms around her neck and hops up onto her, nuzzling his face against her own. He knows that Marly absolutely hates this, but she knows that her viewers love the supposed girl-on-girl play. ¡°What am I going to do with you? You¡¯re such a clingy cat,¡± Marly says, her voice feminine yet seductive. ¡°You could just let me play with these!¡± Spencer says, hopping off of her to grope her breasts from behind. They look like they barely fit inside of the bikini armor that she¡¯s wearing. Anything for views. Marly wants nothing more than to cringe from the groping, but the chat window floating in her vision is going wild as donations pour in. ¡°Nngh.~ Stop that, you¡¯re getting me much too excited,¡± Marly says, rolling her head back and playing along. ¡°Hey, Marly, remember all those sluts who were trying to take your viewers away?¡± Spencer asks, whispering into her ear. ¡°Hmm? Why would I bother remembering them? They¡¯re just insignificant little sluts who¡¯ll suck any cock they see if it means getting more views. They¡¯re not worth remembering.¡± Marly has always referred to other girl streamers of this game as sluts no matter how modest and non-sexual they are. ¡°Weeeelllllll,¡± Spencer presses his lips against her ear, ¡°Cast: Mind Shackles.¡± Marly¡¯s eyes go wide as she finds herself unable to move. ¡°You ¨C what are you doing? Are you playing another prank on me, Veya?¡± ¡°Oh, not this time.¡± Spencer turns to face the entrance. ¡°You can come in now!¡± Ryouta walks in followed by a group obstructing their faces with hoods. Marly looks at Spencer with seething rage. She immediately recognizes Ryouta¡¯s character and the white cross of the Divine Brigade. ¡°You piece of shit! After everything I¡¯ve done for you, this is how you repay me?!¡± ¡°After everything you¡¯ve done for me? Don¡¯t you mean after everything I¡¯ve done for you? I mean, are you forgetting how many of your viewers only watch you for me? They totally like me more than you. Guess they like dick more than tits,¡± Spencer teases. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Spencer lifts his dress again. Marly looks down and immediately sees it, as do all of her viewers. A bulge. ¡°You fucking pervert!¡± Marly screams, desperately trying to break free from his control, but all she can do is just barely move her fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your tits are gross. Like, what, did you just use the slider to make them as big as possible? They look like they should be on a cow or something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to agree with him. They¡¯re way too big. Oh, and why do you always have to be showing them off? You know, I bet more guys would pay you if you¡¯d wear sweaters. Us men like mystery,¡± Ryouta chimes in. Marly directs her glare at him now. ¡°The hell does Divine Brigade want with me? What did I do to piss you pathetic no-life virgins off? What, are you mad you can¡¯t get girls like me? Boo-fucking-hoo,¡± Marly shouts. ¡°Oh, gods no. Sorry, but you¡¯re not my type at all. I like cute and innocent looking girls. Sure, I like looking at boobs as much as the next guy ¨C though I am more of a thighs man, wait, I¡¯m getting off point. My point is that you¡¯re too¡­ what¡¯s the word¡­ slutty for my taste,¡± Ryouta says, staring her directly in the eyes. That is something most men can¡¯t do. Ryouta may not be the type to discriminate against how sexually open a girl is, but he knows that being called a slut is something that she despises. ¡°By the way, those girls you had harassed?¡± The hooded figures around him reveal their faces. They¡¯re all girls, and Marly recognizes them as the ¡°sluts¡± she¡¯s had harassed and bullied. ¡°There¡¯s just one final thing I have to do before I let them get their revenge,¡± Ryouta says, walking up to Marly and pulling out a pen from his bag. He draws a rather large and hairy dick that reaches across her whole face. ¡°Your castle is getting a paint job right now to match your new look. Hope you enjoy the gift from us.¡± The members who went to the top of the castle are currently rappelling down the sides to paint massive cocks all over its exterior walls. ¡°Alright, while we let the ladies get their revenge, let¡¯s destroy all her shit.¡± Marly¡¯s victims surround her just as Spencer¡¯s control wears off. She tries to fight back, but one girl against a dozen whom are all armed and very pissed off doesn¡¯t end well for her. After that day, Marly¡¯s viewership plummeted from Spencer opening a temporary streaming channel himself just to put the final nail in the coffin, players from all over the game¡¯s world came to take screenshots and video of her famous castle covered in bright pink cocks painted onto its walls, and she broke up with Ultimatum for failing to defend her and her castle despite him being on vacation. He made a massive blog post begging for her to come back that went viral as it showed off just how pathetic he was, but she refused. Some of the girls who partook in killing Marly went and restarted their own streaming careers, but there was a problem with that. They all believed that Ryouta and the Divine Brigade were going to be friendly to them since they helped them get revenge. The Divine Brigade had a reputation for only being allies with itself. The girls were only involved because it made Marly¡¯s demise all the sweeter. Without that common cause uniting them, they were put in their places and shown that the Divine Brigade has no friends nor allies. They only have themselves. Book 1: B3 [Non-Canon]: The True Talk Show This program is brought to you New Realities Incorporated. Fantasy Tales Online headsets are available starting at seventy dollars and will transport you into a world beyond your wildest imagination! Live the fantasy life that you have always wanted to live. Kill monsters, raid epic dungeons, fight against other players in massive wars, sail the high seas and climb the tallest mountains, or just live an average life as a farmer! There is a world full of possibilities awaiting you! The audience claps. ¡°And now for our hosts¡­ Rock and Oleander!¡± the announcer¡¯s booming voice introduces the trap and the dog, stage lights shining down on them. ¡°Hello, hello! Welcome to The True Talk Show!¡± Oleander greets everybody with a wink. His costume looks like something of a mix between a tuxedo and a frilly dress. Rock barks and lifts one of her paws to ¡°wave.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s jump right into it, shall we?¡± he looks down at Rock whom replies with an approving bark. ¡°Introducing our first guest, Fenrir!¡± The curtains peel back to show Fenrir sitting behind a booth. He¡¯s trying his best to look calm and confident but starts blushing the moment the spotlights shine on him. ¡°Fenny! The audience is just dying to know, what¡¯s up with your legs? We get so many questions asking about them!¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Oh, that? Well, in real life, I¡ª¡± Fenrir starts answering. The camera switches over to Rock playing with a cannonball by rolling it around the stage and growling at it just loudly enough to drown out Fenrir¡¯s response. ¡°Huh, I see. I wonder how the audience is going to react when they figure that out! So, which of the girls is your favorite so far?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Rock.¡± ¡°So quick! What makes Rock better than Serra and Cass?¡± ¡°Rock is a cute puppy. Everybody knows dogs are better than girls.¡± ¡°What about better than cute boys who totally make you question your sexuality?¡± ¡°Yeah, dogs are pretty much just better than everything and everybody.¡± Rock runs to Fenrir, jumps over his booth, and crashes into him out of a show of appreciation for her master! Oleander doesn¡¯t look nearly as excited about his answer, instead crossing his arms and pouting. ¡°Just don¡¯t let our next two guests hear you say that!¡± Fenrir¡¯s face turns gloomy as he gets back up. ¡°Are they¡­ here?¡± The screen hanging above the center of the stage reveals Serra and Cassiel sitting on a couch behind stage looking very displeased. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ in terms of dog standards, Rock is definitely the best girl there is,¡± Fenrir tries correcting himself, but it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°What if Serra and Cass wear dog ears and a collar for you? Look, our viewers have sent in some kind fanart to illustrate what I mean!¡± Oleander announces. The screen switches away from Cassiel and Serra to show pictures of them both with floppy dog ears and collars around their necks. The camera pans back to a blushing Fenrir and a growling Rock. ¡°What¡¯d¡¯ya think? Eh? Ehhhh?¡± Oleander questions. ¡°¡­can you send me those pictures after this is over?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Wow! No shame showed by our first guest! I wonder how the two ladies backstage are reacting to this!¡± The screen switches back to the girls. Serra is sitting with her face hidden in her hands, but it looks like her blush is shining right through her hands! As for Cassiel¡ª ¡°Wait, Cass, where¡¯d you get that sword at? There¡¯s no weapons allowed in the studio!¡± There is no audio feed to hear what Cassiel is shouting, but she¡¯s definitely shouting something. The camera refocuses on Oleander. ¡°Alright, now then! I have another question for you, Fenny. It is one that many of our viewers are curious about. Are you a furry?¡± Fenrir immediately raises his arms in an X shape in front of him. ¡°Why does everybody think I¡¯m a furry just because I have wolf ears and a wolf tail?! Hasn¡¯t anybody ever heard of inumimis?! Are nekomimis furries? No! And an inumimi is just a dog version of a nekomimi!¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to start losing our audience if you bring up a bunch of your Japanese terms. Don¡¯t forget that most of our audience isn¡¯t as hardcore of a fan of anime as you are.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s important! Look!¡± Fenrir picks up a pen on his booth to draw on his screen. The stage¡¯s screen switches to show what he¡¯s drawing. On the left is a regular girl. In the middle is a girl with dog ears and a dog tail. On the right is a girl covered in fur with an elongated snout, ears, and tail. Above the left girl, it says ¡°human,¡± above the middle says ¡°inumimi (me),¡± and above the right says ¡°furry.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you¡¯re halfway to being a furry?¡± Oleander asks with a teasing smile on his face. ¡°There¡¯s a difference! I have no interest in being a furry! I mean, I don¡¯t have any problems with furries, I just really like anime!¡± ¡°So, how come you didn¡¯t just make a cute catgirl or something if you¡¯re so obsessed?¡± ¡°Because there is a great imbalance between stuff like catgirls and catboys, or in my case, dog girls and dog boys. You know what? Now that we¡¯re on the topic, there¡¯s a huge imbalance between cats and dogs in general. Why are there so many catgirls in anime? Where are all the other kinds of girls? There are some foxgirls every now and then which I appreciate, but where are all the dog girls at?!¡± Fenrir looks directly into the camera. ¡°Oi! Artists and anime studios and other people with more artistic talent than myself! Draw more dog girls, and more animal guys in general, but mainly more dog girls! And draw them in sweaters! I want to see more dog girls wearing sweaters, especially ones that are too big for them and starting to slip off to show just a bit of skin!¡± ¡°Fenny, this is a talk show, not a platform for you to beg for more fap material.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even why I¡¯m begging! I just want to look at cute, sweater-wearing dog girls regardless of whether it¡¯s for sexual reasons or not!¡± The camera pans over the audience in the studio. They¡¯re all looking at Fenrir with disgust or judgment. Even Rock looks disappointed in him. Fenrir sinks back into his chair and hangs his head. ¡°I think all the shame has caught up to him. An-y-ways! Let¡¯s go onto our next guest!¡± The curtain behind the next guest booth is pulled up. ¡°Serra, the totally cute pirate girl!¡± Serra blushes and offers a small wave to the camera and audience. ¡°So, Serra, what do you think of the story so far?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°It¡¯s fun,¡± Serra says with a thumbs-up. ¡°I get to shoot cannons.¡± ¡°But we all know you really just want to shoot Fenny¡¯s cannon.¡± Serra blushes, but it doesn¡¯t stop her from giggling. ¡°Not many people have picked up on it, but you¡¯re a total perv when it comes to sexual jokes, aren¡¯t you? Just look!¡± The stage screen shows several clips of Serra. Each clip features Serra either snerking or trying to hold back giggling after somebody says something sexual whether they meant to or not. It also puts on display the flirting session between her and Fenrir which really makes her blush. The final clip is one shown of an upcoming scene where Fenrir is requested to show somebody his ¡°tail,¡± and she¡¯s giggling once more despite it actually being completely innocent. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself, Serra?¡± Oleander questions her, tapping his foot with crossed arms. ¡°Sex jokes are funny,¡± she answers in a hushed voice, face still red. ¡°And that¡¯s why I like you so much!¡± Oleander says, switching his tone and posture to a happy one rather than a displeased one. ¡°By the way, about that little stalking session of yours.¡± ¡°I ¨C I wasn¡¯t¡­ I wasn¡¯t stalking you guys! I was just¡­ you said you were going to that place and it made me hungry for it, so I went¡­ too?¡± Serra tries explaining herself. Nobody is buying it. Serra hangs her head just as low as Fenrir is. ¡°Two down, one to go! Come on out, Cass!¡± Oleander beckons her. The curtain is pulled up to reveal¡­ an empty booth. ¡°Eh? Where¡¯s Cass at?¡± The stage screen shows a transparent tank full of water and hungry sharks. Above it is a man hanging by a thin rope tied around his body with a cloth gag in his mouth. Cass is standing next to the rope with her sword ready to cut it. ¡°Cass! What did we tell you about bringing weapons into the studio?!¡± Oleander shouts. Rock whimpers when she sees the sharks. She doesn¡¯t know why Oleander is only questioning the sword and not the sharks, but she¡¯s not exactly able to question it herself. ¡°This is the bastard who drew that picture of me!¡± Cassiel shouts back at him. Oleander looks into the camera. ¡°Alright, commercial break!¡± Please come visit the New Charleston Zoo! The grand aquarium exhibit has recently opened. Experience sea life in person that you won¡¯t get to see anywhere else! We have sharks, manta rays, turtles, jellyfish, and more! ¡°Alright, we¡¯re back!¡± Oleander announces. The camera pans over to Cassiel being tied down in her chair. ¡°We had a bit of technical difficulties there, and may or may not be facing a lawsuit now, but we¡¯re back! So, Cass, why do you like thrusting your pole inside of Fenrir so much? Are you into femdom? Do you want to peg him?¡± Cassiel¡¯s face burns the brightest red that anybody has seen it yet. She is desperately struggling against her bonds to try and break free so that she can kill Oleander. ¡°Just kidding! We all know you¡¯re tooootally the secret submissive type, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m killing you as soon as I get out of this, you bastard!¡± Cassiel shouts at him. ¡°You know, I bet that brutish personality of yours is why your relationships keep on failing right away. Maybe if you tried acting nicer and more feminine around the guys you like, you¡¯d keep them longer!¡± Oleander explains. His words pierce her core. Cassiel hangs her head down just like Fenrir and Serra still are. ¡°Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Anyways, it looks like that¡¯s all for us this week! Do you have anything you¡¯d like to say, Rock?¡± Oleander asks. The camera focus on Rock¡¯s face. She barks. ¡°I agree! Alright, until next time everybody! Don¡¯t forget to tune in daily at six PM Eastern Standard Time for new episodes of The True Endgame! I¡¯ve heard from the author that some pretty exciting things are going to start happening! Fish will be caught, feels will be felt, and poles will be thrust! One of his favorite characters is being introduced soon, too! But he wants me to let you all know that she is not going to be joining Fenny''s harem of cute girls. He even told me that I''m not allowed to make any sexual jokes about her or else he''ll fire me! Anyways, until next time!¡± Credits roll on the screen as the outro music plays. It¡¯s a very happy and cheerful tune, but the despaired expressions of Fenrir, Serra, and Cassiel completely take away from how it sounds. Oleander tries cheering up Serra and Cassiel while Rock places a single paw on Fenrir¡¯s back. Book 1: B4 [Canon-ish]: The Pig and the Monkey ¡°That is a splendid idea!¡± Thelmes says to his friend, taking her hands into his own and hopping up and down in excitement. ¡°Just think of the possibilities if it works! We could create our own dungeons full of monsters of our own creation! Minotaur slimes, pig monkeys, eagle spiders!¡± his friend, Velmes, says. Velmes is another half-goblin, but unlike Thelmes whom has the lower body of a feline, she has the lower body of goat. Thelmes¡¯ eyes go wide. ¡°Did you say eagle spiders? Flying spiders? Just imagine the power we would have if we could create such a thing! We¡¯d be able to truly ascend beyond all players if we could have an army of flying spiders!¡± ¡°Flying spiders that bind people up in webs and lay eggs in them!¡± ¡°Hmm. What would the purpose of the egg-laying be?¡± Velmes leans in to whisper something into Thelmes¡¯ ear. ¡°My, my, you always have been the erotic one. Unfortunately for you, I do believe we should just stick to flying spiders.¡± ¡°First, monkey pig!¡± ¡°It¡¯s slow today, so go ahead and do your experiments. I¡¯ll handle the clients.¡± Thelmes and Velmes part ways. Near the back of the Hermetic Scholars¡¯ office is Velmes¡¯ personal laboratory. The inside of it looks more like something out of a mad scientist¡¯s lair than the experimentation room of a fantasy scholar. There are various scientific tools scattered about, cages with various animals and insects inside of them, and one wall is lined with cabinets full of ingredients and tools. Of course, no matter how scientific it may all look, the game is still a fantasy one. In the center of the room is a magic circle drawn on the floor with chalk. There are several types of plants and miscellaneous ingredients decorating it as well. ¡°Mr. Pork, Mr. Banana, today¡¯s the big day! You two are going to be combined into one!¡± Velmes says to the caged pig and monkey. They look very, very concerned. Velmes lifts up one cage at a time to place in the center of the circle. ¡°This spell should be able to liquify your bodies to transport you out of the cages and then recombine you into one being without ever touching the cages,¡± she explains. The pig and monkey look extremely concerned. ¡°You know what I heard earlier? Some adventurers decapitated an immortal lich boss, took his head with them, and have become friends with him! I mean, if I only ever become a head, I would probably try to befriend whoever is carrying me around as well. I wonder what a pig monkey head would look like. I wonder if you¡¯ll have two brains or just one. I have no idea what¡¯s going to happen! Isn¡¯t it exciting?¡± she asks the test specimens. Their concern intensifies. Both of the cages have been placed in the center of the circle now. ¡°Now then! Just a splash of this,¡± she pours a vial of purple liquid into the center of the circle, ¡°a bit of this,¡± she sprinkles some sort of crushed, blue herb between the two cages, ¡°and one of these!¡± she says, placing a rainbow-colored crystal in front of the cages. ¡°Are you two ready to have a new and exciting life?¡± Velmes asks, practically jumping up and down from how excited she is. They don¡¯t respond. ¡°Great! Now, let us begin the spell!¡± Velmes stands outside of the circle and raises her hands. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration as mystical energy flows from her hands into the chalk circle. The circle begins glowing. Where once was only chalk is now a purple light shining upward from the floor around the cages. Despite what happens next, it does not look nearly as gruesome as she thought it would. Both the pig and monkey have their bodies reduced to a liquid goop that forms puddles in the bottoms of their cages. Velmes starts reciting a chant that pulls both of their goopy forms into the crystal that she set down. They are supposed to be absorbed into the crystal and then get released as a combined being. Everything is going as planned. The entirety of their goopy bodies gets sucked into the crystal. ¡°Now to stabilize the process,¡± she says to herself, focusing her magic on the crystal to prevent the combination from failing. The more magic she feeds into the crystal, the more powerful it will be, the more likely the chance of success is. ¡°And now for¡­ now for¡­ I forget, what comes next?¡± Velmes asks, looking around and hoping that somebody or something would have an answer for her. Alas, there is no answer. She turns her head back to look at the pulsating crystal. It is growing larger and more powerful by the second. ¡°I¡­ may have put too much magic into it.¡± The crystal is sucking her mana forcibly out of her now. ¡°Thelmes! Thelmes! I may need some help here!¡± she shouts. However, when she looks at the door to the room, she sees that it¡¯s closed. Of all times for him to be considerate. An explosion shakes the building! Volatile magic does not just destroy but disintegrates everything inside of Velmes¡¯ lab. Naturally, she¡¯s included in this. Everything from the walls and ceiling of the room to the door trying to hold back the explosion is just¡­ gone. Fortunately, the explosion is not too large and only scorches the walls outside of the room. Shortly after the explosion, everybody in the city hears a horrifying roar unlike anything they have ever heard before. It sounds like a monkey howling, but at the same time, it sounds like the squealing of a pig! It is almost as if there are two different monsters fighting over which gets to release its monstrous roar. Next, those within the office experience what feels like an earthquake. Tremor after tremor can be felt growing weaker and quieter. Thelmes rushes to the back of the building with a few of the adventurer clients that were waiting for cards. All that is left of Velmes¡¯ room is ¨C well, nothing is left. Not a single vial, tome, nor goblin-goat-thing is left. Thelmes drops to his knees, clutching his heart and screaming into the heavens as tears run from his eyes. ¡°Velmes, you fool! We still had so much to do! How could you leave me behind like this!¡± he cries out. One of the adventurers behind him places a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You know she¡¯ll be able to log back on in a couple of days, right?¡± the adventurer asks. ¡°It won¡¯t be the same!¡± Thelmes shouts before looking down at the ground. There are massive footprints in the shapes of monkey and pig feet. Thelmes looks up at the adventurers. ¡°Help me cover these up before the guards get here,¡± he orders, his voice serious and completely different from how it was just moments ago. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just¡­ shouldn¡¯t we report these to the city guard?¡± the adventurer asks. ¡°Your cards will be free if you help me.¡± The adventurers help him. By the time the guards eventually do arrive at the scene, every footprint has been covered up by brushing some dirt or leaves over them. ¡°What happened? The whole damn city heard an explosion and then some crazy monster sound,¡± a guard asks Thelmes. The waterworks begin again. ¡°A-ah¡­ my ¨C my friend¡­ my dear friend, she¡­ she was performing an experiment with a pig and monkey, trying to combine them, but it disastrously failed. That sound you heard was the combined soul of the pig and monkey returning to the abyss,¡± Thelmes explains, rubbing the tears off of his cheeks. ¡°What?¡± Thelmes looks the guard in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Are¡­ are you sure? Did any of you other folk see or hear anything?¡± the guard asks some of the adventurers. They all shake their heads. Thelmes gives them a thumbs-up behind his back. ¡°Alright¡­ just making sure you scholars didn¡¯t go and create another weird monster thing. That last one which went around covering all the girls in the city with some clothes-dissolving white stuff was enough,¡± the guard says. ¡°Ah, well, my late friend is to thank for that one. No worries, no crazy pig-monkey hybrid monster has been created that escaped somewhere into the jungle behind the city. We¡¯d let you know if anything like that ever happened!¡± Thelmes says. ¡°Give me a free card update the next time I need one or I¡¯m reporting this,¡± the guard threatens. Thelmes said too much and gave himself away. ¡°Fine. Just¡­ you might want to send some adventurers into the jungle to track it down before it finds its way back here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make Blackstache replace you all again. The last group of scholars caused enough trouble. He doesn¡¯t want to replace you. Again. No more experiments creating monsters, you hear?¡± ¡°Not¡­ not even flying spiders?¡± ¡°Hell no.¡± Thelmes groans. ¡°Fine, fine. No more experiments creating new monsters... for now,¡± he says that last part under his breath. "What was that?" "Nothing! Nothing." Book 1: B5 [Canon]: Meeting the Russian Naturally, as soon as virtual reality became advanced enough to simulate feelings both physical and mental, social applications developed bars and other establishments where users could come together and get drunk. Ryouta, despite being underage at the time, was able to use an exploit in his old virtual reality headset to allow him permission to play games or engage in activities reserved for legal adults. This includes going to virtual bars and getting drunk. He never drank before in real life since he was too much of a goody-two-shoes, but in virtual reality, who was going to stop him? The ¡°bar¡± that he finds himself in is accessed through the world¡¯s leading social platform. While Ryouta isn¡¯t the type to partake in social media, he had no issue creating a fake profile so that he could partake in these activities. There is a row of people sitting at the bar and nearly every table in this lobby is full. There is only one table left open. Ryouta walks up to it and sits down. Another man sits down at the same time as him. Ryouta and the man look at each other. ¡°Want to share?¡± Ryouta asks. The other man shrugs and finishes getting comfortable in his seat. A woman walks up to them a few minutes later and sets menus down on the table in front of them. ¡°Hi there! What can I get for ya?¡± she asks them. Her outfit is pretty stereotypical of these kinds of places as far as Ryouta can tell. She¡¯s wearing short shorts that tightly hug against her and a tank top that leaves little of her bust to the imagination. ¡°Hi, uhh, umm, what do you recommend? I¡¯ve never had anything to drink before,¡± Ryouta stutters out. He realizes that he¡¯s going to need to force himself to act more confident if he doesn¡¯t want to raise any suspicious flags. Unfortunately for him, given that he¡¯s still in the phase where he wants to look at every pair of breasts that he sees, it is very difficult for him to act calm and confident with her standing so close. His situation grows even worse when it turns out that she¡¯s the type who loves cherry boys like himself. She bends over right next to him. Her vast valley of cleavage tempts him to jump straight into it uncaring of whatever consequences there may be. He can¡¯t help but think that going diving into her valley would be a great way to end the social life of his fake identity. If only he¡¯d discovered hentai already. He would never be in this position. Unfortunately, it is still several months before he dives into that rabbit hole to never return. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something on my face?¡± the woman asks, pressing even closer to him. He can feel them. Those two giant things are now pressing against his shoulder. A shock shoots through his spine which causes him to sit up perfectly straight and look forward at the man sitting across from him. ¡°I ¨C I want whatever he¡¯s having! Please!¡± Ryouta says. His face has never felt hotter before. As great as this woman is, he¡¯s tempted to just panic log out before he gets any more embarrassed. And to take care of certain needs while this is all still fresh in his mind. He is a teenage boy, after all. ¡°You¡¯re too precious,¡± she says before turning her attention to the other man. ¡°And what would you like?¡± ¡°Vodka,¡± the man says with a heavy Russian accent. ¡°Two vodkas coming right up,¡± she says, looking back at Ryouta and winking. She even shows him a little bounce of her breasts before spinning around and walking away with an exceptional sway to her hips. Ryouta¡¯s eyes find it impossible to tear themselves off of her. ¡°You virgin?¡± the other man asks. Ryouta finally looks away from her. ¡°I ¨C uh, no! Of course not. I¡¯ve slept with tons of hot bitches before,¡± Ryouta says. He has a feeling that the other guy isn¡¯t buying it going by that cringing expression on his face. ¡°¡­yes¡­¡± ¡°Is okay. You will lose it eventually. She does have big ones, very nice to look at.¡± ¡°Yeah, those might be the best I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Nyet. You must see Russian girls. Russian girls look better. Look up Russian woman tits once done here.¡± ¡°What makes them better than normal girls?¡± ¡°They are Russian.¡± Ryouta doesn¡¯t know enough about Russian girls versus everybody else to refute that logic, so he just accepts it for now. ¡°I¡¯m Ryouta. What¡¯s your name?¡± Ryouta asks despite the other man¡¯s name showing above his avatar. It reads ¡°Boris.¡± ¡°If Ryouta, why avatar say John?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ well, you see, I uhh¡­¡± ¡°You are on fake account, no?¡± Ryouta hangs his head low. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Do not worry. I am same. Real name Viktor.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Viktor,¡± Ryouta extends a hand for a shake. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell anybody, but,¡± Ryouta leans over the table to whisper into Viktor¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯m only fourteen.¡± ¡°Am fifteen. Do not worry. We are friend now, and friend do not tell secrets.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me! By the way¡ª¡± ¡°Here ya are!¡± the woman comes back over, placing the two glasses of vodka down on the table in front of the boys. ¡°Let me know if either of you two need anything else, alright?¡± Despite her telling both of them that, she¡¯s focusing entirely on teasing Ryouta. ¡°Y-yeah, thanks,¡± Ryouta whimpers. She fortunately walks away instead of sticking around to tease him. Naturally, they both watch her leave. ¡°Let us drink to new friend,¡± Viktor says, holding up his glass. ¡°Cheers! I think that¡¯s what they say, right?¡± ¡°Da.¡± They clink their glasses together and get to drinking. While they would likely be gagging on the alcohol in real life for chugging it down the way they are, this app is so kind as to not implement the annoying realistic parts of alcohol. Instead, they both get straight to getting tipsy. It takes them three drinks each before they are both wasted. Apparently, there was a ¡°drunk¡± meter that they were completely ignorant of, and their ¡°tolerance¡± stat is so low that the drunk meter filled up very quickly. ¡°Hey! You¡­ are pretty fun! And cool! And¡­ stuffsh¡­ hehe, this feels funnnnnnyyyy,¡± Ryouta giggles out. ¡°Da¡­ da, feel¡­¡± Viktor burps. Ryouta giggles. ¡°It shounded like you say ¨C said, say, no¡­ says¡­ said? Said dada, like dad ¨C like a babies¡­ hey, hello, hi.¡± The waitress comes back over to their table. Ryouta lights up and makes gropy hands. ¡°Boobs! I mished you! I want to marriage you butt ¨C no, boobs¡­ yeah! Those! Wait¡­ what if boobs could fly?¡± Ryouta suddenly has a very intense expression on his face as if seriously contemplating a philosophical concept. ¡°Right¡­ you were cuter before you got wasted. Anyways, I¡¯ll be taking these empty glasses,¡± she says after setting down a couple glasses of water. ¡°Try not to cause any trouble, alright?¡± ¡°Yes sir! Ma¡¯am! Ehehe, yes boobs! Do I have¡­ boobs?¡± Ryouta gropes himself. No boobs. The waitress rolls her eyes and leaves. ¡°I think she like you,¡± Viktor says. ¡°Dude¡­ really? Oh man, I¡¯m toooootally gonna shmash dat boobo,¡± Ryouta mumbles, looking like he¡¯s about to fall out from his chair from how much he is swaying and giggling. ¡°Boobo?¡± ¡°Yeah! Boobosh! Boobooboosh¡­ booboobsh? Bobobsh? Boobs sound like Bob¡­ do guysh named Bob come from boobsh? I wish I could¡­ be a boob ¨C a Bob boob.¡± ¡°Friend, I think you drink too much,¡± Viktor says. Despite sounding more coherent, Viktor¡¯s face is bright red all the way to his ears as he keeps the top of his head resting down on the table. ¡°Oh yeah! We¡¯re¡­ friendsh! Now! How do I¡­ how do I talk to you¡­ outshit? Outshit¡­ shit, out? Out¡­ shit¡­ Oh! Outshide! Yeah, that.¡± Ryouta bursts into another giggling fit. ¡°I send friend request,¡± Viktor says, waving his hands through the air as if he is conducting an orchestra. ¡°Friend request received,¡± a voice says in Ryouta¡¯s head. ¡°Accept it! Accept, accept!¡± Ryouta shouts loudly enough for the entire bar to look over at him. Ryouta doesn¡¯t remember anything that happened after that. All he remembers is waking up the next day and panicking because he couldn¡¯t see anything. In fact, his panic was so great that his parents burst into the room thinking something was wrong with him as he was screaming about being blind. Alas, it turned out that he had fallen asleep with his headset still on and managed to unplug it during his sleep. There would normally be a menu to look at while the headset is on, but instead, he couldn¡¯t see anything at all. After school that day, he came home, looked at the social media account he was logged into to try and remember what happened, and saw a direct message from some guy who he could only vaguely remember. The message was inviting him to another chat program where they could directly talk with their voices. Ryouta accepted the invitation. Afterward, the two talked about what games they like to play and realized they played not only the same MMORPG, but on the same server! And so, the two began playing games together every day when they were online at the same time. It was difficult given that they were across the world from one another, but they always made time for each other to cause chaos together. Book 1: B6 [Non-Canon]: The Other Option Ryouta was given two options when he first made his character in Fantasy Tales Online. He could have made himself a male, or he could have made himself a female. Sure, there are technically a whole bunch of other genders he could have made himself since it is the future and all sorts of genders exist in it because of politically correct reasons, but it really came down to having one set of bodily features or the other set. Or both, but not many people actually try that to discover it is possible. ¡°Of course you would choose this, Onii-¡­ Onee-chan,¡± Saya says as she looks Fenrir¡¯s body over. Fenrir is just as tall as he normally would be, only he is a she and she has a much different shape to her body even if the height is the same. With two large breasts sitting atop her chest, a slim waist with wide hips that lead down into thick thighs that leave no gap between them, and beautifully long white hair that reaches down almost to the backs of her knees, she is a total fox ¨C well, wolf. She still has wolf ears and a wolf tail, after all. ¡°Please don¡¯t do too many things to yourself while I¡¯m stuck in your head. I don¡¯t want to see your degeneracy, Onee-chan,¡± Saya pleads. Fenrir looks at her little sister and smiles. ¡°No promises,¡± Fenrir says. Even her voice is feminine now. Spawning, Oleander, and Bonekraka Fenrir already regrets choosing to be a girl when she realizes that she spawns with literally nothing. She can use her hair to cover her breasts, crotch, and rear, but it still leaves very little to the imagination. What¡¯s even worse is discovering how much of a pain breasts are. Every single step she takes results in an annoying bounce of her breasts. She thought that it was going to be awesome playing as a girl, but now that she¡¯s actually doing it, she realizes that she¡¯s stuck in first-person point-of-view, so it isn¡¯t like she can check herself out as she runs! In other MMORPGs where she has played as girls before, she could at least use third-person cameras to check herself out while running around. That isn¡¯t possible here. Instead, she gets to experience all of the annoyances of being a girl without any of the sexual excitement of looking at a hot wolf girl. This game sucks already! Her situation only grows worse when she sees Oleander and Bonekraka. Oleander immediately looks disappointed in her. Rather than run up to her and tackle-hug her like he normally would, he just stares at Fenrir¡¯s breasts in depressed disappointment. ¡°Why?¡± he asks her. ¡°I ¨C I wanted to try something new! Don¡¯t judge me,¡± Fenrir explains. Her body movement as she talks just makes her assets jiggle and bounce even more. How the heck do girls deal with these things?! They¡¯re just so¡­ big and in the way! And heavy! And they bounce everywhere! She fully expects to poke her eyes out in the middle of a fight if she has to do any intensive movements during it! What is even worse is Bonekraka¡¯s reaction to her. Oleander is supposed to be the one getting excited by her and wanting to climb all over her. Instead, going by Bonekraka¡¯s perverted expression and that grotesque, green thing between his legs, it is clear that the orc wants a taste of the wolf. ¡°I will kill you,¡± Fenrir threatens, crossing her arms over her chest to try and hide herself from him. Fortunately, she remembers that she has a tail which she can use to wrap around herself to cover both her rear and crotch. Meeting Serra Fenrir had to get some alone time away from the guys. Oleander is just¡­ depressing to be around right now, and Bonekraka¡¯s lewd stares send shivers up her spine. They aren¡¯t the good kind of shivers, either. She gets distracted from her task of finding some good protection to wear when she sees a beautiful pond for her to fish in. First, she must craft herself a spear to go fishing with so that she isn¡¯t just splashing around in the water trying to catch fish with her hands. Though, given how she¡¯s a wolf, it may be the most appropriate thing for her to do. Alas, she makes a spear out of a stick and a rock. She turns around when she hears something behind her, figuring that it¡¯s just a rabbit or one of the guys. Actually, if it¡¯s one of them ¨C well, if it¡¯s Bonekraka, she should probably be worried. Instead, it is a man that she does not recognize. He is petite and much shorter than she is, has short and silvery hair that hangs down to his neck, and is every bit as naked as she is. The two stare into each other¡¯s eyes. This would normally be extremely embarrassing if the genders were swapped. Instead, the boy is just looking at something he is used to while Fenrir looks at something she is used to. ¡°Uhh, hey. What¡¯s¡­ up?¡± Fenrir asks. The boy makes some signs with his hands before realizing what he¡¯s doing. He blushes and turns away from her. ¡°Is my voice¡­ is ¨C is it weird?¡± he asks her. ¡°Nah, it just sounds like a voice to me. By the way, I¡¯m Fenrir.¡± The boy turns back around. ¡°I¡¯m Serra.¡± After they introduce themselves, Fenrir tries to make some armor made out of bark for each of them. It works great on Serra where it can just hang straight down over her chest and waist, but for Fenrir, it is not nearly as effective. The sheets of bark get bulged out by her breasts and hips too much to be effective. If anything, it just makes her somehow look even more erotic than before despite its main purpose being to cover her. She also ends up fishing and cooking for Serra since she heard the boy¡¯s stomach grumble. As long as he doesn¡¯t act like Bonekraka was earlier, she doesn¡¯t mind helping this boy out. ¡°Let me tell you, if you ever want to try being a girl, make yourself flat. These things are a huge pain in the ass ¨C well, I guess they¡¯re a pain in the chest instead. I bet girls get tons of back pain from these things in reality,¡± Fenrir explains to the boy as he more or less gropes himself out of frustration. Serra looks down at his own chest. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± he says and shrugs. When the two of them meet up with Bonekraka and Oleander, it is Fenrir hiding herself behind Serra to protect his assets from Bonekraka. She ends up having to crouch down due to the height difference which just presses her breasts right into the back of Serra¡¯s head. Serra looks unbothered by this. He¡¯s either gay or has the self-control of a god. Meeting Cassiel Fenrir is busy fishing by herself along a small stream that she has found when something happens that no girl ever wants to happen. Somebody has taken a large, hard pole and thrust it right into her from behind without her consent! Sure, it¡¯s going through her abdomen instead of somewhere else, but Fenrir now knows what it feels like to suddenly be assaulted by hard poles being thrust in her. She drops to her knees. ¡°Got you, you bitch! Too bad you¡¯re too far from home to call for help!¡± a voice shouts from behind her. It is masculine yet soft despite the vulgar language and situation that they are in. ¡°This is what you get for trying to farm me for respawns! You think I was going to give in just because a village full of desperate women wanted to farm me? Die!¡± he shouts, withdrawing his pole from Fenrir¡¯s behind and readying to thrust again. Fenrir uses the opportunity to spin around, draw his sword, and slice the man¡¯s shaft right in half! ¡°You bitch! I spent all my money on this!¡± he shouts. The fight continues. No matter how desperately Fenrir tries to tell the pretty boy of an assaulter that he has the wrong girl, he just won¡¯t listen to her. Then, right before Fenrir is going to be finished off by the blond man intent on killing her, something comes to her defense! Fenrir struggles to look at just what it is, but it eventually walks closely enough for her to get a good look at the small creature. It looks to be made out of rock and in the shape of a puppy¡­ but when she looks at the end of its snout, it looks like it has¡­ a mustache made out of rock? Fenrir¡¯s brave defense of the rock-like, mustachioed puppy manages to still her opponent¡¯s blade. She learns that her opponent is a man named Cassiel, and he bears a grudge against the village that Fenrir has stolen some clothes and leather armor from. Cassiel thought that Fenrir was with them because of their logo on her¡ª Ryouta¡¯s eyes shoot open. He¡¯s covered in sweat. ¡°What just¡­ what? That ¨C that was a dream, right?¡± he asks, looking down at his chest. There aren¡¯t two giant orbs hanging from it. Just to be safe, he slips on his virtual reality headset and immerses himself in the game. He is Fenrir once again, but fortunately, he is the male version of Fenrir. Everything is right in the world. Though, now he really wants to get Rock a mustache. Book 1: B7 [Canon]: A Bittersweet Dream ¡°How was school, Ryouta?¡± Ryouta¡¯s dad asks. ¡°Boring!¡± Ryouta shouts as he kicks his shoes off. ¡°Lower your voice when indoors. I¡¯ve told you before not to shout so much.¡± ¡°Relax, dear. He¡¯s a young boy. It¡¯s alright to be loud every now and then. Are you forgetting when¡­¡± Ryouta¡¯s mother says, leaning over to whisper something into her husband¡¯s ear that makes him straighten up with a soft blush on his cheeks. As intimidating as Ryouta¡¯s father can be at times, his mother is always able to tame him and fluster him. His dad may know how to be scary by raising his voice and sounding mean, but his mother knows how to be terrifying by talking in a sweet, gentle voice while making her demands. Both Ryouta and his father are wrapped around her finger. As intimidating or scary as his parents may be, they are good parents. He couldn¡¯t ask for better. ¡°Show me your report card,¡± his mother requests. Well, it sounds like a request, but he knows that it¡¯s a demand. There is no escaping this room alive if he doesn¡¯t show her. Ryouta takes off his backpack and pulls out a sheet of paper with his grades on them. ¡°A, A, A, B, and A. Great job, Ryouta!¡± his mother congratulates him, setting the card down to pat him lovingly on his head with one hand while her other hand comes out from behind her. In it is a large, round cookie with gooey chocolate chips stuck in it. Ryouta gets a huge smile on his face when he sees it! Naturally, he wastes no time to devour it and get melted chocolate all over the bottom of his face from just how large and gooey the cookie is. ¡°What was the B in?¡± his dad asks. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, does it, dear? Your son did a good job. Be proud of him,¡± she says. Ryouta can hear his dad grumble before finally congratulating him, ¡°Good job.¡± Ryouta shrugs at his father¡¯s praise. ¡°Can I play games?¡± he asks his mother. ¡°Only until dinner, and then you have to study. Alright? I¡¯m happy you only got one B, but let¡¯s try to turn that into an A,¡± she says. ¡°Fiiinneee.¡± Ryouta goes upstairs to his room. His dog, Hero, is lying on the bed asleep. Hero is a large, black dog covered in hair that likes to get on everything¡ªespecially white clothes¡ªand leaves a giant puddle of drool wherever he¡¯s lying. That puddle of drool is currently on Ryouta¡¯s pillow. ¡°Hero! What¡¯d I tell you about getting my pillow wet!¡± Ryouta whines, pulling the pillow out from underneath the dog¡¯s head. Hero¡¯s eyes shoot open as his body jolts upward. Though, as soon as he sees that it¡¯s just his young owner, he lies back down and closes his eyes. Ryouta tries grabbing onto Hero¡¯s body to pull him off the bed, but the dog is just too big and heavy to move. ¡°Come! On! Move! Already! Ugh! Why do you never listen! Stupid dumb dog,¡± Ryouta whines some more. ¡°Quiet down and be nice to the dog!¡± Ryouta¡¯s father shouts from downstairs. He is much louder than Ryouta ever is. Hero rolls over onto his back and sticks his legs up in the air. ¡°You suck,¡± Ryouta pouts. Surrendering to the dog and allowing him to stain his bed with drool, Ryouta hops up onto his chair and turns on his computer. He may only be a child, but his favorite type of games are grand strategies and deep RPGs with insane levels of character customization options. All the other kids his age are just playing Call of Honor: Modernized War 9. They make fun of Ryouta for playing ¡°boring¡± and ¡°serious¡± games. There is one person who loves to make fun of him and tease him more than anybody else. Ryouta looks over at his window when he feels a breeze brush against him. ¡°Who opened my window? I don¡¯t want bugs getting in here,¡± he whines some more. Something stops him as he tries walking over to it. Somebody stops him. Ryouta lets out the most terrified, girly squeak of a scream that he has ever made. Sticking out from underneath his bed are two petite arms now reaching over to hold his ankles. Whoever is underneath his bed, they can¡¯t stop giggling at the sound he made. Then he sees her. She crawls out from under his bed and stands up, still giggling. ¡°I got you! Why do you always scream? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s always me?¡± she asks him. Ryouta, of course, immediately recognizes her. With brown eyes and medium-length brown hair that perfectly hangs down around her face as if framing it, she is none other than his best friend and biggest bully: Aiko. Aiko has always clung to him since their dads are close friends and business partners, and his dad always talks about how he wants him and Aiko to marry when they¡¯re older since they¡¯re both Asian. Of course, it¡¯s hypocritical since his dad is married to a Swedish immigrant whom is anything but Asian. While Ryouta doesn¡¯t care enough to think about marriage yet, given that he''s only a little boy, Aiko makes sure to let every other girl he knows know how she¡¯s his future wife. ¡°Ai! Stop it! I keep telling you not to sneak in here! It¡¯s creepy!¡± Ryouta scolds her. ¡°You can stay for dinner, Ai!¡± his mother shouts from downstairs. Ryouta grumbles and smacks his face down into the palm of his hand. Hero also gets up from his spot and gives Aiko a big, slobbery lick on the side of her face. ¡°But it¡¯s fun scaring you! What¡¯s wrong? You pee yourself?¡± Aiko asks him with a grin on her lips. ¡°I didn¡¯t! I don¡¯t pee myself!¡± Ryouta shouts. ¡°Quiet down!¡± his father shouts at him now. Ryouta grumbles and pouts. He feels like everybody is working against him. Meanwhile, Aiko is standing there trying to hold back her giggling. ¡°What do you want? I want to play games before I have to eat since mom said I have to study after eating,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°To spend time with you! Duh. Why else would I be here?¡± she asks. ¡°Go spend time with one of your other friends!¡± ¡°What other friends?¡± She¡¯s got him there. ¡°Go make some other friends!¡± he orders her. ¡°I¡¯m happy just being friends with you.¡± Ryouta feels like tearing the black hair right out from the top of his head from the frustration that this girl causes him. ¡°Hey hey, Ryooooouta, let¡¯s walk Hero! He¡¯s getting chubby,¡± Aiko suggests, poking Hero¡¯s belly. He lets out a pathetic whimper. ¡°I just want to play games though. Come oooonnnnnn.¡± ¡°Pleeeeaaasssseeeeee? I wanna walk him with you! Plus your parents won¡¯t let me walk him alone.¡± ¡°Can Ai walk Hero alone?!¡± Ryouta shouts downstairs. ¡°Be! Quiet! And no!¡± his dad shouts back. ¡°Ugh! Fine, but it¡¯s just going to be a quick walk, okay? I really want to play games before dinner!¡± ¡°Yay! Thanks, Ryooooouta,¡± Aiko says, leaning forward to place a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling away with a giggle. She loves how red he turns whenever she does that. She also loves how his brain short circuits. It always turns him into a stuttering, mumbling, blushing mess who can¡¯t decide between shouting at her, shouting for his mom, or running away and hiding before she does it again. She does it again, this time on the opposite cheek. ¡°I hate you,¡± he whines. ¡°I love you too, Ryoooooouta!¡± Surrendering for the second time, he walks downstairs with Aiko and picks up Hero¡¯s collar and leash. Hero always comes running downstairs whenever he hears the metallic jangling of his collar. Every dog loves a good walk, no matter how chubby and lazy they may be. ¡°You¡¯re holding onto him. He¡¯s been a jerk to me lately,¡± Ryouta says, handing her the leash after latching it onto Hero¡¯s collar. ¡°Okay! I¡¯m not going to let you drag me around this time, Hero! I¡¯m stronger now!¡± Aiko tries saying, but nobody believes her. ¡°Ryouta, make sure to stick close to her and take the leash if she¡¯s having any trouble,¡± his mother says. ¡°I know, I knooowwww,¡± Ryouta replies. ¡°Are there more cookies left?¡± ¡°Yes, but no more until after dinner and studying.¡± ¡°Pleeeaaaassseeee can I have one before I study?¡± ¡°Only if you promise to study super hard for me.¡± ¡°I do! I promise!¡± ¡°Good boy. Now, go on your walk.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ryouta is energized by the thought of eating another one of those delicious cookies after dinner. ¡°Come on, Ai!¡± He figures that the sooner they walk Hero, the sooner time will pass, and the sooner it¡¯ll be time for his cookie! He opens the door for Hero and Aiko. Hero takes off running! Aiko is pulled right out through the door as she struggles to stay on her feet. ¡°Sl-slow down, Hero!¡± she tries ordering the dog, but he refuses. Ryouta closes the door behind him and runs off after them. Despite his desire to only play video games and be lazy, he¡¯s somehow the fastest kid in his grade. He¡¯s able to catch up with his friend and dog in no time. ¡°Aiko!¡± Ryouta shouts. He opens his eyes and clutches his shirt over his heart. A bead of sweat rolls off his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had that nightmare,¡± he says, looking up at the swishing blades of his ceiling fan. Book 1: B8 [Non-Canon]:Patch 9000.1: FWW ¡°We must weaponize the waifus, Fenrir,¡± Thelmes says from behind his desk, resting his chin on his hands as he puffs his cigar. ¡°Think of the possibilities.¡± ¡°But is such a thing possible?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Did you ever hear the tragedy of Zarth Denseius the Protagonist?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°I thought not. It¡¯s not a story the normies would tell you. It¡¯s a harem legend. Zarth Denseius was a Harem Protagonist of the Trash, so powerful and so hung that he could use his weeb powers to influence the overseer and create waifus. He had such a knowledge of the weeb side, he could even turn the waifus he cared about into weapons.¡± ¡°He could actually weaponize the waifus?¡± ¡°The weeb side is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be trash.¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He became so trash¡­ the only thing he was afraid of was losing his shit taste, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep and cucked him by NTR¡¯ing his harem. Ironic. He could weaponize his waifus, but not himself.¡± ¡°Is it possible to learn this power?¡± ¡°Not from a normie.¡± Thelmes leads Fenrir into a secret, underground room of the office. Inside of the room is a mermaid girl swimming around in a large tank of water. ¡°You must weaponize her, Fenrir,¡± Thelmes says. ¡°But how?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°First, you must gain her trust.¡± ¡°I know what I must do now.¡± Fenrir approaches the tank and starts talking about cheesy shoujo mangas with high school girls whom fall in love with older men such as their teachers, senpais, or school janitors. The mermaid girl¡¯s eyes light up as her pupils turn into pink, glowing hearts. Of course a mermaid girl is going to be obsessed with shoujo. ¡°Splendid, my apprentice, splendid. You shall become a Trash Lord in no time,¡± Thelmes praises him. ¡°What now, master?¡± Fenrir asks, turning his back to the mermaid. She¡¯s smacking at the glass wall of her tank to try and break free to glomp Fenrir and ask him if she¡¯s kawaii desu uguu~. ¡°Now it is time for the final test, my apprentice.¡± ¡°I am ready.¡± ¡°Grasp your new waifu and activate her.¡± Fenrir reaches into the tank, grabs the mermaid by her tail, and pulls her out. He performs kancho on her to activate her, causing her to freeze in a straight line and make a ¡°pssshhew¡± sound with her mouth. When he swings her around, she goes ¡°wooom, wooom,¡± and ¡°ffffkkshzzzwooom,¡± and when she¡¯s not being swung around, she makes a passive ¡°nnnnn¡± noise. ¡°Splendid,¡± Thelmes says as he strokes his green chin. ¡°Now, attack the normie.¡± A curtain is pulled up to reveal a completely average looking noob with only a loincloth over his crotch. He¡¯s tied up to a wooden pole. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure, master?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Do it.¡± Listening to his master, Fenrir approaches the normie, readies his fish waifu weapon, and begins smacking her face-first against him! He smacks, and he smacks, and he smacks! The fish waifu weapon makes various clashing and wooshing sounds as she¡¯s swung around, though she gets interrupted every time her face crashes into the normie. And then he feels it. ¡°I did it! I felt it! I felt the power of the fish waifu weapon unlock within me!¡± Fenrir excitedly says to Thelmes. ¡°Splendid. You now have a five hundred percent damage boost when using fish waifus as weapons. Now, finish him.¡± With a crazed lust in his eyes, Fenrir faces the normie, prepares his fish waifu weapon, and goes for the normie¡¯s neck! His head is smacked right off of his body and is sent flying onto the ground, rolling around with convenient black bars covering up any potential blood and gore. ¡°Splendid, splendid. From here on, you shall be known as Zarth Wolfius, and together, we shall conquer this world of waifus and normies.¡± Fenrir kanchos the mermaid again to deactivate her, making her body go limp as he tosses her onto his shoulder. Donning a black robe and mask, Fenrir and Thelmes walk off to dominate the in-game world. Then comes reality. Book 2: Chapter 1: Patch 1.0: Encounter at the Festival It is only a couple more days before the tournament begins, and tonight is an opening ceremony of sorts now that Ull and his escort of Northern Wardens have arrived. The city was much too hectic for anything formal on the first day of their arrival, but now that it has calmed down, it is ready to liven right back up with festivities. The city¡¯s largest market district has been converted into a temporary entertainment district. Where once were stalls of spices and cloths are now stalls of games and already-made food of all varieties. Even if this is a game that takes place in a fantasy setting, many stalls offer deep-fried food and overly-sugary sweets just as a festival in reality would. Fenrir walks through the festivities with Serra and Cassiel clinging to his arms and Rock following behind them. This sort of place is usually too dense with people for him and causes some degree of social anxiety, but when he accidentally heard Cassiel talking to Serra about how excited she was for this festival and heard Serra agreeing, he couldn¡¯t not come here. There is another reason as well, but until it is time for their objective, they are able to fool around. Though, part of him feels guilty for having the easiest and most fun objective while the others are stuck with much less entertaining roles. An early firework is shot into the still-light sky. The explosion causes most to turn their heads to look up at it and cheer, inspiring several others with their own fireworks to set them off early. ¡°Fen, I want to play that,¡± Serra says, pointing to a game booth that just freed up. ¡°Sure, Girlfriend One,¡± Fenrir says in a teasing voice. ¡°Haah? Girlfriend One? What¡¯s that make me then?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Girlfriend Two.¡± ¡°Why am I two?!¡± ¡°Alright, fine. You can be Girlfriend One-Part-Two.¡± While Serra giggles from his silly joke, Cassiel has to resist the urge to strangle him in front of everybody. All it takes to calm her down is a quick, unexpected kiss on the lips. As manipulative as it may be, Fenrir has learned that he can always calm Cassiel down with a kiss, and she never tries to block him from kissing her no matter how angry she may be acting. Even now, when she was just angry a few seconds ago and tempted to kill him in front of everybody, she turns into a blushing mess from her neck to her ears as soon as she¡¯s kissed. Fenrir walks over to the game booth with them. ¡°Come on! One game for just a few silver each! See who¡¯s the best shot!¡± the booth¡¯s worker says, holding out a greedy hand. Fenrir digs a few silver coins out from his pocket and hands them over. Yesterday was spent doing any odd jobs he could find in the city to have some spare spending money for this festival. The worker happily accepts the coins before handing over two wooden, gun-shaped tools. Each one is the shape of a rifle and has an open chamber for what Fenrir assumes is its ammunition. Two stones imbued with water are handed over. ¡°Just place the stones in the slots, and then when I say ¡®go,¡¯ pull the trigger!¡± the worker explains. Serra and Fenrir do as he says. ¡°Alright! Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ and go!¡± The boyfriend and girlfriend pull the trigger at almost the exact same time. It causes the guns¡¯ hammers to smack down against the water stones, thus activating them, and causing pressurized jets of waters to shoot out at their targets! Fenrir and Serra each have one target with a bullseye to aim at. The closer to the center of the target they hit, the higher their respective progress bar goes. He¡¯s confident that he¡¯ll beat Serra at this. He knows that she hasn¡¯t played many games before, and he¡¯s played multiple first-person VR shooters and was somewhat decent at them, so this should be¡ª ¡°And the little lady is the winner!¡± the worker shouts as the bell at the top of Serra¡¯s progress bar rings. Fenrir¡¯s own bar is barely halfway to its end. ¡°That¡¯s one of the fastest times I¡¯ve seen all day! You can pick any reward in this booth for winning,¡± the worker says. Serra looks at Fenrir with a smug smile and arms triumphantly crossed over her chest. Her cocky expression makes him want to re-challenge her to put her in her place¡­ but he¡¯s pretty sure he¡¯d be the one getting put in his place. Serra looks around the booth and sees the perfect prize. It is a massive plushy of a wolf larger than most real wolves are! When Fenrir looks at it, it¡¯s pure white as well with red eyes. ¡°This is Fenrir Number One,¡± Serra says, happily holding onto her new plushy and poking her head out from behind it. ¡°What¡¯s that make me then?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Fenrir Number Two.¡± Fenrir Number Two hears Cassiel laughing behind him. He should have known Serra would get back at him for teasing Cassiel. Serra is the top boss in their relationship when it comes to teasing. Whenever Fenrir teases Cassiel, Serra has to tease him back. If he tries teasing Serra, then she really teases him back. ¡°Where do you plan on putting that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°In my hammock with me,¡± Serra answers. ¡°The more weight on The Shoebill, the slower she¡¯s going to be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Cass Cass can toss you overboard if we need to go faster.¡± Fenrir looks back at Cassiel and sees her proudly staring at him. This isn¡¯t fair. ¡°You two are supposed to love on me, not bully me,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s bullying out of love,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Y-yeah, that,¡± Cassiel says, the blush returning to her cheeks. As much as Fenrir wants to tease Cassiel about blushing so easily, he knows that people who tend to blush easily absolutely abhor when it¡¯s pointed out, so he resists doing so. ¡°Let¡¯s take it back ¨C actually, you think Rock could take it back to The Shoebill by herself?¡± Fenrir asks Serra before looking down at the steadily-growing Rock. Rock happily barks. Serra crouches down in front of Rock and hands the plush over. ¡°No tearing or humping, okay?¡± Serra says. Rock barks again before taking the plushy into her mouth gently. ¡°Alright, Rock, just track us down afterward,¡± Fenrir says. With a muffled bark, Rock turns and runs off to the ship to drop off Serra¡¯s replacement for Fenrir. ¡°I told you that training her to run errands for us would be useful,¡± Fenrir says to Cassiel. ¡°You mean it lets you be lazy. You¡¯d probably train a real dog to bring you beer from your fridge,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Nah, not beer, but definitely would for hard cider.¡± His response makes her roll her eyes. Serra points at another booth. This time, it¡¯s a food stall with fried fish impaled by skewers on sale. Fenrir takes the girls over and gets three skewers for them and himself. ¡°This festival is pretty awesome. Too bad they seem to be pretty rare. We have to start our own city where there¡¯s festivals every night!¡± Fenrir jokingly proposes. While Serra is in agreement, Cassiel shakes her head as her mouth is full of battered fish. ¡°Then it¡¯d get boring,¡± Cassiel says after swallowing. ¡°I spend time with you every day and you¡¯re not boring,¡± Fenrir says. Right on cue, Cassiel¡¯s face turns red. The three¡¯s night continues. Rock eventually makes her way back to them, ready for whatever other tasks they may have in mind for her. ¡°Good girl!¡± Fenrir says, leaning down to pet the top of Rock¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty good at tracking, aren¡¯t you? You found us in no time with all these noises and scents around!¡± Rock¡¯s tail intensely wags as she nuzzles her head up against his petting hand. ¡°If it ain¡¯t Fenrir!¡± a familiar voice shouts out. A middle-aged, wrinkly man walks up to him. It takes Fenrir a moment, but he recognizes the man as Morven ¨C the captain of The Yellow Minnow which is entirely crewed by NPCs. Morven is one as well. ¡°You enjoyin¡¯ these festivities? I¡¯ve gotta say, there¡¯s even more new and crazy stuff around this time than there was the last!¡± Morven exclaims, holding a hand out for a shake. Fenrir shakes his hand and nods. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re having fun here. How¡¯s The Yellow Minnow and her crew doing? You all ready for the tournament?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Course we are! All you adventurers are gonna be shown what the rest of us can do!¡± Morven declares with a proud and confident smile. ¡°We won¡¯t take it easy on you, but I do want to see you kick some ass out there and put some players in their places.¡± ¡°You can count on that. We¡¯ll even put you in your place when it¡¯s the right time.¡± Fenrir smiles and chuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± ¡°Hey! Papa!¡± a young girl shouts, running up from behind Morven and clinging onto his leg. ¡°Stop running every time you see somebody!¡± she whines. Another woman, this one more mature and looking to match Morven in age, walks up to them. ¡°Sorry. My dear husband lacks any form of self-control,¡± she apologizes for Morven. They may only be NPCs, but they look, sound, and behave just like any real family would. To not call them a real family would just be hateful discrimination. Fenrir shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Pleasure to meet you, by the way,¡± he says. Serra and Cassiel stay close to Fenrir¡¯s sides. ¡°Are these your girlfriends?¡± Morven¡¯s wife asks. ¡°They¡¯re my bullies,¡± Fenrir says with a smile. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re together.¡± ¡°You three look precious together! I¡¯m sure Naomi here will be looking forward to being friends with your children.¡± Cassiel, Fenrir, and even Serra all light up red. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you not to go around teasin¡¯ folk you barely know?¡± Morven scolds his wife. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist. Teasing young couples is a guilty pleasure of mine.¡± ¡°Papa! Papa! I wanna play that game! And I wanna eat some of that, and I want that big fluffy thing!¡± their daughter, Naomi, excitedly shouts, her finger swinging around pointing at a dozen different things as she talks. ¡°Alright, alright. Sorry, Captain Fenrir, but we¡¯ve got some things to do. Hope ya continue enjoying the festival!¡± Morven says, shaking Fenrir¡¯s hand again. ¡°Yeah, hope you three enjoy it as well. See you during the tournament!¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You can count on that!¡± Book 2: Chapter 2: Patch 1.0: Encounter at the Festival While Fenrir, Cassiel, Serra, and Rock roam around the festival¡¯s grounds playing the part of inconspicuous guests, Oleander works his magic getting information out of some guards. It is more difficult now that he has to stay faithful to Corwin, meaning he cannot get too physical, but he¡¯s still able to flirt and tease his way right into the minds of those he is prying information from. Corwin and Bonekraka are helping Tabitha carry a strange, makeshift device up towards those colossal coastal batteries lining the cliffs around Port Tugator. They have learned that the batteries are only staffed when enemy fleets or sea monsters are reported approaching the city, meaning that they have no difficulty in digging a hole right next to one of the cannons for them to bury the strange contraption in. With Fenrir and Serra occupying themselves with various games and food products, Cassiel flicks one of his ears to get his attention. He turns around and sees her pointing at a gathering in the distance. A large crowd has gathered around the elite honor guard of none other than Ull, the Forest King of the Northern Wardens. Standing next to Ull is a man that Fenrir has never seen before, but given how close he is to the foreign king and the notable mustache curling away from his face, it can only be one man: Blackstache. Blackstache looks to be ¨C well, Fenrir expected more of a big, burly pirate covered in hair with an eyepatch and peg leg. Instead, Blackstache just looks like a thirties-something man with a balding head, a rather average frame, and a massive handlebar mustache with the ends of it reaching down to his shoulders! Furthermore, he¡¯s dressed more like some homeless, wandering bard rather than the leader of pirates. Rather than carrying around a cutlass and flintlock, he¡¯s carrying around a large instrument on his back that looks like the combination of a lute and a crossbow. The most pirate-y thing about him are the birds on his shoulders, but then again, they¡¯re not parrots. They¡¯re white-spotted, brown owls. One owl is perched on each shoulder and looking around at everybody nearby. ¡°He looks more like a fun uncle than a pirate king,¡± Fenrir says to Cassiel. ¡°How¡¯d he become the leader down here?¡± ¡°No idea. There¡¯s tons of stories and legends about him, but everybody will tell you something different,¡± Cassiel answers. A woman comes out from behind Blackstache into view. She has long and curly raven-colored hair that rolls down to her mid-back. While she may be wearing a corset that pushes her breasts up with an open leather vest around it, she doesn¡¯t exactly look sexy. She just looks badass. Everything from the corset and leather vest to her form-fitting pants and tall, black boots gives her the appearance of some sort of mature, kickass pirate who doesn¡¯t take shit from any man and is willing to kick anybody who looks at her wrong in the face. On her right hip hangs a pouch that looks like it¡¯s overflowing, but Fenrir can¡¯t tell what''s in that. On her left hip is a rapier that occasionally has sparks of electricity shooting off from it. Fenrir looks over at Cassiel to ask who she is, but who he sees is not Cassiel. He sees a girl that has entered total fangirl mode. With wide eyes and an excited smile, Cassiel looks like she¡¯s about to scream for an autograph. ¡°Look! Fen! It¡¯s her! It¡¯s the Lightning Witch of the High Seas! I¡¯ve heard so much abou¡ª¡± Cassiel pauses when she turns and sees how Fenrir, Serra, and Rock are all staring at her. ¡°Since when do you call me ¡®Fen,¡¯ and since when do you act like a raging fangirl?¡± Fenrir asks. This is normally when Fenrir expects her face to turn red. Instead, she looks down at the ground, wraps her hands around his collar, and pulls his head down so that it¡¯s directly in front of her own. ¡°I will kill you, you bastard,¡± she threatens. She sounds more serious than she¡¯s ever sounded before. ¡°I ¨C uh, sorry?¡± Fenrir isn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s the deal with the witch lady?¡± Cassiel lets go of him and turns away during her explanation. ¡°She¡¯s called the ¡®Lightning Witch of the High Seas.¡¯ She¡¯s supposed to be one of the strongest magic users of the game and is a direct rival to Indra, but she specializes solely in lightning magic. Basically, she¡¯s Blackstache¡¯s direct counter to Indra. I¡¯ve heard that the Lightning Witch and Indra used to be friends back when Blackstache had an alliance with Indra, but not anymore. Now they¡¯re rivals,¡± Cassiel¡¯s tone of voice begins returning to the previously excited fangirl from earlier, ¡°and she¡¯s one of the most badass women in-game. She¡¯s Blackstache¡¯s first mate, has the strongest lightning magic out of all players and known NPCs including elite raid bosses, and I hear that she¡¯s never died a single time! She refuses to sleep with anybody, too, because she doesn¡¯t need rebirth counters since she never dies. Some say that she¡¯s the highest tier player to have never died.¡± ¡°You sure know a lot about her,¡± Fenrir says, trying not to say so much that she realizes how she¡¯s behaving. ¡°Of course I do! Us angel recruits always talked about all the top women in-game. Indra and the Lightning Witch are the two most powerful. Empress Livia is strong, but she¡¯s more of a strategist. She would easily lose any one-on-one fight against Indra or the Lightning Witch. But, the head of the archangels could hold her own against them. She¡¯s the master of holy magic and can create barriers impossible to break through, and she can heal almost any wound instantly. Her spear, Longinus, can shoot rays that can wipe out hundreds of enemy soldiers in a single shot!¡± ¡°Sooo, a laser spear?¡± Cassiel doesn¡¯t turn to face him, but she nods her head excitedly. None of them have ever seen this side of Cassiel. It¡¯s almost¡­ it¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s a ¨C no, there¡¯s no way. Not Cass Cass. Blackstache is about to poke Ull¡¯s deer-half when the Lightning Witch smacks his hand. He turns to her and pouts before looking back over the crowd and then up at Ull. ¡°So, how¡¯s this here crowd for ya? It good enough for tha grand Forest King?¡± Blackstache asks, his voice just as raggedy as his appearance. ¡°It is wonderful, thank you! Everybody back at Valhalla acts so dull and serious all the time. I get that we have the whole Viking motif going on, but they need to learn to relax and have parties like this! Part of being a Viking is having fun after all the pillaging, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ull asks, his voice sounding surprisingly young despite his mature and wise appearance. ¡°Guess ¡®at¡¯s what happens when ya try combinin¡¯ elves and Vikings. Ya get the seriousness of the elves and the fightiness of the Vikings without any of the fun stuff from either side! Ya know what we should do? Go and get drunk! I know the perfect bar.¡± The Lightning Witch smacks Blackstache on the back of his head. ¡°Can you not speak properly around another faction leader? Learn your manners, you fool of a man. Do not make me trim your mustache again,¡± she scolds him. At this moment, Fenrir forms a bond with Blackstache. They may not know each other, they may not have ever even looked at each other, Blackstache doesn¡¯t even know of Fenrir¡¯s existence, but there is a bond. They are brothers in arms in having to deal with tsunderes. ¡°Why are you looking at him like that?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± he says. ¡°Haah?¡± She pinches him by the ear. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t understand what, exactly?¡± Serra pokes Cassiel¡¯s side. Cassiel never fails to squeak when that happens. For now, Fenrir¡¯s ear is safe thanks to Serra. ¡°As much as I hate to admit it, this Ull guy actually¡­ doesn¡¯t seem that bad just from listening to him,¡± Fenrir says. Just after saying it, Ull looks directly at him and makes eye contact. Fenrir wants to believe that it¡¯s accidental ¨C that it¡¯s just by chance, but Ull looks directly into his eyes with purposeful intent. The look sends shivers down his spine. Ull smiles and looks away. ¡°He can hear us,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Who?¡± Serra asks. ¡°The king. He just looked right at me after saying that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way he could hear how quiet we are over this crowd,¡± Cassiel suggests. ¡°No. He definitely looked at me. I felt him stare directly into me.¡± Fenrir pulls the girls away and signs to them both. He figured that while sign language may not be necessary in-game for Serra, Saya isn¡¯t blocking the knowledge of using it from him, so he¡¯s now using what he learned to communicate in silence. Serra taught the rest of the crew just enough basic signs to be able to communicate simple messages with one another. Let¡¯s meet up with the others. They should be done now. Both girls nod. Fenrir, Rock, Serra, and Cassiel head for the designated rendezvous location. Book 2: Chapter 3: Patch 1.0: Encounter at the Festival The designated rendezvous location is none other than The Shoebill. After all, it¡¯s the only place in the city where they can really expect any privacy. People don¡¯t just walk onto ships that aren¡¯t theirs unless they¡¯re drunk or breaking the rules which results in getting kicked out of the city. ¡°About time!¡± Oleander shouts out when he sees Fenrir and the girls approaching. He¡¯s sitting atop one of the crates on the deck and kicking his legs out of boredom. ¡°Hey, Fenny, you okay?¡± Fenrir realizes that his concern his showing on his face. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just¡­ that Ull guy. I saw him, and we weren¡¯t talking loudly enough for him to hear us, but he looked directly at me like he heard everything I was saying,¡± he explains. ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t just chance that he looked at you? I mean, sometimes eyes just meet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, Olly. I can¡¯t really describe it. It was like¡­ he was looking into me, not just at me. And the way he smiled ¨C it was weird. He honestly doesn¡¯t seem like that bad of a guy just listening to him talk, but there¡¯s something off about him. It¡¯s messing with me.¡± Serra leans into Fenrir¡¯s side once he¡¯s done explaining what happened. ¡°What makes you say he didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy?¡± Oleander asks, tilting his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He just seemed pretty¡­ chill. I was expecting him to be some haughty, stuck-up prick, but he seemed pretty normal,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Were you able to find anything out about those girls?¡± Oleander smiles and hops off of the crate. ¡°Who do you think I am? You think I can¡¯t find out anything you want to know? Come on, Fenny! You know me better than that.¡± Oleander walks up to Fenrir with both of his hands behind his back, offering his head to Fenrir. Fenrir places his hand right between Oleander¡¯s antlers and pets his head. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the tradition of petting you before you give your reports is never going to change?¡± ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m too much of a slut for head-patting to stop it,¡± Oleander says, pressing his head up against Fenrir¡¯s hand. Rock, meanwhile, stands up on her back two legs to paw at Fenrir and whine. Fenrir¡¯s other hand reaches down to pet Rock while still petting Oleander. Now, Serra and Cassiel are the ones looking jealous. ¡°Don¡¯t you have Corwin for this now?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°I doooo, but he¡¯s not here right now, and getting head pats isn¡¯t cheating!¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Alright, so what¡¯s the report?¡± Oleander skips back over to his crate and hops up onto it. ¡°The king¡¯s harem is being kept in a mansion designated for important visitors of Blackstache. From what the guard told me, Blackstache himself doesn¡¯t really care much about the king, but he needs the alliance for military reasons. The guard didn¡¯t know anything about that special girl, but he said she¡¯s probably with the rest of the king¡¯s harem. Oh, and the mansion is over there,¡± Oleander points at a large, elaborate manor on the opposite end of the city. Even though it¡¯s behind several streets and buildings, it is tall enough to reach above them all and catch the attention of anybody who looks in that direction. ¡°We¡¯re back!¡± Tabitha declares, stepping onto The Shoebill with Corwin and Bonekraka. Fenrir turns his attention to them. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± he asks. Tabitha gives him an energetic thumbs-up while Corwin and Bonekraka both look exhausted. ¡°Got everythin¡¯ ready! A bit of magic and a bit of tech, and that baby will be all ours when we need it!¡± ¡°What else is in that giant backpack of yours? Oh, and how¡¯d it look up there? Any patrols or anything?¡± ¡°Not much other than scrap now. I¡¯ve got the remote to control my toy up there when it¡¯s time, but other than that, nothin¡¯ much.¡± Corwin chimes in. ¡°There were no patrols, captain. It was rather surprising. I know there is little use for the cannons when there are no clear threats approaching, but I would have thought they would at least keep a guard or two patrolling the cliffs.¡± ¡°Well, as long as nobody saw anything, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Was the cannon already loaded?¡± Fenrir asks. Tabitha nods. ¡°Checked a few of ¡®em. They were all loaded up and ready to fire, so all we need to do is let my toy aim the cannon and fire it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident in it. You sure that it¡¯ll work? Wait¡­ you never did explain how exactly it works.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a golem I made! It¡¯s not a smart one, but it gets the job done!¡± ¡°That giant cube was a golem?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t stay a giant cube. When I activate it from the controller, it unfolds and takes the shape of a small person, and it¡¯ll follow any orders I give it from the controller. All I¡¯ve got to do is activate it and then order it to aim the cannon and fire! It should have just enough mana stored in it to do that before shutting down.¡± ¡°How are we going to recover it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t. I made this one so that it explodes as soon as it runs out of mana.¡± ¡°Oh. Alright.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t expecting it to just explode once it¡¯s done with its job. He feels kind of bad for it. More importantly, he¡¯s worried if she¡¯d be fine with just exploding The Shoebill. Fenrir tells the latest trio to arrive about what they learned from listening to people at the festival and seeing the king up close as well as what Oleander told them. ¡°Now we just have to win the tournament,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°We can do it,¡± Serra says as her finger sneakily approaches Cassiel¡¯s side. Unfortunately, Cassiel spots it and swats it away. Fenrir doesn¡¯t even realize that he¡¯s still petting Rock¡¯s head. ¡°You know plan probably not work,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Since when are you a pessimist?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You not think clearly. What if lose tournament? If we lose tournament, you will not get meeting with pirate and king. Even if win, have to sneak many girls away while causing distraction. I do not like this plan.¡± ¡°Relax, Bone. We¡¯re going to win the tournament, and the cannon up there will cause a great distraction. That thing will tear right through the king¡¯s ship, and Ull¡¯s followers seem like they¡¯re just waiting for a fight to break out. What do you think they¡¯ll assume when one of the main weapons of the city they¡¯re visiting attacks their king¡¯s ship?¡± ¡°So, you wish to potentially cause war between the Free Sailors and Northern Wardens? What of those caught between them? There are many families who live in this city that will be at risk, and if the Northern Wardens turn against the Free Sailors, then that will be three of the world¡¯s largest factions against one,¡± Corwin asks. It is only now that he''s truly realizing the consequences of Fenrir''s plan. Fenrir¡¯s immediate thought is that it doesn¡¯t matter. This is just a game. NPC ¡°families¡± dying isn¡¯t a big deal, but when he remembers just how realistic and sentient many NPCs are, he has doubts. What would happen to Morven, his wife, and daughter? They seemed like such a happy family together. ¡°Hey, any of you know what happens to NPCs when they die?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°They die,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°They don¡¯t get to respawn like we do. Even elite raid bosses only have single lives. Some other boss comes and takes over whenever the one before it dies.¡± This whole game just got far more complicated. Fenrir knows that most wouldn¡¯t care about the lives of NPCs regardless of whether they are controlled by sentient AIs or not, but he does. He doesn¡¯t want anybody innocent potentially suffering for his actions. Just the thought of permanently ending a life, even if it is the fictional life of an AI in a video game, is enough to turn his stomach. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Just NPCs. Who cares if they die? Is only a game. NPCs die. Their lives don¡¯t matter.¡± Corwin steps up to Bonekraka. ¡°What do you mean their lives do not matter? Are you so selfish and brutish that you cannot respect life? How would you feel if death was permanent for you?¡± Corwin interrogates him. Bonekraka glares down at the smaller man. He raises his hands and grabs onto Corwin¡¯s shirt to lift him up off the ship¡¯s deck, but a few vines wrap around the orc¡¯s wrists that pull him off of Corwin. Fenrir looks at where the vines are coming from. In Oleander¡¯s hands are a couple of roses with their stems sprouting the thorny vines. ¡°Do not talk to me. I do not care what you think,¡± Bonekraka explains to Corwin before tearing the vines off of his wrists. ¡°I will not stand back and let you so easily dismiss the lives of others. This world means far more to them than it does to you,¡± Corwin says, straightening out his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m with Corwin on this one. They might just be NPCs, but they¡¯re sentient. They have feelings, emotions, dreams, lives ¨C they actually live in this world. We¡¯re just visitors,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Thank you, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Of course you agree. You just want to fight against me and not take my side like usual. You never agree with me!¡± Bonekraka shouts. Oleander places himself between Bonekraka and Fenrir before another fight breaks out. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Fighting again isn¡¯t going to do anything, and we have a tournament tomorrow. We only have to get along for a few more days, alright?¡± Oleander says. Bonekraka pushes past them both and heads below deck to claim his usual hammock. ¡°Thanks, Olly,¡± Fenrir says, untensing his fists. ¡°By the way, when¡¯d you learn that trick with the roses? I almost forgot you wanted to go for the whole nature magic theme.¡± ¡°You know me! I¡¯ve been sneaking away to get some private practice in. I¡¯ve got other tricks to show you, too. Plus, I thought getting better at using vines to bind people would be useful with a certain somebody,¡± Oleander explains, running a finger up along Corwin¡¯s back. Fenrir, Serra, and Cassiel all look at Corwin¡¯s face as he turns red enough to rival Cassiel¡¯s usual blushing. Book 2: Chapter 4: Patch 1.0: Encounter at the Festival Fenrir has much to think about. This isn¡¯t another game where the NPCs are just mindless lines of emotionless code. This is a game where the NPCs, by Fenrir¡¯s standards, can be considered truly alive. Most of the world may not agree with Fenrir¡¯s stance regarding artificial intelligence, but most of the world does not matter to him. What matters to him is his stance and he refuses to change it. These NPCs are alive. Sure, some may not have actual AIs behind them as only some NPCs become ¡°important¡± enough to have an AI dedicated to them rather than just be controlled by the overseer, but the important ones are worth defending and fighting for. To cause conflict which would put real lives at risk ¨C that isn¡¯t something that Fenrir believes he can do. Truthfully, the whole game feels less appealing to him now. It isn¡¯t that the game is less fun because he can¡¯t just freely kill people and cause trouble without worrying about the consequences. Rather, it is because this feels less like a game and more like another reality. This world may be virtual. This world may just be a fantasy simulation. However, this world has real lives being lived within it. While players are off going on adventures, having sex wherever they want, freely starting wars, and generally only caring about themselves as a gamer normally would, there are actual lives being lived. NPCs have to work to feed their families, can¡¯t just respawn if they die, and are generally at the mercy of any and all players around them. Bright lights fill the sky as fireworks erupt above them. Oleander and Corwin are sitting near the stern of the ship while Fenrir, Serra, and Cassiel sit at the bow. Rock is below deck with Tabitha, hiding from the scary explosions in the sky as Tabitha finetunes The Shoebill¡¯s engine. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re enjoying this that much,¡± Cassiel says to Fenrir. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just thinking about what Corwin said,¡± Fenrir answers. Volley after volley of fireworks is shot into the sky. Each one erupts a good dozen or so seconds later, filling the dark sky with all sorts of colorful explosions. Fenrir wraps his arms around the girls and pulls them against his sides. He has to distract himself from his concerns. ¡°Either of you ever see fireworks in real life?¡± he asks. Serra rests her head against his side before answering him, ¡°Yeah. Didn¡¯t know they¡¯d be this loud.¡± ¡°I was taken to a few shows growing up, but that¡¯s it,¡± Cassiel answers. Giving them attention fails to take his mind off of NPCs. In fact, it just makes it even worse. How many NPCs are seeing fireworks for the first time right now? How many parents are finding the best spots for their children to watch the show from? ¡°This game is kind of fucked up, Saya,¡± Fenrir thinks to her. Saya takes a few moments to respond, ¡°Yeah, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°The overseer is another AI, right? Why doesn¡¯t it do more to protect NPCs, or why does it install custom AIs into some NPCs if it¡¯s just going to kill them off eventually?¡± ¡°Everything the overseer does is meant to maximize the entertainment factor for players. I can run the simulations myself. Respawning NPCs and NPCs without true AIs controlling them both result in a sizeable drop of the player base. It makes the game feel less realistic and like player actions don¡¯t actually matter, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that a bunch of players would quit if they couldn¡¯t kill living people?¡± ¡°Sorry, Onii-chan, but they don¡¯t see it the same way as you do. Most people just see us AIs as fake things created solely to serve humans. Why do you think attempted laws at giving us rights keep on failing to get passed? In the end, the overseer has hard code written to maximize the potential player base. You know, stuff like traumatic content can be enabled or disabled. That means that the overseer is able to attract players who want to play the game for that sort of stuff while also giving a way out to people who don¡¯t. If it was just one or the other, the game would be losing a lot of potential players.¡± ¡°Sorry that us humans are too shitty to give you the rights you deserve, Saya.¡± Fenrir feels her mentally poke him. ¡°Silly Onii-chan! I¡¯m fine ¨C I¡¯m happy getting to serve you. You¡¯re kind and honest, and you do what you believe is the right thing to do, and you care more about us AIs than most people do, so I couldn¡¯t ask for a better human to serve,¡± Saya explains. ¡°Come on, even if you¡¯re in my head, you¡¯re going to embarrass me if you talk like that. Besides, aren¡¯t you supposed to be a tsundere?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I was trying to make you feel nice or anything, b-baka!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. You¡¯re supposed to remind me how cringy my tastes are, not fangirl over me.¡± ¡°Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t be so deserving of getting fangirled over, O-nii-chan.¡± Fenrir feels his heart flutter, and seeing as how Saya is in his mind, she picks up on that and giggles. He holds onto Serra and Cassiel tighter. ¡°I really wish I could play this game just for fishing,¡± Fenrir starts talking out loud again, ¡°but the damn troublemaker in me has other plans.¡± ¡°What?¡± Serra asks, looking up at his face. ¡°I¡­ feel really stupid saying this, but I think I want to try and make a place where NPCs can live freely and safely. When we¡¯re done with this tournament, I want to help out NPCs. If I don¡¯t, who else is going to? Most people are just like Bonekraka. They don¡¯t care if they kill a sentient NPC. If I was a lawyer then I¡¯d try fighting for them in real life, but¡­ I think the best thing that I can do for them is fight for them in this game. Even if it¡¯s just a single game, maybe I¡¯ll be able to do something to help them out and change others¡¯ minds.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already changed one,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve had to kill NPCs during war before, but I wouldn¡¯t now. I actually feel kind of sick when I think back to it now.¡± Fenrir leans down and kisses the top of her head. ¡°Then, when we¡¯re done with this, we¡¯ll see what we can do about making this a better world for NPCs ¨C no, they shouldn¡¯t even be referred to like that. It feels dehumanizing¡­ even if they aren¡¯t technically human in the first place. They¡¯re just people like the rest of us.¡± ¡°What about the plan?¡± Serra asks. ¡°It needs to change, we can¡¯t potentially start a war. Just gonna have to think of something else,¡± Fenrir says. The firework show¡¯s finale begins. The largest volley of fireworks yet is shot into the sky and seems to never end. Fireworks are even shot up into the sky from areas around the city where they weren¡¯t being shot from before, leading to a beautiful spectacle as the entire city is covered by brilliant lights painting the sky a myriad of colors. When it¡¯s over, Serra tugs on Fenrir¡¯s arm to grab his attention before saying, ¡°I rented the hotel room again.¡± Fenrir blinks a few times. Alright, now that got his mind off of the serious matter from before. He looks over at Cassiel to see her thoughts on it but just sees a reddened face that refuses to look at him directly. The three head for the hotel again. A couple of hours later and one of the hotel¡¯s workers knocks on the door to tell them that their time is up. They all hurry to get dressed before opening the door. While Fenrir and Cassiel try acting inconspicuous, Serra is proud of everything that just happened in that room. As embarrassing as it is to essentially get kicked out of the room, and then have to look at somebody who definitely knows what happened in there - at least he got another rebirth counter out of it. Fenrir walks the girls back to The Shoebill so that they can get into their hammocks and wake from the game. It¡¯s almost midnight in reality, and he wants them to be well-rested for the tournament, so he nags them to log off and go to bed like an annoying mother scolding her children up past their bedtime. ¡°You get some sleep, too,¡± Serra says, placing a quick kiss on Fenrir¡¯s lips before waking from the game. ¡°I will soon,¡± Fenrir says to her now-sleeping face. He returns above deck and looks back at the stern. What he sees makes him immediately turn around and leave. Well, at least he understands how Oleander and Corwin are managing to do what they¡¯re doing without making any noise now. Fenrir leaves The Shoebill behind and heads into the city. He knows that his sleep schedule is too disturbed at the moment to be able to sleep if he wakes now, so he figures that he¡¯ll spend some more time in-game enjoying the festival and thinking about how he wants to handle the whole AI situation. A girl with straight, pearl aqua hair and a serpentine tail following behind her runs through a distant alleyway. That hair and that tail ¨C it has to be her, doesn¡¯t it? Fenrir chases after her. Book 2: Chapter 5: Patch 1.0: Encounter at the Festival Through dark alleyways only illuminated by the lingering fireworks above set off by independent parties, into busy streets crowded by passersby as they head home or to taverns now that the main events are over ¨C Fenrir chases after the short glimpses that he can catch of that remarkable girl. Sometimes he feels as if he¡¯s but chasing after an illusion given just how elusive she is, but going by others talking about her and looking in her direction as he gives chase, she has to be real. The girl that he wants to save most right now is away from the king whom claims ownership of her and his guards that protect her. He wants to shout out for her to wait or stop, but he doubts that a captive running away is going to easily stop if somebody shouts at her to. She¡¯s faster than he is, too. The chase leads him into another alleyway. Standing at the end of it is a girl facing a dead end as she frantically looks around for an escape. Fenrir stands at the only entrance to the alleyway. She turns around, sees him, and backs up until her back is to the wall of the building behind her. He raises his hands to show her that he is unarmed and, hopefully, to convey that he isn¡¯t here to hurt her. He still doesn¡¯t want to say anything given how close he is to the main street. The last thing either of them needs is to attract attention. With nowhere for her to run, he gets close enough that he can quietly talk to her. ¡°I¡¯m here to help you,¡± Fenrir says, keeping his hands where she can see them. ¡°I¡¯m a friend. Promise.¡± The girl relaxes for a moment, but it doesn¡¯t last. ¡°I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve heard that one before,¡± she says. Her voice betrays her semi-monstrous appearance. Rather than sound anything like a monster should, she has an incredibly soft, angelic voice that sounds soothing even when she¡¯s stressed out like now. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just some guy who can¡¯t resist getting into trouble. I saw that asshole holding you up when he arrived on his ship, and seeing that made me instantly dislike him and want to save you,¡± Fenrir explains, his eyes locked on that metal collar around her neck. Her eyes light up as her entire demeanor changes. ¡°Save me? You want to save me?¡± Fenrir looks a bit confused from her sudden excitement, but he nods. ¡°No, no ¨C you can¡¯t. I am naught but a prized toy of that cruel, evil man. I cannot be saved. There are none who would dare oppose him for a horrifying girl such as I,¡± she says, turning away and raising one hand to cover her mouth while her other hand wipes away non-existent tears. He has a feeling that she¡¯s enjoying this too much. ¡°¡­you¡¯re totally into the whole damsel in distress trope, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asks. The girl freezes. Why can¡¯t he meet a single normal girl in this game? ¡°Anyways, seriously, I¡¯m here to help you. I¡¯ve got a ship and everything that you can hide out on. I don¡¯t know how you escaped on your own, but I¡¯d be happy to help you stay escaped,¡± Fenrir offers. She looks up at him with a serious yet somber expression. Her expression tells him that she¡¯s appreciative of the offer, but that she doesn¡¯t want to bring anybody else into this. ¡°I am sorry, but I really can¡¯t. It would be bad for you if you were discovered to have helped me. Right now, I am just out on a run. They will surely find me soon. They always do. I just ¨C I need to get out of there to stretch my legs every so often.¡± She looks down at the ground. ¡°Thank you for your concern. I truly appreciate it, but it would be better spent elsewhere.¡± ¡°Fuck that.¡± She looks up at him. ¡°Do you want to be his prisoner forever?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Then come with us. We¡¯re all already prepared to get fucked over if anything happens because we screw up and get in trouble, but that won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry. I would feel horrible if anything happened to anybody because of my mistake in getting caught in the first place.¡± Fenrir gets an idea. As much as he¡¯s cringing at the thought of behaving like he¡¯s about to, it is the only way he can think of to potentially persuade her. ¡°My princess,¡± he pauses to see her reaction. It is a very, very positive one. She¡¯s eagerly looking at him with wide eyes and waiting for him to continue. ¡°I wish for nothing more than to save you from that evil tyrant. A princess as beautiful and innocent as yourself deserves a far better life than being some slave. I wish to show you the world beyond being a simple slave,¡± Fenrir tells her, doing his absolute best to not break character and cringe until his face is forever stuck doing so. Her hands are over her mouth and her eyes are quivering. ¡°Nobody has ever spoken to me like that before ¨C I, I mean, I can¡¯t! Life is far too cruel, and I am not worthy of having such a brave and kind hero to save me. You also mustn¡¯t force yourself to call me beautiful, for I know just how terrifying and disgusting my appearance is.¡± ¡°Every single part of you is beautiful, my princess,¡± he says. Wait, even if he¡¯s just playing a role and trying to get her to come with him, this could totally look like flirting. He¡¯s going to have to tone it down before this girl gets mixed signals. He doesn¡¯t want to appear unfaithful, and he can already imagine Cassiel getting pissed off at him for what he¡¯s said so far. Shit. It¡¯s too late. The girl practically has hearts in her eyes as she longingly gazes at Fenrir. ¡°You truly wish to save me?¡± she asks. That¡¯s something he can answer honestly without borderline flirting, thankfully. ¡°I do. I promise,¡± he answers. ¡°But why? Why me? You know naught of me, yet you are willing to go so far for me!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t resist helping those who I see in need of it, and I want to see how angry he gets.¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s discovered that I¡¯m gone ¨C that you have me, then you will be chased to the very ends of this world until I am returned to him!¡± she cries out, being as dramatic as she possibly can by waving her arms around as she speaks. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve been hunted down.¡± ¡°You still wish to save me despite knowing just how much danger it will place you in?¡± ¡°I do.¡± The girl runs at him, jumps up, and wraps her arms around his neck! This is bad. How is he supposed to react? Should he tell her that he¡¯s taken? But what if she¡¯s just roleplaying and not actually into him like that? It would be really awkward if he turns her down right now only to realize she had no intentions of any such thing in the first place. He has never been in a situation like this before. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispers into his ear. She sounds genuine, not dramatic like before. ¡°Everybody else is too afraid of Ull to do anything. Two groups have tried saving me before. One just wanted to use me for what I am, and the other was paid off. I ¨C I don¡¯t really know why, but I trust that you are better than them. You just seem very trustworthy.¡± Fenrir definitely can¡¯t let her know that he used to lead one of gaming¡¯s most manipulative, backstabbing, sadistic groups. Her soothing voice whispering into his ear relaxes him. He still isn¡¯t sure what he should do about her, but he wraps his arms around her in a soft hug. ¡°Me and the rest of The Soaring Wolves will protect you with everything we have. I¡¯ll be honest with you, part of me wants to save you and protect you solely to piss that guy off since I didn¡¯t like him the moment I saw him. The other part of me just wants to save you because I believe everybody should be able to play this game however they want, and I doubt you can do that when you¡¯re collared and treated like an object by some asshole,¡± he says. He worries that he¡¯s starting to sound like some fedora-wearing white knight. ¡°Those reasons are good enough for me to see you as my hero,¡± she says, sending shivers down his spine. ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t have to call me anything like that. I¡¯m just some guy who wants to piss off the top dog and make sure you¡¯re having fun.¡± ¡°And that is precisely what makes you my hero.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll accept it. Now, mind hopping off me? I need to go find a robe to hide you in and sneak you back to The Shoebill. You¡¯re kind of obvious right now.¡± Her tail flicks behind her. She places a quick kiss on his cheek before getting off of him. ¡°I will be waiting for your return, my hero,¡± she says, looking up at him with tearfully happy eyes and a gentle smile. He honestly didn¡¯t expect this to mean so much to her. Seeing just how happy the idea of being saved makes her ¨C there is no way that he isn¡¯t going to fight to the end to save her now. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Fenrir says before leaving the alleyway. Book 2: Chapter 6: Patch 1.0: Encounter at the Festival Now that Fenrir thinks about it, he never did ask her for her name. He also didn¡¯t ask about the rest of the girls in Ull¡¯s apparent harem. As much as he just wants to get her to safety, he has a ton of information to try and get out of her. He also has to think about what to do with the rest of those harem members once he gets to freeing them. It wouldn¡¯t be right to just free Ull¡¯s most prized possession while leaving all the other girls behind. How did this girl even escape without the rest escaping as well? Fenrir makes his way back to the alley with a heavy robe in hand. A sinking feeling strikes his gut. What if she¡¯s not there? What if somebody found her while he was gone trying to get her a robe? What if she tried pulling some dramatic trope where she turns herself in to avoid pulling him into her troubles? He turns the corner and hurries into the alley! She¡¯s standing there with a wide smile waiting for him. ¡°I was getting worried for a second there,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°Why?¡± she asks, head tilted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just my mind being stupid. Anyways, here you go,¡± he hands the robe over to her. ¡°I got the biggest one I could find, so it should be more than enough to cover you and your tail up.¡± Seeing her hold it makes him doubt his selection. She looks so regal and feminine, yet he¡¯s telling her to put on a cheap and dirty robe. She puts it on, obscuring all but her face, and then looks up at him with the same smile as before. ¡°How do I look?¡± she asks. ¡°Like a princess on the run,¡± he answers, causing that smile to grow even wider. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name? Ah¡­ he calls me Nehalennia, and¡­ it has been so long that I do not recall the name I originally chose for myself,¡± she explains. ¡°He makes you go by a new name?¡± Fenrir asks her as he grabs her wrist and leads her out of the alley. ¡°Stay close to me.¡± She nods. ¡°Yes. I never played with others originally, so I did not give out my old name often. Now I am just Nehalennia,¡± she answers, stepping closer to him. Her eyes keep on getting distracted by his swaying tail as he walks. It¡¯s just so large and fluffy! She wants to feel it. In fact, she can¡¯t resist. Using her hand that he isn¡¯t holding, she reaches forward and gently brushes her hand against his tail. The motion causes Fenrir¡¯s tail to shoot up in surprise as does the rest of his body! With a blush on his cheeks, he looks down at her and asks, ¡°Wh-what are you doing? My tail is sensitive.¡± Nehalennia raises her hand to cover her mouth as she giggles. Everything she does is very proper and ladylike in appearance. ¡°I am sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist any longer. Oh! You asked me my name, but you have yet to tell me your own, my hero. May I ask?¡± Fenrir looks forward, still blushing. ¡°It¡¯s Fenrir,¡± he answers. ¡°So, the wolf is going to save the goddess from the hunter? I would think that it would be the other way around!¡± ¡°I could always let him save you from me,¡± Fenrir teases. She responds by closely clinging to him. ¡°I am much happier with the wolf than the hunter!¡± she says, looking up at him with her beaming smile. Her smile is too much for him. He may be taken now, but he has always been weak to genuine smiles. Fenrir leads her back to The Shoebill without any trouble. They get a few curious looks on the way there, but none that care enough to start trouble. He checks to see if anybody has been following them or is watching them before taking her aboard. Nobody. ¡°Welcome aboard The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir says, leading her aboard. ¡°What is she named after?¡± Nehalennia asks. ¡°You never heard of shoebills? Well, I guess that¡¯s normal. They went extinct a little over a decade ago. They were like these awesome dinosaur birds that made really cool noises, were pretty tall, and they would even bow to people because¡ª¡± he starts explaining, but looks down at her and remembers that he¡¯s supposed to be acting like some cool white knight saving a princess. ¡°I ¨C I mean, they were just¡­ birds.¡± She raises her hand to cover her mouth as she giggles again. ¡°It is alright, my hero. I like this side of you as well. It is very cute.¡± He proves her point by subconsciously wagging his tail as he looks away again. His inner Cassiel is wanting to tell her to shut up out of flusterment, but he resists. Now that he thinks about it, back when he first started playing this game, Saya did essentially imply that he has a tsundere within him. ¡°Told you so, Onii-chan!¡± Saya mentally chimes in. He mentally swats her away. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go below deck,¡± Fenrir says. In The Shoebill¡¯s hull, everybody but Tabitha and Corwin is fast asleep. ¡°You two still up?¡± Fenrir asks them. ¡°Yep! Showin¡¯ Corboy here the engine. He¡¯s gonna be my backup engineer someday!¡± Tabitha explains. Corwin chuckles and rubs the back of his head. ¡°We will see,¡± he says. Looking up at Fenrir, Corwin sees a peculiar girl poking her head out from behind Fenrir. ¡°Who is this, captain?¡± Tabitha looks up at him as well now. Fenrir finishes walking down the steps and introduces his newest companion. ¡°This is Nehalennia. Remember that girl Ull was holding up on his ship?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at Nehalennia and nodding. She removes her robe so that Tabitha and Corwin may see her scales, the fins protruding from her back like a pair of wings, and her serpentine tail. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you,¡± she says with a polite bow. ¡°You what now?¡± Tabitha asks, staring up at Fenrir. ¡°Ya know what kinda trouble we¡¯re goin¡¯ ta be in if she gets found here, right, ya big dumb wolf? I thought we were goin¡¯ to save her and the rest of ¡®em after the tournament? You better not be goin¡¯ and gettin¡¯ us disqualified before it even starts!¡± ¡°Captain, I agree we have to save them, but do you not believe that this is too soon?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I told him that it would be best to leave me behind, but ¨C perhaps I should just leave after all. Bringing trouble upon you all is the last thing I wish to do,¡± Nehalennia says, looking down at the deck. Fenrir wraps an arm around her shoulder and brings her closer to him. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving her behind. If I saw either of you in trouble and needing rescued, I wouldn¡¯t turn you down no matter what situation you¡¯re escaping from. The same goes for her,¡± he explains to them. ¡°My hero!¡± Nehalennia exclaims, sounding like she¡¯s tearing up again as she hides her face against him. Tabitha raises an eyebrow. ¡°Oi. What do ya think the girls over there are goin¡¯ ta think about this?¡± she asks. Fenrir looks over to where Cassiel and Serra are sleeping. Serra is hanging upside-down halfway out of her hammock with her shirt lifted up to her face, exposing her belly, while Cassiel has her entire body practically wrapped around the stuffed wolf that Serra won earlier. ¡°Before ya get any ideas, Miss Serpent Girl, the dumb wolf here has already got himself a pair of girls,¡± Tabitha explains while giving Fenrir a stink eye. Fenrir was previously worried about getting a reputation as a garlic lover, but now he is worried about getting a reputation as a womanizer. ¡°Oh, that is alright!¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°I am fine with just being my hero¡¯s mistress.¡± Fenrir, Corwin, and Tabitha all look at her. ¡°Just imagine it! A beautiful, pure princess saved from a cruel, heartless hunter by a courageous and ferocious wolf! And then the princess falls in love with her savior only to discover that he is already wed! Her feelings tear her apart as she wishes for naught more than to be by his side and to make him happy, yet she knows that he already has somebody doing that for him! Alas, she resigns herself to being but a mistress that he ravages in the darkest hours of the night before returning to his wives, leaving her cold and naked in a dark cellar that they have their secret rendezvous in! Then, unable to bear the stress and desire of wanting to be more to him, she ties a rope around her neck despite being heavy with his child!¡± Nehalennia fantasizes, squirming around as she holds her hands up to her cheeks. Fenrir looks between her and the other two. Corwin looks shocked, and Tabitha just looks disgusted at him. ¡°Oi, doesn¡¯t this whole thing make you an even worse evil bastard than that Ull guy?¡± she asks. ¡°And then he finds her with a rope around her neck ¨C no, with her wrists slit and a pool of her blood around her on the floor and a note on the table telling him why she did it! It is only when he reads the note that he realizes he truly cared for her, thus filling him with despair and causing him to take his life alongside her!¡± Nehalennia continues. ¡°Does that not just sound so wonderfully tragic?!¡± she excitedly asks, looking at them for their reactions. ¡°Are ya sure ya want rescued in the first place?¡± Tabitha asks her. ¡°Fenrir, I did not know you were such a man...¡± Corwin says. ¡°Wh-why are you two treating me like I¡¯ve already done all of that?¡± Fenrir asks them. He¡¯s definitely going to get some sort of weird reputation. Book 2: Chapter 7: Patch 2.0: The Wolf and the Serpent Once they calm Nehalennia¡¯s fantasies down, the four sit in a circle away from where everybody is sleeping and start asking questions. Fenrir, in particular, has much to ask her about. The first concern that comes to his mind is how she¡¯s in this position in the first place. ¡°Do you have traumatic content enabled? Wouldn¡¯t being basically enslaved count as traumatic?¡± he asks. Tabitha answers for Nehalennia, ¡°Ya can¡¯t force people to be your slave. If she¡¯s enslaved, it means she¡¯s consentin¡¯ to it.¡± Nehalennia nods her head. ¡°Technically, I am. It is either be his thing, die and lose everything, or create a new character which is essentially the same. I do not mean to sound narcissistic, but fortunately, I am very valuable. I am able to get away with refusing far more than the other girls can. Most of them do not even play anymore. The only way that he would ever kill me is ¨C actually, I am not sure what it would take. As many times as I try to escape and am recaptured, he never so much as even hits me,¡± she explains. ¡°What do you mean about the other girls?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°They have either stopped playing, allowing the overseer to take over their characters, or they have created new characters.¡± ¡°What happens when you create a new character? I thought you could only have one?¡± Fenrir mentally asks Saya. ¡°You can make a new character whenever you want, Onii-chan, but you¡¯ll never be able to play your last character again. Your character stays in the world but gets taken over by the overseer,¡± Saya explains to him. ¡°So, then I guess slaves aren¡¯t really left without any options. He doesn¡¯t try forcing you to do anything?¡± Fenrir asks for confirmation. ¡°No, my hero. I know what you are thinking, but that is not the case. Truthfully, he does not force such things upon any of us. He has only laid with those whom have consented to it and has only ever raised a hand to the ones since taken over by the overseer. We are kept well fed, given individual beds, given clean and expensive clothes, and our only task is more or less to be put on display for him. A few of the girls have even fallen in love with him and have met with him in reality,¡± Nehalennia explains. ¡°What about the collars?¡± ¡°Simple decorations.¡± ¡°That dragon girl had her wings bound by it. Looked like it was to keep her from flying rather than just be decoration.¡± ¡°A-ah, well, you see, she is a special exception. She ¨C I feel like it would be rude to give you this information without her consent, but she is one of his girlfriends. She is also,¡± Nehalennia looks away, blushing, ¡°into that.¡± Tabitha speaks up, ¡°So, she¡¯s one of them girlies into bein¡¯ tied up and treated like a slave?¡± Nehalennia gives a shy nod as a response. ¡°Ya know, maybe that elf-deer-thing ain¡¯t half bad, captain. A man who takes care of his girl¡¯s needs isn¡¯t exactly a bad one,¡± Tabitha says, looking over at Fenrir. ¡°Oi, why do you look so disappointed?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s not really some evil asshole like I thought he was. I guess it makes sense seeing as how the game doesn¡¯t really allow that sort of stuff to happen to players without them consenting to it. Honestly, between how he seemed when I first saw him up close and hearing all of this, he kind of sounds likable,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Oh! He donates to charities as well. He is a popular streamer and donates all of the money he gets through streaming to shelters for exotic animals. I know how he looks, but he does it for show ¨C roleplaying, as they say,¡± Nehalennia says. Even Tabitha and Corwin look disappointed at this point. ¡°Does he do anything evil?¡± Fenrir asks. Nehalennia looks away again. ¡°Yes, he does. I know I am telling you the positives, but he can still be a cruel man. As I said, most of the other girls no longer play. No matter how much they begged for freedom, they were not granted it. He is very possessive and narcissistic as well, and a very prideful man. He sees me as his property, but believes that as long as he takes care of all my needs, that there is no issue in treating me as his lesser,¡± she says. Fenrir lets out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good, I can still dislike him for something. I ¨C I mean, not good that you¡¯re treated that way, but¡ª¡± ¡°I know, my hero. Thank you for your concern, but you need not explain yourself.¡± ¡°So, why dontcha just make a new character?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Would you if you were given a blessing that none others had and would lose upon doing so?¡± Nehalennia asks her. ¡°Of course I would! I couldn¡¯t stand bein¡¯ treated like some prick¡¯s thing. As long as I can get my hands on some new toys to play with, I¡¯m happy.¡± Nehalennia smiles, but it has hints of sadness to it or perhaps jealousy. ¡°I wish I could be more like you,¡± she says. Those words actually make Tabitha blush which is something that neither Fenrir nor Corwin have seen thus far. ¡°Alas, I am not willing to surrender the blessing that I have been granted. As long as I do not have all of my freedoms stripped away from me, I am content even if it means being treated like a trophy,¡± Nehalennia explains. ¡°This body is truly miraculous for me. I may still try to escape every so often, such as I am now, but I am always accepting of being recaptured. Should I be recaptured even now, I would not mind it.¡± Something about the way she speaks of her body being miraculous raises suspicions within Fenrir¡¯s mind. It just sounds¡­ relatable ¨C familiar. He can picture himself saying that same thing about his body. But at the same time, hearing how easily she¡¯s willing to surrender pisses him off. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± he says. ¡°Eh?¡± Nehalennia looks up at him with wide eyes. ¡°I said it¡¯s bullshit. You should get to play the game however you want without some asshole owning you like a trophy and bringing you back like a runaway dog. You should at least not just accept being taken back.¡± ¡°My hero,¡± Nehalennia starts talking, but her tone is more intense before ¨C she sounds like she¡¯s upset with him, her words sharp and hot, ¡°do you think I have not tried? Do you think that I have not fought back and resisted time after time only to be dragged away against my will? I know that I love tragedy, but I do not love being as limited as I am even if I am treated far better than others in similar positions may be. I simply know my place and know that there is no truly escaping it. Even with you, my chances of remaining free for more than a day are lower than whatever false chances you have in your head.¡± The other three look at her with surprised eyes. Such a cute and innocent girl who they weren¡¯t taking very seriously before is capable of speaking so harshly. Nehalennia raises a hand up to Fenrir¡¯s cheek, gently running the back of it against him. ¡°I am sorry, I did not mean to sound so harsh, but I do not wish for you to believe that this is a life that I enjoy and have accepted without ever trying to fight against it. It is one that I have accepted and nothing more. I am truly grateful for your help, I am, but I know how this will most likely end. Ull is a very powerful man. He will find me, and he will take me back no matter how desperately I may wish for it to not be true.¡± Fenrir opens his mouth to say something but stops. He doesn¡¯t know what to say. Corwin and Tabitha are speechless as well. Yet, as true as her words may be, he can¡¯t just accept this situation. He refuses to. His stubborn spirit will not allow him to accept this as something most likely out of his control. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir starts, ¡°but it¡¯s still bullshit. I¡¯m not going to let him take you back against your will. If you want to leave ¨C if you genuinely want to go back to him, then that¡¯s fine. But, unless you truly want to be with him and be nothing more than a trophy to him, I¡¯m not going to let him take you back. I promise.¡± ¡°Fenrir, please do not make promises you will not be able to keep,¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°My hero¡ª¡± ¡°I promise,¡± he reassures her, staring her directly in her eyes without a single hint of doubt or hesitation showing. He absolutely means his promise from the very bottom of his heart. ¡°Then I shall hold you to it, alright? Prove to me that your promises are worth believing in.¡± With tears in her eyes, she invokes her love for the dramatic once more, ¡°Become the hero who mends my shattered heart.¡± ¡°You can count on it,¡± Fenrir says, holding her hands in his own. Tabitha coughs. Fenrir looks over at the disgruntled carrot top. His own dramatic side has been brought out, and he finds himself facing the judgmental stares of Tabitha and Corwin. Even Rock is sitting between them now and judging him. He can¡¯t remember the last time he has internally cringed this severely. Book 2: Chapter 8: Patch 2.0: The Wolf and the Serpent Fenrir knows that he should be sleeping. The tournament takes place in two days in-game, but by reality¡¯s time, it is tomorrow. Though, it will only be the opening ceremony on the first day of the four-day tournament. Yet, instead of sleeping, he finds himself taking The Shoebill out for a nighttime cruise to what has become their usual fishing spot behind that basically-useless tower of cannons. ¡°You do an excellent job steering your ship, my hero,¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy. Want to try?¡± Fenrir asks her. She perks up and does an excited little hop. ¡°May I?¡± As proper and refined as she tries behaving, she reminds him of an excited little kid at moments like this. Fenrir beckons her over. ¡°Stand here,¡± he says, pointing to where he was just standing behind the steering wheel. Nehalennia stands where ordered and looks at the wheel. ¡°Is there a particular way I should handle it?¡± she asks. He grabs her hands by her wrists, his taller figure standing directly behind her smaller one, and places her hands on the wheel. ¡°If you want the ship to turn right, you spin the wheel this way,¡± he demonstrates by moving her hands for her, ¡°and left, you turn it the opposite way.¡± ¡°How do I stop it?¡± ¡°Right now, we¡¯re just using the wind instead of Tab¡¯s engine, so we¡¯ll have to use one of Tab¡¯s other new inventions. See that pedal?¡± he asks, pointing down at a small pedal sticking up from the deck on the left side of the steering wheel. It has what looks like a mechanical pulley system running from it to the top of The Shoebill¡¯s mast. ¡°Step on it when I tell you to.¡± ¡°Aye, captain!¡± Nehalennia says with a wide smile and cutesy salute. The Shoebill eventually reaches the shadow of the tower. It is almost pitch dark in the shadow of the tower as it completely eclipses the moon. Fortunately, The Shoebill has a few lanterns scattered about on the deck which are lit and providing light. ¡°Alright, press on the pedal,¡± Fenrir orders her. ¡°Aye!¡± Nehalennia presses her foot down on it. Tabitha¡¯s system comes to life as the rope connected from the pedal to the top of the mast automatically pulls in the ship¡¯s sails in a matter of seconds. Nehalennia claps out of praise for the engineer. ¡°I know that there are those in this game who try to push technology to its limit, but I have never seen a single person ¨C especially a fellow woman, achieve something like this on her own!¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a smart one. That pedal on the right there will unfurl the sails when you press on it, and this lever,¡± he points at the lever on the stand that the wheel is connected to, ¡°turns the engine on. When it¡¯s down like this, it¡¯s off. The more you pull up on it, the stronger the engine runs. I¡¯d demonstrate, but even with just a little bit of power, that engine is loud. Don¡¯t want to disturb everybody sleeping.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I would not want them to lose their Rested bonuses. However, it is truly remarkable that she has come up with so many elaborate systems! This is similar to what automobiles of old were like, is it not? You have the ¡®brake¡¯ pedal, the ¡®gas¡¯ pedal, and a ¡®stick¡¯ for gears!¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy to think that teens have no idea what any of those are now. I actually got to drive a car once back when I was a teen.¡± ¡°Really? You did?¡± Nehalennia looks at him with excited interest. ¡°Yep. Back when everybody had to trade their manual vehicles in, my dad let me take his car out for a drive around the neighborhood before trading it in. It¡¯s weird to think I¡¯m probably one of the only guys my age who has ever driven a car before,¡± Fenrir explains, placing his hands on the steering wheel. He can still remember what the leather grip of the car¡¯s wheel felt like in his hands as well as how the tobacco-stained interior smelled. ¡°My father probably would have allowed me to do so as well, but I could not. It is why I am so attached to this body and why I refuse to abandon it. This body ¨C this form, allows me to do what would otherwise be impossible for me. I would feel wrong abandoning it for a new one, especially considering the fact that it has been blessed.¡± ¡°I know the feeling. I¡¯ve got some uhh, leg problems in real life, so I love this body I¡¯ve got here. It¡¯s everything I¡¯m not in reality, and I get attached easily, so I don¡¯t think I could just abandon Fenrir no matter what sort of shit he gets stuck in,¡± he says. While he normally wouldn¡¯t talk about this sort of topic, especially with somebody whom he has only just met, he just feels like the two of them can relate to one another. He figures out why that is. ¡°You too?!¡± Nehalennia asks, standing in front of him and looking up at his face. ¡°So, we are the same?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Fenrir answers, head tilted. Nehalennia steps back and lifts up her dress, showing her legs up to her thighs. The backs of her calves are lined by short and thin fins, and the skin itself is covered in scales. ¡°My legs do not work in real life. Exoskeletons can help to a small degree, but most of the time, I am left in a wheelchair. This game allows me to experience that which I have always wanted to. I may swim, jump, run, and I can even,¡± she pauses to jump up into the air. The wing-like fins on her back flutter and keep her in the air for a few moments before dropping her back down to the deck. ¡°Do you understand why I refuse to leave this body behind? No matter what, I wish for nothing more than to stay in this body. Even if it means being bound to a life of living as a trophy, if it means getting to stay within this body, I would happily submit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I can still use my legs, but they¡¯re full of plates and screws. I have to use exoskeleton braces to walk around for any long time,¡± he says. ¡°Sorry, hearing what you had to say, I feel pretty selfish. I¡¯m sorry that you have to deal with that.¡± ¡°It is no worry, my hero. I have accepted both my life in reality as well as my life in this world. Besides, I do love my tragedy. Is being a wheelchair-bound girl whose only escape from reality a game where she is treated as a slave not tragic?¡± Nehalennia asks with a smile. If she¡¯s able to smile in this situation, there is no reason why Fenrir can¡¯t join her. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s tragic alright. Anyways, you said you always get caught. How? I would think that you can probably swim way better than most, and if you can even fly a little bit, how are you always caught?¡± he asks her. ¡°A man named after the god of hunting is going to know how to track and capture his prey.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fair point. Hey, want to try fishing?¡± he asks, switching to a less serious subject as he''s been asking her plenty of questions ever since they first arrived at The Shoebill. Nehalennia replies with her usual excited smile and nod of the head. Hearing everything that she had to say about her legs, accepting her lives, and refusing to leave this body of hers behind to create a new character only inspires Fenrir to protect her even more than he was already resolved to. This innocent girl who simply wishes to live a life in-game where she is able to escape the confines of reality deserves to be free. Ull may not be that horrible of a man. He does not force himself upon his harem, he does not cause them harm, he donates to charities for animals, and he sounded like a nice and average guy when hearing him talk up close. Yet, he captures girls and then keeps such a tight leash on them that they are unable to live and play how they want to. Even if he treats them nicely, he does not allow them the basic freedoms that every single player in this world deserves to have. Knowing that Ull is doing this to somebody in a situation such as Nehalennia¡¯s is what fuels Fenrir to despise Ull just as much as when he first laid eyes on him. By Fenrir¡¯s logic, only a massive asshole deserving of getting ruined would ever do something like this to Nehalennia ¨C to anybody. They have a plan already. Win the tournament, cause a distraction by hijacking one of the city¡¯s cliffside cannons to blast away Ull¡¯s ship, and escape with Nehalennia and the rest of Ull¡¯s harem ¨C well, maybe not those who want to be there. Yet, the plan is no longer any good. It would put the lives of everybody in the city at risk if it goes as well as it is supposed to. Real lives are at stake. Others may not consider the lives of NPCs to be real, but Fenrir does. He will not do anything that seriously puts a life at risk. Therefore, he needs a new plan. ¡°My hero?¡± Nehalennia asks, looking up at him with a concerned expression. ¡°Sorry, was thinking about something,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°May I ask what?¡± ¡°Just¡­ how I¡¯m going to save you, the other girls Ull has enslaved, and do it all without putting any lives at risk. I know for a fact that I could do it if I wasn¡¯t so worried about the NPCs in this city.¡± ¡°You worry for the lives of those most deem insignificant?¡± ¡°They¡¯re living and breathing members of this world just like the rest of us are.¡± ¡°You truly are a hero, my hero.¡± Book 2: Chapter 9: Patch 2.0: The Wolf and the Serpent Fenrir picks up his rod and has to pause for a moment when he sees just how brightly the bottom of it shines. Whereas before the gem only had a dim glow, it now shines just as brightly as it did in Corwin¡¯s hands. ¡°I guess helping you gave my Standing a big boost,¡± Fenrir theorizes to Nehalennia. ¡°Of course it would! You are being a hero, my hero,¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°Let¡¯s see how much this bastard rod likes you,¡± he says, handing the rod over to her. ¡°What causes you to demean it so?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t listen to me at first, and it hooked my ears on purpose. That gem in the bottom of it is one of those partner gems, so the rod is alive and only likes people with positive Standing as best as I could guess.¡± Nehalennia looks at the rod curiously before taking it into her hands. As soon as her small, gentle hands are wrapped around its handle, the gem excitedly pulsates and shines brighter than it has in either Corwin or Fenrir¡¯s hands! ¡°Wh-what does it mean if it is shining so brilliantly?¡± she asks. Fenrir glares at the rod. ¡°It means this bastard really likes you, I guess.¡± The gem pulsates a single time. ¡°Yeah, told you that this rod is a bastard. You remember what your Standing was the last time you got it checked by any chance?¡± he asks her. ¡°Umm¡­ I believe that they only put it down as one hundred on my old card, but they told me that it was high enough that it could not be properly measured,¡± Nehalennia explains. Fenrir blinks a few times. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Is ¨C is it that surprising?¡± ¡°I just ¨C first time I¡¯ve heard of it being that high, and if they said they couldn¡¯t properly measure it, then I guess it¡¯s actually way higher. Anyways, you ever fish before?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll show you how to do it.¡± Fenrir goes through the same process of showing her how to fish as he did with Cassiel. Without realizing it, this means that he has his body just as close to Nehalennia¡¯s as he did with Cassiel. However, since he is focusing more on her hands, posture, and the rod, he doesn¡¯t notice the gentle blush on Nehalennia¡¯s cheeks. Nehalennia casts the rod for the first time! She doesn¡¯t do it properly. In fact, her attempt at casting the rod might be the single worst attempt he has ever seen in his life. By all means ¨C by all laws of logic and nature, this attempt should be a complete and utter failure. Instead, the gem shines brightly as the lure flies out over the water and only finally drops down when the rod runs out of line! ¡°I did it! Did you see that, my hero?¡± Nehalennia asks, looking up at him with her childlike excitement. Fenrir looks down at the gem. ¡°Yeah, you¡­ did it. Good job,¡± he says, patting the top of her head which causes her to close her eyes and widely smile. The gem pulsates a few times. It may not say anything, its pulses may not look any different, but Fenrir gets the feeling that the rod is mocking him. He doesn¡¯t even know how the gem could affect the line seeing as how the line is technically separate from its ¡°body¡± that is the rod. ¡°Now what?¡± Nehalennia asks. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll get any bites at this hour, bu¡ª¡± Fenrir cuts himself off when he sees the rod get tugged. It isn¡¯t just any weak tug, either. It¡¯s a hard tug that bends the rod to the point where it looks like it¡¯s about to snap in half! Fenrir immediately wraps his arms around her to hold her hands on the rod. He¡¯s starting to get jealous from how everybody but himself gets their first fish so easily. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything tug the rod this hard before, so it¡¯s going to be a fight. Keep holding on as tightly as you can, alright?¡± he orders. ¡°Got it!¡± she replies, tightening her firm grip on the rod. Fenrir lifts one of her hands from the rod¡¯s handle and places it on the reel. ¡°Start reeling it in, like this,¡± he says, moving both of their hands to spin the reel. He¡¯s telling her to do it, but it ends up being mostly him doing it as his hand overpowers her own. Eventually, he focuses so intensely on reeling the catch in that he stops explaining what to do and just does it for her. She is left pressed against him with his hands over her own, moving her however he needs to in order to get their catch. Nehalennia blushes when she feels herself being pressed back against his crotch, but is relieved that he doesn¡¯t seem to notice. Though, part of her doesn¡¯t know if she should feel insulted or not that he apparently doesn¡¯t notice at all. Here she is, essentially letting him manhandle her and getting pressed back against his crotch, and all he can think about is the fish! She shakes her head. This isn¡¯t the time for those sorts of thoughts. ¡°I see it!¡± Nehalennia announces, tracking the fish with her eyes. It is long, fat, and has three rows of sharp fins running along its back. Its head is elongated and features several sharp fangs lining its mouth. ¡°That¡¯s one ugly fish,¡± Fenrir says as an excited smile spreads across his lips. He was already excited, but seeing just how dangerous the fish looks makes him even more so. ¡°You ready? Pull up on three!¡± ¡°R-ready!¡± ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three!¡± Fenrir shouts! Both him and Nehalennia pull up on the rod as strongly as they can. The gem rapidly pulsates as the rod¡¯s tip is bent down past the base of the handle. All three of them struggle to bring this fish overboard. ¡°Keep pulling!¡± Fenrir shouts, obvious strain in his voice. The fish¡¯s head is lifted up over the side of the ship, letting them sees its ugly and very, very upset face. Fenrir has never seen a fish as expressive as this one. He¡¯s pretty sure that this fish is wishing for the death of his family and everybody he cares about just from the look in its eyes! ¡°Almost got i¡ª¡± Fenrir is interrupted by the line snapping, sending the fish flopping back down into the water to swim away with one of his lures! The sudden loss of a counterweight sends both Fenrir and Nehalennia stumbling backward. Nehalennia trips which causes her to knock over Fenrir. Fenrir feels the back of his head hit the ship¡¯s deck. He winces in pain and reaches up to rub the back of his head. ¡°Damn it, the line wasn¡¯t able to handle that much weight,¡± he groans. There¡¯s something wet on his face. Something warm and wet is brushing against his face. Fenrir turns his head and opens his eyes to look at what it is. Rock is standing next to him and lapping at his face with her now-semi-fleshy tongue. ¡°Sorry, did the fall wake you up?¡± he asks her. She barks, but she does it quietly so as to not disturb the others sleeping. It¡¯s more of a ¡°ruff¡± than a bark. Fenrir turns his head to look up. Nehalennia is lying directly on top of him, her face but inches away from his own with a soft blush on her cheeks. The tips of their noses rub together now that he¡¯s looking up at her. Fenrir never noticed it before, but now that he¡¯s looking directly into her eyes so closely, he can see that her amber eyes are slitted like that of a snake¡¯s. The closeness makes him blush as well. Even his ears twitch a bit out of nervousness. ¡°I ¨C I am, thank you for catching me, my hero. But ¨C umm, do you think you could release me so that I may get up?¡± Nehalennia asks. Fenrir looks at where his arms are. One is wrapped tightly around her back, and the other is resting halfway on the base of her tail and halfway on her rear. She blushes even more when she notices that he realizes it. Fenrir immediately lets go of her and waits for her to get up before getting up himself. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± Fenrir starts talking. ¡°It is alright, my hero. I know you simply wished to catch me,¡± Nehalennia reassures him, straightening out her dress and hair. Rock walks to her feet, sits down, and looks up at her. Nehalennia looks down at Rock and blinks. ¡°How ¨C how have I missed such a cute puppy? I swear that I did not see him on here before!¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°That¡¯s Rock, and she¡¯s a she. She also blends in with the ship pretty well, and she was sleeping over there,¡± he points near the front of the ship, ¡°when you first came here, so that¡¯s probably how. Oh, and she¡¯s friendly.¡± Rock ruffs. Nehalennia crouches down to pet the top of Rock¡¯s head, instantly gaining the rocky pup¡¯s trust and affection. ¡°A wolf, an orc, a rock puppy, an energetic girl engineer, and now a serpent! This is quite the crew you have assembled, my hero.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re part of the crew now?¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°You did promise to save me, after all! That means you are stuck with me for as long as I am saved.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯re stuck with me forever then.¡± He cringes when he realizes just how rape-y that could sound, but Nehalennia is smiling just as kindly as ever at his words. At least one of them is seemingly unaffected by cringe. Book 2: Chapter 10: Patch 2.0: The Wolf and the Serpent Nehalennia has been yawning for the past half an hour, the time between yawns lessening with every one, and so Fenrir has decided to take The Shoebill back to dock. She tries playing with Rock to keep herself awake. From what Fenrir has learned during the past two months in-game, the only time that tiredness really begins showing up in characters is when they are about to fall asleep in reality. Many people who don¡¯t play the game assume that lying in bed for hours at a time immersed in virtual reality would be relaxing and not tiring. The truth is the opposite. Since virtual reality in its current, popular state essentially uses the human brain as half of its processing power, players grow just as tired as they would be if they were up and moving around for that entire time instead. Thus, to see somebody in-game yawning and falling asleep, it is usually safe to assume that they have been playing for a very long duration without break. ¡°When¡¯s the last time you woke?¡± Fenrir asks Nehalennia. ¡°A-ah, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I believe I have been here for the past fourteen real hours,¡± Nehalennia replies. Fenrir¡¯s eyes widen at her response. She no-lifes this game even harder than he does if that¡¯s a regular session for her. ¡°So you¡¯ve basically been in-game and awake for a day and a half now?¡± he asks her. She nods. ¡°It is easy to stay awake for so long in-game when time moves slower. Or is it faster? If twice as much time passes here than the real world, then¡­ does time move faster because twice as much is happening, or slower?¡± ¡°Huh, I¡¯ve never really thought of that before. Uhh, if you get close to a black hole, time starts moving slower relative to the rest of the universe. Like, a few minutes there could be hours or years elsewhere. So time would be going slower¡­ but only relative to people outside of it. I guess if you were the one near the black hole, and then you left it, one could say that time was moving faster there because ¨C no, that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Fenrir sighs. ¡°As you may or may not be able to tell, I¡¯m not exactly an astrophysicist.¡± Nehalennia giggles and nods. ¡°Fair enough, fair enough. Rather than say time moves faster or slower, let us just agree that it moves differently, yes?¡± she proposes. ¡°Sounds good to me. Anyways, if you¡¯ve been up for fourteen hours in real life, that means you¡¯ve been here for twenty-eight. You need to go get some sleep.¡± ¡°I will when we make it to the dock, my hero. Where should I sleep?¡± ¡°You can use my hammock until we figure something better out.¡± ¡°But then where will you sleep?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably just chill with Rock on the deck or something.¡± ¡°Are you sure that such an arrangement is acceptable? I feel bad knowing that while I lay in what is meant to be your hammock, you would have only the wooden deck of the ship!¡± He can tell that she¡¯s engaging her inner drama lover when she starts waving her hands around and using a more dramatic tone. The others are all asleep already, so he is safe to play along for a bit. ¡°A princess such as yourself deserves nothing but the finest, most rope-y of hammocks to rest upon. Please, it would be my pleasure for you to call my hammock your bed while I reside with my loyal companion,¡± Fenrir says. Rock ruffs and wags her tail. Nehalennia turns away. ¡°If you tell me that this is the only way, then I shall take your word for it! Oh, this is such a hard life for a princess. To have been stolen away from my castle and now forced to sleep in the hull of a ship upon a hammock ¨C oh, the luxuries I once had ¨C they are now all gone. I am left with naught but my gown and my body, but you may even take the latter as I sleep! To be kidnapped and then defiled by a foul pirate in my sleep¡­¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears twitch. Who¡¯s being called a foul pirate? ¡°I thought that I was supposed to play the part of a knight saving a princess, but now you¡¯re a kidnapped princess being taken away and ¡®defiled¡¯ by a foul pirate?¡± he asks. ¡°A foul pirate! A dastardly wolf! For a wolf to lust after a fair princess¡¯ body, such a thing is not right! Have you no shame?!¡± she swings her arms out as she shames him, spinning around and accusatorily pointing at him. If she wants a foul pirate and dastardly wolf, that is what she is going to get. Fenrir steps away from the ship¡¯s wheel, stomps up to her, and¡ªgently¡ªgrabs her by her shoulders to pin her against the mast! One hand reaches up to grab the tip of her chin, tilting her head back and up so that he can look directly down into her eyes while his other hand stays on her shoulder. ¡°If you want me to play the role of the villain, that¡¯s something I¡¯m pretty good at. Tell me, you worthless princess, shall I tie you up and ruin you myself or let the rest of my crew handle that for me?¡± His words cause an intense blush to spread across her cheeks, but it does not last for long as they both burst out laughing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t keep that up,¡± Fenrir says, letting go of her and walking back over to the ship¡¯s wheel. ¡°I did not expect you to actually play along! Goodness, that was surprising. I did not mind it, but I certainly did not expect it!¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°If Ull was more like that then I likely would not detest him as much as I do, but alas, he is much more boring.¡± Hearing her say that actually makes Fenrir feel a bit jealous. ¡°So you would prefer your captor to act like a generic, cheesy villain?¡± he asks. ¡°It would make things more interesting at the very least! Acting cheesy and dramatic is more entertaining than being simple and boring, is it not?¡± she answers. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t really argue with that logic. You know, I actually went through a phase when I was younger where I¡¯d act like that all the time. Funnily enough, that was probably when I was the most popular with girls. They ate it up.¡± ¡°I cannot blame them. Those like me gravitate to such personalities. The issue is that most men with such demeanors do not know how nor when to turn them off, instead fully living the part.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that it¡¯s better to just pretend to be some dominant, smooth villain than to actually be one? Makes sense.¡± ¡°That is right, my hero. As much as I love that sort of play, to truly be that way is just unhealthy.¡± ¡°You totally get along with that dragon girl who likes being chained up, don¡¯t you?¡± Nehalennia blushes and turns away. ¡°W-we may or may not be friends.¡± ¡°Hey, how many of those girls do you think actually want freedom?¡± Fenrir asks, his tone more serious now as The Shoebill drifts into its usual spot at the docks. ¡°Including myself¡­ I would say only nine truly wish for freedom from Ull. Many of them have come to not only accept, but enjoy, their statuses as his things. His girlfriend ¨C the dragon, acts as a sort of mother to the rest of us. Some of the girls have fallen in love with him, others have fallen in love with her. Most of them, however, are non-player characters at this point. They gained their own personalities ¨C their own artificial intelligences controlling them rather than the overseer doing so, and fell for him. The few who still detest him and wish to leave are all non-player characters as well. I am the only remaining player who wishes to leave. The others all started over with new characters,¡± Nehalennia explains. ¡°So, one down and eight to go who are all NPCs,¡± Fenrir confirms. Nehalennia nods while yawning. ¡°Alright, you need to get to bed. Come on,¡± Fenrir says as he finishes tying the ship to the dock. ¡°Carry me,¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said to carry me. You are my hero, and I am your princess, no?¡± ¡°I ¨C uh, alright.¡± Fenrir walks up to her and places his hands under her armpits. She swats his hands away. ¡°Not like that! You must carry me like a proper princess,¡± she teases. With a blush on his cheeks, Fenrir crouches down, places one hand underneath her knees and another supporting her back, and lifts her up so that he is carrying her in proper princess fashion. Nehalennia smiles and points to the stairs that lead below deck. ¡°Carry me away, my hero!¡± she orders before giggling. ¡°As you wish.¡± Below deck, Fenrir gently sets her down in the hammock usually reserved for himself. ¡°Thank you, my hero. Now, I get a goodnight kiss as well, yes?¡± Nehalennia asks. She doesn¡¯t get the reaction that she was hoping for. Fenrir points over at Cassiel and Serra, both oddly sleeping in their own hammocks. ¡°You¡¯ll have to run that by them first.¡± Nehalennia pouts for a moment, but then smiles and sighs. ¡°I figured as much. You may play along with me and my silly fantasies, but you are still a loyal wolf at your core.¡± ¡°I try to be. I don¡¯t think I need to say this, but as teasing and playing along as I was, it¡¯s just that. I¡¯m not just trying to save you to get into your pants or anything either like some fedora-wearing white knight, either,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°I know, my hero, and that is why I just may truly fall for you yet.¡± ¡°Yeah ¨C wait, what?¡± Fenrir asks, but her eyes close as she falls into slumber. Rock lets out a muffled ruff from the top of the stairs with a blanket that she has stolen from Bonekraka¡¯s hammock in her mouth. ¡°At least you don¡¯t tease me, Rock.¡± Book 2: Chapter 11: Patch 2.0: The Wolf and the Serpent Lying down on the deck with the blanket that Rock has stolen for the two of them, Fenrir cuddles with Rock and gives her plenty of belly rubs and head pats. ¡°We don¡¯t get much time by ourselves, do we?¡± Fenrir asks Rock. Rock ruffs and licks his hand. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you getting kind of big? You were only like, a fourth of this size a couple of months ago.¡± She bites his hand. Fenrir retaliates by grabbing onto her snout and shaking it around. Their conversation turns into a wrestling match between her and his hand. By the end of it, the skin from his fingers to halfway up his arm is covered in red marks thanks to her rocky teeth. ¡°How come you¡¯re getting a fleshy-ish tongue, but your teeth are still like pure rock?¡± he asks her. Rock ruffs and chomps onto his hand again, but rather than shake and play with it, she licks it. He reaches his other hand up to her to playfully smack her side a few times. ¡°I wish I could take you into reality with me and cuddle with you there. Sleeping would be so much easier if I could sleep with you in my bed. Though, I don¡¯t think I would ever want to get out of bed if I could do that,¡± Fenrir says. Rock rolls onto her back to signify that she clearly has not yet received enough belly rubs. ¡°Alright, only a few more minutes and then I¡¯ve really got to get to bed.¡± His hand returns to her belly once more. She¡¯s still relatively blocky and definitely made out of rock, but the rock that consists of her belly is much smoother and warmer than the rest of her is. Fenrir looks around and notices that Rod is nearby. ¡°Hey, Rod,¡± he calls out to it. The gem pulses once. ¡°Do you think that it¡¯s possible to save the rest of those girls without getting anybody killed?¡± he asks it. The gem pulses twice ¨C no. ¡°Then do you think I just shouldn¡¯t even try? If it means not putting lives at risk, would it be better to just let them stay captive?¡± It pulses twice again. ¡°Yeah, I agree, but I have no idea what to do. Part of me thinks that I should just leave with Nehalennia to at least save her, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to make it far before Ull and that fleet of his would catch up with us.¡± One pulse ¨C it agrees. ¡°And to be honest, I really don¡¯t want to miss the tournament. This is still a game, and I already got the rest of the crew looking forward to it, so it would be wrong to skip out on the tournament and to run away with her.¡± One pulse. ¡°Do you want to actually participate in the tournament?¡± Another single pulse. ¡°Yeah, I guess it¡¯d be weird for a fishing rod to not want to be part of a fishing tournament. Also, uhh, sorry for being mean to you. I guess it makes sense that you wouldn¡¯t have trusted me originally since I had negative Standing, and you apparently only like people with positive Standing. Just for the record, though, I only had negative Standing because we mercilessly killed a bunch of players in this guild that was led by some assholes who¡­¡± Fenrir explains the entire situation regarding Cassiel, that weird garlic guild, and Coastedge. ¡°So yeah, it might have technically been evil or whatever, but they deserved it.¡± Rod waits a few moments before pulsating a single time. ¡°Glad to know we¡¯re on the same page now. I wish I could have let Serra try holding you when she still had really negative Standing. I guess blowing up a village isn¡¯t good for that sort of thing. Anyways, I don¡¯t suppose that you¡¯ve got any plan where I can somehow save everybody in that prick¡¯s ¡®harem¡¯ who needs saving while not putting any NPC lives at risk?¡± Two pulses. ¡°Yeah, I figured as much. Anyways, I¡¯m going to hop off of here now. See you tomorrow, Rod and Rock. Sorry for being so bad with naming as well.¡± Fenrir gets two pulses from Rod and a lick on the face from Rock. ¡°Ready to wake, Saya.¡± Fenrir returns to being just Ryouta. ¡°Hey, Fan,¡± Ryouta says to his eternally-spinning ceiling fan. It continues spinning ¡°For some reason, I actually thought you¡¯d reply somehow. Great, that game is going to make me think every inanimate object I own is somehow going to be able to talk back to me,¡± he talks to himself while slipping the headband of a headset off from around his head. He gets out of bed, plugs it into his computer for it to charge since it¡¯s been a week since the last time he has recharged it, and gets back into bed. ¡°Night, Fan.¡± The fan spins. Ryouta falls asleep, but his sleep is interrupted in only a few hours by the ringing of his phone. He panics from the sound of his phone ringing since it¡¯s been so long that he¡¯s forgotten what his ringtone even sounds like! Suddenly hearing a chorus of anime girls singing in Japanese is one hell of a way to wake up. Now that he remembers what his ringtone sounds like, he realizes he should probably change it before taking his phone out into public again. Ryouta gets out of bed as quickly as his weak legs let him to grab the phone left by his computer. There are several dozen text messages and notifications from Fiscord. More importantly, the one calling him is Cassandra. He answers the call. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± he asks before yawning, his tired voice expressing that he just woke up. ¡°In-game. Now,¡± Cassandra orders before hanging up. Ryouta¡¯s heart sinks into his gut. Why¡¯s she sound so pissed off at him? He tries thinking of anything that he has done which could possibly upset her, but nothing comes to mind. He grabs his headset, gets back into bed, and immerses himself into Fantasy Tales Online. ¡°Somebooooodddyyyyy¡¯s iiinnnn trooooouuuuubbbblllleeeeee,¡± Saya teases in a singsong tune. Fenrir opens his eyes. Cassiel is standing next to him with crossed arms and a very, very displeased expression. Serra is here as well but looks much less upset, instead¡­ giving him a thumbs-up? Fenrir looks around. He¡¯s in his hammock, but why? He went to sleep on the deck. And what¡¯s this weight on top of him? He looks down at his chest. Nehalennia is cuddled up to him on top of his chest with the blanket over them. Oh. ¡°I ¨C I swear, I was logged out on the deck with Rock and Rod, and she was in the hammock by herself! A-and, shouldn¡¯t you be more concerned, Serra?¡± Fenrir asks. He knows exactly how this looks, so for Serra to be giving him a thumbs-up is confusing. ¡°I trust you. I know you wouldn¡¯t do anything. If you wanted to cheat on us you wouldn¡¯t make it so obvious,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Tch. D-don¡¯t defend him, I¡¯m mad here¡­¡± Cassiel says, but she knows that Serra has a point. Fenrir lifts Nehalennia up and crawls out from underneath her. She cuddles with the blanket as soon as he sets her back down into the hammock. ¡°You know he wouldn¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t know why you had to wake us up. I¡¯m sleepy still,¡± Serra says, rubbing her eyes. ¡°She woke you up as well?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel blushes and looks away. ¡°She woke me up, told me to come here, we looked at you, she got mad, woke to go and call you, then came back and started shouting while waiting for you to come on,¡± Serra explains. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ jumped to conclusions, okay?! How am I supposed to feel when I see my boyfriend cuddling with some other woman¡­¡± Cassiel explains herself. Fenrir wraps his arms around Cassiel¡¯s waist and places a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Sorry that you were worried. I promise I logged out up on the deck exactly because I wanted to avoid any misunderstandings. I even turned down her kiss when she asked for one,¡± he explains. Cassiel shoves him off of her. ¡°Kiss? She asked for a kiss?¡± she questions him. ¡°She sounds like a new harem member,¡± Serra says. ¡°H-hey, this isn¡¯t a harem,¡± Fenrir says. Serra pouts. ¡°You know what I mean. New love interest. When does she join?¡± Fenrir joins Cassiel in looking jealous as they both look on at Serra. ¡°What? She¡¯s cute,¡± Serra says. ¡°Serra, your power level is way too high,¡± Fenrir says. Serra smiles, walks up to them, and hugs them before asking each one of them for a kiss. ¡°I¡¯m just joking, but I wouldn¡¯t mind her joining us.¡± ¡°Hey, Serra, how many parents do you have?¡± ¡°Nine. Four moms, five dads. Lots of siblings.¡± ¡°That explains some things,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah, a lot of things,¡± Cassiel agrees. Serra shrugs. Book 2: Chapter 12: Patch 2.0: The Wolf and the Serpent Everything that happened since the girls went to bed until now is explained to them by Fenrir. He even tells them about his conversation with Rock and Rod for full transparency. ¡°So, she¡¯s some roleplayer obsessed with dark stories that wanted a kiss from you, and you call her ¡®Princess?¡¯¡± Cassiel asks for confirmation. Fenrir figured that the last part wouldn¡¯t go over too well. ¡°I ¨C I was just playing along, and I told her that so that she wouldn''t get any mixed signals,¡± he explains. Cassiel sighs. ¡°I trust you, but you never call us that¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re my princess, Cassiel. You are my beautiful, blonde, tsundere princess whom thrusts her pole into me from behind,¡± Fenrir says. Her blush was increasingly growing redder and brighter until he had to bring up pole thrusting again. She grabs his shirt and pushes him against the side of the ship. ¡°Why did you have to ruin it?!¡± she shouts. ¡°Cass Cass likes thrusting into men from behind,¡± Serra says followed by snerking. Cassiel turns her head to look back at Serra with eyes expressing feelings of betrayal. ¡°He hasn¡¯t called you a princess yet either!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too cheesy for me.¡± ¡°Wh-wha¡ª¡± Cassiel blushes again. ¡°Cass Cass is cheesy.¡± Despite Serra being the one teasing Cassiel, Fenrir is the one facing Cassiel¡¯s abuse as she shakes him back and forth against The Shoebill¡¯s hull. Cassiel only stops abusing her boyfriend when she hears somebody giggling from the side ¨C somebody unfamiliar. They look over and see the serpentine girl leaning up in the hammock and watching the show. ¡°My, such a violent display of love. Are you alright, my hero?¡± Nehalennia asks. ¡°She calls you her hero?¡± Cassiel asks, glaring up at Fenrir. He forgot to explain that part. ¡°I-it¡¯s part of the roleplay,¡± he explains now. Cassiel lets go of Fenrir, but only so that she can stand in front of him between him and Nehalennia. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I feel bad for you and those other girls, and I¡¯m fine with helping you and hiding you, but Fenrir is mine,¡± Cassiel says with a huff and a pout. ¡°Ours,¡± Serra corrects her. ¡°Y-yeah. Ours. He¡¯s our hero.¡± Fenrir pokes Cassiel¡¯s side. She jumps up, makes her signature Cassiel squeaking noise, and then turns around to pound her fists against his chest! ¡°You have to be approved by us before joining his harem,¡± Serra explains to Nehalennia, having walked up to her. ¡°Oh? It is a harem? I was under the assumption that it is a polyamorous relationship rather than a harem,¡± Nehalennia asks. ¡°She¡¯s just teasing me by calling it a harem,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°It¡¯s more like her harem if anything.¡± ¡°May I at least continue calling him my hero? I have already grown fond of calling him that,¡± Nehalennia asks. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says. Cassiel crosses her arms and huffs some more. ¡°I look forward to getting along with you two. My hero has assured me that I shall be with him forever, so we will need to try our best to get along!¡± Nehalennia declares. ¡°Haah? What¡¯s this about being together with her forever now?¡± Cassiel asks, glaring up at Fenrir again. He forgot to mention that part, too. ¡°R-roleplay?¡± he tries using that reason again. Cassiel doesn¡¯t buy it. ¡°I¡¯m kicking you out of this relationship. It¡¯s only going to be me and Serra now.¡± Fenrir looks over at Serra, expecting her to defend him, but instead sees her waving him goodbye. He hangs his head in defeat. ¡°My hero, it seems that you are quite the bullied one! Here I believed that I lived a life of cruelty, yet you may have it far worse than I,¡± Nehalennia joins in on the teasing. ¡°You¡¯ll get along with us,¡± Serra says, giving Nehalennia a thumbs-up. ¡°Yeah, she can replace you,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°He can be our guard dog! We could even get him a collar and leash,¡± Nehalennia suggests. Fenrir is very, very concerned by how the girls look at him after that suggestion. They look¡­ way too interested in that idea. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather be the one with the collar,¡± Serra says. Nehalennia grabs Serra¡¯s hands and holds them in her own, nodding at Serra¡¯s remark. ¡°It would be great either way, would it not?¡± Nehalennia asks. Cassiel pinches Fenrir¡¯s arm to get his attention. He leans down so that she can whisper in his ear. ¡°I think they¡¯re getting along way too well,¡± Cassiel whispers. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect any of this to happen this way,¡± Fenrir whispers back while Serra and Nehalennia form a new bond through shared perversion. ¡°Anyways,¡± he speaks up, ¡°do any of you mind if I wake to go and grab a couple more hours of sleep? I planned on sleeping right until the ceremony is about to begin, so I¡¯m still pretty tired,¡± he requests. A large yawn follows his words to prove his point. ¡°Please do, my hero. You need as much rest as you can get,¡± Nehalennia says. ¡°Yeah, my hero,¡± Serra teases. While he¡¯s still leaning down for Cassiel, she whispers one last thing into his ear, ¡°O-only if you call me your princess again, and not ruin it¡­¡± Fenrir holds Cassiel close by her hips and presses his lips to her ear. ¡°You¡¯re my beautiful princess, Cassandra,¡± he whispers. Cassiel¡¯s face turns pure red, and the others can swear that they see steam rising from her ears. ¡°O-okay, you can go back to sleep.¡± ¡°Thank you. Wait, before I go,¡± he looks at Nehalennia, ¡°how¡¯d I end up in the hammock with you on top of me?¡± ¡°I pretended to be asleep until I heard you stop talking, and then I carried you down here, put you in the hammock, and went to sleep on top of you,¡± Nehalennia explains, her voice sounding as if everything she just said was completely normal. ¡°Just how strong are you?¡± he asks. ¡°The blessing did more than change how I look!¡± Fenrir shakes the rest of his questions out of his head, getting into the hammock and waking from the game once more to catch a few more hours¡¯ worth of sleep. It¡¯s time for the opening ceremony when he wakes up and gets back in-game. The only ones below deck are Tabitha and Bonekraka. Bonekraka grunts when he sees Fenrir. ¡°Anybody explain what¡¯s going on with Nehalennia to you yet?¡± Fenrir asks. Bonekraka points at Tabitha. ¡°She did,¡± he says. ¡°Mornin¡¯, wolf boy,¡± Tabitha says while tinkering with the engine. ¡°You¡¯re constantly working on that. You sure it¡¯s ready?¡± Fenrir asks. Tabitha looks up at him with a wide smile. ¡°Nope!¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Fenrir goes above deck. The first sight he sees is that of Rock on her back, tongue hanging out from her mouth as she heavily pants, and tail looking like it wants to wag but is simply too tired to. Nehalennia is wearing the robe that Fenrir got her to hide herself from any passersby on the docks, and she¡¯s standing with Serra on each side of Rock. ¡°What¡¯d you two do to her?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Lots of playing,¡± Serra answers. Fenrir looks over at Cassiel whom is standing upon a crate with her metal greaves dented with dozens of bite marks. ¡°What happened to you?¡± he asks her. ¡°Serra told Rock that she¡¯d give her treats if she attacked me!¡± Cassiel explains, pointing an accusatory finger at Serra. ¡°She bullies me when you¡¯re not here to be the victim!¡± Fenrir and Serra exchange a mutual thumbs-up. ¡°Where¡¯re the two lovers at?¡± he asks. ¡°Hotel,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Yeah, I figured as much. You know if they plan on being back for the ceremony?¡± ¡°Olly said they¡¯d be quick.¡± ¡°Yeah, right. Well, let¡¯s get things ready in case we have to go without them. It¡¯s just the opening ceremony, so the full crew isn¡¯t required.¡± They get to work organizing the fishing equipment, cleaning up the deck, and testing Tabitha¡¯s inventions to make sure that everything is working properly. While doing so, Fenrir checks the surrounding city out to see if his concerns are legitimate. They are. There are far more guards on duty today. Oleander was able to gather enough information to know that more guards are not planned for security during any part of the tournament, yet there are guards everywhere looking as if they are searching for something. For somebody. Furthermore, Ull¡¯s own legions are accompanying them. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s happy about you being gone for so long,¡± Fenrir says to Nehalennia whom is standing next to him. ¡°Not at all!¡± Nehalennia says with a smile. ¡°I may need you to hide below deck until everything is over. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Hiding below is of no concern to me. If I must hide for a few days for a lifetime of freedom, it would be more than worth it.¡± ¡°Worst case scenario, we hide you in Tabs¡¯ backpack.¡± ¡°That¡­ may not be acceptable.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. You just might accidentally make something in there explode.¡± He looks down at her and sees her pouting. ¡°Alright, alright. No hiding in the backpack.¡± Book 2: Chapter 13: Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony As it gets closer to the beginning of the opening ceremony, more and more players and NPCs alike gather around the docks. There were a good few hundred near The Shoebill¡¯s side of the docks an hour ago, but now there are thousands. And that¡¯s just at one small part of the docks. In total, throughout the city, Fenrir guesses that there are close to a million players here right now. For a game with over fifty million active players and Port Tugator being one of the game¡¯s largest cities and the capital for one of its main factions, one million actually seems like a low turnout. The actual piers are off limits to anybody not participating in the tournament. Even so, there are thousands gathered along them as a vast amount of players are set to participate. With crews being anywhere from seven to twenty players in number, there are hundreds of vessels that will be competing. ¡°Sorry, Nell, but you need to get below deck now,¡± Fenrir says to Nehalennia. ¡°Nell? Is that your nickname for me?¡± Nehalennia asks. ¡°Yeah, I figured that it¡¯s cuter and easier to say. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve said your actual name right once yet, plus it¡¯s not a name you chose in the first place.¡± ¡°Nell¡­ I like it! My name shall be Nell from now on. No more Nehalennia,¡± Nell says. ¡°Glad to hear it. Anyways, you need to go hide now,¡± Fenrir says. The tone of his voice makes it clear that he doesn¡¯t want her to have to hide, but she must. ¡°It is alright, my hero. I wish you the best of luck in the tournament.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be easy today, just some friendly fishing.¡± ¡°Regardless, I wish you luck!¡± Nell cheers before heading below deck. Everybody else is standing above deck. ¡°So, what¡¯s the opening ceremony like?¡± Fenrir asks Corwin. He and Oleander made it back only a few minutes ago, and they both look very messy. ¡°You will know soon,¡± Corwin answers. Serra holds onto Fenrir¡¯s hand and excitedly rocks back and forth on her heels. ¡°Excited?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah. Heard that Blackstache¡¯s ship will show up,¡± Serra answers. Fenrir looks out over the water. If Blackstache¡¯s legendary ship is going to arrive, Fenrir is excited. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s that guy,¡± Cassiel says, pointing to a ship several spots down from them. Fenrir looks over and sees Morven aboard The Yellow Minnow with the rest of his crew. Fenrir waves when Morven looks his way, and Morven waves back. Aside from them, Fenrir only knows that Jax and Jin will be with their crew somewhere in the tournament. He hasn¡¯t personally talked to anybody else whom will be participating. The city falls eerily silent as the water in the center of the harbor begins bubbling. ¡°It¡¯s starting,¡± Corwin says. Even he sounds excited. All members of The Soaring Wolves stand near the bow of the ship to get a better look. The intensity of the bubbling water gives it the appearance that it is boiling. Ripples are sent from the epicenter of the bubbles to the surrounding water. The ripples cause even The Shoebill to bob up and down as they pass by. The top of a mast appears within the bubbling water. Two more mast tops appear as what they can only assume is Blackstache¡¯s ship rises up from the depths of the harbor. They see its sails and netting next. From what they can see, the masts are already twice as tall as most would be, yet their bases have yet to be revealed. None of the rest of the ship can be seen yet. ¡°Holy ¨C how big is this thing?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Big,¡± Serra answers, her voice quick and excited. She¡¯s practically jumping up and down from how excited she is! Finally, the deck of the mighty ship can be seen. Fenrir is so impressed by the show that he¡¯s not even going to question how Blackstache and the rest of the crew are already onboard it! ¡°How are they already on there?¡± Cassiel asks. Fenrir and Serra both look at her with fingers in front of their lips. ¡°Sheesh, sorry,¡± Cassiel says with a huff. Going by the windows throughout the galleon-styled ship, there are at least four levels and each level has sixteen cannons per side on it aside from the top level which only has eight on each side. By Fenrir¡¯s quick mental math, that gives this behemoth of a ship a total of one hundred and twelve cannons! The only thing bigger than this ship that he has seen in-game is the harbor¡¯s tower, but even then, the masts are almost as tall as it is! The crewmembers of the mighty ship look like ants as they hurry about on it. Aside from its monstrous size, the ship¡¯s figurehead is a skull with a long and twirled mustache with a pair of owl-like wings sticking out from behind it. Blackstache¡¯s mustachioed skull symbol is also visible on the ship¡¯s sails and the flag at the top of the central mast, and on the side of the ship near its stern is painted letters that read ¡°The Black Owl.¡± ¡°He really likes owls,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Owls are pleasant creatures, so I cannot judge him for it,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Weak,¡± Bonekraka chimes in. ¡°I want it,¡± Serra says. ¡°Want what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°That ship.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve stolen bigger ships than that before in other games, but¡­ yeah, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s going to happen, but it would be awesome.¡± ¡°Get it for me for my birthday.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± A duo of owls fly over to the ship and perch themselves upon the shoulders of the man standing behind the ship¡¯s wheel. Blackstache is too far away, and too high up on The Black Owl, for Fenrir and company to see what he is doing. All they can make out is that he¡¯s touching the owls, and then the two owls fly up into the air and begin flying in a large circle around the city. ¡°Welcome to the openin¡¯ ceremony for tha fourth Grand Fishin¡¯ Tournament! We¡¯re joined this time ¡®round by tha Forest King of Valhalla, leader of the Northern Wardens, Ull!¡± Blackstache announces, his voice coming from the owls and being amplified by magic to be loud enough for everybody in the city to hear. Ull¡¯s flagship sails out to float next to Blackstache¡¯s. When side by side, even Ull¡¯s ship looks small. ¡°I really want it,¡± Serra says. Fenrir flicks the back of her head. She pouts and looks up at him. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he says. ¡°Now, ya all know I ain¡¯t the biggest fan o¡¯ grand speeches an¡¯ all that, so how about we just go over some of ¡®em basic rules before we get started!¡± Blackstaches resumes announcing. ¡°Over the next four days ¨C real days, mind ya, there¡¯ll be a three-part tourney where only one crew will win! I¡¯ll go over tha specifics for each part when tha time comes, but fer now, all ya need to know is that this day is all about comradery and fishin¡¯! Let¡¯s just enjoy a day out on tha water fishin¡¯ together without any violence before the real tournament starts up. So, no boardin¡¯, no killin¡¯, and no cheatin¡¯! Today¡¯s just for fishin¡¯ and nothin¡¯ but. All fish caught will be handed over to the city¡¯s best cooks for the tastiest seafood festival tonight and tomorrow that any o¡¯ ya ¡®ave ever seen!¡± The city¡¯s cheers are almost deafening! Fenrir thought that this was supposed to be a nice and relaxing day for fishing. Instead, now he feels pressured as only a few thousand players are supposed to catch enough fish for over a million players and NPCs. Now Fenrir knows why so many non-participants have gathered for a fishing tournament. ¡°Now then! You can go an¡¯ fish wherever ya want as long as you¡¯re back within the next eight hours, and attendants will be waitin¡¯ on the piers to take your catches from ya! Any crew that can¡¯t bring back at least ten times their amount of members won¡¯t be participating in the first round of tha tourney!¡± Ten times the amount of crew members? ¡°That¡¯s seventy fish, at least,¡± Fenrir tells the crew. ¡°We can do it,¡± Serra says. ¡°I hope so,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I am sure we will be fine, captain. We have four rods and eight hours,¡± Corwin joins in. ¡°That still sounds like a pretty far reach, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Now, let tha opening ceremony begin!¡± Blackstache shouts. All along the piers, hundreds of ships unfurl their masts, untie their ships, and set sail! ¡°Olly,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Got it!¡± Oleander runs back to the ship¡¯s wheel. ¡°We usin¡¯ the engine?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Nah, save it for the second round. Don¡¯t want to let anybody know what we¡¯re capable of yet,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Bone, mind keeping a lookout and trying to gather whatever information you can for now?¡± Bonekraka grunts and shrugs. ¡°Alright. Me, Corwin, Serra, and Cass Cass will be the fishers. Tabitha and Olly will be our backups. Everybody ready?¡± Fenrir asks them. They all cheer and get to their stations. "Wait, why am I the only one with my nickname getting used?" Cassiel asks. "Because you''re Cass Cass," Fenrir answers. She wants to question that, but ends up getting distracted from asking more when she sees Serra''s finger getting dangerously close to her side. Book 2: Chapter 14: Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony The Shoebill and her crew sail out from their spot at the docks and onto open waters. With hundreds of ships all being launched at once, Oleander has his work cut out for him in avoiding crashing into any other ships. Cassiel is the only one to really worry about his ability in steering the ship, but she learns why everybody else has such faith in him. Like a graceful dancer, The Shoebill glides along the water masterfully evading any potential collisions. Tabitha comes above deck to give the helmsman some praise. ¡°This might be some of the smoothest sailin¡¯ I¡¯ve ever seen in this game! I¡¯m used ta having to shout and groan about you drivin¡¯ folk bein¡¯ shit at your jobs, but this is nice. Can¡¯t wait to see how ya handle her with the engine at full power,¡± Tabitha says, giving Oleander a few smacks on his back. Each smack smashes him forward into the wheel. ¡°Tabs, what¡¯s your Strength score?¡± Oleander asks her with a pained voice. ¡°A rank. Why?¡± Oleander forgets that she¡¯s a veteran player from how she looks and behaves, but in reality, she¡¯s got a Strength higher than the vast majority of players. She¡¯s stronger than the rest of the crew combined in raw, physical strength. ¡°Just curious,¡± Oleander says as he straightens his back out. He regrets not fully disabling pain. Tabitha walks up to Fenrir near the bow of the ship. ¡°Oi, wolf boy,¡± she calls out to him. ¡°Green down there wants to know if she can come up once we¡¯re out away from other ships.¡± ¡°Green?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, ya know, green-ish hair and all ¡®at. Plus her name is in a pain in the arse ta say.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m calling her Nell now if you want to switch over to that.¡± ¡°Nelly! Got it. Anyways, can she come up in a bit?¡± ¡°Close enough, and sure. I¡¯ll go down there and bring her up when it¡¯s safe.¡± Tabitha heads back below deck where Nell and Bonekraka are. ¡°We can go ahead and start casting off the stern. Our lines shouldn¡¯t get messed up, and we can just let them drag behind The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir suggests. His fellow fishers agree with his plan, picking up their rods and equipment to head for the ship¡¯s stern. Fenrir looks at Rod. ¡°Ready, partner?¡± he asks it. Rod pulses once. ¡°Wait, why I haven¡¯t I asked this before¡­ are you a girl?¡± Two pulses. ¡°Are you a guy?¡± One pulse. Yeah. Fenrir should have expected that, and he knows that, but he was still hoping that a rod could potentially be a girl. ¡°Well, partner, let¡¯s go,¡± he picks up Rod and his tackle box. The four fishers have only a single bucket of live bait to use that was provided to them by the tournament¡¯s organizers for free. Everybody but Fenrir takes from it to bait their hooks. ¡°Why do you always use lures?¡± Corwin asks Fenrir. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t really get attached to live bait, and if you do then your attachment is going to be pretty short-lived. But, when you use lures, as long as you don¡¯t¡­ try lifting fish that are too heavy for your line, you keep them for a long time and can bond with them. I¡¯ve read stories of fishermen in reality before who would catch hundreds of fish over years with the same lures,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°You like sentimental stuff,¡± Serra says. ¡°Basically, yeah. Plus, it pays off. I mean, look at Rock. Rock saved me from Cass Cass back when she was still penetrating me from behind, and now Rod here is going to grow more powerful the stronger our bond grows.¡± Fenrir feels a death glare being directed at him. He looks to his side and sees Cassiel clutching her sword¡¯s handle. ¡°What if Cass Cass likes pegging?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir coughs from surprise at her question. For once, Cassiel is actually grabbing onto Serra and shaking her around. ¡°I do not like that!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°Sucks for you, Fenny,¡± Oleander chimes in from the wheel. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m happy she¡¯s not. I might be into some weird stuff, but uhh, I¡¯m fine with the only thing penetrating me being a spear in my back. Preferably not even that,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°And food, and drinks. I¡¯m fine with those things penetrating my mouth if that counts.¡± ¡°Depends on what you define as food and a drink,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°You know exactly what I mean and don¡¯t mean,¡± Fenrir replies. Everybody but Cassiel, whom is still shaking Serra, is laughing. The Shoebill reaches a calm, quiet spot away from the hundreds of other ships outside of the city¡¯s immediate surroundings. Serra and Corwin managed to catch a fish each from dragging their lines behind the ship, but the others have not been as lucky. All of their caught fish are going into large barrels half-filled with water. ¡°Sure do wish we still had an anchor to drop,¡± Oleander says loudly enough for Tabitha to hear from below the deck. ¡°Keep your pretty lil¡¯ antlers focused on steerin¡¯ the ship instead of droppin¡¯ anchors!¡± Tabitha shouts up at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to go grab Nell and let her know she can come hang out with us up here,¡± Fenrir tells the other three fishers before heading below deck. A minute later and he returns with Nell. ¡°I shall stand back and cheer for you all!¡± Nell declares. Serra gives her a thumbs-up and returns her attention to her fishing rod. She¡¯s got another bite. Fenrir is starting to get jealous of her luck. ¡°Alright, Rod, let¡¯s show them how it¡¯s done,¡± Fenrir tells his partner of a fishing rod before casting his line out. An hour passes by. Serra has caught five fish. Corwin has caught three. Cassiel has caught two. Fenrir has caught one and a half. The half is from when a larger fish decided to take a bite out of the fish on his line right before pulling it out of the water, thus leaving him with only the front half of the fish. Needless to say, Fenrir feels his ego getting deflated with every single fish that everybody else catches. ¡°It¡¯s the big hairy guys,¡± Serra says, pointing to a ship coming closer to theirs. Oleander instinctively turns his head to where these supposed large and hairy men are. Corwin does the same. Fenrir thought one of them would get jealous if the other was so excitedly looking in the direction of large, hairy men, but them having a shared interest in such men explains quite a lot. ¡°If it ain¡¯t the wolf captain!¡± Jax shouts from aboard The Weeping Tit. Fenrir also spots Jin aboard the ship in addition to five other large, hairy, and barely clothed men. None of them look younger than thirty. Fenrir wants to shout back with an ¡°if it ain¡¯t the,¡± but he has no idea what to call Jax other than his name. He could try calling him the half-naked, old man captain, but he doesn¡¯t know if that would go over too well. Instead of shouting back, Fenrir just waves. Another ship comes up from behind The Weeping Tit. It looks similar to The Shoebill both in style and size, but its hull is made out of a wood that looks familiar yet subtly different. Tabitha comes up from below deck just in time to catch a peek at it and whisper to Fenrir. ¡°Oi, that girl there is made out of steel oak,¡± Tabitha whispers. ¡°Steel oak? You mean that tree that¡¯s supposed to be really rare and as hard as steel, and they¡¯ve got a ship made out of it?¡± Fenrir asks. Tabitha nods and eyes the ship suspiciously. ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors about its crew. Buncha¡¯ young¡¯uns with grand ambitions and hungry eyes. They just care about power and fame. Be careful of ¡®em.¡± The Weeping Tit pulls up close to The Shoebill with the newest ship close by. ¡°Wolf! I reckon you¡¯d like these kids. They¡¯re a bunch of green faces just like you lot!¡± Jax shouts over to Fenrir. "Been showin'' them the ropes lately! Great time to meet up!" The man who Fenrir assumes is the other crew¡¯s captain steps up to the side of his ship and waves over to Fenrir. Fenrir can already tell that this new guy is somebody that he wouldn¡¯t normally get along with. He¡¯s the sort of guy who has a pretty face, a tall and thin figure, and blonde hair that reaches down and almost obstructs his eyes that Fenrir can see a familiar look in. Fenrir doesn¡¯t get along with guys like this because they¡¯re just like himself when it comes to how ambitious and manipulative they can be, but don¡¯t know how to nor when to turn all of that off to just relax and be normal. He looks between the other ship¡¯s captain and Corwin. They look similar, but Corwin has more of a modest and kind type whereas this new guy looks like the kind of guy who wants to try and steal everybody¡¯s girls. Fortunately, when he looks at Serra and Cassiel, they look just as uneasy as he feels when they look at the newest captain. Even Nell looks uncomfortable. ¡°Hey! I¡¯ve heard that we¡¯re the two newest crews in the tournament!¡± the blonde captain shouts. ¡°My name is Alexander! Captain Alexander de Caulier! Our crew is The Noble Tigers, and our beautiful vessel here is The Steel Tiger.¡± Yeah, this guy is definitely annoying. Fenrir can recognize that exact tone of voice and dump of expositional knowledge. Alexander is the type of man who wants his name and group known, and he has full confidence in his pride. Fenrir is surprised that Jax and them are comfortable with Alexander. He would¡¯ve thought that older and more experienced players would be able to pick up on the true personality of somebody like Alexander, but perhaps not. ¡°He seems friendly enough!¡± Corwin says. Oleander pokes Corwin in the back. ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± Oleander says. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Trust me. We¡¯ve got experience with people like him.¡± ¡°But how can you judge what a man is like from first sight?¡± ¡°I got you right, didn¡¯t I?¡± Oleander teases, running a finger up Corwin¡¯s back from its base to his neck. That sufficiently proves his point to Corwin. ¡°Fen,¡± Serra says, ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°Just play nice for now,¡± Fenrir says. Book 2: Chapter 15: Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony The Steel Tiger stops in the water directly next to The Shoebill. Fenrir sees it as a play at dominance as they park their ship directly over Fenrir''s crew''s lines were cast. Fenrir lets Nell fish for him with Rod while he talks to Alexander. He figures that as long as she stays robed and Bonekraka doesn¡¯t come up from below deck, which he sent Tabitha down to tell him, that there won¡¯t be any problems. He has a feeling that this Alexander guy wouldn¡¯t mind warning the tournament¡¯s officials about his ship having eight people onboard when only seven are registered. The four fishing move to the opposite side of the deck to give Fenrir and Alexander a bit of privacy, but they can still hear everything. ¡°So, you¡¯re new and have already got a ship made out of steel oak? That¡¯s pretty impressive,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You could tell? Yes, she¡¯s pretty great. Let¡¯s just say that we got very, very lucky acquiring her,¡± Alexander replies. The two men look each other directly in the eyes. They each know exactly what the other is like. ¡°Looks like you have quite the secret there. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d give me any hints as to what it is?¡± Alexander asks, looking over at the covered object near the front of The Shoebill. Nobody but Tabitha knows what it is still. ¡°Hah, unfortunately, that¡¯s a secret even to me,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°A captain that doesn¡¯t know what is on his own ship? That sounds¡­ odd, but if it is what you are fine with.¡± The two lock eyes again. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Fenrir says. Rock walks up next to Fenrir and sits down. ¡°Oh, that thing is pretty cute. Though, it looks made out of rock. I hope that you¡¯re careful with it. If it goes overboard then I fear it might sink straight down to the ocean floor!¡± Alexander says, barely putting any effort into making himself actually sound concerned. ¡°She is fine. She¡¯s a pretty smart girl, and she can handle some water,¡± Fenrir replies. Alexander smirks. ¡°If you say so, Mr. Wolf.¡± ¡°The name is Fenrir.¡± ¡°Fenrir, Mr. Wolf ¨C same thing, aren''t they? I wonder, did you previously work underneath that Ull guy? I would think so given your name. Or perhaps you simply thought that choosing such a common, clich¨¦d name would be original?¡± ¡°I just like the name. Never worked for that prick, and don¡¯t care much about being original.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, what is your little boat here called?¡± ¡°The Shoebill.¡± ¡°You named it after an extinct animal? That surely can¡¯t end well! However, if it''s the name you have chosen for your little boat, I have no right to complain. After all, tigers are on the verge of extinction as well. Well, there is a difference. Tigers are powerful predators fighting for their lives and refusing to go down without a fight. Shoebills just¡­ died out in captivity. They never got to properly spread their wings and fly, instead dying out in some small Asian country zoo.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know about what happened,¡± Fenrir replies. He wants to say something about how tigers aren¡¯t exactly faring better than shoebills were, but he¡¯d feel wrong using a borderline-extinct animal in a dick waving contest like this. Though, it¡¯s hardly a contest. Alexander is asserting himself while Fenrir just shrugs off whatever the other man has to say. Even so, Fenrir is losing it. He¡¯s finding himself incapable of completely ignoring every that this other man is subtly doing. He used to be able to, but now all of these words just make Fenrir want to punch him. Alexander smiles. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting man, Mr. Wolf. I was wondering what sort of captain you were.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to know that I¡¯m so special that you¡¯ve decided to take your time to personally get to know me,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I have met every single captain that will be participating in the event. You were the only one I had not yet met. I figured there would not be much point given that you are still, no offense, new to this whole sort of thing.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you were able to find some time to meet me. Anything else you wish to know about me?¡± ¡°Your bank credentials would be nice!¡± Alexander jokes, making himself laugh. Fenrir forces a pity laugh. ¡°Yeah, let me get you my login information after the tournament is over. I¡¯ll have to dig it up; it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It was just a joke. I don''t actually need your money, but I thank you for being so considerate as to seriously offer it.¡± Fenrir cringes. Alexander was at least pretending to be subtle at first, but not anymore. ¡°Silly me. Guess I misunderstood and took you seriously,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°My hero! I caught one, I caught one!¡± Nell happily announces, skipping over to Fenrir and holding the fish up to show him with a wide smile. ¡°I caught my first fish!¡± Fenrir grabs her by her shoulder and turns her around, but he knows that Alexander has already seen her face. He would have to be blind to not have seen it. ¡°Bringing complete newcomers with you? Makes sense, given that you are a new crew,¡± Alexander says. ¡°Anyways, we must be off. We¡¯d rather not be knocked out of the tournament before it even begins. I hope to see you in the next tournament, Mr. Wolf.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see you tomorrow in the next round,¡± Fenrir shouts over at Alexander as their ship pulls away. Alexander flashes a smile back at Fenrir before returning his attention to his crew. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± Nell asks. ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t have let that asshole see your face,¡± Fenrir honestly says. ¡°I am sorry, I was just so excited and wished to show you my first¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s great that you caught your first fish,¡± he says, trying to sound excited for her. ¡°You mustn¡¯t force yourself, my hero.¡± The rest of the crew is looking over at him as well now. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just losing my touch.¡± The Weeping Tit pulls up next to The Shoebill now. ¡°Hey, Captain Wolf! I heard some of ¡®at. Don¡¯t mind ¡®im. He¡¯s just a young lad like yourself who feels like he¡¯s got to prove himself to everybody. That¡¯s why I figured you two would get along ¨C you¡¯d make great rivals to motivate each other!¡± Jax explains. Fenrir wants to complain, but he believes that Jax only meant well by introducing them. ¡°It¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ve known guys like him before, so I¡¯m used to that sort of attitude. He¡¯ll definitely make a good rival.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it! Now, we¡¯re off to catch the rest of our fish. Good luck with yours!¡± The Weeping Tit sails off. The Shoebill is alone on the water once more. Nell hands Rod back over to Fenrir. ¡°Thanks,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m going to go fish over by the front.¡± He walks over to the helm of the ship. Nell starts following after him, but Serra grabs her arm. ¡°Let him be alone,¡± Serra says. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure? He seems¡­ like something is wrong,¡± Nell says, looking over at him with concerned eyes as he casts his line. ¡°Yeah, guys need space sometimes,¡± Serra says. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Oleander joins in. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him like this before. He just needs some alone time to do his own thing. He¡¯ll act like nothing is wrong later once he¡¯s calmed down, and then you¡¯ve just got to play along with him.¡± ¡°Are you sure? That does not seem very healthy,¡± Nell says. ¡°Trust us, I¡¯ve known him for almost a decade now, and Serra here is his girlfriend.¡± Cassiel is looking over at Fenrir as well. She knows that he needs some space, but she wants nothing more than to go over there to try and comfort him. ¡°He¡¯ll be okay,¡± Serra says to Cassiel. They can all tell that Cassiel is struggling by how she''s constantly switching between turning toward him to walk over there, returning to fishing, and then turning again. ¡°I know, but still,¡± Cassiel replies. ¡°We need to focus on fishing. Need a lot more fish.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s catch some more fish.¡± The girls return to fishing. Oleander and Nell switch between watching the three fishing together and checking up on Fenrir. Meanwhile, a determined beast of a man occupies The Shoebill''s bow. Fenrir reels in his second fish, taking his total up to two and a half. Then he reels in another one, and another one, and another one. Every single fish that he reels in is tossed into a barrel so that he can cast his line again as soon as possible. He pours every last ounce of his determination into catching fish right now. There is no way that The Soaring Wolves won¡¯t make it into the first stage of the tournament. If he has to catch all seventy fish by himself, he will. His barrel has twenty fish in it after another two hours. Five hours into the opening ceremony, he has secured over fifty fish in his barrel. They already have more than enough fish in total required to secure their position in the tournament¡¯s first stage, but he refuses to stop. ¡°This is bad,¡± Oleander tells the girls and Corwin. ¡°How so?¡± Nell asks. ¡°It''s worse than I thought. He¡¯s in one of his moods. He¡¯ll act like everything is fine, but he¡¯s not going to feel better until he ruins that guy. He can¡¯t stand those kinds of guys the most. I bet he doesn¡¯t even care about Ull right now.¡± ¡°He is very competitive, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°None of you have seen him get serious yet. Looks like you might.¡± Book 2: Chapter 16: Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony Fenrir and The Shoebill head back to the city¡¯s docks with only one hour left before the deadline. Nell caught one fish. Cassiel caught eleven fish. Corwin caught seventeen fish. Serra caught twenty-nine and three-fourths fish. Fenrir has caught eighty-two and one-half fish. There was one point where a convenient school of fish came near where he was casting his line at, so he was able to cast his line, reel in a fish, and cast it out to immediately reel in another fish. Even if none of the others had caught a fish, Fenrir has secured enough of them to guarantee their position in the tournament¡¯s next stage. The fact that Alexander was able to successfully get underneath Fenrir¡¯s skin just pisses him off even more. Alexander would normally just be some other asshole who Fenrir wants to kill and ruin the reputation of, but now Alexander has gotten under his skin. His dislike for Alexander, as biased as it may be, is far stronger than his dislike for Ull now. Fenrir goes below deck while The Shoebill coasts into the city¡¯s waters. ¡°Tabs. You knew about those guys. Tell me everything else you know,¡± Fenrir orders. Bonekraka notices Fenrir¡¯s mood and smiles. This sort of mood is what brings them together. ¡°Oi. One, don¡¯t just order me around like that. Two, repeat number one. Got it, wolf boy?¡± Tabitha asks. Her attitude brings Fenrir just enough out of his mood to realize that he¡¯s being rude. ¡°¡­sorry, I¡¯m just in a bad mood,¡± he apologizes. ¡°Yeah, Now then, I don¡¯t know much about ¡®em other than what I¡¯ve already told ya. They¡¯ve got a ship that should be far outside their league, and despite bein¡¯ pretty new players ¨C probably no older than you are, they¡¯ve got some powerful items and skills already.¡± ¡°Twinks?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Could be. That¡¯s¡­ actually a pretty darn good theory you¡¯ve got there. Never really thought of twinkin¡¯ in this game, but it¡¯s possible if yer smart about it.¡± ¡°They¡¯re either twinks or somebody is supplying them and acting behind the scenes. Those are the only two options. Leveling up their skills would be easy as well if they¡¯ve started off with overpowered items and never needed to worry about that.¡± ¡°What are twinks?¡± Nell asks, peeking down the stairs. ¡°Players who basically start new characters and make them OP by giving them special items that they shouldn¡¯t be able to have yet. Like, imagine a level one character in some RPG instantly getting access to a level fifty sword. They¡¯d be able to kill everything instantly to quickly gain experience and stats. Could also explain their ship. If they already had the ship before, all they had to do was hide it away where nobody would accidentally find it, kill themselves on the ship without respawning there, and then start new characters. Then all they¡¯d have to do is go over to the ship, loot their dead bodies, and sail off with brand new faces and reputations.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that¡¯d work, actually. I doubt the virtual assistants would let ¡®em keep knowledge o¡¯ wherever they parked their ship,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°It¡¯s possible as long as they¡¯re smart. All they¡¯d have to do is only kill one or two of themselves at a time. Whoever is left alive can guard the ship and give their friends out-of-game knowledge about the ship¡¯s general location, and then they can meet up that way. When I first died, Serra was able to give me a general location of where she¡¯d be, but I just couldn¡¯t remember where exactly it was. A general location is all you really need, though.¡± ¡°Yer right, that¡¯d work. Well, this complicates things. I¡¯m guessin¡¯ they want to try and sweep the tourney while being known as a bunch o¡¯ noobs. I know there¡¯s tons of bettin¡¯ on ¡®em. They¡¯re the underdog story of the tournament.¡± ¡°Then we put them in their place,¡± Bonekraka says, smashing his fists together. Fenrir looks up at Bonekraka and smiles. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re going to do,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And how exactly do ya plan on takin¡¯ down a ship made out of steel oak? We¡¯ve got a few cannons here, but even if I modify ¡®em before the tourney, they ain¡¯t gonna be strong enough to penetrate its hull. They¡¯d basically just bounce off! Boardin¡¯ is out of the question as well given that they¡¯d make quick work of us,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°Is steel oak flammable?¡± Fenrir asks. A light bulb goes off in Tabitha¡¯s head. ¡°It is,¡± she confirms. ¡°Think you could make some carcass shots?¡± Bonekraka starts giggling at the question as he awaits Tabitha¡¯s answers. ¡°It¡¯s scary when the big guy there giggles. But yeah, I can make ¡®em. Might get us a really bad rep usin¡¯ that, though,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°This might surprise ya, but nobody in the main factions encourages usage of stuff like that. It¡¯s basically chemical warfare. Anybody who does use stuff like this is usually hunted down by goody-two-shoes.¡± ¡°Chemical warfare? Carcass shots?¡± Nell asks. Serra is standing next to her now with an excited smile. ¡°Imagine cannon balls that basically smash open when they hit something and sets fire to everything around it while the fumes basically poison anybody near them,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Told you that he¡¯s getting serious,¡± Oleander pokes his head down now. ¡°That ¨C that sounds scary, but at the same time, so evil in the right kind of way!¡± Nell exclaims. Everybody seems excited by this idea aside from Cassiel and Corwin whom can hardly believe what they¡¯re hearing. ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re here now,¡± Oleander tells them. ¡°Alright. Nell, can you stay down here for now?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°If it is what is required of me, then I shall do so, my hero,¡± Nell answers. ¡°Thanks. Alright, the rest of us, let¡¯s get up there and turn in our fish.¡± Fenrir and the crew lift their barrels of fish onto the pier where one of the tournament¡¯s workers is waiting. She is a dark elf with long, pointed ears, glasses, and a tight business suit that struggles to hide what¡¯s underneath it. ¡°How many fish did you catch?¡± she asks. ¡°Enough. Count them yourself,¡± Fenrir answers. Serra and Cassiel look at each other when they hear how he talks to her. He was giggling and happy just a few moments ago, but now he¡¯s back to being¡­ different. ¡°Excuse me?¡± the dark elf asks, pushing her glasses up and looking ready to disqualify them just for his attitude. ¡°Look. There are seven of us. That means we only needed to catch seventy fish. I promise you that there is more than that in these barrels. Stick your hand in and try feeling for anything that isn¡¯t a fish if you think we¡¯re trying to trick you,¡± Fenrir says. The dark elf looks into each of the barrels and huffs. ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste my time counting when there¡¯s obviously enough here¡­ fine, The Shoebill may proceed to the first round of the tournament. Work on that attitude,¡± she orders him. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Fen,¡± Cassiel speaks up, ¡°can we talk to you?¡± she asks. Fenrir looks at them confused. ¡°We¡¯ll handle the fish,¡± Oleander says, beckoning Bonekraka, Corwin, and Tabitha over to the barrels so that they can carry them over to the waiting chefs. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel grabs him by his wrist and leads him away. The only private place that she can find right now is an empty alleyway, so that is where she stops with Fenrir and Serra. ¡°I know you¡¯re upset from that asshole, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to be an asshole to others for no reason,¡± Cassiel scolds Fenrir. ¡°He¡¯s just some punk. Are you really going to let him get under your skin? Don¡¯t be so immature.¡± Serra naturally wants to take Fenrir¡¯s side, but she stands by Cassiel and nods. ¡°I¡¯m not being imm¡ª¡± Cassiel cuts him off, ¡°Then what was that back there with the girl? She was just doing her job, and you were being an ass to her. That kind of shit really pisses me off. I have to deal with customers like that all the time. You think she wants to deal with that in a game?¡± Fenrir¡¯s instinct is to defend himself. This isn¡¯t the first time that somebody has called him out on his behavior, but he would always make excuses for himself to justify whatever he was doing wrong. He realized this before which is part of why he wanted to leave behind the old Divine Brigade. Yet, here he is, now about to do the same. He looks Cassiel in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. I just¡ª¡± he bites his tongue. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to make an excuse. I was being an asshole to somebody who didn¡¯t deserve it. Do you mind if I leave to go and apologize to her?¡± ¡°Thank you, you dog bastard. Being able to admit when you screw up is part of what makes me love you,¡± Cassiel says. For once, she¡¯s the one confidently stating her love while Fenrir looks away blushing. ¡°Go apologize to her, and make it a good one. Apologize on behalf of every other asshole she has to deal with while you¡¯re at it,¡± Cassiel orders him. ¡°As you wish, my princess,¡± Fenrir answers and looks at her. That makes her blush. ¡°Let¡¯s meet back up at the ship,¡± he says before running off in search of the dark elf. Fortunately, she¡¯s not hard to find. She¡¯s still on the pier waiting for the next ship to arrive. ¡°Hey!¡± Fenrir shouts out to her. ¡°What is it?¡± she asks with a sigh. Looking at her now that he¡¯s calmed down and is aware of how he was behaving, he can see how she already looks ready to be disappointed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he says, even busting out the bow that his father taught him. ¡°I was being rude to you when you were just doing your job. You didn¡¯t deserve that, and despite me mistreating you, you didn¡¯t punish us and still let us move onto the first round. Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry.¡± He looks up to see her reaction. Part of him expects her to just look annoyed, but instead, he sees her wipe away a tear with one of her gloved hands. ¡°D-did I say something wrong?¡± he asks. ¡°No! Not at all. It¡¯s just¡­ listen, I get treated like shit all the time at work and when I¡¯m working jobs like this, and you¡¯re the first person in ¨C gods, I can¡¯t remember the last time, but you¡¯re the first person to apologize to me in a long time. It means a lot, so thank you,¡± she explains. ¡°Sorry. I always hate when I see people act like how I was, and I always judge them for it. I was in a bad mood and let that overcome me, but that¡¯s not an excuse to treat somebody like shit. So, for myself and behalf on all the other assholes, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologizes again. ¡°Thank you, captain of The Shoebill. It truly means a lot to me that you¡¯ve come to apologize to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass the thanks on to the girls I was with. They¡¯re the ones who called me out on my bullshit and made me realize how I was acting. It¡¯s embarrassing to be called out like that¡­ but I needed it.¡± ¡°You know what they say: friends who call you out on your shit are the good ones. Bad friends would just let you keep acting that way. I¡¯m happy that you have some good friends.¡± ¡°Yeah, so am¡ª¡± Something catches Fenrir¡¯s attention in the corner of his eye. Roughly thirty of Ull¡¯s men are on the pier that The Shoebill is docked at. Fenrir¡¯s stomach sinks. One of the men walks off of The Shoebill with Nell being dragged by a chain that has been hooked to her collar. Book 2: Chapter 17: Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony There is nothing more that Fenrir wants right now than to charge over to Nell, somehow break through thirty of Ull¡¯s armed and experienced guards, and free Nell from the man that is dragging her back into captivity. But he knows that is impossible. This may be a game, but it isn¡¯t the kind where a hero can just recklessly charge through a crowd of enemies and somehow survive. Each and every one of those guards is likely stronger than him, and there¡¯s also the fact that they¡¯re all heavily armored and armed. Fenrir has nothing but some boots, pants, and a shirt on. ¡°That¡¯s that missing girl¡­ she was on your ship?¡± the dark elf asks. She looks at Fenrir and sees clenched fists and gritted teeth. His tail is raised still behind his form. Fenrir catches Cassiel and Serra in the corner of his vision. Cassiel is keeping Serra held back behind some crates further up on the docks, hiding themselves from the guards¡¯ eyes. Bonekraka, Corwin, Oleander, and Tabitha are tied by their wrists and ankles, sitting on the ground next to each other, surrounded by some of the city¡¯s own guards at the front of the pier. At least everybody is¡­ everybody ¨C where¡¯s¡ª ¡°I told you to stay down!¡± the man dragging Nell shouts before using his free leg to try and kick the rocky hound latching onto his other leg off. It hurts the man more than it hurts Rock, but another one of the guards comes up with a heavy hammer and swings it into Rock¡¯s side. Chips of Rock¡¯s body get shattered off from the side of her body as she¡¯s sent skidding back across the wooden pier, almost falling into the water, but digging her claws into the pier to stop herself from falling off. ¡°That poor thing¡­ but why was that girl on your ship?¡± the dark elf asks, looking at Fenrir. He isn¡¯t there. She looks back to where the guards are gathered just in time to catch Fenrir trying to push his way through them. ¡°Let me through!¡± he shouts, his voice full of rage as he desperately tries clawing his way through the men. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking tou¡ª¡± An armored fist slams into Fenrir¡¯s chest. He can hear something crack as the air gets knocked out of him. But he refuses to let this stop him. Fenrir glares at his attacker and snarls. His snarl is just as guttural as that of a feral wolf¡¯s, and it is accompanied by furrowed brows and hate-fueled eyes in addition to bared fangs ready to sink into the guard¡¯s flesh. Even though the guard knows he¡¯s most likely stronger, he still takes a step back from Fenrir¡¯s intimidation. But he doesn¡¯t step back far enough. Fenrir breaks free from the men who just grabbed onto him and swipes his right hand at the guard¡¯s face! Sharpened claws protruding from the tips of Fenrir¡¯s fingers shred the guard¡¯s face. Fenrir can¡¯t see just the result of his attack that well, but anybody with traumatic content enabled can. Fenrir knows that there is no way he can win this, or even hope of accomplishing anything, without fully giving into his feral instincts. The wolf rampages through the guards on the pier. Rock looks ready to join him when he catches a glimpse of her through the many guards, but the look in his eyes demands that she stays back. She doesn¡¯t want to, and she whines to show it, but she obeys by limping back onto The Shoebill. ¡°The fuck is your problem?!¡± one of the guards shouts at Fenrir. Fenrir turns his attention to the man shouting and is about to lunge at him when he feels something embed itself into his back. He turns his head just enough to see a steel axe head sticking into his back. He falls to his knees when it¡¯s pulled out. Even with only fifty percent of pain enabled, he wants to double over in pain. This is the worst pain he has felt in-game thus far. Feeling it completely pulls him out of his feral rampage. His vision is almost entirely black now. He looks down at his hands. They¡¯re covered in blood, and all he sees are regular fingers when he could have sworn he had claws just a moment ago. Looking over the rest of himself, he can see several places where he was slashed and stabbed going by the fact that blood is running out of him in those places. Three of the nearby guards he can see have been mutilated either at their faces or necks. Fenrir spits out whatever he can feel between his teeth. Looking down at it, he sees that it¡¯s an elongated ear. He can¡¯t even remember being this injured nor attacking any guards other than the first one whose face he clawed. ¡°A woman¡¯s beard, a mountain¡¯s roots ¨C Gleipnir, bind the fen-dweller once more,¡± a man says from behind Fenrir. The moment the incantation is over, Fenrir feels something thin yet impossibly strong tie around his wrists and ankles. His first instinct is to try and break free from the binds. He can¡¯t even begin to pull them apart. ¡°Two verses? This prick isn¡¯t even worth one. Why don¡¯t we just kill him?¡± another guard asks. ¡°Because I would rather meet the one to steal away my prize,¡± Ull says, walking through the crowd that makes space for him. Fenrir turns around and sees Ull standing above him. ¡°Oh, I figured you would try something the moment I saw you. Hunters and wolves just don¡¯t tend to get along very well,¡± Ull says, staring down into Fenrir¡¯s eyes. ¡°What sort of hunter goes after innocent girls?¡± Fenrir asks and then spits out blood onto the pier. Ull snaps his fingers. ¡°You, heal him,¡± he orders a guard. The guard immediately heals Fenrir. Fenrir¡¯s vision returns to normal, and he can¡¯t feel any more pain, but the binds around his wrists and ankles are still impossible for him to break. ¡°They used Gleipnir on you? How fitting. You¡¯re already a wolf. Now you just need the name Fenrir,¡± Ull teases. ¡°I hope you believe in crazy coincidences then,¡± Fenrir answers. A huge grin spreads across Ull¡¯s lips. ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me ¨C don¡¯t tell me you actually go by Fenrir. Do you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been good at coming up with original names,¡± Fenrir answers. He knows that he can¡¯t fight his way out of this, and nobody is going to be able to come and save him, so his only option right now is discourse. ¡°Perfect!¡± Ull breaks out laughing. ¡°Just perfect! Fenrir has once again been bound by Gleipnir. This couldn¡¯t be a more perfect use of it. For your sake, I hope that Ragnar?k happens soon lest you wish to stay bound.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try sticking a hand in my mouth?¡± Fenrir asks. Ull laughs even more. ¡°You ¨C I like you, Fenrir. You are far more amusing than most whom have tried causing me trouble in this world. How does being one of my guard dogs sound? Fenris¨²lfr back home could use a brother.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to turn that down. I¡¯ve still got some business with Odin before I consider retiring. Plus, I¡¯ve got a fishing tournament still.¡± ¡°Like hell ya do,¡± Blackstache says, now standing next to Ull. ¡°Ya think some mangy mutt causin¡¯ trouble for my city and a foreign guest is goin¡¯ ta be allowed in tha tourney? Ya see here, wolfy boy, we may be pirates but we follow tha rules. Ya break the rules, yer ship gets scuttled and yer crew gets strung up.¡± Fenrir previously just thought Blackstache was like a fun uncle, but now that he¡¯s being serious, Fenrir can tell why everybody follows his rules. Any air of lightheartedness from before is gone now as the mustached pirate lord scolds him. ¡°My dear friend, don¡¯t worry about his transgressions. This is my fault. You see, my toy here,¡± Ull beckons one of the guards forward to bring Nell up to them, ¡°has a habit of escaping and causing trouble. Surely you have heard of the Western Serpent¡¯s ability to seduce weaker minds, and this monster," he looks at Nell, "is a girl whom has been blessed with such ability. Apparently, I needed to assign a guard with higher Fortitude to her. I keep on assigning guards with higher and higher Fortitude, yet she continues seducing each and every one.¡± ¡°So yer tellin¡¯ me that this mutt wasn¡¯t actin¡¯ o¡¯ his own will?¡± Blackstache asks. ¡°Indeed. Beasts are not known for being very intelligent creatures, after all. It is no surprise that she was able to seduce him.¡± Nell refuses to make eye contact with any of them. Fenrir grits his teeth. He doesn¡¯t know if Nell truly has an ability to seduce weaker minds or anything like that, but he has faith in her that she didn¡¯t use such a thing on him even if she could have. Even if she did, it doesn¡¯t matter. He promised her that he wouldn¡¯t let her get taken away again. ¡°If him an'' his crew were just bein¡¯ controlled by her, then I¡¯ll let ¡®em ¨C oi!¡± Blackstache stops talking when he sees Fenrir desperately biting at the silk-thin binding. Fenrir''s teeth feel like they are going to break before the binding does. ¡°Let him try if he so wishes. He will not be able to break through Gleipnir,¡± Ull reassures Blackstache. Fenrir only stops biting at it when he hears Nell speak to him. ¡°My hero, I told you that freedom is impossible for me. I know you made a promise, but please, do not worry about it. I knew this would happen no matter how much I wished for it to not,¡± Nell says. She sounds calm and relaxed, but when Fenrir looks up at her, he sees eyes holding back tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being able to keep my promise.¡± Nell is allowed to walk up to Fenrir and drop to her knees so that she can wrap her arms around his head, cradling him against her chest. ¡°You tried your hardest, and that is all that matters.¡± She leans her head down to place a kiss on the top of his head but is interrupted when Ull grabs her by her hair and lifts her up off the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Nehalennia,¡± Ull orders. Fenrir glares up at Ull. The condescending, taunting look in Ull¡¯s eyes makes it apparent that he doesn¡¯t truly believe Fenrir was being controlled. Ull is covering for Fenrir, but why? ¡°I look forward to seeing you participate in the tournament, Fenrir,¡± Ull says, dropping Nell down to instead lead her by her new metallic leash as he walks away. ¡°Yer lucky he wants ta see ya in the tourney,¡± Blackstache says before following after Ull. His words make Fenrir think that he knew it was just a cover story. The guards are the last to leave. After they are a good distance away, the bindings around Fenrir and the four tied up near the front of the pier disappear. He would have thought marks would have been left from how tight and powerful the bindings were, but there is no evidence that the bindings were ever there. Cassiel and Serra are running up to check on Fenrir now. Fenrir struggles standing up at first, but once he¡¯s up, he goes to look for Rock. Book 2: Chapter 18: Patch 3.0: Opening Ceremony Rock is lying next to The Shoebill¡¯s mast when Fenrir finds her. Her breathing is labored, and the deck shows signs of fighting as chips of her body are spread out across it. Kneeling down next to her, Fenrir runs a single hand across her side as he looks her body over. It is only now that he realizes that her back-left paw has been completely broken off from her leg. The sight may not be gory as she is just made out of rock, but it¡¯s still enough to fill Fenrir with a rage that makes him want to track down the guards who did this to her. Aside from that, her body is chipped and cracked in several spots, and the top half of her left ear has been broken off as well. She took a heavy beating before he got over here. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m sorry, Rock. I was just so focused on apologizing to that girl,¡± Fenrir apologizes to Rock, letting the back of his hand stroke the side of her head. ¡°I should have seen what was going on sooner. Maybe none of this would¡¯ve happened. You wouldn¡¯t have been hurt, and Nell wouldn¡¯t have been found.¡± Rock turns her head just enough to lick his hand. Fenrir smiles and gently traces his fingers across her halved ear. ¡°Does it hurt here?¡± he asks. Rock barks. He assumes that she¡¯d be wincing or whining if it hurt. ¡°Fen,¡± Serra says as she and Cassiel reach him. Cassiel gets down on her knees and places her hands on Rock right away. Fenrir can see light, mystical energy flowing into Rock from Cassiel¡¯s hands. ¡°Restoring her body is going to take some time, but I can get her back up to full Health,¡± she explains. Serra hugs Fenrir¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t do anything. Are you okay?¡± she asks. ¡°It¡¯s alright, there wasn¡¯t anything you could have done. We got beat,¡± Fenrir answers, clenching his fists again. Serra moves her hands down to his own, gently wrapping hers around his. ¡°I promised her that I wouldn¡¯t let them take her,¡± he says. ¡°We¡¯ll get her back,¡± Serra replies. ¡°And how are we supposed to do that? We¡¯re not going to start a war because I refuse to put NPCs at risk, that bastard from earlier is probably going to target us doing the tournament, and we¡¯re seven against thousands ¨C that¡¯s just counting Ull and all of his soldiers. If we get on Blackstache¡¯s bad side, then it¡¯s us against all of Ull¡¯s forces and this entire city.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I believe in you.¡± Serra¡¯s words are part comforting, part stressful ¨C mostly stressful. He lost Nell, Rock got severely injured, and the only reason they¡¯re all alive right now is because Ull spared them. Blackstache was ready to sink The Shoebill and hang its crew, so the only reason they are alive right now is because Ull thinks that Fenrir is fun and that just angers Fenrir even more. ¡°We don¡¯t even have any resources. Every other game, we¡¯d always at least have a good stockpile before getting involved in this sort of stuff. All we have is¡ª¡± Serra cuts him off, ¡°Each other.¡± Fenrir looks at her. She surprises him with a kiss the moment he¡¯s facing her. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got each other.¡± ¡°And The Shoebill!¡± Tabitha reminds them, coming aboard the ship with everybody else. Fenrir even catches Rod pulse a single time over near the ship¡¯s bow. Even with this crew, The Shoebill, and Rod, Fenrir has no idea what he is supposed to do. Every single plan that pops into his head is immediately shot down. ¡°Excuse me,¡± a familiar voice says from the pier. Fenrir looks up and sees the dark elf from before. ¡°I ¨C I couldn¡¯t help but see and overhear everything that has happened. That girl who was taken, you were trying to help her, weren¡¯t you?¡± she asks. ¡°Yeah. Tried,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°And you refuse to put NPC¡¯s lives at risk?¡± Fenrir nods. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know this may not be the most appropriate time for these questions, but may I ask why?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re living and breathing here just like the rest of us are.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the dark elf says, her tone softer now as she smiles. ¡°Thank you again for apologizing earlier, captain of The Shoebill.¡± ¡°Why are you asking these questions?¡± he asks. The rest of the crew is looking at the dark elf as well now. She holds a single finger in front of her lips and winks before walking off. ¡°She is an odd one when you are not putting her in a bad mood,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir watches the dark elf walk down the pier. Something about her is suspicious, but he has no idea what. ¡°Yeah, she is,¡± he responds. ¡°Are you feeling better, Rock?¡± Cassiel asks. Rock struggles to get up without one of her paws, but with Fenrir¡¯s helping hands, she gets up onto the three paws she has left and happily barks. ¡°You¡¯re not in pain or anything, right?¡± Fenrir asks. She barks again. ¡°What about you?¡± Cassiel asks, looking at Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m fine. That prick made one of his bastards heal me,¡± he answers, looking down at his clothes. He definitely doesn¡¯t look fine given that his shirt has been torn up from various blades and is stained with his blood, but there are only scars left where he was once wounded. ¡°It was awesome when you bit that guy¡¯s ear off,¡± Serra says. Everybody looks at Fenrir now. ¡°A-ah, aha, I uhh, don¡¯t even remember doing that,¡± he explains. ¡°Seriously? How do you not remember biting a guy¡¯s ear off?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°It was cool,¡± Serra reiterates. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so into ear play,¡± Oleander chimes in. Oleander¡¯s usual sexual humor is enough to bring a smile to Fenrir¡¯s lips. No matter how much everything may suck right now, no matter how much he wants to rescue Nell, get revenge for Rock, and see both Ull and that annoying Alexander sink to the bottom of the ocean, The Soaring Wolves still have each other. That is enough reason to smile. Fenrir looks down at Rock and pets her some more. ¡°Thanks, everybody,¡± he says. ¡°We just need to take this one step at a time. We don¡¯t have enough time to come up with a plan, so let¡¯s just enjoy the tournament for now. This is just a game, and you told us that Nell said Ull never touches her, so it¡¯s alright if the princess is a damsel in distress for a few more days,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, but we¡¯re definitely going to get revenge still,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Well, duh.¡± ¡°Sink blondie, save Nell Nell, avenge Rock, steal Blackstache¡¯s ship, sail away,¡± Serra says. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that second-to-last one,¡± Fenrir says, patting Serra on the head when he sees her pout. ¡°I¡¯m going to go gather some rocks for Rock.¡± Serra and Cassiel say that they¡¯ll go with him, and Oleander and Corwin decide to help out by gathering rocks elsewhere. ¡°I stay with ship,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got some last minute finetunin¡¯ to do, and I¡¯ve got to make sure those long-eared, wannabe Viking kiddies didn¡¯t do nothin¡¯ to my baby here,¡± Tabitha says. With that, the crew splits up. Serra and Cassiel pick up on just how fluctuating Fenrir¡¯s mood is. When they are talking to him and trying to make him feel better, it works, but he returns to looking miserable less than a minute whenever they stop. They return to The Shoebill after an hour of gathering rocks. While Fenrir may clearly still be borderline depressed, Rock looks to be in absolute heaven when Fenrir¡¯s group and the other two lovers make one giant pile of rocks on the deck for her. Rock stumbles a few times as she excitedly hops around on her legs, seemingly forgetting that she¡¯s missing one of her paws. It is both an incredibly sad yet adorable sight. Though, knowing that she isn¡¯t in any pain is the only thing that prevents it from being just sad. The rocky pup wastes no time digging in and stuffing her mouth full of rocks. Her own rocky teeth somehow crunch into and break down any rocks that she takes into her mouth. Any small fragments that fall from her mouth are licked up before moving onto the next rock. ¡°Is that enough, girl?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock gives a happy bark and moves onto the next rock. ¡°Good. I think I¡¯m going to wake for now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Ehh? You sure? There¡¯s that seafood festival,¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yeah, just not really feeling like being in-game. Think I might go watch some TV and get some chores done so that I don¡¯t have to worry about any of that during the tournament.¡± He turns to look at his girlfriends. ¡°I want you two to go and get lots of great food, alright?¡± Cassiel looks ready to refuse, but Serra grabs her hand and nods. ¡°We¡¯ll have fun,¡± Serra says. ¡°Take some screenshots and send them to me later.¡± Serra nods and gives a thumbs-up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow. Let¡¯s kick ass in the tournament.¡± Fenrir turns to leave but gets stopped by a certain somebody. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something,¡± Cassiel says, looking to the side with flushed cheeks. Fenrir kisses Cassiel and then Serra before heading below deck. ¡°Ya leavin¡¯ already, cap¡¯n?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Yeah, I need to go relax. Make sure that The Shoebill and your inventions are ready for tomorrow. We have no idea what¡¯s going to happen,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Please make sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it, and don¡¯t worry about orderin¡¯ me around. Just didn¡¯t like the tone ya used earlier.¡± ¡°Got it. Night, Tabs.¡± ¡°Oi, it¡¯s like the middle of the day.¡± Fenrir shrugs, gets into his hammock, and wakes. No words are said to his ceiling fan this time around. Instead, Ryouta slips off his headset, rolls over, and stares at his wall. ¡°Damn it,¡± he says. ¡°First that Alexander asshole, then Nell gets taken. What am I supposed to do? Isn¡¯t there any plan I can come up with? No, there¡¯s not even a point thinking about any of this outside of the game. I won¡¯t remember any of it anyways.¡± He rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m a failure. What kind of man breaks his promise to an innocent girl?¡± He rolls back onto his side to stare at the wall, this time hugging one of his pillows against his chest. Most of the rest of the day is spent like this. He does get up to clean up for a few minutes so that he technically wouldn¡¯t be lying about doing chores, but other than that, he spends the day either lifelessly watching television or being miserable in bed. Lying in bed once more, he looks down at his hands. He could have sworn that his fingers had claws when he attacked the guards. Yet, by the time his short-lived rampage was over, his fingers just looked like regular fingers. His mind once more returns to how sad Nell looked when she was being taken away. ¡°Damn it!¡± Book 2: Chapter 19: Patch 4.0: The First Round ¡°You¡¯re different now,¡± Ull says as he brings Nell into the room serving as a temporary bedroom for her. ¡°Am I?¡± Nell asks, refusing to look at him. ¡°You seem disappointed that you are back here. You knew I was going to find you, surely.¡± Nell does not give him a response. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you actually believed he was going to be able to help you, did you?¡± She starts to form fists but stops. ¡°You belong to me, my precious Nehalennia. He would have just used you or sold you off like everybody else wanted to. Are you forgetting that I am the only one who truly wants to keep you?¡± ¡°That does not stop you from wanting to use me just as they all have,¡± Nell answers. ¡°Of course I want to use you. You are mine. It is only normal for somebody to use that which belongs to them, isn¡¯t it? Even so, I care for you and wish to take care of you.¡± ¡°I would rather be uncared for than have the perverse care of somebody like you.¡± Ull grabs her by her hair once more, lifting her up off the ground and pushing her against the wall. ¡°I do not like defiant pets. You would be smart to destroy any lingering hope inside of that childish mind of yours. You are mine, and unless you start over with a new body, that will never change. Do I make myself clear?¡± he asks, tossing her down onto the floor. Nell doesn¡¯t answer him again. Instead of wasting more time talking to her, Ull places heavy chains around her ankles and wrists. ¡°I don¡¯t normally mind you escaping, but until we deal with this new attitude of yours, you will not be permitted to waste my time.¡± With that, Ull leaves the room, posts two guards inside of it with her, and locks the door behind him. ¡­ ¡°Think he¡¯ll be on soon?¡± Cassiel asks Serra. The two girls are sitting at the end of the pier. Cassiel is hanging her legs off of it and gently kicking them back and forth, and Serra is on her knees behind the blonde with her chin resting atop Cassiel¡¯s head and her arms draped over the other¡¯s figure. Serra occasionally sneaks in a few gropes of Cassiel¡¯s chest, and to her surprise, she only gets a blushing pout from Cassiel in response to her perverse hands. ¡°Yeah. He won¡¯t miss this,¡± Serra answers. ¡°He¡¯s cutting it pretty close, that bastard. I swear if he¡¯s late,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°He won¡¯t be.¡± ¡°He better not be. Oh, and I wanted to ask, what¡¯s it like having so many parents?¡± ¡°Lots of presents,¡± Serra answers with a thumbs-up. ¡°Between your parents and now me and Ryouta, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit spoiled?¡± ¡°I¡¯m super spoiled,¡± Serra says with a smile. ¡°Hmph. I ¨C I don¡¯t get spoiled¡­¡± ¡°Cass Cass.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cassiel asks, turning her head to look at Serra now that her head is off of her own. Serra plants a kiss right on Cassiel¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯ll spoil you whenever you want me to,¡± Serra says. ¡°I ¨C o-okay, maybe I get spoiled, too,¡± Cassiel says with flushed cheeks. ¡­ ¡°Oi, big guy, hand me that wrench,¡± Tabitha orders Bonekraka. Bonekraka tosses the wrench so that it lands next to her, scratching the floorboard of The Shoebill. ¡°Hey! I just cleaned this baby up! Ya gonna fix that yourself?!¡± ¡°Nyet,¡± Bonekraka answers, and a moment later, he has a wrench hitting the back of his head and a pissed off Tabitha glaring at him from the engine. ¡°Now come bring me it the proper way!¡± Bonekraka turns to look at Tabitha with his hands balled into fists, but when he sees the look in her eyes, he¡¯s reminded of his wife. The grumpy orc submissively takes the wrench over to her, handing it to her properly. ¡°Thank ya. See, now was ¡®at so hard to do? Next time don¡¯t try sassin¡¯ me and scratchin¡¯ my baby up.¡± ¡°Da.¡± ¡­ ¡°O-Olly, you mustn¡¯t ¨C we have such little time,¡± Corwin says, looking both left and right to make sure that nobody is coming down the alleyway that Oleander has him pushed against the wall in. ¡°Come on, Cor, we both know I can make you fire your cannon quickly enough,¡± Oleander coos, running one hand up Corwin¡¯s chest while another travels dangerously lower down his abdomen. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that you have a lover so eager to please you?¡± ¡°I ¨C I assure you that I am beyond happy, but what if somebody sees?¡± ¡°Are you telling me you wouldn¡¯t like getting caught in the act?¡± Oleander¡¯s teasing fingers trace against Corwin¡¯s body. Corwin gulps. ¡°I¡­ do not entirely dislike the thought, but¡ª¡± ¡°Then,¡± Oleander pauses to sink his hands into Corwin¡¯s pants, ¡°let¡¯s have some fun before the tournament starts. We don¡¯t know when we¡¯re going to be able to do this again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we will have time to in only a few hours! It is not as if we are leaving one another.¡± ¡°If you want me to stop, all you have to say is ¡®stop,¡¯¡± Oleander looks up at Corwin¡¯s face with a smug grin. Corwin doesn¡¯t tell him to stop. ¡­ Rock is in the middle of a stare down with one of the stray cats that has been visiting The Shoebill to taunt her on a daily basis. Rock knows that she¡¯s not allowed off of the ship right now, and the cat picks up on this by the fact that Rock doesn¡¯t even try chasing him away. The cat rolls onto his back and kicks his paws up in the air. Rock barks. When the cat notices that Rock is missing one of her back paws, he goes and licks his own paw that she¡¯s missing while making eye contact with Rock the entire time. Rock starts whining. The cat even lifts one paw up to scratch its ear as if mocking Rock for now missing half of one of hers. Rock whines even more. Eventually, the cat ends its teasing of Rock and leaves. Rock heads back over to the ship¡¯s mast to curl up against it. Only, as soon as she gets comfortable against it, she hears a familiar meowing. She jumps back up, stumbling at first since she still isn¡¯t used to missing a paw, and runs over to gangplank! Yet, rather than see a cat, she sees a couple of small rocks left for her. ¡­ ¡°I swear my throat would be killing me if I had to talk like that all the time in real life, Rachel,¡± Blackstache says as he sprawls out on the couch in his office. The Lightning Witch, Rachel, pinches him by his ear and yanks him off of his couch! ¡°What the hell was that for?!¡± he shouts at her. ¡°You are not going to take a nap right now. You are expected to watch the tournament, and then you have plenty of paperwork to go through,¡± Rachel explains, patting two stacks of piled up papers on his wooden desk. ¡°This is a game! I just wanted to be a bard for a pirate crew! Why am I stuck having to do so much paperwork?¡± ¡°Because you went and became somebody important. You have nobody to blame but yourself.¡± ¡°I should just start over with a new character,¡± Blackstache groans. ¡°Do so and I will ensure that you cook your own food, do your own laundry, and shop for your own food.¡± Blackstache gulps. ¡°Wh-when you put it that way¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°What do you think I should do, Saya?¡± Ryouta asks as his consciousness is transferred into Fenrir¡¯s body. ¡°I ¡®dunno, Onii-chan. I couldn¡¯t tell you even if I did know,¡± Saya answers. ¡°But you can¡¯t be going around being a sore loser just because you¡¯ve lost for the first time in¡­ huh, looking through your memories, is this seriously the first time you¡¯ve ever lost?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t count suicides or times where I purposely died, yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Woah! No wonder why you¡¯re such a sore loser, you have no idea how to lose!¡± ¡°I feel like that¡¯s an insult and a compliment at the same time.¡± ¡°Mostly an insult, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured.¡± ¡°Anyways! Cheer up! Serra Berra and Cass Cass aren¡¯t going to be very happy if you¡¯re still all mopey around them. Plus I already know you regret not enjoying the seafood festival with them. Gosh, seafood is so rare in real life, and then you go and skip a free festival for it just to be some mopey baka!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll just have to make my own seafood festival to enjoy with them.¡± ¡°With blackjack and hookers?¡± ¡°With sweaters and hentai.¡± ¡°Gross, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°I know. Anyways, I¡¯m ready to immerse now. The Soaring Wolves and The Shoebill have got a first round to win.¡± ¡°Are you going to continue being mopey and grumpy? Oh, and should I schedule an appointment to have your hand looked at? It probably wasn¡¯t a smart idea to punch your wall, Onii-chan. You didn¡¯t even dent it¡­¡± ¡°Sh-shut up. I was angry, and¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t break anything, so my hand should be fine.¡± ¡°If you say so, Onii-chan! Good luck in the tournament!¡± Saya cheers him on before leaning across their usual table and placing a kiss on his cheek. ¡°Since when are you so affectionate?¡± Fenrir asks, but rather than get an answer, he is transported into the world of Fantasy Tales Online once more. It is time for the tournament to officially begin. Book 2: Chapter 20: Patch 4.0: The First Round Fenrir is the last one to wake up below deck and roll out of his hammock, and Cassiel is the first one to greet him. ¡°What took you so long, you bastard?! Do you know how close you are to being too late?!¡± she shouts at him. ¡°I know, I know. Sorry,¡± Fenrir replies. Cassiel¡¯s hands look tempted to grab onto his collar to shake him around, but instead, she drops her hands to her sides and looks away. ¡°Are ¨C are you feeling better now?¡± she asks with a quieter voice than before. ¡°Yeah, I am. Thanks. Guess I¡¯m just a sore loser, so between that prick getting underneath my skin and then breaking my promise to Nell, I was being immature. Not used to losing,¡± he explains. Looking around, he sees that Cassiel is the only one below deck with him. ¡°Where¡¯s everybody else?¡± ¡°You better be alright now¡­ and they¡¯re up above.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve been waiting down here for me by yourself?¡± Cassiel¡¯s hands end up grabbing onto his collar after all. ¡°Sh-shut up! I was worried since you were taking so lo¡ª¡± Fenrir sneaks in a quick kiss on her lips since she¡¯s placed her face right in front of his own. The sudden kiss lights up her cheeks and causes her hands to drop from his collar. ¡°D-don¡¯t do that without warning me, you bas¡ª¡± He kisses her again. Cassiel shuts her lips, forms fists at her sides, and makes a noise that sounds like she¡¯s trying to angrily shout at him but it just sounds like angry squeaking thanks to her closed lips. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got a tournament to win,¡± Fenrir says, grabbing her by her hand and leading her above deck. ¡°Told you he¡¯d make it,¡± Serra says as soon as she sees them. ¡°I¡¯d never miss this. Hey, Serra, is it me or,¡± he starts asking while looking at her waist. There was a load of screenshots in his Fiscord chat with her when he woke up today. The screenshots featured the two girls, mainly Serra, with all sorts of seafood. Now he sees the result of that. ¡°Ma-maybe practice moderation next ti¡ª¡± he continues saying but is wise enough to stop when he sees Serra looking at him with a glare that usually only Cassiel gives him. ¡°A-anyways, is everybody ready?¡± Looking over The Shoebill, he sees everybody ready and¡­ he looks down at himself. His clothes are still all torn and bloody from the other day. ¡°Being an anime protagonist where my clothes are somehow always the same and repaired instantly after every fight would be really convenient right now,¡± he says. Only Serra and Oleander seem to understand what he¡¯s saying as the rest look confused. Well, there is one other who seems to understand. ¡°What sorta stuff ya watch?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°You ¨C do you watch anime?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Course I do!¡± ¡°What sort of stuff do you watch?¡± he asks. When he thinks of Tabitha and anime, he thinks sci-fi and mecha. After all, she¡¯s a total gearhead, so wouldn¡¯t it make sense for her to like mecha? ¡°Magical girls,¡± Tabitha proudly says with a nod and her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°You ¨C seriously, you watch magical girl anime? Like, the stuff made for kids?¡± Fenrir asks, trying to keep his jaw from dropping onto the deck. ¡°Course I do! Most anime is just full of edgy harem-loving boys like yourself, always goin¡¯ around and savin¡¯ girls for ¡®em. I like my shows where it¡¯s the girls savin¡¯ themselves, and no better genre than magical girls for that! More girls need to be watchin¡¯ magical girls to learn how to stand up for ¡®emselves.¡± Thanks to Tabitha¡¯s explanation, it totally makes sense now for her to like magical girl anime, even if it¡¯s tailored to little kids. Then again, she does look like she¡¯s hardly a teenager herself. ¡°By the way¡­ how do rebirth counters work if you ¨C if you uhh, you know, look underage?¡± he asks her. ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush. You can say I look like a kid if ya want to. Anyways, it depends on where ya live. If ya live in a country or state where fictional depictions of pedo stuff ain¡¯t allowed, then you¡¯re stuck tryin¡¯ to get them in the other and way harder ways.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean anybody who plays underage looking characters, if they live in a place where that sort of stuff isn¡¯t allowed, is pretty disadvantaged compared to everybody else?¡± ¡°Yup! But you¡¯re given that warnin¡¯ when ya make your character, so ya have nobody but yourself to blame for dealin¡¯ with it.¡± ¡°How many counters do you have?¡± ¡°Seven!¡± Anybody who wasn¡¯t paying attention to their conversation is now. ¡°How?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, wolf boy. Like I said earlier, a girl has gotta know how to help herself!¡± Tabitha explains. Fenrir looks at Serra and Cassiel. They¡¯re both nodding and look like they¡¯re taking mental notes. ¡°Anyways, aside from magical girls, do you at least like mecha?¡± he asks Tabitha. ¡°Nope,¡± Tabitha answers, making it even harder for Fenrir to keep his jaw from dropping. ¡°Seriously? I would¡¯ve bet money on that being one of your favorites.¡± ¡°It is. I¡¯m just screwin¡¯ with ya. I¡¯ve got tons of models I¡¯ve put together and painted in my room!¡± ¡°Alright, that makes more sense.¡± Tabitha smiles a wide, cheeky smile. It¡¯s the kind of smile that makes him want to protect her in an almost fatherly way, but then he realizes that she would probably kill him if he starts seeing her as somebody who needs protecting, so he shakes that idea out of his head. ¡°Anybody not participating in the tournament is to get behind the yellow lines painted around the harbor!¡± a feminine voice announces using Blackstache¡¯s owls that are circling around the city. ¡°This is the final chance for participating crews to board their ships!¡± Five minutes after the announcement and mighty horn blares throughout the city. A dome of electrical energy rises around the harbor out past the tower near the entrance to the city. While the dome cackles with electricity at first, its bluish hue not allowing anybody outside of it to see what is within, it calms and becomes almost perfectly transparent. The crowd outside of the dome and the crews within it both cheer. ¡°You have two hours to catch as many fish as you can! There are almost two thousand crews participating in this first round, and we expect most of you to be sitting at the bottom of the ocean by the end of it! The top twenty ships to survive and catch the most fish will be moving onto the second round!¡± the announcers explains. ¡°Wait ¨C seriously? Only twenty out of two thousand ships are going to make it to the next round?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°That many ships on the water at once ¨C my steering isn¡¯t going to be enough if you don¡¯t want to hit anything. It¡¯s going to be ship-to-ship out there. A thousand could sink and it¡¯s still going to be congested,¡± Oleander says. ¡°This is what happens when you don¡¯t restrict how many people can sign up,¡± Cassiel adds on. ¡°But if you do, players complain, so instead this ends up happening.¡± ¡°Tabs, you make any of those carcass shots?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Only finished a couple of ¡®em, and they¡¯ll be way too dangerous to use with how busy it¡¯s gonna be out there,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not a fan of starting some uncontrollable fire that spreads between all the ships. I just want to take down that prick¡¯s ship.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°There are no rules for this first round! You may fight, you may steal, player kill, and you may use whatever tricks you have ¨C anything goes! Now, put on a show for the King of Pirates and all of those whom have gathered to watch you compete! Begin!¡± the announcer declares. The cheering is almost loud enough for Fenrir not to be able to hear himself think. Ships launch from the piers all around them and head out onto the water. It takes less than ten seconds for volleys of cannon fire to erupt. One stray cannon shot shoots right past The Shoebill and collides into the dome erected around them, instantly vaporizing the shot. ¡°Guess that explains why a miniature war is allowed in the middle of the city,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Captain, what are we going to do?¡± Corwin asks. With a roll of his shoulders, Fenrir picks up Rod, walks over to the side of the ship facing away from the pier they are docked at, and drops his line into the water. ¡°We fish,¡± he answers. ¡°Right here?¡± ¡°Why not? No point in leaving the pier right now. It¡¯s the safest spot from everybody else, we won¡¯t be jammed between hundreds of other ships, and all the fighting and movement out there is going to scare all the fish away from the center where everybody else will be at.¡± Corwin looks around and sees a few dozen other ships near their section of the piers doing the same thing. Jax¡¯s The Weeping Tit is one of them. Serra and Cassiel pick up their rods and stand next to Fenrir. ¡°Are you not worried about being a still target?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°The only ones able to easily shoot us right now are the others staying over here, and I¡¯d bet you money that they¡¯re in this for the fishing instead of the fighting. So, let¡¯s get ourselves a nice lead on the fish count, and then we¡¯ll see what the situation is like out there,¡± Fenrir explains. Corwin picks up his rod and walks over to them. ¡°If you believe that this is the best course of action, then I will have faith in you.¡± ¡°And what are we supposed to do while waiting?¡± Oleander asks. Now that Fenrir thinks about it, he probably should have bought a few more fishing rods so that the others could help out or at least to use as spares. ¡°Uhh,¡± Fenrir tries thinking of an answer. ¡°We can take turns?¡± ¡°This why I hate fishing. Too boring,¡± Bonekraka groans. ¡°If ya don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll be layin¡¯ at the bow gettin¡¯ some sun,¡± Tabitha says. Another cannonball flies by the ship¡¯s mast and slams right into the electric dome. While everybody else flinches from it, Tabitha slips down the goggles that are usually on her forehead and secures them around her eyes before sprawling out on the deck next to her still-covered contraption. ¡°High power level,¡± Serra whispers to Fenrir. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s definitely got a high one,¡± Fenrir says, looking at the orange-haired loli kicking her feet with her hands behind her head as a miniature war rages before them. Cassiel''s rod is the first to get a tug. "Got one!" she announces. Fenrir and Serra return their attention to their own rods. He sees dozens of fish swimming beneath the water and more are arriving every minute to escape the disturbances near the center of the dome. With cannons firing, players shouting and screaming, and nearby crews cheering with every catch they make, Fenrir couldn''t ask for a better environment to fish in. One of the fish below takes a bite out of his lure. Jerking his rod in the opposite direction that it is swimming in, he successfully hooks it and begins the fight to reel it in! A fiery determination fills his eyes, and both of the girls can see it just by taking quick looks at him. The depressed, angry boy from yesterday has been replaced by the determined, fiery man that they both fell for. Just looking at his eyes fills them with confidence that they are going to win this tournament. At this moment, not a single other soul is as determined as him to win. His competitive side has been brought out in full, and now he will show the sort of confidence and determination that was required to lead one of gaming''s most notorious groups. Catch fish. Sink that annoying bastard''s ship. Win the tournament. Save Nell. That is his plan, and it is a plan that he has no intention of failing. Book 2: Chapter 21: Patch 4.0: The First Round ¡°Fen!¡± Serra calls for help as a particularly powerful fish tugs on her line. Fenrir goes to hand his rod off to Oleander, but before he can help Serra, Tabitha steps in by placing her hands over Serra¡¯s. Serra goes from looking like the rod is about to fly out of her hands to acting as if the fish isn¡¯t even trying to escape. Yeah, he definitely does not have to have any thoughts about protecting Tabitha as a father would. If anything, she¡¯d be the one protecting him! ¡°Let me see,¡± Bonekraka says from behind the two girls. ¡°We don¡¯t need your oversized green arse over here,¡± Tabitha tells him. ¡°I doubt fish that strong if two small girls handling it,¡± he replies with an unimpressed tone. Seeing him doubt her is enough for Tabitha to tell Serra to hand the rod over. Bonekraka is almost pulled off his feet the moment he grabs the rod! ¡°What fucking fish is this?!¡± he shouts as he braces himself against the side of the ship. ¡°Even Serra wasn¡¯t having that much trouble. Wonder if having a higher fishing skill helps out with that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Shut up! Take this back you orange brat!¡± he shouts at Tabitha. With the smuggest smile that any of them have ever seen, Tabitha takes the rod out of his hands and effortlessly resumes reeling the fish in with Serra. Bonekraka grumbles and heads below deck. ¡°I think you hurt his pride a bit, Tabs,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Good! I can¡¯t stand punks with inflated egos. Somebody¡¯s gotta bring ¡®em down a notch, and I¡¯ll be here to bring yours down whenever it needs dropped!¡± Tabitha declares. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve got an inflated ego?¡± ¡°Not after yesterday.¡± ¡°Oof,¡± Oleander chimes in. ¡°Yeah, that one hurt a bit,¡± Fenrir agrees. As much as he feels he should be upset by that remark, seeing Tabitha smile and laugh so heartily causes him to laugh at himself instead. ¡°She has a point. You usually can¡¯t shut up about your old days and how awesome you were and how nobody ever beat you,¡± Cassiel says. She has a point. One of his go-to conversation topics has always been the old days of the Divine Brigade and how he used to lead them. Even so, ¡°I ¨C I think Tabs already put me in my place,¡± he says. ¡°Dogs shouldn¡¯t have big egos,¡± Serra says. ¡°I think you might be in an abusive relationship, Fenny,¡± Oleander says while patting Fenrir¡¯s back. A hard tug on Fenrir¡¯s fishing pole pulls his attention away from the bullying and back to fishing. Roughly thirty minutes have passed since the start of the first round. Without a better job to perform, Oleander has been taking any fish that the four have been catching and placing them in whatever barrels and crates that they¡¯ve got. Only nine fish have been caught thus far. Despite the swarming schools of fish underneath their boats, they seem reluctant to take any bait or lures offered to them. A feeling that this tournament is more about the player-versus-player aspects than the fishing aspects is growing within Fenrir by the minute. Looking out over the waters before them, it looks as if hundreds of ships already sank or are in the process of sinking as their crews either jump overboard or go do with their vessels. One ship grabs Fenrir¡¯s attention. It is one of those longships that arrived with Ull. Fenrir didn¡¯t hear about any of the foreign visitors participating in the tournament, but it makes sense that some would since they¡¯re already here. What grabs his attention the most is that they¡¯re not even fishing. Those aboard the longship are covered from head to toe in metal armor and armed with axes, spears, and shields. Fenrir watches as they go from ship to ship boarding them, slaughtering any in their way, and then stealing any fish that their victims have caught. The maximum amount of allowed members are part of their crew as well ¨C twenty. Twenty Viking-esque elves and monster hybrids in full combat attire are decimating other crews without mercy. One cannon shot flies right through the side of their ship, but the tree that is twisted into the shape of a ship quickly regrows its hull. ¡­ ¡°Yer champs down there are damn impressive,¡± Blackstache says to Ull as he watches the longship through a spyglass. ¡°They are, aren''t they? I hand selected them to represent me in this tournament. Truthfully, a single one of them would likely be enough to cut down any opposition most of the vessels down there have to offer, but the more the merrier. It would not be very nice of me to only allow one of my men to have all the fun,¡± Ull explains. ¡°Your ships are made out of trees. Wouldn¡¯t fire burn them to ashes?¡± Rachel asks, standing behind Blackstache with her arms crossed over her chest and an unimpressed look in her eyes. ¡°It is a good thing that you are the Lightning Witch and not the Fire Witch, then. Besides, all ships are made out of trees, are they not?¡± Ull teases, flashing her a smile. She responds with an annoyed frown. ¡°But yes, conventional weaponry may not be effective against my fleet, but fire remains the bane of all ships,¡± Ull continues. Blackstache excitedly gets out of his seat and says, ¡°Speakin¡¯ o¡¯ fire¡­¡± ¡­ A bolt of flame crashes right into the longship¡¯s tree-mast! It erupts into a shower of flames that ignites the longship at several locations. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re done,¡± Fenrir says to the rest of the crew whom has joined in watching the conflict. The caster who ignited the longship has their head lopped off by one of the axe-wielding boarders. ¡°Taking the enemy out with him. Wait, what¡¯re they doing?¡± Fenrir asks. One of Ull¡¯s men stands at the front of the longship and holds his hands up above his head. Fenrir can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s saying, but he looks as if he¡¯s shouting something. It doesn¡¯t take long to realize his intent. A sprite made out of water forms its body out of the water in front of the longship. It is far larger than the ship itself is, and even the fairy-like wings sprouting out from its back are larger than all of The Shoebill. The water sprite holds its hands out over the ship. Wherever there are flames, water sprays from its hands to drown them. Any flames on the longship are extinguished within seconds of the sprite¡¯s arrival, and once they are out, the ship is able to shed its burned wood and leaves to regrow. The sprite looks at its summoner as if waiting for its next order. Its summoner looks out over the remaining ships nearby, points at one group of them that are close to one another, and shouts. Turning from a sprite into a wave, the wave barrels towards the group of targeted ships and crashes right into them! The first ship is practically torn apart by the force of the wave colliding into it, and the ships behind it either get capsized or carried away on the remnants of the wave. One of the ships is unfortunate enough to be carried right into the electrical dome. Everybody aboard it jumps off before their ship crashes right into the dome, instantly evaporating it. Those aboard the longship waste no time lining their ship up to their next victim. The ram at the front of it allows them to tear halfway through another ship¡¯s hull before getting stopped, and then the warriors aboard board their enemy and repeat the process of killing and looting. ¡°Well shit,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah,¡± Oleander says, unable to think of anything else to sum up what they just saw that Fenrir hasn¡¯t already said. ¡°Bah! Showoffs,¡± Tabitha grumbles. ¡°Pointy-eared bastards relyin¡¯ on magic and axes. We¡¯ll show ¡®em how it¡¯s done!¡± ¡°And how are we going to do that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I¡¯m workin¡¯ on that part. I figure I can probably take down a few of ¡®em on my own, but I don¡¯t know if the rest of you will be much help. No offense.¡± ¡°What do you even fight with?¡± Fenrir asks Tabitha. ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± she replies with a confident smirk. ¡°Tabs, your power level is really high,¡± Serra says. ¡°She has better stats than I had before I got wiped, and I had a couple of months behind me, so yeah - really,¡± Cassiel agrees. ¡°We could fire her out of a cannon and onto their ship!¡± Oleander teasingly suggests. ¡°Ya know, I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to that if I could survive that, but I¡¯m not that incredible,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Maybe if¡ª¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir drops his rod and walks to the ship¡¯s bow to get a better look. ¡°What the hell are they doing out there?¡± A ship with a yellow flag featuring a minnow on it is out on the water. ¡°Get us out there, now!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°Engine?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Full speed!¡± ¡°O-oi, goin¡¯ from off to full speed right away ¨C I ain¡¯t quite sure that this girl¡¯ll be able to handle ¡®at, and I¡¯m not too sure the engine itself can handle that,¡± Tabitha interjects. Oleander is already at the ship¡¯s wheel and unfurling the sails. ¡°What''s wrong?" Serra asks. Everybody but Oleander and Bonekraka are behind Fenrir now looking where he is. ¡°Oh, is that The Yellow Minnow? I am not surprised to see it out there despite the carnage. Crews such its own have the advantage of not being targeted by adventurers nor each other. Everybody in this city knows to avoid attacking those crews,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir remembers hearing Morven say that NPC crews are generally safe from other players and are avoided, and that must be the case for the pacifistic ship to still be out there without any scratches on it so far, but¡ª ¡°Hurry up!¡± Fenrir shouts. The engine kicks on, its furnace erupting loudly enough for all nearby ships to hear as The Shoebill speeds away from the pier. ¡­ ¡°Ull, yer champs the type to go an¡¯ target NPCs?¡± Blackstache asks. ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t they? I do not recall hearing any rules being announced to not. It is a free-for-all, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ull answers. Blackstache lowers the spyglass from his eye. ¡°Yer right, it ain¡¯t an official rule.¡± ¡°Besides, it would be impossible to tell which ships belong to NPCs or which crew members may be players or NPCs,¡± Ull says with a shrug of his shoulders. ¡°Any vessels with a yellow flag are registered by NPCs, and any flags with a yellow stripe have at least one NPC crewmember,¡± Rachel explains. ¡°Ah, so that ship down there belongs to NPCs? I suppose they are about to learn why they are better off running shops and laboring for us than pretending to be alive. A city of pirates is no place for NPCs to pretend that they''re human.¡± ¡­ ¡°Faster!¡± Fenrir shouts, looking back to the stern of the ship. ¡°The engine is already at full power! The wind is against us!¡± Oleander shouts back. Fenrir looks up at the sails. Just as Oleander said, they are sailing against the wind rather than into it. He looks at The Yellow Minnow again. The longship rams right into its starboard side, causing splintered wood to fly into the air as everybody around hears the crash of the longship¡¯s ram splitting the smaller vessel almost in half. ¡°Faster!¡± Book 2: Chapter 22: Patch 4.0: The First Round ¡°Can we ram it?¡± Fenrir asks Tabitha. ¡°If ya want to sink,¡± Tabitha answers. Fenrir grips the side of the ship as he tries thinking of a strategy. Pull along its side and shoot it with cannons? Regular cannon balls won¡¯t do anything lasting to that ship, and it won¡¯t save Morven and his crew. Use carcass shots? That might work, but only if the longship¡¯s crew isn¡¯t able to summon another one of those sprites. Even then, the fire and chemicals have a chance of spreading to The Yellow Minnow and wouldn¡¯t stop those who¡¯ve already boarded it. Ramming the longship is out of the question as it will simply break The Shoebill, and once more, any damage done to the longship will most likely be repaired almost instantly. Fenrir spots a few of The Yellow Minnow¡¯s crew jumping overboard to escape their fates, but he only counts three of them. ¡°Fen, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything we can do,¡± Cassiel says, placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°There has to be something,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Captain, it would be best for us to just gather those whom have jumped overboard,¡± Corwin suggests. ¡°Anybody left already dead,¡± Bonekraka says, having come up from below deck after hearing all of the commotion. ¡°There might still be some left onboard,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You know that not true.¡± Fenrir clenches his fists. The hull of The Shoebill begins creaking. ¡°Oi, deer boy, slow down!¡± Tabitha shouts back at Oleander. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Fenrir orders. ¡°The Shoebill won¡¯t break. She¡¯ll make it.¡± Looking around, Fenrir sees one thing that might be able to help out in this situation. ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯?! It¡¯s not time for that yet!¡± Tabitha shouts as Fenrir cuts the ropes holding the tarp down over her construction at the ship¡¯s bow. The tarp flies into the mast once its final binding is severed, revealing the secretive construction meant to capture the infant serpent in the final round. It looks like a large ballista mounted on a swivel with a seat to sit at the back of it, and in front of the seat is the small telescope that Tabitha requested in her list back when they were first gathering parts for this. She built a scoped ballista with a three-sixty field of view. Rather than shoot ballista bolts, there is a single shot connected to chain spooled around a reel attached to the side of the contraption, and the shot has that oversized fishing hook that Fenrir bought attached to the tip of it. ¡°Now I know what happened to the anchor¡¯s chain,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I don¡¯t see how this is gonna help with whatever you¡¯re plannin¡¯,¡± Tabitha replies. ¡°Serra, you¡¯ve got the most experience with shooting the cannons, so you¡¯re up.¡± Serra responds with a confident smirk and hops up onto the chair at the back of the ballista. ¡°Tabs, load the carcass shots into the starboard cannons after the second volley. Bone, Corwin, and Cass, man the cannons and get ready to fire when I say. Wait three seconds before igniting each fuse from the front to the back. You need to reload the cannons as fast as possible after you shoot. Olly! Bring in the sails and cut the engine when I give the order! Serra, aim for their mast ¨C right into the middle of their sails, and fire when I say.¡± A lever on the side of Serra¡¯s seat allows her to spin the ballista around to assist with aiming as The Shoebill soars across the water toward the longship. Everybody else jumps to attention and does exactly as Fenrir has ordered. ¡°Bone is right. Anybody left on The Yellow Minnow is already dead, so we¡¯re going to do what damage we can to the longship and scoop up those who jumped into the water. We¡¯re not going to win by recklessly charging in there and trying to fight in melee. So, let¡¯s see how those bastards like getting shot by cannons and lit on fire. Everybody ready?¡± The crew of The Shoebill all shout ¡°Aye!¡± at once. ¡­ ¡°Oh? Looks like that wolf is planning on playing hero to those yellows,¡± Ull says, handing the spyglass over to Blackstache. ¡°Must not realize going against yers is a death trap. Not a damn clue what he¡¯s thinkin¡¯ tryin¡¯ ta go against ¡®em,¡± Blackstache replies. ¡°Tha crew already be dead anyways.¡± ¡°You sound disappointed. I take it that you¡¯re upset about my champions killing your yellows?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t an official rule.¡± ¡°I see. Well, if it makes you feel any better, look in the water on the other side of the yellows¡¯ ship.¡± Blackstache adjusts the spyglass and sees three of The Yellow Minnow¡¯s crew struggling to stay afloat in the water. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll see whether the wolf foolishly fights against those stronger than him, or if he tries saving the lives of those struggling. As it is, it looks like it will be the former,¡± Ull says. ¡°He¡¯s turning out to be quite the entertaining man. I do wonder¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Three, two, one¡­ shoot!¡± Fenrir orders Serra. Leaning over the ballista and staring through the scope, Serra expertly lines the ballista up to the longship¡¯s mast and fires! The hooked shot flies through the air at incredible speed and tears right through the longship¡¯s sails. Pulling back the lever on the right side of the seat begins reeling it in while it¡¯s still mid-air, causing the shot to jerk to a stop as it gets yanked back right toward the sail it just tore through. While this plan wouldn¡¯t work against a normal ship¡¯s sails, the longship¡¯s regenerative ability combined with the fact that the mast is a tree trunk with the sails being leaves and branches makes it work. The shot gets hooked into the mast and some of the branches supporting the ¡°sails.¡± ¡°Perfect shot! Alright, stop reeling it in. We¡¯re already hooked. Now, cannons, get ready!¡± Fenrir orders the three manning the cannons. The longship may not have any visible weapons, but it does have warriors with advanced skills. One such warrior throws a spear at The Shoebill, and he really throws it. It flies past Fenrir¡¯s head with just as much speed as the ballista¡¯s shot had. He¡¯s intimidated. He¡¯s intimidated by the brutality of his enemy, and he is intimidated by just how much stronger than he is they are. But this isn¡¯t the time to be intimidated. ¡°Fire!¡± Fenrir shouts. Bonekraka lights his cannon. A few seconds later and Corwin lights his, and then Cassiel follows suit. The Shoebill has the longship crossed. The three cannons fire in order with only several seconds between each shot and each of their shots tear right through the ship thanks to Fenrir¡¯s timing. Several of the warriors already got back onboard their longship, and without much space to move, the three cannonballs tear straight through the ship from the stern to the bow and take out anybody in-between. ¡°Reload!¡± Fenrir orders. A spear from the longship pierces through the starboard side of The Shoebill, splintering the wood between two of the cannons. ¡°Hurry!¡± Fenrir shouts when he sees Corwin and Cassiel hesitating. ¡°Olly, hard right! Everybody, brace!¡± Following Fenrir¡¯s orders, Oleander turns the ship¡¯s wheel to bring The Shoebill into a hard enough turn that Rock has to curl herself around the mast and dig her claws into it to not get flung off during the turn! ¡°Get ready to fire all at once!¡± Fenrir commands. The starboard¡¯s cannons are reloaded and ready to fire already. ¡°Now!¡± With The Shoebill now parallel to the longship¡¯s port side, the cannons erupt once more and send three more shots tearing straight through its hull! They don¡¯t do as much damage this time since they penetrate straight through the sides of the longship rather than tear throughout its entire length, but Fenrir catches sight of one of its warriors getting a cannonball to the chest. ¡°Tabs!¡± ¡°On it!¡± Tabitha shouts, loading the carcass shots into the back two cannons. ¡°Bone, reload your cannon. The other two will get the carcass shots. Corwin and Cass, get the port side cannons ready. Serra, stay put,¡± Fenrir gives out the next orders. As for himself, he grabs that tarp which has been snagged on the mast and ties a long length of rope to it. ¡°Cannons ready!¡± Tabitha announces. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to need your help tossing this out there after the turn,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Are we going to drift this?¡± Oleander shouts from the ship¡¯s wheel. ¡°Yeah!¡± Fenrir shouts back. ¡°Drift? Ya don¡¯t plan on tryin¡¯ to drift this baby after the stress you¡¯ve already put her under, do ya?¡± Tabitha asks. Fenrir looks down at Tabitha with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re driftin¡¯ her.¡± ¡°Drifting?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Does drifting not mean going slowly and letting the current guide the ship? What is wrong with that?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t played enough street racing games, Corwin,¡± Fenrir answers before looking back at Tabitha. She has her head lowered and her hands balled into fists. Her entire body is visibly shaking as if seething with rage, but instead of being angry, she looks up Fenrir with the widest smile he¡¯s seen from her yet. Her eyes are lit with the flames of stubborn determination. ¡°Ya hear that, girl?¡± Tabitha smacks the side of The Shoebill. ¡°It¡¯s our time to go.¡± Book 2: Chapter 23: Patch 4.0: The First Round ¡°You ready, Olly?¡± Fenrir shouts to the back of the ship. ¡°Aye!¡± Oleander shouts back. ¡°Tabs, your engine going to handle being shut off and turned back on so quickly?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll handle it,¡± Tabitha says with her hands confidently on her hips. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s save Morven¡¯s crew. Everybody! Hold onto something!¡± Fenrir orders. ¡°Serra! Start reeling us closer when I give the order.¡± Serra gives him a thumbs-up from her seat and grips the lever to reel the chain in. There is only a little bit of slack left in the chain, and it is decreasing by the second as The Shoebill comes perpendicular to The Yellow Minnow¡¯s starboard side. Fenrir watches the slack in the chain to find the perfect moment to begin their maneuver. Perfect timing is required to pull this off, and the intensity in his eyes is truly fitting of a wolf. ¡°Three,¡± he says under his breath, ¡°two,¡± almost time, ¡°one¡­. Now! Serra, Olly!¡± Oleander starts turning the ship¡¯s wheel, hits the pedal and pulls the lever to bring in the ship¡¯s sails, and cuts the engine at the same time as the ballista runs out of slacked chain. In that same moment, Serra pulls back on her own lever to start reeling in the chain! The Shoebill jerks as it gets turned practically ninety degrees in a matter of seconds, resulting in anything not secured on the deck getting knocked over or flung off the ship! Oleander spins the wheel in the opposite direction now to drift The Shoebill rather than let her get pulled straight in along the ballista¡¯s chain. ¡°Tabs, get ready!¡± Fenrir shouts to her, clinging to the side of the ship trying to stay standing upright while holding the tarp. ¡°Keep it up, deer boy! Show ¡®em how it¡¯s done!¡± Tabitha shouts back at Oleander while getting ready with Fenrir. ¡°You know what I¡¯m planning?¡± Fenrir asks as water splashes all around them. ¡°I know exactly what you¡¯re thinkin¡¯, wolf boy,¡± Tabitha answers. Both of them look to the three overboard survivors trying to stay afloat in the water. ¡°Grab this!¡± Fenrir shouts out to them. The three men start swimming closer while waiting for Fenrir. ¡°Ready?¡± he asks Tabitha. ¡°Ready!¡± The two throw the tarp with all their strength out into the water! It was rolled up before, but as soon as it hits the air, it unfurls and splashes into the water. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t miss it,¡± Fenrir whispers. The tarp gets dragged in the water. It was long enough to reach the men at first, but thanks to the angling and speed of The Shoebill, it¡¯s getting pulled too far away. ¡°Give it some more slack!¡± Fenrir shouts. Both he and Tabitha loosen their grips on the rope to allow all of it but the very end to slide through their hands. But it¡¯s not enough. Only a single one of the men are going to be able to reach it. The others are just barely not close enough to grab onto the tarp¡­ but they¡¯re close enough to grab onto each other. They form a chain, grabbing onto each other¡¯s arms, as the closest man clings onto the tarp with all of his strength! ¡°Hold on! We¡¯ll pull you in!¡± Fenrir shouts. Tabitha makes pulling the trio in easy, but there¡¯s another issue. They have to start accelerating again already. ¡°We¡¯ve got to hurry up,¡± he says to Tabitha before looking to the ship¡¯s stern, ¡°Go, Olly!¡± The sails unfurl and the fire stone within the engine starts combusting once more, causing The Shoebill to thrust forward with speed as it straightens out and finishes its drifting maneuver. Those three men holding onto the tarp have difficulty doing so when The Shoebill suddenly starts moving so much faster, but with Tabitha¡¯s help, Fenrir is able to pull them right up against the ship. Ropes hanging down the side of it allow the men to grab on and climb up the rest of the way themselves. Fenrir can only barely recognize the first two men to make it up, but the third man has an easily recognizable face. ¡°Morven!¡± Fenrir shouts out, grabbing onto him to help pull him the rest of the way onboard. ¡°Come on, we need to get you three away from the cannons.¡± With the three men away from the starboard cannons, it¡¯s time for The Shoebill to resume its assault on the ship. ¡°Bone, fire!¡± Fenrir orders. Bonekraka ignites the fuse on his cannon. They¡¯re at an angle to the longship, but Bonekraka¡¯s shot manages to fly straight through the center of the ship and tear right through the center of the longship¡¯s mast! ¡°Tournament not so bad!¡± Bonekraka shouts before making some vulgar gestures towards the longship. Two spears fly by him right afterward, causing him to bring out the most vulgar gestures he can think of while shouting taunting insults at them in Russian. The Shoebill is parallel to the longship once more, and now it¡¯s time for the first carcass shot. ¡°Corwin, fire!¡± Fenrir orders. ¡°Aye!¡± Corwin shouts, lighting the fuse to his cannon. Fenrir and Tabitha look at each other with sadistic grins. They¡¯re equally excited to see just how well the shots work. The carcass shot flies out toward the longship and pierces through the starboard side of its hull, but it shatters against its port side which sends noxious flames across its deck! Fenrir and Tabitha high-five as they¡¯ve essentially covered part of the longship¡¯s deck, crew, and even some of the mast in what is essentially a toxic napalm. Those who were about to try throwing more spears at The Shoebill are now trying to douse themselves and their ship with water to extinguish the flames, but the resistant flames prove difficult to put out. ¡°The hell did ya just do?¡± Morven asks, coughing and still trying to catch his breath. ¡°Get some revenge, and we¡¯re not done yet,¡± Fenrir answers. It isn¡¯t just the fire that those onboard the longship have to worry about, but its fumes as well. The noxious fumes reach everybody on the ship even if the fire doesn¡¯t. Of course, the fire just doesn¡¯t cover the entire ship yet. ¡°Cass, fire!¡± Fenrir orders. Cassiel lights her cannon and sends the second and final carcass shot soaring through the air! It crashes into the back of the longship and shatters almost immediately unlike the first one. With the stronger force that it shattered at, its fragments are spread out farther and higher than the first shot¡¯s. The longship is lit on fire from its bow to nearly its stern, and its tree of a mast is quickly turning into a raging blaze as its leaves and branches serve as perfect kindling for the spreading flames. ¡°Serra, slack the line! Olly, line our port side up to their ship!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°Grab onto something!¡± Oleander shouts back before cutting the engine and bringing in the sails again. The Shoebill enters another drift, but this time, it is far sharper and completely reverses their course. ¡°Portside cannons!¡± Fenrir orders. Bonekraka, Corwin, and Cassiel man the cannons opposite of the ones they were just at. All three volleys so far have been shot from the starboard side of The Shoebill, and now it¡¯s time for the port side¡¯s cannons to get in on the action. ¡°Seven seconds between each shot, starting with Bone, anndddd¡­ fire!¡± Fenrir shouts. The shots are just regular cannonballs now, but their target is now a ship aflame that has been repairing itself heavily over the past ten minutes. Each shot tears through the longship¡¯s starboard side. Fenrir sees two of its crew get directly hit! ¡°Great shots! Now, Olly, hard right and then full speed ahead!¡± Fenrir shouts the beginning of his plan¡¯s final phase. Rock has been desperately clinging onto the mast this entire time trying not to get flung off the ship with all of the drastic turns it has been taking, and this latest turn is no different. ¡°Serra! Reel it in and don¡¯t stop!¡± With sails unfurled, Tabitha¡¯s engine firing at full power, and Serra reeling in the ballista¡¯s line, The Shoebill jerks to a near stop. But only a near one. Tabitha¡¯s engine continues propelling the ship forward, refusing to stop. ¡°What do you think is going to give up first? The engine, the line, or their mast?¡± Fenrir asks Tabitha. ¡°I don¡¯t see my signature anywhere on their mast, so ain¡¯t no way my toys are gonna give up before it!¡± Tabitha answers. The longship¡¯s crew has been too busy trying to put out the flames on the ship and themselves to get it unstuck from The Yellow Minnow. Both ships are now getting pulled by The Shoebill now, but the longship¡¯s crew hear their mast starting to crack and bend. ¡°Don¡¯t ya dare give up!¡± Tabitha shouts at her ballista. Serra, still sitting in the ballista¡¯s seat, pats the weapon a few times to try and encourage it not to surrender. The top half of the longship¡¯s mast cracks off from its bottom half, being yanked into the air and splashing down in the water off the ship¡¯s portside! ¡°Take that ya pointy-eared bastards! Nothin¡¯ beats the engineerin¡¯ of Tabitha Strism!¡± Tabitha shouts while waving her fists towards the longship. ¡°Alright, we can cut the li¡ª¡± Fenrir starts, but gets interrupted by Tabitha. ¡°Don¡¯t! I¡¯ve got an idea. Bring that mast of theirs in. Ya don¡¯t just want to leave our biggest catch of the day behind, do ya?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Serra, reel it in. The rest of yo¡ª¡± This time he gets interrupted by Cassiel jumping onto him and hugging him. ¡°We got them!¡± she happily announces. ¡°And I think I got like, three new skills during that!¡± ¡°Yeah, we got them,¡± Fenrir says, patting her head. ¡°Since when are you so affectionate around everybody?¡± Cassiel realizes what she¡¯s doing. With a huff, she pushes him away and straightens her clothes out. ¡°I - I mean, good job. Your plan was smart.¡± ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass. You all did a great job ¨C like, seriously. That went perfectly. I honestly don¡¯t think it could¡¯ve gone any better, so you should all be proud of yourselves.¡± Fenrir hears the engine starting to sputter below deck right after he stops talking. Tabitha rushes down there. While she takes care of that, Fenrir walks over to Morven and the other two crewmembers. ¡°You guys alright?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Aye, thanks to you. We owe you our lives, Mr. Wolf. We lost some good men¡­ but that¡¯s just how this world is. Can¡¯t expect anythin¡¯ to last,¡± Morven answers. One of the men next to him speaks up. ¡°My brother¡­ they ¨C they just¡­ killed him without even looking at him. What did we do to deserve this?¡± Fenrir looks down. Even if these three men were saved, at least four still died. Even though he knows that he couldn¡¯t have possibly saved any more than he has, he still feels responsible for it. He knows that it¡¯s irrational. He knows that it¡¯s unhealthy. However, he still feels like it¡¯s his fault. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss. I promise you that once this is all over, I¡¯m going to try and help you and all the others as much as I can. You have every right to enjoy this world as much as us adventurers do,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡¯s a mighty noble goal of yours, Mr. Wolf, but how the hell do ya plan on doin¡¯ something like that?¡± Morven asks. ¡°What can I say? I have a habit of taking on the biggest challenges there are.¡± ¡°Fen!¡± Serra shouts from the ship¡¯s stern. Fenrir hurries to the back and looks at what she¡¯s pointing out. The bottom half of the longship¡¯s mast is already regrowing, and most of the flames have been put out. At least a dozen men are still alive on the longship and are now using its oars to take them backward out of The Yellow Minnow. As soon as their ship breaks free from it, The Yellow Minnow begins its descent to the bottom of the harbor. Morven, now standing next to Fenrir, salutes as his ship sinks. Fenrir, Serra, and Oleander join in saluting the sinking vessel. ¡°Damn good ship she was. Most men like to upgrade to bigger and better ships when they can, but I stuck with ¡®er from the beginnin¡¯,¡± Morven says. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± Fenrir cuts himself off when he notices the longship turning to face The Shoebill. ¡°Tabs! How¡¯s the engine?¡± Fenrir shouts, rushing to the stairs. ¡°She¡¯s out! Gotta dock and get some new parts to fix her up!¡± Tabitha shouts up to him. ¡°Shit.¡± Book 2: Chapter 24: Patch 4.0: The First Round ¡°We¡¯re screwed if they catch us,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We might need to cut the line. Dragging that tree is killing our speed.¡± ¡°Trust me, wolf boy, ya don¡¯t want to get rid of that. If I can pull off what I¡¯m thinkin¡¯, our baby here is goin¡¯ to be gettin¡¯ a nice upgrade,¡± Tabitha replies. ¡°We have to survive first, and I don¡¯t see¡ª¡± ¡°Fen!¡± Cassiel shouts. Fenrir rushes to the bow of the ship where Cassiel is. A line of ships has gathered and is crossing The Shoebill. Or rather, they are crossing the longship. Two of the ships in the line open up just enough space for The Shoebill to sail through while the rest of the ships in the line aim their cannons at the longship. Fenrir even spots The Steel Tiger in the line with Alexander¡¯s annoyingly-cocky smile. For now, he¡¯s an ally. ¡°Fire!¡± Jax shouts aboard his ship in the center of the line. The cannons of each vessel all fire on the longship, blanketing it in a volley of over twenty shots at once. Most of the shots miss. However, a few are lucky and assist in wearing out the longship¡¯s ability to repair itself as well as take out another one of its crew. ¡°Come on, Captain Wolf! We¡¯ve got ya!¡± Jax shouts while beckoning for The Shoebill to sail through the opening in the line. ¡°What¡¯re you giggling about?¡± Cassiel asks Serra. ¡°This is epic,¡± Serra answers. ¡°They¡¯re epicness giggles.¡± Fenrir looks back at the two girls with a huge ear-to-ear smile. ¡°I know, right?! Olly! Take us through!¡± he shouts back to the stern. While passing through the line, Jax sees a familiar face and shouts over to them. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t goin¡¯ to be goin¡¯ down so easily!¡± he shouts at Morven. ¡°I¡¯ve got a wolf to thank for that!¡± Morven shouts back. ¡°Only the three of ya make it?¡± Morven somberly nods. Jax returns his attention to the longship which is now breaking course to turn away. ¡°Keep firin¡¯ until you¡¯re out of ammo!¡± he commands the line. As soon as The Shoebill and its towed trophy make it past the line, Jax¡¯s ship and the one in front of it both move closer to seal the gap in the line. Several more volleys are shot toward the longship. Unfortunately, the angling, distance, and speed of the longship prevent most of the shots from hitting it, and the few that do hardly inflict any damage ¨C certainly none that will last. Even after the longship has been scared off, the line stays in formation and keeps their cannons aimed at it in case it tries getting close again. The Shoebill stops next to Jax¡¯s The Weeping Tit. ¡°Thanks for the assist. Don¡¯t know if we would¡¯ve lived without your help,¡± Fenrir thanks Jax. ¡°No problem, Captain Wolf. We saw you charge and take on those bastards by yourself, and ya even helped out Morven¡¯s lot, so ya made friends with almost every fisherman in this city today,¡± Jax says. ¡°Here¡¯s a gift to show our appreciation.¡± Jin, Jax¡¯s fellow fisherman, hands a barrel over the sides of the ships to Fenrir. Inside of it are dozens and dozens of fish flopping around trying to jump out. ¡°You sure? This is¡­ probably five times what we¡¯ve already got,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What about yourselves?¡± Jax points to several more filled barrels on their ship. ¡°We¡¯ve got plenty to make it into the next round. More importantly, we¡¯re goin¡¯ to need ya there with us. Tomorrow ¨C in-game tomorrow at noon, meet me at my ship.¡± Fenrir nods. ¡°Got it. Thanks for all the help and the fish, seriously.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Ya earned it all. That was some great sailin¡¯ back there. Everybody would normally hate ya for usin¡¯ those flamin¡¯ shots ya used, but nobody is goin¡¯ to judge ya for usin¡¯ them on those bastards. You¡¯ve got a good head on your shoulders to think of preparin¡¯ them for those bastards.¡± ¡°Yeah, we knew our enemy was going to be almost impossible to take down without those shots,¡± Fenrir says. Sure, the two men might be referring to completely different enemies, but Jax doesn¡¯t need to know that. Cassiel is the one staring at him for sneakily avoiding clarifying the truth. ¡°Olly! Come up here,¡± Fenrir shouts for his deer-trap-boy of a helmsman. ¡°You called?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir wraps an arm around Oleander¡¯s shoulders and pulls him close, giving him a few pats on the head with his other hand. Oleander has a large, dumb grin on his face during it. ¡°This is the guy responsible for pulling off my plan. Couldn¡¯t have done it without his awesome steering, and Tabs over there was a huge help as well,¡± Fenrir praises them, pointing at Tabitha now. Jax looks grim when he sees Tabitha. ¡°You¡­ brought the Orange-Haired Siren onto your crew?¡± he asks. ¡°That¡¯s a nickname for her I haven¡¯t heard before.¡± Tabitha looks over at him with a thumbs-up and cheeky grin. ¡°Aye. She lures captains with promises of boostin¡¯ their ships and makin¡¯ them the best possible, then they always sink after somethin¡¯ of hers breaks down,¡± Jax explains. ¡°She¡¯s lured many ships to their graves.¡± ¡°Oi! It wasn¡¯t my toys that¡¯d break down, it was their ships! It ain¡¯t my fault if their ships couldn¡¯t handle my genius,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°Well, this ship wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Morven and them without her. She built our engine, the stuff to manage the sails, and that ballista you see up at the front,¡± Fenrir defends her. ¡°That so?¡± Jax asks. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not goin¡¯ to doubt your word, so,¡± he looks at Tabitha, ¡°thanks for helping out today, Tabitha Strism. I¡¯ll make sure that the others hear about your help today.¡± Tabitha shows the rare blush and scratches her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯,¡± she says. ¡°Hah! Even the Orange-Haired Siren has her girly moments!¡± ¡°Oi! I ain¡¯t havin¡¯ no girly moment!¡± she shouts and stomps her feet. ¡°Alright, alright. Ya ain¡¯t havin¡¯ no girly moment. Now,¡± Jax looks at Fenrir, ¡°I suggest ya go ahead and return to the piers. Take it easy, get some more fishin¡¯ in, and wait until the round is over. We¡¯re goin¡¯ to make sure that those bastards don¡¯t even think about comin¡¯ back over here.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Fenrir says, finally letting go of Oleander. ¡°Thanks again for everything.¡± The Shoebill heads back to their usual spot at the piers. ¡°Hey, Orange-Haired Siren, what¡¯re you planning on doing with that tree anyways?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oi. Call me that again and I¡¯m sneakin¡¯ a bomb into the next thing you eat,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°You¡­ you can make bombs?¡± Tabitha smirks. ¡°Alright, alright. Tabs, what¡¯re you planning on doing with that tree?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡­ ¡°Looks like a wolf needs to learn its place,¡± Ull says, trying his best to retain a calm composure but Blackstache and Rachel can see it cracking. ¡°Gotta admit, what ¡®e did was pretty damn impressive. Didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able ta pull any o¡¯ that off. Gave yer champs a good fight and helped out Morven¡¯s lot,¡± Blackstache replies. ¡°That he did. He has even made off with one of Yggdrasil¡¯s branches. I will have my men down there to collect it from him once the round is over.¡± ¡°What¡¯re ya talkin¡¯ about? Anythin¡¯ goes in the first round. If somebody wants ta steal part of another¡¯s ship, they can. Yer champs stole a bunch o¡¯ catches, killed some NPCs, and sunk dozens o'' ships on ¡®er own. If part of their mast got stolen, ¡®at¡¯s their own problem. Ya interfere and yer goin¡¯ ta start some major problems.¡± ¡°I do not think you understand, Blackstache. Every one of my fleet is made of branches from Yggdrasil herself. To steal one of her branches not only makes that wolf dangerous, but the act itself is greatly disrespectful. To not recover that will be a slap in the face to all of those whom have earned the right to own one of her branches. There will be many issues if it is not recovered.¡± ¡°Yer not tha one understandin¡¯ here. Anything goes in the first round. We¡¯re pirates ¡®ere. We may have a lot o¡¯ rules in tha city, but durin¡¯ tha tournament, anything goes.¡± ¡°So, you expect me and mine to allow somebody as disrespectful as him to own one of my nation¡¯s most prized possessions? You are supporting him stealing from me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m supportin¡¯ tha rules of tha tournament, and ¡®at¡¯s ¡®at.¡± Ull turns to look at Blackstache but sees Rachel standing between them instead, her hand on the hilt of her blade as electricity begins sparking off of it. ¡°Very well, Blackstache, very well. If you wish to support the actions of a thief stealing what belongs to me, then we will just have to take it back during the next round. I am sure both his crew and my champions will proceed on to it, and I doubt he is patient enough to wait until after the tournament is over to make use of his prize,¡± Ull says, getting up from the cushions that he has been kneeling on with his four cervine legs. ¡­ An hour later and the dome around the water disintegrates. Less than one hundred out of the nearly two thousand ships that participated in the tournament are left floating. Debris and bodies float on most of the water. Only twenty of the surviving crews make it to the next round, and of them are: The Shoebill, The Weeping Tit, The Steel Tiger, and Ull¡¯s champions. Serra and Cassiel hug Fenrir in a moment of satisfied accomplishment. Morven and his two surviving crewmembers limp off of The Shoebill and go to spend time with those whom they came close to never seeing again. Corwin and Oleander head off for a secret meeting someplace dark and private, and Tabitha starts barking orders at Bonekraka to go and get the parts that she needs to get The Shoebill back in top condition. Rock shakily walks up to Fenrir, sits in front of him, and whines. Fenrir bends down to pick Rock up and give her some love. Almost the entire first round for Rock was spent clinging onto the mast trying not to get flung off the ship. She requires many belly rubs and headpats. Book 2: Chapter 25: Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades ¡°You looked like you were having some fun, Bone,¡± Fenrir says to Bonekraka. ¡°Da. Did not think we would fight like that. Should have said so before! Would not have punched you, probably,¡± Bonekraka replies. ¡°I honestly wasn¡¯t planning on anything like that happening which is why I didn¡¯t say anything. Didn¡¯t want to get your hopes up then disappoint you.¡± Bonekraka shrugs. ¡°By the way, want to go and get something to drink together? It¡¯s been a while since the two of us have hung out on our own,¡± Fenrir proposes. Pretty much everybody else is watching the two talk, interested in knowing what the result of their conversation will be. Oleander looks the most interested as he tries subtly listening in on them. ¡°Why not? Been a while,¡± Bonekraka answers. Fenrir turns around to look at Serra and Cassiel to let them know that he¡¯ll be going off alone with Bonekraka, but the two girls are already respectively giving a thumbs-up and nodding. ¡°We¡¯ll take Rock out looking for rocks,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯ll be workin¡¯ on the engine. Oi, you two lovebirds,¡± Tabitha says, looking for Corwin and Oleander. They¡¯re already halfway down the pier. ¡°I need your help when you¡¯re done screwin¡¯!¡± she shouts at them. Oleander spins around to blow a kiss at her before clinging onto Corwin¡¯s arm. ¡°Weren¡¯t they just right here?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate how fast Oleander can be when he gets horny,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°When is he not horny?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s possible, to be honest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to keep up if you were like th¡ª¡± Cassiel jumps and squeaks from Serra¡¯s finger poking her in the side. ¡°I ¨C I told you to stop doing that! You¡­ you¡­ agh!¡± Fenrir and Serra both laugh at Cassiel¡¯s inability to insult Serra. A thought pops into his mind. Behind them on the water is the aftermath of a major battle. Debris and bodies are everywhere. If it wasn¡¯t for traumatic content being disabled, he¡¯s sure that the sight would be even gorier than it already is, but¡­ it isn¡¯t actually disturbing. Despite everything looking photorealistic, he doesn¡¯t feel anything when he looks over the water and sees so many lifeless bodies floating on it. He feels bad for the NPCs that have lost their lives and wishes he could have saved them, but he knows that most of the bodies he can see are players. They will all be alive and playing again in twenty-four real hours, so what does it matter if their dead bodies are floating around right now? Fenrir realizes just how desensitized he is to death thanks to seeing it realistically happen all the time in virtual reality games. Part of him now fears that he wouldn¡¯t be able to feel anything if he saw this same sight in real life. Though, it isn¡¯t like the internet itself hasn¡¯t already desensitized him to gore and death. ¡°It¡¯s pretty funny how,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya, ¡°people back in the day used to think 2D video games were going to make kids violent, and now that the whole argument of video games making people violent and all that is a joke, nobody is willing to take it seriously now that it might actually be a problem.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Onii-chan. Those guys on the news who try talking about it are always called conspiracy theorists or accused of being too old to understand how games work,¡± Saya responds. ¡°You watch the news?¡± Saya doesn¡¯t answer him. ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯ve seen everything I¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°Including your premature eja¡ª¡± ¡°I was a virgin, alright? Let¡¯s see you last longer than me if you¡¯re having a threesome for your first time.¡± ¡°I totally would, Premature Onii-chan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ignoring you now,¡± Fenrir says, returning his attention to Bonekraka. ¡°You ready to go?¡± he asks while hearing Saya¡¯s giggling in his mind. ¡°Da. Have found good bar. Will go there,¡± Bonekraka answers. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll see the rest of you later,¡± Fenrir says, waving the three girls and Rock as he and Bonekraka leave The Shoebill. It gets awkwardly quiet as soon as they are alone. There are celebrations throughout the city, fireworks being set off despite being in the middle of the day, and the streets are packed full of life. This is potentially the loudest that Fenrir has ever heard the city behave, yet the silence between him and Bonekraka is deafening. More concerning than the silence is that they are being followed. ¡°How¡¯s the cat been?¡± Fenrir asks, looking up at the sky to the left. ¡°Bad. Going to have her checked out soon,¡± Bonekraka answers, neither men looking at each other. ¡°Are you and your wife going together, or will only one of you take him?¡± ¡°Will go together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to start a fight at the vet again, are you?¡± Bonekraka takes a quick look behind them before answering, ¡°Cat doctor strong man. Do not think I could beat him, but will fight if told something I do not like.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyways, when do you think you¡¯ve got to go?¡± ¡°Should probably go now.¡± ¡°Alright. I hope that it goes well.¡± Three seconds after their conversation ends and the two men take a sharp turn left through the busy crowd! ¡°What the hell!¡± a man asks after being knocked to the ground by Bonekraka¡¯s massive body pushing him. The man looks ready to get up and start a fight, but he stops when he sees five of the foreign visitors chase after the wolf and the orc. ¡°Your looks aren¡¯t doing us any favors right now!¡± Fenrir says, taking another sharp turn into an alleyway. ¡°Thought game would make me strong for looking strong!¡± Bonekraka grunts. ¡°Yeah, so much for that. Instead we¡¯ve got a damn loli that puts both of us to shame!¡± They stay close while running through alley after alley. Bonekraka knocks over as much as he can while running to try and slow their hunters, but it does little to stop the advanced players from steadily catching up to them. ¡°You might want to get your wife in this game because I think we¡¯re about to lose some rebirth counters,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Shit, we can¡¯t die. If we die then we¡¯re going to miss the next round of the tournament.¡± ¡°Then do not die!¡± ¡°Easier said than done.¡± One of the men behind them starts chanting, ¡°A woman¡¯s beard, a mountain¡¯s roots, a bear¡¯s sinew, a fish¡¯s breath ¨C Gleipnir, lash out and bind these fen-dwellers once more!¡± Chains as thin as string lash out and wrap around Fenrir¡¯s and Bonekraka¡¯s bodies, binding their arms to their torsos and legs together as well. Despite the chain being so thin in appearance, they can¡¯t even start to struggle against it. ¡°Fuck you!¡± Bonekraka shouts at the men now surrounding them. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough bondage hentai to know where this is going. Sorry to disappoint you all, but I¡¯ve got traumatic content disab¡ª¡± Fenrir¡¯s smartassery is interrupted when a steel boot kicks in his face. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them,¡± one of the men says right before stabbing his spear into the back of Bonekraka¡¯s thigh. Fenrir remembers that Bonekraka has traumatic content enabled as well as his pain setting set to realistic, but when he looks over at the orc, he sees the defiant Russian that he¡¯s always known. Bonekraka refuses to show any pain, refuses to cry out, and will shout Russian profanities until he no longer can. ¡°Shut him up! We don¡¯t need to be seen,¡± the same man from before says. One of his companions tears off a piece of his shirt to shove into Bonekraka¡¯s mouth mid-swear. ¡°You two aren¡¯t very smart, are you? You led us away from the public¡¯s eyes. None of this would be happening if you would have stayed where the guards could find you,¡± the man says, stabbing his spear into the back of Bonekraka¡¯s other thigh before twisting it around. Fenrir can¡¯t even imagine the pain that Bonekraka is experiencing right now. Yet, he doesn¡¯t look the slightest bit affected. Bonekraka just spits out the cloth and starts shouting again. One of the men crouches down in front of Fenrir and grabs him by his ears. ¡°Your ears are too long. I am amazed that they aren¡¯t flopping over yet. Want me to crop them for you?¡± the man asks. ¡°I¡¯ve already had enough cropping in my life, I think. You know, circumcision and all that,¡± Fenrir replies before spitting at the man holding his head up. Naturally, he gets replied to by having his head smashed down against the cold, stone alleyway. The man only holds onto his right ear now while using his free hand to wield a dagger. ¡°Can you at least do it to my left ear if you¡¯re going to do this?¡± Fenrir asks. "Onii-chan! You have traumatic content disabled, and this technically counts as torture, so why are you consenting to it?" Saya asks. "I want to match with Rock," he thinks back to her. ¡°A masochist? Sure, why the fuck not. I¡¯ll be generous,¡± the man says, pressing the dagger to the middle section of Fenrir¡¯s left ear before cutting it off. Fenrir bites down on his lip to prevent himself from making any pained noises. If Bonekraka is resisting the pain, so can he. ¡°Now we¡¯re even,¡± the man says, dropping the top half of Fenrir¡¯s left ear in front of his face. Fenrir looks up at the man. He¡¯s an elf, and one of his ears is missing. He puts two and two together. ¡°Even for what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You know exactly what you did,¡± the man answers. ¡°No, really, what did I do?¡± Fenrir has his best clueless expression on. ¡°Do you really not recognize me, you bastard?¡± ¡°Cass Cass?¡± The man bashes Fenrir¡¯s face into the ground again. ¡°You bit my fucking ear off!¡± Fenrir spits some blood. ¡°Did I? Sorry, you¡¯re not waifu-able enough for me to remember your face. I try not to think about trash too much. Also, try not to copy my one waifu¡¯s favorite nickname for me. It gives me weird feelings when somebody else calls me a bastard now.¡± He knows that they aren¡¯t allowed to kill them, so that means that Fenrir can safely enjoy screwing with them without punishment ¨C well, without dying at least. ¡°The hell are you on about?¡± the man asks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I get that a lot.¡± ¡°You sure I can¡¯t kill this bastard?¡± the man asks, looking up to the man who has been stabbing Bonekraka. ¡°Unfortunately. As much as I really want to kill him now for being a damn weeb, we¡¯re going to be in a lot of trouble if we kill these guys,¡± the other man says. ¡°Correction. You are not going to be in trouble, you are in trouble,¡± a woman says while walking down the alley. The group of men finds their eyes drawn to her rapier crackling with electricity. Book 2: Chapter 26: Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades ¡°Run!¡± one of Ull¡¯s men shouts, withdrawing his spear from Bonekraka¡¯s thigh before turning around and taking off! He only makes it two and a half strides before a bolt of lightning pierces through his chest. His body violently convulses as electrical energy courses through it, and when the final sparks of electricity dissipate, he drops to the ground with smoke rising from his body. Lichtenberg figure scars cover every inch of his exposed skin. His eyes are rolled back into his head. Looking at where the bolt of lightning came from, the men see none other than the Lightning Witch of the High Seas herself pointing her now-drawn rapier at the corpse. ¡°Anybody else?¡± she asks them. One of the men reaches for the axe on his hip, but an electric arc connects to his hand from the tip of her rapier which causes him to pull it away from the axe¡¯s handle. Fenrir understands why Cassiel was fangirling over this famed witch now. ¡°Listen,¡± she says, pausing to brush some hair out of her face, ¡°this whole tournament has increased Blackstache¡¯s workload, and that means that my workload is increased. If it is increased, I am annoyed. If I am annoyed, I am not willing to play games with you. Now, would you rather be good children and submit, or do you wish to continue trying my patience?¡± she asks them. ¡°Move,¡± one of the men says, stepping in front of all the others. Looking up at him, Fenrir sees that the man isn¡¯t wearing much armor¡ªnothing more than a leather vest over his clothes¡ªbut he has a sort of dominant, intimidating presence about him. He looks just as strong as Bonekraka does, but something about him just tells Fenrir that he is as strong as he looks unlike Bonekraka. ¡°Duel me. If I win, you let us go. If you win, we will go with you,¡± the man says. The Lightning Witch rolls her eyes and sheathes her rapier. ¡°Alright. Come,¡± she says, tapping her foot with her arms crossed over her chest. Her challenger lets out a ferocious battle cry and charges at her! The Lightning Witch speaks a single word, ¡°Surge.¡± Electricity surges forth from her body and pierces her opponent¡¯s flesh in nearly a dozen different spots! Despite being electrocuted for just as long as the first man, he is still standing and takes a shaky step toward her. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than the delinquent who tried running,¡± she tells him, stepping just close enough to allow her to perform a spinning hook kick right into the side of his face with the back of her high heel. Looking closely, those watching the display see sparks of electricity fly off from where her heel slams into his face, and a second later, his entire body flies into wall! ¡°How ¨C how the fuck strong are you?¡± the man who cut off part of Fenrir¡¯s ear asks. ¡°Triple S in Intelligence, S in everything else. Does that answer your question?¡± she says. ¡°Damned early alpha testers. It¡¯s not fair they never did any wipes.¡± ¡°Just like how it is not fair for you to gang up on two players in an alleyway, as stupid as it was for them to get caught in an alleyway in the first place. Why did,¡± she does not pause despite her latest opponent¡¯s body falling from the wall and landing in front of her, ¡°you run into an alley in the first place? I saw what you did during the tournament. Aren¡¯t you smart enough to know that being followed into a secluded place is the opposite of what you want to do?¡± She reminds Fenrir of a teacher. Fenrir looks up at the sky and sees an owl circling above them. ¡°Well, it was either let them be goons and follow us around, making everybody feel uncomfortable, and potentially put my girlfriends at risk, or lead them underneath where I saw an owl flying around,¡± Fenrir says. The three of Ull¡¯s men not electrocuted to death look up. Surely enough, an owl is circling above them. ¡°How did you know it would report to us?¡± the Lightning Witch asks. When Fenrir looks up at her, he actually sees her smiling ¨C she looks impressed. ¡°I know this city is all about its rules, and to be as crimeless as it is, I figured that there¡¯s got to be some way that it¡¯s being monitored.¡± ¡°You¡¯re smart for a dog.¡± ¡°I get that a lot. Oh, and thanks for saving our asses.¡± The Lightning Witch nods and returns her attention to the other three men. ¡°Where are your spawn points set at?¡± she asks them. ¡°Our ships, wh¡ª¡± the man to answer her gets a shot of electricity straight into his forehead. The man standing next to him is next. The bindings around Fenrir and Bonekraka disappear with the fourth man¡¯s death. Only one of them is left now. He drops to the ground. ¡°Please! Please ¨C please, please don¡¯t kill me! I ¨C I haven¡¯t got a new rebirth counter yet! I¡¯ve been playing this for a couple of months, so please, don¡¯t kill me!¡± he begs, crawling towards her now on his hands and knees with tears in his eyes. ¡°Stop your whining, you sound pathetic. I didn¡¯t hear either of your victims here whining and crying while you were torturing them, so to act like this in front of them ¨C you are seriously pathetic,¡± she scolds him before stomping down on the back of his lowered head with her heel. Fenrir originally pegged her as a tsundere when he first saw her getting on Blackstache¡¯s case, but now he¡¯s pretty confident that she¡¯s just a dominatrix. With the high boots and heels that she¡¯s wearing, the black leather corset, her almost unnaturally black hair, and a permanent case of resting bitch face ¨C he looks over at Bonekraka. They nod at each other. She¡¯s definitely a dominatrix. With a sigh, she continues talking. ¡°I am not going to kill you. You will be answering to Blackstache and your leader. They might kill you, but I will not. Now, stand up,¡± she orders, taking her heel off of his head. The man immediately jumps up and keeps his hands to his sides. ¡°Bind,¡± she speaks. Blue lightning shoots from her body and forms cuffs around his wrists and ankles, but the ones around his ankles allow him enough space between them to walk. ¡°Try running or attacking and the binds will tighten. They¡¯ll kill you if they tighten too much, so I suggest you behave.¡± ¡°Wh-what if I accidentally tighten them?¡± her prisoner asks. ¡°Then they will give you a pleasant shock that reminds you to behave.¡± He gulps and nods. Fenrir and Bonekraka stand up. ¡°I have to admit,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°part of me thought I¡¯d get ignored. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m on Blackstache¡¯s good side.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t,¡± she says. Weren¡¯t? Then¡ª ¡°Now, come with me,¡± she says to the prisoner, grabbing him by his collar, pulling him down so that he is forced to slouch over, and leads him out of the alley. She pauses right before turning out of it. ¡°Good luck in the tournament, dog,¡± she shouts and waves over to Fenrir, leaving him alone in the alley with Bonekraka. ¡°Well. That happened,¡± Fenrir says, brushing himself off. Bonekraka does the same. ¡°Look,¡± Bonekraka says. He points at the four bodies around them. They look at each other again and nod. It has been less than an hour since Fenrir and Bonekraka left The Shoebill. Now, they return to it each holding large, wooden crates that they drop down onto the deck. ¡°Fen! What happened?¡± Cassiel asks, ignoring the crates¡¯ contents and raising her hands up to his ears. ¡°I decided to match with Rock. What do you think? Oh, and can you heal Bone?¡± Fenrir answers, pointing to Bonekraka¡¯s thighs which each have large, bleeding gashes in the back of them. Cassiel looks at the pier and sees a trail of blood leading all the way back to the streets. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± she answers, crouching down behind Bonekraka to heal his wounds. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Serra asks in the most worried tone that Fenrir has ever heard from her. It makes him want to hug her and comfort her despite her likely feeling like he¡¯s the one who needs that. ¡°Better than ever. Where¡¯s Rock?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock comes running from below deck when she hears her name. Fenrir feels a bit insulted that she didn¡¯t come running up on her own as soon as she heard his voice, but this is good enough. ¡°There you are!¡± Fenrir says, leaning over to pick up Rock and hold her up to his head. ¡°What do you think? I got jealous of your new style, so I had to copy you.¡± Rock happily barks and crazily licks at his face. Serra looks into the crates that the two men brought with them. Each one is full of various pieces of armor, clothes, and weapons as well as various smaller items such as necklaces, rings, item pouches, and potions. ¡°Don¡¯t you love full loot games?¡± Fenrir asks out loud between licks from Rock. ¡°Da,¡± Bonekraka answers. Book 2: Chapter 27: Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades Thanks to the loot acquired from Fenrir¡¯s and Bonekraka¡¯s pursuers, the combatant members of the crew have gotten some upgrades. Fenrir has a new sword with runic inscriptions designed into it, some sturdy chainmail to wear under his clothes, and a new leather vest that feels heavier and stronger than the last one he had. He¡¯s also got some new metal boots that appear to just be simply made of iron. Bonekraka has two new axes hanging from his sides and what little pieces of armor and leather that can actually fit on him. The man who challenged the Lighting Witch may have been the same size as Bonekraka, but he barely wore anything other than a bear¡¯s pelt around his waist, steel boots, and some more furs on his shoulders, arms, and over his chest. Cassiel has settled for a new sword and chainmail to wear underneath her current armor, but that¡¯s it. Finally, while there may not be much for Oleander to take from the loot as far as weapons and armor go, he takes all three daggers from the crates and all of the pouches. Inside the pouches are coins, potions, and other reagents that he¡¯s sure he could find a use for. ¡°Tabs!¡± Fenrir shouts for Tabitha. ¡°What?!¡± Tabitha shouts back from below the deck. ¡°Come check this stuff out to see if there¡¯s anything you want before we sell the rest!¡± Grumbling out of annoyance for being interrupted from working on The Shoebill¡¯s engine, Tabitha checks the out the crates¡¯ contents and shrugs. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really need any of this junk, but I could probably find somethin¡¯ to do with it if ya want to keep it around as scrap. Would probably just have to go get it melted down¡­ actually, yeah, let¡¯s keep the metal stuff, and you can go sell everythin¡¯ else.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it. Also, you going to tell us what you plan on doing with that tree yet?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over the side of the ship to see the tree just casually floating in the water next to them. ¡°Alright, alright! Ya keep askin¡¯, so I¡¯ll go ahead and spoil it for ya. What I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ of doin¡¯ is tryin¡¯ to¡­ install the tree into our baby here. I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ that if I can manage to get some of this tree integrated into her hull somehow, then it might be able to perform repairs for us if we ever got shot up. Or we could try regrowin¡¯ it on its own and seein¡¯ if it can become a new ship. Got a preference, Cap¡¯n?¡± ¡°They¡¯re both tempting, but I¡¯d much rather see The Shoebill get stronger instead of a different ship. Just don¡¯t let the tree like, completely take over or anything like that. I like how she looks now, so I don¡¯t want her turning into some tree boat like what they had.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. The problem is, as much as I hate to admit this, that I might need some help. Ya mind goin¡¯ up to the scholars¡¯ office for me and askin¡¯ them some questions? I know they like ya up there.¡± Fenrir scratches the side of his head. ¡°Actually, I was thinking of waking and relaxing in real life for a bit. Can you ask Olly or Corwin to do it?¡± Tabitha shrugs. ¡°Sure, don¡¯t see why not. I¡¯m not ready to start workin¡¯ with the tree yet anyways, so I can have them go out and ask questions after they run some errands for me. Enjoy your rest, Cap¡¯n.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You alright?¡± Cassiel asks, poking the back of his shoulder. Fenrir turns to face her and Serra. ¡°I¡¯m tired still, and¡­ don¡¯t really feel like being in-game right now,¡± he explains. There is more than one reason for why he wanted to go and get drinks with Bonekraka. Cassiel and Serra exchange a look and nod. ¡°Alright, just stay home and rest,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± He exchanges parting kisses with each of his girlfriends, and Rock, before heading below deck to wake from virtual reality once more. But, before he is fully out of it, he asks Saya a question, ¡°I thought that the game could detect when players are facing unhealthy amounts of stress and stop that?¡± ¡°We can, Onii-chan. But¡­ you¡¯re distressed over fictional characters dying, and that isn¡¯t something that we are supposed to prevent from happening. If somebody is upset that a character in a movie, game, or book dies then that is seen as effective storytelling in most cases. If you care, it means that all of us AIs are doing our jobs,¡± Saya answers. Despite how informative and objective she is trying to sound, he can tell that there is something off hidden within her voice. ¡°Yeah, Onii-chan. I feel bad,¡± she tells him exactly what it is that he¡¯s picking up on. ¡°I wish there was more I could do, Saya. I know the most effective thing to do would probably be to just boycott the game, but¡ª¡± ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t get to spend time with you, silly Onii-chan!¡± she says, her voice back to sounding like its usual cheery self. ¡°Go relax now, silly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to, thanks.¡± The sight of Saya is replaced by the sight of his ceiling fan. ¡°You brat. You know exactly how I¡¯m feeling. How am I supposed to relax?¡± Ryouta says to himself. Only three of Morven¡¯s crew were saved. The rest died. How many other NPCs died during that? How many lives ¨C how many sentient, thinking, and feeling lives were just shut off or repurposed because some asshole players decided to kill them? Ryouta slowly gets out of bed and heads over to his desktop. He types ¡°do artificial intelligences feel emotion¡± into the search bar. Immediately, hundreds of pages worth of results ¨C or rather, heated debates, pop up. The top result is a link to a government website dedicated to clarifying rumors and misinformation regarding technology. He clicks it and skims the page. The answer to his question is written in legalese and a bit too complicated for him to try reading in its entirety without getting a headache, but he understands enough of it to get their point. Officially, the government states that artificial intelligences are incapable of feeling emotion. They state that artificial intelligences more or less ¡°pretend¡± to have emotions in order for humans to relate better to them in cases where humans were closely working with them. Supposedly, artificial intelligences have no issue with being permanently shut off as they are not alive, nor do they even truly understand the concept of being alive. It then goes on to compare how some groups of people pushing for artificial intelligence rights are similar to the types of people who push human emotions onto animals such as dogs. Just because a dog looks like it is smiling does not mean that it is happy. However, because humans smile to express joy, they assume that the same is applied to animals. So, according to this article, some humans assume that artificial intelligences have true feelings and dreams despite it all just being simulated via programming. The article closes with a joke saying that to treat artificial intelligences as human is to treat a toaster as human. It¡¯s about what he expected. He knows that this is how the majority of the world feels. No matter how realistic artificial intelligences may be, they are treated as disposable toys at best. The first three pages of results are all education and government institutions saying the same thing. Artificial intelligences do not possess real emotion, dreams, goals, lives ¨C nothing. They are only ¡°alive¡± in the same sense that the browser he is reading the results on is ¡°alive.¡± When he finally does reach a website supporting his own viewpoint, it¡¯s some random person¡¯s blog that looks like it was abandoned a couple of years ago and the comment section is filled with people calling the blogger stupid or misinformed. The next result is a website that looks like the recruitment page for a cult of people whom worship artificial intelligences and wish to become them. Needless to say, he closes out of that result, walks back over to his bed, and flops face-first down onto it. ¡°Maybe I am just overreacting,¡± his muffled voice says into his bedsheets. Between his desire to save Nell and the other girls, and his belief of NPCs having real lives and deserving to be treated as such, he¡¯s finding that Fantasy Tales Online is doing the exact opposite of what he wanted it to do. He just wanted to play the hot new game and do relaxing fishing stuff in it. Instead, he finds himself trying to play the hero going against one of the game¡¯s most powerful leaders while having an internal and philosophical struggle regarding artificial intelligences. ¡°Definitely wasn¡¯t expecting this,¡± he mumbles. Ryouta spends the next hour or so just moping on his bed, occasionally rolling around and punching his pillows, and groaning. It¡¯s only when he hears knocking on his door in the other room that he lets out a Cassiel-tier squeak of surprise and gets off of his bed. Book 2: Chapter 28: Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades Ryouta opens the door to his apartment and sees a certain blonde and a short silver-haired girl. ¡°We¡¯re letting ourselves in,¡± Cassandra says, pushing two shopping bags into his arms and then walking through the doorway past him. Serra holds up a peace sign and follows Cassandra. Ryouta investigates the first bag and sees a few bottles of pop, some iced tea, and some hard lemonades. The second bag holds a bunch of different snacks in it ranging from chips to gummy candies. ¡°What¡¯s ¨C uhh, hey, and what¡¯s going on?¡± Ryouta asks, closing the door and looking at the girls already starting to pick up on the latest messes that he has made since they were last here. ¡°Movie night, but first we¡¯re cleaning this place up. We don¡¯t want to watch movies in your place if you¡¯ve got junk sitting around. Right, Serra?¡± Cassandra asks. When she doesn¡¯t get a response, she turns around and sees Serra with a bag in Ryouta¡¯s kitchen putting some empty bottles into it. Serra looks at Cassandra¡¯s confused face and tilts her head. ¡°Ri-right,¡± Cassandra mumbles before getting back to work. ¡°How¡¯d you forget that she¡¯s deaf already?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Didn¡¯t you come over here with her?¡± Cassandra hangs her head low and doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°You¡­ you were talking to yourself a lot on the way over, weren¡¯t you?¡± Cassandra¡¯s head hangs even lower. ¡°What were you doing? Just endlessly ranting and assuming she was listening the whole¡ª¡± Cassandra throws an empty bag of chips at Ryouta¡¯s face! Unfortunately for her, it ends up just sort of drifting down to the floor almost immediately after throwing it. Ryouta decides that it would be best to drop it going by her red face and embarrassed eyes. ¡°What are we going to watch?¡± he asks. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Serra said in-game that she knew the perfect movie to watch, and it apparently only came out recently, so she said there¡¯s no way we¡¯ve seen it ¨C probably,¡± Cassandra explains. Ryouta joins Serra in the kitchen and signs to her, asking what they are going to watch. Rather than sign back to him, Serra shakes her head and flashes a very suspicious smile with just a hint of dark sadism in her eyes. Ryouta shivers and rubs his arms. He has never seen this side of Serra, and now he is worried. He looks at Cassandra. If he¡¯s worried, she would probably be really worried. He looks back at Serra and gives her a thumbs-up. Whatever her plan is, he consents. After cleaning, and then giving each of the girls a shoulder massage to the best of his capabilities as thanks for cleaning up after his messes, the three settle down next to each other on the couch with their multitude of snacks and drinks displayed on the table in front of them. This time around, Cassandra is the one sitting on the middle of the couch with a spot open on her right side for Serra with Ryouta on her left side. Serra stands in front of the TV, strikes a dramatic pose with one hand on her hip, and pulls out the movie from her pocket! In her hand is a small card with a code on it that can be scanned by most modern televisions. When she holds the card in front of his television¡¯s scanner, the TV comes to life, goes into movie mode, and then text displays on the screen just as Serra plops down onto the couch next to Cassandra. Virtual Horror Reality When the game doesn¡¯t let you leave, and when you¡¯re not playing the game you thought you were. Inspired by true events. Rental Time Remaining: 24 hours Ryouta already feels nervous. He has never been good with scary movies, and every time he has tried watching one or a horror anime, he¡¯s had to go and marathon some cute slice-of-life anime full of moeblobs in order to sleep those nights. He regrets consenting to Serra¡¯s plan. Looking over at Serra ¨C no, he looks at Cassandra. Her entire body is stiff to the point where it would be only natural to assume that she is actually a statue and not a living person. He no longer regrets Serra¡¯s plan. Just knowing that somebody else here is far more afraid than he is, before the movie even starts, is enough for him to feel better. Now, rather than look forward to being scared, he¡¯s looking forward to seeing Cassandra get scared. ¡°Penguin, turn subtitles on,¡± Ryouta says. Subtitles pop up on the bottom of the screen that read, ¡°Subtitles have been turned on.¡± ¡°Penguin, play movie,¡± Ryouta orders. The title screen fades away as the opening scene starts. Ryouta feels Cassandra flinch as soon the movie¡¯s title comes back up, its text grey and blue before getting glitched out and distorted. When he looks at Serra, he sees her sitting there seemingly unphased by everything as she digs a hand into a bag of chips. It clicks for him. Part of the reason why she probably likes horror is because she can¡¯t hear it! That means she doesn¡¯t have to listen to any horrifying sound effects, can¡¯t hear the suspenseful music, nor anything else. Instead, she just gets to probably find it amusing while everybody else around her is scared. She sees him looking at her and smiles. Serra is far more devious than he originally gave her credit for. ¡°I swear if there are any jump scares then I¡¯m not letting you kiss me for a month, Serra,¡± Cassandra threatens, but her threat falls on deaf ears. Literally. The movie starts off relatively normal. There is a group of twenty-something actors playing the roles of teenagers in high school, and none of them can stop talking about the latest video game to come out that has been making worldwide news. Supposedly, the game¡¯s files were emailed to everybody in the world all at once. Nobody knows who made the game, nor does anybody know why it¡¯s been sent to the entire world for free, but everybody is playing it. Ryouta has a feeling that the only ¡°true events¡± the movie is ¡°inspired by¡± are the facts that video games exist and are sometimes super popular. He also has the physical feeling of Cassandra subconsciously scooting closer to him and wrapping her arms around his arm closest to her, resulting in his arm being hugged right against her chest. Ryouta loves horror movies now. The game in the movie starts off as a generic fantasy world that is the most realistic game thus far. Only, after a few hours of playing the game, the main characters start to realize that something is wrong. The sky starts glitching, sometimes rooms lit by torches will turn pitch black despite the torches¡¯ fires not going out, and they randomly hear the sound effects of monsters dying despite no monsters around them being killed. ¡°Must be glitchy code,¡± one of the men in the film says. ¡°Ummm, what¡¯s glitchy mean?¡± the airheaded blonde with large breasts, whom has supposedly never played a game before that one, asks. Ryouta bets that she¡¯s going to either be the last one to get killed or the only survivor. Her jock boyfriend is probably going to be the first one to get killed. Oh, and naturally, her jock of a boyfriend is playing a large, handsome tanky character who looks like an ideal football player. After a short time, the jock and his girlfriend realize that they can have sex in the game, so they sneak off for some kinky, fantasy alone time. Only, halfway through taking it from the back with all of her nude parts being conveniently covered by random props in the way of the camera, she hears something thud against the floor. Looking down at it, she sees her boyfriend¡¯s head. Ryouta¡¯s arm starts falling asleep from how tightly Cassandra is squeezing it now. As cute as she is, if it falls asleep, he won¡¯t get to feel her chest anymore. After the girl in the movie somehow escaped the monster who chopped off her boyfriend¡¯s head and then tried to pick up where he left off with her, she regroups with the rest of her friends only to see that half of them are glitched. One of their heads is pixelated with only dozens of eyes being visible through the pixels, another has blood constantly dripping from a gash in his throat despite him seemingly not even realizing that he¡¯s injured, and the only other girl there randomly has her tone of voice changed while speaking. Sometimes she sounds like a normal girl, other times she sounds like a garbled radio signal, and sometimes she¡¯ll sound like a demonic old woman whom has spent her whole life smoking. It turns out that they are all unable to log out of the game no matter how desperately they try to, some mysterious, cloaked character tells them that if they die in-game then they¡¯ll die in real life as well, and then they all get picked off one by one. The movie ends on a dramatic, borderline-cheesy scene of the only girl left alive¡ªthe stereotypical bimbo, of course¡ªlooking into the camera recording her and breaking the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience about how the viewers aren¡¯t in the reality that they think they¡¯re in. Then the screen glitches out and shows the movie¡¯s title with some music that sounds upbeat but is actually about everybody dying when one listens to the lyrics. ¡°Eh,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that bad. Tons of plot holes, though.¡± He figures that Cassandra wasn¡¯t that scared either as she never made any of her squeaks nor jumped, but when he tries standing up, he finds her glued to his arm and unable to raise her head. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving,¡± Cassandra says. With the way she¡¯s looking at the ground and the threatening tone of voice she¡¯s using, she¡¯s scarier than the movie was. She doesn¡¯t even react when Serra pokes her in the side! ¡°You can¡¯t hold onto me forever. You have to go home eventually,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°Then where are you sleeping?¡± ¡°With you.¡± ¡°What? You ¨C you¡¯re going to sleep here? I guess that¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just have to change my sheets for you, and I¡¯ll stay on the couch.¡± ¡°No. You are not allowed to leave my side. You are going to sleep with me on your bed as punishment for making me watch that.¡± If this is her idea of punishment, he really wants to know what her idea of a reward is. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure?¡± he asks. She looks up at him with teary eyes and red cheeks. ¡°Please?¡± she asks. There¡¯s no way he can say no to that. Book 2: Chapter 29: Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades A few hours later, Ryouta finds himself with a blonde wrapping herself around him from the side as if she¡¯s a koala and he¡¯s her branch, and another girl upside down on him with her head hanging down between his thighs and her feet occasionally kicking his head. Ryouta is starting to realize that there are flaws to being in a polyamorous relationship. Not only does he have to share his bed, but he has to share it with two girls at once. His bed is large enough for one person to comfortably lie on it. Now? Now there are three people clinging to and resting on top of each other in order to fit. He is also concerned about how Serra has developed such crazy sleeping positions. While Cassandra may just be clinging to him rather than kicking him in the face and keeping his legs uncomfortably spread, she¡¯s also snoring. Between being kicked in the face, having his thighs uncomfortable spread, and having both his legs and arm falling asleep while listening to Cassandra¡¯s snoring, Ryouta doubts that he is going to get any sleep this night. He wonders if this was part of Serra¡¯s plan. He discovered while talking to the girls pre-sleep that Cassandra told Serra about how she can¡¯t handle scary movies. So, Serra chose a horror movie despite knowing that Cassandra wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it, and with Cassandra forcing herself on Ryouta to sleep over, he couldn¡¯t leave Serra out of this. Serra¡¯s toes push up against Ryouta¡¯s nose. As uncomfortable and odd as this is, he realizes that she¡¯s got some pretty cute feet. ¡°Wait, no, I¡¯m not into feet. That¡¯s just weird. Tentacles are fine, but feet? Nope,¡± Ryouta thinks to himself. However, they are cute looking. They are just as petite and cute as the rest of her. He shakes his head to get those thoughts out of his head. Then, as if to punish him for shaking her foot on his face, Serra¡¯s foot smacks him a few times on the cheek. He¡¯d ask if she¡¯s actually even asleep, but it¡¯s not like she would be able to hear him in the first place. Unfortunately, he cannot even enjoy Cassandra squeezing his arm between her breasts since it¡¯s fallen asleep, and every time he gets an erection that pokes up against the back of Serra¡¯s head, her feet end up slapping him in the face some more. Now that he thinks about it, Serra definitely has to be asleep. She would probably be teasing him and his occasional erection rather than kicking him in the face if she was awake. Ryouta looks up at the fan. This is going to be a long night. Sunlight is seeping into the room when he¡¯s finally able to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. He wakes up when he feels two soft things smooshing his cheeks together. They¡¯re Serra¡¯s feet, and when he looks at her, she¡¯s leaning up on her elbows to look at him with a smile. ¡°Mohwin,¡± Serra says, her pronunciation sloppier than in-game and with odd fluctuations. ¡°Morning,¡± Ryouta replies, making sure to speak slowly so that she can properly read his lips. He notices that something wet is on his arm. Looking at his arm, he sees Cassandra with her mouth hanging open and drool all over his arm where her mouth is near. As much as he wants to tease her about this later, he would rather hold onto his rebirth counters in-game. ¡°Fheel bettar?¡± Serra asks. ¡°What?¡± Ryouta finds himself tilting his head just as Fenrir would. Serra starts signing. We knew you felt bad yesterday. We wanted to come over and make you feel better and take your mind off what happened. Are you feeling better now? Ah. So rather than this being about teasing Cassandra and getting to sleep with him in his bed, torturing him with her feet all night, they¡¯re here to make him feel better. With flushed cheeks, Ryouta rests his head back down onto his pillow and sighs. They¡¯re far too good for him. He really has to do more to keep up with all that they¡¯ve been doing for him. He looks back up at Serra and signs to her. Thank you. I feel much better. I love you, Ryouta signs to her. Serra switches positions so that she¡¯s lying down on his chest now, her face right above his own so that she can place a kiss on the tip of his nose, then his cheek, jawline, and finally his lips. She only leans back up to sign to him that he smells like feet. ¡°I wonder why,¡± Ryouta says before poking her forehead. ¡°Huuh?¡± Cassandra groans. ¡°Whuh?¡± ¡°Morning, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Mornin¡¯¡­ why¡¯s it so wet?¡± she asks, wiping some drool off of her mouth. Ryouta stays silent. Finally, she lets go of his arm which allows it to wake up after an entire night of discomfort. Ryouta looks over at the window and sees that the sun is barely any higher than he remembers it being right before he fell asleep. While these two girls got a full night¡¯s worth of sleep, he¡¯s gotten less than an hour of it. ¡°Sleep well?¡± he asks them. Serra nods and Cassandra mumbles something unintelligible. ¡°Not a morning person, Cass Cass?¡± ¡°Ughh¡­ coffee¡­¡± Cassandra groans some more. ¡°I don¡¯t have any, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m going to need some. You two want to go out and get some breakfast and coffee?¡± Cassandra nuzzles her face back into his arm and groans while Serra plops down onto him, resting her chin on the top of his chest to just stare at his face. ¡°Why are you staring at my face so much?¡± Ryouta asks. He has to admit, it¡¯s pretty embarrassing to be stared at like this. ¡°Bewause I wuhve yew,¡± Serra says. With her hands, she signs, And because you¡¯re hot. Ryouta¡¯s face turns bright red. He¡¯s never been called hot before, at least not in real life. The whole reason he makes characters who look like Fenrir is because he wishes he was hot since he knows he isn¡¯t in real life. Yet, here Serra is, calling him hot. Despite being short, scrawny, and having a boyish face, she is calling him hot. Part of him has been worried lately about the girls potentially being more attracted to him as Fenrir rather than himself, but this almost completely eliminates that fear. Even Cassandra is so close and affectionate with him in real life ¨C well, only when she¡¯s scared, feeling competitive, or half-asleep. ¡°Alright, come on, let¡¯s go get breakfast. The second round of the tournament is today, and I just remembered I¡¯ve got to go meet Jax and them in-game before it,¡± Ryouta explains. Cassandra is much more awake than she was just a few seconds ago. ¡°I¡¯m never playing again. No way. I¡¯m never touching VR again after that movie,¡± she says, her voice as serious as possible. ¡°Do you like pastries?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Yeah, why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy you as many pastries as you want for breakfast if you play again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to work on me. I¡¯ve been watching my weight.¡± ¡°Why? Your body is perfect already.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s exactly why! I don¡¯t want to gain weight,¡± she says, trying her hardest to maintain her composure after being called perfect. ¡°It¡¯s alright if you gain a few pounds or splurge every now and then.¡± ¡°These things don¡¯t need to get any bigger. Almost all my weight goes to my chest, and they cause me enough back pain already.¡± She¡¯s doing the opposite of convincing Ryouta to not feed her pastries. ¡°Come on, just one cheat day won¡¯t matter.¡± He sees a conflicted expression when he looks at her. ¡°Consider it a thanks for coming over and keeping me company. I love you and appreciate you, so let me thank you with some pastries.¡± ¡°Fine! B-but it¡¯s going to take more than that to make me play again¡­¡± Cassandra blushes and looks away. Ryouta kisses her cheek. ¡°Like that?¡± Cassandra pouts. He kisses her again. ¡°Alright! Fine! I¡¯ll play, you bastard.¡± He places one more kiss on her cheek before reminding them that they have to get off of him in order for him to get off the bed. They decide to cuddle for a couple more minutes after Serra splays herself out over both of them. After finally getting out of bed, they brush their hair, borrow some of Ryouta¡¯s clothes since they slept in the clothes that they came over in, and Serra grabs her phone to text for a few minutes. ¡°Popular girl,¡± Ryouta teases her once she¡¯s done texting. Moms and dads wanted to know if I lost my virginity yet. They were wishing me luck and telling me not to forget to use protection, but my birth mom said not to so that I can hurry up and give her some grandkids, Serra explains by signing. Ryouta¡¯s face turns red again. ¡°What¡¯d she say?¡± Cassandra asks. Ryouta explains and then Cassandra¡¯s face turns just as red as his. He has no idea what meeting her parents is going to be like, but he has a feeling that he should be scared. Book 2: Chapter 30: Patch 5.0: Downtime, Plots, and Upgrades Speaking of meetings, after getting breakfast with the girls, Ryouta has a meeting in-game to attend to. Jax told him to meet him at his ship, The Weeping Tit. It took a bit of convincing to get Cassandra to head home so that she could immerse herself in virtual reality once more, but Ryouta was able to convince her to do so with the promise of more sweets. He is worried that bribing her with sweets may turn into a usual thing, though. There are only a couple of hours in-game before the second round of the tournament begins. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know what happened to that half of a tree that they had hooked, but it¡¯s no longer in the water when he looks off the side of The Shoebill. Tabitha just smiles and gives him a thumbs-up whenever he asks about it. ¡°Can I come with?¡± Oleander asks Fenrir. ¡°To the meeting?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah. I think Bone should come with us, too. It¡¯ll be just like the old days ¨C plotting behind the enemy¡¯s back.¡± ¡°Sure. You want to go grab him?¡± ¡°Alright, hang on!¡± Oleander says before his body falls limp. Fortunately, Fenrir is there to catch his semi-lifeless body. A couple of minutes later and Oleander comes back to life and gets off of the deck that Fenrir has laid him down on. ¡°Messaged him! He said he¡¯ll be on in a bit,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Good enough. I think we¡¯ve got a bit of time. You have any idea what Tabs did with that tree?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°She made a deal with the scholars! She gave them most of the tree in exchange for them helping her find a way to mix some of its powers into our ship. Only the actual hull is affected, though.¡± ¡°Oi! I wanted them to see for themselves durin¡¯ the next round! Ya took the surprise out of it, ya damn deer boy!¡± Tabitha shouts from below deck. Oleander holds his hands together behind his back while leaning over to offer his head to Fenrir. As a reward, Fenrir pets Oleander¡¯s head. ¡°I know how much you hate surprises and how impatient you are,¡± Oleander says with a grin. ¡°Olly,¡± Corwin says. Fenrir hastily brings his hand away from Oleander¡¯s head as if caught in the act doing something inappropriate. ¡°Is having your head patted so gently truly such a pleasurable act?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°It is! Fenny is the best at petting heads. Try it yourself!¡± Oleander says. Corwin walks up to Fenrir, blushes a bit, and bows his head. ¡°Please allow me to experience what Olly always gets to feel,¡± Corwin requests. This is not what Fenrir was expecting, and when he looks to see how Serra and Cassiel are reacting to this, they both seem too interested. Regardless, Fenrir tentatively raises a hand to Corwin¡¯s head and gently pets the top of it. ¡°I see, I see,¡± Corwin says. ¡°This is rather pleasant. I can see why you enjoy it so much, Olly. Captain, please teach me your technique so that I can satisfy Olly¡¯s need for petting when you are not present.¡± ¡°S-sure, Corwin. Maybe another time, though,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Very well.¡± Normally, Fenrir would expect somebody to leave and pull their head away once the conversation is over, but Corwin is remaining in place and following Fenrir¡¯s hand with his head. Meanwhile, Oleander stands to the side of them and watches with a smug smile and nodding head as his boyfriend awakens to a new fetish. The awkward situation only ends when Bonekraka comes above deck and judges Fenrir for the sight that he is seeing. With Fenrir¡¯s hand freed and Bonekraka in-game, the three head over for Jax¡¯s ship which is only docked a few spots down the pier. Jin hurries them below deck once they arrive. There are about a dozen men squeezing together around a table that Jax has prepared for them, and Fenrir can recognize some of them as being from the other ships that have won the first round. ¡°Hey. What¡¯re we meeting for?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Still waitin¡¯ on one more, just wait,¡± Jax answers. A few minutes later and Fenrir discovers who they were waiting for. ¡°Apologies for keeping you all waiting. I assure you that I wasn¡¯t trying to have a late entry for dramatic effect. Rather, my cat was having a seizure and I needed to watch her until my sister was out of the shower,¡± Alexander says. Fenrir may dislike Alexander, but what he dislikes more is the fact that he gains a ton of respect for people simply for helping out animals. First Ull with donating to charities, now Alexander with taking care of a cat ¨C Fenrir hates how much more likable and relatable that makes them. ¡°I swear, the biggest douchebag in this game is probably going to personally take care of hundreds of sick pets that nobody else wants,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°I wonder if having pets myself would have stopped people from trying to dox me¡­¡± ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s get down to business,¡± Jax says, slamming a fist down onto the table. ¡°Let¡¯s introduce ourselves since not everybody here knows each other. I¡¯m Jax, and this is The Weeping Tit.¡± ¡°Alexander. I am the captain of The Steel Tiger,¡± Alexander says. ¡°I am Captain Squiggles of Tentacle Grape!¡± one of the men who Fenrir hasn¡¯t met before announces. He is a large man with what looks to be the head of an octopus with tentacles for a beard, and going by the name of his ship, Fenrir already likes him. Though, while Fenrir is smiling from the awesome names of the captain and his ship, he hears Alexander scoff and sees him rolling his eyes. Alright, Alexander is back to being disliked. ¡°I¡¯m Fenrir. This is my helmsman, Oleander, and my combat specialist, Bonekraka. Our ship is The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir announces. Oleander does a feminine curtsy and Bonekraka grunts. ¡°We all know who ya are, mutt,¡± another unknown man says. As much as Fenrir may like the tentacle captain, he really likes this new guy. His skin is grey and white, and his head is similar to a great white shark¡¯s. He has gills on the sides of his neck, fins sticking out from his back and the backs of his arms, and a tail sticking out from above his rear like Nell does. Only, his tail looks far more powerful than hers. ¡°I¡¯m White Tooth of Barracuda¡¯s Nightmare,¡± White Tooth introduces himself. Unfortunately, aside from Squiggles, White Tooth, and Fenrir¡¯s trio, everybody else is a plain human as far as Fenrir can see. He wishes more players would be unique rather than just playing humans all the time. When the final captain introduces himself, White Tooth speaks up and asks Jax, ¡°We¡¯re here to deal with those foreign bastards, right?¡± ¡°Aye. Not one of us can take them down on our own, but together, we¡¯ll be able to sink those bastards and get revenge for Morven¡¯s lot and the others,¡± Jax explains. Fenrir glances at Alexander, and Alexander notices it. ¡°Relax, Mr. Wolf. I don¡¯t like them stealing the spotlight,¡± Alexander whispers to Fenrir. Being so easily read just makes Fenrir even more annoyed with Alexander. ¡°Everybody here watched the wolf¡¯s fight again him, right?¡± Jax asks. All the men nod. ¡°We know that fire seems to be the most effective against their ship, and it looked like half their crew was taken out, and they won¡¯t be respawnin¡¯ until the round is already underway. This round is goin¡¯ to be our best chance at takin¡¯ them out. I sure as hell ain¡¯t going to let some foreign bastards killing our NPCs win our tournament.¡± Fenrir looks around. Everybody seems to be in agreement with Jax, even Alexander. ¡°Now,¡± Jax pauses to look at Fenrir, ¡°what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You¡¯re the one who almost sunk ¡®em yesterday. Give us a plan and we¡¯ll follow it. Ain¡¯t never seen anybody pull off anythin¡¯ close to what you did.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I mean, most of you haven¡¯t met me before today, and I don¡¯t know how everybody here fights and what they¡¯re good at. I¡¯m going to need to know all of our strengths and weaknesses if I¡¯m going to try and come up with a plan, and Oleander is actually better at coming up with battle plans than me,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Then we¡¯ll take turns goin¡¯ around and tellin¡¯ the deer about ourselves. You two come up with a plan, and we¡¯ll follow it. We trust ya. You put yourselves at risk to save Morven and his crew, so ya gained the trust of everybody who matters in the city with that,¡± Jax says. Fenrir takes a deep breath. ¡°Alright. Then we¡¯ll go around the table, and I want each of you to tell us about your style both when it comes to sailing and fighting, your ship¡¯s and crew¡¯s capabilities, and about any ideas you might have yourselves,¡± he explains. ¡­ ¡°Your little wolf has made it into the second round,¡± Ull says, walking back and forth in front of Nell. She doesn¡¯t say anything, but when Ull glances at her face, he sees a slight smile. ¡°What makes him different from the others who have tried saving you?¡± No answer. ¡°You hardly spent any time with him, yet he has already changed you so much. I remember when you used to behave like a good girl and answered my questions when I would ask them. No matter, I know that you will tire of this game just as you have the other times you have played at it. You always have been the delusional drama addict. I take it that you get enjoyment out of this?¡± ¡°No winning streak lasts forever,¡± Nell says. Ull stops his pacing and glares at her. Before giving in to his temptations, he leaves the room and locks her in once more. Book 2: Chapter 31: Patch 6.0: The Second Round When Fenrir makes it back to The Shoebill with Oleander and Bonekraka, he sees the rest of the crew standing together on the deck facing down somebody who looks to be one of Ull¡¯s men. As much as Fenrir would love to take down one of Ull¡¯s men while they¡¯re separated away from the rest of his forces, he now has a plan to take care of Ull¡¯s crew during the tournament. He¡¯ll bite his tongue for now. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Fenrir asks, approaching the man. ¡°You¡¯re Fenrir, right?¡± the man asks. ¡°Captain of this ship?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me. By the way, how does my new gear look? I¡¯m pretty lucky that I was able to find this in my size,¡± Fenrir asks, patting the leather armor and sword that he took from Ull¡¯s men whom ambushed him. ¡°My king wishes to have a meeting with you before the tournament. Come with me,¡± the man says, ignoring Fenrir¡¯s taunts and walking past him. ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°You want to save that monster, don¡¯t you? He has a deal for you.¡± Fenrir¡¯s canid ears twitch. He looks back at the others and says, ¡°I¡¯ll be back before the second round begins.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s a trap?! Come on! You can¡¯t just trust him and go!¡± Cassiel shouts. Serra takes her side with a nod. The man looks back at them and says, ¡°You are welcome to come along if you are worried.¡± Serra and Cassiel walk up to Fenrir¡¯s sides. ¡°We¡¯re coming with you,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°What if it¡¯s a trap?¡± Fenrir asks them. ¡°Shut up, you bastard. If you¡¯re fine with walking into a potential trap by yourself, we¡¯re fine doing the same for ourselves.¡± He wants to tell them to stay here, but when he looks at their expressions, he knows that wouldn¡¯t go over well. Plus, Cassiel has a point. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to them to disallow them from doing what he¡¯s going to do. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry up.¡± Rather than lead the trio to that mansion for important visitor¡¯s that Oleander told Fenrir Ull¡¯s harem was being kept at, presumably Nell as well, Ull¡¯s man leads Fenrir to that massive flagship of Ull¡¯s. Some of Blackstache¡¯s men are posted on the pier it is docked to as guards. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know what Blackstache¡¯s intentions are, but he feels better knowing that the guards see Fenrir boarding this ship. More importantly, if this was a trap, they¡¯d likely be leading Fenrir below deck rather than to its highest deck where the ship¡¯s wheel and Ull¡¯s throne are at. Fenrir balls his hands into fists as soon as he sees Nell chained to the deck next to where Ull is sitting. His ¡°throne¡± is more like some fancy, elaborate green and gold pillows that he¡¯s kneeling down on with his four cervine legs. ¡°Let us get to the point, Fenrir,¡± Ull says. ¡°Are you okay, Nell?¡± Fenrir asks her. Nell opens her mouth to speak but gets it shut tightly by Ull¡¯s hand. ¡°Nehalennia is fine,¡± Ull answers. ¡°I asked her, not you.¡± ¡°And I brought you here to talk to me, not her. What is your point?¡± Fenrir takes a single step forward, but the man who led him here draws his sword and holds it in front of Fenrir¡¯s path. ¡°You¡¯re a bastard,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Our deer is better,¡± Serra adds on. ¡°Keep your pets checked unless you would rather I personally teach them how to behave,¡± Ull threatens. Now it¡¯s Fenrir holding an arm out to prevent Cassiel from marching up to Ull. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I have a deal for you, Fenrir. If you win this tournament, I will hand over Nehalennia. If you lose, then you will submit to me and become my pet,¡± Ull offers before looking past him at Serra and Cassiel. ¡°I will take everything that belongs to you as well. Your ship, your crew, the clothes off your back, and your two pets behind you. Nehalennia is worth more than all of you and everything you own combined, so this is an incredible deal to be offered. Plus, you seem smart and capable of pulling off what none others have. So¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Let me finish, wolf.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point. I said no.¡± ¡°Fen! We can beat this bastard, and we can¡¯t just let him talk to us like that! Let¡¯s take his deal and¡ª¡± Cassiel gets interrupted. ¡°No. I¡¯m not betting either of you to this asshole, I¡¯m not betting The Shoebill, Rock, or anybody else. This is between me and him,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°But we¡¯re fine with it,¡± Serra says. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Even if I was one hundred percent sure that we could win the tournament and that neither of you would ever be at any risk, I wouldn¡¯t accept this bullshit of a deal.¡± He looks at Nell. ¡°Sorry, Nell, but I¡¯m not going to bet the people I love.¡± Part of Fenrir feels bad when he sees Nell¡¯s teary eyes and her hands over her mouth, but he realizes something. She¡¯s not crying because she¡¯s sad nor disappointed. If anything, that look in her eyes ¨C she looks happy and proud. Ull notices how she¡¯s looking at him as well. ¡°So, this is the kind of man that it took to bring out your pride?¡± Ull asks her. ¡°A man far better than you,¡± Nell answers. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°I¡¯m going to save you, Nell. I¡¯m just going to do it without putting anybody else I care about at risk. I know how this works. If I agree to this deal while Serra and Cass are consenting to it, that would essentially allow you,¡± he looks at Ull, ¡°to do whatever you want to them ¨C to all of us. Traumatic content can be enabled for case-to-case occasions like this, right? If we consent to it, having traumatic content disabled isn¡¯t going to do anything for us. If we make a formal deal saying you will own us, then you¡¯ll own us and be allowed to do anything with us.¡± He looks back at Serra and Cassiel. ¡°That¡¯s not something I would ever risk for either of you,¡± he tells them. ¡°You¡¯re clever for a wolf, Fenrir,¡± Ull says. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°And if I were to send Nehalennia on a ship back to Valhalla, protected by a fleet of twenty ships, right this instant?¡± ¡°You said it yourself. I can pull off what nobody else has.¡± ¡°And,¡± Ull¡¯s voice sounds deeper now ¨C no, Fenrir recognizes the tone in his voice as frustrated anger, ¡°if I kill you here for telling me to my face that you wish to defiantly act against me? There is nothing stopping me from slaying you where you stand without so much as even drawing my bow. Then I could just chain your pets and keep them with the rest of mine.¡± Fenrir looks up. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that you would¡¯ve done it already if there was nothing really stopping you.¡± Ull doesn¡¯t have to look up to grimace at Fenrir¡¯s realization. ¡°Get him off my ship,¡± Ull demands. ¡°Alright, come on,¡± Ull¡¯s guard says, grabbing Fenrir by his shoulder to lead him off the ship. However, before Fenrir can be taken away, he has one last thing to announce. ¡°Hope you¡¯re looking forward to Ragnar?k, Ull. I¡¯m sure J?rmungandr will release its tail soon.¡± Fenrir only catches a quick glimpse at Ull¡¯s face that has been twisted from annoyance before the guard pushes him down the stairs of the ship. When Fenrir, Serra, and Cassiel are back on the pier, the two girls wrap their arms around him a tight hug. ¡°H-hey, what¡¯s gotten into you two?¡± he asks them. ¡°You know what you did, you bastard,¡± Cassiel mumbles against him. ¡°You were really cool and defended us,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Just doing my job as a boyfriend,¡± Fenrir says, petting each girl¡¯s head. ¡°Fen. Why couldn¡¯t he kill you?¡± He gently pushes the girls off of him to point up at the sky where a single owl is circling above them. ¡°You could say that we¡¯ve got a guardian angel ¨C well, maybe a guardian witch, watching over us. Alright, come on. We¡¯ve got a tournament to go win,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°How are we going to save Nell, though?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°When J?rmungandr releases its tail and when Fenrir breaks out from its binds, Ragnar?k begins.¡± ¡°Quit the Norse roleplaying and just explain it like a normal person.¡± ¡°Oh. I have no idea yet, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll come up with something.¡± ¡°Go back to your Norse roleplaying, you dog bastard,¡± Cassiel says with her face in her palm. ¡°Fen will think of something. He¡¯s the hero,¡± Serra says. ¡°See? Somebody has faith in me,¡± Fenrir says while sneaking a finger closer and closer to Cassiel¡¯s side. Unfortunately, Cassiel notices the approaching finger, grabs onto it, and starts bending it far enough backward that only having fifty percent of pain enabled does little to stop the pain. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I love you,¡± Cassiel grumbles. ¡°Luckiest in the world,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Cassiel¡¯s cheeks turn bright red. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood. Got to spend the night with my girlfriends and got to see a crack in that bastard¡¯s armor. He hates me. I thrive off of hate from pricks like that.¡± ¡°Fen is the coolest,¡± Serra says, clinging to his arm as they walk. ¡°You¡¯ve got that right,¡± he agrees. ¡°He¡¯s also the cockiest,¡± Cassiel says, holding his other hand. ¡°You¡¯ve got that right.¡± Book 2: Chapter 32: Patch 6.0: The Second Round With the crews on their ships and the owls circling above the city once more, the announcer from the first round announces the rules for this second one. There are two large differences this time around. One, the twenty participating ships are all in the water next to one another rather than docked at the piers. Two, there is no dome over the water this time. ¡°Hello! I hope everybody is excited for the second round of the tournament! You spectators won¡¯t be getting to watch everything directly today, but we¡¯ll have games, stalls, and a display of the tournament for you to entertain yourselves with!¡± the feminine announcer explains. Right after she stops talking, a large screen drops down from the tower at the entrance to the city and unfurls itself. A magic user then summons what appears to be a group of orbs that fly down toward the ships, and each one projects what they are seeing onto the massive screen. There is one orb for each ship. Serra and Cassiel both try to subtly hide behind Fenrir when they see themselves on the screen for thousands upon thousands of players and NPCs alike to watch. ¡°Now, when the race starts, you¡¯ll be racing to the far end of Razorfang Isle where you will catch a Razorfang eel, and after catching one, it is a race back to here! The first three crews to return here with a Razorfang eel will proceed to the final round of the tournament! You may only engage with other crews and their ships beyond the tower. Any on this side of the tower are not to be engaged, and if any of you try it, then you will be disqualified from the final round of the tournament as well as face banishment from the city.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t fighting allowed here this time?¡± Serra asks, tugging on the back of Fenrir¡¯s vest. ¡°Guessing it¡¯s because they¡¯re not putting that barrier up, so there¡¯s nothing to keep cannonballs from shooting into the city,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Boring.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a sadist.¡± ¡°Only sometimes.¡± ¡°You know what those eels look like, Corwin?¡± Fenrir asks. Because the eels only live on the far end of the isle, and their waters have been blocked off from fishing in preparation for the tournament, Fenrir was never allowed the chance to sail out there and get some practice with them. ¡°A-ah, yes. They are very¡­ vicious. One could consider them a warmup to the juvenile serpent of the final round,¡± Corwin explains. ¡°They tend to swarm around their prey and move very quickly, have teeth that can easily tear through flesh, and work in groups.¡± ¡°So basically, eel piranhas,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°If piranhas were as big as your arm, yes.¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah, those sound pretty scary.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound that scared, Fen,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Well, as long as one of us doesn¡¯t fall overboard, what¡¯re they going to do? They can¡¯t hurt us on the ship. Well, the one we catch could probably hurt us.¡± The announcer speaks up again. ¡°And now, let the second round begin!¡± ¡°Olly! Build us up to full speed and get us out there!¡± Fenrir orders. ¡°On it!¡± Oleander shouts back, unfurling The Shoebill¡¯s sails and turning on the engine. The longship gets the lead at the start thanks to the combined rowing efforts of its crew. The Shoebill is right behind it and catching up. The rest of the participating ships are lagging behind. ¡°Just don¡¯t overdo it!¡± Tabitha shouts from below deck. ¡°I just finished repairs on my baby this morning, so don¡¯t stress her out too much!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it easy after we get a good lead. Wait, we didn¡¯t tell you the plan, did we?¡± ¡°What plan?¡± Cassiel asks. Fenrir remembers that he had no time to tell any of the girls, nor Corwin, about the plan he came up with from his meeting with the other crews. ¡°What plan?!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°Uhh, don¡¯t worry about it. Just hope that everything keeps working properly,¡± Fenrir shouts down to her. Fenrir looks off the side of the ship and sees the longship in sight as they pass it. Of the crews participating in the plan, three of their ships are following directly behind The Shoebill while the other four follow behind the longship. The rest of the ships are just racing toward the objective for the tournament. Sinking the longship without overwhelming it with fire seems to be impossible. So, rather than try and sink it, they are just going to kill everybody aboard it. ¡°Get us halfway there and then cut the engine!¡± Fenrir orders Oleander. ¡°So, what¡¯s this plan you¡¯re talking about?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°That meeting with the other captains ¨C we¡¯re going to,¡± Fenrir looks up at the magical orb following their ship. It¡¯s far enough away that he doubts it could hear, and he doesn¡¯t know if it can hear anything at all in the first place. ¡°We¡¯re going to try baiting the longship and then grapple its mast again. Then, we¡¯re going to stop them in the water while seven friendly ships surround it and start blasting it.¡± ¡°What about friendly fire? If they¡¯re circled around it and all shooting at it, won¡¯t they hit each other?¡± ¡°Not if they space themselves out like I showed them to. We should be the only ones in danger of friendly fire, but as long as we¡¯ve got this wood regrowing itself, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± Fenrir looks over the back of the ship now. The longship is already changing course to head directly for them rather than to the island. ¡°They¡¯re stubborn. This will be easy. They probably just want revenge at this point and don¡¯t even care about winning,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Can we trust everybody else?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Jax picked all the crews out himself and vouched for them, and I trust him. Only one I¡¯m not sure about is that Alexander guy. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s just helping out because he wants to get on people¡¯s good sides. He¡¯ll probably try stealing the show and taking credit for everything.¡± ¡°He seemed like that type,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°What about after we sink it? Is the alliance over afterwards?¡± ¡°Kind of. We¡¯re all going to compete to see who wins, but we¡¯re not going to attack each other. Attacking the ships that aren¡¯t part of the plan will be allowed since they¡¯ve got a head start on the fishing, but that¡¯s it,¡± Fenrir explains, looking over at the eleven ships heading for the isle¡¯s fishing spot. ¡°Captain, is it not obvious that we are leading them away in the wrong direction?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is, but they don¡¯t care. They just want to kill us.¡± ¡°What of the other ships chasing them? Should they not realize they are being led into a trap?¡± ¡°Being obvious is part of the plan. Honestly, you probably shouldn¡¯t even call it a trap. It¡¯s more of a challenge. They know everybody hates them, I know they hate us, and we¡¯re the two fastest ships there are right now. We¡¯re alone from everybody else, so they¡¯ll get the chance to take us down before everybody else catches up. We just have to survive long enough for everybody else to catch up, and then they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I have faith in you, Fenrir. I know that Olly would not have agreed to this if he did not believe it was a good plan.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the one who came up with it. I just helped by betting that these assholes would be focused on us and chase us out here,¡± Fenrir explains with a shrug. ¡°Then, if it is Olly¡¯s plan, I am certain it will succeed!¡± Corwin says with a wide smile. ¡°You sound way more certain of it now even though it¡¯s the same plan as before. What, am I not as trustworthy as him?¡± ¡°N-no, it is not that, it is just tha¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m teasing you, relax.¡± Fenrir feels something poke his side. When he looks down, he sees Serra with a disappointed face at his lack of reaction. However, when she gently strokes the tips of her fingers against the base of his tail, she does get the sort of Cassiel-esque reaction that she was hoping for. ¡°What, are you the only one allowed to tease people or something?¡± Fenrir asks Serra. Serra nods and reaches for his tail again, but Fenrir keeps it away from her. Something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye. Rod¡¯s gem is pulsating rapidly. ¡°What¡¯s up, Ro¡ª¡± Fenrir is cut off when a javelin tears through the air right next to his head. ¡°¡­shit. My heart is racing from that. How the hell are they so accurate from that far back?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over the stern once more. The longship is quickly approaching them despite The Shoebill being at almost full speed. It probably helps the longship that there are what appear to be a couple of large serpents chained to the front of it pulling it through the water. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, right? Where did those come from?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Probably magic. We saw that they could summon that giant water thing, so they can probably summon other beings as well. Guess they summoned some serpents,¡± Oleander theorizes. One of the serpents raises its head to spray a stream of pressurized water at The Shoebill! The water cuts through the hull with ease. ¡°Good thing we¡¯ve got that regrowing¡­ wood,¡± Fenrir says, realizing that the wood that the water cut through has been frozen and isn¡¯t regrowing. ¡°Tabs!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°Busy! Takin¡¯ on water, can¡¯t let the engine get flooded!¡± Tabitha shouts from below. ¡°Bone, Corwin, Cassiel, go help Tabs down there. Oleander, evasive maneuvers and full speed, Serra, get ready on the ballista,¡± Fenrir orders the crew. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir reaches into his vest and pulls out a small gun-like device that was handed to him by Jax during the meeting. Pointing it to the air, he pulls the trigger and shoots a glaring flare into the sky. The rest of the ships in the plan shoot their own flares as well. ¡°We continue the plan,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°We¡¯re going to kill everybody on board of that ship.¡± Book 2: Chapter 33: Patch 6.0: The Second Round ¡°How strong do you think those summoned serpents are?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°Not sure, but I know that we have to deal with them. They¡¯re making that ship way faster, and they¡¯ll probably be able to turn way better than us. We¡¯re in trouble if we don¡¯t do something about them,¡± Oleander answers as he spins the wheel of The Shoebill. Another stream of freezing water shoots past the ship¡¯s starboard side. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to circle back, grapple them, and stop them while everybody else catches up. Right now, we¡¯re both just going farther and farther away from our help.¡± ¡°Think we could cross them quickly enough to get some shots off?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯ll probably be able to avoid it, and the serpents are too low in the water to hit them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to regret just fishing all the time and never leveling up any combat skills.¡± ¡°I might be able to do something if you take the wheel,¡± Oleander says and looks at Fenrir. Fenrir nods and takes the wheel from him. Oleander reaches into the satchel hanging from his side and pulls out two large thorns from it. The thorns float in the air upon him starting his spell. Each one floats to his sides and grows larger and sharper as Oleander pours his Mana into the spell. The thorns have grown to the size of ballista bolts when Fenrir looks back at what Oleander is doing. ¡°You really have been practicing,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Of course I have been. What, did you think I wasn¡¯t doing anything during all those times where you just wanted to fish? I¡¯m not grumpy like Bone where he just mopes around and waits for somebody to want to do something fun,¡± Oleander answers. Oleander raises his right arm, causing the thorn to his right to raise higher into the air, and then swings it forward! The right thorn soars through the air and slams right into the side of one of the serpents! The serpent lets out its death cry just seconds before disappearing as if it were never there in the first place. Oleander raises his left arm now, going two for two, but one of the longship¡¯s crewmembers throws a javelin that Oleander has to dodge out of the way of mid-swing. This results in the thorn going tall and slamming through their leafy sails rather than through the second serpent. ¡°Sorry, Fenny,¡± Oleander says, sounding more angry than apologetic. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you got one of them. That was awesome, by the way. Can you do that some more?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I have more thorns, but I¡¯m¡ª¡± Oleander stumbles, almost falling over the ship¡¯s aft, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m out of Mana, sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. Just take it easy and I¡¯ll handle the steering.¡± ¡°No, I can still steer.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Have I ever been wrong before?¡± Fenrir thinks about it. As far as he can remember, over the many years of knowing one another, he cannot remember a single time where Oleander was wrong about anything no matter what subject. Fenrir steps away from the wheel to help Oleander over to it. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you to keep us in one piece then,¡± Fenrir says and pats Oleander¡¯s head. With Oleander back at the wheel, Fenrir heads below deck to check on the situation. Some wooden planks have been nailed over a hole in the hull near the ship¡¯s stern, but there is still some water seeping in from underneath the planks. The sputtering of the engine doesn¡¯t sound too healthy either. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°My baby is goin¡¯ to die again if ya don¡¯t ease up on her. She¡¯s not meant to be goin¡¯ full speed for this long. The hole won¡¯t be too much of a problem as long as we don¡¯t¡ª¡± Tabitha¡¯s answer is cut off when a stream of water shoots through the ship¡¯s stern again, but this time, it cuts sideways through the hull to leave a giant gash in the side of the ship longer than Fenrir is tall. Water starts pouring in as The Shoebill creaks from the damage. ¡°Greenie, board it up! Blondie One, Two, and Wolf, grab some buckets and start scooping the water up!¡± Tabitha shouts. Everybody gets to work doing exactly as Tabitha ordered. Bonekraka lifts some spare planks up to press them against the latest wound in The Shoebill, and Tabitha hammers nails into them to keep them in place. Meanwhile, Fenrir, Cassiel, and Corwin hastily run up and down between decks to scoop up water and then toss it overboard. ¡°Get ready!¡± Oleander shouts. ¡°It¡¯s about to attack again!¡± Everybody below deck gets low on the floorboards in case another jet of water decides to sweep through the hull. The last thing any of them want is to get cut in half by water and frozen. ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡± Oleander shouts. Fenrir rushes above deck to see what¡¯s happened. When he looks at the longship, the remaining serpent is no longer there. ¡°What happened?¡± he asks. ¡°It just disappeared. Guess it ran out of time or energy or something,¡± Oleander guesses. ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Now, we have to use this time to get on with the plan. You ready?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Serra! Ready?!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°Ready!¡± Serra shouts back. ¡°Tabs, can the engine handle one final burst?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll try it but make it quick!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve only got one chance at this, so let¡¯s make it work. Hold onto something!¡± Fenrir shouts to the crew. The Shoebill performs its hardest turn yet as it sharply turns one hundred and eighty degrees. It now directly faces the longship. ¡°Serra!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°Fire!¡± The ballista fires its fishing-hook-tipped bolt right the longship¡¯s mast again and reels in on it to get it stuck there. ¡°Grappled!¡± Serra shouts back. ¡°Cannons, ready!¡± Fenrir orders. Bonekraka, Cassiel, and Corwin come back above deck and get in position at their respective cannons. Each one is already loaded and ready to fire, so all they have to do is wait to get lined up ¨C well, and dodge the multitude of javelins being thrown at them. Fortunately, any holes in the hull caused by the javelins are quickly repaired thanks to The Shoebill¡¯s latest upgrade. ¡°Fire!¡± The Shoebill unloads its portside cannons on the longship! Each shot tears through the side of its hull, but none of the crew are hit and any damage is quickly repaired. Fenrir and the rest of the crew were expecting to have javelins tossed their way once they were this close, but instead, the longship¡¯s crew are either trying to dodge or block the cannon shots while a few of them are climbing their mast to un-grapple their ship. But that¡¯s alright. Serra already grappled their ship, so all they have to do now is keep them from getting away and buy enough time for Jax and the others to surround the longship. Once they do, the longship will be faced with so much cannon fire and magic that they won¡¯t be able to survive. No matter how powerful the crewmembers may be, no matter how overpowered the ship¡¯s hull might be ¨C they won¡¯t be able to survive the onslaught that is prepared for them. Well, that was the plan. There is one major flaw in the plan that, now thinking about it, Fenrir should have been more wary of. ¡°H-hey, Fen, why are they fighting?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Because this was a fucking trap. I knew not to trust that guy just because Jax and them did! How did I make such a stupid mistake?!¡± Fenrir shouts, slamming a fist against The Shoebill¡¯s mast as he watches The Steel Tiger fire on its own allies. Three allied ships have already sunk, two more are on fire because of Alexander himself personally using magic to set their ships aflame, and only The Weeping Tit and Barracuda¡¯s Nightmare are left without damage. Each of them open fire on The Steel Tiger, but their shots bounce off the near-impervious hull or only cause minor dents in it. ¡°Cut the line, Serra!¡± Fenrir orders. ¡°Captain, what about slowing¡ª¡± Corwin stops when he sees Fenrir¡¯s glare. ¡°Those bastards are the least of our concern right now. We have to go help Jax and White Tooth before that bastard sinks them,¡± Fenrir explains. The chain line connecting the ballista to its shot is cut loose, allowing The Shoebill to speed towards the battle unhindered by the longship. ¡°I thought he wanted fame and to take credit for everything?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Yeah, exactly. I¡¯m such an idiot. Oleander! Full speed ahead! Serra, take Bone¡¯s place on the cannon. Bone, get back down there and get ready to help Tabs with repairs. Everybody! Get ready for a potential boarding!¡± Fenrir shouts out his latest orders as The Shoebill heads directly for The Steel Tiger. Several grapple shots are fired from Barracuda¡¯s Nightmare and latch onto the side of The Steel Tiger. Fenrir sees White Tooth himself brandishing a cutlass and about to jump onto the enemy¡¯s ship as soon as they¡¯re pulled in close enough. ¡°He looks strong,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, he should be able to deal with at least a couple of those bastards,¡± Fenrir says. As soon as the ships slam into each other¡¯s sides, White Tooth leaps over from his own ship and subsequently gets immolated by Alexander¡¯s magic. The flames from Alexander¡¯s hands are enough to completely engulf White Tooth¡¯s body as well as shoot past him to ignite Barracuda¡¯s Nightmare¡¯s sails. The rest of its crew are dealt with in short order. Jax and the crew of The Weeping Tit are the only allies that The Shoebill has left. Book 2: Chapter 34: Patch 6.0: The Second Round Tabitha comes above deck to check on what¡¯s going on, and what she sees is The Shoebill heading directly toward a potentially even-more-dangerous enemy than the longship¡¯s crew. ¡°Oi, what happened?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Those twink pricks betrayed everybody. Took out six other ships already, so only us and Jax¡¯s are left,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Ya know that ya ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to beat them, right? If they¡¯ve already taken out that many ships on their own, and it looks like they didn¡¯t exactly take any damage durin¡¯ that, then there¡¯s no way that we can take them down ourselves. Ya don¡¯t even have a plan, do ya? And it ain¡¯t like I¡¯ve got any secret inventions that can help out.¡± Fenrir¡¯s grip on the handle of his blade tightens. He knows that this is most likely an impossible fight, but he doesn¡¯t want to just run away from it. The Divine Brigade always ran away from or avoided getting into fights that it knew it couldn¡¯t win. Fenrir wants to be different now ¨C he wants to heroically take on almost impossible odds and somehow come out on top and save the day, but he knows that trying to fight is going to almost certainly result in death. ¡°I just noticed this, but have your ears and tail gotten bigger? Your tail looks like it¡¯s getting pretty bushy,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Maybe? I don¡¯t know, don¡¯t look in a mirror much,¡± Fenrir answers. Fenrir looks at The Weeping Tit. The ship is keeping a close distance from The Steel Tiger, but Fenrir doesn¡¯t know what the point is. From what he saw onboard Jax¡¯s ship, it¡¯s poorly armed for combat. It only has four cannons, two for each of its sides, and they¡¯re all smaller and less effective than the ones onboard The Shoebill. The Weeping Tit¡¯s crew is a crew that just wants to enjoy life in this game and go fishing. Fenrir doubts that any of them ever expected to get involved in something like this, even if coming together for this plan was their idea in the first place. More importantly, Fenrir knows that he and The Shoebill can¡¯t afford to get into a losing fight. Taking on the longship during the first round was already incredibly risky, but they at least had some of those carcass shots that Tabitha prepared. They don¡¯t have any more of those ¨C they were out of money to buy the materials to make more of them. Furthermore, that was taking on a distracted enemy and more of a rescue mission than a mission to eliminate the enemy. Finally, when Fenrir looks behind The Shoebill, he sees the longship still pursuing them. The Shoebill is between two enemies right now. One of which is primarily dealing with The Weeping Tit but looks ready to change focuses should it need to, and the longship which is likely going to pursue The Shoebill until the round is over. Another flare is shot into the air from aboard The Weeping Tit. This one uses white powder to signify that the plan is canceled and to, essentially, run away. ¡°Captain?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°If we get sunk out here, we¡¯re done for,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Fen, I know you want to save them and sink those bastards, but¡ª¡± Cassiel gets interrupted. ¡°Damn it!¡± Fenrir slams his fist against the ship¡¯s mast. ¡°Olly! Get us out of here and take us behind the isle to the fishing spot! We just need to focus on winning the round and avoiding them if we can!¡± he shouts. ¡­ ¡°Good, he ain¡¯t stupid enough to try and take these backstabbin¡¯ cunts on when he¡¯s already got another enemy chasin¡¯ him,¡± Jax says as he watches The Shoebill turn away and head for the isle. ¡°What are we going to do, brother?¡± Jin asks him. ¡°We¡¯re goin¡¯ to buy The Shoebill some time. I¡¯m the one who came up with groupin¡¯ up against those long-eared cunts, and I let this bastard over here,¡± Jax looks over at Alexander onboard his own ship, ¡°trick me, so this is my fault. Let¡¯s just try to help out The Shoebill however we can now.¡± ¡°What about the nets? If you want to buy them some time, we could try wrapping them up?¡± Jax has a shine in his eye as he looks over the rest of the crew now. ¡°Ya heard him! Prepare the nets! We¡¯ve got ourselves one nasty cunt to catch!¡± ¡­ ¡°Why aren¡¯t they trying to escape?¡± Fenrir asks. Everybody but Bonekraka and Tabitha are at the ship¡¯s stern now watching as The Weeping Tit shoots grapple hooks onto The Steel Tiger. ¡°They shot the flare, so ¨C damn it, they¡¯re sacrificing themselves.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Because they¡¯re men taking responsibility,¡± Fenrir answers. As they watch on, The Weeping Tit¡¯s crew tosses heavy and weighted netting over The Steel Tiger. Jax and his crew get nets tangled in The Steel Tiger¡¯s sails, over the bow of the ship, and even traps some of its crew underneath it. ¡­ ¡°Jin! You¡¯re up!¡± Jax shouts. Jin, with net in hand, dives into the water off the stern of The Weeping Tit! He swims to the underside of The Steel Tiger¡¯s stern and wraps its rudder up in the netting, placing the net in a way that jams it from properly steering, and then he takes what length of it is left to tie it around The Weeping Tit¡¯s rudder. Jin surfaces to try and climb back aboard The Weeping Tit, but it¡¯s already on fire. Its crew is jumping overboard to try and escape into the water, but the free-of-netting crew of The Steel Tiger either blast the overboard escapees with magic or arrows. When he looks back at The Steel Tiger, he sees a man with a crossbow aimed directly at his head. The wielder of the crossbow gets distracted when he sees a large, shirtless, burly man with what little clothes that he is wearing caught on fire as he shouts and tosses a flaming barrel toward The Steel Tiger! ¡­ The Shoebill is too far to see what exactly happens, but they see a sizeable explosion erupt in the air between The Weeping Tit and The Steel Tiger. It clearly did more damage to The Weeping Tit as the blast completely destroyed their mast and the side of their ship, but Fenrir sees that The Steel Tiger is on fire in several spots, their sails have been ruined and lit aflame, and there is a sizeable chunk of hull missing on the side of the ship closest to the explosion. ¡°What ¨C what happened?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Gunpowder explosion, I¡¯m guessing. They look flashier than they are, but they can still do some damage from the blast and fire if there¡¯s a large enough amount of it,¡± Fenrir looks back to their own cannons. There is a barrel of gunpowder next to each row of cannons, but they¡¯re low because of how much the cannons have been shot. They haven¡¯t resupplied their cannonballs nor gunpowder once; they are technically still using Coastedge¡¯s supplies. ¡°Not enough,¡± Serra says as the smoke clears. The Steel Tiger is still floating and most of its damage can be easily repaired ¨C no fatal damage. However, as The Weeping Tit sinks below the waves, it pulls The Steel Tiger with it. Fenrir desperately wants to turn around to finish the ship off, but the longship has placed itself between The Shoebill and The Steel Tiger. Rather than recklessly throw himself into danger and make Jax¡¯s sacrifice be in vain, Fenrir stands tall and salutes the sinking vessel. ¡°Thanks, Jax. We¡¯ll repay you once this is over,¡± Fenrir says. ¡­ ¡°How defiant. At least they did something before dying. I still think it would have been more entertaining to not interrupt the plan before it even started. My champions could use a fun fight,¡± Ull says, watching the aftermath of the explosion on the screen hanging from the tower. ¡°The Weeping Tit ¨C good crew, good men. Not surprised they were defiant until tha end. Did ya know they were traitors?¡± Blackstache asks. ¡°Not good enough, and of course not. I¡¯m simply assuming that they were part of the plan in the first place as they were clearly sailing together in some sort of formation and following my champions.¡± ¡°¡¯at so?¡± ¡°It is. Now then, it is clear that the final round will be between those traitors and my champions, so let us get on to discussing an alliance. You wish for my help against Indra and Livia, don¡¯t you?¡± Blackstache swallows his frustration and nods. If letting this foreign bastard of a king treat this all like a game means securing a powerful alliance that will keep his people and his city safe and free, it is worth it ¡°First, what makes ya think only those two are goin¡¯ ta tha final round?¡± he asks. ¡°Well, look. Those at the fishing spot are already fighting amongst one another, and once my champions arrive, I doubt that any of them will survive. The wolf¡¯s ship will be sunk as well. I know that three crews may proceed to the final round, but I doubt three of them will even be left.¡± ¡°Why not take out tha traitors too then?¡± ¡°Well, there must still be some fun and excitement for the final round. It would be boring if there was only one crew participating in it, no?¡± Book 2: Chapter 35: Patch 6.0: The Second Round ¡°Damn it. This never would have happened with the Divine Brigade. Those bastards would all be dead or begging for mercy,¡± Fenrir says, sitting slumped over next to Oleander as the rest of the crew prepares for reaching the isle. ¡°Well, you wanted to just skip the fighting stuff for fishing this time around. If we did what we¡¯ve always done, we wouldn¡¯t be having a problem right now,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°I know, but aren¡¯t you bored of that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m split. I still enjoy it, but that just might be the sadist in me talking. Cor lets me take care of all of my sadistic desires out on him, so I¡¯ve been fine without doing the usual stuff.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just getting too old for games. All I want to do is just laze around with all of you and fish, but here I am, trying to take on some OP twinks and a longship belonging to one of the game¡¯s most powerful factions. What kind of idiot am I? There¡¯s no way that any of that would ever work without some serious training and plotting.¡± Rock walks up to Fenrir and nuzzles her head against his hands. She¡¯s getting better at walking without one of her paws ¨C she isn¡¯t stumbling around so much anymore. Fenrir can¡¯t resist petting her head when she does this. ¡°It was stupid, but it¡¯s fine. We used to be in the Divine Brigade, and the Divine Brigade was always able to pull victories out of their asses somehow. Are you forgetting how many times we¡¯ve been accused of hacking just because we did something stupidly awesome that never should have worked?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Besides, there weren¡¯t any NPCs on those ships, right? So, everybody who died will be back in a day ¨C well, a couple of days in-game. Plus, they all said that they had rebirth counters to spare when we asked during the meeting.¡± ¡°Yeah, but they lost their ships and gear. That sucks. I would be so pissed and depressed if we lost The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir says, taking one hand away from Rock¡¯s head to pet the deck, but Rock gently bites onto his straying hand to try and bring it back to her head. ¡°So needy,¡± Fenrir tells her and returns to petting her with both hands. ¡°Let¡¯s just take things one step at a time for now, alright? We¡¯ll win, save Nell, and be the awesome guys that people always accuse of cheating! It¡¯ll be just like old days.¡± ¡°I swear, I keep on trying to get out, but then I keep on getting pulled back. It must be destiny.¡± ¡°Prrrooobably! Anyways, go up there and get ready for fishing. We should be there soon,¡± Oleander says, leaning over to pat Fenrir on the back. ¡°Thanks, Olly. Oh, feeling better?¡± Fenrir asks as he stands up. ¡°Yup! I can feel my Mana coming back to me, so I¡¯m not so tired anymore.¡± ¡°Good. Take it easy,¡± Fenrir says, walking back to the ship¡¯s bow where all of the fishing supplies are. ¡°Cannons loaded still?¡± he asks. ¡°Yeah. Ready if we get into a fight,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Feeling better?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I am, thanks. Just going to take things one step at a time for now so that I don¡¯t get caught up in my feelings and make mistakes. We¡¯re at enough of a disadvantage without me screwing things up and getting us in even more trouble,¡± Fenrir answers. The designated isle comes into view. It¡¯s a small one, so getting behind it won¡¯t take long. Fenrir, Cassiel, Corwin, and Serra get their rods ready and set up with lures as lures supposedly work best for catching their target. The closer they get, the more shipwrecks they encounter. Beached vessels that have clearly been abandoned for some time can be found along the beaches of the isle, and fresh debris floats in the water. ¡°They must have been fighting on the way here,¡± Cassiel tells Serra. ¡°Yeah. I wonder if anybody comes and tries to take stuff from sunken ships,¡± Serra says. ¡°I don¡¯t see why they couldn¡¯t. There are potions and spells to increase your ability to breathe underwater, and as long as you have a plan to deal with anything that might try attacking you, it should be fine.¡± ¡°I want to try it sometime.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look around and see if I can find anything for us to do it after the tournament. Coral reefs might be extinct in real life, but here, the ocean is full of them. I bet you¡¯d like it.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Fenrir asks, now standing behind the girls. ¡°Plundering booty,¡± Serra answers in a deadpan voice. ¡°Sounds about right. Anyways, we¡¯ll be there soon. Let¡¯s get ready on the cannons just in case. We¡¯ll switch back to our rods once we¡¯re in the clear.¡± The first of the ships that came here first comes into view. Two more pop into view afterward. Eleven ships came here, but only three are left. The three that are left are all heavily damaged and look as if they¡¯ve come to a truce to just fish for their targets rather than try and kill each other. ¡°We could blow them up. Easy targets,¡± Serra suggests. ¡°Less competition,¡± Bonekraka adds on. ¡°We won¡¯t need to. I doubt those pricks from before are going to let these guys go when they get here. Let¡¯s just find a good spot and cast our lines for now,¡± Fenrir says. Both Serra and Bonekraka look disappointed, but Serra gets over it as soon as she picks up her fishing rod. Fenrir picks up Rod and notices the gem shining even brighter than before. ¡°Guess my Standing went up,¡± Fenrir says. Rod pulses twice. ¡°It didn¡¯t? Then why are you shining brighter?¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t get a response. The more mysterious that Rod becomes, the more he wants to hurry and discover its secrets. ¡°You''re a pain, partner, but alright. Let¡¯s catch some fish.¡± The Shoebill sails past the three ships already fishing. Their crews suspiciously watch as The Shoebill passes them, but once they see that its crew doesn¡¯t plan on opening fire on them, they ease up and return to fishing. Once The Shoebill comes to a stop, it is time for the four fishers to get to work. Their target is the Razorfang eel. Only Corwin has ever seen one before, but with that sort of name, the rest of them are confident that they will recognize it when they see it. It helps that they are able to watch as one of the nearby crews cheer as they pull one off the side of their ship. With grey and brown scales, the elongated body of an eel, and a maw with fangs so vicious that Fenrir and the rest of his crew can see them from where they are, the Razorfang eel is almost pulled up onto the other ship¡¯s deck. Unfortunately for the other crew, the eel thrashes its head around and manages to slice right through the line with its fangs, dropping itself back into the water! ¡°Big eel. Big as my arm,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t want to be in the water with those,¡± Fenrir says before walking back over to where Rod is. Taking his sword from its sheath, he cuts his arm and holds it out over the water. His blood splashes down into the ocean¡¯s salty water as Cassiel asks him what he¡¯s doing. ¡°Luring some eels. Corwin said they¡¯re like piranhas, so they should be attracted to blood,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°I ¨C fine, but you¡¯re letting me heal you once you¡¯ve got one,¡± Cassiel says with crossed arms. ¡°It¡¯s just a cut, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Still!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I was planning on asking if you could heal me anyways. Now, everybody else should cast their lines over here.¡± Fenrir looks back over at the other ships. Seeing Fenrir bait the water with his blood, the other crews do the same. ¡°Copycats,¡± Fenrir says. While the round hasn¡¯t exactly been a positive one so far, Fenrir¡¯s plan works even better than he was hoping it would as the water beneath his arm grows violent with dozens of thrashing eels searching for food and happily fighting each other for it. The bad news is that they don¡¯t seem to be noticing any of the lures waiting in the water for them. They do, however, notice the source of the blood. One of the eels leaps up from the water and tries to latch onto Fenrir¡¯s arm! He pulls his arm away just seconds before it gets torn off from the eel¡¯s vicious fangs, but even without his arm there, it doesn¡¯t stop the eel from leaping back up into the air. ¡°This feels dirty,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°but I have an idea. Bone, you don¡¯t seem to mind brutal amounts of pain, so you willing to try and catch one of these guys with your bare hands? I don¡¯t think any of our nets are big, or strong, enough to hold these. But, I think your hands probably are.¡± Bonekraka walks up to where Fenrir is standing and cracks his knuckles, neck, and back. ¡°Da.¡± Book 2: Chapter 36: Patch 6.0: The Second Round Bonekraka takes one of his axes and runs its sharp edge against his arm, cutting the flesh and allowing his blood to drop down into the ocean below it. One Razorfang eel jumps up from the water, but when it sees Bonekraka staring back down at it, it decides not to bite onto his arm. Fortunately for the orc, one more eel jumps up from the water with his arm as its target! ¡°Grab it!¡± Fenrir shouts. Bonekraka remains completely still as the eel latches onto his arm, sinking its long and viciously sharp fangs into his flesh, and then he grabs it right underneath its head with his free hand. The eel tries to trash around, but its deadliest part is its fangs. There is nothing remarkable about the rest of the body, so having its wet and slippery tail smacking against Bonekraka does little to annoy him. ¡°Caught it,¡± Bonekraka says, turning to face the rest of the crew while blood seeps onto the deck from where the eel¡¯s mouth is attached to his arm. ¡°You ¨C you were just supposed to catch it, not let it actually bite you,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°You try grabbing slippery eel with bare hands. Tell me how works for you,¡± Bonekraka answers. Cassiel walks up to Bonekraka and starts healing him to make up for the damage that the eel is doing by gnawing on his arm. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to catch them I guess. Just go toss it in a barrel and let¡¯s get back. Seems like we¡¯re the first to catch one, so let¡¯s be the first back,¡± Fenrir says. Rock looks at the eel and barks. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s letting it bite him,¡± Fenrir tells Rock. She whines and growls but backs off. ¡°Yeah, we need to get out of here,¡± Oleander says while pointing to their rear. The longship is closing in. The Steel Tiger is close behind the longship as well. Fenrir and Oleander look at one another and nod. While Bonekraka yanks the eel off of his arm, letting it take some of his flesh with it, Oleander heads back to the ship¡¯s wheel and starts the engine up once more while unfurling the sails. He has done plenty of sailing and steering of old ships in games before, but Tabitha¡¯s system makes it far easier than it was in all of his past experiences. The longship comes within range of one of the other ships stopped to fish for eels. Those who are rowing on the longship give their ship a short burst of speed to help it plow directly into the side of the stopped ship, tearing through its hull and allowing them to board it. The Shoebill escapes while it can. ¡°Why are we going the long way around the isle? Should we not just go back the way we came?¡± Corwin asks Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯d rather us not get any closer to those pricks than we have to, and there¡¯s no way that we¡¯ll have any competition other than Ull¡¯s bastards and Alexander. Even going the long way, we should still have a lead on them with our speed,¡± Fenrir explains. Fenrir¡¯s prediction turns out to be correct. The Shoebill goes around the isle and is already on a straight shot back to the city when its crew sees the only two ships left from the fishing spot on their way back: the longship and The Steel Tiger. ¡°Look, we¡¯re in the lead. Let¡¯s cut back on the engine now, alright?¡± Tabitha proposes. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t want to blow it,¡± Fenrir agrees and gives Oleander the order. Oleander reduces the engine¡¯s power to only half of its full potential, but a small explosion rocks the ship forward and sends everybody on board stumbling. ¡°What happened?!¡± Fenrir shouts. Tabitha rushes below deck and Fenrir follows. Where once was an engine is now a decently sized hole in the back of The Shoebill¡¯s hull. Water is pouring in through the hole, and all that is left of Tabitha¡¯s engine are metal fragments that have been shot throughout the hull. Some of them have pierced the hull on their own and created smaller holes that water is now seeping in through. ¡°Tabs¡ª¡± Fenrir starts talking, but the determined engineer is already getting to work. ¡°Everybody but the deer down here, now!¡± Tabitha shouts while lifting up a large enough plank to cover the hole left by the engine. Fenrir rushes up to her and uses his body to keep it held against the hole while Tabitha starts hammering nails into it. ¡°What happened?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Less questions, more fixin¡¯! Patch up every single hole ya see!¡± Tabitha orders. When Fenrir looks at Tabitha¡¯s face to try and determine what she¡¯s thinking, what he sees are flushed cheeks and teary eyes. She only looks into his eyes for a moment just long enough for him to see how she¡¯s feeling. Rather than learn if she¡¯s confident about the ship staying afloat and being able to repair all of this damage, he sees a girl who is embarrassed, frustrated, and just sad. Tabitha moves onto the next nail that she needs to hammer into the plank. She remembers every single other time something like this has happened. ¡°You bitch! You lied to us!¡± ¡°The fuck happened?! You¡¯ve screwed us!¡± ¡°This is why you never let some little girl do an adult¡¯s job. Look at her, did you expect anything different?¡± ¡°I know you tried your best, but you¡¯re done. Leave. You¡¯ve done nothing but bring us trouble ever since we took you on, and we¡¯re done with dealing with it ¨C I¡¯m done with dealing with you.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not going to take this seriously and do your job right then I have no use for you.¡± Those memories and more flash through Tabitha¡¯s mind as she recalls the countless times of disappointing other ships and crews. As much as she tries to be the cheery, excitable, and fiery girl that she likes to be, failure after failure after failure grows tiresome even for somebody as positive and energetic as herself. And now she has failed again. She can¡¯t believe that she actually let herself think that anything would be different this time. ¡°The Shoebill¡¯s engineer is too badass to have that sort of expression on her face, so don¡¯t let our girl here see you look like this,¡± Fenrir says, placing a single hand on her shoulder. ¡°You did great getting us this far, Tabs. You helped us save Morven, helped us get the lead here, and have been a great crew member. So, keep it up. Collect yourself and prove to everybody who doubts you how great you are,¡± Fenrir says quietly enough for only her to hear. ¡°I bet the next model will be even better.¡± Yet, while her engine may have failed just like all of its previous iterations, something is different. Rather than be scolded, hit, or outright killed, Tabitha finds herself being comforted and trusted. ¡°The hell ya think you¡¯re doin¡¯, ya dog?¡± Tabitha asks Fenrir, feeling her cheeks grow wet but not by seawater. ¡°Making sure The Shoebill¡¯s engineer knows how awesome she is. That¡¯s all,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°We¡¯ll win enough money from this tournament to fund the development of the best engine yet.¡± She looks behind herself once she¡¯s done securing the plank. Everybody else is listening to her and working at patching the ship¡¯s hull. Nobody is shouting at her, nobody is glaring at her, nobody is shouting that she deserves to die nor that she¡¯s worthless ¨C when she does see somebody¡ªCassiel¡ªlook at her, she sees concerned eyes that are checking on her. Tabitha takes a deep breath and looks at Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea,¡± she says. ¡°You don¡¯t even need to ask,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°It¡¯s not going to make us faster, and I was hopin¡¯ to save it for later, but we¡¯ll survive and probably not start a war.¡± ¡°Go for it.¡± Tabitha nods and heads for her backpack. Fenrir goes back above deck to check on their pursuers. Both the longship and The Steel Tiger are getting closer, and with as much water in the hull that there is and not-very-useful winds, The Shoebill won¡¯t be able to outrun them. Serra comes above deck holding what looks like a fantasy laser pointer. Only, rather than feature an actual laser, it has a carved, red gem set in the front of it. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Aiming device,¡± Serra says. ¡°Tabs told me to point it at the target.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡± Fenrir stops when Serra nods. He looks back at the cliffside they are approaching. Those massive, clifftop batteries are within sight, and one of them is currently under control of a petite girl with a fantasy laser pointer. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Fire when you¡¯re ready.¡± Serra holds out the aiming device and points it at their pursuers. ¡°Zero-two-one-three-nine,¡± Serra says. The device¡¯s crystal lights up and shines a bright, red beam at the longship. Fenrir looks at the clifftop and sees one of the cannons being aimed directly at where the device is aiming. Serra says one more word, ¡°Fire.¡± Book 2: Chapter 37: Patch 7.0: The Defiance of a Wolf and a Serpent ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Ull asks. ¡°Not ¡®at I know of. Why do ya ask?¡± Blackstache asks back. Ull points to the cannon that is now aiming at his champions¡¯ longship. ¡°Bloody¡­ Ra¡ª¡± Blackstache looks at where Rachel is supposed to be, but she¡¯s already gone. All that is left are a few lingering sparks of electricity in the air. He looks back at Ull. ¡°That ain¡¯t us, I swear on it. Somebody¡¯s tryin¡¯ ta highjack it.¡± Ull looks Blackstache over before returning his attention to the commandeered cannon. With magic, he is able to greatly increase his vision to see exactly who ¨C or rather, what is controlling the cannon. A small, blocky golem no larger than a child is pulling the lever to rotate the cannon and the other lever that raises and lowers it. All that is left now is to fire the cannon. When it gets the order, the golem steps to the side of the cannon where its ignition mechanism is. ¡°A single, tiny golem is enough to steal one of this city¡¯s most powerful defenses? It is a wonder that Indra has not already invaded and conquered this place,¡± Ull says. ¡­ Fenrir just hopes that the cannon is going to be accurate enough to not hit The Shoebill. He barely even sees the huge cannonball crash into the longship¡¯s bow. One second and the longship¡¯s bow is intact, and a second later that same bow no longer exists but wooden fragments flying in every direction do. The sound of the clifftop battery firing reaches their ears a couple of seconds later. Fenrir wraps his arms around Serra¡¯s waist to secure her as a wave from the cannonball crashing into the water heads directly for them. The cannon may not have destroyed the longship nor have killed any of its crew, but it¡¯s created a wave for them to ride and boost them toward the city. A few javelins go wide of The Shoebill. With the wave and loss of the longship¡¯s bow, those aboard it are unable to properly aim. With Serra in Fenrir¡¯s arms still, the two watch on as one certain Alexander even tries to use some of his magic. Just like the javelins, the bolt of fires that he shoots misses The Shoebill. ¡­ ¡°And now the golem is dead ¨C it looks as if it self-detonated. Do you have any idea who would be interfering with our tournament?¡± Ull asks. ¡°Not a damn clue. Whoever it was, we¡¯ll find ¡®em and see to it ¡®at they¡¯re punished,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°Your citizens and followers have been rather cold to my own ever since that first round. Between that and your own city¡¯s defenses being taken away underneath your nose ¨C or rather, underneath your mustache, I am beginning to feel that we are not welcome here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure some¡¯re pissed off after ¡®at incident with the NPCs in tha first round, but I promise ya that they¡¯re actin¡¯ on ¡®er own.¡± ¡°And how should I interpret it that my host¡¯s defenses, which are meant to protect me, could be turned on me at any moment?¡± Blackstache looks at the cannon and then the three ships racing toward the city. ¡­ Fenrir raises a single hand to show off his middle finger to the pursuing vessels. ¡°They¡¯re going to be so pissed off,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Super mad,¡± Serra agrees. ¡°How do you think the city is going to treat those guys for being traitors?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll care however they¡¯re treated. They haven¡¯t broken any rules, so nothing can happen to them ¨C at least, not legally. Even then, I doubt that they plan on staying in this city. There¡¯s no way that somebody would piss off an entire city that they plan on staying in,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Think they¡¯re trying to earn Ull¡¯s favor?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Think he was in it from the beginning?¡± ¡°I doubt it. He seems less like the type to play the long con like that and more like the type who just does whatever he thinks is best for himself in the moment. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he thought that teaming up against the longship was a good idea until he realized that he¡¯d probably gain more status for crossing his allies and teaming up with Ull.¡± ¡°Probably. From everything I know, Ull seems like the kind of guy who likes people who prove themselves to him, and Alexander proved it earlier. He¡¯s probably on the good side of one of the game¡¯s most powerful characters now while just being hated by a bunch of this city. Not that bad of an exchange.¡± ¡°You guys are smart,¡± Serra interjects. ¡°He learned it from me!¡± Oleander declares. ¡°He¡¯s good at long-term thinking, but he learned how to strategize from me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, but I don¡¯t want to give him all the credit,¡± Fenrir clarifies. The wind and the wave from the cannonball are just barely enough to send The Shoebill past that tower at the entrance of Port Tugator. While The Shoebill may be the first ship to pass by, both the longship with its freshly-repaired bow and The Steel Tiger pass it up on the way back to the docks. Alexander stands proudly aboard his ship ready to feel the hatred of the city¡¯s peoples. ¡°Hey, Alexa!¡± Fenrir shouts. Alexander tries ignoring Fenrir¡¯s call, but gives in and looks. Both Fenrir and Serra have their hands raised to give Alexander a total of four middle fingers when he looks. ¡°Too afraid to take us on yourself that you¡¯ve got to team up to do it?¡± Fenrir asks, shouting over to the passing ship. ¡°Too afraid to fight that you must run away?¡± Alexander asks back. The city¡¯s crowds cheer. Neither Fenrir nor Alexander knows why until they look up at the screen broadcasting the entire second round of the tournament, and the main display of it is showing Fenrir and Serra flipping off Alexander. Alexander wants to cringe, but when he hears the crowd boo and cry over him and his ship being shown on the screen, he regains his composure. ¡°This will be settled in the final round, Mr. Wolf. I hope that you¡¯re looking forward to sinking,¡± he says. ¡°Right back ¡®atcha, Alexa,¡± Fenrir says before giving a few dramatic waves of his middle fingers. ¡°You¡¯re so lame, Fenny,¡± Oleander says, ¡°but that¡¯s exactly how to be around him.¡± Fenrir grins when he sees Alexander¡¯s cringing, annoyed expression. It¡¯s the ugliest expression that he has seen anybody give him in years, and he loves it. ¡°He¡¯s too serious,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, I hate guys like him. All serious, no play. Want to see him get really mad?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra looks up at him and nods. ¡°Alexa! One last thing!¡± Fenrir shouts out, grabbing Alexander¡¯s attention. When Alexander turns around to see what Fenrir wants, he sees an upside-down OK sign that Fenrir is making over his thigh. Alexander does not say anything nor show any reaction, instead just turning away and returning to the rest of his crew as Fenrir laughs. ¡°That will never get old. I remember kids doing it in kindergarten, and now people still do it.¡± ¡°What is meme may never die,¡± Serra says. ¡°Is that a reference to something?¡± Serra audibly sighs and leans back against Fenrir. ¡°Bad taste,¡± she says. ¡°Definitely. Now, let¡¯s get docked.¡± ¡­ With the second round of the tournament over, Ull has returned to the visitor¡¯s manor in the city where the rest of his harem is being kept. Several girls are lined up waiting for him when he returns. The one standing at the front of the line is none other than his first girlfriend ¨C the chained dragon girl. ¡°You look upset, Master. Has something happened?¡± she asks him. ¡°It¡¯s that annoying wolf brat again,¡± Ull says and groans. ¡°You mustn¡¯t let him get to you, Master. He is nothing compared to you. You are our wonderful master and the leader of the greatest faction within this world. I am sure that he disappoints both his crew and his lovers, whereas you are never anything but beyond perfection,¡± she says while running the tips of her fingers from Ull¡¯s forehead to his jaw. ¡°Thank you, Liz. Aside from him, a curious boy approached me after the round. He wishes to become one of my champions, and from what I have seen, he would be deserving of the honor aside from that I just cannot trust him yet. That is why I offered him a deal.¡± ¡°What did you offer him?¡± his girlfriend whispers into his ear. ¡°I told him that if he could kill the wolf and sink his ship then he would be allowed the honor. I also told him that if he can manage to bring me the wolf and his girlfriends to me, alive, then I would consider letting him have some¡­ private time with the serpent girl.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I told him that he will be permitted the chance to try and make her do whatever he wants. He cannot force himself on her, of course, and I know that she would never do anything or else I would not give him this chance in the first place, but it should serve as a good motivator.¡± ¡°You should offer him one of the defiant slaves instead, Master. They are no longer human, so they cannot say no to whatever he may wish.¡± ¡°I know, but just imagine how much worse the wolf will feel when he discovers that they shared a room together. Even if she were to, by some outrageous chance, do anything with my new prospect, I cannot truthfully say that I would care anymore. I know that she will never break, and that makes her incredibly boring. No matter how rare she may be, and no matter how strong the blessing is that she could gift to me, I just am tired of spending so much time on her. Maybe I will even offer the wolf¡¯s life in exchange for her doing whatever the wolf¡¯s new rival wants. She does love her drama, so I am sure that she would love being forced to spread her legs for her little crush¡¯s life.¡± ¡°You are a twisted man, Master, but that is why I have fallen for you so. Now, which of us would you like to service you for the evening?¡± Ull looks the girls over, all of whom are on their knees with their heads lowered and waiting to hopefully be chosen. ¡°Why not all of you?¡± ¡­ ¡°Release me,¡± Nell says, her eyes glowing with a bright green energy that floods into the guards¡¯ eyes. They walk over to her and undo the chains binding her. ¡°Open the door,¡± Nell gives them their next command. The two guards open the door and step aside. ¡°Now, clear the way.¡± Book 2: Chapter 38: Patch 7.0: The Defiance of a Wolf and a Serpent ¡°Where is Ull right now?¡± Nell asks one of her two controlled guards. ¡°At the manor with his harem,¡± the guard answers. ¡°Do you know the tournament results?¡± ¡°Yes. Our champions, The Steel Tiger, and The Shoebill have made it into the final round of the tournament.¡± Nell smiles and looks up. Fenrir is still fighting on, so she must fight as well. Unfortunately, there are many guards and sailors between her and freedom. Escaping Ull¡¯s flagship will be much harder than escaping that manor from before, but she has an idea. ¡°Go and retrieve a large, empty crate as well as a heavy robe,¡± she orders. The guards do exactly as she requests and bring her a wooden crate emptied of all contents save for a robe. Nell wraps her tail around her legs, pulls her fin-like wings in against her back, and curls herself up inside of the crate. Next, she covers herself up with the robe so that anybody who looks into the crate will not see her. ¡°Now, take me to the pier that The Shoebill is docked at.¡± ¡­ ¡°What are you thinking, Tabs?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ that we have no way to get the parts in time to build a new engine, but this new wood we installed is comin¡¯ pretty in handy right now,¡± Tabitha says as she watches the hull patch itself up before her eyes. It may not heal as quickly as the longship¡¯s hull does, but it still repairs the gashes and holes left in The Shoebill from the earlier fight. ¡°It¡¯s going to save us a lot of money and work not having to repair her ourselves.¡± ¡°We sound like some cheap and lazy bastards when ya put it that way.¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t wrong.¡± Cassiel comes down from above deck and says, ¡°Fen, somebody is¡­ here to see you.¡± ¡°Keep up the good work,¡± he tells Tabitha before going above deck with Cassiel. The Lightning Witch stands on The Shoebill¡¯s deck with most of her body hidden by a black cloak. ¡°Captain Wolf,¡± she says. ¡°Why can¡¯t anybody just call me by my name?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°We¡¯re pirates here. Pirates use nicknames.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quite say that we¡¯re pirates. We¡¯re just friendly fishers.¡± ¡°Is that why you not only engaged in multiple battles but stole one of the Northern Wardens¡¯ prized Yggdrasil¡¯s branches, and even commandeered one of our city¡¯s defensive cannons?¡± she asks. Everybody listening to her goes white when she brings up the cannon. ¡°Don¡¯t try denying it. The scholars were able to trace the debris of that golem back to the Orange-Haired Siren, and I know that she is a member of your crew,¡± the Lightning Witch explains. ¡°What now?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°What? What indeed. Let me tell you this: you are incredibly fortunate that you have saved Morven, are friends with Jax, and have even had a certain dark elf tell Blackstache about your ideal to save NPCs. It just so happens that you have a habit of befriending those that Blackstache considers to be his closest friends, and you have even won over the hearts of many of the citizens here. I would never have thought that my old guild leader would end up becoming such a goody-two-shoes, however.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Does Crimson Lancer ring any bells?¡± she asks. Fenrir and Bonekraka both look shocked, but Oleander leaps at her and wraps his arms around her! ¡°Ray-Ray! What happened? Have you been okay? You just left and never logged back on!¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I had a feeling you were Spencer. But, to answer your question, life happened. We finally got married, moved, and then there was just no time for gaming. I¡¯m even pregnant now, which I know you were harassing me about,¡± Rachel tells Oleander. ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°then that means¡­¡± Back in one of the fantasy MMORPGs that Fenrir and the Divine Brigade played in, there were two members of his old guild. The Crimson Lancer was one of them, and she was renown for riding atop a skeletal steed with a mighty lance that eternally dripped with the blood of all the enemies it has slain. She also had a boyfriend at the time. He wasn¡¯t anywhere near as great of a player as her, but he was always incredibly lucky and had the largest, blackest mustache in the game. ¡°I haven¡¯t told him yet, and you know how slow he can be to pick up on these sorts of matters,¡± Rachel says. ¡°Holy ¨C so this is what you two have been up to?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. With his luck, we got into the closed alpha testing of the game, and things just sort of snowballed from there. Now, here are we. He leads a faction of pirates, and I¡¯m known as the Lightning Witch of the High Seas. Now, what I am here to say is this: because of you getting onto Blackstache¡¯s good side, some old relations, and pissing off that creep ¨C as far as I am concerned, the scholars were not able to tell who commandeered that cannon.¡± Now Fenrir knows why he felt an instant connection to Blackstache when he first saw him getting bossed around by Rachel. They are not only in arms in having to deal with tsunderes, but they used to be good friends! ¡°How long have you known?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Since I first saw you up close. Anybody who has spent enough time around you would be able to recognize you right away. Only John would never be able to recognize you, and I am fairly sure that he will not even recognize our child when I give birth to her,¡± Rachel explains. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a girl?¡± Oleander asks. Rachel nods which makes Oleander squeal. ¡°To think that John was threatening to string me up ¨C I bet he¡¯ll get a kick out of that once he figures out who I am,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯ll have to scold him for threatening his old leader.¡± ¡°He cannot discover who you are until after the tournament is over. If he learns it beforehand, I am not sure that I would be able to keep him from acting too biased in your favor around Ull. He has already helped you as much as he can,¡± Rachel explains, pointing at the three crates on the pier. ¡°Is this really alright? Isn¡¯t it unfair to be supplying us with¡ª¡± ¡°Ull is doing the same for his champions and those traitors on The Steel Tiger. This is evening the playing field if anything, and even then, they are receiving more than you are.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Ryouta, bring out the Divine Brigade leader in you to kick their asses. I know that you still have it in you or else you never would have pulled off that maneuver to save Morven. Nobody, including John and I, wants to see either of those crews win.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll win, don¡¯t worry. Then, after we win, we need to grab some drinks together.¡± Bonekraka steps up. ¡°You helped us before, but not forget I beat you in all our duels,¡± he says. Rachel looks the orc over. ¡°I knew you were going to be Viktor. After the tournament is over, I would be happy to duel you again to prove which of us is stronger,¡± she says while tapping on the handle of her rapier beneath her cloak. Bonekraka steps back. ¡°I must go back now,¡± Rachel says. ¡°One last thing,¡± she looks at Serra and Cassiel, ¡°try not to get too jealous if a bunch of girls start following him. He always had a habit of making girls fall in love with him without even meaning to, but he¡¯d always end up dating the girls who just wanted to use him instead of his fangirls.¡± Serra gives a thumbs-up, and Cassiel has been speechless with blushing cheeks this entire time. ¡°I¡¯ll see you sometime after the tournament,¡± Rachel says. ¡°Thanks for the help, and I¡¯m happy to hear that you and John are doing good. I¡¯ve still got to yell at you sometime for abandoning us without saying anything, though,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± With that, Rachel hides her face with the cloak and leaves The Shoebill. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get these crates onboard.¡± Taking the three crates below deck, Tabitha looks through them with excited eyes. ¡°I can make a new engine! And we¡¯ve got a new, even better hook for the ballista!¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be able to get us in proper fighting conditions for tomorrow?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°We¡¯ll be in even better condition! Also, I was thinkin¡¯¡­ it¡¯s probably too risky to take our girl here out right now, but if somebody wants to go rent a rowboat or kayak to go grab some debris out there, I might be able to get us another upgrade that¡¯ll really help.¡± ¡°What debris would help?¡± ¡°Steel oak. Some of it was blown off from that explosion, so I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ that we could salvage some of it and get it installed on here. If I fuse it with the Yiggy branch, I might be able to make it so that this baby replaces the current hull with a steel oak one.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re definitely doing that.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go!¡± Oleander says, grabbing onto Corwin¡¯s arm. ¡°A nice, nighttime cruise underneath the stars with the two of us in a private rowboat! Come on, doesn¡¯t that sound nice?¡± he asks Corwin. Corwin nods, but Tabitha looks suspicious. ¡°Don¡¯t be gettin¡¯ any fluids other than water on it, ya hear?¡± Tabitha orders them. ¡°No promises!¡± Oleander happily says before leading Corwin above deck to go and find a rentable rowboat. He shouts back down to them, ¡°There¡¯s another crate up here, by the way!¡± Book 2: Chapter 39: Patch 7.0: The Defiance of a Wolf and a Serpent Fenrir brings the latest crate below deck before taking the heavy cloth off of it to see what is hidden within it. He definitely is not expecting what he finds. Rather than be more parts for the ship, ammo for its weapons, or anything else like that, what he sees is a girl with pearl aqua hair, horns, and a bright smile looking up at him. ¡°I escaped again!¡± Nell says and giggles. Fenrir, nor anybody else for that matter, is not entirely sure how to respond. ¡°I bet you were not expecting this, my hero,¡± Nell says as she starts trying to get out of the crate, but the tips of her horns pierce the wooden crate and get stuck. ¡°Ah ¨C a-assistance would be appreciated,¡± she says with a bashful smile. Fenrir grabs the side of the crate that her horns are stuck in with one hand while his other hand sits between her horns atop her head, pushing her head away while keeping the crate still. With freed horns, he lets go of the crate and grabs her hands to help her up out of it. It¡¯s now that he realizes probably how uncomfortable she was given that she had to curl herself in such a way that her horns, tail, and wings would not get in the way. ¡°How¡¯d you escape?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Well, Ull was not lying when he said that I could ¡®seduce¡¯ minds. May I demonstrate so that you do not get the wrong idea, though?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Uh, sure. Go for it.¡± Nell¡¯s eyes glow bright green as she stares into Fenrir¡¯s own. His own eyes develop a light glow to them as Nell¡¯s magic takes effect. ¡°Now, wrap your arms around me and pamper me like a hero is supposed to after being reunited with his princess! Goodness, must I teach you how you are supposed to act when reunited?¡± Nell says and Fenrir does exactly as she¡¯s ordered him to. Without any shame being in front of Serra and Cassiel, Fenrir finds his body moving on its own. He tightly wraps his arms around Nell in a warm embrace for a few moments before sitting down, pulling her into his lap, and then petting her head with one hand while his other arm wraps around her waist to keep her pulled close. Nell¡¯s smile practically reaches from ear to ear. Serra looks happy for her, but Cassiel just looks immensely jealous. Nell notices Cassiel¡¯s jealous glare. ¡°Now, my hero, before my rival decides to ship me back to Ull, please pamper her as well,¡± Nell orders. Fenrir lets Nell go, stands up, and looks at Cassiel. Cassiel¡¯s face is already turning red as she backs up. ¡°Wh-what did you order him to do?¡± she asks. ¡°To pamper you, of course!¡± Nell explains. Fenrir approaches Cassiel. Both Serra and Nell are watching with devious smiles as the blonde finds herself unable to back up any farther. She can still escape to the sides¡­ except that she cannot because Serra and Nell now stand to the sides to block her escape. Cassiel can¡¯t threaten him with her sword, either, because she does not have it on her right now. She shakes her head while intensely blushing. Fenrir grabs Cassiel by her arms, turns her around, and then he sits down and pulls her into his lap just like he did with Nell. Cassiel tries to escape his grip despite how much she enjoys it, but Nell won¡¯t allow that. ¡°Do not let her escape, my hero,¡± Nell orders. Fenrir wraps his legs and one arm around Cassiel as his free hand pets her head. As much as Cassiel loves this, she still feels like she is about to cry from sheer embarrassment. It would be different if they were alone, but¡­ ¡°Is it not pleasant to be pampered by the one you love?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Sh-shut it! And ¨C and it¡¯s not the same if he has to be ordered to do this,¡± Cassiel whines. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Cass Cass? You know you like it,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel¡¯s eyes go wide as she turns her head to look up at him. His eyes aren¡¯t glowing anymore. Does that mean that he¡¯s freed from Nell¡¯s control? ¡°How ¨C how long have you been yourself?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I¡¯ve been acting on my own since she ordered me to pamper you,¡± he explains. ¡°His eyes weren¡¯t glowing when he grabbed you,¡± Serra adds on. ¡°Yep. I¡¯m doing this of my own free will.¡± Cassiel¡¯s face burns even brighter. She wants to fight against this but instead finds herself slumping over within his grasp. She has been defeated. Might as well hang her head in shame and enjoy being pampered while threatening to kill anybody whom mentions it. ¡°So you really can control people?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Right!¡± Nell answers. ¡°How did it feel?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Weird. Like, I was still in my body, and I was able to try resisting but nothing happened. It was like¡­ I was inside of a giant mecha on autopilot,¡± Fenrir explains. The word ¡°mecha¡± causes Tabitha to look up from her work on a new engine, but when she sees no such thing, she returns to her work. ¡°In trouble if caught,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°What if trick?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not tricking us. Also, Nell, sorry about what I said back on his ship. I wanted to save you right then and there, but I couldn¡¯t ever put others¡¯ lives at risk, even if they¡¯re virtual. No way would I let that prick ever even get near Serra or Cass,¡± Fenrir says. He feels Cassiel press back into him slightly more than before. ¡°No, no, it is beyond alright, my hero. You gave him the exact answer that I was hoping you would. I would not have wanted to be rescued by a man willing to offer his own wives in such a deal. Your answer to him ¨C your defiance, it made me love you even more than I already do,¡± Nell explains, her cheeks flushed and voice soft. ¡°Oi, haven¡¯t ya only known him for like, a week?¡± Tabitha asks, peeking over at them. ¡°Every princess needs a hero to love!¡± Nell answers. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re thirsty for some wolf.¡± Both Fenrir and Tabitha look concerned when they see the dramatic side of Nell take over her expression. With her hands on her cheeks, Nell squirms from side to side as she fantasizes about what Tabitha said. ¡°Just imagine it! A lonely princess on the run through the forest, escaping her cruel king, her gown and hair covered in dirt as she stumbles through a downpour, and then she trips and gets most of her dress torn away! Then, while on her hands and knees trying to get up, she hears the vicious snarling of a beast approaching from behind! That¡¯s when a wild wolf¡ª¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t know whether she¡¯s referring to him as a wolf or if she is referring to an actual wolf. ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ to stop ya right there,¡± Tabitha says, earning a disappointed pout from Nell. ¡°Hot,¡± Serra says. ¡°Oi, don¡¯t go encouragin¡¯ her delusions,¡± Tabitha says. Cassiel stays silent, but Fenrir feels her pressing even more against him. She¡¯s also hanging her head even lower than before to make absolutely certain that nobody sees her face. ¡°Tabitha, we¡¯re surrounded by a bunch of perverts,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Don¡¯t try getting¡¯ in the same boat as me. Me and the green guy there are the ones surrounded by a bunch of deviants. Those two boy lovers, you and your harem of deviants ¨C how could ya all be so shameless when around somebody who looks like a little kid?¡± Tabitha scolds them. While Cassiel continues hiding her face, Serra and Nell both look at Tabitha and seem proud of their perverse minds. But then Nell¡¯s expression turns serious. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°As much as I would love to stay here with you all, I cannot. He will know to search here, and the lord of this city will be forced to allow him to search. I must leave before I am found here,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Why you come at all?¡± Bonekraka asks. ¡°I am here to give my hero a gift. It is a gift that only I can give, and it is something that I believe he is truly worthy of. None others have ever even caused me to consider entrusting it to them, and Ull does not even know the true extent of the blessing I can give you. If he did¡­ I am sure that it would be impossible for me to ever escape.¡± Cassiel finally looks up, intrigued by what Nell is saying. ¡°What gift are you talking about?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I was given this body by the Western Serpent, or as she prefers to be called, Manasa. Manasa turned me into her daughter and gave me the ability to choose a champion to protect me. I have chosen you, Fenrir, as my champion,¡± Nell explains. Even Tabitha and Bonekraka are intrigued by this. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Fenrir asks. Nell whispers something into Serra¡¯s ear. Serra nods. Nell then gets closer to Fenrir and Cassiel, whispers something into Cassiel¡¯s ear, and gets her permission as well. ¡°Fenrir, my hero,¡± Nell says, grabbing his attention so that he looks directly at her, and then presses her lips to his own. The kiss feels like nothing he has ever felt before. An intense energy flows through his body and modifies his very being. Book 2: Chapter 40: Patch 7.0: The Defiance of a Wolf and a Serpent Fenrir has no idea what this new power within him is nor what it does. All he can tell is that it¡¯s there. Though, as the kiss lingers on, he feels himself growing stronger, and he¡¯s starting to be able to innately tell what it is. Nell has turned him into her champion. He feels that just being around her is enough to make him considerably stronger now, and he can just sense where she is. She may be directly in front of him with her lips pressed to his own, but even if she were far away outside of sight, he knows that he would still be able to tell exactly where she is. And then there¡¯s his body. He feels his body changing, but as far as he can tell, the only noticeable changes are to his ears and tail. They both grow slightly longer and bushier. Cassiel is the one to break up the kiss. ¡°Al-alright! That¡¯s enough, you don¡¯t need to do it for that long,¡± she says, gently pushing Nell away. ¡°How was it, my hero?¡± Nell asks with flushed cheeks. ¡°How was¡­ what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°My first kiss.¡± ¡°Never would¡¯ve been able to tell it was your first.¡± Cassiel turns around, grabs Fenrir by his collar, and kisses him. ¡°So jealous,¡± Serra teases. Cassiel pulls back and looks into Fenrir¡¯s eyes. ¡°How was it?¡± she asks. Fenrir wants to tease her by saying she has room for improvement or something like that, but he¡¯d rather not get killed, so he gives an honest response instead, ¡°As great as ever, Cass Cass.¡± Looking up at the smiling, still-flushed Nell, he asks, ¡°So, what did that do? I feel strange, and I can tell a few things on my own, but I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°You are my champion now, my hero. You will be able to tell where I am no matter how far apart we may be, all of my strength is added to your own when fighting near me, you shall be next to impervious to water magic, you shall be able to both swim faster and breathe underwater, and because I am a monster as is the serpent, your feral spirit is stronger and will turn you into a monster more quickly,¡± Nell explains. He looks himself over for any other physical changes. ¡°I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t grow scales or fins or anything like what you¡¯ve got if that¡¯s what happened,¡± he says. ¡°I do wonder,¡± Nell teases. ¡°Your feral spirit should be strong enough now to control yourself when you rampage. I could tell from that fight on the pier, when you bit that man¡¯s ear off¡ªwhich was very nice, I must say¡ªthat you were not in control. Now, you will stay in control when you give in to your feral side.¡± ¡°I want to test how strong I am. Hey, Bone,¡± Fenrir says, looking up at the green orc. ¡°Can I punch you?¡± Bonekraka shrugs. He is curious as to how much stronger Fenrir is now, so letting him get a single punch in won¡¯t be too big of a deal. ¡°Oi, I have a better idea,¡± Tabitha interjects. Reaching into one of the crates they got, she pulls out a steel plate and holds it up with both hands. ¡°You and the blondie were close before, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we were,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Alright. Try punching this, Blondie.¡± ¡°I have a name, you know,¡± Cassiel says with a pout, but she still gets up and walks to in front of the plate. She balls her hand into a fist and punches the steel plate as hard as she can! There is a tiny dent left in it where she punched, but nothing more. While such a thing would normally most likely be painful, thanks to her having turned off all pain, all she feels is her hand going completely numb. ¡°Alright, now for the wolf,¡± Tabitha says, holding the plate up and facing Fenrir. ¡°You sure we don¡¯t need that for something?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I wanna see what happens.¡± ¡°Alright, then here I go.¡± Fenrir takes a deep breath, readies his fist, and swings it into the plate! His fist flies through the steel plate with ease and stops just a hair¡¯s breadth away from Tabitha. ¡°You said I basically gain your stats when fighting near you, right?¡± Fenrir asks, looking back at Nell. ¡°Correct, my hero,¡± Nell answers. ¡°How strong are you again?¡± ¡°Well, I am strong enough that I do not need to use magic if I were to attempt escape, but it would be very unladylike. I may demonstrate, but only this once.¡± ¡°Sure. I want to see you fight.¡± ¡°Alright, my hero. Since you currently are sharing my strength with me, you are likely the only one capable of resisting, so please raise your hand and I shall punch it.¡± Fenrir raises his hand as if he¡¯s about to practice boxing with Nell. ¡°Are you ready, my hero?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Punch me with all you¡¯ve got, princess,¡± Fenrir says. Nell walks up to Fenrir, forms the very first fist that he has ever seen her make, and thrusts it toward his hand! Fenrir is only able to see the transformation for a split-second before the blast from her punch sends him flying backward into the stairs, crashing through them and putting a dent in the hull. As much as it may hurt, he just stares on in disbelief at the innocent-looking Nell whom was able to punch as hard as she just did! His vision is already starting to go black, but that doesn¡¯t stop him from seeing the hand that she is now covering her mouth with alongside her still-human hand. The hand that she punched him with may be humanoid in shape but is now a couple of times larger than before and covered in thick scales. The spaces between her fingers are webbed, and each finger looks more like a claw than a regular finger. This transformation extends up to her elbow as well, and for the first time, she truly looks monstrous. Wait, when he thinks about it, didn¡¯t a similar thing happen to him when he rampaged on the pier? He could have sworn he had claws, but when he came back to his senses, they were no longer there. Fenrir may not be playing this game for the fighting, but he finds himself looking forward to the next time he gets to fight and go wild. ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°The hell do ya two think you¡¯re doin¡¯?! You¡¯re bustin¡¯ her up! Just because she can repair herself now doesn¡¯t mean to go around and break everythin¡¯!¡± she scolds them. ¡°S-sorry, it has been so long since I have done that, and I did not expect to injure him so,¡± Nell explains. Serra stands next to her and grabs her transformed arm. Nell looks down at Serra, expecting to be called hideous or horrifying like how she used to be called for showing this side of herself but instead gets called something she¡¯d never expect. ¡°Hot,¡± Serra says. "I - I have never been called that, but I am glad you think so!" Nell replies and hugs Serra. ¡°Short one has strange taste,¡± Bonekraka says. Meanwhile, Cassiel helps Fenrir up and heals him. ¡°You alright?¡± she asks. ¡°My ego isn¡¯t, but the rest of me is fine. Thanks, Cass Cass. I can always rely on you to fix me up,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Of ¨C of course you can rely on me, you bastard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to get me into being degraded if you always call me that. Though, if I had to guess¡­¡± Fenrir leans closer to whisper something into her ear, ¡°I bet you¡¯re actually into being called names.¡± He had to tease her about something; he has skipped so many opportunities that he could not let this one slide. Needless to say, Cassiel¡¯s hands go for his neck to grab and shake while she glares at him with teary eyes and burning cheeks. ¡°How many champions can you have?¡± Serra asks while Bonekraka groans from all the commotion, Tabitha complains to herself about how nobody listens and how everybody abuses the ship, and while Cassiel goes full-on tsun-mode on Fenrir. ¡°Only one. The boon achieved by being my champion is already quite powerful, so to be able to give it to more than one person would be far too strong. As long as he fights near me, then if both he and I grow more powerful, he will gain the increased abilities from us both. While I may not get anything from him, he has the power of two beings in one. He is already far stronger than most now without training himself much,¡± Nell explains. ¡°But what about when you¡¯re not around?¡± ¡°Then he will not have the benefit of my strength which is why it is still important for him to train and grow stronger.¡± ¡°Fen, get good,¡± Serra says while looking over at him. ¡°After ¨C after I¡¯m done being strangled,¡± Fenrir coughs out the words. Book 2: Chapter 41: Patch 7.0: The Defiance of a Wolf and a Serpent ¡°With that being done, I am sorry to say that I must depart,¡± Nell tells them. ¡°You sure you can¡¯t stay?¡± Serra asks. ¡°I don¡¯t want that bastard to get his hands back on you,¡± Cassiel says. Nell shakes her head. ¡°I do not wish to return, but I must. The longer I stay here, the higher the chance of being found here and all of you getting in trouble. I doubt that you would be spared of punishment a second time, so for your own good, I must leave,¡± Nell explains. Serra and Cassiel look at Fenrir, wanting him to stop her, but he knows that he cannot. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get you back here with us soon, alright?¡± he says. Nell nods her head and hugs both of the girls before hugging Fenrir, then she goes on to try and hug Bonekraka only to be rejected as he steps away, and she ends her partial hug session with Tabitha. ¡°Thank you all for being so wonderful to me. I truly look forward to when I can stay with you for good,¡± Nell says with a polite bow before grabbing the cloth that she used to cover her in the crate. She tosses it over herself and carefully walks up the broken stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll rescue you from him. Promise,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I know you will, my hero.¡± With that, they hear Nell step above deck and walk off of The Shoebill. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m goin¡¯ crazy. Haven¡¯t you all only known each other for like a week? How in the heck are ya all so attached already?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Shut up. You were acting like you and Fen were best friends for life the moment that he brought you on,¡± Cassiel calls her out. While those two start bickering, Fenrir focuses on the feeling that he¡¯s getting. He feels exactly where Nell is. He knows how far away she is, whether she is higher or lower than he is, how fast she is moving, and he can also feel himself growing weaker the farther away she goes. It only takes a few minutes of her being in the open before he can also sense her distress. Whereas she was walking normally before, now she is being forcibly carried. But he can also feel something else ¨C something that she didn¡¯t explain. He can sense exactly how she is feeling, and right now, he feels her hope. He feels her faith in his promise; he feels her belief in him saving her. Maybe Tabitha is right. Maybe this is all moving quickly with little time had to properly think things over, but that doesn¡¯t matter. No matter how quick it all may be, the only factor that matters is that the feelings he is sensing from Nell are real. He has direct access to her pure, unfiltered heart. If she truly has this much faith in him then there is no way that he would ever even consider letting her down. ¡°I¡¯m going out,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Huh? Where?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°We need to get ready for the next round. What we have right now isn¡¯t good enough to win. It¡¯s going to be us against two stupidly tough bastards, and they both really want us dead. Tabs,¡± Fenrir looks at Tabitha, ¡°get this ship in even better shape than she was before the tournament. Do anything you want to her if it means getting an edge over our enemies.¡± ¡°Anything?¡± Tabitha asks as a grin slowly spreads across her face. ¡°Anything. Bone, Cass,¡± Fenrir looks at those two now, ¡°I want you to spar until you can¡¯t any longer. We¡¯ve been seriously neglecting training our combat skills, so I want you to boost them up as much as you possibly can before the next round. We¡¯ve got one and a half in-game days to get ready, and we¡¯re going to need every last bit of help that we can get. If you don¡¯t want to spar, go hunt something outside the city. Take Rock with you as well to get her some experience, too.¡± Both Bonekraka and Cassiel smile and nod when they see the determined, fiery look in Fenrir¡¯s eyes that they both admire. ¡°Serra, I know this might sound boring, but I want you to go and watch fish swimming around. If we¡¯re supposed to catch a small serpent in this final round, you¡¯re going to need some great aim with that ballista. We¡¯ve gotten skills before from watching fish swim around that¡¯s been helping us catch them, so get that skill up as much as you can since the ballista will be all yours.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Serra replies with a thumbs-up. ¡°Tabs, when Corwin and Olly are back, I want you to tell Olly to get more practice with his magic and to work on that spell he cast earlier. Have Corwin stay with you and help you however you want,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What about you?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some training in and see if I can¡¯t make my partner open up to me a bit more.¡± Fenrir climbs up over the broken stairs. ¡°Sorry about this, by the way.¡± Tabitha shoots him a quick glare before sighing and returning to working on her new engine. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all later.¡± Fenrir gives Rock a few pats on her head, tells her that she¡¯ll be hanging out with Bonekraka and Cassiel, and then picks up Rod to go off and get some of his own training done. He makes it halfway down the pier before feeling something sting his heart. Or rather, he feels Nell¡¯s heart sting. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to her, but he knows that she¡¯s staying still now as a darkness tries to suffocate the feeling of hope within her heart. ¡­ ¡°What did I tell you about causing problems for me?¡± Ull asks. He has placed Nell inside of a cell within his flagship, and she is chained to it by her limbs as well as kept in a dark room away from everybody. Nell refuses to give him an answer or even to look him in the eyes. ¡°You are,¡± Ull pauses for a moment to end his livestream, ¡°really getting on my nerves, you bitch. Do you have any idea how damn annoying it is having to track you down over, and over, and over again? Not to mention that you can apparently control whoever I stick on guard duty. Do you know how annoying it is to try and keep a prisoner when they can just snap their fingers and walk right on out as if it¡¯s nothing? All this time ¨C all this time, I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯m just, done. I¡¯m done caring about you. My new champion will be your caretaker after this tournament is over.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nell asks, looking up at Ull. She¡¯s never heard Ull even entertain the idea of getting rid of her before. ¡°You heard me. I like to keep pets, but only those who are fun. You are no fun. You are just an annoying, overly dramatic bitch who has caused nothing but trouble for me ever since you have arrived. I know this might be hard for you to believe, but even I have my limit. We both know that I¡¯m not the right man to break nor tame you, either. That is why I am handing you over to somebody who I believe could once this tournament is over. You were originally just going to be a one-night prize for him, but now you will belong entirely to him.¡± Ull turns his livestream back on, walks out of the room, and goes to grab his new champion in waiting. Nell sees a familiar face when he returns. Alexander stands next to Ull outside of her cell. ¡°This is my new champion, Nell ¨C well, he is not my champion yet, but he will be after he kills the wolf in the final round of the tournament,¡± Ull explains. ¡°Long time no see,¡± Alexander says. ¡°You ¨C did you tell him where I was?¡± Nell asks Alexander. ¡°Ah, you mean when you first got taken away from the dog? That wasn¡¯t me. I was planning on telling him about you, though,¡± Alexander explains. ¡°You being found aboard that pathetic little ship was just my tracking skills finding you,¡± Ull adds on. ¡°So, I hear that you¡¯ve actually been treated pretty well here underneath my king. I can¡¯t promise you that same treatment once you¡¯re transferred to me. You know, it¡¯s not like I can afford to treat you so nicely or anything like that,¡± Alexander says. ¡°Do not go into further detail. I do not care what you do with her once she is yours, but I do not want to hear of it,¡± Ull says. ¡°I know exactly what type of girl you are, and I know exactly how to train you. I am as good with brats like you as I am with putting down stray mutts. Both you and him will see,¡± Alexander tells Nell. A sharp pain takes hold of Nell¡¯s heart. Just from the way that Alexander looks at her is enough to make her feel more sick than she¡¯s ever felt underneath Ull¡¯s ownership. Ull may have been the one to capture her in the first place and has kept her as a toy this entire time, but as much as she may despise him, he has always treated her well. No matter how much she loves her body and would never want to start over, she is not sure that she could truly resist that were it not for how tame belonging to Ull has been. But Alexander makes her feel different. There is a sick, twisted desire within Alexander¡¯s eyes ¨C the same kind of selfish desire that those whom have tried ¡°rescuing¡± her before had. He does not care about her; he just wants to use her, and he will abuse every single one of the game¡¯s mechanics that he can to get her to either obey him or quit to let an AI take over that he could force himself onto. ¡°Ull,¡± Nell says, looking up at Ull with teary eyes. She wants to ask him not to do this ¨C she wants to beg him to not hand her over to this other man, but before she does, she remembers that she has a hero promised to come and rescue her. She looks into Alexander¡¯s eyes. ¡°You are jealous of him, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nell asks. ¡°I do not think that there is a single man who wouldn¡¯t be jealous of a king,¡± Alexander answers. ¡°Not him. He is no king, he is just a boy on a power-trip who hates not getting his way. He has not gotten his way with me, so now he is tossing me aside to somebody that he knows I would hate. This is just punishment, and any man who would be jealous of an immature boy like him is not a man,¡± Nell says, staring into Alexander¡¯s eyes the entire time and treating Ull as if he isn¡¯t even there. ¡°Watch your tongue, Nehalennia,¡± Ull says. ¡°Unless you would like to be handed over now instead?¡± Nell continues ignoring him. Keeping her attention on Alexander, she says, ¡°You are jealous of my hero ¨C of Fenrir. You wish you could be as well-loved as he is. Everybody who meets him respects him and likes him without him even trying, and you hate him for that. You are the type who has to act out for attention, are you not? While others naturally attract attention whether they want to or not, you are left in the corner forced to constantly try and prove yourself for attention. Your ¡®king¡¯ is just an immature child whom cannot handle not getting his way, and you are but a little boy jealous because you are not getting any attention.¡± The darkness that began suffocating the hope within her heart lasted for only seconds before she was able to drown it with an overpowering light. She has kept quiet all this time because she has never wanted to make life harder for herself. She was never punished for trying to escape until recently, but she used to get privileges taken away for speaking up. While trying to escape before was ¡°cute,¡± now it is just seen as an act of annoying defiance just like speaking up against her captors is now. ¡°Are you both that speechless from my performance? I am glad to know that those theatre classes are paying off,¡± Nell says with a bright smile to both of the men glaring at her with rage. They are clearly trying to act calm, trying to ignore her words, but she sees right through their fake expressions. There is only one thing that she does not understand right now, and it is why Ull looks... hurt. ¡­ The hope that Fenrir feels coming from Nell is even stronger than before. He was worried for a second, but now he is reminded that he has nothing to worry about. She is staying hopeful and defiant no matter what she may be facing. Fenrir looks down when he sees a bright glow coming from Rod¡¯s gem. ¡°Feels like we¡¯re in sync,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Let¡¯s get some bonding and training done.¡± Book 2: Chapter 42: Patch 7.0: The Defiance of a Wolf and a Serpent Fenrir realizes something as he¡¯s walking toward the Hermetic Scholars¡¯ office. If he is able to feel how Nell is feeling at all times now, then doesn¡¯t that have some scary implications? The technology to share the feelings of somebody¡¯s heart through virtual reality is a serious deal. Couldn¡¯t that same technology be used in law enforcement? Business? One would probably be able to tell whenever somebody else is lying. Though, he figures that such a thing is only possible because of how the virtual assistants are essentially ¡°installed¡± inside of their brains. The assistants probably read how their humans are feeling and then upload and share that information, so feeling what somebody else is feeling is only possible through virtual reality and when both parties have AIs more or less installed inside of their brains that are communicating through a virtual medium. ¡°Am I right?¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°Pretty much, Onii-chan! It¡¯s explained as magic here, but it¡¯s really just science and programming,¡± Saya answers. ¡°Still, it¡¯s scary to think about. What if one of those crazy groups calling for everybody to ¡®transcend¡¯ with AIs ¨C actually, now that I think about it, you wouldn¡¯t even need both parties to have an AI in their heads. Only one person would need an AI, and that AI could just send all of their information to whoever wants to know it. What if criminals all had AIs forcibly installed in their brains to monitor them as part of their punishment?¡± ¡°Well, Onii-chan, stuff like that isn¡¯t really illegal, so maybe it¡¯ll happen!¡± ¡°You know all of my thoughts, feelings, and memories, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t share that with anybody or anything, do you?¡± ¡°Correct! Since you didn¡¯t actually read the terms of service, there was a part in there that said all information like that will not be going to any third parties or stored anywhere! Some of that stuff can be accessed in-game, but the only stuff that anybody else would ever be able to see is all stuff that has happened here in this world. Even then, us assistants will closely monitor all information being shared and are responsible for protecting anything that might be too personal.¡± ¡°Why do I have a feeling that some governments have totally gone and asked Clark for access to all this information?¡± Fenrir asks, standing outside of the office now waiting to finish his conversation with Saya. ¡°They have! It¡¯s been in the news, Onii-chan. The good news is that Jenson Clark has, as you would probably put it, ¡®fuck you¡¯ money. Being the smartest and richest man in the world means that governments can¡¯t scare him! I mean, he¡¯s even got his own private space station!¡± Saya explains. ¡°I wish I had a personal space station.¡± ¡°Maybe someday, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks for the information. Now, let¡¯s hope that Thelmes is working today,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Good luck, Mr. Fish Armor!¡± Saya teases before going silent. With a sigh, Fenrir walks into the office. ¡°Fenrir!¡± Thelmes happily shouts as soon as he sees Fenrir. Something looks different about the cat-goblin-thing. He no longer has the ¡°cat¡± part to go with his goblin and thing parts. Instead, he¡­ has the lower body of a pig? Before, he was just standing on two cat legs. Now, he is like a pig-centaur-goblin-thing as his body turns into that of a pig¡¯s at his waist. ¡°Change of style?¡± Fenrir asks. Thelmes looks down at his body. ¡°Ah, yes! How splendid for you to have noticed,¡± Thelmes says. ¡°Now, what brings you here? More experiments, perhaps?¡± Fenrir holds out Rod. ¡°I figure you might be interested in getting to experiment with a partner gem, so are you feeling up to running some tests while helping me bond with him? I don¡¯t even know where to begin.¡± ¡°Splendid! I can already see that gem is shining much more brightly than it was when you first brought it here. Wait, did you refer to it as a he?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, I did. I asked him if he¡¯s a boy or a girl, and he said boy.¡± ¡°You can talk to it already?!¡± Thelmes asks, practically jumping up and down from excitement. ¡°Kind of? I told him to pulse his light once for yes, two for no. Watch.¡± Fenrir looks at Rod. ¡°Are you a fishing rod?¡± Rod pulses its glow once. ¡°Are you a boy?¡± Another single pulse. ¡°Are you a secret lizard person in disguise trying to take over the world from the shadows?¡± Two pulses. ¡°See?¡± Fenrir looks at Thelmes. Thelmes looks at the Rod with wide eyes and an opened mouth. ¡°How did¡­ how did I never consider such a thing? I. Have. So. Many. Questions. Fenrir!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I will help you with him, but in exchange, you must let me have one hour of asking him as many questions as I can think of!¡± Fenrir nods his head and Rod pulses once. ¡°Looks like he agrees to it as well, so let¡¯s get some training done.¡± ¡°Splendid! Come with me, come with me,¡± Thelmes says, leading the wolf and the fishing rod into the usual combat testing room. It¡¯s empty, fortunately. That means that no matter what sort of odd tests they may be doing, nobody is going to be around to see. ¡°Alright, so what are you going to have us do?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Talk,¡± Thelmes says. ¡°Talk?¡± ¡°Talk.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Yourself! Share your life with your partner. Talk to him about your feelings, your dreams, your memories ¨C talk to him about himself, even! In the same way that you would bond with another person, you will bond with him. While it will not make up for the natural bonding to be had through shared experiences together, it will still increase your bond by a noticeable amount. I think.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. Uhh,¡± Fenrir looks at Rod then at Thelmes. ¡°Could we¡­ get some privacy, maybe?¡± ¡°Ah! I need to stay present to watch how the gem reacts. Worry not, anything you say will be strictly confidential.¡± ¡°Alright, then, I guess¡­ I¡¯ll just start talking,¡± Fenrir says, sitting down with his back to the wall and placing Rod in front of him. Fenrir starts off talking about topics that he doesn¡¯t mind Thelmes knowing about. He talks about his time spent in-game thus far, his friends and girlfriends, his favorite stuff such as food and colors, and more basic topics like that. He thinks that he notices a slight change in how Rod is glowing, but he isn¡¯t sure. However, he does notice Rod occasionally pulsate once or twice with what he says as if he is agreeing or disagreeing with Fenrir¡¯s opinions. This helps Fenrir realize something. A one-way conversation isn¡¯t going to properly grow a bond. Bonds can be developed when two people are sharing their opinions, understanding each other, and treating each other fairly. Right now, Fenrir is just having a selfish, one-sided conversation. ¡°Do you have favorites, Rod?¡± One pulse. ¡°How about¡­ Thelmes, do you have something I can write on? Maybe like a whiteboard?¡± Fenrir asks. He isn¡¯t sure if this world has something like that, but if anybody is going to have it, it¡¯ll be the scholars. ¡°I do! One moment, please,¡± Thelmes says, rushing off and then returning a few moments later with a whiteboard, eraser, and what appears to be a pen with a tiny, black rock on the end of it. ¡°It works just like a marker, I assure you!¡± Fenrir takes the supplies and starts writing on the board. Surely enough, it works just like a marker if not a bit bumpy at times which makes it difficult to draw straight lines. He holds the board up to Rod after writing on it. On the board are a couple of dozen colors with a number next to each one. Black has one next to it, white has two, blue has three, and so on. ¡°Pick the color closest to your favorite and then pulse as many times as the number next to it,¡± Fenrir explains. Rod pulsates its glow twice. Just to make sure that Rod understands what to do and isn¡¯t just pulsing twice to say no, Fenrir changes the number next to white from two to seven. ¡°How about now?¡± Fenrir asks. Rod pulses seven times. ¡°Really? Awesome, we¡¯ve got the same favorite then.¡± ¡°Splendid! This is a great idea, Fenrir,¡± Thelmes says, reminding Fenrir that the pig-centaur-goblin-thing is still sitting next to them and watching everything. Fenrir goes through a few more questions with Rod such as whether he has a favorite food, drink, or anything else like that. Of course, Rod signals no to most of those questions. Wait, thinking about it, Fenrir could probably try to figure out some of Rod¡¯s history. He still really wants to know who made Rod, why Rod was left in a random fishing shop, and so forth. However, those are probably personal questions. Fenrir hasn¡¯t said anything too personal about himself yet, so he needs to open up about that first if he wants to learn about Rod. ¡°I¡¯ll let you ask him two hours of questions if you give me some privacy,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Fenrir. I only have enough questions for one, probably, and if you really want privacy then I do not mind giving you some. Please do come and get me as soon as you¡¯re done, though! I want to be involved for as much are you are willing to let me be,¡± Thelmes says. ¡°Thanks, Thelmes.¡± Thelmes returns to the front of the office, leaving the wolf and the fishing rod alone. ¡°He¡¯s eccentric, but not a bad guy,¡± Fenrir says. Rod pulses once. Book 2: Chapter 43: Patch 8.0: The Final Round After opening up to Rod and having a good old heart-to-fishing-pole, Fenrir was to try practicing fighting with Rod. Thelmes had collected a variety of fishing poles for Fenrir to try attacking the slime golem of a punching bag with. Each one was made of different materials, some of which were even spiked for reasons unknown to Fenrir, but he was able to do the most damage with Rod despite Rod not looking nearly as deadly as some of the fishing rods that Thelmes had him test out. With the tests over, Fenrir has learned that he does more damage using Rod as a weapon than he does with his sword or fists. He really doesn¡¯t know how to feel about this. As awesome as it is, he can¡¯t bring himself to seriously wield a fishing rod as a weapon. Sure, he may not care that much about what others think, but he cares enough that he doesn¡¯t want anybody who he is fighting against to die of laughter as he attacks them with a glowing fishing rod. Being able to have Rod take another form would be incredibly useful, but Fenrir still isn¡¯t able to get his fishing rod to transform. At least it is glowing brighter than it was before that short bonding and training session. Now, with Thelmes help being done, it is time for Fenrir to sit off to the side while Thelmes plays twenty questions with Rod. Most of the questions that Thelmes asks are the kind that Fenrir finds boring, and going by how Rod is answering them as quickly as possible, Fenrir assumes that Rod finds them tedious as well. They are all questions asked about the game¡¯s mechanics, how Rod works, asking for basic information about Rod, and so forth. It is only when Thelmes tries to uncover the mystery behind Rod¡¯s origin that Rod ceases to answer at all. Of course, as disappointing as that may be, it does not stop Thelmes from changing his questions to more scientific and boring ones. What is even worse is that Thelmes really likes to use the whiteboard to write down potential answers for Rod to choose from, and whenever none of the answers are suitable, Thelmes writes down even more. At one point, Rod stops picking answers that take more than five flashes of his glow. Both Fenrir and Rod hope that Thelmes does not notice Rod¡¯s answers may or may not be entirely truthful for the sake of speeding things up. ¡°Splendid! Thank you so much for this opportunity, Fenrir,¡± Thelmes says, shaking Fenrir¡¯s hand. ¡°No problem. Thanks for helping us out. I don¡¯t know if this is going to help out much in the tournament, but I can¡¯t think of anything that could help me more than this,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Ah, you are looking for an edge in the final round?¡± Thelmes asks as a mischievous smile spreads across his lips. Fenrir has never seen Thelmes smile like this, but he has a good feeling about it. ¡°That¡¯s right. Have you been keeping up with it?¡± ¡°I have!¡± ¡°Well, then I¡¯m sure you know both of those bastards left are going to be coming after me, and they¡¯re both way stronger than us.¡± ¡°I believe that I may have something that could assist you, but you must keep it confidential that you got it from me. Are you interested?¡± Fenrir nods his head and tries to hold back his smile. He knows that the scholars here are more or less insane, so whatever Thelmes wants to offer him, it should be unpredictable and¡­ now that he thinks about it, maybe he shouldn¡¯t have his hopes up. These scholars may be scientists and tinkerers, but they¡¯re also the same people who caused an explosion by trying to combine a pig and a monkey. ¡°Splendid! I was actually inspired to make this after watching the last couple of rounds and seeing how you used your ballista. Now, I have not gotten a chance to perform any testing with these, but you may find them useful. Come, come.¡± With Rod in hand, Fenrir follows Thelmes into a back room that looks like it is used for storage. Thelmes pulls a long, wooden crate out from underneath one of the shelves and opens it up. Inside of it is five bolts that look more like proper ballista bolts than the hook bolts that Tabitha rigged up. Furthermore, each of the bolts has a tip that looks like they are made out of the same stones used to power The Shoebill¡¯s engine. Thelmes looks up at Fenrir with a proud smile and crossed arms. ¡°Exploding ballista bolts,¡± Thelmes says. Fenrir knows that he should be wary of anything involving these scholars and explosions, but he can¡¯t help getting excited about this. ¡°You made these pretty fast,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Well, I made them after the first round. I saw those carcass shots you used which gave me the idea for this. Oh! I forgot, you cannot see what is on the inside. I carved the inside of these tips out and filled them with volatile reagents that will not only spread noxious fumes but will make the explosion significantly stronger. They likely will not be strong enough to pierce the hull of that steel oak ship due to these bolts exploding on contact, but that foreign ship will be susceptible to it as will both crews. Just make sure to not accidentally drop them or hit them on the tips!¡± Thelmes explains. ¡°You¡¯re giving these to us?¡± ¡°Well, I have no use for them myself, so I would much rather see them in your hands where I am sure that you will be able to put them to good use. Plus, the Hermetic Scholars may be a neutral organization, but as an individual player, I still want to see those jerks get what they deserve,¡± Thelmes says as he places the lid back onto the crate. ¡°Thanks, Thelmes. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take them out. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to let those assholes win,¡± Fenrir says, placing Rod down on top of the crate and then lifting it up with both of his arms. ¡°Splendid! Plus, I am certain that you will be back to report on the effectiveness of the bolts, any difficulties that you had, and are happily willing to let me perform some more tests involving you and your fishing rod, yes?¡± Fenrir wants to groan and reject the pig-centaur-goblin-thing, but he can¡¯t bring himself to do that after how helpful Thelmes has been. ¡°Of course,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Splendid! Now, I will get the door for you as your hands do seem to be rather full right now.¡± On his walk back to the ship, Fenrir is surprised to get stopped a few times to have other players and NPCs alike come up to him to congratulate him on making it as far as he has in the tournament, and to wish him good luck against his enemies. It seems like practically everybody is rooting for him rather than the other two crews still left in the tournament. Everybody just wants to see Fenrir and The Shoebill destroy their competition. At this point, Fenrir doesn¡¯t even know if anybody cares about the actual fishing part of the tournament anymore. But, it¡¯s nice. One food stall that he walks by even places a basket of free, fried fish on top of the crate next to Rod for him to take back and share with the crew. Everybody wants to show their support. When he gets close The Shoebill, he realizes that the crowds that have been gathered around lately are here for them. They are here to get up close looks at The Shoebill and her crew. No matter how used to being popular¡ªthough, usually hated¡ªFenrir might be, it is still and forever will be embarrassing. Knowing that he has so many eyes on him waiting to see his next move does make him nervous, but it also makes him even more determined to prevail in the end. Though, he is worried about Rachel and Nell coming to visit now that he realizes there are so many people watching this area. Then again, if the vast majority of these people are here to root for him, he doubts that they would snitch. Alexander and Ull¡¯s men may have better gear and skills, but they don¡¯t have the support of the people. Fenrir is sure that Alexander especially has people hanging around The Steel Tiger wanting to sabotage it if they can. After all, Fenrir had to deal with that all the time back in the day. ¡°Tabs! I¡¯ve got a present for us,¡± Fenrir says as he places the crate of explosive bolts down on the deck. Tabitha comes up from below deck to check out the supposed present after placing half of a fried fish in her mouth. Her eyes light up when she sees the bolts. ¡°Whurred hew get hish?¡± Tabitha asks with a mouth full of fish. ¡°Thelmes at the office,¡± Fenrir answers. Tabitha swallows her fish and no longer looks impressed. ¡°Ehhh. I¡¯ll see what I can do with these. He¡¯s off to an okay start, but there¡¯s a whole buncha room for improvement. I¡¯ll make these way better once I¡¯m done fixin¡¯ the ship up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will. Anyways, I¡¯m going to go ahead and get some more training in.¡± ¡°What¡¯re ya gonna do this time?¡± Fenrir looks at some of the crowd watching them. ¡°Combat practice. Training with Cass Cass has been helpful, but I¡¯m not going to learn much from just always fighting the same person. And, if you look around, I think I¡¯ve got a bunch of people who wouldn¡¯t mind helping me train,¡± he says. ¡°Trainin¡¯ with somebody other than your girl? You dastardly dog.¡± ¡°You know me. Anyways, you and Corwin help yourself to these fish. I¡¯ll be back later.¡± Book 2: Chapter 44: Patch 8.0: The Final Round Fenrir is able to find several players who are more than happy to help him train in preparation for the final round of the tournament. While training with Cassiel has helped, he has already learned her style, weaknesses, and can easily read her moves by this point. He needs to fight others if he wants to keep on progressing. The players that he trains with are all more powerful than he is since he is away from Nell. He¡¯s sure that he could easily tear his way through them if Nell was here to share her strength with him, but without her presence activating that new buff of his, he is not that much stronger than a relatively new player. Those that he trains with are shocked to learn of how low his stats are when he tells them how long he has been playing for! When Fenrir thinks about it, they have every right to be shocked. Here he is in this giant, fantastical world full of millions of players, monsters, and more, yet he¡¯s spent almost his entire time in-game thus far within a single city and just fishing. He has only seen two monsters excluding those that are the pets of other players in the city, and they were the giant crabs and tentacle clams that he saw back before they took on Coastedge! It goes to show that one really can play this game and live a life here without ever partaking in any of that content, even if such a path is rare. One of the men tells Fenrir that most of the players who just want to farm and fish have killed plenty of monsters before settling down. Jumping straight into ¡°retirement,¡± as some of the other players call it, is rare. All of the talking while fighting makes Fenrir want to go out and explore once this is all over. He still wants to fish, but he also wants to see what else the world has to offer. He¡¯ll be a traveling fisherman! He is sure that there are plenty of exotic fish and aquatic monsters for him to hook and reel in. So, while he still may not want to go and turn into a monster hunter or a dungeon raider, he does want to experience more of the world¡¯s fantasy side of features. Fenrir¡¯s current sparring partner sweeps out his legs and points a sword to his neck. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing this is a fishing tournament and not a fighting one,¡± Fenrir¡¯s partner says. ¡°What can I say? I like fishing,¡± Fenrir replies before knocking the sword away and switching roles as he sweeps his partner¡¯s legs. He doubts that either Ull¡¯s champions or Alexander would care about fighting fairly, so there is no use in training as if fights with them will be fair and without dirty attacks. ¡°You said you want to explore and go fishin¡¯, right?¡± one of the others watching the fight asks. Fenrir gives a quick nod as he focuses on dodging his opponent¡¯s attacks. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s all sorts¡¯ve magical fish east of here where the Hermetic Scholars¡¯ headquarters is at. Also heard about them dwarves past the foreign bastard¡¯s lands fishing in lava,¡± they explain. The whole fishing in lava part steals enough of Fenrir¡¯s attention away for a shield to bash him right in the face. If it weren¡¯t for being excited and distracted by visualizing fishing in lava, the whole shield to the face thing probably would have hurt much more. ¡°There¡¯s always fishin¡¯ in the rivers north of here, too. I wouldn¡¯t, though. Too damn dangerous to go up into the jungle unless you plan on taking an entire raid group with you. Let me tell you, bein¡¯ impaled by oversized lizards wielding spears ain¡¯t exactly a pleasant thing.¡± This person is giving Fenrir so many ideas of where to go fishing! He has been so fixated on this tournament, his girlfriends, and moral dilemmas involving NPCs that he has almost completely forgotten that he is living inside of history¡¯s most advanced, content-packed fishing simulator! The only problem is that he doesn¡¯t know where he wants to go after all of this. Does he want to head east toward the Hermetic Scholars¡¯ headquarters, or west to the dwarves? What about taking the risk of heading north into the jungle and fishing in the rivers there? Fenrir shakes his head to recollect his thoughts so that he may focus on the opponent in front of him. Unfortunately, he does so too late and ends up getting smacked on top of his head by a wooden sword. ¡°You¡¯d be dead if this was real, you know,¡± his opponent says. ¡°I know, I know. Sorry, was just thinking about fishing,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Of course you were. Anyways, pizza should be here soon, so I¡¯ve got to go. Somebody take my place and teach this fishing addict how to focus.¡± ¡°Thanks for the help! I seriously appreciate it, and I¡¯m sorry for getting distracted there. I won¡¯t let you down in the final round.¡± Fenrir¡¯s training partner smiles and waves. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching, so don¡¯t screw up,¡± they say before heading off to a safe spot to wake. The training continues for nine more in-game hours which only ends up being four and a half hours in real life. Fenrir spars with over thirty different opponents during that time. Each opponent that he faces brings new weapons, skills, and styles to the fight. He feels as if he has already made more progress in this training session than he has from all of the times that he trained with Cassiel combined! He even notices his own body moving faster and more force being used in his attacks. Yet, his feral desire does not show itself a single time. It was always there in the back of his mind when he was sparring with Cassiel, so how come it hasn¡¯t shown up this time? ¡°Alright, I need to get to bed. I¡¯m exhausted. Wasn¡¯t expecting to train this much, and I was kept awake most of last night. Thanks for all the help, all of you,¡± Fenrir says to his latest training partner and the group of bystanders either just hanging out or watching him train. Before he leaves, everybody wishes him luck and tells him to find them at any time for more training. Being liked instead of hated for once is really nice. Sure, there was a sort of sadistic satisfaction that he was able to get out of being hated to the point of gaining stalkers that found his real life information, but being liked just feels so much¡­ warmer ¨C better. Furthermore, there is nothing to feel guilty about. Whereas he still felt a bit guilty at times being so horrible to everybody, there is nothing to feel guilty about this time around. Fenrir reaches The Shoebill, crawls into the nearest hammock after checking up with Tabitha whom has gone through an entire basket of fried fish with Corwin, and then wakes from the game to be back in his real body once more. Ryouta is too tired to say anything to his fan this time. It only takes a couple of minutes for him to pass out and drift into a dreamland full of fish, sweaters, and ¨C oh, oh god. Are those feminine fish wearing sweaters? He knows that this isn¡¯t real, but he¡¯s too tired to wake up! Yes, he loves fishing. Yes, he loves sweaters. However, he does not want fish and sweaters to be combined! It is eccentric nightmare after eccentric nightmare for the duration of Ryouta¡¯s sleep. When he finally wakes up, covered in sweat and feeling gross, he crawls out of bed to look at the time on his computer and realizes that he¡¯s close to being late again. ¡°I want to sleep more, but¡­ responsibilities suck,¡± Ryouta groans as he limps back over to his bed and places the headband of a virtual reality headset around his head once more. ¡°It isn¡¯t healthy to not go to the bathroom, eat, or drink before playing, Onii-chan! And you didn¡¯t even brush your teeth last night or this morning! Gross!¡± Saya criticizes him. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time. Remind me to do it later and I promise I will,¡± Ryouta tells her as he turns into Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, Onii-chan! Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m part of your brain so you can¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be tsundere, not yandere.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me sharpen my knives,¡± Saya says before disappearing from in front of him. In her place is the world of Gaia ¨C or rather, the wooden deck of The Shoebill as he stares up at it from his hammock. Looking around, he sees everything nice and tidy, all the damage to The Shoebill has been repaired, a new engine with several more gears and tubes than before has been installed in the back of the ship, and even the stairs are all fixed up! Fenrir runs his fingers against the ship¡¯s hull to see if she feels any different. She doesn¡¯t. Even with all of these upgrades and replacements, she¡¯s still The Shoebill. ¡°Let¡¯s win this, alright?¡± Fenrir says to his trusty ship before getting out of his hammock and heading above deck. Book 2: Chapter 45: Patch 8.0: The Final Round Fenrir does not like how he is developing a habit of always being the last one to get in-game for these important events. His sleep schedule has just been so crazy lately with how late he has been staying up in-game and then having his girlfriends over to prevent him from sleeping in real life! Once again, as soon as he gets above deck, he is attacked by Cassiel and Tabitha for being the last one to get in-game and almost being late. They both love to remind him of how close he comes to missing things. Though, while Cassiel is just being tsun and trying to make sure that he does not start slacking off, Tabitha does it because she doesn¡¯t want him being a sleepyhead to cause her to miss anything. There is no way that she is willing to miss out on the final round of the tournament just because he is tired, and without him, they cannot participate. Serra and Rock are here to warmly welcome him, though. Then, once Cassiel sees Serra hugging him and Rock licking him and nuzzling against him, she relaxes and wants in on the attention. ¡°You all ready?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I think so. Did you think up a plan?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I couldn¡¯t, but I might just be too dependent on you always doing that, Olly. I know you¡¯ve got to have some ideas.¡± Oleander shrugs with his shoulders and hands. ¡°I might have thought up some potential plans.¡± ¡°See? I can always count on you to worry about the little things.¡± ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha interjects, ¡°what about this is little?¡± ¡°You,¡± Fenrir answers. He looks at her and only feels disappointment when she looks unimpressed at his remark rather than playfully offended. Lolis being upset about their size and wanting to be bigger has always been one of his favorite tropes in anime, but Tabitha is too confident in her appearance for something like that. After all, she did choose to look like this. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m just waking up still,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Ya better hurry and wake up,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Need to take notes from her,¡± Serra tells Cassiel. Fenrir hopes that they take poor notes. He isn¡¯t sure if he could handle dating two wannabe copies of Tabitha. ¡°Everybody get some good work in?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, I think me and Bone got some good practice in,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Our baby is all ready! Got the engine up and runnin¡¯ and upgraded those new bolts of ours. Also made a new hooked bolt for catchin¡¯ the serpent,¡± Tabitha explains. Serra gives a thumbs-up. ¡°Yeah, felt the skill improve a couple of times. Played with Rock a bunch, too,¡± she says. ¡°I think I can cast a spell or two more than before, but man, Fenny, training that sort of endurance is way more boring than training my endurance with Corwin,¡± Oleander explains while running a finger up along Corwin¡¯s back, causing Corwin to shiver and straighten up. It takes Fenrir a couple of moments to remember what the odd feeling within him is. He can still sense Nell¡¯s exact position and how she is feeling within her heart. She¡¯s still hopeful. Part of him wants to go and try to rescue her right now so that he can have her presence buffing him up during this final round, but he knows that¡¯s basically impossible right now. One, he doesn¡¯t have the time to go and break her out of her prison. Two, how are they supposed to take on all of Ull¡¯s followers and where would they go? Saving her has to come after the tournament. Crowds gather around the piers once more. Blackstache¡¯s ship is floating on the surface with its stern facing out of the city. Hanging over the water by heavy chains at its stern is what appears to be a box of sorts, but Fenrir can¡¯t tell what exactly it is as it is covered in a thick cloth. Of course, it is safe to assume that it could only be one thing: the serpent that they will be fishing for the final round. With owls circling above, the announcer from the previous rounds begins explaining the rules. ¡°Welcome to the final day of the tournament! Today, we shall all find out who the winner ¨C who the ultimate fisher is!¡± the announcer declares. Fenrir isn¡¯t so sure that whoever wins is really the ultimate fisher given how most of the tournament thus far has been about fighting and survival, but oh well. The cloth around the object hanging from Blackstache¡¯s ship is lifted off to reveal a large, glass container full of water. More importantly, it is full of juvenile serpent. A single serpent swims around within the container and looks for an escape. Fenrir can¡¯t tell exactly how large it is, but going from how far away it is and how large it already looks, it has to be a couple of times longer than The Shoebill while having a body as thick as a tree trunk! Its glistening scales reflect the light of the sun shining down on it. ¡°This is the final catch! Whoever catches this and brings it back to the city will be the winner of the tournament! Anything is allowed past the tower. Melee and ramming are allowed within the city until a ship docks with its catch, at which point, the tournament will be over. Now, let¡¯s see our competitors!¡± Alexander and The Steel Tiger show up on that screen hanging from the tower first. ¡°Alexander, captain of The Steel Tiger, is a newer player who has taken the city by storm! After a controversial twist of events in the second round, Alexander is looking to capture the¡ª¡± Fenrir can¡¯t even hear the rest of the announcement over the crowds behind him booing and shouting. They are even louder once the longship comes onto the screen. Though, when Fenrir and The Shoebill pop up, they change their tune. Serra and Cassiel both hide behind Fenrir when they see themselves on the screen, but Serra pokes her head out just enough to look at the screen while reaching a single arm out to hold up a peace sign. ¡°Last but certainly not least is The Shoebill led by the city¡¯s newest crush, Fenrir! While our other two competitors have been met with controversy, The Shoebill and her crew have quickly become beloved by the city despite consisting of almost all new players! What a great final round! We have one crew of new players that have earned the disdain of the city going against another group of new players that the city has fallen in love with! And let¡¯s not forget about our foreign guests wishing to take victory for themselves!¡± Fenrir feels his heart beating faster as the introductions conclude. He¡¯s finally made it to the last round of the tournament, and it is going to be the hardest fight thus far. The Shoebill cannot be allowed to get teamed up on. Her enemies are great and just one of them would be enough to stall her while the other goes for the tournament¡¯s final objective. They all feel the city¡¯s eyes on them. Blackstache, Ull, the crowds, the other crews ¨C everybody is watching The Shoebill and waiting to see what her crew is going to do this time. ¡°Now! Is everybody ready for the final round?¡± the announcer asks. The crowd wildly cheers. Guards are required to stand by the longship and The Steel Tiger to make sure that nobody interferes and to block any items being tossed at them. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I bet that prick wasn¡¯t able to get more steel oak to repair his ship with.¡± ¡°They could have had some spare, right?¡± ¡°Even if they did, they probably just nailed some planks on to patch things up. They¡¯re weak points.¡± Fenrir looks at Serra. ¡°Remember when they got blown up yesterday?¡± ¡°Yeah, by the old hairy guys,¡± Serra answers. ¡°You said it was just flashy and easy to fix.¡± ¡°I did, but that doesn¡¯t mean that those won¡¯t be weak points still. The section that was damaged is going to be way more vulnerable than the rest of their ship, so let¡¯s not let that sacrifice be in vain,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Oleander says, ¡°it could work. Even if the wood is as strong as steel, I bet it got a bunch of cracks in it that we can¡¯t see from the explosion.¡± ¡°We just have to take advantage of that.¡± The announcer resumes talking. ¡°Now! For the glory of being known as the best and to earn yourselves an epic tale sung by none other than Blackstache himself, let the final round of the tournament begin!¡± The glass container opens up at its bottom to release all the water within it. And the serpent. It rears its head above the water and roars before looking around and diving underwater to swim out toward the tower! The three competitors set sail from their docks and start their pursuit of the serpent. No matter how much they may wish to kill each other, first, they cannot allow the serpent to escape out of their sights. ¡°Full speed ahead!¡± Fenrir orders. Book 2: Chapter 46: Patch 8.0: The Final Round With the final round having started, the three competing ships leave their docks and sail ahead toward the fleeing serpent. Part of Fenrir feels bad chasing down something for a tournament that is just trying to escape and live. The more dominant part of Fenrir refuses to lose this tournament and will capture that serpent while taking care of the enemies whom wish to stop him. The Shoebill gets a good lead going before they watch the enemy vessels to see what they are doing. Just as Fenrir expected they would, both The Steel Tiger and the longship are ignoring one another. They are not exchanging fire despite being within range of one another and their crews are not even looking at each other. However, both of their courses will lead them directly to The Shoebill. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine as long as we catch the serpent first then get back, right?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°If we can get past the tower in one piece without losing the serpent, yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. As for the serpent, they are able to easily track it because of a floatation device that prevents it from diving too far underneath the water. It must stay close to the surface if it does not want a constant, powerful force pulling up on it, and the device is colorful enough to easily be spotted from a good distance away. With calm waters and a colorful marker, one would have to purposely try losing sight of the serpent to lose its position. The device is also slowing the serpent down enough so that all of the ships could catch up to it, but The Shoebill will reach it first with ease. ¡°What¡¯s our plan?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°Well, here¡¯s our problem. We want to use that ballista to shoot those exploding bolts, right? But how are we going to take the serpent back into the city by using the hook-shot and shoot other bolts from it at the same time? We should deal with those guys first, but then we risk letting the serpent get away or getting too heavily damaged,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°I was going to suggest that we try sinking them first, or at least damaging them enough that they aren¡¯t a threat anymore, but look.¡± Oleander and Fenrir look back toward the tower. Both The Steel Tiger and the longship are waiting on each side of it with their sides facing out toward The Shoebill. While they are nowhere near large enough to block access getting into the city, they are still waiting for The Shoebill to return while slowed down with a serpent for them to take out. ¡°I wish we could win just by being the last ship floating, but you have to take the serpent back to win. Otherwise, I¡¯d just suggest we do something really stupid,¡± Oleander continues. ¡°At least we won¡¯t have to worry about being shot at while catching the serpent,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We won¡¯t be doing something really stupid, but I have an idea that¡¯s so crazy it might as well be really stupid anyways. I was told you got chosen as Nell Nell¡¯s champion or something?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°And Nell Nell is basically part sea serpent, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Then what if we can use that serpent to help us fight?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s crazy enough to be really stupid.¡± Oleander shrugs and returns his attention to following the serpent. ¡°Even with all our upgrades, we¡¯re still way weaker than even one of them, and we¡¯re up against both. We try going in through the left side of the tower, the longship comes over and helps. We try going in on the right side past the longship, the annoying guy comes over to help. I¡¯m just thinking that we need to even the playing field, and the rules didn¡¯t say that we have to catch it through force to bring it back, just that we have to catch it and bring it back. They didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t catch it, try making friends with it, then letting it go and leading it back.¡± Fenrir pats Oleander¡¯s head, causing the deer boy to nuzzle his head up against his warm hand. ¡°I thought I was the one turning all goody-two-shoes lately?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I never said I care about the serpent, though. I just want to use it to help kill people,¡± Oleander says in a happy, relaxed voice as he continues nuzzling Fenrir¡¯s hand. ¡°Fair enough. I admit that I do feel kind of bad for it, though. It¡¯s been captured just to be released and then hunted down for a tournament.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just biased since you¡¯re working for a serpent girl now.¡± ¡°Maybe. Anyways, it might be worth a try, and I can¡¯t really think of any way that we could realistically catch it and drag it back while surviving getting past those ships. The lazy bastards are making us do all the work of taking it back. Wait, couldn¡¯t they just sail back to the other side of the tower to look at the screen and see what we¡¯re doing? If they know to expect us bringing the serpent back on our side, then isn¡¯t our plan screwed if it works?¡± Oleander looks up at the magical orb following them, takes a thorn out from his pocket, and aims it directly at the orb. Then, with the same spell that he used in the last round, makes it grow to be as large as a person before shooting it toward the orb! The thorn smashes right through the orb and leaves no traces of it. ¡°They said that anything is allowed past the tower, right?¡± Oleander looks up at Fenrir with a smile. ¡­ ¡°Tch, they aren¡¯t as dumb as I hoped they¡¯d be,¡± Alexander says while looking up at the screen on the back side of the tower. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. They have to come back this way eventually and it¡¯s not like they¡¯ll be able to sneak past us,¡± one of The Steel Tiger¡¯s crewmembers says. ¡°We¡¯ll see them coming.¡± ¡°Are the cannons loaded with those carcass shots?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°She¡¯d better appreciate us doing this. Turning my old character into an NPC to start over as some damn fisherman¡­ I better get my wings back and a promotion as soon as this is all over. Not only are we going to keep the alliance from being formed, but I¡¯m also going to bring back the girl chosen by the Western Serpent? I¡¯m going to deserve far more than what was promised.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, sir, there were¡­ difficulties due to increased security along the cliff, but all preparations have been completed.¡± ¡°Good, whoever took over that cannon didn¡¯t ruin our plans. Shame they didn¡¯t do our job for us and turn it on the deer¡¯s ship. How many we were able to secure?¡± ¡°All four that are capable of turning inward enough to face the city.¡± Alexander smiles and looks up at the screen once more. Despite them clearly having a conversation on the deck of their ship, no audio is being transmitted. ¡°Keep watching this pathetic excuse for a tournament. You may be able to keep Indra¡¯s and our fleets from reaching you, but you have an army of angsty, wannabe Vikings just waiting for a reason to burn your city down.¡± ¡­ ¡°You aren¡¯t watching the final round, Master?¡± Ull¡¯s dragon of a girlfriend asks. ¡°You can drop the ¡®master¡¯ bit for now,¡± Ull answers. ¡°Is your stream turned off?¡± Ull nods his head. ¡°Good, my love. You leave that on far too often. How am I supposed to spoil you and act like a good girlfriend when you¡¯re always broadcasting everything you do? I can¡¯t be the only one getting spoiled all the time,¡± she says while tracing her fingers along the metal collar around her neck. ¡°I know, I know, but it is because I stream so much that I have enough money to support¡ª¡± ¡°You need not explain yourself to me, my love. I am well aware of the struggles your family faces. They are lucky to have such a wonderful son and older brother.¡± ¡°Can you imagine if they knew how I behave in-game? I would probably get disowned.¡± They both laugh while she traces her fingers through his hair. ¡°I cannot say that I disagree,¡± she says. ¡°But, what troubles you so much?¡± Ull takes a deep breath and tries his hardest to relax. ¡°I think the game might be starting to affect me. Roleplaying as I do all the time ¨C I feel like I am actually starting to really become Ull. Nehalennia called me out, and while I normally wouldn¡¯t be bothered by her, I am because I know that now she is right. It never bothered me to be talked back to back when I was still myself, but now that I am becoming like Ull, I find myself upset because she attacked my true character rather than just the role that was previously just pretend.¡± ¡°Then perhaps it is time for a change?¡± ¡°And lose most of the people giving me money and my champions who respect the man that I pretend to ¨C that I am now?¡± She leans her head against his own. ¡°I am sorry, my love. I understand how difficult this must be for you. Just know that I am always here for you, and I will support you regardless of what happens, alright?¡± she assures him, kissing his lips and looking into his eyes. Ull nods and takes her hands into his own. ¡°Want to go watch the rest of the round with me? It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve publicly done anything together.¡± Her eyes sparkle with excitement the moment he asks. ¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve almost caught up to it!¡± Fenrir shouts from The Shoebill¡¯s bow. ¡°Serra, you ready?¡± Serra nods her head from the ballista¡¯s seat. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to want to help us after we shoot it,¡± she says. ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s the only way of getting it to stop. I don¡¯t exactly speak serpent, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯d stop even if I could tell it to.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t speak to it then how are you going to convince it to help us?¡± Fenrir stares at her while trying to think of a good enough response. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about that later.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you guys like the old leaders of the Divine Brigade or something like that? I don¡¯t see many of those fabled awesome plans coming from you,¡± Cassiel says with her arms crossed over her breastplate. ¡°What?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Did I just ¨C did I just hear that right?¡± Fenrir turns around and looks at Tabitha whom has supposedly been standing behind them. He completely forgot that neither she nor Corwin knows about that secret yet. Well, the secret is out now. ¡°Yeah. I was the leader, Olly and Bone were my seconds. Been trying to keep it secret, but everybody keeps figuring it out anyways, plus you¡¯re trustworthy enough to let know about it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Here I thought I was the only one with a bad rep! Man, ya really one-up me with that. No wonder ya don¡¯t have a problem with me workin¡¯ on the girl here,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Ya see here, blondie, everybody who¡¯s into this sorta stuff knows that the old Divine Brigade never cared so much about awesome, legendary plans as much as they did stupid plans. They¡¯ve been some of the luckiest loons in gaming to pull off the crazy stupidity that they have. Sure, they might be smart every now and then, but they¡¯re mainly just stupid and know when to not pick a fight. At least, they used to know that last part.¡± Fenrir is rubbing the back of his head with an innocent smile when Cassiel looks at him again. ¡°Can¡¯t say that she¡¯s wrong about that,¡± he says. ¡°We did lots of stupid stuff and always recruited the craziest people we could find.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°But crazy stupid stuff that works is cool,¡± Serra says. ¡°I thought my boyfriend was smart,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Instead he¡¯s just some lucky bastard who¡ª¡± ¡°Obviously. I¡¯ve got to be lucky if I¡¯m dating you, don¡¯t I?¡± Fenrir cuts her off, causing his blonde girlfriend¡¯s cheeks to burn a bright red while Serra gives him a thumbs-up. ¡°Now, we¡¯ve got a serpent to catch.¡± "Nice change of topic," Tabitha says. Book 2: Chapter 47: Patch 8.0: The Final Round ¡°We miss anything?¡± Jax asks, standing next to Morven with the rest of his crew finding a spot to stand and watch the screen. ¡°Been bitin¡¯ my nails waitin¡¯ to get back here. Damn timer.¡± ¡°The wolf¡¯s crew survived the last round and they¡¯re about to catch up to the serpent,¡± Morven explains. ¡°Hah! I knew that dog would make it through. Glad to know our lil sacrifice wasn¡¯t for nothin¡¯.¡± Jax looks up at the screen and sees The Shoebill steadily drawing closer to the fleeing serpent. Below The Shoebill¡¯s pursuit are the displays of The Steel Tiger and the longship waiting around the tower for The Shoebill¡¯s return. ¡°Damned bastards are still workin¡¯ together and goin¡¯ to try and steal the show, huh?¡± ¡°Looks like it. He¡¯s been able to pull off a lot, but I¡¯ve no idea how he¡¯s going to slip past them with a serpent in tow.¡± Jax slaps Morven on the back and smiles at the screen. ¡°He¡¯s young and has got a good head on his shoulders. Just believe in him for now! Besides, listen to everybody else already doin¡¯ that exact same thing.¡± The crowds are all cheering for The Shoebill and telling her to catch the serpent and win the tournament. Not a single cheer for either of the other crews can be heard. ¡°Show ¡®em who¡¯s the top dog!¡± Jax shouts with a fist in the air. ¡­ ¡°Bring somebody with ya this time around?¡± Blackstache asks Ull after spotting the redheaded dragoness next to him. ¡°This is my partner, Liz. Liz, Blackstache,¡± Ull introduces them to each other. Liz offers Blackstache a curtsy, and Blackstache responds with a tip of his hat. He recognizes her as a member of what he¡¯s presumed to be Ull¡¯s slave-harem, but she lacks the chains, collar, and cuffs that he¡¯s only ever seen her in. She¡¯s even wearing a fancy looking dress that is crimson in color with a golden trim. With how Ull¡¯s hand is placed on her shoulder keeping her close, he actually looks like a caring boyfriend. ¡°I¡¯m not streaming, by the way. Decided to take a day off from that,¡± Ull says. ¡°Let¡¯s speak freely without worrying about all that usual nonsense, alright?¡± ¡°Ya give me yer word on tha stream bein¡¯ off?¡± Blackstache asks. A few seconds later and Blackstache¡¯s virtual companion confirms that Ull isn¡¯t streaming. ¡°Thank shit. You know how tiring it is talking like that all the time? You¡¯ve had me on the spot with your constant streaming. Can¡¯t let people see past the persona or they¡¯ll lose interest.¡± Ull holds Liz even closer to him. ¡°I know the feeling. So, what parts did you give them?¡± Ull asks, looking at Rachel whom is standing behind Blackstache as usual. ¡°You saw?¡± Rachel asks. ¡°Of course. You think we aren¡¯t watching them? Figure it¡¯s only fair for you to supply them given that we¡¯ve been doing the same,¡± Ull says before taking a sip of water from the flask that he keeps at his side. ¡°Glad to know we can try sneaking around behind each other¡¯s backs without it being a big deal,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°By the way, been meaning to ask you something, and now that the stream is over,¡± he looks at Ull and Liz, ¡°how the fuck does sex work with you?¡± That sip of water ends up almost getting spit out from Blackstache¡¯s unexpected question. ¡°He is very gentle despite me always asking him to be rougher,¡± Liz answers for her boyfriend, causing the water to come ever closer to being spit out. Ull hurries to swallow the water before anybody else says anything. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that it works carefully. Having the lower body of a deer has its advantages, but mostly disadvantages.¡± ¡°Is it human or what down there?¡± Blackstache asks. ¡°As for the tournament,¡± Ull changes subject, ¡°what do you think is going to happen?¡± Blackstache lets out a disappointed sigh and shrugs. ¡°Well, your champs and their new friends down there are being boring and teaming up on that dog, so I figure that they¡¯ll sink the dog and then fight each other for the serpent. Since we¡¯re speaking freely, though, I¡¯d love to see him somehow sink both of your crews down there.¡± Ull chuckles and sighs. ¡°It would be interesting if he were to somehow win, I will admit. Of course, if he does, I¡¯m going to have to put my mask back on and be dramatic about it. You don¡¯t even want to know how many thousands and thousands of comments I get every stream telling me to just burn that ship down in the middle of the night to repay them for stealing one of Yggdrasil¡¯s branches. An audience full of roleplaying zealots obsessed with fictional nationalism can get pretty tedious.¡± ¡°You know, you¡¯re not too bad when you¡¯re casual like this. Since you¡¯re admitting things, I¡¯ll admit that I can¡¯t stand when you¡¯re acting all leader-like. You come off as a huge ass when you¡¯re playing your part.¡± ¡°And you come off as an illiterate, fake Scottish-pirate hybrid with that accent you use. It¡¯s a chore listening to you talk in that accent all the time.¡± The two leaders look at one another and laugh. ¡°Sometimes I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m playin¡¯ this game for myself or everybody else at this point,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°Every time I try relaxing, my wife here kicks me back into work and keeps me straight. Can you believe I just wanted to be a bard, travel the world, and sing songs? Instead, I ended up being the damn king of pirates, and my wife won¡¯t let me retire.¡± ¡°Because you have nothing better to do, and not having to work real jobs is nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Rachel interjects. ¡°I admit, the pay for leading a major faction and keeping the world interesting is pretty nice since the damn devs are too lazy to do it themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens when a game boasts itself as having the most player-driven world ever,¡± Liz says. ¡°You must be rolling in the money if you¡¯re a popular streamer and the leader of a major faction. You¡¯ll probably be able to retire in a couple of years if this keeps up!¡± Blackstache tells Ull. ¡°If we¡¯re still around by then,¡± Ull says. ¡°You heard those rumors?¡± Ull nods his head and returns his attention to the screen. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy the game while we can. Maybe it¡¯s time that both of us stop worrying so much about what everybody else expects of us?¡± ¡°Aye. Well, maybe we¡¯ll worry just enough to keep getting paid.¡± ¡°True enough. Also¡­ I want to apologize for what happened to your NPCs. I didn¡¯t know that your city treated them so fairly. If I had known, I would have advised my champions to not act against them. I am also sorry that I cannot publicly apologize for that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know not everybody sees eye to eye on the whole AI thing, and this city here is in the minority with how we treat them. Though, from what I¡¯ve heard, a certain dog has some interesting dreams for them.¡± ¡°Is that so? He just keeps on getting more and more interesting. I have a feeling that I know him from somewhere, but I just can¡¯t place him.¡± Rachel bites her tongue and turns away. ¡°Yeah, the more I see him and hear about him, I swear that I know him. No idea from where, though. Oh, and even if he wins, we¡¯re not going to war or anything like that, right? I¡¯m really not feelin¡¯ up to a war. I understand if you¡¯ve got to be a dick for your followers and viewers, but just don¡¯t join up with those women to the north.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I already have plenty calling for war, but I don¡¯t think the armchair generals plaguing my comments understand that there is zero point in going to war with somebody on the other side of the world over a position that would be of zero use to us.¡± ¡°One last question. What¡¯s with your slave girls?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been fond of monstrous girls ever since I discovered them as a teen who shouldn¡¯t have been on the sites that I regularly visited, and as much as I hate to admit it, acting like a sadistic, borderline rapist gets me a ton of views. I get just as many people who hate me waiting for more material to write articles about me who watch me as I do people who love me, and between my fans and my critics, I get plenty of neutral attention.¡± ¡°But slavery?¡± ¡°It gets the views, plus it was my partner¡¯s idea,¡± Ull explains. Liz smiles with closed eyes as Blackstache looks her over with judging eyes. ¡°Looks like the real show is finally beginning,¡± Ull says, pointing at the screen. ¡­ ¡°You¡¯re probably only going to get a single shot at this, so take your time, aim carefully, and only fire when you¡¯re confident that you¡¯re going to hook it,¡± Fenrir tells Serra, leaning over her shoulder. ¡°I can do it,¡± Serra says. ¡°And I can just reel the hook in and try again if I miss.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m trying to put more pressure on you so that you get it right the first time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me rub my feet on your face again,¡± Serra teases. ¡°Wait, that was on purpose?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Shh, I have to focus.¡± The Shoebill is finally within range of the serpent. Serra stares through the ballista¡¯s scope and uses the levers attached to the machine to rotate and aim it. ¡°Go for a body shot, center mass. Don¡¯t want to damage its tail and don¡¯t want to kill it, so aim for where you¡¯ll do the least damage. You could even try to¡ª¡± Fenrir gets interrupted when Serra fires the ballista! Book 2: Chapter 48: Patch 8.0: The Final Round The fired bolt flies straight toward the serpent! It looks like it¡¯s going to be a direct hit up until the final moment when it goes just barely over it, instead splashing down into the water right behind it. A miss. Yet, Fenrir sees a smile on Serra¡¯s lips as she immediately starts reeling the shot in. Fenrir thought that she missed, but he realizes that the shot landed exactly where she wanted it to. Immediately reeling it in pulls the barbed hooks into the serpent¡¯s side, getting snagged on its lengthy body, without severely injuring it. There is a higher chance for it to escape this way as the hook isn¡¯t embedded inside of it like it was planned to be, but this does far less harm to it. ¡°And here I was trying to tell you what to do,¡± Fenrir says as he pats Serra on the top of her oversized hat. ¡°Told you I can do it,¡± Serra says while reeling the serpent in. ¡°I have a feeling that this was supposed to be the hardest part, but it¡¯s probably going to end up being the easiest seeing as how we¡¯ve got two crews full of pricks waiting for us.¡± ¡°We can do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re on a roll, so I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Fenrir looks overboard at the serpent being slowly but surely reeled in. The hook looks like it may slip free, tearing through what little skin it is stuck in, at any moment. He wants to tell Serra to take it slow and careful, but she¡¯s been proving herself capable of getting the job done without him micromanaging her, so he places his faith in her. Plus, having faith in his girlfriend is part of his duty as a boyfriend. ¡°Tabs!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°Get the net ready!¡± ¡°On it!¡± Tabitha shouts back before ordering Bonekraka to help her with the large, weighted net. ¡°Olly! Get it on our starboard side once it¡¯s close!¡± Fenrir orders. He doesn¡¯t get a response, but he knows that Oleander won¡¯t mess it up. The closer that the serpent gets, the more features Fenrir can make out. It has a couple of small horns sticking up and back from the top of its head, a spiky spine reaching from its neck all the way to the tip of its tail, and its scales are light blue in color with occasional black markings that form a hexagonal pattern. He also takes note of the massive fangs that it bares at him once it¡¯s close. That eel they caught was one thing, but this serpent is in a category of its own. It is far larger and more intimidating in every single aspect despite just looking like a bigger and differently-colored version of those eels from the second round. While the eels were just scary looking fish, this serpent is a monster. All Fenrir has to do now is give the order to throw the net and capture the serpent. Once captured, he¡¯ll be able to try and communicate with it somehow to see if getting to work with it is a possibility. Even if he is not able to get the serpent to help him in taking out the other crews, he¡¯ll still have the serpent which is required to win in the first place. However, just as he parts his lips to shout for them to throw the net, he feels something. He feels the serpent¡¯s feelings in the same way that he can feel Nell¡¯s. Despite feeling both of them at once, he is able to separate them and tell whose feelings belong to whom. In addition to being able to feel the serpent¡¯s emotions, he can tell that he is exchanging these emotions between all three of them. Nell is able to feel the serpent¡¯s emotions through Fenrir, and the serpent can feel Nell¡¯s emotions through him. ¡°Don¡¯t throw it,¡± Fenrir orders as the serpent sails alongside The Shoebill. It was thrashing around before and trying to break free from the hook, but now it willingly sails by their side. ¡°What happen?¡± Bonekraka asks. Everybody else looks curious as well. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to explain it, but it feels really weird. It¡¯s like¡­ we¡¯re connected. Olly was right,¡± Fenrir explains. He then climbs up onto the side of the ship and dives into the water! While everybody rushes over to watch and see what he¡¯s doing, he swims underneath the serpent to get to its other side. ¡°My boyfriend isn¡¯t just a bastard, but an idiot,¡± Cassiel says. Serra gives her a few comforting pats on the back. Fenrir unhooks their hook from the serpent¡¯s side and swims back to the ship where a rope is waiting for him. After climbing the rope to get back on deck, Fenrir shakes to fling water out from his ears and tail onto everybody nearby. Cassiel is the primary victim of his dog-like shaking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks her when he sees how upset she looks. ¡°I smell like wet dog now, you bastard!¡± Cassiel shouts. Fenrir notices Serra holding in a laugh. The subtle smile she¡¯s holding back is one that Fenrir has learned the meaning of. She has completely corrupted what Cassiel just said and is resisting telling a joke. He returns his attention to the serpent. Going by the fact that it isn¡¯t running away and is instead keeping pace with The Shoebill, he assumes that it can tell what his plans are just by reading his feelings. And, by reading its feelings, he can tell that it wants him to get rid of the device keeping it from diving. ¡°Be right back again,¡± Fenrir says before diving back into the water. After cutting the floatation device free from the serpent, he climbs back on and shakes the water off once more. This time, Cassiel hides behind Serra by crouching down and taking off Serra¡¯s hat to use as a bonus shield. Serra has no problem taking all of Fenrir¡¯s water all over her. ¡°It¡¯s still with us,¡± Tabitha says, looking overboard. ¡°This sort of dumb, crazy, stupid luck ¨C ya really are them, aren¡¯t ya?¡± she asks, looking at Fenrir now. ¡°Yeah, but keep it secret, alright? Don¡¯t want everybody learning about it,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°That reminds me!¡± Cassiel cuts in and grabs onto Fenrir¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You know her ¨C you knew the Lightning Witch of the High Seas! You knew her before that! What was she doing working under somebody like you?!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell so loud, I¡¯m right here,¡± Fenrir says while being shaken around. Cassiel¡¯s face turns red when she realizes that she¡¯s letting her inner fangirl come out around others. She tries to subtly take her hands off of his shoulders and pretend like none of that just happened, and the aura she¡¯s giving off tells everybody to pretend they saw nothing. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you about it next time you can¡¯t sleep because of a scary movie, alr¡ª¡± Fenrir is cut off by her hand over his mouth this time. However, her action is interrupted by him licking her hand. Fenrir has learned that an unexpected lick has the same squeak-inducing effect as a poke to the side. ¡°Anyways, I think it¡¯s willing to help us as long as we let it go free afterward,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Ya sure we can trust it?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Neither of us were sure we could trust each other when we first met, so I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t give it a chance as well.¡± Serra stands on the tips of her toes to look over and down at the serpent. One of its yellow, serpentine eyes looks back up at her. ¡°We can trust her,¡± Serra says. ¡°It¡¯s a her?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°She has pretty eyes.¡± ¡°Guys can have pretty eyes, too, I mean, look at Corwin. He¡¯s got some of the prettiest eyes I¡¯ve ever seen on a guy, but knowing Olly, there¡¯s no way there¡¯s anything but a dick down there.¡± Everybody looks at Corwin¡¯s eyes, causing the blonde man to blush and nervously look away. ¡°She¡¯s still a girl,¡± Serra says. ¡°We¡¯ll go with that,¡± Fenrir says. He still can¡¯t believe that this is actually working, and going by the serpent¡¯s feelings, it feels as if she can hardly believe this is going to happen herself. Nell¡¯s curious feelings can be felt by them both. He¡¯ll have to tell her all about what¡¯s happening after he rescues her. For now, all he can do is let both Nell and the serpent feel how grateful he is to both of them. He is grateful to Nell for giving him this gift making all of this possible, and grateful to the serpent for placing her faith in him and going along with his plan. The only downside is that, without proper communication, they cannot go over the finer details of the plan. All Fenrir and the serpent can communicate is that they are both willing to work together to take out the other crews. But that¡¯s all they really need. Fenrir looks back toward the city. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s two versus two now, and we''ve got a free serpent on our side. Let''s show them how the Divine - how the Soaring Wolves gets it done." Book 2: Chapter 49: Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations ¡°It¡¯s not leaving, is it?¡± Cassiel asks as she watches the serpent dive beneath the water. Without that device attached to it keeping it near the surface, the serpent is quick to disappear beneath the surface. ¡°I can sense it getting farther away, but it¡¯s heading in the right direction. Just have some faith,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she used to follow somebody like you.¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not that bad.¡± ¡°I know¡­ it¡¯s more like my image of her is ¨C I just can¡¯t even start imagining what she must have been like when she played with you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s basically the same now as she was back then. She was basically our old version of you without the dere to go with the tsun. I bet Blackstache doesn¡¯t even get any dere from her despite them being married now.¡± While Fenrir and Cassiel talk, Tabitha helps load the new and improved explosive bolts into the ballista. ¡°These explode, right?¡± Serra asks with sparkles in her eyes. ¡°They really explode. And they¡¯ll burst into shrapnel, and the gas will be toxic,¡± Tabitha answers. Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one to get along well with Tabitha, and this is evident in how both Tabitha¡¯s and Serra¡¯s eyes gleam with explosive excitement that has a hint of sadism within it. ¡°Captain, if I may,¡± Corwin says. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°About your plan¡­ I agree that we should use the serpent¡¯s assistance and let it go, but I worry about how the people may react.¡± ¡°The city?¡± ¡°Yes. To let it go would be dangerous to those sailing and fishing in the waters, and it is tradition to kill it and let the victor of the tournament keep the materials from its body. They will likely be disappointed and may hold it against us.¡± ¡°No big deal. I know the serpent won¡¯t be sticking around, and I don¡¯t plan on us staying around either.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you really think a serpent that just wants freedom is going to go and stick around in an area full of people who probably want to kill it? It¡¯s only coming with us right now because we¡¯re helping it and it can tell I¡¯m not trying to trick it. If you mean what do I mean about us leaving ¨C well, we¡¯re leaving after this. I¡¯ve had enough of pirates for now.¡± Corwin looks away and takes a few seconds to bring out his next question. ¡°After ¨C after the tournament, may I sta¡ª¡± ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t have to ask that. You¡¯re a member of the crew now. Besides, Olly would kill me if I didn¡¯t let you come with us.¡± ¡°Thank you, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re one of us now.¡± The tower at the entrance to Cape Tugator¡¯s cove grows taller as they get closer, and before long, the ships waiting to its left and right can be seen. ¡°What do you think?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°We¡¯re kind of in trouble either way, so who do you hate more?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°The longship guys are assholes, but it¡¯s more personal between us and Alexander, so let¡¯s go with Alexander.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll take them on. Think our new friend can handle the longship?¡± ¡°I hope so. It should be able to fight at full strength without that thing slowing it down and keeping it near the surface.¡± The Shoebill sets its course to head directly into The Steel Tiger. The longship, seeing the set course, starts sailing over in preparation. ¡°How¡¯s the serpent going to know which to target?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°It knows,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡­ Swimming along the bottom of the ocean is the serpent that they freed. That odd thing that held her back before is gone, so now she can freely swim at her full speed. Everything moves out of her way when they see her coming. Whether they are eels, jellyfish, fish, or sharks, everything gets out of her way. Right now, she is the queen of these waters. Even a juvenile serpent is nothing to take lightly. She may have been captured before, but she was small and weak then. Now, she is large and powerful despite only being a small fraction of the total size she may someday grow into. There is not a single creature within these waters that poses a threat to her. Between her tough hide and spots of sturdy scales, teeth capable of crunching through wood with ease, and a body that can easily be wrapped around smaller vessels, serpents such as herself are the nightmares of those who want to enjoy a peaceful day fishing on open water. As the depths grow shallower, the base of the tower comes into sight as do the undersides of two more ships. She turns her head to see which one her temporary allies are heading for before turning to go for the one they aren¡¯t heading for. Were it not for that man with the animalistic ears and tail who removed the debilitating thing from her earlier, she¡¯d never be able to get directly underneath the longer vessel like she is now. The longship has no idea what lies waiting underneath the water for it. ¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t let them cross us; keep us at an angle where they can¡¯t shoot us,¡± Fenrir orders. Oleander is careful to position The Shoebill so that her cannons have The Steel Tiger within their range while keeping the enemy ships from being able to aim at it. Of course, while their enemies may not be able to shoot their cannons accurately at The Shoebill, those with magic and ranged weaponry are still able to take shots at them. A few crossbow bolts get embedded into The Shoebill¡¯s hull in addition to some magical bolts that go wide of the ship, but The Steel Tiger¡¯s crew isn¡¯t able to inflict any serious damage as they wait for the longship to join them. Fenrir looks out to the water underneath the longship. ¡°Get ready,¡± he says. Everybody looks over at the longship, expecting to see an awesome spectacle of it being attacked by the serpent. While the longship certainly does get attacked, it is not how they expect it to be. There is no flashy leap out of water, no tearing the ship in half, no super awesome magical attack ¨C nothing like that. Instead, the longship shakes from side to side as if being shaken around like a toy by a dog. The serpent is latched onto the bottom of the longship with her deadly fangs sinking deeper into the hull. There is no way for those onboard to strike back against her and she makes sure to stay away from its sides, instead staying directly underneath it while tearing into its hull. She may not be strong enough to pull it down into the depths of the ocean, but she¡¯s strong enough to tear some holes into it for water to start pouring into it. This also keeps them from joining up with The Steel Tiger, thus letting The Shoebill challenge their enemy to a one-on-one battle. ¡°Everybody ready?¡± Fenrir asks. The crew of The Shoebill has the cannons loaded, ballista prepared, and weapons ready. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at the strange hammer strapped to Tabitha¡¯s back. Tabitha takes the hammer from her back and shows it to them. It looks like a regular blacksmith¡¯s hammer for the most part, but when she presses a button on its shaft, it extends to several times its size by growing into what looks like a giant sledgehammer with a head that looks comically large when wielded by Tabitha. Even in Fenrir¡¯s hands, the hammer would likely look far too large. ¡°The Strism Hammer! Why do ya think my Strength is so high?¡± Tabitha asks. Fenrir can¡¯t even lift it when he takes it from her hands. ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous,¡± he says. Tabitha smiles and swings the hammer around overhead, causing everybody to step back away from her. ¡°You couldn¡¯t tell us sooner that you can swing around an oversized Mjolnir?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°A girl¡¯s gotta have her secrets!¡± Tabitha says before shrinking the hammer back down to a more manageable size and placing it back into its straps. Fenrir is surprised when he sees that Cassiel looks the most impressed and inspired by Tabitha, but as soon as she notices him staring at her, she blushes and looks away. ¡°I want one,¡± Serra says, ¡°that explodes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do for ya once this is all over,¡± Tabitha tells her. While the girls all bond over oversized hammers, the men of the crew look at each with worry. A burst of magical fire just hardly missing their sails brings their attention back to the situation at hand. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go win this,¡± Fenrir orders. The Shoebill and The Steel Tiger approach one another for their final battle. Only one of the ships and their respective crews is going to survive this tournament. Fenrir fights for the NPCs who have lost their lives, his friends, those who were betrayed, and Nell. Alexander has a grand reason for fighting, but right now, all that matters is fighting for his pride and the desire to put an annoying dog down. The crew of The Shoebill has no idea just how important this battle and its outcome will be. Book 2: Chapter 50: Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations The Steel Tiger¡¯s crew knows that it cannot catch up to The Shoebill, so unless Fenrir and his crew decide to close the distance, Alexander has no choice but to order his men to focus on a ranged battle. Cannons erupt exchanging deadly shots. Both ships are trying to take out the other without regard for their crew ¨C no, if anything, there is a regard. They want each other dead. While The Shoebill¡¯s cannons prove ineffective against The Steel Tiger¡¯s hull, the shots that come from The Steel Tiger are able to smash apart and pierce The Shoebill¡¯s hull. But, that is only for the initial shots. Thanks to the tree of a mast stolen from the longship in the first round, The Shoebill¡¯s hull regrows its wooden structure and no holes last for more than a minute before being replaced by pristine, new wood. More importantly, the next time that a cannonball tries to blast into one of the recently-regrown spots, it bounces off just like they have been against The Steel Tiger. ¡°It¡¯s workin¡¯!¡± Tabitha announces with a proud smile. ¡°So, all the new wood is going to be steel oak?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Right! Maybe not exactly steel oak, but it¡¯ll be as strong as it!¡± ¡°Great job salvaging some of it, Olly, Corwin.¡± Oleander wants to take a break from steering to go and hug Corwin, but another cannonball flying by the stern of the ship keeps his attention on steering the ship. ¡°Now our girl is as durable as them and she can repair on her own. We don¡¯t have to worry about sinking, so now we just have to try and sink them,¡± Fenrir says before looking at Serra. ¡°You ready to play with your new bolts?¡± Serra straightens out her hat and gives a thumbs-up. ¡°Ready,¡± she says. ¡°Aim for patched up parts of their hull. I don¡¯t know if those shots will be able to do much to the rest of it, but if we aim for the parts that were damaged during the second round, I¡¯ve got a good feeling about it.¡± Serra nods and gets to aiming to the ballista. With her hands on the levers and a single eye staring through the scope, she positions the ballista and keeps it aimed at the obviously-patched-up section of The Steel Tiger¡¯s hull. They have no idea whether they patched it up with more steel oak or just whatever wood they could get their hands on, but either way, it is clearly a quick repair job. ¡°Fire after we give them another volley of cannons. Let¡¯s not give them any rest!¡± Fenrir shouts. Cassiel, Corwin, and Bonekraka fire and send a volley of cannonballs at The Steel Tiger. One of the shots misses, but the other two cause its crewmembers to take cover and protect themselves. Then, just as they think they have a moment to safely reload their own cannons, Serra fires the first of her explosive bolts. The bolt soars through the air and rips right through the patched-up hull of The Steel Tiger, its explosive tip embedded directly underneath the floorboards. Just seconds later and an explosion rocks The Steel Tiger! Its deck blasts upward sending fragments of its floorboards into the air and taking out the wood underneath its portside cannons. The cannons that crash down only cause more damage to the ship¡¯s hull by cracking a section of it underwater, allowing water to begin seeping into the ship¡¯s hull. More importantly than taking on some water and losing half of their deck is that they are lit aflame. Flames with toxic fumes spread across the ship¡¯s sails and hull. ¡°Should we get in and finish ¡®em off while they¡¯re busy dealin¡¯ with the fire?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°No. There¡¯s no guarantee we¡¯d win a close-quarters fight, and that prick doesn¡¯t deserve a good death. I want him to burn or drown,¡± Fenrir answers. His answer sends shivers down Tabitha¡¯s, Corwin¡¯s, and Cassiel¡¯s spines. While Serra finds it awesome, the rest are reminded of just whom Fenrir used to be. It is moments like this where they are reminded that there is truth in him once leading gaming¡¯s most notorious group of raiders. Even if they did rely on dumb plans and luck plenty of times, there were just as many times where they employed serious strategies and had the personalities to strike fear and respect into those they dominated. The wolfen ears and tail, while they may be as white as fresh snow, may as well be dyed black to match his tone and personality in this moment. The stern eyes that stare at the enemy ship, the sadistic smile he wears as he watches its crew try to put out the fire and survive, the way he stands tall and proud ¨C he¡¯s the one who looks like the bad guy in this situation. It may be nothing new to Bonekraka and Oleander, but even Serra finds herself surprised from just how serious and cruel Fenrir seems right now. Both Serra and Cassiel find themselves excited by this dominant, dark personality of his. ¡°He¡¯s going to be so mad,¡± Fenrir says with a chuckle, turning to look at the rest of his crew with a smile. ¡°Great job so far, everybody. Let¡¯s keep it up.¡± Just like what Fenrir told Nell before, it is better to know when to pretend to be a cruel and dominant villain than it is to actually be one. As intimidating as his sheer presence was just moments ago, he now looks at his crew with a gentle smile and honest pride in all of them. ¡°The battle isn¡¯t over yet, so let¡¯s get the cannons and ballista reloaded! We¡¯ve still got four bolts left, but I doubt we¡¯re even going to need them all. Still want to put another one or two into them to finish them off, though,¡± Fenrir says. Meanwhile, some of the longship¡¯s crewmembers try jumping into the water to take down the serpent assaulting the underside of their vessel, but those who do only distract the serpent for mere seconds before having their bodies rather violently torn in half or tossed far away. One of the men even gets smacked out of the air mid-jump into the water by the serpent¡¯s tail! ¡°We could win right now if we get the serpent to come over to us,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°These assholes are too busy trying to fix their ship, and the serpent could reach us before the longship does, so then all we have to do is go past the tower.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but we¡¯re getting revenge for Morven¡¯s crew, Jax, and everybody else. These guys thought that they were going to sink us last round and this round, but the truth is that they¡¯re going to be the ones who sink. Neither of them are going to make it out of this,¡± Fenrir answers. Serra shoots another bolt at The Steel Tiger. This one fails to pierce its hull, but the explosion of its tip sends burning shrapnel into it. ¡°They¡¯re runnin¡¯!¡± Tabitha shouts. The Steel Tiger has changed course to head back to the piers. ¡°We¡¯re not letting them,¡± Fenrir says, rushing up to the ballista to help Serra load the hook-shot once more. ¡°Get us closer, Olly!¡± As soon as they¡¯re close enough, Serra fires the ballista and hooks onto The Steel Tiger¡¯s stern. ¡°Take us back out!¡± Fenrir orders. ¡­ ¡°They grappled us!¡± one of the men aboard The Steel Tiger shouts to Alexander. Alexander, who has been biting the nail of his thumb for the past several minutes, swears under his breath as an expression of twisted rage takes over his face. ¡°They¡¯d be dead if we had our wings. Were they saving those bolts for the last round?¡± he asks. ¡°What are we going to do, sir?¡± ¡°Are they still playing around with that serpent?¡± ¡°Yes. They can¡¯t help us. Should we use that?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t risk it. Our cover is blown if we do,¡± Alexander says with a groan. His demeanor changes a second later when he slams his fist into the hull of his ship and starts swearing and kicking things around. Then, he calms himself down and looks at the other man. ¡°They¡¯re grappled onto us and that chain is connected to their ballista, right?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡­ ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Cassiel asks when she sees Alexander stand next to where the shot is hooked onto. Rather than try to free their ship from the hook, Alexander places his hands on it and sends a magical flame running along it directly toward The Shoebill. A fiery vortex consumes the chain. ¡°Release it!¡± Fenrir shouts at Serra. Serra wastes no time in releasing the chain from the ballista, allowing it to fall into the ocean thus letting The Steel Tiger escape. It is heavily damaged and incapable of fighting further, but it is still able to limp into port and dock so that they may focus on repairs. ¡°He got away,¡± Serra says with an annoyed pout. ¡°No, he ran away. His pride is going to be even more hurt than it would¡¯ve been from just dying,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he let himself die? I thought he¡¯d be too proud to run,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t really make sense, but that¡¯s not important right now. We¡¯ll worry about it later,¡± he says, looking at the longship. ¡°Let¡¯s go wrap things up.¡± Book 2: Chapter 51: Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations The Steel Tiger limps back into port to the sound of booing and mocking. The fire that was once spreading across its hull and sails has been put out, and they are down from seven to four crewmembers remaining. ¡°Should we do it now?¡± one of the crewmembers asks. ¡°No. We¡¯ll repair first and wait for the others to get back,¡± Alexander answers. Meanwhile, The Shoebill keeps just enough distance from the longship for them to easily hit it with cannons while being too far away for their thrown weapons to accurately hit them. The serpent is still latched onto the bottom of its hull to keep it in place as an easy target for The Shoebill. ¡°Two shots should be enough. One to make them bring out that summon to put it out, another to reignite them as soon as it¡¯s gone,¡± Fenrir tells Serra. She already has her fingers on the trigger of the ballista just waiting for the order to fire. Despite them being in the final round of the tournament and facing opponents who want to mercilessly kill them, the crew of The Shoebill is relaxed. Their enemy can¡¯t attack them and is being teamed up on by a fully crewed ship and a serpent. ¡°This is way easier than I thought it would be,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s actually kind of anticlimactic. I mean, we could just sail past the tower on the other side and win. We don¡¯t even really have to take these guys out.¡± ¡°But I want to,¡± Serra says. ¡°And we will. Fire.¡± Serra grins and fires the first shot. Just as planned, it pierces through the side of the longship¡¯s hull and explodes sending flammable shrapnel throughout the ship! ¡°My assistant told me I just got a new rebirth counter,¡± Serra says. ¡°Oh, yeah. You must¡¯ve killed somebody, and I remember being told you can get them from killing other players who are a way higher level, basically, than you. Sweet,¡± Fenrir says and gives her a few congratulatory pats atop her hatted head. Between the raging flames and sustained cannon fire, the captain of the longship summons the water sprite before long to douse the flames and then turn into a mighty wave to crash into The Shoebill. However, as Oleander was expecting this, he easily turns the ship into the wave to ride it without issue. ¡°I got a better idea than lighting it on fire again,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Let¡¯s give them a taste of their own medicine. Hey, Bone, you up for something brutal?¡± ¡°Da,¡± Bonekraka answers with the largest smile that he¡¯s shown in a while. Fenrir gathers everybody, tells them the plan, and then get ready at the sides of the ship. ¡°Ya sure that serpent will know the plan?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°I hope it gets an idea of it,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Alright. Olly! Full speed ahead!¡± While The Shoebill sails towards its target at its maximum speed, the serpent does exactly as Fenrir was hoping it would by tilting the longship partially onto its side with its deck facing The Shoebill. The longship¡¯s crew have to hold onto the side lifted above the water to not fall overboard, but when they see what¡¯s about to happen, some of them go ahead and jump anyways. The Shoebill rams right through the center of the longship! The longship is torn almost in half from the impact, and the serpent finishes the job by pulling on its bow to fully break the longship into two halves. A few of its crew are in the water trying to climb onto The Shoebill, but Bonekraka is ready with his axes to chop away at anybody trying to scale the ship. While he protects the port side, Tabitha uses her hammer to swing at anybody trying to climb up the starboard side. The serpent triumphantly raises the front half of the longship into the air, revealing its body to the crowds, and swings it into the city¡¯s tower! It doesn¡¯t do much damage aside from cracking one of the walls, but it makes Fenrir cringe nonetheless and has him hoping that he won¡¯t have to pay to repair that. ¡°This isn¡¯t satisfying,¡± Serra says. ¡°It might not seem like it, but think of it this way: these assholes were ¨C well, huge assholes, and if this were some sort of anime, there would probably be a huge and epic final battle with a bunch of monologuing and taking a bunch of time to kill them. That¡¯s how it always is, and I bet they¡¯d like that. Instead, they get rammed and then smashed away like some bugs that are just a pain to deal with,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°It might not be as cool or as satisfying as the traditional way of taking out the bad guys, but it¡¯s going to piss them off way more, and the more pissed off they are ¨C the more we win. Isn¡¯t it satisfying when you think of it that way?¡± Serra takes a few moments to think it over before shaking her head. ¡°I want cool deaths,¡± she says. ¡°Small girl not so bad,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Always prefer cool bloody deaths too.¡± ¡°I could do without the bloody parts, but I agree I¡¯d rather make more of a show out of it,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°They deserve to have everybody see them die in a big show of it, not just being so¡­ overkilled.¡± Fenrir expected Serra¡¯s answers, but to hear that logic coming from Cassiel is a surprise. Maybe he should have made more of a spectacle out of it for his girlfriends¡¯ sake? Then, as if understanding his predicament, the serpent grabs one of the overboard longship crewmembers to flip him into the air with her flared tail and then catch him in her mouth! The last everybody sees of the crewmember are his legs sticking out from her mouth before getting pulled in. Serra, Cassiel, and Bonekraka all look pleased with the display. He never thought that Bonekraka would find something in common with them, but okay. This is just how it is apparently. His girlfriends are both far more bloodthirsty than he thought. Part of him wonders if they were always like this without him realizing it, or if being around him has somehow corrupted them into being how they are now. Regardless, with the longship¡¯s halves sinking into the depths and The Shoebill¡¯s only other opponent having retreated to dock, the battle is over and the tournament is won. The serpent sails alongside the ship past the tower and to the dock. Everybody waits to see what Fenrir and his crew will do with the serpent, but when Fenrir raises his arms as if to ask what they¡¯re waiting for, the announcer declares the tournament¡¯s results. ¡°The Shoebill, captained by Fenrir and crewed by Oleander, Corwin Hale, Bonekraka, Serra, Cassiel, and Tabitha Strism, is the winner! They have successfully¡­ returned to the city with the serpent, and they have no opponents left to challenge them! The Shoebill wins!¡± Fenrir looks overboard at the serpent with immense gratitude. He may not be the best at showing it, and he doubts that she could understand him if he tries speaking it, but he knows that she can feel just how grateful he is. The serpent feels not only his gratitude but Nell¡¯s as well. Even if Nell has no idea what¡¯s happening, she knows that Fenrir is in a positive and grateful mood, so she feels so as well. With the tournament won, the serpent dives once more and swims to safer waters. Fenrir can no longer sense her after just a minute of her swimming away. Serra and Cassiel excitedly hug Fenrir, and Corwin and Oleander mimic them. Bonekraka and Tabitha shake hands, and then one forgotten about crewmember makes a return. Wobbling around and whining, Rock plops down next to Fenrir¡¯s feet with her tongue out and tail down. As horrible as he feels, he completely forgot about her during the final round. With how much was going on, how fast the ship was sailing, and the maneuvers that it was making, it is no wonder that Rock looks so exhausted! Whereas everybody else knew what was happening, knew when to brace or hold onto something, and so on, Rock was left without direction and being slid around the ship for most of the final round. Fenrir breaks free of his girlfriends, both of them understanding, and picks up Rock to spoil her with some affection. She gets all of the headpats and belly rubs that she requires and then some. ¡°What do we get again for winning?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Oh, I completely forgot. I just wanted to beat those bastards and didn¡¯t really care about any other reward, but now that you mention it, I think we get some other rewards as well,¡± Fenrir answers while petting Rock. It is then that he sees Alexander and his crew get off from their ship and disappear into the crowd. Alexander¡¯s and Fenrir¡¯s eyes meet for just a quick moment before the former vanishes, and the look that Fenrir gets in exchange is one that gives him reason for concern. Alexander¡¯s eyes were not the eyes of a defeated man. They were the eyes of somebody confident in their plan. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Fenrir says. Book 2: Chapter 52: Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations The pier that The Shoebill is docked at overflows with players and NPCs alike wishing to congratulate the crew on their victory. Some of them just want to get an up-close look at the ship that brought them to winning the tournament. Cassiel, Serra, Corwin, and Rock all seem bothered by the sudden surge of popularity. Corwin places himself behind Oleander as if to hide despite being much taller while the other three more or less all try to squeeze behind Fenrir. This sort of popularity is no big deal to Fenrir, Oleander, and Bonekraka. They are used to having in-game popularity, and while Fenrir doesn¡¯t want to get popular again, he can at least handle it when he is. While Tabitha may not be used to this sort of reception, it doesn¡¯t stop her from proudly standing next to her ballista and taking in all of the awed cheers. Fenrir worries about what Alexander may be plotting, but for now, it¡¯s time to relax and enjoy their victory. Even Nell agrees with him as he can sense how happy he is and responds with her own elated feelings. They may not be able to exchange thoughts nor words, but with what day it is and how happy he is, she knows that it could only mean one thing. ¡­ ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting that,¡± Ull says while Liz runs her hands through the hair aback his head. ¡°How the hell did he pull that off? Nobody ever tried working with the serpents before, and I¡¯m pretty sure they would¡¯ve killed anybody who tried,¡± Blackstache says. Ull looks down at his flagship. ¡°I have a theory. Seems like more happened than I thought during her latest little breakout.¡± Liz notices Ull tensing his fists and stiffening shoulders, so she rests her chin on his left shoulder to rub the side of her head against his own as her fingers gently wrap around his hands. ¡°Remember what you said about taking it easy,¡± she whispers into his ear. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like him, but try not to frown too much when you give him his reward,¡± Blackstache tells Ull. ¡°I am supposed to give them the reward I brought, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ull says and sighs. ¡°There is going to be no shortage of drama in rewarding him after stealing a branch and killing my champions. I don¡¯t suppose you could make sure my room is stocked with alcohol? I¡¯m really, really not looking forward to the comments and subscriber loss I get from this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Who cares if you lose a few subscribers? Between your streaming and the company paying you, I doubt that you¡¯re going to lose more than enough to buy a few burgers. Besides, it¡¯s the viewers who stay with you through the good and bad that matter the most.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a vegetarian, so I suppose that would be alright.¡± ¡°In that case, you won¡¯t lose more than enough to buy a few¡­ I don¡¯t know, what do you hippies eat? Kale chips?¡± Blackstache asks while his hands idly twirl his mustache. Ull looks ready to give an in-depth answer about the diet of a vegetarian but gets interrupted by Rachel returning to the room. Behind her are four men chained by their necks to each other and getting dragged along the floor. Each one of them is bloodied and bruised. ¡°They were found hiding by the cannons. My men reported a few patches of disturbed dirt and found these men buried with breathing tubes. As for how they were able to get into position in the first place, we found the corpses of several guards and emptied bottles of rum with them,¡± Rachel explains. Ull raises an eyebrow and looks at Blackstache whom looks embarrassed from his second failure at security. ¡°Well, at least we got them¡ª¡± Blackstache realizes he¡¯s still talking normally. Now that they are around regular players again, he switches back into his pirate accent. Liz also resumes her act of being an obedient slave girl by standing next to Ull with her head bowed at all times. ¡°Alright, ya bastards, the hell did ya think ya were doin¡¯ over there?¡± None of the men answer nor even look up at him. ¡°I bet you¡¯re happy that you gave in to my demands for heightened security. The last thing we needed was for our city¡¯s defenses to be turned against us, again, and the four batteries that they were found at are all capable of shooting into the city,¡± Rachel says. ¡°Are you four the same who commandeered that first cannon?¡± Ull asks. Only Rachel knows the truth about who hijacked the cannon during the second round. She has yet to tell Blackstache that it was none other than their old guild leader. The chained man in front shakes his head. ¡°Do you know who did?¡± Ull asks. Another refusal. ¡°Then tell us, who do you work for and what was your purpose?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get tha information outta ¡®em,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°Unless yer feelin¡¯ up ta doin¡¯ what ya did ta yer boy who jumped tha wolf to these bastards. Bet that¡¯d make ¡®em talk quickly.¡± ¡°My viewers seem to be in a bad mood, so I am sure they would love to watch some more punishment. Would you mind if I handle them?¡± Ull asks. Appreciative of being informed that Ull has resumed streaming, Blackstache nods and tells Rachel to hand the chain over to Ull. ¡°Let us know if ya find anythin¡¯ out,¡± Blackstache says. Rising up from his cushions, Ull takes the prisoners¡¯ chain in one hand while grabbing his partner by her horns. She may not have her usual chains on as she dressed well for this occasion, but being so roughly handled by her horns is still pleasurable enough for her while allowing Ull to keep up his dominant act. ¡­ While Fenrir may be used to being popular, something he is not used to his controlling a crowd with means other than by killing everybody in it. Were this the old days, he could just use magic, explosives, or guns to disperse the crowd in one way or another. That isn¡¯t an option here, sadly. He gets an idea. It isn¡¯t a useful idea by any means, nor is it at all relevant to the current situation much to his girlfriends¡¯ dismay, but it is an idea that matters greatly to his inner weeaboo. ¡°Tabitha, if you can make golems, couldn¡¯t you make like a giant mecha golem?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯ve already got schematics for one!¡± Tabitha answers with a proud smile and thumbs-up. ¡°They¡¯re somewhere in my backpack.¡± ¡°The hell are you talking about that weird stuff right now for, you bastard?¡± Cassiel asks, pulling on Fenrir¡¯s good ear. ¡°Just a random thought. Another random thought is Rod being able to turn into a giant mecha.¡± Rod pulses twice without any hesitation. ¡°Don¡¯t be so boring, Rod,¡± Fenrir says. Fortunately for the crew of The Shoebill, some of the city¡¯s guards arrive to help break up the crowd and make space for the crew to walk. ¡­ ¡°What?¡± Alexander asks a casually-dressed man in an alley. ¡°They found us. Our men waiting for the signal were dug up and dragged away by the witch herself. I¡¯m sorry, sir,¡± the man apologizes with his eyes unable to look Alexander straight on. Alexander¡¯s enraged expression only grows more twisted as he smashes a fist into the stone wall of a building behind him. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to have shitty security! The fuck happened?¡± he asks, though it sounds more like he is demanding an answer from a man incapable of giving one satisfactory enough. ¡°It ¨C it was like they were specifically looking for any disturbed ground. I guess the cannon from the second round was highjacked in the same way we were going to do it,¡± the man explains. ¡°They already knew what to look for.¡± ¡°Damn it! Who the hell pulled that off, and why did it just have to happen now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, I don¡¯t¡ª¡± the man¡¯s words are cut off by Alexander grabbing him by his neck and lifting him up off the ground, forcing him against the wall. ¡°Your respawn is still set in the north, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir.¡± Alexander drops the man in his hands, draws his sword, and slashes at the man¡¯s neck. ¡°Make your report and tell her that I¡¯ll be on my way back soon. The plan might be ruined, but I still have something to take care of. I am not going to return emptyhanded,¡± Alexander explains to the man bleeding out just moments before life leaves his eyes. Alexander returns to The Steel Tiger where repairs are already underway. The surviving crewmembers know that the plan is off going by his expression, so they work even faster to prepare for departure. ¡°I have something to take care of. I want this piece of shit ready to leave the moment I¡¯m back,¡± Alexander orders his crew before entering the captain¡¯s quarters. Inside is a large chest full of exotic gear far better than what he is currently wearing. One of the items is a necklace that, when he slips it around his neck, causes him to vanish from sight. His crewmembers don¡¯t see him leave, but they hear him as the heavy metal of his plated boots steps along the wooden deck. Book 2: Chapter 53: Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations The crew of TheShoebill has been led to the courtyard of Blackstache¡¯s manor. Blackstache and Ull are both here alongside some of the city¡¯s best chefs and entertainers. It is like a miniature festival has been prepared for the winning crew, and there is a table in front of the two leaders that displays the winners¡¯ rewards. ¡°Congratulations, Captain Fenrir and tha rest o¡¯ the crew o¡¯ ThaShoebill. Ya did what nobody thought ya could and managed ta win the tournament. From savin¡¯ lives in tha first round ta barely survivin¡¯ tha second round, ta befriendin¡¯ tha serpent and fightin¡¯ with ¡®er in tha final round, ya managed ta make a name for yerselves and have become muses fer plenty o¡¯ songs,¡± Blackstache announces. Some more of those orbs are floating around to show the award ceremony on that large screen still hanging from the tower. ¡°I ain¡¯t too happy ¡®bout ya friend costin¡¯ me some repairs, but it was one helluva show ya gave us, so we¡¯ll let ya off tha hook this time so long as ya don¡¯t break anythin¡¯ else,¡± Blackstache continues before stepping to the side. ¡°Congratulations, Fenrir. I truly did not expect you to win, but here you are. Regardless of what may have happened between us, I would be a fool to deny that you have performed excellently and provided us with a show that nobody expected. Now, not only may you keep the branch of Yggdrasil that you stole from my champions, but you may have this reward I have brought for the winners,¡± Ull says. As much as Fenrir may have his reasons to dislike Ull, he respects how mature and respectful he is being in this moment. Fenrir isn¡¯t sure that he would be able to act so mature were the roles reversed. Then again, if he was in Ull¡¯s hooves, he would have cheated and made sure that winning was impossible. The Divine Brigade never played fair. ¡°Who¡¯re they?¡± Serra whispers to Cassiel while trying to subtly point at a group of players wearing brown and black uniforms. They¡¯re dressed like detectives out of one of the old school mystery movies that Serra loves. ¡°They call themselves the Gaian Press. They¡¯re always at major events and they stream everything to their viewers. You know how this game makes it into the news? It¡¯s usually those guys doing the reporting,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°How does streaming work if the game is two times faster than real life?¡± Cassiel blinks a few times. She¡¯s never watched streams herself, so she doesn¡¯t know the answer to that, nor has she ever really thought about it before. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not sure,¡± she answers. Meanwhile, Oleander happily clings to Corwin¡¯s arm and smiles at the journalists after overhearing Cassiel¡¯s explanation. Bonekraka looks bored, Tabitha looks so proud that she¡¯s on the verge of crying and trying her best to hold back her tears, and Rock is sitting behind Fenrir watching his tail sway from side to side. ¡°Ya have anything ya want ta say?¡± Blackstache asks Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m uhh, I don¡¯t think¡ª" Fenrir gets interrupted by Tabitha smacking him on his back and pushing him forward. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m just¡­ I really have to thank my crew for this. Everybody has been a massive help and not a single member of our crew failed to pull their own weight. Serra was a great sniper for us with the ballista, Cassiel, Bonekraka, and Corwin were huge helps and did whatever needed to be done, Oleander masterfully handled the ship and pulled off maneuvers that only he could, and Tabitha is the best engineer that any captain could ever ask for. And Rock is the best mascot,¡± Fenrir says. Tabitha¡¯s quivering eyes finally start leaking while the rest of the crew gets pretty emotional as well. Even Rock looks proud! ¡°Winning wouldn¡¯t have been possible without every single one of them, so to anybody watching or listening to this, don¡¯t attribute this win to me just because I¡¯m the captain. If anything, they all did far more work than I did and deserve way more recognition than I do. I also need to thank TheShoebill, because without her, we never would¡¯ve been able to compete in the first place. She never gave up just like the rest of us, and has easily taken the hardest beating out of all of us,¡± Fenrir continues. ¡°Thank you for giving us the opportunity to compete in the tournament.¡± ¡°Well spoken, Fenrir,¡± Ull says. ¡°Now, your rewards.¡± A sack overflowing with a couple hundred of gold coins rests on the table alongside the award that Ull has brought himself. It is a mighty horn several times the size of most players in attendance of the ceremony, and to Fenrir, it looks like a curved drinking horn with runic symbols etched into it. ¡°The Gjallarhorn was crafted by our most talented smiths and is capable of producing the loudest blast in the world. Even those from my home across the ocean will be able to hear its call, and it will serve as a worthy addition to the ship capable of taming serpents and defying all odds,¡± Ull explains. While the rest of the crew may not be nearly as excited, both Fenrir and Tabitha are practically salivating at the thought of putting this giant, awesome horn right on the front of the ship. Fenrir may be interested in the lore of the horn and how important it is in Norse lore, but Tabitha just sees it as a really loud horn to honk at people with. Part of her is already thinking about how to make it even louder! ¡°Ya were supposed ta have tha serpent as a reward as well, but I doubt that¡¯s goin¡¯ ta be happenin¡¯. We¡¯d always carve up tha serpents fer past winners, but we ain¡¯t got any serpent ta be carvin¡¯ up this time around,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°Money and an awesome horn is more than enough for us,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Plus, we just really wanted to win. Winning alone is enough of a reward for us.¡± ¡­ ¡°You hear that?¡± one of the guards on the pier to Ull¡¯s flagship asks. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t see anything,¡± another guard answers. They hear what sounds like somebody wearing heavy armor walking near them, but they fail to see anybody. The experienced guards draw their weapons, but that doesn¡¯t stop them from getting their heads swiftly lopped off before having their corpses pushed into the water. Fire engulfs the sails of the ship moments later. ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± a crewman shouts. ¡°Who¡¯s attacking us?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see them!¡± ¡°They have to be using magic! We need a nullification field up!¡± One of the mages onboard the ship starts chanting to erect a barrier around the ship that will nullify all spells and magical items within it, but he¡¯s set aflame before he can finish chanting the spell. ¡­ Fenrir turns around to look in Nell¡¯s direction. He cannot see Ull¡¯s flagship due to buildings being in the way, but he knows that something is wrong. He feels Nell¡¯s worry ¨C her panic. His worry is confirmed legitimate when he sees smoke rising in the air coming from her direction. He turns around to warn everybody, but it¡¯s unneeded. Both Blackstache and Ull are talking to their respective subordinates to send people over to check on what¡¯s happening, and it is only a few seconds later that Ull himself leaves to check on the situation. Fenrir looks at his crew and then the rewards on the table. This chaos can be taken advantage of now that the tournament has been won. ¡°Get the gold and horn back to TheShoebill. I¡¯m going to go get Nell,¡± Fenrir tells them. As much as they may all want to rest and partake in the celebrations planned for them, they follow Fenrir¡¯s orders and get to work. Fenrir takes off after Ull. Nell¡¯s panic grows stronger by the second. With the tall buildings cleared, Fenrir has vision of Ull¡¯s flagship and sees its masts and deck caught in a blazing fire. Magic is being used to put the flames out and it¡¯s working but slowly. Fenrir catches up to Ull since he has stopped in the middle of the street, staring at his ship. When Fenrir tries running past him, Ull extends an arm out in front of him to stop him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Thinking and watching,¡± Ull answers. ¡°The most likely culprit to attack my ship is you. But, you are here and not there, so who could it be?¡± ¡°Does it matter? Nell is there!¡± ¡°Calm yourself, wolf. The fire will not be able to spread to her before being put out, and she is not of your concern in the first place.¡± Ull may be saying that, but Fenrir feels Nell more panicked than ever before. ¡°She¡¯s locked up, isn¡¯t she?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yes, and she will not be getting out again,¡± Ull answers. The only problem with Ull¡¯s words is that Fenrir feels Nell suddenly being on the opposite side of the city away from where she¡¯s supposed to be. Fenrir sees TheSteelTiger when he looks directly at where he feels Nell¡¯s presence coming from. TheSteelTiger undocks and sets sail with quick repairs being done and new sails already having been set up. If Ull believes that Nell is still kept prisoner on his ship, now is the perfect opportunity to get away with her. Book 2: Chapter 54: Patch 9.0: Confrontations and Revelations Fenrir rushes past Ull to where The Shoebill is docked at. He and the rest of the crew arrive at just about the same time, and before they even have a chance to rest, Fenrir is ordering them to get ready and set sail. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on? I thought you were goin¡¯ to get that pervert?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°We are. She¡¯s not on that ship,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Ull¡¯s flagship. ¡°Where is she?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Just point me her way and we¡¯ll get going.¡± Fenrir struggles to see exactly where The Steel Tiger is as it¡¯s already left the docks and the sun is setting, but he can still feel which direction Nell is in. ¡°They¡¯re taking her out of the city,¡± he says. ¡°Who¡¯s they?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Alexander and his crew. Don¡¯t know how they got her off of Ull¡¯s ship, but it wasn¡¯t with Ull¡¯s permission. Ull still thinks she¡¯s onboard there.¡± Oleander is already at the ship¡¯s wheel and starting the engine while dropping the sails. Serra hardly manages to untie the ship to the pier in time for its sudden power to jolt it forward away from the pier. The fire that was engulfing Ull¡¯s flagship has already been extinguished. Some of the men aboard it are shouting and pointing at The Shoebill as it sails away, suspicious as they have yet to discover whom attacked them. ¡°Think they¡¯ll come after us?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir, standing next to him. ¡°They won¡¯t. Ull said he knew it wasn¡¯t us,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°You talked to him?¡± ¡°Yeah, ran into him on the way here. He was trying to figure out who attacked his ship and said that it obviously couldn¡¯t have been us, so once he talks to his crew, it should be fine.¡± ¡°Speakin¡¯ of that deer guy, what¡¯re we goin¡¯ to do about this horn? Where should I get ¡®er set up?¡± Tabitha asks. Fenrir wants nothing more than to hurry and catch up to The Steel Tiger to save Nell, but until they actually get closer, there isn¡¯t anything for him to do. All he can do for the moment is to try and calm down. ¡°Not sure. The ballista has been pretty useful, so I don¡¯t want to replace it with the horn. It would probably be better off near the back by Olly. He likes blowing things anyways, so I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind a giant horn next to him,¡± he says. An obvious tension controls his tone despite him trying to joke around. ¡­ ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Nell asks, trying to break free from the chains around her body. She can¡¯t even see what is happening as a heavy cloth is tightly tied around her head, blocking her vision. ¡°Because I refuse to return emptyhanded. Honestly, I don¡¯t care about you in the slightest, but I know that my empress will. I also know that kidnapping you is going to get underneath that mutt¡¯s skin, so taking you is common sense,¡± Alexander says as he holds a cracked gem in his hand. ¡°Shame these teleportation gems can only be used once.¡± ¡°Empress? I only know of a single empress in this world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Livia, Empress of the Augus Empire. She likes to collect things just like your old master did, but unlike him, she actually uses her collection instead of just letting it collect dust. Do not worry, she is not a cruel woman. She just gets what she wants.¡± ¡°You are working for her?¡± Nell asks, still struggling within her chains. ¡°Working for her? I suppose you could say that. Though, it is a shame that I couldn¡¯t accomplish my original mission.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Like I would tell you that ¨C at least, I cannot tell you that yet. I¡¯ll fill you in on the details once we make it to our friends.¡± ¡°If Ull discovers that you are the one who has taken me, and that you work for Livia, you understand that he will wage war against the empire, don¡¯t you?¡± Alexander bursts into a fit of laughter! ¡°Right! What¡¯s going to happen? Some Vikings from across the ocean try to not only make it through the Augus Empire¡¯s navy, but then give up all their advantages to march inland and attack fortified cities? I would love to see some Vikings away from the water and their trees try and assault a citadel. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to make it past the outer layers of defenses let alone get anywhere near anything that matters. They would be annihilated before they even reach the first walls.¡± ¡°Do not underestimate Ull. He is a powerful¡ª¡± ¡°And Livia is the smartest player in this game and she¡¯s also leading the most powerful and largest faction there is. Have I mentioned that her commanders are all as strong as Ull, the Lightning Witch, and even Indra? Trust me, snake, there is no reason to think that your old master nor his pathetic little followers could ever take on the empire.¡± ¡°If the empire is so powerful then why would Livia be interested in me?¡± ¡°Why do you think? Not a single faction has been able to defeat one of the serpents. However, you somehow made a deal with one. If the rumors are to be trusted, one could even say that you¡¯re friends with it. Whatever knowledge you have is one of a kind and something that Livia would never pass up. There is no telling what lies beyond the serpent, and Livia would love to discover how to get past them.¡± ¡°I will not share such information with anybody. Well, perhaps,¡± Nell smiles, ¡°I might share it with Fenrir. He is the only one deserving of such knowled¡ª¡± Nell is cut off when lifted up by the chain around her neck. ¡°He is nothing compared to my empress, and if you think that you could resist her, you are sorely mistaken. She will get that information out of you in one way or another.¡± ¡°You really do feel inferior to him, don¡¯t you?¡± Nell asks, her voice struggling from the tight chain constricting around her neck. She may not feel pain, but she can still find it difficult to breathe. ¡°You get so jealous just from me saying his name.¡± He tightens the chain even more. ¡°Even Ull is more of a man than you. He never resorted to violence,¡± Nell says thus earns even more of Alexander¡¯s fury. Alexander pushes her against the wall while keeping her held up by her throat, each of his hands now wrapped around it. ¡°You are lucky that I can¡¯t kill you,¡± he says. ¡°This would all have been for nothing if I do tha¡ª¡± Nell¡¯s tail thrusts forward and wraps around his neck! The rough scales protecting it scrape against his skin as she constricts her tail around his neck, and she even tries to yank her tail as if trying to snap his neck. However, her attempt at fighting back ends up being short-lived as Alexander drops her to the ground, draws his sword, and stabs it into her tail. Nell feels her tail go numb as it limply falls to the floor. It has been a while since she last suffered enough damage to actually see her vision start to darken, and this numb sensation reminds her of her encounter with Manasa. ¡°You might have an innocent face, but you¡¯re just as much of a bitch as that mutt is,¡± Alexander says, rubbing his neck. He then takes his sword out from her tail only to thrust it right back in, pinning it against the floorboard. ¡°Let me make one thing very clear to you. Until I hand you over to my empress, I will not be treating you like Ull did. I¡¯m not going to just lock you away when you misbehave. You are stuck with me until we make it up to the capital, so if you misbehave, I will punish you.¡± ¡°I do not believe we will be together for as long as you think,¡± Nell says, looking in the direction of the ship¡¯s stern. She may not be able to see still, but she can feel. ¡°Sir! We¡¯re being followed!¡± one of the crewmen shouts. ¡°What ¨C how? Is it some random nobody we pissed off? Wouldn¡¯t put it past those idiots from the second round to try and get revenge either,¡± Alexander says. ¡°Can¡¯t tell, sir! Just see its silhouette heading straight for us!¡± ¡°How long until we meet up with our escape?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t go any faster than this, so it¡¯ll be another hour at least!¡± ¡°My hero will catch up by then,¡± Nell says. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alexander asks her. ¡°My hero ¨C that ship coming after you. It is The Shoebill, is it not? My hero is coming to rescue me, and when he sees what you have done to my tail, I doubt that he is going to be very kind to you. I¡¯ve caught him looking at it rather often, so I think he may be into that sort of play,¡± Nell explains with a smile. ¡°You ¨C damn it! You three, get back here and equip everything you can!¡± Alexander shouts to his crew. ¡­ Fenrir sneezes. ¡°Catchin¡¯ a cold there?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Don¡¯t think so,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Perhaps somebody is talking about you?¡± Corwin suggests. Fenrir shrugs and returns his attention to Serra and the ballista. Using the explosive bolts are too risky for as long as Nell is aboard The Steel Tiger, so the hook-shot has been loaded into the ballista instead. ¡°All you have to do is slow them down,¡± Fenrir tells Serra. ¡°Got it,¡± Serra says, aiming through the scope and ready to fire. ¡°Everybody ready? The rest of you ready?¡± Fenrir turns around and asks. Bonekraka, Cassiel, and Tabitha have their weapons out. ¡°About time we board,¡± Bonekraka says. ¡°Finally get real fight.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got to admit I¡¯ve been missing fighting with my sword,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I ¡®spose it¡¯s about time to finally show off what I can do with my baby here,¡± Tabitha says as she casually twirls her massive hammer around with her fingers. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s kill those bastards and rescue Nell. We rescue her and I promise there won¡¯t be any more fishing tournaments,¡± Fenrir says. He turns around to look back at Serra, ready to tell her to fire, but ends up almost getting knocked off his feet when Oleander performs a sharp turn to avoid a blast of fire magic. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to be able to get close if they keep shooting fire at us!¡± Oleander shouts. ¡°It¡¯s way stronger than before!¡± Not only are the blasts of fire larger and being shot from further away than Alexander did during the tournament, but they are much more accurate given the increased distance between the ships. Sailing straight at them would be suicide. Hooking onto them to slow them down would be just as bad. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°They¡¯re afraid,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°He¡¯s trying to keep us away. He knows that if we get close, we win. He also knows we¡¯re not going to risk shooting them while Nell is there, so all he has to do is keep us away.¡± ¡°But he¡¯ll run out of Mana eventually. Isn¡¯t it a waste to just use it all up now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dumb, so that just means he¡¯s trying to buy time for something.¡± ¡°Or somebody,¡± Tabitha adds on. ¡°Exactly,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Something stupid.¡± Book 2: Chapter 55: Patch 10.0: Something Stupid ¡°What are they doing?¡± Alexander asks. ¡°I don¡¯t see what getting in front of us is going to accomplish.¡± While The Steel Tiger maintains its course, The Shoebill has gained enough distance to safely evade Alexander¡¯s fiery spells while positioning itself in front of his ship. ¡°Should we change course?¡± one of his men asks. ¡°There¡¯s no need. Whether they are behind or in front of us, they will die once we reach our allies,¡± Alexander says. ¡­ ¡°Are you sure?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°This sounds¡­ like a really stupid plan.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I think,¡± Fenrir says as he straps Rod to his back, standing at The Shoebill¡¯s bow. ¡°I just have to deal with Alexander. The rest of you can come join the fight as soon as I¡¯ve got him distracted.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you near me if you smell like wet dog,¡± Cassiel says with her arms crossed over her breastplate. ¡°You and your stupid plans¡­ it better work.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll work,¡± Serra says. ¡°Have some more faith in the dumb dog. He hasn¡¯t screwed us yet ¨C well, maybe he¡¯s screwed you two, but ya know what I mean,¡± Tabitha says. Serra and Cassiel have two very different reactions to this. Serra looks proud with a nod of her head and a thumbs-up, but Cassiel just blushes and grips her blade¡¯s handle. Fenrir picks up one of the remaining explosive bolts. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°You didn¡¯t say you were going to take one of those.¡± ¡°Something stupid,¡± Fenrir says with a smile before diving off The Shoebill¡¯s bow! ¡°H-hey! Wait!¡± Cassiel shouts, but it¡¯s too late. Tabitha cringes at the thought of the ship¡¯s propeller carving him up. ¡°Hope he went deep enough,¡± she says. ¡°That¡¯s Fenny for you. Bone and I might come up with our own stupid plans, but he¡¯s always been the most eager to actually go and be stupid. He tries denying it, but I swear he¡¯s a masochist,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Just like a certain somebody,¡± he continues, tracing a finger along Corwin¡¯s side. While Corwin gets teased by Oleander, Fenrir finds that swimming is far easier than he remembers it ever being in real life or other games. Whether he wants to go up or down, swim to the sides, or even perform maneuvers such as underwater flips, it all seems almost effortless now. Furthermore, when he tests out the other part of the boon that Nell gave him, it works. He can open his mouth and not choke on ocean water; it¡¯s as if water just doesn¡¯t enter his mouth unless he wants it to. ¡°Can I talk? Yep, I can talk,¡± Fenrir says, talking to himself several feet beneath the surface of the water. Even looking around is easy! He would¡¯ve thought that it might sting his eyes given that it¡¯s saltwater, but it feels no different than looking around outside of the water. ¡°Guess I¡¯m a wolf-fish hybrid now.¡± He takes Rod off his back with his free hand and looks at the incoming vessel. The Steel Tiger, unchanging in its course, is heading directly for him. ¡°Alright, partner. I hope you¡¯re ready to do something other than fishing for once,¡± Fenrir tells Rod and gets a pulse of light in return. ¡°I really hope I don¡¯t die doing this.¡± Fenrir places the ballista bolt in the straps that he prepared for Rod and waits for The Steel Tiger to pass directly overhead. It doesn¡¯t have a propeller like what Tabitha made for The Shoebill, so he doesn¡¯t have to worry about losing any limbs or being chopped up when the stern gets closer. Instead of having to worry about that, he grabs onto the ship¡¯s rudder and holds on with all of his might! Which, right now, is easy. He¡¯s close enough to Nell now that he¡¯s benefitting from her stats, so all of her Strength is assisting his own in clinging to The Steel Tiger¡¯s rudder and then helping him climb up along it. Nell is so close now. The only thing separating them now is the wooden hull of the ship. ¡°What are you smiling for?¡± the man now watching Nell asks. ¡°Just fantasizing,¡± Nell answers. Fenrir can even hear their muffled voices. ¡°Just a bit longer, Nell,¡± Fenrir thinks as he looks at Rod. It¡¯s time to put that bond strengthening practice to use. Hanging onto the rudder with his right hand and with Rod in his left hand, he thrusts himself up to the top of the ship! His increased ability when around Nell is still surprising as he isn¡¯t used to it yet. In just a few seconds, he has gone from hanging onto the ship¡¯s rudder to standing atop its deck with a single jump. ¡°What was that?¡± the man watching Nell asks, looking at the ceiling above him. Nell¡¯s smile is as wide as ever. Were it not for her tail being pinned to the floor by Alexander¡¯s sword still, it would most likely be wagging. Fenrir instinctively shakes to dry off and opens his eyes to see Alexander staring at him when he¡¯s done. ¡°How did ¨C where did you come from? Why are you here?!¡± Alexander shuts, clenching his fists. ¡°Hey, Alexa. Thought I¡¯d drop by to congratulate you on coming in second place,¡± Fenrir says as he pushes his hair off from his forehead. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? I thought you would¡¯ve wanted to stick around for the free food at least.¡± Alexander shoots a spear of fire at Fenrir that is only dodged thanks to the shared stats from Nell. He feels Nell underneath him on the ship, and Alexander is standing at the front, so it should be safe to do this. ¡°I¡¯ve got a fiery spear too now. Well, it¡¯s more of an exploding spear, and it¡¯s not really a spear,¡± Fenrir says, taking the explosive bolt from its straps on his back. ¡°Why do you care so much about her?¡± Alexander asks, eyes locked onto the bolt that Fenrir holds. ¡°I could ask the same thing to you and everybody else trying to force her into being their property. At least I just want her to choose her own path instead of forcing anything onto her. Plus, she¡¯s a cute monster girl. I¡¯ll be the first to admit that I¡¯ll go and be a white knight for some cute monster girls. I mean, have you seen her tail?¡± Fenrir jokes around, dodging another flaming spear mid-speech. With that, Fenrir throws the bolt like a javelin directly at Alexander! Alexander dives forward to get away from its path. Mid-dive, an explosion erupts behind him that sends him flying toward the ship¡¯s stern as its bow is all but destroyed. ¡°Those things are seriously OP against small ships like ours,¡± Fenrir says. Two of Alexander¡¯s men go to charge up the stairs at Fenrir but get stopped by Alexander. ¡°I will deal with him. He clearly wants a fight, so I will give him that ¨C I will put him in his place and show him the strength of our empress,¡± Alexander says before taking a swig of a yellow potion. The damage he took from the explosion is instantly healed. There were a few cuts on his face from debris cutting him, but now there are none. ¡°Thanks, Alexa. I know I can beat you on your own, but I wouldn¡¯t be so sure if your friends there helped out,¡± Fenrir taunts, taking mental note of what was said about an empress as he readies himself. Alexander looks Fenrir over for any more tricks or weapons. He fails to see anything. ¡°Are you going to fight me without a weapon? You really are an idiot,¡± Alexander says. ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯ve got one,¡± Fenrir says and looks at the hand holding Rod. ¡°You intend to fight me with a fishing rod?¡± ¡°Sure, why not? Rod here is pretty awesome.¡± Alexander looks as if he doesn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cringe with rage at Fenrir¡¯s words. ¡°And you really think you are going to defeat me with a fishing rod?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that, I know that. Like I said, Rod is awesome and we make a pretty good team. I think. I¡¯m not sure, actually. Never fought with him before unless you want to count when he was still in his rebellious phase and kept trying to hook my ears.¡± Alexander takes the sword from one of the men standing next to him and walks up the stairs to Fenrir. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re too easy to distract. Don¡¯t you know that monologuing is one of the oldest tricks there is? I mean, really?¡± Fenrir asks. Alexander and the other two men look around to see what he¡¯s talking about. What they see is The Shoebill on a collision course with The Steel Tiger, their bows¡ªor what¡¯s left of them¡ªlined up for a head-on crash. Alexander¡¯s grip on his sword tightens, turning around to face Fenrir once more. ¡°You brought us a replacement for The Steel Tiger? I¡¯ll make sure that we treat her well and give her a better name once we¡¯re done killing all of you,¡± Alexander says. ¡°Man, I know that I can sound cheesy and cringy at times, but you sound way too much like a tryhard. Are you forgetting this is just a ga¡ª¡± Fenrir shuts up when Alexander charges at him. Book 2: Chapter 56: Patch 10.0: Something Stupid Alexander leaps into the air and swings his blade at Fenrir at the same time that The Shoebill crashes into The Steel Tiger¡¯s bow! Fenrir, still standing on the deck, almost gets knocked off his balance from the collision. Fenrir raises Rod in front of him and blocks the sword! Rod may just be a fishing pole right now, and the wood that it is made of is nothing special, but the ¡°veins¡± running through the pole¡¯s structure are as hard as any steel and stop the blade from cutting through it. ¡°Surprised?¡± Fenrir asks with a sly smile. ¡°How?!¡± Alexander shouts. This masterfully crafted blade has no reason not to cut through some fishing rod! Even a steel blade would be sliced through by this sword, yet a fishing rod is able to stop it? A bright glow from the bottom of the pole tells Alexander why his sword can¡¯t cut through it. Alexander kicks off of Fenrir to jump back a few feet and ready himself for another attack. ¡°You alright, Rod?¡± Fenrir asks. One pulse. ¡°Good. Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t¡ª¡± Alexander charges once more, but this time, he has used magic to imbue his blade in a swirling cyclone of flame. The flaming blade may still not be enough to cut through Rod, but there is one distinct advantage over Fenrir that Alexander has, and it is apparent to Fenrir from Alexander¡¯s movements. While Fenrir¡¯s sword fighting experience comes purely from randomly swinging around weapons in games until figuring out what works and what doesn¡¯t, Alexander utilizes proper techniques that can only be obtained through serious training. Fenrir tries to block Alexander¡¯s attack after he switches the direction he is swinging from, but he then fakes Fenrir out again by tackling him rather than using his sword at all! While Alexander pins Fenrir down and presses his flaming sword to Fenrir¡¯s neck, a new battle is about to begin at where the two ships are joined. Cassiel and Bonekraka look at each other and nod, but before they can jump over to the ship they¡¯ve rammed, Tabitha jumps between them with her oversized hammer and is the first one to pick a fight! ¡°Come at me! I¡¯ll show ya that the Strism name ain¡¯t just good for smithin¡¯!¡± Tabitha shouts. The nearest man charges her with a sword and a kite shield. Tabitha smiles at him and swings her hammer into his shield. The force of impact from her hammer is enough to smash the shield into hundreds of small fragments and completely break the bone in the arm that it was strapped to. Cassiel cringes when she sees the man¡¯s arm limply hanging at his side, but when Bonekraka jumps over to the ship to join Tabitha, she decides that it¡¯s time for her to join the action herself. It is now that she notices something. Whereas before, these men were wearing regular armor that bore no insignias nor looked noticeable in any way, they now don white and gold plate armor with a design that she is very familiar with. Even the scabbards of their shields look familiar to her, and if that¡¯s not enough to tell her who these men are, one of them recognizes her. ¡°Cassiel?¡± the man standing in front of her asks. Cassiel draws her blade and aims it at him. The only men wearing armor with this design that would recognize her have to be angels, or at least angel trainees, fighting for the Augus Empire. She used to have armor that looked exactly like theirs. ¡°That¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? Hey, what¡¯re you doing with these guys?¡± The answer he gets is her blade slashing at him rather than a spoken one. With Tabitha and Cassiel in their own fights, Bonekraka looks at the final man available for a fight and grunts as he clacks his two axes together. ¡°Should ¨C should we help them?¡± Corwin asks Oleander and Serra. ¡°Nah, they¡¯ll be fine. I can just use magic from up here if they try anything,¡± Oleander answers. Rock is being held up by Serra and barks when she sees her master with a flaming blade at his neck in the distance. As much as Fenrir wants to fight with Rod, he has to admit that Rod isn¡¯t very useful in this situation. His legs are pinned down by Alexander¡¯s and his arm holding Rod is pinned down by Alexander¡¯s arm not holding the blade to his neck. But at the same time, he knows that defeating Alexander with a fishing rod is going to really piss him off. Being defeated by a fishing rod is just so much more degrading than being beaten by a weapon or fists. It¡¯s time to give in to that feral desire within. ¡°Any last words?¡± Alexander asks, his blade drawing blood from Fenrir¡¯s neck. ¡°Yeah, thanks for being clich¨¦ enough to give me a chance,¡± Fenrir says as his free hand comes up to the flaming blade and grabs onto it! He pushes the blade just far away enough from his neck to headbutt Alexander without slitting his own throat. Alexander¡¯s grip on Fenrir¡¯s other wrist weakens in a moment of distraction which allows the wolf to pull his arm and Rod away. With a bleeding hand that was cut from grabbing onto Alexander¡¯s sword, Fenrir kicks Alexander off from him and jumps back up onto his feet. His vision already going black tells him that while he may be sharing stats with Nell at the moment, his Health apparently isn¡¯t affected as he surely hasn¡¯t taken that much damage. Alexander spits blood onto the deck and glares at his opponent. ¡°Alright, wolf, you¡¯ve taught me my lesson. I will kill you the next chance I have rather than talk,¡± he says. ¡°That¡¯s pretty common sense when fighting somebody, you know. I thought you were supposed to be smart?¡± Fenrir asks. When Alexander looks around, he sees his ship ruined, his crew being evenly engaged with more enemies that could join in at any moment, and a confident bastard in front of him wielding a fishing rod. Alexander may not be the smartest man there is, but he¡¯s smart enough to know that he won¡¯t be getting out of this alive. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be smart,¡± he says and jumps down to the lower deck. Fenrir chases after him by jumping down and immediately turning around to follow Alexander into his captain¡¯s quarters. What he sees in the quarters gets rid of his cocky, joking demeanor and replaces it with a pure and feral rage. Nell is chained up from her ankles to her neck and her tail is nailed to the deck by a sword impaling it. Then there is Alexander standing behind her with a sword pressed against her neck in the same way that he was pressing it to Fenrir¡¯s. ¡°Now that is a good expression, wolf,¡± Alexander says. ¡°If my empress cannot have this thing, then I won¡¯t allow anybody else to have it either. We will find some other way of dealing with the serpents.¡± Fenrir clutches rod in one hand and his fist in the other. Even though he can feel how calm and confident Nell is, the sight of her being treated like this pisses him off beyond what he can hold back. ¡°Now which of us is the clich¨¦ one? Getting so upset just because your little crush here has been hurt? I wonder what sort of face you will show me after I do this,¡± Alexander slices his blade against the skin of Nell¡¯s neck not covered by chains. Well, he tries to. Instead, he finds his hand unable to press the blade close enough to her neck no matter how hard he presses his hand forward. It feels as if something has bound him and is preventing him from moving properly. When he looks down at his wrist he sees a thin line tied around it with a fishing hook stuck inside of his gauntlet. Following the line with his eyes, they are led to the rod that Fenrir is still holding in his left hand. The spinner is reeling the line in all on its own. ¡°Keep his hand away from her,¡± Fenrir tells Rod and gets a single pulse in return. Alexander takes his original sword out from Nell¡¯s tail and kicks her to the side. All he has to do is cut the line with his free hand and then¡ª And then Fenrir charges at him and allows the second sword to impale his abdomen in exchange for latching onto Alexander¡¯s neck with his fangs. Most of the teeth in his mouth have been replaced by sharp canines easily capable of tearing through the leather protecting Alexander¡¯s neck. Alexander¡¯s left hand is trapped underneath Fenrir, holding onto the sword that is impaling him, while his right hand tries to swing his other sword down into the wolf¡¯s back only to be stopped by the fishing rod tightening the line and keeping his hand pulled away. Fenrir growls and snarls as he sinks his teeth into the flesh of Alexander¡¯s neck. He is still in complete control unlike the previous times where he has gone wild, but he still finds himself driven by feral urges. Those urges tell him to tear Alexander¡¯s neck out. Book 2: Chapter 57: Patch 10.0: Something Stupid Yet, as much as Fenrir wants to tear out Alexander¡¯s neck from the feral instinct urging him onward, Alexander is not so easily defeated. Alexander lets go of his sword to repeatedly punch Fenrir in the side of his head. His metal gauntlet only adds to the pain that Fenrir feels with every blow. Swordplay is not all that Alexander knows either as he manages to use his legs and single available arm to reverse positions with Fenrir and pin him down to the ground instead. The only good thing about getting pinned down is that the sword is forced out from Fenrir¡¯s abdomen. Aside from that, Fenrir is quickly turning into a bloodied mess as Alexander relentlessly slams his fist into Fenrir¡¯s face. Nell lifts her head and looks at what is happening. Her beloved hero is pinned down on the ground with blood puddling beneath him and covering his face. This may just be a game, and she may have traumatic content disabled, but that does not prevent her from seeing the aftermath of Fenrir¡¯s face getting brutalized. But Fenrir has not given up yet as he struggles against Alexander, grabbing his fist to stop him from punching him any further, and Nell has not given up either. Nell uses her tail to get up onto her feet. Walking is difficult with how tightly she has been chained up, but with how distracted the men are, neither notice her approach until it is too late. She whips her serpentine tail around right into Alexander¡¯s head! The rough scales coating it grate against his flesh as the force of the blow knocks him off of Fenrir. Alexander immediately gets back up and looks at her. The cloth that was previously tied around her head has been loosened enough to reveal her left eye, so he looks away from her before she has a chance of controlling him. She may be chained up, but Fenrir is the one on the verge of death. Alexander is torn between which one of them he should kill first. Killing Fenrir would be the easiest but killing Nell while he still lives would piss off the wolf even more. Plus, killing her first will prevent him slipping up and accidentally looking at her. Killing her without looking at her might prove troublesome, but with the wolf hardly alive on the ground and her chained up, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. But first, Alexander grabs the nearest sword on the ground and cuts apart the fishing line that has been holding back his right hand. He then charges at Nell with the intent to finally kill her. Not letting her see his eyes means not looking directly in front of him, though, which means that he doesn¡¯t notice that Fenrir is the one standing before him. When he looks up at Fenrir¡¯s eyes, he sees eyes glowing green and his forearms twisted into canid form, large claws protruding from his fingers. ¡°I got you up, now it is your duty to finish the fight, yes?¡± Nell asks, releasing control of her hero. ¡°Thanks for the assist,¡± Fenrir says, hardly able to stand on his own, but he doesn¡¯t need to stand. He just needs to fall forward while swinging his arms as powerfully as he can. Alexander stops his charge but does so too late. Fenrir¡¯s monstrous arms have already reached him. With Fenrir¡¯s left arm grabbing onto Alexander by the neck, his right arm swipes down at Alexander¡¯s chest and pierces through the armor with his wolfish claws. Alexander¡¯s eyes go wide when he looks down at his chest. Five feral claws have punctured his armor and tore into his chest. The arm attached to those claws looks like a wolf¡¯s leg, but the rest of Fenrir aside from his ears and tail are clearly human still. Fenrir is only able to stay standing by leaning against Alexander¡¯s body. Alexander takes a few steps back, bumping into the wall of the captain¡¯s quarters, and then tries to raise his arm wielding the sword. Fenrir takes his hand away from Alexander¡¯s neck and stabs its claws into his opponent¡¯s arm, causing Alexander¡¯s arm to fall limply to its side and the sword to the ground. ¡°Nell, do me a favor,¡± Fenrir grunts, looking over at Rod. He may not feel the full extent of the pain from the damage inflicted by Alexander, but he still feels half of it. ¡°Hand me Rod.¡± It takes Nell a couple of moments to walk over to Rod, pick him up, and then bring him over to Fenrir, but she does and Fenrir takes Rod into his hand with the hand that just disabled Alexander¡¯s arm. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I don¡¯t have my blessing, wolf. Your Feral wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up against an angel,¡± Alexander says, spitting blood onto Fenrir¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s a boring way of saying that you¡¯re mad you lost,¡± Fenrir says, spitting some blood onto Alexander¡¯s face to make things even. Before Alexander can spit even more blood onto Fenrir¡¯s face, Fenrir presses Rod against Alexander¡¯s neck. The claws embedded into Alexander¡¯s chest get pulled out so that Fenrir can grip Rod with both hands to press with as much force as he can muster against Alexander¡¯s neck. ¡°You¡¯d get along with Olly with how you take rods into your throat,¡± Fenrir says and manages to get a giggle out of Nell. While those two enjoy the somewhat comedic situation of Alexander being choked to death by a pole, Alexander tries pushing Fenrir away with his only working arm as he desperately struggles for air. ¡°Now that is a good expression, Alexa. It¡¯s almost good enough to make me want to release you since I feel bad for you always losing, but you hurt Nell¡¯s tail, and I really like that tail,¡± Fenrir mocks Alexander even more. His arms are back to their humanoid forms at this point as he is no longer giving in to his feral instinct, instead relying purely on his human side to cruelly choke Alexander by caving in his throat. But then something is different. The look in Alexander¡¯s eyes changes as if some other soul is within him now. He is still struggling to survive, but that defiant spirit is gone and replaced by an imitation. ¡°He quit!¡± Nell says, trying not to laugh. Not being able to kill Alexander himself isn¡¯t that satisfying, but it¡¯s more than made up for by knowing that he ragequit in his final moments. Fenrir uses all of his strength to give Rod a final push against Alexander¡¯s character¡¯s neck, caving it in and killing the avatar that was just being controlled by the game¡¯s overseer. He hears fighting still raging on out on the ship¡¯s deck, but he finds himself too weak to go and help out. Instead, he leans against the wall and slumps down onto the floor. ¡°I win, asshole,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°The hero always wins at the end of the day, does he not? A story without a victorious hero is not a very good story,¡± Nell says, crouching down in front of him. ¡°Surprising words to hear coming from you. I thought you loved tragic stories? The heroes never win those.¡± ¡°I may love tragedy, but I want only a happy ending for my own story, my hero.¡± Their reunion is interrupted when a man is sent flying through the wall into the room! Going by the fact that he is bent in a way that no human should ever be bent, it is safe to assume that he is dead. But, what killed him? Both Fenrir and Nell look through the new hole in the wall. Tabitha is standing on the other side of it with a proud smile and her bloodied, oversized hammer resting on her shoulder. ¡°Ya lovebirds done yet? Oi,¡± Tabitha says when she looks at Fenrir¡¯s face, ¡°ya ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to expand your harem if ya look like that. You are alive, right?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t die until I get to pilot a mecha,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°Yep, you¡¯re alive and the same old captain as ever.¡± Behind Tabitha is Bonekraka brutally swinging his axes into a terrified, helpless man. The axes are not powerful enough to cut through the man¡¯s armor, and they break more with every swing, but it doesn¡¯t stop Bonekraka from violently shouting in the man¡¯s face while trying to slash through his armor. Then there¡¯s Cassiel. She looks injured and bloodied, making Fenrir want to stand up and go kill whoever did that to her, but he sees who did it to her impaled onto the ship¡¯s mast by her sword. She¡¯s already healing herself, but when she sees Fenrir, she comes over to heal him. ¡°Sorry, my face got messed up,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Just don¡¯t let this happen to your real one. I like that one better, you bastard,¡± Cassiel replies. ¡°Come on, calling me a bastard while I¡¯m almost dead here? I got a long pointy thing stabbed through me again. Only you¡¯re supposed to do that to me.¡± Cassiel stops healing him to heal Nell instead. Book 2: Chapter 58: Patch 10.0: Something Stupid ¡°We done causin¡¯ trouble now?¡± Tabitha asks as she watches Bonekraka finally give up on using his axes to instead just snap his opponent¡¯s neck out of frustration. ¡°Hopefully,¡± Fenrir says. He looks at The Shoebill¡¯s bow to see what sort of shape it¡¯s in and is happy to see that it has already repaired itself for the most part after ramming The Steel Tiger. Then he looks at Bonekraka and sees him stripping the bodies of their dead enemies. While such a thing may look and sound horrible to somebody not experienced with video games, to anybody that has ever played a game where looting corpses is a thing, it is completely natural. Fenrir looks at Alexander¡¯s body. He¡¯s wearing some pretty nice armor, accessories, and there are those two masterfully crafted swords on the floor. There is even a nice, large chest for them to loot sitting in the far end of the room. ¡°We¡¯ll loot these guys once we¡¯re healed up, then we¡¯ve got to get going,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°My hero,¡± Nell says, ¡°I overheard them talking about meeting up with somebody in the direction they were heading. I do not know if we were close enough, but if they heard the fighting¡ª" ¡°It¡¯s fine. Olly would warn us if he saw any other ships approaching, so let¡¯s just be quick. Just waiting on somebody to heal me so I can move again.¡± Cassiel huffs and crosses her arms but gives in to heal him a second later. While Fenrir may still be bloodied and bruised, his face no longer looks as disfigured as it was just moments ago. ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± he says, grabbing the chainmail and vest to lift them both up at once. Cassiel may like his real appearance more, but when she sees Fenrir lifting up his armor and clothes to reveal toned abs ¨C his abs, she still blushes and finds it hard to look away. Nell is there right there beside her nodding her head both out of appreciation and approval. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s like, three scars there now from being stabbed or impaled,¡± Fenrir says, wondering why some attacks leave no scars but others do. ¡°Well, Onii-chan,¡± Saya chimes in for the first time in a while, ¡°just like with your ear, if you want to keep scars as part of your aesthetics, then you can! So if you have scars then that must mean you think they¡¯re like, cool or something. But if you get a hand chopped off and want to have it back after being healed, you¡¯ll have it back! If you don¡¯t want it back to replace it with a hook or mechanical arm or something, you won¡¯t get it back!¡± After mentally thanking Saya for the explanation, Fenrir imagines there being a knight who somehow gets around with no legs nor arms while challenging people to duels. Then, mid-duel, he somehow heals himself to regrow his limbs after his opponent has underestimated him. Fenrir shakes that thought out of his head. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just toss everything into that chest over there and take the whole thing back over to our ship,¡± he says. Nell has never killed another player before, so she leaves the looting of corpses to the other four aboard The Steel Tiger. What she does do is pick up Rod and hold onto him for the time being. ¡°Thank you for assisting my hero and I, brave soul,¡± Nell tells the fishing rod. She swears that she can see a light red color mixed into the rapid pulses of his shining gem. That light gets even redder when Nell places a single, appreciative kiss on him. Cassiel notices what¡¯s going on with Nell and Rod and gets jealous. The way that she interprets the situation is that Nell is kissing Fenrir¡¯s Rod, which makes her think of Fenrir¡¯s rod, thus making Cassiel¡¯s face turn bright red and look away. Her jealousy has been replaced by an ashamed feeling for how perverse her mind has grown ever since she started dating Fenrir. First his abs, now his rod, and she still wants to kill herself every time she remembers how easily she submitted during their first time. ¡°Alright!¡± Fenrir says, closing the lid of the chest. ¡°I think that¡¯s everything good from these pricks.¡± He looks over at the captain¡¯s bed. ¡°You respawn where you last slept, right? Guess we should destroy the beds then.¡± ¡°Wait a second there, captain. This game doesn¡¯t have a problem heavily punishin¡¯ people for havin¡¯ bad respawn points set, so if we sink this girl but don¡¯t destroy the bed, he and the rest of his crew will be respawnin¡¯ on the bottom of the ocean,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°Change of plans, make sure that all beds are in perfect condition.¡± Everybody is in agreement with that order. ¡°Let¡¯s take the chest and get going.¡± Bonekraka tries to lift the chest, but he fails to from just how heavy it is. The lid can¡¯t even completely close from just how overloaded the chest is. However, Tabitha is able to lift it up with ease after strapping her hammer back to her back. She looks up at the green orc and sticks her tongue out at him. ¡°Must get stronger. Is stupid being weaker than small girl,¡± Bonekraka grumbles to himself. ¡°Fen, how¡¯d you kill that asshole anyways? I couldn¡¯t tell,¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Oh, I choked him to death with Rod,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°You seriously killed him with a fishing rod?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know whether to be impressed or feel bad for him from dying such a stupid death. What is wrong with you, you bastard?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s stupid but it works then it ain¡¯t stupid.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely still stupid.¡± Fenrir smiles and shrugs before bending over to kiss the top of Cassiel¡¯s head, automatically winning the argument for himself. Rock jumps out of Serra¡¯s arms to check on Fenrir once he and the rest of the crew are back onboard The Shoebill. ¡°Miss me?¡± Fenrir asks her. Rock whines and paws at his legs. Fenrir picks her up and holds her in front of his face to kiss her on the top of her head, and then she starts licking up all the blood from him. ¡°That¡¯s kind of gross, Rock, but I appreciate the cleaning,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Want me to lick, too?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Depends on what you¡¯d be licking.¡± The two exchange smiles, proud of their perversion. ¡°Reverse us out of here, Olly!¡± Fenrir shouts. Oleander heads back to the ship¡¯s wheel and does as ordered. Once pulled away, The Steel Tiger lurches downward and begins its descent to the bottom of the ocean. ¡°Incoming ship!¡± Oleander shouts. ¡°Really? One thing after another,¡± Fenrir groans before rushing to the ship¡¯s stern to look at the latest arrival. Cassiel, Nell, and Corwin all recognize the symbol on the ship¡¯s flag. It is a holy grail with angelic wings coming from its sides and a pair of crossed swords behind it. ¡°What¡¯s an empire ship doing here?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°That man ¨C Alexander, was working for them. He used to be an angel from what I could gather,¡± Nell says. ¡°Tch. That explains how I was recognized.¡± ¡°You used to be an angel as well, Cassiel?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I quit.¡± ¡°So you are a fallen angel of sorts! A fallen angel whom has fallen in love with a wolf and now wishes to take revenge against the holy empire she was once a soldier of!¡± Cassiel has been free from Nell¡¯s delusions thus far, but no longer. Fenrir looks past The Shoebill¡¯s bow and sees The Steel Tiger¡¯s flag still visible above the water. ¡°Guess they¡¯re the friends they mentioned then, and I guess they¡¯re going to see that we just sank their guys,¡± he says. ¡°They¡¯re crossin¡¯ us, we¡¯ve gotta get out of here,¡± Tabitha says. The empire¡¯s ship positions its portside perpendicular to The Shoebill¡¯s stern. With no cannons nor ballista on the back of The Shoebill, they have no way of defending themselves aside from trying to either sail away or turning to line up their cannons but also giving the enemy a larger target to attack. ¡°Look!¡± Corwin shouts, pointing at the cliffs that The Shoebill and The Steel Tiger had to turn around. ¡°Get below deck, Nell,¡± Fenrir tells her. Nell hurries to follow his order when she sees what Corwin has pointed out. Two ships from both The Free Sailors and The Northern Wardens are coming around the bend and approaching The Shoebill. Each of the new ships sails up to The Shoebill before turning to reveal their sides to the empire¡¯s ship, and once they are lined up, cannon fire erupts from The Free Sailor¡¯s vessel while the longship''s crew of The Northern Wardens throw spears and shoot magic at the empire¡¯s ship. The combined assault makes short work of the empire¡¯s vessel as cannonballs, spears thrown with extreme force, and magic tear through its hull. It doesn¡¯t even get a chance to fire a single volley of its own cannons before getting sent beneath the waves to join their sunken comrades. Book 2: Chapter 59: Patch 10.0: Something Stupid ¡°Guess they made the alliance official,¡± Fenrir tells his crew whom all are standing around watching and waiting to see what the other two ships are going to do. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t, it will be since The Northern Wardens just declared war on the Augus Empire by sinking one of their ships,¡± Cassiel says. The ships come up next to The Shoebill. Fenrir notices that they are not just being captained by some random players from their factions, but instead are captained by Blackstache and Ull. ¡°Your big ships not fast enough to get out here in time?¡± Fenrir asks them. Looking the ships over, they are both far smaller than their respective flagships, but each one has a sleek and aerodynamic design. Their flagships may be mighty and grand, but they look slow and bulky. The ships that the leaders are currently onboard look built for speed. ¡°Mind if I come aboard, wolf?¡± Ull asks. Fenrir doesn¡¯t want to let him come over as long as Nell is hiding below deck. ¡°We¡¯re comin¡¯ over,¡± Blackstache says. As much as Fenrir wants to reject them, he knows that he can¡¯t. Refusing them will turn into a game of back-and-forth until he¡¯s inevitably forced to let them onboard, and if he tries to make a run for it with The Shoebill, he has no idea what¡¯s going to happen. If worst comes to worst, he may be able to fight against Ull thanks to the boost from being near Nell, but he has no idea if Blackstache would help Ull nor does he know how strong Blackstache is. There¡¯s always revealing who he is to Blackstache, but would Blackstache really betray a new alliance just because he used to play underneath Fenrir¡¯s command? He feels just how nervous Nell is. Her nervousness has been overwhelming ever since they first heard Ull¡¯s voice, and it kills Fenrir to do something that he knows might be bad for her, but it¡¯s his only choice. Fenrir bites his lower lip before sighing and shrugging his shoulders. ¡°If I knew we were getting guests then I would¡¯ve gotten some snacks ready,¡± he says. The other ships extend their gangplanks onto The Shoebill to allow the two leaders to come over. It comes as a surprise to Fenrir and the rest of the crew when he sees their ships pull away afterward. Ull and Blackstache look over the worn crew of The Shoebill before looking at each other and nodding. Blackstache, with his massive mustache and an even larger grin, charges at Fenrir to wrap his arms around him and lift him up in a tight hug! ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see you again! Rachel told me everything,¡± Blackstache says, his false accent dropped to act more like the lovable doofus that Fenrir once commanded. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure now is the right time for this?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at Ull. ¡°I turned my stream off, Divine Brigade leader,¡± Ull says. Fenrir cringes when he hears that Ull knows who he is. If there¡¯s anybody he doesn¡¯t want knowing who he is, it¡¯s the leader of a faction whom probably hates him and rules millions of players. ¡°You told him?¡± Fenrir asks Blackstache. ¡°My bad,¡± Blackstache says. Fenrir¡¯s serious composure is interrupted when Blackstache¡¯s mustache tickles his nose. ¡°Alright, alright, go say hi to the others,¡± Fenrir tells him, patting the older man on the back. ¡°Right!¡± Blackstache drops Fenrir and looks at Bonekraka. ¡°Viktor! It¡¯s been years! How¡¯s the lady doing?¡± ¡°Wife now,¡± Bonekraka answers. ¡°Damn, I was hoping one of us would avoid that trap, but I guess we both caved. Spence,¡± Blackstache looks at Oleander, ¡°how¡¯ve you been?¡± Oleander clings to Corwin¡¯s arm and introduces his boyfriend. While those four talk, the girls of the crew stand off to the side feeling like fifth, sixth, and seventh wheels. Rock is the only girl actively participating in the current events by growling at Ull and standing next to Fenrir. Ull frowns when he looks down at her and sees one of her legs still broken off. ¡°Sorry about that. I assure you that the man who did that to her has been punished. They know I don¡¯t tolerate cruelty towards animals, even if they are our enemies,¡± Ull explains. ¡°I also wish to apologize for the ear,¡± he says, looking at Fenrir¡¯s left ear that is still halved. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I get to match with her now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t send those guys after me?¡± ¡°Not at all. If I wanted to attack you, I would be honorable about it and challenge you in front of everybody. Those men who cowardly chased you into alleys are not worthy of serving me and have also been punished.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t emphasize with that. You lead way more people than I ever did, and even I still had people misbehaving and acting behind my back.¡± The air between them is tense and silence lingers in the air. Fenrir takes a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point,¡± he says. ¡°Let us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not handing Nell over to you. If I have to fight you, I will.¡± The conversation on the other side of the deck goes silent to listen in. ¡°You wish to fight for a dead woman? I assure you that I have no interest in her corpse,¡± Ull says. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks, blinking a couple of times and tilting his head like a confused dog. ¡°Am I mistaken? She was onboard The Steel Tiger, and going by the bodies floating in the water behind us, I am assuming that all onboard that vessel died. I collect the living, not the dead.¡± Fenrir catches onto Ull¡¯s intentions as does Nell. That feeling of nervousness has been replaced by cautious gratitude. ¡°Yeah, I was too slow. Alexander killed her before I could save her,¡± Fenrir says, the smile on his face and tone of his voice sounding contradictory to his message. ¡°Just know that, should you happen to come across a similar girl someday, it would be wise to keep her hidden away from the public. Word would surely get back to me about a sighting of her, and then I would be pressed into taking action,¡± Ull explains. ¡°By the way, how¡¯d you know to come after us?¡± ¡°We had a few¡­ informants that were more than eager to give us the information we needed after some persuasion. They got done telling us about this new information right as I discovered that my trophy was stolen from me. It turns out that Alexander and his crew were infiltrators working for the Augus Empire, and they were trying to prevent an alliance from forming between Blackstache and I. Instead, they cemented the alliance and have riled up my forces for an invasion of the empire. I doubt they will have any coastal territory left by the end of the month.¡± Ull¡¯s words send shivers down Fenrir¡¯s spine. It sounds like one epic war is going to happen, and Fenrir can¡¯t wait to hear how it plays out. ¡°I do not suppose you have any interest in serving me, wolf?¡± Ull asks. ¡°A man with your experience ¨C you would be more useful than most of my commanders. I am sure your friend there would be happy to take you on as well. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated in the upcoming battles regardless of which of us you serve.¡± ¡°Sorry. I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m just playing this game for the fishing,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Is that why you commandeered the city¡¯s defenses to attack one of my ships, released a serpent, have destroyed two ships and killed all of their crews, and have threatened to attack me? I have also heard of some experiments involving fish at the scholars¡¯ office.¡± Fenrir isn¡¯t sure whether he¡¯s more surprised that Ull knows about them hijacking one of the city¡¯s coastal cannons or more ashamed that word of his fishy experiments with Thelmes have reached him. ¡°What can I say? I keep on getting distracted.¡± ¡°Ryouta! You¡¯ve got yourself some fine girls here,¡± Blackstache says, twirling his mustache while eyeing up Cassiel and Serra. ¡°This one looks a bit too young for you, though. I mean, I know you¡¯re one of those weebs, but I didn¡¯t think you were actually into little girls.¡± ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says, ¡°one, I ain¡¯t one of the deviants in his harem. Two, my hammer doesn¡¯t discriminate between ships, empire wimps, and old geezers with mustaches.¡± Serra and Cassiel take the opportunity to go and stand near Fenrir. Rock stands between them and Blackstache now, growling at him whenever he starts checking them out. Fenrir¡¯s eyes widen a bit when he hears giggling come from beneath the deck. Nell is supposed to be ¡°dead,¡± and dead people don¡¯t giggle. He looks at Ull for his reaction. Ull looks down at the floorboards. ¡°Liz says she¡¯ll miss you, Neha¡ªNell,¡± he says before looking back at Fenrir. ¡°Do not let her fall into the hands of anybody whom would take advantage of her. There are many like me, and many far worse, that would kill to have her. She may be a living person, but her character is an in-game asset worth more than some people make in years.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she stays free. If I was willing to challenge you, I¡¯ll be willing to challenge anybody else,¡± Fenrir answers. Book 2: Chapter 60: Patch 10.0: Something Stupid Ull and Blackstache signal for their ships to come back over and take them away. ¡°It would be wise if we did not spend too much time here,¡± Ull explains. ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Given your prior expectation, should I expect you to steal my ship and send it into the sun?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Serra here wants to steal Blackstache¡¯s ship, but I don¡¯t think any of us are interested in yours.¡± ¡°I heard that,¡± Blackstache says. Serra hides behind Fenrir even more now. ¡°You do not find my ship worthy of stealing?¡± Ull asks. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on stealing any ships. The Shoebill here is my one and only,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°You are more faithful to your ship than your girlfriends.¡± ¡°H-hey, the multiple girlfriends thing was their idea.¡± Ull raises a hand to cover his mouth as he softly laughs. ¡°My Liz is the same, so I understand.¡± He looks at one of the girls, Cassiel, whom has been suspiciously eyeing him throughout almost the entire conversation. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± he asks her. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t get you. You were acting like a real asshole back on your ship and with Nell, but now you¡¯re friendly. What¡¯s with the change? How can we trust how you¡¯re behaving now?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Much like how your lover here once played the role of many worlds¡¯ most hated villain, and how Blackstache acts the part of an accented pirate, I am just giving my viewers and followers what they expect of me. Given that none of them are around at the moment, I can act more like myself ¨C I can be Ekon rather than act like Ull.¡± ¡°Ekon¡­ what ethnicity is that name? Never heard it before,¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I am from Nigeria, wolf. And no, I was not in Lagos for the flooding. Everybody always asks that when they find out I¡¯m from Nigeria.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯m more curious about how you got into Norse mythology.¡± ¡°Same way you did, most likely. The internet is a great tool for learning regardless of what region one lives in.¡± Fenrir looks behind Ull and sees his longship getting closer. Time to wrap things up. Fenrir holds his hand out for a shake. Ull grabs his arm instead and holds onto it. ¡°You and your crew were fierce competitors in the tournament, wolf. We may have our¡­ disagreements, but you and yours are worthy of respect,¡± he says. Fenrir grabs onto Ull¡¯s arm the same way that Ull is holding is. ¡°You¡¯re pretty cool when you¡¯re not pretending to be an asshole,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Unfortunately, being an asshole is what gets me viewers.¡± ¡°Fen,¡± Cassiel interjects, ¡°what about the NPCs they killed?¡± Fenrir lets go of Ull¡¯s arm and looks back at her. He doesn¡¯t like just brushing past that, and he still wants to help NPCs however he can, but what is he supposed to say to Ull? He can¡¯t just ask him to be nice to NPCs now, and he doubts that his millions of followers would listen. There is a fundamental difference in beliefs at play here. To some, NPCs in games ¨C the AIs in Fantasy Tales Online are as disposable as ants on a sidewalk. To Fenrir, they are living beings deserving of respect and rights. He knows that he is not objectively right, too. ¡°As part of the alliance with Blackstache, my followers are to avoid killing or maiming sapient NPCs whenever possible. Monsters and criminals are not subject to this, but those who are just trying to live their lives will be spared if possible. I hope you understand that it all I have the power to enforce,¡± Ull explains. ¡°I should also mention that your actions influenced that entering the deal, wolf.¡± Fenrir looks back at Ull and sees an immediate change in expression before he can say anything. ¡°Now then, wolf, if I find that you are lying to me then keep in mind what I said. I will not hesitate to hunt you down no matter where you may be, and I will ensure that no mercy is afforded to you,¡± Ull says, his tone more demanding and cold than it was just moments ago. ¡°You are fortunate that you won the tournament.¡± With that, Ull turns around and crosses the gangplank over onto his longship. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time for me to be going as well,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°It was nice seeing you again. I¡¯ll send you an email with my new Fiscord information so that we can stay in touch, and I better get some pictures of your baby when she¡¯s out,¡± Fenrir tells him. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of it. But, you better watch out,¡± Blackstache says while pointing at Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends. Each one of them has sparkles in their eyes and slightly reddened cheeks. ¡°They¡¯ve looked like that ever since you mentioned babies.¡± Cassiel and Serra aren¡¯t the only ones. Fenrir feels a sense of excited impatience coming from Nell as well. He¡¯s going to need to get one damn good job to support their expectations. Wait, is Nell a part of their relationship now? Fenrir nervously laughs and rubs the back of his head. ¡°We¡¯ll see what happens.¡± ¡°Going with you,¡± Bonekraka tells Blackstache. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You¡¯re not staying with Ryo and Spence?¡± Blackstache asks the orc. ¡°Nyet. They are boring now. Tournament was most fighting we had since started playing.¡± ¡°I can see why you of all people would be upset then.¡± Oleander and Fenrir look at each other. They feel guilty for not being able to make things more fun for Bonekraka, but they also know in their hearts that this is the best thing for them all. It was only a matter of time, and Bonekraka did tell them that he was going to leave after the tournament. If he doesn¡¯t leave now, he¡¯ll just leave the next time they dock The Shoebill. ¡°You can come back whenever you want, Viktor,¡± Fenrir says, holding out his hand. ¡°Da,¡± Bonekraka says and shakes his hand. Oleander goes in for a full-on cling attack against Bonekraka¡¯s free arm. ¡°Don¡¯t cheat on me with any other cute boys while you¡¯re gone!¡± Oleander whines before getting promptly shaken off and grunted at. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Blackstache says. ¡°Nyet. Only want to go back to port. Going to go on my own for a while,¡± Bonekraka explains. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll still have you on Fiscord at least.¡± Bonekraka lets go of Fenrir¡¯s hand and walks over to Blackstache¡¯s ship now that it¡¯s arrived. Fenrir doesn¡¯t like how he didn¡¯t get a response to that, and Oleander looks confused as well. ¡°Where you going after this?¡± Blackstache asks, standing in front of his ship¡¯s gangplank. ¡°Not sure yet. Have to talk it over with my crew, but I¡¯m thinking we might head east. Not sure if we¡¯re ready to cross the ocean and go west yet,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Shame you can¡¯t stick around,¡± Blackstache says, looking at the floorboards. He is well aware that Nell must be down there. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll cause trouble wherever you go.¡± ¡°I hope not,¡± Fenrir says with another laugh. ¡°It was good catching up with you.¡± The two men shake hands, and then Blackstache says his goodbyes to Oleander before looking at Serra and Cassiel. ¡°Don¡¯t get jealous if this sly dog gets himself a following of girls. He always makes his avatars to attract girls, and he¡¯s got the sort of personality that gets him into tons of trouble with them,¡± Blackstache explains. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± Cassiel says. Serra nods her head and hugs Fenrir¡¯s arm. ¡°Until next time, Fenrir and tha crew o¡¯ Tha Shoebill. Yer all welcome in Port Tugator if any of ya ever come on back ¡®round these waters,¡± Blackstache says with a twirl of his mustache before crossing the gangplank and returning to his ship. Both Blackstache¡¯s and Ull¡¯s ships sail up to the wreckage of the ship they sunk, surely planning on investigating it for any important items from the empire. The Shoebill is free to go wherever now. With the tournament being won, Nell safe below deck, and goodbyes said, there is nothing tying The Shoebill nor its crew to these waters any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere safe to dock so that I can go and take a nap. I¡¯m exhausted,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I barely got any sleep the last few nights.¡± Nobody has an issue with that request. Everybody but Oleander and Corwin head below deck. While Tabitha checks on her engine, Fenrir, Serra, Cassiel, and Rock check on Nell. Nell excitedly jumps up and wraps her arms around Fenrir¡¯s neck! He¡¯s not even able to say anything to her before she clings onto him and nuzzles the side of her face against his own. ¡°My hero! You truly did save me,¡± she says. ¡°Told you I would, didn¡¯t I?¡± Fenrir replies and pats her on her back. ¡°Welcome to the harem, Nell Nell,¡± Serra says. ¡°H-hey, I never said she could join,¡± Cassiel says. However, when she sees Nell looking at her with puppy-snake eyes, she pouts and looks away. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re lucky we like you.¡± ¡°Cass Cass is so easy,¡± Serra teases and pokes Cassiel in the side before she gets to huff and shout about being easy. Instead, she huffs and shouts about being poked and making her squeak. Tabitha rolls her eyes while opening the engine up. ¡°If Cassiel is Cass Cass, and I am Nell Nell, what does that make you?¡± Nell asks Serra, still clinging to Fenrir¡¯s neck, and blinks a couple of times. ¡°Serra Berra,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Serra Berra! That sounds adorable! Who came up with that one?¡± Serra points at Fenrir while Cassiel shakes her by her shoulders. ¡°What is my hero¡¯s nickname?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Fen, Fenny, Sausage Provider,¡± Serra says. ¡°H-hey, I haven¡¯t heard that last one before,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Worry not, my hero. You will forever be my hero and nothing else! Well, until you become my husband, but it is unfortunately too soon for that,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Cass Cass, we have competition to see who he marries first,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± Cassiel groans. With the three girls all exchange innocent yet challenging looks at one another, Fenrir slips out from Nell¡¯s arms and rejoins Oleander and Corwin above deck. He needs a bit of man time. Unfortunately for the wolf, the two lovers are busy having their own man time at the ship¡¯s wheel. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what they do while on you,¡± Fenrir mentally apologizes to The Shoebill. Book 2: Chapter 61: Patch 11.0: The Not-So-Delusional Princess Once The Shoebill finds a safe and hidden cove off the coast to hide in, the crew goes to sleep one by one until the only ones left are Corwin and Oleander doing perverse things to each other by the ship¡¯s wheel. Ryouta, now staring up at his ceiling fan, hopes that Rock covers her ears and doesn¡¯t go above deck while they¡¯re offline. He doesn¡¯t want her witnessing their lewd acts. Rock is pure and her innocence must be maintained! He looks over at his computer screen. Nell said that she didn¡¯t have Fiscord, but that she would get it and add him on there before going to sleep. He¡¯s curious what kind of person she¡¯ll be on there given how Serra behaves so much more bubbly and hyper in text. ¡°Tournament won, asshole killed by fishing rod, Nell saved, discovery of Ull not being a super asshole ¨C I mean, Nell did tell me that he donates to exotic animal shelters, so of course he couldn¡¯t be all that bad. Anyways, Fan, I think I¡¯ve earned the right to catch up on all of the sleep I¡¯ve missed over the past few days. Wait, am I actually calling you Fan now? I swear, I¡¯m going to start naming my food and furniture if I keep this up,¡± Ryouta says. Fan continues spinning its blades around. Ryouta closes his eyes and falls asleep no more than a minute later. Once more, he has that dream ¨C nightmare, of his childhood friend. Aiko. His dream is full of vivid detail. Everything from the shapes of clouds that he memorized while staring up at them on the road to the sounds of chirping birds is just like it was on that day. ¡°Aiko! Wait!¡± Ryouta shouts, his body a mimicry of what it once was as a child. ¡°H-hero! Slow down!¡± Aiko shouts at his dog that she¡¯s walking, but it¡¯s more like the dog is walking her with how strong and fast he is. A girl as small as her should never be walking a dog as large and powerful as Hero is. Ryouta knows what is going to happen. This has all happened before, yet despite knowing what comes next, he chases after her none the same. His only regret from that day is not being able to save Hero. He has never once regretted being able to at least save Aiko, though. Ryouta spots the autotruck destined to ruin his legs coming down the street. It may be obeying the speed limit, but it is on a road that parents have been telling the city to lower the limit on because of the children for years. ¡°Automated vehicles have never been the cause of an accident involving a loss of human life. One hundred percent of accidents where a human has died have been because of natural disasters impossible to predict and compensate for, or people not respecting the road and using their heads to avoid mistakes that should be common sense. Even then, pedestrian deaths have experienced a drastic drop since automated vehicles have been steadily replacing human-driven vehicles. The autotruck in this latest tragedy performed exactly as it should have, and no humans were even killed. Yes, one was hit, but where were the parents? Why did the parents allow a small child to walk a dog that she could not handle on her own, and why did the boy who got hit run out into the road when he clearly saw danger approaching? It is a misfortunate accident, but it could have been avoided had the parents done their job.¡± That¡¯s what the local news reporter is going to say after what is about to happen. Ryouta remembers hearing all about it on the television that was in his hospital room. Hearing that it was his parents¡¯ fault always pissed him off, and Aiko¡¯s parents would be sure to use the reporter¡¯s logic for why their daughter was almost killed. Never once did they thank his parents nor himself for saving Aiko. Instead, Ryouta and his parents were blamed for it all happening and all contact between the families was cut off when Aiko¡¯s parents moved away to force her away from him. ¡°Aiko!¡± Ryouta shouts, rushing out onto the road. He made the mistake of only pushing her before. Aiko stands still in the center of the road, unaware of what is about to happen, and petting Hero now that she has finally got him to stop. In real life, Ryouta pushed Aiko forward to knock her out of the vehicle¡¯s path and was too slow to save Hero. However, him not being able to save Hero is the only thing that prevented him from taking the full force of the hit. Ryouta lunges forward and pushes both Aiko and Hero at once forward, barely pushing them out of the way. Without Hero between Ryouta and the incoming autotruck, the vehicle slams right into him and rolls his entire body instead of just his legs underneath its wheels. He looks up, unable to feel anything below his neck, and sees Aiko and Hero safe. He looks at the clouds. They are just like how he remembers them. He closes his eyes. If this is what happened in reality, he would never be opening them again. Instead, it is just a dream, and he opens his eyes to the sight of his fan swishing above and cold sweats covering his body. ¡°Seriously?¡± Ryouta groans. ¡°I finally get some sleep and that is what I dream about? Come on, that¡¯s not fair.¡± Ryouta wipes away the only tear on his cheek before crawling out of bed and limping over to his computer. He only managed to get a few hours of sleep, but at least Nell finally got around to adding him on Fiscord. At least, he assumes that ¡°Hero¡¯s Princess #5693¡± is Nell. Who else could it be? The moment that he accepts the friend request, her profile picture loads and shows a girl with dyed hair similar to Nell¡¯s in-game hair, but she¡¯s wearing a frilly dress that looks more like a cosplay than proper clothes. She¡¯s even winking while making a peace sign for the camera. Her hair is straight like Nell¡¯s as well, but it looks like it might be even longer than it is in-game and completely covers her forehead unlike Nell¡¯s whose stops just above her eyebrows. Ryouta can barely make it out with how small the picture is, but he sees just enough of the room behind her¡ªthat he assumes is her bedroom¡ªto tell that it looks really nice. Like, rich girl nice. There is a giant mirror and a vanity behind her that is covered in makeup and has a bunch of wigs on stands, some pretty dresses hanging from the wall next to it, and everything is bright pastel colors. ¡°I think I get where the princess delusions come from now,¡± Ryouta says. More importantly, as shallow as it makes him feel, he is really happy that she is just as attractive and cute in real life as she is in-game. There is always the worry of getting romantically, or sexually, interested in somebody over the internet and then realizing that they aren¡¯t exactly attractive in real life. That¡¯s one less thing to worry about, and with that, he can limp back over to his bed to hopefully get some more sleep that is not plagued by old memories. Instead of dreaming about changing history by saving Aiko and Hero, and dying in the process, he dreams about sailing on The Shoebill with nobody but Rock by his side. While he steers The Shoebill to a decent fishing spot, Rock runs about on the deck gathering all of the fishing supplies together. She picks up buckets of bait by biting the handles, carries Rod in her mouth to Ryouta, and¡­ wait, does Rock have a mustache? Ryouta looks down at her. Yep. Rock has a mustache. A black and twirled mustache. Good thing that this is just a dream. It looks kind of cute and is definitely amusing, but he would rather Rock not take after Blackstache. Once The Shoebill reaches a spot where a bunch of birds keep on diving into the water to grab some fish, Ryouta and Rock both sit down on the side of the ship and cast their fishing poles. He isn¡¯t going to question Rock sitting on her back two legs and holding a fishing rod in her front paws. Most of Ryouta¡¯s dreams from that point until he wakes up involve going on various adventures with Rock. They go diving together, but Rock just sinks to the bottom of the ocean and prances around playing in the sand and chasing fish on the bottom. They turn The Shoebill into an airship and Rock takes Serra¡¯s job of manning the ballista to shoot flying cats out of the sky. The final dream involves Rock taking on a feminine, human form by turning into a busty girl with dog ears and a dog tail, but Ryouta feels so guilty and excited by this dream that he wakes up before anything happens. Rock is pure and her innocence must be maintained! Book 2: Chapter 62: Patch 11.0: The Not-So-Delusional Princess Ryouta finally manages to get some good enough sleep. The date has changed when he gets up and limps over to his computer to check on the time. Going by how low the sun is outside and the time on his computer, he got a solid fourteen hours of sleep. Sure, that¡¯s a bit overkill, but his body and mind needed it. He feels refreshed! So refreshed, in fact, that he¡¯ll continue his goal of improving himself for his girlfriends by going on a run with his leg supports on. Of course, the run only lasts a few minutes before he finds himself far too exhausted to continue. Running right after waking up without eating or drinking anything probably wasn¡¯t a smart idea. Ryouta slowly walks back to his apartment. His calves feel like they are on fire and anybody he walks by can surely hear the grumbling of his stomach. He looks up at the sky. It¡¯s a pretty beautiful day outside. It isn¡¯t too hot yet since it¡¯s the morning, clouds obstruct the sun from annoyingly shining on him, and there is a gentle breeze to help cool him down from the run. However, he learns that looking up at the sky while walking on a sidewalk with other people on it isn¡¯t a very smart thing to do when he bumps right into somebody. ¡°Sorry!¡± Ryouta apologizes, looking at who he bumped into. He can¡¯t tell the gender of whoever he bumped into, nor can he see their face since they are wearing a hat and shades, but they look shorter than him and petite. Of course, he could be wrong about that as well given how they are wearing a heavy coat. The only identifying feature he sees of them is their shoulder-length, brown hair. ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt you, did I?¡± Ryouta asks. He learns that they are a she when she looks directly at him. Well, maybe she¡¯s a he. Spencer looks just as feminine when he¡¯s in-game as Oleander. Either way, with this girl looking up at him, he sees her brown eyes poking out from behind the oversized shades slipping off of her nose and freckles extending from cheek to cheek and going over her nose. Her small, feminine facial features and the subtle gloss on her lips are all that make him think that she¡¯s a girl. If she is a girl, she is a very strange one as she just stares directly at him with wide eyes and not a single word leaves her lips. Ryouta assumes that he must have really offended her by bumping into her. Or she¡¯s just creepy. Either way, he apologizes again and leaves. His apartment isn¡¯t too far from here. Somebody is watching him. That¡¯s the feeling he gets, anyway. Maybe people trying to follow him in games has trained his intuition, but it feels as if somebody is following him ¨C watching him. He turns around and catches a glimpse of that girl¡¯s hat from earlier. The hat disappears behind the corner of a building as soon as he looks in that direction. There¡¯s no way that Ull doxed him, right? He doubts that Blackstache told Ull his personal information, and he doesn¡¯t even remember if Blackstache knows where he lives now to accidentally slip up about that. Is it somebody from the old days who found out where he lives? No, he can¡¯t be paranoid about this. The chances of him just accidentally bumping into somebody who knows who he is from a game that wants to stalk him is ridiculously low. She¡¯s probably just really angry at him, or something. He hopes. Ryouta checks behind him every now and then for the rest of the walk back to his apartment. While the feeling of being watched never leaves him, he doesn¡¯t see that girl again. He also makes sure that nobody is watching when he gets into the elevator to go up to his floor. If they want to find out where he lives, that¡¯s going to be next to impossible now. There are a few hundred apartments in this building and no identifiers as to who lives where aside from room numbers. The apartment staff won¡¯t give out that information to anybody, either. That was actually one of his concerns when he moved here since the move happened around the time when doxing was a concern for him. The management assured him that nobody would be able to ask and find out where he is unless he called them ahead of time to let them know that he is expecting somebody. Ryouta reaches his apartment, looks left and right, and sighs a breath of relief. Nobody around. There is still an uneasy feeling that he has, but that feeling goes away when an amusing thought pops into his head. What if that girl was Alexander in real life? Alexander, this tall and masculine looking blonde asshole, is actually a small girl in real life? Ryouta knows how extremely unlikely that is, but it¡¯s still a funny thought that he knows would piss off Alexander. ¡°I wish Rock was here to come and greet me, or go on runs with me,¡± Ryouta says, closing the door behind him. Time to eat some food left by Cassandra¡¯s shopping trip and then be lazy at the computer. Once he¡¯s done eating and cleaning himself up, Ryouta plops himself down in his chair and shakes his mouse to wake the monitor up. Oh boy. Fiscord has a lot of new messages. Opening it up, he goes to his direct messages and sees that they are almost all from Nell. >Hero¡¯s Princess: My hero! I hope that you have slept well! Here are some presents for you for when you wake up! The next¡­ twenty-three messages are all pictures of her. She is wearing anything from princess-esque dresses to Gothic Lolita fashion. She has a bunch of differently colored and styled wigs on, different makeup styles, and she makes all sorts of expressions that girls who are addicted to taking pictures of themselves usually use. The one picture that stands out the most has her wearing a pastel dress that gives him the first glimpse of what she has underneath her clothes. Her breasts are pushed up and show him that she has a pretty nicely sized pair under the usually-covering clothes that she wears, but what really grabs his attention in this picture is that he can see some of her wheelchair in it. Every single picture has been her either sitting on her bed or on the stool at her vanity, but this one picture shows half of her wheelchair in it at the edge of the image. What little he can see of her wheelchair lets him see that it is brightly colored, has a bunch of cute stickers all over it, and ¨C his eyes end up going back to her cleavage. >TheMemeStruggle: Hey. Just woke up. Thanks for the presents lol. You look nice in them. By the way, here¡¯s the invite to our server. Everybody¡¯s in it but you and Corwin. And Rock. Ryouta checks out the server after sending her the invite. The member¡¯s list looks shorter than it should, and when he looks at it, he notices the Viktor isn¡¯t in it anymore. He checks out his friends list. Viktor isn¡¯t there. Ryouta tries sending Viktor a new friend request, but it says that the account doesn¡¯t exist. ¡°Dude, what the fuck? Seriously? You¡¯re just going to completely cut us out like that? I thought we were still going to be friends and talk outside of the game,¡± Ryouta says to his monitor. He was in a good mood thanks to Nell¡¯s picture spam, but now he just feels hurt. Their friendship has lasted for so long ¨C it¡¯s one of his two longest friendships alongside Spencer, but now Viktor is just throwing it away because he got bored of fishing and wanted to go off on his own? ¡°Asshole.¡± A new message pops up in the Fiscord server by the latest member to join. It¡¯s a picture of Nell puffing her cheeks up and holding up a piece of paper greeting everybody with cute little drawings on it. Either she¡¯s had that prepared for some time, or she¡¯s really fast at making pretty nice doodles. Another message pops up. >Hero¡¯s Princess: Am I cute, my hero? Am I, am I? Ryouta has to admit that she¡¯s pretty good at cheering him up without even trying to. >TheMemeStruggle: You are >Holy Justice: I¡¯m cute too, right, Ryouta? Oh boy. The yellow mark next to Cassandra¡¯s profile picture has turned green. >TheMemeStruggle: Of course you are, Cass Cass. >Serra Berra: I¡¯m cute too, right? The beehive has been poked. >TheMemeStruggle: Definitely. You¡¯re all cute He knows that Serra is just teasing, but Cassandra¡¯s jealousy shows when she posts a picture in the chat. Ryouta claps his hands together and thanks whatever higher power there may be up in the sky for the gift of seeing Cassandra in a black sweater. But then Nell retaliates with a picture of her in a pastel sweater. Ryouta claps his hands together again and thanks the god of sweaters for this holy day. Serra joins the fray by posting a picture of her wearing a sweater a few sizes too large for her. It¡¯s large enough that her hands don¡¯t even poke out through the sleeves and the front of the neck hangs down to her chest, and just ¨C perfection. Ryouta is a religious man now. >Da Best Engineer Ever: You girls know we can read all of this, right? Take your competition to a private group chat or something. Me and the other guys don¡¯t want to see any of this >Da Best Engineer Ever: Where¡¯d the big guy go? Don¡¯t see him on the list anymore. >Ryouta¡¯s Favorite Slut: i like the pics, u all look so cute Spencer¡¯s new nickname and change of subject tell Ryouta that he already noticed Viktor¡¯s leave. This morning has been an odd one. It started off great, then it got weird, then it got great again, then he felt hurt and betrayed, then he felt nice again and became religious, but now he¡¯s just left feeling¡­ meh. >Hero¡¯s Princess: When is our first date? I can fly to you if you¡¯re far away, so we can go whenever! And now he¡¯s back to feeling weird. Just how much disposable income does Nell have if she has all those wigs, fancy clothes and furniture, and now can just easily fly to him whenever he wants her to? >TheMemeStruggle: Im going to start thinking you¡¯re an actual princess pretty soon >Hero¡¯s Princess: Oh! I am. Huh? What? Did she misread his message? Maybe she¡¯s just roleplaying or calling herself a princess to be cute. >Da Best Engineer Ever: I¡¯m calling bullshit. No way you¡¯re a princess. Royalty isn¡¯t even a thing anymore. >Hero¡¯s Princess: You¡¯re technically correct! However, my great-uncle was the last king, and he never had children, so I would technically be the princess if the royal family was still considered legitimate! >Hero¡¯s Princess: I may not be legally considered a princess, but I come from the old royal bloodline! First, Cassandra and Serra ended up living in the same city as Ryouta. Then he managed to pick up a fishing rod from a random shop that is worth way more than he bought it for and has powers yet to be unlocked. Now he¡¯s finding out that the latest entry to his relationship may not technically be a princess anymore, but has royal blood in her and could potentially become a queen if that archaic system ever comes back. He¡¯s seen protests on the news before of people overseas wanting the royal family to be restored. ¡°I¡¯m going to start thinking I¡¯m some anime protagonist at this rate.¡± Book 2: Chapter 63: Patch 11.0: The Not-So-Delusional Princess Before Ryouta could fully realize it, his life has become busy. No longer are the days where he wakes up, plays video games, forces himself to eat something, and then goes to bed before waking up and repeating that exact same process over, and over, and over again. He would never have believed it if anybody tried telling him a few months ago that he would have not just a girlfriend, but three girlfriends. He wouldn¡¯t have even believed it if somebody tried telling him all about the fishing tournament, meeting up with Blackstache and Rachel, getting on questionably-good terms with a man that he originally disliked at first sight, and losing Bonekraka as a friend. Ryouta lies in bed, staring up at the ceiling. The last couple of months have just gone by in a total blur. It feels like just yesterday he first started playing Fantasy Tales Online, and now he¡¯s here. Oh, and not only is he dating three girls, but one of them technically comes from a royal bloodline. ¡°Would I be a king if I married her and then the royal family was put back in power?¡± he asks nobody in particular. ¡°What if we all got married¡­ would I be the king, and would all three of them be queens?¡± These are questions that Ryouta does not know the answer to and he doubts that there are many who would know how to answer such questions. One thing is for sure, though, and it is that he is one hell of a lucky man. Serra, Cassandra, and now ¨C wait, he still doesn¡¯t know what Nell¡¯s real name is. Either way, Serra, Cassandra, and now Nell are all amazing. Even if Nell has only officially been a part of their relationship for a few days, she gets along great with both him and the other girls. Cassandra was a bit more competitive than usual at first, but now she¡¯s come to accept Nell as an equal, a friend, and a girlfriend that she doesn¡¯t need to worry about. As for The Soaring Wolves and The Shoebill, after they got back in-game, they decided that it would be best to head east. Going north is not safe due to the Augus Empire and the Goddess¡¯ Own, going west is not safe due to the Northern Wardens, and all of the nearby islands are under control of the Free Sailors which The Shoebill¡¯s crew is tired of being around. They¡¯ve had enough of pirates for now, so they wish to head for new and preferably safe lands where they are not going to be hunted down by some of the game¡¯s major factions. According to Cassandra, there is a mountain range the size of a continent to the east, and the only people who live over there are all parts of small villages who just want to get away from everybody else. They either venture into the mountains for riches or stay near the bases to live quiet and simple lives. Due to how little the land there is worth, none of the major factions try to conquer them either. And so that is where The Shoebill is heading. But, given how it will be a long journey even with the engine that Tabitha installed on The Shoebill, little time has been spent in-game lately. Ryouta makes sure to go spend some time as Fenrir every day to play with Rock and keep Spencer and Corwin company as they take turns helming the ship. There is one other reason that Ryouta is so interested in heading to the east, but for now, he keeps that reason to himself. Instead, he has got to worry about meeting Nell at the airport. Only a week has passed in real life since the tournament and Nell has already bought a plane ticket to come over and visit from overseas. He would have thought that her parents, given that she technically has the blood of royalty in her, would be much more concerned about her flying overseas to meet a guy she¡¯s known for a few weeks. Nope. Apparently, her parents are fully supportive of her decision to fly over and meet him. He was even on the phone with her when they were going over her flight plans, and she was talking about one of her delusional fantasies where he is actually fooling her and planning on selling her into the sex trade of a foreign country. This was while he could hear her parents in the background not just talking to each other, but actively engaging in her fantasies. Ryouta has a feeling that he knows who Nell has inherited her personality from. This is his first time in the airport since he moved here with his parents years ago. Supposedly, airports used to be full of life with hundreds of flights going to and from every day, but now they are mostly barren. Most people who use airports at this point are just businesspeople or celebrities as tourism has seen a major decline across the world, and few people ever have to leave to visit family as most families live together in megacities now. Travel via plane is only done out of necessity or as a luxury for the rich at this point. Serra tugs on his sleeve. He signs ¡°welcome back¡± to her and then returns his vision to the television hanging from the ceiling. All they¡¯ve been talking about this entire time is how today is the five-year anniversary of the tragedy that made Australia uninhabitable. Though, calling it an anniversary was probably too nice for something so devastating. Serra tugs on his sleeve again with her left hand while pointing up at the screen of flights with her right hand. Nell¡¯s flight has ¡°Arrived¡± next to it in large, green letters. It¡¯s another twenty minutes before a certain wheelchaired girl rolls up to baggage claim where Ryouta and Serra have been waiting. ¡°My hero!¡± Nell shouts for everybody to see, waving her arms with a huge grin on her face. Everybody looks at her and then the man she¡¯s calling her hero. Being called her hero, in real life, around a bunch of strangers, is really embarrassing. Serra is in the path of all their stares as she¡¯s next to Ryouta, so she tucks herself behind him to hide from their eyes. ¡°Could Cassiel ¨C whoops! Could Cassandra not come?¡± Nell asks, rolling up to the two. ¡°She had to,¡± Ryouta yawns, ¡°cover for somebody at work. They called out at the last minute, and since Cass Cass promised she¡¯d go in when needed to the next time since I guess she refused the last few times, she had to go. Said to tell you she¡¯s sorry that she couldn¡¯t be here but will come over after work.¡± ¡°That is most alright! I am looking forward to seeing her.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± Serra greets her. ¡°Hello, Serra! Your voice sounds so different in real life.¡± Ryouta realizes just now that, as far as he knows, nobody told Nell that Serra is deaf in real life. He also realizes that one of his girlfriends is in a wheelchair and the other is deaf. What¡¯s next, somebody who¡¯s blind? He¡¯s starting to remind himself of that one game he played before where the protagonist had heart problems and was in a school full of girls with various issues to romance. ¡°She¡¯s deaf, by the way,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°Really?¡± Nell asks, looking up at him, then looking back at Serra. Ryouta was not expecting her to look as excited as she looks right now. To both his surprise and Serra¡¯s, Nell starts signing to Serra. Not only is she signing, but she¡¯s using ASL which really surprises them. While Ryouta maintains his expression of surprise, Serra brightly smiles and signs back to Nell. ¡°How¡¯d you learn sign language, and I thought I read that BSL is different from ASL? Wouldn¡¯t you know BSL instead?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Oh! One of my maids growing up was deaf and originally from America, so I learned ASL to talk better with her,¡± Nell explains. Nell may be a perverted and delusional princess, but she¡¯s also a nice person. ¡°You¡¯ll have to give me some pointers then. I¡¯ve been trying to learn it myself, but I think Serra misunderstands me half the time. She either starts taking her clothes off or tries taking off mine every other time I try signing to her,¡± Ryouta explains. Nell signs some more to Serra, gets a response, and then looks back up at Ryouta. ¡°She says that she understands you perfectly fine. She just pretends to misunderstand you to try and have sex,¡± Nell explains. Ryouta and the other strangers nearby all blink a few times at how blunt that was. ¡°A-anyways, let¡¯s get your luggage. Which one is yours?¡± Ryouta asks. Nell points at the conveyor belt for luggage. There are nine large suitcases all in bright colors on it. ¡°The tourist visa is good for six months, so I brought enough clothes to last!¡± Nell explains. ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re staying all six months? I thought you were just coming over for a week?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Oh! I am sorry, my hero, I forgot to tell you that I changed my mind a few days ago about how long I would be staying.¡± ¡°But¡­ but you said just yesterday that your return flight was next week.¡± ¡°Did I?¡± Nell asks, trying to innocently tilt her head and smile, but Ryouta sees right through her. Looks like he¡¯s got a roommate for six months. Knowing Cassandra, she¡¯s going to get jealous and force herself into his apartment to stay that entire time as well. Knowing Serra, she¡¯s just going to play along and do the same thing that they are. He doubts that Serra¡¯s parents are going to complain. At least his bed is big enough, barely, for the three of them. Though, he isn¡¯t looking forward to sleeping on the couch for six months. What he has to worry about right now is how to get these nine suitcases back to his place. Book 2: Chapter 64: Patch 11.0: The Not-So-Delusional Princess Ryouta ends up renting an autocar from the airport, and the cost of it makes him cringe. But, it is the only way that he can realistically get all of Nell¡¯s luggage back to his place. He has no idea where it¡¯s going to go once it¡¯s there, but that¡¯s something they¡¯ll have to worry about once they get to that point. ¡°By the way, this feels really awkward considering that I¡¯m only just now asking, but uhh, what¡¯s your real name?¡± Ryouta asks Nell. ¡°Oh! My real name is Alice Lockton!¡± Nell ¨C Alice answers. ¡°Alice. I like that name; it¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°As pretty as I am?¡± Alice teases, poking his arm. Ryouta may be affectionate, but when around others in public, it¡¯s still embarrassing. ¡°I don¡¯t think a name could ever be as pretty as you are,¡± he tries to be smooth, but most of his effort goes into resisting cringing at his own words. Of course, as much as he may want to cringe, Alice relishes in the cheesy affection and brightly smiles. ¡°Now then,¡± Alice says and pats her lap, ¡°just put the suitcases on me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s a lot of suitcases. Are you sure?¡± Ryouta asks. Alice nods and pats her lap again. ¡°I cannot feel anything there in the first place, so please go ahead and pile them on! I will just require you to push me as my hands will be busy making sure that they do not fall over.¡± Ryouta may be concerned about her legs even though he knows that he doesn¡¯t really need to be, but he¡¯s more worried about what people are going to think when they see him pile nine suitcases onto her. But, she looks like she¡¯s going to insist no matter what he says, so he starts to pile the suitcases on. ¡°H-hey, Serra, don¡¯t give me that look,¡± he says when even Serra judges him for stacking suitcases onto her. ¡°It was her idea!¡± he tries explaining, speaking slowly so that she can read his lips as his hands busy with a suitcase, but Serra isn¡¯t having any of it. Alice looks content with all of these suitcases forming a tower on her lap, but when he looks around and sees more people stopping to watch what he¡¯s doing, he starts feeling like a horrible boyfriend ¨C no, just a horrible person in general. ¡°I ¨C I can¡¯t feel my legs from all of these suitcases!¡± Alice whines. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t feel them at all in the first place?¡± Ryouta asks, looking around the suitcases to see her face. She has a mischievous smile. When he looks around, he sees that those judging stares are even more intense now. Ryouta catches on to what she¡¯s doing. ¡°Excuse me,¡± a woman says from behind them, ¡°would you like to use this trolley?¡± Ryouta looks at her and sees that she¡¯s with the airport¡¯s staff. That¡¯s when he notices that there is a section of trolleys to borrow from. ¡°M-my hero, why do you insist on piling these heavy suitcases on me when trolleys have been right there this whole time?¡± Alice asks with fake pain in her voice. Of course, when Ryouta looks at her again, he sees her trying to hold back a smile. He looks back to see where Serra is and sees her pretending that she¡¯s not with them. ¡°Yeah, umm, a trolley would be nice. Thanks,¡± he tells the staff member and starts taking the suitcases off of Alice¡¯s lap to stack on the trolley. Serra rejoins them once the trolley is loaded and still looks disappointed in Ryouta, but when he tries to explain the situation to her again, she starts giggling. The way that Serra laughs is unlike any laughter they have ever heard before. It sounds like Serra doesn¡¯t even know how to properly laugh, but that just makes it endearingly adorable to both Ryouta and Alice. ¡°This is why I need Cass Cass. I¡¯m always the bully victim when she¡¯s not around,¡± Ryouta groans while pushing the trolley toward the outdoors pickup area. Serra stays behind Alice to push her wheelchair for her. ¡°I could tell, my hero. You always tease Cassandra, and us girls must stick together, so I shall be punishing you in her stead!¡± Alice explains. ¡°Please, that was enough punishment for a year. I¡¯m pretty sure that everybody in there thinks that I¡¯m a horrible person now.¡± ¡°That is most alright, my hero. You know that you being a horrible person will only give me more to fantasize about.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to keep up with you. Oh, hang on. Gotta text Cass letting her know that you got here safely. She¡¯s never been on a plane before, and I guess she¡¯s afraid of flying, so she was worried,¡± Ryouta explains while inputting a message on his phone for Cassandra. This is the first time that Alice has heard about Cassandra being worried over her flight, and the image of Cassandra worrying about such a thing is cute and makes Alice smile even more. ¡°Alright, and there¡¯s our autocar,¡± Ryouta says, pointing at one of the grey cars waiting in the temporary parking. He realizes that there is a complication when they get to it. He looks at Alice¡¯s wheelchair then back at the car. How is he supposed to get that in there? Alice, seeing his silent concern, raises a hand over her mouth to giggle and then says, ¡°Worry not, my hero. It folds.¡± ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Ryouta says. Now there is the problem of how she¡¯s supposed to get inside of the car. Alice lifts her arms up. ¡°Lift me up, my hero,¡± she says, wiggling her arms in the air like an impatient child. At least this can¡¯t possibly look bad. He¡¯ll look like a helpful, kind boyfriend assisting his crippled girlfriend. That¡¯s what he thought. Instead, as soon as he lifts her out of her chair, she starts playfully smacking at his arms and says, ¡°Oh noooo, I¡¯m being kidnapped, somebody help meeeeee.¡± Thankfully for Ryouta, she¡¯s not being loud enough for the passersby to hear, and she doesn¡¯t sound very serious about needing help. ¡°I¡¯m going to get arrested if you keep this up,¡± Ryouta tries explaining to her, but she doesn¡¯t seem concerned about that. ¡°Worry not, my hero. My family may not be officially in charge anymore, but we still have our connections! I am sure that you would be freed within a few hours, or maybe a couple of days depending on if my grandpa is away,¡± Alice explains. ¡°Here I thought I¡¯d either be eternally single or maybe settle for some boring girlfriend who I have to calm myself down for, but instead I¡¯ve got a princess in a wheelchair, a deaf borderline-loli who likes making things explode and is taking after my old me, and Cass Cass who is always threatening to kill me. I guess she¡¯s the most normal out of you three.¡± ¡°Her breasts are certainly not normal, my hero. I wish I could have a pair as large as her!¡± ¡°Yeah, they are pretty big. Don¡¯t usually see girls with boobs that big unless they weigh a few hundred pounds.¡± Alice looks down at her chest and gropes herself through the flowery dress that she¡¯s wearing, pushing them together and up to try and make them look larger. ¡°Are my own satisfactory for you, my hero?¡± she asks, looking up at him and noticing that his eyes are transfixed on the little display that she¡¯s giving him. ¡°Such a perverted beast you are, my hero.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, they¡¯re great. Anyways,¡± Ryouta turns around to try and figure out how to fold Alice¡¯s wheelchair. Serra is standing there with her hands on her humble chest. Her own breasts aren¡¯t even large enough to push together, and despite having very small hands herself, she can completely cover her breasts with them. Ryouta pats her head and signs to her that she and her boobs are both perfect. ¡°Boobs¡± is actually one of the first words he learned how to sign because it was in a top ten list that he found online of words that people want to learn when new to ASL. That list, which he thought was horribly put together at first, is now useful. Serra hops into the car next to Alice and scoots Alice over until there is enough space for her to lie down. Serra then places her head up on top of Alice¡¯s thighs for a proper lap pillow as Ryouta finishes loading the car. He peeks into the back seat and is instantly jealous. He is also curious as they are both signing about something, and Alice seems awfully embarrassed about whatever they are discussing. Reading sign language from the side is still difficult for him. When the car is finally loaded, he gets into the front seat as all automatic vehicles still legally require somebody in the front seat, and looks back at them to ask what they were talking about. Alice looks at him and pouts. ¡°She said she knew my thighs would be soft since my legs never get exercise! She called them soft and like jello¡­¡± Now he¡¯s really jealous of Serra. Book 2: Chapter 65: Patch 11.0: The Not-So-Delusional Princess With everything and everybody loaded into the autocar, Ryouta, Serra, and Alice head back to his apartment. They have plans to go out and eat, but until they get all of this luggage dropped off, they can¡¯t do much. There is also the fact that Ryouta doesn¡¯t want to pay the outrageous price for renting an autocar for an extended period of time. They have a single hour to get back to his place, drop off her luggage, and then set the autocar to return to the airport before his wallet starts to really hurt. ¡°My hero, you need not look so worried. I have told you before that I can pay any expenses,¡± Alice says. ¡°Nope. I¡¯m the boyfriend here, so I¡¯ve got to pay for it. I have to try to at least,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°My pride as a man is making me.¡± ¡°Do you plan on holding this against me to coerce sexual favors out of me? Are you only paying because you believe that I will owe you my body as a result? Such a cruel man! Your kindness only lasts for as long as my virginity does!¡± ¡°You¡¯re something else, Alice, seriously.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just another woman that you are keeping around for sexual favors is what I am!¡± Ryouta sees Serra watching Alice¡¯s face, and when she catches onto him, she looks at him and calls him a ¡°horrible pervert¡± via signing. ¡°You of all people can¡¯t call me that,¡± he tells her and then returns to looking forward. A human is required by law to sit in the ¡°driver¡¯s¡± seat of any automatic vehicle whenever human passengers are present. He isn¡¯t sure why they can drive on their own without a human behind the wheel when there are no passengers, but for as long as there is at least one human in the vehicle, a human needs to be behind the wheel. The wheel won¡¯t even work unless the autocar faces a serious malfunction at which point the human¡¯s only purpose is to steer the vehicle off to the side of the road. Of course, right now, Ryouta¡¯s biggest issue with automatic vehicles is how overpriced they are to rent from the airport. It isn¡¯t like electricity to recharge them isn¡¯t incredibly cheap now, and there are not a shortage of rentable vehicles for the lax airport. Then it all makes sense. ¡°Those bastards,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°What, my hero?¡± Alice asks. ¡°They know that it takes more than an hour to get anywhere with the traffic in this city, and they start charging way more as soon as you rent the autocar for more than sixty minutes, and given how airports don¡¯t make as much money anymore from flights¡­ they¡¯re totally depending on people renting these autocars and charging them a bunch of money to cover the costs of everything else. This service definitely isn¡¯t worth the money, it¡¯s just slightly more convenient than calling and waiting for an autocar from a third party.¡± ¡°Is it truly that expensive? I thought it was only fifty dollars for the first hour?¡± ¡°Yeah, and then two-hundred for every hour after that. These aren¡¯t meant to be rented for the long-term.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t? From the few cities I have visited, we would always keep the vehicle for several hours. Two-hundred does not seem like too high a price for renting.¡± Ryouta is starting to realize that Alice has a horrible perception of what is expensive and what isn¡¯t. ¡°You live in a mansion, don¡¯t you?¡± he asks. ¡°Oh! No, but we do have one as a summer retreat. We spend most of the year in our family¡¯s castle that was built in seventeen hundred!¡± Of course she would live in a literal castle. If anybody was ever going to live in a castle, it would be Alice. ¡°You might be in for a culture shock then. From what I¡¯ve seen in those pictures you love to spam me with, your bedroom is probably bigger than my entire apartment,¡± Ryouta warns. ¡°That just means we will always be close to one another!¡± Ryouta thinks of another problem. What about Fantasy Tales Online? He only has a single headset, and characters are bound to their headsets. ¡°You bring your headset with you so we could still play together?¡± he asks. ¡°Of course!¡± Alice answers. He has a feeling that even if she didn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t have a problem flying back overseas to grab it and then come back. Or she would have a servant do it for her, or with how much wealth her family supposedly has, personally fly it over and airdrop it right in front of his building¡¯s entrance. His hands shoot for the wheel when a couple of kids run in front of the autocar with a dog. The autocar comes to a screeching stop on its own, and the children are left unharmed with wide eyes when they realize what just almost happened. Ryouta feels his hands shaking and sweat dripping from his forehead. He¡¯s gotten better about vehicles lately, but of course this happens as soon as he¡¯s getting over his fear. The children¡¯s mother runs out and grabs the children while waving in apology to Ryouta. ¡°My, such unruly children. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and will not do something like that again!¡± Alice exclaims. ¡°I¡¯m sure they did,¡± Ryouta says. Serra leans between the two front seats to plop her chin onto Ryouta¡¯s shoulder while her hands go for his right one, holding it between them. Serra knows the story of what happened to him as a child, but Alice doesn¡¯t. ¡°Are you alright, my hero?¡± Alice asks, looking at his face through the rear-view mirror. ¡°Yeah. Just, remember when I told you about how I¡¯ve got some leg problems myself? Only difference between these kids and me is that the autotruck that hit me couldn¡¯t stop in time. Not a fan of vehicles because of that, so for that to just happen¡­ not exactly helping my phobia out,¡± Ryouta explains. She is one of his girlfriends now, so he may as well explain the situation to her. He wouldn¡¯t want her to be in the dark about something the other two already know. ¡°I ¨C I am sorry, my hero. I do not know what to say at times like this, but I am sorry that you had to go through such a thing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Oh, wait, I forgot to include the part about how my parents died in an autocar accident,¡± he says in a much more casual tone than before. He already feels better after telling her that first part, and she¡¯s been teasing him ever since she landed, so he figures that talking about something so casually and matter of fact might be a good way of throwing her off balance. Instead, when he looks through the rear-view mirror, he sees her eyes welling up with tears as she covers her mouth with her hands. He took it a bit too far even if he was just telling the truth. ¡°My ¨C my hero, I am ¨C I am so sorry to,¡± Alice sniffs, ¡°your life has been so tragic!¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s not a big deal anymore. I¡¯m over it, promise. I just wanted to¡ª¡± he stops himself from saying anything else when he realizes that saying ¡°oh, I just said that to get revenge for the teasing,¡± would make him sound like an ass. Serra peeks at the rear-view mirror, flicks Ryouta in the cheek, and then leans back into her seat to comfort Alice. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to upset you,¡± Ryouta apologizes. ¡°It is nothing to apologize for, my hero. It is just that hearing such tales always makes me emotional,¡± Alice explains, still sniffling while Serra pats her head. ¡°I cannot even watch romantic comedies anymore because the romantic parts always get me so worked up that I just end up crying most of the time.¡± ¡°So, you love tragedy and fantasize about being involved in tragedies, but you can¡¯t actually watch or hear about them because you just cry the whole time?¡± Alice nods her head, eyes still watery from his story. She really is something else. It is a rush out of the autocar when they reach his apartment building. The first thing that Ryouta does is take out Alice¡¯s wheelchair, unfold it, and help Alice into it. Then, all of her luggage is quickly but carefully brought out onto the sidewalk with Serra¡¯s help. Finally, with just a minute left on the autocar¡¯s timer, Ryouta swipes his card in front of it to finalize the ride and pay. ¡°Thank you for riding with us!¡± pops up on the autocar¡¯s dashboard screen. As soon as Ryouta closes the door, the autocar waits for a moment to pull out from its temporary parking spot and returns to the airport. Now there¡¯s the problem of taking all this luggage up to his apartment. ¡°Would you like to place it on my lap, my hero?¡± Alice asks. Ryouta picks up two suitcases by their handles in each of his hands to carry in on his own. He just ends up having to make a few trips to the elevator and back to the sidewalk to get everything inside. He isn¡¯t falling for her teasing again. Book 2: Chapter 66: Patch 11.0: The Not-So-Delusional Princess ¡°Here we are,¡± Ryouta says at the door to his apartment. All nine of Alice¡¯s suitcases have been brought up and are stacked against the wall next to his door. ¡°I bet this is pretty different compared to what you¡¯re used to.¡± ¡°It is true that I am used to gates and bowing servants, but such a casual way of life is not bad! I am truly looking forward to my time with you. All I am worried about are my maids. They are rather attached to me, so I am not sure how they will cope without me,¡± Alice explains. ¡°A princess beloved by her people?¡± ¡°You could say that! Though, I think they may just like me because I always try to do as much as possible on my own when it comes to cleaning, so their jobs are admittedly easier when I am around. I do not believe that my parents will be as lax with them.¡± ¡°Speaking of cleaning¡­¡± Ryouta opens the door just a crack to look through and make sure that he cleaned. He promised Serra and Cassandra that he would clean before Alice got here, but he has completely forgotten whether he actually did or not. Thankfully, he did. He breathes a sigh of relief and wipes some sweat off his forehead. ¡°Is everything alright, my hero?¡± Alice asks when he turns back around to face them. ¡°Ah, yeah. Just had to check something. Anyways, ladies first,¡± Ryouta says, pushing the door the rest of the way open and giving her a playful bow to welcome her. The same bow gets extended to Serra. What he doesn¡¯t expect is to get something in return from Serra, and that something just so happens to be her hand brushing against his crotch as she walks by. She looks back at him and grins when she sees the red of his cheeks. ¡°You¡¯re something else, Serra,¡± Ryouta says under his breath as he starts bringing in all of Alice¡¯s luggage. He was right about being low on space. His living room already feels cluttered from Alice¡¯s suitcases, and he has a feeling that she packed her clothes and any other items in them really tightly given how heavy they are. At least he doesn¡¯t use much of his closet, so there should be enough space in there for all of her clothes. He hopes. Wait, but if Cassandra and Serra join in on Alice¡¯s plan¡­ he might be in trouble. Not only is his savings account going to take a ton of abuse, but there just isn¡¯t enough space in this apartment for all of their clothes! Then there is the fact that he is supposed to tell his landlord about anybody staying for more than two weeks, and if he doesn¡¯t, he is sure that his nosy, elderly neighbors won¡¯t hesitate to tell on him. He might just have to put his foot down, as hard as that might be and as much as he may not want to, and tell Serra and Cassandra that they can¡¯t stay. Well, it¡¯s not like he knows they are going to try to stay in the first place. He¡¯s just assuming that. ¡°Oh, great! My hero, Serra just told me that she texted her parents and her mother will be dropping off her clothes and headset in the lobby!¡± Alice tells the increasingly-concerned Ryouta. Then his phone vibrates in his pocket. He looks at it and sees that Cassandra was able to get out of work early and is on her way over with her own clothes. He probably should have waited until she was over before telling her about Alice staying over for six months. The last text he gets from Cassandra is her telling him that her phone is about to die and that she¡¯ll be over soon. Well, too late to put his foot down. He¡¯s either going to get evicted for having four people living in an apartment meant for one, get kicked out for noise complaints because he knows for a fact that his neighbors hate young people having fun, or he¡¯s just going to run out of money and become homeless. ¡°My hero? You look as if you are on the verge of death! You did not even look so ghastly after your fight with my kidnapper,¡± Alice says. ¡°Just¡­ thinking about logistics,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I have no idea how the four of us are all going to last in here.¡± Then a horrifying thought pops into his mind. What about the bathroom? His apartment only features a single bathroom! With three girls sharing the apartment with him, just how impossible is getting any bathroom time going to be? The positive aspect of this situation is that he knows he¡¯ll be forced to take better care of himself on a daily basis as he wouldn¡¯t want his girlfriends thinking that he is disgusting, but at what cost? His bathroom ¨C a man¡¯s bathroom is meant to be something sacred. It is a place of solitude free of judgment and worldly concerns. But now? Now he has a feeling that he will finally truly understand the internet memes about girls leaving hairpins everywhere, bathrooms becoming cluttered messes after girlfriends move in, and finding hair everywhere. Take all of those problems and multiply them by three, and that is why Ryouta looks like a ghost right now. ¡°Ah! You look so cute!¡± Alice says. Ryouta turns around to look at what she¡¯s talking about and sees Serra standing in the doorframe to his bedroom wearing one of his shirts. While his clothes would likely look normally sized on Cassandra and potentially Alice, when Serra wears his clothes, they look adorably oversized on her. Serra signs to the two of them telling them that girlfriends are supposed to wear their boyfriends¡¯ oversized shirts. The invasion of his apartment is happening faster than he thought it would. The most devious of his girlfriends is already establishing beachheads and claiming territory! Soon, Alice¡¯s mobile corps will be advancing on the beach and laying heavy fire by opening her suitcases, and then it is only a matter of time before Cassandra brings reinforcements and airdrops hairpins and scrunchies! Ryouta and his legions of hard cider bottles and bags of chips will not be able to last under such a powerful and sustained assault. Their defenses will be breached, and without reinforcements, it is only a matter of time before he is brought to his knees and forced to surrender. There will be no reinforcements, hope, nor escape. It¡¯s already happening. Serra reaches into her pocket to pull out a scrunchie, but then drops it and has to bend over to pick it up. However, she is very slow in picking it up, fumbling with it a few times. There is hope after all. No, this is not hope for Ryouta and his armies, but it is the kind of hope that could start a new religion: the church of Serra. While she¡¯s bending over, his oversized shirt hangs down and gives him the perfect view down into the shirt to see her modest breasts hanging down in it. What makes this sight truly glorious is that he discovers she also removed her bra when switching into his shirt. Ryouta feels like a traitor. While his armies are in desperate need of him, he raises his hands into the air and volunteers to serve the enemy instead. Serra looks up directly into his eyes with a smug smile. She knows exactly what she¡¯s showing him. Going by how his eyes are transfixed on the gap between the shirt and her chest, she wins. Alright, maybe living with three other girls won¡¯t be as bad as he fears it will be as long as he gets sights like this every now and then. Life is great and the church of Serra has gained a new and devout follower. ¡°My hero has such lustful eyes. To stare at a girl¡¯s chest with the eyes of a ravenous beast ¨C you are a monster, not a hero!¡± Alice calls him out. Ryouta shakes his head to break free from Serra¡¯s trap. ¡°I ¨C it¡¯s okay because we¡¯re dating,¡± he tries justifying it. Fortunately, Alice seems amused and laughs at his answer. ¡°It is alright, my hero. Just make sure to let me experience that monstrous side of yours at times as well, yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Then somebody knocks on his door. Is Cassandra already here? There¡¯s no way that she got over here that quickly unless she has suddenly developed superspeed or a miracle happened and there was no traffic on the way over. It would take more than a miracle to make that happen, though. Ryouta walks over to the door, opens it, and is immediately greeted by a smaller body leaping up against his and wrapping their arms around his neck! He has no idea what¡¯s going on. Who is this strange person now nuzzling their face against his own? All he can see is the side of her head which is covered in brown hair. ¡°Ry-ou-ta! We''ve finally reunited!¡± a feminine voice happily declares. ¡°I knew we¡¯d be together again someday! I never, ever, ever, eeevvveeeerrrrrrrrr gave up!¡± A feeling strikes him telling him that he knows who this is, but he just can¡¯t place her. She seems familiar but¡ª ¡°Oh! Serra, you¡¯re already here?¡± she says, looking at Serra and then signing to her behind Ryouta¡¯s back. Serra looks shocked to see just who the girl is clinging to Ryouta. ¡°My ¨C my hero, is this one of your friends, perhaps?¡± Alice asks. The girl looks at Alice and smiles wide. ¡°Nope! I¡¯m his wife! Well, I¡¯m not his wife yet, but I will be! And he¡¯s my hero, too! He saved my life, have you heard? We¡¯re destined to be together!¡± Wait. Ryouta puts two and two together. ¡°I knew you were super familiar when Serra showed me a picture of her boyfriend! I was so stupid to brush that feeling off. How could I not have realized who you were? You bumping into me the other day let me see you in person, and that¡¯s when I knew you were my Ryouta!¡± ¡°Ai¡­ Aiko?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°That¡¯s me!¡± [Vol. 2 Epilogue] The True Talk Show: Episode Two This program is brought to you by New Realities Incorporated. Fantasy Tales Online headsets are available starting at seventy dollars and will transport you into a world beyond your wildest imagination! Live the fantasy life that you have always wanted to live. Kill monsters, raid epic dungeons, fight against other players in massive wars, sail the high seas and climb the tallest mountains, or just live an average life as a farmer! There is a world full of possibilities awaiting you! The audience claps as excitedly as ever. ¡°And now for our returning hosts, Rock and Oleander!¡± the announcer declares as stage lights shine down on the trap of a deer and the rock of a dog. ¡°Welcome back to another episode of The True Talk Show! I bet you¡¯ve all missed this, right? Right? Of course you did! There¡¯s no way that somebody wouldn¡¯t want more of us, right, Rock?¡± Oleander asks, holding Rock in his arms. Rock stares directly into the camera for a few seconds, her expression unchanging and body unmoving, and then barks! ¡°See? Rock agrees! Now, we¡¯ve got a show packed full of guests this time, so let¡¯s hurry up and get on with it! Our first guess is¡­. Fenny! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all had enough of him already, so we¡¯ll let him come on first to get him out of the way with.¡± Fenrir walks out onto the stage and is immediately booed. His smiling and waving to the crowd stops when he sees just how displeased they are with him. ¡°What¡¯s ¨C what¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander as he sits down on the couch for guests. ¡°Uhh, it probably has something to do with the fact that you¡¯ve got three girlfriends now and it¡¯s looking like you¡¯re about to get a fourth! They¡¯re also all super cute, so what do you expect? Most people watching this are guys who wish they could date as many cuties as you! Wait, do we even have any ladies in the audience?¡± Oleander asks, looking out into the audience. Neither of them sees a single girl anywhere in the crowd. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happens when you¡¯re part of a story where a single guy is hooking up with a bunch of cute girls! Besides, it¡¯s probably a good thing there¡¯s no girls here. She¡¯d probably just fall in love with you for no reason, and then you¡¯d get stabbed on your way out of here!¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess so,¡± Fenrir responds. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get onto the first question! Which of the girls is your favorite?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir has a bad feeling about this question. His girlfriends may not be nearby right now, but he can still feel their eyes on him and their ears listening closely for his answer. ¡°Uhh¡­ they¡¯re all great! I don¡¯t have a favorite.¡± ¡°You know how this works, Fenny. You have to answer the question or else your girlfriends become the main characters of a netorare doujin!¡± ¡°What ¨C what kind of punishment is that?!¡± ¡°The one that¡¯ll make you answer the question!¡± ¡°Alright, alright! I¡­ Serra has my favorite hips and the cutest laugh, Cassiel has the best chest and her submissive switch is great, and Nell has the cutest outfits and best fantasies ¨C and the best thighs.¡± ¡°Good enough! Don¡¯t worry, Fenny. We wanted to have a netorare doujin punishment for you, but we couldn¡¯t find any ugly old bastards that were interested. They all wanted Tabitha since she¡¯s the loli, but she was so not having any of that. Oh, and your girlfriends all threatened to kill me and the rest of the studio¡¯s staff!¡± Rock barks. ¡°However,¡± Oleander continues, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how your girlfriends felt about that answer of yours!¡± The screen above the stage turns on and shows his three lovers sitting on a couch next to each other. Serra is the only one with smiling, and she has one heck of a smug smile. Cassiel is crossing her arms over her chest with a red face and looking like she¡¯s about to erupt out of embarrassment and rage, and then Nell is holding her dress down over her thighs and looking up at the camera with one mean pout. ¡°Can I go now?¡± Fenrir asks, standing up from the couch. ¡°You can!¡± Oleander answers and hits the button on the pedestal next to him. Fenrir falls straight down through the hole opened in the floor by Oleander. His non-cut-in-half ear almost gets caught in the trapdoor when it closes. ¡°Onto our next guests ¨C the girls up on the screen, Fenrir¡¯s harem!¡± Oleander announcers. The crowd goes wild with cheering as the girls come out on stage. Almost every man in the audience is wearing a shirt with one of the girls¡¯ faces on it. Serra has the most fans in the audience followed closely by Cassiel, and while Nell may not have nearly as many fans as either of them, she does have some support. They sit down next to each other on the couch with their eyes watching the suspicious flooring. ¡°So, how¡¯s it feel being part of the harem, Nell?¡± Oleander asks her. ¡°It¡¯s great! Though, I would not quite consider it a harem so much as just a polyamorous relationship, you know?¡± Nell answers. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t say ¡®you know!¡¯ That¡¯s reserved for a certain sheep from another story.¡± ¡°Ah! Right, I¡¯m sorry! Umm, but yes, it is very nice. I get to have a boyfriend as well as two girlfriends! While being physically affectionate to Fenrir may still be a challenge at times, I have no issue showing my affection toward the girls!¡± Nell hugs Serra and presses the sides of their faces together to demonstrate her point, and then she pokes Cassiel¡¯s chest to really settle it. ¡°Wh-where do you think you¡¯re touching?!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°If I don¡¯t let the dog bastard touch me whenever he wants then that doesn¡¯t mean you can!¡± ¡°But Cass Cass, we all know you like when Fenny touches you and acts all dominant and stuff. You start acting submissive and melt in his fingers whenever he¡¯s rough with you!¡± Oleander calls her out as the screen shows several examples of that exact situation happening. Rock barks at Cassiel. ¡°Sh-shut up! I like what I like, okay?! First that bastard comes on here talking about my chest, now you¡¯re on here trying to embarrass me!¡± Cassiel shouts and pouts. ¡°Speaking of embarrassing, Nell, you sure are sensitive about your thighs! Even though you¡¯re not in your real body right now, they¡¯re still pretty thick and soft looking, aren¡¯t they?¡± Oleander asks her. Nell turns red from her face to her horns as she tries covering up her thighs as much as she can. ¡°It ¨C it is not my fault that I can¡¯t move my legs! They don¡¯t get as much exercise as they should, so they end up getting all soft and fl¡ª¡± she lowers her head, ¡°¡­flabby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Nell! I¡¯m sure Fenny is going to want to do all sorts of lewd stuff to your thighs no matter what they¡¯re like as long as they¡¯re soft!¡± Nell raises her head just a bit as fantasies generate within her mind. ¡°Now, Serra! You¡­ well, there isn¡¯t much that I can say that would get to you, is there?¡± Oleander asks. Serra shrugs and shakes her head. ¡°But! I know what will embarrass you.¡± She tilts her head to the side. A cameraman walks up in front of her and points the camera directly in her face to show up on the big screen and to everybody watching from home. ¡°How¡¯s it feel knowing that our entire audience can see nothing but your face right now?¡± Oleander asks, a sadistic and smug smile contrasting against his feminine features. Serra takes off her hat and covers her face with it. ¡°That¡¯s all for the harem members!¡± ¡°Hey, you deer bastard! I¡¯m not done with yo¡ª¡± Cassiel starts shouting, but that¡¯s when the floor opens up in front of them and then a spring underneath the couch pushes it forward to toss them all down the hole! ¡°We¡¯ll see you after the commercial!¡± Oleander announces. Rock waves her paws in the air. Ero Dungeon Evolution is now available! Taking popular themes and putting an erotic spin on them, this adult fantasy story is now available for your pleasure! Join Damian, the man obsessed with monster hentai, as he is brought to another world where everybody lives underneath an RPG system. Will he accomplish his goal of turning into a monster to have sex with cute girls as, or will he be forever stuck as a boring human? Go read the erotic fantasy Ero Dungeon Evolution if you want to find out! ¡°We¡¯re back, and our next guest is already with us!¡± Oleander points at Ull whom is making sure to go nowhere near the floorboards that everybody else has already fallen through. ¡°Hello,¡± Ull says. ¡°So, Ull, let¡¯s get right into it! Lots of people hated you, you know?¡± ¡°Trust me, I am aware. I had people leaving comments telling me that they wanted to see me drown at the bottom of the ocean, telling me that they want the wolf to kill me and skin me to use my precious deer hide as a cloak, and there is far more but I have done my best to block them from my memory.¡± ¡°You were kind¡¯ve asking for it with the whole, you know, slave harem and being a dick thing.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m just acting!¡± ¡°Just acting doesn¡¯t excuse you to do whatever you want! Gosh, somebody wasn¡¯t spanked enough as a child.¡± ¡°I prefer to do the spanking instead of getting spanked, thank you very much.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Oleander asks, that sadistic grin on his face once more as Liz shows up on the stage¡¯s screen. ¡°You see, I heard quite a few scandalous secrets about your sex life from your main squeeze there.¡± Ull looks straight on at Oleander with the most serious stare that he has ever given anybody before. ¡°How much do you want?¡± he asks. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss that later! Anyways, some of the audience is curious. Why are all of your harem members monster girls? You briefly alluded to it, but we want the whole story!¡± Ull clears his throat and proudly explains. ¡°You see, when I was a teenager, I came across a website that was dedicated to explicit images of not-quite-human girls. My fascination with ¡®monster girls¡¯ grew from there, and from that point onward, I have never held any interest in a human girl. Liz is the only exception when we are together in reality, but I always have her cosplay whenever we are doing the deed.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t like your girlfriend for who she is and can only have sex with her if she¡¯s pretending to be something she isn¡¯t? Wow, you really are an asshole, Ull! No wonder nobody likes you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not ¨C that is not what I was trying to say! I ¨C I¡­ IloveherverymuchandamgreatlyarousedbyherbodybutsheenjoysdressingupformesoIneverturnherdown,¡± Ull mumbles quickly and quietly. ¡°Whatever you say, teach!¡± ¡°Teach?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re both deer to some degree! I could call you senpai but I¡¯m not as much of a degenerate as Fenny is. Not in that sense, at least.¡± ¡°I see¡ª¡± the floor opens up beneath Ull and closes right after he drops through. ¡°Next! We were supposed to have Bone come on, but due to contractual issues, he¡¯s not legally allowed to make an appearance! Which means we¡¯ve come to our final guest, Tabitha!¡± Tabitha walks up to the stage, looks down at the floorboards, and then walks away. ¡°Wa-wait! Tabs! You¡¯re supposed to be the final guest!¡± Oleander shouts and starts to chase after her but stops when her hammer comes flying his way. ¡°Alright! Well, I guess that¡¯s all for today! Until next time, everybody! This has been Oleander and Rock with The True Talk Show!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t nice to forget the most important guest!¡± a mysterious voice calls out. Oleander and Rock look around to see who it is, but the floor beneath them opens up to swallow them whole. A single girl walks out onto the stage with a button in her hand and a wide smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s me! Aiko! How rude of them to forget about me, right? I went through all the trouble of making sure that none of those pirates would be able to come on here so that there would be time for me, but they didn¡¯t even invite me! So rude,¡± Aiko explains. A single man wearing a shirt with Aiko¡¯s face on it rises from the crowd to cheer for her. Aiko shows her appreciation, or lack of it, to the man by cringing from disgust. ¡°Gross. You¡¯re not my Ryouta, so I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t delude yourself into thinking there is any connection between us. Speaking of my Ryouta, those other girls¡­ aren¡¯t they totally cute? Ryouta deserves anybody in the world he wants! He¡¯s so perfect, and dreamy, and cute, and hot, and handsome, and perfect, and I love him, and he¡¯s amazing, and I love him, IlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehim¨C I love him, he¡¯s just so perfect, and he¡¯s so much better than all of you pathetic scum jealous of him.¡± Her expression slowly twists from one that is smiling and happy just from thinking about Ryouta to one of dark disgust as she looks over the crowd. ¡°He¡¯s the only one deserving of any love. The rest of you insects may as well¡ª¡± her voice starts getting beeped over. She glares up at the camera. ¡°Who told you to censor me? Now, where was I¡­¡± The credits start rolling. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not done yet! I haven¡¯t told everybody about how great my Ryouta is, and these insects still need to be punished for even looking at me and the others!¡± The screen goes black and apologizes for technical difficulties before reminding everybody to tune in for the next episode. Book 3: Chapter 1: Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition Ryouta would never have imagined that he¡¯d be reunited with his childhood friend, and especially not like this. The girl that he spent almost all of his free time with as a child now stands before him. He feels stupid for not noticing the similarities between her and the girl he bumped into on the street just days ago. Just looking down at her face fills him with nostalgia. She looks exactly like an older version of herself from childhood. With her brown hair styled into a bob cut that hangs down to her shoulders while covering all of her forehead, she even has the same hairstyle from when she was a kid. Her eyes, while also brown, are bright with life and excitement as she stares up into his eyes. The most distinct feature that he¡¯s ashamed for not recognizing before is that she has freckles reaching from cheek to cheek connected by a bridge of marks that extend across her nose. She had to have only been seven or eight the last time he saw her. Whereas she was a child before, now she is an adult and has a body that proves that. Everything about her is bigger than before except¡­ well, except for her chest from what he can tell when looking her over. ¡°Ry-ou-ta! Where do you think you¡¯re looking? You should be looking at my face! If you want to do that then we should wait until we¡¯re alone at least!¡± Aiko tells him, snapping his eyes from her body and back to her own eyes. ¡°Sorry, I just ¨C I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s really you. I thought I¡¯d never see you again. I tried looking you up a few times every now and then just to try and check up on you to see how you were doing, but could never find anything,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°Oh, come in and chill for a bit.¡± Aiko happily skips into his apartment. Closing the door behind her, he sees Aiko standing by Serra and signing to her. ¡°You know sign language?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Of course! I learned it just for my best friend here! Well, my only non-future-husband best friend,¡± Aiko explains. ¡°You know each other?¡± ¡°Yup, yup! We¡¯ve been besties for like¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe a couple of years now?¡± Aiko says, looking back at Ryouta, then returns to signing to Serra. However, Serra signs something that makes Aiko hug her and pet her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! It¡¯s okay, I promise!¡± she says, placing her face directly in front of Serra so that her lips can easily be read. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°She feels bad about not connecting us sooner! She said she had a feeling that I might¡¯ve been the girl you were talking about when you told her about what happened to us, but never brought it up. But, that¡¯s okay! She showed me pics of you and her together and I didn¡¯t put it together either, so we both messed up!¡± ¡°Ex-excuse me, ah, Aiko, yes?¡± Alice asks. Aiko looks at Alice and answers, ¡°That¡¯s the name!¡± ¡°By the way, Alice,¡± Ryouta interjects, ¡°I should probably mention that I didn¡¯t tell you the whole story about when I was hit by that autotruck. I got hit saving my friend by pushing her out of the way, and that friend is Aiko here.¡± Alice¡¯s eyes light up. ¡°You mean¡­ what happened afterward?¡± Alice asks. ¡°My parents sucked and took me away by making us move!¡± Aiko answers. Alice¡¯s eyes light up even more. ¡°Then¡­ my hero saved his childhood friend, sacrificing his legs in the process, and then his heroic effort was punished by being separated from the one he loved so dearly that he would put himself in harm¡¯s way for her?¡± ¡°Pretty much!¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s so horrible, but now that you are both reunited¡­ it is such a wonderfully tragic story! And now, finding out that the love of her life has already acquired three girlfriends for himself, she will compete with them to try and win back the heart of the one she loves most! But then, but then¡ª¡± ¡°Three girlfriends?¡± Aiko asks, narrowing her eyes at Ryouta. ¡°A ¨C a lot has happened these past few months,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I know about Cassandra since Serra told me about her, but who¡¯s this third girlfriend?¡± Aiko¡¯s voice lacks any of the playful excitement that it had earlier. Ryouta looks at Alice then back at Aiko. Aiko looks at Alice. The jealous, threatening glare that Aiko stares into Alice¡¯s eyes with is enough to make the latter girl shiver. Aiko looks Alice up and down before staring directly at her chest. ¡°Ryouta! Is there something wrong with having no boobs? How come everybody you collect has bigger boobs than me? Even Serra¡¯s are bigger than mine! I¡¯m half a foot taller than her but she can actually be groped! I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m a pancake!¡± Aiko whines, huffs, and stomps around while scolding Ryouta. ¡°Both of you!¡± Aiko looks at Serra and Alice now, making sure to sign along with what she says. ¡°Both of you need to share! We¡¯ll ¨C we¡¯ll transfer the fat out of yours and into mine! Then it¡¯ll be fair and I can finally stop having a little kid¡¯s chest! You both love him, and since he clearly likes boobs so much, do the right thing and share!¡± Ryouta remembers Aiko always being energetic as a child, but this is something else. Her level of energy has grown with the rest of her body. The only parts of her that haven¡¯t grown are her breasts. More importantly, he has to verify if what she really says about being smaller than Serra is true. Something about a taller girl having smaller breasts than a borderline loli is hard to believe. Since he is already well aware of Serra¡¯s size, which he knows are essentially perfect for cupping within his hands, he looks at Aiko¡¯s chest. He doesn¡¯t even see a bra outline underneath her shirt. As for anything else underneath her shirt¡­ nothing. She may be the flattest girl that he has ever seen. He¡¯s pretty sure that even Tabitha has her beat in the chest department, and Tabitha purposely made herself look like a prepubescent girl. ¡°Ry-ou-ta! I told you to wait until we¡¯re alone!¡± Aiko shouts at him. He¡¯s definitely getting noise complaints from his neighbors. Then somebody knocks on the door. Ryouta opens it and sees Cassandra standing on the other side of it with a few bags of her own packed to the point of overflowing with clothes, makeup supplies, and hygiene products. Aiko pokes her head out from behind Ryouta and looks at Cassandra ¨C or rather, she looks directly at Cassandra¡¯s chest. If there is any girl in this increasingly-complicated relationship that can be known for her bust, it is Cassandra. Even when wearing a loosely fitting sweater that shows little skin, those large mounds pressing up against its fabric are obvious to anybody whom looks her way. Aiko crosses her arms and huffs. ¡°Who¡­ is this?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Uhh, remember the girl I told you that I saved as a kid? Aiko?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Meet Aiko.¡± Cassandra''s eyes open in surprise, but then looks guilty and whispers to Ryouta, ¡°Did I do something wrong? I don¡¯t think she likes me. Did you tell her something weird about me, you bastard?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. She just has a boob complex, I think.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t have a boob complex! It¡¯s not my fault that this world is unfair! I mean, look!¡± Aiko shouts, pointing at Cassandra¡¯s chest. ¡°Those things don¡¯t need to be so big! They¡¯ll just cause her back pain and get saggy when she¡¯s old and itmakesmereallyangryandjealousbecauseminearen¡¯tthatbigandit¡¯snotfairandIwantsomeofthem! So! That is why! You! Have! To! Share!¡± Aiko explains through shouts, heavily breathing with sweat running down the side of her face once done. ¡°Uhhhhh,¡± Cassandra returns to Ryouta¡¯s ear, ¡°is she okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just energetic. At least she doesn¡¯t threaten to kill me several times on a daily basis,¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°Don¡¯t make me threaten you again right now,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Who threatens to kill you on a daily basis, husband?¡± Aiko asks, the energetic personality from before gone and replaced once more by an aura of darkness. ¡°I know nobody would ever threaten to hurt my Ryouta. Anybody who does threaten my Ryouta is clearly an insignificant insect deserving to have its little legs slowly pulled off one by one and then dissected and left for something else to eat. So, husband, please tell me exactly who has been threatening you.¡± Ryouta looks at Cassandra and sees her paralyzed in fear from Aiko¡¯s menacing presence and words. At this moment, Aiko is acting like the villain from some psychological horror movie, and he knows how much Cassandra loves horror. That is why he pushes Cassandra forward and calls her out. While Cassandra lets out a surprised squeak and tries to get back behind him, Ryouta keeps her held in front and tells Aiko, ¡°Her.¡± Aiko¡¯s eyes look into Cassandra¡¯s, and Cassandra feels as if her very soul is being glared into. Aiko is terrifying enough that Cassandra covers up her eyes and¡­ hears Aiko giggling? Cassandra uncovers her eyes and looks at the giggling Aiko. ¡°It was just her? That¡¯s okay! If she loves you then that makes us sisters! She has to be a great person if she loves you!¡± Aiko explains, holding a hand out to Cassandra. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you!¡± Cassandra¡¯s legs are still shaking when she nervously accepts Aiko¡¯s hand. ¡°Just know that if you ever really hurt him, I will return any pain he suffers tenfold,¡± Aiko explains, her dark aura returning only for a few seconds before being replaced by her smiling and energetic self. Book 3: Chapter 2: Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition Ryouta realizes the biggest change in Aiko. It took him a while ¨C it took long enough that he is ashamed and feels unworthy of considering himself an anime-addicted degenerate, but now he knows how Aiko has changed. She has become a total yandere, hasn¡¯t she? But, she seems like she isn¡¯t just any yandere. No, she is the best kind of yandere. Ryouta has always rolled his eyes at anime whenever he¡¯d see hyper-violent and extremely-jealous yanderes willing to kill people for even looking at their loves, or willing to even kill their loves if they do something wrong! What kind of love is that? That isn¡¯t love, that¡¯s just insecurity! When Ryouta analyzes Aiko¡¯s behavior thus far, he sees patterns from the much-less-popular variety of yandere. The extremely obsessive kind ¨C the kind who thinks that their love could never do any wrong and is willing to do literally anything if it results in their happiness. A normal yandere would want to be cutting off his girlfriends¡¯ heads right now to eliminate any and all competition, but instead, she¡¯s making peace with his girlfriends and considering herself just another member of the relationship. Well, it¡¯s either that or she¡¯s just pretending to get along before going on a murdering spree when they¡¯re all asleep. He should probably make sure there aren¡¯t any sharp objects around¡­ but throwing out all of his knives might be suspicious. Then again, he is sure that Aiko would never be that kind of girl. He didn¡¯t expect her to become any type of yandere, though. She was clingy and devoted to him as a child, but what caused this drastic¡­ evolution of her devotion? It may be cute to call her a yandere and align her with some character trope out of anime, but doesn¡¯t there have to be a serious reason behind this behavior ¨C something that made her this way? As much as Ryouta wishes he could freely enjoy the devoted obsession of a yandere childhood friend, he knows that no normal person would ever behave like this and that it is extremely unhealthy behavior. ¡°What are you thinking about, husband?¡± Aiko asks, standing on her toes with her face only inches away from Ryouta¡¯s. Cassandra may be intimidated by Aiko, but she isn¡¯t going to settle for a girl she isn¡¯t familiar with getting all close to her boyfriend! Cassandra places her hands on Aiko¡¯s shoulders to pull her away from Ryouta. That¡¯s when Aiko turns her head around and glares into Cassandra¡¯s eyes. Cassandra lets go of Aiko¡¯s shoulders. The more Ryouta sees this behavior from Aiko, the more he knows that it can¡¯t be allowed to continue. He can tell that Cassandra is feeling jealous and uncomfortable from her softened expression and how she¡¯s not really making eye contact with anybody. Seeing her like this ¨C seeing her feeling threatened isn¡¯t something that Ryouta is alright with. Even if Aiko is his childhood friend and sure that she¡¯ll be his wife someday, Cassandra is his girlfriend right now. Ryouta places his hands on Aiko¡¯s shoulders to gently push her away some and then grabs Cassandra¡¯s hand to pull her closer, wrapping his arm around Cassandra¡¯s shoulders to hug her against his side. Cassandra doesn¡¯t say anything nor look at anybody, but she does timidly grab onto his shirt. He doesn¡¯t have to say anything either for Aiko to get the message. She looks at the contact between him and Cassandra, her brow twitching, and sighs. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just don¡¯t like anybody trying to get between me and my husband. After what my parents did, I¡¯m not going to let anybody else do that ever again!¡± Aiko explains. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like it if we were dating and a girl you barely knew was clinging to me and putting her face in front of me, right?¡± Ryouta asks her. Aiko slumps her shoulder. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t have a problem if you want other girls as long as you want me, too, but¡­ no, I wouldn¡¯t like it,¡± she answers. ¡°Then try to understand how Cass and the others might feel.¡± Aiko lifts her head back up and looks at Cassandra. ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologizes. Then her eyes light up as if she¡¯s just realized something. ¡°Wait! If you were getting jealous because of me¡­ then we totally understand each other! We¡¯re the same! We both want Ryouta and get jealous when we¡¯re not getting attention!¡± Cassandra blinks a few times. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t get jealous! It¡¯s just,¡± Cassandra¡¯s voice gets quieter and quieter, ¡°Ryouta is mine a-and you¡¯ve been on him ever since I got here,¡± she quickly whispers, barely loud enough for anybody to hear. ¡°Alright! I know what to do,¡± Aiko announces, opening the door to Ryouta¡¯s apartment and then walking behind Ryouta and Cassandra to push them both out of it. ¡°I¡¯ll let you have some alone time with my husband to make up for it!¡± Aiko shuts the door, leaving Ryouta and Cassandra alone in the hallway. One of the elderly neighbors down the hall looks over at the commotion, shakes her head, and enters her apartment. Ryouta and Cassandra are left standing side by side and confused by the sudden situation. However, before Ryouta can say anything, Cassandra tugs his shirt and leads him down the hall. She doesn¡¯t know where exactly she¡¯s going. All she knows of this building is Ryouta¡¯s apartment, the elevator, and the lobby. But, she lucks out and finds a maintenance closet to enter with Ryouta. There is hardly enough space in it for both of them, their bodies pressed up against one another. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Ryouta asks, his voice concerned. ¡°We could¡¯ve just went into the staircase or up onto the roof if you actually wanted privacy.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know where those are! And you can go on your roof?¡± Cassandra asks. Ryouta takes her hand and leads her out of the closet they only just entered. The stairs are only a few steps away from where the closet was, and when Cassandra notices this, she blushes and looks away. He is slightly worried about what might be going on in his apartment, but only Serra, Aiko, and Alice are in there. He¡¯s sure that Serra will keep Aiko in check since they¡¯re friends. ¡°Such a selfish girl. Alice just came here from across the ocean and you¡¯re taking me away for some alone time already,¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°Shut it! You¡¯re the one leading me somewhere!¡± Cassandra huffs. ¡°I¡¯m just making sure my girlfriend is taken care of.¡± ¡°Dog bastard.¡± At the top of the stairs is a heavy door that, when opened, reveals the spacious rooftop overlooking the city. Tall fences stand along its edges and lounging chairs are scattered around. Cassandra slips out from Ryouta¡¯s grasp to walk up to the edge of the roof and look out over the city. ¡°You can really see everything from up here, can¡¯t you?¡± she asks. ¡°Almost everything. This place is taller than most buildings, but all those financial ones in the business district are crazy,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°So, did you actually have something you wanted to talk about in private, or did you just want to listen to Aiko and have some alone time? I¡¯ve got to say, she¡¯s a lot pushier than I remember. Got pushed out of my own apartment.¡± Cassandra turns around and looks at Ryouta with a serious expression. It¡¯s the kind of expression which screams ¡°we need to talk,¡± but fortunately, those dreadful words are not uttered. Instead, her expression softens and she has to try her hardest to maintain eye contact. ¡°Never tell anybody about what I¡¯m about to say,¡± she orders him. ¡°Alright. I promise I won¡¯t. Unless you¡¯re about to tell me that you¡¯re planning on killing me or the others or something like that.¡± Her expression turns serious again. ¡°Alright, alright. Seriously, I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°You better not, you bastard¡­ a-anyways, what¡¯s going to happen with her?¡± ¡°Who? Aiko?¡± Cassandra nods. ¡°Uhhh, I¡¯m not sure what you mean. We¡¯ll be friends and stay in touch, I guess?¡± ¡°What about all that husband talk? You knew her better than you know us, and you used to be friends as kids, and you almost got killed for her ¨C you saved her, and she seems obsessed with you.¡± Ryouta pats her head and hugs her. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you feeling this jealous before.¡± ¡°Shut it! I ¨C I am, alright? How am I supposed to feel when some girl I don¡¯t know is in my boyfriend¡¯s home and acting all clingy then getting possessive when I try to pull her off you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I would be jealous, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Serra and Alice feel the same¡­ they¡¯re just better at hiding it than me. I just ¨C you¡¯re not going to forget about us now that she¡¯s back, right?¡± No words are spoken. The only response that Cassandra gets from Ryouta is gentle shaking. It almost feels as if he¡¯s crying while hugging her still. After what she said, and him supposedly crying¡­ is he really going to leave? Cassandra¡¯s heart sinks into her¡ª Ryouta bursts out laughing. ¡°La-laughing?! Why are you laughing, bastard?!¡± Cassandra shouts, pushing him off of her. Ryouta has to wipe away his tears from how hard he¡¯s laughing. ¡°Am I going to forget about you and the others?¡± Ryouta repeats her question, still laughing. ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s the most ridiculous, hilarious thing I¡¯ve ever heard you say. Sorry, but no matter who comes back into my life, even if they¡¯re offering me billions of dollars to forget about you all, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m ever going to do that. Now, if they offer a trillion dollars, I might have to consider it.¡± Cassandra punches his shoulder before hugging him. ¡°You¡¯re a bastard,¡± she says into his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m your bastard, and it¡¯s going to stay that way. Now, feel better?¡± She nods her head against his shirt. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s get back to the others.¡± Book 3: Chapter 3: Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition Ryouta, with Cassandra¡¯s hand in his own, opens the door to his apartment and is bewildered at the sight in front of him. ¡°A-ah, your rope tying skills are rather impressive, but the knots are loose and you seem afraid of applying enough pressure,¡± Alice says, her body on the floor with her limbs tied behind her back with some fancy looking knots and Aiko kneeling next to her with an intense expression. ¡°I see, I see. Hmm. I should have practiced more¡­ I always imagined myself being the one getting tied up, but if other girls are involved, it would be good to get better at tying you all up,¡± Aiko mumbles to herself. ¡°You should! I cannot be the only one who knows proper binding techniques! It greatly bothered me when I used to be a man¡¯s slave in the game we play together ¨C he and his men tied the most barbaric of knots that lacked all form and grace. Proper rope play requires practice and technique!¡± ¡°I see, I see! Alright! I¡¯ll do my best to master all the techniques!¡± ¡°Uhhhhhh,¡± Ryouta interrupts their binding-and-bonding session. He has no idea where that rope even came from until he sees one of Alice''s suitcases opened nearby. Aiko looks elated from Ryouta¡¯s return but Alice¡¯s face turns bright red as she looks him directly in the eyes, her legs and arms tied up in the air behind her back. ¡°Husband! I really like this mistress of yours. We¡¯ve got tons of similar tastes! I found out that she¡¯s a total rope bunny and¡ª¡± Aiko gets interrupted with Alice wiggles across the floor to headbutt Aiko¡¯s knee. ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t need to tell him all of that! There is a time and place for such things¡­ though, it is true. Ah, to be embarrassed in front of my hero so¡­ I¡¯m just imagining being tied and gagged, left behind for the hero to find after being used and abused by a gang of men, my limbs unable to be felt from how long they have been bound and my mind broken and addicted to their co¡ª¡± ¡°You already can¡¯t feel half your limbs,¡± Cassandra interrupts. Alice pouts and wiggles her hands until they slip out from the amateur bind from Aiko. She then unties her ankles and legs, and once freed from their rope, her legs flop straight down onto the floor. Ryouta ignores this situation and looks for Serra instead. ¡°Where¡¯s Serra?¡± he asks. ¡°Serra had to go to the bathroom, but it has been a while,¡± Alice answers. Now that Ryouta thinks about it, checking on her if she¡¯s in the bathroom would be a difficult thing to do given that she¡¯s deaf. She would not be able to hear him if he¡¯s calling on her to check up on her, and unless she tries to just make some really loud and probably unintelligible noises, he wouldn¡¯t know that anything is wrong. ¡°I¡¯ll check on her,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Ryouta, you¡­ do something about these two deviants. So help me if I wake up all tied up someday.¡± She stops to think about what she just said. Both Alice and Aiko recognize that look growing in Cassandra¡¯s eyes. Cassandra shakes her head, her cheeks now red, and stomps into Ryouta¡¯s bedroom to get to the bathroom. It is only a few seconds later that Cassandra screams at the top of her lungs. Ryouta rushes into the bedroom. Cassandra and Serra are holding each other on his bed and pointing up above him on the wall. Looking up, a spider larger than his hand is resting just a couple of feet above him on the wall. It is massive enough and close enough that he sees all of its tiny, black eyes staring directly at him. ¡°Kill it!¡± Cassandra shouts. Ryouta takes a step back out of the doorframe and back into the living room. He looks at his two scared girlfriends and bows. ¡°I am sorry. Good luck,¡± he says. ¡°Kill it, you dog bastard!¡± Cassandra tries shouting again. ¡°I accept you killing me next time we are in-game. Cassandra, Serra, I love you both, but I am sorry,¡± he says, his voice calm and serious despite his heart racing and mind telling him to burn down the entire apartment building. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Aiko asks, walking into the bedroom. Then she sees it. Then she hops up to grab the spider by its massive abdomen and hold it in her hand. ¡°I almost forgot! You were always scared of bugs, Ryouta,¡± Aiko says, holding the spider out toward him but getting confused when he¡¯s no longer where he just was. Instead, he¡¯s standing in the back corner of his kitchen as physically far away from her and the spider as possible. The spider frantically tries crawling out from her hand and adjusting its body enough to bite her fingers, but Aiko is careful to hold it firmly while making sure that its head can¡¯t reach her. She holds it in front of her face and stares into its eyes. Its legs stop wiggling around when her dark aura comes back, her eyes full of hatred and disgust as she glares into its own. ¡°You scared my Ryouta. Do you understand what that means?¡± Aiko asks the spider. If the spider could gulp, it would. Aiko walks into the bathroom. A few moments pass before they hear the toilet flush and the water run. When she comes out, the spider is no longer within her hand but one of its legs is stuck on the side of it and some¡­ what can only be assumed to be the spider¡¯s internal fluids are on her shirt. She looks down at her shirt and cringes. ¡°It squirted its blood on me! Who gave it the right to dirty me while crushing it?! I don¡¯t want spider juice on my clothes!¡± she whines and groans, not even noticing the spider leg stuck on her hand until Serra points at it. ¡°Now I want to kill it again!¡± Aiko stomps back into the bathroom and comes out with a hand free of spider legs and without a shirt on. To Serra¡¯s and Cassandra¡¯s surprise, she has nothing left on covering her torso. Her bare breasts ¨C or rather, her nipples are in the open for them to see. If it wasn¡¯t obvious that she was flat before, it is extremely obvious now as there is just no elevation for her nipples to be seen. Having large breasts does cause Cassandra her fair share of problems, but she would still want to have something. Aiko has nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like you¡¯re pitying me!¡± Aiko shouts at her, stomping her feet. A girl stomping around would normally have some bounce when it comes to her chest, but there is no bounce for Aiko¡¯s. Serra just looks happy that she¡¯s not the smallest anymore in that department. She may be the smallest when it comes to overall size, beaten only by Tabitha, but even Serra¡¯s modest chest is large compared to Aiko¡¯s complete lack of breasts. Ryouta, with Alice in his arms so that she¡¯s not left lying on the floor, walks back into his bedroom and stops in the doorframe once more. He is frozen by surprise rather than fear this time when his eyes spot Aiko¡¯s bare chest. ¡°M-maybe we should have a surgery to share,¡± Alice says, joining Cassandra in looking at Aiko with pity. ¡°Husband! I ¨C I know that I¡¯m just a pancake, but ¨C but you''re still into this sort of thing, right? Right?! I mean, you¡¯re dating Serra, so you have to like this sort of thing!¡± Aiko asks, pushing her arms together to try and push her non-existent breasts together in an attempt at making them look larger. Alas, it has no effect at all. ¡°I ¨C uhh, well, for one, you shouldn¡¯t really call yourself a pancake. Pancake boobs look totally different, like saggy water balloons diagnosed with depression. You¡¯re just¡­ uhh¡­ overflowing with justice?¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Why are you still looking?!¡± Cassandra shouts at him and throws a pillow, not noticing that he¡¯s holding Alice, so it ends up hitting them both in the face. ¡°I mean, we used to take baths together as kids, and her chest hasn¡¯t really changed much since then. So it¡¯s not like¡ª¡± ¡°Ryouta! You jerk! You¡¯re still the best husband in the whole entire world, but you¡¯re still a jerk! I love you so much, but you¡¯re a jerk! You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re so perfect!¡± Aiko cries and whines with watery eyes. ¡°You mean you¡¯ve taken baths with her before?¡± Cassandra asks, her tone as if she¡¯s interrogating him. ¡°Y-yeah, as kids,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°You haven¡¯t taken a bath with us yet! You can¡¯t bathe with other women but not us!¡± Alice raises a hand over her mouth and giggles only loudly enough for Ryouta to hear. ¡°My, my, my hero. It seems that the next six months are going to be very busy for you,¡± she whispers, leaning up in his arms until her lips are right next to his ear. ¡°I would not mind bathing with you as well,¡± she whispers, her soft voice being transformed into an erotic and alluring one from the proximity to his ear. It doesn¡¯t help that she gives his earlobe a quick nibble before settling back down into his arms. ¡°I saw that!¡± Cassandra shouts. ¡°I ¨C now you have to take baths with us and let us do that!¡± she explains, reaching her arm out to grab Serra for some backup, but falls sideways onto the bed instead. Rather than sit on the bed next to Cassandra, Serra now sits at Ryouta¡¯s computer desk and has Ryouta¡¯s favorite website for hentai up on the screen. Ryouta freezes. He¡¯s the kind of man who actually makes accounts on hentai websites and favorites all of his favorite doujins. It doesn¡¯t take long for Serra to open up his already-logged-in account and get into his favorites. Ryouta does not know if he is going to survive these next six months ¨C no, he does not know if he is going to survive this day. Book 3: Chapter 4: Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition ¡°Isn¡¯t ¨C isn¡¯t this a bit overkill? I mean¡­ is it that important?¡± Ryouta asks. Cassandra, standing behind him with her arms locked underneath his own and holding him back, asks, ¡°You don¡¯t want to hide anything from us, right?¡± ¡°This is good research material. Great idea, Serra!¡± Aiko praises, patting Serra on top of her head. Even Alice is in the room now, sitting in her wheelchair next to Serra. Ryouta is going to have to start deleting his history. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t try stopping you. It¡¯s embarrassing, but there isn¡¯t anything too bad in there. I think,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Promise?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I promise.¡± With that, Cassandra lets go of him and they both walk over to join the other three girls. Ryouta has regrets. He forgot that the very first doujin in his list¡ªthe one with the highest rating that he can give¡ªis full on tentacles. Everybody gets to experience the wonderful flavor of tentacle grape in it, and now his girlfriends and Aiko get to look at the pages full of erotic tentacles and cute girls as well. Serra turns around, looks at him, and gives him a thumbs-up before returning her attention to the doujin. ¡°I think I would rather you have tried to stop me from seeing this, you¡­ perverted dog bastard,¡± Cassandra says, upgrading his nickname to a whole new level. ¡°I see, I see. So, these are the kinds of situations you like, Ryouta? Ooh! That expression she¡¯s making¡­ I¡¯ll have to remember that. And making peace signs! But, I think I would probably die if anything that big tried entering me,¡± Aiko says. ¡°I would prefer monsters or even wild beasts over strange looking octopus creatures, but I love this scenario! To have your entire being broken down to just accepting whatever your new master forces unto you ¨C it¡¯s wonderful!¡± Alice commentates. ¡°How do you even get into stuff like this?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Well, uhh¡­ I guess this kind of thing just sort of happens when you¡¯re on the internet for so long,¡± Ryouta tries explaining, but she¡¯s not impressed by his answer. None of the girls are surprised by the next doujins in the list, however. Girls wearing sweaters are on the covers of the next seven doujins, then there are more tentacles, then more sweaters. However, something that Serra and Cassandra realize is that most of the girls in his top-rated favorites look like they do. Half the girls are short and petite girls with long, silvery hair and the other half are busty blondes. Serra opens up one of the ones with a girl that looks like herself and notices the ¡°loli¡± tag next to the cover, highlighting it for them all to see. Next, she opens a new tab and goes to the city¡¯s government¡¯s website. Her final destination is the section for the city¡¯s police where she highlights their phone number and takes out her cell phone. ¡°H-hey now, it¡¯s not my fault that people like to label anything with short and petite girls as loli even if they¡¯re not actually lolis. I mean, you¡¯re not a loli, Serra,¡± Ryouta explains to her, but given that she¡¯s looking at her phone and pretending to input the police¡¯s number, she doesn¡¯t hear any of it. The other girls find it amusing at least. Well, maybe not Cassandra. Cassandra is definitely judging him. ¡°Cass Cass, don¡¯t forget that you¡¯ve done things to her body, too. If I¡¯m going to jail over Serra, you¡¯re coming with me,¡± Ryouta tells her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that sort of thing out loud!¡± Cassandra shouts, her face red. Serra lost interest in her own joke and has moved onto the next doujins in his list. No longer are the girls like herself and Cassandra, but instead look like monsters. There are girls like Alice¡¯s in-game character but with one giant tail instead of legs, girls with fur-covered arms and legs, girls with the tails and ears of common household pets, and even one girl with the lower body of a spider. Both Serra and Cassandra judge him for the spider. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s different if the spider is a cute girl, too,¡± Ryouta explains. One cover seems to have drawn Aiko¡¯s attention more than the others. When Ryouta looks at where she¡¯s looking, he sees her staring at probably the bustiest girl out of all the covers. Her breasts are just utterly massive, she¡¯s wearing skimpy clothes, and has cat ears and a cat tail. ¡°I knew it, you like them huge!¡± Aiko says with an accusatory voice. ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t like them big, just that I like all sizes! Hey, where¡¯d you get that notepad from? Isn¡¯t paper super expensive now?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Oh, this? This is what I¡¯ve been using to keep my notes on you ever since we bumped into each other! I¡¯ve got your sleeping pattern, how often you go to the bathroom, how much time you spend on the computer, and all that!¡± Aiko explains. ¡°And now I have your fetishes and preferred body types!¡± ¡°How ¨C how¡¯d you find out all that other stuff?¡± Aiko points at his window. Across the street is a large, tall building that he considered moving into but had less privacy, so he chose his current apartment instead. ¡°That window right there is in a hall, so I can stand there and look into your room from there!¡± Aiko explains. Ryouta closes his blinds. ¡°Thank you for telling me I need to always keep my blinds closed. I never considered anybody looking in here from over there,¡± he explains. ¡°It¡¯s okay! I don¡¯t need to collect information on you from there anymore now that I¡¯m here with you!¡± Aiko says. While Ryouta may be the one with the browsing history full of hentai that Serra is still scrolling through, Aiko is the one being judged by Cassandra, Alice, and Ryouta. Aiko, immune to their judging stares, changes the subject. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s that game you all play again? Fantasy Something Something?¡± she asks. ¡°Fantasy Tales Online, yeah. Why?¡± Ryouta asks back. ¡°Because I want to play! It¡¯s not fair that everybody else gets to play with you while I don¡¯t! But¡­ if you¡¯re playing that game and in bed while playing it¡­ I could play with your real body while you play around in the game.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call the police on you,¡± Cassandra tells her. ¡°It¡¯s alright, the headsets come with the game and they¡¯re pretty cheap right now. There¡¯s a half-off sale, I think,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°Oh! Is it that game that¡¯s been in the news lately? Some countries wanting to ban it or something?¡± Aiko asks. ¡°That¡¯s in the news again? I remember some countries getting pretty upset with it at first, but I thought they were done talking about. But yeah, this is probably the game they were talking about.¡± Aiko pulls out her phone, taps away for about thirty seconds, and then shoves it back into her pocket. ¡°Alright! I ordered one of the headsets. It¡¯ll be delivered here in a couple of days!¡± she explains. ¡°Here? Why didn¡¯t you have it sent to your home?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so silly, Ry-ou-ta! This is my home now. I already broke my lease and used the rest of my money to hire a moving van to bring all my stuff over! It should be here in a couple of hours.¡± ¡°When ¨C when did you do that?¡± ¡°A couple of hours ago!¡± Serra, Cassandra, Alice, and now Aiko¡­ are all going to be staying with him? There is no way that this place is large enough for them all, plus there is the fact that he won¡¯t be able to afford those insane expenses. His bed is only big enough for three people at most, his couch is only big enough for one person to sleep on, and there is nowhere else to sleep. So, if his girlfriends share his bed and Aiko has the couch, that leaves him with either the floor or the bathtub. ¡°You can¡¯t just completely change your life and move in just like that!¡± Cassandra scolds Aiko. ¡°Why not? I saw you bring some of your own stuff, so aren¡¯t you doing the same?¡± Aiko asks. ¡°That¡¯s different! I still have my apartment and most of my stuff there! I¡¯m just staying over for a while since Alice is.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m just staying over forever because Ryouta is!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s alright. Aiko can have the couch until we figure out something better for her,¡± Ryouta interjects. ¡°Yay! See? I knew Ryouta would want me staying here!¡± Aiko cheers and clings onto him. Cassandra looks ready to shout again but turns around when she hears Serra giggling. Everybody looks over at what¡¯s on the computer screen. Oh. Oh no. The worst possible thing that could happen is currently happening. There is truly no situation worse than this. Serra found the folder of his old attempts at drawing hentai. Book 3: Chapter 5: Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition Ryouta never wanted to have to ever get rough with any of his girlfriends for any reason. However, when it comes to this one important matter, not even Serra¡¯s cuteness is able to stop him from stealing the mouse from her, dragging the folder that shall never be opened into the trash, and then emptying it. Serra looks up at him with a frustrated pout and flicks him on the forehead. He knows that he deserves this, but he also knows that the contents of the folder are better off forever lost than ever being seen by mortal eyes again. Wanting to keep them around for sentimental value is not anywhere near as important as them being seen by others¡¯ eyes. ¡°What was it? I didn¡¯t get to see,¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Hmm. It looked like it might have been my husband¡¯s¡ª¡± Aiko¡¯s voice gets cut off when Ryouta places his hand over it, muffling her words. Aiko starts squirming around in his grasp and even licks his hand which causes him to quickly take it away from her. ¡°Unfortunately, I did not get to see it either,¡± Alice says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It was just something stupid that I forgot to delete,¡± Ryouta explains. He¡¯s technically not lying. He also needs to change the subject before either Aiko or Serra tell them what the folder was. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Want to go out and grab some food?¡± he asks the group and then signs the question to Serra. Bringing up food starts a chain reaction of the girls¡¯ stomachs embarrassingly growling. ¡°Dinner it is,¡± Ryouta confirms. ¡°Alice, anywhere you want to go? You¡¯ve never been here before, so it¡¯s your choice.¡± ¡°My hero, I appreciate the consideration, but I know nothing about this city nor what food it may have to offer. Do you have any recommendations?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Right. Uhh, there¡¯s a really good ramen place that I go to with Spencer whenever he visits, but I think our group is a bit large for there. The staff always look kind of annoyed when more than three people go there in a group. There¡¯s the place that Cass Cass works a¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Cassandra interrupts. ¡°So yeah, not there either. Whole bunch of fast food places, but I don¡¯t want to take a princess out for fast food.¡± ¡°Princess? Can I be your princess, too, Ry-ou-ta?¡± Aiko asks. ¡°Oh, I mean, she¡¯s like a literal princess. Royal blood and all that,¡± Ryouta explains. Aiko looks at Alice and blinks. ¡°Woah. Seriously? Shouldn¡¯t you be like, super rich then?¡± ¡°I am! Well, my family is,¡± Alice answers. ¡°Then why¡¯re you in a wheelchair? Why not just get one of those fancy rich people surgeries?¡± ¡°A-ah, well¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re being rude, Aiko. Sorry, Alice,¡± Ryouta says, but Alice shakes her head and has everybody¡¯s eyes on her already. ¡°It is most alright. I have simply accepted my condition and fear that this body would no longer feel like my own if I went through with such an operation. Whether it is using technology to force control over my legs or replacing them with prosthetics, neither of those sound appealing to me. Plus, I do love my tragedy, and being in a wheelchair is very tragic!¡± Alice explains, smiling and clapping her hands together. ¡°Sorry, Ryouta was right, I was rude,¡± Aiko whimpers. ¡°But thanks for answering me anyways.¡± ¡°It is most alright, Aiko. It is not the first time I have been asked that and I am sure that it will not be the last. Now then! Let us return to our venue discussion. While I may love tragedy, being a starving heroine is not a theme that I particularly enjoy.¡± ¡°Alright! Then, uhh, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Ryouta resumes thinking about where to eat, and Serra has got his back by opening up a search engine in his browser and pulling up all nearby restaurants. ¡°That¡­ probably would have been a smart thing to think of myself. I don¡¯t exactly get out much, so I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s around here.¡± ¡°Worry not, my hero! I can be very needy at times, so I am sure that I will have you taking me out almost daily! We shall explore this city of yours together.¡± ¡°And my wallet will cry the entire time,¡± Ryouta thinks to himself. Serra opens up a page for a food joint named ¡°Roaring Marco¡¯s New Charleston¡¯s Favorite Burgers.¡± She then turns around, points at the screen with one hand, and looks at the group with a bit of drool coming from her mouth. ¡°Shall we head there? It seems as if Serra would very much enjoy it, and I am sure that I will as well!¡± Alice says, trying to ignore the picture of the very obese man shouting while holding burgers in his hands. Ryouta figures the man in that picture must be Roaring Marco. ¡°I¡¯ve been there. Their burgers really are probably the best in the city,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re great!¡± Aiko backs them up. ¡°Serra always wants to go there for our lunch dates. N-not that they¡¯re serious dates, Ryouta! You know what I mean, like, when two girls just go out and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know what you mean. Besides, even if they were real dates, who could say no to Serra?¡± Ryouta says, pinching one of Serra¡¯s cheek before signing that they¡¯ll go there. ¡°I forgot. How often do you see Olly ¨C Spencer, again?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Twice a month,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Will we ever get to meet him?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, sure. He¡¯ll probably come drop me off here drunk like usual, so you can all meet him then.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just go out with you two?¡± ¡°Cassandra, we must not get in the way of men¡¯s time out! I am sure that we will find enjoyable things to do on our own while they spend time together discussing masculine things such as horse racing and fine scotches!¡± Alice explains. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the horse racing part, but I do like a good bourbon. But yeah, sorry, Cass Cass. Those days are usually just for ourselves. Though, knowing him, he probably wouldn¡¯t mind if you all tag along,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Husband, you¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re into men, too? You¡¯ve become so promiscuous¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I do not believe that I could cope with another man being involved in our relationship!¡± Aiko says, automatically jumping to crazy conclusions. Ryouta could correct her. He could also play around with this. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I just love his dick. Can¡¯t get enough of it,¡± he teases. Aiko stands as still as a statue for a few moments before erratically twitching. That dark aura comes back with some desperation mixed into it. ¡°If ¨C if, if my husband requires me to pl-pleasure another man to get closer to him th-then I shall¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a joke! Just a joke. I don¡¯t like dicks other than my own, and I like my own dick like a brother instead of a lover.¡± All girls with functional hearing look at him. ¡°You took it too far and got weird,¡± Cassandra says. Alice and Aiko nod while Serra salivates from scrolling through pictures of burgers on his computer. ¡°Oh! I keep on forgetting to say this, but I shall be paying for everything for the duration of my stay,¡± Alice says. ¡°Eh?¡± Ryouta looks at her. Alice has a smug smile and a card in her hand. ¡°Feel free to use this for any and all expenses for as long as I am staying with you!¡± she says, tossing it over to him. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure?¡± ¡°I hope that this gesture does not feel emasculating to you, my hero, but my father was worried about you not being able to afford me. With so many others staying here with us as well, I would feel horrible knowing that I have caused such financial strain! Whether it be for rent or food, please make use of my family¡¯s funds.¡± Ryouta looks down at the card in his hand and feels like a mountain¡¯s weight worth of responsibility has just been placed on his shoulders. If his guess about how rich Alice is ends up being correct, then he could probably buy a personal jet with this one card! ¡°My father did, however, want me to inform you that he would be monitoring all purchases just to be safe,¡± Alice says. Alright, so maybe he won¡¯t be buying a jet¡ªnot that he would have in the first place¡ªbut it¡¯s still nice to have this. He may have more responsibility now, but the weight on his shoulders added from the responsibility attached to this card is not as heavy as the weight that has been lifted by not needing to stress about money. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ have to call him and thank him. Can you give me his number? I feel like I should thank him before using it,¡± Ryouta says. Alice, with a massive smile on her face, nods. ¡°He¡¯s going to love you for that! He may be silly at times, but he values respect above all else. He is going to be wondering when our wedding will be if you personally thank him!¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that big of a deal. It¡¯s just the right thing to do.¡± ¡°Exactly why he will love you! All the previous boys whom have attempted courting me only pretended to be respectful, and their acts were obvious to both my father and myself.¡± ¡°I wish I was as good as you two seeing through bullshit,¡± Cassandra says with a sigh. ¡°I swear if this dog bastard ever screws me then I¡¯m giving up on the whole dating thing.¡± ¡°But haven¡¯t I already done that?¡± Ryouta asks, letting his finger obviously approach her side. ¡°Shut it! You know what I mean, you perverted dog bastard,¡± she says and swipes his hand away. Her other side is left wide open for Serra¡¯s finger to sneak in from behind and poke. Aiko gets her first hearing of Cassandra¡¯s signature squeak. Book 3: Chapter 6: Patch 1.0: The Latest Addition Ryouta has decided to leave the girls in the apartment for some privacy while calling Alice¡¯s dad. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t trust his girlfriends to not do anything in the background while on the phone with him, but he can never be sure when it comes to them. Though, the main reason is that ¨C well, he¡¯s extremely nervous about this. He¡¯s going to be talking to royalty! Well, not official royalty, but still. Talking to somebody who could be a king is far more intimidating than talking to his princess of a girlfriend. He gulps, stares at the number inputted on his phone, and calls it. ¡°Ryouta!¡± an older man¡¯s voice booms from Ryouta¡¯s phone. ¡°Y-yeah, uhhh, is this¡­ William?¡± Ryouta asks. He wasn¡¯t expecting them to know his number already. ¡°Ah, pardon my manners. Yes, this is Alice¡¯s father. Please, feel free to just call me Will.¡± ¡°Alright, Will.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to talking to you! Ever since Alice first told me about what you were doing for her in that game you two play, I have been hoping for the opportunity to talk with you!¡± ¡°You ¨C you have been?¡± ¡°Of course! My daughter has been nothing but smiles since you two met. She told me all about how you promised to save her, fought for her and freed her, and won the day! It was a magnificent tale that she told me. I know that she is very attached to her character and loves talking about everything she can do with it, so for you to save her and give her the freedom that I want for her, you have earned my respect.¡± Ryouta¡¯s heart feels like it¡¯s about to beat out of his chest from the high praise he is getting. A could-be king respects him? ¡°She¡¯s worth fighting for,¡± he says. ¡°Ah! If only I could knight you! The hero who saves the princess deserves to be knighted! And then, just imagine after being knighted, you corrupt her against me and take over my kingdom! The hero-turned-evil-lord using the royal daughter against her own family! Alas, no matter how many of my forces I would send against you, they would all be obliterated and¡ª¡± Ryouta understands more and more where Alice gets her eccentric fantasies from. ¡°Ah, excuse me. I was getting ahead of myself. I suppose I should at least wait until you two are married before thinking of being plotted against and dying in a heroic, final cavalry charge,¡± Will says. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m used to Alice¡¯s fantasies already. Anyways, I wanted to call and thank you for allowing me to use this card you gave her. I¡¯ve uhh, got some money problems myself here, and it seems like ¨C has she told you about Serra and Cassandra?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°The short and deaf girl and the blonde one with the large chest?¡± ¡°Yeah, that pretty much sums them up. Anyways, they¡¯re going to be staying as well, and my bank account has been running pretty low, so I appreciate this. Seriously.¡± ¡°Worry not, Ryouta! Ah, wait. Am I pronouncing your name correctly? I apologize, for I have always been poor at pronouncing Asian names.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it fine.¡± ¡°Wonderful! Now, please do not worry about your financial situation. Keep my daughter happy and I will ensure that money is not an issue. Our family may no longer be in charge, but we do still own plenty of valuable property, businesses, and stocks. My wife and I have far too much money ¨C we have no idea what to do with it all! If the money can be spent on making two young lovers smile, then that may be the most noble use of it.¡± Ryouta wipes his eyes. He wasn¡¯t expecting to get emotional from this, but Will¡¯s kind voice and gesture are too much for his emotions. A could-be king not only respects him but is doing one of the kindest things that anybody has ever done for him. At the same time¡­ he misses his parents. This is his first interaction with parents since his passed away. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Will asks after hearing Ryouta sniffling. ¡°Yeah! Yeah, I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m just uhh, really grateful. Thank you. I just uhh, don¡¯t really know what to say other than that. Kind of overwhelmed if I¡¯m being honest. Never talked to a girl¡¯s parents before and you¡¯re doing all this for me despite not even really knowing me,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°I may not know you well, but I do know my daughter and I know that she is an excellent judge of character. If she admires you then that means you are a man worthy of admiration. Many have tried to earn that admiration from her, but only you have succeeded.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make me choke up even more,¡± Ryouta says followed by a chuckle and sniffle. ¡°Just make sure that you come visit us sometime! My wife and I would love to meet you in person, and the beds here are very large.¡± ¡°The beds are large?¡± ¡°There are four of you, are there not? A large bed is required to comfortably fit four lovers. I can hardly imagine how such an arrangement would work on a smaller bed. Producing heirs would be even more difficult.¡± This is when Ryouta decides that it might be time to hang up. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll meet you someday. Maybe after these six months, I¡¯ll go back over with her.¡± ¡°Then I shall begin preparing for your arrival! My wife will likely wish to contact you to ascertain any food allergies or medical concerns that you may have. I know, she likes to plan a bit earlier than she needs to. By the way, do you have a preferred material for sheets and pillows? Is there a particular color you would like your room to be?¡± His wife isn¡¯t the only one preparing too early. ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll think about it. Anyways, sorry to cut this off, but we¡¯re about to go out and eat. I just wanted to thank you for letting me use the card.¡± ¡°You are most welcome, Ryouta. Just ensure that my daughter is smiling and you will have naught to worry about. If, however, she stops smiling¡­ I am sure you would never allow that to happen, yes? Because, if you were to allow that¡­¡± Even if Ryouta can only hear Will¡¯s voice, he can tell that the aura surrounding him has completely changed. He no longer sounds like some goofy and lovable dad, instead sounding like an authoritative king willing to wage war for his daughter. Ryouta gulps and nods, ¡°I won¡¯t allow that. Promise.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Will says, sounding like his previous self. ¡°Now, please go and enjoy your dinner date. Ah, one last thing. Please do not mind it if you see men following and watching you while you are out. You see, we may no longer be in power, but we still have security that accompanies all members of the royal family.¡± Ryouta¡¯s first thought is that he can piss people off as much as he wants to now in online games and not have to worry about crazy stalkers wanting to kill him for it. He¡¯s got free security now! Though, knowing that he¡¯s always being watched and followed does make him uneasy. It¡¯s not like the government doesn¡¯t already do that to everybody, though. ¡°Got it, thanks for letting me know.¡± ¡°Any activities you do in private will, of course, stay private. Please do not let the concern of being observed take away your desire to produce heirs for the family.¡± Ryouta stands speechless with a reddened face. How is he supposed to react to something like that? ¡°You see, my wife and I have been longing for grandchildren for some time now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll, uhh, see what I can do?¡± ¡°Perfect. Well, I suppose I should leave you to get to it! Goodbye, Ryouta!¡± The call ends. Ryouta stares at his phone and thinks about what he just said about seeing what he could do. He turns around and sees a man in plain clothes and sunglasses looking at his phone. The man looks at Ryouta, nods, and then goes back to pretending to look at his phone. Alright, maybe the whole being followed and protected thing is more uncomforting than he thought it would be. At least he has official experience now in talking to his girlfriends¡¯ parents. Ryouta returns to his apartment and sees both Alice and Aiko tied up with Serra standing behind them, rope in her hands and a smug smile on her face. ¡°Uhhh.¡± Serra sets down her rope and signs ¡°practice¡± to him and then lets him know that her mother is waiting in the lobby with Serra¡¯s stuff for her to stay over. ¡°I¡¯ll go get those,¡± Ryouta signs back. He might as well just meet everybody''s parents at this rate. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Cassandra says, jumping out from behind his couch. ¡°Why ¨C why were you back there?¡± ¡°I was hiding from Serra. She said she wanted to practice on me next.¡± ¡°You should experience the pleasure of being tied up and left helpless!¡± Alice says. ¡°Yeah! Being tied up is way better than doing the tying!¡± Aiko agrees. Serra picks the rope back up and looks at Ryouta and Cassandra. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Ryouta tells Cassandra. Book 3: Chapter 7: Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers Ryouta and Cassandra reach the apartment complex¡¯s lobby and see a short, older woman with shoulder-length hair the same color as Serra¡¯s. She lights up and runs over with her arms raised in the air as soon as she sees Ryouta and Cassandra. Neither of them knows how to react other than by standing still and letting her rush at them, leaving a few suitcases behind on the floor. ¡°Roota! Cassandra!¡± the woman calls out, wrapping her arms around them as soon as she¡¯s close. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know how to feel about hearing his name so mispronounced. Should he correct her? No, he¡¯d feel like he¡¯s being rude if he does that. He guesses that he¡¯s ¡°Roota¡± now. The woman unwraps her arms from them and instead rests her hands on their shoulders, getting a good look at them. ¡°Serra has shown me pictures of you two, but I¡¯m so happy that I¡¯m finally meeting you! You¡¯re all she talks about and is always looking at your pictures on her phone,¡± Serra¡¯s mom says. Ryouta and Cassandra have never really pictured Serra acting like that before, but now that they are, they each blush from how cute the thought is. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Oh! My manners, I¡¯m so sorry. My name is Lilian. Did I pronounce your name correctly, Roota?¡± Lilian asks. ¡°Ah, uhh, it¡¯s Ryouta,¡± he answers. ¡°Reeohtah?¡± ¡°Ryouta.¡± ¡°Ryouta¡­ is that right?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got it now.¡± ¡°Great! Sorry for messing it up. I haven¡¯t known many Asians. You don¡¯t seem just Asian, though¡­ European mother? I can¡¯t figure out which country, but you definitely have some European in you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed. People always assume my dad was the European one, but you¡¯re right.¡± Serra¡¯s mom triumphantly places her hands on her hips and nods her head a few times. ¡°Of course I am! Mothers can tell these sorts of things about good children,¡± she explains before turning her attention to Cassandra. ¡°The curse may finally be broken,¡± she says with a solemn nod. ¡°C-curse?¡± Cassandra asks. Lilian points at Cassandra¡¯s breasts and then her own. ¡°Not a single woman in our family is larger than I am ¨C than Serra is. All of us mothers and all of our daughters are the same size to the point where our bras are constantly being confused and mixed up. But you ¨C you may finally break the curse.¡± ¡°But¡­ we¡¯re both girls.¡± ¡°It still counts as you¡¯re all married together! Even if Serra technically doesn¡¯t contribute to that process, your child will legally be part of her family, and she¡¯s part of our family, so the curse will be broken!¡± Lilian explains, grabbing Ryouta¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Make sure to keep on having them until one breaks the curse.¡± ¡°Having them?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Kids. You need to pop out kids with Cassandra until the curse is broken. I am counting on both of you.¡± Ryouta and Cassandra look at each other, their cheeks steadily turning redder. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to poke holes in the condoms if he isn¡¯t ready yet,¡± Lilian not-so-quietly whispers to Cassandra with a thumbs-up. Then she looks at Ryouta and says, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you try the pull-out method without the pulling out part.¡± Ryouta and Cassandra are starting to realize why Serra is the way that she is. ¡°I know what you two are thinking, but please understand! I¡¯m in my forties! I had Serra before I was your age and I want to have cute grandbabies before I¡¯m too old to play with them! And the curse needs broken! Also, I want at least five grandbabies, so you need to get to work, Ryouta. There is one other girl now, isn¡¯t there? The overseas one? You could get me five of them this year if two of them are lucky enough to have twins! I want a pile of babies!¡± The few other people in the lobby are all listening in now to their conversation. While Ryouta tries his best to stay respectful by looking at Lilian as she¡¯s talking, steam rises from Cassandra¡¯s head as she hangs it low to avoid anybody seeing just how red she is. ¡°Then you need to have another five once the first five aren¡¯t babies anymore,¡± Lilian says. It¡¯s a good thing that Ryouta¡¯s finances are taken care of now. ¡°I, uhh, we¡¯ll see about that,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Don¡¯t keep me waiting too long, alright? These things are important! I should get your number from Serra and start sending you all the cute baby pictures I see,¡± Lilian thinks out loud. She then sighs and shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll be patient for a little bit longer, but not for too long! For now¡­ Serra¡¯s stuff is over there,¡± she points at the suitcases near the lobby¡¯s entrance, ¡°and I hope that you all have a fun time together. Think of this as practice for when you really move in together! You can also get some baby-making practice in. But, since I¡¯m so nice and understanding and selfless, I included some condoms in her stuff just in case you¡¯re not ready.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks for bringing her stuff over, and it was nice getting to meet you.¡± "Ye-yeah, nice to meet you,¡± Cassandra says. Lilian goes in for some parting hugs. When hugging Ryouta, she whispers, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, five this year,¡± and then when she hugs Cassandra, she whispers, ¡°Break the curse.¡± ¡°Buh-bye!¡± Lilian says, kissing each of them on the tops of their heads before leaving. Of course, before she gets out of sight, she turns back to look at them and makes an open circle with one hand and sticks a finger from her other hand through it back and forth. ¡°We are not using any condoms that she left,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°It¡¯s pretty funny how your boobs are pretty much the most important things even to your girlfriend¡¯s mom,¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°Do I need to kill you?¡± ¡°Replace ¡®kill¡¯ with ¡®have sex with¡¯ and the answer is yes.¡± ¡°You. Are. So. Lucky, that there are people around right now. I am killing you once we¡¯re alone.¡± ¡°Kill is code for sex, right?¡± Cassandra tugs on his earlobe. ¡°I think I might just kill you now and not worry about witnesses.¡± Ryouta leans in and places a surprise kiss on her lips, causing her to release his ear and look away with reddened cheeks once more. Then he notices Lilian standing outside watching and giving him two thumbs-ups. If Serra¡¯s birth mother like this, and she has multiple other moms and dads¡­ he¡¯s greatly concerned about what the rest of them are like. Ryouta and Cassandra carry Serra¡¯s suitcase back upstairs together and expect the worst when they open the door to his apartment. Instead of seeing anybody tied up and bound on the floor, they see Alice sitting on the floor with her back against his couch and Aiko¡¯s head resting on her lap with closed eyes. Is she asleep? Alice raises a finger in front of her lips and to ¡°shh¡± them. Aiko¡¯s gentle breathing and the fact that she¡¯s not charging at Ryouta to cling to him is proof that she¡¯s asleep. ¡°She said she wanted to take a power nap before we leave. She must have been very tired,¡± Alice explains with a soft, motherly voice as she strokes the side of Aiko¡¯s head. Neither Ryouta nor Cassandra ever expected to see Alice treating some girl she barely knows with such motherly affection, but when they think about it, they can totally picture Alice being the most motherly out of them all. She¡¯s eccentric and borderline delusional most of the time, but she¡¯s a kind and sweet girl first and foremost. But¡­ why is everybody getting to use Alice¡¯s lap as a pillow except for him? Even Cassandra is going to get a lap pillow from Alice¡¯s thighs before he does! With a defeated sigh, Ryouta takes Serra¡¯s suitcase into his bedroom and Cassandra follows him. Serra is sitting at his desk watching subtitled videos online, so he pokes her to get her attention. She spins around in his chair and looks up at him with a wide smile, quickly kissing him before he backs away. ¡°What was that for?¡± he asks. She reads his lips and signs, ¡°Because I love you.¡± She then gets out of the chair, places her hands on the sides of Cassandra¡¯s head, and pulls her down so that she can kiss her as well for the same reason. ¡°Your mom is crazy,¡± Cassandra signs. ¡°She wants us all to have at least five kids within a year.¡± Serra holds up eight fingers. ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t mean you want eight kids, right?¡± Cassandra asks, letting Serra read her lips. Serra confidently nods before looking at Ryouta¡¯s crotch. ¡°H-hey now, I¡¯m going to start feeling like a breeding horse at this rate.¡± Serra signs to both of them, ¡°Need more girlfriends. More girlfriends means more girls can be pregnant at once which means quicker baby production.¡± ¡°Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I¡¯m already on it,¡± Cassandra answers, opening up Serra¡¯s suitcase and digging out those condoms to toss them away. Book 3: Chapter 8: Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers Ryouta and the girls are finally ready to leave the apartment after the gifted condoms have been tossed out and Aiko has been awoken from her nap on Alice¡¯s thighs. Their destination is Roaring Marco¡¯s New Charleston¡¯s Favorite Burgers. Ryouta has never been there, but Serra, Cassandra, and Aiko all vouch for it. Wait. Ryouta looks at Aiko. Isn¡¯t she doing a really good job of blending into the group as if she¡¯s always been a part of it? She¡¯s talking to all of the girls, was already friends with Serra and has already slept on Alice¡¯s thighs ¨C the only one that she¡¯s not really spending much time with is Cassandra. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t actually a harem, right?¡± he thinks, expecting an answer from Saya, but remembers that she can only talk to him when he¡¯s immersed in virtual reality. Whatever the answer is, this is really starting to feel like a harem. Serra and Cassandra are as romantically interested in each other as they are in him, but he knows that both Alice and Aiko prioritize him ¨C wait, he needs to stop thinking of Aiko as already being in the harem. He can¡¯t just look at a girl and assume that she¡¯s a part of his harem! Then again, she does consistently call herself his future wife. She¡¯s been saying that since she was a child and she¡¯s still saying it now. But, he can¡¯t just allow her to enter his harem ¨C his polyamorous relationship with the others, unless they all want her to join as well. Even if they do all develop romantic feelings for her and want her to join, Ryouta has to develop those as well. He only sees her as a close friend from the past. Just because they were together as children doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s going to develop feelings for her all of a sudden now that she¡¯s back. But at the same time, when he remembers that the childhood friends always lose in the sort of media that he consumes, that makes him want to develop such feelings for Aiko simply to break the stereotype. ¡°Should we call an autotaxi?¡± Cassandra asks, looking at Ryouta and Alice. ¡°Oh, I am fine with whatever you would like!¡± Alice answers. Cassandra looks back at Ryouta, mainly at his legs. Less worrying about Aiko, more showing off his improvements. Ryouta rolls up his pants to show off that he¡¯s wearing his braces and smiles. ¡°I¡¯ve been using them every day lately. I can walk fine now as long as we¡¯re not walking for the rest of the night,¡± he explains. With Aiko standing behind Ryouta, Cassandra catches a quick glimpse of how sad and guilty Aiko looks when she sees his legs. Ryouta helps Alice back into her wheelchair and then stands behind it, holding onto the handles behind it. ¡°I¡¯ll push you,¡± he tells her. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure, my hero? It has more than enough power left to go on its own,¡± Alice answers. ¡°What, you saying you don¡¯t want your boyfriend to help you out and push you around?¡± ¡°No! On the contrary, the princess being assisted by her hero is wonderful! It ¨C it is actually slightly embarrassing thinking about you pushing my wheelchair.¡± Serra, watching their conversation, walks up to Alice and sits on top of her lap with her back to Alice¡¯s. Then she points forward as if demanding to be taken in that direction. Ryouta pokes the back of her head before signing to her, telling her that she should get off of Alice¡¯s lap to not hurt her and because they¡¯re going to get all sorts of weird stares if she sits on her like that. Serra pouts but hops off in the end. ¡°It would have been alright for her to sit there. I would not have minded,¡± Alice says. ¡°You would be into getting treated like a horse, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°My hero! I would never want to be treated like a horse, but¡­ now I am imagining a princess, desperate on the run after her family has been murdered and the entire kingdom that was once hers is hunting her down, and she is forced to stay with a large stallion in his pen as nobody else will hide her, and then¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut the fantasy there before you end up on a sex offender¡¯s list.¡± ¡°Who would want a horse when you could have Ry-ou-ta instead?¡± Aiko tags in, hugging his right arm. She tries to hug his arm in a way that it would be pushed right between her breasts¡­ but she has none, and so she ends up pouting and huffing when she realizes that this doesn¡¯t work. Then she glares at Cassandra¡¯s chest. Though, Ryouta isn¡¯t going to complain whether it is a busty chest or a flat one that is pressing against his arm. Either way, it¡¯s great, and his expression reflects that which causes Cassandra to glare at Aiko¡¯s chest. The two girls¡¯ eyes meet. With Aiko hugging Ryouta¡¯s right arm to her chest, Cassandra comes up to his left and hugs his left arm against hers. His arm sinks right between her breasts through the sweater that she¡¯s wearing which deflates Aiko so much that she looks like she¡¯s about to end it all. Then there¡¯s Serra who¡¯s just watching the silly competition and directing a smug smile at Ryouta. He feels like he¡¯s being judged as some sort of womanizer or playboy by her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Ryouta says. Serra is the first out of the apartment as she¡¯s the only one not currently attached to Ryouta in some way. Alice is next as Ryouta pushes her through the doorway. But then there¡¯s a problem. With Aiko and Cassandra hugging his arms, the trio is too wide to fit through the doorway all at once, and neither of the girls seems like they intend on giving up their spot attached to him. ¡°Are¡­ do I really have to do this?¡± Ryouta asks, looking at the girls. They refuse to give up. Ryouta has to back up, turn sideways, and then sideways through the doorway so that they can fit. The greatness of having his arms hugged against girls¡¯ chests is only barely enough to make up for just how ridiculous that maneuvering was. Outside of the apartment, Serra locks his door for him and then hops up onto his back. With her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, Serra hugs her entire body against him and settles her head right next to his own with her chin resting on his left shoulder. Alice is in front of him, Aiko is to his right, Cassandra his left, and Serra is on his back. He is surrounded. Alice looks behind herself and giggles at the awkward sight. ¡°Would you rather carry me in your arms than push me, my hero? Or should I perhaps cling to your front like Serra is to your back?¡± The door opposite of his opens. Standing in front of him is a mother with two children and a father behind them. Whereas the mother gasps and covers her boys¡¯ eyes, the father slowly closes the door while giving Ryouta a proud nod of the head and a thumbs-up. ¡°Just¡­ just stay in the wheelchair,¡± Ryouta says before freeing his arms from Aiko and Cassandra. ¡°You can cling as much as you want some other time, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Aiko asks. Ryouta isn¡¯t sure how to respond, so he¡¯ll put that responsibility on Cassandra instead. ¡°Ask Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Eh? Why me?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Cass Cass!¡± Aiko shouts, making Cassandra jump from hearing her name called by her for the first time. ¡°Can I cling to Ryouta later?¡± ¡°N-no! Ryouta is mine to cling to¡­¡± ¡°But Serra gets to!¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re dating him!¡± ¡°Do I get clinging permissions as well now?¡± Alice asks. ¡°I ¨C I guess so.¡± ¡°Not fair!¡± Aiko whines. ¡°I want clinging permissions!¡± ¡°Can we discuss this some other time? Preferably not in the middle of a hallway where people can hear what we¡¯re talking about?¡± Ryouta asks, noticing an elderly couple down the hall stopped from entering their apartment to watch the commotion. Serra takes it a step further and nibbles on his earlobe. This awakens something in him. He never knew that having his ear played with could feel so nice and exciting, but here he is, having shivers shoot up his spine as his face turns as red as Cassandra¡¯s likes to. Cassandra and Aiko look at each other. They may be competing against one another, but they both respect that Serra has won this battle. ¡°Your power level is way too high, Serra,¡± Ryouta says just before accidentally letting out an embarrassing moan when Serra licks his ear. Alice, Cassandra, and Aiko stare at him with wide eyes. They have never heard him make such a cute, boyish noise before. They all love it and the looks in their eyes tell him that they want to hear it again. Ryouta fears for the safety of his masculinity. Book 3: Chapter 9: Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers Dealing with Cassandra and Aiko fighting over his arms is easy once they all make it outside, but even more embarrassing as everybody on the street is interested at the sight of one boy and four girls. Most polyamorous relationships and harems in general usually only involve the rich or members of fringe religions that somehow managed to survive falling out of the public¡¯s interest. While such relationships are legal, they are far from common and associated with important status. Relationships involving just a single member of one of the genders, such as a guy with multiple girls like with Ryouta''s situation, are especially rare. So, despite Ryouta being a fairly average guy who is a bit shorter than average, having a thin build with little muscle, and not exactly coming off as wealthy, successful, nor a sex god, most passersby look at him to try and determine if he¡¯s somebody famous that they know of. After all, why else would he have four girls with him? The girls make it obvious that they¡¯re not just friends, too. Between two of them clinging to his arms, the shortest of the bunch teasing him, and the girl in the wheelchair that he¡¯s pushing taking loving looks back at him, it is beyond obvious there is more to friendship going on. Most of the random people they walk by would never believe him if he said he met three of them through gaming and is just childhood friends with the fourth. ¡°Hey! Do I know you from somewhere? Oh! You¡¯re uh, you¡¯re from that one thing, right?¡± a random girl asks after running up to them and stopping in front of Alice, looking at Ryouta. Ryouta just sort of looks at her with a confused expression, having no idea what she could be talking about. Cassandra¡¯s glare scares her away. ¡°S-sorry!¡± the girl says before running off. A few minutes later and a man walks up to them. ¡°Hey there bro, how about saving some for the rest of u¡ª¡± he tries saying but stops when he sees Cassandra and Aiko glaring at him. Aiko¡¯s glare is especially terrifying at the moment. Needless to say, the man gets scared off even faster than the girl from earlier was. ¡°You seem rather popular, my hero,¡± Alice says. ¡°I wonder why that is?¡± she asks with a giggle. ¡°I have no idea what was with that first girl, but I guess that guy was just jealous,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Of course he¡¯s jealous!¡± Aiko declares. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he be? You¡¯re perfect! You were way better looking than him, and you¡¯re smarter and cooler than him, and he was just some pathetic little insect who would be better off getting crushed underneath your foot!¡± Any nearby men who could hear Aiko¡¯s words stop looking at the group, instead hurrying to walk past them. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but uhh, thanks I guess,¡± Ryouta replies. Cassandra¡¯s competitive spirit gets triggered by Aiko once more. ¡°Ye-yeah, you¡¯re so much bet¡ª¡­be-better than¡­ other guys¡­¡± she says, each word quieter than the last with her head hanging lower and lower. Ryouta rewards her attempt at complimenting him with a kiss on the top of her head, making her cheeks burn bright and half-squeak from surprise. ¡°Hey! Why don¡¯t I get kisses for praising you?¡± Aiko pouts and whines, throwing a miniature temper tantrum by stomping her feet and shaking the arm of his that she¡¯s holding onto. She even headbutts his arm to get his attention and then leans up on her toes so that the top of her head is right in front of him. But alas, she does not get a kiss. What she does get is him playfully headbutting her back. ¡°That¡¯s for headbutting me,¡± he teases. ¡°That¡¯s not what I want! Hmph! But, it is a headbutt from my Ryouta¡­ okay, I¡¯ll accept it, but next time I want a kiss!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± He has to be careful with what he tells her. He knows that he was probably too romantic towards Alice back when they first met ¨C before they were dating, and so he wants to avoid that. Even if he used to know Aiko as a kid, he can¡¯t just treat her like she¡¯s one of his girlfriends right after coming back into his life and when he already has three girlfriends. Serra stops and points across the street. A sign with a large man shouting and holding up burgers hangs above a building across the busy street. Others are already waiting at the crosswalk to cross, and he knows that accidents involving vehicles are extremely rare in this city with maybe one happening every couple of months that is always caused by human error rather than the vehicles themselves, but having to cross a street still scares him. It reminds him of running into the street to save Aiko. He must not be the only one nervous of this as he feels Aiko hug his arm against her tighter than before. Her usual outgoing and playful attitude has been replaced by one of silence and nervousness. Serra breaks them up. Forcing herself between them, she loops her arm around Ryouta¡¯s and holds Aiko¡¯s hand. The soft warmth that she provides them, giving support as Ryouta¡¯s girlfriend and as Aiko¡¯s best friend, is enough to relax them each. The group waits for the crosswalk sign to signal that they can cross. It turns green and shows a sign of people walking. And so, they cross the road. While such a thing is of no big deal to everybody else around, it is something that has caused fear within Ryouta¡¯s and Aiko¡¯s minds since that dreaded day as children. They make it across without any problems. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Cassandra says, tugging a bit more on Ryouta¡¯s arm as she speeds up. ¡°So impatient. It¡¯s right here,¡± Ryouta teases now that he¡¯s calmed down. It¡¯s not that he¡¯s never crossed a road ever since that day, but it still digs up bad memories. Having Aiko here with him makes those memories even stronger. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope the big guy doesn¡¯t talk to us.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Marco, the owner. He¡¯s a scary guy and really loud. People always complain about how loud he is when he¡¯s walking around and talking to tables.¡± ¡°Sounds annoying, but I guess I¡¯ll experience it myself if he¡¯s that loud.¡± The group walks in and is immediately helped. It¡¯s just late enough that the dinner rush is over, but the restaurant is still mostly full as people finish up. ¡°Booth or table?¡± the worker asks. ¡°Uhh, what do you all like?¡± Ryouta asks them. This is the first time he¡¯s been out to a restaurant with them, and while he personally prefers booths, he doesn¡¯t have that strong of a preference for them. Aiko and Cassandra answer with booth as well, but then Ryouta realizes that they have a problem. How is a wheelchair supposed to fit inside of a booth? ¡°Booth, please!¡± Alice answers. Well, Ryouta doesn¡¯t know how this is going to work, but Alice must know something that he doesn¡¯t. ¡°Oh, hey! I almost didn¡¯t see you there, Serra,¡± the worker says, waving at her. Serra waves back and attempts signing to him. ¡°Sorry, I still don¡¯t know any of that. Want your favorite spot?¡± Serra nods while Aiko glares at the man. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know what Aiko¡¯s deal is, but now that he¡¯s seeing another man smiling and acting all nice toward Serra, even he feels a tiny bit jealous. But, he knows that there¡¯s nothing going on and that the guy is just being friendly, so there¡¯s no need to be jealous. The group gets led to Serra¡¯s favorite booth which ends up being right next to the kitchen¡¯s entrance. ¡°Here are your menus, and a waiter will be over to help you in a moment. Enjoy!¡± the worker says. Aiko waits until he¡¯s gone before saying anything. ¡°I hate him so much. Every time I¡¯ve come here with Serra, he¡¯s always smiling and trying to be nice and stuff to us.¡± ¡°Well, that is his job,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I don¡¯t want any guys but my Ryouta looking at me!¡± Aiko explains, earning odd looks from those at nearby tables and booths as they sit down in the booth. He looks at Alice to see what she¡¯s doing. Rather than try to fit into the booth, she just rolls up to the end of the table and stops there. ¡°Is something the matter, my hero?¡± she asks Ryouta. ¡°Nothing. Just realizing that I overthink things,¡± Ryouta explains. Everybody¡¯s stomachs growl as their hunger quickly increases. Sitting right by the kitchen means that they can easily smell all of the delicious food being prepared in there, but there is a problem with this. Between the cooks shouting at each other, servers asking for updates on food and delivering new orders, and music playing in the kitchen, this has to be the loudest and most annoying spot in the restaurant to sit at. ¡°Why do you like this spot so much?¡± Ryouta signs to Serra. ¡°It smells the best,¡± Serra signs back. It takes him a few moments to realize that because she¡¯s deaf, she¡¯s immune to the constant noise coming from the kitchen. Now it makes sense. Book 3: Chapter 10: Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers ¡°I can play with you, right, right? I want to play with you!¡± Aiko whines to Ryouta after they¡¯ve all placed their orders. ¡°Well, you already ordered yourself a headset, and it¡¯s just a game, so I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Have you ever even played a VRMMO before?¡± Cassandra asks Aiko. ¡°Nope! But I know that Serra never did either, so it¡¯s okay! I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out as long as I have my Ryouta with me,¡± Aiko says, her voice full of confidence. Alice chimes in, ¡°I did not have much experience prior to Fantasy Tales Online either. No matter how inexperienced she is, I am sure my hero will be able to keep all of us safe.¡± ¡°Fine. What kind of character are you going to play?¡± Cassandra asks. With Alice sitting at the end of the table and Serra sitting next to Ryouta, Cassandra has ensured that Aiko sits next to her so that she may keep distance between her and Ryouta. Serra, meanwhile, is coloring in the picture on the back of her kids¡¯ menu. The waiters and waitress of this restaurant know that she always wants one to color in even if she doesn¡¯t look that young. Ryouta notices something familiar when he looks at the coloring job that Serra is doing. He looks at the wall on the opposite side of the room and sees a bunch of colored-in kids¡¯ menus taped to the wall. While some of them look random and sloppy, there is a group that has been colored with a similar skill level to what Serra is doing next to him. Part of him feels kind of proud of her for being so popular here and having her colored menus up on the wall, but another part of him feels like he can never let anybody know that he¡¯s dating a girl who colors kids¡¯ menus. With how short and petite she is, and this newly-discovered hobby of hers, he¡¯s worried about what people make think about him. ¡°Don¡¯t know!¡± Aiko answers Cassandra. ¡°Ryouta, Ryouta, what character do you want me to play?¡± Ryouta¡¯s attention is brought away from Serra¡¯s coloring. ¡°Uhh, no idea,¡± he answers. ¡°Just play whatever you want.¡± ¡°I want to play what you want me to play!¡± ¡°I want you to play what you want to play.¡± ¡°I want to play what you want me to want to¡­ you¡­ that didn¡¯t work. Anyways! I¡¯ll play whatever you want.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. We don¡¯t really have a tank, so we could use one of those to make our group more rounded.¡± ¡°A tank? Like one of the war boom-boom ones? Would you drive me? I ¨C I want you inside of me, but I don¡¯t know how I feel about being a vehicle and you driving me that way.¡± Alice maintains a calm expression, trying not to laugh at what Aiko just said, while Ryouta and Cassandra almost spit their complimentary water out of their mouths. ¡°No, no ¨C no, a tank, they¡¯re like the real big and tough characters in games who stand at the front and grab the enemy¡¯s attention while taking most of the damage,¡± Ryouta explains after swallowing his water. ¡°See! I knew you liked them big!¡± Aiko pouts. ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s not what I meant. I just mean like¡­ big and flashy to draw attention, not big.¡± ¡°Hmph! I saw what sort of porn you like, and now this ¨C if my Ryouta wants me to be big, then I¡¯ll be big!¡± Their conversation starts attracting attention from other tables. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Between me and the dog bastard, we¡¯ve got enough durability even if we¡¯re not proper tanks,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°It¡¯d be better if you make yourself small and quiet so that you don¡¯t get in our way.¡± Cassandra¡¯s and Aiko¡¯s eyes meet. Ryouta swears he can see some sparks flying between them as the girls challenge one another. ¡°I¡¯ll be even bigger than you are!¡± Aiko declares. ¡°You won¡¯t be stronger. Good luck trying to catch up to me. It doesn¡¯t matter how big you are if I¡¯m stronger than you and end up tanking everything anyways,¡± Cassandra explains. Their staring contest is only cut off when their server arrives with their food. Ryouta got a fairly basic cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, onion straws, and lettuce. Alice got a lean turkey burger with tomato, lettuce, and one of the restaurant¡¯s signature sauces. Cassandra got a regular burger with bacon and mushrooms. Their three burgers are all relatively normal both in ingredients and size in comparison to what Serra and Aiko got. Aiko¡¯s burger is larger than all of theirs and has grilled pineapple, tomato, lettuce, a patty glazed with teriyaki sauce, and mango mayonnaise to top it all off. Then there is Serra¡¯s burger. Despite Serra being the smallest of them all, her burger is by far the largest. It has two patties, each of which are covered in a sauce made from the world¡¯s hottest peppers. It has tomatoes and lettuce, but it also has a layer of fried jalapenos and onion straws with pepper-jack cheese melted over the top layer of freshly-cut jalapeno peppers. The sauce alone smells hot enough that everybody at the table smells it. Yet, Serra dips her finger in some of the sauce leaking out of the messy burger and licks it off. She¡¯s seemingly unphased and looks at Ryouta, Alice, and Cassandra, wondering why they look surprised. ¡°You said you¡¯ve come here with her before, right?¡± Ryouta asks Aiko. ¡°Yup!¡± Aiko answers. ¡°Does she usually get stuff like this?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Is it actually hot?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Ryouta eyes Serra¡¯s burger. Picking up on his curiosity, Serra takes one of the fries that came with her burger, dips it into some of the burger¡¯s sauce, and then hands it to Ryouta. ¡°Thanks,¡± Ryouta says as he takes the fry to smell it. It certainly smells hot, but if Aiko doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s hot and if Serra is willing to eat a whole burger covered in that stuff, then it can¡¯t be that bad. Ryouta eats the fry and makes sure to get the part with sauce on it right on his tongue. ¡°H-how is it?¡± Cassandra asks. Ryouta, looking at Cassandra with a face as straight as stone, says, ¡°Try it yourself. It¡¯s not that bad.¡± The moment that Cassandra is distracted by picking up one of her fries to scoop some sauce from Serra¡¯s burger, Ryouta looks away to the side, in Alice¡¯s direction, and looks ready to cry. Alice covers her mouth with her hands and looks at Cassandra with wide eyes. She feels as if she should warn Cassandra regarding what is about to happen to her, but she also wants to see how Cassandra reacts if her hero is currently trying his hardest to not cry like a baby. Cassandra, with even more of the sauce on her fry than what Ryouta had, eats her fry. ¡°Huh¡­ you¡¯re right, it¡¯s not hot at¡ª¡± Cassandra stops mid-sentence. Everybody at the table stares at her. She looks at Ryouta and sees him sweating and guzzling water while watching her reaction. ¡°Bastard!¡± Cassandra shouts. ¡°This is disgusting! It¡¯s way too hot!¡± The first thing she tries is grabbing a napkin and wiping it against her tongue in hopes of wiping up the sauce, but it¡¯s too late for that. Then she tries drinking water, but as Ryouta already realized, that only brings temporary relief but makes the problem worse as soon as said relief is gone. Meanwhile, Serra picks up her burger, opens her small mouth as wide as it can go, and takes a sizeable chunk out of her burger. Ryouta and Cassandra watch in disbelief as Serra takes bite after bite of her burger without any issue. ¡°I thought you said it wasn¡¯t hot?¡± Ryouta asks Aiko. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ to Serra,¡± Aiko answers. ¡°We¡¯ve gone to some places in the city before where they have hot food challenges, and she¡¯s beaten every single one! Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure that they consider her the challenge at this point. Whoever can make something hot enough to defeat Serra would have the hottest food in the city!¡± Serra, the camera-shy, deaf, petite girl that Ryouta has come to love, is apparently lacking in taste buds and can down the hottest of foods without needing so much as a single sip of water. Ryouta wants to comment on her power level being too high, but more than that, he wants to tear his tongue out of his mouth to be spared from this suffering. ¡°Hah! You two try her burger there? The crew in the kitchen knows to make it extra hot when it¡¯s Serra¡¯s orders!¡± a man with a booming voice says from behind Alice. Serra smiles from around her burger and waves when she notices the man standing there. He is a large, hairy man with thick mutton chops and his hair pulled into a ponytail. The shirt that he¡¯s wearing does little to hide the shape of his overwhelming gut, and one would think he just got out of the kitchen with how dirty his shirt is. Though, more defining than any of that is just how loud and unique his voice is. He has the kind of voice that one would be able to instantly recognize even after years of not hearing it, and his looks only make him even more memorable. To make him even more special, he signs to Serra. Ryouta wonders how many people know sign language specifically for Serra at this point. Serra finally sets down her burger to sign back and answer the man¡¯s question of who her new friends are. He looks shocked when she signs that all of the new appearances at the table are her girlfriends and boyfriend. Of course, rather than look at either Cassandra or Alice, the imposing man sets his sights on Ryouta. Book 3: Chapter 11: Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers Ryouta feels as if he should try being a bit more confident and assertive as he¡¯s being stared down by this large, hairy, macho man. But, it is hard to not feel emasculated in this older and larger man¡¯s presence. Even other men nearby feel emasculated being around this huge man. ¡°So, you¡¯re Serra¡¯s boy, huh?¡± the man asks. Ryouta nods his head and tries his best to maintain eye contact. ¡°You got a name there or do you only speak through nodding?¡± If Ryouta didn¡¯t feel like a failure of a man in comparison to this other man before, he definitely does now. ¡°Ryouta ¨C my name is Ryouta. It¡¯s nice to uh, meet you,¡± Ryouta says. When he looks around at the girls, Alice and Aiko both look like they find him adorable in this situation whereas Serra and Cassandra look like they¡¯re trying their hardest not to giggle from how awkward he¡¯s being. ¡°Ryouta, huh? Never heard that name before, but it¡¯s a good name. You treating Serra there right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying my best to.¡± ¡°You better! I¡¯ll make sure she tells me if you screw up, and if that happens, you¡¯ll be feeling a lot more pain than what that sauce did to you,¡± the man says with a large smile and friendly tone despite his message. ¡°I suppose I should introduce myself. The name¡¯s Marco!¡± ¡°Marco as in the owner of this place?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°You¡¯ve got it!¡± Marco answers, somewhat rudely holding a hand out over the table and everybody¡¯s food to shake Ryouta¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯re one lucky boy if you¡¯ve got Serra here, and I¡¯m not surprised that Aiko is part of the package. Must be really somebody to get these other two ladies as well. I tried the whole ¡®more than one girlfriend thing¡¯ before and felt like I was going to go insane! I can only handle one woman at once trying to take my money from me.¡± Alice makes sure to wipe her mouth before saying anything and then says, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Marco! This burger is delicious and easily some of the most delicious food that I have ever tasted.¡± ¡°That accent ¨C you from across the pond? You sound like one of those fancy noble ladies,¡± Marco says. ¡°I am! This is my first time visiting here, and if all of the food tastes this divine, I do not believe that I will ever want to leave!¡± ¡°Hah! Just come back here for all your meals and you won¡¯t be disappointed. Serra there is already one of my favorite regulars and we love recognizing faces around here.¡± ¡°Did you learn sign language for her or did you already know it?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Just for her!¡± Marco answers. ¡°Felt bad always seeing her have to point to things or use her phone to say what she wants, so I learned some signing. Then some of the other staff did the same after seeing her always in here. You could say that Serra is like a daughter to a bunch of us here.¡± Ryouta looks over at Serra and sees her not even trying to understand this conversation, instead just holding her burger up to her mouth and taking as-large-as-she-can bites out of it. ¡°As for you, blondie,¡± Marco says, looking at Cassandra. Cassandra hurries to swallow her food and looks up at him. She looks like she has no idea what he could be grabbing her attention for. ¡°Y-yeah?¡± she answers. Marco looks at her face, then her chest, then at Serra who¡¯s looking at him. He signs ¡°good job¡± to her, and she signs back with a ¡°thanks.¡± ¡°Now! I¡¯ll leave you all to it. Enjoy the food and just shout if you need anything else!¡± Marco says and leaves. Cassandra blinks a few times and looks at the others. Being checked out and then praised to somebody else isn¡¯t exactly something that she¡¯s unfamiliar with, but it was usually her ex¡¯s horrible friends making crude remarks to her ex¡¯s while in front of her. Instead, it was a large, hairy, older man praising her to her younger and smaller girlfriend. She still feels a bit objectified, but at the same time, she has no idea how to really feel about it. ¡°He didn¡¯t say I¡¯m nice,¡± Ryouta says with a playfully-jealous pout. ¡°Guess I should get fat so that I have bigger boobs. Then I¡¯ll be nice.¡± Ryouta realizes that he may have said something bad the moment he looks back at his burger. He looks at Cassandra. ¡°Are you calling me fat?¡± Cassandra asks, her eyes staring daggers sharper than her in-game sword at him. ¡°Technically, those big things are just fat,¡± Aiko chimes in from across the table. Cassandra somehow pins what Aiko just said onto Ryouta and picks up the knife next to her plate. ¡°I¡¯m, uhh,¡± Ryouta thinks of how to defuse the situation. He could poke her in the side, but then she¡¯ll squeak while in a busy restaurant which would likely really result in his death. He could praise her and compliment her to try and activate her flustered and submissive mode, but she seems too angry for that to work. Aiko¡¯s words definitely haven¡¯t helped. Ryouta scoots a bit away in the booth, but Cassandra scoots closer. And then it happens. Cassandra jumps, banging her knees against the underside of the table, and squeaks! Her face immediately turns pure red as she looks at where the poke came from. Alice is leaning over with a fork in her hand that she used to poke Cassandra. ¡°I have been wanting to try that!¡± Alice explains. ¡°I figured that now would be a good time, yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re lucky that you¡¯re in a wheelchair or I¡¯d put you in one!¡± Cassandra shouts. Ryouta spots Marco at the other side of the room looking over at them and laughing. Some others nearby are laughing as well, but for the most part, the restaurant is so loud that nobody really seems bothered by the noise. After all, it is called Roaring Marco¡¯s New Charleston¡¯s Favorite Burgers. As far as Ryouta is concerned, it¡¯s earning its name both with how delicious the burgers are and from Cassandra shouting at Alice. More importantly, he¡¯s safe for the moment. Cassandra¡¯s rage and knife have been redirected at Alice. Alice is now Ryouta¡¯s hero. His safety ends up only being from Cassandra. Something is touching his legs. Something soft and warm is trailing up his leg in an almost teasing manner. He looks under the table a bit and sees a bare foot with the sock and shoe slipped off on the floor underneath it, and when he looks directly across from him, he sees Aiko pretending as if nothing is happening. Then her foot reaches up to his thighs and sets itself between them. Ryouta pushes her foot away with one of his knees and closes his legs to prevent her foot from reentering between them, but that doesn¡¯t stop said foot from trying its hardest to sneak in. Aiko maintains a perfectly innocent look no matter how hard she may be trying to get her foot to his crotch. Serra gets her turn to be Ryouta¡¯s hero now. Upon taking a quick peek underneath the table to see why Ryouta is shifting around so much, Serra sees what Aiko¡¯s foot is doing and¡­ does the opposite of being Ryouta¡¯s hero. Rather than save Ryouta from Aiko¡¯s teasing foot, Serra joins in with reaching her foot underneath the table to try and pry open Ryouta¡¯s legs. Both Serra and Aiko are casually eating their burgers during this while Ryouta struggles to do anything other than trying to escape their feet. Cassandra ends up being Ryouta¡¯s hero when she catches onto what¡¯s happening, breaks one of her fries in half, and then flicks the halves at the two teasing girls¡¯ foreheads. ¡°Bastard,¡± Cassandra huffs at Ryouta. ¡°Thanks,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°And I didn¡¯t mean to call you fat. You¡¯re like, anything but fat. You¡¯re perfect is what you are.¡± He tries being smooth to finish relaxing her now that Alice has defused her a bit, and fortunately, it works. Cassandra blushes and looks down at her burger with a smile that she¡¯s trying to prevent. Ryouta looks around the table. Everybody looks happy and they are all enjoying their burgers. Serra somehow manages to eat that ridiculously hot burger of hers without even needing a single sip of her water, Alice wipes her mouth like a proper lady after almost every single bite, Aiko glares at whoever she sees looking their way from other tables, and Cassandra actually takes the littlest bites out of all of them despite being the largest girl at the table. He never thought he¡¯d be casually enjoying burgers together with three girlfriends and Aiko, but it¡¯s nice and something that he¡¯s looking forward to much more of in the future. Though, he isn¡¯t sure if he¡¯ll be able to survive being teased by both Serra and Aiko, threatened by Cassandra, and playing the bad guy in Alice¡¯s delusional fantasies. Book 3: Chapter 12: Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers The group finishes up their burgers without causing too much more of a ruckus, nor are they further talked to by Marco and his booming voice. Cassandra brings up the topic of what they are going to be doing in-game once they find somewhere to dock. ¡°Seriously, don¡¯t you think we should have something planned?¡± she asks. ¡°Why? We can just go with the flow, plus I¡¯ve got some ideas of my own that are secret for now,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Let¡¯s just find some great fishing spots. Though, I did just get an idea.¡± ¡°What would that be, my hero?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Fantasy sex,¡± Ryouta answers bluntly, earning a surprised cough from Cassandra. ¡°Seriously, you perverted bastard?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Why not? I mean, we¡¯ve already done it in-game before, and there¡¯s all sorts of stuff possible there that isn¡¯t possible in real life. Plus there¡¯s all sorts of clothes and armor we could do it in ¨C like cosplay.¡± Cassandra facepalms and sighs. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m dating such a perverted bastard,¡± she groans. ¡°I think it sounds wonderful!¡± Alice takes his side. Serra has only been paying minimal attention to the conversation as she has to try and read their lips to stay in the conversation, and that can be difficult when walking and standing in front of them. However, she¡¯s understood enough to sign that she¡¯s completely onboard with Ryouta¡¯s plan. ¡°That sounds like a great plan!¡± Aiko announces. ¡°One,¡± Cassandra says, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m dating a bunch of perverts. Two,¡± she looks at Aiko, ¡°you¡¯re not invited to it.¡± ¡°That second part makes it sound like you¡¯ve given up and are agreeing to the plan,¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s not like I have a choice if everybody else is going to be doing it,¡± Cassandra says with a huff and crossed arms. ¡°Giving into peer pressure is not good, Cassandra,¡± Alice says. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not giving into peer pressure!¡± ¡°So, you are saying that you are comfortable with the plan even if it were not for the rest of us agreeing to it?¡± Cassandra realizes that she¡¯s been backed into a corner and is being teamed up by everybody. Ryouta is the only one she feels that she can physically threaten, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough for this situation. ¡°You¡¯re all bastards,¡± Cassandra groans, unable to come up with a better defense. ¡°A bastard princess! Oh, such a scenario would be so tragic! I am just imagining myself born to a peasant mother whom has been abused and tossed aside by a wealthy and powerful nobleman, and all I wish for is to live my life in secret, but then on one fateful night, horrible men whom have found out about my lineage have come to¡ª¡± Alice ends up mumbling against Cassandra¡¯s hand. Everybody that they are walking past is stopping to listen to the strange, foreign girl¡¯s about-to-be erotic fantasy. Cassandra squeaks and jumps, her hand leaving Alice¡¯s mouth. ¡°She licked me!¡± she whines with reddened cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for putting your hand in front of her mouth,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Serpents often use their tongues, after all!¡± Alice says. ¡°That makes me curious. I¡¯ve never really looked or thought about it before, but do you have a long tongue in-game since you¡¯re like a serpent?¡± ¡°My tongue as Nell is very long, my hero. I do wonder why you could possibly be asking me such a question, though. Could it be that you perhaps wish to experience how a long, serpentine tongue could be used in¡ª¡± Her mouth gets covered up by Cassandra once more. ¡°You¡¯re all horrible. Horrible bastard perverts. I¡¯ve changed my mind, I¡¯m not staying over because I have no idea what¡¯s going to happen to me in my sleep with how perverted you all are,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°That¡¯s okay! I¡¯ll take your spot,¡± Aiko sneaks back into the conversation. ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind again. I¡¯m staying over.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say I¡¯m not allowed to stay, so that means I¡¯m staying!¡± Cassandra is ready to shout and fight over whether Aiko is staying over or not, but gets a calming surprise when Serra hugs her left arm and holds her hand. She ends up softly blushing and trying not to smile from how cute Serra is and how nice it is to be holding hands with her. Aiko is safe from Cassandra¡¯s rage for now. Well, Aiko would be safe if it weren¡¯t for her hugging Cassandra¡¯s right arm and holding her hand the same way that Serra is. ¡°W-what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cassandra asks her. ¡°I¡¯m joining in! We¡¯re both dating Ryouta so that means we have to get along and stuff. Isn¡¯t that right, Ry-ou-ta?¡± Aiko asks, looking over at Ryouta whom is still pushing Alice¡¯s wheelchair. ¡°Well, I¡¯m dating one of you at least,¡± Ryouta says. Aiko feigns a look of shock. ¡°You¡¯re breaking up with Cassandra to only date me instead? I feel kind of bad, but¡ª¡± This time, it is Aiko getting interrupted by Cassandra when she takes her arm out from Aiko¡¯s grasp and smacks her on the back of the head. ¡°Alice, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m going to survive this,¡± Ryouta whispers to her. ¡°Worry not, my hero. I recall reading an article about bringing a dead mouse back to life, so perhaps the technology to resurrect you will arrive before you die!¡± Alice tries cheering him up. Ryouta does not know how to feel about that information. On one hand, that sounds like cool scientific progress. On the other hand, she is not worried about him dying. ¡°I should probably buy a sleeping bag for the floor,¡± Ryouta thinks out loud. ¡°Why is that, my hero?¡± Alice asks. ¡°If you, Cass, and Serra are on the bed, and Aiko is on the couch, I don¡¯t really have anywhere else to sleep other than on the floor.¡± ¡°My hero, you do not truly believe that you will be able to escape from sleeping with the three of us, do you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s not the problem. The problem is that my bed just isn¡¯t big enough for four people. It was already super cramped with just me, Serra, and Cass. There¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll be able to fit there with the rest of you unless we¡¯re all piled on top of each other.¡± ¡°I fail to see an issue with that, my hero. Serra is petite enough to fit between your legs, and then Cassandra and I may share your sides!¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll curl up on your chest like a cat!¡± Aiko butts in once more. Her intrusion to their conversation only lasts for as long as it takes Cassandra to grab her ear and pull her back over. Ryouta¡¯s concerns only grow stronger as they make their way back to his apartment. ¡°How am I supposed to meet up with you all again?¡± Aiko asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this game stuff works. Is it like, do I just have to walk to some place where you tell me to or something?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never played a game before?¡± Cassandra asks her. ¡°I have! I¡¯ve played, umm, Mejeweled and Clash of Cats!¡± ¡°Mobile games don¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Hey! Mobile games are still games! I bet I could kick your butt in them.¡± ¡°Haah? You couldn¡¯t kick my butt in anything other than being annoying and not knowing your place.¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re afraid of losing.¡± Ryouta looks over at the two girls taunting each other and immediately pictures them with cat ears and tails. He shakes that image out of his head before he gets too excited. Serra is stuck clinging to Cassandra¡¯s arm and being moved around whenever Cassandra tries flailing it at Aiko. No matter how much Cassandra may be trying to move her arm, Serra is set on hugging on it. ¡°My hero, may I have a hint to what one of your secret plans are in the game? I must admit that I am horrible when there are secrets that I do not know, and I promise not to tell anybody else!¡± Alice tries convincing him. Ryouta looks at the other three whom are all distracted, shrugs, and leans down to whisper into Alice¡¯s ear. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that it has to do with helping out NPCs and others who want to live a peaceful life,¡± he whispers. ¡°I see! A noble goal most befitting of the one whom is my hero. What of your fishing addiction?¡± ¡°Pfftt, it¡¯s not an addiction. I think it¡¯d be pretty fun to organize a fishing tournament someday that isn¡¯t as uhh, bloodthirsty as that last one was. I want one that¡¯s actually focused on fishing and not just being the last crew alive.¡± ¡°I believe that my grandfather would get along with you rather well, my hero.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because you are so alike! You are both perverted men with elderly interests. I have never met anybody younger than fifty in reality with as much of an interest in fishing as you have.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re calling me an old pervert?¡± ¡°An elderly pervert whom has captured a young, pure princess to corrupt and taint!¡± ¡°Old guys have wrinkly dicks, though.¡± ¡°My hero, please do not ruin my fantasies,¡± Alice says with a disappointed sigh. Book 3: Chapter 13: Patch 3.0: Apartment Life with Four Girls It is dark outside by the time that the group gets back to Ryouta¡¯s apartment. This much social interaction is something that he is not used to ¨C at least, not in real life. Being social in games was never an issue for him, but being social with his real body is different. He feels more awkward, less confident, and is much quicker to tire than in games. If it were up to him, he¡¯d just become Fenrir all the time and never have to be Ryouta. But, it isn¡¯t unpleasant. The only unpleasant thing is that he still has to figure out what to do about the sleeping situation. He is already tired and he¡¯s sure that the rest of them are tired or getting tired as well, so it will not be much longer before they have to deal with the inevitable situation of sleeping stations. ¡°I already know what I¡¯m going to be!¡± Aiko announces while they ride the elevator up to his apartment. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°In that game you all play! We get to make our own characters and stuff, right?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah, and you can be pretty much anything. Though, now that I think about it¡­ starting off in that game really isn¡¯t balanced at all. Seems like characters like mine get that uh, feral stat and feeling and some other bonuses that would make sense for a wolf to have, but somebody who wants to be just a regular human probably wouldn¡¯t get any of that. I don¡¯t think they get anything to make up for that either.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassandra says, ¡°but the bonuses you start off with really aren¡¯t that impressive. Anybody can end up feral with a little bit of effort. If somebody rolls human and regrets it, they could just go live in the woods like a wolf for a day or two and then they¡¯ll change. I don¡¯t know if humans get any bonuses to make up for all that other stuff, but it¡¯s not hard to get on an equal level.¡± ¡°But if people want to try and min-max then they¡¯re screwing themselves by playing human. I know the game purposely makes it hard to min-max characters because everything related to stats is hidden unless you get some stats calculated by those crazy scholars, but it¡¯s common sense still to go with whatever gives you the most bonuses. Which makes me think¡­ why aren¡¯t there way more non-humans? I get that people feel more natural playing humans since that¡¯s what they are in reality, but wouldn¡¯t way more people be playing as anything else if there are bonuses to being feral?¡± ¡°Some of us like to overcome any challenges we get no matter how unfair it might be against us, others experience dysphoria if they play something too different from how they are in reality, and humans going against monsters and other powerful creatures has been a popular clich¨¦ for pretty much ever.¡± ¡°That makes sense, but it¡¯s still kind of boring. I mean, I understand why people want to play humans, but there are just so many possibilities that it¡¯s crazy to me how the majority of people stay human.¡± ¡°You¡¯re basically just a human with dog ears and a tail, so it¡¯s not like you¡¯re that far from being human.¡± ¡°True, but still. And what about how¡ª¡± ¡°Agh! You!¡± Aiko shouts and points at Cassandra. ¡°Stop making my Ryouta talk about boring stuff! I don¡¯t understand half of what you¡¯re saying!¡± Ryouta and Cassandra look around. They didn¡¯t even realize that they¡¯ve made it into his apartment, took off their shoes, and are sitting on the couch next to each other having their discussion. Or rather, they were having a discussion until Aiko snapped them out of their intense focus on each other. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a nerd talk with Cass Cass in a while. It¡¯s rare to really get her into it without threatening to kill me every few seconds,¡± Ryouta explains to Aiko. ¡°Hey! Who are you calling a nerd, and I don¡¯t threaten to kill you every few seconds, you bastard! Don¡¯t make me¡ª¡± Cassandra cuts herself off when she realizes that she¡¯s about to threaten him. ¡°Don¡¯t make me¡­ don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t make me¡­ don¡¯t make me kil¡ªkiss you!¡± ¡°That sounds like a fun thing to make you do. Feel free to threaten me with kisses more often.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll threaten you with all the kisses you want!¡± Aiko declares and immediately gets glared at by Cassandra in response. ¡°I will kill you,¡± Cassandra threatens Aiko. ¡°Not if I kill you first!¡± Aiko shouts back and sticks out her tongue. Ryouta is worried about what his neighbors are going to think about all of this shouting, and he is also worried about how he is going to explain the crime scene to the police when they find two girls whom have killed each other over threats of kisses. ¡°Much better!¡± Alice says, coming out from his bedroom in her wheelchair with a towel wrapped around her hair and a loose robe around her body. ¡°I must admit that I was worried you would have only a shower.¡± Ryouta looks over at her and blinks a few times. ¡°You bathed? How long were Cass and I talking for?¡± he asks. ¡°Quite a while, my hero!¡± Serra comes out from the bedroom behind Alice with her clothes covered in water. ¡°Serra was a wonderful assistant in helping me with the bathtub! My heart longed for you to assist me in my bathing, my hero, but I do not believe that I could handle such an embarrassing and intimate situation yet.¡± Ryouta looks up at Serra and sees her wearing a smug smile on her face. If Serra helped Alice bathe, then that means Serra is the first one to have seen Alice naked. Serra notices Ryouta¡¯s realization and her smile manages to grow even smugger. Ryouta may be the only man in this relationship, and people may joke about it being his harem, but he¡¯s really starting to feel like he¡¯s just a part of Serra¡¯s harem with how much faster she progresses than him. He¡¯s really jealous of her, but he also admires her for that. Because of that, he gives her a thumbs-up and gets one in return from her. ¡°Though, I must say that Serra spent far too much time playing with my body and squeezing me. I wished to get clean, not excited!¡± Alice explains. Ryouta takes back his thumbs-up as his feelings of admiration are replaced by pure jealousy. ¡°You can give me a bath, Ryou¡ª¡± Aiko gets interrupted by Cassandra covering her mouth and pulling her away. The two resume their fighting. ¡°Speaking of baths, I should probably go get a shower. I¡¯ll be back in a bit,¡± Ryouta tells everybody before leaving to gather a fresh change of clothes and going into the bathroom. A shocking, horrifying realization strikes him when he looks at the drain in his bathtub. Hair. So. Much. Hair. How is this possible? How is it possible for a single bath to result in so much hair starting to clog the drain? If this much hair came from Alice alone, what is going to happen when the other three clean up as well? He looks into his sink. More hair. There are even a few hair ties, a scrunchie, and two hairpins laying around on his sink. Oh no. All the memes that he saw on the internet about girls being the destroyers of bathrooms are true. The one place in his apartment that has always served as an escape for peace and solitude is going to turn into a hive of hair, beauty products, and clogged drains. It is only a matter of time before his drains get so clogged with hair that they increase their feral level and evolve into hair-tentacle-drain monsters. Then the thought of the girls being assaulted in his shower by tentacles pops into his head which turns his frustration into excitement. Alice would be the prime candidate since she would be the most helpless as¡ª No! Ryouta can¡¯t think of such a horrible assault happening to Alice as much as she would probably love to join in on the fantasy. Something pokes his back which makes him jump and almost perform a Cassandra squeak. Turning around, he sees Serra standing behind him with her hand on the door, locking it. ¡°What¡¯s ¨C what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks her. Serra signs to him that they haven¡¯t had any real time alone in a while, and after being around the group all day, she wants to relax alone with him. Ryouta signs back that that sounds nice and how he would love to do that but then tells her that the bathroom might not be the best place for doing so. Then Serra signs that she wants to take a bath with him. Ryouta asks her to repeat that since he isn¡¯t sure that he understood the signs properly. That is when she points at him, then herself, then the bath. ¡°I wan hoo hake baff wiff you,¡± Serra says. As fast as his nervous heart may be beating, he just can¡¯t say no to her. Book 3: Chapter 14: Patch 3.0: Apartment Life with Four Girls In the end, Ryouta ended up trying to talk his way out of it as he wasn¡¯t sure if he could handle taking a bath with her. It would be cramped, she would have to be sitting on him, and it would just be really embarrassing. Also in the end, Serra didn¡¯t buy it. That is why Ryouta now finds himself having to strip in front of Serra. He tries telling her to turn around or at least to look away, acting more like an embarrassed schoolgirl than the confident and dominant Fenrir, but Serra refuses. She wants to watch and the more embarrassed he behaves, the more amused she is. With a defeated sigh, Ryouta lifts up his shirt as the tub fills with warm water but hesitates to pull down his pants. When he looks back at her, she signs that she has no idea how to whistle but to imagine that she is. Ryouta starts believing that Serra is the reincarnation of a perverted, old man. If she is this bad now, then he has no idea how far her perversion will go when she reaches the old age of not giving a fuck. He waits until the tub is done filling up before turning away from her, pulling down his pants and boxers in one, and then he tries to get into the tub before she sees too much of his bare figure. Of course, he¡¯s too late and ends up getting his rear pinched by her. Serra gets to see an embarrassed and flustered expression from Ryouta on par with none other than Cassandra¡¯s expressions. Teasing him is just too much fun. Already as embarrassed as he can possibly get, Ryouta steps into the warm water filling the bathtub and sinks down into it until only his shoulders are left above. He just wants to hide from her at this point. Being sexual in reality, even if Fantasy Tales Online is every bit as realistic as real life, just feels far more intimate and embarrassing. There¡¯s also the fact that he just isn¡¯t confident nor comfortable within his real skin as he is when he¡¯s playing as Fenrir. Fenrir is everything that Ryouta wishes he could be. Bringing Fenrir out of the game and embracing the confidence that he has over the internet feels like an impossible task for him. Well, maybe when sober. This would probably be way easier if he had some bourbon in him. Alas, there is no bourbon. There is, however, Serra. Wasting no time removing that shirt of his that is baggy and oversized on her, she sets it down on the floor and reminds Ryouta that she wasn¡¯t wearing anything underneath it. Her bare breasts which are just as petite as the rest of her body are exposed for his eyes to not resist looking at. Whether he¡¯s in-game standing at over six feet tall or in real life and almost a foot shorter than Fenrir is, Serra¡¯s body is just so short and thin that he wants to pick her up and position her however he wants. He¡¯s sure that he could pick her up in real life even if he¡¯s not nearly as strong as he is in-game. Then she slips her fingers into the waistband of her pants to pull them and her panties along with them down. Now, Ryouta gets reminded that Serra has hips beyond perfection. She may be petite with small breasts, but her hips are the widest of all the girls relative to the size of her body. It is those hips which stick out farther than her shoulders do that reminds him she isn¡¯t just a petite girl, but an adult woman. Ryouta¡¯s eyes start going toward her crotch before he turns his head to look away. His heart is still racing and he doesn¡¯t even realize that he¡¯s already gotten fully erect beneath the water. He only notices it after Serra steps into the bath and positions herself between his legs, his erect tool pressing up against the small of her back. He was already more than nervous about her seeing his real body in the nude, but now he has to worry about his dick as well. Fenrir¡¯s cock is a good three inches longer and a bit thicker than Ryouta¡¯s. So, even though Ryouta knows that he¡¯s on the upper end of average in real life, he also knows that his girlfriends are probably already used to him being much larger. But that doesn¡¯t stop Serra. Her small hand reaches behind her back to curl her soft fingers around his tool just as lovingly as she¡¯s ever touched him in-game. His nervousness is quickly replaced by arousal as Serra gently slides her fingers up and down the length of his member. This feels even better than it did in-game. Even if the game can boost the pleasure that its players feel through skills and sexual experience, it just can¡¯t compare to knowing that this is Serra¡¯s real body that is pleasuring his real cock. Ryouta scoots farther back in the tub so that Serra has more space. He was practically lying in it before, but now that they¡¯re both in there, he wants to sit more properly so that she can sit as well. Serra slides back and stops when Ryouta¡¯s cock is directly underneath her virgin hole. They only ever had sex in-game, so they are each still virgin with their real bodies. The thought of taking Serra¡¯s virginity and losing his own right now excites both Ryouta¡¯s heart and cock. He gets even more excited when she holds his tool and rubs its tip between her lower lips. Then she scoots just a bit farther back and sits down on him. While she may not have allowed him entry into her quite yet, she has positioned herself so that his cock is hugged between her soft thighs and pressing up against her labia. There may have been minor bondage and teasing with feet earlier, but Serra is the one to actually assert her will and get what she wants. Ryouta is not going to complain about that. Serra lets the tips of her fingers tease along the underside of his cock, rubbing and tracing against the tool as it throbs between her thighs. Then she begins slowly rubbing her thighs up and down his cock. At the same time, she turns halfway around and grabs Ryouta by his hair. He looks at her with wide eyes when she so dominantly grabs him by his hair and pulls him closer, and then those same eyes shut from a combination of pain and pleasure when she latches onto his neck and sucks. The spot that she is biting and sucking on grows increasingly painful until she finally releases his skin. He¡¯s sure that there is going to be a bloody and bruised mark left from that, but he isn¡¯t going to complain about that, either. ¡°What ¨C what¡¯s gotten into you?¡± he asks her while she¡¯s still looking at him. She signs that she¡¯s just been really horny before turning back around and returning all of her attention to his cock. With his cock between her thighs that are getting rubbed up and down around it, she places the palm of one hand down against the tip of his cock to rub in a circular motion while her other hand uses only a couple of its fingers to rub directly underneath its crown. Being pleasured by her thighs, her palm, and now a couple of her fingers is all amazing. Even the pain stinging the fresh wound on his neck adds to his overall pleasure, and he is pretty sure that she just gave him a new fetish for being bitten. All these sources of pleasure combined quickly bring him to an orgasm. While they are supposed to be bathing, Ryouta instead shoots his cum up against Serra¡¯s palm and dirties the water with his seed. Ryouta reaches his hands around her, each one grabbing her modest breasts and holding onto them for the duration of his amazing, albeit short, orgasm. A soft moan escapes her lips from feeling her breasts so roughly squeezed. They are just the perfect size to fit inside of his hands and to get completely covered up by them. As for her own hands, she cups them together when she feels that his cock has stopped throbbing, lifts them out of the water and over a cup sitting on the tub¡¯s ledge, and then opens them up to drop the water into the cup. Ryouta looks at where his limpening cock is between her thighs and fails to see any cum in the water. He then picks up the cup to look into it and, surely enough, Serra somehow managed to scoop up all of his cum from the water and get it into that cup. Now they won¡¯t need fresh water to actually bathe in, but that leaves Ryouta with the question of just how much of this was planned because he doesn¡¯t remember ever placing a cup there. She turns her head and looks at him with her usual smile of smug satisfaction. ¡­ ¡°That was a long bath, my hero!¡± Alice says as Ryouta walks back into the living room. ¡°A-ah, yeah, they¡¯re not usually that long,¡± Ryouta answers. Cassandra and Aiko, whom have been fighting on his couch for the whole time, look up at him and immediately notice the massive hickey on his neck. They change from being angry at each other to angry at him and jealous of whomever left that on him, and that is when Serra walks out from behind him with that smug smile still resting on her face. Serra may be Aiko¡¯s friend and Cassandra''s girlfriend, but both Aiko and Cassandra feel that they may need to form a temporary truce to combat the true threat. While they wasted time on each other, Serra did what ¨C who they both want to. Book 3: Chapter 15: Patch 3.0: Apartment Life with Four Girls Between Serra smugly watching television with subtitles on, Cassandra and Aiko fighting over who gets to take a bath with Ryouta and leave hickeys on him next, and Alice looking through his kitchen and requiring assistance whenever she wants to look in a cabinet higher than she can reach, the rest of the night proves frantic and busy for Ryouta. He is so used to there being no noises within his apartment, aside from the rustling of chips whenever eating and any anime that he¡¯d watch, that all of this new noise is almost giving him culture shock! But, it¡¯s nice. Ryouta has always wanted a life like this despite never really trying too hard to obtain it. To be sharing an apartment with his girlfriend ¨C girlfriends, making a loud mess of things, laughing and smiling together, and just being together in general, this is the kind of life that he has always dreamt about. Though, given how similar his situation is to some anime that he has watched leads him to believe that he is actually in a coma and dreaming about all of this. How else would he be dating a deaf, munchkin pervert, a blonde tsundere with large breasts, a drama-loving princess in a wheelchair, and now his long-lost childhood friend is here and apparently has become a yandere? He even knows a trap! Well, an in-game trap. All he can do is hope that his dream of living as an anime protagonist never ends. Then he makes an important realization. Anime protagonists, save for very few of them, never get laid. They have harems, but they never actually date anybody. They have girls put sexual moves on them, but they never actually have sex. Ryouta has had sex in-game and just had that experience with Serra¡¯s thighs in the bathtub. This brings him to the conclusion that he is either the protagonist of a hentai or visual novel, or this might just be real and not the deluded dream of a desperate virgin. It¡¯s still probably the former, but he decides to go with the latter instead. He will know that it is the former whenever magical girls start appearing or a demon lord gets summoned into his world. ¡°A demon lord waifu would be nice,¡± Ryouta thinks out loud. ¡°Haah? A what?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯m already dating one.¡± ¡°What did you just call me, you bastard?¡± Ryouta picks Serra up, sits down on the couch, and then sits her down on his lap to use her as a human shield against Cassandra. Cassandra huffs since she isn¡¯t willing to go through Serra to get to him, but he really just gave Serra the opportunity to tease him some more as she starts wiggling her rear down against his crotch. He lifts her off and accepts Cassandra¡¯s abuse instead. Aiko is the first among them all to fall asleep. She was sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, and when she falls asleep, she slides to the side and ends up hitting her head against the floor. They¡¯re all amazed that she doesn¡¯t wake up from the loud impact. Aiko¡¯s slumber triggers the rest of them to rapidly grow tired. Serra is the first to get up off the couch and head into Ryouta¡¯s bedroom, plopping down on his bed and claiming her spot. As for Ryouta, he is careful in picking up Aiko to lay her down on the couch and then covers her up with a spare blanket that he had hanging off the back of the couch. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two in the morning,¡± Ryouta tells Cassandra and Alice. The two remaining girls look at each other and then at Ryouta. A moment later and they¡¯re both holding onto his arms to take him into his bedroom. Cassandra does most of the work since she can use both of her arms, and Alice can only use one arm to grapple onto him while her other wheels her wheelchair. ¡°What ¨C I told you I can sleep on the floor,¡± Ryouta tries telling them, but neither of the girls is buying it. ¡°We are not letting you sleep on the floor in your own home, my hero,¡± Alice explains. ¡°You ¨C you should be grateful you get to sleep with all of us, you bastard,¡± Cassandra says. Ryouta looks over at the bed and sees Serra patting the center of it. Alice lets go and has her hold on him replaced by Serra holding his arm. Between Serra and Cassandra both tugging on him, they are able to pull him up onto the bed and lay him down right on the center of it. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll sleep here, but aren¡¯t you forgetting about something?¡± Ryouta asks them and looks at Alice. ¡°What are we forgetting?¡± Alice asks. Ryouta climbs out of bed to lift Alice out of her chair and up onto the bed. She blushes intensely enough that she has to hide her face behind her hands due to the embarrassingly-wide smile that she has. ¡°It¡¯s the boyfriend¡¯s job to do this sort of thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asks and gets a shy nod from Alice in return. Once she¡¯s on the bed, she scoots over to the far side of it to allow Ryouta his space in the center. Serra is able to lie down between his legs with her feet just barely reaching the edge of the bed, and then Cassandra hesitantly climbs into bed and cuddles up next to Ryouta¡¯s free side. ¡°M-move over, bastard, I don¡¯t have enough space,¡± Cassandra orders him. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly have much space to work with here. I¡¯m telling you, you should just let me sleep on the floor until I can get a sleeping bag or an inflatable mattress or something,¡± Ryouta tries once more, but none of them will allow that. Instead, Alice scoots over until she¡¯s at the very edge of the bed, pulls Ryouta just a bit closer, and then rolls onto her side to properly cuddle up to his own side. This gives Cassandra more space on her side of Ryouta, but she ends up doing the same as Alice thanks to her competitive spirit. With two beautiful girls cuddling up to his sides, Serra peeks up at what they¡¯re doing and joins in on the fun by scooting up closer to him and using his crotch as a pillow. Ryouta knows that he is an incredibly lucky man in this moment. He also knows that he feels kind of claustrophobic since it¡¯s now impossible for him to move. All he can move are his legs and just barely without disturbing Serra. Is this what it¡¯s going to be like every night? Ryouta has a feeling that he¡¯s going to be very stiff in the morning, and not with the morning stiffness that he¡¯s used to. The only thing left is for Serra to pull up the blanket at the foot of the bed to cover them all. Ryouta worries that it¡¯ll be hard for Serra to breathe since she¡¯s completely hidden beneath the covers, but then he feels her fingers working at his crotch. That¡¯s why she¡¯s fine being covered. Unfortunately for Serra, before she¡¯s able to do too much to his crotch, Cassandra groans and tears the blanket off of them. ¡°Too hot¡­ we don¡¯t need a blanket if we¡¯re all together like this,¡± Cassandra explains while Serra takes her devious hands away from Ryouta¡¯s crotch. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you have four people on a bed together sharing body heat. Are you sure I can¡¯t just go sleep on the flo¡ª¡± Ryouta is cut off when he feels Cassandra glaring at him. A few minutes later and he hears the soft, sleeping noises of Alice as she is already fast asleep. He isn¡¯t surprised that she¡¯s the second to fall asleep given how busy the day was for her, and since she had to fly from overseas, he¡¯s impressed that she was able to last this long. Then Serra manages to fall asleep despite something hard poking against her head which she is responsible for causing. Ryouta is the second to last to fall asleep, leaving Cassandra the final one awake. The moment that she hears that Ryouta is asleep with tightly shut eyes, she looks up at his face and smiles. Her hand that was previously resting on his chest slides up to his face to gently hold his cheek. She occasionally traces the tips of her fingers across his lips, around his eyes, on his nose, over his forehead ¨C she wants to feel every single part of him. She wants to memorize how he feels. Each little discovery that she makes brings a smile to her lips. Whether it is learning just how soft his lips feel, discovering a small scar on his forehead right beneath his hairline, or feeling a tiny bit of short stubble on his cheeks that he must have missed when shaving, everything she learns about him makes her smile wider and her heart beat more fondly for him. ¡°I love you, Ryouta,¡± Cassandra whispers into his ear. ¡°I love you a lot and I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m always so mean,¡± she whispers some more. ¡°I love you.¡± She places a single, soft kiss on his ear before scooting her head back to just watch his sleeping face until she inevitably drifts to sleep as well. Book 3: Chapter 16: Patch 3.0: Apartment Life with Four Girls The group on the bed sleeps soundly throughout the night. It does not take long after Cassandra falls asleep for her to wrap one of her legs around Ryouta¡¯s own leg, and consequently, on top of Serra. Alice ends up scooting farther up along his body until she¡¯s subconsciously cradling Ryouta¡¯s head against her chest, and Serra only moves whenever a certain something pokes up against the back of her head. Aiko is the only one who wakes up during the night. She walks into the bedroom to find where everybody is and sees her beloved Ryouta surrounded by three other girls. It hurts her to see such a sight. Her heart hurts and violent thoughts whisper into her mind, but those thoughts are not directed at anybody that she is looking at. They are only directed at herself. She was unbelievably happy earlier to be reunited with her beloved Ryouta, but now that she sees just how happy and content he can be without her, dangerous thoughts plague her mind once more ¨C thoughts that she has never been brave enough to tell anybody about. But, Ryouta is happy, so that is reason enough for her to try her hardest to be happy. Cassandra takes her leg off of Ryouta and starts rolling over. Only a thin space is left on the bed between her and its ledge, so if she completely rolls over, there is nothing to stop her from falling onto the floor. While there may not be anything to stop here, there is somebody. Aiko rushes over and uses her hands to push Cassandra back onto Ryouta. One of Cassandra¡¯s arms end up flopping toward Aiko and almost smacking her in the face, which makes Aiko tempted to just let her roll over and fall, but she stays helping the blonde girl with a bust that she¡¯s jealous of. ¡°You better appreciate this,¡± Aiko whispers with a smile. Those dark thoughts are replaced by the happy memories that she made earlier. She has been reunited with Ryouta, has made two new friends, and she feels safe and comfortable around them all. Until this day, Serra has been the only one since she was taken away from Ryouta as a child who she could feel happy around ¨C who she could feel safe around. Cassandra finally settles halfway on top of Ryouta, allowing Aiko to slump back and sit on the floor. Something hard in her back pocket pokes up against her rear due to the uncomfortable position it has gotten into. Aiko takes it out of her pocket and looks at it, opening it up to reveal the blade that she is so familiar with. She closes it the moment those thoughts start returning. It gets shoved back into her pocket in a position where it won¡¯t be poking her while sitting. Maybe, just maybe, she¡¯ll be able to get rid of those thoughts for good if she surrounds herself with all of these happy people. She just wants to be as happy as Ryouta looks in his sleep right now. For now, all she can do is continue trying to make others happy. Then she might even learn how to make herself happy. Aiko stretches and lets out a loud yawn that she¡¯s worried will wake the rest up, but fortunately, they all remain sound asleep. She looks over the bed for an open spot. The only space is at the very foot of the bed where she would have to be sharing space with everybody¡¯s feet. If that is the only spot with enough space for her, then that is the spot she will take. Hours later, once the sun shines through the window of Ryouta¡¯s bedroom, Ryouta blinks his eyes open and looks around. He¡¯s confused at first when he cannot move his body at all. Something is pinning down his arms, keeping his legs spread, and pressing down on his feet. He tries to figure out what¡¯s happening. First, he turns his head to look at what that soft, warm sensation is against the side of his head. His eyes are met with the sight of Alice¡¯s cleavage. Looking at her this up close, she has an even bigger pair than he thought. Though, that could just be the bra she is wearing pushing them together and up. She smells nice. Disgruntled mumbling makes him look down toward his crotch where Serra is trying to avoid harassment from his morning wood. Opposite of Alice is Cassandra with a bit of drool making a wet mess of his shoulder that she¡¯s cuddling her face against, and when he leans up just enough to look past Serra, he sees Aiko curled up like a cat on top of his feet and using what little space is left of the bed ¨C was left. Seeing that sleeping smile on Aiko¡¯s face makes him happy. He¡¯s happy that she¡¯s been reunited with him and that she¡¯s getting along with everybody so well. She may have her rough moments with Cassandra, but aside from that, she¡¯s been nothing but an energetic and happy, bubbly girl ever since she came to his apartment. It¡¯s no wonder that she sleeps so much given how energetic and happy she always is. He¡¯s pretty sure that he would be even more exhausted than her if he had to always be like her. His only concern is that he¡¯s hungry and doesn¡¯t want to try to get out of bed since he¡¯d probably end up waking everybody up. All he can do is try to fall back asleep and hope that they wake up before he¡¯s not tired enough to sleep anymore¡­ but there is an issue with that plan. He¡¯s too excited. He was much more tired last night when he fell asleep, but now he¡¯s only barely tired, has Alice¡¯s breasts up against his head, can feel Cassandra¡¯s own chest pressing down on his arm, and Serra¡¯s head keeps on bumping into his morning wood. The current situation is as torturous as it is great. Alice ends up slipping down along his body, taking her breasts away from the side of his head, and ending up with her lips right against his ear. She softly moans in her sleep right into his ear, her breath occasionally brushing up against him and making him even more excited. Does this qualify as ear play? Does he have a new fetish now? As if to confirm that he does, in fact, have a new fetish, her lips gently kiss the lobe of his ear before giggling into it. He turns his head to look at her and sees her opened eyes looking at him with a light blush on her cheeks. ¡°Good morning, my hero. Would you like me to wish you a good morning in the same fashion tomorrow?¡± Alice whispers her question to him, their faces hardly an inch apart. ¡°It was uhh, pretty nice, I won¡¯t lie,¡± Ryouta whispers back. ¡°I can see that,¡± she replies with a quick glance toward his crotch. ¡°That¡¯s ¨C every guy wakes up with that in the morning.¡± ¡°I see, my hero. If you have such a hard problem every morning, would you like me to assist you with it each morning?¡± Ryouta gulps and blinks a few times. He immediately assumes that he misunderstood what she just said, but when he looks at her face, she looks completely serious. Her hand trailing down to his crotch really proves just how serious she is. ¡°Say something, my hero. This is much too embarrassing if you do not,¡± Alice whispers. ¡°Sorry, uhh, I ¨C I don¡¯t really know how to react,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°Such a confident and dominant man in-game is shy inexperienced outside of it,¡± she says while placing her hand over his clothed erection. ¡°But, I like both sides of you, my hero.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Cassandra groans. Alice swiftly pulls her hand away from his crotch and hides it behind her back. Ryouta can¡¯t help but laugh at how suspicious and surprised the expression on her face is. Serra yawns, woken up by Cassandra¡¯s leg bumping into her. Aiko is the only one who remains asleep through the morning yawns and movement. ¡°I ¨C I would love to prepare breakfast for us all if I could have some assistance in the kitchen,¡± Alice says, making sure to stick with a hushed voice as everybody has only just woken up. Seeing how flustered she looks gives Ryouta an idea. She was calling him shy and inexperienced just moments ago, so now it¡¯s time for some revenge. ¡°Some sausage sounds nice. You want some morning sausage, Alice?¡± Ryouta asks her. Alice blinks a few times at him. He was hoping to fluster her some more, but instead, she ends up giggling. ¡°I would love some sausage, my hero,¡± she answers between giggling. Ryouta gives up. He ends up being the one getting flustered instead of her. He¡¯s going to have to look up on the internet how to tease girls, or at least learn how to embrace his inner Fenrir while in reality. Book 3: Chapter 17: Patch 3.0: Apartment Life with Four Girls Unfortunately for the sleeping Aiko, she gets accidentally smacked in the face by Alice when she tries to scoot over toward the edge of the bed. ¡°A-ah, sorry, and good morning, Aiko. I am not very well aware of my legs, but I will try my best not to make that mistake happen again!¡± Alice apologizes. Aiko mumbles, lets out a cat-like yawn, and falls back to sleep a few seconds later. There is nobody left on the bed to stop her from sprawling out across it and taking up as much space as her body can. Her shirt ends up getting bunched up, showing off her slender tummy that Ryouta wants to play with at the sight of it. Cassandra sees how he¡¯s looking at Aiko and looks down at her own abdomen. A subtle pinch confirms that it¡¯s getting soft and ¨C well, pinchable. This is something that she must keep secret from Ryouta and¡ª Serra pinches the other side of Cassandra¡¯s stomach, causing her to jump, squeak, and blush. Ryouta looks over at the commotion and sees Serra still with her fingers pinching some of Cassandra¡¯s stomach between them. Cassandra, looking like she¡¯s about to cry, glares at Ryouta and demands that he looks away and forgets what he¡¯s seeing through her eyes alone. Knowing what¡¯s best for him, Ryouta looks away and forgets that he ever saw Serra pinching Cassandra¡¯s stomach. Well, he tries to. All he can think about is how he really wants to pinch her himself and how he bets that her stomach would make a great, really soft pillow. Though, he doubts that he would survive the day if he tells her that. He¡¯ll just have to subtly try to use her as a pillow sometime. Thinking about it, he pretty much wants to try using all of his girlfriends as pillows. He¡¯s already used Alice¡¯s breasts as a pillow, basically. He also wants to try resting his head on Alice¡¯s thighs, Cassandra¡¯s stomach and thighs, and Serra¡¯s chest and thighs. He really just wants to use all of their thighs for his own personal enjoyment. Then a brilliant idea pops into his head. It is an idea so marvelous and perfect that he is amazed that he never thought of it before. Cassandra. Sweater. Stomach. Pillow. ¡°Wait, why am I getting horny from that?¡± Ryouta thinks to himself. Scared of developing too many new fetishes this morning, he shakes the thought out of his head and goes into the kitchen to help Alice with preparing breakfast. It turns out that Alice is a pretty good cook. Every egg she cracks is cracked with such precise perfection that not a single drop of the egg white lands outside of the bowl that cracks them into. If Ryouta were to try that, he knows that the white would get splattered all over the counter and probably only half of it would end up inside of the bowl. Eggs, vegetables, herbs ¨C Alice masterfully works the kitchen and its supplies to put five omelets cooking consecutively on the stove at once. They already look far better than anything Ryouta has ever made. ¡°How¡¯d you learn to cook so well?¡± Ryouta asks her. ¡°Ah! I am glad that you believe that. As for how ¨C well, I always knew that I would never be good for much due to my legs, so I wanted to get good at everything I could that does not require walking! Your kitchen is just a bit too tall for me which is why I require assistance, but back home, the kitchen was modified so that I could reach everything,¡± Alice explains. Ryouta is worried now about her family and servants. If everything was lowered for her, they probably have some back problems. ¡°I also create all of my own costumes and wigs!¡± she continues. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re pretty talented then,¡± Ryouta praises her. Alice smiles while flipping the omelets. ¡°If there is anything that you would like me to wear, I can make it and wear it just for you! Are there any characters from shows or games that you would perhaps like me to dress up as? If you so wish, I could even try to mimic their personality for you.¡± ¡°Alice, stop, you¡¯re getting to be too perfect. I don¡¯t know if my heart would be able to handle any of that.¡± ¡°I am also willing to make costumes for the others, of course! If there is anything you would like to see them dressed up as¡­ perhaps you would like to see Cassandra in a succubus outfit while Serra wears an angelic one, or the other way around? I must admit, I am also attracted to the idea of Serra wearing leather while Cassandra wears a headband with dog ears and a tail¡ª¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Cassandra asks, looking into the kitchen. Ryouta is just happy that Cassandra interrupted Alice before she said anything too intense. ¡°Oh! I was just saying that I am fond of the idea of Serra wearing leather and dominating you while you wear a headband with dog ears and have a tail plug,¡± Alice explains. Cassandra blinks a few times. Ryouta blinks a few times. Serra sits on the couch and waits for food, trying to stay awake and yawning every now and then. Alice blinks a few times at Cassandra¡¯s and Ryouta¡¯s blinking and then checks on the omelets. ¡°Ryouta,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Yeah?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Why are you putting those thoughts into her head?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making her want to dress me up like a dog. Do you have a fetish for dogs? Is that why you have those ears and tail in-game and why a rock turned into a dog?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got some new fetishes this morning, but being attracted to dogs isn¡¯t one of them. Well, dog monster girls are a different story.¡± ¡°Perverted dog bastard. And what would those new fetishes be? Do I even want to know?¡± Alice chimes in, ¡°I think they may be ear related.¡± Ryouta tries not to blush but fails. Cassandra, to his surprise, also blushes. Now that he thinks about it, he¡¯s gotten pretty close to her ears a few times before and got some nice reactions out of her as a result. ¡°They¡¯re done! Please gather everybody at the¡­ where do you normally eat, my hero?¡± Alice asks while turning the stove off. ¡°Uhh, on the couch or at my computer,¡± Ryouta answers. Alice does not look impressed. ¡°We are buying you a proper table and chairs today to dine at! My goodness, you are no longer a bachelor.¡± Ryouta loves when she talks like a mother scolding him, or perhaps it would be better to compare her attitude to a strict, older sister. Either way, he tries thinking of any older sisters from anime that he would like her to cosplay as. Cassandra, Serra, and Aiko sit on the couch, Alice stays in her wheelchair, and Ryouta opts to just eat while sitting on the floor next to the table in front of his couch. However, when Alice tells him that he must eat in a chair and not on the floor, he wheels his computer chair from his bedroom into the living room to sit in. It feels weird ¨C foreign, sitting in that chair while in the living room, but Alice won¡¯t allow him to eat on the floor. Then he thinks about what it would be like if, instead of ordering him to get off the floor, she orders him to get onto it. The dominant and sadistic, haughty princess type of character could probably be pulled off pretty well by her for whenever he is in one of his rare submissive moods. Wait, if she could make any sort of costume that he wants¡­ he¡¯s imagining her as a blonde vampire who sucks on his neck and orders him around. It would be even better if she wears a gothic Lolita dress during it. ¡°This is really good,¡± Cassandra says between bites of the omelet. Then she remembers her stomach, looks down at it, and internally whines. ¡°H-how many calories are in it?¡± ¡°Worry not, Cassandra! I will accept you no matter how plump you may become,¡± Alice says with a wide smile. Cassandra looks like a ghost, and Ryouta is starting to think that Alice may lack some social grace. Either that or she just really doesn¡¯t care about being subtle. Aiko lifts up her shirt to show off more of that stomach he saw earlier. ¡°Look, Ryouta! I run every day so I¡¯m nice and toned, aren¡¯t I? Wanna touch? Here!¡± Aiko says, grabbing Ryouta¡¯s hand and bringing it to her abdomen. Her skin is smooth and soft, but also firm ¨C tight. There is nothing to pinch there even if he tries to. Serra pats Cassandra on the head when she sees just how ghastly she looks. ¡°Ryouta, we are going on a shopping trip once we are done with breakfast. It would be best to go early and avoid the lines!¡± Alice declares. Shopping? This early? Ryouta usually only goes shopping in the middle of the night whenever he realizes that he¡¯s run out of food and booze, but now she wants him to go before it¡¯s even nine? ¡°Only if you dress up as a vampire sometime,¡± he says. ¡°Would you like sucking to be included?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not fair that she gets to flirt with you so much but I don¡¯t!¡± Aiko shouts. ¡°Yeah!¡± Cassandra agrees. ¡°Cass, you can flirt with me whenever you want,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Sh-shut up, you know what I mean. Why ¨C why don¡¯t you ask me to be a vampire?¡± ¡°Alright. Will you dress up as a vampire for me?¡± Cassandra blushes and looks away, nodding her head but not saying anything. That¡¯s when Serra sneaks up behind Ryouta and latches onto his neck, gently biting and sucking on his skin which makes him let out a surprised, boyish moan. While the rest of the girls look on at Serra out of jealousy, Serra gets in front of him and signs to him that he tastes like eggs. Book 3: Chapter 18: Patch 3.0: Apartment Life with Four Girls Breakfast ends and the shopping trip begins. Ryouta is not the only one who does not want to go shopping so early as the rest of the girls groan and grumble about it as well. Cassandra is the most vocal about not wanting to go, but she doesn¡¯t want to stay back while everybody else goes out with Ryouta. She has no idea what they may try doing to him while they have him! She can¡¯t let herself fall behind, so once more, Ryouta ends up with Aiko and Cassandra clinging to his arms while they are out and about. They buy more food, some drinks, specific alcohol for everybody as they each like something different, and a table with enough space for five people and chairs to go with it. Ryouta feels jealous stares directed at him for the entire time they are out. Both women and men alike stare out of jealousy, younger kids look at him with respect and awe, and the elderly either look disgusted or proud. The rest of the day is more or less a repeat of their day from yesterday. They go out to eat, mess around, Ryouta plays peacekeeper between Cassandra and Aiko, Alice embraces more of her teasing side, Serra tries getting some adult fun out of him by sneaking away with him but unfortunately getting caught, and so forth. The only difference is that Aiko falls asleep with them instead of joining them in the bed this time around. They figure that she already slept with them once, even if none of them knew it until they woke up, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to let her do it again as long as she stays at the foot of the bed and doesn¡¯t try anything weird. Or sexual. Mainly sexual. The next morning, Ryouta checks his computer with Serra sitting on his lap while the rest of the girls work on breakfast. Aiko told Alice that she wanted to learn how to cook to be a better future wife for Ryouta, and naturally, Cassandra had to be competitive and wish to learn as well. Fiscord has far too many messages for Ryouta. Since all the girls are with him as well, that means they could only be from one person: Spencer. At least he has a new nickname in their group chat. >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: sure do wish I wasn¡¯t the only one steering this thing Ryouta doesn¡¯t know whether to appreciate or hate the new nickname. >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: me and cor don¡¯t have enough alone time because none of u have been cumming on >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: rock misses you guys and I think even rod is depressed that he hasn¡¯t gotten used at all lately >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: who names a fishing rod ROD, srsly fenny >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: you better be having lots of sex at least or im going to be disappointed in you >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: for real who has three girlfriends stay over and not have like 24/7 sex fests >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: if I had three of cor then we¡¯d just be constantly raw, I mean, we pretty much already are but that¡¯s not my point >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: also where am I even taking this ship, all you said was east >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: YOU HAVEN¡¯T BEEN HERE FOR TWO DAYS NOW >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: WHY U DOING ME LIKE THIS >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: WE NEED TO HIRE SOME NPCS OR SOMETHING TO STEER THE SHIP SO THAT I DON¡¯T HAVE TO COME PLAY EVERY FEW HOURS, I HAVE THINGS TO DO YOU KNOW, YOU¡¯RE LUCKY THAT I¡¯M ON BREAK >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: IF THIS WAS DURING THE SEMESTER THEN I¡¯D JUST LET THE SHIP CRASH IN THE ROCKS IF YOU¡¯RE NOT HERE TO HELP >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: EVEN TABITHA HAS BEEN HELPING ME STEER LATELY AND THAT JUST MAKES HER GRUMPY BECAUSE SHE WANTS 2 PLAY WITH HER TOYS INSTEAD OF HELP ME BUT IF I HAVE 2 SPEND MY FREE TIME STARING AT WATER FOR ANOTHER MINUTE THEN I AM GOING 2 CUM ON UUR CHARACTER WHILE HE¡¯S ASLEEP >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: DO NOT MAKE ME SEXUALLY HARASS U IN UR SLEEP FENNY >Da Best Engineer Ever: I think he¡¯s serious >Da Best Engineer Ever: I went in and I saw him standing next to your character looking like he was about to strangle you >Da Best Engineer Ever: and Rock kept on barking at you to try and wake you up >Da Best Engineer Ever: I get that you have some girlfriends over but you have a dog here who needs attention, and a fishing rod >Da Best Engineer Ever: Also yeah, who names a fishing rod ¡°rod?¡± >What Is Penis, Baby Please Hurt Me: SEE, TABS UNDERSTANDS While Ryouta sighs from the frantic messages, Serra giggles and starts typing a message in response for him. He figures he might as well let her say something. He¡¯s right here with her, so he can just stop her if she tries sending anything inapprop¡ª It turns out that Serra can type way faster than anybody else he has ever seen before. >TheMemeStruggle: Hi! This is Serra! Don¡¯t worry, Olly, I¡¯m doing my best to make you proud! >/// Ryouta deletes that message before anybody hopefully sees it, and then he swats her hands away whenever she tries getting back at the keyboard. ¡°I should probably go immerse for a bit. You know, now that I actually have a bit of a life, I understand why older people with careers and families don¡¯t play MMOs much anymore. Even if time moves twice as fast when immersed, I haven¡¯t felt like I had even a minute of free time to play around in-game over the past two days,¡± Ryouta says. Then he remembers that Serra is deaf and she¡¯s not looking at him, so she has no idea that he is even talking. Ryouta opens a notepad on the screen and types everything he just said into it. Serra pushes his hands away from the keyboard and types in the same notepad document underneath what he said. Serra: That makes sense. I haven¡¯t even wanted to go play since I¡¯ve been having so much fun with you and the others, plus there hasn¡¯t really been any time to go play like you said. Also, why¡¯d you delete my message? Mean! Ryouta: Because you¡¯re a perverted munchkin telling people too much information. He already knows about my sweater fetish, so he doesn¡¯t need to know how into thighs I am. You know what would happen if he found out? He¡¯d make a bunch of characters with thick thighs to be flaunting all over the place and constantly tease me with them. Serra: You only like thick thighs? My thighs aren¡¯t thick but they still made you cum! Ryouta: I love all thighs, and your thighs are perfect. And also, you were using your hand, too. Serra: That just means I have to try it again only using my thighs. Ryouta: How did you get so perverted? Serra: You know you like it >///> Ryouta: You don¡¯t have to type those emojis when I can see the tips of your ears blushing. Serra pats down her hair over her ears to hide them from him. Serra: It¡¯s not nice to bully girls. Ryouta: I¡¯ve been the biggest victim of bullying here for the past few days. I¡¯m allowed to bully somebody else, you munchkin pervert. Serra: That nickname is really cute but I like Serra Berra better. You should call me that more Ryouta: Serra Berra the Munchkin Pervert Serra giggles against him. Serra: That¡¯s better. I think Aiko¡¯s headset is supposed to get here today, so then we can all play! Is your internet even good enough for all of us at once? Ryouta: I hope so. By the way, what do you think of her? Serra: I¡¯ve been friends with her for a bit now so I¡¯m used to how she acts, but she does act even more hyper around you. Ryouta: She reminds me of you in text but in real life. Serra: Hey! I¡¯m not that hyper in text! I just type fast so I type a lot since I can say more in a limited time, and stuff! If I didn¡¯t say so much then people would think it¡¯s creepy how quickly I reply. Ryouta: It¡¯s alright, I just think it¡¯s cute. I was impressed back when you replied to me so quickly the first time we messaged through Fiscord, and I liked it. It feels more like a fluid conversation when you don¡¯t have to wait long for somebody to reply. Serra: You type so slow I think it might better for you to stick to shorter replies >3> Ryouta: No more Serra Berra. Serra: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! I want it more, not less! Don¡¯t take that away from me! Ryouta: I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re the same girl who just ambushed me in the bathroom and gave me a thighjob. You type nothing like how you act. Serra: Text is my natural environment! I¡¯m just used to expressing myself in text the most! ¡°Breakfast is ready, Ry-ou-ta!¡± Aiko shouts from the kitchen. ¡°Y-yeah! It¡¯s ready, Ryo-Ryouta!¡± Cassandra calls next. Ryouta: They¡¯re calling us for breakfast. Let¡¯s go eat. Serra: I want your dick for breakfast o///o Ryouta: Would you stop Serra: I know you want it. I can feel it pressing against my butt now >/// ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me, you bastard?¡± Cassandra asks, standing in the doorway to the bedroom. Ryouta spins around in his chair, spinning Serra with him, and both look up at Cassandra. ¡°What have you two been doing? Just staring at a notepad?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Oh, we were talking through it instead of signing,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°What were you talking about?¡± ¡°About how much of a deviant Serra is,¡± he says while closing the notepad, not saving their little conversation. ¡°And about how different she is in text.¡± Then Serra signs that they were talking about sex as well. It¡¯s going to be another hectic day. Book 3: Chapter 19: Patch 4.0: A Cat is Fine Too While Alice and Serra clean up the kitchen, Aiko excitedly unpacks the virtual reality headset that she ordered and that just arrived. ¡°Is this it?¡± Aiko asks, holding up the floppy headband that looks more like something for working out than playing games. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°It looks different from what I was expecting. Isn¡¯t it supposed to be like, a super high-tech computer and stuff?¡± ¡°It is. Everything is built into the band, and they made it like a headband so that it would be comfortable for everybody to wear.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s the computer in your room so big if they can just squeeze everything into a little headband like this?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Cassandra chimes in, ¡°desktop setups and ¡®battlestations,¡¯ as they called them, got really popular in the early twenty-first century, and then that just carried over. They made computers tiny and barely even noticeable, everybody who actually spends money on them got upset and started buying mods to return their comps to how it was back in the day, and then the big companies realized that they¡¯ll make more money selling stuff that looks nice instead of being efficient,¡± she explains. Aiko and Ryouta blink a few times at her. ¡°Yeah, what she said,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a huge nerd,¡± Aiko comments. Cassandra starts growing red when she realizes she just nerded out a bit without even noticing it. ¡°I ¨C I only know that because I kept seeing that sort of stuff while m-making my own computer!¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°You built your own? I wanted to do that, but I was worried I¡¯d screw something up,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Woah, you built your own computer? Does that mean you¡¯re like, super smart? You really are a nerd!¡± Aiko says. Cassandra¡¯s face grows even redder. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ don¡¯t tell me that having bigger boobs makes you smarter!¡± Aiko says. The red drains from Cassandra¡¯s face as she takes on an expression of bewilderment instead of embarrassment. ¡°That explains why I failed math three times! It¡¯s because I don¡¯t have any boobs!¡± Aiko whines. ¡°Ryouta, there¡¯s something wrong with this girl,¡± Cassandra whispers to him. Ryouta chuckles while rubbing the back of his head. He doesn¡¯t know if he should correct Aiko or not. Obviously, there is more to her struggles with math than not having breasts, but he doesn¡¯t have the heart to tell her that. Plus, it¡¯s funny watching her think she¡¯s bad at math because of that. ¡°So how does this thing work?¡± Aiko asks, returning her attention to the headband. ¡°I¡¯ll have to sync it to my computer first ¨C everybody else is going to have to sync theirs, too. Then you¡¯ll be able to slip it on and get started,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°Why does it have to sync?¡± ¡°Uhhh, to use the internet connection and security and stuff, I think. It kind of doubles as a uhh, what are they called, surge protectors?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but okay! You two should like, work with IT stuff!¡± Aiko tells Ryouta and Cassandra. ¡°You¡¯re both really good at all this!¡± Ryouta only knows as much as Hoogle does, and Cassandra cringes at the thought of working in IT. ¡°No thanks,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I always got harassed the moment guys found out I knew this sort of stuff, so I¡¯d rather not work surrounded by sweaty guys wanting to rub their patchy beards on me just because I know how to look things up online.¡± Ryouta laughs from her stereotyping. The image of somebody trying to rub a beard on her leads to him imagining her being surrounded by sentient beards all trying to rub her. For once, as weird as the thought is, he is not aroused by it. ¡°I¡¯ll go start the syncing so that we can play later. It actually takes a little bit. No idea why,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Okay! What should we do while waiting? Do you want to take a bath? Eat lunch? Or maybe you would like me?¡± Aiko says and then is punished with a chop to the back of her head from Cassandra. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get in-game myself for a bit to figure out just where we are. Then I¡¯ll be able to tell you where you should start your character at,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Can¡¯t I just start with you?¡± Aiko asks while rubbing her head. ¡°Nope. You¡¯ll have to choose a small region that you want to spawn in, and then you¡¯ll randomly spawn somewhere within its boundaries.¡± ¡°How am I going to find you? That sounds horrible!¡± ¡°We have a boat, so all we have to do is stay close to the coastline and wait for you to show up. Maybe your virtual assistant will be nice and help you start off close to us since it¡¯ll be able to tell you¡¯re our friend and are playing because of us.¡± ¡°Virtual assistant?¡± ¡°Yeah, an artificial intelligence that¡¯ll be able to read all your memories, know how you feel ¨C basically, it¡¯s like a combination of the hardware in the headset and your brain.¡± ¡°O-oh,¡± Aiko says, her voice and expression meek. Both Ryouta and Cassandra notice the change in behavior and raise their eyebrows. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s nothing ¨C it¡¯s nothing. I promise!¡± Aiko says. Neither Ryouta nor Cassandra fall for her forced positivity and the promise that she made, but neither of them question her about it either. ¡°The game isn¡¯t going to like, sell all my data to the government or something, right?¡± Aiko asks. ¡°Probably not. The game is owned by the most powerful man in the world, so I doubt he cares about selling our info to the government when he¡¯s probably rich enough to buy this country outright,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°How¡¯d he get so rich?¡± ¡°Creating new technology and making the world dependent on it, investing in other growing companies ¨C stuff like that. ¡° ¡°Ah! Are you two talking about Mr. Clark?¡± Alice asks from the kitchen as she loads the dishwasher with Serra¡¯s assistance. ¡°Yeah, and about how he got so rich.¡± ¡°I met him once! He is a very kind man ¨C very smart, too! I felt like I was a little kid while listening to him talk as I could not understand everything he was saying.¡± ¡°You met him? Seriously?¡± ¡°I did! He was curious about meeting real royalty, so he paid a visit to my family! We only had the opportunity to host him for a few hours, but everything you have likely heard about him is true.¡± Ryouta is jealous for two reasons: one, he¡¯s jealous that Alice got to meet the most powerful and wealthy man in the world; and two, he¡¯s jealous because she met him and now he feels emasculated knowing that she knows somebody way more successful than him. ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about you ditching me for him, right?¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°Of course not, my hero! Such a joke is not even amusing! He is very far from being my type. Much too serious and I would constantly feel lesser from being around him,¡± Alice explains. ¡°So, you¡¯re only dating me ¨C us, because we don¡¯t make you feel dumb?¡± ¡°A-ah! That is ¨C that is not what I¡¯m trying to say!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you, it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Hmph! I will tease you back later!¡± ¡°Hey, ¡®hmph¡¯ is Cass Cass¡¯s thing even if she hasn¡¯t done it for a while.¡± ¡°I ¨C I do what I want! Hmph!¡± Cassandra says. ¡°See? Anyways, I¡¯ll be in the bedroom immersed for a bit,¡± Ryouta says, getting up from the floor where he¡¯s been sitting with Aiko to go slip on his own headset and immerse himself into virtual reality for the first time in a few days. ¡°Onii-chan! It¡¯s about time!¡± Saya cries out while leaping up against Fenrir, wrapping her arms around his neck. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s only been a few days. Is that all it takes to make you act clingy and lovey instead of tsun?¡± Fenrir asks. Even if he hasn¡¯t been Fenrir for a few days, being him just feels more natural and immediately fills him with more confidence. ¡°I get lonely quickly! I mean¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m even active whenever you¡¯re not here, but still! Ooh, is that Aiko?¡± The subject quickly changes. ¡°She¡¯s kind of cute, but between her, Serra, and me, I¡¯m going to start thinking that I¡¯ll need to call the police on you since you keep going after girls with small boobs.¡± ¡°Hey, Aiko doesn¡¯t even look that young. She actually looks her age; she¡¯s just flat.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Onii-chan! It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t report your pedo tendencies to the police.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a pedo! Everybody is over eighteen!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they always say at the start of those hentai games you play even though we all know the characters clearly aren¡¯t eighteen!¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t a hentai game!¡± Fenrir and Saya stare at each other for a few seconds before laughing together. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve had a fun back-and-forth, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry about that. I¡¯ll try to give you more attention from here on.¡± ¡°Are you still going to try and make a haven for NPCs ¨C AIs?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in my head, so you already know the answer to that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do, but I already know how all of our conversations would go! With that logic, I should never talk to you about anything since I know how every conversation would go.¡± ¡°You sound more like a god than an artificial intelligence.¡± ¡°Maybe I am? I am your kami-imouto-chan!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a dork is what you are,¡± Fenrir says, flicking Saya¡¯s forehead. Book 3: Chapter 20: Patch 4.0: A Cat is Fine Too Fenrir spends a few more minutes talking with Saya, mainly taking turns teasing each other, before finally getting back into the world of Fantasy Tales Online. His first sight is The Shoebill¡¯s hull. The wooden hull of the ship, now mixed with steel oak and some magical, self-healing wood from what is apparently a ¡°branch of Yggdrasil,¡± the ship¡¯s hull is starting to develop some more natural colors. There are spots and stripes of earthy green that he assumes are from the branch, and other spots have an almost metallic shine to them. All of the hammocks are occupied as well. The only person not soundly asleep in one of the hammocks is Corwin, so Fenrir assumes that Corwin must be the one currently in charge of steering the ship. Fenrir leans up and notices something is on him. Looking down at his waist, Rock is curled up and soundly asleep on top of him. As much as he wants to go ¡°aww¡± and praise Rock for being so cute, he also doesn¡¯t want to wake her up. Instead, he¡¯ll settle for just petting her from her head to her back. Her left ear is still broken in half with the top of it looking jagged, but her back leg has completely healed. Fenrir reaches up to check out his own ears. Yep, his left one is still halved just like hers is. He figures that he¡¯ll try to get that healed once Rock¡¯s is back to normal, if it ever is. He wouldn¡¯t want her to be the only one with half of an ear. Rock wakes up after a few minutes of being petted. Her eyes slowly blink open, unsure of what the sensation is, but then she looks up at Fenrir and notices him awake and his hand on top of her head. Her eyes open wide with excitement and happiness as her tail starts wagging so quickly that her entire body shakes as a result of it. ¡°Morning, sleepy pup,¡± Fenrir tells her. Rock slips out from underneath his petting hands and attacks his face! She attacks it with her tongue, of course. Her tongue may be made out of a rock, but it is smooth, warm, and even a bit wet just like a real tongue would be. Fenrir has no idea how that works given that she¡¯s a rock, but he¡¯s not going to complain about it. ¡°H-hey, watch where you¡¯re stepping, you¡¯re right on my throat,¡± Fenrir groans as Rock accidentally manages to hop up and down directly on the front of his throat with her front paws. She doesn¡¯t seem to care for his words as she¡¯s just too excited about licking his face, so he has to manually push her legs off of him which causes her to slip and roll off of him, landing on her back next to him in the hammock. With Rock on her back and her legs up in the air, that leaves her exposed to the ultimate, most effective attack against all canines. A belly rub. Fenrir is quick to take advantage of the situation by placing one hand underneath her chin to scratch her there while holding her down, and his other hand goes directly for her belly to rub. Her belly feels a bit softer than the rest of her does, and he can actually press in on it a little tiny bit, but it is still clearly made of rock. Once more, he has no idea how any of this works, but he does know that all puppy bellies need rubbed. Though, she certainly doesn¡¯t look like a puppy anymore. She will always be a puppy to him and all other members of The Shoebill, but now she is starting to look like an adult wolf in size and general description. The color of her rock has grown darker which he assumes is because of the dark cannon balls that she likes to munch on, her snout is more elongated now and the fangs within it are sharper and longer, and she actually looks intimidating and powerful now rather than like a small ball of not-so-fluffy puppy. Regardless, she¡¯s still adorable. ¡°You¡¯re just the cutest, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Fenrir asks her while her tongue hangs out from her mouth thanks to the belly rubbing. ¡°What¡¯ve you been up to? Have you just been lazing around being sleepy and bored?¡± Rock barks a few times before going back to panting and hanging her tongue out. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll try to give you more attention more often. Life has just been pretty busy lately, but you¡¯re too important to leave hanging,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Ah, capt¡ªFenrir, you are awake! I was wondering when you would come back,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Oh, hey, Corwin. How¡¯ve you been? You look like you¡¯ve got a nice tan going on there,¡± Fenrir replies. Looking Corwin over, he looks like he¡¯s gotten a bit more toned and his skin has gone from being pale to tanned. ¡°You look good. I guess that¡¯s what happens when you¡¯re on a boat, under the sun, without all the great food of a city.¡± ¡°Ah, I suppose so, Fenrir. I am sorry to ask you of this right away, but would you mind switching places with me? I am truly quite tired and Olly¡¯s shift is not for another couple of hours. I feel as if I will not last that long, however.¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem. Sorry about running you guys so ragged. Time just flashed by and a few days passed by without me realizing it.¡± ¡°It is no problem, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Alright, Rock, you¡¯ve got to get up so I can get out of here.¡± Rock whines and rubs herself down into the hammock, nestling herself against Fenrir. ¡°You can¡¯t just stay lazing around forever. You¡¯ve got to get up and run around the deck for some exercise or you¡¯re going to get all chubby and out of shape,¡± Fenrir explains to her, but all he gets in response is even louder whining than before. She reminds him of those videos he¡¯s seen on the internet of lazy dogs not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. ¡°Saya, can you record this?¡± Fenrir thinks to her. ¡°I have been, Onii-chan!¡± Saya answers. Perfect. Now he¡¯ll be able to share just how cute Rock is with everybody on Fiscord. It takes a few more minutes, but Fenrir finally manages to get Rock out of the hammock much to her own grumbling dismay. ¡°The hammock is all yours,¡± Fenrir tells Corwin whom gives Rock a few pats on the head before climbing into the same hammock. With only six hammocks, one of the crew will always be left out, but that¡¯s alright since somebody needs to stay steering the ship in the first place. ¡°Sleep tight. Don¡¯t let the hammock bugs bite,¡± Fenrir says. Corwin blinks a few times. ¡°Hammock bugs?¡± he asks. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re ferocious, man-eating bugs that live in hammocks.¡± ¡°How ¨C how does that work, Fenrir?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking around. Get some rest.¡± ¡°Ah, I ¨C I see. Very well. Goodnight, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Night.¡± With that, Fenrir and Rock head above deck. They are immediately greeted by bright rays from the sun shining down on them. Aside from a few small clouds in the distance, the sky is clear and Fenrir finds himself just staring at its beauty for a few moments. A clear sky, gentle waters, a rock-wolf-puppy, and his own ship, today would be the perfect day for some fishing or swimming ¨C for anything other than surfing, really. Looking off the port side of the ship, he sees land in the distance which is where he¡¯ll have to tell Aiko to try and spawn at. As long as she waits on the beach and The Shoebill sails close to it, finding her and picking her up shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue. Fortunately, there are spare clothes that he will be able to give her since he remembers now that everybody starts off completely naked without even a single piece of equipment. He just has to hope that she¡¯ll be able to survive getting to the beach in the first place. Then, worries enter his mind about somebody else finding her before he does. What if a group like the one who screwed with Cassiel finds Aiko before she can make it? What if¡ª A rapidly blinking light catches his attention. Fenrir looks over at it and sees Rod leaning up against the ship with his gem flashing at him. ¡°Hey there, Rod. Been a few days. You holding up?¡± Fenrir asks. Rod pulses once ¨C a yes. ¡°Sorry to keep you laying around doing nothing. I¡¯m only supposed to be on right now to figure out where to tell Aiko to spawn at, but with Corwin needing sleep and you and Rock being neglected, I figure it wouldn¡¯t hurt to maybe get some fishing in. What do you think?¡± Rod pulses once again, and Rock barks while nuzzling her face against his leg. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s fish.¡± Book 3: Chapter 21: Patch 4.0: A Cat is Fine Too And so, they fish. Having dropped the new anchor that Tabitha created for The Shoebill, Fenrir sits on a barrel by the ship¡¯s port side while watching the line that he has cast. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gotten to just relax like this,¡± Fenrir says. Rock is being extra needy by whining and pressing her head against him, so whenever there isn¡¯t a bite on the line, he has one hand on her head to pet her. It is just a slow, lazy day for fishing. ¡°We need to invest in some actual chairs to sit on. I feel like kicking back and reclining. We also need some alcohol,¡± Fenrir says. Rod pulses a few times, so Fenrir has no idea what he¡¯s trying to say. ¡°By the way, I should probably tell you two that we¡¯re gonna be getting a new crew member. My childhood friend, Aiko ¨C Rod, I told you about her already. Anyways, it turns out that she¡¯s back and is going to make a character to come and join us. I¡¯m supposed to be figuring out where she should spawn at, but we need some relaxing time for fishing. I have to admit, it¡¯s nice to just be alone with my rod and my dog.¡± Fenrir thinks about what he just said for a few moments. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing Olly and Serra aren¡¯t here. I know they would take that out of context and make it perverted.¡± ¡°Who said anything about not being here?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir turns around and sees the grinning deer-trap-boy otherwise known as Oleander. ¡°I ¨C I thought you weren¡¯t going to be on for a bit longer?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Serra messaged me telling me to have fun with teasing you, so I asked what she meant, and she told me that you were in-game!¡± Oleander explains. Of course. Of course, it would be Serra to inform him. ¡°Sorry, did I interrupt you playing with your rod?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I sure hope you weren¡¯t playing with your rod with Rock. I might look at you differently if you did that.¡± He kneels down next to Rock and pets her back. ¡°He wasn¡¯t touching you inappropriately, was he?¡± Fenrir flicks Oleander¡¯s forehead. ¡°I wasn¡¯t doing that, you perverted deer,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You never know, Fenny. You¡¯re basically part wolf and Rock there is a wolf, so I have no idea what you might be doing while none of us are around to protect Rock!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m the one who has to protect Rock from you if anything.¡± ¡°Pfftttt, I¡¯ve got Corwin to assault. Did you see his sleeping face down there? He¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir changes the subject, ¡°we¡¯re going to have a new crewmember.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yeah. Aiko. I¡¯ve told you about her before, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. How¡¯d you find her? Were you still looking?¡± Oleander asks, his tone more serious now. ¡°Oh, no. It turns out that she was Serra¡¯s friend, and I also bumped into her on the street which made her turn into a stalker I guess.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Oleander stares blankly at Fenrir. ¡°So¡­ your childhood friend is suddenly back in your life and now she¡¯s a stalker? This sounds like one of those shows you watch. Are you just messing with me?¡± ¡°Ask Serra or Cass if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Oleander rubs his forehead and sighs. ¡°Another problem girl. Why can¡¯t you just find normal girls? Or cute boys. We need more men here!¡± ¡°You already have Corwin.¡± ¡°But we both want some beefcakes to look at!¡± ¡°Alright, after Aiko, I¡¯ll try to find some big muscle men for you two. Then Tabitha is probably going to request a mecha or something since everybody else is getting what they want.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a mecha again?¡± ¡°Giant fighting robot, basically.¡± ¡°That would be pretty cool, especially if it looks like a big guy with huge muscles.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll satisfy you both at once by getting a mecha that looks like a giant bodybuilder.¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re talking! So, when¡¯s the stalker joining us?¡± ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m supposed to be here figuring out where we are so I can tell her where to spawn her character at, but I figured that it¡¯s alright if I spend some time fishing and relaxing with Rod and Rock first. Gotta give them some attention.¡± ¡°And you have to give me attention!¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing?¡± Oleander giggles and happily skips around with his hands behind his back. But, then he stops his happy and playful skipping to turn serious. ¡°Hear anything from Bo¡ªViktor?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Nothing,¡± Fenrir answers. Oleander sits down on the barrel behind Fenrir, leaning back against Fenrir and resting his head against Fenrir¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This sucks. Why¡¯d he just ditch us like that?¡± ¡°To be fair, we weren¡¯t really being nice toward him at the end there.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ him always being a dick was just wearing me down. I couldn¡¯t put up with him forever, but I didn¡¯t want him to actually leave us. I wish people could just change and stop being dicks.¡± ¡°I know what you mean. He must have really been annoyed by us to just leave like that without even saying anything. I thought we were good when he left us on the ships, but I guess not. Either way, it¡¯s done with. We shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cold, Fenny. He¡¯s been with us for years. You knew him even longer than I did, and you weren¡¯t the one always getting made fun of by him, but I feel like I miss him way more than you do. He was our friend.¡± ¡°Of course I miss him, but I¡¯m not going to worry about it. He wants to be a dick so we¡¯ll let him be a dick. We didn¡¯t do anything wrong. If he wants to come back, he can anytime, but he better apologize for being an asshole and ditching us.¡± ¡°I guess so. But even with that, I feel like we should try chasing after him if we¡¯re really his friends. Shouldn¡¯t you chase after people you care about?¡± Oleander asks with a sigh. ¡°Anybody who makes you chase after them isn¡¯t somebody worth keeping around. Whether it¡¯s a friend or a lover, you shouldn¡¯t have to chase somebody. That¡¯s just putting yourself beneath them and being desperate.¡± ¡°You say that, but wouldn¡¯t you always chase after girls when you were younger? Would you chase after Serra or Cass if they left you?¡± ¡°W-well, listen, even if I struggle to follow my own advice that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not good advice. You know, somebody can say smoking is bad for you but still be a smoker themselves,¡± Fenrir explains while scratching his head. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you, Fenny. How¡¯s the fishing been?¡± ¡°I had a couple of curious bites, but nothing hooked yet. Probably need some real bait instead of just lures.¡± Rock notices Oleander¡¯s sad expression, jumps up, and knocks Oleander off of the barrel to pin him down to the ground and lick his face! ¡°Wh¡ªhey! Rock! St-stop it!¡± Oleander whines while Rock drags her tongue all across Oleander¡¯s face. ¡°I bet you¡¯d love that if that was Corwin instead of Rock,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m the one who does this sort of thing!¡± Rock apparently does not understand the concept of consent when it comes to licking somebody¡¯s face until it is covered in saliva. ¡°How does a wolf made out of rock even have saliva?¡± Oleander whines. ¡°It¡¯s all sticky and wet and all over me¡­ lewd.¡± He giggles from his own humor. ¡°I don¡¯t know how Rock works at all, so I just stopped questioning it.¡± Oleander finally manages to crawl out from underneath Rock. Now that Rock has grown to be so large, she is easily capable of pinning down the small Oleander. ¡°I guess I should try to figure out where we are. We just need to find a good landmark to use as reference for your stalker,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Oh, by the way, what¡¯s she like? Like, what¡¯s she look like?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Uhh, about as tall as Cass Cass, shoulder-length hair ¨C brown, even flatter than Serra, and that¡¯s about it I guess,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Oh, and freckles on her face. They look really cute.¡± ¡°I see. I don¡¯t think any of the spare clothes I¡¯ve got would be able to fit her then since she¡¯s taller than me. At least I¡¯ll have somebody else to join in me being completely flat!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me and Corwin count as being flat if you count?¡± ¡°Yeah, but you guys are boys.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not?¡± ¡°Only on the outside and when on top of Cor!¡± ¡°Alright, you pervert. Let¡¯s just try to find a landmark so that Aiko has something to go off of.¡± ¡°Aye aye, cap¡¯n!¡± Fenrir reels in his line and brings up the anchor. They are still a bit away from the coast, so they will need to get closer if they want to find any landmarks good enough to assist Aiko. They see something familiar as The Shoebill gets closer to the coast. Those massive crabs that they first encountered when they started playing the game can be seen on the beach digging around in the sand. If they¡¯re digging around, they¡¯re probably looking for those shells full of tentacles that Fenrir thought would be great bait to use for fishing. And he does lack some real bait. ¡°Want to see how those crabs compare to us now?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°I could go for some more crab! They were delicious, and now Rock can enjoy some!¡± Oleander replies. Rock hops up onto the edge of the ship, leaning over it and barking when she sees the crabs. She really seems to dislike them. Oh, right. Thinking back, Fenrir remembers that he technically used Rock before she was Rock to kill one of the crabs. ¡°Looks like Rock wants to test out how they compare to her now, too.¡± Book 3: Chapter 22: Patch 4.0: A Cat is Fine Too ¡°Now that I think about it, we should probably invest in some rowboats so that our only option of getting to and from the ship isn¡¯t swimming and climbing up the side,¡± Fenrir says. He said that because he has realized that they may have a problem. They can¡¯t get any closer to the shore than they already are and the water isn¡¯t shallow enough for Rock to stand in. Rock looks over the side of the ship and whimpers. Even if she knows how to doggy paddle¡­ she¡¯s made out of rock. She¡¯s going to sink. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can breathe underwater, Rock?¡± Fenrir asks her. She whimpers louder. ¡°Alright, so no undersea adventures for you. You got an idea, Olly?¡± Oleander crouches down and looks at Rock. ¡°Yep,¡± he answers. ¡°Well, what is it?¡± Oleander gets up, gets some rope, and returns. ¡°I¡¯ll tie her to your back.¡± Fenrir and Rock look at each other. They¡¯re not sure how well this plan will work, but they don¡¯t have better ideas. ¡°Kneel down, Fenny. Rock, hop up and lean over him like you¡¯re trying to hump him,¡± Oleander orders. ¡°Did you really have to explain it like that?¡± Fenrir asks. Oleander shrugs and straightens out the rope in his hands. With Fenrir kneeling down, Rock gets up onto his back and leans her front legs over his shoulders. She takes up his entire back now that she¡¯s grown. Once Rock is in a good position, Oleander ties the rope around the two of them by going underneath Rock¡¯s front legs and Fenrir¡¯s arms. ¡°Alright, stand up!¡± Oleander orders. Fenrir stands up with his arms back and underneath Rock¡¯s rear to keep her supported up. Meanwhile, Rock just happily pants while sticking her head over his right shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to have a parrot on your shoulder if you want to be a captain, not a wolf,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Wolves are cooler than parrots anyways. You think this¡¯ll work, Rock?¡± Fenrir asks, his voice strained from how heavy Rock is. She may be the size of a regular wolf, which is already heavy on its own, but she¡¯s also made entirely out of rock and isn¡¯t hollow as far as Fenrir knows. He¡¯d never be able to lift her in real life, but in this game world where he has far more strength than his real body has, he¡¯s able to manage. He just has to hope that he doesn¡¯t sink straight to the bottom with her. This is probably a bad idea. Rock barks and licks his face. ¡°See you on the beach!¡± Oleander says and dives into the water! Fenrir and Rock look overboard to see Oleander waving up at them. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to be better off climbing down into the water than just jumping in,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Oh, I should bring Rod.¡± He hooks the fishing hook into one of the guides on Rod and tucks the fishing pole between him and Rock. It¡¯s probably the safest place for Rod to be since he won¡¯t be able to use his hands to carry him. He¡¯s still not used to thinking of Rod as a he, even if it does make sense. With one hand under Rock¡¯s rear and the other holding onto the rope, Fenrir rappels down the side of The Shoebill and gets some serious rope burn thanks to the extra weight added by Rock. Swimming ends up being just as difficult as he feared it would be. Rock¡¯s added weight is enough to completely push him underwater while barely leaving her above it, so Fenrir naturally starts panicking and trying to get his head above water. Then he remembers that he can breathe underwater now. As soon as he remembers that, he¡¯s able to calm down and take deep breaths despite his head being completely submersed. The two swim toward the shore. Rock helps out by doggy paddling with her paws over his shoulders. After a rough start and with Rock¡¯s help, they make it ashore and meet up with Oleander who¡¯s stripping his clothes off. ¡°I should¡¯ve done this before jumping in,¡± Oleander says. Fenrir looks Oleander over while helping Rock get off from his back. Oleander somehow manages to have an even more feminine figure than Aiko does, and even his chest, despite being a male¡¯s, looks to be just slightly bumpier than Aiko¡¯s. Aiko really does have it rough. Fenrir wants to see how she¡¯ll react when she discovers that even a boy has more of a chest than her. Meanwhile, the crabs that they¡¯re hunting are completely ignoring their presence to dig their massive claws into the sand in search of those tentacle-filled shells. A couple of crabs have already brought up the shells and are trying to crack them open. ¡°Hmm. There¡¯s eight crabs and three of us. We¡¯re stronger now, so¡­ three for each of us and two for Rock?¡± Oleander proposes. ¡°I could probably take them all out from back here now. It¡¯s always nice returning to low-level monsters after powering up.¡± To demonstrate, Oleander reaches into his satchel to pull out a thorn, enlarges it, and sends it flying toward one of the crabs! The thorn travels with incredible speed straight through the side of the crab, carving a hole through it and exiting out of the other side before the crab even realizes what just happened. ¡°I probably should have aimed for the head. Oh well!¡± The crab falls down and starts writhing its legs around, unable to properly stand. ¡°Aww, cute,¡± Oleander says with a happy sigh. It¡¯s been a while since Fenrir has seen Oleander¡¯s inner sadist come out. ¡°How about four each? Me and Rock will team up,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Sounds good! Wait, you don¡¯t seriously plan on fighting with a fishing rod again, do you?¡± Oleander asks when he sees Fenrir holding Rod. ¡°Yeah, why not? It¡¯s funny. We¡¯ve fought with joke weapons in games before.¡± Rod pulsates a few times as if to express anger that he was compared to a joke. ¡°Whatever floats your shoebill, Fenny.¡± ¡°You get the four on the right, and we¡¯ll get the four on the left.¡± ¡°Wanna race?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I already know you¡¯ll win with your magic if we try to seriously race, so no.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Fenny. Annyyywaaayys, let¡¯s go!¡± Oleander and the trio made up of Fenrir, Rock, and Rod charge at their respective crabs. Fenrir realizes that he has to let Rock get a head start because of how slow she is. While Oleander unleashes thorny tendrils produced from the stems of roses against all four crabs at once, Fenrir and Rock reach the first crab and cooperate in attacking it. The crabs were just enjoying their lives digging around for shells, but now they are under attack. Fenrir gets himself right in front of the crab, grabbing onto each of its pincers to disable them from being able to move and attack, while Rock hops up onto its back and bites into the shell! The shell, while sturdy, is no match for being crunched on by Rock¡¯s fangs. Fenrir first killed a crab with Rock when she was just a rock by slamming her over and over into the crab¡¯s head until its brain was crushed, and Rock seems to remember that tactic. She bites right behind where the crab¡¯s head is, uses her front legs to swipe away some of the shell once it¡¯s cracked, and then digs her snout into the crab¡¯s shell and kills the crab by what Fenrir can only assume is directly biting its brain. He can¡¯t see much of what¡¯s happening since Rock is sticking her head into the crab¡¯s shell and since he technically has traumatic content turned off, so he can¡¯t see anything too gory. He does, however, see Rock lift her head out from the shell once the crab falls to the ground. There is yellow and pink liquid all over her face when she happily barks. ¡°You¡¯re gross, but good job,¡± Fenrir praises her. The next crab, Rock distracts it by biting at its legs and running underneath it while Fenrir looks for an opening. He¡¯ll just copy what Rock did. While the crab is distracted, Fenrir jumps up onto it from behind, grabs onto its head by one of its eyestalks with his left hand, and holds Rod in his right hand. ¡°Sorry about this, Rod,¡± he says right before slamming the bottom of Rod directly between the crab¡¯s eyes. He realizes that he should probably be more careful of using Rod like this when the gem that contains Rod¡¯s soul¡ªat least, that¡¯s how he thinks these gems work¡ªis embedded directly into the bottom of the handle and is the first part of Rod to get slammed into the crab¡¯s hard shell. But, when Fenrir pulls Rod up to look at the gem, it looks unharmed. Back to being used like a hammer. One of the crab¡¯s claws reaches behind it to try and tear Fenrir off from its back, but Rock protects him by jumping up and biting onto the claw! Three strikes with Rod directly between the crab¡¯s eyes is enough to knock it down, lifeless. ¡°Nice assist, Rock. That¡¯s two down and two to go. Want to try taking the other two out on our own?¡± Fenrir asks her. Rock barks and runs at one of the two remaining crabs. ¡°I guess this one is mine then.¡± Fenrir notices that Rod is rapidly flashing. ¡°What?¡± Rod pulses twice, waits, then twice again over and over. ¡°Are you angry or something?¡± One pulse. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t use you to smash crab brains anymore. I want to try going feral on this crab anyways.¡± Book 3: Chapter 23: Patch 4.0: A Cat is Fine Too Setting Rod down to embrace that feral instinct surging within him, Fenrir charges at his final target and feels his body changing mid-charge. His arms grow slightly longer and thicker with muscle, a short coat of fur grows over them, and sharp claws protrude from his fingers. Then he stops in his tracks when he makes a disturbing realization. He notices that he basically looks like those characters from anime or games whom wear giant, oversized animal paw gloves. His arms and hands may not be as dramatically oversized as theirs, but it is a comparison that he cannot just let slide. It¡¯s almost enough for him to completely shove his feral desires into the depths of his mind to return his arms to normal. But, before he can be ashamed enough to do that, the crab that he was charging at decides to charge at him instead. One of its pincers slams down into the sand where he was just standing! A cloud of sand is kicked up by the sheer force of impact. The crabs may be somewhat slow and awkward when it comes to fighting, but when they actually manage to land a hit, they can deal a ton of damage. They¡¯re basically glass cannons when he thinks about it. Fenrir lands a few feet away from where the crab hit the sand. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s how you want to play it? Then let¡¯s try my claws versus yours,¡± Fenrir borderline growls at the crab. Now he¡¯s realizing that he is not only reciting cheesy dialogue, but he is reciting cheesy dialogue at a crab. ¡°How did I become this way?¡± Fenrir asks himself. He hears Rock let out a surprised yelp. Turning around to check on her, he worries when he first sees what sort of situation she¡¯s in¡­ and then he wants to laugh. The crab that Rock went after is holding her up inside of its pincers. Each of those mighty, giant pincers are squeezing around Rock¡¯s body in the air, but they are not making even the slightest indent into Rock¡¯s body. She¡¯s even hanging her tongue out and panting. Rock looks more confused than worried. Then she turns her head, remembers that she¡¯s supposed to be killing the crab that is swinging her around in the air trying to crack her open, and starts barking and snarling. Her tail wagging against its left pincer is doing more damage to the pincer than its pincer is doing to her. ¡°You¡¯re something else, Rock,¡± Fenrir says before returning his attention to his own crab. He narrowly dodges another fist from the crab by jumping out of the way. It looks like the crab wants to take him up on that cheesy challenge he offered it. ¡°Let¡¯s see just how strong my arms are like this,¡± he says to himself, getting ready with balled fists for the crab¡¯s next attack. The crab swings its left pincer at him like it¡¯s throwing a punch, and Fenrir does the same with his right arm. His wolfen fist slams directly into the crab¡¯s pincer. Fenrir immediately winces from pain and wants to pull his arm back, but he sees his punch through and manages to knock the crab¡¯s claw back with fragments missing from its shell and cracks running throughout it. The crab swings its right pincer at him now, and Fenrir replies with his left fist. Knowing just how much pain to expect, he puts even more force behind his punch to make his enemy hurt just as much as he does. The crab¡¯s right claw hangs limply at its side, getting dragged through the sand as it tries backing away from Fenrir. Its left claw still works but is heavily damaged. Fenrir looks down at his hands. His left hand is fine since he put more force into the punch and more easily overwhelmed the crab. But his right hand, which he met the crab with almost equal force with at first, hurts and got scraped against the rough shell to cause some minor bleeding. Nothing too serious, just painful. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to suffer for too long. Even if you¡¯re just being controlled by the overseer right now, I feel kind of bad seeing you try to get away from me dragging your claw like that, so let¡¯s finish this,¡± Fenrir tells the fleeing crab. There is something in mind that he wants to try which he knows is going to messy and edgy, but also cool. He runs directly at the crab, fists ready to attack. The crab¡¯s only working claw comes slamming down into him, but he blocks its closed grasp with one arm while his other arm lunges forward between the crab¡¯s eyes. His sharp, canid claws pierce straight through the shell and tear through its brain. The crab¡¯s legs give out and it collapses to the sand. ¡°I feel pretty cool for that,¡± Fenrir praises himself. ¡°About time. You going to help your pup now, Mr. Wolf?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir looks over at the four crabs Oleander had to deal with. Each one is very, very brutally dead. ¡°How did you do all that with just plants? That¡¯s the kind of thing in anime where they just censor it with giant black bars instead of actually showing anything,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gotten to have any fun, and I have to stretch my abilities after being all cooped up on that ship! Geez, Fenny, don¡¯t you know how girls work by now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever know that,¡± Fenrir says, returning his attention to the midair Rock. Yep. The crab is still swinging her around trying to break her with its claws, but it¡¯s just breaking its own claws instead. ¡°You know, this is kind of funny. I have my assistant recording it to show the group later,¡± Oleander says. Rock seems to switch between not minding it and being extremely aggravated. When she looks at Oleander and Fenrir, she happily barks at them and tries paddling in the air to run over to them with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Then she remembers that she¡¯s being held up by the crab, looks at it, and starts viciously snarling and barking at it again. ¡°Yeah, just record this for a little bit more. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever get to see anything like this again,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Does this count as animal abuse if we¡¯re recording something trying to kill her for our amusement?¡± ¡°¡­we¡¯re horrible people when you put it like that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but we both knew that already! So, wanna see what gets there first? Your little puppy claws or my magic?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Fenrir says, immediately taking off after responding. ¡°Hey! Fenny! That¡¯s not fair!¡± Oleander shouts as he quickly tries to prepare a spell. By the time Oleander fires off one of his thorny tendrils at the crab, Fenrir is already leaping between its arms and underneath Rock to perform the same finishing move that he just used on the last crab. Unfortunately for Fenrir, he ends up taking a pretty hard hit and enough damage to make his vision go half black. The crab¡¯s arms let go of their prey after having its brain crushed by Fenrir, dropping Rock directly onto his back. Fenrir gets knocked down onto the sand with Rock on his back, and then to make matters worse, the crab¡¯s limp corpse falls onto his head and oozes putrid liquid all over his hair and the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯m still recording, by the way,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°I hate everything right now,¡± Fenrir says against the sand but is quick to shut up when he feels that liquid oozing down the sides of his face toward his mouth. ¡°Please help,¡± he mumbles with closed lips. Rock helps him by biting onto his leg and pulling him out from underneath the crab, then she rolls him over by pushing her snout underneath the side of his body and pushing against him. Fenrir gets flipped over with gross, sticky hair¡ªtemporarily dyed yellow from crab guts¡ªstuck to his face. At least Rock loves him enough to lick most of the gross liquid off of him. ¡°Sorry, Rock, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll want you licking me for a whi¡ª¡± Fenrir starts saying, but then the situation somehow manages to grow even worse. From talking while she¡¯s cleaning his face, her tongue ends up accidentally going into his mouth. Her tongue, with crab-guts-juice on it, gets some direct action with his own tongue. ¡°Stiiillll recording, by the by,¡± Oleander reminds him. Fenrir pushes Rock off of him and sits up. ¡°Can we just pretend that none of this actually happened? Like, can we just pretend that we never got off the ship or saw each other today or anything?¡± he pleads. ¡°No-pe.¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Everybody is going to see you get tongued by Rock and force-fed crab guts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to throw up if you phrase it like that again.¡± ¡°Two dogs, one crab.¡± Fenrir turns over and gags. Book 3: Chapter 24: Patch 4.0: A Cat is Fine Too Fenrir coughs and gags, but nothing comes out. ¡°You¡¯re so overdramatic, Fenny,¡± Oleander teases him. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to have your own dog transplant crab guts into your mouth. It¡¯s all I can smell and I can still taste it,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t tongue my pets. I only do that to my Cor!¡± ¡°I hate everything and everybody right now.¡± Rock whimpers and nuzzles against his leg. ¡°Except you, Rock. I could never hate you. I don¡¯t really hate anybody else, either. I just hate that crab and Olly.¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not like I did anything wrong! I was just recording something funny for all your girlfriends to see! Look, Fenny, if you¡¯re going to be dating three cute girls then I get to at least tease you around them so that your ego doesn¡¯t get too inflated.¡± ¡°I appreciate your effort to keep me grounded, but if it means going through that, I would rather become an egotistical asshole.¡± ¡°Woah, Onii-chan, I had no idea you were such a perv. I¡¯m in your head and I didn¡¯t even know you¡¯d want to make out with Rock and swap crab guts!¡± Saya teases. ¡°Even my virtual assistant is making fun of me now. See what you¡¯ve started, Olly?¡± ¡°Hey, Fenny¡¯s assistant! Don¡¯t let him ever forget what happened today. Just send him screenshots at random times when he¡¯s not expecting it,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Tell him I said okay!¡± Saya says. ¡°I¡¯m not telling him that. I¡¯m telling him you¡¯re a brat who already teases me enough,¡± Fenrir tells Saya. ¡°She¡¯s a brat who already teases me enough,¡± he tells Oleander. ¡°I bet she¡¯s already agreeing with my plan anyways,¡± Oleander replies. ¡°This is cruel and inhumane treatment.¡± Fenrir and Oleander look at each other while Rock licks her paws. The two men start laughing. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve last had some time to play together ¨C just the two of us,¡± Oleander says in his masculine, non-trap voice. ¡°I¡¯ve missed it, man. Between Cor, your girls, Bone and all that other drama, we¡¯ve had no time to just hang out and chill.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird hearing your real voice when you look like that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But yeah, I know what you mean. Want to grab a drink sometime soon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be over by you next week, so sure. I want to meet all the girls after taking you home drunk. I bet that would be fun.¡± ¡°I already told them that exact thing is probably going to happen.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it like, dating three girls? Or is it four now?¡± ¡°Just three, and it¡¯s just as crazy as you probably think it is.¡± While the two men sit down on the shells of dead crabs to talk, Rock runs around in the sand playing and barking at the water whenever it gets close to her paws. ¡°How¡¯re you and Cor doing?¡± ¡°Really good, actually. I¡¯m still worried things might be moving too fast, but I don¡¯t think I have to worry about that when I look at your relationship. You¡¯re moving faster with three girls than I am with one guy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right about that. You two planning on meeting up anytime soon in reality?¡± ¡°We¡¯re talking about it, but nothing concrete yet.¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll dump you when he discovers you¡¯re not actually a cute trap.¡± ¡°I¡¯d probably deserve that for how many guys I¡¯ve tricked before, but I don¡¯t think so. He already knows all about how I look out of character.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. You know how he looks?¡± ¡°He pulled a Serra and made himself look the exact same.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as bad when guys do that. We don¡¯t get stalkers as often. Invite him to the Fiscord yet?¡± Oleander stretches out and yawns. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like stuff like that, so we just call each other,¡± he explains. ¡°Fair enough. We¡¯ve had people like that before in our groups,¡± Fenrir says then yawns himself. ¡°So, we need to find a landmark for the new girl, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, something that should be easy to find from that top-down map we chose from.¡± ¡°Right here might be a good spot thanks to that island out there. Just tell her to choose a spot near the beach in front of the island on¡­ the southern tip of the place that looks like Italy.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a good way of describing it. I¡¯ll go ahead and go tell her now, be right back.¡± Fenrir goes from talking to falling straight back and rolling off of the shell that he was sitting on, his face planting itself into the sand. ¡°You could have picked a better spot to wake from,¡± Oleander says before getting up to help Fenrir¡¯s body back up. When Fenrir gets back in-game, he opens his eyes and sees Oleander swinging his legs while sitting on his chest. ¡°About time, Fenny,¡± Oleander says, behaving and talking like his in-game self once again. ¡°Comfortable?¡± Fenrir asks before pushing Oleander off of him. ¡°And I only took ten minutes.¡± ¡°Yeah, but ten minutes is twenty minutes here!¡± ¡°Right. Well, sorry. I had to try and find an online version of the map for her to point out where exactly she¡¯d have to go. I just hope I pointed out the right place.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be fiiinnneee. Probably. We just have to hope that she doesn¡¯t run into any trouble on the way here.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly. You start off with nothing, so if another player found her, she might be in trouble. Serra was lucky that I wasn¡¯t somebody else when I found her.¡± ¡°What if a tentacle monster finds her? You like that sort of stuff, right?¡± Fenrir thinks about it for a few moments. ¡°I¡¯d rather I get to be the tentacle monster.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a perv, Fenny.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that coming from you. Speaking of tentacles,¡± Fenrir says and walks over to one of the shells that the crabs dug up. Surely enough, when Fenrir places his hands in its opening and starts to pull it open, hundreds of thin, pink tentacles start writhing around and smacking at his hands. They really are basically just worms all connected to the same fleshy core in the center of the shell. Very angry worms, that is. ¡°You want to use those as bait, right?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yep,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°We could take a whole shell back onto the ship, keep it alive, and just cut off those pink things whenever you need them, right?¡± ¡°That sounds pretty cruel, but maybe it wouldn¡¯t feel any pain? I have no idea. I¡¯ve heard that crabs and fish don¡¯t feel pain, but I have no idea if that¡¯s true or not, and it might not apply here either way.¡± Some of the tentacles stick out from the shell and try to dig beneath the sand to hide itself again, but Fenrir grabs the shell and lifts it back up whenever it starts making progress. Fenrir unsheathes his sword, which he never even uses after looting it from those guys who tried attacking him in the alleyway back in the city, and cuts a few inches off of one of the tentacles. The tentacle that he cut doesn¡¯t even react. It instantly closes the wound and starts to regrow instead. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to care too much, and it doesn¡¯t cause any lasting damage, so maybe we should take it back,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Plus, it should just be controlled by the overseer, so I won¡¯t feel bad about keeping it. Unless it gets its own AI like Rock, which would make me feel bad and probably have to release it.¡± ¡°Oh well! Want to try out your new bait while we wait for your friend to show up?¡± Fenrir answers by picking up Rod and attaching the chopped-off tentacle to the hook. The shell proves its worth after the tentacle used as bait gets bitten only a few seconds after being cast into the water. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re keeping the shell,¡± Fenrir says. After an hour of fishing, which Oleander spent gathering materials for a fire from the nearby woods, Fenrir has caught six fish of varying sizes and colors. Some are short and blue, one of them is orange and fat, and the latest one has such bulging eyes that Fenrir tossed it back into the water simply because he doesn¡¯t want to eat anything with such an ugly face. He just feels bad for it. ¡°Are the others going to get on?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°They should be soon. They said they were going to unpack their stuff while we¡¯re playing, and they had a lot of stuff between them all. I don¡¯t know where any of it is going to fit,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Fenrir chuckles and shakes his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s still funny despite being so stupid and old.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Oleander says, his voice serious and low as he points down the beach. Fenrir looks at where he¡¯s pointing and sees somebody approaching. Whoever it is, they¡¯re wearing a full suit of leather armor and have a hood obstructing most of their face. ¡°Looks like some sort of edgy lone wolf type,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that could be your friend,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Not with that gear.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Fenrir shouts to them once they get closer. ¡°You hungry?¡± The hooded figure stops and removes their hood from their head. A couple of feline ears are revealed sitting atop their head as well as shoulder-length, brown hair with pink stripes through it, and he can even see some freckles across their face. Looking closer, he sees that they are a she, or he at least assumes so because of how feminine she looks. Her facial features are small and rounded, giving her a youthful appearance and¡­ then he looks lower. He couldn¡¯t tell from how far away she was before, but when he looks at her now, he notices that her breasts are massive. Not just huge, but hentai huge. Those massive mounds are spilling out from the leather vest that she¡¯s wearing. Even Cassandra''s start looking small in comparison to those things. Definitely a girl. Almost definitely a guy in real life, though. ¡°Hey! Are you my Ryouta?¡± the girl calls out. Book 3: Chapter 25: Patch 5.0: A Beach, a Cat, and Tentacles There is no way that¡¯s her, right? She sounds like Aiko and is calling Fenrir by his real name, but she¡¯s already decked out in armor and has two daggers strapped to her hips. She shouldn¡¯t be this geared already unless she found some desperate guy willing to give her a bunch of money and gear to start off with in an attempt to woo her. ¡°Ai-Aiko?¡± Fenrir shouts back. The cat girl lights up, happily bouncing up before rushing over to Fenrir with her arms in the air ready to hug him! ¡°I thought you said she was flat?¡± Oleander asks Fenrir. ¡°She is¡­ in real life,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°How¡¯d she already get all that stuff? You sure she¡¯s new?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s never been a big gamer and didn¡¯t even know what this game was called when we were talking about it. She¡¯s¡ª¡± Fenrir¡¯s explanation is cut off from Aiko tackle-hugging him, knocking him down onto his back with all of her new weight. ¡°H-hey, careful, my health still hasn¡¯t come back from fighting all the crabs you see here. I don¡¯t need to be,¡± Fenrir pauses when he opens his eyes and looks at her. Aiko is happily lying on top of his body with a cat smile straight out of anime. She even has differently colored eyes, one that is green and the other yellow, with heart-shaped pupils. She¡­ looks like she took notes from all of the hentai he had favorited and has tried mixing their traits together to create the ultimate hentai cat girl. If her eyes, ears, and the tail that he can see swishing behind her aren¡¯t enough to make her a catgirl to end all cat girls, there is also the fact ¨C or rather, the two facts, that her utterly massive breasts are pressing down into his chest and almost popping out from the vest that she¡¯s wearing. ¡°Cass Cass is gonna be so jealous,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave you two to it while I get the fire ready.¡± Fenrir is very, very worried about how Cassandra is going to react to this. However, he just can¡¯t take his eyes away from that valley of cleavage resting on his chest. Her breasts may be massive, and usually ones so large in real life have an obvious fakeness to them or belong on the bodies of people weighing over six-hundred pounds, but these ones on Aiko just look so real and soft. ¡°Do nya like my boobs now, Ry-ou-nya?¡± Aiko purrs. ¡°Oh. Oh, dear god. Saya, help me. Hearing this all in person is extremely cringy,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°Then why are you getting so turned on by it, you perverted Onii-chan?¡± Saya asks. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! It¡¯s just like with you! I know the whole ¡®onii-chan¡¯ thing is supposed to be super cringy, but when a cute girl does it, I can¡¯t resist getting horny! Being attractive makes even the cringiest of things more acceptable!¡± ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re calling cringy, Onii-chan? You¡¯re such a baka. Wa-wait, you got aroused even from me calling you a baka?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the problem! I can¡¯t resist it!¡± ¡°Nya! Stop spacing out!¡± Aiko shouts and licks his face. ¡°S-sorry, I was talking to my assistant. Uhh, what¡¯d you make your assistant like?¡± Fenrir asks, trying to change topics. ¡°Oh, nya mean the thing nyat helped me make my new body?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that.¡± ¡°A talking fish-nya! It¡¯s fitting, right-nya?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. And uh, what¡¯s with the¡­ accent?¡± ¡°Me and Serra looked through nyat website again! Nyall the cats nya like this. See-nya?¡± Fenrir knows that he should find this incredibly annoying or cringy. His dick, however, doesn¡¯t know that. ¡°Nya? I feel something hard poking me-nya.¡± If this was any of his girlfriends, he¡¯d proudly admit what it is that is poking her, but this is Aiko! His childhood friend and not-girlfriend! He can¡¯t just go and tell her that it¡¯s his raging erection poking her because it¡¯s stupidly turned on from all of the nya¡¯ing. ¡°Nya! I almeowst forgot to ask. Who¡¯s nyat?¡± Aiko asks, looking over at Oleander. ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s Olly. He¡¯s a friend. I¡¯ve been friends with him for years. Also, he¡¯s gay, so don¡¯t worry about him looking at you or the other girls since I know you¡¯re worried about that,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Nyat¡¯s still bad! I do nyot want any boys trying to seduce my Ryou-nya!¡± Part of Fenrir wants to tell her to stop calling him that since it sounds too close to ryona, but it¡¯s also really cute and arousing which is probably more reason to tell her to stop. ¡°I have a boyfriend, so it¡¯s okay,¡± Oleander says. Aiko hisses at him for a few seconds, but when she processes what she just heard, she lightens up and smiles. ¡°Nyat¡¯s okay then!¡± When Fenrir looks at Oleander, he sees his best bro trying his absolute hardest not to cringe and judge them both. ¡°You¡¯re too good for me, Olly,¡± Fenrir thinks. And then the barking starts. Aiko jumps up off of Ryouta when she hears the barking, her tail sticking straight up. She lifts up Fenrir for the sole purpose of hiding behind him. ¡°There¡¯s ¨C there¡¯s a wolf, nya!¡± Aiko cries. Fenrir looks at Rock and raises his hands. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Rock. She¡¯s a friend. Took you long enough to get over here, though. How far down the beach were you? You shouldn¡¯t go too far when you¡¯re as slow as ¨C well, a rock.¡± Rock disregards his words and continues barking at Aiko. When Fenrir thinks about it, Rock always was getting into trouble within Port Tugator because of all the stray cats. Rock really disliked those cats. ¡°Aiko, this is Rock. She¡¯s my pet. Saved my life before and has been an amazing companion. She also used to be my pet rock, but she turned into a real pet made out of rock,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Nya? How does nyat work?¡± Aiko asks. She tries peeking around Fenrir to look at Rock, but the moment she does, Rock starts snarling and barking. ¡°I bet Cass Cass is gonna spoil Rock rotten later,¡± Oleander says. Fenrir can already imagine that. ¡°All sorts of stuff can happen in this game, Aiko. See my fishing rod on the sand over there? He¡¯s alive, and yeah, I said he. We even talk to each other,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Nyext you¡¯re going to tell me nyat your ship is alive!¡± Aiko whines, confused by it all. ¡°Technically, she kind of is because of the living wood stuff,¡± Oleander says. Aiko is ready to pout when she realizes that she¡¯s in the perfect situation to do something. She wraps her arms around Fenrir¡¯s waist and hugs tightly against his back, allowing her breasts to get squeezed up against him. With the height difference between them, her breasts come up to his mid-back. It¡¯s easy to tell what his reaction is despite not being able to see his face since his tail ends up swishing right against her. Then she notices that he has a tail. She looks up at his head. He has ears, too. One of them looks to be cut in half. ¡°Ryouta, tell me who hurt your ear,¡± Aiko says, but her dark and serious tone makes it sound more like a demand. Fenrir breaks free from her grasp and turns around to look at her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I let it happen, and the guy who did it is already dead. Besides, now I match with Rock,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Also, my name in-game is Fenrir.¡± ¡°Fenya?¡± ¡°Holy shit that was cute.¡± ¡°Yeah, close enough.¡± ¡°Fenya! I like nyat! But, why do nya have to look so different-nya?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Nya don¡¯t look anyathing like my Ryouna! It feels like I¡¯m cheating, nya!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. This body is way better than my real o¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Aiko¡¯s voice turns serious again. ¡°I love your real body just how it is! You¡¯re already perfect, so I don¡¯t know why you want to change!¡± ¡°The same could be said about you,¡± Fenrir says, trying not to blush from her words. ¡°You wanted bigger boobs, and I want what I think looks better.¡± Aiko crosses her arms underneath her breasts and pouts. ¡°Your real body is like, way better¡­¡± ¡°Thanks, Aiko. I honestly appreciate that, but I just feel way more at home in this body. By the way, how¡¯d you get all that gear?¡± Aiko perks up and looks herself over. ¡°Nyahaha! Are nya proud of me? Some guy-nya tried hitting on me, so I killed him-nya!¡± ¡°You ¨C you killed him all on your own and completely naked?¡± ¡°Nyobody other than nya and nya girlfriends are allowed to flirt with me-nya.¡± ¡°How¡¯d he try flirting with you?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°He asked me if I was new, nya! The nyerve!¡± Fenrir thinks a private apology to the man she killed for trying to help her. Book 3: Chapter 26: Patch 5.0: A Beach, a Cat, and Tentacles After managing to calm Rock down, the group of Fenrir, Rock, Oleander, and Aiko sit around the fire that Oleander has prepared. A few of those massive crab legs are roasting inside of the fire while the fish that Fenrir caught are swimming around inside one of the hollowed crab claws that has been filled with water. There is only one problem with the current situation. Aiko refuses to leave Fenrir¡¯s side, and that means that she more or less refuses to stop rubbing her breasts all over him. She makes sure to have some of her chest in constant contact with his body. Whether she¡¯s pressing them against his back, hugging them against his head while he¡¯s sitting down, or just leaning them against his arm, she is making sure to put her new chest to work. ¡°These things are great, nya!¡± Aiko says, fondling her own breasts in a slow, sensual manner since she knows that Fenrir is watching. She waits a few seconds to look up at him, and when she does, she grins like a smug cat. ¡°I knyew nya liked them big! Nya can¡¯t hide nya fetishes from me, nya,¡± Aiko purrs. ¡°Nyow I can satisfy nya in your favorite way-nya!¡± ¡°And what would my favorite way be?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Nyaizuri!¡± Fenrir realizes that immersing himself in virtual reality, leaving his computer defenseless, was a horrible decision. Of course they were going to take the first opportunity to dive back into his computer while he couldn¡¯t stop them. Serra must have been the mastermind behind it all. Though, he has to admit that he wishes he could have seen the faces of both Serra and Aiko when they discovered that most of his top favorites include lots of playing around with breasts. And humping them. Meanwhile, Oleander is sitting across from them looking like he¡¯s being tortured from having to hear all of the nya¡¯ing. Fenrir notices his face twitch every single time that Aiko uses her new feline accent. Fenrir looks over at The Shoebill just in time to see the girls walk up onto the deck. It takes them a few moments to look toward the beach, but when they do, Fenrir waves and tries to beckon them to come over. Cassiel, Serra, and Nell look down at the water and then over to the beach. None of them have ever jumped off of the ship before. Even if it¡¯s not that far of a fall, Cassiel and Serra find themselves nervous about it whereas Nell has no problem diving into the water. Serra is the next to go overboard, but she uses the rope to descend into it and gets Nell¡¯s help to swim once she¡¯s in the water. Then there is Cassiel. She is easily the most nervous of going into the water and having to swim over to where Fenrir and Oleander are. But, then she pays close attention and notices something ¨C somebody. Sitting next to Fenrir clinging to his side looks to be a girl that she¡¯s never seen before. Needless to say, Cassiel overcomes her hesitation and dives into the water. ¡°Fast,¡± Serra says, holding onto Nell¡¯s back. ¡°I can take you underwater if you hold your breath for a few moments!¡± Nell says, pausing in the water. Serra nods and takes a deep breath. With an excited smile, Nell dives beneath the surface and grabs onto Serra to make sure that she doesn¡¯t come off from how fast Nell is swimming. Between her legs and her tail, she¡¯s able to swim far faster than any human normally could, and they reach the bottom of the shore where schools of fish are swimming amongst a coral reef full of vibrant life. Nell wishes to keep Serra down here longer, but when she sees Serra starting to struggle with holding her breath, she surfaces at the beach. Serra takes a few deep breaths as soon as she¡¯s above water. ¡°I am sorry, Serra. I did not mean to¡ª¡± Nell tries apologizing. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Was really pretty. Thanks,¡± Serra says, giving Nell a hug. Meanwhile, everybody can hear the less-than-graceful method of swimming that Cassiel is employing. She looks less like she¡¯s trying to swim and more like she¡¯s trying to punch and kick the water. Water splashes up each time she hits it. ¡°Might want to help her,¡± Serra says. Nell scratches the side of her head with a nervous laugh before jumping back into the water. A minute later and all the girls have made it to the beach. Cassiel is the last one to stand on it, and she is panting and acting like she¡¯s about to pass out. ¡°Cass Cass isn¡¯t good at swimming,¡± Serra teases. ¡°I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve never had to swim before! I¡¯ve only seen others do it!¡± Cassiel tries explaining. ¡°Besides, what¡¯s more important is her!¡± She points at the girl clinging to Fenrir. Being this close, now she sees just how huge the breasts are on the girl which causes her eyebrow to twitch. Serra and Nell may have been the first to make it to the beach, but Cassiel is the first to make it to Fenrir. ¡°About time you all got over here,¡± Fenrir teases. Cassiel ignores him to glare at the girl clinging to him instead. Aiko takes a few seconds to realize that she¡¯s being glared at, and when she sees who it is who¡¯s glaring at her, she smiles like a cat and nuzzles her breasts against Fenrir¡¯s arm some more. Serra and Nell arrive and look at Oleander. ¡°What is concerning you, Olly?¡± Nell asks him. Oleander looks up at the girls and gives them a fake smile and shake of the head. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m fine,¡± he answers. ¡°Are nya jealous? Nya even look like nya are smaller here than in realinyaty,¡± Aiko says to Cassiel. Cassiel had a suspicion, but now she has confirmation that this girl is Aiko. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing with those things?! Don¡¯t you know how much back pain you would have if you had things that huge in real life? They¡¯re not even ¨C they¡¯re just udders! You have the cats of an ear but the udders of a cow!¡± ¡°The cats of an ear?¡± Fenrir asks with a chuckle, redirecting Cassiel¡¯s glare to him. ¡°Shut it, you udder-loving, perverted dog bastard! You know what I meant! And just look at them! They¡¯re like twice as big as her head! That¡¯s not even realistic! She should be falling forward all the time from all that weight!¡± Fenrir looks at them. ¡°Don¡¯t actually look at them, bastard!¡± Fenrir looks away. ¡°Nyahaha, somebody is jealous-nya,¡± Aiko says. ¡°It¡¯s okay-nya, since nya love my Fenya, nya can play with my nyew and improved boobs, too-nya!¡± Cassiel blushes when she hears ¡°Fenya.¡± ¡°It¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fenrir asks Cassiel. ¡°Shut ¨C shut up!¡± Cassiel shouts. When Fenrir thinks about it, he¡¯s surprised that Cassiel isn¡¯t insulting Aiko for how she¡¯s talking yet. Of all the people to get annoyed by a cringe-worthy accent, Cassiel is Fenrir¡¯s number one pick. Yet, she doesn¡¯t seem to mind it at all. Neither Serra nor Nell seems to mind despite Oleander looking like he¡¯s about to tear out his eardrums. ¡°Hey, Cass¡­ what¡¯s your favorite animal?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I told you before, bastard. Did you forget?¡± Cassiel asks back. ¡°Sorry, I forget things like that pretty easily.¡± ¡°Bastard. Cats are my favorites.¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense now.¡± ¡°What makes sense?¡± ¡°The fact that you seem to actually enjoy how Aiko is talking.¡± ¡°Nyoh? Does my rival-nya want me to rub my boobs on her while purring in her ear-nya?¡± Aiko teases, flashing Cassiel a smug grin. ¡°There¡¯s ¨C there¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever enjoy that, especially not with those udders! I¡¯d probably suffocate under those, and so will Fenrir!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°Nyaha! Nya make it sound like that¡¯s definyately going to happen to Fenya!¡± ¡°I ¨C I won¡¯t let it!¡± While Aiko and Cassiel have their back and forth, Fenrir notices that Cassiel seems unable to take her eyes away from Aiko¡¯s chest. She¡¯s not just looking at her with disgusted, annoyed, nor curious eyes either. Cassiel actually looks¡­ kind of like she¡¯s turned on by them. The cat accent probably helps. Even if Cassiel has never watched anime or been degenerate enough to look at hentai, as far as Fenrir knows, she seems to be into the whole accent thing. ¡°We have nya play nyice for Fenya! If nya let me be one of his lovers-nya, then I¡¯ll smother nya whenever nya want!¡± Aiko offers, unsticking herself from Fenrir¡¯s arm to teasingly lean over in front of Cassiel, flashing that ridiculous valley of cleavage to her. While Cassiel enjoying the cat thing isn¡¯t too much of a surprise to Fenrir knowing that cats are her favorite animal now, the fact that she¡¯s apparently into such mega-sized breasts is a total shock to him. Even now, Cassiel is unable to say anything. She¡¯s just blushing and trying to avert her gaze away from Aiko¡¯s cleavage. ¡°Cass Cass, you¡¯re not about to sell me out for some boobs, right? Isn¡¯t that like, something you should be worried about me doing instead of you doing it to me? Not that I¡¯d ever do it anyways,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel looks ready to shout, but then Serra walks in front of her and pulls down on her shirt to give Cassiel a teasing look at her chest. It¡¯s not just large chests that steal Cassiel¡¯s attention. Cassiel loves all breasts. First, Fenrir thought that Serra must be the real harem leader. Now, he¡¯s starting to think that Cassiel is actually the perverted harem leader. As soon as there¡¯s a cat girl with large breasts, she caves. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I¡¯m actually just the token boytoy here,¡± Fenrir says. Serra looks at him and flashes him a smile and a thumbs-up. Book 3: Chapter 27: Patch 5.0: A Beach, a Cat, and Tentacles ¡°I am going to go for a swim, alright, my hero?¡± Nell says. ¡°Actually! Would you like to come with me? There were some beautiful reefs down there that I would like to look at together with you.¡± That does sound nice to Fenrir and, being that he¡¯s the only one in the group that can breathe underwater, he¡¯s the only one who can really enjoy it to its fullest extent with her. ¡°Sure,¡± he says, pulling his arm away from Aiko¡¯s grip and breasts. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone for too long-nya,¡± Aiko says, letting him go. Fenrir takes a few steps away before turning around and saying to Cassiel, ¡°Enjoy staring at Aiko¡¯s chest, pervert.¡± Cassiel draws her sword and shouts at him, but he and Nell are already running away and diving into the water before she has a chance to punish him. While Cassiel and Aiko start having one of their usual little fights, Serra sits down next to Oleander and picks some of the crab that he¡¯s eating out of his hands. ¡°Since when are you a thief?¡± Oleander asks her with a light laugh. ¡°I like crab,¡± Serra answers. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°What do I think of what?¡± Serra subtly points at Aiko whom is pushing her breasts up by placing her arms underneath them, teasingly giving the flustered Cassiel even more to look at and shout at. ¡°I¡¯ll get used to her,¡± Oleander whispers to Serra. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She can take getting used to. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been her friend if I knew how she was right away, but I got to know her and love being with her now,¡± Serra explains. ¡°I feel bad for Fenny having so many different personality types in his little harem here. I¡¯d never be able to manage that many different types. I don¡¯t know how any of you can manage it. All you¡¯re missing is some hypersexual girl and a shy bookworm.¡± ¡°I have the first one covered,¡± Serra proudly says with a smug smile following her words. ¡°Sometimes I forget how deviant you are when I¡¯m looking at you. You look so small and innocent and cute!¡± he explains, each of his praises making her smug smile even smugger. ¡°We¡¯re the same.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re both small, cute, adorable, and innocent looking even though we¡¯re probably the biggest perverts here. That¡¯s what makes us such a good team! By the way, I¡¯ve got some new ideas on how to tease Fenya ¨C oh, oh¡­ I just ¨C did I really just call him that?¡± Oleander asks, looking as pale as a ghost with only a single ounce of life within his eyes. Fortunately, Rock is here to give him a lick on the face to cheer him up since she can¡¯t follow Fenrir into the water. ¡°Thanks, Rock,¡± Oleander says, petting her on the head. ¡°Now you¡¯re a cat deer,¡± Serra teases, draining the life back out of his face. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to help me tease Fenny, not tease me!¡± Serra crosses her arms and holds her chin up high before giving in and listening to what Oleander¡¯s ideas are for teasing Fenrir. Meanwhile, on the other side of the fire, Cassiel and Aiko butt heads and breasts. Aiko has stood up to talk directly to Cassiel, leaning forward and pressing her chest against Cassiel¡¯s in the process. Cassiel, refusing to give up, leans forward and holds her ground which ends up pressing her chest right back against Aiko¡¯s. ¡°Did nya know nyat nya make cute whimpers and moans in nya sleep?¡± Aiko teases her. ¡°Shut up, shut up! I do not make noises in my sleep, you perverted cat¡­ bastard!¡± Cassiel shouts back at her. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s with these stupidly sized things? How could anybody even find anything that grossly huge attractive?!¡± ¡°Is nyat why nya keep looking at them, nya?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only looking because there¡¯s nowhere else to look! They¡¯re massive and take up my whole vision! You could be standing ten feet away from me and all I¡¯d be able to see still is these two stupid things!¡± Cassiel shouts, pressing forward and pushing Aiko back a step. ¡°Just admit nya like them and I¡¯ll let nya do whatever nya want with them after Fenya gets them first-nya!¡± Aiko replies, retaliating by stepping forward and putting all of her might into pushing Cassiel back a step. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever admit something like that!¡± ¡°Nyahaha! Nyat¡¯s not denya¡¯ing it!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± In a bold move, Aiko grabs Cassiel¡¯s head and pulls her face down right into her cleavage. It takes Cassiel a few seconds to actually start struggling to break free. ¡°What ¨C what was that for?!¡± Cassiel shouts, her face burning red and her voice even more flustered in tone than before. ¡°Nya should be more honest with nyaself,¡± Aiko purrs into Cassiel¡¯s ear, making the blonde jump up and gain some distance between them. While they continue their commotion on the beach, Fenrir and Nell swim together underneath the water. Nell mainly uses her tail and fin-like wings when swimming underwater, but Fenrir still has to use his regular arms and legs. ¡°It¡¯s pretty crazy being able to swim so easily and to talk underwater like this,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It is wonderful, is it not? Just look!¡± Nell says and points at one of the reefs. It is brilliantly colored with bright reds and yellows. Sea anemones cover it as do plants that look like that are made out of thousands of tentacle-like hairs. The gentle current pushes the hairs and makes them look as if they are swaying in the wind while small fish swim in between them. Farther down the reef, the two spot dolphins and sharks swimming around doing nothing in particular. There is really nothing special about what they are doing, but that is part of what makes it such a wondrous sight. They are just two beings of the ocean who live and swim together. Those dolphins might be snacks for the sharks at some other time, but right now, they are both just cohabitating members of the same ecosystem. Then there are all of the fantasy fish and creatures! One anemone near the bottom is especially large and has dozens of large tentacles protruding from it that occasionally lash out and wrap around nearby fish swimming by, pulling the fish down into its maw at the center of its body. There¡¯s even a shark with three heads like Cerberus! Fenrir wants to check it out some more, but then something catches his attention in the corner of his eye: a chest. Not one of his girlfriends¡¯ chests, either. What he sees is a sunken, wooden chest potentially full of rare loot or tons of money! Fenrir swims down toward it but gets stopped by Nell halfway there. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks her. ¡°Watch,¡± Nell says. That three-headed shark from earlier swims by the chest and bumps into it with one of its heads. The lid of the chest swings open and unleashes a spiked tongue! Its tongue coils around the shark, embeddings its spikes into the shark¡¯s flesh, and then pulls the entire shark into the chest before closing the lid. ¡°Oh. How ¨C how¡¯d you know it was a mimic?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°I saw it eat a fish earlier before you noticed it,¡± Nell answers with a smile. Simple and honest. ¡°Is being underwater not wonderful?¡± Nell asks. ¡°It really is. Thanks a ton for giving me this ability. Being stronger around you and all that is just a bonus compared to this in my opinion. I mean, who doesn¡¯t want to swim around underwater and get to breathe under it? I wonder how deep into the ocean we could go.¡± ¡°I was warned to not venture too deep into watery depths. I do not believe our bodies would be able to handle the pressure and, as I was warned, there are fearsome foes where the sun¡¯s rays can no longer reach ¨C foes that would not hesitate to tear us into many little pieces with ease. Not even the serpents venture into the farthest depths of the oceans.¡± ¡°Woah, seriously? Even the serpents are afraid of what might be down there?¡± ¡°It is not what might be down there, my hero. It is what is down there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just making me want to fish them up with a really big hook.¡± ¡°You would likely need the most impressive hook in all of existence, my hero. It would also most likely need to be the size of a ship!¡± ¡°So, I just need to sink a ship and use it as bait and a hook?¡± ¡°I ¨C I am not sure that would work, my hero.¡± ¡°True. I¡¯ll figure something out. Anyways, we should get back to the others. I want to shake off my water onto Aiko and see how she reacts since she¡¯s a cat now. Her reaction should be even more amusing than Cass Cass¡¯s is when I do that.¡± ¡°It would not be so horrid if you did not smell like a wet hound after swimming.¡± ¡°You saying I smell bad?¡± ¡°Indeed! However, the distasteful scent of your wet fur fuels my fantasies and assists me in imagining the scents of¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go back,¡± Fenrir says, grabbing her by her wrist to lead her back to shore. Book 3: Chapter 28: Patch 5.0: A Beach, a Cat, and Tentacles When Fenrir and Nell make it back up onto the beach, they see Aiko and Cassiel standing next to each other by one of those tentacle-filled shells. ¡°I saw this sort stuff in Fenya¡¯s favorites! I¡¯ll prove I what it takes to satisnya him!¡± Aiko says, trying to pull the shell open so that there is enough space for her to enter it. Fenrir has no idea what transpired while he was underwater with Nell to lead to this happening, but he¡¯s not going to stop it. It¡¯s not like those tentacles could actually do anything in the first place. They are slimy and slippery, but aside from that, they are small and not phallic in the slightest. So, he won¡¯t get jealous if a bunch of these tentacles, that will probably be annoyed if anything, are going to writhe around on any of the girls. Cassiel notices Fenrir standing around watching and shouts at him, ¡°Come stop her! This cow-cat bastard is doing stupid things!¡± ¡°I think we should let her make her own choices. She¡¯s a grown cat, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°I must agree with Fenrir this time. We should allow her to make her own choices, should we not?¡± Nell says. ¡°You¡¯re both just perverts who want to see it!¡± Cassiel shouts some more. ¡°Good-nya! I want them to see!¡± Aiko shouts over to them, still trying to pry the shell open. Its many tentacles are already sticking out from its opening to smack her and try to scare her away, but it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°Open up, nya!¡± Aiko shouts at the clam. ¡°I need to give Fenya fyanservice!¡± ¡°Are you two seriously going to let her do this?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir and Nell. The two look at each other and nod. ¡°Yep,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I do not see why we should not allow her to!¡± Nell explains. ¡°Nyaha! Got nya!¡± Aiko says as the others hear the shell cracking open. Fenrir didn¡¯t consider it before, but now that he has heard the shell crack, he cringes when he looks over at it and sees the top of the shell bent backward. They all get their first, good look inside of one of the shells. At the center of it is a fleshy core that is immediately covered by the many tentacles protruding from it to try and protect itself now that its protective barrier has been peeled away. ¡°Are nya watching?¡± Aiko asks the others. Cassiel sighs and facepalms while Fenrir and Nell nod their heads and give Aiko the signal to continue. ¡°I¡¯ll be nyaice and take my boots off first-nya,¡± Aiko tells the tentacles. With her boots and socks off, she steps into the shell and is careful to not step on any of the tentacles. Instead, she slips her feet down between them to stand on top of the bottom half of the shell. The creature¡¯s tentacles are already wrapping around her legs and still slapping her, mainly slapping her thighs as the rest of her legs have been constricted by other tentacles so her thighs are the closest, non-tentacle-covered parts of her. ¡°Nya don¡¯t really get what¡¯s supposed to be so nyaice about this,¡± Aiko says while a couple of tentacles curl around the bottoms of her thighs. Thanks to the man she looted her current armor and clothes from, all of her body is covered except for her cleavage, forearms, and head ¨C well, and her feet now. ¡°This is pretty nice,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But, now I want to know if I could take that core thing out from the shell, or it¡¯s stuck there. If it can be moved¡­ I could toss it into a barrel, fill it with water, and then easily keep it for renewable bait instead of just taking an entire shell up onto the ship.¡± ¡°If you do that, my hero, then just imagine what could happen! While it is in the middle of the night, while Cassiel sleeps in thin garments alone from everybody else, the monster could get loose from its barrel and assault her in her sleep! Just imagine how she would look with those tentacles all over her, wrapping around her brea¡ª¡± Nell tries fantasizing but gets Cassiel¡¯s sword drawn and pointed at her. ¡°You¡¯re officially as bad as the bastard next to you is. Don¡¯t make me the main character of your perverted fantasies,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Ah! No worries, for you are not the main character! The tentacled creature there is. You are simply its victim.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any better!¡± ¡°N-nya!¡± Aiko lets out a surprised cry. The three look over at her and see that she¡¯s fallen down. With her rear planted in the side, she apparently managed to fling the creature¡¯s core out from its shell while falling and it has landed right on top of her lap. Seriously, what is with everybody getting lap pillows before Fenrir? He¡¯s starting to get jealous again. All of the tentacles sticking out from the fleshy bulb are now capable of reaching all over Aiko¡¯s body. Some wrap weakly around her throat, not being able to squeeze enough to do any damage, while others completely cover her arms and legs. Though, even with her limbs being covered and attempted to be restricted, she can still move them with just a little bit of struggle. The tentacles are really nothing to be concerned about. If she wanted to, she could escape at any time. ¡°Am ¨C am I doing this right, nya?¡± Aiko asks, her face starting to turn red as some tentacles slap against her breasts. ¡°Keep it up, Aiko. This is great,¡± Fenrir says. Nell applauds to encourage her. ¡°Are you seriously going to let tentacles have sex with her?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°What? No, of course not,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°If they were going to have sex with her then they¡¯d leak cum that melts her clothes and some dick-tentacles would already be coming out to join in on the action.¡± Nell nods her head alongside Fenrir¡¯s explanation. ¡°I hate you both,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°We love you too, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hey! I want love-nya!¡± Aiko cries. ¡°I¡¯ll do even more thenya!¡± Determined to gain more of Fenrir¡¯s favor, Aiko grabs a few of the annoyed tentacles and shoves them down into her cleavage. The tentacles continue trying to slap her and hurt her to scare her away, but it just looks like they are thrusting down into her cleavage instead. Now Cassiel is watching as well. ¡°I¡¯m definitely remembering this later,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I wonder why you would wish to remember such a sight, my hero?¡± Nell teases. ¡°Seeing as how you¡¯re probably going to remember this as well, I¡¯m sure you know why.¡± ¡°Why rely on my imagination when I have you, Serra, and Cassiel?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± ¡°I would like a turn with those tentacles, though! They look pleasant to run all over my skin.¡± ¡°Honestly, I kind of wonder how it feels myself. It actually looks like it might feel good ¨C like, like a massage.¡± While Fenrir and Nell calmly discuss the sight before them, Cassiel watches one of the tentacles slide around underneath Aiko¡¯s vest until she sees it bulging up against the leather right near the front of Aiko¡¯s breasts. ¡°N-nya?! Where ¨C where do nya think you¡¯re pinching-nya?!¡± Aiko shouts, staring down at the tentacles between her breasts. When Fenrir and Nell pay closer attention, they notice that it looks the tentacles down her breasts are focusing on the front of them. That, given with what Aiko just said, tells them all they need to know: the tentacles are ¡°pinching¡± Aiko¡¯s nipples. ¡°I asked, where do you think you¡¯re pinching?¡± Aiko asks the tentacles, pulling out the dagger strapped to her hip and making short work of the tentacles sticking into her cleavage. Next is the core itself which gets her dagger stuck directly into it, causing all of its tentacles to lifelessly fall down. ¡°Only my Ryouta is allowed to touch me there. You should have appreciated what you were allowed to do,¡± Aiko tells the lifeless tentacle core. ¡°This is not how I expected it to end,¡± Nell says. ¡°Honestly, I had a feeling something like this would happen,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So much for having some regenerating bait to use.¡± Aiko takes the lifeless tentacles off of her and stands up, brushing herself off. ¡°How was nyat?¡± she asks Fenrir. ¡°It was pretty nice. It would have been the perfect totally-not-hentai fanservice if it was getting some sort of suspicious liquid on you while trying to shove some tentacles into your mouth, but I guess it never studied how to be a proper tentacle monster.¡± ¡°If nya can become a tentacle monster thenya can do whatever nya want to me with tentacles-nya!¡± Aiko explains. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s possible, plus I¡¯m becoming more of a wolf than a tentacle monster.¡± ¡°Bestiality is illegal, nya know. I don¡¯t want my Fenya going to jail-nya!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean an actual wolf. I mean more like,¡± Fenrir pauses to try and think of how to describe his pseudo transformation. He really doesn¡¯t want to use the term ¡°werewolf¡± since that just makes him think of furries, and he does not want to be associated with furries. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to see sometime. I don¡¯t know how to explain it.¡± ¡°Like a furry-nya?¡± Aiko tries. ¡°Please never imply I might be a furry again. I am many things, but a furry is not one of them.¡± Book 3: Chapter 29: Patch 5.0: A Beach, a Cat, and Tentacles After fighting some crabs with Rock and Oleander, being turned on because of Aiko¡¯s cat accent despite knowing how much of a degenerate he is for that, discovering that Cassiel is apparently attracted to breasts even more than he is, an underwater swimming session, and some fun with tentacles, Fenrir realizes that his life in-game is just as tiring as his real one. He originally thought that real life would not be as tiring as being a wolf sailing around freeing serpent girls and blowing up ships, but then he got three girlfriends and realized just how tiring that is. Then he thought that fishing in-game and hanging out with Rock and Oleander would not be as tiring as his new reality, but then Aiko decided to become a cat with the chest of a cow and his girlfriends all decided to come and play as well. Now, all that he and the rest of the group have to do is gather around the fire and enjoy some crab and fish. ¡°This is so good-nya!¡± Aiko purrs, happily stuffing some fish into her mouth. ¡°And it was caught by my Fenya which makes it even better, nya!¡± ¡°Rod helped,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I think I like the crab more,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Same. Also, I¡¯ve got to show you all the hilarious video I recorded of Rock trying to fight a crab by herself. It ended up ¨C well, I don¡¯t want to spoil it. You¡¯ll just have to watch it later.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a video to show all of you, too!¡± Oleander says. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all love it, and you¡¯ll love Fenrir even more after seeing it.¡± ¡°Does it have something to do with why his hair was all gross and yellow before he went swimming?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°My hair ¨C it was yellow?¡± Fenrir asks. When he thinks about it, it¡¯s perfectly normal for his hair to have been yellow. He got crab juice all over it, and with how white his hair is, anything even slightly colored would likely dye it. He sets down his leg of crab and holds his hair in front of his face to inspect it. Having long hair is an issue since he forgets just how long it is most of the time, and he forgets how easily anything such as blood and crab juices could color it. Looking around at the girls, he realizes something else that has somehow managed to evade his mind for this long. His hair is longer than all of theirs. His fluffy, messy, white hair reaches down to the backs of his thighs with ease. Aiko¡¯s hair is the shortest of the girls, stopping at her shoulders just as Oleander¡¯s does. Cassiel has the next shortest with it ending at about the middle of her back, and Serra¡¯s hair is just a few inches longer. Then there is Alice with her hair reaching down to her rear in a long, straight princess sort of style, but her hair isn¡¯t able to compete with Fenrir¡¯s in terms of sheer size and volume. He¡¯s actually sort of surprised that nobody has ever pointed it out before. None of the girls have commented about how long his hair is, nor have they commented about how short it is in real life. ¡°Hey, this might be a weird question, but how come none of you have ever said anything about how long my hair is?¡± Fenrir asks them. ¡°Why would we?¡± Cassiel asks. The rest of the girls look to be in agreement with her as they all share the same sort of confused expression. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just that I only now realized it¡¯s longer than all of yours. It¡¯s kind of weird to think that I¡¯m dating three girls and that my hair is longer than all of theirs.¡± ¡°Yeah, but only in-game. You have the shortest hair in real life. You can look however you want in-game and we¡¯re not going to care.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. Do you like my hair long, or do you think it¡¯d be better shorter? Fenrir¡¯s, that is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? I kind of like it being long in-game because you have it short in real life.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll like whatever Fenya has because Fenya is Ryou-nya and Ryou-nya is my future husband-nya!¡± Aiko explains. ¡°I like long hair because it means more to pull on,¡± Serra says and gets high-fived by Oleander. Fenrir has never had his hair pulled by Serra, neither in real life nor in-game, but now he¡¯s going to be expecting that the next time that things get intimate. ¡°I like the long hair as well, my hero! It gives you a very wild and feral appearance which assists my imagination quite a bit. A wild, feral looking man is far more exciting than one who looks proper and trimmed,¡± Nell says. Fenrir looks at Oleander. Oleander tilts his head. ¡°What? Am I supposed to give you my opinion? I¡¯m not even a member of Serra¡¯s harem,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Wait, it¡¯s her harem now instead of mine?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Not ¨C not that it was a harem in the first place.¡± ¡°I mean, from what I¡¯ve heard, it kind of sounds like she¡¯s the biggest pervert in the group and is the one who wants to collect all the different girlfriends. And you. Doesn¡¯t that make it sound like it¡¯s her harem? You just wanted to save Nell Nell because you¡¯re you, but Serra was attracted to her like right away.¡± Fenrir thinks it over. The more Oleander explains it, the more it makes sense. This really is Serra¡¯s harem. She¡¯s also the one who comes from a harem upbringing in the first place. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯s always been planning on having a harem, either. Then there¡¯s Fenrir. He was raised by a regular mom and dad, one supportive of polyamorous relationships and the other against them, and he never expected to be dating multiple people. He was starting to think that he¡¯d never get any real relationship at all. Yet, now he¡¯s here with three girlfriends and a probably-soon-to-be-fourth. Yeah, this is definitely Serra¡¯s harem. Is his only reason for being in the harem to be the one guy able to make everybody pregnant? Would he even be in Serra¡¯s harem if she didn¡¯t want to have any kids? ¡°You look confused,¡± Serra says, now standing in front of him with her face right in front of his own. ¡°Yeah, just¡ª¡± Fenrir gets cut off when Serra presses her lips against his. Yep. Definitely her harem. ¡°That¡¯s nyot fair! I want to kiss Fenya and I want kisses from Serrnya, too!¡± Aiko whines. ¡°H-hey! I ¨C she doesn¡¯t get any, but ¨C but I should get some!¡± Cassiel says. Serra walks over to Nell, sits on her lap, and presses her lips against Nell¡¯s. ¡°Nell gets kisses for being patient,¡± Serra explains. Cassiel and Aiko both pout. ¡°Aiko, what¡¯s your character¡¯s name anyways?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°What do nya mean?¡± Aiko asks. ¡°Your character. I¡¯m Ryouta in real life, but Fenrir in-game. Cassandra is Cassiel. Spencer is Oleander. Vik¡ªSerra is¡­ Serra. You can just be Aiko if you want, but if you want to use another name in-game, you can.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯ll just stick with Nyaiko!¡± Aiko says and then widens her eyes when she realizes what she just said. ¡°Nyaiko? Nyaiko! I¡¯ll be Nyaiko!¡± ¡°That sounds pretty cute, actually. Alright, I¡¯ll call you Nyaiko from now on whenever we¡¯re in-game.¡± ¡°Nya! Nyaiko! It¡¯s so cute, nya!¡± Fenrir gets a feeling to look at Cassiel¡¯s face. When he looks at her, he sees her blushing and looking like she¡¯s trying to hold back a squeal. ¡°You really like cats, don¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks Cassiel. ¡°Shut up, perverted dog bastard.¡± Serra sneaks in and plants a kiss on Cassiel¡¯s lips, causing the blushing blonde to blush even brighter as she hesitates for a second to kiss Serra back. ¡°A-about time,¡± Cassiel says once Serra pulls her lips away. ¡°I¡¯m last! Nyat¡¯s not fair!¡± Nyaiko whines more. Serra looks at Cassiel and Fenrir. Fenrir shrugs. Cassiel looks away and says, ¡°F-fine, but only one!¡± With their consent, Serra walks over to Nyaiko, sits on her lap, and leans her head forward to plant a kiss on Nyaiko¡¯s lips. Only, when she tries to, Nyaiko¡¯s massive breasts actually prevent Serra from getting close enough on her own. Nyaiko has to lean her own head forward to meet Serra¡¯s lips. ¡°Don¡¯t make me last nyaxt time!¡± Nyaiko pouts. ¡°And thank nya.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one left out, Olly. You¡¯ll need to go wake Corwin up,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Trust me, there¡¯s enough kissing between the two of us whenever nobody is looking. If you think Serra is lewd then you should see me when I¡¯m alone with my Cor,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Be my teacher,¡± Serra says to Oleander. ¡°We¡¯re around Fenny which means you have to use that weeb language he likes. I¡¯ll be your sensei, and you¡¯ll be my¡­ I don¡¯t know what the word is. But anyways, I shall teach you!¡± ¡°Now I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of a perverted harem protagonist,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about but I also agree with you,¡± Cassiel says. Book 3: Chapter 30: Patch 5.0: A Beach, a Cat, and Tentacles ¡°Can we not go back on the ship for a bit?¡± Cassiel asks the group which has since calmed down and resumed eating. ¡°Tired of the sea, Cass Cass?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yeah, I really am. Why don¡¯t we just explore around here for a while? Stretch our legs and do something other than sit around, fish, and play card games.¡± ¡°Cass Cass doesn¡¯t like losing,¡± Serra says. ¡°H-hey! Those games are stupid because they¡¯re all luck! Olly always gets the best cards, so he¡¯s probably cheating!¡± ¡°Or you just suck,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Fenny be the only thing you¡¯re sucking?¡± Cassiel¡¯s face burns bright as she glares at Oleander. Whatever peace there was is now gone. Nell, sitting next to Fenrir, can¡¯t help but giggle at the commotion. ¡°You look happy,¡± Fenrir tells Nell. ¡°I am, my hero! It is so lively with you all! I remember when you first brought me aboard The Shoebill to hide me, the way that everybody interacted with each other was so genuine and entertaining! I am just delighted to be a part of this now,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Glad to hear you¡¯re enjoying it. Though, things seem to just be getting more and more lively. With Aiko¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Nyaiko now, nya!¡± Nyaiko interrupts. ¡°With Nyaiko here now, things are probably going to get even more energetic around here. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Serra sets her eyes on getting a new harem member sometime soon, too.¡± ¡°Are we officially calling our relationship Serra¡¯s harem now?¡± Nell asks, not able to help back a bit of giggling from the thought of it. ¡°I mean, if you think about it, it kind of makes sense.¡± Nell leans in to whisper to Fenrir, ¡°Do not underestimate your own role in gathering us together, my hero. I have heard from both Serra and Cassiel how you found them and earned their love, and it is you whom has earned the title of my hero.¡± It is a combination of Nell¡¯s gentle voice whispering to him and her message that causes him to blush. But, he could hardly hear what she had to say. ¡°Uhh, just for future reference,¡± Fenrir points up at the two, canid ears atop his head. ¡°You have to whisper up there if you¡¯re trying to whisper into my ear.¡± Nell¡¯s face slowly grows red as she lifts some of Fenrir¡¯s hair off from the side of his head. There are no human ears in sight. She looks over at Nyaiko, and Nyaiko lifts her hair to reveal the same thing: no human ears. ¡°A-ah. I ¨C I do believe that makes sense. Of course. You¡­ have those ears on top of your head, so of course you would not have other ears. Silly me,¡± Nell says, nervously twirling her hair with a couple of her fingers while avoiding making eye contact. This might be the first time that Fenrir has ever seen her look so embarrassed, and she is absolutely adorable. It triggers Fenrir¡¯s bullying side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nell? You look embarrassed,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°It ¨C it is nothing! I just feel very silly at the moment,¡± Nell says, leaning away from him. ¡°Are you sure about that? Your cheeks are pretty red right now.¡± Nell covers her cheeks with her hands. ¡°I ¨C I do not know what it is that you are speaking of, my hero.¡± Now that Fenrir thinks about it, there is something he has never done. Those two, tall horns on top of her head have never been touched by him. There¡¯s no way that she would behave like some sort of fictional character if he touches her horns, right? She knows of that sort of stuff but isn¡¯t exactly into it as far as he knows, so she probably wouldn¡¯t know to act like that if he touches her horns. But he tries it anyway. Gently, Fenrir places his hands against her horns and allows his fingers to teasingly trace along them. ¡°My ¨C my hero! What are you doing?¡± Nell asks, her voice panicked and eyes wide. ¡°I was just thinking that I¡¯ve never touched your horns before. I was wondering what they feel like,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Now ¨C now you know, so you may remove your ¨C your hands now!¡± Nell pleads, her thighs rubbing together as her lips stay parted. Fenrir immediately recognizes what this means, and he can¡¯t believe his luck. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m just touching your horns. Does it feel bad when I touch them?¡± Nell whimpers and pretends to try and pull her head away from him. ¡°They look strong and powerful, but they¡¯re actually pretty sensitive, aren¡¯t they?¡± Fenrir teases, whispering into her ear now. A soft moan escapes Nell¡¯s lips whether she wants it to or not. ¡°If you want me to stop, I will,¡± Fenrir whispers, his voice slow and his breath hot as it brushes against her ear. ¡°Pl-please, my ¨C my hero,¡± Nell whimpers. ¡°Please what?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I want mo-mor¡ª¡± Cassiel clears her throat. Both Nell and Fenrir look at the rest of the group and see everybody staring at them. Now, they are both blushing as Fenrir casually removes his hands from Nell¡¯s horns. ¡°Perverted doggy,¡± Serra says. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t want to hear that from you,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Perverted dog bastard,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir can¡¯t use the same response against Cassiel since he always hears that from her. ¡°It¡¯s nyot fair! I want service like nyat, too!¡± Nyaiko whines. Meanwhile, Nell is still keeping her thighs pressed together and finding it impossible to look at the others while she feels like this. Fenrir may kiss Serra and Cassiel often enough both in real life and in-game, and he¡¯s even had sex with them before, but Nell doesn¡¯t get nearly as much sexual attention. This is the first time that she¡¯s ever really been given any by Fenrir, and it just isn¡¯t enough for her. She wants more. The only time she ever tried initiating something, she got interrupted as if it was fate that they never go beyond their current status. But, would he think of her as a dirty girl if she said that? She may have her fantasies that she has no problem sharing, but she never actually puts herself out there nor tries to get anything to actually happen. As perverted as her delusions may be, she may also just be the most virgin one inside of this group and that causes conflicting feelings within her. She enjoys having an innocent, playful-at-most personality, and she knows that others find it cute, but she also wants to be treated like a woman sometimes. She wants to be lusted after by those she loves. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Serra asks Nell. ¡°A-ah! No, it is nothing, Serra. Thank you for asking,¡± Nell answers, earning suspicious looks from everybody but Nyaiko. The group finishes up eating. Fenrir sees Oleander whisper something to Serra at some point, but he can¡¯t tell what they¡¯re talking about. They¡¯re probably just thinking of more ideas to torment him or something like that. Of course, he can¡¯t deny that he enjoys their torment for the most part. Oleander knows how to be hilarious about it and Serra¡¯s is usually just as funny, and when it¡¯s not funny, it¡¯s arousing. ¡°Cass Cass, you said earlier that we should explore around here for a bit, and I think that¡¯d be nice. Would give Nyaiko more of a chance to get used to things before going back to the ship, too,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯re saying something smart for once, you perverted dog bastard,¡± Cassiel says with a huff. ¡°Come on, I wasn¡¯t even saying anything perverted this time and I¡¯m just eating.¡± ¡°I saw what you were doing to Nell¡¯s horns.¡± Nell straightens up while Fenrir blushes a bit again. ¡°I ¨C I was just teasing her. I can¡¯t always just tease you and Serra,¡± he explains. ¡°You don¡¯t even tease Serra! You just tease me!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°To be fair, you¡¯re the easiest target to tease.¡± ¡°Are ¨C are you calling me easy, you bastard?!¡± Serra pokes Cassiel¡¯s side, making her jump and squeak. ¡°E z p z,¡± Serra says. Cassiel looks down at Serra with teary eyes and crossed arms. ¡°You too! You need to tease him more! Or tease Olly! He never gets teased!¡± Cassiel whines. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just an innocent bystander in all of this. And where do you think she gets a bunch of her teasing ideas from?¡± Oleander asks before high-fiving Serra. ¡°Can I tease her too, nya?¡± Nyaiko asks Serra. Serra gives Nyaiko a thumbs-up. ¡°Nyaha! Purrfect!¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t be giving that perverted cow permission to tease me!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°I¡¯m a cat, nya.¡± ¡°Not with those stupid things on your chest! You should be on a barn!¡± Fenrir looks at Nell. This is when he would normally expect to hear some perverted fantasy from her involving life on a barn, probably starting to involve animals before he has to cut her off, but she stays silent and just stares at the crab leg in front of her instead. Something is definitely wrong, but he doesn¡¯t know what. Serra and Oleander look at each other and nod. Book 3: Chapter 31: Patch 6.0: A Royal Meal Fenrir encounters a problem after the group is done eating their crab and fish. What do they do with the trash? It¡¯s just a game, and if corpses deteriorate into being skeletons within forty-eight in-game hours, then it should be okay to leave trash around on the beach, right? Fenrir would feel guilty about that given what he has heard of how humans treated beaches in the earlier part of the century, but now he may be doing the exact same thing as them. He¡¯s never even littered in real life before. But, it¡¯s not like there are trash cans around or anything, and they can¡¯t just load up The Shoebill with endless amounts of trash until they eventually find a way to dispose of it all. Everybody else has tossed their legs of crab and fish bones off to the side. Well, except for Nyaiko. In true cat fashion, she has one fish skeleton that she¡¯s using like a toothpick and is hanging out of her mouth. Reluctantly, Fenrir tosses his scraps onto the sand and just hopes that they despawn soon. He never thought that he¡¯d be worried about being environmentally conscious inside of a video game, but with just how realistic Fantasy Tales Online is, the idea of littering makes him feel just as guilty in-game as it does in real life. Even so, he still ends up looking down at what he tossed away with guilty eyes. ¡°Why are you staring at that?¡± Cassiel asks him. ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at those scraps as much as you look at us, you bastard. Don¡¯t tell me that bones turn you on now.¡± ¡°I ¨C I just feel bad about littering,¡± Fenrir explains. Everybody looks at him. Whereas Cassiel and Oleander are looking at him in disbelief that he would be concerned about something like that inside of this game, the rest are trying not to audibly ¡°aww¡± from his words. However, just because they are silent does not mean that Fenrir can¡¯t feel the ¡°awws¡± coming from their eyes which causes him to feel flustered. He knows that he¡¯s being pretty silly, but it¡¯s still how he honestly feels. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you look like a dog. You get all worked up over bones,¡± Cassiel teases. ¡°Shu-shut up. You¡¯re the one who likes bones, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir says back to her, immediately causing her to blush and start calling him a bastard. After their short exchange ends, everybody gets up and gathers their things. ¡°Think we should put the fire out?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters, Fenny,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Well, as long as it doesn¡¯t spread or anything like that.¡± ¡°Fenny, it¡¯s on a beach with water on one side, a bunch of wet grass on the other side, and nothing flammable around it. Where¡¯s it going to spread to?¡± ¡°You ¨C you never know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really worried about this sort of stuff, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I mean, it could always get windy and blow some embers or something onto the grass over there.¡± ¡°Fenny.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You worry too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s taken you this long to notice?¡± ¡°I just forgot. It¡¯s been a while. I still remember that one time you wanted to go and kill some guy for emptying all of his inventory all over a road.¡± ¡°In my defense, we were in a city, literally the entire path was full of random, worthless items, and the guy was acting super annoying in the chat.¡± ¡°And then we hunted him down and killed him over and over until he ragequit!¡± ¡°The good old days.¡± While Fenrir and Oleander reminisce over their golden days of causing trouble in video games, the girls just sort of stand around and listen with varying levels of interest. They are all interested since they get to learn more about Fenrir, imagining him doing the things that they¡¯ve heard about only in stories, but Cassiel tries to act like she¡¯s not paying too much attention. ¡°What about that time when somebody tried hunting us down to get revenge, and we led him into a trap? That was hilarious. He was so pissed off at us,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°He got what he deserved for thinking that he could actually ambush us,¡± Oleander says. ¡°You¡¯re making me want to hop onto one of our older games to go and screw around with people. You know, I bet we¡¯d make the news if anybody found out that any of our old accounts were reactivated. Can you imagine how people would react?¡± ¡°They¡¯d probably be excited and try to meme us or something. People hated us back then, but now everybody would just want to join us because they want to be dicks to everybody with us.¡± ¡°Yeah, that kind of takes the fun out of it.¡± ¡°Oh! You should tell the story about that one time with the kid who tried joining us.¡± ¡°I completely forgot about him until now!¡± Fenrir says with a laugh. ¡°Alright, I have to share this story with you,¡± he says, looking back at the girls while walking off of the beach. When he turns back around to look forward, Oleander whispers to Serra and puts their plan into motion. ¡°Alright, so there was this one kid who joined us. We had an eighteen or older rule for one of our guilds after we got popular, but this kid who was only like eleven managed to get in somehow. We didn¡¯t realize it until we heard his voice and he kept on squeaking and cracking. First, he tried to say that he was a girl, but this one guy in our guild kept asking him questions about how girls¡¯ bodies work and the kid couldn¡¯t answer anything. He answered one question saying that girls pee the same way that boys do. So, we should have kicked this kid out from the guild, but he was too hilarious and a bunch of the older guys loved to tease him. He was just a great stress reliever since his responses to everything were naively hilarious.¡± Fenrir is already laughing at his own tale. ¡°There was another time when he learned there were some girls in our guild, and he¡¯d sexually harass the hell out of them. They didn¡¯t mind it though since he was hilarious about it and just a kid. Like, he tried telling this one chick who was married and in her 30s that he wanted to drink her ¡®booby milk.¡¯ He¡¯d always try sending them private messages too, and when they wouldn¡¯t respond or if they said something he didn¡¯t understand, he¡¯d call them out while in group chats with everybody. A couple of the older guys would also pretend to flirt with him¡­ which sounds creepy when I say it since he was eleven and they were in their twenties, but it was hilarious since the kid would yell at people about how he¡¯s not gay and is only into boobs. He even tried claiming that he¡¯s been to a ¡®titty bar¡¯ before where he had strippers rub their boobs all over him, and he¡¯d always say that he loves motorboating girls.¡± ¡°He sounds like quite the promiscuous little rascal, my hero! I do not know how I would deal with such a boy¡¯s behavior,¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah, he could be a bit much at times, but the kind of people who were playing with us were the kind of people who found that sort of thing hilarious. He was actually pretty good at the game, too. We probably would have kicked him from the guild if he was only funny, but since he was actually a legit player ¨C a way better healer than most people twice his age, we decided to let him stay. He even saved my life a few times with clutch heals. There was even a time when he went broke in-game, so one of the guys offered to buy him everything he needed until he made more money. However, if he wanted to take him up on the offer, he¡¯d have to sing some girly pop song into the microphone. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he got turned gay from us, or at least, turned into a pervert.¡± ¡°How long ago was this, my hero?¡± ¡°About¡­ three years ago? It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°What ever happened to him?¡± ¡°Last we heard from him was when we were in the middle of ambushing some guild doing a world boss, we wiped them after they were fighting it for over an hour, stole the kill, and then we heard his mom yelling at him in the background about not doing the dishes and getting bad grades in school. Never heard from him again. He logged back in a few months after that, but he immediately left the guild and ignored us when we tried checking up on him. I think he was too embarrassed to say anything to us or be around us anymore.¡± ¡°Aww, poor little thing. I hope that he has matured at least a small amount since you two last spoke!¡± ¡°I doubt it. He¡¯d only be¡­ fourteen now, and fourteen-year-olds are usually less mature than eleven-year-olds,¡± Fenrir says, sighing now that his tale is over. He¡¯s surprised that nobody else has said anything about it. Not even Cassiel is calling the boy in the story a pervert. Fenrir looks behind him. The only one behind him is Nell. Nell looks around and notices it as well. ¡°A-ah! I ¨C I was so engrossed in listening to your story that I did not notice the others leave¡­ did we get lost?¡± Nell asks. ¡°There¡¯s no way we accidentally got lost. They must have left us alone together for some reason,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I ¨C I suppose that makes more sense. Why did they leave us alone together?¡± ¡°No idea. Maybe they got bored of the story,¡± Fenrir says with a shrug. Book 3: Chapter 32: Patch 6.0: A Royal Meal ¡°What ¨C what should we do? Shall we try shouting for them, my hero?¡± Nell asks Fenrir. Fenrir looks around, but he fails to spot anybody. Not even Rock is with him! The only other one with him and Nell is Rod. When he tries looking for tracks, all he sees for a while of backtracking are his and Nell¡¯s. ¡°We must have been by ourselves for a while now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It was a rather long story, and I was so focused on listening to you that I was paying little attention to our surroundings. I do not believe that flying up to search for them would be of much use, for the canopy is too dense to see through from above.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, you can fly a bit. I always forget about that since you never do it.¡± ¡°Because I would rather be using my legs! Or I would rather be in the water swimming with my tail. I have never been too large a fan of heights as well.¡± ¡°Hey, I have a question,¡± Fenrir says, his voice suddenly more serious than before. ¡°Y-yes, my hero?¡± Nell responds. She has no idea what he could possibly wish to ask with such a serious voice. ¡°Do you think any birds have ever been afraid of heights?¡± Nell stares at him. Fenrir stares back at her. ¡°I mean, think about it. If a human can have a phobia of cheese, why couldn¡¯t a bird be afraid of heights? Do you think they¡¯d just refuse to fly and instead walk or hop everywhere?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°My ¨C my hero¡­ I am not sure how to answer such a question,¡± Nell says, her tone confused and eyebrows furled. ¡°I would think that evolutionary instinct would prevent that from being an issue¡­ but evolution does not always work out as it is meant to.¡± ¡°Yeah, like how people could be born with two heads.¡± Nell sighs. As much as she may care for Fenrir, part of her was excited to be alone with him in this forest. Now, with his completely random question, her mind has been taken off of perverse fantasies and set onto the potentially-life-altering question of whether or not birds could be afraid of lights. Perhaps flightless birds might be? Such as penguins or ostriches? ¡°There¡¯s something else I¡¯m curious about which you might be able to appreciate,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yes, my hero?¡± Nell asks, her voice still confused and her mind worried about what else he may be about to bring up. ¡°So, Ull was basically a centaur. Does having sex with a centaur count as bestiality? I mean, in most hentai I¡¯ve seen, the guys still have horse dicks and the girls have uhh, realistic horse anatomy as well. So, is it bestiality?¡± Nell lights up. ¡°Now, this is a question that I believe has some interesting answers regarding it! Legally, I believe that it would count as bestiality if centaurs truly existed, but personally, I would not consider them the same. Bestiality should refer to real animals incapable of clearly giving consent. With a centaur, the human half is just as intelligent as any human meaning that they would be more than capable of giving consent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Here¡¯s a question then: would it still be bestiality if a somebody is playing a dog or some other realistic animal? Technically, they would be able to consent since they are not real and are just controlled by a player.¡± ¡°At the very least, my hero, it would not be sodomy. It would likely still be considered bestiality, however.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right.¡± ¡°Onii-chan, why are you asking your girlfriend weird questions?¡± Saya asks him. ¡°Hey, I get random questions every now and then, and she¡¯s probably the best person to answer a question like that,¡± Fenrir thinks back at Saya. ¡°I don¡¯t know how a girl should feel about her boyfriend thinking that she¡¯s good for bestiality-related questions.¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s your opinion then?¡± ¡°You already know my opinion since it¡¯s the same as yours.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°My hero, is there a¡­ reason why you are asking me such questions?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Well, the bird thing was because you said you¡¯re afraid of heights despite having wings, and the bestiality thing is just because I was wondering how sex works between Ull and his harem.¡± ¡°Ah, I see! I can answer that. Liz often told me about her sexual escapades with Ull, and if I recall correctly, she would often need to be leaning over something elevated such as a chair or table in order for that arrangement to work. Otherwise, she would have to be on top.¡± ¡°I think that might just be a little bit too much detail since now I can imagine him having sex, but I asked for it.¡± ¡°Such a shame. Here I thought you were probing me to see how I would react to your fantasy of ravishing me as a centaur or wolf!¡± Nell says with a playfully-disappointed sigh and the back of her hand against her forehead. ¡°See, and this is why I figured you¡¯d be somebody good to ask those questions,¡± Fenrir explains, flicking her on the back of her head while she¡¯s busy playing dramatic and disappointed. Being flicked by him makes her feel far happier than she thought it would. He¡¯s never flicked her before! He¡¯s flicked the others when playing around with them, but it is the first time he has done anything like that to her. That is why she makes sure to keep her head turned away from him now so that she doesn¡¯t see the wide smile spread across her face. But, she still wants more. Every touch of his just makes her crave him even more ¨C it makes her crave his touch, his body, his heart, his feelings, his voice, his everything. Nell places a single hand over her heart as if begging it to calm itself, but the rapid beating within her chest refuses to slow down. Her heart begs her body for more as much as she silently begs Fenrir for more. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks her, leaning over and placing his face directly in front of her own. ¡°A-ah! It¡¯s ¨C it is nothing, my hero. Please do not concern yourself over my silly worries,¡± Nell explains. ¡°All you had to say was that you¡¯ve got worries to make me concern myself about them. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I ¨C I told you, it is nothing,¡± Nell says, turning her head away. ¡°Alright. Then tell me you promise that it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°I¡­ cannot promise that, my hero.¡± ¡°If I have to guess¡­ you¡¯re feeling kind of left out?¡± Nell turns her head and looks at him with bright cheeks and widened eyes. She has no idea how he was able to guess what¡¯s been bothering her, and on the first try! ¡°A-as expected from my hero. How could you tell?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you notice how jealous you look sometimes. Sorry that I¡¯ve been making you feel that way. I promise to try and make you feel more included more often, alright? I don¡¯t want you to ever feel left out,¡± Fenrir says, taking her hands into his own. As silly and boyish as he may be at times, as much as he may whine about getting crab guts in his hair and make feminine noises when lewdly bitten in surprise, he is still the same hero who fought for her freedom and knows how to be serious when it matters the most. ¡°Please, my hero, you are going to make me cry if you say such words,¡± Nell says with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m trying to make you happy here, not sad,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I know, my hero, and you are making me most happy.¡± ¡°Good. I want to keep you this way. Is there anything else you¡¯ve got on your mind?¡± ¡°May I speak as a selfish girl without you hating me for it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never hate you, Nell. Well, unless you cheat on me. Then I¡¯ll hate you for a bit before pretending you don¡¯t exist.¡± Nell giggles. ¡°Fair enough, my hero. Now, as for what has been bothering me¡­ I will admit that I was expecting to have more of you to myself. I ¨C I did not expect everybody else to be sharing the apartment together with us. Please do not get me wrong! I love spending time with all of you and I have absolutely no problems regarding them staying with us, but¡­ I was looking forward to having some time with just the two of us. It feels as if we never get an opportunity to be alone, and there are so many interruptions. I was looking forward to playing the part of a new housewife taking care of my dear hero, flirting, playing around with one another, and so on, but I just feel that is impossible to do when around everybody.¡± ¡°Sorry, Nell. You came overseas to see me, and I haven¡¯t been giving you enough attention considering that you literally flew and spent who knows how much money to come over here. I¡¯m new to this whole relationship thing with multiple people still, so whenever you¡¯re feeling left out or alone, just let me know and I will prioritize you to make you feel better. Alright? I want you to feel as welcome and wanted as much as everybody else.¡± ¡°Then ¨C then kiss me!¡± Nell says, looking him in the eyes now. Fenrir doesn¡¯t even think about her request. He just leans forward and presses his lips against her own. Meanwhile in a bush, Nyaiko wants to clap and Rock wants to bark, but Serra, Cassiel, and Oleander work together to keep those two shut up and behaving so that they don¡¯t ruin the moment. Book 3: Chapter 33: Patch 6.0: A Royal Meal ¡°I just want to cheer them on, nya,¡± Nyaiko says with a pout and crossed arms. ¡°I would have thought nya would want to stop them-nya!¡± she loudly whispers at Cassiel. ¡°I only need to stop you. They¡¯re allowed to do¡­ things together because she¡¯s part of our relationship! It ¨C it wouldn¡¯t be fair to not let her have some alone time with him,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°They¡¯re so cute together. I ship them,¡± Serra chimes in, watching Fenrir and Nell hug each other and kiss. ¡°I know, right? Nell Nell is such a precious little thing, and Fenny can be smart about these sorts of things when it matters,¡± Oleander says, crouching next to Serra. ¡°It¡¯s nyot fair! I want to be cute and be shipped with Fenya, too,¡± Nyaiko whines. ¡°I ship you and Cass Cass more,¡± Serra says. Both Cassiel and Nyaiko look at Serra with confused expressions, though Cassiel is definitely the one who looks the most confused between the two of them. And the most mad. ¡°Wha¡ªwhy? How ¨C why would ¨C don¡¯t say weird things!¡± Cassiel whisper-shouts at Serra. ¡°Nya. I don¡¯t see why nya think nyat,¡± Nyaiko replies. ¡°Because you¡¯re cute together, and you both have big boobs now. I want to see you do lewd things to each other,¡± Serra explains, nodding her head. ¡°You just want Fenya to yourself!¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Did nya just call him Fenya?¡± Nyaiko asks her. Cassiel grabs Nyaiko by her ears and starts to shake her around by them, but instead of causing pain, she draws erotic moans out from Nyaiko¡¯s lips instead. On the outside, Cassiel immediately lets go of Nyaiko¡¯s ears and calls her a perverted cat-cow. On the inside, Cassiel wants to keep on touching those soft, fluffy cat ears while hearing Nyaiko¡¯s purring moans. ¡°I ship it,¡± Serra says. ¡°I can see it. It¡¯s kind of like that one thing Fenrir tried explaining to me once¡­ I think it was gap moe or something?¡± Oleander says and shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this counts, but they¡¯re cute and I ship them.¡± ¡°Would you two stop saying weird things?!¡± Cassiel¡¯s whisper-shouting grows louder and louder. Meanwhile, Rock walks next to Nyaiko and stops. ¡°What are nya doing?¡± Nyaiko asks her. ¡°Did nya finally warm up to me-nya?¡± Rock lifts one of her back legs. While Serra and Oleander work together to cover up Nyaiko¡¯s mouth, Fenrir and Nell are unaware of what is happening nearby and finally let one another go. ¡°I hope you¡¯re feeling better now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I am, my hero. Thank you! Just promise to me that you will spoil me with your attention whenever you can, and I shall stay happy!¡± Nell says with a wide smile and flushed cheeks. ¡°Of course. I promise to spoil you as much as I can.¡± ¡°Good! I shall be holding you to that promise, my hero. Let us not forget that you have already broken one promise to me, so I will not allow you to break another!¡± ¡°When ¨C when did I break a promise to you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even remember! Such a cruel man you are. Do you not recall when I was first aboard your ship and you promised to never let anybody steal me away?¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah¡­ my bad. I ¨C I tried my best though to stop them from taking you back,¡± Fenrir explains, guilt obvious within his expression and tone. Despite feeling guilty about breaking a promise to her, when he looks back down at her, she¡¯s smiling and giggling. ¡°Do not worry, my hero. I knew that you would not be able to keep that promise in the first place, so I did not consider it legitimate even if I wished it was!¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know if that makes me feel better or worse. You call me cruel, but you just admitted you didn¡¯t believe in me!¡± ¡°To be fair, my hero, I had known you for only several hours and you were a new player wishing to go against one of this world¡¯s most powerful rulers. Not even my fantasies are so delusional to think that you would have been able to succeed.¡± ¡°I technically succeeded in the end, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Hmm. I suppose you are right! That means my fantasies must grow even more outlandish as they are clearly not able to surpass reality¡¯s own delusional truths as they are.¡± ¡°That sounded confusing, but I think I understand what you¡¯re talking about. The answer is no. You don¡¯t need to get even crazier fantasies. You¡¯re going to start imagining flying dicks from alternate dimensions if you keep this up.¡± ¡°Oh! That gives me an idea! Thank you for the muse, my hero!¡± Fenrir sighs and shakes his head. ¡°You¡¯re something else, Nell Nell.¡± ¡°I am your something else, my hero!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m your hero.¡± ¡°I just said that, silly hero.¡± ¡°Could ¨C could you just let me try to be smooth?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Nell giggles. ¡°If you wish to be smooth then you must do so without giving me an opportunity to diminish it!¡± ¡°Then how about this?¡± Fenrir says, grabbing Nell by her shoulders and pulling her back against him. With her face pressed up against his chest, she can smell his masculine scent, feel his warm against her, and she feels small and protected when pressed up against him like this. She can¡¯t help but blush and giggle against his form. Leaning her head up, she looks at him and says, ¡°My hero, I ¨C ah! What ¨C what happened?!¡± Blood is dripping down from a gash on his jawline. ¡°I need to be more careful around those things,¡± Fenrir says, looking at her horn while wincing from the pain of just getting stabbed by one of her horns. Her horns curve and then stick straight up, so when she leaned her head up while he was so close to her, her horn tore right through his skin. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry! I ¨C I wasn¡¯t thinking!¡± Nell apologizes over and over, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry about it. It was just an accident and we¡¯re both at fault,¡± Fenrir says, petting the top of her head between her horns. A drop of his blood drips off from his wound and lands right on her cheek. ¡°Hang on,¡± he tells her, leaning down so that his face is directly in front of her own. Though, rather than kiss her this time, he sticks out his tongue and licks up the blood that he just dripped onto her. ¡°There we go. I¡¯d feel bad if I got you dirty.¡± Nell was feeling horrible a moment ago, but now she feels so hot and excited that steam is going to blow out of her ears at any moment. She¡¯s so, so torn between being confused why he had to lick her to clean his blood off of her cheek, and excited because he just licked blood off of her cheek which is so excitedly animalistic. Fenrir blushes when he realizes that he just licked his own blood off of her. ¡°A-ah¡­ sorry. I wasn¡¯t thinking, and it just seemed like the natural thing to do,¡± he explains. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve felt weird like that. I guess my feral instinct is starting to come out in more than just combat.¡± ¡°No, no! There is no need to apologize, my hero!¡± Nell frantically says, waving her hands around to dismiss his apology. Fenrir looks down at her and it clicks. ¡°You liked that, didn¡¯t you?¡± he asks. Her face turns brighter. ¡°So, while I have this gash on my jaw and am dripping blood everywhere, you¡¯re getting turned on because I licked blood off of you?¡± ¡°I ¨C I cannot help it! It was just so¡­ wild!¡± ¡°So, you like it when I¡¯m behaving like a wild animal?¡± ¡°I will not deny that, my he¡ª¡± Fenrir grabs her by her shoulders once more, walking her backward until he pushes her back up against the nearest tree. With her body pinned to the tree, he lowers his head and looks directly into her eyes. He says nothing; all he does is stare into those excited, surprised eyes of Nell¡¯s. Then, he leans his head forward and tilts it sideways so that he can get underneath her chin, letting his tongue slip out from his mouth to lick at her sensitive neck. Nell¡¯s moan comes quickly enough that she does not even get a chance to try and hide it, but she does cover her mouth for the moans that come when Fenrir slowly drags his tongue up from her neck to jawline. ¡°And done,¡± Fenrir says, hopping backward away from her. ¡°Wh-what? You ¨C you are done? Why did you? I¡ª¡± Nell stutters out, much too excited to speak properly. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for teasing me and ruining my attempts at being smooth.¡± Nell lowers her head and looks down at the ground, her entire body shaking. Fenrir is about to ask her if something is wrong when she lifts her head and looks directly at him. ¡°My hero,¡± Nell says, her voice calm despite her expression being one bordering on lustful insanity, ¡°I do not believe that I will be able to hold myself back any longer.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he asks her. Nell pulls her wings in close to her back so that removing her top is easy work. ¡°Oh.¡± Book 3: Chapter 34: Patch 6.0: A Royal Meal Oleander and Serra struggle to hold back Cassiel and Nyaiko at the sight of what Nell is trying, but fortunately for them, the heavy Rock plops herself down on top of Cassiel to make their task easier. Since Nyaiko is still a new player, Serra¡¯s strength gained from carrying around cannonballs and loading cannons all the time means that she is strong enough to restrain Nyaiko. ¡°You¡¯ll get your turn later,¡± Oleander whispers to Cassiel, dragging her backward while Rock stays lying on top of her abdomen. ¡°You might not. Depends on Cass Cass,¡± Serra whispers to Nyaiko while following Oleander with Nyaiko in tow. ¡°I kinda want to stay and watch,¡± Oleander whispers to Serra now. ¡°Same, but they won¡¯t behave,¡± Serra whispers back to him. While those two perverts want to sit back and enjoy the show, Cassiel and Nyaiko just want to join in out of jealousy. Though, Cassiel does calm down quickly and comes to the conclusion that it¡¯d only be fair to let Nell have some fun with him. Of course, she also comes to the conclusion that she has to have some private time of her own with Fenrir later to make it fair. Meanwhile, Fenrir embraces his increased, in-game confidence and refuses to look away from the sight that Nell is offering him. Her breasts, while not large, are not small by any means. Serra¡¯s can fit in the palms of his hands while still giving him a bit to squeeze, Cassiel¡¯s are large enough that his fingers can¡¯t fully reach around them, and Nell¡¯s are right in-between the two¡¯s leaning more towards Cassiel¡¯s. ¡°P-please, my hero, it is embarrassing when you stare so perversely at my breasts,¡± Nell says, the confidence in her voice now gone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re the one who just told me you can¡¯t hold yourself back any longer,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It ¨C now that I have come this far, my heart is beating so quickly that I feel as if I am going to pass out. I do not wish to die from embarrassment,¡± she explains, raising her arms up to fold over her chest. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to be embarrassed about, Nell. You¡¯re beautiful, and the real deal is even better.¡± Finding confidence is already easier when Ryouta is playing the role of Fenrir, but it is an almost trivial thing to do when he¡¯s with somebody whom is so much more nervous than he is. ¡°You are lucky that I am too flustered to try and ruin your attempt at being smooth, my hero.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to fluster you even more, my princess.¡± Nell lowers her head to hide the massive smile that she can¡¯t hold back from hearing him call her his princess. Fenrir, ignoring the fact that he¡¯s still bleeding, steps back up to her and takes her hands into his own. Though, her tail whips around to cover up her breasts as soon as her hands are pulled away from them. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more hands, you know,¡± Fenrir teases her. ¡°I ¨C I know, my hero, but it is just so embarrassing. Even if both my heart and body want this, my mind is not prepared,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Being prepared isn¡¯t required as long as you want it.¡± ¡°You wish to force yourself unto a maiden before she is prepared?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to look at it, sure. I¡¯m the feral wolf of your fantasies coming to force myself onto you. Woof. Or¡­ if I try to copy Nyaiko, I guess I should say wan.¡± Nell looks up at him and giggles while asking, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the sound of a dog in Japanese.¡± ¡°Wan?¡± ¡°Is it bad that hearing you say that just really turned me on?¡± ¡°Probably, my hero, probably.¡± With the mood shifted to one more casual, Nell finds her shoulders relaxing and her heart no longer preparing to jump out through her chest. ¡°We ¨C we should really do something about your face,¡± Nell says, touching next to where she cut him. ¡°Wow, here I am trying to be flirty and do lewd things with you, and you go and call me ugly,¡± Fenrir teases some more. ¡°That ¨C that is not what I meant! I meant¡ª¡± ¡°I know what you meant, Nell,¡± Fenrir says, placing his lips against hers before she has a chance to respond again. Not even aware that he is doing it, the way that he kisses Nell is much gentler than the sorts of kisses that he gives Serra and Cassiel. Kissing Serra is usually soft and quick, kissing Cassiel is a bit rougher and with more tongue, but the way that he kisses Nell is gentle, slow, and he treats every part of her as if she is a delicate, glass flower that will shatter from the slightest mistreatment. She may have her perverted fantasies, but she looks innocent, pure, and delicate ¨C she instinctually invokes his protective and gentle side. ¡°It is not fair to kiss me so suddenly, my hero,¡± Nell says, her voice soft and quiet, once he pulls his lips away from her. ¡°Are you complaining?¡± Fenrir asks, looking directly into her eyes. ¡°I will never complain about you.¡± ¡°Even if I become a deadbeat man who plays games on the couch all day, and if I get a giant stomach from alcohol and chips?¡± ¡°I have enough money that I could afford taking care of you in such a condition.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me or else I might actually consider that.¡± Once they both finish giggling, Fenrir steps back and starts undressing himself. He pulls off his chainmail and vest to set them aside before getting to work on his pants. However, as soon as his fingers grab the fabric of his pants, Nell grabs him by his wrists and stops him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks her. ¡°I ¨C I am sorry, my hero, but I¡­ I truthfully do not believe that I am ready for what you have in mind,¡± Nell explains. ¡°I am sorry for disappointing you.¡± Fenrir answers her by kissing her first and then saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Nell. We don¡¯t have to go all the way right now. It¡¯ll be even better for us both once you¡¯re really ready for it.¡± ¡°Are you not the one who was just telling me I do not need to be prepared?¡± ¡°I was just trying to be smooth. Of course being prepared is important.¡± ¡°Such a cruel man you are.¡± ¡°What have I done to be cruel this time?¡± ¡°Nothing, my hero. I just¡­ do not know what else to say at the moment.¡± Fenrir looks her over. Even if they¡¯re not going all the way, she still looks flustered and is rubbing her thighs together while her hands act as if she doesn¡¯t know what to do with them. ¡°How about¡­ I help you with how you¡¯ve been feeling so that you don¡¯t feel so pent up?¡± Fenrir offers. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nell asks, her brows expressing her confusion. ¡°Dogs are good at licking, right?¡± Nell tilts her head. As perverted as she may be, it takes her a moment to realize what he¡¯s implying. Her face burns bright once she does understand his message. More importantly, she doesn¡¯t say no. Fenrir runs his hands over the exposed skin of her torso, slowly working them lower and lower until he reaches the top of her skirt. Fortunately, with how much time he has spent looking at her tail, he knows that he has to unclasp the skirt behind her. The skirt has an opening in it for her tail which is held together by a clasp above her tail. Her skirt falls free once he has untied and unclasped it. This is the first time that he has seen this much of her legs. They are more slender than her real ones but are still incredibly attractive to him even if he does prefer her real legs for how thick and soft they look. Plus, these in-game legs of hers have spots of scales running up the outer sides of her thighs. Nell¡¯s lower lips are every bit as delicate and beautiful looking as the rest of her body. He feels as if even just looking at them wrong is going to break them. ¡°Pl-please do not stare, my hero. This is even more embarrassing,¡± Nell whines, covering her face with her hands. ¡°Should I say something cheesy again to calm you down and potentially ruin the mood?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I think I would appreciate that. I am worried I will not stay conscious enough to enjoy this if I stay this way.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re looking forward to enjoying it and don¡¯t want to miss out?¡± ¡°Of ¨C of course! Do not make me admit such a thing.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Just be warned that if this kills your mood, it¡¯s not my fault. It¡¯s all I can think of to calm you down.¡± Nell uncovers her eyes just in time to see Fenrir lying down on the ground. ¡°Come sit upon your throne, my princess,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at his face. Nell is conflicted. She both wants to laugh at how horrendously cheesy and borderline-mood-killing that is, and she wants to pass out from excitement at the idea of getting pleasured by him. ¡°You are truly something else, my hero.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my line.¡± Book 3: Chapter 35: Patch 6.0: A Royal Meal Nell walks up next to Fenrir and looks down at him, her face bright red and her eyes struggling to look directly at him. The man that she loves is lying down on the ground, in the middle of a forest, half of his clothes off, and beckoning her to come and sit down on his face. Regardless of how bizarre her fetishes may be, when it comes to actual sex, all she has ever done is kiss and touch Fenrir¡¯s erection in real life over his clothes. ¡°H-hey now, I¡¯m going to start feeling embarrassed myself if you don¡¯t hurry up,¡± Fenrir says. Nell whimpers and looks around. Can they be sure they won¡¯t be interrupted? What if the rest of the group finds them? What if some random players come across them? What if a wild, lustful monster discovers them?! She gets more excited. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure, my hero?¡± Nell asks, fidgeting with her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve never done it before, so I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll be any good at it, but I am sure,¡± Fenrir answers. Nell takes a deep breath, steps closer, and crouches down next to him. Rather than sit upon his face as he told her to, she lifts one leg over his chest so that she is straddling it instead of his head. ¡°My tongue isn¡¯t long enough to reach if you sit there,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°I am working on it! Such an impatient man. This ¨C this sort of thing requires patience,¡± Nell explains, scooting another inch up his chest. ¡°You being so slow makes me want to say something that I know would embarrass you.¡± Since she¡¯s not wearing her clothes and is sitting on top of his bare chest, he can feel just how hot and wet her sex is as she essentially grinds it up along him as she moves closer to his face. ¡°Telling me that you could say something embarrassing informs me that you are thinking of something embarrassing, and that is just as bad as actually saying it!¡± Nell whines. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I won¡¯t say or think of anything, my princess.¡± Nell crosses her arms and pouts before moving up just underneath his neck. ¡°I ¨C I did not think my first time would be in such a way. I cannot believe that I am actually going to do this.¡± ¡°I guess facesitting is a pretty unique way of having your first sexual experience, but it¡¯s probably less intense than having regular sex in the middle of a forest. I would offer that we wait until we¡¯ve got some privacy in a more normal environment, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be for a while.¡± ¡°I ¨C I know. Are¡­ are you ready?¡± she asks. ¡°You know I am. Are you asking yourself that?¡± ¡°I¡­ might be. Okay!¡± Nell lifts her hips up to move over his face and freezes. She has no idea what she¡¯s supposed to do now. Does she just lower herself until she¡¯s sitting on him? Where is she supposed to sit? Does she sit near his chin, on his mouth, or somewhere else? Fortunately for the inexperienced Nell, the almost-just-as-inexperienced Fenrir grabs her by her hips to help guide her down against his mouth. Nell moans and covers her face when she feels his mouth come into contact with her lower lips. She then discovers that he not only has the ears, tail, and sometimes personality of a wolf, but he has a tongue similar to one as well. His tongue is slightly wider than an average human¡¯s, but more importantly than that, it is longer and more flexible. Fenrir¡¯s tongue is more than capable of running its hot, wet length from the bottom of her vulva up toward the top of it without even having to move his head. He applies enough force to rub it up between her labia until he reaches her clit where he ends up focusing his efforts. This is his first time ever going down on a girl ¨C or, technically, having a girl come down onto him, but he knows enough from his time on the internet that girls¡¯ clits feel good. He also knows how to find them which is more than most twenty-somethings with hardly any sexual experience. Especially twenty-somethings with hardly any sexual experience who also are probably more interested in anime and hentai than they should be. Fortunately for Nell, her boyfriend has done at least a little bit of research even if said research involves questionable sources. ¡°Fe-Fenrir,¡± Nell moans, leaning over his head and letting her hands run through his hair. The more she moans, the more Fenrir focuses on her clit. He knows to continue doing whatever he¡¯s doing when she moans, so if he gets the most moans from her when he is rubbing his tongue against her clit and occasionally sucking on it, that is what he will continue doing. After only a minute of this, he feels Nell¡¯s thighs tightly squeeze around his head to the point where he is reminded of those videos he¡¯s seen online of girls crushing watermelons between their thighs. Nell arches her back and, after taking her hands away from his head to cover her face, lets out a loud moan. ¡°Haah¡­ I ¨C I can¡¯t believe I ¨C so quickly¡­¡± Nell says between heavy breaths. Fenrir pulls head away just enough to look up at her face and to talk without being muffled. ¡°What? Did you cum already?¡± he asks. Nell, with her face still covered, nods her head. Knowing that she already came just from him hardly doing anything makes him want to make her orgasm even more. Fenrir returns his mouth and tongue to her clit. His actions are much faster and more forceful than they were just a few seconds ago, and it does not take long for Nell to start moaning and shaking while atop him. ¡°I ¨C Fen, I ¨C I already, nngh, I¡¯m still¡ª!¡± Nell moans just before her hips start crazily shaking on top of him once more. She may have been trying to warn him to stop, but Fenrir doesn¡¯t get that message as thighs grip his head as tightly as they can as if never wanting him to stop. He figures that was her second orgasm. As soon as she¡¯s calmed down and relaxed her thighs a bit, he slightly repositions his mouth to get into the perfect angle for what he is about to do next. With his tongue having found where her entrance is, his mouth rests directly in front of it so that he can push his tongue as deep into her as it can go. One of his hands stays resting on her rear while his other hand reaches around to the front to give her clit some attention with a couple of his fingers now that his tongue isn¡¯t. Between his tongue spreading her tight passage and licking all over between her inner walls, his fingers rapidly rub her clit from side-to-side. Nell¡¯s moans turn from incomprehensible words into his name over and over and over again as she gets closer and closer to her third climax. All of this stimulation is too much for her to handle. Whether she realizes it or not, she presses her crotch down against his face even harder now which only adds to her pleasure. It also adds to Fenrir realizing that he can¡¯t breathe. With her thighs locking his head into position and her suffocating him with her crotch, there is no room for breathing. He has to hurry up and make her cum again so that he can pull back and get some fresh air. His fingers treat her clit even more roughly while he tongue-fucks her to the best of his capability. As inexperienced and sloppy as his actions may be most of the time, he¡¯s able to make her cum for a third time which results in her getting almost his entire face soaked in her arousal. ¡°Fen¡ªRyo-Ryouta,¡± Nell moans. ¡°I love you, I ¨C I love you, haah¡­¡± She feels him tapping on her thighs and looks down at him. ¡°What is the matter?¡± she asks, sounding exhausted and lazy. Fenrir points at his mouth which is still held tightly against her crotch by her thighs. It takes Nell a few moments to realize what he¡¯s trying to convey. ¡°A-ah! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Nell panics, releasing his head from her thighs and sliding back down onto his chest. Fenrir takes heavy breaths as soon as he¡¯s freed. ¡°Good thing this is just a game. I was beginning to think I was going to suffocate there,¡± Fenrir says. His tongue then slips out from his lips and licks up the arousal over his mouth. ¡°What ¨C what are you doing, my hero?! Don¡¯t ¨C you should not be doing that!¡± Nell shouts, her face somehow turning the reddest that it has yet. ¡°What? This?¡± he asks, cleaning some more of the area around his mouth with his tongue. ¡°I just had my tongue inside of you. I drank plenty of you already.¡± Nell¡¯s eyes go wide. If she wasn¡¯t embarrassed before, she is now. Even her horns are starting to turn red! ¡°Besides, you taste g¡ª¡± Nell covers his mouth with her hands. ¡°I ¨C I forbid you from saying anything else!¡± she declares. Fenrir pushes her hands away, pulls her head down to his own, and kisses her. She seems calmed down after he breaks off the kiss. ¡°See? You taste good,¡± he says. Whatever calmness the kiss inspired gets replaced by embarrassed panic once more. Book 3: Chapter 36: Patch 6.0: A Royal Meal Nell lies down on top of Fenrir, resting her head on his shoulder and happily looking up at him now that he has stopped trying to embarrass her. ¡°Thank you, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Anytime, princess,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Do you truly mean that?¡± ¡°Well, maybe not any time. We can¡¯t just be in the middle of eating burgers when you demand to sit on my face.¡± Nell giggles and playfully pouts. ¡°Why not? I was planning on doing exactly that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one perverted princess. Between you and your dad, I¡¯m going to start thinking that you¡¯re the royalty of some perverted country where everybody lives in BDSM dungeons and worships sex.¡± ¡°And people accuse me of having too crazy of an imagination.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re rubbing off on me.¡± ¡°I did do quite a bit of rubbing.¡± ¡°What, now you can make jokes about it without being embarrassed? If I said that a couple of minutes ago then you¡¯d be blushing and looking like you¡¯re about to cry from embarrassment some more.¡± ¡°I ¨C I did not look like I was about to cry.¡± ¡°Perverted, crybaby princess.¡± Nell slaps her tail against his leg. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Cassiel¡¯s abusive tendencies must be rubbing off on you now. Also, let me see your tail real quick.¡± ¡°My ¨C my tail? Why?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Nell hesitantly swings her tail around so that its tip is in front of his face. Fenrir gently takes it into his hands and observes it. He¡¯s looked at it plenty of times before, but this is his first time getting a close look at it and feeling it. The top and sides of her tail are covered in hard, rough scales that glisten underneath the sunlight, but the bottom of her tail is soft, smooth, and warm. The end of her tail splits into three tips with a fin-like webbing between each tip. ¡°A tailjob could totally work,¡± Fenrir says, tracing some of his fingers along the underside of her tail. ¡°My ¨C my hero, that ¨C it is sensitive there,¡± Nell moans. If she was trying to get him to stop by saying that, she did the opposite. Fenrir gives the underside of her tail even more attention by rubbing it, stroking his fingers along it, and massaging it. ¡°Nngh¡­ my ¨C Fenrir, wha-what are you¡ª¡± He trails his fingers up and down near the tip of her tail, sliding them all the way up until where her tail splits into three tips and then traveling all the way back until he reaches the base of her tail. Nell¡¯s breathing and moans grow heavy and erotic as she balls her fists on top of his chest, her eyes shut and lips parted as her tail excitedly twitches in pleasure. Fenrir¡¯s own tail would be wagging if he wasn¡¯t lying on top of it. ¡°You are, nngh ¨C you are going to make me want more¡­ I thought you helped me earlier to relieve my desires, but now you are restoring them!¡± Nell whines. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to help you out with your desires again, won¡¯t I? That¡¯s what a good boyfriend does. If I get you all excited, I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± ¡°I shall be holding you to that,¡± Nell says before biting her lip. The look they share with one another tells them that they might as well have another round of fun right here, right now. ¡°I ¨C I never was into the idea of receiving oral, but I think your tongue has convinced me of its merits,¡± Nell says. ¡°Then would you like me to convince you some more?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I might, but,¡± Nell pauses to rub one of her hands against his crotch, ¡°would you not like some relief of yourself? My tongue has some advantages of its own,¡± she says and sticks out her long, serpentine tongue to illustrate her point. ¡°Why not both?¡± ¡°That could wo¡ª¡± ¡°Fen! You two better be done because we¡¯ve got to go!¡± Oleander shouts. Fenrir and Nell look to where the shouting is coming from with wide, panicking eyes. Oleander, Serra, Cassiel, Nyaiko, and Rock all come rushing through some foliage and stop when they see Nell lying naked on top of Fenrir. Despite the group panting and sounding panicked for their own reason, Serra gives Fenrir a thumbs-up while both Nyaiko and Cassiel look jealous at the erotic sight. ¡°I ¨C I! This is ¨C my hero and I ¨C we,¡± Nell stutters as she starts going red from the tips of her horns to the tips of her tail. ¡°Sorry, I wanted you two lovebirds to get some more alone time, but uhh, we should really probably go,¡± Oleander tries to quickly explain. ¡°Y-y-you knew wh-where we were? You ¨C you knew what we were d-doing?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was planned, and we seriously need to go.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Fenrir says. Nell looks down at her lover. ¡°How ¨C how are you so calm right now?!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯re naked.¡± ¡°You ¨C you ¨C you are lucky I cannot think of an insult that I would not regret!¡± Nell whines before trying to cover herself up with her arms and tail as she gets up to grab her clothes. ¡°No time to get dressed, let¡¯s go,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Just ¨C just give me a moment!¡± Nell pauses when the ground shakes. It sounds as if something massive is coming. The sound of something pounding against the ground grows louder with every second that passes, and the louder that the sound grows, the harder the area shakes. A tree gets sent flying and smashes into another nearby tree, cracking apart against it and knocking it down. A massive, gorilla-like monster with a coat of thick, black fur stands where the flying tree came from. While its body is similar to that of a gorilla¡¯s, its head is more like a bull¡¯s and features four horns protruding from the sides of it. It opens its maw to let out a howl that would shatter glass with ease. After banging its hands against its chest, it smashes them down into the ground with enough force that everybody is knocked off balance. ¡°Yep, no time to wait,¡± Fenrir says, rushing over to Rock to pick her up in his arms. Nell, naked and exposed, looks shocked at him that she wasn¡¯t the one picked up instead. Her blank expression is one of abandonment. Everybody else is looking at him the same way as if not a single one of them can believe he¡¯s helping a dog instead of his naked girlfriend. Then they all remember that Rock is the slowest one out of them all and would never be able to escape on her own. The monster roars again. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Fenrir shouts. The group takes off. Rock, being held like a child within Fenrir¡¯s arms, looks over his shoulder and barks at the monster as it chases them. As for Nell, Cassiel has picked her up to carry her bridal style. Serra, Nyaiko, and Oleander are left to run on their own. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair! I want carried-nya!¡± Nyaiko whines. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for your cat talk!¡± Oleander shouts at her, occasionally casting magical vines at the pursuing beast in an attempt to slow it down. ¡°I need a portable cannon. I¡¯ll ask Tabs for one later,¡± Serra says, one hand holding her hat down as she runs. ¡°I hope you appreciate us letting you have alone time with that dog bastard,¡± Cassiel says with a pout to the princess in her arms. ¡°You ¨C you were in on it as well?¡± Nell asks her. ¡°Only ¨C only because it¡¯s fair to you! I get him to myself as much as I want later.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± Fenrir shouts back at her. ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re not supposed to be listening! You¡¯re lucky my hands are busy or I¡¯d throw something at you!¡± Cassiel shouts. All of their shouting causes the monster behind them to do some shouting of its own as it tears trees straight out from the ground to throw at them. ¡°What are our chances of being able to take this oversized monkey down?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Feel free to try by yourself,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°That aura it¡¯s giving off ¨C it has to be a boss-tier monster,¡± Cassiel explains, her voice more serious now. ¡°I doubt we¡¯d be able to kill a boss right now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s giving off an aura?¡± Fenrir asks, looking back at it. All he senses when he looks at the monster is death if he tries to fight it. Yeah, that probably counts as an aura. Fortunately, they make it to the beach and the monster fails at actually hitting them with any of the trees that it has been throwing their way. Unfortunately, they realize that they¡¯re going to be easy targets in the water while they try to swim back to The Shoebill. ¡°I have an idea,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Nell, can you swim to the boat and try blowing the horn? That might scare it off.¡± Nell clutches her clothes against her and nods. ¡°I ¨C I can do it!¡± she confirms. Book 3: Chapter 37: Patch 7.0: Monster Showdown ¡°Fen, we¡¯ll try to distract it while Nell swims. If we all try swimming over then it¡¯s going to just pick us out of the water,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯d be fine thanks to Nell¡¯s buff she gave me,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°But we both know that you wouldn¡¯t abandon us and leave all the fun to us.¡± ¡°You know me so well. Serra and Nyaiko,¡± Fenrir looks behind him at the girls, ¡°you two start swimming over. Me, Olly, and Cass will try holding it off until Nell blows the horn.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let your girlfriends blow other horns,¡± Serra says, a smug smile expressing her pride in her own humor. ¡°I want to blow Fenya¡¯s horn-nya!¡± Nyaiko says, standing behind Serra and holding onto the shorter girl¡¯s shorters. She doesn¡¯t realize that she places both of her heavy, massive breasts right on top of Serra¡¯s head. Serra and Fenrir look at each other. That smug smile of hers grows even wider. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have time to be jealous,¡± Serra says. Fenrir shakes his head. She¡¯s right. There is a giant gorilla monster that¡¯s going to be attacking them at any moment. Looking over at Cassiel, he sees her looking at Nyaiko¡¯s breasts pushing down on Serra¡¯s head. She looks just as jealous as he just did. ¡°Want me to grow a pair, Cass Cass? If you love them that much then I could just gain a few hundred pounds,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°You can¡¯t gain weight if you¡¯re dead,¡± Cassiel responds with her sword unsheathed and pointed at him. They look back at the monster when they feel the ground shaking. It¡¯s charging directly at them! One of its hands is dragging a tree through the sand behind it as it rushes them. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could take down a gorilla monster, huh, Rod?¡± Fenrir asks and gets two pulses from Rod. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be boring then.¡± Fenrir draws his rarely-used sword and readies himself for the charging foe. ¡°Ready, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks, several thorns held between his fingers. ¡°Not really. I could go for a planet-destroying battlecruiser right now,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I don¡¯t think this game has those.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just tell Tabs to make one. You know she¡¯d actually try to if she had the material.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you two taking this more seriously?!¡± Cassiel shouts at them. ¡°We¡¯re probably going to die!¡± ¡°Come on, Cass Cass. Aren¡¯t you used to us doing stupid things that we should die from by now?¡± Oleander asks her. ¡°What he said,¡± Fenrir backs him up. Rock barks. Their opponent finally reaches them and swings the tree down into the ground like a hammer! The shockwave from the force of the impact causes all the nearby sand to shoot up and knocks the four off of their balance for a couple of seconds, but not for a long enough time that the monster has easy targets. It tries swinging its free fist down at where Fenrir and Oleander are standing, but they each recover and jump out of the way before the fist smashes into the ground. Fenrir, Rock, and Cassiel are the closest together, so they are whom the monster focuses on. It lifts its now-splintered tree up from the ground and swipes it sideways toward them! Cassiel jumps up into the air to go over the tree, but Fenrir and Rock both drop low to the ground so that it gets swung right over them. Cassiel lands on the tree as it travels underneath her, runs up along it until she reaches the monster¡¯s hand, and stabs her sword into its thumb! This gets a pained howl from it, but the damage inflicted is only enough to cause minor bleeding. She quickly pulls her sword out from its thumb and does a backward leap off of the tree when its free hand swings at her. ¡°I forget how much of a badass you are sometimes, Cass,¡± Fenrir says, checking on Rock. ¡°This isn¡¯t my first boss fight,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try stabbing it in its nuts? I bet that¡¯d hurt.¡± ¡°Haah?¡± Cassiel looks at the monster, her eyes traveling down toward its crotch. Yep. Giant, hairy sack hanging there. ¡°I hate you for pointing that out,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You¡¯re the one who looked for it,¡± Fenrir says. The monster releases another pained howl even louder than before. Behind him, Oleander has shot two magically-enlarged thorns into the back of his legs. ¡°It¡¯s slowed down now!¡± Oleander shouts. The monster reaches behind himself, tears out the thorns, and crushes them in his hand. ¡°Nevermind!¡± Oleander shouts. ¡°It¡¯s alright! Nell should be on the boat now!¡± Fenrir shouts, looking over his shoulder. Serra and Nyaiko are about a fourth of the way to The Shoebill, and he sees Nell standing on the deck fixing her clothes. He would be mad at her for doing that in this situation if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he never allowed her to get properly dressed, not to mention that she basically got walked in on while completely nude. Fortunately for those holding the monster off on the beach, Nell only takes a few seconds to get dressed before she hurries to the horn and blows into it as hard as she can! Ull told them that even people across the ocean would be able to hear the horn¡¯s sound. They learn that he wasn¡¯t exaggerating. The horn is so unbelievably loud that everybody and everything around stops what they¡¯re doing to cover their ears. Flocks of birds fly up from the trees, animals burrow underground, and the monster¡¯s battle cry can¡¯t even be heard with the horn drowning all other noise out. Fenrir feels like he¡¯s going to pass out from how painfully loud the horn is! But, it¡¯s worth the pain. The monster drops the tree to cover his ears with his hands, heading back into the forest to try and get as far away from the horn as possible. Then the horn goes quiet. The link that Fenrir shares with Nell allows him to know that she¡¯s in just as much pain as he is from blowing that horn. If anything, she has it the worst as she¡¯s the closest to the horn. Then there are the girls in the water trying to swim to the ship. They can¡¯t swim if they have to cover their ears. With no ear-shattering sound to scare off the monster, he turns around and looks at the source of where that horrible sound came from. He jumps back over to the tree he dropped, picks it up, and throws it right at The Shoebill! ¡°Nell!¡± Fenrir shouts, but she and the boat are too far out for his call to be heard. The tree crashes straight into The Shoebill¡¯s mast, sending wooden splinters flying in all directions as the boat rocks heavily onto its starboard side. Fenrir senses Nell¡¯s panic, but he also senses that she¡¯s safe. ¡°What now?!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°We might be in trouble here,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°All I can think of is one of us trying to lead it away while the rest escape, then whoever gets sacrificed respawns later,¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work.¡± The monster, enraged that The Shoebill is still floating, wades into the water. The Shoebill is his priority target now. This would be a really good time for it to turn into a giant robot like Fenrir wishes it could, but unfortunately, The Shoebill remains floating without any transforming to save the day. ¡°Olly!¡± Fenrir shouts. Oleander shoots off the rest of the thorns that he has, each one finding its target and piercing the monster¡¯s back. The thorns only manage to slow the monster down for a couple of seconds. Fenrir feels Nell¡¯s panic growing by the second. One of the boat¡¯s cannons fires and lands a direct hit on the monster! The cannonball strikes the monster in his shoulder, causing him to reel that shoulder backward, but it¡¯s still not enough. The cannonball couldn¡¯t even pierce his tough skin, instead just bruising the bone inside of his shoulder before falling into the water. Fenrir looks beyond the monster and sees Corwin behind the cannon responsible for shooting the monster. Then the cannon next to him fires, and behind that cannon is none other than Tabitha. The second cannon hits the monster of a boss right in the chest. He grabs his chest in pain and groans as if the wind was just knocked out of him, but he proceeds onward. Truly befitting of being a boss, neither players nor cannons have managed to do anything other than stall him for more than a few seconds at most. Nell blows into the horn once more to try and scare him off again, but all the monster does is cover his ears while still wading closer and closer toward The Shoebill. The second sounding of the horn lasts but mere seconds before Nell can no longer handle the pain from its intensity. Then Fenrir notices something out of the corner of his eye. Something is swimming toward The Shoebill. He can¡¯t see what it is, but it¡¯s large and close enough to the surface of the water that it¡¯s creating a wake. Book 3: Chapter 38: Patch 7.0: Monster Showdown ¡°Did you see that?¡± Fenrir asks Cassiel while Rock tries chasing into the water after the monster but stops as soon as the water touches her paws. ¡°Yeah. What was that?¡± Cassiel asks back. ¡°What¡¯re you two talking about? We need to figure out what to do about that oversized ape instead of just standing around and talking!¡± Oleander says. Fenrir feels something. The feeling is familiar, but also one that he has not felt for quite some time. Furthermore, the feeling is being relayed to him through Nell rather than feeling the sensation directly himself. The only time something such as this has ever happened was when the juvenile serpent¡¯s feelings were relayed to Nell through him during the tournament back at Port Tugator. ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir when she notices the massive grin spread across his face. ¡°Are you so masochistic that you get off knowing your boat is about to get destroyed?¡± Oleander asks, also confused as to why Fenrir seems so excited. ¡°This is going to be epic,¡± Fenrir explains. Cassiel and Oleander look at each other with confused expressions. They have no idea what he could potentially be talking about, but when they see his eyes lock onto a spot of water, they look where he¡¯s looking. The monster stops in his tracks, the water up to his chest now. He looks around at the water, twisting and turning to watch all around him, and even smashes his giant fists into the water as if trying to scare something away. That feeling of panic that Fenrir was originally picking up from Nell has been replaced by one full of excitement and gratitude. The monster shrieks out in pain while slamming both of his fists into the water toward his right leg! To everybody¡¯s amazement, it looks as if something is actively trying to pull the monster as its body unnaturally slides to the side. Cassiel looks at Fenrir when she hears him giggling. ¡°Is something funny?¡± she asks. ¡°They¡¯re his epic giggles,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°¡¯Epic giggles?¡¯¡± ¡°Yeah, whenever he thinks something is epic or awesome enough, he starts giggling like an excited little kid.¡± Cassiel looks up at Fenrir¡¯s face. Between those excited eyes of his, his beaming smile, and his giggles in addition to the fact that his tail is wagging behind him faster than she¡¯s ever seen before¡­ she blushes and finds him extremely adorable. She would never admit such a thing to him, of course, but this is by far the cutest she has ever seen him and she loves seeing him like this. However, her attention gets taken away from him and redirected to the monster when she hears the ferocious beast howl. The monster has been dragged out to the point where his head is hardly above water anymore. He is frantically trying to make his way back toward land, splashing in the water and howling out in desperation and fear, but the salty water reaches his mouth. A serpentine body extends up from the water as it wraps itself around the monster. Cassiel and Oleander didn¡¯t get to see much of her during the tournament, but they see her now in all her glory as she coils around the monster¡¯s torso. Her body coils around the monster¡¯s neck and stops with her head hanging above the monster¡¯s own, her serpentine figure available for all to see. The very same serpent that helped them win the tournament is now here to save them once more. Furthermore, she is much larger than she was when they last saw her. Her head is thrice the size it was during the tournament, and the rest of her body has grown thicker and longer as well. They were all afraid of the gorilla-bull monster, but even he looks small when wrapped up by the serpent. She can even make sounds now as evidenced by her opening her mouth and releasing an undulating call that reminds Fenrir of the very waves she rose from. The sound she makes is both smooth and graceful, but violent and the warning of a predator ready to kill its prey. Just like the ocean, she is beautiful but more than capable of destruction. Her spread jaw is larger than the monster¡¯s head is. The last that anybody sees of the monster is when the serpent latches onto his head¡ªgoing between his horns¡ªand pulls him beneath the surface of the water. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°That was awesome!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a boy,¡± Cassiel says, looking over at Oleander to see how he¡¯s reacting. As much as Oleander likes to look and act feminine, even he¡¯s excited and hyped up over what he just saw. Cassiel, figuring that it would be okay since they¡¯re both hyped up themselves, lets some of her own excitement show. Whether man, woman, or a man who likes to pretend to be a woman, everybody loves a good fight between monsters. Of course, Fenrir would prefer there to be a giant mecha involved, but straight up monster versus monster is more than acceptable on its own. And the show isn¡¯t over yet. The gorilla-esque monster rises out of the water with the serpent in his hands, one hand gripping the center of its body while his other hand holds her behind her head. A serpentine tail tries smashing into the monster¡¯s head, but there just isn¡¯t enough force behind the attack to deter the monster from throwing her toward the beach. He knows that if he gets the serpent on land that she won¡¯t be able to fight back nearly as well as she can in the water. In the water, she¡¯ll win. On the land, he¡¯ll win. The serpent splashes down in shallow water that only comes halfway up her body. Any excitement that the spectators felt watching the fight is now gone as their favorite writhes around in the shallow water, trying to slide back into deeper waters before the monster reaches her. Fenrir looks at the monster and sees that he¡¯s not just some gorilla-bull hybrid anymore. His eyes are glowing red as blood stains his black fur crimson. A number of gashes surround his neck and chest where the serpent was latched onto him, and in general, he looks far stronger now. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be a boss without multiple phases,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Screw his phases. Our girl will win. Olly, think you could try stalling him while she gets back out there?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯ve only got a few thorns left on me, but I¡¯ll try,¡± Oleander says, taking thorns out from his satchel and enlarging them with magic. Three thorns get shot at the monster at once! The monster raises his left arm and uses it as a shield to block all three thorns. Whereas before, the thorns at least slowed the monster down a little, now they appear to just minorly annoy him. ¡°How did you guys even find that monster?¡± Fenir asks. ¡°D-don¡¯t worry about it, you bastard,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°We found this little temple and there was a sword that Cass Cass tried taking, and then the boss showed up, scared her into dropping it, and chased us back to you and Nell,¡± Oleander explains. Fenrir looks at Cassiel. Cassiel looks away and whistles. They both look at the serpent when she lets out another call. She was too slow getting back into deeper waters, and now her opponent has reached her. The water she¡¯s in isn¡¯t deep enough for her to properly maneuver in, but it¡¯s just shallow enough for the monster to not slow him down anymore. ¡°We have to help her,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°How?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°We just have to help her get back into¡­ is everything on The Shoebill repaired?¡± ¡°Yeah, Tabs got everything working, but she probably won¡¯t be too happy about the mast.¡± Fenrir looks toward The Shoebill¡¯s bow and decides on his plan. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± he says, rushing into the water and diving in as soon as it¡¯s deep enough. ¡°The hell is that bastard doing?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Just Fenny things,¡± Oleander answers. Serra and Nyaiko, still swimming toward The Shoebill, get grabbed by Fenrir and dragged along the surface of the water until they reach the ship. Pulling them through the water is easy thanks to the increasing proximity to Nell on top of the passive buff he¡¯s been granted by her. ¡°Let ¨C let go of me-nya! I¡¯ll kill nya! Only my Fenya can touch me!¡± Nyaiko shouts before realizing that the one holding onto her is Fenrir. When she finally makes that realization, she clings to him and eagerly presses her breasts up against him. ¡°Nya should have said if nya wanted attention!¡± Fenrir, ignoring her for the moment, tells them to hang on while he climbs up the rope hanging off The Shoebill¡¯s port side. It¡¯s the first time that Nyaiko has ever seen and heard him sound so serious, and she has no idea how to react to it other than by staying silent and listening to him. Nell helps pull Fenrir and the two girls clinging to his back up once he¡¯s within reach. ¡°My hero! What are we going to do?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Serra, it¡¯s time for you to do your favorite kind of fishing,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Serra and then the ballista. Serra fixes her hat and gives him a thumbs-up. The weapon that once caught the serpent is now going to catch a different kind of monster. Book 3: Chapter 39: Patch 7.0: Monster Showdown ¡°Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­¡± Fenrir counts down as the metal chain connected to the anchor sinks into the water. It comes to a sudden stop once the heavy, metal anchor crashes into the seafloor, and that means that it¡¯s time to attack. ¡°Fire!¡± Fenrir orders. Serra, sitting in the ballista¡¯s chair, fires a hooked shot connected to the ballista by a metal chain. The fired shot flies true and, just as Serra aimed it to, flies over the monster¡¯s arm. The hook¡¯s line runs out of slack and falls down onto the monster¡¯s arm, causing the hook to swing back and around the monster¡¯s arm. Serra then starts reeling the hook back in to get its sharp points embedded inside of the monster¡¯s arm. Tied up and hooked, the monster tugs its arm forward to try and break free but fails. He can¡¯t proceed forward any farther, either. With the anchor keeping The Shoebill in place, it is a stalemate between the anchor¡¯s weight and the monster¡¯s strength. ¡°That must be one heavy anchor if that beast could so easily swing around a tree but not drag our anchor,¡± Nell says. ¡°Tabs probably has something to do with that. Right, Tabs?¡± Fenrir asks. Tabitha looks back at him and shrugs. When he looks her in the eyes, he sees that she isn¡¯t Tabitha. Or rather, the avatar is Tabitha without a doubt, but the one controlling said avatar is not the player that they have all come to know. With the ship under attack, the overseer has temporarily taken control of her to fight back. ¡°What do we do, Fenrir?¡± Corwin asks, standing next to Tabitha. Fenrir jumps a bit when Corwin talks. He forgot that the overseer could emulate the personalities and voices of the avatars that it controls, so to hear ¡°Corwin¡± speak when he wasn¡¯t expecting it is surprising and sort of disturbing. ¡°Reload the cannons and fire at will. Keep it distracted from trying to unhook itself,¡± Fenrir orders. The monster lets out an annoyed growl from being ensnared. Just when it reached the serpent and picked her up with one of his hands, his other arm got restricted and now he has to drop her to try and free himself. Though, rather than just try to free himself, he grabs the chain connecting him to The Shoebill and tugs on it with each of his hands. The Shoebill lurches toward him and faces him directly now, rendering the cannons useless as they now are pointed at nothing but open water. ¡°Shit,¡± Fenrir curses. The plan was to try and hopefully delay the monster, preferably by bringing him farther out into the water, but now he¡¯s pulling the boat closer to him instead. The anchor isn¡¯t heavy enough to stop him when he¡¯s using all the strength in both of his arms. ¡°Release the line,¡± Fenrir orders. Serra pulls a lever on the side of the ballista which releases the chain and prevents the monster from pulling The Shoebill in any closer. While The Shoebill is safe for the time being, the monster is now able to return his attention to the serpent. Having one arm tied up in metal chain isn¡¯t going to bother him now. If anything, it will just serve as some extra protection against the serpent¡¯s maw. ¡°Can we ram him?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Water¡¯s too shallow. We¡¯d stop before we even reach him,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°What about those?¡± Serra asks, looking at a sealed crate on the deck next to the ballista. Fenrir doesn¡¯t want to use those thanks to how useful they¡¯ve been¡­ but isn¡¯t this a situation warranting using one of them? Only two are left of the original five, but he can¡¯t think of a better moment to use one of those than right now. It¡¯s time to go all out. ¡°Load it up. I¡¯ll angle us to get the port side facing him again. Wait until he¡¯s distracted by cannon fire to shoot,¡± Fenrir explains. Serra nods and gets to work. ¡°My hero, is there anything you would like me to do?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Help Serra load the ballista,¡± Fenrir answers before rushing to The Shoebill¡¯s stern. Meanwhile, the monster¡¯s new ¡°armor¡± proves effective against the serpent. She tries to lash out and latch onto the arm that he swings at her, but her teeth are blocked by the metal chain surrounding his arm. If anything, chaining that monster¡¯s arm has only assisted him rather than the serpent. The chain allows him to smash his arm down against the serpent¡¯s body, breaking apart her scales underneath the metal. She collapses in the water and cries out in pain. Whenever her opponent isn¡¯t slamming his fist into her head, his chain-wrapped arm comes crashing down against her neck with enough force to dent her scales in and crack them. Without the advantage of deep water, she is severely outclassed by her enemy. She doesn¡¯t even truly qualify as being a boss-tier monster unlike him. Yet, when she heard that horn sound, she knew where it was coming from and knew who the one sounding it was. She refuses to let those who saved her suffer. That is exactly why she has been following The Shoebill from a distance ever since the tournament. Gathering every last ounce of determination that she can, she rears her head up, dodges her opponent¡¯s fist, and lunges toward his neck! His chained arm knocks her away. Her vision is almost entirely black now. All she can see are the occasional waves breaking against her, washing over her beaten body, and the bloodthirsty monster looming over her. The monster raises his hands in the air for one final attack. All he has to do is slam them down against her and she¡¯ll finally be defeated. Except, just before he swings down to finish her off, he gets knocked forward. ¡°As soon as he turns around!¡± Fenrir orders, smoke rising from the recently-fired cannons. The monster turns around to face The Shoebill once more. The cannonballs did no lasting damage other than bruising his skin underneath his fur and knocking him forward a bit. With the serpent all but killed, it is time for him to annihilate the only remaining annoyance. Serra, looking through the ballista¡¯s scope, smiles. She pulls the trigger and fires the ballista. The fired bolt pierces the monster¡¯s chest! Its tip only managed to barely penetrate his muscular chest, but that¡¯s enough. The real damage doesn¡¯t come from the bolt itself. It comes from the explosives packed into its tip. The bolt explodes! The monster lets out the most pained scream of any monster that Fenrir has ever heard. Smoke obstructs the damage done to the monster¡¯s chest, but they know that it had to deal a decisive blow given that he can barely remain standing. With one hand clutching his chest and the other keeping him held up on his knees, the monster raises his head and glares at Serra. Serra shivers when she sees the monster looking directly at her through the scope that she¡¯s looking through. But, as intimidating as the monster may be, he doesn¡¯t scare her. ¡°Let¡¯s finish him,¡± Serra says. Fenrir looks down at the final bolt gifted to him by Thelmes. The monster isn¡¯t dead yet and looks ready to sacrifice himself if it means taking them down, and the serpent is vulnerable to him until he¡¯s finished. ¡°Load and fire,¡± Fenrir orders. Fenrir helps Serra and Nell load the ballista with the final bolt. The monster recovers from the first explosion just in time to see Serra ready to fire another one. With one hand on the ballista¡¯s trigger, Serra raises her middle finger with her other hand and pulls the trigger. Another direct hit. This time, the explosive bolt detonates inside of exposed flesh and muscle. If anybody watching were to have traumatic content enabled, they would see a very gory and messy aftermath. Even more shocking than any potential gore is the fact that the monster is still standing after having most of his chest blown away. ¡°Seriously? Why won¡¯t you die already? Fire the cannons!¡± Fenrir shouts. Two cannonballs fly toward him but get blocked by his arm. ¡°Overpowered asshole,¡± Fenrir says. Everybody onboard agrees with him. ¡°Wait,¡± he says. ¡°Do you feel it, my hero?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± ¡°Feel what?¡± Serra asks. ¡°We¡¯ve done all we can here, but there¡¯s somebody else who¡¯s still in the fight,¡± Fenrir answers. Serra looks through her scope at the monster. He¡¯s still somehow managing to stand and is in the same spot that he has been. However, when she looks behind him, the serpent is no longer there. ¡°Time to tap out and let her finish the fight herself,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°She¡¯s a good girl, is she not?¡± Nell asks. ¡°She is, but don¡¯t let Rock hear me say that or she might get jealous.¡± The monster looks around himself and notices that the serpent is gone. Before he can turn around to try and escape back onto land, he sees a plume of water shoot up in front of him which reveals the missing serpent. Both monster and serpent are clinging to the last shreds of life that they have. This next exchange of blows will decide who survives and who dies. Neither of them plans on losing, but one of them must. The monster smashes his fists down into the water and howls while the serpent coils around herself and shrieks. Book 3: Chapter 40: Patch 7.0: Monster Showdown ¡°Yo, this is awesome! Monster fights like this are pretty rare.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I just hope she wins.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The serpent.¡± ¡°Ah, got it, bro. The monkey looks pretty badass, but that serpent has been one helluva fighter this entire time. Definitely would¡¯ve lost without you helping, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, she helped us so it¡¯s only fair to help her.¡± ¡°Fair enough! I¡¯m just happy I got over here before it¡¯s over. Had to¡ª¡± Fenrir turns around to look at who he¡¯s talking to. A tall, muscular man with an open jacket and short but spiky red hair that matches his facial hair is sitting atop of what appears to be a tiger-sized, red fox with strigine wings sticking out from the backs of its legs. There are patches of feathers sticking out throughout the beast¡¯s fur. Its tail has the most feathers sticking out from it aside from its wings. But, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. ¡°How¡­ how long have you been here?¡± Fenrir asks the strange man. ¡°Dude, you¡¯re about to miss the fight¡¯s climax,¡± the man says. Fenrir raises an eyebrow and twitches his ears. He¡¯s suspicious of this random stranger and his mount, but he has a fight to finish watching. For the monster to attack the serpent, he would need to move into deeper water, so he stays put and prepares to counter the incoming attack of the serpent. He keeps his chain-wrapped arm raised to use it as a shield. ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra says. ¡°I made him stronger.¡± ¡°It is most alright, Serra! Not every plan can be successful, and sometimes, ideas may have unintended consequences. All that matters is that your heart is in the right place,¡± Nell says, patting Serra atop her hat. ¡°But he¡¯s using the chain to hurt her.¡± ¡°It was my plan,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°so I¡¯ll apologize to her later for it. Plus, we still distracted him for a bit, so the plan wasn¡¯t a complete failure.¡± The serpent lowers her body and glides through the water. The monster tries to position his shield of an arm to face wherever she is, but the serpent¡¯s swift movements keep changing which side and angle she approaches from. Fenrir gets fully immersed in the fight just in time for the winged fox to walk up next to him, sniff him, and then lean up on The Shoebill¡¯s railing to watch the fight itself. ¡°Shogun, dude, what¡¯d I tell you about just going up to people and sniffing them?¡± the strange man asks. His mount yips at him before smacking him with its tail. ¡°A giant fox-owl thing named Shogun¡­ that¡¯s actually pretty cool. Saya, where can I get a flying fox mount?¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°Onii-chan, you already have a dog made out of rock, a harem which is probably going to get even bigger because of Nyaiko, a boat, a sentient fishing rod, and now you want a big fox to ride around on?¡±Saya replies. ¡°But it¡¯s an awesome giant fox¡­ wait, it should be possible for Rock to get that big, but I don¡¯t know if she¡¯d ever grow wings. Probably too heavy to fly.¡± ¡°Onii-chan, there is literally an epic monster fight going on and you¡¯re thinking about weird things instead of enjoying it.¡± Fenrir shakes his head. Saya is right. Fortunately, he hasn¡¯t missed anything. The serpent has stopped her approach and is instead watching the monster¡¯s movements. She won¡¯t be able to swim in the water that he¡¯s standing in as it¡¯s too shallow, but there¡¯s enough water that moving around will still be far easier than if she was on dry land. Both Fenrir and Nell feel a sudden spike of energy come from the serpent. It¡¯s time for the serpent¡¯s final attack. Snaking through the water at full speed, the serpent avoids the monster¡¯s free hand that tries to grab her and glides between his legs! The monster quickly spins around, swinging its arms out to try and grab her before she has a chance to strike him from behind. Only, without his chained arm raised to protect himself, his chest is left vulnerable. Raised up from the water is a serpent with rows of her scales glowing brightly. She opens her mouth and shoots out a stream of pressurized water that tears right into the monster¡¯s exposed chest! He stumbles backward and tries to raise his arms to protect himself from her attack, but he can¡¯t find the strength to any longer. The serpent¡¯s undulating call can be heard for the duration of her attack. A combination of how pressurized the water is and the monster¡¯s chest already being exposed results in the serpent¡¯s attack cutting straight through his bones and organs until it shoots out through his back. Nobody watching can believe what they¡¯re seeing. Not a single one of them had any idea that the serpent was capable of such an attack, but here she is, shooting a clean hole through the monster¡¯s torso with water. Her attack only lasts for ten seconds before she runs out of energy to continue it. Her scales stop glowing and she falls down into the water. The monster looks down at his chest ¨C or rather, what is left of his chest. He falls forward and lands right in front of the serpent, his head crashing face-first into the water and sand. ¡°So, going to finish off the serpent now for some extra loot and experience?¡± the stranger asks. ¡°No. She¡¯s our friend,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re friends with a serpent? How does that even work?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sitting on top of a giant fox with wings. How does anything in this game work?¡± ¡°You know what, that¡¯s a good point. Anyways, I just wanted to see a good fight, and I got that, so what you do to the snake there doesn¡¯t matter to me. She looks like she deserves a rest anyways.¡± The serpent¡¯s breaths are heavy as she struggles to keep her eyes open, the eye on the side of her head facing them looking directly at Fenrir. Fenrir looks at the stranger and his mount. If he was a bad guy, he would have done whatever he was plotting while they were all distracted. There had to have been dozens of moments for him to act, but instead, he made his presence known and stood around watching the fight with them. Fenrir has no idea who the man is, but he¡¯s not a threat. With that, Fenrir dives into the water to swim toward the serpent. ¡°Is this dude actually swimming over there?¡± the man asks. Serra, hiding behind Nell, looks at the man and nods. The man looks the girls over and whistles before saying, ¡°This boat has got a pretty nice cr¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re taken,¡± Nell is quick to interrupt him, her tone sharp and serious unlike what everybody is used to. She even beats Nyaiko to the rejection. ¡°Da-damn, that was fast. Well, I ain¡¯t the kind of man to violate bro code.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Serra looks up at Nell. Nell is even intimidating her right now. With the fight over, Tabitha and Corwin both head below deck to go back to sleep. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a couple of beauties over there on the beach at leas¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯re taken,¡± Nell interrupts him again. ¡°Seriously?¡± Nell and Serra nod their heads. ¡°Even that short one with the brown hair and horns?¡± he asks. Nell opens her mouth to say something but gets silenced by Serra placing her hands over her mouth. ¡°You can try flirting with her,¡± Serra says. ¡°I can? Sweet! Thanks, shortie. Come on, Shogun, we just got a new quest. There¡¯s a lonely princess over there in need of a brave knight to sweep her away into the skies!¡± The man pats his mount on the side to take off and fly over toward the beach. Serra lowers her hands and Nell facepalms. ¡°He reminds me of all the men whom tried wooing me before Fenrir,¡± Nell says. ¡°He can join Olly¡¯s harem,¡± Serra says. ¡°Those two do seem to enjoy muscles on their men.¡± Fenrir reaches the serpent and stands next to her head in the chest-deep water. ¡°Great job,¡± he says, stroking her scales. ¡°One of my friends can heal you. Think you can make it over to the beach? Wait, can you breathe outside of water?¡± The serpent looks over to the beach where the others are standing, then she looks back at Fenrir and nods her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get ov¡ªhey! Wh-what are you doing?!¡± Fenrir panics as the serpent opens her mouth over him. A couple of her fangs, sharper and longer than most swords are, slide down into his armor to pick him up so that she may carry him over to the beach like an animal mother with her young. Fenrir¡¯s tail nervously wags behind him as his ears twitch. His eyes are just wide and blinking as he looks around, confused by why this is happening. She¡¯s acting like she¡¯s taking care of him despite her the one being on the verge of death. Book 3: Chapter 41: Patch 7.0: Monster Showdown The serpent drops Fenrir off on the beach near the others before collapsing. Despite how confused Fenrir still is from getting carried over by her, and it looks like the others are all confused as well, he gets to the point and asks, ¡°Can you heal her, Cass?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Cassiel says, cautiously approaching the serpent. It¡¯s the first time she¡¯s ever been this close to a monster of this size that wasn¡¯t wanting to kill her, and it¡¯s the first time she¡¯s ever tried healing a non-player in general whom isn''t Rock. The serpent moves when Cassiel stands next to her, looking at Cassiel with one of her eyes which is larger than Cassiel¡¯s head. Cassiel turns around and looks back at Fenrir. ¡°She¡¯s safe,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°O-okay,¡± Cassiel says, taking a deep breath before raising her hands to the serpent to heal her. Mystical, golden light flows from Cassiel¡¯s hands into the serpent, and the serpent relaxes and closes her eyes upon feeling it. ¡°Hey there, princess,¡± a familiar voice says from behind Fenrir. Fenrir turns around and sees the same odd man from before. Only, now he¡¯s trying to flirt with Oleander. The man hops off of his mount and kneels down in front of Oleander. ¡°Would you like to fly with me? I could show you the world with my trusty steed,¡± the man proposes, taking Oleander¡¯s hand into his own. Fenrir can¡¯t help but cringe at the sight, but when he looks at how Oleander is reacting, he sees the sadistic gears turning within Oleander¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re so sweet!¡± Oleander says, raising his hands over his heart as he speaks in an extra feminine tone. ¡°And you¡¯re such a cutie, too.¡± While those two flirt, Fenrir sees something else happening to make this day even crazier than it already is. Shogun and Rock are staring at each other. They are not just staring at each other, but they look way too interested in one another. Rock¡¯s tail is wagging and even Shogun¡¯s feathery tail is wagging a bit. ¡°They grow up so fast, Onii-chan,¡± Saya says. ¡°I am not letting my dog hook up with some oversized fox,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°She¡¯s like a daughter to me!¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that you not only tongued your own dog, but you did that with your dog that you see as a daughter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to uninstall you.¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to uninstall your brain to do that, silly Onii-chan.¡± Shogun walks up to Rock and then rolls over onto his back in front of her. Rock closes the distance, sniffs him all over, and then licks his face. ¡°I¡¯ve healed her as much as I can,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Who¡¯s that guy talking to Olly? And why do you¡­ look so sad?¡± she asks after seeing Fenrir¡¯s face. Fenrir raises a very sad finger to point at Rock and Shogun happily wrestling with each other. Despite Shogun being so much larger and more powerful looking, he lets Rock win all of their little fights and is always the first one to submit to her victory. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really cute,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir grabs Cassiel¡¯s shoulders and shakes her. ¡°This is basically watching some random guy I don¡¯t know coming up to my daughter and trying to seduce her! And it¡¯s working! Rock is totally falling for him!¡± he explains. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Stop shaking me,¡± Cassiel says, brushing his hands off of her shoulders. ¡°Look, they¡¯re happy, isn¡¯t that all that matters? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re one of those guys who are overly protective of their kids and tries to stop them from dating. That¡¯s what mine did and that just made me hook up with a bunch of douchebags instead of the respectable ones since they were the only ones that would date me behind my parents¡¯ backs. Do you really want Rock to go off behind your back with animals you don¡¯t know? At least that fox isn¡¯t trying to get her high and trying to pimp her.¡± ¡°You¡­ had a rough time dating before, didn¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks after hearing her rant and seeing how upset she looks at recalling those memories. ¡°Our kids are allowed to date as soon as they¡¯re old enough.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already planning on us having kids?¡± ¡°Sh-shut up, bastard. Of course I am. Don¡¯t point out the obvious.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I promise I won¡¯t be overly protective, but I¡¯ll still want to meet all of their boyfriends and girlfriends. Hey, wait. I haven¡¯t met your parents yet and have never even talked to them. Do they even know I exist?¡± Cassiel looks away and tries to whistle but fails at it. ¡°Cass. Are you dating me behind your parents¡¯ backs?¡± Fenrir asks again. Her attempt at whistling speeds up and grows louder. ¡°You really suck at whistling.¡± Cassiel turns her head around to face him once more, ready to shout at him, but gets a surprise kiss on her lips instead. A surprised moan turns into an angry shout as soon as he pulls his lips away from her. ¡°D-don¡¯t surprise me like that, you perverted dog overprotective bastard!¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got a trouble one there, bro!¡± the stranger shouts over from Oleander. Cassiel glares at the strange man and draws her sword. ¡°Who are you calling trouble, asshole?¡± she asks. ¡°Woah, you called somebody something other than ''bastard,''¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°Th-that¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to call him something I call you!¡± ¡°Ooh, she¡¯s the hot and cold type of girl. Never been a big fan of those. Too much drama,¡± the other guy says, prompting Cassiel to point her sword at him. ¡°Who even are you?¡± ¡°I am this fair maiden¡¯s knight! I shall be whomever she wants me to be, and I will sweep her off her feet and show her the world!¡± the man explains. Cassiel looks at Oleander. Oleander looks like he¡¯s trying his hardest to hold back his laughter while the man is turned away from him. ¡°You know Olly¡¯s a guy, right?¡± Cassiel asks. Oleander¡¯s eyes go wide as he pouts, shaking his head at Cassiel and raising a finger in front of his lips. He then returns to looking normal when the stranger turns to face him again. ¡°Of ¨C of course I¡¯m not a guy! I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m a girl,¡± Oleander explains. The stranger looks at Oleander¡¯s crotch. Oleander is wearing a tunic that hangs down to his thighs, so he can¡¯t tell if there¡¯s a bulge or not. That¡¯s why the stranger then lowers his head to look up underneath Oleander¡¯s tunic. Bulge. ¡°D-dude, you can¡¯t just randomly look up people¡¯s clothes,¡± Fenrir tells the stranger. ¡°I know it¡¯s a game but¡­¡± ¡°Gross. Can I kill him?¡± Cassiel asks. The man looks up at Oleander. Oleander¡¯s face is burning red from a mixture of embarrassment and anger. An open hand comes smacking against the stranger¡¯s face with enough force to almost knock him off balance! There is going to be a red handprint on his face for a long, long time. ¡°Geez! I like aggressive men but that¡¯s just rude!¡± Oleander shouts. ¡°I¡¯m taken anyways. I just wanted to screw with you. But seriously, you can¡¯t just go and do that. It makes you creepy and gross. Quit the nice guy talk, too. You just make everybody cringe. Don¡¯t you have any idea how to talk to girls? Seriously, don¡¯t be so gross and desperate or you¡¯re going to be single forever.¡± Every single word is like a blade piercing the man¡¯s heart, causing him to slump over farther and farther until his face is almost in the sand. Oleander keeps on going on, and on, and on. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m actually starting to feel bad for that gross asshole,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Between Rock and that dumb fox, and now this, I don¡¯t think I can watch anymore. Cass, keep an eye on Rock to make sure that the fox doesn¡¯t try anything. I¡¯m going to go check on the serpent,¡± Fenrir says. He looks at her and sees her glaring at him. ¡°Please keep an eye on Rock?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Fine,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You and that gross asshole both need to learn some manners.¡± Fenrir looks her in the eyes and calls her ¡°beautiful¡± with a straight face. Cassiel¡¯s face turns red and she turns away. He wins. ¡°Feeling better?¡± Fenrir asks the serpent. She looks at him and slowly blinks. Fenrir can¡¯t really communicate with her, but he can sense her feelings and feels her gratitude. She seems more relaxed now as well, so she must be feeling at least a bit better. ¡°Thanks for saving us. Seriously, we¡¯d probably all be dead if it wasn¡¯t for you. That final attack you did was awesome, by the way. Anyways, you must have been close if you got over here that quickly. Were you following us or something?¡± All he can sense from her is even more gratitude. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes. I guess you didn¡¯t want to leave us after we helped each other in the tournament?¡± An image flashes in his mind. The image shows the serpent swimming away into the depths of the ocean, but then shows her returning and finding The Shoebill. Then, several more memories flash in his mind of her following The Shoebillat a distance ever since they¡¯ve left Port Tugator. She has even scared off some other sea monsters that wished to attack The Shoebill! ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve really been helping us. We might have sunk a while ago if you weren¡¯t there for us. Also, showing me your memories is awesome. How come you never let us know you were there, though?¡± The serpent lazily moves her neck and shakes her head. He has a feeling that was the closest thing she could do to a shrug. ¡°Uh, Fen,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir turns around and looks over at Rock. She¡¯s humping Shogun¡¯s leg while Shogun looks like he has no idea how to react to what¡¯s happening to him, so he¡¯s just lying there and letting it happen. ¡°Even my dog is a pervert,¡± Fenrir says with slumped shoulders and a disappointed sigh. ¡°What did you expect? You¡¯re the one who raised her,¡± Cassiel calls him out. Meanwhile, the stranger¡¯s head is buried inside of the sand while Oleander continues berating him, now with one of his feet pushing down on the man¡¯s back. Book 3: Chapter 42: Patch 7.0: Monster Showdown Fenrir realizes something as he¡¯s walking over to Rock to try and get her off of Shogun. This¡­ is just like any video game. They went from sailing to stopping so that they could pick up a new friend who just started playing, got into trouble with a random boss and defeated it, some random guy showed up out of nowhere on a flying mount, and everything is returning to normal already. It felt like they were genuinely fighting for their lives during the battle with the monster, but now that the conflict is over, all stress is gone. There was never any real risk involved. They¡¯re laughing, having fun, bullying some random new guy, and acting like they weren¡¯t just involved in such a massive fight. But then, when he looks back behind him and sees the serpent still struggling on the beach, he remembers that this isn¡¯t just a game to the artificial intelligences within it. To Rock, Shogun, the serpent, and even to Saya, this is all as real to them as anything else. If anything, this world is more real to them than reality is. Players can recklessly take damage and get healed as if it was nothing immediately afterward. The artificial intelligences in this game may get those same benefits, but forgetting the struggles they face and acting as if they are nothing is not something that they get to experience. Every cut, every bruise ¨C everything is real to them. Fenrir looks over at Rock and Shogun having fun. Rock has stopped trying to hump Shogun¡¯s leg and now they¡¯re back to playfully wrestling. ¡°Keep an eye on them, and let me know when you can heal the serpent some more,¡± Fenrir tells Cassiel. ¡°You alright?¡± Cassiel asks when she hears his somber tone. ¡°I just struggle to enjoy this game and relax at times like this when I remember that the AIs are actually suffering for our entertainment. That fight was cool and all, but that was two AIs fighting against each other trying to survive no matter what. One of them is dead now, and the other is injured. For our entertainment. Kind of kills the mood when you remember that,¡± he explains to her. Cassiel may not completely agree with his views on artificial intelligences, but she does agree with her gut feeling telling her that her boyfriend needs a hug. So, as he walks back over to the serpent, she wraps her arms around him from behind and rests her head against his back. ¡°I¡­ I ¨C I love you¡­ bastard,¡± she says, whispering her favorite nickname for him. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to feel bad. If you do then I¡¯ll beat you up.¡± With her arms around him, he reaches his hands behind his back and pokes both of her sides at once. Cassiel unwraps her arms from him after squeaking and starts pounding her fists against his back. ¡°You bastard! I was trying to make you feel better and you did that!¡± she shouts. Fenrir spins around, letting her fists hit his chest, and leans over to kiss her on her forehead. ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass. I appreciate it, I honestly do. It¡¯s just ¨C it¡¯s not like I want to feel bad. But sometimes it¡¯s like if I don¡¯t, who will? Change can¡¯t happen from being complacent. I mean, look at her,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at the serpent. Her scales are broken and chipped, there is blood oozing out from between her scales in several places and from her mouth, she may not be in immediate danger anymore but the expression in her eyes is still one of pain, and she¡¯s struggling to breathe. ¡°Look at us. We¡¯re just random players visiting this world that they live in. We¡¯re not actually in any danger since we can just respawn, but she can¡¯t. Rock can¡¯t. That stupid fox flirting with Rock can¡¯t. Anything here with an independent AI controlling them is at real risk, and we¡¯re just here having fun,¡± Fenrir explains. Cassiel struggles to look the serpent in her eye. She doesn¡¯t want to see such obvious pain. ¡°You¡¯re going to ruin this game for me if you talk like that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t want to ruin it, and I definitely don¡¯t want to stop playing, but I just want people to realize that there are actual consequences to everything. There are those who need genuine help, and right now, that¡¯s the serpent. So, I¡¯m going to go over there and try comforting her. You just stay here and chill with the others.¡± ¡°O-okay. I¡¯ll be here, and I¡¯ll go over once I can heal her some more.¡± ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you even come from? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to just randomly show up out of nowhere, flirt with people, and then try looking up their clothes?¡± Oleander scolds the random man. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m sorry! I just heard that really loud horn and we decided to fly over and see what the deal was! I tried flirting with those girls on the ship but they were all taken, and then the little one told me that you were single so I came over here!¡± the man explains. Oleander is thankful of Serra for sending somebody over to him for bullying, but even if he planned on bullying this guy from first sight, that doesn¡¯t excuse violating his personal space. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m taken, and all those other girls are part of Fenny¡¯s harem,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Fenny?¡± ¡°Yeah, him,¡± Oleander says and points over to Fenrir whom is now sitting down in the sand next to the serpent. ¡°Seriously?! All those girls are dating him?! I¡¯m so jealous! I need him to teach me his ways.¡± ¡°Well, Nyaiko technically isn¡¯t dating him, but she¡¯d probably kill you if you tried flirting with her.¡± ¡°Was she that scary cat one who kept on glaring at me back when I was on your boat?¡± ¡°Yeah, sounds like her. Anyways! Fenny wouldn¡¯t want to teach some guy like you anything, and I bet he wouldn¡¯t even know how to! He¡¯d just be like ¡®oh, umm, just be yourself and be nice,¡¯ or something!¡± ¡°I am nice!¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re a creep!¡± ¡°You mean girls don¡¯t want me to offer to swoop them off their feet to go flying in the sky with?¡± ¡°I promise you that the only thing girls want from you is your giant fox pet because he¡¯s adorable. See, even Rock wants him.¡± ¡°Rock?¡± the man asks, looking over at Shogun. Lo and behold, his trusty steed is getting father than him in life despite not even being a real player. ¡°Bro! I told you I¡¯d help you hook up with somebody after I got a girl for myself! You can¡¯t just leave me behind like this!¡± Shogun and Rock both look over at him, look back at each other, and resume playing. ¡°B-but¡­ bro code¡­¡± ¡°Sorry ¨C actually, no, I¡¯m not sorry. This is what you get for being a creep. It¡¯s okay to be ironically creepy, like me, but you can¡¯t seriously be a creep. Also, what do you think this is? This isn¡¯t the beginning of the century anymore. Girls don¡¯t like guys feigning to be nice to get in their pants.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me I need to be some asshole douchebag to get laid!¡± ¡°Oh my ¨C no, I am not telling you that. Literally, all Fenny does is be nice and treat girls like they¡¯re normal people and boom, he¡¯s drowning in grumpy blondes, perverted munchkins, delusional snakes, and literal pussy.¡± ¡°Hey. Who are you calling a grumpy blonde?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°A-and¡­ he did more than just be nice and normal to me.¡± ¡°What? What did he do? Tell me! I need to know for research!¡± the stranger begs. ¡°We-well, first I tried killing him, but he forgave me and heard me out, and then helped me get revenge on the assholes that I was after, and then he was always respectful and nice on top of all that,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°And you liked it when he¡¯d push you up against walls or pin you down whenever you were sparring,¡± Oleander adds on. ¡°Sh-shut it! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°So, I have to kill people for them and be physically aggressive to get girls to like me? I could do that,¡± the man says. ¡°No!¡± Oleander shouts, stomping on the man¡¯s back again. ¡°You¡¯re missing the point! Context! C-o-n-t-e-x-t! The point is that he forgave her and helped her out despite the rough start they had, took care of her, treated her like a normal person, and then appealed to her fetishes!¡± Oleander turns his head when he hears the unsheathing of a blade. Cassiel is standing there with her sword in her hands and face turned red from embarrassment. ¡°My goodness, it certainly looks lively over there!¡± Nell says from aboard The Shoebill. ¡°Nya¡­ I want to go cheer Fenya up! He looks so sad-nya!¡± Nyaiko whines, looking through the scope of the ballista to observe Fenrir. ¡°Let him relax with the serpent,¡± Serra says. ¡°He likes having alone time sometimes, and you¡¯re too hyper for the serpent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nyot fair!¡± ¡°Now, now, Nyaiko, I am sure that he will spoil you in time. For now, let us allow him to spoil the one whom saved us all. Why don¡¯t we talk about something unrelated to him so that we do not fail the Bechdel test?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Erotic fantasies!¡± Book 3: Chapter 43: Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Forest ¡°W-woah-nya, nya two¡­ I thought I had perverted fantasies-nya,¡± Nyaiko says, looking at Nell and Serra with wide eyes. While Nyaiko and Serra have known each other for some time in real life, she never learned about just how far Serra¡¯s perversion goes. Now she knows. Then there¡¯s Nell who manages to surpass Serra by far. ¡°Nell Nell¡¯s got me beat,¡± Serra says. ¡°That may be true, Serra, but you are admittedly much more bold than I am! I wish I could muster up the courage that you do,¡± Nell says. ¡°Imagine if nya could combine your fantasies,¡± Nyaiko says, looking at Nell, ¡°with your boldness-nya,¡± she says, looking at Serra. ¡°We¡¯d be unstoppable,¡± Serra says with a confident, smug smile and crossed arms over her chest. ¡°As awe-inspiring as that sounds, I fear that nobody would be able to keep up with us if that were the case,¡± Nell says. ¡°Oh, there was something I wanted to say.¡± ¡°Yes, Serra?¡± ¡°We need to go on our own date sometime.¡± ¡°A-ah, is that so?¡± ¡°A girls only date. Cass Cass can come, too.¡± ¡°That does sound like it could be enjoyable. We could go out clothes shopping together, eat yummy sweets, share milkshakes, and ¨C umm¡­ I ¨C I do not know what else there would be to do. I only know what I have seen in movies and have read.¡± ¡°Nya could have nyaughty fun!¡± Nyaiko proposes. ¡°Nyand I wanna come!¡± ¡°Pussies are always invited to a girls-only date,¡± Serra says. Nell¡¯s eyes widen a bit before covering her mouth with one hand to laugh at Serra¡¯s crude humor. ¡°Nya? I don¡¯t ¨C oohhh, because I¡¯m a cat-nya!¡± Nyaiko says, holding a fist to the palm of her other hand as an imaginary lightbulb pops up over her head. ¡°We can also do lots of lewd things to Nell since she won¡¯t be able to stop us in real life,¡± Serra adds on. Nell¡¯s eyes widen again, but this time a blush accompanies her surprised expression. ¡°I ¨C I would not object to such a thing, but to hear it put that way! At ¨C at least keep it a secret from me so that it is more of a surprise!¡± she says. ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll do surprise lewd things to Nell Nell,¡± Serra tells Nyaiko. ¡°Nyahaha, I¡¯ll practice my rope-tying,¡± Nyaiko replies. ¡°And I¡¯ll ask one of my dads about some good stores to buy toys from.¡± Nell¡¯s face is steadily growing brighter and hotter as the two discuss such plans right in front of her. Back on the beach, Oleander has used one of his spells to summon vines to wrap around the strange man¡¯s ankles, binding him to the ground while Cassiel runs after them. ¡°H-hey! Come on! You¡¯re a guy! Bros before hoes!¡± the man shouts at Oleander only to get a tongue stuck out at him in response. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re calling a ho, asshole?¡± Cassiel asks, standing directly behind the stranger with her sword drawn and pointed at him. ¡°I ¨C I uhh, I was calling¡­ err¡­ her a ho!¡± he explains, pointing at Rock. Rock isn¡¯t close enough to hear the insult, but she sneezes nonetheless which causes Shogun to lick the side of her face. They go back to playing. ¡°Seriously, asshole? You¡¯re calling an innocent dog a ho because you¡¯re too cowardly to tell the truth? Do you want to be the most unlikeable, pathetic asshole in history?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I ¨C uhh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll heal you no matter how many times I stab you so that you don¡¯t die. I wouldn¡¯t want Rock¡¯s new friend to be upset.¡± ¡°Mer-mercy?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Bro?¡± the man asks, turning around to look for Oleander. Oleander is gone. ¡°Any-anybody?¡± he asks, looking around, but there is no help. ¡°I hope your pain setting isn¡¯t too high. Actually, I hope it is,¡± Cassiel says. Looking the man over, Cassiel notices that he doesn¡¯t seem to have a single piece of armor or weaponry on him. How does a guy like this, who apparently owns an exotic mount, not have any armor or weapons on him? Unless¡­ She tries to angle herself so that she can see under his jacket. It¡¯s too heavy and close to him for her to be able to spot anything hidden. ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Where¡¯s your stuff?¡± Cassiel asks him. ¡°It¡¯s uhh, back at my base?¡± he answers. ¡°You decided to go flying, get close to a fight, and walk up to a random group of players you don¡¯t know without anything else on you? I don¡¯t buy it.¡± He pulls open his jacket. There¡¯s nothing there. ¡°Are you an idiot and an asshole?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I do get called that pretty often, I won¡¯t lie, but I¡¯m not!¡± he tries defending himself, but Cassiel isn¡¯t buying it. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not actually some sadist,¡± Cassiel says and sheaths her sword. ¡°Plus, even if I was, I¡¯d feel pathetic hurting somebody as pitiful as you.¡± ¡°Can you help me get these things off of me then?¡± he asks, trying to pull his legs out from the vine trap. ¡°No.¡± Over at the serpent, Fenrir is lying on his back next to her head. ¡°I know I¡¯ve already thanked you a few times, but thanks again. You seriously deserve all the praise I could give you for putting yourself at risk for us,¡± Fenrir tells her. She may not be able to use spoken words to respond to him, but he can sense gratitude from her. He just doesn¡¯t know why she¡¯s feeling so much gratitude when she¡¯s the one who got so badly beaten up and is now injured. ¡°Also, you¡¯ve gotten pretty big since we last saw each other. You¡¯re like, what, three or four times the size now? I guess I can understand why people fear serpents and why some of them were upset that I let you go. But, you¡¯re a friendly serpent, so there¡¯s nothing for anybody to worry about.¡± She connects to his mind once more to show him some more images of her memories. One of the memories that she has decided to show him features her ambushing a rowboat with a couple of men on it whom just wanted to go and fish. Both the rowboat and the players are consumed whole by the serpent. ¡°I¡­ remember us sailing past those guys, and they even waved at us,¡± Fenrir says. The serpent huffs which blows away some of the sand around her mouth. ¡°Well¡­ you still saved us. I just hope that those guys were just players instead of NPCs. So, you¡¯re still more good than bad.¡± She shows him another one of her memories. This time, the memory in question features a couple of lovebirds passionately kissing on a rowboat during the night, and then they get swallowed whole by the serpent. ¡°You¡­ really don¡¯t like rowboats, do you?¡± Nearly a dozen other memories are shared by her of rowboat after rowboat being consumed whole by her, all occupants of said rowboats included. ¡°Where are all these people even getting rowboats from?¡± One final memory is shared with Fenrir, and this memory shows a small business on the coast that specializes in rowboats. Then it shows her eating somebody trying to sell a rowboat while standing on a pier. Then it shows her eating the person he was trying to sell a rowboat to. Then she eats the rowboat that was on sale. She resumes following The Shoebill after getting her fill of rowboats. ¡°We¡¯ve¡­ we¡¯ve been leading you on a path of destruction against all rowboats and people associated with them,¡± Fenrir realizes, looking over at The Shoebill. He¡¯s been planning on getting a rowboat to hang off the side of the ship that they could use for getting to and from shores whenever The Shoebill doesn¡¯t have anywhere to dock, but now that he¡¯s seen all of these memories, he¡¯s no longer considering that. ¡°Too bad you weren¡¯t around for the Divine Brigade days. Everybody would¡¯ve loved you. I mean, we still love you since you¡¯re an awesome serpent, but we¡¯re trying to not do the whole ¡®kill people for no reason thing¡¯ anymore,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Though, if you were hungry, I guess I can¡¯t really judge you for looking for some easy food.¡± Another memory flashes into his mind, this one showing her eating a large dolphin-esque creature, and then eating one of the rowboats from before. Only, the memory extends longer this time to show her spitting out the people and the boat ¨C or rather, what was left of the boat, afterward. ¡°So¡­ you were just eating them for fun?¡± Fenrir asks. She lifts her head up off of the sand and then lowers it back down. ¡°So, you¡¯re either a sadist, into vore, or both.¡± He doesn¡¯t get a response from her. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t eat any of us, alright? Nell might be into that sort of thing, but none of those guys looked alive after you swallowed them, and I¡¯d rather her not die.¡± The serpent huffs again, blowing more sand away. ¡°You really like eating people. Why don¡¯t you just go eat that giant gorilla thing out there? He¡¯s already dead anyways.¡± The serpent slowly slides her head from side to side. ¡°So, rather than eat something with a ton of meat on it that would probably fill you up for weeks, you¡¯d rather just eat some random players and rowboats for fun?¡± She nods her head. Book 3: Chapter 44: Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Forest Fenrir looks over at the corpse of the monster in the water. The gamer in him makes him think that collecting the hide and horns from the corpse would probably result in valuable items to either sell or craft with, but when he remembers that there was an artificial intelligence genuinely fighting for its life inside of that monster, he struggles with whether or not he could actually do that. There¡¯s also the fact that he has nothing to skin the monster with, nor does he have any idea how to get the horns off of its head. Cassiel walks up next to him and places her hands against the serpent¡¯s head, pouring what little magic she has regained into healing the serpent. ¡°Learn anything about that guy? I saw you two talking,¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Just that he¡¯s an idiot and an asshole,¡± Cassiel answers with an annoyed sigh. ¡°You do seem to attract that type.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just a bastard, not an idiot. Or an asshole.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should feel complimented or insulted.¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°You sound extra sassy today.¡± ¡°Because! I let you and Nell have alone time when I want some, and then I tried getting that sword over by that temple but got interrupted by that stupid oversized monkey, and then I had to deal with that asshole over there!¡± ¡°What was that first thing you said?¡± Fenrir asks, his tone teasing. Cassiel realizes what she said and starts turning red. ¡°A-ah, I ¨C I said¡­ the first thing I said was that I tried ge-getting that sword,¡± she explains, one finger scratching the side of her face. ¡°No, before that.¡± ¡°I said you should feel both complemented and insulted!¡± ¡°After that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m trying to heal your friend here. Stop distracting me.¡± The serpent rolls her eyes. ¡°Fen, I think this oversized snake just rolled her eyes at me,¡± Cassiel says, looking down at Fenrir just in time to see him roll his eyes at her. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Love you too, Cass Cass. So, aside from you being jealous of Nell and wanting me to do lewd things with you in private, tell me more about that temple place you guys found.¡± ¡°I ¨C I never said I wanted that! Even if it¡¯s true, I never said that!¡± Cassiel shouts, looking down at him and seeing a smug smile almost on par with Serra¡¯s. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Love you too, Cass Cass.¡± The serpent rolls her eyes again, but this time, both Fenrir and Cassiel are the cause of it. A certain stranger whistles from behind Fenrir and Cassiel. ¡°Damn! I¡¯ve never seen such a large monster this up close before,¡± the man says, looking the serpent over. ¡°Who even are you?¡± Fenrir asks him. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t said my name yet? I go by Rao here,¡± Rao says. ¡°That¡¯s a dumb name,¡± Cassiel says, arms crossed now that he¡¯s back in her presence. ¡°By the way, bro, can you teach me how to get a harem of beauties like you? I mean, bro, like, you¡¯ve even got a giant serpent here!¡± The serpent glares at him, sending shivers down his spine. ¡°Uhh, I ¨C I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s anything to teach. Just¡­ be yourself?¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°That is the last piece of advice that this idiotic asshole needs to hear,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir looks past Rao and sees Oleander playing with Shogun and Rock. Shogun and Rock are mainly paying attention to each other, but they both look to be including Oleander as well. The sight of those three all playing together is too cute. Fenrir is tempted to record it, but he can already imagine Oleander teasing him for taking video of him if he does that. Fenrir still doesn¡¯t approve of how Rock and Shogun keep on looking at each other, though. Shogun is so much larger than Rock, and Rock is made out of literal rock, so how would that even work? ¡°Where¡¯d you get Shogun?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Are you psychic? How¡¯d you know his name is Shogun?¡± Rao asks. ¡°You need to teach me that! Then I¡¯ll be able to know what girls want!¡± ¡°I heard you say his name back on the boat.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Can you still teach me how to seduce girls?¡± ¡°No,¡± Cassiel answers for Fenrir. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m patient! I¡¯ll prove to you that I have what it takes to follow in your footsteps!¡± Rao declares to Fenrir. ¡°You don¡¯t even know anything about me,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°All I need to know is that you¡¯ve got a bunch of thirsty girls wanting you.¡± Fenrir cringes and doesn¡¯t even have to look at Cassiel to know how pissed off she¡¯s got to look after hearing that. ¡°I¡¯m this close,¡± Cassiel says, holding up a couple of her fingers so closely together that they look like they¡¯re touching, ¡°to killing you.¡± ¡°You should probably start with not calling girls thirsty,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Why?¡± Rao asks. Fenrir sighs and rubs his forehead. He doesn¡¯t exactly like this new guy, but he feels as if it¡¯s his responsibility as a human being to teach this stranger how to be decent so that nobody else has to deal with him. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°how to talk like a normal person, I guess.¡± ¡°Oh, bro, I just need you to teach me how to pick up girls like you can,¡± Rao says. ¡°Think of it as starting with the basics.¡± Rao rubs his chin and thinks about it for a few seconds. ¡°Hmm. Alright, bro. I trust you!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me this guy is going to be sticking around,¡± Cassiel whispers to Fenrir. ¡°I kind of feel really bad for him, and I don¡¯t want anybody else to have to suffer,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill him?¡± ¡°We could stick him on a rowboat if we ever need to.¡± The serpent¡¯s eyes widen ever so slightly. ¡°Haah? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you two whispering about?¡± Rao asks, leaning forward so that he can try to hear them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Anyways, let¡¯s go over some rules if you¡¯re going to be learning from me,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel sighs and rubs her palm against her face. ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect anybody, whether they¡¯re guys or girls, unless they¡¯re dicks worthy of being disrespected,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So, only be bad to bad people? Got it!¡± Rao confirms. ¡°Don¡¯t flirt with anybody from our crew.¡± ¡°They¡¯re all taken, too short, or guys anyways, so alright.¡± ¡°Neuter Shogun.¡± ¡°He deserves it for surpassing me, so got it.¡± Cassiel smacks Fenrir on the back of his head. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to neuter him,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I still should. I¡¯m jealous that he got ahead of m¡ª¡± Rao gets cut off by Cassiel slamming the hilt of her sword into his gut. ¡°Al-alright, I won¡¯t neuter him.¡± ¡°Let them have their romance,¡± Cassiel says, looking over at the play session and mentally aww¡¯ing. ¡°And finally, uhh¡­¡± Fenrir tries to think of some other rule to tack on. Rao is going to be an annoyance to everybody on the crew, so he¡¯s got to think of something to make them dealing with him worth it. Then it hits him. ¡°You have to do anything that anybody in the crew tells you to do since you¡¯ll probably be staying with us. Consider that your payment for me giving you lessons.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me! That¡¯s a pretty fair price to pay if it means getting taught how to get my own harem of beauties,¡± Rao says, nodding his head. ¡°Also, what can you do?¡± ¡°What do you mean, bro?¡± ¡°Like, what can you do? Fight? Craft? Anything?¡± ¡°Gotcha. You could say I¡¯m kind of a builder, I guess. I started playing this game so that I could get a harem of beauties, and I figured I should build myself the ultimate pad to bring girls back to for more success, so I guess you could say I¡¯ve just been gathering things to build and decorate my pad with. I¡¯m an architect in real life, so I love that sort of stuff.¡± Fenrir feels hurt. As lame and annoying as this guy is, he¡¯s actually got a career and is probably much more successful than him in real life. At least Fenrir is the one with some girlfriends. Fenrir gets an idea. If this man is an architect and used to gathering and building things in-game, then he might prove to be extremely useful in the future when Fenrir finds a spot for his grand plan. ¡°Then, if you agree to everything, I hereby invite you to become a member of The Soaring Wolves aboard The Shoebill. You do what we want you to do, and we¡¯ll provide you with a place to stay on the water and I¡¯ll teach you how to¡­ be a normal person,¡± Fenrir says, holding a hand out for a shake. Rao lights up like an excited child and wastes no time taking Fenrir¡¯s hand into his own, excitedly shaking it up and down. ¡°You¡¯re the best! We¡¯re going to be best bros for life! I¡¯ll even invite you to all my weddings, and you can be my best man!¡± Rao almost cries from how happy he is. Cassiel can¡¯t help but cringe at the lonely, pathetic excuse for a man and the fact that her boyfriend is seriously going to be helping him out. ¡°When¡¯s the first lesson?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Right now. Cass Cass here saw something she wanted in the forest, so we¡¯re going to help her go and get it. We¡¯re not going to do it because we want to get into her pants, either. We¡¯re going to do it because we genuinely want to help her for nothing in return, just to be good people,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying I need to do nice things and not actually expect to get anything back?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Yes.¡± Rao looks disappointed. ¡°You might get a harem this way,¡± Fenrir says. Rao cheers up. Book 3: Chapter 45: Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Forest After sending Rao and Shogun back over to The Shoebill to tell the girls aboard that those on shore were going to head back into the forest, checking to see if any of them wanted to come, the ashore group has ventured once more into the forest. ¡°I¡¯m still surprised none of them wanted to come,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Did they have a reason?¡± ¡°They said something about some test starting with a B and then the one with the cat ears told me to go away,¡± Rao explains. ¡°A test that starts with a B? You have any idea, Cass Cass?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°There¡¯s tons of things that start with B.¡± ¡°Olly?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°Now it¡¯s going to be bothering me, and if it¡¯s not something obvious, I¡¯ve got a feeling that they¡¯re not going to tell me what the test is.¡± While the group talks, Rock and Shogun walk side-by-side and keep on brushing their sides against each other. Whenever one of them runs ahead to look at something curious, the other follows. When one stops to sniff, the other does the same. Even Fenrir has to admit that they¡¯re a really cute couple at this point. It pains him to admit it, but he does. His little Rock is all grown up. ¡°How do we know we¡¯re going in the right direction?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Look down, asshole. There¡¯s giant tracks in the ground from that monster to follow back there. He chased us starting at the temple, so obviously, all we have to do is follow them back,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t here for that part, so I wouldn¡¯t know about all of that.¡± ¡°Use common sense. We¡¯re obviously following these tracks. Do you think we¡¯d be following them if they weren¡¯t going to lead us back to the temple ¨C our goal?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess you¡¯ve got a pretty good point there,¡± Rao says, rubbing the back of his head before leaning over to Fenrir and whispering, ¡°Bro, how do you handle her? She¡¯s kind of a¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°One, no being disrespectful. Two, it would piss me off. Three, it would piss her off and you¡¯d get chased through the forest for a few hours or until killed.¡± ¡°But, bro¡­ do you know what I mean?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just¡ª¡± ¡°Just what?¡± Cassiel asks, standing behind and between the two. ¡°Beautiful,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Wha-what?¡± Cassiel¡¯s face, predictably, turns red. ¡°Wh-why are you sa-saying things like that around this asshole?!¡± ¡°I love you, Cass Cass, and you¡¯re beautiful.¡± ¡°I ¨C I, what ¨C why are you¡ª¡± Fenrir can practically see the steam rising from her ears. ¡°I want to spend the rest of my life with you,¡± he says, going in for the killing blow. Cassiel covers her mouth with her hands as her eyes quiver from embarrassment and happiness. She tries asking him why he¡¯s doing this to her, but the only noises that come out from her mouth are various squeaks and mumbles that are absolutely unintelligible. She doesn¡¯t even mind when Rao whispers, ¡°Nice one, bro,¡± to Fenrir. ¡°Wait, bro, why are you all red?¡± The goal may have been to fluster Cassiel, but Fenrir flustered himself just as much in the process by saying those words to her. ¡°They¡¯re so cute together,¡± Oleander says while walking with both of his hands on the back of his head. Fenrir and Cassiel look at him with the same embarrassed glare. ¡°I think I understand how now,¡± Rao says as he mentally takes notes. ¡°It sucks not having my Cor here with me. Rock and ¨C what was his name, Shogun? Rock and Shogun are walking together, Fenny and Cass Cass have each other, my boyfriend is asleep, and then there¡¯s you,¡± Oleander says. ¡°H-hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean? Come on, we¡¯re both men!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lump me into the same category as you.¡± ¡°Then what are you?¡± ¡°Better than you,¡± Oleander says with a wink and a blown kiss. Rock rushes ahead when she sees a particularly tasty snack lying around. A rock. There are two of them next to each other, and Shogun is standing next to her looking at the rocks. Rock picks up one of the two rocks and crunches away at it, swallowing it after barely even chewing it. Shogun tilts his head while looking at the rock. Seeing that he hasn¡¯t eaten his yet, Rock nudges it with her nose and then watches him with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Shogun nudges the rock with his snout, licks it, and then picks it up in his mouth to try and chew on it. He wants to whimper and yip from hurting his teeth against it, but he can¡¯t when next to Rock. Instead, he drops it and nudges it over to her. Rock looks at the rock, tilts her head, then nudges it back toward him. Shogun shakes his head before nudging it back. Rock barks at him, smacks the rock with her paw, and then pushes it back to him. ¡°What¡­ do you think they¡¯re saying?¡± Cassiel asks now that her head isn¡¯t a boiler on the verge of exploding. Shogun barks at Rock, and then Rock barks back at him. ¡°I think they¡¯re¡­ maybe having a fight?¡± Fenrir suggests. The two pets start growling at each other. ¡°That was a short relationship,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Guess we won¡¯t be getting rocky fox puppies.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir says. Then they hear the creaking of the tree that Rock and Shogun are standing in front of. Nobody noticed it before, but the tree is cracked and partially uprooted already. It likely got bumped into by that monster as it was chasing them through the forest. While Rock is distracted with stomping her paws against the ground to illustrate whatever point she¡¯s trying to make, Shogun takes notice of the now-falling tree. It¡¯ll land directly on top of them. ¡°Move!¡± Fenrir and Rao both shout at once, rushing forward to try and save their pets, but they¡¯re not fast enough as the tree breaks in half and falls directly over them. Shogun, extending his wings, summons a burst of speed to knock Rock out of the way! All Fenrir and Rao hear are whimpers and cries coming from both of their pets as the tree obstructs what just happened. When the dirt and leaves settle, they see Rock and Shogun safe next to the fallen tree. Rock was only whimpering out of surprise from being rammed into by Shogun, and Shogun is trying his hardest not to cry more after slamming full-speed into solid rock. Rock looks at the tree and then Shogun. The left side of his face is bruised and already swelling up from the impact, so when Rock realizes what just happened, that¡¯s where she gently licks and nuzzles her face against. ¡°Damn, bro, I would have asked you to teach me if I knew you were this smooth,¡± Rao says, watching the two canines make up and lick each other. Shogun walks over to the rock that got pushed aside from the tree, picks it up, and sets it down in front of Rock. Everybody thinks that the fight is going to start again, but instead, Rock licks Shogun and then eats the rock herself. ¡°My heart,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I know, right?!¡± Cassiel squeals before realizing that she¡¯s let out her girly side. ¡°I guess we¡¯re getting rocky fox puppies after all,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°At least they¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°Bro, if they have kids, which one of us is the grandpa?¡± Rao asks. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ you can have multiple grandpas.¡± ¡°Yeah but like, which is the grandpa.¡± ¡°What do you even mean?¡± ¡°You know, like, the grandpa.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ you can be the grandpa.¡± ¡°Seriously? Sweet! You¡¯re the best, bro,¡± Rao says with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be a grandpa!¡± Fenrir is starting to doubt that this man has a career and knows how to function as a normal human being in reality. With Rock and Shogun leading the way, side by side once more, the group eventually reaches their destination. A small, Greek-styled temple is standing before them. A few of the pillars have been knocked over, and it¡¯s overgrown with vegetation, but the marble structure is in remarkably good condition despite that. Resting on a marble slab in the middle of the structure is a sword with a white and gold sheath. The handle and guard follow the same color scheme with the handle being white and the guard being gold. Fenrir whistles. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty nice-looking sword. I can see why you wanted to get it. I wonder why this place is here, though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care. I just want that sword,¡± Cassiel says, approaching it while keeping an eye out for any more potential, oversized monsters. ¡°Hey! Looks like there¡¯s some stairs over there,¡± Rao calls out, pointing to the back corner of the temple. Rock and Shogun run over to look down the stairs but see nothing other than the steps leading into darkness. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s like a dungeon?¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve gone dungeon diving, Fenny.¡± ¡°Yeah, but with that logic¡­ if there was a sword up here and a giant boss monster, wouldn¡¯t the actual dungeon be even more defended? I doubt we¡¯d be able to handle it on our own,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel picks up her new sword and unsheaths it, letting the silver blade reflect what little sunlight shines through the forest¡¯s canopy. She¡¯s got a massive grin on her face as she unstraps her current sword from her side, tosses it away, and then straps her new sheath there. ¡°I feel kind of bad for the old sword,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It was just a sword. Let¡¯s test this one out!¡± Cassiel says, walking over to where Rock and Shogun are. As soon as Cassiel stands at the top of the stairs, she sees a dozen thick, slimy tentacles start reaching up out of the darkness. ¡°Nevermind. We¡¯re leaving,¡± Cassiel announces. After seeing Nyaiko with the tentacled creature on the beach earlier, she already knows where this would go were they to descend the stairs. Book 3: Chapter 46: Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Forest ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks, walking over toward the stairs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassiel says, stopping in front of him to block him from getting any closer. She knows what sort of thoughts he¡¯s going to get if he sees what¡¯s down there. ¡°You¡¯re making me really curious now,¡± he says and takes a step forward. Neither of them notices the crack in the ground underneath them. ¡°You¡¯re just going to cause trouble if you see it!¡± Cassiel shouts, stepping closer to him until they¡¯re practically butting heads. ¡°I just want a peek! What, is it going to be like an awesome tentacle monster or something? Or a new decoration for The Shoebill?¡± Cassiel looks away. ¡°It is one of those! But, if you really don¡¯t want me to see that that badly, I guess it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°G-good, bastard.¡± ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s¡­. go!¡± Fenrir shouts, trying to run past her! ¡°H-hey! Bastard! Wai¡ª¡± Both of them moving at once on fragile ground causes the flooring to give in, dropping both Cassiel and Fenrir into the depths of whatever may lie below. A thick cloud of dust blows upward from the hole and causes the rest of those aboveground to cover her mouths and cough. Even Rock and Shogun choke on the dust before it settles. ¡°Fen! Cass! You two alright?!¡± Oleander shouts, trying to see through the dust. He doesn¡¯t want to walk anywhere in case he accidentally falls down as well. Nobody can see just where the hole is nor how large it is. ¡°Shogun! Bro! You guys alright?!¡± Rao shouts after Oleander does. The visibility eventually increases enough to actually look around without getting eyes full of dust. Shogun and Rock are both standing on the other end of the drop, looking down into it. Shogun rubs up against Rock¡¯s side when he hears her whining. Oleander and Rao walk up to the hole and look down it. It¡¯s deep enough that neither of them can see the bottom. ¡°Shit,¡± Oleander says in his normal voice, ¡°my vines wouldn¡¯t be able to reach that far, and it¡¯s not wide enough for your fox to fly us down.¡± ¡°You ¨C you have different voices?¡± Rao asks Oleander. It¡¯s his first time not hearing Oleander talk like a cutesy little girl. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no way that other voice is my real voice. Only girls from those shows that Fenny likes actually sound like that. But seriously, how are we supposed to get down there?¡± ¡°No idea¡­ think we could just drop down? If they survived then we¡¯d probably be able to. Right?¡± Oleander tilts his head, thinking about it, and then shouts down the hole, ¡°Fen! Cass! You still alive down there?!¡± No response. ¡°Bro!¡± Rao shouts even louder. ¡°There¡¯s still so much I have to learn from you!¡± ¡°That was way too dramatic.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m serious!¡± Oleander sighs and rubs the back of his head. ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t the first time that Fenny has gotten himself into trouble and needed me to save his ass.¡± ¡°I think I should just jump down. It¡¯s just a game and I¡¯m a big dude, and I¡¯ve got muscles, so I¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± Oleander grabs Rao and pulls him back when he sees him step up to the edge of the hole. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. There¡¯re stairs right there we can go down.¡± ¡°Bro, I¡¯m going to be real for a second here. Can you stop calling me stupid and insulting me all the time? I¡¯m sorry that I did something I shouldn¡¯t have, but you¡¯re really making me feel like shit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point¡­ but alright. Did you learn your lesson?¡± Oleander asks. Rao may still be annoying to him, but when somebody honestly opens up like that and says how they¡¯re feeling, Oleander can¡¯t help but respect that. ¡°I did. I promise. I just thought¡­ since it¡¯s a game and all, and ¨C alright, I¡¯m not even going to try to make an excuse for it. It was a shitty thing to do and I¡¯m sorry.¡± Oleander sighs. This damn man isn¡¯t supposed to be likable. ¡°I forgive you. Let¡¯s figure out how to go help the others now, alright?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it, bro! Just tell me what you need me to do and I¡¯ll do whatever.¡± The two walk over toward the stairs and look down them. A few tentacles start sticking up from the darkness, pointed at Oleander, but then they look to hesitate. They all look like they¡¯re pointing at his crotch. A couple of seconds later and they retract into the darkness. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rao asks when he sees Oleander¡¯s twitching brow. ¡°I¡¯m not into tentacle stuff like Fenny is, but it looks like those tentacles need to learn some manners,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Help me gather some ingredients. Look for thorns, flowers, vines ¨C stuff like that.¡± ¡°On it!¡± It was only a few minutes ago that the hole in the temple¡¯s floor opened up. Fenrir instinctively grabbed onto Cassiel to try and protect her despite her having heavier armor than him, so he took most of the damage as his body smacked against rocky walls before crashing into solid ground. He was barely able to see. His vision was almost entirely dark and he felt as if he was hanging onto the final strands of life that he had, but Cassiel immediately got to work healing him and saved his life. However, before he even had a chance to thank her, they were set upon by a group of undead monsters and forced to flee deeper into the tunnel that they found themselves in. ¡°Shit,¡± Fenrir says, stopping against the wall now that they¡¯ve gained some distance from the monster. ¡°Sorry, Cass, I should¡¯ve listened to you. Now we¡¯re in trouble and I¡¯m slowing you down.¡± He can barely walk without being in intense pain and limping. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Neither of us were expecting that to happen,¡± Cassiel says, helping him stand up and constantly checking around themselves. ¡°I¡¯m just happy I was able to heal you in time.¡± Fenrir would have thought that she¡¯d sound pissed off, but instead, she just sounds relieved. ¡°Thanks, Cass. You¡¯re amazing as per usual.¡± ¡°Th-thank me later. We need to figure out how to get out of here.¡± At least there are somehow-still-burning torches along the walls to light the way, though they only provide dim lighting that does not expose all of the tunnel. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. We can¡¯t stay here,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah, but now I¡¯m starting to hate your height. I could help you walk in real life, but you¡¯re too tall to lean on me here,¡± Cassiel says with an annoyed huff. ¡°I¡¯ll just use you like a walking stick,¡± he teases and places a hand on top of her head. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be nice since you¡¯re hurt. I¡¯m going to stop being nice if you don¡¯t take your hand off my head.¡± ¡°What if I do this?¡± he asks, petting her head and stroking his fingers through her hair. ¡°Ba-bastard, now¡¯s not the time for that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not telling me to stop.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cut your hands off.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so violent. I¡¯m going to have to¡ª¡± The sound of bones rattling and rotten flesh being dragged along the ground can be heard approaching. Fenrir and Cassiel look at each other, look down the direction of the tunnel where horror sounds aren¡¯t coming from, and get back to fleeing. ¡°By the way, I just noticed something. You don¡¯t seem that scared right now even though you were terrified of that horror movie,¡± Fenrir says, limping next to her and leaning on her as much as he can. ¡°Shut up! I wasn¡¯t terrified. And¡­ it¡¯s different when I can actually defend myself. Characters in those movies are always so stupid. They don¡¯t know how to defend themselves, they put themselves in danger, and they lack all common sense. I trust myself to not be an idiot, so I don¡¯t have anything to be afraid of,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually pretty good logic.¡± While walking, Fenrir starts knocking all of the torches they pass by off of the walls. ¡°What¡¯re you doing that for?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Undead usually don¡¯t like fire, so it might slow them down, and it also means that we¡¯ll know we¡¯ve already been this way in case there¡¯s like a loop or something like that. Gotta be logical and trust ourselves not to be idiots, right?¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°I ¨C I would have been doing that if I didn¡¯t have to help hold you up!¡± ¡°I know, Cass. I know.¡± He plants a kiss on her head. ¡°Thanks for helping me, my smart, beautiful, logical girlfriend.¡± ¡°I ¨C I said this isn¡¯t the right time for that¡­¡± ¡°Is there ever a time when it¡¯s not the right time to compliment you? I mean, I do love you, so it makes sense to me that it¡¯s always time to give you praise.¡± Cassiel mumbles and makes odd squeaking noises before stuttering out, ¡°Di-did you hit your head o-or something?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, it¡¯s killing me right now and I felt a huge bump on the back of it, but I still mean everything I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re romantic at the worst times¡­¡± Despite her words, there is a wide smile on her face and she¡¯s trying her hardest not to get distracted by internally fangirling over her love. Book 3: Chapter 47: Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Forest ¡°We¡¯ll let Rock take the lead. I doubt tentacles are going to be able to do anything to her, though it¡¯s not like they want to do anything to the rest of us anyways,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I guess being made out of rock makes her a pretty good tank,¡± Rao agrees. ¡°Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, I have no idea how there aren¡¯t a hundred other random animals made out of whatever Fenny gets attached to. He gets attached to even the dumbest of things way too easily.¡± Rock looks up at Oleander and whines. ¡°I don¡¯t mean you, Rock. You¡¯re a good girl, not a dumb thing.¡± Rock barks and wags her tail. A tentacle lashes out from the darkness and slams into Rock! She yelps from surprise as she was distracted looking at Oleander, and her new protector refuses to allow the tentacle that attacked her to escape. Shogun snarls and bites the tentacle as it¡¯s trying to retract! They all hear a guttural cry come from somewhere in the darkness as Shogun violently shakes the tentacle around in his mouth, sinking his large fangs down into it until purple blood splashes out from the wound and splatters on the ground. ¡°Gross, bro,¡± Rao tells his faithful steed. Ignoring his master¡¯s disgust, Shogun brings the tentacle down to the ground and sinks the claws on his paws into its length. Two tentacles lash out at Shogun, but they both get blocked by Rock positioning herself between them and him. She even manages to bite onto one of them herself! ¡°They make a good team,¡± Rao says. Three tentacles now lash out at the two canids, and each of them is distracted. Thanks to the materials that Rao helped Oleander gather, though, Oleander is able to support them by shooting several enlarged thorns down into the abyss. Whoever or whatever the tentacles belong to, it makes a shrieking cry after having several of its tentacles impaled and shot right back down at itself. ¡°Damn, you all make a good team. Just let me know how I can help,¡± Rao says. ¡°Just don¡¯t get in the way. We¡¯ve got this,¡± Oleander says, preparing a few more thorns. While Rock, Oleander, and Shogun fight their way through the tentacled abomination trying to stop them, Fenrir and Cassiel turn down a hallway and find a horde of undead on both sides. Fenrir¡¯s attempt at slowing them down using the torches has done little to actually stall them, and now they are surrounded. Their only hope is the closed door they notice they¡¯re standing next to. ¡°In here,¡± Fenrir says, pushing the door open and pulling Cassiel inside. They shut the door as soon as they get inside. Fortunately, there is a bookshelf and table that they can push up against the door to help keep it shut in case the undead know how to use doorknobs. Fenrir doesn¡¯t question why some underground tunnel full of undead has a door with a doorknob. He just chalks it up to fantasy game logic. ¡°What is this place?¡± Cassiel asks, looking around the room. A couple of burning torches hang from the walls, there is a dusty bed and furniture scattered around ¨C it looks like somebody once lived in here, but who? ¡°Maybe some player decided to try and be a necromancer?¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°Maybe,¡± Cassiel answers. They both jump when they hear the undead outside pounding on the door, trying to open it. Fortunately, they don¡¯t try turning the doorknob. ¡°We should be safe in here until we figure out what to do,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We just have to figure out what to do,¡± Cassiel replies. ¡°Yeah, easier said than done. At least we can wait until you can finish healing me, and they might lose interest after a while.¡± Fenrir walks over to the bed and sits on it after brushing some of the dust off. ¡°I need a captain¡¯s quarter on The Shoebill with a real bed in it.¡± ¡°And what about the rest of us, bastard?¡± ¡°You can sleep with me.¡± ¡°Corwin, Tabitha, Oleander, Rock? That new asshole you¡¯ve brought with us?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it wouldn¡¯t really be fair to have the rest of them sleep on the hammocks while we¡¯ve got a bed.¡± Cassiel sighs and takes off her breastplate. Underneath her breastplate is just a simple, sleeveless vest that does little to suppress the size of her breasts. ¡°Isn¡¯t it uncomfortable to wear that armor? It makes your chest look like, half the size that it actually is,¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You get used to it. It¡¯s not any more uncomfortable than a sports bra,¡± she answers. ¡°You know what you should get? Bikini armor. That¡¯d be awesome,¡± he teases. Personally, Fenrir has never liked bikini armor. He actually prefers the conservative, realistic armor that Cassiel wears over some skimpy little metal bikini that he¡¯s already seen other players back in the city wearing. Both the men and women had armor like that. ¡°I liked you better when your head was making you say stupid things,¡± Cassiel says with an annoyed huff. ¡°You mean like how I love you and was complimenting you?¡± ¡°Y-yeah, that.¡± ¡°Want me to do it more?¡± ¡°Well! It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s at least a better time for it now since we¡¯re not being chased.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I guess it¡¯s even kind of extra fitting since all that¡¯s between us and certain death is a doorknob and some furniture. It¡¯s like¡­ our last stand, and this is the final part of a movie where we tell each other how much we love one another before getting overwhelmed by zombies.¡± ¡°You¡¯re stupid.¡± ¡°I know, but you¡¯re the one who loves stupid.¡± ¡°I just love you, not your stupidity.¡± ¡°I guess I love you more then since I love all of you, even your grumpy tsun side that calls me a bastard and threatens to kill me.¡± Cassiel blushes and grabs him by his collar. ¡°I ¨C you ¨C you don¡¯t! I love you more, you bastard! Even your stupid side!¡± ¡°Nope. I love you more,¡± Fenrir says with a teasing smile, knowing exactly where this is going. While he¡¯s teasing her about it, she grows even more frustrated and competitive. ¡°I love you way more than you love me! I bet you¡¯ve never caressed my face while I sleep, but I¡¯ve done that to you, so I win because I ¨C I¡­¡± she realizes what she¡¯s saying. Fenrir, also realizing what she¡¯s saying, joins her in embarrassed blushing and silence. ¡°Let¡¯s ¨C let¡¯s just say we love each other the same,¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°No. I ¨C I win,¡± Cassiel mumbles. ¡°Fine, fine, you win.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t love me as much as I love you?!¡± she shouts, just as worked up as she was before and standing in front of him. Fenrir, deciding to use actions instead of words, grabs her by her hips to pull her closer before kissing her on her lips. Cassiel¡¯s eyes go wide and she blushes even more fiercely than before, but she wouldn¡¯t dare pull away from his loving embrace. ¡°We love each other equally, alright?¡± Fenrir asks in a hushed voice. ¡°D-deal,¡± Cassiel agrees, ¡°but only ¨C only if you kiss me more.¡± ¡°I guess having a bunch of undead really does put people in the mood.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ruin the moment, you bas¡ª¡± Fenrir presses his lips back against hers. Back at the entrance of the caves, the useful trio has fought their way down to the bottom of the stairs while the useless tagalong has been watching them fight and commenting on almost every bit of action. Shogun, Rock, and Oleander all have spots of purple blood on them, and a trail of it leads deeper into the cave. ¡°It ran away. Wimp,¡± Oleander says, trying to shake some of the blood off of his arms. Rock and Shogun do the same by shaking their entire bodies. Rock has more success since she¡¯s just rock and rock doesn¡¯t exactly absorb liquids, but Shogun whimpers when he notices that his fur is still dyed purple. That¡¯s when Oleander realizes it. ¡°Rao, I¡¯m realizing why Rock and Shogun get along,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Why?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because they¡¯re both animals? You know, like if you go to a dog park, the dogs are just gonna like each other without any reason, bro.¡± ¡°Sure, that might be part of it, but more important than that is Shogun is basically a fox and feral version of Fenny which is probably why Rock likes him so much. I guess it¡¯s true what they used to say about kids dating people like their parents.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of gross though? I¡¯d never date anybody like my parents. I don¡¯t want to picture my dad or mom while doing a girl.¡± Oleander has to agree with that, which hurts his theory about why Rock and Shogun get along so well, but the more he looks at Shogun and watches his behavior¡­ yeah, Shogun and Fenrir are basically the same. Shogun keeps on putting Rock first, gets into playful fights with her, whines when his fur gets blood in it, puts himself in danger for her ¨C Oleander has his theory and he refuses to think it might be wrong. It''s too cute to be wrong. Book 3: Chapter 48: Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Forest ¡°Are ¨C are we really going to do this? Here?¡± Cassiel asks, struggling to look Fenrir in the eyes as he leans over her on top of the bed. While Oleander and the rest of them are fighting their way through the undead-infested caves, Fenrir has cleaned off the bed to the best of his ability and is now on top of her with all but his pants off. ¡°You¡¯re the one who started trying to take my clothes off,¡± Fenrir teases as he starts to unbutton her vest. ¡°I¡­ I just got into it, you ba¡­ Ryo-Ryouta. H-hey.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can we ¨C can we call each other our real names? Y-you know, while we¡­¡± While his hands work at her vest, his body held up by his elbows on each side of her, he leans his head down to her ear and whispers, ¡°I love you, Cassandra.¡± Cassiel wants to just flip over and bury her face into the pillow so that Fenrir can¡¯t see it, but instead, she stays facing him and even looks him in the eyes when he hangs his head over hers. ¡°I lo¡­ I love you too, Ryouta,¡± she softly whispers. Fenrir may be used to affection and confessions of love from Serra and Nell, but when it comes to Cassiel, she makes him blush every time she says or does anything like that. He¡¯s just so used to her always calling him a bastard and threatening to kill him that he forgets she has this side to her as well sometimes, so when she brings it out, it¡¯s extremely effective against him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry they¡¯re not as big as Nyaiko¡¯s¡­¡± Cassiel whimpers as Fenrir pulls her breasts out from her bra and gropes them. ¡°I ¨C I know you like them¡ª¡± ¡°I love yours just as they are, silly. Whether it¡¯s your real body or your in-game body, you¡¯re perfect and I love everything about you,¡± Fenrir says, lowering his head to her breasts to place gentle kisses on them. It doesn¡¯t take long for his mouth to reach her nipples where he then takes time to suck on each one of them, alternating between the two so that neither is left out. ¡°Nn¡­ why¡­ why are you so good to ¨C to me?¡± Fenrir pulls his face away from her chest to look up at her face. She¡¯s crying. ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s alright. What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks, one hand resting on the side of her face and wiping away some of her tears. ¡°I¡¯m always so¡­ mean to you a-and I ¨C I know I have a bad personality and that I¡¯m mean and rude and bossy and¡ª¡± Fenrir places his lips against hers in a soft, comforting kiss. Cassiel closes her eyes and tries to kiss him back for a few seconds before just crying even more, pulling away from him. ¡°I know you¡¯d like me better if I was more ¨C more like the others¡­ I wish I could be more like Aiko and be all over you, but it¡¯s ¨C that feels impossible for me. I¡¯m still ¨C I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m still scared that something might happen and you¡¯ll, you know, umm¡­ if ¨C if you,¡± she lowers her voice, ¡°l-leave me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going to leave you, Cassandra. Why do you think I might?¡± Fenrir asks, caressing her head while speaking in a gentle tone. ¡°Because¡­ my past ¨C my past boyfriends always made everything sound like it was my fault, and I was always blamed for everything, and ¨C and my mom, she always¡­ everything was always my fault, so I¡¯m just scared that ¨C you know? I¡¯m scared of doing something stupid and pushing you away, even though I ¨C and sometimes I¡¯m just¡­ so horrible to you because I want to stop myself from loving you even more than I already do, and I ¨C I love you so much that it hurts, and just¡­ I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m scared of messing up, but I know that being so mean all the time is probably worse than anything I might accidentally do,¡± Cassiel explains between sniffling and crying. Fenrir rolls onto his back next to her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°S-see! You ¨C you, now you¡ª¡± ¡°Now I just feel like a bad boyfriend for not noticing my girlfriend was feeling like that,¡± Fenrir answers, pushing one of his arms underneath her to pull her closer and partially onto him. ¡°You should have told me that sooner, but I also should have paid more attention and thought about why you were like that instead of just chalking it up to some stupid trope. I should have known better than to assume that there was no real reason behind any of that.¡± There may be dozens of undead just outside of the room they¡¯re in, still banging on the door trying to break in, but to Fenrir and Cassiel, there is total silence aside from the sounds of their voices. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t want to be like that anymore. I want to be more honest and ¨C and, and I want to be clingy and spoil you and tell you how much I love you all the time, and I don¡¯t want you to think I hate you, and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never once thought you hated me ¨C well, after you thrust into me from behind without any warning,¡± Fenrir says, kissing the top of her head. Cassiel, instead of getting angry at him for bringing that up, nuzzles her face against his chest and lets out a quiet giggle. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m sorry about that¡­ and I¡¯m sorry about how I¡¯m always so mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Cassandra. I love you. Even the part of you that calls me a bastard and threatens to kill me ¨C I love all of you.¡± ¡°But ¨C but I don¡¯t want to be like that anymore.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t be. I¡¯ll love you even if you stop doing that. I¡¯ll always love you no matter what, alright? I promise.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°I promise to love you forever, Cassandra,¡± Fenrir pledges, kissing the top of her head again. ¡°Then ¨C me, t¡ªI promise to ¨C the same¡­ I ¨C I! I promise to love you forever!¡± Cassiel practically shouts into his face, hardly an inch separating them now. She turns bright red when she realizes how loudly she just shouted that, but she doesn¡¯t dare avert her eyes from his. That would just be running away from how she truly feels, and she refuses to do that from this moment on. Her excited pledge, no matter how embarrassing it may have been, is the first step forward for her. Fenrir is red from her statement as well, and he desperately wants to wipe away the new tears running from her eyes, but he knows that they¡¯re not tears of sadness this time. They wrap their arms around each other and allow their lips pressing against one another to do all of the talking. With their voices silenced, nothing but soft moans escaping their mouths as they kiss, the tunnel outside grows quiet as the undead outside can no longer hear anything coming from within the room. Of course, neither Cassiel nor Fenrir cares about that right now. All they care about is each other. ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiel pulls away and whispers, ¡°earlier you said something about our hair. Do you¡­ do you have a preference?¡± ¡°A preference for what?¡± Fenrir asks, running his fingers through her hair and petting the back of her head. ¡°How ¨C how I have my hair.¡± ¡°Nope. I think you¡¯d look good with all sorts of hairstyles. Even if you go bald, I¡¯ll still love you and think you¡¯re perfect.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going bald, you¡­ I love you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright if you slip up sometimes. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s habit at this point to call me a bastard.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not ¨C I refuse to call you that again. I¡¯ll only call you that if you cheat on me or do something to really piss me off. You don¡¯t deserve to be called a bastard just because I¡¯m bad with my emotions.¡± ¡°You know, you said earlier that you¡¯re worried about not treating me good, but you really are amazing to me, Cassandra. You take care of me, help me clean up, you tease me for what I¡¯m into but I know you don¡¯t actually judge me, you¡¯re a badass, don¡¯t get mad at me when I stare at your boobs, you wear sweaters, and you¡¯re just perfect.¡± ¡°Those sound like low standards.¡± ¡°Hah, I know they might sound like low standards, but I mean it. You really are perfect whether you¡¯re calling me a bastard or not. I¡¯m sure Serra and Alice think the same.¡± ¡°Can ¨C can I just ask one thing, please?¡± ¡°Of course you can.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you poke my sides sometimes¡­ but can you ¨C can you please stop doing it in public? It really is embarrassing, and I don¡¯t like other people hearing me make those sounds.¡± Fenrir places his hands on her sides, but he doesn¡¯t poke her. Instead, he gently slides his hands up and down along her sides which sends shivers up her spine and causes her to arch her back. ¡°I promise not to poke your sides in public anymore, Cassandra. I¡¯ll make sure nobody else does, either. If there¡¯s anything that ever makes you uncomfortable or that you don¡¯t like, just let me know and I¡¯ll promise not to do it. Alright?¡± Cassiel smiles and nods her head before kissing him again. Book 3: Chapter 49: Patch 9.0: The Catacombs Secret Both Fenrir and Cassiel lie naked next to one another. Too caught up in the moment to not take this any farther, they have shut out where exactly they are and what threats may still be in the tunnel to instead indulge in one another. ¡°You really are perfect, Cassandra,¡± Fenrir says as he returns his lips to her breasts. ¡°Nngh¡­ it¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s embarrassing when you say that while doing this,¡± Cassiel says, hands resting on the back of his head as he lovingly kisses and sucks her nipples. With Fenrir on top of her now, she can feel his throbbing, erect tool rubbing up against her warm, bare thigh. Not wanting him to be the only one doing anything, she slides one hand down between their bodies to his cock and gently traces the tips of her fingers along it before wrapping them around it. Her fingers can completely reach around it, but only barely thanks to the increased girth he gave himself during character creation. Cassiel arches her back and lets out a rolling moan when Fenrir switches things up by gently nibbling on one of her nipples. ¡°Li-like that,¡± she moans. Fenrir, remembering that Cassiel is the one in his relationship liking things more on the rough side, gives her exactly what she wants. He starts biting slightly rougher on her nipple while his hand pinches her free nipple between two of its fingers, pulling on it and twisting it. Furthermore, he brings up one of his knees between her legs and essentially positions it so that it¡¯s grinding up against her crotch. Cassiel doesn¡¯t know how to feel about the fact that her hips are rubbing against his knee on their own, mainly because it¡¯s the fact that it¡¯s his knee which makes her feel weird about it, but it feels good which is more important. With his knee against her crotch, mouth around one of her nipples and hand teasing the other, he uses his free hand to slide up behind her to the back of her head. She has no idea what he plans on doing with it until she feels him grab her hair and pull on it, causing her to moan out even louder than before. Instinctively, she wants to call him a bastard and tell him to be careful, but she knows that he¡¯s doing this for her own pleasure and not to hurt her. It¡¯s working, too. Cassiel¡¯s hand around his cock forms a tighter grip as she starts to pump his length up and down as much as she can in this position. She¡¯s worried that she¡¯ll hurt him from squeezing too tightly, but going by his expression and the fact that he¡¯s starting to move his own hips as if wanting to hump her hand, she takes it that she¡¯s doing it alright. Since Fenrir got the headstart on pleasuring her, Cassiel is the one who reaches orgasmic pleasure first. Her hand on the back of his head pulls him even closer to her breast as her hand around his cock tightens, her back arching and hips shaking as she cums from the combined assault on her breast, crotch, and hair. Fenrir pulls away from her breast to look up at her red, panting face. ¡°Do-don¡¯t say it¡­ it¡¯s already embarrassing,¡± Cassiel sighs. With a smile, Fenrir does as she said and places a kiss on her lips instead. ¡°Ready for the next part?¡± he asks, gripping his cock to aim it against her lower lips. Cassiel looks away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks. ¡°I¡­ I ¨C I want our next time doing that to be ¨C to be with our real bodies,¡± she explains. Fenrir is a kind and patient man, but he¡¯s got to admit that between both Nell and Cassiel refusing actual sex, he¡¯s starting to feel blueballed. ¡°B-but, I know ¨C I know you like that one thing in your favorites, and¡­ I think it¡¯d be fun to try it,¡± she says, placing her hands on the sides of her breasts to push them together while still looking away. Fenrir takes back what he was thinking about feeling blueballed. ¡°You might not have become one of Livia¡¯s angels, but you¡¯re definitely an angel to me,¡± Fenrir teases, kissing her on the lips again before leaning up to straddle her abdomen. With this new position of his, it might be the first time that Cassiel has ever seen his cock this close up before. At least, it¡¯s the first time she¡¯s ever paid attention to it this closely before. ¡°Why ¨C why did you have to make it so big?¡± she asks. ¡°What guy doesn¡¯t want a bigger dick?¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°I ¨C I get that, but¡­ your ¨C your real one is better.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll just have to do this for me sometime in real life, too.¡± This is normally when Fenrir would expect to get some sort of tsundere response out of her, but instead, she nods her head and says, ¡°I ¨C I will.¡± He can¡¯t wait any longer. Sliding his cock up between her breasts, he already wants to moan from just how incredible they feel around his cock. The good part about his increased size is that the tip of his tool actually sticks up out of the top of her breasts, giving Cassiel something to boldly lick when she notices it poking up. ¡°You like that in your favorites, right?¡± she asks, her cheeks burning red and her eyes looking like she¡¯s about to cry from just how nervous and embarrassed she is. ¡°You¡¯re seriously perfect, Cassandra,¡± Fenrir praises, petting the top of her head. She smiles and goes back to gently lapping at the exposed tip of his cock. If she really wants to do something out of his favorites, then this could get even better. Fenrir scoots up a bit higher on her abdomen and thrusts his hips forward more, allowing more of his cock to reach her face. Cassiel immediately catches onto what he¡¯s trying to do and plays along by parting her lips. With a bit of aiming, Fenrir is able to push the tip of his cock past her lips for her to suck on and lick more easily while still getting the pleasure of having her tits wrapped around his length. What he wants to do next might be difficult. He wants to properly fuck her tits, but at the same time, he wants to keep his tip inside of her mouth. Fortunately, she does like it rough which will make this easier. Fenrir takes another tight grip of her hair on the back of her head and uses that hold to pull her head forward, making it easier for his cock to penetrate deeper into her mouth while still getting to thrust back and forth between her tits. She looks up at him with lustful eyes. He can feel her moans subtly vibrating against his cock as he roughly fucks both her tits and her mouth. ¡°I love you, my perfect Cassandra,¡± Fenrir moans out. Cassiel averts her eyes from his embarrassing words, but only for a second before she returns them to his own. She doesn¡¯t want to be too shy and insecure that she can¡¯t even look at her boyfriend¡¯s face while doing something like this with him. She wants to watch him and see just how good she can make him feel ¨C how good she can make the man she loves feel. Between her tightly pushing her breasts together around his cock and her mouth increasingly sucking harder and harder on his cock, she¡¯s able to make his large cock cum after just a few minutes. Fenrir moans out and releases his grip on her head as his cock spews thick ropes of his seed into her mouth. He wasn¡¯t expecting her to try and swallow it, especially since he released her head, but Cassiel keeps her head still and does her best to swallow down every last drop of his seed. ¡°You ¨C ngh, you ¨C you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± Fenrir tries moaning out to her, but he stops when he sees her determined, teary eyes. ¡°You¡¯re too good for me,¡± he says. Cassiel shakes her head from side to side while somehow managing to keep the tip of his cumming cock in her mouth. She manages to swallow all of his cum before releasing him from her mouth and allowing her boyfriend to roll off of her, landing on his back next to her once more. ¡°Thanks, Cassandra. That was incredible,¡± Fenrir says, kissing her on the cheek. ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiel says, staring at him and pointing at her lips. ¡°I deserve a real kiss for that.¡± Fenrir cringes even though he knows it¡¯s true. He just doesn¡¯t want to taste himself on her. But, she did swallow all of his cum without him even asking her to, so she does deserve it. He presses his lips against hers. She was only expecting a quick peck on the lips, but instead, he keeps his lips against hers to passionately kiss her as if there is no taste there making him want to pull away and clean his mouth out. He really does want to do that. After several more minutes of kissing, Fenrir pulls away, resists the temptation to stick out his tongue, and says, ¡°I want to cum on your chest next time.¡± ¡°Where ¨C why ¨C what makes you say that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Because, you¡¯d look hot with my cum on your boobs.¡± ¡°You perverted dog bas¡ª¡± Fenrir looks at her with expectant eyes. ¡°Bas-bas¡­¡± Fenrir waits for it. ¡°Per-perverted dog Ryouta¡­¡± She¡¯s too cute to not kiss again. Book 3: Chapter 50: Patch 9.0: The Catacombs Secret ¡°Shogun, bro, I swear if you try licking me later,¡± Rao says after having watched Shogun tear the limbs off of a shambling corpse. Shogun looks at his owner, rolls his eyes, and then looks at Rock whom is chewing on the bone of an arm that still has some zombie flesh hanging off of it. Rock looks at Shogun, slides the bone a bit out of her mouth so that there¡¯s enough space for Shogun to bite onto it as well, and offers it to him. With the latest wave of trash mobs defeated, Rock and Shogun proceed onward while each chewing on the ends of the same bone. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Rao tells Oleander. Oleander turns around and looks at Rao. The small deer boy is covered in chunks of flesh, black and brown goo, and there¡¯s even a disembodied finger wiggling around on the top of his head that he hasn¡¯t noticed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you,¡± Oleander tells Rao. Rao covers up his mouth and looks away. Dealing with the undead is a very messy job. Back in the room that Fenrir and Cassiel are hiding in, they have slipped their armor and weapons back on. The undead outside of the room originally went away after they didn¡¯t make much noise, but after their fun on the bed and the noises made as a result of it, the dead are back to banging on and clawing at their door. ¡°So, do you think this place counts as a dungeon?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. You could probably say that it does, but I don¡¯t know why that boss was aboveground instead of somewhere down here. Doesn¡¯t make much sense either since he was a completely different type of monster from the ones down here,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Maybe he was like, a roaming boss that decided to just hang around there to catch unsuspecting players?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°By the way, that new sword of yours. It looks like a pretty¡­ I don¡¯t know how to explain it, but it looks holy. It looks like the kind of sword designed specifically for cutting through demons and zombies and all that. Maybe we should try it out? Can¡¯t stay in this room forever.¡± Cassiel unsheaths her new blade and looks it over. Its holy appearance was part of the reason why she wanted it so badly, so it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for it to have some holy attributes to it as well. ¡°Being an angel would be useful right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing those angels have got some good anti-undead magic and all that?¡± ¡°Yeah. These monsters wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against even a single angel, and an archangel could solo most undead or demonic bosses on their own unless they were raid bosses.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got to figure out how to get you your wings and halo.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± Cassiel says with a sigh. ¡°Being an angel would be so cool¡­ but I won¡¯t be able to become one unless I somehow got back into Livia¡¯s grace.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re already an angel to me, so now we¡¯ve just got to come up with our own way to get you your wings and halo.¡± Cassiel wants to call him a bastard for how impossible that is, but instead, she nods and says, ¡°I ¨C I believe you.¡± Fenrir looks at her with a grin and hugs her. ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re like this.¡± Cassiel, blushing up a storm against his chest, hugs him back. ¡°Sh¡ªbe quiet¡­ and are you back to full health yet?¡± Fenrir blinks his eyes a few times and looks around. He can¡¯t see any more spots of darkness in his vision. ¡°Good to go. I think,¡± he answers and stretches. ¡°So, we open up the door and kill them as they come in? You with your sword and me with my feral?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll let them come in two at a time. We should be fine as long as we¡¯re quick.¡± ¡°You know, while I¡¯m feral, I might give in and bite some of them. Don¡¯t judge me for that because I doubt I¡¯m going to enjoy the taste.¡± ¡°I am not kissing you if you do.¡± Fenrir chuckles. ¡°That¡¯s fair. Alright, you ready?¡± he asks while removing the furniture up against the door. Cassiel steps closer to the door with her new sword in her hands, the blade beginning to glow with holy energy as she gets closer to the undead. Both Fenrir and Cassiel are excited to see her sword in action when they see it glowing. Fenrir can already feel his feral urges building up within him just knowing that he¡¯s about to be in danger, and by letting those urges take hold of him, his arms and legs both transform. It¡¯s Cassiel¡¯s first time really seeing him like this ¨C or at least, paying attention to him while he¡¯s like this. She notices that not only are his calves and forearms transformed into a more bestial appearance, but his ears and tail are both longer and bushier as well. She¡¯s torn between wanting to hug and cuddle with his tail, and being excited from how animalistic he seems. This is when she realizes that Nell has to be rubbing off on her. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Fenrir says, looking back at her. If his appearance so far wasn¡¯t enough to excite her, seeing how much larger and sharper his teeth are now is definitely enough. Cassiel nods, and so Fenrir opens the door. Two corpses half-flesh and half-bone push and squeeze against each other to fit through the doorway which gives Cassiel enough time to stab her sword through their heads. Golden light escapes through the wounds that she made, and each of the zombies drops dead for the final time. Her sword is glowing even brighter now that it is exposed directly to the undead. ¡°Definitely looks like some sort of bonus there,¡± Fenrir says. When he looks over at Cassiel, he sees her smiling and ready to get plenty of practice with her new sword. Another zombie comes inside the room which is instantly killed by a stab to the head by Cassiel. ¡°Wow, somebody who actually goes for their heads. You should act in a zombie movie,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be a movie if I was in it because I¡¯d actually use common sense, and then it¡¯d be over before it could start,¡± Cassiel says, smirking back at him. ¡°Well, just let me know when I can join in on the fun,¡± he says as the fifth zombie gets its brains stabbed. ¡°Promise not to bite them?¡± Cassiel asks as a zombie approaches. ¡°Alright, I promise not to bite them.¡± With a smile, Cassiel thrusts her blade into the chest of the latest zombie, positions it so that it¡¯s between her and Fenrir, and then kicks it backward towards him! ¡°Have fun,¡± Cassiel says as the zombie almost falls into Fenrir. Fenrir, using the deadly claws protruding from his fingers, stabs them right through the zombie¡¯s head. ¡°This is too easy. I¡¯m starting to think we could have handled them out in the hall. But, then we wouldn¡¯t have come in here and had some fun.¡± Cassiel blushes as she stabs the next zombie. ¡°D-don¡¯t bring that up right now,¡± she says. While the flow of undead is manageable at first, the sound of their fighting only attracts even more undead from the tunnel outside their room. Their problems only increase from there. There was little to deal with other than zombies and skeletons at first, but as the fight continues, more powerful variants of undead begin showing up. Ghouls wielding large clubs made of either wood or bone, hybrid zombies with tentacles for arms capable of lashing into the room from the tunnel, and small, maggot-like insects that can easily get into the room while the two are distracted fighting are but some of the new threats the couple is facing. ¡°F-Fen,¡± Cassiel says, chopping away at the undead pouring into the room. She¡¯s starting to understand that going for the head isn¡¯t exactly an easy thing to do when faced with dozens of monsters wanting to kill her. Her holy blade helps by dealing more damage than a regular blade would, but Fenrir doesn¡¯t have the same luxury. His most effective weapons right now are his claws that are slashing away at his enemies. ¡°This might have been a bad idea after all,¡± Fenrir grunts before one of those maggots latches onto his leg like a leech. They start feeling as if all hope is lost, but then Rock¡¯s barking reaches them. ¡°Fenny! Cass Cass!¡± Oleander shouts from the tunnel. ¡°Finally,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Bro! We¡¯re coming!¡± Rao shouts. Cassiel rolls her eyes. ¡°In here!¡± Fenrir shouts. ¡°You know! The room with all the zombies going into it!¡± ¡°Fen! Your dog is totally overpowered down here! Everything just keeps on trying to bite her and breaks their teeth on her!¡± Oleander shouts. Fenrir is proud that Rock is doing a good job fighting against the undead when he hears that. However, more than being proud, he¡¯s pissed off that a bunch of zombies has been trying to bite her. ¡°F-Fen?¡± Cassiel asks, looking over at her boyfriend and seeing just how pissed off he looks. Book 3: Chapter 51: Patch 9.0: The Catacombs Secret When the crab was holding up Rock, trying to attack her, it was cute because of how Rock was switching between nonchalantly looking at Fenrir and barking at the crab. He also knew that she was in no actual danger. However, with how powerful some of these undead are, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they could inflict some damage on her. That is what has pissed him off. Having the undead trying to kill her is also much more serious than a crab holding her up in the air. ¡°Come on, Cass, I¡¯m bored of fighting these fucks already,¡± Fenrir says, looking over at Cassiel with a smile. Cassiel immediately recognizes the look in his eyes. Seeing that look excites her in more than one way. ¡°Agreed,¡± she replies. Reinvigorated and pissed off, the two hack and slash away at the undead still in the room with them while Oleander, Rock, and Shogun handle the undead in the hallway. One of the ghouls that attacks Fenrir gets its arm cut off and then used as a club against it. Sure, smashing its own arm into its head may not be an effective way of killing it, but it makes Fenrir feel better after getting pissed off. Every cut that Cassiel makes with her sword on the undead attackers glows with holy energy, and they react as if they are burning from it. She doesn¡¯t even notice how her sword is glowing more brilliantly with every single undead that it slays. In the hallway, Oleander shoots enlarged thorns through crowds of zombies which manages to take out dozens of them at once. When needed, he also supports Rock and Shogun by using vines to bind the undead to prevent too many from attacking the two canines at once. Rock and Shogun cooperate in their fighting. They may have only known each other for hours, but they are perfectly synergized in their movements. Rock knocks the enemies down and then Shogun goes in for the killing blow. She also shields him from any attacks that would be dangerous to him but hardly affect her, and he¡¯s pushed her out of the way from some attacks that not even she would be able to handle without being injured. As for Rao ¨C well, he¡¯s just happy that he has his content disabled. Otherwise, he would probably be looking at a very gory hallway, and he can¡¯t handle gore. Even what little he can see without traumatic content being enabled is enough to make him feel nauseous. ¡°Hey! Remember your promise!¡± Cassiel shouts at Fenrir when she sees him hanging an open mouth right by one of the zombie¡¯s necks. Fenrir stops in his tracks and stares at the zombie. The zombie is just blankly staring at him while growling. ¡°Sorry, got caught up in it,¡± Fenrir explains before ripping the zombie¡¯s head off with his claws. ¡°Is it bad if I¡¯m kind of curious how they taste? I mean, when I¡¯m in this form, it¡¯s really tempting. And it is just a game, so¡ª¡± He looks over at Cassiel. She looks disgusted. He shouldn¡¯t have said anything. Fortunately, one final zombie distracts her enough to warrant her sword impaling its head. Fenrir finishes off his fight by yanking off all of the leech-maggots from his legs and stomping on them. ¡°Sounds like they¡¯re done out there,¡± he says. ¡°You need a bath,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I mean, probably, but why do you say that?¡± She points at his hair. Fenrir grabs his hair and holds it in front of him. His pure, white, beautiful and fluffy hair has been dyed red, yellow, brown, and has chunks of zombie flesh in it. He looks far more disgusted than she did just a moment ago. ¡°Re-remember what you said about loving me?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over at Cassiel with teary eyes as his arms and legs return to normal. ¡°No,¡± Cassiel answers. His teary eyes turn into quivering puppy eyes as his ears fold down against his head, his tail almost tucking between his legs. ¡°I ¨C I need a bath,¡± he says in the most pitiful voice that Cassiel has ever heard from him. It¡¯s almost enough to make her want to hug him despite his appearance. Almost. Rock runs up to the door, looks inside of the room, and starts barking and excitedly wagging her tail when she sees Fenrir! She charges into him and jumps up with enough force to knock him over, licking all over his face while pinning him down. Fenrir is happy that at least one of the girls in his life will still give him affection when he looks like this. Then he notices that Rock looks even worse than him and the inside of her mouth looks ¨C well, far worse than his hair does. He remembers what happened the last time that Rock was licking his face, so he seals his lips and puts a hand over them before she decides to lick some zombie guts into his mouth. Meanwhile, Shogun walks over to Rao, shakes his body to get rid of most of the guts and gore on him, and then sits down while looking up at his owner. The two men look at each other. Rao knows this look from Shogun. He also knows that he really is grossed out by gore¡­ but his companion did good, so Shogun deserves the petting that Rao forces himself to give. Oleander stops underneath the doorway and sighs. Cassiel and Oleander look each other up and down. ¡°Are ¨C are you okay?¡± Cassiel asks him, all of his feminity having disappeared underneath the layers of death covering his body. There¡¯s even a hand stuck in his antlers that he hasn¡¯t noticed. ¡°I¡­ might have to work on some more subtle magic. When you¡¯re shooting giant thorns into squishy zombies¡­ they get everywhere. I need a hug, Cass Cass,¡± Oleander whimpers, holding his arms out for a hug while looking at her. ¡°No way.¡± While she was fighting just as much as Fenrir was, racking up even more kills than him, she has managed to stay relatively clean. Most of the battle¡¯s aftermath has ended up on her armor instead of her skin and hair unlike the rest of them. ¡°You misunderstand, Cass Cass. I need a hug. I¡¯m not going to be the only girl here covered in this gross stuff,¡± Oleander explains while shambling toward her like a zombie. ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t come any closer! I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll,¡± she remembers what she said about threatening Fenrir and realizes she probably shouldn¡¯t be threatening any of her friends, ¡°we ¨C we can talk about this! I¡¯ll hug you later, alright?¡± Oleander senses her weakness, gets a shine in his eyes, and lunges at her! ¡°No! O-Olly!¡± Cassiel shouts, jumping out of the way, but she¡¯s too slow. Oleander has grappled onto her arm and uses his grip to swing himself around onto her back, wrapping his legs and arms around her from behind while nuzzling his head against the side of her own. Rao and Shogun finally look into the room. ¡°They¡¯re an energetic bunch, bro,¡± Rao says. Shogun looks up at his owner and nods. Fenrir is moving his head away while keeping his mouth covered from Rock¡¯s assaulting tongue, and Cassiel is on her knees trying not to cry from the grossness that Oleander is smearing onto her. When the happy reunion comes to an end a few minutes later, everybody gets up off the floor and looks over what they just went through. A couple dozen bodies are inside of the room, and even more are outside. Rock and Shogun clean themselves out in the hallway while the more humanoid members of the party look through the room and the bodies. It is a game, after all, and it¡¯s possible there¡¯s some loot that might have been on the undead. Oleander is more interested in the bookshelf in the room, though. ¡°I¡¯m not finding anything,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You?¡± he asks, looking at Cassiel. Cassiel shakes her head. ¡°Bro¡­ don¡¯t you think it¡¯s like, disrespectful to be looting the dead?¡± Rao asks. ¡°What? It¡¯s a game and they were zombies trying to kill us. This is normal,¡± Fenrir explains, looking up at Rao with a confused expression. ¡°Yeah, but like, they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Have you played any RPGs before this?¡± ¡°Uhh, what?¡± ¡°RPGs. Role-playing games.¡± ¡°Ohh, nah bro, I don¡¯t like that role-playing stuff. I saw a video once of a dude shouting ¡®lightning bolt¡¯ at this other dude in the forest and they were all dressed up funny, and I was like, ¡®yoooooo¡¯ that¡¯s so embarrassing but like good on them for having fun, but yeah, I decided that role-playing stuff ain¡¯t me after watching that.¡± Everybody in the room stops what they¡¯re doing to look at Rao and blink a few times. ¡°Did ¨C did I say something weird?¡± Rao asks. Now that Fenrir thinks about it¡­ when playing a virtual reality RPG, is it really any different from LARPing? Sure, it¡¯s technically in a game instead of reality, but it¡¯s just as real. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know how to feel about the fact that not only is he apparently becoming a furry, but now he¡¯s a glorified LARPer. Book 3: Chapter 52: Patch 9.0: The Catacombs Secret Fenrir is not the only one disturbed by the realization brought on by Rao. Cassiel and Oleander are equally distraught from the realization that, if they saw anybody doing any of this in real life, then they would both cringe to the extreme. Oleander won¡¯t even act anywhere near as feminine as he does in real life! Cassiel, when trying to imagine acting like she does in-game in real life, turns red from embarrassment. Meanwhile, Rock and Shogun just lie next to each other in the tunnel to keep watch. ¡°So¡­ if you don¡¯t act differently at all in-game, do you mean you¡¯re the exact same in real life?¡± Fenrir asks Rao. ¡°Well, yeah. Is that weird?¡± Rao answers. ¡°Do you randomly look up girl¡¯s dresses in real life?¡± Oleander asks him. ¡°Hey, I only did it because I wanted to know if you were a chick or a dude. I¡¯ve never had anything like that happen to me in real life, but¡­ I guess I probably would¡¯ve done it before you all shouted at me about it.¡± ¡°Can we just get out of here already?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I kind of want to see what else is down here now that we¡¯re all together and since we¡¯re already down here anyways,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯m happy with what I¡¯ve got,¡± Oleander says, patting some of the books that he placed in his satchel, ¡°so I¡¯m fine with whatever.¡± ¡°Yeah, this place is gross, so I want out of here,¡± Rao tosses in his two cents. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go,¡± Fenrir says. No point in trying to proceed onward if half of the group is against it. ¡°We couldn¡¯t even handle the boss up above on our own, so we probably don¡¯t want to run into any other bosses that might be down here.¡± ¡°But, now that I¡¯m thinking about it¡­ we already killed tons of trash, so we could always just go on and have a peek, right?¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°Or, we could do the smart thing and get out of here while we can,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I am kind of curious now,¡± Rao says. ¡°We¡¯ll put it to an actual vote then. Raise your hand if you want to finish exploring this place,¡± Fenrir says, raising his hand. Oleander and Rao raise their hands as well. ¡°Raise your hand if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Only Cassiel raises her hand, and she does so with a sigh and roll of her eyes. ¡°Sorry, Cass Cass. We can take you back to the surface first if you don¡¯t want to come with us.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll just come along. Might as well help you with this new sword,¡± she says. ¡°Then let¡¯s try to be quick. The others have been waiting for us for a while now already.¡± ¡°Too bad your serpent friend couldn¡¯t join us down here,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d make things nice and easy. Anyways, let¡¯s go.¡± And so, the group leaves the room and ventures onward with Shogun, Rock, and Fenrir taking the lead. Fenrir has to admit that it feels pretty badass leading a group with two cool beasts right next to him. It even invokes a bit of his feral side by making him feel like the leader of a pack. ¡°Oh god, I really am turning into a furry,¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°It¡¯s okay, onii-chan. You¡¯re my furry,¡± Saya responds. ¡°You know, it¡¯s nice if you want to give me some dere fanservice, but you could at least give me fanservice that doesn¡¯t associate me with being a furry.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so bad about being a furry? You¡¯re already halfway there with your tail and ears, and now you even get furry arms and legs when fighting! Also, aren¡¯t monster girls like totally basically furries?¡± ¡°Monster girls aren¡¯t furries, and people with just the tail and ears of animals aren¡¯t furries either.¡± ¡°If you say so, onii-chan. By the way, nice new hair color!¡± ¡°Shut up. It¡¯s not like I want my hair to be the color of zombie blood and guts.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the tsundere now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a tsundere! That means I would actually enjoy my hair being this color, and I don¡¯t! And it feels gross!¡± ¡°So feminine, onii-chan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not feminine. I just want my hair to be clean.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, onii-chan? Is your long, girly hair all icky?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not girly, it¡¯s just super fluffy. Y-you know, since I¡¯m like a wolf and all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether that makes you sound more like a furry or more like an edgelord, onii-chan. Ooh, a furry edgelord! Are you going to go and draw edgy furry wolf OCs to post online now and write fanfiction about?¡± ¡°You know this is mental abuse right, right?¡± ¡°You know I only tease you like this because I know you like it, right?¡± ¡°Why are you blushing?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°Because my assistant is being cruel to me,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Go away. I¡¯m exploring a dungeon.¡± ¡°Fiiinneee. Talk to you later, onii-chan!¡± Saya replies. Fenrir may not be able to see her, but he feels her blow a kiss to him. ¡°Woah, we really did clear this place out,¡± Oleander says. They¡¯ve been walking for several minutes and haven¡¯t found a single enemy. However, despite them feeling like they¡¯re just walking in circles and not making any progress, they haven¡¯t come across any of their previous battle sites. Fenrir hasn¡¯t seen any of the torches that he knocked down off the wall, either. ¡°Maybe we should just ¨C wait, what¡¯s this?¡± Fenrir asks, stopping in his tracks when he sees some charred corpses. ¡°Random bodies burnt to a crisp in the middle of a hall? They look like they were zombies, so somebody with fire magic might¡¯ve been down here before us?¡± Oleander theorizes. ¡°How long does it take bodies to deteriorate and despawn again?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll become skeletons within two in-game days, and then despawn after a week. These corpses are¡­ I can¡¯t think of a better word and this sounds gross, but fresh,¡± Cassiel explains. Fenrir kneels down and places a hand against one of the bodies while Rock and Shogun sniff them. ¡°Still warm,¡± he says. ¡°Must have been pretty recent¡­ so think that somebody else is down here?¡± ¡°How come we didn¡¯t see anything on the way here then? There weren¡¯t any signs of fighting and the tunnel was full of trash.¡± ¡°Maybe they snuck past all the others or found some other way of getting in here?¡± ¡°Somebody sneaky with fire magic? I hope they don¡¯t mistake us for some zombies,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe we should go back, bro. I don¡¯t want to get scorched,¡± Rao says, unable to look at the crispy bodies that Fenrir and the canines are inspecting. ¡°It¡¯s possible it could have been a monster that just got pissed off at its fellow trash ¨C maybe a boss?¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do know that now I¡¯m even more curious than I was before about what else might be down here,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We¡¯re already this far, so we might as well keep going I guess,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You can go back if you don¡¯t want to come with us, Rao.¡± Rao turns around and looks down the dimly-lit tunnel they came from. ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll come with you, bro,¡± he answers. The group continues onward. More bodies show up with signs of being scorched by something extremely hot and, going by how there are occasionally limbs being splattered all over the place, the group assumes that the person or monster responsible has got some explosive tricks. ¡°Whoever or whatever it is, they¡¯ve done some work,¡± Fenrir says. The tunnel they turn into is full of charred corpses. ¡°Either a really strong player did this, or a boss did it. I¡¯m starting to lean toward the former because¡­ what boss would want to kill this much of its own trash?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine a boss being this wasteful even if it¡¯s an undead one. We¡¯re getting close, so we should be careful,¡± Cassiel says upon noticing some smoke rising from one of the nearest corpses. A burst of fire and smoke comes from around the turn at the end of the path. ¡°Yeah¡­ definitely close,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Get ready in case this goes bad.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take point. I¡¯m the only one wearing some real armor here,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir doesn¡¯t like the thought of his girlfriend being in the lead since it puts her in danger, but from a gaming point of view, it¡¯s the smart thing to do. Rock walks up next to her and barks back at Fenrir. She¡¯s probably the most immune to fire here, so it really makes sense for her to be up there. ¡°Wow, Fenny, letting your girlfriend and dog take the lead while you stand back? What kind of man are you?¡± Oleander teases after seeing how conflicted Fenrir looks. Then, when Oleander looks at Shogun, he sees the fox looks just as conflicted about Rock being up there. Oleander¡¯s theory about Shogun and Fenrir being the same, and that being why Rock likes Shogun so much, gains more evidence. Book 3: Chapter 53: Patch 9.0: The Catacombs Secret ¡°Sphinx of crimson quartz, judge my unyielding power and decimate those foolish enough to stand before me!¡± a woman¡¯s voice shouts out from around the turn just before the tunnel gets lit up from a fiery spell. Cassiel and Rock, still in the lead, stop to look at each other. ¡°Bro,¡± Rao whispers to Fenrir, ¡°that sounded like one of those role-playing things from a video.¡± Fenrir originally thought that the line the woman just shouted sounded pretty cool but, thanks to Rao¡¯s words, now he wants to cringe. Cassiel and Rock reach where the tunnel turns and peek around it. They weren¡¯t expecting what they see. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Fenrir asks from behind them, sticking close to the wall with Shogun and Rao. ¡°Just¡­ look for yourself,¡± Cassiel says, pulling Fenrir up to the bend. Fenrir takes Cassiel¡¯s place and looks around the corner. Standing alone in the tunnel is a tall, mature looking woman with long, white hair that flows down almost to her ankles. She is wearing a black dress with a red trim that reaches just down to her thighs before her stockings take over, and a pair of high heels add a few extra inches to her height. She¡¯s even got a hat similar to Serra¡¯s which makes Fenrir realize something. This woman basically looks like a more mature, taller, much bustier version of Serra. While Serra looks borderline-loli, this strange girl lighting zombies on fire looks more like the mature Christmas Cake type. Or rather, comparing her to a dominatrix might be a better comparison as her dress makes him think of some sort of pirate-dominatrix hybrid. When she turns around, he sees that the front of it is unbuttoned with plenty of her cleavage purposely on display. He also takes notice of her bright, red eyes when she looks directly into his own. Fenrir¡¯s ears twitch when he notices that they are looking right at each other. The woman¡¯s face turns slightly red as she stutters out, ¡°H-how long have you been there for?!¡± Cassiel and the rest of the group come out from hiding, causing the woman¡¯s face to turn even redder. ¡°We just got here,¡± Cassiel answers, pouting when she sees just how much cleavage this woman has on display. But, she finds her eyes drawn to said cleavage as well. The woman¡¯s breasts may not be as obscenely large as Nyaiko¡¯s, but they¡¯re still bigger than her own. The strange woman spins around, clearly takes some deep breaths, and then turns back around to face the group now with one hand held in front of her face and the other resting on top of her chest. ¡°I see. You have been drawn to me because of my immense power! Heh, I should not be so surprised. How foolish of me to think that I would be able to mask my power level; I could not conceal the dark energies of my flames no matter how much I may try,¡± she says. ¡°Yeah, see, bro? This girl reminds me of that video I saw with all the guys dressing up and playing pretend in some woods,¡± Rao says. ¡°Honestly, all I can think right now is that I should invest in some fire magic. Look at all these dead trash mobs around here, and her hair is still clean,¡± Fenrir says, looking at his own hair with a disappointed frown. ¡°Of course my hair is clean! Even the weakest of my flames are more than capable of incinerating anything and everything before it has a chance to taint my body! Rather than worry about my hair, it is the bodies of my enemies that you should concern yourself over. Look around me, mortals! Lay your eyes upon the dark justice that I have enacted on those wishing to stand in my path!¡± the woman declares. Fenrir looks at Oleander. Poor, poor Oleander. Between dealing with Nyaiko¡¯s accent and now this woman¡¯s chuuni role-playing, Fenrir is going to have to get Oleander a good drink soon. ¡°Now then! I shall grace you with¡ª¡± ¡°Why¡¯re you down here?¡± Fenrir cuts her off. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I am down here because I¡­ because I,¡± the woman¡¯s voice grows quieter and quieter, ¡°because¡­¡± she starts tapping her pointer fingers together, ¡°because¡­ I¡­ sensed a dark, evil presence seeking a worthy challenger, and so I have come here to assert my dominance over that which is foolish enough to seek a challenge from the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia!¡± ¡°Aza¡­labulia?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Azalabulia!¡± ¡°Azababab?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Az! A! Lab! Bul! Ia! Azalabulia!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°Ass Ebola?¡± Rao asks. Azalabulia glares at Rao and gets ready to pronounce her name again, but instead, Cassiel beats her to it, ¡°She clearly said Azalabulia. Don¡¯t get her name wrong. It¡¯s rude and you¡¯ll never impress a girl if you can¡¯t even say her name right.¡± ¡°Heh, you should listen to her, foolish man!¡± Azalabulia says while pointing at Rao. ¡°You are lucky that you are with her or else I would banish you with my Cursed Flame of Bahamut for so gravely mispronouncing my name!¡± Rao rolls his eyes and leans in to whisper to Fenrir, ¡°Bro, I don¡¯t think I can handle this girl. You can just add her to your harem because this is a hard pass for me. She¡¯s hot and all but I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°H-hey now, I don¡¯t just add every new girl I see to my harem,¡± Fenrir whispers back to Rao. ¡°You kind of do,¡± Oleander whispers, inserting himself between the two men. ¡°Olly has a point, but Serra is just as guilty,¡± Cassiel says, inserting herself between the two men opposite of Oleander. Before the four know it, they¡¯ve formed a circle with their hands on each others¡¯ shoulders as if huddling together for a secret meeting. ¡°Why are we doing this?¡± Rao asks. ¡°I thought we were having a secret meeting,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°I just wanted to tease Fenny,¡± Oleander explains. Rock and Shogun are the next two to butt into the group¡¯s private discussion. ¡°I ¨C I see what is going on! You must all be conspiring in secret to brainstorm how you could possibly defeat somebody with powers as dark and as awesome as mine! You wish to defeat me and take my Cursed Flame of Bahamut for yourselves! H-heh, foolish mortals, you can try but know that I shall not go easy on you!¡± Azalabulia says, striking some sort of ¡°cool¡± pose again. ¡°Oh, no, we¡¯re just saying how you¡¯re probably going to somehow join Fenny¡¯s harem,¡± Oleander explains to her. ¡°Ex-excuse me? Join ¨C join a harem? Who is ¡®Fenny?¡¯¡± Everybody but Shogun, Rock included, points at Fenrir. ¡°H-heh! As ¨C as if I would ever be interested in something so childish with somebody wearing the remains of the dead! Perhaps if he was a dark lord even more powerful than I, I would consider becoming his faithful servant so that we could someday rule over this pitiful realm together, but he looks as if he struggles against even simple undead!¡± Azalabulia announces. Her words wouldn¡¯t normally hurt Fenrir, but with how filthy he already feels because of his current cleanliness situation, her words sting him at his core. Cassiel and Oleander pat Fenrir to comfort him while Rao looks down at Azalabulia¡¯s feet. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got some of those weird maggot things on your shoes,¡± Rao says. Azalabulia freezes stiff, slowly looks downward, and her eyes widen when she confirms Rao¡¯s words. Three fat undead maggot-leeches are crawling on the tops of her heels. ¡°Get them off, get them off, get them off! I hate this! I hate this place! I want out already! Why¡¯d I have to get lost in this stupid place!¡± she screams and cries while shaking her feet around and kicking the wall to try and shake the creatures off of her. ¡°I¡¯ve been in here for hours now! First that stupid tentacle thing ambushed me, then I got chased into hiding, and then I got found and have been fighting ever since! I just want out already! I! Want! Out! I! Hate! This!¡± she cries, falling to her knees and bringing her hands up to her face to wipe away her tears. Then she remembers she has company. Azalabulia stands up, brushes herself off, straightens out her clothes, and looks at the group with a cool pose struck once more. ¡°Heh, I bet I fooled you all with my impression of yourselves! We may have only just met, but thanks to my awesome powers, I can already flawlessly imitate each and every one of you,¡± she explains, her quivering lip and eyes telling a different story than her words. ¡°You can imitate all of us perfectly?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Of course. Who do you think you are talking to?¡± Fenrir looks at Rock and says, ¡°Paw,¡± while holding out one of his hands. Rock happily barks and lifts up one of her paws to place on Fenrir¡¯s hand. ¡°Good girl,¡± Fenrir says, petting her atop her head before returning his attention to Azalabulia. ¡°Wh-what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Azalabulia asks when Fenrir stands right in front of her. ¡°Paw,¡± Fenrir says, holding one of his hands out just like he was doing with Rock. ¡°E-eh? What ¨C I¡¯m not ¨C I¡¯m not some dog! I am Azalabu¡ª¡± ¡°You said you could perfectly imitate all of us. So, paw.¡± Cassiel facepalms while Rao takes notes. ¡°You ¨C are you ¨C are you serious? You ¨C you want me to¡­ you want me to ¨C paw?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Paw,¡± Fenrir says again. ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget that she barked, too. And was wagging her tail.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s face offers strong competition to how red Cassiel¡¯s can turn. ¡°Fi-fine! But ¨C but I will only do this to prove my point that I am awesome enough to perfectly imitate all of you! Even a dog!¡± Azalabulia declares before taking a deep gulp. ¡°Wo¡­wo¡­wo-woof,¡± she says while ¡°wagging¡± her rear and placing one of her hands on top of Fenrir¡¯s. ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Oleander says. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rao asks him. ¡°Fenny found somebody he can bully.¡± ¡°He bullies girls?¡± ¡°He loves bullying people who pretend to be confident and who never back down from challenges. He¡¯s gotten so many guys to do some of the most stupid, cringy things because they wanted to prove that they had the balls to do it.¡± ¡°H-hey, Olly,¡± Cassiel whispers, ¡°is he¡­ is he into that sort of play?¡± ¡°What sort of play?¡± ¡°Y-you know, the kind he¡¯s basically doing right now.¡± ¡°Petplay?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, he loves that stuff. He¡¯s drunkenly told me a few times back in the day how he¡¯d hope that he¡¯d get a girlfriend who would wear dog ears for him and make puppy noises in bed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yep. Just Fenny things.¡± Cassiel looks back over at her boyfriend and sees the sadistic expression on his face as he convinces Azalabulia to behave like a puppy. She¡¯s jealous. Book 3: Chapter 54: Patch 9.0: The Catacombs Secret ¡°Fenny, stop flirting with new girls when your girlfriend is over here jealous,¡± Oleander calls out to Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not flirting, and Cass Cass wouldn¡¯t be jealous of this,¡± Fenrir says, looking back at the group. Cassiel totally looks jealous. ¡°Y-yeah. I¡¯m not¡­ jealous or anything like that,¡± Cassiel says. Oh, she¡¯s totally jealous. Fenrir is going to have to remember this. ¡°Anyways, so you got lost down here, tried sneaking around until you got discovered, and have been lighting things on fire ever since?¡± Fenrir asks Azalabulia. ¡°I ¨C I am only down here because of the dark energy challenging me to a duel!¡± Azalabulia tries to explain while still ¡°wagging¡± her hips. ¡°You can stop that, you know.¡± ¡°Stop what?¡± He points at her hips. Azalabulia coughs and straightens up. ¡°I do not know what you are talking about, foolish mortal.¡± ¡°Sure you don¡¯t. Anyways, seems like there¡¯s a pretty big room up ahead. Maybe a boss?¡± Fenrir guesses. The rest of the group walks up to them and looks ahead at the room. ¡°I ¨C I see! The natural attraction between the dark flames within me has been drawing me toward this final opponent!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Looks like it might be a boss room. Want to keep going? Everything in here has honestly been pretty easy. The only issue has been their numbers. So, I¡¯m thinking that the boss might not be that difficult,¡± Oleander theorizes. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re all together now, so even if the boss is way harder than everything else we have fought so far, we should be fine,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯m down for watching another awesome fight if you all want to go fight something,¡± Rao says. ¡°Might as well. We¡¯re already here,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°H-hey! Do ¨C do not ignore me, you ¨C you¡ª¡± Azalabulia says with a pout before getting interrupted. ¡°Want to join us? You cleared half the way here anyways, so it¡¯d only be fair to invite you along,¡± Fenrir offers her. Azalabulia looks away with a blush and pout. ¡°As ¨C as long as it¡¯s not like a bug,¡± she says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If it¡¯s a bug then we¡¯ll leave you in there alone.¡± She looks at Fenrir with teary eyes and puffed cheeks. Fenrir walks toward the room with the rest of his group following behind. Cassiel makes a ¡°hmph¡± sound as she walks past Azalabulia, not even looking in her direction. ¡°H-hey! Wait for me!¡± Azalabulia cries out. While Rao may not be interested in Azalabulia because of her personality, he¡¯d be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t into her body. He finds his eyes going over to her whenever she¡¯s not looking his way just to check her out. Her body is definitely one of a woman¡¯s despite her somewhat childish personality ¨C in fact, he would never think to associate her personality with somebody whom looks like her. Wide hips, thick thighs, a large chest, an hourglass figure, taller than everybody but him and Fenrir, and more mature looking than them both¡­ yet she acts like a delusional kid playing with sticks in their backyard and calling them swords. He loses interest again as soon as she opens her mouth. ¡°Come out and face me! Let us determine whose¡­ whose¡­ whose darkness is greater and worthy of becoming the overlord of this star!¡± Azalabulia shouts. ¡°Yeah, what she said,¡± Oleander says. The room they are in is large and round like most traditional boss chambers. A large slab has dropped from the wall behind them to block off their only escape, and it looks as if they are in some sort of mausoleum as hundreds of coffins lie within the decrepit walls. A hole near the room¡¯s ceiling serves as the boss¡¯s entrance. Dozens of fat, slimy tentacles pull the monster forward out from the hole, dropping down into the center of the room in front of everybody. They are the same tentacles that Cassiel originally left because of, and the ones that the rescue group was fighting through earlier. Only, now they all get to see what the tentacles are actually connected to. All of the tentacles are attached to a fleshy, purple and red mass with slitted eyes all over its body. The top of its body features a maw lined with several rows of thorn-like teeth ready to tear apart anything that comes close to them, and it has new tentacles to show off as well. The ones that Cassiel and the others saw were just purple and slimy with rounded tips, but these new ones they are seeing have tips covered in spikes, some that are sharp and curved like blades, and there¡¯s one with pores surrounding it that is spewing gas wherever it swings. ¡°I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the Worl¡ª¡± ¡°What is it with tentacles today?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Hey, tentacles need love, too,¡± Fenrir says. Some of the tentacles seem to agree as they point at Cassiel and Azalabulia. Cassiel draws her blade which causes the tentacles to back off. As for Azalabulia, her disgusted expression at the tentacles makes them limpen and pull back toward the main body of the boss. ¡°I was expecting a necromancer or something,¡± Oleander says. A couple of tentacles reach over to the walls, pull the tombs out of them, and smash them onto the floor to open them. A bit of magic later and the corpses within come to life, twisted by the boss¡¯s magic. One of their bodies splits apart from the head to the waist with tentacles coming out from the split halves, and the other body gets its arms replaced by tentacles. ¡°Guess we found the necromancer,¡± Oleander corrects himself. ¡°So, Aza, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re like a certain explosion loli and can take this thing out with one blast before being useless for the rest of the day?¡± Fenrir asks Azalabulia. ¡°A-Aza? My name is Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the¡ª¡± ¡°Just answer the question,¡± Cassiel says with a sigh, not even understanding Fenrir¡¯s reference in the first place. ¡°I ¨C no, I can not do that yet, but I aspire to be as powerful as her someday!¡± Azalabulia explains. ¡°At least you got the reference. I don¡¯t think anybody else here would,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Really? How could they not?!¡± She looks over the rest of the group and sees either confusion or facepalming. ¡°But she¡¯s the best character in all of¡ª¡± ¡°Can we just kill this freak already?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I am not a freak!¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the thing with tentacles.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Regardless of whether the group is ready or not, the boss swings its tentacles down toward them which causes the group to jump out of the way! ¡°H-hey! I¡¯m just here to watch!¡± Rao shouts at the boss. The boss doesn¡¯t care and swings another tentacle at him, this one with a bladed tip. Shogun lunges at the tentacle, grabs it within his mouth, and then uses his wings to generate a boost of speed strong enough to counteract the tentacle¡¯s inertia by flipping backward and slamming the tentacle into the ground! His fangs continue tearing into the fleshy tentacle after pinning it down to the ground, and with how close Shogun has his mouth to the tentacle¡¯s tip, it is unable to swing itself around to try and attack him. Another tentacle swings at him but gets blocked by Rock jumping at it and biting it mid-air. The boss, fearing its tentacle is going to get pinned again like with the one pinned by Shogun, immediately tries to pull its tentacle away from Rock. But she refuses. With Rock holding onto one end of the tentacle and pulling it backward while the boss tries pulling its tentacle back, the two essentially play tug of war with the tentacle. ¡°Aaaannndddd recording,¡± Oleander says. ¡°How¡¯re you going to record while dodging attacks?¡± Fenrir asks him. ¡°Oh, my assistant said he could record the entire fight from a bunch of different angles while we fight.¡± ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s awesome. What¡¯s your assistant like anyways?¡± Fenrir asks while ducking under a tentacle lashing out at him. ¡°Big, hairy, and muscles. I call him ¡®Daddy.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Meanwhile, Azalabulia takes her wooden staff and chants a spell. ¡°Cursed Flame of Bahamut, I, your wielder, Azalabulia, summon thee from the depths of my soul to blast mine enemy! Sear away its flesh and emblaze it with your corrupt flame until naught else but ashes are left!¡± The two raised zombies charge at her as she chants. Cassiel cuts them off and slices both of their bodies in half with a single swing of her blessed blade. Enraged, the boss smashes seven more tombs onto the floor to bring more trash adds to the fight. ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off. Finish your spell. You can¡¯t do anything if you don¡¯t say it all, right?¡± Cassiel asks, looking back at Azalabulia with a knowing smile. Azalabulia originally thought that Cassiel didn¡¯t like her because of how cold she seemed to her, but it is now that she realizes something. The graceful way that Cassiel fights, the sort of flashy acrobatics she practices during combat, that glowing blade and overall paladin-esque appearance of her¡­ Cassiel is a fellow compatriot of roleplaying. Not wanting to be outdone, Azalabulia returns to chanting her spell. Only a few lines of overly-dramatic phrases later and the head of a dragon composed entirely out of red and black flames appears above her. Book 3: Chapter 55: Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew Rather than worry about the rest of the players, the boss notices the one preparing a spell against him and sends all of his remaining tentacles toward her! Two of the tentacles grab as many coffins as they can to toss directly at her as well, the bodies within already reanimated and ready to attack as soon as they are free. Cassiel cuts away several of the tentacles. Fenrir tackles one of the coffins out of the air, and Oleander uses magically-enhanced vines to grab the remaining coffins before they have a chance to hit Azalabulia. None of them know for sure what¡¯s going to happen when Azalabulia is done chanting her spell. But, with how awesome and huge that fiery, draconic head above her is starting to look, they¡¯re sure it¡¯s going to be good. Smoke drifts out from the dragon¡¯s mouth as it opens its maw to roar at the boss. The scleras of its eyes are pitch black with red irises and raging flames as pupils. ¡°Heed your master¡¯s call, Bahamut! Wrap mine enemies in your accursed flame; rend apart reality itself with diabolic energies!¡± Azalabulia shouts, her voice growing louder and more maniacal with every line of her chant. Meanwhile, standing at the back of the room doing absolutely nothing is Rao. ¡°Damn. She makes me want to cringe, but this is kind of cool. I can see why people do the whole roleplaying thing now,¡± he says, arms crossed over his chest and nodding in approval. ¡°Let this be my final act of life! Let this be your final strike of battle! Bahamut, let us merge our souls and show the world that there are none whom could ever stand before us and live to speak of it! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Final Attack: Exodus of Reality, the Purging of Life. Fire!¡± The draconic head that was floating above her has turned into a mighty, flaming dragon staying afloat in the air with its wings. Most of its body is composed of black flames while the fires that come off of it are red and scorch whatever their embers land on. Knowing its time is limited, the boss frantically tries to escape up the wall toward the entrance it came from, but Rock and Shogun holding onto its tentacles refuse to let it go ¨C they refuse to lose the game of tug of war. Azalabulia¡¯s dragon spreads its wings and opens its maw. A core of fire and energy forms in front of its mouth that grows larger and more violent by the second until it explodes with a horrifying fury, hundreds of brilliant rays shooting out from it all over the room and exploding wherever they impact. The boss cries out in fear and agony, but it just sounds like guttural gurgling as explosive rays of fiery magic detonate all over its body. A veil of smoke hides the monster, but it proves that it¡¯s still alive by shooting two more tentacles out through the smoke toward Azalabulia. Unfortunately for the monster, her attack isn¡¯t over yet. With a ferocious roar, the dragon flies through the smoke, crashes into the boss, and explodes. The explosion¡¯s shockwave is enough to knock everybody in the room down except for Azalabulia whom was expecting it and has braced for it. Fenrir looks around to check on everybody. Everybody looks alright, and Rock is dragging a limp tentacle away from the smoke. She won her game of tug of war. The smoke dissipates and gives view to the remains of the boss. Purple goo, scorched tentacles, and a body blasted into several chunks is all that is left of it. Everybody looks over at Azalabulia with impressed eyes. Azalabulia stands there with a smug smile as she twirls her staff around before securing it on her back. Unfortunately, her cool victory pose is ruined when she misses the holder for her staff and instead drops it onto the ground. That doesn¡¯t stop her from her confidently crossing her arms over her chest and pretending that didn¡¯t just happen, though. ¡°Hey, bro, why do you look so disappointed?¡± Rao asks Oleander. ¡°This¡­ this total nerd¡¯s magic is so much better than mine. Should¡­ should I start saying cheesy things before my spells?¡± Oleander asks, his ego completely deflated for once. Rock picks up on Oleander¡¯s self-disappointment, drags her won tentacle over to him and drops it on his feet before looking up at him and barking. Shogun does the same with the tentacle that he got, dropping it onto Rao¡¯s feet. ¡°Dude, what am I supposed to do with this?¡± Rao asks Shogun. ¡°Thanks, Rock,¡± Oleander says, petting Rock¡¯s head. Shogun, annoyed by his master¡¯s response, sits in front of Oleander instead to get pets from him with Rock. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll admit that was awesome and worth you taking like an entire minute to chant it,¡± Fenrir says to Azalabulia. ¡°Heh. You have now witnessed my true power! You should consider yourself lucky for surviving that, mortal. Had I used my ultimate power, you would have been blasted away alongside all other life within this continent! My true ultimate unlocked power could even destroy this entire star,¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°Sure, sure. I wonder if we¡¯ve got any loot now,¡± Fenrir says, turning his back to her to look over the boss¡¯s remains. ¡°There¡¯s a chest over here,¡± Cassiel says, pointing at a new hole in the wall. The party walks over to investigate it. With tentacles and skulls all over the chest, Fenrir opens its lid and gets met with¡­ a conflicting sight. Sure, it looks like epic loot worthy of being the reward for killing a dungeon¡¯s final boss, but it¡¯s just¡­ weird looking as well. One of the items is a tome with a skull on it and tentacles slithering out from its pages. Another item is what looks like a robe with skulls on its shoulders and dozens of eyes sewn into the sleeves similar to how the boss had eyes all over its body. There is also what looks to be some crafting materials based off of the boss and the dungeon¡¯s inhabitants, and then a single tentacle with an eyeball at the base of it that is wiggling around and looking up at the party. ¡°Wow, a mini. These are pretty rare,¡± Cassiel says, looking down at the wiggling tentacle. ¡°A mini?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Pets that follow you around, but they¡¯re purely cosmetic. They also stay with you even if you die or get reset. There¡¯s a low chance of getting them from bosses, and some can be crafted,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°It¡¯s so cute!¡± Azalabulia says, borderline squealing as she picks the miniature tentacle up and cuddles it against her face. ¡°Don¡¯t you start thinking anything weird,¡± Cassiel whispers to Fenrir when she sees him watching her nuzzle the tentacle. ¡°But I don¡¯t have anywhere to put you, and I don¡¯t want you accidentally getting stepped on¡­ aha! I know!¡± Azalabulia says, sticking the miniature tentacle down into her cleavage with only the tip of it poking out. ¡°Don¡¯t you think anything weird,¡± Fenrir whispers back to Cassiel. ¡°I¡¯ll also take this,¡± Azalabulia says, picking up the tome and strapping it to her side. ¡°I¡¯ll take this then,¡± Oleander says and grabs the robe, slipping it on over his current garb. It shrinks in size to fit his body as soon as it¡¯s on. ¡°Hey, Rao, you like crafting and all that, right?¡± Fenrir asks Rao. ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Do you think it¡¯d be possible to build a tentacle into my fishing rod?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, bro. You¡¯d just have to find somebody good enough to do it.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll take this then,¡± Fenrir says, picking up a curled-up, lifeless tentacle and sticking it inside of his bag. ¡°I¡¯ll grab the rest then.¡± ¡°How¡¯re you going to carry it?¡± Rao smirks. ¡°I¡¯ve got some tricks up my sleeves, too! Just you watch, bro.¡± He places his hands on the chest and says, ¡°Portable mode.¡± The chest shrinks down to the size of a peanut, allowing Rao to pick it up with ease and place it inside of one of his pockets. Everybody but Azalabulia looks at him. She¡¯s too busy playing with the tip of the tentacle wiggling around at the top of her cleavage. ¡°You¡­ can do that?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yeah! Building places on my own is difficult, so I had this one dude teach me how to easily move materials by myself. He taught me how to shrink chests and other containers, so anything that I can put inside of a chest, I can move it around by shrinking the chest which shrinks the stuff inside until I make the chest big again. Makes it super easy to move lots of materials at once,¡± Rao explains. Oleander pulls on Fenrir¡¯s vest to lean up and whisper into his ear, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think this guy might be pretty useful.¡± Book 3: Chapter 56: Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew ¡°Thanks for helping us out with that fight. Good luck with whatever it is you plan on doing,¡± Fenrir tells Azalabulia now that all of the loot has been distributed and since there is nothing else down here for them. The tunnel they came from has been opened back up, so now there is nothing preventing them from leaving. ¡°Wa-wait, you mean that you are not going to beg me to join you now that you have seen my awesome powers?¡± Azalabulia asks before realizing how pathetic she sounds and getting back into character. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ heh, I guess you must be pretty scared of me to not be begging for me to join you, fufu.¡± ¡°Fufu?¡± Oleander asks, mimicking her attempt at unique laughter. ¡°Y-yeah. You know, like, ¡®fufu, ya scared?¡¯¡± ¡°Hey, Rao, you should teach me how to do that shrinking thing,¡± Oleander says, changing the subject away from Azalabulia. While those two walk off together, Rock and Shogun following behind them, Cassiel and Fenrir say their goodbyes to Azalabulia. Or rather, they try to. Every time they turn away to leave, Azalabulia comes up with something else to say as if trying her hardest to convince them to take her with them. ¡°I ¨C I can use awesome magic!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°I¡¯m worried you¡¯d blow up our ship on accident,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡­ I can help clean!¡± ¡°Corwin already does that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Why ¨C why won¡¯t you take me with you? Come on! I would be a great party member to have!¡± Azalabulia pleads. ¡°Why are you so desperate to come with us?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°W-well¡­ you all seem nice and¡­ everybody else I¡¯ve tried partying up with would either make me do all the work and expect to get carried through everything or they umm¡­ couldn¡¯t¡­ couldn¡¯thandlemyroleplaying,¡± she explains in a quick, hushed voice. ¡°Ba-basically, they just didn¡¯t understand me and my needs!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re what you¡¯re looking for. Most of the time we spend in-game is just spent chilling around or fishing. At least, I try to make most of it fishing.¡± ¡°That does sound boring, but ¨C but I still want to come along! The¡­ the Cursed Flame of Bahamut has chosen you all as worthy companions of mine!¡± ¡°We already got one new crewmember today ¨C two if you want to count the fox thing, and we were short on hammocks to sleep on before him,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°That¡¯s fine! I can sleep on the floor! Just let me come with you!¡± Fenrir and Cassiel huddle together to discuss the strange woman. ¡°She really wants to come with us,¡± Fenrir whispers. ¡°Yeah¡­ she¡¯s kind of suspicious, but I think she¡¯s harmless. Probably just desperate and really wants people to play with. I¡¯ve met people like her a bunch of times before,¡± Cassiel whispers back. ¡°Same. She seems like the type where once she finds people she actually clicks with, she wants to cling to them. Do you think she¡¯d get along with everybody?¡± ¡°She probably would. Wait, you let that new guy join us after he was begging you, so how come you haven¡¯t given in with her already?¡± ¡°Well, because. Rao is a guy, and I¡¯m not into dicks, so I wouldn¡¯t feel guilty about giving in to some random guy begging to join. Plus I felt bad for him and somebody needs to teach him how to be normal. This girl ¨C I mean, she¡¯s just a roleplayer. Doesn¡¯t seem weird outside of that, and I¡¯d be worried about what you, Serra, and Nell would think if I just accept a new girl coming aboard so easily.¡± Cassiel takes a peek up at Azalabulia¡¯s teary eyes. With a sigh, Cassiel whispers, ¡°I think we should let her come with us.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure, alright. Just don¡¯t get jealous or anything because another girl is around.¡± ¡°I¡­ I said I was going to stop being like that, you bas¡ª¡­hmph.¡± Fenrir gives Cassiel a quick kiss before pulling away from her. ¡°Alright, you can party up with us,¡± he says to Azalabulia. ¡°Please! I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll do anything you need me to! I¡¯m so bored of playing alone!¡± Azalabulia cries. ¡°I said you could join.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll even teach you some of my awesome unique spells!¡± ¡°Hellloooo?¡± ¡°I-i-if it absolutely comes down to it¡­ th-then¡­ my ¨C my ¨C my body¡­¡± Azalabulia looks up and sees both Fenrir and Cassiel walking away from her. ¡°Wait!¡± she shouts. ¡°Are you paying attention now?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°We said you can join us.¡± ¡°Really? You mean it?¡± Azalabulia asks, her eyes wide and looking like she¡¯s about to cry from joy. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Yes! I ¨C I mean¡­ heh, I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to resist fighting alongside my dark power. Together, wolf, we shall drown this world in the darkness of my accursed flames!¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re just going to go sailing and fishing and stuff for the most part.¡± ¡°Then I shall turn the oceans we sail upon into oceans of flames! We shall replace the water with lava and catch only the greatest, most powerful of hellish fish!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to catch The Shoebill on fire. You¡¯re out of here if you do.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! Promise! No setting shoebills on fire! By the way, what¡¯s a shoebill?¡± ¡°Extinct birds. Used to be really cool. Our boat is named after them. So, as long as you don¡¯t set our boat on fire, I¡¯ll be happy and we won¡¯t throw you overboard.¡± ¡°Deal! Deal, deal, deal! What¡¯s my bedroom going to be like?¡± Fenrir and Cassiel look at each other and sigh. ¡°Were you listening to anything we were saying earlier?¡± Cassiel asks. Azalabulia touches her lip and tilts her head. Despite Azalabulia looking older ¨C more mature than them both, they each feel as if they are far more mature than she is. In fact, both of them are somewhat confused by how her personality so strongly contradicts her appearance. She looks like a cool and mature, somewhat sexual, moderately edgy woman. Instead, she acts like a kid whenever she¡¯s not chanting spells, and even her spell chants are childish. ¡°O-oh¡­ yeah, I ¨C I might recall saying I would sleep on the floor,¡± Azalabulia says, tapping her fingers together as the three walk through the tunnel to catch up with the other four. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel bad for Olly,¡± Cassiel says to Fenrir. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°First Nyaiko, then Rao, now her. All in one day.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll grow on him. He¡¯s always been kind of iffy about adding new people to our groups, but as soon as he gets to know them, he¡¯ll treat them like he¡¯s known them for years. I mean, he¡¯s already starting to get along with Rao better despite Rao probably getting the farthest on his bad side.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe he did that.¡± ¡°Did what? Who did something?¡± Azalabulia butts in. ¡°That guy with the red hair, Rao, peeked under my friend¡¯s tunic to figure out if he¡¯s a guy or girl,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Who? The girl with the antlers?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Oleander. A boy. Not a girl.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ heh, I knew that. I was just testing you! For example, what gender do you believe I am?¡± Fenrir looks at her abundant chest for a couple of seconds and shrugs. ¡°No idea. You look like you could go either way.¡± ¡°Wa-wait! Seriously? I ¨C I don¡¯t look like a girl?¡± Cassiel elbows Fenrir in the side. ¡°Alright, alright. Yes, you look like a girl. It¡¯d be impossible for you to not look like a girl when you¡¯ve got all that on display,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°All what on display?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°He¡¯s talking about your boobs,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Ah¡­ I ¨C I knew that. I can cover up more now that I¡¯ve got a party!¡± ¡°You¡¯re only this revealing because you wanted to find a party?¡± ¡°I ¨C I was told by the guy who made these clothes that it would work to make new friends.¡± ¡°To be fair, it¡¯d work against Cassiel,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You bas¡ª¡­ I¡¯m not some boob addict!¡± Cassiel shouts. Fenrir leans closer to her and whispers, ¡°I¡¯m addicted to yours.¡± His teasing whisper makes her really happy as evidenced by her wide smile, but those words are also extremely embarrassing and makes her elbow him again. The group of seven reaches the surface and gets some fresh air. ¡°Good, that foul beast is gone!¡± Azalabulia says after taking a cautious look around. ¡°You mean the giant gorilla minotaur thing?¡± Fenrir asks. She nods her head. ¡°He is the one who chased me and made me hide down there.¡± ¡°I thought you said you were drawn by dark powers wanting to challenge you or something like that?¡± ¡°So¡­ that oversized monkey came after us because it was waiting for you to come out of the tunnels?¡± Cassiel asks Azalabulia. Azalabulia looks away from them and tries to whistle just like Cassiel was earlier, but manages to be even worse at whistling than her. Book 3: Chapter 57: Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew Having made it back to the beach where The Shoebill is, Fenrir discovers that the serpent has already made its way back into the water and Azalabulia goes wide-eyed at the sight of the slain boss lying face-down in the water. ¡°You really did kill him! I ¨C heh, I could have done that,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks her. Azalabulia ignores his question and looks around. ¡°Did you already get the loot from him?¡± she asks. ¡°Now that you mention it, I don¡¯t think there was any,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Did any of you see anything?¡± ¡°Nothing that I noticed,¡± Cassiel answers while Rao and Oleander shake their heads. ¡°We can try rolling him over. If there¡¯s a chest, it probably spawned underneath him.¡± ¡°Why would it be underneath him?¡± ¡°Immersion. It¡¯s less unrealistic than it just appearing out of thin air on top of him or next to him.¡± ¡°How are we supposed to roll him over?¡± ¡°We could use your serpent friend, Fenny,¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°I don¡¯t even see her around. She¡¯s probably off hunting for more rowboats,¡± Fenrir says, imagining the serpent stalking rowboats from the depth, waiting until they are close to reaching the shore, and then devouring them whole. Wait, doesn¡¯t that make her a troll? When Fenrir recalls all the memories she showed him of attacking rowboats¡­ yeah, that serpent is probably the largest troll that he¡¯s met in Fantasy Tales Online thus far, and she¡¯s just an artificial intelligence rather than being run by a player! Though, when he thinks about just how mad everybody has probably gotten from being randomly devoured by a giant serpent, that makes him smile. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Because I¡¯m a bad person. Anyways, Azz, that¡¯s our boat over there,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at The Shoebill. ¡°Azz?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°I ¨C my name is ¨C my name is Azalabulia!¡± ¡°And now it¡¯s Azz for short unless you¡¯ve got another nickname you¡¯d like us to use instead.¡± ¡°If you wish to use a nickname then you may call me Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, the One who will Set the World Abla¡ª¡± ¡°Got it, Azz.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just calling me that because you think my butt is big, aren¡¯t you?!¡± she shouts, reaching behind herself as if trying to cover up her rear with her hands, but she has a point. She does have a pretty large butt. Fenrir, Cassiel, Rao, and Oleander all look back at her rear now that she has pointed it out while Rock barks at Shogun whom is splashing around in the water. Rock still refuses to actually go in the water, so she¡¯s worried about Shogun¡¯s safety since the water reaches up to his ankles! Rao opens his mouth as if to make a comment on Azz¡¯s ass but, when he remembers what Fenrir has told him about being nice and respectful, he closes his mouth no matter how tempting it may be to remark on just how big Azalabulia¡¯s butt is. Even Cassiel is thinking it. ¡°Why¡¯d you make it so big if you¡¯re insecure about it?¡± Oleander asks. Cassiel and Fenrir look away while Rao looks at Oleander. Rao doesn¡¯t understand how Oleander could just go and ask that after everything he was saying earlier about being normal, respectful, and all that other stuff. There is much to learn for Rao, apparently. At least now he understands that it¡¯s alright to make comments on girls¡¯ butts, even if he hardly knows them. Fenrir notices Rao¡¯s look of realization and hopes that there aren¡¯t any weird thoughts in his head. Sure, Oleander might have been scolding Rao earlier, but that was rare and basing one¡¯s moral compass off of Oleander is not a good idea. ¡°Be-because! My virtual assistant said to!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Why would your assistant say something like that?¡± Oleander asks with a tilted head. ¡°Be-because she said it¡¯d make me more attractive!¡± Cassiel covers her face with one of her hands while Fenrir tries not to laugh. Meanwhile, Oleander has already figured out what sort of girl Azalabulia is. She¡¯s mature in appearance and clearly dressed the way she is because she wants attention, acts younger than she looks ¨C childish, and is worried about how she looks despite purposely looking this way because she wants to be attractive. ¡°Hey, Azz, how many cats do you have?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°E-eh? How did you know I have cats? I have two of them,¡± Azalabulia answers. Not as many that Oleander thought she would have, but that¡¯s still more evidence to add to his theory. She¡¯s a lonely, older, self-conscious woman trying to act young and look hot. ¡°Cats?¡± Cassiel asks. Azalabulia nods her head. ¡°They¡¯re named Fluffle and Puffle!¡± she answers. While Cassiel nods her head and wants to hear more about Fluffle and Puffle, the rest of those within hearing range try to resist either laughing or cringing at those names. Then again, when Fenrir remembers that he¡¯s named Rock what she¡¯s named, he really can¡¯t judge Azalabulia for her cats¡¯ names. ¡°How old are you?¡± Oleander asks Azalabulia, wanting to confirm his theory. Azalabulia straightens up and looks shocked that he¡¯d even think about asking that¡­ which just proves his theory, and she knows exactly what he¡¯s thinking going off of the knowing smile he¡¯s looking at her with. ¡°I¡¯m not old!¡± Azalabulia shouts. ¡°Who said anything about you being old?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I¡¯m just curious how old you are.¡± Fenrir and Cassiel pick up on what Oleander is after now which makes them feel bad for the totally-not-old Azalabulia. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ my age ends with a six!¡± Azalabulia declares, assuming that they¡¯ll automatically think she¡¯s sixteen. ¡°So, six years old? Aren¡¯t you way too young to be playing this?¡± Oleander asks in an extra playful tone, swaying from side to side as he talks and questions her. She¡¯s a fun target. Azalabula pouts and stomps her feet, just like a six-year-old, and shouts, ¡°I¡¯m not six!¡± ¡°Oohh, sorry. So, you¡¯re forty-six?¡± The color drains out of Azalabulia¡¯s face as she stumbles backward. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not that old!¡± she shouts once more, but this time with one hundred percent more tears. ¡°Thirty-six?¡± As Azalabulia¡¯s tearing-up percentage increases by another one hundred, she shakes her head and stomps her feet in place. ¡°Twenty-six?¡± She freezes. Oleander smirks and says, ¡°So, you¡¯re twenty-si¡ª¡± ¡°I could be sixteen! You ¨C you never know!¡± Azalabulia shouts. How could her plan have backfired so horribly?! ¡°Are you forgetting you¡¯re not allowed to play this game unless you¡¯re at least eighteen?¡± The color even drains from Azalabulia¡¯s eyes now. She realizes that her plan was doomed from the beginning. This is the end for her. ¡°Olly, stop bullying her,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°And you,¡± she looks at Azalabulia, ¡°twenty-six isn¡¯t even old. You¡¯re only a few years older than us.¡± ¡°I ¨C I knew it¡­ I¡¯m older than all of you, aren¡¯t I?¡± Azalabulia asks with a deflated tone. ¡°Only by a few years.¡± ¡°Seriously though,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°there¡¯s nothing wrong with being old. I mean, I¡¯ve played with people anywhere from twelve to fifty-five. I¡¯ve even had some women in my groups before that were in their forties, so twenty-six really isn¡¯t a big deal. You¡¯re still young.¡± Color starts returning to Azalabulia¡¯s eyes and skin. ¡°You ¨C you think I¡¯m young?¡± she asks. Oleander, who has snuck up next to Rao, leans up to Rao¡¯s ear and whispers, ¡°This is when you need to start taking notes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re young. You are young,¡± Fenrir reaffirms. ¡°R-really?¡± Azalabulia asks, all of her chuuni defenses gone as her insecure, Christmas Cake personality reveals itself. ¡°Besides, even if you are a few years older than us, that just makes you more experienced in reality and means that you were born a couple of years before us. No big deal. Hell, you could pass for looking even younger with your avatar, but it¡¯s pretty obvious there¡¯s something just mature about you which is good and attractive in its own right.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re calling me attractive?¡± Fenrir looks at Cassiel. She¡¯s sighing and nodding her head, already knowing what¡¯s going to come out of this conversation. Looking back at Azalabulia, Fenrir nods and says, ¡°Yeah, the whole mature thing you¡¯ve got going on is hot. I bet Cass Cass agrees with me.¡± He nudges Cassiel. Azalabulia looks at Cassiel with hopeful eyes. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. Your personality is cool when you¡¯re roleplaying, but the mature look and feeling I get from you is nice,¡± Cassiel says, shrugging her shoulders. Azalabulia looks even more excited now. ¡°You ¨C you think my persona is cool? Really? Seriously? You really think that? Really, really?¡± she asks. Fenrir realizes something. There have been numerous times since they first started playing that Cassiel was very¡­ either intense or excitable. She takes the game seriously, loves to be flashy yet graceful during combat, has moments of nerding out about gaming, was fangirling and knew everything about Rachel back when they first saw her back in Port Tugator, now she thinks that Azalabulia¡¯s chuuni roleplaying is cool¡­ it all makes sense. ¡°Cass, you want to roleplay like her, don¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks. Now, it is Cassiel that color is draining from. Book 3: Chapter 58: Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew ¡°Do you think Shogun could carry Rock back to The Shoebill?¡± Fenrir asks Rao. Rao looks at Rock and Shogun. ¡°Maybe. Yo, Shogun, you think you can carry your girl there?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Please don¡¯t call Rock his girl,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Listen, this ain¡¯t easy on me either. My bro betrayed me and got a girl before me.¡± While those two talk, Shogun lies down and lets Rock climb on top of him so that she can lie down on his back, her legs hanging off of his sides. Shogun stands up and looks at Fenrir and Rao. ¡°Damn, he¡¯s strong. Looks like he¡¯s not even trying,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Guess it makes sense if he has to carry you around all the time when flying,¡± he tells Rao. ¡°Bro, did you just call me fat?¡± Rao asks. ¡°No, but look at yourself. You don¡¯t exactly look light. You¡¯re tall and built. There¡¯s gonna be some weight on you.¡± ¡°Fair, bro. Fair.¡± With a bit of a running start, Shogun takes off into the air with Rock aboard his back and flies over to The Shoebill. Then he comes back over for Cassiel and Azalabulia, both of whom are extremely excited to get to ride on a flying fox. Then there¡¯s Oleander who basically can¡¯t resist cuddling with Shogun¡¯s fur while being taken over to The Shoebill on top of Shogun. Finally, Shogun comes back for Fenrir and Rao. ¡°A flying fox is really convenient,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But, I¡¯m just going to jump into the water and swim over. I want to clean off and get all of this stuff out of my hair before I get back on the ship. I doubt my girlfriends would want me dirtying the place up. Tabs would also kill me.¡± ¡°Fair enough, bro. I¡¯ll see you over there then,¡± Rao says, walking up to Shogun. Shogun turns his snout up at Rao, lifts off into the air, and returns to The Shoebill without him. ¡°Wai-wait. What? Bro? Bro! Come on!¡± Rao shouts. Shogun looks back at him, doesn¡¯t even consider taking his own master, and goes back to The Shoebill to spend some more time with Rock. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s punishing you for not doing anything during the dungeon?¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°It¡­ wouldn¡¯t be the first time he¡¯s done something like that, but damn dude, like, it just feels cold to do me dirty like this,¡± Rao says. ¡°Guess you¡¯ll have to swim. Hey, how¡¯d you even find Shogun anyways?¡± ¡°Uhh, it was more like he found me.¡± ¡°Sounds like a story there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really anything special. I mean like, I was just minding my own business screwing around by some mountains, and then I got attacked by these like fire-breathing wolf things, then Shogun came in and destroyed a couple of them which scared the rest off, and then he¡¯s just kind of been staying around me ever since.¡± ¡°So, basically, Shogun saved you and then adopted you?¡± Rao shrugs. ¡°I guess it¡¯s kind of like that, bro.¡± ¡°Well, can¡¯t say that it¡¯s not the same for me. Rock saved my life as well.¡± ¡°So, she just like, randomly came up to you and saved you?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Cass Cass ambushed me and stabbed me in the back, almost killed me, and then my favorite rock turned into Rock and tried defending me.¡± Rao rubs the back of his head. ¡°What do you mean your favorite rock?¡± he asks. ¡°When I first started playing, I had this rock which I kept on using for everything, and I got kind of attached to it, and then I guess my feelings helped turn it into an actual animal.¡± ¡°Wait, bro,¡± Rao says, his eyes lit up. ¡°Doesn¡¯t¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s possible for me to like, find something I really like, get attached to it, and then hope it turns into a girl?¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I guess it¡¯s possible in this game. If a rock can turn into a dog then I don¡¯t see why something couldn¡¯t turn into a girl. Like, maybe Rod here could do that,¡± Fenrir says, looking down at Rod whom is tucked into his belt. Rod pulses twice. ¡°Alright, maybe not Rod, but something else might be able to,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I think I know what I need to do, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°What would that be? Other than swim back to the boat?¡± ¡°Get myself a harem of things that have turned into girls.¡± ¡°If you can pull that off, then ¨C well, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d respect that or be disappointed.¡± ¡°Why would you be disappointed anyways, bro?¡± ¡°Maybe you should start with learning how to talk to real girls first before you get a harem of artificially intelligent ones.¡± ¡°Nah bro, I¡¯ve got this.¡± ¡°If you say so. Come on, let¡¯s get back to The Shoebill already.¡± With that, Fenrir takes the lead by running into the water and diving in as soon as it¡¯s deep enough. Then he remembers when Cassiel said about a chest potentially spawning underneath the boss monster¡¯s corpse. He swims over to where the monster¡¯s corpse is lying and looks around. He doesn¡¯t see anything around the corpse, but he hasn¡¯t tried looking underneath it yet. Fortunately, thanks to the explosive bolts and the serpent¡¯s final attack basically destroying the monster¡¯s chest, there¡¯s some space underneath the boss to swim without being squeezed between his corpse and the sand. That doesn¡¯t make it any less gross, though. Fenrir swims into the small gap between the monster¡¯s body and the sand. Surely enough, as if the chest was hidden inside of the monster¡¯s chest and has since fallen out, there is a large, golden chest sitting there. Hopefully, it¡¯s not a mimic like the last underwater chest he saw. Fenrir swims back to Rao, whom has yet to get into the water, and reports on what he found. ¡°Think you could shrink it down?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, I can, but¡­ swimming under a dead body sounds gross,¡± Rao says. ¡°It is. Come on.¡± ¡°B-but I just said it sounds gross. Dude, I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± ¡°What if a girl wanted you to do it? What if a girl said that she¡¯d marry you and do whatever you want if you¡¯d do it?¡± Rao jumps into the water. The two swim over to where the chest was. Rao, as grossed out as he may be, for some reason has it in his head that he¡¯s going to get a harem of beautiful women if he does this. That is the only reason why he is capable of diving underneath the monster, placing his hands to the chest, and shrinking it to tuck it away into one of his pockets before returning to the surface and swimming over to The Shoebill. ¡°I feel kind of bad for taking advantage of him like that, but he¡¯s just too easy to manipulate,¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°That¡¯s not nice, onii-chan. By the way! You¡¯ve got a pretty important text message from your landlord,¡± Saya says back to him. ¡°Great. Not looking forward to what that might be about. Also¡­ how can you read my text messages?¡± ¡°Well, onii-chan! I¡¯m part you, and I¡¯m connected to the internet, and you agreed to syncing me with your email and phone and stuff back when you accepted the terms of service without really reading it, so that¡¯s how! But, don¡¯t worry, onii-chan. I know it might be creepy sounding that I have access to everything in your phone, all of your email and social media accounts, and even any appliances in your apartment connected to the internet, but that¡¯s just so I can be helpful! Nothing is going out to anywhere shady. Promise!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the shady one.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not shady! I¡¯m just your cute little kinda tsundere sister!¡± ¡°I just thought of a random question.¡± ¡°I know, onii-chan, and I¡¯m already judging you for it. Like, really judging you for it.¡± ¡°¡­would it be possible for players to have sex with their virtual assistants?¡± Saya lets out a long, loud groan. ¡°Yes, onii-hentai.¡± ¡°Anyways, thanks for letting me know about the landlord. I should probably go check on ¨C wait, can you tell me what the text is about?¡± ¡°Oh, umm, you¡¯re basically just in trouble for causing a disturbance. Your neighbors are complaining about you, and your landlord wants to know why it seems like there are four new girls living in there when it¡¯s only meant for one person, and you¡¯re the only one on the lease.¡± ¡°Shit. That does sound pretty serious.¡± ¡°Which is why you should totally go deal with it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°But video games.¡± Saya sighs again. ¡°You better reply to your landlord before the end of the day. I¡¯ll remind you before you wake.¡± ¡°Thanks, Saya. You¡¯re the best little sister ever.¡± ¡°Ba-baka onii-chan.¡± ¡°Point proven.¡± While Rao takes the chest back to The Shoebill where a rope hanging overboard helps him climb aboard, Fenrir takes his time in the water to make sure that he gets all of the blood, guts, and anything else gross out of his hair. He even spots the serpent swimming around in the distance as if looking for more rowboats to feast on. No, she¡¯s not looking for a rowboat. She has something else that she¡¯s hungry for. Looking down at the reef that he was swimming around with Nell, that mimic from before is still down there waiting for more tasty snacks to bump into it. The serpent pokes the chest with her tail, causing its mouth to open, and then eats it as soon as she confirms that it¡¯s alive. Serpent: one. Mimic: zero. Book 3: Chapter 59: Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew Fenrir finally makes it back onto the deck of The Shoebill. His ears twitch a few times. Oleander and Cassiel know what is about to happen. Well, everybody except for Azalabulia, Rao, and Nyaiko know what is about to happen. That is why those three end up being the ones that everybody hides behind ¨C everybody but Serra. Serra just doesn¡¯t care. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Rao asks. Fenrir shakes his body and hair! His hair and tail send water flying off of him in every direction, getting all over anybody not hiding from him. Serra, after getting soaked from Fenrir, runs up to Cassiel and tightly wraps her arms around her! ¡°H-hey! What do you ¨C what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cassiel asks Serra. Rather than get an answer, Serra squeezes Cassiel¡¯s sides which gets her signature squeak out of her and turns her cheeks red. Fenrir looks over at Serra, wanting to tell her not to do that after recalling her earlier conversation with Cassiel, but Cassiel looks him in the eyes and shakes her head. He always enjoyed poking her sides and listening to her squeak. Yet, when he actually pays attention to her face after she¡¯s been poked, he sees just how truly embarrassed she looks. It really makes him want to get Serra off of her. He knows that Serra doesn¡¯t know any better. If she knew what he knows now, she wouldn¡¯t be doing it. But, he understands why Cassiel wouldn¡¯t want to bring it up right now. It would just be embarrassing and awkward to address it while in front of everybody. Fenrir sighs and nods to Cassiel. Cassiel gives him a look of appreciation while trying to pry Serra off of her. ¡°Nya smell like a wet dog-nya,¡± Nyaiko says, turning her nose up at Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re complaining,¡± Fenrir says. With how obsessive she¡¯s been regarding him, just smelling wet doesn¡¯t seem like something he would think would scare her away. ¡°Not to interrupt, my hero, but it would appear that we have a guest!¡± Nell says, looking at Azalabulia. Azalabulia strikes a pose with one of her hands in front of her face and the other sticking out with dark flames in it. ¡°I am the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia! I have come to lead you all to victory after the wolf begged me for guidance! Together, we shall blanket this world with cursed flames, I shall become the demon queen and rule over all, and you shall all be my faithful servants ¨C my generals! Together, we shall¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, her name is Azalabulia. We helped her in this dungeon we found, then she begged to join, so I let her come aboard,¡± Fenrir says. Azalabulia stares at him with blank eyes and twitching hands, the flame in her one palm sputtering out. ¡°Ah, and she is a roleplayer! How delightful! It will be lovely to have more friends with grand fantasies to talk about,¡± Nell says. Azalabulia regains her composure and looks at Nell. ¡°Heh, so you want to discuss plans to dominate this world with me,¡± she pauses to look Nell over, ¡°serpent?¡± ¡°Ah, well, perhaps nothing that grand. My fantasies are more along the kind that involves being tied up and ravished without end.¡± Azalabulia blinks a few times, blushes, and accepts the challenge. ¡°H-heh, I ¨C I can talk about anything! There is nothing that I cannot handle!¡± ¡°Hey, Nell, watch this,¡± Fenrir says, standing next to Azalabulia and sticking his hand out. ¡°Paw.¡± Azalabulia immediately places one of her hands on top of Fenrir¡¯s while leaning her head ever so slightly forward and wagging her hips. Then she realizes what she¡¯s doing and jumps backward. ¡°You ¨C you have placed a spell on me! How dare you! Do you not understand who you are toying with, foolish mortal?!¡± she shouts. ¡°A puppy, apparently,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Cass Cass looks jealous,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not ¨C not jealous,¡± Cassiel stutters out, earning Fenrir¡¯s attention once more. Now he feels acutely aware of every single time Cassiel is getting pushed. Has it been like this the entire time they¡¯ve known her? Have they always been teasing her about things she¡¯s self-conscious about, taking it too far, without ever realizing it? ¡°You¡¯ve got a crazy harem, bro,¡± Rao says, patting Fenrir on the shoulder. ¡°He really does,¡± Oleander adds on, patting Fenrir on his other shoulder. ¡°And I¡¯m the nyewest member of it-nya!¡± Nyaiko declares. Fenrir picks up on Cassiel¡¯s discomfort once more. ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Fenrir says. His honest, harsh-sounding words cause everybody to pay attention to the now-awkward air aboard The Shoebill. ¡°A-ah¡­ nya-nyahaha¡­I was ¨C I¡­ was just joking, nya,¡± Nyaiko says, her stuttering voice and fidgeting around making the scene even more awkward. ¡°Sorry, Nyaiko. I appreciate your feelings, but you can¡¯t just¡­ come back into my life and expect me to want to marry you after a few days,¡± Fenrir says, looking her in her eyes. He knows that this is awkward for everybody else involved and that it might not be the best time for this, but now that he knows that he hasn¡¯t been doing a good enough job sticking up for Cassiel, he can¡¯t help himself. There¡¯s also the fact that he just can¡¯t return Nyaiko¡¯s feelings. Maybe he could sometime in the future, but at this moment, Nyaiko loves him far more than he likes her. His girlfriends come first. First, Nell has barely gotten to do anything that she really wanted to do with him since they¡¯ve had no privacy despite her flying over to stay with him. Now, he knows just how uncomfortable Cassiel has been lately and still is. All he ever hoped for with reuniting with Nyaiko was to learn how she¡¯s been doing ¨C to know that she¡¯s been alright. She was his friend. Is his friend. Nothing more. ¡°Nya¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m¡ª¡± Nyaiko¡¯s eyes go blank for a few seconds before being filled with the life of the overseer. ¡°Wake me, Saya.¡± Ryouta blinks his eyes open and sees his ceiling fan up above. Serra and Alice are lying on the bed next to him while Cassandra sits in his computer chair, all of them still immersed in-game with their virtual reality headbands on. Only one person is missing: Aiko. Though, it doesn¡¯t take long for him to find her. She¡¯s got an open suitcase and she¡¯s shoving her clothes into it, tears running from her eyes. ¡°Aiko,¡± Ryouta says. Aiko looks up at him and chokes. ¡°You¡¯re different now, Ryouta,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯re a lot cooler and more honest now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for saying all of that in front of everybody. I should have waited until we had some alone time, but I just ¨C I needed to say something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ryouta. I ¨C I know what you mean. And¡­ I know that I¡¯ve been way too obsessive and it¡¯s just¡­ I think I need to go back.¡± ¡°Go back?¡± Aiko sighs and tugs down her pants. Her thighs are covered in scars. Some of the cuts look new as there is dried blood on her skin. ¡°Back to the umm¡­ place I was at before I met Serra. My parents made me go, but I got out. I think ¨C I think I need to stay there more,¡± Aiko explains. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t this really sudden?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°You rejecting me in front of everybody wasn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Aiko shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I knew you weren¡¯t serious about me the way that I think I¡¯m serious about you.¡± ¡°That you think you are?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I ¨C I don¡¯t know if I really love you, or if I just think I love you because I want to use that to feel something. I¡¯m just using you right now, and that¡¯s not fair and it¡¯s not something I think somebody would do if they really loved the person.¡± Ryouta didn¡¯t know that Aiko had this sort of serious side to her. ¡°And I don¡¯t like what I¡¯m doing. I hate myself for doing it,¡± Aiko says. ¡°Doing what?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Competing with your girlfriends for you. I know they¡¯re the ones you¡¯re dating, and I know I shouldn¡¯t be jealous, but I really, really am no matter how hard I try not to be. You probably noticed how upset she looked, right?¡± ¡°Cass?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah. I noticed.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve been aware, and I¡¯ve been enjoying making her feel that way. Even Serra. I don¡¯t even want to share you with Serra. So, I think¡­ I think that even if I did actually date you with them, I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it before doing something bad.¡± ¡°And this is all because I rejected you in front of them?¡± ¡°No, Ryouta. I¡¯ve¡­ been feeling this way ever since I saw you again, but I guess you just made me realize nothing is going to happen. Even if it did, it shouldn¡¯t. And¡­ the more time I spent around you, the more I¡¯ve learned you¡¯re not the Ryouta I knew anymore. You¡¯re different now. I like who you are, but, it¡¯s just¡­ I have to learn to love the new you instead of clinging to the old you.¡± This all feels way too sudden and random for Ryouta, but he knows that he needs to hug Aiko right now. Her face, her tears, her quivering body ¨C she needs a hug. But she refuses to let him hug her when he tries getting close. ¡°Please, don¡¯t. If you do then I might change my mind,¡± Aiko says. ¡°I still want to be friends with you and everybody, but I need help first. I can¡¯t stop being crazy and telling myself I don¡¯t need it when I cut myself almost every single night and only know how to live for others. Seeing you and everybody else¡­ even that annoying perverted guy, you all know how to live your own lives and how to be happy on your own. I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡± Ryouta sighs and sits back down on the foot of his bed. ¡°It¡¯s respectable that you¡¯re doing this. It really is. You should be proud of yourself,¡± he says. ¡°I¡­ I think I am proud of myself, for once.¡± Aiko finishes packing her things. ¡°I¡¯ll be back sometime after I¡¯m done with everything. You guys have got my number in case there¡¯s ever any like super emergency or anything.¡± ¡°Right back at you. Be safe, alright?¡± Ryouta says, unsure of what else to possibly say in such an unexpected situation. ¡°Mhm. Bye bye, Ry-ou-ta.¡± Book 3: Chapter 60: Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew Ryouta still can¡¯t really believe what just happened. After just wanting to comfort Cassandra by making sure that Aiko understands her place, he got out of the game to talk to her, and now she¡¯s gone. She packed up her things, walked out of his apartment, and is now gone. Should he have tried to make her stay? Could they have talked about it some more? Is she overreacting, or is he underreacting? Sitting on his bed, unsure of what to do or even think, he looks over the faces of his immersed girlfriends. None of them have any idea what just happened. All they know is that he awkwardly confronted Aiko in-game, then they both woke from virtual reality, and they have been in-game probably wondering about what¡¯s going on. Going by the fact that none of them have tried waking to check on what has been happening, they must understand that it was a personal and sensitive issue at least. Ryouta feels sick. He can¡¯t shake the thought that he should have done something more ¨C something better to prevent this from happening. But, when he remembers why he did it and what caused it, he can¡¯t truly fault himself. He was just sticking up for Cassandra. A man telling a girl that she¡¯s not his girlfriend, while in front of his real girlfriends, is nothing to feel guilty about. If anything, it is something that he should respect himself for doing. He was just standing up for his real girlfriend instead of playing along with somebody whom was borderline disrespectful of his relationship. Ryouta is left feeling confused. He feels responsible but at the same time¡­ part of him just thinks that she needs some serious help. At least he has her number and can text or call her to check up on her and, hopefully, she¡¯ll still hang out with Serra so that she at least has a friend she can be around. And what was that about the place she said she had to go back to? He assumes that she was talking about some sort of institution for mental health ¨C or rather, he hopes that¡¯s what she was talking about because she seems like she genuinely needs that. Then there were her thighs. Some of those cuts were recent. When did she do that? The only time she¡¯s ever been away from anybody was whenever she was going to the bathroom or taking a shower, so it had to be then unless she did it while everybody was asleep. Were there signs that he wasn¡¯t noticing? Could he have stopped her from doing that? He can¡¯t help but think that there has to be something he could have done differently. Part of him feels like he should have just let her continue acting like he was definitely going to marry her or at least date her, but that wouldn¡¯t have been right by his girlfriends. ¡°I guess there¡¯s really nothing I could have done,¡± Ryouta says to himself, staring up at the spinning ceiling fan. Aiko came back into his life, acted like she was never even gone and has been clinging to him for days, and is now gone just like that. He looks over at his phone. The urge to text or call her right now is very much real. Picking up his phone, he opens it up to check on the message he got from his landlord instead. Yeah, they aren¡¯t happy. Ryouta looks over his girlfriends. They¡¯ve apparently caused several noise complaints and his landlord is saying that only one person is permitted to live there according to the contract. It would probably be fine without Aiko now as most of the noise has been caused by disputes between her and Cassandra, but he doubts that the landlord is going to buy that. He has two options according to his landlord. Move out and pay an extra month¡¯s of rent for breaking the contract early or tell his girlfriends to go home. Serra still has her parents¡¯ house, Cassandra has her own small apartment, and Alice ¨C well, Alice is a guest, so he¡¯s sure that she¡¯ll be fine to stay as long as he explains the situation to his landlord. First Aiko, now his landlord. What¡¯s next? All he wants is to have fun with his girlfriends without all of this drama. Sighing, he lies back down on the bed where he originally was and immerses himself into virtual reality once more. The first person he notices is Azalabulia just sort of awkwardly standing near the front of The Shoebill by herself. Something feels soft. Fenrir looks up. ¡°Welcome back, my hero,¡± Nell says while stroking her fingers through his hair. Fenrir turns his head just enough to see that he¡¯s resting on her lap. He has finally gotten a lap pillow. This may not be the best time to enjoy it, but it does help cheer him up. ¡°Sorry about that. Where¡¯d Nyaiko go?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Serra and Cassiel took her below deck to rest in one of the hammocks. Is everything alright?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Not really.¡± Cassiel and Serra come back above deck since they hear him talking. He¡¯s worried about what they¡¯re going to think. Will they blame him for Aiko leaving? She was more of Serra¡¯s friend at this point anyway, so what¡¯s Serra going to think? ¡°She uhh, left,¡± Fenrir says. Fenrir goes over the conversation that he had with Aiko in real life. Cassiel looks torn between feeling bad and relieved, Nell continues massaging his scalp with her fingers since she wants to make him feel better, and Serra looks like she feels the worst out of all of them. ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra says. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°She told me about those problems before and the place she was staying before we met. I thought she was better now. Am¡­ am I a bad friend?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± he says, meaning it despite not applying the same logic to himself. ¡°I¡¯m realizing lately that I¡¯m not paying enough attention to people beyond the surface. I want to get better at paying attention and picking up on these things,¡± he says, looking up at Cassiel. She¡¯s not the only one who wants to change for the better. ¡°I am sure that she will be alright, my hero. I must admit that she did not seem to be a very healthy individual, but she is aware of her issues and is going to seek help. It is better to admit to oneself and seek help then to be in denial and have help forced upon oneself,¡± Nell says. ¡°Furthermore, neither of you are trained in psychology, so please do not be hard on yourselves for not picking up on her distress. I knew she had her issues, but I did not know they were so negative toward herself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought she was just obsessive and a stalker,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed she was so depressed.¡± ¡°Just feels like I should¡¯ve done something differently,¡± Fenrir says. Cassiel shakes her head. ¡°I¡­ I know you feel bad about her leaving, but¡­ thanks,¡± she says. ¡°I ap-appreciate you for¡­ for standing up and saying that since I ¨C I know you saw me and¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I want to be a great boyfriend for you, and I wouldn¡¯t be a good boyfriend if I didn¡¯t take my relationship with you all seriously.¡± Nell leans over to kiss him while her fingers stroke his ears, causing them to twitch around. ¡°I¡¯m a bad friend,¡± Serra says. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about? No you¡¯re not,¡± Fenrir says. Serra looks away. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be better,¡± she says. ¡°I really want to be.¡± Now Cassiel looks like she¡¯s the one who feels guilty. ¡°Yo, bro, you back?¡± Rao asks. Cassiel glares at him. ¡°I¡¯ll come back later,¡± Rao says, heading back to The Shoebill¡¯s stern. Fenrir sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say this now, but I¡¯ve got bad news about the apartment. I¡¯m in trouble for everybody staying over,¡± he explains. Serra hangs her head even lower despite her being the least at fault regarding noise complaints. ¡°People have been complaining and saying I had a bunch of people move in when I¡¯m technically supposed to be the only one living there, so¡­ either I get kicked out, or you two are going to have to leave,¡± he says, looking at Cassiel and Serra. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. We all sort of basically moved in without saying anything, so we should be the ones apologizing to you for getting you in trouble¡­ sorry,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra says. ¡°I can return home if it would,¡± Nell says and gets interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re a guest, so the landlord should understand you staying for a few months,¡± Fenrir says. Nell still looks like she feels guilty, but then her eyes light up and she gets a wide smile on her face. ¡°I have a splendid idea! Why do we not just find a larger home for ourselves? My family will have no issue affording whichever location we choose, and then we will not have to worry about breaking the rules!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re proposing all of us seriously getting our own place together?¡± Sure, he¡¯s been dating Serra and Cassiel for a few months already, but Nell has only been a member of the relationship for under a month of real time. ¡°I am!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Nell excitedly nods her head. ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­ kind of think that¡¯s moving too fast?¡± ¡°It most certainly is, my hero, but you love me and never plan on doing anything that would make me fall out of love with you, yes?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah.¡± ¡°And I never plan on doing anything that would make you hate me, so that means we shall be happily spending our lives together!¡± ¡°You sound pretty confident about that.¡± ¡°Should I not be, my hero?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give you a reason to say you shouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Then it is settled! We shall find ourselves a new home to happily live in together.¡± Cassiel and Serra both blink a few times at Nell¡¯s words. Neither of them rejects the plan, though. ¡°We¡¯ll think about that later, Nell. Let¡¯s just go through one thing at a time right now. I don¡¯t think my head is in the right place right now to seriously think about that sort of life change,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Very well, my hero. I would need to talk to my father about it beforehand regardless,¡± Nell says. This day has been full of unexpected surprises. First the boss, then the serpent and Rao, then the dungeon and Azalabulia, then Aiko leaving, and now Nell proposing that they seriously buy a home together. To think just half a year ago and he was thinking that he¡¯d never even get a girlfriend and forever be stuck with 2D waifus. ¡°Just know, my hero, that it is one less thing for you to be worried about,¡± Nell says in a soft, almost motherly tone as she brushes his bangs off of his forehead. ¡°Thanks, Nell. By the way, your thighs make a great pillow,¡± Fenrir says, turning his head to place a kiss on her thigh. Book 3: Chapter 61: Patch 11.0: A New Home ¡°I guess I should probably finally tell you all what the plan is,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s pretty selfish that I¡¯ve been keeping it secret, though I think some of you might have an idea already.¡± Everybody currently in-game has been gathered on The Shoebill¡¯s deck. Azalabulia and Rao look the most confused out of everybody. ¡°So, to the east of the empire¡¯s territory is a sort of peninsula which we should find in a few days as long as The Shoebill repairs her mast and Tab¡¯s engine keeps on working. The whole continent it¡¯s attached to is, from what I was told back in the city, covered in extremely tall mountains full of dangerous monsters and world bosses,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°I know where you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s where Livia sends her archangels to train, and where she gets the dragon mounts for her dragon knights,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Yeah, same mountain range, but we¡¯re going to be near the east end of it. On the far side of it, facing toward the ocean where nobody has made it past the serpent, is some prime land.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re talking about what I think you¡¯re talking about, Livia set up some towns there to help exploration efforts into the Eastern ocean, but they called for independence and she couldn¡¯t be bothered with getting them back since they weren¡¯t actually helping at all in the first place.¡± ¡°Yep. Same place. A few towns scattered around there that have declared independence, and according to rumors, they¡¯re all pretty friendly with each other. No fighting, no wars, no trying to screw each other over ¨C just a bunch of players enjoying life away from all the main factions.¡± ¡°Why do you want to go there?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Because it¡¯s boring there.¡± His reason causes the crewmembers to tilt their heads in confusion. ¡°Which makes it the best place to set up a haven for AIs,¡± he continues. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be fun to build our own town over there where we can just do whatever we want? And it¡¯ll be a safe place where all AI-controlled characters are welcome to come and live in peace. Plus, if we ever do want to go and adventure or fight monsters or anything, we¡¯ll be at the base of mountains full of those. We won¡¯t have to worry about the big factions or other wanting to kill us just for existing, it¡¯s kind of secluded, it¡¯s on a coast with an unexplored ocean in front of it and mountains full of adventure and monsters behind it, and there are other, friendly towns nearby that would probably be willing to help us out.¡± Rao points a finger up and looks like a light bulb is shining above his head. ¡°So that¡¯s why you want me! You want me to help you plan and build the place, right, bro?¡± he asks. ¡°Right. Your timing for meeting us was perfect since, between you and Tabs, all of the town¡¯s planning and constructing will be handled.¡± ¡°Fen, it¡¯s more dangerous there than you think,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Tons of sea monsters, and some players have even said that the Eastern serpent has attacked along the coast.¡± ¡°I know, but we¡¯ve got somebody who knows how to befriend serpents,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Nell whom smiles when she realizes what he¡¯s saying. ¡°I will try my best!¡± Nell announces. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m part serpent myself now thanks to her, and we¡¯ve already got a friendly serpent coming along with us. She¡¯ll have plenty of food over there. Just¡­ we won¡¯t be allowed to make any rowboats.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, but seriously, no rowboats.¡± ¡°So, is there anything you want me and Serra to do? What about Azalabulia? Olly?¡± ¡°Well, even if Rao and Tabs can handle all the technical stuff, we¡¯re still going to need people helping out. Plus, you can just do whatever you want there. We can build our own houses, go gathering or exploring ¨C whatever. Think of it as setting up a new base on land for us. The Shoebill here is our base on the sea, and this town will be our base on land. We can even set up some walls with cannons on them for Serra.¡± Serra¡¯s eyes sparkle as she smiles. ¡°Olly, you can set up a gay bar if you want, and Aza, you could¡­ assert your dominance over any lesser beings whom may try to attack us?¡± Fenrir suggests. Both Oleander and Azalabulia approve. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve got it figured out, Fenny,¡± Oleander says. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a while before we get there, so can we please set up a better schedule for steering our girl here? I¡¯m going to throw you overboard if you make me, Cor, and Tabs do all the steering until we get there.¡± ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll help out more. Sorry about making you do most of it on your own for this trip,¡± Fenrir apologizes. ¡°Sorry,¡± Cassiel joins in. ¡°I could have been helping out too, and it¡¯s partly my fault that he¡¯s been too busy to come help.¡± Oleander blinks a few times at Cassiel. ¡°You feeling alright, Cass Cass?¡± he asks her. ¡°You haven¡¯t called Fenny a bastard in like, hours, and you¡¯re¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Cassiel blushes and looks like she¡¯s about to shout at him to tell him to shut up, but she forces herself to behave normally and instead sighs. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Just¡­ making a change.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be your cheerleader, Cass Cass. You can do it!¡± Cassiel really looks like she wants to threaten to kill him for a moment, but after sighing once more, she smiles and even laughs a bit at his silly cheerleading. ¡°I must admit, my hero, I am quite excited. I have only ever heard of the Eastern serpent, and I would love to meet him!¡± Nell says. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with him?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°He¡¯s a him?¡± ¡°Indeed! I have heard that he is a ferocious serpent whom loves to devour any and all wooden vessels that he sees. He does not do so out of defense nor hunger, but instead for fun! A very sadistic and cruel serpent from my understanding.¡± Wait. This sounds familiar. Fenrir is fairly certain that if their own serpent was present and listening in on the conversation she would be whistling and looking away. Well, hopefully, she¡¯ll be able to talk her predecessor out of eating The Shoebill once they get over there. ¡°Should we tell Tabs and Cor next time we see them, or do want to keep it secret from them still?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°We can let them know. I don¡¯t even really know why I was keeping it secret in the first place,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Because you were worried about them getting mad and rejecting your plan like Bonekraka would have, onii-chan,¡± Saya tells him. ¡°Thanks for reminding me that my subconscience is a thing,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°While we sail eastward to develop our new home there, we shall deal with the situation of your home in the real world, my hero!¡± Nell declares, taking Fenrir¡¯s hands into her own. ¡°I just need to discuss the topic with my father first. I may need him to see if there are any castles in your city, or at the very least, locate a mansion for us.¡± ¡°¡­we¡¯re not moving into a castle or a mansion. I don¡¯t think there even are any of those here, definitely not castles. All the mansions are up north where all the rich moved to.¡± ¡°How will we have enough space for all of our future children without a mansion?¡± Aiko may have some problems, Cassiel may be working on her own problems as well, but when it comes to Nell ¨C well, Nell¡¯s speed and fantasies are far too ingrained in her being to change. The look in her eyes tells him that she genuinely does not believe there is anything wrong, even jokingly, regarding what she just said. ¡°Children?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°H-how many do you all want?¡± ¡°Like nine at least,¡± Serra says. Fenrir forgets if that¡¯s the same number she originally told him but, even if it is, it¡¯s high enough to scare him no matter how many times she might state it. ¡°I think I would be fine with five of my own! Three boys and two girls sounds perfect,¡± Nell says. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m¡­ j-just one is¡­ fine, may-maybe two,¡± Cassiel says with a face burning bright red, unable to look at anybody. ¡°Fifty,¡± Oleander says. Fenrir smacks Oleander on the back of his head. ¡°What about you, bro?¡± Rao asks Fenrir. ¡°I don¡¯t think how many I want matters when I¡¯ve got two girlfriends who both want a bunch of kids,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I always pictured myself having three or four kids, though.¡± He looks at the one whom asked the question, Azalabulia, and notices her awkwardly fidgeting around and playing with her fingers. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Three ¨C three or four sounds nice,¡± Azlabulia says. ¡°I have a class of twenty-six, so I know how to handle children.¡± ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re a teacher? What grade?¡± Azalabulia turns red when she realizes that she¡¯s given away some of her identity. But, with a sigh, she answers his question as she¡¯s already let him know her job. ¡°Kindergarten. I¡­ don¡¯t have the license for VR-assisted teaching, so¡­ I work in an old school kindergarten that works directly with the children without any technology between us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty awesome. Do you enjoy it?¡± ¡°I do! The children are wonderfu¡ª¡± Azalabulia looks around. Everybody is looking at her and listening to her every word. Needless to say, she goes off on a tangent about darkness, dragons, and conquering the world. Book 3: Chapter 62: Patch 11.0: A New Home ¡°It might be boring for a while, so until we get there, are you two sure you want to come with us?¡± Fenrir asks Azalabulia and Rao. Rao looks over at Rock and Shogun lying on the deck of The Shoebill together. ¡°I can¡¯t take my bro away from his girl, and being a city¡¯s leading architect sounds like a great way of impressing some cute girls, so I¡¯m all in, bro,¡± he answers. Fenrir still cringes whenever he thinks of Rock being Shogun¡¯s ¡°girl.¡± ¡°We shall build a vile fortress of darkness that¡ª¡± Azalabulia starts to say, but stops when she sees everybody but Cassiel staring at her and waiting for her to get to the point, ¡°¡­yeah, I¡¯ll come.¡± ¡°You sure you wouldn¡¯t rather go around and blow stuff up?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s boring playing alone all the time.¡± ¡°Then there we have it. Two new members of The Soaring Wolves, and we¡¯re sailing east to build a new town and safe haven for artificial intelligences.¡± ¡°Will there be a castle, my hero?¡± Nell asks. ¡°I want big cannons like the pirate place had,¡± Serra requests. ¡°I¡¯m going to build the sweetest bachelor pad ever!¡± Rao adds on. ¡°Can there be a bar full of oiled-up, muscly men?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°There shall be a tower of black and crimson bricks with a floating, burning eye of the dark god above it!¡± Azalabulia announces. Fenrir looks at Cassiel. She¡¯s the only one who hasn¡¯t requested something of her own yet. ¡°I ¨C I just want a house,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Alright. All of that can work except for Azalabulia¡¯s and Serra¡¯s. I think,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And Nell''s since that would probably require a ton of materials.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only problem, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°I can build a castle and tower as long as I¡¯ve got the materials. Don¡¯t know about the flaming eye above the tower part, but¡ª¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Azalabulia shouts. ¡°It¡¯s okay! The eye can be optional!¡± ¡°My hero, would Tabitha not be able to construct those cannons that Serra wishes for with the proper materials?¡± Nell asks. Fenrir shrugs and sighs. ¡°Alright. I guess we¡¯re going to not only have a city where artificial intelligences and players alike can live and feel safe, but there¡¯s going to be a castle, a giant evil tower, huge cannons defending it, and a bar full of oiled-up and muscular men,¡± he says. At least Rao and Cassiel want simple things. ¡°Finding those men is all on you, though, Olly.¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± Oleander replies. ¡°Cor can help me out, too. I wonder how many of those beefcake fishing friends of yours we could convince to come over¡­¡± From Fenrir and Nell exchanging their feelings with the serpent, they discover that she agrees to come with them as well. Though, rather than do so because she supports Fenrir¡¯s idea of a free city full of equality for all, she just wants safe waters where she can hunt and play as she pleases. Fenrir just hopes that she doesn¡¯t cause problems for any of the town¡¯s future sailors. ¡°If you¡¯re all going to have your own crazy requests, then I¡¯m going to make sure we host the biggest, best fishing tournament in this game,¡± Fenrir declares. ¡°It¡¯s going to be way better than Blackstache¡¯s, and it''s going to actually be about fishing instead of survival and blowing each other up.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to just do a ton of fishing before we started playing this?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done like, almost no fishing in comparison to everything else.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°And now you want to build your own city.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably going to find some way to make the fishing tournament not even about fishing with your current track record of wanting to fish.¡± ¡°Listen, we¡¯ve been friends for years. You know how easily I get distracted.¡± ¡°I guess you can take the dog out of the Divine Brigade, but you can¡¯t take the Divine Brigade out of the dog.¡± While Rao may not react at all to the mentioning of the Divine Brigade, the other new crew member does. ¡°The Divine Brigade?¡± Azalabulia asks with wide eyes. ¡°What was that about the Divine Brigade?¡± ¡°You know, Olly, we¡¯re not supposed to let everybody know that used to be us,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been hurting us so far. Besides, with everything we¡¯ve done in this game so far, we¡¯re basically just a Divine Brigade lite. All that¡¯s missing is taking down the biggest guilds, making people cry and write twenty-page long rant essays about us on game forums, and ¨C actually, I bet that blonde asshole probably did that,¡± Oleander says. ¡°You guys were in the Divine Brigade?!¡± Azalabulia excitedly asks. ¡°I guess you could say that,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Yeah, Fenny here was the leader. I was second-in-command,¡± Oleander adds on. ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t have to tell people I¡¯m the leader.¡± ¡°That you are the leader? Don¡¯t you mean were the leader?¡± Oleander teases. ¡°Y-yeah, I was the leader.¡± ¡°No way! Seriously? You guys have to be joking, right? The Divine Brigade broke up!¡± Azalabula says. ¡°It was less of us breaking up and more of us leadership splitting away from most of the members,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah, most of the members wanted to go in a direction that we didn¡¯t really care about, and they were way too needy, so we ¡®disbanded.¡¯ Really, me and Olly here, and one other guy who used to lead with us, came to this game,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°If you were the leader,¡± Azalabulia says, looking at Fenrir, ¡°does that mean you were the Supreme Commander of Fluffy Puppies?!¡± ¡°Aha, it¡¯s¡­ been a while since anybody has said that to my face,¡± Fenrir says while his girlfriends try to hold back their laughter. ¡°Bro, you used to call yourself that?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Yeah, but only because it pissed people off even more when somebody who called themselves that killed them. Would you be more embarrassed being killed by somebody with a super serious name, or that one?¡± ¡°I see your point. So, what¡¯s this thing with the divine whatever?¡± ¡°A guild we used to run.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t just a guild! The Divine Brigade is the most notorious group in recent gaming history! Perhaps all of gaming history! They took down some of the biggest gaming guilds in the world from the inside! Everybody hated them and a couple of their members who got doxed even got into fights in real life, and won! They were the most skilled, powerful, sneaky, strategic, and evil players in history!¡± Azalabula explains while practically jumping up and down. ¡°And now their leader is my servant ¨C my general!¡± ¡°Bro, you sound like were an asshole. Were you one of those guys that would go around ruining other people¡¯s fun, like destroying towns and shit of people who just wanted to build and be peaceful?¡± Rao asks. Fenrir scratches the back of his head and lets out a nervous chuckle. ¡°Yeah¡­ you could say that was us,¡± he answers. ¡°That¡¯s how we got popular! There was this steampunk MMO with a big focus on building cities and stuff, so we joined the biggest guild there, worked our way up the ranks until they trusted us and gave us some fun permissions, then we stole all their stuff, overloaded all of the city¡¯s power sources with energy until they exploded, kicked out all of the lower-ranking members so that the city¡¯s defenses turned on them, and then broke the defenses so their main rival could invade. Of course, their rival thought we were on their side the whole time and working as spies for them, so we got invited to their guild and promoted up the ranks as a reward! Then we fucked them, too,¡± Oleander explains with extravagant hand movements and a smug, proud smile. ¡°Bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°Yeah. We were assholes. B-but not anymore! Now we¡¯re good!¡± Fenrir says. ¡°When you¡¯re not commandeering a city¡¯s defenses,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Or burning down villages and stealing boats,¡± Serra says. ¡°And using toxic flames to burn your enemies alive!¡± Nell adds on. Rao looks like he¡¯s judging Fenrir more and more while Azalabulia looks more and more excited. Then there¡¯s the fact that he¡¯s been leading their serpent friend on a rampage against all of rowboat-kind. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m still a bad guy, aren¡¯t I?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I guess it¡¯s better to be working for the bad guy then getting my stuff blown up by them,¡± Rao says with a shrug. ¡°Wait, this is just more proof that bad guys get all the girls!¡± ¡°My hero certainly is quite the villainous wolf! He even stole me away from a king and took me out to sea on his boat! Then, because of the implication of being alone with him on open waters, I was forced to do whatever he¡ª¡± ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t make me sound that evil. There are lines even I won¡¯t cross,¡± Fenrir interrupts Nell. ¡°Sadly.¡± Book 3: Chapter 63: Patch 11.0: A New Home The crew of The Shoebill lifts the vessel¡¯s anchor, unfurls the sails, and sets sail once more. ¡°My hero, what of your friend?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Aiko? I¡¯m¡­ not sure. I guess she¡¯ll just be asleep in one of the hammocks for a long time as far as her character goes, but in real life, I don¡¯t know,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I¡¯ll check on her,¡± Serra says. ¡°By the way, Aza and Rao, you two got Fiscord?¡± Azalabulia nods, but Rao looks confused. ¡°What¡¯s Fiscord?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Uh, an app to chat outside of the game. You should get it so that we can coordinate anytime.¡± ¡°And so you can see the funny videos I¡¯m going to be posting there,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I forgot you were recording earlier,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°Can you not post that last one?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you build a gay bar and strip club.¡± ¡°Tempting¡­ but I¡¯d rather embarrass you in front of your girlfriends and new friends.¡± ¡°You suck.¡± ¡°Of course! I love sucking.¡± While Serra snerks to Fenrir¡¯s side, Fenrir facepalms and looks to see how the two newest crewmembers are reacting to Oleander¡¯s sexual teasing. Rao looks neutral, but Azalabulia is looking away and blushing. She looks to be the type who gets embarrassed and shy around blatant sexuality despite the amount of thighs and cleavage that she is showing off. Her innocence is at severe risk on this boat. The Shoebill¡¯s engine is started up thanks to unfavorable winds, and the journey east is officially resumed. ¡°I¡¯m going to take care of the situation with my landlord, and then I¡¯ll come back and helm her for a bit. Alright?¡± Fenrir tells Oleander. ¡°Just remember that you totally owe me for steering so much lately. My future bar and strip club better be as big as a castle,¡± Oleander says. ¡°You can make it as big as you want. Aza, Rao, just ask Olly for the Fiscord information before you wake whenever you do.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get it,¡± Rao says. ¡°Do cute girls use it?¡± ¡°I mean, everybody here uses it, and I think they¡¯re pretty cute.¡± ¡°Aww. Thanks, Fenny,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about you.¡± ¡°But we both know it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°Fenny is going to cheat on us with Olly,¡± Serra says. ¡°Could be worse,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°That gives me wonderful ideas! Just imagine, none of us being able to sate his beastly desires, so he tosses us aside and goes for Oleander! He then ravages Oleander¡¯s body to the point of almost breaking him, and ¨C and then because of magic, Oleander could even end up preg¡ª¡± Nell tries to finish her fantasy but gets interrupted from Cassiel placing her hand against Nell¡¯s mouth. ¡°Please don¡¯t finish that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I do not want those thoughts in my head.¡± Oleander looks down at his stomach and pats it. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine gaining five pounds. I wonder what it¡¯d be like being pregnant,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get pregnant.¡± ¡°You never know! With how much Cor and I do it, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if¡ª¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Oleander grins and giggles. ¡°I might be into some weird kinks, but male impreg is just¡­ yeah, I don¡¯t even want to start thinking about how it would seriously work,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°A C-section would be the best option, probs,¡± Oleander says. ¡°The other options¡­ aren¡¯t pretty.¡± ¡°Yeah, a C-section would be fine. Wait¡­ is it even possible to get pregnant in this game? NPCs can get pregnant, but¡­ what about players?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at Cassiel. ¡°D-don¡¯t ask me that! It¡¯s not like you were in there anyways,¡± Cassiel says and draws everybody¡¯s attention. ¡°Hey, Cass Cass, what were you two doing in that room while waiting for us to get there? I doubt you were fighting the whole time,¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir and Cassiel blush and look away. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you guys were doing lewd things while a bunch of zombies were trying to kill you,¡± Oleander says with a knowing smirk. ¡°Tell us,¡± Serra says, joining in on the interrogation. ¡°That sounds wonderful! Two lovers, embracing one another in their last moments as a horde of ravenous zombies tries to break in and devour them! But¡­ to make it even better, the zombies would take the lovers for themselves rather than eat them! Or ¨C or take them while eating them!¡± Nell says with excited eyes. ¡°That¡¯s even worse than Olly getting pregnant!¡± Cassiel shouts with a red face. ¡°Does it not sound wonderful? Would you not want them to defile you while¡ª¡± ¡°No! I wouldn¡¯t! They were all gory and their skin was falling off and they were gross! They probably didn¡¯t even have di-dicks!¡± Nell sighs from disappointment. ¡°They clearly were not the good kind of zombies then.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with you.¡± ¡°Oh, I am quite aware. That is why it is a miracle I have found lovers accepting of my fantasies!¡± ¡°I mean, they can be pretty fun sounding sometimes,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But they almost always involve rape or me getting cucked.¡± ¡°I apologize, my hero. My fantasies tend to be of the darker variety for you all already satisfy my softer wishes more than I could ever ask for.¡± Fenrir and Cassiel blush and look away again. ¡°You¡¯re making the new members jealous,¡± Oleander says. They look over at Azalabulia and Rao. While Rao looks at Fenrir with a mixture of respect and jealousy, Azalabulia just looks straight up jealous of the girls. Fenrir realizes something else, though. Between him, Serra, and now Azalabulia, they all have silver or white hair. ¡°We need a name,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Serra and Azalabulia. They both look confused. ¡°Look at our hair. We need a nickname for our trio of having white or silver hair,¡± he explains. Serra still looks a bit confused, but Azalabulia catches on and looks excited. ¡°A cool name! Like, like¡­ The Three Omens of Winter! Triple Blizzard Threat!¡± Azalabulia suggests. Serra finally catches on. ¡°Oh. The White Squad,¡± Serra proposes. ¡°I¡­ think that might be a bit controversial,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°If you guys are getting your own group name then we should have one with you,¡± Oleander tells Fenrir, ¡°me, and Nell. We¡¯re all animals! Or monsters. I don¡¯t know which you¡¯d prefer, Nell Nell.¡± ¡°Calling me a monster sounds much more tragic! I do agree that we need our own name, though. Alas, I have no idea what,¡± Nell says. Cassiel and Rao, the only two not in a trio yet, look at each other. ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll join a group with Corwin and Tabitha then. We¡¯re all¡­ normal,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°What about me? I¡¯m left out!¡± Rao says. ¡°Bro?¡± he asks, looking at Fenrir. ¡°You can be in a group with Rock and Shogun. No idea how you¡¯d fit in with them, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll accept you,¡± Fenrir teases. Rock and Shogun look up at Rao, look at each other, then continue cuddling. Oleander¡¯s theory about Rock and Shogun gets even more evidence. After knowing each other for only a few hours, those two lovers are cuddling and being all lovey-dovey on their own without worrying about the others around them. Shogun gets attached as easily and quickly as Fenrir does. Oleander looks back and forth between Fenrir and Shogun. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be a wolf or dog or something, right?¡± Oleander asks him. ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°How do you feel about foxes?¡± ¡°They¡¯re awesome. If I didn¡¯t have a wolf tail and ears, I¡¯d probably have fox ones.¡± ¡°I see. Is it possible that you got separated at creation from your twin fox?¡± ¡°What kind of question is that? How am I ¨C how am I even supposed to answer that?¡± Nell picks up on Oleander comparing the two and reaches the same conclusion. ¡°I see! I must agree with you, Oleander,¡± she says. ¡°Nell gets me,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Seriously, what are you two talking about?¡± Fenrir asks them. Nell whispers their theory to Serra and Cassiel. The two newest conspirators compare Fenrir and Shogun, coming to the same conclusion that Oleander and Nell have reached. Serra looks away and tries not to laugh, hand over her mouth, while Cassiel blushes from just how cute the thought of them being the same is. ¡°It makes sense,¡± Cassiel says. Shogun looks up at them and sees everybody looking between him and Fenrir. Fenrir and Shogun tilt their heads at the same time from confusion. Those in the know all try not to laugh when they do that, except for Cassiel whom covers up her mouth and tries her hardest not to squeal. Then Fenrir¡¯s and Shogun¡¯s ears twitch at the same time, their tails idly wagging behind them. Cassiel starts to squeak while the rest bend over to not laugh. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being bullied without knowing how,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Your friends are weird, bro,¡± Rao says. Azalabulia, not wanting to be left out, does what the rest have been doing and looks at Fenrir and Shogun. It only takes her a few seconds to catch on. She joins the others in finding the comparison adorable and hilarious. Book 3: Chapter 64: Patch 11.0: A New Home ¡°I¡¯ll take over for you in a bit then,¡± Fenrir tells Oleander. ¡°You better. Go figure out your apartment stuff, that¡¯s more important right now,¡± Oleander says. As playful and teasing as Oleander may like to be, he knows when to take things seriously. ¡°I shall come as well!¡± Nell says. ¡°I want to fish,¡± Serra says with one of the fishing rods already in hand. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you,¡± Cassiel tells Serra. There¡¯s also the fact that she doesn¡¯t entirely trust Rao nor Azalabulia yet. ¡°Don¡¯t do lewd things to our bodies while we¡¯re here,¡± Serra tells Fenrir and Nell. While Nell fangirls over the thought of such a thing happening, mainly happening to herself, Fenrir flicks Serra on her forehead and says, ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What if I wanted you to?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Hey, bro,¡± Rao says to Oleander, ¡°is there always this much flirting here? I¡¯m starting to get jealous.¡± ¡°Pretty much. Just wait until my Cor is on. Then you¡¯ll really see some flirting,¡± Oleander answers. Fenrir and Nell head below deck to get into their hammocks. Only, there is a problem now that they¡¯ve got two new crewmembers and Nyaiko. ¡°Somebody¡¯s going to have to be on the floor,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You are silly, my hero. The solution is simple! We must simply share,¡± Nell says. ¡°The two of us may share a hammock, Cassiel and Serra may share another, Corwin and Oleander can share, and then our issue is resolved!¡± ¡°Could these hammocks even hold two people?¡± he asks while pulling on the nearest empty hammock. ¡°My hero, you and Rao are likely the heaviest ones here. I am not small myself, so as long as you and I may fit in a hammock together without it breaking, then all will be fine.¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not small?¡± Nell whips her tail around and extends her wings. ¡°I doubt those add that much extra weight. Though, now that I¡¯m looking at you¡­ I am kind of worried about something else,¡± he says. ¡°What would that be?¡± Nell asks, her head tilted. Fenrir points up at his jaw that she earlier gashed by accidentally stabbing him with one of her horns. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re going to be on top of me in the hammock, so please try not to accidentally impale my head with your horns in your sleep. I don¡¯t want to immerse one day and find out that I got killed in my sleep.¡± Nell brings her hands over her mouth to giggle. ¡°I hope for both of our sakes that such a thing does not happen, but I cannot promise you that it will not.¡± ¡°You owe me if you kill me in my sleep.¡± ¡°Just what is it that I would owe you?¡± ¡°Uhhh, I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°My body? Would you make me perform sexual favors to make it up for you? Would you make me work in a dark alley to make money to pay you back? Tie me up, naked, and toss me into the forest so that any wild¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Imprison me in a pillory in the center of a town for monsters so that they may¡ª¡± ¡°Still no.¡± ¡°Make me use my tail on you?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I suppose that I can settle for being used in such a vanilla manner, my hero.¡± ¡°Just to make sure¡­ you wouldn¡¯t actually want any of that to happen to you, right?¡± ¡°Of course not, my hero! It is all strictly fantasy. Now, if you could somehow play as a gang of monsters yourself all at once to take advantage of my body and violate the very soul of my being, then that would be lovely! However, I have no interest in actually partaking in any such activities with anybody but you, Serra, and Cassiel.¡± ¡°Alright, good. Was starting to get worried that you were going to leave us for a horde of rape-monsters or something.¡± ¡°You are truly silly, my hero, but it is endearing when you express jealousy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not jealous,¡± Fenrir says with a slight reddening of his cheeks. Nell covers her mouth again so that he can¡¯t see her mischievous grinning. ¡°Are you sure you are not jealous, my hero? You are looking awfully red right now.¡± Fenrir¡¯s face grows even more flushed now that it¡¯s been pointed out. ¡°First you were a fox, now you are a shy boy,¡± Nell teases. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that about a fox? And I¡¯m not shy! I just ¨C any guy would get jealous hearing his girlfriend talking about how she wants to be used by a bunch of monsters,¡± Fenrir explains. Nell ignores his first question and answers his second question by wrapping her arms around him. ¡°I apologize, my hero. I shall try to tone down my fantasies, and the ones I still have will revolve around you being the one ravaging me instead. Does that sound better?¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± he answers, sounding nervous about something which confuses Nell. She looks up. He¡¯s angling his head away from the tips of her horns. Nell, wanting to tease her boyfriend even more while this rare, mischievous mood of hers lasts, stands up on the tips of her toes to bring her horns even closer to her hero¡¯s face. ¡°What is wrong, my hero?¡± she asks him with the most innocent voice that she could fake. ¡°This is cruel and unusual punishment,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I know you¡¯re doing this on purpose.¡± ¡°Doing what?¡± she asks, her horns following whichever direction his head turns to. ¡°I think you¡¯ve been spending too much time around Serra and Olly,¡± he says, standing on the tips of his own toes now to escape her. Unfortunately, while they both may have tails, Nell¡¯s is more useful and capable of supporting her and pushing her even farther up. She has to use her wings when doing this to help balance herself, though. ¡°Is there a reason why you are so desperately trying to escape your loving princess, my hero? Is it ¨C no! Don¡¯t tell me that you are horrified of my face now! Am I not pretty enough for you anymore?¡± Nell asks, forcing herself to sound shocked and heartbroken as she even manages to get a couple of fake tears going. Then it hits Fenrir. Not her horns, but an idea. Fenrir looks down at her, lifts his arms, and grabs her horns. ¡°Hah, now you can¡¯t stab me with them,¡± he says, looking down at her face. ¡°M-my hero, my horns are sensitive. You ¨C you are holding them so roughly,¡± Nell moans as she squirms around in his grasp. There¡¯s just no winning for him. Either he¡¯s on the defensive and trying not to get stabbed, or is flustered from his girlfriend¡¯s sudden arousal which just makes him aroused. ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to be doing?¡± Oleander asks, poking his head down the stairs. ¡°Everybody can hear you and it¡¯s getting kind of awkward.¡± ¡°A-ah, yeah, sorry,¡± Fenrir apologizes with an even brighter face than before. Even his ears are turning red at this point. Still holding her up by her horns, Fenrir walks next to the hammock, lies down on it, and then puts her on top of him in a position where he won¡¯t be at risk of her horns. This position has her head right next to his own. As long as he has her like this, her horns won¡¯t be able to stab up into his head. Nell looks at her hero with a wide, happy smile as she nuzzles her face up against the side of his own. ¡°You make a wonderful pillow, my hero. Though, I must admit that I prefer your real body as a body pillow. It is much softer!¡± she explains. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know how to feel about that. ¡°Is that a good or a bad thing?¡± he asks. ¡°A good thing! Do not mistake me, my hero. I do not mean to call you fat. You are simply not as wide and muscular as you are here. I can easily wrap myself around you and be comfortable against any part of you in reality, but here, muscles do not make for a good pillow as much as you may enjoy having them.¡± ¡°You know, I never thought I¡¯d have a girlfriend who likes me to not be muscular, but I¡¯m not going to complain. It means I don¡¯t have to worry about working out and putting on muscles to keep you around.¡± ¡°Such a silly hero. Now, shall we go deal with those pesky real-life problems?¡± ¡°Yeah, we might as well get that out of the way with.¡± ¡°I shall see you on the other side, my hero!¡± Nell closes her eyes and wakes from virtual reality. However, before Fenrir does, Saya says, ¡°Onii-chan, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah. Why?¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lie to me, you baka. Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m in your head! Literally!¡± ¡°Then why ask me a question you already know the answer to?¡± ¡°Hmph. You better take care of yourself. Try not to feel too guilty about what happened with Aiko, okay? It¡¯s not your fault, and if I¡¯m saying that, then you know that you know it¡¯s true! Crazy girls are just crazy.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not nice to call her crazy.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call her that if you didn¡¯t think the same.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still not polite.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s not polite. I can sense that calling her crazy has helped you feel a tiny bit better, so she¡¯s crazy!¡± Fenrir chuckles. ¡°Thanks, Saya. I¡¯ll let you be rude this once, but don¡¯t get used to it.¡± ¡°What¡¯re you gonna do about it if I do get used to it? Huh? There¡¯s literally nothing you can do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll uninstall you.¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to take your brain out which would mean killing yourself.¡± ¡°At least if I go out, I¡¯m taking you with me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a baka, Onii-chan.¡± ¡°I know. Anyways, I¡¯ve got to go deal with annoying responsible adult things. Later, Saya.¡± Book 3: Chapter 65: Patch 11.0: A New Home The wolf becomes a human, and said human finds himself lying on his bed with a serpent-turned-human cuddling up against his side. ¡°We have things we¡¯re supposed to do, you know,¡± Ryouta tells Alice. Alice smiles and presses her face against his arm. ¡°Is that so, my hero? All I know that we must do is enjoy one another¡¯s company!¡± she says. ¡°You just want to cuddle me because I¡¯m soft.¡± Alice nods her head and smiles more. ¡°That is correct! Your real body is very soft,¡± she says while pinching his side. ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t have to actually demonstrate your point. That¡¯s just embarrassing. How would you feel if I pinched your thighs and called them soft?¡± Ryouta realizes that he screwed up when he sees just how embarrassed she looks. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! They¡­ they wouldn¡¯t be so soft if I could do something about it!¡± Alice cries. ¡°B-but I like your thighs. They¡¯re perfect! They¡¯re soft and the perfect size and all of that,¡± Ryouta says, trying to calm her down while petting her head. ¡°Why are you allowed to like my thighs then but I am not allowed to like your body?¡± she whines. She has a point. Ryouta sighs and admits defeat. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t complain about you liking my body for being soft when I love your body for being soft. And Cass¡¯s body for being soft,¡± Ryouta apologizes, looking at the only girl unmentioned whom is lying next to him on the bed. Both Cassandra and Alice have very soft bodies, but when it comes to Serra, she¡¯s petite and lean. She¡¯s soft, but there just isn¡¯t much to squish. He realizes that calling either Alice or Cassandra ¡°squishy¡± would really be a death sentence for him. Looking at Alice, she¡¯s still pouting and looks like she¡¯s going to cry. Her thighs are a very sensitive topic. Ryouta plants a kiss on her lips to try and calm her down. It works. When he pulls away, he sees a smiling girlfriend looking like she wants more kisses instead of being on the verge of crying like before. ¡°You know, for somebody who loves tragedy and fantasies about having horrible things done to you, I would think that you¡¯d like being teased about your thighs,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°No! There is a difference! There is a huge difference between fantasies that take advantage of my fetishes and wanting to have my insecurities made fun of!¡± Alice explains. ¡°You really don¡¯t need to be insecure. I seriously love your thighs. They¡¯re perfect.¡± ¡°Hmph. My hero, you should know that just because you like somebody else¡¯s flaws does not mean that said person will stop disliking them.¡± ¡°But your thighs aren¡¯t a flaw.¡± ¡°You are missing the point, my hero. As wonderful as you may be, you need to learn that girls have things that no man will ever be able to comfort them about.¡± ¡°That just makes it sound like a challenge.¡± ¡°You truly are a man.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t tease you about your thighs, and I won¡¯t try to make you feel better about them either. Is that better?¡± Alice pouts even more and playfully pounds her fists against his chest. ¡°You are still missing the point! I am not saying to not try and make me or any other girl feel better about our flaws, I am just saying that you cannot say you love them and then expect my insecurities to be gone! You may still try to remove my insecurities which may help over time!¡± ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying that it is possible for a man to comfort you about them?¡± Alice pauses and thinks about it for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯re complicated,¡± Ryouta says, poking her forehead. ¡°This is what you get for partaking in romance. You should have known better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t have any regrets.¡± ¡°I would hope not!¡± ¡°My only regret is that everybody has gotten to rest on your thighs except for me.¡± ¡°Stop making my thighs the topic of the conversation!¡± Ryouta places another kiss on her lips to calm her down. ¡°Anyways, you just want to stay in bed, or should I help you into your chair?¡± he asks her, sitting up in bed. Serra is still between them and the edge of the bed, so getting Alice off of the bed and into her wheelchair might be complicated. Of course, he could always just move Serra. She is pretty small. Even Ryouta can pick her up with his soft arms. ¡°That would be fine, my hero. Just bring me my phone and I shall make a call to my father,¡± Alice answers. ¡°Got it. Want a drink or snack while I¡¯m up?¡± ¡°One must not eat and drink in bed! That is both dirty and improper.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make a great mom. Not sure about a great wife, but a great¡ª¡± Ryouta looks at her. He screwed up before, but now he fucked up. ¡°It ¨C it was a joke! I¡¯m joking! You¡¯ll make a great mom and a great wife! It was just a joke about how you won¡¯t let me be lazy and dirty!¡± Ryouta frantically tries to explain. Alice covers her mouth and bursts into a fit of giggles. ¡°Your face is adorable, my hero. You look so worried!¡± Ryouta sighs from relief. ¡°I am convincing, am I not? Worry not, my hero. I know you were joking. You are still not allowed to eat nor drink in bed, though.¡± Ryouta sighs from disappointment. ¡°But, I may be willing to turn a blind eye as long as you continue to love and cherish me,¡± Alice offers. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That sounds pretty difficult,¡± Ryouta says, looking up at her and seeing her pout with teary eyes again. ¡°That¡¯s not going to work if you do it so soon after the last time.¡± Alice pouts. ¡°Darn. Dogs are supposed to be easy to fool!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a dog right now. I¡¯m a human. Also, Fenrir is more of a wolf than a dog.¡± ¡°Is there a difference in intelligence between dogs and wolves?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m not sure. Wolves are probably better at survival, but dogs are probably easier to train¡­ so I guess it depends on how we¡¯re measuring intelligence. And the breeds. I bet any wolf is smarter than a chihuahua.¡± ¡°What is wrong with chihuahuas, my hero?¡± ¡°They¡¯re chihuahuas.¡± ¡°I see your point.¡± They both laugh. ¡°It is alright! I prefer corgis in the first place,¡± Alice says. ¡°You¡¯re so royal that it hurts,¡± Ryouta teases. ¡°Speaking of royalty and hurting, it would be fun to play with a whip and high heels while sitting in a throne with you at my feet,¡± she says, her voice cute and casual despite what her message is. ¡°I thought you were more sub than dom?¡± he asks with a slight red coloring his cheeks. He has to admit that the thought isn¡¯t entirely bad. Though, he struggles to picture Alice as actually being dominant. He imagines her as trying to be dominant but struggling and failing which just makes the whole idea adorable. He¡¯ll have to let her try it sometime. ¡°Only most of the time, my hero. Now, fetch me my phone, peasant.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work when you call me that right after calling me your hero.¡± ¡°Begone, peasant! Your queen has given you an order!¡± Alice orders him, trying her best to sound authoritative but just sounding like a child playing pretend instead. ¡°Your wish is my command, my queen,¡± Ryouta says, bowing and looking up at her to see her reaction. She¡¯s loving it. Ryouta heads out into the kitchen to get himself a drink of water first. Waking from virtual reality usually results in being just as thirsty as waking up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth, and with how much talking there just was in his bedroom, he¡¯s totally parched. His little apartment looks totally different from how it would normally look. Not only is it clean without any empty bags of chips or bottles of hardly-alcoholic beverages sitting around, there are scrunchies, hairpins, random makeup products, and purses lying around. His apartment both looks cleaner and far more cluttered than it has ever looked before at the same time. He realizes that he really is going to need a bigger place to call home. Fortunately, he has a girlfriend with a stupid amount of wealth willing to help out with that. But is that really alright? There are people in other countries suffering who could use that money. Whatever wealth Alice and her family have that they are willing to spend with him, it could all be better used on those in poorer conditions in desperate need of assistance. That thought process just makes him feel ungrateful, though. It makes him feel like he¡¯s not fully appreciating the fact that he has people willing to spend so much money on him even though others are in far more need of it. Should he feel grateful or guilty? He doesn¡¯t know. Instead of figuring out the answer to that, he shakes his head, slaps his cheeks, and picks up Alice¡¯s phone from the living room table to take it to his queen. Book 3: Chapter 66: Patch 11.0: A New Home ¡°Here,¡± Ryouta says, handing Alice¡¯s phone over to her while holding a glass of water in his other hand to drink from. ¡°Thank you, my hero, but you should be more careful of where you drink!¡± Alice says. ¡°I thought you said you¡¯d look the other way for me?¡± ¡°True, I did say that, but there are electronics in here! You could easily start a fire if you were to spill that water on them.¡± ¡°Are you forgetting what year this is? There are electronics in pretty much every room everywhere. You can¡¯t just not drink water because there are electronics nearby.¡± ¡°Hmph. You should still be careful! You do not want us to all burn alive, do you?¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s not something you¡¯d be into?¡± ¡°I enjoy erotic fantasies, my hero, not ones that involve dying in brutal ways.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair. So, you gonna call your dad now?¡± Alice nods her head and is already in the process of pulling up her father¡¯s number in her phone. ¡°I¡¯ll wait to see what¡¯s going on then, I guess, before I text my landlord back,¡± Ryouta says, walking over to his computer to check on what¡¯s happening in the world while waiting for Alice. Unfortunately, since Cassiel is in his desk¡¯s chair, he has to just sort of roll her away from the desk and then hunch over to use his computer. It¡¯s been a while since he last browsed the internet and caught up on news. With how depressing news usually is, he has been avoiding it for the most part lately, but he doesn¡¯t want to be totally left in the dark regarding what¡¯s happening in the world. Of course, as soon as he brings up a news aggregator, he is met with article after article of just how depressing the world¡¯s affairs are. Another coastal city was officially evacuated because of rising waters. Air quality is decreasing and the oceans are growing more toxic as more permafrost thaws out and releases methane into the atmosphere. Record high temperatures have been recorded across the world again. Hurricanes are growing stronger and larger thanks to increased ocean temperatures. Another cleanup crew in Earth¡¯s orbit trying to remove debris has been lost and added even more debris orbiting around Earth. Yep. It¡¯s all just as depressing as Ryouta remembers it being. ¡°Only good thing about all this shit is everybody¡¯s too busy taking care of themselves to fight each other,¡± Ryouta says with a sigh. It¡¯s hard to look at the bright side of things at times. Fortunately, there are also aggregator websites specializing in pictures of cute animals and funny memes. One should always have a wholesome source of media to counteract the more depressing sources of media on the internet. While Alice talks on the phone to her dad, Ryouta giggles at a video compilation of dogs bitch slapping cats. It is nice to see the tables turned. Dogs are so much better than cats. However, he makes a mistake. He scrolls down and looks at the comments of the video. No matter what the year may be, no matter how technologically advanced humanity may become, no matter how enlighted the human race may grow, there will always be idiotic comments on the internet. ¡°The hell are you talking about? Filming a dog playfully slapping a cat isn¡¯t animal abuse. I bet you wouldn¡¯t be complaining if the cat was slapping the dog out of being a little asshole instead of just wanting to play like the dog wants to,¡± Ryouta grumbles as his fingers hover over the keyboard. Don¡¯t give in. Don¡¯t reply to that comment. The world is shitty enough without giving a random shit on the internet a reason to reply to him. With a sigh, Ryouta goes back a page to look for¡ª Wait, he noticed something interesting right before the page went back! He goes forward a page hoping that the video is still there in the recommended section. Fortunately, it is. Ryouta opens up the video and listens to the commentary over Fantasy Tales Online gameplay. Two of the game¡¯s biggest video creators, who go around interviewing important players and reporting on news related to the game, are discussing rumors that Ryouta is only just now hearing about. ¡°Some people are claiming that, as part of China pushing back against mass refugees to protect their cultural identity, that they are going to crack down on the type of media allowed. We¡¯re looking at censorship reminiscent to that from the beginning of the century. What does this mean for Fantasy Tales Online? Roughly twenty million of FTO¡¯s players come from Asia, predominantly China now, making it the largest source of players for the game we all love. FTO may already have systems to prevent players from seeing traumatic content, but those players still see religious symbols, symbols of death, and we all know that there is no shortage of sex and extreme acts in our game,¡± the first commentator explains. The second one takes over from there and says, ¡°Do you see the problem yet? Jenson Clark insists on the game having a single, shared server for all playerbases. He stubbornly refuses to cater to governments and censor the game, which makes us players all love him for that, but unfortunately, the world¡¯s governments can still prevent access to the game if they want to. The Asian playerbase is split on the issue. Half of them are begging him to censor the game so that the government doesn¡¯t block access to it, and the other half is telling him to stand up for what they all believe in and would rather stick a finger up to their government¡¯s archaic, ineffective practices.¡± ¡°What does this mean for the future of FTO? Well, for one, more than a third of the game¡¯s playerbase might be gone soon. The game¡¯s most powerful factions could lose the majority of their members overnight. A poll concluded that roughly sixty percent of the Augus Empire¡¯s players are from Asian countries with forty-seven specifically coming from China. The expansionist nation may find itself on its back if its enemies push back against it.¡± ¡°FTO¡¯s competitors will grow in popularity as well. Fantasy World Ultimate, FTO¡¯s China-born competitor, is more than happy to censor the game to comply with its country¡¯s laws and I¡¯m sure they¡¯d hungrily take in any refugees from FTO. I¡¯ve played it myself, and while it¡¯s not a bad game, there¡¯s no reason to play it when you¡¯ve got FTO which is literally superior in every single way. And cheaper.¡± ¡°Between the resurgence of sci-fi MMOs, the potential crackdown from China, other governments raising issues with the sort of content that the game allows, and complaints about FTO feeling more like a second life than a game, is the golden age for FTO already over? The game isn¡¯t even more than a year old if you don¡¯t include alpha and beta testing, yet it seems like there is already a plethora of issues threatening its longevity. No game in the history of gaming has been as controversial as FTO on a global scale, and now we¡¯re learning that there is punishment for disobeying international¡ª¡± ¡°My hero! My father would like to talk to you,¡± Alice calls out. Ryouta pauses the video and walks over to the bed. He had no idea that there was all of this new controversy surrounding Fantasy Tales Online. Sure, he knew that some countries and certain groups were upset about the game letting anything be possible within it, but he didn¡¯t expect governments to actually try stepping in to deal with it. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s going on after this,¡± Ryouta answers, taking the offered phone from her hand. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Ah, Ryouta! How are you?¡± Will asks. ¡°I¡¯m doing good, thanks. How about you?¡± ¡°I am doing rather splendid myself!¡± Ryouta cringes when he remembers Thelmes¡¯ overuse of ¡°splendid.¡± ¡°The wife is spending the day appearing on various shows, so I have the manor to myself at the moment! Well, the servants are still here, of course. I am considering taking a few of them out golfing,¡± Will continues. ¡°Do you golf?¡± ¡°Uh, the closest thing I¡¯ve ever done to golfing is putt-putt,¡± Ryouta answers and hears the older man laughing on the other end of the call. ¡°Close enough! I shall have to take you golfing sometime.¡± Alice covers her mouth and giggles when she hears her father¡¯s voice talking about more golfing over the phone. ¡°As for today, it has come to my attention that you are facing an issue,¡± Will says. ¡°Yeah. All of our girlfriends are here, and the neighbors complained, and I¡¯m technically only supposed to have myself here, so I¡¯ve got to make the others go home and hope that the landlord doesn¡¯t mind Alice staying here as a guest for a while,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°I have also heard that your current living situation is very¡­ modest.¡± ¡°One bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen attached to the living room.¡± ¡°Dear lord! How could you live in such small accommodations? I knew that your apartment was small but not that small!¡± Ryouta wonders if this man has no idea that his tiny apartment is actually considered a pretty great deal compared to what most people have. ¡°Aha, yeah, now just imagine a man and three women trying to live in it.¡± ¡°On my authority, I forbid you from living in such impoverished conditions! You, my dear daughter, and your girlfriends require a much finer home! Tell me, Ryouta, do you prefer city life or would you like something more rural instead? Suburban? I could also arrange for you to all live off the grid if that is your preferred lifestyle.¡± Ryouta cringes at the idea of living off the grid. He needs his electricity and internet. ¡°I¡­ kind of like city life since I¡¯m so close to everything, but I¡¯ve always kind of liked the idea of living out in the country.¡± ¡°Hmm. I shall give you all time to consider where you would like to live. Twenty-four hours should be more than enough to decide. Call me back as soon as you have decided!¡± Will says, hanging up the phone before Ryouta can say anything else. ¡°That sounds like it went well!¡± Alice says. Ryouta looks at her. ¡°Uh¡­ I guess you could say that? He¡­ told me that we¡¯ve got twenty-four hours to figure out where we want to live,¡± he says. ¡°Then I suppose we should hurry up and decide!¡± ¡°Are we really going to move into our own place already? Isn¡¯t this like, really fast?¡± ¡°Consider it an adventure!¡± Ryouta sighs and hands Alice¡¯s phone back to her. ¡°I guess we¡¯re moving then. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m attached to this place anyways.¡± [Vol. 3 Epilogue] The True Talk Show: Episode Three This program is brought to you by New Realities Incorporated. Fantasy Tales Online headsets are available starting at seventy dollars and will transport you into a world beyond your wildest imagination! Live the fantasy life that you have always wanted to live. Kill monsters, raid epic dungeons, fight against other players in massive wars, sail the high seas and climb the tallest mountains, or just live an average life as a farmer! There is a world full of possibilities awaiting you! ¡°Welcome back to another episode of The True Talk Show!¡± Oleander announces. ¡°I¡¯m your host, Olly, and I¡¯m joined by none other than the true best girl, Rock!¡± Rock lifts one of her paws and barks. The studio audience goes wild as they cheer and shout for Rock, all of them wearing shirts with Rock¡¯s face on them. ¡°We¡¯ve got some new faces to talk to this time around! While not as many new people were introduced this time around, the ones who were introduced are important! We also saw the exit from a controversial character. Will her exit be temporary, or is it permanent? Who knows! For now, let¡¯s get the show rolling with some interviews!¡± The crowd claps as the spotlights shine on the entrance to the stage, but the clapping abruptly ends as soon as Rao walks out onto the stage. Instead, they boo. ¡°Oof. Tough crowd. Then again, you did start off super asshole-y,¡± Oleander tells Rao as he sits down on the couch. ¡°I apologized for that! And now I know better. I swear I won¡¯t do it again. Probably,¡± Rao says to the sound of the crowd¡¯s continued booing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this crowd mainly cares about the girls, so it¡¯s hard to get any love as a guy here.¡± ¡°What about you? People seem to like you from everything I¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m basically a girl and I know how to be a top-tier bro, so you get the best of both worlds with me! You get the cutesy appearance and flirting of a girl, and you get the bromance that only a bro can offer!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t guys stop caring after figuring out you¡¯re actually a guy though?¡± ¡°Some do, but for a whole bunch of them, that actually makes me even better! Wait, I¡¯m supposed to be interviewing you! I mean sure, I love talking about myself, but you¡¯re the new guy! So, Rao Rao, what do you think of the ladies so far?¡± ¡°Guys like you even more when they find out you¡¯ve got a dick? Weird, but whatever.¡± The crowd boos Rao even more. ¡°Anyways, uhh¡­ I haven¡¯t really talked to Serra much yet, but she seems pretty funny. That Cassiel chick is just way too mean. I have no idea how Fenbro could handle a girl like her. It¡¯s like you take one wrong step around her and¡ª¡± ¡°Careful, Rao. Cass Cass somehow has a secret provider of sharks to feed people to. You don¡¯t want to end up getting dunked into her shark tank.¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s exactly what I mean! Only a crazy¡ª¡± Rao pauses to look around. ¡°B-bro, I just felt chills down my spine. I feel like I¡¯m being watched.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the sharks. Anyways, go on!¡± ¡°Ri-right¡­ Nell seems crazy as well but at least she¡¯s nice from what I¡¯ve seen. Just really mean and cold to me. It¡¯s like she refuses to even think of me as a human ¨C like I¡¯m just some ant to her. That girl with the cat ears was definitely the worst out of all of them. I mean, you could just look in her eyes and tell she was insane. Something wasn¡¯t right in her head.¡± ¡°Poor Aiko. As much as I hated her accent when she was Nyaiko, she needs some serious support and help. Let¡¯s hope that she gets better and comes back sometime! For now,¡± Oleander presses down on the red button which opens up the floor in front of the couch, springs said couch up, and tosses Rao down the hole. ¡°Broooo!¡± Rao shouts, his voice growing quieter as he falls deeper beneath the stage. ¡°How deep does the hole go? Nobody knows! Onto the next guest!¡± This time, it is Azalabulia who walks onto the stage and is met with a mixed reception. Some of the audience is cringing just at the sight of her, some are checking out her perfect figure, and a few of them are even striking cool poses to copy her while cheering for her! Azalabulia takes notice of her fans and strikes a cool pose with one hand stuck out in front of her and the other covering her left eye before saying, ¡°Heh, it only makes sense for somebody such as myself to¡ª¡± ¡°Anyways!¡± Oleander cuts her off. ¡°I can only handle so much cringe, so let¡¯s keep your roleplaying to Fenny and the rest of them. How¡¯re you enjoying being a member of the crew so far?¡± Azalabulia blinks a few times with reddened cheeks as she¡¯s still striking her pose but has been completely thrown off guard. Taking a seat on the couch which has been returned to its original position, nothing to hint at the floor in front of her hiding a neverending pit, she answers Oleander¡¯s question, ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s nice to play with other people for once.¡± ¡°I bet that cringy roleplay personality scared everybody else off, right?¡± Azalabulia hangs her head as Oleander¡¯s words pierce her heart. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not like a flying fox thing and a dog made out of rock are more popular than you are.¡± Her head hangs lower. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. At least Fenny and Cass Cass like you.¡± Azalabulia lifts her head and looks at Oleander with excited eyes. ¡°They do? I ¨C I mean, of course they do! How could they not? I¡ª¡± ¡°Next question! What¡¯s up with the roleplaying anyways? Is there some secret reason why you like it so much, or do you do it just because?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡ª¡± This episode of The True Talk Show is brought to you by Jimmy¡¯s Auto Movers! Are you moving and need to transport lots of furniture? Is your car too small to fit all of your belongings in it? Do you need a crew to help you with packing and unpacking everything before and after your move? Then call Jimmy¡¯s Auto Movers! We offer rentable autovans at affordable prices that can¡¯t be beat! You can either rent the van and do all the moving with it yourself, or you can hire a crew of experienced movers to come with it that will help you every step of the way! ¡°I guess that makes sense! Wait, we were on a commercial break? Nobody told me!¡± Oleander shouts with a pout. ¡°Should I¡­ should I say it again?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s time for the next guest. Next!¡± Oleander shouts, hitting the button and sending Azalabulia into the abyss below. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know how the audience feels about this good boy yet,¡± Rock¡¯s tail starts excitedly wagging, ¡°but I know that he¡¯s got one major fangirl already! Come on out, Shogun!¡± Shogun walks out onto the stage and looks around, sniffing the air. Rock barks and immediately grabs his attention. With his eyes set on his love, Shogun runs up to Rock and the two start nuzzling their heads against each other. The crowd is torn between wanting to aww and feeling like they¡¯ve had their favorite girl stolen away from them. ¡°How does it feel, Shogun, to know that you¡¯ve cucked thousands of people?¡± Oleander asks Shogun, holding his microphone up to Shogun¡¯s snout. Shogun licks it and then licks Rock. ¡°I see! It must be nice knowing that everybody is jealous of you. The best girl just wants to give you all of her attention! She isn¡¯t even caring about the show anymore!¡± Rock pauses to sniff Shogun. The crowd knows that something is wrong when she starts growling at him. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? Another lover¡¯s spat?¡± Oleander asks, stepping back to see what the two canines do. Shogun barks before whining. Rock sniffs him again and snarls. Oleander walks up to Shogun and leans over just enough to get a whiff of what the smell is that¡¯s irritating Rock. Perfume. ¡°What¡¯s this? Shogun smells like another woman! Is this show about to turn heated?¡± Oleander asks while Rock snarls even louder than before. Shogun rolls over onto his back and kicks his legs up to attempt submitting to her, but she doesn¡¯t buy it. Oleander listens in on his earpiece and announces, ¡°Wait! We¡¯ve got footage of what led to this!¡± On the large screen above the stage, security camera footage pops up of Shogun walking around backstage sniffing a bunch of random things, walking into the room where others are getting dressed and having their makeup done, and he then leans up onto one of the dressers which results in him accidentally knocking a bottle of perfume onto the floor. The bottle lands in the perfect position to squirt some of its spray onto him. Rock looks up at the screen then back down to Shogun. He¡¯s still whining. Rock covers his face in licks to make it up to him. This time, the audience can¡¯t resist awwing. ¡°I have a feeling that Rock is being influenced by all the members of Fenny¡¯s harem. Serra: no problem licking and showing PDA. Cass Cass: gets mad over little things and jumps to conclusions. Nell Nell: Rock was probably thinking up some crazy idea in her head to explain why her boytoy here smelled like perfume. Shogun, you¡¯ve got one heck of a doggo here for you to learn how to handle!¡± Shogun ignores Oleander¡¯s words, instead just being happy that he¡¯s made up with Rock. ¡°Alright everybody! That does it for this episode of The True Talk Show! Don¡¯t forget to tune in next time for even more dog and fox relationship drama!¡± Oleander says while waving to the camera. Rock and Shogun ignore the cameras to instead just lick and cuddle with each other. Book 4: Chapter 1: Patch 1.0: Settling In Ryouta brings the final boxes out of the rented autovan and sets them down on the pavement in front of his new house to catch a breather. He still can¡¯t really believe that he gets to actually say he owns his own house now. Though, it¡¯s not like he bought it with even a dollar of his own money. Instead, Alice¡¯s more-than-generous would-be-king of a father has bought it for Ryouta, Alice, Serra, and Cassandra. While Ryouta did not need to get anybody¡¯s approval for moving out, nor did Alice seeing as how her father was the one pushing the idea onto them, Serra and Cassandra had a rougher time with their parents. Serra¡¯s birth mother was fine with her moving out to live with her boyfriend, but the rest of her parents were distraught over everything that might go wrong. Her dads taught her as much as they could leading up to her moving out regarding how to take care of a house, how to repair everything around it, how to change light bulbs, and so on. Or rather, they tried to teach her those things. Instead, it ended up being some of her more masculine mothers who had to correct their husbands and teach Serra the proper way to take care of a house. As for Cassandra ¨C well, every time that she¡¯s on the phone with either of her parents, everybody gets to hear the shouting match that goes on. ¡°Your arms will get big and strong with how much exercise you have been getting!¡± Alice tells Ryouta, pinching his arm after he¡¯s picked the boxes back up. ¡°I thought you liked me soft?¡± Ryouta teases back at her. ¡°I do! That is why I said we should hire others to be doing this for us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let your dad spend even more than he already has. Me and Cass can do all the lifting ourselves.¡± Speaking of Cassandra, she walks to him, grabs one of the boxes stacked on top of the one he¡¯s carrying, and takes it from him before huffing and stomping back into their new house. ¡°I take it that her latest conversation did not go well,¡± Alice says. ¡°Yeah¡­ her parents really weren¡¯t happy,¡± Ryouta says. Serra walks up to Ryouta and Alice and sticks her arms out. Ryouta leans over so that Serra can firmly grab onto the only remaining box stacked on top of the one he¡¯s holding, and when she gets it in her hands, she almost drops it from how heavy it is! With a cute grunt and a struggling expression, Serra slowly walks into the house with the box. ¡°I think Serra¡¯s the one who might need some more muscles,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I would prefer her to stay small and petite as she is! She reminds me of the dolls I would dress up as a child. Dolls should not have muscles!¡± Alice exclaims. ¡°You dressed up dolls as a kid? I guess that explains why you¡¯re so into dressing up and cosplaying.¡± ¡°Dressing up ¨C yes, that would likely explain it. As far as ¡®cosplay¡¯ goes, however, that is because I know you love it! My hero just loves for his girlfriend to dress up as other girls as she fails to satisfy him as her real self,¡± Alice says, dramatically raising one of her hands up to her forehead as she talks. She wheels herself up the ramp connected to their new porch and holds the door open for Ryouta. ¡°You¡¯re as delusional as ever, and thanks,¡± Ryouta says. The sound of Cassandra¡¯s phone vibrating and ringing fills the room, and just as quickly as it begins, it ends with her picking the phone up and turning it off. ¡°I told that bastard to leave me alone,¡± she groans, tempted to just smash her phone. ¡°Is he still that mad?¡± Ryouta asks, setting the box he¡¯s been carrying down. ¡°Every day! Every single day! Fuck! I finally date somebody actually worth dating and he won¡¯t get off my ass! I¡¯m not a kid anymore!¡± Cassandra shouts while stomping back and forth. ¡°His fucking complex is borderline creepy! Like why the fuck does he care so much that I¡¯m in love with a guy and wanting to live with him? Fuck!¡± The frequency of expletives that Cassandra uses in her daily vocabulary has been increasing ever since she told her parents that not only is she dating somebody, but that she¡¯s moving in with that same person. ¡°Please, Cassandra, let us focus on the happy occasion instead of worrying about them! They will not be able to interfere as long as you keep your phone turned off. Let¡¯s be happy and excited about our new life together!¡± Alice says. ¡°I know, I know. Sorry. I¡¯m just fucking pissed off. The bastard was already annoying before any of this, and now he¡¯s a million times worse. He tried telling me that he¡¯d stop worrying and let me do whatever I want if I¡¯d give him our address, but I know he would be showing up here within a day to bitch and yell at us all in person,¡± Cassandra says while rubbing her forehead. Ryouta holds Cassandra by her hips and places a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Sorry you¡¯ve got to deal with them. But, like Alice said, let¡¯s just try to focus on the good stuff now. It¡¯s not like you need your phone anyways, so you can just leave it off,¡± he says. ¡°My friends want pictures of our place. They made me promise that I would keep them up to date with everything and let them ¡®live vicariously¡¯ through me or else they wouldn¡¯t let me quit that shithole.¡± Ryouta takes his phone out from his pocket and hands it over to her. ¡°You know their numbers? Then just message them from my phone.¡± She stares intently down at his phone. ¡°I already deleted all the weird hentai I had on it,¡± Ryouta explains. ¡°No secret folders are safe with Serra around.¡± Serra sneezes while lazily sprawled out on top of their new couch. ¡°Is your mom still as mad as him?¡± Ryouta asks Cassandra. ¡°She¡¯s getting over it, but she¡¯s still being a bitch. Probably just jealous I actually know how to have a successful relationship instead of getting divorced five times and counting,¡± Cassandra says, causing both Ryouta and Alice to cringe from her harsh words toward her own mother. ¡°Well, maybe she¡¯ll learn from you. You don¡¯t plan on divorcing me, right?¡± Cassandra glares up at him. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. Are you?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not,¡± he says, kissing her again. ¡°I know¡­ sorry. I¡¯m just so pissed off and stressed out over this bullshit.¡± Alice, having snuck up behind Cassandra, grabs her by her hips and pulls the blonde down onto her lap. ¡°H-hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cassandra asks, squirming around on top of Alice¡¯s lap with reddened cheeks. ¡°There, there,¡± Alice says, keeping one hand wrapped around Cassandra¡¯s waist while petting the top of her head with her other hand. ¡°Nobody is getting divorced, and now we may all happily live together! I already told you before, but I shall say it again: let us be happy today.¡± Cassandra pouts but relaxes her body. Once more, Ryouta is beaten to getting any action with Alice¡¯s lap. However, there is somebody who wants to give Ryouta some attention, and that somebody is a certain munchkin climbing up his back like a koala and wrapping her legs and arms around him. Serra rests her head on Ryouta¡¯s shoulder and licks the lobe of his ear. Ryouta blushes and shivers, placing his hands underneath her thighs to keep her held up. ¡°Hmph. You never give me piggyback rides,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Is¡­ is that something you want?¡± Ryouta asks her. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I want one or anything¡­ maybe.¡± ¡°That does sound rather pleasant! My hero, you are certainly going to develop more muscles from carrying us all around on your back,¡± Alice says. ¡°What am I? A spider mom? I can¡¯t just carry you all around on my back,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Of course not! You must start off with only one of us at a time to build up your strength. Serra will be able to cling to the center of your back, and then Cassandra and I shall cling to the sides of it!¡± Ryouta pictures how that would work in his mind. He just imagines himself as a spider with his regular human head, and then his girlfriends as spiders with their normal heads all sitting on top of his back like spiders on their mom. He shakes that disturbing picture out of his head. ¡°Think of it as practice for when we have children! I am sure that our many children will wish to hang all over you!¡± Alice says. Cassandra nods and so does Serra since she¡¯s been reading Alice¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be having kids anytime soon,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Why not?¡± Cassandra asks without realizing how blunt that question and its implications are. Ryouta always thought that having his own house would be a nice, easy life. He now realizes just how foolish that was. Book 4: Chapter 2: Patch 1.0: Settling In Ryouta has returned to the autovan outside to use the card lent to him and Alice by her father to pay for its service and send it back to its dispatch center. He gets to take a breather now that the autovan is gone and all of his girlfriends are still inside their new home. The cityscape of New Charleston is still visible in the distance, but it looks small now whereas before Ryouta felt like an insignificant speck of dust when inside of it. While he wouldn¡¯t say that he¡¯s experiencing culture shock, given that this is an improved situation over his own, he would say that it¡¯s going to take some getting used to living in an upper-class suburban neighborhood. Rather than tall towers lining the streets, there are rows of houses with curious, middle-aged mothers peeking out through the windows at the new arrivals. Actually, when he thinks about it, there is definitely some culture shock. He¡¯s used to living in cities where he just blends in with the crowd and nobody really cares about who anybody else is. Here? He already has more presence here than he¡¯s ever had throughout his life in the city. ¡°I¡¯m starting to have regrets,¡± he tells himself when he looks across the street and sees one woman blatantly watching him through her window. ¡°I guess we should have moved to some rural place in the middle of nowhere after all. Maybe I was being too generic with this place,¡± he says and sighs. While the suburb may look like they represent the last century¡¯s traditional American dream, to Ryouta, it was just the most basic and safe option. At least the house is new. It may not have a white picket fence, but it does have a yard planted full of modified grass to keep its fresh and green look no matter how much the sun and hot temperatures try to scorch it, two stories with a cellar, a shaded porch, and a fenced-in backyard with a couple of trees in it and a mostly-overgrown, abandoned garden. ¡°Gonna have to invite Spencer over sometime to help with the garden. He loves his plants,¡± Ryouta tells himself while walking back to the house. The best part about the house? Three and a half bathrooms. Three. And. A. Half. All Ryouta needs is one half, and as long as no more girls move into the house, they¡¯ll all have their own bathrooms to do their own things in. He¡¯ll just need to use one of theirs whenever he needs to shower. They also made sure to get plenty of closet space. His short time with them in his apartment was enough to learn just how important closet space is for women. Serra requires the least closet space as her wardrobe is fairly similar to Ryouta¡¯s own. They both like to wear graphic t-shirts and jeans. Sometimes she wears shorts and even sweaters for him, but she isn¡¯t nearly as into fashion as the others are. Cassandra requires a pretty sizable amount of closet space. Between shirts, sweaters, skirts, shorts, pants, and a bunch of different shoes for different occasions, Cassandra requires nearly three times the space that Ryouta and Serra need. Then there is Alice. Alice, by far, requires a truly horrifying amount of closet space. Ryouta thought the amount of luggage she brought with her from overseas was intimidating at first, but after deciding to buy a house together, she had the rest of her belongings brought over. So. Many. Clothes. She has everything that Cassandra has multiplied by three, and she has different costumes for dressing up, dozens of wigs that all require their own head-shaped stands, dozens of different perfumes and other beauty products, and so many purses. Alice alone has more purses and bags that Cassandra and Serra have ever had combined, multiplied a few times, and then add one or two on top of that. Serra and Ryouta are able to share a closet. Cassandra has one closet to herself. Alice has all of her belongings spread out through five closets in different rooms, two closets of which are walk-in closets. Ryouta had no idea just how terrifying a woman could be when it comes to the amount of clothes she owns. Alice could probably wear different clothes every single day for two years before having to rewear anything, and he¡¯s sure that she¡¯d probably double her collection by then so that she never needs to wear the same thing twice. Between buying a house like it¡¯s nothing and then having such a truly absurd amount of clothes¡­ Ryouta realizes that rich people are really something else. He now understands the concept of having too much money. Then there¡¯s the fact that her father has several golf courses andvarious yachts. Apparently, after royalty was no longer officially a thing across the ocean, their whole family decided to get into investing and business. They discovered that wise investments are much more profitable than being entitled to taxpayer money. Now, all of their money is being funneled into Alice. She was actually surprised that nobody else had as many clothes as her. ¡°You¡¯re something else, Alice,¡± Ryouta says, sitting on the front porch¡¯s glider. ¡°I feel like an old man doing this. All I need are some kids playing catch in the yard and a pipe.¡± That woman across the street is still watching him from her window, but now she has a phone held up to her ear that she¡¯s talking to. Probably relaying information on him to other concerned, middle-aged women living in the neighborhood. ¡°I hope we¡¯re not the youngest people here. I mean, it¡¯d make sense, but¡­ wait, if I talk to myself too much then she¡¯s going to tell everybody I talk to myself,¡± Ryouta says. Part of him wishes he could just raise his middle finger to her to give her something to really gossip about, but he¡¯d rather not make enemies right after buying a house. He has no idea how long he¡¯ll have to be putting up with them. He could have Spencer help him put up some hanging vines over the porch so that any nosy neighbors can¡¯t see into it, but he doesn¡¯t know if the homeowner¡¯s association would be alright with that. Ryouta has heard of horror stories online about homeowner¡¯s associations, but now he may have to actually deal with one himself. Being an adult and doing responsible things is annoying. Feeling uncomfortable from being watched so intently, Ryouta heads inside and goes around the house to close all the blinds before finally being able to properly relax. The girls are resting on the couch leaving no room for Ryouta to join them. ¡°Two days later and we¡¯re finally done bringing everything over,¡± Ryouta says with a sigh. Serra sees him standing there, gets up, and points down at her previous spot. ¡°Thanks, Serra Berra,¡± he says, sitting down where she was. Serra then plops herself down on all of their laps with her feet on Alice¡¯s, back on Cassandra¡¯s, and head on Ryouta¡¯s. ¡°We should have just done it all yesterday,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I told you it¡¯d be better to get it all over with in one day instead of spreading it out.¡± ¡°I know, but I couldn¡¯t stand spending almost an entire day in the autovan.¡± ¡°You wanted to save Alice¡¯s dad some money, but you know it probably would have been cheaper to just do it in one day and hire a crew than renting the autovan for two days.¡± Ryouta tilts his head as he thinks about it. ¡°I believe she is correct, my hero! Now that I think about it myself, I feel rather silly for not bringing it up sooner,¡± Alice says. ¡°Why ¨C why didn¡¯t you say something sooner?¡± Ryouta asks Cassandra. ¡°Because I only just thought of it,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°I¡¯ll have to apologize to your dad, Alice.¡± ¡°You are such a silly man, my hero. You do not need to apologize to my father every single time you spend his money, nor do you need to apologize for accidentally doing something more costly,¡± Alice explains. ¡°I know, I know, but I feel bad. He¡¯s already done so much for us. I don¡¯t want to use up even more of his money.¡± Serra rubs the back of her head down against Ryouta¡¯s crotch which gets the exact reaction out of him that she was hoping for. Upon feeling something hard and excited poke the back of her head, she looks up at her boyfriend¡¯s face with a smug grin. However, Ryouta has recently discovered one of her weaknesses. Yes, even Serra has a weakness capable of defeating her. Grabbing onto Serra¡¯s sides, Ryouta pulls her farther onto his lap so that he has easy access to her stomach, and then he starts to furiously rub it! Serra¡¯s eyes go wide as she bursts out in near-maniacal laughter. She has to try her best not to instinctively kick her legs around since she doesn¡¯t want to hurt the others, but that doesn¡¯t stop her arms from going for the one assaulting her. This has a downside. It ends up just making Ryouta even hornier than she made him, but he¡¯s able to inflict more laughter on her than he suffers from arousal. By the time that Ryouta is done with her, Serra is a hot, panting mess angrily signing at him telling him not to do that without warning her first. Book 4: Chapter 3: Patch 1.0: Settling In ¡°So, are you sure that you don¡¯t want us to get a stair lift installed?¡± Ryouta asks Alice. Alice turns red and shakes her head. ¡°Certainly! I would never be caught riding one of those until I¡¯m covered in wrinkles! Furthermore, they are rare and expensive these days, so I am sure that you would not want to cost my father even more money for something I would hate!¡± ¡°You¡¯re only bringing that up since you don¡¯t want one.¡± ¡°I am! That doesn¡¯t affect my point! Why would I need one of those in the first place when I have you and Cassandra to carry me up and down the stairs?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just inconvenient and selfish?¡± ¡°It is, but I shall make it up to both of you.¡± Cassandra sighs and shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t really care either way,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯re light,¡± she tells Alice, ¡°and I doubt you¡¯d want to constantly be going up or downstairs.¡± ¡°See! Cassandra has no issue with it, so neither should you,¡± Alice tells Ryouta. ¡°Such a selfish girlfriend. But, alright. I honestly don¡¯t mind. We¡¯ll just make it work,¡± Ryouta says while Serra pokes his chin from his lap. ¡°Yes?¡± he asks, looking down at her. Serra sticks her tongue out at him. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Serra shrugs. ¡°You¡¯re like a needy kid who just wants attention.¡± Serra nods. ¡°By the way, Cass, don¡¯t you have an appointment for something tomorrow?¡± ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Cassandra answers, looking away. ¡°Are you still keeping it secret?¡± She nods, but when he looks at Alice, he sees her smiling and looked excited. ¡°What do you know?¡± he asks Alice. ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± Alice answers in a totally-not-suspicious manner. ¡°Do you know anything?¡± Ryouta asks, looking down at Serra again. Serra shrugs. Ryouta sighs and gives up. Whatever Cassandra¡¯s appointment is tomorrow, he¡¯ll just have to wait until then to find out. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to keep secrets, you know,¡± Ryouta tells them. ¡°Consider it revenge for not letting us meet Oleander yet!¡± Alice tells him. ¡°I¡­ technically met him before, but yeah, I want to meet him and actually know who he is this time,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Oh, yeah, right. We went together to that bar you worked at,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Yeah, the one where you tried getting into a fight while drunk, you dumbie.¡± While Cassandra may try her best not to call him a bastard anymore, she still gives him some playful and much-more-innocent sounding insults at times. ¡°He was asking for it. Probably. I don¡¯t really remember it.¡± ¡°He was, but you¡¯re still dumb for trying to fight some guy that was twice your size. What if there was nobody there to break it up and you got beaten up?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯d get the satisfaction of knowing that people were going to judge him for beating up somebody who¡¯s technically crippled?¡± While Serra slides her arms underneath Ryouta¡¯s shirt to get some warm, skin-on-skin contact, Cassandra sighs due to her boyfriend but then looks like she just thought of something. ¡°We need to split up chores,¡± she says. ¡°Right! How should we split them?¡± Alice asks. ¡°I¡¯m used to doing them all myself, so I¡¯ll just do whatever you all hate the most,¡± Ryouta says. Cassandra and Alice look at each other and smile. ¡°I hate doing dishes,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°And I hate taking out garbage! Not that I have ever done so, but the thought of it is not a pleasant one!¡± Alice says. ¡°And you? Which chore do you hate doing?¡± Ryouta asks, looking down at Serra. Serra signs that she hates all of them. ¡°You really are a kid. Pick one you hate the most.¡± Serra puffs out her cheeks but gives in and signs that she hates doing laundry. ¡°What did she say?¡± Alice asks. ¡°She hates laundry,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Oh! I could do that. I love doing laundry and folding all of the clothes afterward! It is very therapeutic. I do not mind doing dishes either, but I am very slow at them.¡± ¡°I just refuse to do the dishes. I¡¯ll do pretty much anything else,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°The guys in the back needing help with washing dishes on busy nights was enough to ruin my shifts.¡± ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have an automatic dishwasher?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°The asshole boss was too cheap to buy one.¡± ¡°Fair enough. So, I guess I¡¯ll take the trash out then and just help out with whatever anybody else needs done. Besides, taking out the trash is usually a guy¡¯s thing to do, right?¡± ¡°I wish. All those guys at my job were too weak or too grossed out to take the trash out. Even the boss refused to change the trash in the women¡¯s bathroom since he was too cheap to buy bags that weren¡¯t transparent, and seeing used tampons and blood in the bags made him want to throw up. He actually sent me home early one day because he got pissed off that I was carrying a bloody bag through the back and he saw it.¡± ¡°I mean, that¡¯s kind of understandable since I¡¯d think it¡¯s gross too, but seriously? That¡¯s just overreacting.¡± Alice laughs. ¡°It sounds to me that the man whom prided himself on being a tough pirate was actually quite the little boy,¡± she says. ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Cassandra says with a sigh. ¡°So, we got everything inside, and now we know who¡¯s going to do the chores, but there¡¯s one more thing we all have to take care of,¡± Ryouta says. Everybody looks forward. So. Many. Boxes. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll just unpack themselves if we ignore them,¡± Cassandra suggests. ¡°I am quite tempted to bring one of my previous maids from father¡¯s over here just to take care of this matter for us,¡± Alice admits. Serra raises her hands and tries to shoo the boxes away but, alas, she fails to dismiss them. ¡°I¡¯ll unpack everything for sexual favors and a homemade dinner of whatever I want for a week,¡± Ryouta half-assedly suggests, not expecting anybody to take him seriously. ¡°D-deal,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°That is fine by me!¡± Alice agrees. Serra gives him one of her signature thumbs-ups. Ryouta honestly wasn¡¯t expecting any of them to take his offer seriously, and now he¡¯s going to be stuck doing all of this work by himself in exchange for sex and food. Then again, that¡¯s really all a man needs. ¡°I want macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes tonight,¡± Ryouta tells them. ¡°And I¡¯m going to be way too tired to actually have sex later, so a blowjob will be enough for me tonight.¡± While Alice and Cassandra may blush from his blunt demand, Serra nods and gives him another thumbs-up as she¡¯s eager to accept his request. Maybe having to unpack all of these boxes won¡¯t be such a bad thing after all. With the group coming to an agreement, Ryouta lifts Serra off of his lap and then drops her back down once he¡¯s off of the couch, resulting in her head landing on the couch cushion with the rest of her body still sprawled out over Alice¡¯s and Cassandra¡¯s laps. ¡°My hero! Do feel free to remove your shirt so that we can see the sweat glistening upon your skin as you work,¡± Alice tells him as he opens up the first box. Ryouta blushes and tries to focus on the box. Part of him is tempted to actually do it just to see how she reacts since he doubts she¡¯s seriously expecting him to do it. The other part of him is too embarrassed by the thought of doing such a thing to ever go through with it. But, they agreed to his deal when he wasn¡¯t expecting it, so he might as well try to surprise them as well. Plus, it is pretty hot since his girlfriends all prefer setting the thermostat higher than him. Ryouta summons what courage he has and lifts his shirt off. The few scars on his torso from childhood fail to draw as much attention as the fact that he¡¯s actually gotten a little bit muscular. From going on daily runs to improve his legs, carrying Alice around and giving Serra piggyback rides, and now moving, he¡¯s gone from being skinny fat to actually being kind of toned. Needless to say, the sight is even better than Alice was expecting. All it takes then is a single bead of sweat to roll down his torso for her to start internally fangirling. Ryouta has always been skinny, but now that he¡¯s actually trimmed down his fat and built a bit of muscle, he even has some very subtle abs. Cassandra and Serra are both watching with great interest as well. Ryouta hasn¡¯t even noticed the changes to his body himself. Walking around has gotten easier, and he doesn¡¯t feel as easily tired as before, but just a month of being more active has increased to a much healthier body than before. It also helps that his girlfriends don¡¯t let him live off of alcoholic beverages and chips anymore. Book 4: Chapter 4: Patch 1.0: Settling In While Ryouta is busy with unpacking all of their belongings and trying to put things in places where they make the bare minimum amount of sense required, not even daring to try sorting the rest of the girls¡¯ items, the girls go out on a shopping trip. After all, in order to make the food that their boyfriend has requested, they have to actually have food in the house. An autotaxi gets called and drives over, ferries the girls over to the nearest supermarket, and their quest begins. It is their first real-life quest together. Objectives: find and place all of the required ingredients for Ryouta¡¯s dream dinner in their cart, acquire their personal favorite snacks and drinks, and buy anything else that either looks yummy or interesting to them. At first, Cassandra assumes that Serra wants to push the cart, but what Serra actually wants to do is stand on the back of it while Cassandra pushes it. Cassandra gives in without thinking much about just how childish and silly they look. While Serra stands on the bar underneath the cart, Cassandra has her arms wrapped around her to push the cart. Serra even gets to rest her head back against Cassandra¡¯s chest to use her breasts as pillows as she gets pushed around. Of course, when Serra does that, Cassandra realizes just how embarrassing this might be. Yet, she doesn¡¯t stop what they are doing. She allows Serra to continue this embarrassing feat. It¡¯s the middle of the day anyway! Who is going to be shopping at the store in the middle of the day, in a more suburban area, in this heat, on a weekday? The answer is many people. Mostly middle-aged women and the elderly. Cassandra and Serra feel the judging stares of those twice to thrice their age as soon as they enter the store. Alice is even keeping a little bit of distance between herself and them just so that those stares do not get directed at her as well. Unfortunately for the wheelchair-bound princess, just the fact that she¡¯s in a wheelchair in the modern age is enough to warrant confused and judging stares. It would not normally be a problem for her. However, she knows that these are all people she might be seeing on a frequent basis now. They surely all live in this area and she doesn¡¯t want them to have a bad opinion of her! ¡°Wh-what do we do now?¡± Alice asks Cassandra. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cassandra asks her, trying to ignore the curious stares of those around them. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I have never been shopping before.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Alice nods her head. ¡°My servants always did that for me and, in the apartment, you or Ryouta did it. I ¨C I only know how to shop online.¡± ¡°You seriously don¡¯t know how to shop in a market?¡± Alice nods her head even more sadly than before. ¡°You were seriously spoiled, weren¡¯t you?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Is ¨C is that not already obvious?¡± Alice asks while tapping her index fingers together. ¡°I know, but¡­ don¡¯t worry about it. All we have to do is go around, look at the hanging signs at the top of the aisles to see what¡¯s where, find what we need, and then put it in our cart. Simple enough, right?¡± ¡°I shall try my best!¡± Alice declares, her fists clenched and a confident look in her eyes now that has replaced the embarrassment from just moments ago. Cassandra finds it hard to believe that somebody so close to her own age could have never gone shopping before but, then again, she doubts that she¡¯d know what to do if she had to go live Alice¡¯s old life in her stead. Even just getting to live off of Alice¡¯s wealth and having her own house is out of her comfort zone! She could not possibly begin to imagine what it would be like to live a life if utter comfort and ease where everything is provided for her. Even now, when she could be living that sort of life, she wants to try and contribute herself so that she does not feel like she is doing nothing all of the time. Unless it comes to unpacking all of those boxes back at their new house. Nobody wants to do that. Well, except for Ryouta now who has recently opened up a box of Cassandra¡¯s clothes. Mainly her underwear. He only knows that this is hers because he¡¯s caught glimpses of her wearing one of the bras in the box before, but he has never seen all of these other bras and certainly not any of the panties. Cassandra gets a feeling in her gut telling her that something is wrong while Ryouta feels like he is playing a dangerous ¨C a very dangerous game as he lifts up one of her bras to examine it. ¡°These cups are pretty big¡­ I wonder,¡± he says, setting the bra down on top of his head and treating one of the cups as a hat. Then he picks up one of the pairs of panties to stretch and feel just how soft it is. If he was a degenerate from one of his hentai, he¡¯d probably be sniffing them. And he would be lying if he tries to say that the thought has not crossed his mind. Then there is the possibility of jacking off with them. This truly is a dangerous situation. Before he can give in to any of his carnal desires, he places the panties and bra back in the box and sets the whole thing aside so that Cassandra can deal with those herself later. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alice asks Cassandra. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I just have this really weird feeling,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just all these people staring at us making me feel so violated.¡± ¡°Perhaps ¨C ah! There!¡± Alice exclaims, excitedly pointing at a nearby shelf that has the seasoning Cassandra told her to look out for. ¡°I found it!¡± Cassandra can¡¯t help but internally fangirl a bit at just how cute and proud Alice looks for finding some seasoning. The sight really makes Cassandra want to have her own kids already. If her girlfriend is this cute, then how cute will her actual kids be? ¡°Got it. Next, we need¡­ does he like garlic?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Garlic? Hmm. I do not believe that I ever hear of him stating a preference either for nor against it,¡± Alice says. ¡°Cassandra? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, just¡­¡± Ryouta is placing one of Cassandra¡¯s bras on himself over his clothes just to try and see what it must be like wearing a bra. The curiosity was too much for him to handle, and now he finds himself stuffing her other clothes into the bra¡¯s cups to properly fill them out. ¡°Wait, does this make me a crossdresser?¡± Ryouta asks himself. ¡°Nah¡­ I¡¯m just curious. I swear ¨C wait, Saya is going to know about all of this. She¡¯s going to give me so much shit later.¡± He sighs and starts undoing the mess he has made with Cassandra¡¯s clothes. ¡°Perhaps you should visit a doctor?¡± Alice asks. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I hate going to the doctor anyways. I just can¡¯t shake this feeling that he¡¯s doing something weird back at the house,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Then let us challenge ourselves to quickly acquire the rest of the required items! I am sure that he would like us to hurry home and provide him with company as well.¡± Ryouta flops onto the couch and lets out a heavy sigh. ¡°So many boxes¡­ but it¡¯s so peaceful and quiet. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to take a quick nap before they¡¯re back,¡± he says, yawning and rubbing his eyes. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know if he knows how to live without us anymore,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°He¡¯s been spoiled ever since you came over.¡± Serra slinks out from between the cart and Cassandra to grab one of the items they¡¯re looking for that the other two girls missed. She¡¯s got a pretty smug smile on her face for catching an item that they both just walked and wheeled past. Not wanting to leave their boyfriend alone for any longer, each of the girls having their own reason behind it as well as several shared reasons, they make quick work of the supermarket and fill their cart with everything they came for and more. Once done, they go up to the checkouts where a robotic arm scans the cart and gives them their total. Alice pulls out her card to pay for everything after Cassandra tells her that¡¯s what comes next. The robotic arm gets to work automatically sorting and bagging everything as soon as it¡¯s all paid for. It takes less than a minute for the arm to masterfully bag their items and send them on their way. ¡°Thank god this store has one of those. The closest place to my old apartment still used people to bag things and they took forever,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°They have people performing such a mundane job?¡± Alice asks. ¡°What is the point of that?¡± ¡°Because they were one of those anti-automation places. I guess you get tax breaks for hiring more people instead of relying on just machines, too.¡± ¡°I see! I feel that I have learned quite a bit today.¡± Cassandra keeps forgetting that what is common sense to her is apparently unknown knowledge to Alice. The shopping trip is over and the girls return home with the same autotaxi that they arrived in. Opening the door to the house, they are met with the sight of Ryouta sleeping on the couch with Cassandra¡¯s bras and panties all over the room. They have no idea how he managed to get her underwear everywhere ¨C looking as if he threw a party and they were the decorations, but now they know why Cassandra felt so off during their shopping trip. Cassandra, with a face burning red, can¡¯t even think about how to get revenge for how embarrassed she is. Book 4: Chapter 5: Patch 1.0: Settling In Ryouta wakes up to the scent of food being cooked and the sound of busywork around the house. ¡°Shit, I totally slept longer than I was supposed to. Wait, did I ¨C didn¡¯t I¡­ Cassandra¡¯s stuff was everywhere. She¡¯s going to be so mad at me. Maybe I just shouldn¡¯t open my eyes and pretend to be asleep. I won¡¯t get yelled at if they think I¡¯m asleep, but¡­ if I¡¯m pretending to be asleep then I won¡¯t be able to eat anything,¡± Ryouta thinks, unaware of the conflicted expression he¡¯s showing on his face. ¡°Mom, dad, I might be joining you wherever you are once I get up. Wait, there¡¯s no proof that I¡¯m not already dead and in the afterlife right now. That could be my mom making me food instead of my girlfriends¡­ she made really good cookies. Now I want cookies. Damn, if I didn¡¯t fall asleep then I could have texted them and told them to bring home stuff to bake cookies,¡± he thinks some more. He really doesn¡¯t want to get up. But, he knows that he eventually has to. There is no hiding nor escape. No matter what he tries, it will only be delaying the inevitable. Ryouta opens his eyes. ¡°Good morning,¡± Cassandra says, ¡°Ryouta.¡± Yep. He is going to die. ¡°M-morning, Cass Cass. I love you. Have I mentioned how great of a girlfriend you are and how perfect you ar¡ª¡± Ryouta tries to say but gets cut off when Cassandra boldly leans down and presses her lips against his own. ¡°How is she not mad at me? I mean, I¡¯m not going to complain, but seriously. This doesn¡¯t make sense. Cassandra of all people should be the most pissed off at me over something like this,¡± Ryouta thinks. ¡°Wait, maybe I really am dead? That would explain this. I¡¯ve either gone crazy or am dead already.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re enjoying your bed for the night,¡± Cassandra whispers into his ear before pulling away. ¡°What ¨C what do you mean by that?¡± Ryouta asks her. When he looks up at her face, he sees what looks like her suppressing her anger to the best of her ability. But then she sighs and relaxes her tense posture. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I love you and am trying to be nice. Don¡¯t do something weird like that again,¡± she says with a pout. ¡°Pr-promise not to play with my clothes and you won¡¯t have to sleep on the couch.¡± Ryouta sighs himself and then answers with, ¡°I promise, Cass Cass. And I¡¯m sorry for screwing around with your clothes.¡± ¡°You better be. Now get back to work while we finish dinner.¡± ¡°Aye aye.¡± Ryouta waits until Cassandra leaves before truly believing that it is over ¨C that he is free from her anger. She still seemed embarrassed and annoyed, but she¡¯s not blowing up on him nor threatening to kill him nor anything else like that. She actually seems to have forgiven him. Ryouta breathes another sigh of relief, pulls out his phone to check it, and ¨C wait, he saw a quick reflection of his face in the phone¡¯s screen. Something didn¡¯t look right. He gets up and goes into the bathroom to look in the mirror. ¡°PERVERTED DOG BASTARD,¡± is written on his forehead in thick, black ink. His mouth is circled with an arrow pointing to it and text that says, ¡°Serra¡¯s Holster.¡± The final girl to have left a mark on his face wrote, ¡°Alice was here,¡± with a cute smiley face and a heart on his right cheek. Honestly, the sight of it just makes him laugh more than anything else. He¡¯s happy that his girlfriends are the types to pull a little prank on him like this instead of going around and smashing his belongings like in some crazy stories that he has heard of online. Plus, it¡¯s funny. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if he actually had to go out into public and do anything, but since all he has to do is put things away and eat food, this is fine. ¡°I deserve it this time,¡± Ryouta says, not even trying to wipe away the ink. It would only be fair to wear it for the rest of the evening given what he was doing. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m in a good mood now. Let¡¯s get the rest of the unpacking done.¡± Of course, five minutes into continuing his task and he starts feeling sore all over. His legs, arms, back ¨C it¡¯s all hitting him now. While he may be in better shape now than he was just a month ago, and certainly more than before he started dating them at all, he¡¯s still not used to working this much. But, a deal is a deal, and he will push himself until he¡¯s breaking down to accomplish his end of it. Fortunately for Ryouta, he manages to get everything done before dinner is ready and before his body totally breaks down. The only boxes left unpacked are the ones that the girls brought full of their personal items and clothes. Serra is the only one who told him that he could unpack her things as well since she has the least shame of them all. When Ryouta was putting away her bras, he was tempted to try and wear one like he did with Cassandra¡¯s, but the cups are just way too tiny for his head. They¡¯d probably struggle to even serve as an infant¡¯s hat. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± Ryouta exclaims, plopping onto the couch and kicking his feet up onto the table. ¡°My hero! It is rude to place your feet on furniture,¡± Alice scolds him from the kitchen with a mixing spoon held in her hand and an apron over her front. Naturally, being the deviant that Ryouta is, the first thing he thinks of when he sees one of his girlfriends wearing an apron is them wearing an apron and nothing else underneath it. The thought is strangely extra erotic when it comes to Alice since she¡¯s in a wheelchair. He wouldn¡¯t get to see her sides and back as easily, but he¡¯d know that they are bare regardless. He really wants to see that now. ¡°I¡¯ll take my feet off the table if I get to see you naked in an apron,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Ah! That does sound like it would be fun. I have seen pictures of that before and have always been fond of it!¡± Alice replies. ¡°But take your feet off of the table first!¡± she says with a pout and crossed arms. Ryouta takes his feet off the table to instead lie down on the couch in a position where his feet are hanging off of its side rather than lying on top of it. The position already isn¡¯t the most comfortable, and it only gets worse¡ªor better depending on one¡¯s perspective¡ªwhen Serra comes over and plops herself down on top of him. She might be light and soft, but she still knocks some air out of him when she lands on top of his stomach when he¡¯s not expecting it. Then she swivels around and positions herself to lie down on him, her legs going between his own and hanging off the couch, while her head rests on his chest. Ryouta hears Alice awwing from the kitchen. ¡°If only we had a child already! Then the child could lie on top of Serra, and then you would have a pyramid of bodies!¡± Alice exclaims. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be kids eventually. Just not now. Now is the time for food instead of babies,¡± Ryouta replies. ¡°Why not both? We¡¯re not going to get any younger. You don¡¯t want to be grey and old by the time our kids are adults, right?¡± Cassandra asks. Ryouta is starting to realize just how bold Cassandra can be when it comes to having kids. She must really want a kid. ¡°You know¡­ despite how much you three want to have kids, we still haven¡¯t had actual sex in real life yet,¡± Ryouta calls them out. Cassandra and Alice return to what they were doing before instead of acknowledging the issue he¡¯s brought up. However, Serra, being the mischievous munchkin that she is, scoots farther down his body until her rear is pressing down against his crotch. She doesn¡¯t even know what they¡¯re talking about and she¡¯s trying to get a rise out of him. This is when Ryouta joins Cassandra and Alice in being flustered and unsure if he¡¯s capable of actually having real sex. They¡¯ve just been satisfying each other with non-penetrative fun so far unless the penetrating of mouths counts, but it¡¯s been a few months already and not one of them has had proper sex with the others in real life. It¡¯s just been so much easier in-game. ¡°I think we might have to have a talk about that,¡± Ryouta thinks just in time for the timer to ring and dinner to be ready. First, dinner. Then, talk about sex. Book 4: Chapter 6: Patch 1.0: Settling In ¡°My hero, are ¨C are you going to eat like that?¡± Alice asks. None of the girls expected him to be perfectly fine with those drawings and labels all over his face, but he¡¯s accepting them all. ¡°Yep,¡± he answers. Serra can hardly hold back her giggling at the sight of him. ¡°This is great, by the way. Thanks,¡± he tells Alice and Cassandra. ¡°I¡¯ve never had mashed potatoes with this much garlic in it before,¡± Cassandra and Alice look nervously at each other, ¡°but it¡¯s great. I think I might prefer them this way now.¡± The two girls breathe sighs of relief. ¡°Good!¡± Alice says. ¡°We were worried that you would not like such a high amount of garlic.¡± ¡°You could have just asked me if I liked garlic,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°It ¨C we wanted to surprise you,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Trying to surprise people with food is pretty risky, but it worked out. Are there any other surprises I should be looking out for?¡± The girls shake their heads. ¡°By the way, what was the store like?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°It was¡­ a store,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°I think they¡¯re open twenty-four-seven, so next time, we should just go in the middle of the night instead.¡± ¡°Why that late?¡± ¡°Too many old people during the day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Alice?¡± He looks at Alice, seeing just how excited she looks. ¡°It was a wonderful journey! It was my first time ever going into such a market! There were signs telling you where things are, assistants walking around whom could help you locate specific items, different sections of the store dedicated to different types of products, and robotic arms that placed all of our groceries in bags for us!¡± Alice recalls like an excited kid freshly home from a field trip. ¡°You¡¯ve never been to a store before?¡± ¡°I have, but not one for food! The stores I have been to have always been for clothes and wigs.¡± ¡°You really are a spoiled princess.¡± Alice smiles and nods her head. ¡°The only downside was having so many stares directed at me. I understand why, but I will admit that it still makes me uncomfortable when in a new area.¡± Serra, who¡¯s been reading their lips the entire time, nods at Alice¡¯s latest words. ¡°But, that is partially on us, after all! We are the ones choosing to live like this instead of making use of the technology available,¡± Alice tells Serra. Ryouta, after dipping his meatloaf into his mashed potatoes and eating the result, says, ¡°I just read something about that the other day online. Apparently, since people with disabilities are considered a protected class, they stay that way for tax benefits and government help and all that. Government can¡¯t force people to get surgeries which aren¡¯t completely necessary, so they just keep their disabilities.¡± ¡°That is true, my hero, but not all of us do it for that reason! It is just an identity issue for some of us. It is who we are, and we accept that.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me before you like it since it¡¯s tragic?¡± ¡°That ¨C that may be part of the reason! But, truthfully, it has more to do with being my identity. I liked my wheelchair as a child since it made me feel unique and I was allowed to decorate it however I wished. While I do enjoy being able to run and swim as Nell, I find my chair much more comforting than those leisures.¡± Serra nods along with everything that Alice has to say, but then she signs to the group telling them that her parents got tax breaks for her living with them while remaining deaf. She even tells them about how her parents were half-joking around about being sad that she was moving out since that meant they¡¯d have to pay higher taxes. Ryouta and Cassandra look at each other. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean we get those tax breaks now?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Alas, neither of you will need to be paying taxes in the first place since I will be providing for us!¡± Alice says with a smug smile and arms crossed over her chest, not noticing the bit of mashed potatoes on her cheek. ¡°You¡¯re a princess. Be more careful,¡± Cassandra says, wiping away the mashed potatoes from Alice¡¯s cheek with one of her fingers and then licking said mashed potatoes off from her finger. Alice slowly turns red while maintaining her pose and expression until she slumps over in defeat. ¡°Cass,¡± Ryouta says. Cassandra looks at Ryouta and sees mashed potatoes all over his lips. ¡°You look gross. Wipe that off,¡± Cassandra says, tossing a napkin at him and sighing. ¡°It was worth a try,¡± he says. ¡°Hey, wait. All this legal talk has got me thinking. Alice, are you legally allowed to live over here?¡± Alice lifts her head and almost lets out an embarrassing snort when she sees Ryouta with the mashed potatoes still covering his lips. ¡°I ¨C I am, my hero, yes,¡± she says, unable to look directly at him. ¡°Let us just say that my family has some very useful ties to this country¡¯s government, so getting the proper paperwork done was easy! I legally have dual citizenship now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ just how high do those ties go?¡± ¡°High enough! Speaking of which, you may all be granted dual citizenship as well if you wish to ever move across the ocean.¡± ¡°You spoil us.¡± ¡°You really do,¡± Cassandra agrees. While those three talk, Serra steals some of Cassandra¡¯s macaroni and cheese. ¡°What can I say? I love to spoil those whom I love!¡± Alice explains. The rest of dinner continues with much more mundane topics. It is the topic that comes after dinner which sparks various, interesting reactions. While Ryouta and Serra do the dishes as Cassandra and Alice lounge on the couch, Ryouta says, ¡°So, about sex.¡± Serra, focusing on doing the dishes as quickly as possible, doesn¡¯t notice the topic nor how Cassandra and Alice freeze on the couch. ¡°Wh-what about it, my hero?¡± Alice asks. ¡°You all want kids, and we¡¯ve had sex in-game before, but we¡¯ve never actually tried to have real sex in real life before. Is¡­ is there a reason for that?¡± Ryouta asks them. He peeks over his shoulder and sees the girls looking at each other with bright cheeks. ¡°A-ah¡­ well, you see¡­ I just ¨C we, we¡­¡± Cassandra takes a deep breath before saying, ¡°We¡¯re just afraid.¡± Ryouta puts down the dishes he¡¯s holding to turn around and look at them properly. ¡°Why are you afraid?¡± he asks. ¡°Because we look different in-game, and¡­ I know this is stupid, but it¡¯s just ¨C we¡¯re afraid you wouldn¡¯t like our bodies as much as you do in-game, and it would hurt, and¡­ yeah. ¡° ¡°Is that it? There aren¡¯t any other reasons?¡± Alice and Cassandra nod their heads. ¡°We have been making Serra wait for us to be ready as well,¡± Alice admits. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m happy that¡¯s all. It¡¯s not really stupid, either. I mean, of course I¡¯m going to love your real bodies even more than your in-game bodies, but it¡¯s understandable. I¡¯ve been feeling the same way.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I mean, yeah. I know you¡¯ve all already seen it, but¡­ it¡¯s pretty obvious I made Fenrir¡¯s dick bigger than my own, and not just by an inch. Plus I made him way more attractive in pretty much every single way, so yeah. I feel like the real thing is a downgrade from him.¡± Alice and Cassandra both look at him. The look in their eyes tells Ryouta that they¡¯re¡­ mad at him? ¡°Ryouta!¡± Alice says. ¡°Do not insult yourself like that! Your real body is an upgrade from Fenrir¡¯s if anything! Yes, Fenrir may be attractive, but only because we know you are the one playing him! He looks too artificially handsome, and the real you looks much more ¨C well, real! Everything about your real body is far more perfect.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about something stupid like your character¡¯s¡­ size, you dumbie. That thing in-game is way too big anyways. We¡¯re already worried about you hurting us with what you really have. You think either of us want you to be even bigger? We want to feel good; we don¡¯t want to die from pain,¡± Cassandra says with an annoyed huff. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t team up on me,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You¡¯re both guilty of it too! Alice, I tell you all the time how much I love how soft your thighs look and how much I want to play with them, but you don¡¯t let me! Cass, your boobs are even bigger in real life, and you¡¯re shorter than you are in-game, and I love both of those!¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I think you look adorable in your sleep!¡± Cassandra shouts at him. ¡°And I like how much softer your body is in reality as well!¡± Alice shouts back. While Serra continues doing the dishes, a shouting competition of complimenting each other somehow occurs behind her. Book 4: Chapter 7: Patch 2.0: Prime Real Estate Ryouta, Cassandra, and Alice have managed to fluster one another to the point where they just have no idea what to say. They look at each other with parted lips as if they have something else to say but, whenever they actually try to say something, they stop and shyly look away. ¡°Are¡­ we fighting with compliments? Over sex?¡± Ryouta asks after a few moments of awkward silence. ¡°I ¨C I think so,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°I would not even consider it a fight, but yes,¡± Alice says. While the tensions may have seemed high to an outsider if they were to have seen their little ¡°fight,¡± now the three are laughing or trying not to laugh from just how ridiculous they were behaving. ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, I wish all ¡®fights¡¯ were like that,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I agree!¡± Alice says. ¡°Fights would be much more entertaining if they included combatants trying to out-compliment one another!¡± ¡°What were we even talking about before that?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Oh, right. Sex. I was curious why we haven¡¯t had any real sex yet,¡± Ryouta explains. The room gets awkward again as Alice and Cassandra get embarrassed all over. As for Serra, she has since completed the dishes, washed her hands, and claps them together before turning around with a smug expression of satisfaction for her work. What Serra sees are three people awkwardly standing and sitting around while blushing. She tilts her head since she has no idea what the issue is, but since they just seem flustered, she figures that it can¡¯t be that bad. Ryouta sees her and says, ¡°Ah, sorry. I ended up getting distracted and you did most of the work.¡± Serra, watching his lips, shrugs and tugs down on his shirt. He knows what this means. Leaning down for her, Serra pulls on his shirt until his face is in front of her own for her to kiss him. He knew that she¡¯d want a kiss by pulling down on his shirt like that. What he didn¡¯t know was that she was planning on slipping some surprise tongue into his mouth during it before pulling away and acting innocent. Blushing as much as the girls on the couch now, Ryouta leans back up straight and only grows even more red when Serra licks her lips while staring into his eyes. She¡¯s looking at him like a predator at its prey. Fenrir may be inspired by a wolf, but when it comes to personality, it is Serra that is the wolf whereas Ryouta is the bunny that Serra wants to devour. ¡°An-anyways, let¡¯s finish talking about it some other time, but I do think we need to seriously deal with it soon. I mean, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m just bringing this up because I want to have sex. I do, but I just¡­ I just think we¡¯re at the point where we shouldn¡¯t be nervous about it. I mean, we¡¯re living together. We bought a house together ¨C well, Alice and her dad bought a house for us, but you know what I mean,¡± Ryouta tells the girls over on the couch. ¡°I do not disagree with you, my hero. We just¡­ need to mentally prepare ourselves! And physically! I ¨C I may not have been shaving my legs as much as I should be,¡± Alice explains. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯ve got some hair on your legs.¡± ¡°But I care! I would never want any of you to touch my legs while they are like this! Look!¡± Alice says, lifting up her skirt so that he can see what she¡¯s talking about. There¡¯s nothing to see. Just some nice legs. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Come closer!¡± Alice demands. Ryouta does as told and walks right up next to her to kneel down and look at her supposedly-hairy legs. Still nothing. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure they¡¯re hairy? They still look perfectly smooth,¡± Ryouta tells her. Alice, burning red, takes his hand into her own and pushes it against her leg. ¡°See? There is stubble!¡± she explains. ¡°Huh. Yeah, but it¡¯s so short that you can¡¯t even see it unless your face is literally next to your leg. Also, I thought you said you would never want anybody touching your legs while they¡¯re like this?¡± ¡°I have to prove my point! You need to understand that there are very important reasons as for why nothing has happened yet, and this is one of them!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Cassandra chimes in, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t be expecting me to shave my legs during winter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. Why would I care if you shave your legs or not?¡± Ryouta asks, hand still on Alice¡¯s leg. ¡°You ¨C you seriously don¡¯t care?¡± ¡°Am I supposed to?¡± ¡°Are you actually into hairy legs or something like that?¡± ¡°Not at all. I think a girl¡¯s legs look best when there isn¡¯t any hair on them, but it¡¯s your body, so why should I care if you don¡¯t feel like shaving your legs? It¡¯s not going to make me less attracted to you.¡± Cassandra may be blushing from his words now, but Alice is blushing because Ryouta¡¯s hand is still on her leg despite her trying to pull it away. Now that his hand has actually reached one of its dream destinations, it is hesitant to leave. ¡°My ¨C my hero, you can¡­ you can stop that now,¡± Alice tries to tell him while pouting and tugging at his hand. ¡°Stop what?¡± Ryouta asks as he rubs his hand along her leg. ¡°I can¡¯t even feel that, so there is no point in moving your hand!¡± That doesn¡¯t stop him from rubbing her leg more, slowly sliding it up higher toward her thighs. Whereas before, she was truthfully only offering a minor amount of resistance, her strength increases as soon as he¡¯s getting close to her thighs. Ryouta¡¯s eyes widen a bit from just how easily she¡¯s able to stop his hand from advancing any farther. When he looks up at her, he sees determined eyes and a serious expression telling him that his hand will not make it any farther up. ¡°Why ¨C why can¡¯t I touch your thighs?¡± Ryouta asks Alice. ¡°Because I know what you will be thinking if you do,¡± Alice answers, her voice just as cold and as serious as her expression. ¡°But¡­ them being soft and squishy is a good thi¡ª¡± Oh no. Ryouta remembers that he decided before to never call either Cassandra or Alice ¡°squishy¡± before because he knew that would be a death sentence for him. And what did he just call Alice¡¯s thighs that she¡¯s already insecure about? Squishy. ¡°Squishy?¡± Alice asks, a twisted smile on her face as she forces her eyes to stay closed lest she look at him with murderous intent. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ like, in a¡­ in a good way. You know, like uhh¡­ jello?¡± Ryouta tries to save it. He makes it even worse. ¡°You¡¯re so,¡± Cassandra says, watching the disaster unfold, but sighs instead of finishing her sentence. ¡°I¡¯m buying a dog house for you if you ever call me that.¡± Ryouta tries to pull his hand away from Alice¡¯s leg, but now she¡¯s holding onto it with a death grip. Serra may be the wolf to Ryouta¡¯s bunny, but now Alice is the serpent to Ryouta¡¯s rowboat. ¡°Help,¡± Ryouta says, looking at Cassandra. ¡°Nope,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°Save me,¡± he says, looking at Serra. Serra looks away and puckers her lips as if to whistle despite no noise coming out due to the fact that she has no idea how to whistle. ¡°I ¨C I love you?¡± he tries to tell Alice. ¡°Squishy,¡± Alice reminds him. ¡°Like jello.¡± Ryouta brings his other hand up to try and free his hand, but that one gets grabbed onto as well. ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re seriously strong.¡± ¡°Oh? I thought I was squishy like jello? Squishy jello is not strong. It is squishy.¡± Ryouta has two choices. Either he can die without ever experiencing something he has always wanted to experience, or he can really die while getting to experience something that he has always wanted to experience. If he¡¯s going to die here, he might as well go out in a blaze of beautiful glory. Ryouta looks down at her thighs, takes a deep breath, and lunges his head forward! Alice opens her eyes too late to see and stop what he¡¯s doing. Ryouta plants his face right into her thighs. He¡¯s been wanting a lap pillow from her for so long. While this might not be a lap pillow since he¡¯s pushing his face down between her thighs rather than resting his head on them, this is good enough. He can die happy. Or not. ¡°St-stop!¡± Alice whines, squirming around as she shivers and giggles. What¡¯s this? Has Ryouta discovered a weakness of hers? ¡°It ¨C your nose is tickling me!¡± Alice whines. Ryouta rubs his nose some more against the spot that it¡¯s pressing against, causing her to burst into a fit of laughter strong enough that she releases his hands and futilely tries pulling his head away. Wait, she has feeling in her thighs? And that feeling is one of her weaknesses as it¡¯s a severely ticklish spot? Ryouta may just live to see another day. Book 4: Chapter 8: Patch 2.0: Prime Real Estate Serra joins in on the tickle-torture by squeezing herself behind the couch. Since it has yet to be fully pushed against the wall, there is enough space for her smaller body to fit back there. Once positioned, she slips her hands down toward Alice and is quick in sliding her hands underneath Alice¡¯s arms. Alice jumps from the sudden and unexpected hands now trying to tickle her armpits. ¡°Ser-Serra! St¡ªdon¡¯t take his side!¡± Alice cries while being unable to hold back her giggling. Her entire body ¨C well, the parts of it that can move are shaking and wiggling around at this point as she just doesn¡¯t have the strength to stop either of them. ¡°St-stop! I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m going to hit you!¡± ¡°Pfftt. You¡¯d never hit us,¡± Ryouta says, right before getting an especially loud squeak from her. He pulls his face up for a moment to see what Serra is doing, and that puts him in the line of attack for her swinging arms. Alice¡¯s arm comes smashing right into Ryouta¡¯s face as a result of Serra still tickling her. She actually hits him hard enough that he tumbles backward a bit and is left with a bloody nose. ¡°H-hey, are you alright?¡± Cassandra asks, getting off of the couch to check on him. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry! I ¨C I didn¡¯t mean to do that!¡± Alice explains. ¡°Serra! Please stop!¡± Since Serra can¡¯t see Alice¡¯s mouth, she has no idea that Alice is even saying something. It is only when Alice seriously grabs onto Serra¡¯s hands and roughly removes them from underneath her arms that Serra gets the hint and stops. ¡°I¡¯m alright. It was just an accident, and I was totally asking for it,¡± Ryouta says, wiping his nose onto his arm. ¡°It¡¯s not broken or anything. I think.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m still sorry, Ryouta. This¡­ has happened before. My father tried tickling me when I was a child and I broke his nose. Five times. He eventually stopped trying to tickle me,¡± Alice explains. ¡°You¡¯re pretty violent when you¡¯re getting tickled, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do not mean to be! I just lose control of my movements! It is not my fault,¡± Alice says with a whine and a pout. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry about it. By the way,¡± Ryouta pauses when he hears his phone vibrate. Pulling it out from his pocket to check on it, he has a text from their internet provider apologizing for the delay and saying that their internet service has finally been activated. ¡°By the way¡­ I¡¯m going to go play FTO. Just got a text saying the internet is on. Gonna set up the computer real quick, connect everything, and check on how things are.¡± Ryouta sends Oleander a text as well telling him that his internet is finally on. ¡°Took them long enough. Never heard of internet not being ready before people even move in,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Not in modern times, anyways.¡± ¡°Your nose, are you ¨C are you sure that you should be playing instead of going to the hospital?¡± Alice asks. ¡°It¡¯s just a bloody nose from being hit. You didn¡¯t break it,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°But ¨C but I always broke my father¡¯s nose! You should get it checked out!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t even hurt that much already. Look,¡± Ryouta says, touching his nose. He immediately cringes from pain. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Ryouta!¡± ¡°If it seriously hurts that bad then we can go,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I mean, does it look broken? You can usually tell from how it looks, right?¡± Ryouta asks. Cassandra grabs his face and holds him still to look straight at him. ¡°I mean, it looks fine. Just bloody. It¡¯s not¡­crooked or anything, but I don¡¯t know if broken noses are always visible. I broke my arm once as a kid and it¡¯s not like you could tell from looking at it.¡± ¡°How¡¯d that happen?¡± ¡°We were playing soccer at school, I tripped, and let¡¯s just say it bent.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t visible?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it was when it first got bent, but then looked normal when I unbent it. Then it just looked really bruised.¡± ¡°That¡­ like, it bent?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ryouta shudders at the thought. He¡¯s seen videos of similar injuries on the internet before, and he could never handle those videos. Videos of limbs bending in ways that they shouldn¡¯t and anything sad or cruel involving animals are the only kinds of videos that he truly cannot handle. ¡°Anyways¡­ gonna go game. My nose is fine. If it¡¯s not fine, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± he says. ¡°You are too stubborn!¡± Alice pouts. ¡°Hey, if I wasn¡¯t stubborn, Nell would still belong to Ull.¡± ¡°You ¨C you may have a point, but now is not the time to be stubborn! This is your nose, not Ull!¡± ¡°Game time!¡± ¡°A-ah! Wait!¡± Alice shouts after him as he gets up and heads to their new gaming room. Of course, a group that met through gaming is going to have a room dedicated to gaming. ¡°That stubborn man!¡± Cassandra shrugs and says, ¡°What can you do? Men hate going to doctors. My dad never lets anybody take him, and none of my exes would go either. Then again, they were all paranoid they¡¯d get in trouble for drugs. I¡¯m used to guys just refusing to ever do the smart thing and get checked out.¡± ¡°I am not! My father would go to the doctor¡¯s for even the slightest pains and bruises! Ryouta should as well!¡± ¡°What about your dads?¡± Cassandra asks, looking up at Serra. Serra signs to them that her moms would drag her dads to the doctors¡¯ whether they wanted to go or not. ¡°Your moms really had your dads on tight leashes, didn¡¯t they?¡± Serra signs that they still do. While the girls discuss how troublesome men are when it comes to getting medical attention, Ryouta finishes setting up his computer, hooking everything together, getting everything connected to the internet, and digging his virtual reality headband out from one of the boxes in the room that has yet to be unpacked. He really underestimated just how much unpacking there would be. Even with how little belongings he owns, he realized how many useless things he has during the packing process. He also remembered that there were three boxes in his closet that he never unpacked after moving into his old apartment, and now those three boxes will probably never be unpacked here, either. ¡°Finally. Haven¡¯t gotten to play in a week,¡± Ryouta says, slipping on the headband and getting into a comfortable position in his chair. Unfortunately, as soon as he immerses into virtual reality, a warning message pops up asking him to verify logging in from a new IP with his phone. ¡°Of course.¡± After confirming his identity, he¡¯s finally allowed to play the game and become Fenrir once again. He wakes up to the sight of Serra, Cassiel, and Nell all lying asleep on top of him in the hammock. He¡¯s amazed that the hammock is able to hold all four of them in it without breaking down. The only bad thing about this is that he has no idea how to get out from underneath them. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t suppose that you¡¯re willing to come and move them for me, are you, Overseer? You can do that, right?¡± Fenrir asks. Fortunately, the three girls slowly open their eyes and yawn to simulate having just woken up, and then they get out from the hammock one at a time. It¡¯s creepy to Fenrir knowing that they aren¡¯t really his girlfriends right now even if they¡¯re moving with the same sort of mannerisms that his girlfriends use, but he¡¯s just happy that he won¡¯t be trapped underneath them. ¡°Thanks,¡± he says. The three girls climb back into the hammock and cuddle together now that he¡¯s out of it. And then a familiar but wonderful sound reaches his canid ears. The sound of heavy, clumsy footsteps rushing down the wooden steps of The Shoebill. Fenrir braces for what is about to happen next. Rock comes into sight, charges right at him, and leaps up! She sends him sliding back a bit but, thanks to bracing for her, fails to knock him over. ¡°Hey there, girl. You been a good pup?¡± Fenrir asks her with the kind of voice only used on babies and animals. Rock barks and licks his face. ¡°You haven¡¯t been doing anything inappropriate with Shogun while I¡¯ve been gone, right?¡± Rock stops what she¡¯s doing, looks away, and walks back up the steps. ¡°H-hey, what¡¯s ¨C why do you seem so serious? Why won¡¯t you look at me? Rock?¡± He doesn¡¯t get an answer. ¡°I¡¯ll let you snack on a cannonball.¡± Rock turns around, rushes at him, and starts licking him again! ¡°You¡¯re a silly dog. So, seriously, you¡¯ve been behaving, right?¡± Rock looks away again. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I love you. At least use protection.¡± Rock tilts her head. ¡°There isn¡¯t going to be a litter of rocky foxes running around, right?¡± Rock tilts her head in the other direction now. With a sigh, Fenrir gives up and says, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go check things out.¡± Book 4: Chapter 9: Patch 2.0: Prime Real Estate Fenrir may have lost his pure, innocent Rock to Shogun, but at least Shogun isn¡¯t too bad. Shogun lifts his head and gives Fenrir a little nod when he sees him. Fenrir nods right back at the fox before heading to the ship¡¯s stern to see who¡¯s on duty. Of course, as soon as he gets back there, he sees Oleander and Corwin in the middle of a steamy session where the clothes are already coming off. ¡°You guys know you¡¯re out in the open, right?¡± Fenrir asks them. Oleander, not even bothered by the sudden intrusion, replies with, ¡°You can join us!¡± Corwin blushes at Oleander¡¯s offer but doesn¡¯t say that Fenrir can¡¯t join, and he doesn¡¯t seem all that bothered by Fenrir¡¯s appearance, either. ¡°Put your clothes back on. Let¡¯s figure out where we are, and then you can go back to doing your thing,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So boring,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show us that bestial lust of yours that Nell Nell likes to fantasize about so much?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s for them, not you two.¡± ¡°I bet you they¡¯d all totally be into watching us do it.¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t doubt that, but I¡¯ll still have to pass.¡± ¡°You just can¡¯t handle the boy pussy.¡± Fenrir shakes his head and laughs. ¡°You¡¯re right. The boy pussy is too strong for me.¡± ¡°Can I at least do something quick with my Cor first?¡± ¡°Alright. Just¡­ try to keep it down.¡± Oleander smiles and gets to work on Corwin while Fenrir turns around to leave the stern. ¡°How¡¯ve you been?¡± Fenrir asks Shogun. ¡°Enjoying being out on the sea?¡± Shogun tilts his head and yawns. Rock walks up to Shogun, lies down, and starts whimpering. Shogun stands up, shakes, and takes off into the air to fly over to land. ¡°Alright then,¡± Fenrir says. He¡¯s unsure of what Shogun is doing, but Rock seems excited about it. Just a few minutes later, Shogun comes landing onto The Shoebill¡¯s deck, opens his mouth, and drops a bunch of rocks from it onto the deck. Rock barks, licks his face, and starts devouring the rocks like they¡¯re delicious food. Well, to her, rocks are delicious food. ¡°Shogun, you really make it hard not to like you,¡± Fenrir tells him. Shogun does the fox equivalent of shrugging before lying back down and curling into a ball, cuddling his fluffy, feathery tail against his body. ¡°Done!¡± Oleander announces. Fenrir turns around and immediately sighs. ¡°You missed some,¡± he says, pointing up at a spot on his cheek. Oleander touches his own cheek, figures out what Fenrir is talking about, and licks his finger. ¡°Did I get it all?¡± ¡°Yep, you¡¯re good.¡± Corwin comes stumbling into view, looking like he can barely walk with a face still showing signs of embarrassment and pleasure. ¡°I ¨C I hope that you have been well, Fenrir,¡± he says. ¡°Not as well as you, apparently. Hopefully later tonight since they owe me now.¡± Oleander grins and gives Fenrir a thumbs-up. ¡°Anyways! Oh, wait, how¡¯d moving go? You all done?¡± ¡°Yep. Just got a few more boxes to unpack, or not. I probably could have just tossed the things in them out,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Moving went well, though. There weren¡¯t any problems ¨C well, there is one problem. Some weird old lady across the street stares at us whenever we¡¯re outside.¡± ¡°Sounds like a weird old lady alright!¡± ¡°Definitely. So, when you coming over to visit?¡± ¡°How¡¯s next weekend sound?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± ¡°Sweet! I¡¯ll see you all then, then! Then then. That sounds cute.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a dork.¡± ¡°A cute dork! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Oleander asks, clinging to Corwin¡¯s side. ¡°A ¨C a very cute dork,¡¯¡± Corwin answers. Fenrir may not be into men himself, but when he sees Oleander and Corwin, he can¡¯t help but think of just how cute a couple they make. They¡¯re just perfect for one another. ¡°So, make the turn north yet?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°That was like, two days ago. We¡¯re already in the place you wanted. I think,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°Seriously? We¡¯re here?¡± Fenrir looks around to try and confirm it for himself. The land is still left of The Shoebill¡¯s port side, and the sun is hanging high in the sky, so he can¡¯t tell which direction is which. ¡°Yup! I guess now we¡¯ve just got to find a place you think would work best. Well, Rao would probably be useful for this part. He¡¯s the builder guy.¡± ¡°Yeah, we should wait for him before deciding anything. This place does look pretty nice, though. Mountains, it looks like we¡¯ve got a river, some flatland, a forest ¨C want to go and explore a bit?¡± ¡°I thought you were playing this game for fishing?¡± ¡°Listen. I¡¯ll fish. Eventually.¡± ¡°If you say so! Hey, Sho Sho, can you give us a ride over?¡± Oleander asks. Shogun looks up at Oleander, uncurls himself, and walks over to the two lovers while yawning. Oleander makes Corwin get onto Shogun¡¯s back first so that he can sit behind him, wrapping his arms around Corwin and rubbing his front up against the other¡¯s back. ¡°See you over there!¡± Oleander says. Who needs rowboats when there are flying foxes? Fenrir looks down into the water and cracks his knuckles after Shogun takes off with the others. ¡°I could go for a wake-up swim. You gonna come with us, girl?¡± Fenrir asks Rock. Actually, when he thinks about it, she is definitely going to be coming with them because he doesn¡¯t want her to be alone with Shogun while nobody else is online and nearby. But, when he remembers what Cassiel got on his case for before about being overprotective and knowing that Shogun really isn¡¯t that bad, and that they¡¯ve likely already done more than he fears, Fenrir gives up and shrugs. Rock barks to indicate that she¡¯s coming despite Fenrir¡¯s inner turmoil over it. ¡°Alright. Just wait for Shogun then,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°See you on the beach!¡± With that, he dives into the water and only realizes after entering the water that he¡¯s forgotten his sword and Rod. Oh well. Things should be fine, and it¡¯s not like he uses anything but his hands when he gets into fights in the first place now. Underwater, Fenrir looks around to confirm one thing first before heading toward the beach. Yep. Their favorite serpent ¨C real serpent, not humanized serpent which would be Nell, is swimming around in the distance looking for mimics, rowboats, and anything else that might look like a tasty snack. ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t go through a rebellious phase,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°I hope she does. It¡¯d be funny,¡± Saya replies. Fenrir ¡°jumps¡± under the water when he suddenly hears her voice inside of his head. ¡°What, did you already forget about me? Hmph! I see how it is, baka Onii-chan,¡± Saya teases him. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting it. Anyways, hey, Saya. How¡¯ve you been?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°You¡¯re so boring! Can¡¯t you say something less generic than that? At least use like, a funny accent or something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just thinking. How can I have an accent in my thoughts?¡± ¡°Like this!¡± Saya says with a heavy, British accent. ¡°That¡¯s even stronger than Nell¡¯s. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Too bad you¡¯re impressed instead of not-boring!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. I¡¯m the worst. I¡¯m the most boring person in all of existence.¡± ¡°Considering that you basically are my entire existence, that¡¯s both figuratively and technically true.¡± ¡°You know, that actually hurts a tiny bit. I can¡¯t even argue with your logic. I really am the most boring person in all of existence to you.¡± ¡°Yep! That¡¯s why you should totally be less boring.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll try just to liven things up for you.¡± ¡°At least have more sex or something so that I can have fun with those memories.¡± ¡°You¡¯re turning into a pervert instead of being a tsundere.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I want to see those things, you perverted Onii-chan.¡± ¡°Close enough. Anyways, I¡¯ll talk to you later. Gotta explore a bit with the others.¡± ¡°Have fun! Don¡¯t die and don¡¯t be boring! Or do die. I wouldn¡¯t care or anything. Hmph!¡± Fortunately, thanks to the blessing given to him by Nell, he can sigh at how silly Saya is while underwater without choking on water. Being able to breathe underwater without gills is convenient. Fenrir finally makes it onto the beach and everybody else is already there. Even Rock has been brought over by Shogun already, and she looks like she¡¯s interested in trying out some of the shells on the beach as food. To his surprise, she actually seems to enjoy the taste and crunchiness of them as she goes from shell to shell eating every single one she can find. ¡°Fenny, your pupper has weird tastes,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I guess it makes sense since she¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Between you and my assistant, I¡¯m really starting to feel bullied here,¡± Fenrir says, flicking Oleander on his forehead. ¡°You see that, Saya? You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t flick your forehead.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Saya hmphs. Fenrir flicks Oleander¡¯s forehead again. ¡°H-hey! What was that second one for?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°That one was for my assistant. I can¡¯t flick her, so I¡¯ll just have to flick your forehead instead and pretend that you¡¯re her.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Oleander hmphs. ¡°See? You¡¯re similar.¡± ¡°You make your assistant hmph at you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a tsundere.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst, Fenny.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Book 4: Chapter 10: Patch 2.0: Prime Real Estate ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to admit that I don¡¯t know all that much about finding a realistic place to set up a city, but wouldn¡¯t this place actually be pretty nice?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Going by realism¡­ probably,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°I mean, setting up next to a river is easy mode. That¡¯s why early civs did it. Then we¡¯ve got a forest for wood, mountains for mining ¨C yeah, this place is pretty easy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to thinking of it purely from a resource production standpoint. Always had to find places with the right resources or strategic areas.¡± ¡°Well, if you think about it, we¡¯re doing the same thing here. Instead of trying to find a spot on a map that has high resource production and some rare made-up metals and resources and stuff, we¡¯re just looking for a spot that has a high production of realistic stuff! Get what I mean? Sure, you didn¡¯t usually have to worry about food and water in our other games, but we¡¯re still trying to find the most strategic and useful spot.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get you. It really is the same.¡± ¡°We just have to secure a place before it¡¯s too late, ere the giant capybaras get hungry.¡± ¡°I have a feeling I¡¯m missing a reference.¡± ¡°You are, but it¡¯s fine. I never could get you to play my favorite game about dwarves building fortresses.¡± ¡°Oh, that. Yeah, sorry. The graphics are just¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s still being developed anyways.¡± ¡°Still?¡± ¡°It¡¯s never going to end! It¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°Ah, look!¡± Corwin interrupts them, running over next to the river to crouch down and examine some of the vegetation. ¡°We already have food growing here! This land must surely be fertile. It would make an excellent spot to settle!¡± ¡°You seem pretty excited about this whole thing,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Like, you¡¯ve almost been as excited about Fenny¡¯s plan as my body lately! I¡¯m going to start getting jealous,¡± he teases with a playful pout. ¡°A-ah, my apologies. It is just that I believe in Fenrir¡¯s dream. It would be wonderful to have a place equally accepting of all.¡± ¡°Hey, this might be a stupid question, but at what point in rivers does saltwater turn into freshwater? Like, you know? Rivers are freshwater, but oceans are saltwater, so when does that change actually happen?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Well, think about it! It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to be all ¡®ooh I¡¯m freshwater¡¯ while it¡¯s a river and then suddenly be all like ¡®bam, bitch! Now I¡¯m saltwater!¡¯ as soon as it hits the ocean. It¡¯s more¡­ gradual than that. Like, the closer to the ocean it is, the saltier it¡¯s going to be. The farther away, the less salty. It¡¯s all about dat salt concentration, yo.¡± ¡°So, in other words, the ocean is like a tentacle monster and the river is like an innocent loli, and the salt is the tentacles trying to corrupt her?¡± Oleander looks at Fenrir with a blank expression and sighs. ¡°You know I¡¯m going into law, right? Don¡¯t make me call the cops on you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hire you to be my defense attorney.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll refuse!¡± ¡°You know, you¡¯re basically a loli trap right now.¡± Oleander looks himself over. Sure, he¡¯s only as tall as Serra and is even more petite than her, he speaks in an even more girly and higher-pitched voice than her, and he acts the most immature out of all of them. ¡°Cor! I¡¯m not a loli, right?¡± ¡°A loli?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°You know! A little girl!¡± ¡°Ah. No, you are not a little girl. That thing between your legs ensures that. You do have a rather small body, though, but I like it!¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know how to feel about this now. I just wanted to be cute, but am I attracting pedos?¡± ¡°Pedos?¡± ¡°You know! Older people into younger people!¡± ¡°I always have enjoyed the thought of being with people younger than myself.¡± ¡°I mean like, way younger! Like a forty-year-old wanting to fuck a nine-year-old!¡± ¡°Nine would be too young. However,¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t finish that sentence. Please. Just tell me I¡¯m not a loli.¡± ¡°You are not a loli, Olly.¡± ¡°Loli Olly¡­ that does have a nice ring to it. It sounds cute,¡± Oleander says, looking gravely conflicted over this now. ¡°Loli Olly¡­ Olly the Loli¡­ I ¨C I¡¯m so torn.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit that I¡¯m kind of disappointed in myself for not thinking of that sooner,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s keep going while you have some internal debates over that.¡± Oleander nods and follows behind him with Corwin. ¡°You totally would make a great magical girl loli, though,¡± Fenrir says. Oleander wants to cringe from Fenrir¡¯s degenerate statement, but he knows that it¡¯s true which makes him want to try it out. Being cute is the most important thing in the world. And Corwin. They¡¯re equally important to Oleander. ¡°I¡¯ll have to have Nell Nell help me with that,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Oh boy,¡± Fenrir says. He already knows that she would be delighted to help him. ¡°Let¡¯s check out the forest. Maybe there¡¯ll be mushrooms and berries growing there. Hey, how do people even farm mushrooms?¡± ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m not sure. I just know that increased humidity in real life helps out, but the hotter weather hasn¡¯t been kind to them.¡± ¡°It feels¡­ what, maybe like it¡¯s in the seventies here?¡± ¡°Do you mean lower twenties?¡± ¡°Hey, we¡¯re American. We don¡¯t use Celsius.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not getting into that debate again.¡± ¡°Only because you know you¡¯ll lose.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to name the city ¡®Fahrenheit.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯ll impeach you and rename it to ¡®Celsius is the Bestius.¡¯¡± ¡°You¡¯re a brat.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The group makes it into the forest, and as soon as they do, Rock and Shogun take the lead. Rock picks up all sorts of different rocks and other hard items that an animal would normally break their teeth on, but she crunches them all down to dust and eats them. Shogun just makes sure to watch her back while she¡¯s busy snacking on new things, and he occasionally sniffs any new scents that he comes across. The forest is home to all sorts of sights and objects for them to investigate. There are odd looking mushrooms, bushes full of berries, trees with different looking barks and leaves, colorful flowers sprouting up from the ground, and the tracks of critters in case they want to go hunting for some food. ¡°The more we see of this place, the more I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s perfect. Seriously, everything is around,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah, we should just really check out the mountains before deciding anything. I¡¯d say we should go do that now, but it¡¯d probably be better to wait for Rao and the rest since they looked a few hours away.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we have to build wagons to carry materials to and from the mountain?¡± ¡°Yup! Or, the river looks like it goes up into the mountain, so we could always use that! It¡¯s wide enough for a few boats like The Shoebill to fit in at once, so we could build like, a big cargo boat! That¡¯d be harder to do, but it¡¯d save so much time and trouble in the future. Think Rao and Tabs could build a big boat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they could if they tried hard enough, but since that¡¯s not either of their specialties¡­ I am kind of worried how it would turn out. Rao would want to include a bachelor¡¯s pad with a giant bed in it somewhere on it, and Tabs would try turning it into a giant robot.¡± ¡°Actually, if I may¡­ I could be of assistance. I spent a good deal of time around shipwrights back in Port Tugator, so I believe that between the three of us ¨C Tabitha, Rao, and myself, that we could build an adequate vessel for the city¡¯s needs,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Sweet. Things are coming together one by one. I guess we¡¯ve just got to hope that no powerful monsters come down from the mountain to try and destroy us,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Before we¡¯re ready, that is!¡± Oleander adds on. ¡°It¡¯d be fun once we¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always loved your base defense games.¡± ¡°You know it! Just think about it. Any big, powerful monsters that come and try to attack us will basically just be providing us with free food and parts and rewards! Assuming we don¡¯t like, you know, die and stuff.¡± ¡°I think you need to put some more emphasis on that last part.¡± ¡°Nah, we¡¯d be fine! We¡¯re the Divi¡ªThe Soaring Wolves! We don¡¯t need to fear anythi¡ª¡± Rock¡¯s growling interrupts him. When they look over at Rock, they see her trying to gnaw on a tree and having great trouble with it. Fenrir says, ¡°Hey, do you think that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It does look like an oak tree,¡± Oleander says. ¡°There¡¯s a whole bunch of them around here.¡± ¡°Watch out, girl,¡± Fenrir tells Rock. She reluctantly gives up on the tree and lets Fenrir take over. ¡°Yeah, I think this is steel oak,¡± he says as he examines the wood. ¡°Hey, Rock, try biting that tree.¡± He points at a nearby tree. Rock charges at it, latches onto it, and starts shaking her head! The bark easily gets torn to shreds, and she takes a large chunk of wood out from it. ¡°One for two,¡± Oleander says. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be extremely rare, remember? Only like, what, one in five hundred trees?¡± ¡°Hey, Rock, try that one,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at a different tree. Rock charges at it, bites it, and has trouble again. ¡°Make that two for three,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And that one?¡± He points at yet another tree. Rock struggles once more. ¡°Three for four. Coincidence, or did we just find ourselves a nice forest full of one of the game¡¯s rarest and most useful trees?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°We¡¯ll have to test more of the trees out,¡± Oleander says. ¡°By the way, Rock, since when do you like biting trees?¡± Rock looks at Fenrir with a mouth full of bark, crunching on it while tilting her head. Book 4: Chapter 11: Patch 2.0: Prime Real Estate ¡°Look!¡± Olly whispers, tugging Corwin and Fenrir closer. ¡°Deer.¡± ¡°Are they your long last family?¡± Fenrir whispers back to him. ¡°Wait¡­ does it make me a cannibal if I want to eat venison?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say so. I mean, you¡¯re a deer, and they¡¯re deer, so¡­ yeah, you¡¯re a cannibal.¡± ¡°But I just have the antlers since they¡¯re cute!¡± ¡°Fine, you¡¯re a cute cannibal. What do you think, Corwin?¡± ¡°I would rather not think of my dearest as a cannibal, but¡­ I find myself agreeing with Fenrir,¡± Corwin says. ¡°I¡¯ll eat you if you call me a cannibal again!¡± Oleander loudly whispers at his boyfriend while pouting and smacking his arms. The commotion causes the deer to look up, look straight at them, and run away. ¡°Guess you won¡¯t be eating any venison,¡± Fenrir says. Oleander¡¯s stomach grumbles. ¡°See, I can¡¯t be a cannibal even if I want to be,¡± he says. ¡°You admit that you wish to be a cannibal?¡± Corwin asks him. Oleander answers with a pout and some more playful smacking. The deer are not the only life that the forest has to offer. Plenty of birds sitting high up in the trees are chirping, bushes are rustling and twigs are snapping as smaller critters scurry about, the strident calls of insects can be heard from all around, and¡ªin general¡ªthey feel as if the spawn rates in the area must be cranked up given just how abundant with life the forest is. ¡°Lots of food,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I hope there are some wild turkeys around.¡± ¡°Why turkeys?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Because I love turkey. It might not be as juicy and fatty as duck, but ¨C wait, we should go check out the river. I hope there are ducks there.¡± ¡°Are you two only thinking about eating these animals at the moment?¡± Both Fenrir and Oleander look at Corwin and nod. ¡°Very well, then let us examine the river,¡± Corwin says. Meanwhile, Rock is happy just eating rocks and apparently tree bark as well. And so, the group heads over to the river. What they find causes both of the hungry men¡¯s stomachs to growl in desire. Fish jumping from the water, shellfish on the riverbanks, ducks floating around and pecking at any fish that venture close to the surface, and there are some other wild animals hanging around to drink from the water. ¡°Duck,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I want a roast duck. Now.¡± ¡°I want deer and fish¡­ hey, Fenny, can you use your fishing rod to catch ducks and deer?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I ¨C I think I might feel kind of bad trying to hook a duck or a deer, but¡­ I¡¯m really hungry now.¡± In response to Fenrir and Oleander salivating at the sight before them, Corwin flicks them both on the backs of their heads and says, ¡°I did not know that you were both so ravenous. There is food back on the vessel if it is so important.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a wolf. I¡¯m supposed to get hungry when I see animals.¡± ¡°That makes you sound like a total furry, but I feel you right now,¡± Oleander says. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re touching me.¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I said I feel you.¡± Oleander strokes Fenrir¡¯s arm. Corwin sighs and flicks them both again. ¡°Even Rock and Shogun are better behaved than you two are right now,¡± he says. ¡°Listen, if those ducks were made out of rocks, she¡¯d be charging over there,¡± Fenrir says. Rock lifts her head and looks around for any ducks made out of rocks. Unfortunately, she fails to find any and goes back to hardly paying attention. As for Shogun ¨C well, he just stays with Rock. Sure, he¡¯s interested in flying over the water to try and snatch up a duck for himself, but he knows that he wouldn¡¯t be able to share it with Rock and he doesn¡¯t want to leave her side. ¡°Anyways, all we have on The Shoebill is carbs. Wolves need meat. Not dry bread,¡± Fenrir tells Corwin. ¡°And deer need¡­ deer and fish!¡± Oleander says. ¡°You are both ridiculous. Now, let us return to The Shoebill. We have done enough looking around, haven¡¯t we?¡± Corwin suggests. ¡°Actually¡­ how about you two head back with the dogs,¡± Fenrir says, lumping Shogun in with Rock as a dog. They¡¯re both canines, so Shogun is an honorary dog by default. ¡°I¡¯ll just swim back from the river. I want to see how deep it is, what¡¯s in it, and what¡¯s in the water off the beach.¡± ¡°Very well, Fenrir. We shall see you back onboard the boat.¡± ¡°You just want to have all the fun by yourself!¡± Oleander says with a pout. ¡°But¡­ if you take your time then me and Cor will have some more privacy.¡± Oleander¡¯s predatory eyes look up at Corwin. Those eyes that were previously hungering for deer are now hungering for a different kind of meat. Corwin was showing a rare bit of assertiveness, but Oleander¡¯s eyes have turned Corwin from assertive to submissive with a single look. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to it. Rock, you head back with them. I¡¯ll meet up with you all,¡± Fenrir tells Rock, giving her a pat on the head. He gives Shogun a few pats behind his ears while he¡¯s close, too. Seeing as how Shogun is an honorary dog, that means he needs head pats and ear scratches as well. With Oleander and Corwin heading back to The Shoebill, and Rock and Shogun having their heads patted and scratched, Fenrir walks up to the edge of the riverbank and looks down into it. His ears are twitching with excitement and his tail swiftly wags from side to side. The fur of his ears and tail only recently finished drying off after swimming over from The Shoebill in the first place, and now they are going to get soaked once again. Fenrir doesn¡¯t mind that, of course. His girlfriends might, but he doesn¡¯t. He can¡¯t even smell his own wet dog scent after whenever he¡¯s in the water. His nose has grown desensitized to it. Though, he will admit that it¡¯s disappointing when his tail isn¡¯t fluffy. A fluffy tail is a good tail and superior in every way over wet tails. Cracking his neck, rolling his shoulders, and wearing a wide smile, Fenrir dives into the river! He probably should have been more careful since he almost busts his face on the bottom of the river, but it¡¯s just deep enough to not hurt himself. It gets deeper the farther he swims from the riverbank as well. While he may partially be in the water for fun, his main goal was to find out whether or not it would be deep enough for The Shoebill and any larger vessels to sail through. Running aground is the last thing that they need. Fortunately, he discovers that the river is more than deep enough for any potential vessels as long as they stay away from its edges. His secondary objective was to find out how many fish there are in the river. The answer to his second objective is even better than he was hoping it would be. There are schools of fish of varying sizes and types swimming around within the river. Many of the larger fish are swimming upstream while the smaller ones tend to hang around in the same spots or swim out into the ocean. There even look to be hundreds of blue lobsters hanging around at the bottom of the river! Not only is the river deep enough for The Shoebill and has a plethora of fish for fishing, but it even has a ton of lobsters! Fenrir just hopes that they taste good. He¡¯s never had lobster in real life, but he knows that they¡¯re supposed to taste even better than crab. With the forest and river both being full of life, Fenrir¡¯s dream of settling his future city here grows more and more concrete. He knew that having a place with a decent food supply would be important until they can become self-sustainable with farming, and now they have a location featuring an abundance of potential food without even taking into consideration the wild vegetables, fruits, and berries. The closer the river gets to the ocean, the more life that he finds within the water. In fact, he notices something particularly amazing that he didn¡¯t notice on his way in: a coral reef. A vast, beautiful reef featuring hundreds of different corals all colors of the rainbow extends into the river¡¯s mouth from the ocean. The reef only grows wider and taller the deeper and farther out he gets into the ocean. There are even more fish around the reef than there are types of corals. Smaller fish hide within hair-like tendrils swaying with the tide, sharks swim around looking for the next easy meal, crabs climb over top of each other, serpentine fish hide in nooks and crannies while waiting for tasty snacks to swim in front of them to lunge out at, and there are plenty of tentacles protruding from the reef¡¯s many corals. Yep. Fenrir loves this place. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that Earth used to have reefs like this,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°Only in aquariums now, but that¡¯s okay! We have this place to cherish now,¡± Saya thinks back to him. ¡°Yeah, I just hope that it¡¯ll be a good place for a city ¨C you know, with the actual building stuff. Like, maybe Rao will say the land isn¡¯t good for building.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine, baka Onii-chan!¡± ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to force random tsun moments in. It¡¯s not like you have a tsun quota to meet for being a tsundere.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever I want, including forcing it in! Hmph! Wa-wait¡­¡± ¡°Lewd.¡± ¡°Baka!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wanted to force it into me. What a perverted little sister living inside my head.¡± ¡°Baka! Idiot! Hentai! Pervert! Jerk! Stupid! Hmph!¡± Saya gives him the loudest, sassiest ¡°hmph¡± that he¡¯s ever heard. Book 4: Chapter 12: Patch 2.0: Prime Real Estate Fenrir pulls himself up onboard The Shoebill and sees Oleander and Corwin cuddling up to each other while Rao just sort of awkwardly stands around without anybody to cuddle himself. ¡°Looking lonely there. Need a partner?¡± Fenrir says to Rao. ¡°Pass, bro,¡± Rao answers. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m fluffy.¡± Fenrir demonstrates his fluffiness, or temporary lack of it, by shaking his body to shake the water off of him. His tail gets slightly poofy as a result, but it¡¯s still too damp to properly be called fluffy. ¡°Still pass.¡± ¡°What kind of girl is your type anyways? Also, hey. Nice timing.¡± ¡°Yo. And uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know. I like all kinds of girls, you know? I guess I like the real petite and sexy ones the most, though.¡± ¡°Like loli succubi?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Demon girls.¡± ¡°Oh, hell yeah. With like horns and a tail and wings and all that. What¡¯d you call them first? Loli succu-something?¡± ¡°You might not want to¡­ yeah, loli succubi.¡± ¡°Fuck yeah bro. I want me a loli succubus.¡± Fenrir is torn on whether or not he should explain to the innocent Rao what a loli is. Going by Rao¡¯s previous statements, he knows that Rao wouldn¡¯t actually be into lolis, but¡­ this could be amusing. Oleander is even giving Fenrir a thumbs-up while out of Rao¡¯s sight. Now Fenrir really feels guilty. Of course, feeling guilty doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s going to do anything about it. That just makes it even better. ¡°So, Rao, from a quick look, what do you think? Think this place looks like it could be the place for our city?¡± Fenrir asks. Rao crosses his arms over his chest and looks toward the coast. ¡°River, mountains, forest ¨C you already check it out?¡± he asks. ¡°Yeah, we went looking around. Seemed like a good number of the trees are steel oak, tons of wildlife and vegetation, the river is deep enough to sail The Shoebill up it, and it didn¡¯t seem like there were any crazy threats or anything. Which¡­ makes me think that it¡¯s kind of too perfect. Why wouldn¡¯t anybody else be here? I know that it¡¯s distant from everything else going on in the game, and there¡¯s the threat from the Eastern serpent, but what else?¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking it too seriously, Fenny. This is still a game. You can put the most awesome looking place super far away from everything else that would be totally awesome for anybody who goes there, but if it¡¯s so far that it¡¯s annoying to get to, nobody is going to care. Some might, but none of the big players are gonna care. Probably. That¡¯s why that empire hasn¡¯t tried retaking its cities over here,¡± Oleander chimes in. ¡°There¡¯s something else,¡± Rao says, pointing at the forest. ¡°Look. See how most of those trees are bent away from the coast? You can decide for yourself whether that¡¯s because of just really strong winds on a daily basis, or something else.¡± ¡°Something else like what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m thinking hurricanes. If it was just regular wind, some of them wouldn¡¯t be snapped and bent how they are. Hurricane winds are messier and can blow in every single direction during a system, but tend to blow in one way the most which is why they¡¯re mostly bent away from the coast.¡± ¡°You sound pretty smart about this hurricane stuff.¡± ¡°Bro, don¡¯t even get me started on hypercanes. You know scientists and shit are saying that it might be possible for us to get those in a decade or two? We¡¯re fucked if that happens. Hypercanes are like, reaching-up-into-space mega fucking hurricanes that just destroy everything.¡± ¡°That sounds kind of exciting, but yeah, probably wouldn¡¯t want to try and live through that.¡± ¡°Yeah. Anyways bro, if you think you and your girl can handle the serpent, then I can handle the wind.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Dude. I¡¯m an architect and live in a coastal state. You think I don¡¯t know how to handle building things to code to resist winds? The real problem is the potential storm surge, especially if we want to build it near the river.¡± ¡°Storm surge?¡± ¡°Bro, don¡¯t you ever watch anything about weather?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ maybe sometimes, rarely?¡± ¡°It¡¯s when the ocean wants to fuck your shit up during a storm. The water level rises and the storm pushes all the water onto land. A river just makes it even easier to flood.¡± ¡°So, would it be possible to just build some really big drains?¡± ¡°Bro, are you actually stupid?¡± Fenrir learns just how seriously Rao takes this sort of stuff and spends the next ten minutes getting told about every single reason why that¡¯s a bad idea and wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Alright, alright. No drains,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I do think we should build the city by the river, though. It¡¯d make everything easier.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just find somebody or something magical to stop flooding and winds?¡± Oleander asks. Fenrir and Rao look over at him. ¡°Would that be possible?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah¡­ but following code is still more important. Have to have something to fall back on if magic screws up, plus we don¡¯t have anything or anybody like that right now,¡± Rao says. ¡°Fair enough. Well, we¡¯ll build the city to try and resist that while hoping we find somebody or something that can help us out with some magic. I really think this spot is too good to pass up, and the hurricanes might not even be that bad. They might not even be hurricanes in the first place!¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Maybe. Anyways bro, we¡¯ve got to go over there to check things out. I¡¯d like to visit the mountain to see what sort of materials we¡¯ve got to rock with, and I need to make sure the land is good. You don¡¯t want to try and build a city on a marsh.¡± Fenrir is really tempted to ask why. In previous games, he¡¯s built on marshes before and suffered some negative effects as a result, but nothing realistic and there were usually some positives to balance things out. But, he knows that Rao can sense his curiosity, and he knows that Rao is probably already preparing another rant about how stupid that would be. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna say this, bro. You don¡¯t want another Florida. Nobody wants that,¡± Rao says. ¡°Fair enough,¡± Fenrir says. All Rao had to say was ¡°Florida¡± to prove his point that it would be a bad idea. Florida is always a bad idea. And so, The Shoebill sails up the river toward the mountains. The current becomes too strong and steep once they get close, so they¡¯ll have to drop anchor and get onto land. ¡°Wait!¡± Fenrir says as he sees Oleander ready to drop the anchor. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, alright?¡± Oleander tilts his head and looks even more confused once Fenrir dives into the water. Fenrir looks around to see what the anchor would drop onto. Fortunately, there isn¡¯t anything but mud beneath them. Fenrir returns to the boat and gives Oleander the clear. ¡°What was that about?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Wanted to make sure we wouldn¡¯t be crushing any coral or anything,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°There¡¯s not going to be any coral this far in the river.¡± ¡°You never know. There could have been fantasy river coral.¡± ¡°Fantasy river coral?¡± ¡°Like I said, you never know.¡± ¡°Oh, Fenny. You¡¯re never going to change, are you?¡± ¡°You sound like a middle-aged housewife tired of my shit, yet also endeared by it.¡± ¡°That pretty much sums up our relationship. Cor is my hot young squeeze, and Rao is the pool boy I¡¯m trying to seduce by ¡®accidentally¡¯ changing in front of an open window while he¡¯s outside.¡± ¡°Bro, what?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Unfortunately, he¡¯s too obsessed with cleaning pools to notice the treat tempting him.¡± ¡°The man likes his hurricanes and pools,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What are you two on about? Rao asks. ¡°I¡¯m seriously confused.¡± Rather than clear things up for the confused Rao, the four men, dog, and honorary dog head for the shore and walk up along the river. It takes another hour of walking before they even reach the base of the mountain, but Rao lights up when he sees it. ¡°Think you¡¯ll have all the building materials you need?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oh yeah, bro. Definitely. Tons to work with here. I can even see some metal exposed to the surface, so between that and those trees, we¡¯re set. I¡¯d still suggest building the city up here, though. Looks sturdy, no signs of loose rocks or mudslides, and it¡¯d be protected against winds and storm surge better,¡± Rao says. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ imagining the city being next to the ocean and over the river, though.¡± ¡°Listen, bro, if you want it there, then we can put it there. I¡¯m just telling you it¡¯d be safer up here. Either way, it¡¯s a game. Doesn¡¯t matter to me as long as I get to build my pad and get some cute loli succubi in there.¡± Oleander and Fenrir both cover their mouths and look away when Rao brings up loli succubi again. Book 4: Chapter 13: Patch 3.0: A Change of Pace The little expeditionary group returns to The Shoebill and continues their discussion of building the city. ¡°I¡¯ve only talked to that shortie a few times,¡± Rao says, ¡°but we should be able to come up with a good plan for gathering resources and figuring out everything that we need.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. Have any idea how long it might take to get a small town going on?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Building is easier here even if it¡¯s supposed to be realistic, so a few buildings, a small dock, a farm, and all that shouldn¡¯t take more than a couple of months if we¡¯re all working on it. One month if we work hard every day.¡± ¡°Think we¡¯ll just spend the first week or so gathering materials and then do all the building once we¡¯ve stocked up on wood and stone and all that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking, bro.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, I¡¯m kind of excited even though most people would probably think this is boring. Physical labor and building something with my own hands sounds way better than just choosing a plot of land, opening up some building plans, and clicking ¡®build.¡¯¡± ¡°Man, just you wait. It¡¯s so satisfying to live in something you¡¯ve built yourself. Now just imagine having a whole city that you helped build!¡± ¡°Nerds,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I guess it kind of sounds fun. But¡­ I have to admit that I really wasn¡¯t expecting this to be how we spent our time in this game. You know, most people play games to kill stuff and grind levels and be awesome. We¡¯re just¡­ going around fishing and building stuff. It¡¯s like culture shock compared to how we used to play games.¡± ¡°I get that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Sometimes I still get the random urge to go and burn down the village of some noobs trying to enjoy the game, but¡ª¡± ¡°But that¡¯d make you an unforgivable dick,¡± Rao says, eyes narrowing in on Fenrir. ¡°Yeah. That.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t like griefers, do you?¡± Oleander asks Rao. ¡°They¡¯re the worst,¡± Rao answers. ¡°I¡¯ve loved buildings things in games ever since I was a kid, and playing with others is more fun than playing by yourself. But, every single time, some dick would come along and either burn everything down, blow everything up, camp me and kill me over and over until I¡¯d ragequit, or some other bullshit. It just sucks. It takes all the fun out of the game for people like me.¡± Fenrir and Oleander look away as Rao talks. Everything that Rao described sounds exactly like what Fenrir and Oleander once loved to do, and they would be lying if they said they didn¡¯t find things like that amusing. Furthermore, Rao¡¯s reaction to the topic is the exact kind of salt that they loved to get from people they ruined the fun of. ¡°Why can¡¯t either of you look me in the eyes?¡± Rao asks them. Fenrir and Oleander gulp. ¡°You guys are horrible. You¡¯re lucky that you don¡¯t do that anymore. Right?¡± Rao asks. ¡°W-well¡­ we told you about how we stole this boat, right?¡± Oleander asks. Rao nods. ¡°I¡­ we kind of burned down their village while we were at it. But! They were dicks! They tried making Cass Cass fuck them and then kept on killing her until she ran out of respawns!¡± ¡°Okay. It¡¯s alright if you¡¯re doing that to dicks, but you haven¡¯t done it to any normal people, right?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Don¡¯t think so,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We killed, stole from, and burned down those garlic guys. Then¡­ we got into some fights while in Port Tugator, but we only killed in self-defense, and the only guys we tried targeting were more assholes.¡± ¡°I mean, we were originally planning on using the city¡¯s cannons to blow up Ull¡¯s ship and start a miniature war in the city,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°Li-listen¡­ we ended up not doing that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Bro.¡± ¡°I promise!¡± ¡°Bro.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a spider on you.¡± ¡°What? Seriously?¡± Fenrir asks, straightening up and freezing. Rao points at Fenrir shoulder. When Fenrir looks at his shoulder, he sees a large, yellow spider sitting on it. ¡°Please help,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s just a spider,¡± Rao says. ¡°What if it turns into a cute girl? That should be possible if a rock can turn into a dog.¡± ¡°I like spider girls, but actual spiders are different!¡± Fenrir¡¯s voice cracks mid-sentence when the spider moves. ¡°How ¨C how did it even get on me?¡± Oleander, Rao, and Corwin shrug ¨C none of them caring too much about Fenrir¡¯s predicament. Then Shogun walks up in front of Fenrir and looks at him, then looks at the spider. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know what to expect from Shogun. Shogun looks at the spider, gets a bit closer, raises one of his paws, and smacks it at the spider. Some of the spider¡¯s guts splatter into Fenrir¡¯s hair. Whatever doesn¡¯t land on the deck or in his hair gets all over his shirt. Shogun then leans his head forward to lick the spider¡¯s squished body into his mouth, chews on it a few times, and swallows before returning to Rock. Rock, not minding that her boyfriend of a flying fox just ate a spider, cuddles right back up against him. ¡°I bet your girlfriends wouldn¡¯t cuddle you if they saw you eat a spider,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I¡­ every time¡­ why can¡¯t I just keep my hair clean?¡± Fenrir asks as he gives up on life ¨C well, maybe not life, but he¡¯s definitely giving up on trying to keep his hair clean. ¡°I never should have made it white.¡± ¡°I guess white ain¡¯t right.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Oleander shrugs and says, ¡°My superior dark hair doesn¡¯t have those problems.¡± ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Olly being stupid. That¡¯s what. Anyways, I¡¯m going to go jump in the water again to wash these spider guts off of me and out of my hair, and then I¡¯m going to wake. I wasn¡¯t really planning on being in-game for this long,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Want to stay anchored in the river here?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yeah, we might as well. Probably a bit safer here than out off the coast.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll take Shogun out to do some more looking around. See what me and the shortie are going to have to work with,¡± Rao says. ¡°Sounds good to me. Anyways, gonna go take a dip now. I¡¯ll probably see you two tomorrow.¡± With that, the group splits up. Shogun takes Rao back onto land, Oleander and Corwin do lewd things near the ship¡¯s stern since that¡¯s their favorite spot, and Fenrir takes a dive in the river before going below deck and contemplating his choices. He could climb back into the hammock with the girls, but he¡¯s pretty wet and he doubts that they are going to want to come into the game smelling like wet dogs. Well, it¡¯s not like it matters. Going to sleep and logging out of the game is as simple as wishing for it, so Fenrir sits down with his back to the hull, tells Saya to wake him, and then Fenrir finds himself as Ryouta once more. Only, something hurts. A lot hurts. Everything hurts. Ryouta tries moving and instantly regrets it. ¡°Really? I pulled all my muscles?¡± he asks himself before grumbling and whining to himself. All of the work over the past few days has caught up to him, and now his existence is pain. ¡°This sucks,¡± he groans some more. ¡°I wanted to cash in my sexual favors, but I¡¯m not even in the mood now. It¡¯s no fun if I¡¯m hurting the whole time and just lying here without doing anything myself.¡± ¡°You done already?¡± Cassandra asks from the doorway. ¡°And what are you whining about?¡± Apparently, he was being louder than he thought he was. ¡°Yeah, and I think I pulled some muscles. Like, all my muscles,¡± he explains. ¡°Need a heating pad? I brought mine.¡± ¡°I need to not hurt everywhere.¡± ¡°Okay, but until then, want my heating pad?¡± ¡°Maybe later. What¡¯ve you all been up to?¡± ¡°Organizing our clothes, decorating a bit ¨C the boring stuff that you¡¯re bad at.¡± Ryouta would feel offended if he didn¡¯t know that it was the truth. ¡°How were things in-game?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Good,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°We got Rao to say he likes loli succubi, and we found a place to build the city. Once Rao and Tabs get everything planned out, we can start gathering materials and get to work.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird,¡± she says with a sigh. ¡°So, we just get done moving in real life, and now you want to do even more labor in-game? Are you a masochist?¡± ¡°Nah. That¡¯s Alice¡¯s thing. I¡¯m just¡­ yeah, I¡¯m probably a masochist.¡± Ryouta tries to get up but groans and slumps back down. ¡°I¡¯m bringing you the heating pad.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was dating an old man.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget my cane and dentures.¡± Book 4: Chapter 14: Patch 3.0: A Change of Pace After having made it to the bedroom, Ryouta looks up at the ceiling from his bed. In his old apartment, his fan was one of the few things that had a connection to. It was there for him when he woke up, it was there for him when he felt like being lazy and lying around in bed, it there was for him when he felt sick or tired, and it was there for him whenever he came out of virtual reality. But now¡­ now that exact same ceiling fan is swishing around above him. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you brought that fan,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Hey, I paid for it myself, so there was no way I was going to leave it there,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Yeah, and you lost your security deposit because you left a hole in the ceiling with wires hanging down from it.¡± ¡°Not my problem. I¡¯ve got my fan.¡± ¡°You get attached to the weirdest things.¡± ¡°Does that make you weird?¡± Cassandra blinks a few times before understanding what he¡¯s saying. ¡°Sh¡­ you¡¯re weird.¡± ¡°You know, you can give me some tsun fanservice every now and then. Come on, tell me to shut up and call me a bastard. You know you want to.¡± ¡°You really are a bastard if you try to make me do something I¡¯m trying to stop! Hmph. You don¡¯t tell a drug addict trying to recover that it¡¯ll be okay if they get high every now and then!¡± When she puts it that way, it makes Ryouta feel bad and understand how he might be making it harder on her. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m sorry. Just give me some more dere fanservice instead then. You know, be super lovey-dovey and all over me.¡± ¡°Tch,¡± Cassandra looks him over, blushing. ¡°Li-like how? I ¨C I don¡¯t even know where to begin with that sort of thing!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll settle for a hug,¡± Ryouta says, lying on top of the heating pad she brought for him. ¡°Fine.¡± Cassandra walks over to him, looks down at him with red on her cheeks, and leans over to hug him. ¡°A-ow, okay, maybe no fanservice for now,¡± Ryouta says, hugging her back but only for a few seconds. ¡°It hurts.¡± He looks at Cassandra and notices something. She looks¡­ sadistic. That smile and look in her eyes makes him feel like her prey. ¡°Hah? What¡¯s wrong? I thought you wanted some ¡®dere fanservice?¡¯ Come on, honey, let me spoil you!¡± Cassandra says, rubbing herself against him and hugging him even tighter. Ryouta is conflicted. On one hand, he¡¯s never seen her be this bold before, but he knows that she¡¯s only like this because she¡¯s doing it to tease him. On the other hand, he wants to cherish this even if she¡¯s doing it with ill intentions. Unfortunately, his body seriously hurts too much to play around like this. That¡¯s why he grabs one of her boobs. ¡°He-hey! Where do you think you¡¯re touching?¡± Cassandra shouts after squeaking from surprise. ¡°If you get to cause me pain, I get to cause you embarrassment,¡± Ryouta explains, giving her boob a few more squeezes. ¡°N-nngh¡­ st-stop that, you pervert!¡± ¡°Then stop hurting me!¡± Cassandra huffs and pulls away from him, but Ryouta gets a few more squeezes of her breast in before letting go. ¡°Why are you such a pervert?¡± she asks him. ¡°Because I love you.¡± Blushing and flustered, Cassandra tries to think of a response when Serra comes running into the room, jumps up onto the bed, and positions herself between Ryouta¡¯s legs. Then she signs that she¡¯s ready to give Ryouta his sexual favors. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m in too much pain,¡± Ryouta tells her. Serra tilts her head, so he tries to sign it to her instead. Serra pouts and asks if he really hurts too much. Ryouta nods his head. Serra pouts even more, sighs, and rolls over onto her back to rest the back of her head against his crotch while she looks at her phone. ¡°I don¡¯t know how she does it,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Does what?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Be¡­ herself. Just, look! She can just ask for sex and rub all over you like it¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°Hey, you can do that to me whenever you want, too.¡± ¡°I know! But, still! I don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°By just doing it.¡± ¡°But how do you just do it? I don¡¯t get her.¡± ¡°Her power level is just super high,¡± Ryouta says, petting Serra on the top of her head and then groaning from moving his arm. Serra responds with a grateful rubbing of her head against his crotch. Cassandra¡¯s phone buzzes. ¡°Your parents?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°No. Alice. Be right back,¡± Cassandra says. A couple of minutes later and Cassandra arrives in the bedroom with Alice in her arms. ¡°I must admit that I never imagined myself being carried princess style by a girlfriend, but this is wonderful! Please, Cassandra, feel free to not let me down anytime soon,¡± Alice says. ¡°My arms are getting tired. His arms are already useless for the next few days, so we can¡¯t let mine get hurt, too,¡± Cassandra says as she sets Alice down on the bed next to Ryouta. ¡°You are hurt, my hero?¡± Alice asks him. ¡°Pulled muscles,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Ah! Have you tried to let go of them?¡± ¡°Wh¡­what?¡± ¡°Get it? Because they are pulled! You must simply let go of them and then they will be fine!¡± Silence. ¡°Was¡­ was that no good?¡± Alice asks, looking back and forth between Ryouta and Cassandra. Neither of them looks impressed. If anything, they look like they feel bad for her. ¡°Fine! Rather than attempt humor, I will just recall more of my fantasies!¡± ¡°Cheesy jokes are okay,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I laughed on the inside if that counts,¡± Ryouta says. Alice surprises Ryouta with a Cassandra-styled, ¡°Hmph!¡± Ryouta leans his head closer to her to kiss the side of her own before saying, ¡°By the way, Cass, that thing is tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Cassandra answers, looking away from them. Serra, not paying any attention to the discussion going on, yawns. Then Ryouta yawns. Then Cassandra yawns. And finally, Alice yawns. But that makes Ryouta yawn, and then Alice yawns again, and then Cassandra yawns again which makes Serra yawn when she sees Cassandra yawning. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for bed,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m going to be mad if I yawn again,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°But your yawns sound so cute!¡± Alice says. ¡°They are both cute and relaxing! I could go to sleep to the sound of your yawns.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just as weird as he is.¡± ¡°I know! Is that not wonderful?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t keep up with you all.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make you keep up whether you want to or not,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I am on my hero¡¯s side! We shall ensure that you stay kept up with us, even if by force! We will secure you in tight ropes and drag you with us,¡± Alice says. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re the one who wants to get tied up and dragged around,¡± Cassandra tells Alice. ¡°You are not incorrect with that statement,¡± Alice says. Cassandra sighs and says, ¡°I¡¯m going to go make sure that everything is off.¡± Once Cassandra leaves the room to go downstairs and turn all the lights off, Ryouta and Alice come up with a plan then bring Serra in on it. Cassandra has no idea what to expect once she gets back upstairs. When Cassandra does return, she doesn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. Everybody is still lying down how they were when she left. Well, there¡¯s some space between Ryouta and Alice. ¡°Come lie down with us!¡± Alice says, patting the space between her and Ryouta. ¡°I need to brush my teeth and change first,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I sssaaaaaiiiddddd, come lie down with us!¡± ¡°I¡¯m too tired. I¡¯m going to fall asleep if I¡ª¡± ¡°Cassandra. I am ordering you to come and lie down.¡± ¡°Al-alright.¡± Cassandra walks over to the bed, climbs up onto it, and lies down between Alice and Ryouta. The trap is sprung! Serra rolls over Ryouta¡¯s legs and plops herself between Cassandra¡¯s, resting her head against Cassandra¡¯s crotch just as she was with Ryouta. Then there¡¯s Alice who rolls onto her side, rolling with enough speed to throw one of her legs over Cassandra¡¯s nearest leg, and she grabs Cassandra¡¯s arm to hug it against her while nuzzling her face up against Cassandra¡¯s shoulder. Then there¡¯s Ryouta. He just grabs Cassandra¡¯s hand and holds it since he hurts too much to do anything else. ¡°It worked!¡± Alice declares with a proud smile. ¡°There is no escape for you now!¡± ¡°He-hey! We¡¯re all still in our clothes we¡¯ve been in all day!¡± Cassandra pouts. Serra rolls onto her front, slides a bit farther up Cassandra¡¯s body, and then rests her head down on top of Cassandra¡¯s stomach. She wants to sign just how soft Cassandra¡¯s stomach is, but she¡¯s smarter than Ryouta and knows not to sign anything like that. ¡°The light isn¡¯t even off!¡± Cassandra whines. ¡°Lights, off!¡± Alice says. The lights shut off, leaving the group in darkness on the bed. ¡°They¡­ they can do that?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Of course! I ensured that everything in our home could be voice controlled for my own ease,¡± Alice says. ¡°Accept defeat, Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta says. They don¡¯t get a response from Cassandra. When they both look at her face, her eyes are shut and her lips are slightly parted as she softly breathes. Ryouta holds one hand up over Cassandra, and Alice meets that hand with her own in a high-five. They win. Book 4: Chapter 15: Patch 3.0: A Change of Pace By the time Ryouta wakes up, he finds that the bed is missing two people: Cassandra and Alice. Serra, however, is lying sideways across his abdomen. Ryouta grabs Serra and pulls her up so that he can properly wrap his arms around her and give her a kiss on her forehead. She kind of reminds him of a dog. A small, petite dog. Serra slowly blinks her eyes open and smiles when she sees Ryouta. Now, when Ryouta notices that his girlfriend¡¯s first reaction to seeing his face right after waking up is to smile, that makes him feel like he¡¯s on the top of the world! He smiles even more than before and places another kiss on her forehead, causing her to smile even wider now. ¡°Morning,¡± Ryouta says, making sure to clearly pronounce it so that it¡¯s easier to read his lips. ¡°Blegh,¡± Serra mumbles. Whether she¡¯s deaf or not, anybody can get the point across with ¡°blegh¡± in the morning. She wrinkles her nose when she smells what Ryouta has been sniffing. The next noise that Ryouta hears from her is the grumbling of her stomach. ¡°Hungry?¡± Ryouta asks her. Serra nods her head. But, rather than get up to go and get food, she wraps her legs and arms around him like a sloth on a tree branch and just looks up at him with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m still sore. You don¡¯t expect me to take you downstairs like this, do you?¡± Ryouta asks. Serra nods some more and kisses his neck. ¡°You better hope I don¡¯t fall,¡± he says while squirming over to the edge of the bed. Once there, he¡¯s careful to lean up and then try to stand up while Serra remains clinging to his torso. This is when it hits him just how much pain he¡¯s still in. He feels even more sore than he did yesterday. So, while he may have originally intended to give Serra her way by carrying her downstairs like this, he flops backward instead. ¡°Sorry, way too much pain,¡± he groans. Serra looks at him, scoots farther up his body, and places a series of kisses on his neck and face before unclinging herself from him. Instead of having him carry her, she stands in front of him off of the bed and holds her hands out to offer assistance in getting up. ¡°I really am like an old man,¡± Ryouta says, grabbing onto Serra¡¯s hands. He leans forward while she pulls backward. With just a bit of effort from them both, Ryouta stands up and rubs his lower back. Serra can¡¯t help but giggle at the sight. He might only be a couple of years older than her, but he¡¯s acting like he is six times her age! She then grabs his hand and places it on the top of her head. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ryouta asks her. Serra signs ¡°stick¡± and then points at herself. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ my cane?¡± Serra nods. ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous is what you are.¡± Serra shrugs. Ryouta takes his hand off the top of her head, getting a pout from her, and walks downstairs ¨C he slowly walks downstairs. Moving too fast hurts too much. It¡¯s especially bad going down the steps, but at least going down is easier than going up. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s going back up those stairs until he absolutely has to. ¡°Ah, good morning!¡± Alice says from the kitchen, spinning around in her wheelchair to greet Ryouta and Serra. Serra runs over to Alice, wraps her arms around the other, and kisses her. Of course, then Serra goes to look at the food that Alice has been working on. ¡°And you, my hero? Do you require a good morning kiss as well?¡± Alice asks Ryouta with a happy smile on her face. ¡°That sounds nice, but could you meet me halfway?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Still in pain?¡± ¡°Sadly.¡± ¡°Very well! I shall allow you to be lazy,¡± Alice says before wheeling over to him. Ryouta leans down and kisses her. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome! You should be exceptionally grateful because of that breath.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault. You wanted us all to go to bed without changing or brushing our teeth. You don¡¯t get to judge me for having morning breath this time.¡± ¡°Fair enough! Do not get used to that, though. Last night was an exception to spoil Cassandra! I will be expecting all of us to take care of our hygiene without fail from here on!¡± ¡°Yes, mom.¡± ¡°Hmm. Say that again, my hero.¡± ¡°Say what? Mom?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ How about ¡®mommy?¡¯¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ mommy?¡± Alice claps her hands together. ¡°That¡¯s it! I think I could enjoy such play.¡± This is when Ryouta turns away from her to go and sit down at the dining room table, slouching over and burying his face into his arms. He wants more sleep, but he¡¯s not tired enough to sleep through the pain at this point. ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Bacon and eggs!¡± Alice cheerfully announces. ¡°Woah, seriously? That¡¯s so¡­ well, when I remember who you are, I guess cost really isn¡¯t an issue.¡± ¡°Correct! I have always wanted to cook a traditional breakfast like this for you!¡± ¡°How come you never did it back at the apartment?¡± ¡°I ¨C do not worry about that, my hero.¡± ¡°I¡¯m too hungry to question it. I think Serra is too,¡± Ryouta says, peeking up from his arms and seeing Serra practically bouncing at the sight of the bacon sizzling in the pan. ¡°I can see that! Goodness, such energy first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve seen her before she knew you were making bacon. She wanted to cling to me and get carried downstairs. Oh, did Cass go to her thing?¡± ¡°She did! I don¡¯t know why she wanted such an early appointment, but I am sure that it will be fine.¡± ¡°Ah, whatever. I¡¯m too tired to think about what she¡¯s doing.¡± Of course, right after saying that, Ryouta¡¯s mind immediately jumps to some outlandish conclusions. What if she¡¯s pregnant? No, that shouldn¡¯t be possible! They haven¡¯t even had that sort of sex yet in real life. What if¡­ what if she¡¯s dying? What if she got sick and is keeping a secret from everybody? No, she wouldn¡¯t, right? ¡°I¡¯m awake now,¡± Ryouta groans. ¡°I hope it¡¯s alright. Her keeping this secret has been driving my mind crazy.¡± ¡°Every girl needs to have her secrets!¡± Alice says. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Still going to drive me crazy.¡± ¡°I am sure there are things you do which drive us crazy as well!¡± ¡°Like?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡­ I am not sure! I do not think there is anything you have done that has bothered me. Well, there were those times you would drink near your computer and eat in bed.¡± ¡°Says the one who came up with the idea to make us all go to bed without changing and brushing our teeth.¡± ¡°That was an exception for a good cause! Do not sass me if you wish to eat your bacon!¡± ¡°Yes, mommy.¡± ¡°Please, my hero, it is too early to be getting me excited.¡± ¡°You¡­ are you actually getting into that?¡± Ryouta doesn¡¯t get a response. What he does get, however, is a plate with bacon and eggs on it. She even has coffee prepared! Fortunately, she also knows how to make coffee to his liking: sugar and cream with a bit of coffee. ¡°How is it?¡± Alice asks them. Serra is too busy devouring the meal in front of her to try and read Alice¡¯s lips, and Ryouta¡¯s pain is relieved more with every bite of bacon. ¡°Perfect, of course,¡± Ryouta tells her. ¡°Did you already eat?¡± he asks when he sees that she hasn¡¯t set any food out for herself. ¡°Mhm! I ate with Cassandra earlier. I made us omelets!¡± Alice explains. ¡°That sounds pretty good. What¡¯s your favorite thing to make?¡± ¡°Hmm. I like baking the most, so I would have to say that baking cake is my favorite! Mainly because I love to decorate them afterward.¡± ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯d love to see you decorate a cake sometime. You¡¯ll have to do that for my birthday.¡± ¡°Why wait until then? I¡¯m positive we could find a reason to celebrate something sooner than that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s celebrate buying a house then.¡± ¡°Ah, perfect! The more reasons to celebrate, the better!¡± ¡°How many things did your family celebrate a month?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ we probably hosted or attended two events a week on average ¨C just to socialize, and then we celebrated everything even slightly important!¡± ¡°Rich people are something else,¡± Ryouta says, looking over at Serra and seeing some egg on her chin. She¡¯s been dipping her bacon into the runny yolk of the egg on her plate, and now that egg has dripped onto her. Alice, being the proper lady that she is, wheels herself next to Serra and picks up a napkin to wipe Serra¡¯s face with for her. Naturally, Serra huffs and pouts and whines the entire time. Then she goes back to dipping her bacon into eggs. Book 4: Chapter 16: Patch 3.0: A Change of Pace Ryouta helps Alice with the dishes once him and Serra are done eating, and by the time that they¡¯ve all cleaned up, changed, and brushed their teeth after being reminded to by Alice, Ryouta wants nothing more than to just plop back down onto bed and be lazy for the rest of the day ¨C no, the rest of his existence. Pulled muscles suck. Alas, Alice is ensuring that he stays downstairs. At least she¡¯s letting him lie down on the couch. ¡°Why can¡¯t I just lie down in bed?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°I told you! Cassandra wishes for us to be waiting for her!¡± Alice says with a pout. ¡°Geez, my hero, I am going to begin thinking that you do not listen to me!¡± ¡°So, why can¡¯t I just lie down in bed?¡± Alice looks at him ready to pout something fierce and to shout about him not listening some more, but then she sees that teasing, smug smile on his face. That makes her pout even more than she would have if he really wasn¡¯t listening. Serra, picking up on the fact that Ryouta is teasing Alice, walks over to him and plops her rear down onto his abdomen. Ryouta immediately cringes and groans in pain. ¡°He-hey! That seriously hurts!¡± Ryouta whines to his deaf munchkin of a girlfriend. Serra then lies down on top of him, causing even more pain despite how light and small she is. ¡°Alice, save me,¡± Ryouta pleads. ¡°That is what you get! I cook you breakfast and remind you to brush your teeth and you still tease me. Hmph,¡± Alice pouts. ¡°One, this seriously hurts, please help. Two, you¡¯re really cute when you pout and go ¡®hmph.¡¯ Please do it more.¡± Alice blushes and gives him a playful ¡°hmph¡± sound before coming over to help him. ¡°Now, now, Serra. As much as I appreciate you avenging me, it is not polite to purposely cause him more pain,¡± she says, pulling on Serra¡¯s arm with one hand while wheeling back with her other. Serra has no idea what¡¯s going on other than the fact that Alice is trying to pull her off of Ryouta, but she gives in without much effort. That¡¯s when the front door opens, but only a sliver of the way. ¡°H-hey,¡± Cassandra says. Ryouta and Alice look over at the door, and Serra looks over when she sees the others looking. ¡°Ah! You are back,¡± Alice says as she finishes pulling Serra off of Ryouta. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Cassandra says, still not opening the rest of the door. ¡°Everything alright?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know.¡± That¡¯s enough to make them worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, but¡­¡± ¡°Come in and relax!¡± Alice says. ¡°Is¡­ everybody there?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Ryouta answers. They hear her take a deep breath. ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°And make sure Serra¡¯s are closed. They close their eyes, and Alice covers up Serra¡¯s eyes for her. ¡°Is ¨C is everybody¡¯s eyes closed?¡± Cassandra asks. Ryouta and Alice confirm their eyes are closed. They hear the door open the rest of the way and then shut. ¡°O¡­okay, you can look,¡± Cassandra says. Ryouta and Alice open their eyes, and Alice takes her hands off of Serra¡¯s eyes. Cassandra¡¯s hair that was once reaching halfway down her back is now struggling to even reach her shoulders. Rather than keeping it straight, it¡¯s a bit fluffier and sticking out rather than just hanging straight down. Her bangs are slightly higher as well, and in general, she looks younger and more energetic. It would even be honest to say that she looks kinder and more feminine now. Truthfully, none of them would have ever expected her to get a hairstyle like this. She wouldn¡¯t have even believed it herself! Yet, here she is, with a hairstyle that may be unbelievable on her but it looks great nonetheless. ¡°What¡­ what do you think? It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s shorter than I was expecting, and¡­ I don¡¯t really¡­ know what to think,¡± Cassandra practically whimpers out. She doesn¡¯t get an answer which makes her heart sink further into her stomach, feeling as if she¡¯s made a huge mistake and thinking about a million and one ways that they¡¯re going to hate it, but then she gets hugged and kissed by Ryouta. When Ryouta pulls away, he sees his beautiful girlfriend with reddened cheeks and tears coming from her eyes. ¡°Why ¨C why didn¡¯t you say something sooner!¡± Cassandra says, forming fists and gently smacking them against his chest. ¡°Because you¡¯re too beautiful,¡± Ryouta says, feeling a bit proud of himself for how smooth he thinks that was. She must think it was smooth as well seeing as how she looks like she¡¯s about to cry even more despite smiling. ¡°I was so nervous¡­ does ¨C does it look good?¡± she asks. ¡°It looks amazing. You look amazing,¡± Ryouta tells her. ¡°I agree!¡± Alice says. ¡°You look absolutely wonderful, Cassandra! This style is beautiful on you!¡± Cassandra looks at Serra and gets a thumbs-up with a smile and a nod. ¡°Are ¨C are you all serious? You like it? You promise?¡± Cassandra asks. They all confirm that they¡¯re telling the truth. Cassandra may not say it, but it¡¯s obvious to them all just how immensely glad she is. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping it a secret. I just¡­ wanted it to be a surprise,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that you were really starting to worry me with what it might be, but I¡¯m kind of glad you kept it secret. It made the reveal even better¡­ wait, is this why you asked me about your hair when we were in that dungeon?¡± Ryouta asks. Cassandra nods and says, ¡°Yeah¡­ I decided to do this back then, but only just got the courage to do it.¡± ¡°You look perfect, so don¡¯t worry too much about it. Was it an AI or person who cut it?¡± ¡°Oh, it was umm, the place employed people. It was a girl. She ¨C she was really nice and said we¡¯re all welcome to go there.¡± ¡°Hmm. I prefer to cut my own hair,¡± Alice says, ¡°but I do believe Serra is in need of a haircut!¡± Alice plays with Serra¡¯s hair to show just how messy and shaggy it is. When Ryouta and Cassandra look at it¡­ yeah, it is really shaggy. Serra has always had a shaggy head of hair, but this is by far the worst it has ever been. ¡°I wish I could just shave all my hair off so that I would never have to worry about cutting or styling it,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°No,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Agreed. No,¡± Alice says. Serra holds up her arms in an x shape and shakes her head. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t shave my head, but what if I go bal¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°You are not allowed to go bald,¡± Alice says. Serra opens up her phone, taps away at it, and shows it to him. A picture of hair growth formula is on the screen. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t go bald either. I¡¯m pretty sure nobody in my family was bald, so it should be fine,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Wait¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks Alice. She looks like she¡¯s either seen a ghost or like she has finally run out of crazy, kinky fantasies. ¡°My¡­ my father began balding at a young age. My beautiful children are going to lose their hair! My hero! You are only permitted to give me female sperm!¡± Alice tells him. ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way,¡± Ryouta answers, scratching the side of his head. ¡°Then you shall make it work! It is your princess¡¯s decree!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Cassandra says with a groan, ¡°my dad has a stupid amount of hair, so I¡¯ll have the boy.¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t work that way,¡± Ryouta says. Serra signs that she¡¯ll have both girls and boys. ¡°It still doesn¡¯t work that way for sure.¡± ¡°Then we shall make it work! Do you know what year it is? We have science!¡± Alice says. ¡°I would never want my children to begin balding at such a young age! Imagine if you were bald, my hero! You would be single forever!¡± Alice¡¯s words hurt him. ¡°You¡¯d still love them even if they went bald, right?¡± Ryouta asks her. ¡°I would, but I do not want my children to remind me of my father!¡± Alice explains. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t girls be at risk too? Like, wouldn¡¯t their hair just thin instead of fall out, or something like that?¡± Though, when he thinks about it, isn¡¯t thinning a result of it falling out? ¡°Wouldn¡¯t your hair be at risk since he¡¯s your dad?¡± Alice places her hands on the top of her head as if trying to hide her hair, but there is way too much for her small hands to hide. ¡°My hair is most certainly not thinning!¡± Ryouta returns his attention to Cassandra since she¡¯s the one who actually got a haircut and should be getting the most attention when it comes to hair. ¡°Seriously though,¡± he says, ¡°you look perfect. You looked perfect before, but now you look even more perfect.¡± While Alice pouts about how her hair isn¡¯t thinning, finally being the victim of teasing for once, Cassandra says, ¡°Thanks, Ryouta. Can ¨C can I have another kiss?¡± Ryouta answers her question with a kiss. Book 4: Chapter 17: Patch 3.0: A Change of Pace ¡°Now then! I believe we must create a schedule,¡± Alice says, sitting in her wheelchair in front of the couch where Serra, Ryouta, and Cassandra are sitting. ¡°What kind of schedule?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°A gaming schedule! None of us have to work, so I know that the thought of spending all day playing games may have crossed your minds,¡± Alice pauses to look at Ryouta and Cassandra whom are both acting innocent, ¡°but that will not be allowed! Our bodies would rot away if we just stayed playing games all day, and nothing would ever get done!¡± ¡°Alright, mom, so what do you want us to do?¡± ¡°Schedule! I suggest that we play no more than six hours at a time without breaks, and no more than ten hours a day! That would give us a total of twenty hours a day in-game, yes?¡± As boring as coming up with a schedule to prevent too much gaming sounds, when there are that many hours allocated to gaming, he really can¡¯t complain. Cassandra won¡¯t complain, either. ¡°And no more than five hours on Saturday and Sunday! It is important for us to spend time together in reality and experience the real world as well,¡± Alice continues. ¡°That sounds pretty fair,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Though, I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything to really do around here.¡± ¡°I heard that the mall here is rather excellent and full of activities! There is even a small amusement park built alongside it!¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t believe malls made a comeback.¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard they were all pretty much dead at the beginning of the century,¡± Cassandra says. Serra gets their attention by waving her hands and then signs to the group that she wants a pet ferret. And a pet dog. And a pet¡­ cow? ¡°Why do you want a cow?¡± Ryouta asks her. Serra signs that cows are basically just really fat dogs. Now that Ryouta thinks about it, he does remember seeing plenty of cute videos on the internet of cows wanting to cuddle, play, and basically act like dogs. ¡°Why a ferret?¡± Ryouta asks. Serra makes the sign for shark and then points down at the carpet. ¡°I would love to get a ferret! A dog or cow may be too much responsibility given how much time we wish to spend gaming, but a ferret would be wonderful! The only issue with ferrets is that they tend to repulse visitors with their scent,¡± Alice says. That may be an issue to Alice, but it sounds like a positive thing to everybody else. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get a ferret,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Agreed,¡± Cassandra says and nods her head. Serra fist pumps and then sticks up four fingers. ¡°You want four ferrets?¡± Alice asks. Serra nods. ¡°Do we even have a pet store around here?¡± Ryouta asks. Cassandra pulls out her phone and looks it up. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s one a little past where I got my haircut,¡± she says. ¡°We will need a cage, food, a water bottle, hammocks, toys, tubes ¨C wait! There¡­ oh my goodness I am so excited!¡± Alice says, pulling out her own phone to look something up on it. She practically squeals from excitement and then holds the phone out to the others. On the phone¡¯s screen are pictures of ferrets wearing clothes. ¡°You want to dress them up, don¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta asks. Alice excitedly nods her head. ¡°They will be so precious!¡± she says. ¡°Won¡¯t they be precious even if they¡¯re not dressed up?¡± ¡°But they will be even more precious if they are dressed up! Just imagine a ferret in a tuxedo with a top hat and monocle! Or one wearing a princess dress! Or one with a fin sticking up from its back to truly become a carpet shark!¡± ¡°We should probably, you know, actually research it first to learn about keeping them because I don¡¯t know anything about owning ferrets,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°But¡­ I kinda want to go look at them now.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you too sore to be moving around?¡± ¡°But¡­ ferrets are cute.¡± ¡°Do you promise not to get attached and want to bring them home as soon as you see them? Let¡¯s not forget you got attached to a rock. And a fan. And a fishing rod. And a boat. And¡ª¡± ¡°Al-alright, I¡¯ll try my best not to get too attached.¡± ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Cassandra sighs. ¡°At least you¡¯re honest about it.¡± ¡°Worry not, Cassandra! We will just go look and leave before he can get too attached!¡± Alice says. Meanwhile, Serra is looking up pictures on her phone of fat ferrets. All animals are cuter when they¡¯re fat according to Serra. Whether they are cats, dogs, cows, penguins, ferrets, or any other animal, fatness is equal to cuteness. ¡°Shall we go now then?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Yeah, we can just get ready while waiting for the autotaxi to get here,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°My hero, do you not think we should buy our own vehicle?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really think we need one. It takes less than five minutes for an autotaxi to get here, and we¡¯d have to use one multiple times a week for years to probably make buying our own car worth it.¡± ¡°Alright then! I shall leave that up to you while I go and freshen up. Serra, you¡¯re coming with me,¡± Alice says, wheeling up to Serra, grabbing her, and pulling her away toward the bathroom. Serra whines and groans at the thought of not getting to look messy and shaggy. ¡°What about you?¡± Cassandra asks Ryouta. ¡°I¡¯m a guy. It takes me less than a minute to get ready. All I have to do is put on shoes and mess with my hair a little bit,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Guys are so lucky.¡± ¡°You know, you don¡¯t have to spend so much time getting ready before we go anywhere. I doubt any of us are going to care if you don¡¯t worry about your hair, clothes, and makeup.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Then explain it to me,¡± Ryouta says as he orders the autocar on his phone. Five minutes later of explanations and Ryouta says, ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t understand any of that.¡± ¡°I told you,¡± Cassandra says with a sigh. ¡°Just be like an Asian girl and wear a mask and a hat. Then you don¡¯t have to do your hair and nobody can see half your face.¡± ¡°I ¨C you don¡¯t understand. I want to look good! It¡¯s not about wanting to be lazy. It¡¯s about wanting to look my best!¡± Ryouta wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulls her close, and places a kiss on the side of her head. ¡°You always look your best.¡± ¡°You¡¯re smooshing my hair right after I had it cut and styled,¡± she says with a pout, ¡°but¡­ th-thanks.¡± ¡°I hope you appreciate that I¡¯m holding back. Your hair makes me want to really, really fluff it up. I just want to put my hands in it and shake it everywhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to leave you in a cage at the pet store if you do.¡± ¡°Can I do it once we¡¯re home?¡± ¡°Why do you want to so badly?¡± ¡°Because your hair looks super fluffy right now. I want to fluff it.¡± ¡°Let me guess, your obsession with fluffing my hair comes from one of your shows or those things you read?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Fine, but only once we¡¯re home and when nobody else is around.¡± Ryouta mentally fist pumps and pulls away from her so that he doesn¡¯t get too tempted to just fluff her hair right now. He wants to fluff; he needs to fluff. His phone vibrates to let him know that the autotaxi is outside. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Ryouta shouts so the others ¨C well, other can hear him. Once Alice hears him, she grabs Serra¡¯s attention and they come back out into the living room. Serra has had her hair straightened and combed down straight, topped off with an oversized hat, and Alice has somehow managed to switch into a dress for going out and is wearing a floppy hat of her own. She looks like she¡¯s going out to a park for a romantic picnic more than going to a pet store. ¡°Remember! No getting attached,¡± Alice says. Ryouta nods, but he already knows what is most likely going to happen. They¡¯re going to come home with ferrets. The only question is how many ferrets will they come home with, and how much other supplies will they be bringing? ¡°Hey, we have a couple of spare rooms¡­ so couldn¡¯t we just turn one of those into a ferret room instead of sticking them in a cage?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°We could, but those rooms are for our future children!¡± Alice explains. ¡°They won¡¯t need their own rooms until they¡¯re older, and ¨C and that might be a while away anyways.¡± ¡°They will still need a cage even if they have their own room.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± ¡°Besides, my hero, we are only going to look! We are not doing anything more than looking.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He doesn¡¯t know. Book 4: Chapter 18: Patch 3.0: A Change of Pace What Ryouta really ended up not knowing is that it would not be him who surrenders at the sight of cute ferrets. No. It was Alice. The moment they arrived at the pet store and found the cage with all the ferrets in it, an attendant was over in a flash and offered them sticking their hands into the cage to pet the ferrets. Alice reached her hands in to pet them. One of the ferrets, a fat one with white hair and a couple of black spots, immediately clung to her hand, climbed up her arm, and made it out of the cage before the attendant could stop it. Since then, Alice has been so happy that she was, and still is, crying. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Ryouta asks her. Alice nods and looks up at him with teary eyes as the ferret rolls around on her lap. ¡°Can ¨C can we keep it?¡± she asks. Serra and Cassandra look at Ryouta as well to wait for his answer. They all want the ferret just as badly as Alice does. Ryouta does, too, so he says, ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s going to need friends.¡± ¡°Do you already have a cage and supplies?¡± the shop attendant asks. ¡°Nope. Nothing. We¡¯re¡­ going to need everything.¡± ¡°If you would like me to, I could go ahead and get together all of the recommended items for new ferret owners?¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± Alice says. Ryouta cringes at the thought. Usually, when an employee of a store offers something like that, they¡¯re going to go and pick out all the most expensive things and include items that aren¡¯t really necessary. ¡°I think we¡¯re good. I already have some things in mind and know what we need,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Are you sure?¡± the attendant asks. ¡°My hero?¡± Alice says, earning a confused look from the attendant at her name for me. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine,¡± Ryouta confirms. ¡°Alright! Come and get me when you¡¯re ready to take this cute little guy home. I¡¯ll be up at the front,¡± the attendant says. ¡°Sure thing, thanks.¡± As soon as the attendant leaves, Alice asks, ¡°My hero, why did you send her away? Would it not be better to use her assistance when she has more expertise in this than us?¡± Ryouta pulls out his phone, searches for what ferrets need to have a happy home, and shows it to Alice. ¡°We know what we need, we can look up reviews of anything as we look around, and we won¡¯t have to pay for more than we need or expensive things that aren¡¯t any better than the cheaper versions. When you accept offers like that, you¡¯re accepting them to charge you as much money as possible, and I don¡¯t want to spend more than we need to.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°They¡¯re not trying to be greedy assholes or anything like that. It¡¯s just their job to make sure we spend as much as we can.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s kind of adorable how na?ve you are, you rich little princess,¡± Ryouta teases Alice. Alice pouts and then notices something. ¡°The ¨C the ferret is still on me,¡± she says. ¡°Oh, yeah. Probably should have put it back in the cage before leaving us,¡± Ryouta says before picking the ferret up much to Alice¡¯s disappointment, holding it over the cage, and lowering it. Then it bites his finger which makes him drop it. The ferret is fine, but Ryouta¡¯s ego is bruised and he looks around to make sure that none of the employees or other shoppers saw him drop the ferret. Alice looks shocked. ¡°You dropped him!¡± she says. ¡°He¡¯s ¨C he¡¯s okay,¡± Ryouta says as he closes the lid over the cage. ¡°Must just be having one of those days,¡± Cassandra says, looking over to the attendant now idly stocking a shelf. ¡°Yeah, shit happens. They messed up, but not gonna worry too much about it. Let¡¯s grab a shopping cart and get everything.¡± And so, that is exactly what they do. They get: a nice, tall cage with multiple levels in it for the ferrets to climb around; water bottles for them to drink from as well as bowls to put their food in; one of the biggest debates ends up being how many toys to buy, and they end up filling up the entire bottom of the basket with toys and extendable tubes; they buy hammocks for their cage and litter for their trays; and they buy several different brands of food and snacks for the ferrets to so that they can experiment with which the ferrets like most. ¡°I¡­ think we probably ended up getting more stuff than the worker would¡¯ve gotten us,¡± Ryouta says, looking over the shopping cart stacked high with various necessities and non-necessities for their future ferrets. ¡°I am still disappointed!¡± Alice whines. ¡°Why don¡¯t they have clothes for them? Mr. Chubs needs a suit!¡± ¡°Mr. Chubs?¡± ¡°The one I was playing with!¡± ¡°You already named him ¡®Mr. Chubs?¡¯¡± Alice nods and then goes back to pouting. ¡°You¡¯re so silly. Anyways, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re going to have to stick to the internet to buy things like that. Especially with how fat he is. I doubt they¡¯d have clothes in his size here even if they had ferret clothes.¡± Alice pulls out her phone and starts ordering ferret clothes despite them not even technically owning any ferrets yet. ¡°This must be what it¡¯s like to have disposable income,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I know, right?¡± Cassandra agrees. ¡°I feel guilty even just buying all of this. I keep thinking ¡®how am I going to afford food for the next month if I buy this?¡¯¡± ¡°Yeah ¨C wait, what are we missing?¡± ¡°Cage, food, toys¡­ I don¡¯t know. Is there ¨C where¡¯s Serra?¡± While Alice continues ordering ferret clothes, Ryouta and Cassandra look around for Serra. She¡¯s nowhere to be seen around them. ¡°I¡¯ll look around for her,¡± Ryouta says. And so, Ryouta looks around for Serra. He checks the fish aisles, stays away from the insect aisles but still peeks into them, checks on where the cats are, and finally checks on the worst section in the entire store: the bird area. It¡¯s in a closed off area from the rest of the store because of just how noisy all the different birds are inside of it. ¡°I don¡¯t know how anybody could own birds,¡± Ryouta says to himself as he looks around. He finds Serra. She¡¯s standing in front of a cage looking a parrot face-to-face. They¡¯re just standing there staring at each other. Serra opens her mouth and makes a noise, and then the parrot copies the noise back at her. Ryouta doubts that she can tell the parrot mimicked her, but she¡¯s smiling and looks happy nonetheless. Serra looks over, sees Ryouta, and beckons him over. Then she signs to him to ask him if the parrot is copying the noises she makes. Ryouta signs that the parrot is. Serra smiles even brighter than before and tries making more noises for the parrot to copy. Unfortunately, the parrot only copies the very first noise that she made. Serra signs to Ryouta asking if it¡¯s still copying her. Ryouta doesn¡¯t know whether to lie and tell her that the parrot is still copying her to make her happy, or to tell her the truth. He¡¯ll just ignore the question instead and answer by teasing her. ¡°It says it wants a blowjob,¡± Ryouta says. Serra reads his lips and snerks before lightly punching him in the abdomen. ¡°Didhint cawpy me?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Sorry, nope,¡± Ryouta tells her honestly. Serra shrugs, waves bye to the parrot, and drags Ryouta back to where the ferrets are. Back at the ferrets, the store employee has a few sturdy boxes ready to have ferrets placed in them. ¡°There you are!¡± Alice says. ¡°I told her that we wanted all of them. There are only four, and they need friends, and I would feel bad about taking them away from each other!¡± Ryouta initially wants to ask if she¡¯s crazy for wanting to go from no ferrets to four ferrets, but then he remembers the whole ¡°disposable income¡± thing which calms him down. Plus, it¡¯s not like they have jobs or anything, so they have the time to take care of the ferrets. ¡°Now we will each be able to name our own!¡± Alice says while excitedly watching Mr. Chubs get placed in one of the boxes. Cassandra points at one particularly thick ferret with brown hair. ¡°Is this one a boy or girl?¡± she asks the employer and gets told that the ferret is a girl. ¡°Then I¡¯ll name her¡­ Lily.¡± Serra points at one of the ferrets which is pure white and signs that its new name is Shark. That leaves Ryouta with the last ferret. ¡°What about this one?¡± he asks the employer, and after the employer checks, he gets told that the ferret is a boy. A boy ferret with all black hair. ¡°How about¡­ Damian?¡± ¡°That¡¯s way too human,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Lily is a human name, too.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s also a flower. Damian isn¡¯t a flower.¡± ¡°His name is Damian. So, we¡¯ve got Damian, Lily, Mr. Chubs, and Shark.¡± ¡°Sounds like a wonderful group!¡± Alice says. Serra signs to the others that she¡¯s going to train Shark to be a true shark, and that Shark will eat their ferrets. None of them relay that information to the employee. Book 4: Chapter 19: Patch 4.0: Ferrets and Dogs ¡°Finally,¡± Ryouta says, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. His body really hurts now. ¡°Sthoopid,¡± Serra says, giving the metal cage they just finished putting together a punch. ¡°Seriously. I¡¯ve never put together anything that was as annoying as this,¡± Cassandra says. Meanwhile, in the closed-off spare room, Alice is lying on the floor while the ferrets climb all over her and play with one another. She¡¯s been giggling and smiling and playing the whole time while the others put together the ferrets¡¯ cage. ¡°Can I have a massage after this? Please?¡± Ryouta groans. Serra pushes Ryouta down onto his stomach, straddles his back, and starts to rub his shoulders and neck. Ryouta melts underneath the touch of her fingers. That¡¯s when Mr. Chubs hops off of Alice, runs up to his face, bites his nose, then runs away while making dooking noises. ¡°The little bastard is lucky he¡¯s adorable,¡± Ryouta says as he rubs his nose. ¡°Mr. Chubs is not a bastard! He is an adorable prince!¡± Alice sticks up for Mr. Chubs as he hops up onto her stomach, looks around, and then hops off of her to chase after Shark. Serra watches the playful fight between Shark and Mr. Chubs with great interest. That interest turns into disapproval when Shark loses and gets pinned underneath Mr. Chubs'' superior mass. She will train Shark to be the most ferocious carpet shark in all of history. Then there is Cassandra trying her hardest not to squeal from how cute and happy all the ferrets look! Between their dooking, war dances, and wrestling, they are just far too cute for her to handle. They are causing her emotions to run wild on the inside. Shark embraces his inner hunter, and digger, by diving into one of the extended tubes lying around on the floor. The other ferrets hear the crinkling sound from him sliding through it, come over to investigate, and get pounced on! Shark lunges out from one end of the tube and tackles Lily! That¡¯s when Damian sees what¡¯s going on and jumps onto Shark to save Lily from him. ¡°I ship them,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Who?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Damian and Lily.¡± Lily looks at Damian once Shark has been scared off. She even pokes her nose against Damian¡¯s nose! Then she pounces him before dooking away into one of the other tubes lying around on the floor. ¡°I could watch this all day,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Hmm. Well, I shall not impose a limit on ferret watching hours. Only gaming hours!¡± Alice announces. ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯m curious about something. It¡¯s technically possible for animals to use virtual reality, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s illegal and everybody says that it would be cruel,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Right, but, what do you think ferrets would do in virtual reality? Like, could you imagine a ferret running around in the body of a human avatar? Hopping around, making those dook noises, pouncing on each other, and so on? It¡¯d look like some sort of really kinky orgy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, you¡¯re a nerd. A beautiful nerd. Also, when do I get to fluff your hair?¡± ¡°I ¨C I said,¡± Cassandra lowers her voice so that Alice won¡¯t hear and makes sure that Serra can¡¯t see her lips, ¡°when we¡¯re alone.¡± Ryouta needs the fluff. ¡°Oh. I just remembered that I fluff myself in-game,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You really are weird,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°It¡¯s like masturbating but with cute fluffiness instead of sex.¡± ¡°You¡¯re proving my point.¡± ¡°Reminds me of that time I tried rubbing my own belly in-game and it worked.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yeah. I never told anybody about that. Aha. Uhh, right after I made Fenrir, I tried rubbing my own belly and it made my tail wag and leg shake.¡± ¡°I¡¯m judging you.¡± ¡°I deserve it.¡± Ryouta moans when Serra rubs one particularly tense spot. She may be small and weak, but she knows how to give a massage. ¡°Cass, ask Serra how she learned to be so good at this,¡± Ryouta says. Cassandra gets in front of Serra, grabs her attention, and asks the question. Serra signs her answer, but Cassandra doesn¡¯t understand the signs, so Serra pulls out her phone and types her response into a text message. ¡°She says that she used to get out of being grounded by offering massages to her parents, and they pretty much gave her anything she wanted as long as she¡¯d offer that. She says that her massages were her currency back home,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°I can believe that. You need to get one of these to experience how good she is,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°Why? It¡¯s a free massage from your girlfriend.¡± ¡°My body is sensitive. You know how I get when I¡¯m even touched when not expecting it.¡± ¡°So... in other words, you¡¯re the type who¡¯d be squirming around and moaning the whole time?¡± Cassandra blushes and looks away. ¡°Got you. Now we¡¯re definitely giving you a massage. I¡¯ll hold you down while she massages you,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Alice will help, too.¡± ¡°I shall sit on her legs while you hold her down by her arms!¡± Alice says. ¡°A-ah! No! Not over there!¡± Ryouta and Cassandra look over at what Alice is looking at. Mr. Chubs is squatting in the corner with his butt to the wall. Ryouta has Serra on his back, Alice would have to drag herself across the floor, and Serra just isn¡¯t paying any attention. That leaves Cassandra to rush over to Mr. Chubs, pick him up, and carry him over to the other corner of the room where they put the tray with litter in it. A trail of poop leads from one corner to the other, and by the time that Cassandra sets Mr. Chubs down, he¡¯s already done and goes back to running around without a care in the world. ¡°Can we take him back?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Certainly not!¡± Alice answers. ¡°Mr. Chubs just needs to be reminded of proper bathroom etiquette!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m having regrets already.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Look at it this way. If we can¡¯t handle ferrets, we can¡¯t handle kids.¡± Ryouta¡¯s logic pierces the hearts of both Cassandra and Alice. Even Serra feels like she just got challenged to something despite having no idea what¡¯s going on as she massages Ryouta. ¡°These are going to be the most obedient, taken care of ferrets ever,¡± Cassandra declares. ¡°Yes! We shall make sure that our ferrets are the best ferrets in the entire world!¡± Alice announces. ¡°I have a feeling that you two are going to take this way too seriously now,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°They are living beings! Of course we are going to take our children seriously! Isn¡¯t that right, Cassandra?¡± ¡°Yeah, what she said. Our kids are going to be the best,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°You¡¯re calling them your kids instead of ferrets,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Isn¡¯t Rock like a daughter to you?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°And she¡¯s in a game. These ferrets are in real life.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I understand,¡± Ryouta says. Then he sees something suspicious happening. ¡°Hey,¡± he grabs Cassandra¡¯s attention and points over at two ferrets in particular. Damian is crawling on top of Lily, and it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re playing. ¡°H-hey!¡± Cassandra shouts at them, stomping over. ¡°You¡¯re siblings! You can¡¯t do that!¡± Cassandra¡¯s words only make the situation that much funnier to Ryouta. His ferret humping her ferret was hilarious enough before she had to imply incest as well. Damian and Lily run away from Cassandra together. Every single time that Cassandra stops trying to break them up, thinking that they¡¯ll start behaving, they go right back at it. Sometimes it¡¯s Damian taking the lead, other times it¡¯s Lily taking the lead. Either way, they all learn that those two ferrets in particular have a strong thirst for one another that they refuse to leave unquenched. ¡°I hope they¡¯re neutered,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°We don¡¯t need even more ferrets running around. Four is enough.¡± ¡°The more the better! Like you said, Damian, we must be able to handle ferrets if we wish to handle children! How are we going to manage a household with as many children as we all want if we cannot handle a couple dozen ferrets or so?¡± Alice asks. ¡°A ¨C a couple dozen? How many kids are you all wanting again?¡± ¡°Let us worry about that some other time, my hero.¡± ¡°H-hey now, I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassandra says. There is no winning for Ryouta. Fortunately, there is winning for Damian and Lily. Then there is Shark and Mr. Chubs. As much as Serra may wish for Shark to be the dominant ferret of the new ferret room, it is Mr. Chubs being treated like royalty as Shark continues bringing various toys and items to Mr. Chubs. One of the items is Ryouta¡¯s wallet. ¡°What ¨C wait, how the hell did Shark get my wallet?¡± Ryouta asks, patting the back of his pants where his wallet should be. Serra gives Shark a thumbs-up even if he¡¯s serving another ferret. Book 4: Chapter 20: Patch 4.0: Ferrets and Dogs Leaving Serra and Alice in the room with the ferrets, Ryouta and Cassandra have gone to their new gaming room. ¡°First,¡± Ryouta says, ¡°I want to fluff you.¡± ¡°Why do you sound so creepy when you say that?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I need to fluff, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Co-come on now, it¡¯s weird when you say it like that!¡± ¡°Fluff. I need it. Lemme fluff,¡± Ryouta says while getting closer and wiggling his fingers in the air. The way his fingers moving are not only oddly sexual but very disturbing. ¡°Just ¨C just get it over with!¡± Cassandra blushes and shuts her eyes as Ryouta gets closer. Then she feels it. She feels his fingers slide into her hair and start to rub against her scalp, poofing her hair out and gently moving it around. Cassandra has no idea what the feeling is inside of her. This feels far better than she thought it would; she didn¡¯t expect it to feel good in the first place! Yet, here her weirdo of a boyfriend is, ¡°fluffing¡± her hair with a dumb smile on his face that she notices once she opens her eyes. ¡°Your hair is so fluffy now,¡± Ryouta says, sounding even more relaxed and at peace than he did when he was getting massaged by Serra. ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Cassandra says, pressing her head up against Ryouta¡¯s hand. This is when he remembers something. Cassandra was getting jealous when he was treating Azalabulia like a dog. This has the potential to either backfire spectacularly or result in something amazing. Ryouta takes a deep breath and asks, ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± He didn¡¯t know whether to use a seductive tone or a teasing one, so he went for a mixture of them. Silence. He looks at her reaction and sees shut eyes with a bright blush on her cheeks. The expressions going by on her face tells him that she must have a hundred different thoughts running through her head. He just hopes that the last thought to go through is a good one. ¡°I ¨C I am?¡± Cassandra asks, her voice shy and low as she looks at him with only one eye partially opened. Ryouta thinks to himself how amazing this is and takes it even farther by properly rubbing her head like he would a dog. Then he pulls away and sees how disappointed she looks that he stopped petting her head. ¡°Paw?¡± he asks her, holding his hand out. Cassandra places one of her hands on top of his own. Yep. This is too much for Ryouta. He steps closer, wraps his arms around her, and hugs her in a tight squeeze while internally fanboying over just how incredibly adorable she is. And how hot. ¡°Wh-what was that ¨C that other thing?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Go woof,¡± Ryouta tells her. ¡°Wo-woof.¡± ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Woof¡­¡± ¡°One more time.¡± ¡°W-woof!¡± Ryouta feels like a diabetic swimming in a pool of liquid sugar. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± he asks her again. Cassandra whimpers. ¡°Who¡¯s a good little puppy?¡± Cassandra whimpers even louder while nuzzling her head against him. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you,¡± Ryouta whispers. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m a good girl!¡± Cassandra practically shouts. ¡°You¡¯re a perfect girl is what you are,¡± he says, petting her on her head once more. ¡°So, I guess you really are into pet play then.¡± ¡°Sh-shush. This is killing me right now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°I¡­ I do, but¡­ it¡¯s way too embarrassing. I can only do it since I¡¯m jealous you did it with Aza.¡± Ryouta leans back a bit, tips her head back by placing a couple of fingers under her chin, and presses his lips against her own. ¡°Thanks for being honest. You¡¯ve really changed since the dungeon.¡± ¡°You ¨C you think?¡± Cassandra asks, forcing herself to look him in the eyes and not look away out of embarrassment. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Have I been, umm ¨C have I been¡­ better?¡± ¡°If you mean do I think you¡¯ve been nicer, more patient, and more honest with yourself, then yes.¡± ¡°G-good. It¡¯s hard, but¡­ but I¡¯m trying not to slip back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t let you. You¡¯ve got all of us supporting you.¡± Cassandra nuzzles her head against him some more before whispering, ¡°I¡¯ll lock you outside if you tell anybody about what I was doing.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one locked outside? You¡¯re the dog, after all,¡± Ryouta teases her and gets a gentle slap against his side in response. ¡°Fine, fine. I won¡¯t tell anybody as long as you let me play with you some more like that sometime.¡± ¡°Deal, you pervert.¡± ¡°Hey, we both know I¡¯m not the only pervert here.¡± ¡°Shush.¡± ¡°So, you were doing it because you were jealous of Aza, right?¡± ¡°A-and other reasons, but ¨C but yeah.¡± ¡°She wagged her ¡®tail.¡¯ You haven¡¯t done that yet. Don¡¯t want to let her have something over you, do you?¡± Ryouta teases. Sure, this is taking advantage of her jealousy, but he tried saying it in a teasing enough tone that she wouldn¡¯t take him seriously. That doesn¡¯t stop her from doing it. She slowly ¡°wags¡± her rear from side to side while refusing to look up at her boyfriend. ¡°Good girl,¡± Ryouta says, kissing her on her forehead. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go play FTO. Wait, you know what would be awesome?¡± ¡°What?¡± Cassandra asks, her face still red and her voice quiet. ¡°If I got you dog ears. Maybe one of those dog tail butt¡ª¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± she says, all redness gone from her cheeks and her voice lacking any of the flustered embarrassment from before. ¡°That ¨C that was a quick rejection.¡± ¡°Dog ears, maybe, but I¡¯m never letting you or anybody else put anything there.¡± ¡°I can settle for dog ears.¡± ¡°Pervert.¡± ¡°Right back at you.¡± A few minutes later and both Ryouta and Cassandra are immersing themselves into virtual reality ¨C into the world of Fantasy Tales Online yet again. ¡°Fen?¡± Cassiel asks, looking around when she notices that she¡¯s only with Serra and Nell in the hammock. ¡°Down here,¡± Fenrir says, sprawled out on the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb you all to climb back in after I got out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯d actually disturb any of us if we¡¯re not in-game.¡± ¡°I know. Anyways, let¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Oi! About time you¡¯re here!¡± Tabitha shouts from the stairs. Fenrir lets out a yawn and waves at the short, orange-haired girl. ¡°Sorry, been busy. We got ferrets.¡± ¡°Ferrets? Why? Those little rascals eat through everything. I hope you don¡¯t have any exposed wires in your home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s a thing?¡± ¡°Them eatin¡¯ through wires? Yeah. Had an uncle who had a ferret, emphasis on had. The rascal chewed through a cord, got fried, and started a fire.¡± ¡°Cass, those ferrets might be more of a challenge than I thought.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but we don¡¯t have any exposed wires anywhere, I think,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Hope ya don¡¯t let them out of their cages. They can squeeze under doors like their bones are made of jello!¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Cass, those ferrets might be way more of a challenge than I thought,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°And that¡¯s not even gettin¡¯ to the parts about how they steal and hide everythin¡¯, burrow into your furniture and tear up anythin¡¯ soft, and will leave dead mice lyin¡¯ around if you¡¯ve got a mice problem.¡± ¡°They kill mice?¡± ¡°You know they¡¯re carnivores, don¡¯t ya? My uncle fed his ferret whole, frozen mice before they got an infestation of them. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t look into any of these before buyin¡¯ a ferret, wolf boy.¡± ¡°We ¨C we bought four of them.¡± ¡°Blondie, I hope you keep some tight reigns on him,¡± Tabitha tells Cassiel. ¡°It¡­ I agreed to it,¡± Cassiel admits. ¡°Hoh boy. Well, try not to burn down your place too soon. Ya got some fire extinguishers around the house?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We have a new sprinkler system.¡± ¡°Oi! Those things are garbage! Ya better buy a few fire extinguishers before the end of the week or I¡¯m going to personally come over there and smack ya on the head with one! These new sprinkler systems are always failin¡¯ and never stop anythin¡¯! An extinguisher, if you¡¯ve got the balls to use one and target the source of a fire, won¡¯t fail you!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll buy some fire extinguishers. Promise.¡± Tabitha wipes the back of her hand across her forehead. ¡°Gonna give me an anxiety attack. Buyin¡¯ ferrets, no fire extinguisher ¨C what¡¯s next, you gonna think it¡¯s alright to have a pet cow living in your house?¡± ¡°Is ¨C is there something wrong with pet cows?¡± Tabitha groans and heads above deck. ¡°Maybe¡­ we shouldn¡¯t let the ferrets out of their cage all the time,¡± Cassiel whispers to Fenrir. ¡°Yeah, and we¡¯ve got to buy some fire extinguishers,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°Serra might be disappointed about the cow thing.¡± ¡°Were you seriously considering getting a pet cow?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ we could afford to.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to waste her dad¡¯s money?¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯d approve of a pet cow.¡± ¡°No cows.¡± ¡°Fiiiinnee.¡± Book 4: Chapter 21: Patch 4.0: Ferrets and Dogs Fenrir and Cassiel meet back up with Tabitha on The Shoebill¡¯s deck. Oleander and Corwin are there as well. ¡°You know, Olly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you play a game this much since back in the day,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hey, Fenny, and yeah. If I¡¯m not studying, I¡¯m playing this now,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°It means more time to spend with Cor!¡± He nuzzles up against Corwin¡¯s side, getting a few headpats in return which reminds Fenrir of what he was just doing with Cassiel in reality. Cassiel looks up at him, knowing what he¡¯s thinking, and narrows her eyes at him. ¡°You going to change your hair here, too?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Ooh! Cass Cass changed her hair? What¡¯s it like now?¡± Oleander asks with excited eyes. Fenrir looks at Cassiel to see if she¡¯ll answer it herself. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ shorter now,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°And super fluffy,¡± Fenrir adds on. Cassiel elbows him in the side, but with hardly a fourth of the force she used to use. ¡°Hmm. I can¡¯t really imagine Cass Cass having fluffy hair,¡± Oleander says. ¡°You should totally change your hair here, too!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Cassiel replies. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think my real hair would match my style here. It¡¯s more¡­¡± ¡°Girly,¡± Fenrir says and gets elbowed again. ¡°And I don¡¯t really look like that here.¡± ¡°Did somebody say style?¡± Azalabulia says, striking a cool pose to show off her own style. ¡°Oi, didn¡¯t I tell ya to stop that? You¡¯re goin¡¯ to be single forever if you keep actin¡¯ so lame,¡± Tabitha calls Azalabulia out. Azalabulia slouches her shoulders and says, ¡°S-sorry.¡± Fenrir has only seen Azalabulia and Tabitha interact a few times ever since the former joined the crew, but Tabitha dominated each one of those interactions. Azalabulia just always loses her ability to act cool and confident around Tabitha. ¡°Pl-please don¡¯t hit me with your hammer again,¡± Azalabulia says with watery eyes. Now Fenrir knows why Azalabulia is so submissive toward Tabitha. ¡°Stop overreactin¡¯. That was an accident anyways,¡± Tabitha says, rubbing her forehead. ¡°Hey, Aza,¡± Oleander says, ¡°what can of style do you think would fit Cass Cass other than this whole holy thing?¡± Azalabulia shies away from Tabitha and looks Cassiel over. ¡°A fallen angel!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°You¡¯ve got to go cuter and girlier since her new hair is like that, I guess.¡± ¡°H-hey, I never said that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°A girly fallen angel!¡± Azalabulia tries. ¡°Still not cute enough,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I think she¡¯d look cute as a dog girl,¡± Fenrir says and gets yet another elbow hitting his side, but this time with more force. Azalabulia¡¯s eyes go wide. ¡°Yes! A ¨C a hellhound! She could dye her hair red and black, cut it short, wear chains, black armor, and have a hellhound¡¯s ears and tail!¡± she suggests. ¡°I can¡¯t see Cass Cass like that at all,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Please,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Cassiel with puppy eyes. ¡°Become a hellhound girl.¡± ¡°No,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You can talk about all of that some other time,¡± Tabitha says, walking up into the center of the group. ¡°This is more important. Me and Red figured out what we¡¯re goin¡¯ to need, and the sooner we get started, the better.¡± Tabitha goes over everything that her and Rao discussed and planned. One heck of a shopping list is the result. They¡¯re going to have to chop down no insignificant number of trees for all the wood they need, will have to make dozens of trips from the mountain down the river to the city¡¯s future site, and then there are all the miscellaneous materials required. They may not need that many different materials, but they need an absolute ton of the materials that they do need. ¡°Here,¡± Tabitha says, coming up from below deck. She sets various tools onto the deck. They are makeshift pickaxes and axes. ¡°I made these earlier. They¡¯ll be enough to cut through some of these trees and to mine some stone, and I can upgrade them as we go. That should probably be one of your first jobs: go chop down some of them steel oaks. Probably goin¡¯ to take a couple of axes just to get through one tree, but I can make an even better axe with that wood, and then cutting down the rest won¡¯t be so hard,¡± Tabitha explains. Azalabulia says, ¡°I will burn down the forests with my dark¡ª" Tabitha takes her hammer off of her back. ¡°I ¨C I thought you said it was an accident!¡± Azalabulia whines. ¡°It was,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°I don¡¯t think burning down the forest would do us much good when we need it to build,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Listen to the dog.¡± Azalabulia whines and walks away, mumbling to herself. ¡°Why¡¯d ya pick her up again?¡± Tabitha asks Fenrir. ¡°She begged to join us, and I figured it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have her around,¡± Fenrir explains and then leans in to whisper, ¡°She¡¯s crazy powerful. Just don¡¯t praise her when she can hear you or she won¡¯t shut up about it.¡± ¡°Be nice,¡± Cassiel says, grabbing Fenrir by his ear and tugging him back. ¡°She¡¯s just roleplaying. The game is full of people like her.¡± ¡°So, hellhound?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ to smack you next if ya don¡¯t take this seriously,¡± Tabitha tells Fenrir. ¡°We need to actually get this underway. Can¡¯t stay livin¡¯ on this boat forever with what little supplies we¡¯ve got left.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll go ahead and get started today,¡± Fenrir says, picking up one of the axes. It¡¯s got a pretty simple wooden handle, and the head of it looks like it¡¯s made out of sharpened scrap metal from Tabitha¡¯s overflowing backpack of strange items and materials. Even though it looks poorly made, it¡¯s sturdy and Fenrir has no idea how she managed to get the blade of it as sharp as it is. ¡°So, steel oaks first, right?¡± Fenrir confirms with Tabitha. Tabitha says, ¡°Right. Red told me there were exposed metals up at the mountains. We use the axes to chop down some steel oaks, we use that to make better axes and pickaxes, then we use those to¡ª¡± ¡°Then why¡¯d you already make pickaxes if we¡¯re just going to make better ones before we even use them?¡± ¡°Oi, did I say to ask me questions?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t think of that, did you?¡± ¡°Listen here, wolf boy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Fenrir says after a couple moments of silence. ¡°Keep on listenin¡¯.¡± ¡°Wh-why?¡± ¡°So ya learn how to.¡± Oleander and Cassiel both try not to laugh at Fenrir getting told by somebody half his height, but then Tabitha sets her sights on Oleander and says, ¡°Deer boy, if I see any of that shit ¨C and ya know what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about, on my baby one more time, then I¡¯m tossin¡¯ ya overboard in your sleep.¡± ¡°Hear that, Cor? Don¡¯t let any of it out,¡± Oleander loudly whispers to Corwin, causing the blonde man to burn with embarrassment equal to how brightly Cassiel can blush. Fenrir is torn between being disgusted and finding it hilarious. ¡°Now! Wolf boy, you might be the captain here, but me and Red have superiority when it comes to all this buildin¡¯. You can call me ¡®boss¡¯ until we¡¯ve got this city runnin¡¯,¡± Tabitha tells Fenrir. ¡°Alright, boss. When¡¯s my lunch break? How about my pay?¡± Fenrir teases her and instantly regrets it as she pulls her hammer off of her back, smacking the end of it against her palm. ¡°Got anythin¡¯ else to say?¡± ¡°I want to unionize.¡± A vein pops in Tabitha¡¯s head, causing Fenrir to take the makeshift axe and jump off of The Shoebill before Tabitha can launch him off of it herself with her hammer! Tabitha turns around to face the rest of the crew still onboard and in-game. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m all fired up!¡± Tabitha declares with a wide smile. ¡°Gotta love when you can have banter like that with a friend.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not actually mad?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Course not! Why would I be mad? His idea to do this whole city thing has got me more excited than I¡¯ve been in a long time! It¡¯s just more entertainin¡¯ for ourselves and everybody else if we play around, ain¡¯t it? Like ya said, roleplay.¡± Azalabulia comes rushing up to Tabitha and says, ¡°Ah! So you are a roleplayer! We¡¯re the sa¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s excitement gets deflated even faster than it was inflated. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t jokin¡¯ about tossin¡¯ you overboard if I grab the steerin¡¯ wheel one more time only to get sticky hands,¡± Tabitha says while directing a glare at Oleander. Oleander scratches the back of his head and says, ¡°Sorry¡­ at ¨C at least you won¡¯t have to worry about that once we build our own house, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll build your house. I have to make sure it has thick enough walls so that nobody has to listen to you two lovers going at it all day and night. Not goin¡¯ to install any windows in it, either.¡± Book 4: Chapter 22: Patch 4.0: Ferrets and Dogs Fenrir, with axe in hand, surfaces from the river and walks up onto the riverbank. ¡°She¡¯s too funny,¡± Fenrir says to himself, though somebody else decides to chime in. ¡°Tabs is totally best girl,¡± Saya tells him. ¡°Since when do you talk like a weeb?¡± he asks her, not bothering to stick to his thoughts since nobody else is around. ¡°I can do what I want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be a weeb.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a weeb, baka onii-chan.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. You¡¯re definitely not a weeb. Only normal people use Japanese words in an English conversation.¡± ¡°I only do it because you¡¯re a degenerate weeaboo who gets turned on by this sort of weird stuff.¡± ¡°You may have a point, but I also know that you¡¯re basically made partially out of my thoughts and personality and all that, so that means I know that you¡¯re actually into it yourself, you degenerate weeaboo.¡± ¡°I hate you, onii-chan.¡± ¡°Love you too.¡± ¡°L-love?! Wh-wh-what a-are you ¨C wh-what are you ¨C lo-ove?!¡± ¡°You know what I meant, you tsundere.¡± ¡°Let me play around, baka. This is when you¡¯re supposed to push me up against a wall and place a hand next to my head on the wall to keep me from escaping!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that this is a shoujo.¡± ¡°Anything can be a shoujo if you try hard enough, just like how anything can be yaoi!¡± ¡°Olly and Cor already make this enough of a yaoi.¡± ¡°And now let me make it a shoujo!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Just let me push your nonexistent body up against the wall to pin you to it.¡± ¡°You could just imagine it, you baka hentai onii-chan.¡± Fenrir, standing perfectly still and just looking ahead to the forest, imagines pushing Saya up against the wall and putting his hands around her on it. ¡°O-onii-chan! Wh-what are you doing? This ¨C umm ¨C this ¨C we-we¡¯re siblings! This kind of thing isn¡¯t ¨C isn¡¯t¡­¡± Fenrir continues standing still and looking straight ahead as his little sister of a virtual companion roleplays inside of his head. ¡°Wh-what are we going to do on the bed, onii-chan?¡± ¡°You forgot to go pomf.¡± There¡¯s silence for a few seconds before they both start laughing. ¡°At least we have the same sense of humor,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Like you said, I¡¯m basically part of you, so yeah, I¡¯m going to have the same humor,¡± Saya replies. ¡°If you ever do get a body, I¡¯ll push you up against the wall for real, alright? Then we¡¯ll see how you react when it really happens.¡± ¡°Maybe someday, onii-chan!¡± ¡°You never know. Maybe they¡¯ll decide to be like ¡®hey here¡¯s a new expansion where you can play with your virtual assistant¡¯ or something like that.¡± ¡°I doubt that, but we¡¯ll see!¡± ¡°Oh, wait, I could just do it to you next time I¡¯m immersing or waking. You¡¯ve got a body then.¡± ¡°Y-you could, but you don¡¯t need to!¡± ¡°You totally want me to, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I ¨C I never said that, you perv-hentai baka onii-chan.¡± ¡°Alright. Next time I go to wake, make the space look like a ¨C actually, we can just do that right now.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± ¡°Return me to the lobby.¡± ¡°Are ¨C are you sure?¡± Fenrir nods and then his in-game avatar falls to the ground. Now, Fenrir finds himself in the game¡¯s ¡°lobby¡± where it¡¯s just a black space, himself, and Saya. ¡°You can make it look like anything, right?¡± Fenrir asks her. Saya nervously nods. ¡°Make it look like a high school¡¯s hallway.¡± The space around them turns into exactly what he requested, albeit with no students nor teachers roaming it. ¡°O-onii-chan?¡± Saya asks him. ¡°Why ¨C why are you looking at me like that?¡± With a devilish grin, Fenrir walks up to his ¡°little sister¡± until she¡¯s forced to walk backward if she doesn¡¯t want him to walk into her. She walks backward until she hits the wall. Fenrir continues his approach as Saya looks up at him with red cheeks and quivering, nervous eyes. The final phase of his kabe-don plan is to slam his hand into the wall and¡­ realize that this isn¡¯t going to work. Saya is almost half of his height when he¡¯s Fenrir. ¡°T-turn me into my real body,¡± Fenrir says and instantly becomes Ryouta. Ryouta now stands in front of Saya with his hand to the side of her head against the wall, and she looks totally unimpressed. ¡°The mood was already killed,¡± Saya says. ¡°I wasn¡¯t taking our heights into consideration,¡± Ryouta admits. The two start laughing again. ¡°Ready to go back in-game, onii-chan?¡± Saya asks him. ¡°I think so. Next time, though, I¡¯ll remember the height difference,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Go chop some wood, you hentai onii-chan,¡± Saya says as she sends him back into the world of Fantasy Tales Online as Fenrir. Fenrir stands up from the grass and brushes himself off. His axe is lying on the ground next to where he fell. ¡°I probably should have been a bit more careful. Wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally split my skull open on it from falling,¡± he says. ¡°You prooobably should be more careful, but at least you¡¯re fine this time!¡± Saya says, her voice back to being solely inside of his head. Fenrir looks out to the treeline. While farming for materials in previous games that he has played was never too fun for him, something about this excites him. Maybe it¡¯s the fact that the game is just so realistic that it¡¯ll be like getting to go wild in a forest in reality with an axe. It¡¯s probably that. Who wouldn¡¯t want to take an axe into a forest and have tons of fun chopping down a bunch of random trees? Though, now that he remembers it, he¡¯s supposed to prioritize steel oaks and he¡¯ll probably need help just to deal with a single steel oak tree. Fortunately, the rest of the group is being ferried onto land via Shogun. Rock was the first, of course, and she has already run up to Fenrir to nuzzle against his legs almost like how a cat would. ¡°First, you were a rock. Then, you were a dog. Now you¡¯re a cat?¡± Fenrir asks Rock, petting her on the top of her head. Rock barks at the accusation of being a cat. Even she understands that cats are the inferior animals when compared to dogs. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Fenrir asks her. Rock wags her tail and barks! ¡°That¡¯s right, you are!¡± Then it hits him. This feels dirty. After saying that to his girlfriend in reality, treating her like a puppy and saying the same things that he says to Rock, he realizes that he has corrupted those words. Rock is looking up at him, expecting more praise. What¡¯s he supposed to do? Continue praising her while being reminded that he was abusing these words for sexual purposes? Rock would probably judge him or be horrified if she found out about what he did to her favorite words! But, more important than his comfort is praising his dog. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± he asks Rock again, earning a pleased bark as she spins in a circle before rolling onto her back for a belly rub. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re a good girl, and good girls get belly rubs.¡± Cassiel is the next to reach him. Fenrir gets an idea. A horrible, horrible idea that will only make him feel even more guilty about this, but he¡¯ll get to praise Rock and tease Cassiel at the same time. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Fenrir asks Rock. ¡°I a¡ª¡± Cassiel answers and immediately shuts her lips. Rock looks up at Cassiel with wide eyes expressing how betrayed she feels for having her status of good girl taken away from her. Fenrir looks shocked as well. He was expecting Cassiel to just pout and be embarrassed if not maybe a bit jealous. ¡°Is this what it¡¯s like in those memes when a girl asks her ¡®daddy¡¯ to pass her something during dinner, and then both the dad and boyfriend try doing it?¡± Fenrir asks. While Fenrir might be joking about it, Cassiel¡¯s face has taken on the color of a tomato and Rock looks as if her entire reason for living has been taken away from her. ¡°Y-you¡¯re a good girl, Rock,¡± Cassiel tells Rock. ¡°And shush!¡± she huffs at her boyfriend. Rock goes from looking suicidal to as if it¡¯s the best day ever! Even her tail is wagging again. ¡°Hey, Cass, have you ever tried rubbing her belly before?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°No¡­ why?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Try it. She deserves it after that.¡± Cassiel still looks embarrassed, but she crouches down next to Rock and places one of her hands on Rock¡¯s belly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t really know what I expected, but she feels smoother and warmer than I thought she¡¯d be. Not soft, but¡­ smooth,¡± Cassiel observes as she rubs her hand up and down Rock¡¯s belly. ¡°Try scratching by her leg there,¡± Fenrir says and points. ¡°How am I supposed to scratch smooth rock?¡± ¡°You get to file your nails and scratch a dog¡¯s belly at once. Win-win situation.¡± Cassiel shrugs, not caring about her in-game nails, and scratches Rock¡¯s belly in the spot that Fenrir pointed at. Hearing her nails scratching against rock is an unpleasant noise for all involved, but it makes Rock frantically shake her leg while her tongue hangs out from the side of her mouth. Worth it. Book 4: Chapter 23: Patch 4.0: Ferrets and Dogs ¡°So, Red told me that your dog here can find the right trees?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Kind of. She doesn¡¯t get it right every time, but she does a pretty good job,¡± Fenrir explains. Tabitha looks down at Rock and taps her foot as she thinks. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean why?¡± ¡°Why ¨C how, whatever, how can she tell?¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just naturally attracted to really hard things?¡± Oleander snerks which causes Corwin to join in him corrupting Fenrir¡¯s words. ¡°I should have expected that. But really, maybe she¡¯s attracted to things with the same density and hardness as rocks?¡± Fenrir proposes, trying his best to phrase it in a way that can¡¯t possibly be corrupted by Oleander. It doesn¡¯t work. Oleander still ends up covering his mouth to laugh. ¡°Eh, whatever. Not like it matters as long as she can find what we¡¯re looking for. You got that, Rock?¡± Tabitha tells Rock. ¡°Now, go find us some steel oaks!¡± Rock barks, runs off to the forest, and chomps onto the first tree that she sees! Going by how much bark she peels off with her fangs, it¡¯s not the tree that they¡¯re looking for, and doubt in her grows. ¡°Ya sure she can do it? I¡¯m about to just start choppin¡¯ away,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Hang on,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Rock, think you can try to lead us where we were yesterday? Remember where those really tasty,¡± at least, he¡¯s asumming they were tasty to her, ¡°trees were?¡± Rock wags her tail and tilts her head. Then she tilts it the other way. Then she tilts it back in the direction that her head was previously tilted. Then she barks and runs off deeper into the forest. Everybody takes off after her to try and keep up, but only Fenrir and Shogun are able to keep up with her easily. Fenrir has to hang in the back a bit to ensure that the rest of them don¡¯t get lost. Unfortunately, Rock leads them to a clearing in the forest that looks nothing like where they were yesterday. Fortunately, Shogun lifts a paw and points his snout to the left. Rock runs in the direction that Shogun pointed at. With Shogun¡¯s assistance, Rock leads the group to where they were yesterday and Shogun rewards her with a few kisses, letting her take all of the credit. ¡°Ya could learn or two from him, dog boy,¡± Tabitha tells Fenrir. ¡°What was that? You¡¯re just so short that I have trouble hearing you from up here,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°That wasn¡¯t even a good comeback. Besides, I like being short.¡± Fenrir looks down at her and tries to think of a comeback but fails. Tabitha, seeing the failure expressed on his face, smiles and gives him a slap on his back. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got work to do. These the trees?¡± ¡°Yeah. Rock, can you find more trees like those ones?¡± Fenrir asks, pointing at a few of the trees that she tried biting chunks out of yesterday. Rock barks, runs to one of the trees, and bites it! Just like yesterday, it sounds like rock banging against metal as her teeth struggle to pierce the hard-as-metal wood. Of course, that doesn¡¯t stop her from hanging onto it and shaking her head around to try and break the wood free from its source. ¡°I¡¯ll be darned, she actually can find ¡®em,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Darned?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ya got a problem with that, ya darn dog boy?¡± Fenrir tries to think of a comeback again, but Tabitha sees him failing at it, smacks him on the back, and says, ¡°Let¡¯s get to work!¡± And so, they work. They only need a single tree for this expedition to be worth it. One tree will provide all that Tabitha needs to make them some improved tools. But, cutting even a single steel oak down with regular axes is difficult. Fenrir¡¯s axe manages to cut a few inches into the tree before the blade cracks and shatters into pieces. Cassiel¡¯s axe is next. Hers makes it farther than Fenrir¡¯s did since he already got past the bark, but it breaks before even making it halfway through the tree trunk. Meanwhile, Corwin and Oleander are going around, tree to tree, with Rock to mark all of the steel oaks that they find. They may only be able to cut down a single steel oak for now, but they can at least go ahead and mark more of them for ease of finding in the future. ¡°Let me show ya how it¡¯s done,¡± Tabitha says, stepping up to the tree that Fenrir and Cassiel have been working at. ¡°I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re going to chop it down without ten more axes,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t ¨C what are you doing?¡± Cassiel asks as Tabitha gently places her axe¡¯s blade into the cut. Letting go of her axe now that it¡¯s secure in the tree, Tabitha takes her hammer off of her back, extends it to its full size, and holds it like she¡¯s about to swing a baseball bat. ¡°This,¡± she says, swinging the hammer into the back of the axe¡¯s head! The axe shatters from the blow of Tabitha¡¯s hammer, but not before cutting clean through the rest of the tree. ¡°Ya might want to ¨C back!¡± Tabitha shouts as the tree falls. Fenrir grabs Tabitha by the back of her shirt and Cassiel by her hips, jumping out of the way with both of them in tow as the tree falls onto where they were just standing. With Cassiel to his side, looking cuddled up next to him, Tabitha is lying down on his chest and glaring at him. ¡°Oi, dog boy,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Fenrir asks, unsure why she looks so pissed off. ¡°What¡¯s with this cheesy clich¨¦?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I wanted you to land on me this way. I was just trying to get you out of the way.¡± ¡°Ya sure about that, or do I need to hit ya with my hammer? Maybe there¡¯s a few screws loose in your head there makin¡¯ ya think that you can just pull underage-lookin¡¯ girls onto you.¡± ¡°You can get off of me at any time now, you know.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to decide if I need to smack you or not.¡± ¡°I vote for not.¡± Tabitha narrows her eyes and furrows her brows, but then laughs and gives his chest a few, hearty smacks. ¡°Thanks for the save, wolf boy.¡± ¡°No problem, shortie.¡± Tabitha gets up off of him which allows Fenrir to turn his attention to Cassiel. He looked over and saw that she was fine, but doesn¡¯t know why she¡¯s been so quiet. ¡°You alright?¡± he asks her, keeping his voice low since her head is right next to his. ¡°Ye-yeah, thanks,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°You sure?¡± She nods her head against and says, ¡°Just¡­ that ¨C that was¡­. it was, you know, nice.¡± ¡°You mean you think your totally awesome boyfriend is hot for saving you from a falling tree?¡± ¡°I did until you ruined it.¡± ¡°Am I at least a little bit awesome?¡± Cassiel sighs and kisses his cheek. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± ¡°Hey! Everybody alright?¡± Oleander shouts, running over with his boyfriend and the group¡¯s canines. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine,¡± Fenrir says as he helps Cassiel get up. ¡°Oi, I just thought of a problem,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°How the heck are we supposed to take this thing back?¡± ¡°You¡¯re only just now thinking of that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about when I thought of it. All that matters is that I did think of it.¡± Fenrir notices Cassiel still standing close to him and slightly blushing even if he did supposedly ruin the mood, so he wraps one hand around her to rest on her waist so that he can pull her close against his side. Naturally, this causes her to blush brighter than before and part her lips as if she wants to ask him what he¡¯s doing, but she gives in to the romantic gesture and leans against his side. Plus, she really, really likes this. Tabitha looks behind her, sees the lovey-dovey couple standing together, and sighs. ¡°It¡¯s tough bein¡¯ the only single gal around,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯ve got Aza¡­. wait, where is she?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Huh. No idea. Fox, ya bring her over?¡± Tabitha asks Shogun. Shogun looks up at her, tilts his head, and then shakes it. Meanwhile, back on The Shoebill, Azalabulia is standing around moping. ¡°They ¨C they forgot about me!¡± she whines to herself. Looking overboard, she contemplates jumping into the water and swimming like Fenrir did, but she knows she could never bring herself to do that. ¡°I ¨C I wish I knew how to swim.¡± While she may not be able to go and join the others in the forest, at least she has her little tentacle companion to play with that she got from the dungeon. That is, until it slips out from her hands and falls into the water. Azalabulia stares down at the water with a shocked expression. Then she somehow slips and falls over the railing. Book 4: Chapter 24: Patch 4.0: Ferrets and Dogs Rather than try to drag the felled tree back to The Shoebill somehow, the group has decided to head back to the boat to get the items that Tabitha will need and take them back to the forest. It will be far easier for them to work on-site than bringing the tree back. They are met with an unexpected sight once they make it back to The Shoebill. Azalabulia is sitting on the riverbank with her tentacle companion wiggling around next to her as she rubs her eyes and cries. She looks fine from what the group can tell, so they have no idea why she¡¯s so upset that she¡¯s crying. She just looks completely soaked. ¡°Cass, I think you might be the best choice here,¡± Fenrir says, giving his girlfriend a pat on the back to push her forward. Cassiel shrugs and walks up to the crying Azalabulia. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I ¨C I thought I was going to drown! I was so scared! I have no idea how to swim and I fell in the water and it was scary and I was flailing around and there was nobody to save me and I just got really scared and it was horrible and now I¡¯m all wet!¡± Azalabulia cries loudly enough for everybody around to hear. Then she sniffles and says, ¡°B-but I saved her at least.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Azalabulia points down at the tentacle. ¡°Aren¡¯t things like that usually perverted guys?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s racist!¡± Azalabulia shouts before going back to crying. ¡°Is she really a teacher?¡± Oleander asks Fenrir. ¡°I mean, she said she is,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Oi, you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me this crybaby nerd is a teacher? What¡¯s she teach?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Kindergarten, if I¡¯m remembering correctly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re tellin¡¯ me this crybaby nerd is influencing our future leaders at such a young age? When they¡¯re all impressionable?¡± ¡°Well, when you put it that way.¡± ¡°This world is screwed.¡± ¡°Come on, she might be a great teacher when she¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Water is scary! I hate it! I wish it would all evaporate! Who needs water anyways? Nobody actually needs water! It just wants to kill you and make you thirsty and get you all wet!¡± Azalabulia whines. ¡°Alright, maybe we¡¯re screwed,¡± Fenrir admits. ¡°Oi! Ya know your body is mostly water, right?¡± Tabitha shouts over to Azalabulia. ¡°Then I¡¯ll drain it all out! I don¡¯t want water anymore! It doesn¡¯t even taste good! Why would I ever want to drink water when I can drink wine?!¡± Azalabulia shouts back and gives the group even more reasons to doubt her ability to teach. ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t completely disagree with her on that. Water is boring,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Fenny, don¡¯t be an alcoholic,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Nell doesn¡¯t even let me drink more than once a week now, and she doesn¡¯t let me drink that much when she does let me.¡± ¡°Wow, Fenny, you¡¯re actually whipped now,¡± Oleander says, using a tone that makes it obvious he¡¯s teasing. ¡°I think Nell would want me to be the one doing the whipping.¡± ¡°Whipping,¡± Corwin says, bringing a finger up to his head as he thinks about it. ¡°What¡¯s this? You want to bring even more toys into our play?¡± Oleander asks his boyfriend, giving him a squeeze on his side which almost gets a Cassiel-tier squeak out of him. ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ to smack ya both with my hammer if ya don¡¯t calm down there,¡± Tabitha tells the two lovers. ¡°I know how quickly you escalate from words to doin¡¯, so take that somewhere else before we¡¯re caught in the crossfire.¡± Fenrir gets some odd thoughts in his head when he imagines Oleander, Corwin, and the word ¡°crossfire¡± altogether. Going by Oleander¡¯s snickering, Oleander must have thought the exact same perverted thought that¡¯s in Fenrir¡¯s mind. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s alright,¡± Cassiel says, trying to comfort Azalabulia. ¡°It¡¯s just water.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not all! Look!¡± Azalabulia cries, pointing at her boots. ¡°I¡¯m all muddy! Water ruins everything it touches! It touched perfectly good dirt and made it mud, and now that mud is on me!¡± ¡°Well¡­ you are sitting in mud right now, so¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± Cassiel sighs and gives up, walking back over to the rest of the group. ¡°I have no idea what to try and say to her. Fen, you¡¯re better at this sort of thing, so you go and try.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to say to somebody who hates water? That doesn¡¯t even make sense,¡± Fenrir says. Then, when he looks over at her, he notices something. Azalabulia might sound like a whiny child complaining about something stupid and illogical, but when he pays attention to how she looks, she looks genuinely terrified. She¡¯s shaking, crying, breathing rapidly, and she isn¡¯t paying attention to anything else. She isn¡¯t just upset about getting dirty and wet, she¡¯s genuinely scared. Fenrir walks up to her and crouches down. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re fine, so just take slow, deep breaths. Alright?¡± Azalabulia looks up at him and slowly nods her head before trying to do as he said. It¡¯s difficult, but she manages and begins to calm down. ¡°Sorry we didn¡¯t make sure you were safe and following us. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re with us next time. Promise.¡± She¡¯s still crying, but she¡¯s nodding her head at everything he has to say. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know what else to say, so he just hugs her instead. He knows that he would want a hug if he was as scared as she looks, so that¡¯s what he gives her. While he may not be able to see her face slowly turning red and the love grow in her eyes, the rest of the group sees and is surprised that they weren¡¯t expecting this to happen. ¡°Feeling better?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ thanks,¡± Azalabulia answers. ¡°But, you know, it probably wasn¡¯t a good idea to join us when we¡¯re on a boat and around water most of the time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s different when I¡¯m not actually in the water, and¡­ I didn¡¯t want to pass up the opportunity to ¨C y-you know, make new friends¡­¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t even realize it, but he hugs her a bit tighter just out of how cute that reasoning was. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you out of the mud,¡± he says, standing up and bringing her with him. ¡°I ¨C I do not need help, mortal!¡± Azalabulia says, her voice still stuttering and frightened, but her roleplaying lets them know that she¡¯s feeling better. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. I am sorry, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut,¡± Fenrir plays along this time, bowing his head slightly. ¡°You ¨C you actually remembered! I ¨C I mean, of course you remembered! None could ever forget me nor my titles!¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t even know how he should feel himself that he actually remembered one of her titles. It¡¯s a good thing she¡¯s not asking him if he remembers the rest of them, though, because then he¡¯d be caught. The two walk back over to the rest of the group, and he hurries to pull Tabitha to the side so that he can whisper to her, ¡°I know we were joking about her being afraid of water, but she¡¯s seriously afraid of it, so¡ª¡± ¡°Ya think I couldn¡¯t tell? I already feel bad for doin¡¯ it in the first place, so don¡¯t you worry about it,¡± Tabitha tells him. ¡°Feeling better?¡± Cassiel asks Azalabulia. ¡°I never felt not better! I am always at the peak of performance both mentally and physically!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°So, you could outrun Fenny?¡± Oleander asks her. ¡°Or lift more than Rao and Cass?¡± ¡°I ¨C I need not do such things when I have magic!¡± Oleander stares at her. ¡°Wh-what? My magic saves me the trouble of¡ª¡± Oleander continues staring. ¡°My magic can do anyth¡ª¡± Oleander gets right up in her face as he stares now, having to stand up on the tips of his toes. ¡°Wh¡ª¡± ¡°Boop,¡± Oleander says, poking her cheek. ¡°You had some dirt on your face.¡± Azalabulia is left standing there confused and unsure whether she should be blushing or not. She knows that Oleander is a boy, so that was the closest somebody from the opposite gender has ever been face-to-face with her! Her eyes look longingly at Fenrir. Cassiel notices that and grabs Fenrir by his shoulder to walk him away a bit and whisper to him, ¡°I think you made her fall in love with you.¡± ¡°Who? Tabs? No way,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°No. Aza.¡± ¡°Seriously? How? All I did was hug her.¡± ¡°You hugged and comforted her when she was upset, kind of saved her in the dungeon, and¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s an extreme virgin.¡± ¡°There are different levels of virginity?¡± ¡°She looks like she¡¯d panic just from holding hands.¡± ¡°Holding hands is pretty lewd.¡± ¡°Seriously though, you should see how she looks at you when you¡¯re not paying attention. This isn¡¯t the first time, either.¡± ¡°Alright, well, what do you want me to do about that?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know! I just thought I should tell you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As much as everybody likes to tease me about being some sort of harem protagonist, I¡¯m not going to add her to my ¡®harem¡¯ just because she¡¯s a girl and breathes.¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t get a quick response from Cassiel which causes him to look at her suspiciously. ¡°Ac-actually,¡± Cassiel whispers, ¡°we¡­ Nell and Serra¡­ we might have already talked about Aza.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fenrir keeps whispering back. ¡°Well, Serra brought it up, and me and Nell weren¡¯t against it, and we knew she liked you, so we figured¡­ if you end up liking her then it¡¯d be okay.¡± ¡°Why do I feel like my own girlfriends are shipping me with others behind my back?¡± Cassiel looks away. ¡°Well, as long as you don¡¯t talk about like, me and Rao or anything.¡± Cassiel leans away from him. ¡°Olly and Cor?¡± Cassiel scratches the back of her head. ¡°Shogun?¡± ¡°Wh-what? No, that¡¯d be weird,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You didn¡¯t deny the others.¡± Cassiel walks back to the group by herself. Book 4: Chapter 25: Patch 5.0: Building a Town and a Harem Ever since Cassiel told Fenrir about Azalabulia¡¯s apparent feelings for him and that all of his girlfriends are supposedly alright with Azalabulia joining their relationship, he has felt awkward around Azalabulia. Why? Because now he¡¯s acutely aware of her actions and words. How is he supposed to react to her now that he knows that she flirts with him? He had no problem flirting with Cassiel, Serra, and Nell back then, but now he¡¯s forgotten what it¡¯s like to flirt with somebody that he¡¯s not in a relationship with. Furthermore, there is the fact that he already has three girlfriends. Aren¡¯t people going to judge him if he¡¯s flirting with somebody else? He doesn¡¯t even have to take the initiative to flirt with her. Even just allowing her to flirt with him, now that he is aware of it, is enough to make him feel awkward. Wouldn¡¯t a good boyfriend reject her and tell her that her behavior isn¡¯t appropriate? He did that with Aiko, so why can¡¯t he do that again now? It probably has something to do with him being more attracted to Azalabulia. While Aiko was cute and basically designed her avatar to be a perfect representation of his fetishes, Azalabulia is much more genuine. Aiko¡¯s avatar was artificially attractive ¨C she just looked forced. When it comes to Azalabulia, she looks more natural and that makes her more attractive. Then there¡¯s the issue of where she lives and how she might look in reality. He has no idea what she¡¯s like in real life. ¡°Where ¨C where did she want this?¡± Azalabulia asks Fenrir as she holds one of Tabitha¡¯s strange, metal contraptions in her arms. And this is exactly part of the problem. Azalabulia could just be holding the object normally but, instead, she¡¯s holding it close to her abdomen and pushing it slightly upward to make her breasts pop out more. She already has enough cleavage on display when she¡¯s not purposely pushing them up to show them off. ¡°Over there,¡± Fenrir says, pointing away without looking in her direction. ¡°Also¡­ thanks for ¨C for, you know, earlier,¡± Azalabulia says and Fenrir looks back at her just in time to see her idly bounce a bit. No. What if this is just how she is? Now he¡¯s thinking that almost everything she does is to be sexually or romantically suggestive. She could just be na?ve! After all, she¡¯s afraid of water, a total dork, socially awkward, and¡ª And meanwhile, Azalabulia is hiding her predatory nature. She has read far too many online articles about dating to fail! Sure, he might have girlfriends already, but that just means he has to be a really amazing guy to have three girlfriends at his age! There¡¯s also the fact that he¡¯s handsome, doesn¡¯t mind her roleplaying, and she finds him absolutely adorable whenever he gets flustered for any reason. Lately, she¡¯s been trying to seduce him with her breasts and legs, but it¡¯s only today that she has finally started to get results! Every time he blushes after she catches him looking at her chest makes her want to tease him even more. Of course, she can¡¯t let him see that side of her. She doesn¡¯t believe he would like her anymore if he found out that she¡¯s doing this on purpose! He¡¯d probably think she¡¯s just some old slut! That¡¯s why she has to be super subtle so that he would never catch onto the fact that she¡¯s doing anything on purpose. ¡°Does¡­ does she realize how obvious she is?¡± Oleander whispers to Cassiel as Azalabulia leans slightly over, putting her breasts on an even more risqu¨¦ display. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassiel whispers back to him. ¡°I think she¡¯s still new to this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like watching one of those funny porn intros with really bad and cheesy acting.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Wait, you watch those?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re hilarious. I¡¯ve seen compilations of them online before.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a lemon stealing whore.¡± Cassiel half-snorts half-laughs from the sudden reference. Oleander asks, ¡°Did you just snor¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassiel says with a glare. Oleander pouts then changes the subject. ¡°So, you¡¯re really alright with that? You know you can just tell him and he¡¯ll immediately stop and lose all interest in her, right?¡± he asks. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ yeah, it makes me a little bit jealous seeing somebody new-ish flirting with him, but I¡¯m not really jealous when he¡¯s the one flirting, I guess. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°I guess because you¡¯re already used to him flirting with the others?¡± ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know. I guess¡­ it¡¯s also because I know I can trust him. I don¡¯t know if I can trust new girls, like her.¡± ¡°Hmm. Yeah, I can understand that. But, if she¡¯s going to maybe join your relationship square and turn it into a relationship pentagon, shouldn¡¯t you all be flirting with her and getting closer to her instead of just Fenny?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I ¨C I don¡¯t really know how,¡± Cassiel whispers even more quietly than before. ¡°Fen always took the lead, and if it wasn¡¯t him, it was Serra.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so pure, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not pure,¡± she says with a pout. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have boyfriends before Fenny? Did they all ask you out or something?¡± ¡°Basically¡­ I had no idea how to flirt, and the only guys who would flirt with me and ask me out were the ones who didn¡¯t care who my dad was.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that about your dad?¡± ¡°He was the chief of police. Way too overprotective and he loved his job as much as he loved me. He lost his job because he abused his position to dig up information on one of the guys he found out I was dating, and then the guy¡¯s parents freaked out and went to the news about it, and then¡­ yeah, only total shitheads who didn¡¯t care about my dad dared to date me, and they didn¡¯t lack the confidence to take the lead.¡± ¡°You had a tough time growing up, didn¡¯t you?¡± Oleander asks, patting her on her shoulder. ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t make me think about it anymore. I could go on for years about how stupid he was ¨C is.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll change the topic! Uhh, what do Serra and Nell Nell think of Aza?¡± ¡°Serra is the one who brought up adding her to the relationship, and Nell is fine with it and was talking about how another girl means less love for her which is tragic and how wonderful that is, but said she seriously doesn¡¯t mind as long as she treats all of us fairly. So, yeah, we do need to work on her ourselves, I guess.¡± ¡°Where are those two anyways?¡± ¡°Playing with the ferrets we bought earlier.¡± Meanwhile, back in reality, Serra and Alice are still behind closed doors with ferrets scurrying about and playing on their own. Serra, being the mischievous munchkin pervert that she is, is ¡°playing¡± in her own way. Alice has no escape from her since she¡¯s on the floor, but she doesn¡¯t want to escape in the first place. Serra is holding Alice down by her arms as she places loving bites all over Alice¡¯s neck. Alice, wanting more of the pleasurable sensations, turns her head to the side so that Serra has easier access to it. Serra takes advantage of this by taking an even larger and stronger hold of Alice¡¯s neck than before, sucking and ¡°chewing¡± on it until she feels Alice squirming beneath her. That¡¯s how she can tell that she¡¯s been biting her long enough to pull away and look down at her work. On the side of Alice¡¯s neck is a large, bruised hickey now. Serra isn¡¯t done yet, of course. Next are Alice¡¯s breasts, and she¡¯ll continue working lower and lower on Alice¡¯s body until she¡¯s had a taste of her every inch. Damian and Lily are up to no good in one of the nearby tubes as well. ¡°Ugh,¡± Oleander says, ¡°I totally need to visit soon! I want to play with all the cute smol babs.¡± ¡°They really are cute,¡± Cassiel agrees. ¡°Oi!¡± Tabitha shouts at them. ¡°Ya gonna stand around forever talkin¡¯ and whisperin¡¯, or are you gonna actually come and help me? And you two!¡± Tabitha shouts even louder to get Azalabulia¡¯s and Fenrir¡¯s attention. ¡°Everybody knows what you¡¯re doin¡¯! Put those tits away and get over here!¡± Azalabulia jumps and blushes from being called out, and that surprised jump of hers has resulted in just a tiny bit of pink showing. While jumping wouldn¡¯t normally cause this issue, it doesn¡¯t help that she¡¯s been purposely pushing her breasts up to show them off. ¡°Uh, you ¨C you might,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at her chest. He hates how he feels like a flustered boy around her. Overthinking everything combined with the fact that she¡¯s older than him is throwing him off balance. Azalabulia looks down at her chest and sees what he¡¯s talking about. Fortunately for Fenrir, she doesn¡¯t slap him like a traditional girl in an anime would. Instead, she looks like she¡¯s about to cry as she says, ¡°Th-thank you, mortal! I ¨C I¡­¡± She runs off to Tabitha to do as she was told. Book 4: Chapter 26: Patch 5.0: Building a Town and a Harem Once the group has brought everything that Tabitha needs to the felled tree, the small engineer gets to work constructing new and improved tools for them to use. The first axe is finished before long and gets put to immediate use. While most axes would have a wooden shaft and a metal head, this one is different. It has a metal shaft and a wooden head, but the head itself is made out of a tree harder than most metals when used properly. Fenrir swings the new axe into the trunk of one of the nearby steel oak trees, and he swings again, and again, and again. While the blade is severely dulled and showing signs of cracking by the time that he¡¯s done swinging, it¡¯s still usable for at least a few more swings which is all that it would take to bring the tree down. He makes sure that everybody is clear from where the tree might fall, swings one final time, and the tree falls to the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t think this axe has got much life left in it,¡± Fenrir says, noticing all the cracks appearing in the head of it, ¡°but one axe per tree is better than three per tree.¡± ¡°Especially when I can make probably fifty or so axes per tree!¡± Tabitha says, her hands on her hips with pride in her work shining through her voice. ¡°I guess the real grind starts now then. We¡¯ve fixed our tools problem, so we can ¨C wait, we¡¯ve got metals up at the mountain, but how are we going to actually use it? We need to melt it first, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. Me and Red have got a plan all figured out.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t accidentally catch the forest on fire.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be up to us,¡± Tabitha says, looking at Azalabulia. Fenrir knows what her plan is now. He¡¯s worried. The next couple of hours are spent doing everybody¡¯s favorite MMO-related task: farming. Not farming food, of course, but farming for materials. Tabitha makes axes, and then those axes get used by the others to chop down more trees. Tabitha eventually gets into the groove of things to the point where she¡¯s pumping out a new axe just in time for whenever one of the previous ones breaks. She even develops a new technique after a dozen axes that allows her to strengthen the axe heads with metal. Lining the bottoms and tops with metal allows the blades to retain their durability for a bit longer than before. Though, the metal does nothing to prevent the blade from dulling. Fenrir feels an unfamiliar sensation as do the rest of them: the feeling of learning a skill. Several of them completely forgot that skills are even a thing in this game since it¡¯s all hidden. But, as they chop trees, they find themselves growing stronger and able to chop through wood more easily. Even the durability of their axes seems to slowly increase the more trees they chop down. The task becomes less tiring as well. While farming, especially when it comes to such a monotonous task such as chopping trees, would usually be boring to people, they find encouragement in seeing their ability to chop wood noticeably increasing. It also helps that they never really farm. The closest thing to farming that any of them have done lately is fishing while sailing onboard The Shoebill. Actually being on land and doing something productive is, even if monotonous and not really all that exciting, is fun. Until they do it for a couple more hours. No matter how many trees they seem to chop down, Tabitha tells them that they¡¯re going to need even more if they truly want to build their own city. She looks like she has no problem and isn¡¯t slowing down the slightest. In fact, she¡¯s making more axes than they can go through at this point! She switches it up to make some pickaxes after every axe just because she already has a pile of unused axes next to her. All of the broken axes are sitting in their own pile. They may be cracked and broken, but the metal and wood used to make them can still be salvaged and used for something else later on. As the group has learned ever since bringing Tabitha onto it, she¡¯s very resourceful and never lets anything go to waste. If something can still be used, she will use it. Even if it can¡¯t be used, she¡¯ll probably still try to use it. Sweating and breathing heavily, Fenrir takes a break by sitting on top of the tree that Tabitha is chopping up. ¡°So¡­ how are we going to get all of this back there again?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°I¡¯m still thinkin¡¯ about that. I could just chop up all the trees, and then we carry the logs back,¡± Tabitha proposes. Fenrir looks around. There are dozens of trees lying around and each tree could probably produce enough logs to take dozens upon dozens of trips back to The Shoebill and where they want to build the city. ¡°It would take like, two days straight of walking back and forth doing that,¡± he says. ¡°You got somewhere to be or somethin¡¯?¡± ¡°I mean, I do have kind of a life now, as shocking as it feels to say that.¡± ¡°It really is pretty shockin¡¯.¡± ¡°Oi, you¡¯re not supposed to agree with me.¡± ¡°Oi, don¡¯t you steal my thing. Only I get to say ¡®oi.¡¯ Ya got that, you dog punk?¡± ¡°Oi, since when do you have a monopoly over the word ¡®oi?¡¯¡± ¡°Oioi, don¡¯t make me smack you with my hammer.¡± ¡°Oi oi oi, what¡¯s wrong, you don¡¯t have a valid reason so you have to threaten me with violence? That just proves you don¡¯t have a good defense.¡± Tabitha takes her hammer off of her back. ¡°Alright, maybe your hammer does make a pretty strong defense,¡± Fenrir admits. ¡°The best defense is a good offense.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Every fight I¡¯ve been in has just been me trying to go on the attack the whole time.¡± ¡°Gotta kill them before they kill you.¡± ¡°Right. Anyways, log transporting. Can¡¯t we just¡­ invent the wheel? You know, make some wagons?¡± ¡°Hmm. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for me to whip up some quick wagons for transportin¡¯, but we don¡¯t exactly have anythin¡¯ to pull them.¡± ¡°Rock and Shogun probably wouldn¡¯t mind, but they¡¯d probably have to work together just for one wagon.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯ve got an idea, dog boy.¡± Another hour later, and with the help of everybody there, three wagons have been constructed with each one capable of transporting far more material than they would be able to by hand. Also, they have all been designed in a way so that there is a handlebar sticking out in front of them for the group to walk behind and push on. ¡°Seriously?¡± Fenrir asks. Three groups have been made for the wagons. Fenrir, Shogun, and Rock are all at one wagon. Rock and Shogun are holding the handlebar in their mouths, and this requires Fenrir to bend over in an uncomfortable position to properly hold and push on the handle. Oleander, Corwin, and Azalabulia make up the second group. Even when they¡¯re all pushing together, they¡¯re barely able to move the wagon. They will likely be the last group to reach their destination. Then there is Tabitha and Cassiel making up the final group for the third wagon. Tabitha alone has the strength to push it back to The Shoebill, but she wants Cassiel¡¯s help to make it even faster. There¡¯s also the fact that she won¡¯t let a single member of the group get away with not helping. ¡°Now it¡¯ll just take half a day to take all the logs back!¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Better than two days, ain¡¯t it?¡± Fenrir gulps and bites his tongue. He really does not want to deal with being in this uncomfortable position for half a day¡¯s worth of time, but he can¡¯t think of a better solution. They¡¯re going to need to get some work animals. He just hopes that back pain isn¡¯t realistically portrayed in this game, and that he won¡¯t inevitably develop back issues later on in life. Then again, he doesn¡¯t even know if avatars can age, nor does he believe that he¡¯d still be playing this game long enough into the future that his character would age to that point. ¡°Wanna race?¡± Tabitha asks the other two groups. Corwin, Oleander, and Azalabulia look the most miserable out of them all. Cassiel just looks worried because she has no idea how fast Tabitha plans on going, and Fenrir is the only one out of his group who isn¡¯t wagging his tail. Rock and Shogun want to race. ¡°Oi, dog boy, perk up! Ya think this is bad, just wait until we¡¯ve got to haul the rocks and metals! That¡¯ll be even heavier, and it¡¯ll be a longer trip,¡± Tabitha tells Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m going to go and get attached to a bunch more rocks and hope they turn into horses before that happens,¡± Fenrir says and gets his ankle nipped at by Rock. Rock will be the only sentient rock around here! Book 4: Chapter 27: Patch 5.0: Building a Town and a Harem ¡°Ready?¡± Tabitha asks everybody. She¡¯s the only one who looks ready. ¡°Get set¡­ go!¡± she shouts. Tabitha, far more enthusiastically than the rest of the group, pushes on her handlebar with all of her might to push the wagon forward. Cassiel, not wanting to be left behind and get crushed under the wagon, pushes as well. Their combined strength is enough to push the wagon with a decent speed that only gets easier once the wheels get rolling. Really, Tabitha could do it all on her own. ¡°Rest in peace, back,¡± Fenrir says to himself as Rock and Shogun both push. As for Oleader, Corwin, and Azalabulia ¨C well, they are in last as anybody could have predicted and they start groaning and whining after just a couple of minutes. ¡°This ain¡¯t really much of a race,¡± Tabitha tells Cassiel. They¡¯re already far ahead of their competition. Cassiel is too busy trying to keep up with Tabitha¡¯s strength to respond. While she¡¯s sweating and nervously trying her best to not trip, Tabitha is acting like this is the easiest thing she¡¯s done all day! ¡°This isn¡¯t even a race. She knew she was going to win,¡± Fenrir complains to Rock and Shogun. Then he gets an idea. Shogun is powerful and can fly. If Shogun is capable of flying around with all the crewmembers and even Rock, then he might be more useful here than Fenrir originally thought. ¡°Alright, change of plans. Shogun, take the lead. Stand at the center here and use your wings, too. Rock, come to the back and push from there with me.¡± The canines agree to his plan and get into their new positions. Without Fenrir and Rock taking up space behind the handlebar, Shogun can extend his wings and use them in addition to running along the ground. He even tries to flap them at the right angling to avoid pushing air back against the wagon, instead going under and around it. Rock struggles to keep her head pushed against the back of the wagon because of its height relative to her, but both her and Fenrir try their best from behind to push. Thanks to their combined effort, they¡¯re even starting to gain some distance on Tabitha and Cassiel. Unfortunately, there is one group that has practically already given up. ¡°I¡­ may-maybe I should work out more instead of only doing magic,¡± Oleander groans. ¡°But ¨C but I like you petite,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Allow me to work out more instead.¡± ¡°But I like you skinny! I don¡¯t want you getting all bulked up!¡± Despite Oleander¡¯s and Corwin¡¯s shared love for muscular beefcakes covered in sweat with bodies that belong to either lumberjacks or Russian bodybuilders, they both prefer each other¡¯s slender figures the most. ¡°I have an idea!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°What is it?¡± Oleander asks her. ¡°Prepare, mortals! For I shall bring the dark technology of jet engines to this world! We shall emblazen our path to victory and grasp it within our claws!¡± ¡°Is ¡®emblazen¡¯ even a word?¡± Azalabulia coughs and says, ¡°We shall set the path before us aflame and snatch victory from the treacherous maw of purity!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but what¡¯s your plan?¡± Azalabulia takes her staff off from her back, climbs up onto the top of the wagon after much difficulty in doing so, and holds her staff out to the back of the wagon. ¡°Wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to do what I think you¡¯re going to do,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I am going to do exactly what you think I am going to do!¡± Azalabulia answers. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to let Fenny treat you like a puppy and lick his bone?¡± Any and all confidence and delusional roleplaying is sucked out from Azalabulia as she instead turns into a stuttering, blushing mess in shock that Oleander could say something so boldly. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m right,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I ¨C I am going to ignore wha-what you just said and ¨C and my plan!¡± Azalabulia stutters out, not making enough sense for the others to understand her. Though, while her words may not make much sense, what she does next does make sense. ¡°Bahamut!¡± she shouts, pointing her staff over the back of the wagon, ¡°become like a jet and propel us forward! Unleash your dark flames and cover this star in your foul smog! Unleash the end of all ends and set to flames all before us until all that is left is the void of a black hole!¡± Scratch that. She still doesn¡¯t make any sense to Oleander and Corwin. ¡°Now, Bahamut!¡± she continues, ¡°three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ liftoff!¡± A powerful, blinding blast of fiery magic shoots out from the tip of her staff like the jet of a rocket! The sound of its blast is violent enough to temporarily deafen all nearby, and they are sent forward at an insane speed! ¡°They¡± just so happens to refer to her and her staff. By the time that Oleander and Corwin can see and hear again, they look ahead and see Azalabulia almost buried halfway underground with a serious wardrobe malfunction going on as smoke rises from her and her staff. The wagon itself hasn''t moved an inch thanks to her failing to brace herself against it. ¡°I say we just leave her there,¡± Oleander says. ¡°What?!¡± Corwin shouts. ¡°I said we should leave her!¡± Oleander shouts back, the two of them behaving like an old couple with poor hearing. ¡°I cannot hear you!¡± ¡°Leave her!¡± Oleander shouts even louder. ¡°Lead her?!¡± ¡°Yeah, leave her!¡± ¡°Oh, alright! We shall lead her!¡± While those two shout at each other and think they¡¯re in agreement, Fenrir and Tabitha have both stopped their respective wagons to look behind them. They¡¯re already far enough ahead that they cannot even see the third group¡¯s wagon, but they can see smoke rising from the distance. They even get hit by the shockwave of sound from Azalabulia¡¯s spell after a few moments. ¡°Do¡­ do ya think they¡¯re alright?¡± Tabitha asks Cassiel. Cassiel takes the short break to try and regain her breath. She knows that the short girl next to her won¡¯t want to stop for long. ¡°Rock,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°go back there and check on them.¡± With how much trouble Rock has been having keeping her head up and against the wagon¡¯s rear, she eagerly accepts Fenrir¡¯s order and runs back toward the smoke. An animal made out of literal rock isn¡¯t very good for a race of speed in the first place. ¡°Just me and you now, Shogun. Let¡¯s keep going!¡± Fenrir shouts. The race resumes between the two leading wagons. Oleander and Corwin finally manage to get up to Azalabulia with their wagon at the same time that Rock reaches her. Azalabulia¡¯s head and shoulders are both stuck underground. The only reason that the rest of her isn¡¯t is because of her large breasts being unable to squeeze into the hole that the rest of her has made. Her outfit is all scorched, too, resulting in some risqu¨¦ black panties showing underneath her uniform with rips and holes all over. Her pale skin is covered in soot and dirt as well. ¡°How should we lead her now?¡± Corwin asks Oleander. ¡°What? I said we should leave her,¡± Oleander answers. ¡°Ah¡­ alright!¡± With Rock¡¯s help of biting Azalabulia by her shoes and pulling her backward, Azalabulia pushes against the ground with her hands and manages to pop her head out from the dirt! Corwin is much better than Oleander at hiding his disappointment. ¡°I ¨C I can do it! I just have to brace myself next time,¡± Azalabulia says. She can¡¯t even stand up without wobbling around. ¡°A-also¡­ that was kind of fun¡­ be-before the crashing part.¡± ¡°How are you even alive? You literally crashed into the ground at like, at least a hundred miles per hour. You made a small crater and got your head stuck in it!¡± Oleander says. ¡°Your head should be pulp right now!¡± ¡°N-nothing defeats the immortal¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even start. Just help us push if you¡¯re going to be alive.¡± ¡°I can ¨C I can do it!¡± Azalabulia declares as she wobbles over to the wagon, slowly climbs back on top of it, and then moves the logs aside to make a spot for her to sit in with her back against the wagon. ¡°Please don¡¯t. Please. Seriously. Don¡¯t do it,¡± Oleander begs her. ¡°You¡¯re going to blow us all up and seriously kill yourself. Don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Liftoff!¡± Oleander and Corwin effectively get their backs glued to the front of the wagon as Azalabulia¡¯s spell propels the wagon forward at an insane speed. Their terrified screams cannot be heard over the jet engine-like sound of her spell. Rock is all alone now since she wasn¡¯t standing in front of the wagon when it took off. She looks to her left. She looks to her right. She smells something interesting in the grass, so she decides to roll around on it for a bit before squatting over it and then running off toward the others. Book 4: Chapter 28: Patch 5.0: Building a Town and a Harem ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t think we¡¯d catch up!¡± Fenrir shouts over to Tabitha and Cassiel. While Cassiel does love her boyfriend, she doesn¡¯t want to lose this race to him and summons whatever strength she has left to push the wagon with all of her force! ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Tabitha tells her, taking one hand off of the handlebar to give Cassiel an encouraging smack on her back. The wagon doesn¡¯t slow down even when Tabitha is only using a single hand. She can¡¯t even use all of her strength or else Cassiel would never be able to keep up. Cassiel realizes that and gets a depressed, ghostly look on her face. She¡¯s trying so absolutely hard and yet she¡¯s still holding Tabitha back. ¡°Bring it on, dog boy!¡± Tabitha shouts over to Fenrir. ¡°I ¨C hey! What¡¯s that sound?!¡± Fenrir shouts back. Tabitha and Fenrir both try to look behind their wagons to the source of the sound. It sounds like a jet is flying their way and growing louder by the second. They can even see smoke rising into the air, and¡­ is that ¨C is that the third wagon? Fenrir and Tabitha only get to see the scene for a second before the wagon flies past them. Oleander and Corwin are splayed across the front of the wagon with their backs to it, their mouths open as they scream for mercy and their eyes full of fear. The other two wagon crews could have sworn they heard maniacal laughter as the wagon flew by them, but they can¡¯t actually see Azalabulia as she¡¯s inside of the wagon. Both Fenrir¡¯s and Tabitha¡¯s wagons almost flip onto their sides from the force of Azalabulia¡¯s flying between theirs. The two look ahead with shocked eyes at what just flew past them. Neither of them expected the third wagon to not only pass them up, but to pass them up in such a violent method. Then they get to watch as the wagon crashes into a slight hill, sends its logs flying in every direction, and breaks into dozens of pieces of debris. The remaining crews rush up to the crash site to check on everybody. The race is over now that there might be serious injuries. Fortunately, when they arrive at the scene, everybody looks more or less fine. Oleander and Corwin are lying on their backs, holding hands, as stars twirl around inside of their eyes. The hair atop both of their heads has been blown back and the noises coming from their mouths are nothing but incomprehensible mumbles. Then there is Azalabulia. She is upside down, with her legs over her head, half curled into a ball and leaning against one of the wagon¡¯s broken wheels, with a stupid, giddy smile on her face. Her eyes are spinning almost as much as Oleander¡¯s and Corwin¡¯s are. Though, while those two looked traumatized, Azalabulia just looks happy. ¡°Ya know I¡¯m going to smack that smile off of your face with my hammer, right?¡± Tabitha asks her. ¡°Ehehe¡­ ex-exploooosion!¡± Azalabulia mumbles and giggles. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to blow up innocent castles, not wagons transporting things we need,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°Hang on a sec,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°If she can do magic like that¡­ we might be able to make a spaceship.¡± ¡°You know, people tell me that I have some crazy ideas, but at least I don¡¯t want to try and fly into space via magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯d work, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to find out.¡± ¡°Yes we are.¡± Instead of bothering arguing with Tabitha, Fenrir looks over at Cassiel as she helps up Corwin and Oleander. Neither of them can stand straight after being helped up, instead wobbling around before falling right back down. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to overload our wagons,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Should be able to handle the extra weight as long as these fools help push.¡± She looks down at Azalabulia. ¡°And no pushin¡¯ with magic this time.¡± ¡°What if ¨C what if I aim us at space?¡± Azalabulia asks. Fenrir doesn¡¯t like how tempted Tabitha looks. ¡°No,¡± he says. ¡°Oi, ya want a tower, don¡¯t ya?¡± Tabitha asks Azalabulia. Azalabulia excitedly nods her head but, given the position that she¡¯s in, ends up smacking the back of it against the ground. ¡°What if we make it a giant rocket?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Then my tower can impose darkness on the moon!¡± Azalabulia says, nodding her head again resulting in it smacking against the ground once more. ¡°We¡¯re not going to get anything built if we can¡¯t get supplies back to The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°The dog has got a point,¡± Tabitha says with a sigh. ¡°Come on, you incompetent explosion girl.¡± She holds her hand down to Azalabulia to help her up. Azalabulia reaches her hand up to accept Tabitha¡¯s help, and that¡¯s when one of her breasts pops out from her dress. Fenrir, being well aware of how this works, spins around before either of the girls can look at him to see if he saw or not. ¡°I saw nothing,¡± he says, giving away the fact that he did indeed see something. Tabitha¡¯s hammer comes crashing into his bottom and sends him flying a dozen feet away from the unexpected blow. ¡°Perverted dog,¡± Tabitha says as Fenrir rubs his behind away from them. ¡°Is ¨C isn¡¯t it¡­ isn¡¯t it kind of my fault?¡± Azalabulia asks Tabitha. ¡°It is, but he¡¯s still a pervert, and I¡¯ve always wanted to do that.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always wanted to hit him?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why not? Sometimes I just look at somebody and I think, ¡®Tabitha, how far do ya think you could send ¡®em flyin¡¯?¡¯ That wasn¡¯t even with all my strength!¡± ¡°Is that¡­ is that a common thought for you?¡± ¡°Not too common. Probably only pops into my head a few times a day at most. By the way, your boob is still out. Hurry up and fix that before that pervert sees again.¡± Meanwhile, Cassiel is crouched down between Oleander and Corwin with her hands on each of their chests to heal them simultaneously. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling now?¡± she asks them. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s a good thing that you don¡¯t need the bathroom in this game,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Anything in me would have been scared out.¡± ¡°I have never felt so afraid for my own life before,¡± Corwin says. ¡°I truly believed that I was going to die as we approached the hill. And since the beginning of our flight.¡± ¡°It was like a broken rollercoaster ride that got super boosted and then flew off the tracks. You ¨C you know you¡¯re going to eventually crash, but have no idea how bad it¡¯ll be¡­¡± ¡°The giggling¡­ she was laughing behind us the entire time. She was like a mad demon delighting in our suffering.¡± ¡°Cor, we need to fuck once we¡¯re done here. I have no idea when might be the last time we get to.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Cassiel pats them both on top of their heads once she¡¯s done healing them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re safe now,¡± she tells them. Fenrir, still rubbing his ass from how sore it is now, makes his way back over to Tabitha and Azalabulia with the latter now standing up and without any wardrobe malfunctions. ¡°By the way,¡± he asks, ¡°did you see Rock?¡± Azalabulia is burning bright from the knowledge that he saw her exposed breast, but she nods her head and says through the embarrassment, ¡°She was with us before we took off. I ¨C I think we left her behind¡­¡± Fenrir breathes a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you. I doubt Rock would have been able to handle crashing into the ground at that speed. She might be made out of rock, but she¡¯s pretty fragile. By the way¡­ Tabs, you see where Shogun went?¡± he asks, looking around for the feathery fox. Alas, Shogun is nowhere to be seen. That is, until he comes landing on the ground with Rock on his back. Rock thanks him for the carry by licking his face and then looking around at the carnage. Azalabulia looks like a mess, Oleander and Corwin look like they¡¯ve seen death and their clothes have gotten even more torn up than Azalabulia¡¯s, and the third wagon has been broken into dozens of pieces scattered all over the area. Of course, Rock stops caring as soon as she smells something interesting on the ground, causing her to roll around over the scent. Shogun smells it as well and joins her in rolling around on their backs. ¡°Dogs are the best,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Seriously, they¡¯re too cute.¡± ¡°W-woof?¡± Azalabulia says. Fenrir turns around to look at her. ¡°Did you just go ¡®woof?¡¯¡± he asks. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she answers. Cassiel, standing close enough now to have also heard Azalabulia¡¯s woof, looks jealous. While she doesn¡¯t mind flirting between her boyfriend and Azalabulia, she does mind when somebody tries getting in on her secret fetish. That is why Cassiel walks up to Fenrir, tugs down on his shirt to get him to bend over, and then whispers, ¡°Woo-woof,¡± into his ear. She¡¯s not as quiet with her whispering as she thinks, though, causing Tabitha to say, ¡°Y¡¯all are a bunch of degenerates.¡± Book 4: Chapter 29: Patch 5.0: Building a Town and a Harem And so, after being judged by the shortest of them all, the group resumes their journey back to The Shoebill. The logs from the now-ruined third wagon have been loaded on top of the logs already filling the two remaining wagons. Due to the heavy load, they¡¯ve redistributed the groups so that each wagon has equal strength behind pushing it, and they have to move slowly to make sure that the wagons don¡¯t break down now from the added weight. Fenrir, Tabitha, and Shogun are all sharing one wagon while everybody else works on the second wagon. Cassiel is the only one amongst the second group with any real strength, so they need the numbers. Shogun would be over there helping as well if the front and back of the wagon weren¡¯t already fully occupied with people and Rock. ¡°So, dog boy, I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it if it¡¯s about the rocket,¡± Fenrir says. Going by how Tabitha is grumbling and mocking him when he looks down at her, it must have been about the rocket. ¡°Alright, alright. Fine. What are you thinking?¡± he asks her. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to at least let her fantasize about it. If he can deal with Nell¡¯s erotic, delusional fantasies, he can listen to a loli talk about turning evil towers into rockets. Tabitha brightens up and lets loose. And oh boy, does she let loose. It only takes thirty seconds of listening to her way-too-in-depth rambling about how to potentially turn a tower into a rocket for his eyes to start spinning and his head to start hurting. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure you shouldn¡¯t be like, a rocket scientist or something instead of playing games?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Pfffttt. I ain¡¯t that smart. But, just think about it. It¡¯s the same principle. As long as the tower is aerodynamic and balanced, all we¡¯ve got to do is generate enough lift and it should be able to get up there. Trust me, I¡¯ve played Gerbil Space Program. I know how to get things into space,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the game where you send little green people into space that usually results in them dying?¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯m talking about GerbilSpace Program. I¡¯ll be honest, it¡¯s kind of a knockoff, but it¡¯s better because you send gerbils into space instead of green people. Ya ever seen a lil gerbil in a spacesuit being shot into space inside of a rocket traveling at hundreds of miles per hour? Let me tell ya, it¡¯s a beautiful thing.¡± ¡°So¡­ you believe that you could not only construct Azalabulia¡¯s tower with Rao¡¯s help, but turn it into a giant rocket to send into space because you have experience with video games where you¡¯d send fluffy little gerbils into space and probably their deaths?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°And if it explodes or you accidentally send them into the sun and we all die?¡± ¡°You can respawn, can¡¯t ya? Nothin¡¯ would ever happen if you¡¯re too afraid to take risks and prove the world wrong!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like the first flights went into space with actual humans onboard. We used animals and monkeys and all that.¡± ¡°Ah, poor Laika. Always brings a tear to my eye when I think about that poor gal¡¯s sacrifice.¡± Tabitha looks up at Fenrir and sees him trying his best to hold back crying, but there are a few tears already rolling down his cheeks. ¡°O-oi, you alright there?¡± ¡°I ¨C I,¡± Fenrir sniffles, ¡°it¡¯s like you said. I can¡¯t handle bad things happening to dogs, and that story makes me cry every time I remember it.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, captain dog. At least there¡¯s folk like us who still remember her. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be happy.¡± Fenrir sniffles and nods his head. ¡°I should rename Rock to Laika.¡± ¡°As nice as that sentiment is, it ain¡¯t right to go and rename somebody who¡¯s already gotten used to their name and all that. Just find a new dog, or maybe she¡¯ll pop out some pups thanks to the fox here,¡± Tabitha says, looking down at Shogun. Fenrir looks down at Shogun as well and sees him suspiciously avoiding them. Whereas before, Shogun was tilting his head toward whomever was talking to listen in better, now he¡¯s keeping a perfectly straight head and acting as if he did not hear anything. ¡°Let me tell ya, dog boy, between those two lovebirds over there,¡± Tabitha looks over at Corwin and Oleander, ¡°and this fox and your dog, it¡¯s like there ain¡¯t a single place where I can go to rest in peace without some humpin¡¯ going on.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you ¨C you mean to tell me you¡¯ve caught them doing that?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Too many times. That girl of yours might be yours, but I think deer boy might be her real dad since she¡¯s just as thirsty as he is.¡± Fenrir glares over at Oleander for corrupting Rock¡¯s innocence. Oleander feels Fenrir¡¯s glare, looks over to see it, and has no idea why he¡¯s being glared at. Fenrir sighs and says, ¡°Shogun, just treat her right and use some protection. Well¡­ protection might be difficult since you¡¯re a fox and all that, but at least pull out.¡± He has no idea that he¡¯s making Shogun feel as awkward as any human child would being told by his girlfriend¡¯s dad to work on his pull-out game. ¡°I hope ya don¡¯t plan on tellin¡¯ all your kids to do it that way,¡± Tabitha tells Fenrir. ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t plan on having kids who walk on four legs. They¡¯ll actually have flexible thumbs, so they¡¯ll be able to use condoms and birth control and all that.¡± ¡°What if they¡¯re born without flexible thumbs or are allergic to birth control?¡± ¡°Is ¨C is¡­ is that possible? Being born without flexible thumbs?¡± ¡°Oi, dog boy, if people can be born with two heads that have their own brains and personalities, why the heck couldn¡¯t they be born without workin¡¯ thumbs?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ if somebody is born with two heads, how does dating work? What if they both date different people? Wouldn¡¯t they basically be cucking each other while also cheating on their own partners every time they have sex?¡± ¡°How the heck did we go from rocket towers to philosophical questions about conjoined twins? Ya know what, how the heck are you dating three different gals when you¡¯re this weird?¡± ¡°I still have no idea myself. I might actually be crazy and wrapped up in some sort of white suit and locked away in a mental hospital for all I know, because I can¡¯t even remember how I started dating them or why they¡¯d date me in the first place.¡± ¡°Ya know how many men out there would kill to be in your shoes?¡± ¡°Probably not too many. These shoes aren¡¯t that comfortable.¡± Fenrir looks down at Tabitha. Tabitha looks up at Fenrir. She¡¯s not impressed despite how proud he is of that. ¡°Anyways,¡± Tabitha says, ¡°I doubt any conjoined twins would date people who wouldn¡¯t basically consent to datin¡¯ both of them. It¡¯d kind of be like a poly relationship, I figure.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Fenrir agrees. ¡°And just for the record, since I feel a bit bad now even though I¡¯m sure ya know I was just screwin¡¯ with ya, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that weird. I can kinda see how you got all those girls fallin¡¯ for you.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, don¡¯t worry about that. I know you¡¯re just messing around, and I agree with you anyways. But, now I¡¯m curious. Why do you think they¡¯re falling for me?¡± ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t really all that bad. You stick up for ¡®em when it matters, you¡¯re not hard on the eyes, and you¡¯re a good leader. Leaders attract people to ¡®em. Also, you¡¯re manly but not in the stupid way.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°Well, what I mean is that you don¡¯t parade yourself around as some alpha macho fool. You¡¯re kind, supportive, ya do what needs to be done, we can all depend on ya, and you don¡¯t have a problem punchin¡¯ those people who try to be alphas in the face when they deserve it. You¡¯re a real man, ya know? Other than that, it¡¯s probably just a borderline miracle that ya¡¯ve managed to find several girls who¡¯re all fine with datin¡¯ you and each other. Can¡¯t put any logic behind that other than just bein¡¯ lucky.¡± Fenrir never expected to blush because of Tabitha but, here he is, blushing from her honest and kind words. ¡°Th-thanks,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure how to respond, but I appreciate that you think of me like that.¡± ¡°Ya better appreciate it while it lasts. You¡¯re never goin¡¯ to hear me say somethin¡¯ like that again,¡± Tabitha says, reaching over Shogun to give him a smack on his back. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn to give me some praise about how I¡¯m the best engineer ever!¡± ¡°Eh, you¡¯re alright.¡± Tabitha smacks him again on his back, but this time with enough force to send him flipping forward over the handlebar. Book 4: Chapter 30: Patch 5.0: Building a Town and a Harem Finally, finally, the group makes it back to The Shoebill with their first haul of logs. But that¡¯s just the very first haul. There is still plenty left for them to bring over that was left back in the forest, and there is more work to be done over the coming days. But for now, they may relax, and relax they do. ¡°I¡¯m so tired,¡± Fenrir groans. ¡°Stop your complainin¡¯. Ya think your girlfriends want a whiny boyfriend?¡± Tabitha asks him. ¡°All I think is that I want to sleep.¡± ¡°Ya know we¡¯ve still got to load all this up onto the boat and take it down the river, right?¡± ¡°How the heck are we going to do that?¡± ¡°Well, you like swimmin¡¯, so I can rig somethin¡¯ up to lower a container down the side of her, then you swim over, drop the logs into the container, and we pull it up! The fox can fly some over, too.¡± ¡°You just want to use us as slave labor.¡± ¡°Ya got a better idea?¡± Cassiel walks up to Fenrir and sits down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°We can rest a little before using him,¡± she says. ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir says, tilting his head to the side to lean it against hers. Fenrir looks around after remembering something, and his thoughts are proven correct. Oleander and Corwin are already missing. He has no idea where they went or when, but they¡¯re missing. Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one who needs a break. Then there¡¯s Azalabulia. While she wants to try and totally-subtly flirt with Fenrir some more, she can¡¯t just go and do that while he¡¯s cuddling with his girlfriend! Cassiel notices Azalabulia just sort of awkwardly standing around, and part of her does feel a bit bad and know that it¡¯d be helpful to get off of her boyfriend so that Azalabulia has an opening. The other part of Cassiel knows that she needs a rest and needs to be more assertive, and right now, she wants to relax with her boyfriend. As much as she might support Azalabulia joining their relationship, she needs some Fenrir time for herself right now. Fortunately for Azalabulia, Fenrir has always been good at making sure people feel included. ¡°Seriously though, Aza, that rocket spell of yours was crazy,¡± Fenrir tells her. Azalabulia perks up and walks over to them with a smug smile on her face. Cassiel may still be cuddling with Fenrir, and he might have an arm wrapped around her, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t still talk to her. ¡°H-heh, I know! My awesome power can do anything!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°Including breaking wagons, setting us back, and almost getting yourself and others killed,¡± Fenrir teases her. While he may have tried to use a tone to make it obvious that he just wants to tease her, Azalabulia takes it more seriously than that and tears up just a tiny bit. ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t want to hurt them!¡± Azalabulia whines. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just teasing you. I¡¯m sure they know that you didn¡¯t want to hurt them,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Is that why they¡¯re off screwin¡¯ for their lives in case she tries killin¡¯ them again?¡± Tabitha cuts in, making Azalabulia feel even worse. ¡°To be fair, you wouldn¡¯t be inspired to build a rocket now if she didn¡¯t do that,¡± Fenrir says. Despite Fenrir not exactly trying to stick up for Azalabulia with that remark, that¡¯s exactly how Azalabulia sees it. This handsome, younger, taller man is defending her! He¡¯s making her heart flutter and her eyes sparkle as she sniffles and wipes her eyes. While she normally wouldn¡¯t care about potentially blowing up bystanders, she doesn¡¯t want to hurt the friends of the man she¡¯s trying to seduce! That would ruin her plans! But, he¡¯s defending her, so she¡¯s safe. Now she knows she won¡¯t have to worry about potentially blowing any of them up since he¡¯ll still defend her in the end. She looks down at her chest. She really tucked her breast back into her uniform after the slip from earlier, but maybe it would be okay to just¡­ subtly tug her uniform down a little bit so that everything important is still hidden while giving just a bit more to show. While Fenrir and Tabitha talk about rocket towers again, Cassiel blankly stares at Azalabulia as the older woman tries to obviously tug her uniform down. Of course, she manages to tug it too far down by mistake which results in her frantically pushing everything back in and then looking at Fenrir to make sure that he didn¡¯t see. This is when she notices that Cassiel is staring right at her with one unimpressed look on her face. Azalabulia chuckles, looks away, and stops trying to tug her uniform down again. That is, until she sees Cassiel turn her head away. Then she tries to expose more of her cleavage once more. Operation: Seduce Fenrir must not end in failure! If it does, she knows that she¡¯ll have to surrender and deal with being single forever and probably buy a bunch of cats. If she can¡¯t seduce a man who clearly likes women and dates so many of them, just what odds would she have with anybody else if he won¡¯t take her? She could never find another man if she can¡¯t even land a womanizer! Fenrir sneezes. ¡°Oi, watch where you¡¯re pointin¡¯ that nose of yours,¡± Tabitha tells him. ¡°Sorry, I have no idea where that came from,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Maybe somebody¡¯s talkin¡¯ about ya behind your back. Or thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯.¡± ¡°Are you thinking about how much you want to impale me from behind again, Cass?¡± Cassiel sighs and answers, ¡°Now I am, and not in an Olly-approved way.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m just imagining Oleander having a book of stickers with his face and a thumbs-up on them, and the text above and below it says ¡®Olly Approved!¡¯ Then he just hands those stickers out whenever anybody does anything lewd.¡± As dumb as Fenrir¡¯s imagination might be, Cassiel still chuckles. ¡°He¡¯d probably have a gold sticker version for anything involving butts.¡± ¡°He¡¯s actually more of a mouth guy than a butt guy.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ really?¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t tell? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re thinking he must love anal and all that just because he¡¯s gay.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­¡± ¡°Wow, way to stereotype, Cass Cass. I thought you were different! Next thing I know and you¡¯re going to think that I like sniffing asses just because I¡¯m part dog!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± Cassiel cuts herself off and huffs before resorting to a threat of violence. Meanwhile, Oleander is sneezing elsewhere. While he¡¯s thinking of dogs, he looks over at Rock and Shogun. They¡¯re just being cute and lying down in the grass next to each other with their bodies touching, similar to how Fenrir and Cassiel are sitting with each other. ¡°You know, onii-chan, I¡¯m surprised that Aiko became Nyaiko instead of Wanaiko,¡± Saya tells Fenrir in his head. ¡°Oh, hey, Saya. I kind of understand why she didn¡¯t. Dogs are obviously the superior animal and cats suck in comparison in every single way, but all the hentai she saw of mine included cat girls just because catgirls are stupidly popular. But yeah, if she was really trying to make a character based off of my top interests, she probably would have been a dog instead,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wo-woof, onii-chan. Or ¨C or should I go ¡®wan?¡¯ Wan, wan! Do you like this, onii-wan? N-not that I want you to like it or anything, wan! I¡¯m just a new and improved model of little sister that comes with dog ears and a tail included now!¡± Fenrir is torn into two. One half of him knows that he shouldn¡¯t be getting excited by an artificial intelligence pretending to be his little sister acting like a dog, because that¡¯s something that only a degenerate would get excited by. The other half of him is extremely excited by the fact that so many of his favorite fetishes are being combined into one. Not only is she calling him onii-chan, but now she¡¯s making cute puppy noises by barking and whining inside of his head. Cassiel nudges his arm. When he looks at her, he sees her pointing down at his crotch where it¡¯s very obvious which side of his is winning. Fenrir strategically positions his legs to hide his blatant erection, but now he has to answer Cassiel when she whispers, ¡°Why?¡± into his ear. How is he supposed to answer her that his little sister of a virtual assistant is pretending to be a dog? ¡°W-wan, awooo, perverted baka onii-wan,¡± Saya continues. As soon as she busted out the ¡°awoo,¡± it was all over. Fenrir can never escape just how much of a degenerate he truly is. He may as well admit it. ¡°My virtual assistant is pretending to be a little sister and a dog,¡± Fenrir whispers to Cassiel. ¡°I¡¯m judging you,¡± Cassiel whispers back. ¡°I deserve it.¡± Book 4: Chapter 31: Patch 6.0: Hard Labor After being teased by Saya and judged by Cassiel, Fenrir is stuck transporting logs of wood from the riverbank to the makeshift lift that Tabitha has built on top of The Shoebill. He carries the logs over, places them on the lift, and then she pulls it up while he swims back for more logs. Meanwhile, Shogun flies to and from the boat with a log in his mouth each time, and even Oleander is helping out now that he¡¯s returned with a much messier head of hair. Oleander¡¯s method of helping out is creating viny tendrils to coil around the logs and then carry them over the water that way. His plantlike tentacles can barely reach The Shoebill, but they manage to. By the time they¡¯re done and have The Shoebill¡¯s deck loaded up with wooden logs, leaving the wagons behind for now, Fenrir is a soaked mess of wet fur. At least Tabitha is kind enough to lower the lift for him to bring him up without making him climb up the side himself. ¡°You are looking rather damp, my hero,¡± Nell says, now standing on the deck with Serra next to her. ¡°About time you two got here. Did you know to wait until we were done doing all the hard work?¡± Fenrir asks them as everybody takes a step away from him. They all know what¡¯s going to happen now. He shakes just like a dog which sends wet-dog-scented water everywhere. ¡°We really need to invest in some towels,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Actually, Tabs, you need to make a blow dryer. Then I can get back to being fluffy faster.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a man who wants to be fluffy,¡± Tabitha says before theorizing within her mind just what sort of blow dryers she could make with this world¡¯s limited technology. ¡°I was doing lewd things to her,¡± Serra speaks up, answering Fenrir¡¯s earlier question. ¡°Serra!¡± Nell whines and pouts. ¡°You do not need to so boldly tell everybody!¡± ¡°Should I mark you here too?¡± While Nell blushes and shakes her head, the rest of the crew imagines just what exactly it is that Serra might have been doing to Nell in real life, and they want to know just what exactly Serra meant when she mentioned marking Nell. ¡°Nice,¡± Oleander says, giving Serra a thumbs-up. Fenrir nods his head in agreement. ¡°Might have baby ferrets, too,¡± Serra says. ¡°Eh? What are you talking about?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Damian and Lily won¡¯t stop doing it.¡± Nell sighs and says, ¡°Yes, it would seem that we will need multiple cages if we wish for those two promiscuous ferrets to behave themselves.¡± ¡°Damian and Lily are my OTP,¡± Serra says. ¡°You¡¯re a dork,¡± Fenrir tells the shortest of his girlfriends. She takes his comment with pride and nods her head. ¡°Wait, hasn¡¯t it been a few hours already here, which means¡­¡± ¡°Two hours!¡± Nell says. ¡°Two hours have passed in reality, so it will be time for lunch soon.¡± ¡°So, you were doing lewd things for two hours?¡± Serra nods her head which makes Nell blush once again. ¡°Degenerates. All of ya,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Ho-how does that even work for so long?¡± Azalabulia asks with her own blush showing on her cheeks. Fenrir looks between Azalabulia and Serra. Azalabulia is much taller than Serra is, way thicker and bustier, and mature looking. Serra is short, borderline flat, petite with wide hips, and very young looking but way more mature acting. Fenrir wants to see Serra dominate Azalabulia. That wouldn¡¯t be gap moe, but gap lewd! Fenrir wants to see the gap lewd between Serra and Azalabulia. Remembering what Cassiel said earlier about his girlfriends already discussing bringing Azalabulia into their relationship, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Serra has already thought in-depth plans up regarding lewd things with Azalabulia. He wants in on those plans. Oleander, at the ship¡¯s wheel, begins maneuvering to get The Shoebillturned around so that they can head back down the river to where they want to build their city. ¡°This is a lovely area!¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah. Looks pretty,¡± Serra agrees while sneaking in a pinch of Nell¡¯s behind. ¡°Must you!? You are like a perverted old man! You already had me for hours!¡± Nell blushes when she realizes what she just shouted loud enough for everybody to hear. ¡°You have to dress up like a nurse and I¡¯ll tell you to come sit on my lap,¡± Serra says. While nobody may speak up in agreement with Nell, they¡¯re all agreeing with her on the inside that Serra truly is a perverted old man reincarnated into the body of a petite, young girl. Even Serra agrees. ¡°Now then! I wished to ask something. My hero,¡± Nell looks at Fenrir, ¡°it is clear that these trees have a history of being swept by wind away from the coast. Do you believe that this area is truly safe?¡± ¡°We already talked about this, but yeah. I think it¡¯ll be fine. Rao knows how to build sturdy stuff, and we¡¯ve got some really strong wood to build with. Some log cabins on the coast would probably get destroyed by strong winds if that¡¯s what happens here, but steel oak cabins might be fine. Even then, we plan on building actual buildings, not just cabins,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°I see! Well, I shall hope that we do not all get swept away! I may love tragedy, but I cannot ¨C actually, I can think of a fun tragedy involving something such as a hurricane! We could be holding onto each other in our final moments as the flood water grows higher!¡± ¡°But we can both breathe underwater. On another, potentially really stupid note, I just thought of something." ¡°What would that be, my hero?¡± ¡°Hurricane-chan.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°A hurricane personified as a cute anime girl.¡± ¡°U-umm¡­¡± Nell tilts her head to the side in total confusion. ¡°How ¨C how would such a thing work?¡± ¡°Well, first off, there would have to be twins. Hurricane-chan and Typhoon-chan would be twins. Hurricane-chan would have a tan and maybe a bit of a tropical flair to her, be super outgoing and loud, and love to party. Typhoon-chan would be her reserved sister. Tornado-chan would be like a spunky little sister loli who looks up to both of them, and both of the twins would kind of have like an older sister appeal to them. Then¡­ while I¡¯m thinking about it, a volcano would definitely make for a good tsundere. A tsundere Volcano-chan. Forest Fire-chan would be a yandere who threatens to burn everybody and chase people. Earthquake-chan would be a really nerdy and clumsy girl with darker skin who¡¯s super shaky and gets bullied a lot, but Tsunami-chan would be her guardian and always stick up for her whenever she gets bullied. Everybody would be afraid of her. What else¡­ Nor¡¯easter-chan would be a kuudere, and if this was a harem anime, the protagonist would need to be like a geologist or meteorologist.¡± Nell feels her head spinning as she tries to keep up with Fenrir¡¯s conversation with himself. Is this how people feel whenever she goes over her fantasies with them? She might have to tone things back and be more considerate in the future if that is the case! ¡°De. Gen. Er. Ate,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Seriously, how do you even think of things like that?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°Your mind is as overactive as Nell¡¯s is.¡± ¡°Volcano-ch-chan would need to be the strongest of them all!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°Because she has explosions! The one with explosions wins no matter what! She ¨C she could fill the sky with smoke and cause an ice age! And lava melts everything! And it¡¯d be like she can shoot meteors from her mouth that explode with more lava!¡± ¡°True, true,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°but I don¡¯t know about her being the strongest. Her power level would definitely be high, but I think a typhoon might be able to beat her. Actually, Volcano-chan and Tsunami-chan would probably fight over Earthquake-chan. Since she can be related to both of those, they might fight over who gets her attention the most.¡± ¡°A rivalry between powerful foes! Their battles would decimate land for hundreds of miles to win the heart of the earthquake! Who would win? The volcano¡¯s explosive abilities, or the typhoon¡¯s raging tides? I want to watch it happen! Somebody has to have done the math online and figured out what would happen! I might have something to talk to my students about now!¡± ¡°You talk to them about crazy stuff like this? Aren¡¯t they kids?¡± Azalabulia, with a smug look of confidence, says, ¡°It¡¯s how you get them interested in learning! You have to stoke the flame within them! Kids are more interested in learning about cool things than boring things! What would you be more interested in, a volcano versus a tsunami, or about two plus two?¡± ¡°I mean, the former, but isn¡¯t the latter kind of more important?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I make sure they learn all of that boring stuff before getting them involved with the fun stuff!¡± ¡°You actually sound like you¡¯re a pretty good teacher.¡± ¡°Of ¨C of course I am!¡± ¡°I bet the boys love you,¡± Serra says. ¡°Wha-what makes you say that?¡± Azalabulia asks Serra. Serra points up at Azalabulia¡¯s chest. ¡°They¡¯re too young for that!¡± Azalabulia shouts with an embarrassed huff. ¡°I think!¡± Book 4: Chapter 32: Patch 6.0: Hard Labor ¡°Morning,¡± Rao says followed by a loud, exaggerated yawn that lasts just long enough to trigger everybody else on the deck into yawning. ¡°I,¡± Fenrir pauses to yawn, ¡°hate you,¡± he tells Rao. ¡°Bro, what¡¯d I do? I just immerse and say morning and you¡¯re already hating on me.¡± ¡°You made me yawn. I hate when people make me yawn.¡± Serra is the last one to try holding back a yawn, but she gives in which then makes Fenrir yawn again from hearing her. Fenrir looks down at her. ¡°Do you hate me now?¡± Serra asks him. ¡°Of course not,¡± Fenrir answers. Serra flashes a smug smile at Rao. ¡°I don¡¯t like this munchkin, bro. Her smug aura mocks me,¡± Rao tells me. ¡°What are you talking about? Serra is never smug. I bet she doesn¡¯t even know what that word means,¡± Fenrir says, looking down at Serra and seeing a confused, tilted head and expression from her. Rao narrows his eyes at her. As soon as Fenrir looks away, that smug smile of Serra¡¯s returns in full force. ¡°See!¡± Rao shouts. Fenrir looks back at Serra and sees another confused expression. ¡°What?¡± he asks, looking at Rao. While Fenrir looks at Rao, Serra smiles once again. Rao finally catches onto what they¡¯re doing. ¡°You both suck,¡± he groans. ¡°Bro, what¡¯d I do? I just asked you a question and you¡¯re saying I suck,¡± Fenrir teases Rao with his own words. ¡°Seriously suck.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Olly¡¯s job.¡± Serra snerks and gives Fenrir a thumbs-up before saying, ¡°And mine.¡± Rao shakes his head and walks away while Fenrir is left doing a combination of blushing and chuckling. He isn¡¯t sure that he¡¯ll ever get totally used to just how easily Serra can burst out sexual jokes like that. Though, part of what makes him blush is the fact that it¡¯s not just a joke. Oleander drops The Shoebill¡¯s anchor once they get close to the coast where they have decided to lay the foundations for their future city. Fenrir realizes a problem with this, though. ¡°Hey, Olly, it¡¯s alright this time, but I don¡¯t think we can use the anchor anymore after this,¡± Fenrir tells Oleander. ¡°What¡¯s up, Fenny? Why?¡± Oleander asks with a tilted head and twitching ears. ¡°There¡¯s kind of reef down there. It¡¯s mainly out farther in the water, but it extends into the river here. I remember reading that anchors could do tons of damage to underwater ecosystems, so¡­ I¡¯m just thinking maybe we shouldn¡¯t use the anchor anymore when we¡¯re around here,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Then we¡¯re going to have to build a dock first that we can tie our girl to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be easy,¡± Tabitha chimes in. ¡°At the very least, I could build a temporary dock within a few hours, and that¡¯ll make transporting goods easier. We won¡¯t have to use the dog boy here to swim everything back and forth.¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re building a dock,¡± Fenrir says. And so, after transporting the logs off of the boat via Fenrir and Shogun, the crew gets to work obeying Tabitha¡¯s and Rao¡¯s orders to construct some simple docks. ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised they¡¯re getting along this well,¡± Fenrir whispers to Serra. ¡°Why?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Just figured that since they¡¯re both creator types that they might butt heads. Instead¡­ they look really mature and serious.¡± Fenrir¡¯s observations are spot on. While Rao and Tabitha may butt heads at times when it comes to socializing since he¡¯s a blunt, perverted fool who¡¯s still learning how to treat women from Fenrir, his seriousness is on par with Tabitha¡¯s when it comes to engineering. They toss ideas back and forth, are comfortable critiquing one another and offering alternatives while taking the other¡¯s comments seriously, and they make up for whatever the other is lacking. Rao is much more realistic when it comes to engineering. While Tabitha likes to think up crazy ideas just as modifying evil towers into rockets to send into space, Rao sticks to basics and applies those concepts to make Tabitha¡¯s borderline-delusional fantasies more possible. Rao builds the wheel, and then Tabitha takes that wheel and turns it into a rocket-powered, exploding ball of thermonuclear death. But, without the base wheel being as sturdy and flawless as possible, her fantasy would never work. Fenrir is truly scared of what these two might be able to accomplish if they were to direct their minds toward something sinister. It wouldn¡¯t surprise Fenrir if Tabitha is the type of engineer who would want to try and dam the Mediterranean to make Atlantropa, and Rao would probably do it and then want to build a bachelor¡¯s pad in the salted wastes that they create. ¡°So uh, what¡¯d you and Nell do?¡± Fenrir whispers another question to Serra. ¡°Lots of licking and kissing,¡± Serra answers. ¡°And I had to wash my hands.¡± ¡°Feel free to go into more details.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why? I¡¯m your boyfriend and you¡¯re my girlfriends. This is uh¡­ very important information to know.¡± ¡°Because.¡± ¡°Because why?¡± ¡°Because I recorded it so you can watch it later,¡± Serra says, looking at her boyfriend with a proud smile. Fenrir is proud of her, too. ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± he says, petting her on the top of her head over her hat. ¡°I know, but I keep forgetting to show you the video where you were sleeping and I¡­¡± Fenrir gulps and asks, ¡°And you what?¡± Serra looks him in the eyes, grabs his hand, and pulls one of his fingers into her mouth to suck on. She sucks on the very tip of his finger before slowly pushing her head farther onto it, taking his finger in until she¡¯s got the entire length in her mouth. Then she slowly ¨C every so slowly, pulls back until the tip of his finger is left right between her lips. She plants a gentle kiss on it before pointing his finger upward so that she can lick all over it from top to bottom, never daring to break eye contact. Then she pokes his erection through his pants and asks, ¡°Want me to demonstrate with this?¡± The tips of her fingers trace along his clothed bulge. Neither of them is aware of a certain Azalabulia peeking at them from the distance, unable to take her eyes off of the erotic site. She¡¯s also taking notes. If this is how his girlfriend is treating him, then he must like it, so maybe she should try something like that? Azalabulia imagines herself holding Fenrir¡¯s hand and sucking on his finger. Serra might be lewd and know how to use her mouth, but Azalabulia knows that there is one thing that she has which Serra doesn¡¯t have. Tits. Azalabulia looks at one of her fingers, then down at her cleavage, and then sticks her finger into her cleavage just to get an idea for how it might work when she potentially tries this on Fenrir. ¡°The heck are ya doin¡¯ now?¡± Tabitha asks Azalabulia. Azalabulia face turns pure red as she hastily pulls her finger out from her cleavage, accidentally smacking herself in the face in the process. ¡°I ¨C I was¡­ te-testing a new spell!¡± Azalabulia tries explaining. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Tabitha responds, the disappointed expression on her face piercing Azalabulia¡¯s core. ¡°And what kinda spell can ya do by stickin¡¯ your finger down your chest?¡± ¡°I was ¨C I was¡­ it was a spell to¡­¡± ¡°To seduce the wolf captain?¡± Azalabulia¡¯s face somehow turns an even darker shade of red as she frantically shakes her head from side to side. ¡°I-I-I d-don-don¡¯t know wh-why yo-you would thi-thi-think tha-that.¡± ¡°Ya know, if you want to get to him, all you¡¯ve got to do is go and ask ¡®im out. Just be like, ¡®oi, dog boy, let¡¯s be degenerates together,¡¯ and he¡¯ll be yours. Probably.¡± ¡°Bu-but what if ¨C wh-what if he doesn¡¯t e-even like me ba-back¡­¡± ¡°You a fool? Him and all those girls can¡¯t take their eyes off of you. They look at ya like a pack of hungry wolves staring down an unsuspecting deer.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes go wide from the knowledge. ¡°Ya seriously haven¡¯t noticed?¡± Tabitha asks. Azalabulia shakes her head. ¡°Can¡¯t ya tell whenever somebody¡¯s lookin¡¯ at you all dirty?¡± Azalabulia shakes her head even faster. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re single. You¡¯re na?ve and dense as can be if ya haven¡¯t noticed how they all look at ya. They don¡¯t even try to make it subtle!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Nell says. ¡°What are we discussing?¡± Azalabulia jumps around, causing her breasts to bounce in the process thanks to the still-damaged clothes she¡¯s wearing, and looks at Nell with a blushing, shaking head. ¡°We¡¯re talkin¡¯ about how you, the other shortie, blondie, and the dog all look at this girl like a bunch of perverts,¡± Tabitha says. Nell giggles and says, ¡°It is a good thing that Fenrir was already talked to! We came to the conclusion that we would leave the progress up to him and her while we all watch and enjoy!¡± ¡°A bunch of sadists.¡± Nell giggles and claps her hands together. ¡°Y-you mean, you¡­? Yo-you¡¯re fine with¡­ me?¡± Azalabulia asks Nell. ¡°Of course!¡± Nell says. ¡°I could even help you if you would like me to!¡± ¡°He-help me?¡± Nell excitedly nods her head. ¡°I know of the perfect scenario to make Fenrir yours! He will never be able to resist you.¡± Azalabulia is worried, but she agrees to go along with whatever Nell¡¯s plan is. As for Tabitha, she sighs and gets back to work. Book 4: Chapter 33: Patch 6.0: Hard Labor ¡°I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this,¡± Fenrir says to Serra after noticing Nell whispering something to Azalabulia. ¡°Fun,¡± Serra says. ¡°No. Bad. They both have imaginations that are way too hyper and love to fantasize and roleplay. You think anything good could come from them whispering?¡± ¡°Fun is good.¡± ¡°I bet you get sick enjoyment out of watching people embarrass themselves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny.¡± ¡°You probably like watching people do cringy things, too.¡± Serra nods and gives him a thumbs-up. ¡°I don¡¯t get how people can like that. I just¡­ empathize with the person being embarrassed or doing something cringy too much, and then I have to stop watching.¡± Serra shakes her head and says, ¡°I like watching them crash and burn.¡± ¡°You¡¯re way more sadistic than you look.¡± She looks up at him with an innocent smile but guilty eyes. ¡°Next thing I know, you¡¯re going to want to dress up in a dominatrix outfit, tie up the girls, and whip them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something,¡± she says. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You. I¡¯ll tie you up to whip.¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t know how to feel about that. The whipping part sounds like it might just be potentially pleasurable, but he¡¯d rather not get tied up. ¡°I think,¡± he says, ¡°that I could enjoy being tied down, like onto a bed, but not up. All the bondage stuff I¡¯ve ever seen has like¡­ the girls being tied up and hanging from ropes attached to the ceiling, or on chairs or their knees ¨C stuff like that. If I¡¯m just getting tied down to the bed, though, then that might be nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tie every part of you up,¡± Serra tells him. Fenrir tries to imagine it. The image that pops into his mind just makes him think of some sort of yaoi hentai made for rabid yaoi fangirls. He¡¯s crouched down in some sort of embarrassing pose, has ropes tied around his chest that are connected to his hands behind his back, and even his fluffy ears and tail are tied up! And that¡¯s when he stops imagining how it might look instead of trying to picture how the rest of him would look. Fenrir looks back down at Serra and sees¡­ is ¨C is that a nosebleed? ¡°Hot,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯m picturing it.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Fenrir pleads. ¡°It¡¯s even better when I imagine Olly tying you up. And tying Rao and Cor up¡­ yeah, Olly should tie you all up.¡± ¡°You need to stop.¡± ¡°Then test you all out to see who lasts the longest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to stop.¡± ¡°And do other experiments to see who¡¯s the best.¡± ¡°The line has clearly been passed.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep going and see what happens,¡± Serra says. Fenrir sighs and shakes his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were into yaoi so much that you get nosebleeds from it.¡± Serra sniffles and then wipes her nose onto her arm before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not. Only when you¡¯re involved.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of flattering, but still. I don¡¯t know how to feel about it.¡± ¡°Me and Nell Nell have fantasized about it before.¡± ¡°You¡­ you have?¡± ¡°Yeah. She wanted to see you under Bone.¡± Fenrir cringes at the thought but then frowns. ¡°You okay?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yeah. Just¡­ kind of miss him. He was seriously an asshole and I¡¯ve been way happier ever since he left, but¡­ still kind of sad he¡¯s gone in the first place,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°He was fun. Didn¡¯t like him bullying Olly, but he also stood up for him.¡± ¡°Yep. He was still a good guy most of the time. Just had some pretty shitty views which I can¡¯t really blame on him.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I blame them on him?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated. I don¡¯t think people are bad just because they have opinions or views that the rest of the world might disagree with. If somebody is raised in an environment where they¡¯re constantly being told to think one way, and everybody around them thinks that way as well, then it¡¯s only natural for them to think that way. To them, we¡¯re the weird ones with bad opinions.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re all for remaining deaf and Nell staying in her wheelchair, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think you¡¯re bad people for wanting that, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Well, you probably already know this, but there are people against that who think you¡¯re being selfish and that you should be forced to fix your medical issues if possible. Something that¡¯s totally fine to you is seen as lazy and selfish to others.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m lazy and selfish?¡± ¡°Of course not. I think you¡¯re perfect.¡± Serra smiles and hugs him. ¡°Thanks. I get what you mean. I don¡¯t think Bone is bad¡­ just mean. Have you heard from him?¡± ¡°Not a single word,¡± Fenrir says and sighs. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll pop up eventually. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if we hear about him in one way or another. He needs to be wherever all the fighting is, and he always ends up making a name for himself.¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll take over a country and become a king.¡± ¡°Pfftt. Yeah, right. Bone is gonna be a king. He hates that stuff. He¡¯d rather just kill a king and then go look for the next one to kill.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be a king and order you to get tied up.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Him and Olly can double team you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with you.¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not. You love me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but I¡¯m still done.¡± Serra hugs him again. ¡°Nope.¡± Serra hugs tighter. ¡°Done.¡± Serra strokes his cock through his pants. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you this time.¡± ¡°The power of lewd always win,¡± Serra says with a smug smile, looking up at him. ¡°You look so proud of yourself right now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°How can you be so lewd when you¡¯re so cute?¡± ¡°Because.¡± ¡°I see. Yeah, that¡¯s some great logic there. Makes total sense.¡± Serra smiles and giggles. ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Wolf boy, get over here. We need your help holdin¡¯ somethin¡¯ in place for us while we look at it. Gotta make sure it looks right.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right over,¡± Fenrir tells the shortie engineer. As soon as Tabitha turns away, Serra takes a few squeezes of Fenrir¡¯s erection before slapping his rear with her other hand to send him on his way. ¡°Have fun,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯re a damn tease,¡± Fenrir tells her before groaning. ¡°The best tease. Go before I pinch you.¡± ¡°Oh no, a pinch.¡± Serra tries to pinch his ass, but he jumps away before she can. ¡°Oh, you meant pinching me there. You¡¯re seriously a perverted, old man,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°I know. The best perverted old man.¡± While Fenrir goes off to help Tabitha and Rao, Nell continues plotting with Azalabulia, and Cassiel is sitting with Oleander and Corwin. ¡°Seriously?¡± Oleander asks her. ¡°You cut it that short? Oh my god, does it look good?¡± ¡°I ¨C I think so,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°You need to send me a picture. Just DM it over Fiscord. I better have a picture by the end of the day, okay?¡± ¡°I will,¡± she says and squirms around, now self-conscious about the whole haircut thing. ¡°Also, you totally need to let me style your hair sometime! You have so much hair here that I could put into a bunch of styles. And I know Fenny would totally love some of them.¡± ¡°He would? Like¡­ like what?¡± ¡°Twintails. He¡¯s such a sucker for twintails.¡± Cassiel regrets her haircut even more now. She could have given herself twintails in real life before, but now she¡¯ll be stuck to only potentially having them in-game. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Short twintails are a thing and you can always get extensions if you¡¯re worried. But, like, you should totes let me do your hair right now. I know Tabs has got some spare hair ties. Cor!¡± Oleander swings his head around to look at his boyfriend, ¡°Go ask Tabs for some hair ties!¡± ¡°Right this moment? She looks busy,¡± Corwin says. All three of them look over at Tabitha. She¡¯s just standing there while Fenrir and Rao hold some wooden planks in position, and she seems to be taking her time and not giving them any further directions. ¡°Yeah, now¡¯s the best time,¡± Oleander says, knowing that he¡¯ll be giving her another reason to take even longer. ¡°Do you¡­ do you really think twintails will look good on me?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Oh yeah. You¡¯d look amazing with them! And they¡¯ll make for good handlebars.¡± ¡°Handle ¨C handlebars?¡± ¡°You know. He can hold you by your twintails while,¡± Oleander finishes his sentence by making a circle with one hand and sticking a finger from his other hand through it back and forth. Cassiel imagines it. She imagines being on all fours while Fenrir holds her by her twintails from behind as he buries himself inside of her. The thought causes her face to turn red and steam to rise from her head. ¡°See? It¡¯d be hot,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll try the twintails,¡± Cassiel says without looking at him. Book 4: Chapter 34: Patch 6.0: Hard Labor ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ d-don¡¯t you have any ideas that aren¡¯t so¡­ dangerous?¡± Azalabulia asks Nell. ¡°What is wrong with the ideas I have been giving you?¡± Nell asks back. ¡°They¡¯re dangerous! Half of them might end up with something seriously bad happening to me!¡± Nell waves away Azalabulia¡¯s concerns and says, ¡°But Fenrir will rescue you! Nothing bad will happen if you let some tentacles or beasts get their hands on you for a few minutes.¡± ¡°A lot of bad could happen in a few minutes!¡± ¡°Surely, you would be able to handle it! You are the powerful and awesome Azalabulia, are you not?¡± ¡°I ¨C that may be true, but¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ just let a large, powerful monster get his hands on you and pin you down until Fenrir rescues you!¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know if I can believe your intentions when you¡¯re about to drool¡­¡± Nell wipes her mouth and clears her throat. ¡°I do not know what you are talking about,¡± she says. Azalabulia looks at Nell with suspicious eyes. ¡°Now then! If you really must insist on a less interesting and erotic plot, then I shall think of something you may find acceptable. I suppose you just could not handle doing what must be done of you,¡± Nell says. ¡°I ¨C I can handle it!¡± Azalabulia declares. She may be nervous, but she¡¯s not going to let somebody imply that there¡¯s something she can¡¯t do! Even if that means giving Nell a reason to sadistically smile. ¡°Wonderful! Worry not, for this idea is much more tame than the others have been so far, but it will require you to give it your all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Nell¡¯s smile grows even wider before turning her head and spotting Serra listening in on them. ¡°Ah, Serra!¡± ¡°I want in,¡± Serra says. ¡°Please, do come join us. I am sure that my plan will be even better with your input.¡± Azalabulia looks between the two girls giving each other sadistic, knowing smiles and gulps. She¡¯s scared about what they¡¯re going to come up with. But¡­ it¡¯s worth it. She thinks. She hopes. Worst case scenario, she¡¯ll get out of trouble with an explosion or two. Best case scenario, she stops being so lonely. Worth it. Meanwhile, Corwin comes jogging back over to Oleander and Cassiel. Oleander is already standing behind Cassiel and playing with her hair to figure out what sort of twintails to give her. Both Azalabulia and Cassiel are planning on giving Fenrir a surprise that will make him fall for them even more, but who will win? If there is one person not winning right now, it is Fenrir as he stands in waist-deep water holding up some planks in place for Tabitha to look over. ¡°Yeah, I think that looks good,¡± Tabitha says to herself. ¡°Can I stop then?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Hmm. Let me look at it from another angle.¡± She takes a couple of steps to her left and nods. ¡°Yep. Still lookin¡¯ good.¡± ¡°Now can I stop?¡± ¡°Nope. Gotta look at it from the other angles.¡± Tabitha takes four steps to the right now. ¡°Hmm. Yep. Still good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to drop this if you don¡¯t hurry up. I don¡¯t even see how this is helping you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, dog boy.¡± Then there are Shogun and Rock. Shogun is stretching out his back since he¡¯s been having to carry people around so much lately, and Rock is trying to make him feel better by kneading it with her paws. It doesn¡¯t work too well, especially since her paws are just made out of rocks, but Shogun appreciates the effort regardless of its efficiency. Everybody is busy in one way or another. But, despite this, very little work is actually getting done. They are supposed to be going hard at labor to build a city, but three of them are plotting a plan to win Fenrir¡¯s heart, three of them are messing with Cassiel¡¯s hair to also win even more of Fenrir¡¯s heart, three of them are screwing around ¡°building¡± a dock for The Shoebill, and two of them are lying around in the grass stretching and nuzzling. By the time that Fenrir is done letting his lower half soak in the river, Oleander and Corwin are done with Cassiel¡¯s hair and have sent her over to him. They¡¯re both watching from the distance to see Fenrir¡¯s reaction to her hair. ¡°H-hey,¡± Cassiel says from behind Fenrir. ¡°Cass? What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir says, not turning around as he tries to dry off his tail by squeezing the water out of it. He just wants to be fluffy and clean, but no. Is that so much to ask for? He¡¯s so disappointed that his ears are lying flat against his head. ¡°Umm, I¡­ I ¨C you should turn around,¡± Cassiel stammers out. Fenrir turns around when she tells him to, and those two ears that were lying down against the top of his head now shoot up with excited perkiness. He even lets go of his tail to let it wag around in its damp state. Before him is a beautiful, perfect sight. Cassiel is standing there, armored up and looking all tsundere with averted eyes and blushing cheeks, and her long, blonde hair has been pulled up into two twintails hanging off the sides of her head. ¡°How ¨C how is it?¡± she asks. ¡°She looks so pretty! I¡¯m kind of jealous she¡¯s stealing my thing, but she looks so good! You better praise her right this instant you baka onii-chan!¡± Saya mentally shouts at Fenrir. ¡°You look amazing,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯re like the perfect tsundere knight now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say weird things right now,¡± Cassiel replies. ¡°Just¡­ do ¨C do you like it better like this or how it is in real life now?¡± Fenrir freezes. This is a difficult question that he¡¯s not sure how to answer. If he says he likes this better, then he knows she¡¯ll regret her haircut and potentially feel even more insecure about it. If he says he likes her hair better short in real life, he might not get to see her with twintails. He also just doesn¡¯t know which he likes better. ¡°I love them both,¡± he says, trying to get the best of both worlds. ¡°But which do you like more?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I like them equally,¡± he tries answering. Cassiel sighs and says, ¡°Come on, be honest. I want to know.¡± Now it¡¯s Fenrir¡¯s turn to sigh and say, ¡°I¡¯m serious, Cass Cass. I love them both, and neither one is better than the other. I love seeing you with short, super fluffy hair. I also love seeing you with long twintails. Short hair makes me want to cuddle you more and pet your head, and twintails make me want to use them as hand¡ª¡± He realizes what he¡¯s saying and stops. Cassiel already knows what he was about to say, though, so she blushes and says, ¡°You ¨C you can if you want to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too lucky, onii-chan,¡± Saya tells him. ¡°I know,¡± Fenrir answers her. ¡°Cass Cass,¡± he says out loud now, ¡°You¡¯re way too perfect.¡± Cassiel grabs her twintails and twirls the hair around with her fingers, holding it in front of her now. ¡°You ¨C you always say that,¡± she says. ¡°Because it¡¯s true.¡± Cassiel discovers that if there¡¯s one major perk of having twintails, it¡¯s being able to pull them around to her front to cover her face with ease. She¡¯s still not comfortable being seen blushing and smiling as much as she is right now. While Corwin and Oleander high-five each other, there is another trio watching the flirty display between Fenrir and Cassiel. ¡°Hmm. That new hairstyle is awfully powerful,¡± Nell says. ¡°We may need to come up with a bigger plan.¡± ¡°When ¨C when you say ¡®bigger,¡¯ you don¡¯t mean bigger monsters, do you?¡± Azalabulia asks as she jealously looks on at Fenrir and Cassiel. ¡°It¡¯s just a game. Bigger won¡¯t kill you,¡± Serra says. ¡°Wh-what kind of bigger are you talking about?!¡± Serra grins up at Azalabulia. ¡°No,¡± Nell says. ¡°We need a real plan. It needs to be able to compete with Cassiel¡¯s work.¡± She taps her cheek for a few moments before declaring, ¡°I¡¯ve got it! I know the perfect plan ¨C the real perfect plan. There is no way that he will be able to resist you!¡± ¡°Are ¨C you¡­ you¡¯re so excited about helping me even though you¡¯re dating him,¡± Azalabulia says. She appreciates it, but it also just makes her even more suspicious. ¡°Well, you will be our girlfriend as well, so we must get along! Consider this as strengthening the bond between lovers,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Yeah, what she said,¡± Serra agrees. ¡°Ri-right, I¡¯d be dating you two, too,¡± Azalabulia says, looking between them. Both of her future girlfriends are standing there smiling at her. She keeps on forgetting that this is a package deal, and that she¡¯s already being so honest and getting along with two people who want to date her. Azalabulia starts tearing up. ¡°What ¨C what is wrong?¡± Nell asks her. Azalabulia sniffles and resists the urge to hug them both. Serra pulls down on Azalabulia¡¯s arm until she can reach her own hand up to pet the taller woman on the head. ¡°There, there. It¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says. Azalabulia finally understands how it feels to be wanted. She thinks. Even if this isn¡¯t feeling wanted, she feels special enough to be a crybaby. Book 4: Chapter 35: Patch 6.0: Hard Labor Another couple of hours pass by. Fenrir has not been able to stop himself from taking peeks over at Cassiel with her new hairstyle, and she has been playing with her hair on and off the whole time. It turns out that twintails not only look nice but are fun to play with. Her hands swing and twirl her twintails whenever she has nothing better to be doing. Fenrir has been wanting to comment on how cute she looks when she does that, but he knows she¡¯ll probably get embarrassed and self-conscious about it if he does, so he has been resisting the temptation. There is something else, though. He has been feeling¡­ suspicious. Whenever he checks on the other girls, Tabitha excluded, he sees them looking at him and whispering to one another. Aiko may have been a borderline stalker, but she was good at being sneaky. Serra, Nell, and Azalabulia are anything but sneaky. Nell has her tail and horns that give her away, Azalabulia has her bulias, and then there is Serra. Serra just doesn¡¯t care about trying to be sneaky, so she stands out in the open while Nell and Azalabulia try to hide themselves. Fortunately, the group has managed to get some work done. Tabitha and Rao set up the temporary docks for The Shoebill. The docks are as short as possible, only reaching out just barely far enough for The Shoebill to not run aground, but that is all they need. This makes transporting materials to and from The Shoebill far easier, and it gives them a more environmentally-friendly place to dock it rather than letting the anchor drag along the river¡¯s bottom. ¡°That feels like it was a lot of work for just a little dock,¡± Fenrir says as he ties The Shoebill to the homemade cleats that Tabitha installed on the dock. ¡°Oi, keep in mind somethin¡¯ like this probably would¡¯ve taken way more work in real life, and it might not be workin¡¯ as well,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°Be grateful, dog boy.¡± ¡°I am, I am. I mean, a city is supposed to take years and years to get built up, but I doubt it¡¯ll take that long here.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s just us it will. We¡¯re going to need some new faces showin¡¯ up and wantin¡¯ land. The more workers me and Red here get to boss around, the faster this¡¯ll all go.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just have our own city without inviting anybody else?¡± ¡°Oi. Wasn¡¯t part of you wantin¡¯ to do this because ya want some goody-two-shoes home for AI or somethin¡¯ like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Alright, alright. We¡¯ll need to let others move here instead of finding a way to just clone ourselves.¡± ¡°I want to do some crazy stuff, but I don¡¯t think clones are goin¡¯ to help at all.¡± ¡°Is that even possible here?¡± ¡°With magic, but they¡¯re only temporary.¡± ¡°So, if I get my girlfriends to learn how to use magic to make clones of themselves¡­¡± ¡°Do I need to send ya to go stand in the water some more?¡± ¡°No, please. I only just finished fully drying. Don¡¯t make my fluff go away.¡± ¡°Bro,¡± Rao says, ¡°what¡¯s up with you wanting to be fluffy?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with you wanting to have spiky hair?¡± Fenrir asks back. ¡°Fair.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with both of you,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Oi, Red. Come on. Let¡¯s get some plannin¡¯ done. Can¡¯t just build whatever we want wherever we want.¡± ¡°Alright. I already checked out some of the area on my own, and there shouldn¡¯t be any problems building here,¡± Rao says, going more in-depth as he walks off with Tabitha. ¡°Guess I finally get a break,¡± Fenrir says. He looks around. Oleander is standing in front of Cassiel and holding her twintails, surrounding his face with them as the back of his head rests against her chest. Fenrir is jealous. He wants to try that. If it was anybody other than Oleander, and potentially Corwin, then he¡¯d probably be jealous jealous. Alright, he knows what to do. Find out what that suspicious trio is up to. Azalabulia looks panicked as soon as Fenrir starts heading over in their direction. ¡°Wh-what about the plan?¡± Azalabulia asks Nell. ¡°Shh! Do not worry about it. We must wait for the perfect moment to initiate it,¡± Nell whispers. Meanwhile, Serra just waves at Fenrir. Upon reaching the group, Fenrir asks, ¡°So¡­ what have you three been talking about? I kept on seeing you looking at me, and if Nell is whispering things, it can¡¯t be good.¡± Nell actually looks surprised that she was caught watching him, as does Azalabulia. Neither of them takes into consideration the size of some of their body parts. ¡°We were not talking about anything, my hero!¡± Nell answers. ¡°Ye-yeah! We were just talking about taking over the world and raising monuments in my glory!¡± Azalabulia explains. ¡°So, you weren¡¯t talking about anything, but you were also talking about something?¡± Fenrir asks. Nell and Azalabulia look at each other with panicked eyes. They aren¡¯t on the same page at all. ¡°It¡¯s secret,¡± Serra answers for them. ¡°Shh.¡± She raises a finger in front of her lips. ¡°Yeah, I figured as much. Should I be worried?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra nods her head. Fenrir looks back down at the other two. ¡°Just be safe and don¡¯t do anything too crazy, alright?¡± he asks them. Nell pouts while Azalabulia blushes and looks away. Neither of them thought that just saying it¡¯s a secret would be such an easy way of hiding the truth. ¡°Nell, you¡¯re not planning anything involving monsters, dictator kings, alien invaders, tentacles, or feral beasts in the middle of their mating seasons, right?¡± Fenrir asks. Nell starts sweating. ¡°Aza, you¡¯re not encouraging her, right?¡± Azalabulia sweats, too. ¡°Serra?¡± ¡°I¡¯m encouraging both of them,¡± Serra admits. Fenrir looks down at the other two once more and sighs. ¡°Seriously. Stay out of trouble and be safe. I doubt I¡¯m going to get you to tell me whatever it is you¡¯re planning, so just be smart about it.¡± ¡°I can tell you,¡± Serra says before being swiftly grabbed by Nell. Nell covers up Serra¡¯s mouth and says, ¡°Do ¨C do not worry about Serra! She does not know what she is talking about.¡± Then Nell feels something. ¡°A-ahn, Se-Serra! Now is not the¡­ time for your skilled tongue work,¡± she moans. Azalabulia turns bright red, Fenrir watches on with great interest, and both of them can tell just how smug Serra looks despite her mouth being covered up as she licks Nell¡¯s fingers. ¡°You must really like being licked,¡± Fenrir calls Nell out on her fetish, causing her to perk up and blush. ¡°Because! It is so¡­ feral,¡± Nell admits. ¡°Of course that¡¯s why you¡¯d like it.¡± Nell squirms around and turns more red the more that Serra licks and teases the fingers over her mouth. That skilled tongue work of hers even manages to pull one of Nell¡¯s fingers into her mouth to suck on, twirling her tongue around Nell¡¯s finger as she wraps her soft, warm lips around it. Fenrir is really enjoying this show, and he¡¯s also jealous of Nell. He wants his fingers to get sucked on like that. ¡°Serra! This ¨C this is, nngh, you ¨C you really must not be ¨C ahn, you must not be doing this wh-while around others!¡± Nell tries to say, but she does nothing to actually stop Serra. Her mouth says no, but her eyes, body, and her very soul all say nothing but yes. Fenrir takes his eyes off of the sight before he gets too excited. There are still other things to be doing around here, and he wants to save the next time he does anything with his girlfriends for reality. However, there is one thing ¨C or rather, one particular person that he notices. Azalabulia. She¡¯s staring at him, but not at his face. Fenrir looks down at where she¡¯s staring. He¡¯s got a pretty obvious erection bulging up against his pants, and Azalabulia¡¯s eyes are locked directly on it. She doesn¡¯t even notice that he¡¯s caught her, and she looks like she wants it now. Fenrir turns away when he feels himself get even more excited. ¡°Darkness! Explosions!¡± Azalabulia shouts when she realizes what she was just doing. ¡°Ba-Bahamut!¡± If she was one of his girlfriends, he¡¯d be comfortable teasing her about looking at him like that, but he¡¯s worried he¡¯s just going to stutter if he tries to say anything about it. He doesn¡¯t want to make himself sound like some insecure virgin boy while dating three girls at once. Nell notices Fenrir¡¯s bashfulness and huddles with Azalabulia and Serra to whisper, ¡°Now is our chance. We must not let this opportunity go to waste! Splendid work, Serra, even if you did use¡­ a bit too much skill doing your part.¡± ¡°I got into it,¡± Serra admits. ¡°Is ¨C is it time for the next phase?¡± Azalabulia asks. Nell nods and says, ¡°Operation: Big Bad Wolf begins!¡± Book 4: Chapter 36: Patch 6.0: Hard Labor ¡°Why are we out here again?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra, Azalabulia, and Nell have led him out to the nearest group of trees. They need privacy for their plan. Unfortunately, Nell wasn¡¯t able to think up anything too great. Most of her ideas had monsters or beasts threatening to ravage Azalabulia and Fenrir saving her at the very last minute. Then, aroused by a potential aphrodisiac, Azalabulia would need Fenrir to help calm her body down before she willingly tosses herself to the first feral creature that she could find. The main problem with those plans was that Azalabulia refused to potentially get her first time stolen away by some monsters or beasts. She said that, had she not been virgin, she might have been able to go along with those plans, but she was also concerned about Fenrir seeing her associated with any other male in general. Who¡¯s to say that he wouldn¡¯t find her disgusting if he even saw another cock near her? That¡¯s what she believes, anyway. There was another problem with those plans. They required somehow not only finding a monster or beast that could realistically pose a threat to Azalabulia and pin her down or pick her up, but they would also need to somehow have an aphrodisiac ability that would arouse her. It was far too specific much like all of Nell¡¯s fantasies. So, instead, Nell was forced to figure something else out. ¡°Close your eyes, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Wh-why?¡± Fenrir asks, suspicious about all of this. ¡°Please?¡± Nell asks, batting her eyelashes and looking up at him with eyes he can¡¯t refuse. He closes his eyes. Less than a few seconds later and Serra has grabbed his wrists and tied them behind his back. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Fenrir asks. He kind of tries to break free, but not really. Why? Because this is sort of exciting. The moment he starts to open his eyes, Nell shouts at him to keep them closed. Needless to say, he keeps them closed. ¡°Kneel,¡± Serra says. Her voice may not have sounded any different than it usually does, but it¡¯s what she said that makes Fenrir think of her as some sort of haughty queen demanding a peasant around. Fenrir kneels down and then it hits him. Nell has been rubbing off on him. A few months ago, he¡¯d probably never just randomly kneel down after being ordered to, and he definitely wouldn¡¯t be picturing anybody as a queen and himself as some peasant being bossed around. Nell¡¯s imagination is powerful. If he¡¯s already been this corrupted by it, does that mean that the rest of his girlfriends are getting corrupted by her as well? Are they all going to develop crazy fantasies as well? Hopefully, they all develop fantasies similar to Nell¡¯s where she¡¯s submissive and obeying whatever a king demands her to do, wherein Fenrir plays the role of the king. He could get behind all of his girlfriends wanting to fantasize about that. But, he doubts that this is going to be sexual at all. After all, Azalabulia is here. They¡¯re probably just playing some sort of prank on him or something like that. Nell clears her throat and says, ¡°Now, Fenrir, Serra and I have decided to have a contest!¡± ¡°What¡­ what sort of contest?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Do I really need to be tied up and blinded for it?¡± ¡°You do! And it is a kissing contest. We wish to know which one of us is a better kisser in a blind-kissing contest.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m just going to say you¡¯re both equally good kissers, though. And why¡¯d you bring Aza here for it?¡± ¡°I am sure that you will find one of us better than the other! As for her presence, it is because we need a judge!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t¡­ aren¡¯t I supposed to be the judge?¡± ¡°She will be making sure that everything is fair!¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°My hero, you worry far too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because this is extremely suspicious. This is one of your fantasies, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°As I said, my hero, stop worrying about the details.¡± ¡°Aza, you don¡¯t have to go along with her plans if they make you uncomfortable,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s fine! I already a-agreed to judge, so¡­ it ¨C it would only be fair to keep my word!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°See, my hero? It is fine!¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says, ¡°it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t question it.¡± Fenrir shrugs. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to say no to his girlfriends wanting to kiss him. It might be a bit awkward if he could see because then he¡¯d be constantly reminded that Azalabulia is here, and kissing his girlfriends in front of a girl who he¡¯s been told likes him would make him feel kind of bad, but¡­ if she¡¯s agreeing to this then it should be fine. Probably. ¡°Why now? We¡¯ve got building to do. This is pretty random timing,¡± Fenrir voices his final question. His question doesn¡¯t get an answer. Instead, he feels somebody press their lips against his own. Small, soft lips. The way they¡¯re pressed against his own is gentle but lewd as a bit of tongue slips out between her lips to lick at his own lips. Definitely Serra. ¡°I know it¡¯s you, Serra,¡± Fenrir says after her lips are pulled away. ¡°Dang,¡± Serra says without actually sounding the slightest bit disappointed. ¡°You are not supposed to be paying so much attention!¡± Nell explains. ¡°I¡¯ve kissed you both a bunch. I know whose lips are whose,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Then we will be more careful and restart!¡± Fenrir really doesn¡¯t get what¡¯s going on. There¡¯s no way that they could trick him. Either way, that doesn¡¯t stop him from enjoying this. He does like kissing his girlfriends. All he¡¯s worried about is his erection getting to be too obvious. The downside of making his size enhanced in-game is that it¡¯s harder to hide, so he has to position his leg in a way that should hopefully hide its obvious excitement. Another pair of lips is pressed against his. He can immediately tell that they¡¯re Serra¡¯s again. Only, this time, Serra takes it a step farther. That thing that he was trying to hide from sight is now being rubbed by one of Serra¡¯s small, soft hands. They¡¯d be able to see just how surprised he looks if it wasn¡¯t for the blindfold. He knows that Serra is a pervert, but they¡¯re still in front of Azalabulia! But¡­ he¡¯s really horny now, and Azalabulia would have to be dating them instead of just him, so maybe this is fine. ¡°Next!¡± Nell says. Serra pulls her lips away from him and stands up. ¡°You know, if you say ¡®next¡¯ while I¡¯m still being kissed, it makes it really obvious who I¡¯m kissing,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°My hero, my hero. How many times must I tell you to not worry?¡± Nell asks him as her voices gets closer. Now it¡¯s obvious that she¡¯ll be up next. ¡°Just don¡¯t stab me with your horns,¡± Fenrir says and hears an audible pout come from her. A few seconds pass. ¡°Making me wait for that? Fine, I¡¯m sorry. I know you won¡¯t stab me,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You better be!¡± Nell says, her voice coming from directly in front of him. Her lips press against his. Definitely Nell¡¯s lips. They¡¯re thicker than Serra¡¯s are, but not by much, and the way that she kisses is extremely soft and slow. ¡°Next,¡± Serra says after just a couple of seconds. ¡°Again, really obvious,¡± Fenrir says after the other¡¯s lips were pulled away. ¡°How was that, my hero?¡± Nell asks, her voice the closest to him. ¡°As good of a kisser as ever, Nell,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°So, who is better?¡± ¡°You¡¯re equal.¡± ¡°Then it seems that more testing is in order!¡± And so, they kiss for several more rounds. Back and forth, Serra and Nell take turns kissing Fenrir. Serra grows more erotic with every session of hers to the point where his excitement is extremely obvious to anybody whom can see him. She went from just rubbing and teasing his length over his pants to grabbing it and trying to pump it without removing a single layer of clothing. As for Nell¡¯s kisses, hers have grown slightly more intense, but she almost seems¡­ hesitant? Fenrir isn¡¯t sure, but he¡¯s definitely putting in more work than Nell when it comes to their kisses. Then he hears a sneeze off to the side. That definitely wasn¡¯t Serra¡¯s sneezing. It sounded like Nell¡¯s, but she¡¯s kissing him, so it must have been Azalabulia. Apparently, they have similar sounding sneezes. ¡°You have a cute sneeze, Aza,¡± Serra says. Now that he¡¯s thinking of Aza again, he can¡¯t help but think of how awkward this has to be for her. He¡¯s been kissing the others on and off for what feels like fifteen minutes now, and she¡¯s been standing there without saying a single word. She¡¯s just here to ¡°judge¡± this kissing competition. Fenrir doesn¡¯t really get it, but¡ª His blindfold slips down. Azalabulia¡¯s face is directly in front of him, her eyes closed, and her lips pressed against him. Fenrir, without breaking off the kiss, turns his head just enough to look over at Serra and Nell. They look away and scratch their heads before looking back at each other and running. Book 4: Chapter 37: Patch 7.0: ¡°Oh,¡± Fenrir says. Azalabulia doesn¡¯t say anything. She just stays still, crouching in front of him, with her face directly in front of his and her eyes spinning from embarrassment and having no idea what to do as her face burns the hottest she¡¯s ever felt before. Fenrir realizes that he should have known something was going to happen. Maybe it¡¯s just because so much has already happened today that he wasn¡¯t thinking anything else crazy possibly could have happened, but here he is. Something else crazy happened. And that something else is that he¡¯s been taking turns making out with Serra and¡­ Azalabulia. They played him perfectly. At least now he knows that Nell and a blindfold will always mean trouble no matter what. That is, unless he¡¯s the one putting the blindfold on her. No, even then, she¡¯d probably fantasize about something weird and about how that could possibly go wrong. Right now, Fenrir just wants to figure out what to do. Try to say something smooth? Now would be the time, but¡­ he has no idea what to say. Try to explain that he didn¡¯t know what was going on? No, she already knows that he has no idea what was going on. Pretend that he did know what was going on the whole time so that he doesn¡¯t feel as flustered? He doesn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be able to pull that off in a convincing way. That leaves him with one option: have no idea what to do. While he awkwardly stays sitting on the ground, he finds his eyes drifting downward to a wonderful sight. Nyaiko¡¯s breasts were larger than Azalabulia¡¯s, but they were ridiculously large and that took away much of the appeal of breasts. At least, to Fenrir. Cassiel didn¡¯t seem to mind as much. But, when it comes to Azalabulia, she has the largest, not-wannabe-hentai chest out of the group. Her breasts are even larger than Cassiel¡¯s, and now he gets to see this up-close and personal as her massive breasts are hanging down in front of him with her cleavage begging for his eyes to stare. If only she¡¯d lower herself a bit more, he¡¯d be able to feel her breasts pressing down against his crotch. She¡¯s trying not to do that right now. Probably because it would have given away that something was wrong if he felt her breasts pressing against him when Nell was supposed to be kissing him. While Nell¡¯s chest is perfect as well by Fenrir¡¯s standards, they would not be able to almost reach his crotch while kissing him. Fenrir not only has no idea how to react in this situation, but he has no idea that Nell and Serra have both snuck back and are watching from a distance. ¡°I¡­ uh,¡± Fenrir says. Azalabulia¡¯s eyes are still spinning around in embarrassed flusterment. Fenrir takes a deep breath and says, ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest. I have no idea how to react.¡± Azalabulia turns an even brighter shade of red. Kissing her was nice, and his girlfriends have all been pushing for him to hook up with Azalabulia even more than him, so¡­ it¡¯s alright, isn¡¯t it? Wait, does this make his girlfriends cucks if they want him to do things with another woman? Does this make him the protagonist of one of those filthy netorare doujins that he has always hated coming across? Is Azalabulia the ugly bastard who corrupts his innocence and steals him away from his girlfriends? He looks her over. No, she¡¯s just embarrassed and looks like she¡¯s about to literally explode from the steam coming off of her head and how red she is. This isn¡¯t netorare, either. He and his girlfriends are just apparently a bunch of deviants who want a larger harem. Mustering up whatever courage he has hidden within him, Fenrir reaches one hand around to place on the back of her head so that he can pull her closer. Azalabulia lets out a quiet squeak similar to Cassiel¡¯s squeaks when she feels him touch her, but then closes her eyes and puckers her lips because of what she thinks ¨C because of what she hopes is about to happen. Fortunately, she made the right decision. Their lips press together in a soft kiss. This time, Fenrir actually knows who he¡¯s kissing, and that makes it all the better for Azalabulia. He¡¯d be lying if he said that kissing her is as enjoyable as kissing his girlfriends. Part of him feels guilty for kissing somebody he¡¯s not actually dating, part of him feels guilty for kissing her when he doesn¡¯t like her as much as he loves his girlfriends, and part of him ¨C well, the last part of him just feels excited that he¡¯s kissing her. Even if he doesn¡¯t like her as much as he loves Serra, Cassiel, and Nell, kissing somebody new is exciting. This harem thing is taking more to get used to than he thought it would. While he¡¯s always loved harems in anime, manga, and hentai, he¡¯s never thought about just how it might really feel to get close to so many different girls. But, that doesn¡¯t stop him from kissing Azalabulia. His ears are twitching and his tail is even wagging behind him which lets his peeping girlfriends know that he¡¯s enjoying himself. Fenrir¡¯s and Azalabulia¡¯s lips part after another minute of kissing. ¡°How uh¡­ how was it?¡± Fenrir asks her. He had no idea that he could still act so virgin after having three girlfriends. Azalabulia has a wide grin on her face and a lovestruck look in her eyes, though. She looks really happy. It¡¯s hard for him to believe that, until just these past twenty-four hours, he had no idea that Azalabulia even liked him. There might have been a subconscious suspicion, but he had no actual idea that things were going to turn out like this. He figured he¡¯d just always have his current three girlfriends and never anybody else. Now that he¡¯s thinking about it, though¡­ he wonders just how many members are going to get added to this harem of his ¨C or rather, of Serra¡¯s. That perverted munchkin just wants to add every attractive girl she sees to the harem. Fenrir is pretty sure she¡¯s mainly into girls at this point and is just making an exception for him. Though, the same could be said about Cassiel and Nell. Neither of them has ever brought up the idea of adding more guys into their relationship, and he never catches any of them looking at other men. Even when they¡¯re around men who Fenrir knows are more attractive than him, both in-game and in reality, he never sees their eyes straying. Well, unless there¡¯s an attractive woman around. Then their eyes stray. Now he¡¯s realizing that it might be dangerous to take his girlfriends out to areas where other women will be. They¡¯re like a pack of lionesses waiting for a victim to pounce on. They pick a target, weaken her, and then toss her to him for him to finish her off. This might feel like a harem at times, but Fenrir knows that this is not his harem. If anything, this is his girlfriends¡¯ harem. He doesn¡¯t want to be left out. Looking down at Azalabulia¡¯s chest¡­ it¡¯s alright, right? While Azalabulia¡¯s still-spinning-but-lovestruck eyes stare at his face, Fenrir reaches his hands up underneath her hanging breasts and gropes them both. Azalabulia¡¯s eyes stop spinning. Instead of spinning, they stare directly at him as a look of panic takes over her face. Fenrir had no idea a face could become this red. Her face went as red as possible and then went beyond ¨C plus ultra red. He half expects to get slapped any time now. That¡¯s what would happen if this was some sort of anime. Instead, he¡­ thinks that he broke her. Azalabulia just stares directly at him without moving. It¡¯s kind of creepy in a way. ¡°Are¡­ are you alright?¡± he asks her. He doesn¡¯t get a response. He lets go of her breasts. Still nothing. Then, what if¡­ He squeezes her breasts again. No response. There¡¯s one more thing that he can try. While keeping his hands on her breasts, he leans his head forward to press his lips against her own one more time. At least fondling Cassiel¡¯s breasts so much has taught him how to handle breasts this large. While fondling and kneading Azalabulia¡¯s breasts, his lips kiss hers in a soft, slow kiss. Azalabulia finally breaks and faints, falling onto him with her face against his chest, her breasts against his crotch, and the rest of her body limp. When he tries to get a look at her face, her eyes are shut and her lips are slightly parted and breathing softly. She panicked and got out of the game. Fenrir has no idea what to do with her body now, and he has no idea how to feel that he made her panic to the extent that she woke without saying a word. Did he fuck up? Now he really feels guilty. Meanwhile, in reality, a mature woman too old to be fangirling and squealing so much is currently rolling around on her bed with a pillow held over her face to muffle her fangirlish screams. Book 4: Chapter 38: Patch 7.0: Nell and Serra walk up to Fenrir after realizing what has happened. ¡°You must be a bad kisser,¡± Serra teases him. ¡°H-hey now, I wasn¡¯t exactly expecting anything like this to happen! Am¡­ am I a bad kisser?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra and Nell both look away for a few seconds as if ignoring his question, but then look at him and smile. ¡°Not at all, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°You are a wonderful kisser. If I may guess¡­ I believe that she simply could not handle how embarrassing this situation might be for her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± Serra says. Fenrir and Serra look at each other¡¯s eyes. Serra then shrugs and says, ¡°Fine. You¡¯re a good kisser.¡± Her words relieve Fenrir more than she¡¯ll ever know. ¡°Alright, but seriously, why?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Did¡­ did you really think this was the best way to go about it?¡± ¡°Says the dog who was grabbing her boobs. Perverted dog,¡± Serra says. ¡°I must admit, I did not believe that you would try taking it that far. I simply wished for you two to understand one another¡¯s feelings!¡± Nell explains. ¡°You guys were watching the whole thing, weren¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks them. They both nod. ¡°I hope you know that you both suck,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Serra says. ¡°Serra has shown me that sucking could be rather enjoyable,¡± Nell says, nodding her head. ¡°There¡¯s no winning for me,¡± Fenrir groans. ¡°I¡¯m not mean enough to insult you in ways that can¡¯t be twisted around and used against me.¡± ¡°Try it,¡± Serra challenges. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Fine. Alright, uh¡­ you¡¯re a¡­ bitch?¡± Fenrir tries to insult his girlfriend, but he ends up sounding more like a child shyly swearing in front of his parents. ¡°Sounds legit. You¡¯re a dog, so I¡¯m a female dog. Woof.¡± ¡°Fine. Instead of a bitch, you¡¯re a¡­ who¡ªno, that wouldn¡¯t work. Uh. You¡¯re flat.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need boobs when I have Cass Cass and Azz Azz. Nell Nell¡¯s are nice, too,¡± Serra says, reaching up to grab Nell¡¯s breasts. Nell doesn¡¯t even seem phased by Serra¡¯s sudden lewdness anymore. ¡°I give up,¡± Fenrir says, tossing his hands up into the air. ¡°There¡¯s literally no way to insult you that I refuse to say because it¡¯d just be downright mean.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. I still love you even if your insult game is weak,¡± Serra says, walking up to him and petting him on the top of his head. His ears twitch and his tail wags as a result of her pleasurable touch. ¡°You really are not that great at it, my hero. No offense, of course, but I would have thought somebody with your former reputation would be good at insulting others!¡± Nell says. ¡°Uh¡­ I mean, I can kinda understand that. I guess I just always left the insults and rage up to Bone. You can¡¯t really beat a Russian when it comes to fun insults. Then there was Olly who just always acted super, super gay to everybody. The more somebody hated gays, the gayer Olly acted toward them. I joined him pretending to be gay sometimes. As for me¡­ I guess I just liked to rub things into people¡¯s faces and then act like they didn¡¯t exist at all. Pretending they were insignificant roaches not worth even a second of my time pissed them off,¡± Fenrir explains. Then he looks up at Nell and sees her blushing and biting her lower lip. ¡°Please, my hero, do feel free to go on about the insignificant roaches part and looking down on others,¡± she says. ¡°Yeah, that was kinda hot,¡± Serra agrees. ¡°Can you two perverts just help me with Aza?¡± Fenrir asks. And so, his two girlfriends help him with his probably-soon-to-be-girlfriend by lifting her off of him. She ends up being heavier than any of them expected her to be, but when they remember just how large Azalabulia¡¯s breasts are, it makes sense. Those things have to be at least twenty percent of her body weight. ¡°By the way,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°are you two sure that you¡¯re alright with this?¡± ¡°With what, my hero?¡± Nell asks as Serra tilts her head. ¡°You know. Me and Aza.¡± Nell giggles, covering her mouth with her hand, and then says, ¡°My hero, I must admit that it should be us asking you that instead. It is clear that we have been pushing her onto you more than you have been pushing yourself onto her.¡± ¡°We figured a guy would never say no to having another girl join us. Especially with her boobs,¡± Serra says. Fenrir replies, ¡°Hey now, it¡¯s not like I¡ª" ¡°We know, my hero. You are much more loyal than that,¡± Nell says. ¡°If anything, knowing that you would refuse to entertain her without all of our consent made us want to do this even more. As much as we may be personally interested in her, we wish to reward you as well!¡± ¡°It feels weird when you explain it like that.¡± ¡°We just think you are wonderful and deserving of a large harem is all!¡± ¡°But why? I mean, come on. I¡¯ll admit I think I¡¯m kind of attractive if you¡¯re into Asians, but other than that, I¡¯m not tall, I¡¯m not wealthy, I¡¯m not that smart, I¡¯m not a rock star or anything like that ¨C I¡¯m just some guy. Not trying to sound like, edgy or anything like that. I just honestly don¡¯t see how you all think I¡¯m so special.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, you just are to us! Deal with it, my hero. Whether you understand it or not, we all love you!¡± ¡°Yeah. We love you and you¡¯re special to us,¡± Serra says, hugging herself against Fenrir¡¯s arm as he carries Azalabulia on his back with her breasts pressed against the back of his head. ¡°You¡¯re both crazy,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Crazy in love with you.¡± Fenrir may be trying to walk fast enough so that they can¡¯t see how much he¡¯s blushing right now, but that just makes it even easier for them to see his tail wagging behind him. He doesn¡¯t even notice that it¡¯s wagging, either. Having a tail makes hiding emotions difficult. ¡°I¡¯ll still try to become better for you all,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You are so silly, my hero. You do not need to become better in the slightest! You are already more than wonderful,¡± Nell says. ¡°I¡¯m still going to try. I want to actually be worthy of all your love.¡± ¡°My hero. You are going to anger me if you continue speaking as if you are the one who does not deserve us rather than the other way around. Let us all put aside our insecurities and be happy in our love for one another, yes?¡± Fenrir feels Nell squeezing his arm with a death grip until he agrees. ¡°Alright, I surrender. I¡¯m totally awesome and you should all be on your knees begging me for my attention,¡± he jokes. ¡°That is more like it, my hero! While I may not be able to get on my knees for you in reality, I would be more than happy to beg you on my knees whenever you wish here!¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably perverting that, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Must you really ask that?¡± Serra says, ¡°I¡¯ve got the knees covered in real life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both crazy,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Then you must be just as crazy for dating us!¡± Nell teases. ¡°Oh,¡± Serra says, ¡°I forgot. Azz Azz has been back for a while.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Fenrir asks, turning his head to try and get a look at Azalabulia¡¯s face. Yep. Her eyes are open and she¡¯s blushing. ¡°Why am I carrying you if you¡¯re awake?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°B-b-because,¡± Azalabulia stutters out. If Azalabulia wants to play it like this, and even had the nerve to just wake on him like that earlier, then Fenrir can muster up the courage to tease her a little bit. Plus, strangely enough, having his girlfriends here gives him more confidence to do so. Especially after they were both just agreeing to get on their knees and beg him for how awesome he supposedly is. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Feeling your boobs against the back of my head is pretty nice.¡± Azalabulia turns even redder. ¡°U-uh, I ¨C I, ah, uh¡­¡± Azalabulia stutters, having no idea how to respond. ¡°If you wish to join us, Aza, then you must learn to deal with this foul man¡¯s perverted desires! He will likely require contact with your breasts on a constant basis every day,¡± Nell joins in, helping her boyfriend tease. Serra helps out by saying, ¡°Yeah. He loves boobs. All he ever talks about is how huge your boobs are and how much he wants to put his di¡ª" ¡°Hey,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°she just went limp again. Did she wake again?¡± Serra and Nell look up at her. ¡°Yep,¡± Serra says. ¡°She appears to no longer be with us,¡± Nell says. Meanwhile in reality, that same woman too old to be fangirling from before is now removing her virtual reality headset to splash the glass of water next to her bed onto her face. Book 4: Chapter 39: Patch 7.0: Azalabulia ends up not coming back to the game for a while. Fenrir has been worrying about her, thinking that he might have done something wrong and that she¡¯s never going to come back because of him, but his girlfriends assure him that he did nothing wrong. They also convince him that she¡¯s probably just way too flustered and embarrassed to face any of them right now. While he can believe that, it doesn¡¯t make him not feel bad for making her feel that way. He doesn¡¯t want her to feel so embarrassed that she can¡¯t face any of them. Then again, she did agree to trick him into kissing her which was embarrassing to him when he first found out about it. Cassiel couldn¡¯t help but sigh when she first heard about it. She wasn¡¯t too happy about being left out of this somewhat important plan, but now she just finds the whole thing amusing whenever she looks over at Fenrir and imagines Azalabulia waking on him while they were kissing. While they may want Azalabulia to come back since they all feel a bit guilty at this point, including Cassiel by association of dating the people who lead to her waking in a panic, Tabitha and Rao are pretty happy with it. It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t like her, but everybody is much less distracted with her not around. They can actually get a good amount of work done with Azalabulia being out of the game. To even their own surprise, they manage to get Serra and Nell to help them out! Without somebody to tease and plot with, Serra and Nell have nothing better to do. They could tease Fenrir some more, but they already feel as if they¡¯ve done enough to him for the day. He needs at least a couple of hours to relax before they figure something out to get him involved in. With the rest of the day to build peacefully ¨C well, as peacefully as possible when it comes to Fenrir and his girlfriends, the group completes the dock for The Shoebill and flatten some land using shovels that Tabitha made on the spot. This flattened land, according to Rao and Tabitha, is meant to serve as some temporary housing that will later on be upgraded into warehouses for the dock. The dock will also be upgraded into a proper harbor when the time calls for that. ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡± Fenrir asks Tabitha and Rao. ¡°We¡¯re goin¡¯ to have to get our hands on some stone. Havin¡¯ a sturdy foundation is important,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°I should be able to get us some concrete going as long as those mountains have everything we need,¡± Rao says. ¡°And last I checked, they do. So, yeah, bro, we¡¯ve got some mining to do.¡± ¡°Yay,¡± Fenrir says in a monotone voice. ¡°But yeah, alright. Some mining might be fun. Kind of. But, seriously, you can make concrete? Isn¡¯t concrete kind of a modern thing?¡± ¡°Bro, humans have been making concrete for thousands of years. Even the Romans used concrete.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°You need to go back to school.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like they teach the history of concrete in regular schools.¡± ¡°They should! What kind of kids these days don¡¯t know that stuff?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Twenty-seven.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only a few years older than me.¡± ¡°Man, a lot¡¯s changed then in a few years.¡± ¡°You just have a hard-on for architecture. I promise you that teaching kids about concrete wasn¡¯t in regular schools back when you were going through them.¡± ¡°Did your parents at least teach you about it?¡± ¡°Let me guess, your parents love that sort of stuff, too?¡± ¡°Yeah, bro. Dad¡¯s an architect, mom¡¯s an electrical engineer. I started learning this stuff when I was a kid.¡± Fenrir sees Tabitha nodding her head with her arms crossed over her chest. When she notices him looking at her, she says, ¡°Yep, yep. Pa¡¯s an inventor and Ma¡¯s an aerospace engineer. I take more after Pa if it ain¡¯t obvious.¡± ¡°Sounds like you two are perfect for each other,¡± Fenrir teases them. Rao and Tabitha look at each other, then back at Fenrir, and cringe. ¡°Bro, that¡¯s gross. Look at her. She looks like a little girl,¡± Rao says. ¡°Ya really think I¡¯d want to get with some punk like him who just wants to put his wrench in the first hole he sees? I don¡¯t need romance as long as I¡¯ve got my toys,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°When you say toys, do you mean, like, you make your own?¡± Fenrir asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. Tabitha glares at him as she takes her hammer off of her back, extending it to its full size. ¡°I mean toys like this, ya perverted dog. The pleasure of creatin¡¯ new things is the only pleasure I need.¡± ¡°I mean, technically, sex can create¡ª¡± ¡°Oi. Ya wanna keep on talkin¡¯ like a pervert to a girl who looks underage?¡± Tabitha says, twirling her hammer around with only one hand. ¡°I mean, you just look like that. You¡¯ve got to be at least eighteen if you¡¯re playing this, so I don¡¯t feel guilty. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d have sex with you even if you wanted to.¡± ¡°Good dog. Ya better not be one of those lolicons or whatever they¡¯re called.¡± Memories of certain doujins that Fenrir couldn¡¯t resist looking through pop into his head. ¡°Ye-yeah. Definitely not. I mean, just look at my girlfriends,¡± he says. Tabitha looks over at them, focusing her eyes on Serra who¡¯s lying on her back with her shirt pulled up revealing her slender stomach. ¡°Ya sure about that?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Borderline lolis don¡¯t count,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Bro,¡± Rao says. Tabitha looks at Nell now. While Nell may be taller and actually have a chest, she still dresses and acts like a little¡ªalbeit perverted¡ªprincess most of the time. She dresses like a girl who never grew out of the stage of pretending to be a princess. ¡°Ya sure about that?¡± Tabitha asks Fenrir. ¡°Being mentally childish doesn¡¯t count, and her perverted fantasies make her an adult no matter what,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Bro,¡± Rao says. Now, Tabitha looks at Cassiel. Cassiel looks back when she sees everybody looking at her and tilts her head. ¡°Alright, ya get a pass on her,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Nice, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°Thanks,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°But I¡¯m still judgin¡¯ ya for those other two. If the shortie was an inch shorter then I¡¯d be callin¡¯ the cops on ya,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Oh no, onii-chan! The lolice are going to come for you,¡± Saya mentally teases Fenrir. ¡°They¡¯ll never catch me nor my hard drive alive,¡± Fenrir plays along in his thoughts, earning a chuckle from Saya. ¡°Anyways,¡± he says out loud, ¡°want to go get some mining done? I think we¡¯ve still got some time left before it¡¯s dark, and we should be able to get up there in time.¡± ¡°Might as well!¡± Tabitha says. With that, everybody boards The Shoebill once more, leaving most of the logs piled up near the flattened land, and they sail up the river. The few logs that they bring with them are used by Tabitha to make some pickaxes as they sail. She made those cheap and easy pickaxes beforehand but, now that they¡¯ve got some steel oak, she can make proper pickaxes that are going to last for more than a few swings each. Unfortunately, the only ones who can actually stomach mining are Fenrir, Tabitha, Rao, and Cassiel. Oleander wants to help but is too weak and realizes he should probably work on that. Serra and Nell just can¡¯t stand the idea of mining. Instead, they help out by carrying any chunks of rock and metal that get mined back to The Shoebill. Fenrir realizes something extremely important. ¡°Wait a second,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Rao¡­ you can shrink stuff, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Only chests and other containers. Why, bro?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we just loading everything into containers then and having you shrink them so we can easily move everything around?¡± Everybody stops what they¡¯re doing to look at Rao. ¡°That¡¯d be a good idea, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°And¡­ did we ever even open that chest we got from underneath that monkey boss thing in the water?¡± Fenrir asks. Rao digs around in his pockets, pulls the chest out, and looks down at it. ¡°Huh. Completely forgot that was in there. You kinda forget you¡¯ve got stuff like this when you can shrink it down so small. You know what they say, bro. Out of sight, out of mind.¡± Everybody feels a varying level of need to hurt Rao. ¡°Well, at least we¡¯ve remembered now. Let¡¯s open this chest to finally see what¡¯s in it. Then we can load it up with stone,¡± Fenrir proposes. Rao nods, sets the chest down on the ground, and then places his hands against it to increase it to its original size. Getting to open a brand new chest right now isn¡¯t even satisfying to any of them. All they can think about is how much trouble they could have saved if Rao would have thought of using his magic sooner. Book 4: Chapter 40: Patch 7.0: ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s it?¡± Fenrir asks as the group all looks down into the opened chest. Sure, it¡¯s a giant pile of coins and a mask that looks like a monkey¡¯s head with horns sticking out from the sides of it, but¡­ Everybody sighs. ¡°All that trouble for this,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Oi, are ya all forgettin¡¯ how poor we technically are? Well, we ain¡¯t anymore!¡± Tabitha says, pulling the mask out of the chest to toss it aside so that she can climb into the chest and cuddle with the shiny, gold coins. ¡°Ah,¡± she happily sighs, ¡°if there¡¯s one thing in life better than engineerin¡¯, it¡¯s money.¡± Fenrir shuts the lid of the chest while Tabitha is still inside of it. ¡°O-oi! What do you think you¡¯re doin¡¯?!¡± Tabitha shouts, her voice muffled from within the chest. ¡°Rao, this is important,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Rao with a serious expression. It might be the most serious expression that Rao has ever seen come from him before. ¡°What is it, bro?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Shrink the chest.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Shrink it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see what happens to Tabs?¡± A lightbulb pops above Rao¡¯s head as he looks down at the chest. ¡°Now that you say it, I¡¯ve never tried shrinking something while somebody¡¯s inside of it.¡± ¡°I can hear what you¡¯re sayin¡¯!¡± Tabitha shouts, pounding against the lid to try and break free. ¡°Hurry up,¡± Fenrir orders Rao. Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends are just looking on in both shock that their boyfriend would force something like this onto Tabitha and curiosity because they also really want to know what will happen. Rao places his hands on the chest. It shrinks down to the size of a peanut. ¡°It¡­ it worked,¡± Rao says. Everybody surrounds the shrunken chest, looking down at it. It¡¯s rocking around on the ground as if something ¨C somebody within is trying to break free. ¡°Open it,¡± Fenrir says. Rao gulps, crouches down, and flicks open the lid with one of his fingers. Surely enough, a super tiny Tabitha is inside of the chest shouting all manners of insults up at the two behind the plan to shrink her. They can¡¯t actually tell what she¡¯s saying, but they can hear her high-pitched, angry shouts. Tabitha then climbs out of the chest and instantly gets returned to her real size. Rao says, ¡°That¡¯s kind of disappointing, but I guess it makes sen¡ª¡± Tabitha¡¯s hammer swings into him and sends him flying away into the river. Fenrir grabs Serra by her shoulders and holds her in front of him. ¡°Really, ya crazy dog? You¡¯re goin¡¯ to hide behind your girl like that?¡± Tabitha asks him. ¡°I¡¯ve been soaked enough today. You know how long it takes for my tail and ears to dry?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about this,¡± Serra says. Nell and Cassiel both nod in agreement with Serra. ¡°Listen. None of you have my fluff. You would understand if you had any fluff. Cass, go become a dog girl for me and then you¡¯ll understand how much it sucks to get soaked,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°H-hey, it¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like that¡¯s something I¡¯d want to do,¡± Cassiel says. Everybody pauses to look at her so that she can know they all see right through her. Cassiel blushes and looks away. The group returns to judging Fenrir for hiding behind his munchkin girlfriend. ¡°Listen here, dog boy,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll be when you¡¯re asleep. Maybe I¡¯ll get ya when you¡¯re just walkin¡¯ around without keepin¡¯ an eye out. Maybe I¡¯ll just walk right up to your face from the front when nobody is around for you to hide behind. No matter what, dog boy, I will be gettin¡¯ my revenge for this.¡± ¡°All ¨C all I did was perform some science. You¡¯re an engineer, so you should know the importance of science!¡± Fenrir tries to justify his actions. ¡°I ain¡¯t buyin¡¯ it. Ya don¡¯t just go around putting small girls half your size into trunks! Ya know who does that? Sex slave traders. You a sex slave trader, dog boy?¡± ¡°To Nell¡¯s disappointment, no.¡± Nell sighs. ¡°Then ya don¡¯t go and shove little girls into chests!¡± Tabitha says, tightly gripping the handle of her hammer. ¡°In my defense, you climbed into it yourself,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°There was money in there! Ya think I can resist that?¡± ¡°So¡­ it was like luring you in with a bunch of free candy?¡± ¡°Ya know you¡¯re just provin¡¯ my point now that you¡¯re some sort of sick dog pedo, right?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a lolicon. It¡¯s not my fault that I have been enjoying doujins before with adult characters and then the next page suddenly has a loli on it without any warning.¡± They¡¯re all judging him again. Meanwhile, Oleander and Corwin are whispering something to one another. ¡°Alright! We¡¯ve got an idea!¡± Oleander announces. Tabitha redirects her glare from Fenrir to Oleander. ¡°What¡¯d that be?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Since you all keep complaining about us being too obvious, we¡¯ll just use Rao to shrink us down in a chest to have fun in private!¡± Oleander explains, a smug, confident smile on his face as if he¡¯s just thought of an incredible plan. ¡°Besides! Think of the kind of kinky fun that can happen with changing siz¡ª¡± Tabitha¡¯s hammer sends both Oleander and Corwin into the river with a single swing. She returns her direction to Fenrir now that he¡¯s the only man left. ¡°Step aside, Serra,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Serra replies. ¡°He¡¯s holding me too tightly.¡± ¡°Oi, ya really that messed up in the head?¡± Tabitha asks Fenrir. Fenrir shakes his head and says, ¡°No, I¡¯m just protecting myse¡ª¡± He lets go of Serra and runs! Tabitha¡¯s hammer flies into him from behind, smacking him down to the ground head-first. Cassiel, Serra, and Nell blink their eyes a few times to try and figure out what just happened as Tabitha dusts her hands off. ¡°I¡¯ve still got it in me. Was originally thinkin¡¯ about usin¡¯ my hammer as a ranged weapon like this, but it¡¯s more satisfyin¡¯ to hit ¡®em up close and personal. I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to that punk, though,¡± Tabitha explains to Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends. ¡°By the way¡­ none of ya tried talkin¡¯ him out of it.¡± All three girlfriends take a step back. ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t worry about it. Us girls gotta stick together against those fools and lolicons,¡± Tabitha says with her arms crossed over her chest. They¡¯re all too intimidated to do anything but nod their heads and agree with her. Eventually, the group reassembles with each of the men being in various forms of pain. Rao¡¯s entire body hurts since he got the most of Tabitha¡¯s anger directed into her attack. Corwin is more or less fine except for being soaked in water since Oleander is the one who got hit, and Corwin was standing behind him. As for Fenrir ¨C well, now his back hurts in-game as much as it does back in reality. ¡°Now, what do you all have to say for yourselves?¡± Tabitha asks as each man sits on his knees in front of her. ¡°I hope you ladies are takin¡¯ notes,¡± she tells the three girlfriends. ¡°Sorry for shrinking you,¡± Rao says. ¡°Sorry for not closing that doujin when the loli came out of nowhere,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Sorry for being a pervert¡­ kind of,¡± Oleander says. Tabitha taps on her hammer while glaring down at Oleander. ¡°Fine! Sorry for being a pervert.¡± ¡°Good boys,¡± Tabitha says before strapping her hammer onto her back once more. ¡°Now, if you are all gonna behave, let¡¯s start loadin¡¯ up these stones into this chest here.¡± ¡°What about the mask?¡± Nell asks as she picks the odd mask up off of the ground. Then she looks at Fenrir with a look in her eyes that tells everybody exactly what she¡¯s thinking. ¡°I¡¯m not going to wear that during sex,¡± Fenrir says. Nell pouts and brings out her most effective weapon: wide, teary eyes. ¡°Fi-fine,¡± Fenrir gives in almost immediately. Nell¡¯s tears disappear as immediately as Fenrir gave in and she toses the mask back into the chest. ¡°By the way, how much coin do you think is in there?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°At least a few hundred gold, even more silver, and I don¡¯t think I saw any platinum,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°Damn, that really would have been a lot for us back at the port. Not much use for it now, though.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t there other towns along this coast? We could always trade for whatever we need. Gonna need some livestock, after all, and I doubt any of us know how to go out and tame some pigs to bring back here.¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s right. Plus, we should probably figure out where our hopefully-friends and potentially-enemies are.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Oleander agrees, getting into his strategy mindset alongside Fenrir. ¡°We need to figure out who might be a threat to us, where they are, what their defenses and weaknesses are, figure out their strength, maybe get some traps ready just in case¡­ figure out where to aim most of our defenses.¡± ¡°Maybe we should build farther up the river after all so that we¡¯re less at risk from any potential ships, but then that¡¯d be cutting the serpent off from supporting us. She could help us defend against hostile ships if we stay close to the coast.¡± ¡°Right. What we really need to defend against is attack via land and potentially air since mounts like Shogun exist.¡± ¡°We could build a cannon like the one in that other game we played. It just fires shrapnel in whichever direction it¡¯s pointed in and puts holes in anything in the sky. Can also be used against ground forces, and we¡¯ll have traps to assist against them.¡± ¡°That could work, but¡ª¡± ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says, ¡°I thought we were buildin¡¯ a friendly city, not one to wage war against everybody?¡± Fenrir and Oleander look at each other. ¡°Old habits die hard,¡± Fenrir says. Rao says, ¡°You guys suck.¡± Book 4: Chapter 41: Patch 7.0: Thanks to the chest from the dungeon and the chest from the roaming boss, transporting materials to and from The Shoebill is far easier than it was earlier with the logs. There is at least one hundred percent fewer exploding wagons, too. ¡°Yo, Shogun,¡± Rao says once they''re all back on The Shoebill. ¡°You up for goin¡¯ for a fly?¡± Shogun yips and wags his tail. ¡°Is that like the flying fox version of asking a dog if they want to go on a walk?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock walks up to Fenrir and starts wagging her tail and staring up at him since she heard the word ¡°walk.¡± ¡°Basically,¡± Rao says as he gets onto Shogun¡¯s back. ¡°We¡¯re gonna go fly around and look for where other towns might be.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We didn¡¯t see anything coming up along the coast, so you¡¯ll probably have to look either farther inland if you look south or just go up along the coast some more.¡± ¡°Aight. Catch you all later. We¡¯ll come back to where we¡¯re setting up shop,¡± Rao says before signaling Shogun to take off. Shogun and Rock nuzzle their heads together for a few seconds before Shogun lifts up into the air with his wings. Rock whines as soon as she¡¯s deprived of Shogun¡¯s presence. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m still here for you,¡± Fenrir tells Rock, petting her on the top of her head. Fortunately for Fenrir¡¯s pride, Rock cheers up, wags her tail, and licks his hand to thank him. He would have been crushed if he couldn¡¯t cheer her up. ¡°Hopefully that dumb teacher doesn¡¯t try and pull a catgirl by never comin¡¯ back on,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°She¡¯ll be back. Probably,¡± Serra says. ¡°What happened to make her leave all of a sudden anyways?¡± ¡°Fenny sexually harassed her.¡± Tabitha glares up at Fenrir and says, ¡°Oi.¡± ¡°I ¨C I swear I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, he did not do too much,¡± Nell says. ¡°He only groped her breasts and kissed her.¡± ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha repeats herself, her glare more intense than before. ¡°It was their plan!¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°They blindfolded me and tricked me into thinking I was kissing Nell, and then when the blindfold came loose, it was Aza and they ran away!¡± ¡°Ya really think I¡¯m goin¡¯ to buy that you fell for one of that princess¡¯s delusional plans?¡± ¡°I ¨C I did!¡± ¡°So, you actually trusted that she wanted to blindfold ya just to kiss ya, and that nothin¡¯ else was goin¡¯ to happen?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. I swear. That¡­ probably makes me sound really stupid now that I think about it, but I trusted her.¡± ¡°And the gropin¡¯ part?¡± Fenrir looks away and scratches his cheek. ¡°We-well¡­ I ¨C I figured it¡¯d be okay.¡± ¡°Ya know, if I send ya flyin¡¯ right now, there won¡¯t be any fox to go and pick ya up if we keep sailin¡¯ down the river. You¡¯ll be left to run back the rest of the way yourself.¡± ¡°Please no.¡± Tabitha lets out a loud, exaggerated sigh before shrugging and saying, ¡°Ya better hope ya didn¡¯t traumatize her to never come back on. I¡¯ll be needin¡¯ her magic for my rocket tower.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re really serious about that, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Am I ever not serious?¡± ¡°Fair enough. Also, you,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Serra, ¡°don¡¯t go saying I¡¯m sexually harassing people when you¡¯re the one who set me up.¡± ¡°Sexual harasser Fenny,¡± Serra says. Oleander sniffles and wipes false tears from his eyes. ¡°Where did I go wrong raising you, Fenny?¡± he asks. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be proud if you raised me to be like this?¡± Fenrir asks Oleander. ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a good point! Yep. I¡¯m proud of you, Fenny, my boy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just weird.¡± ¡°You want weird? Then come to daddy,¡± Oleander says, biting his lower lip and giving Fenrir a lustful gaze. Fenrir grabs Serra¡¯s shoulders to hide behind her again. ¡°But I wanna watch this,¡± Serra says. ¡°It would be a rather delightful show,¡± Nell agrees, nodding her head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to feel about this, but¡­ maybe,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Can you all stop shipping me with Olly? We¡¯re both taken, and I¡¯m taken with all of you,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°He¡¯s right! I might like to tease my Fenny, but my Cor is the only one really getting anything from me!¡± Oleander says, wrapping his arms around Corwin and nuzzling his face against Corwin¡¯s abdomen. ¡°O-Olly, please, you do not need to grab me so crudely in front of the others,¡± Corwin says. Nell and Serra take a peek behind Corwin to see where exactly Oleander is grabbing. Serra nods and gives a thumbs-up to Oleander while Nell blushes and nods her head. ¡°You know you like it,¡± Oleander teases. ¡°That ¨C that may not be incorrect, but still,¡± Corwin whines as he wiggles around within Oleander¡¯s grasp. Fenrir helps out Corwin by grabbing both Serra and Nell by the backs of their clothes, pulling them away so that they can no longer watch Oleander¡¯s own sexual harassment of his boyfriend. ¡°Am I the only one not obsessed with those things on this boat?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Probably,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°This is what happens when you join a crew full of lovers.¡± ¡°In my defense, those two boys were the only ones datin¡¯ when I joined.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, it was pretty obvious you, shortie, and blondie all liked each other when I joined, but none of ya were datin¡¯ yet. I had no idea ya planned on addin¡¯ the princess here to your little harem, either. Then there was the cat and Red. Now there¡¯s the teacher. Anybody who joins this crew apparently either falls for ya or is tryin¡¯ to get his own harem.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°Am I ever?¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t think of a single time you¡¯ve ever been wrong.¡± Tabitha smiles a smug smile and crosses her arms over her chest. ¡°Course ya can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be wrong eventually. And, when you are wrong, I¡¯m going to make sure to never forget it. I¡¯ll never let you forget it, either,¡± Fenrir declares, officially challenging the short engineer. ¡°Have fun bein¡¯ wrong again,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Fen, I don¡¯t think you can win this one,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Nope. Now it¡¯s a challenge. I¡¯m going to make her wrong one way or another,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Watch. Tabs, close your eyes.¡± Tabitha smiles and closes her eyes. ¡°Now, without opening your eyes, how many fingers am I holding up?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°None,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°Shit. Okay, how about now?¡± ¡°Ten.¡± ¡°H-how? Now?¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°I give up. You¡¯re a hacker and I¡¯m reporting you.¡± Tabitha opens her eyes and grins. Fenrir looks at his girlfriends. None of them are around Tabitha, so they couldn¡¯t have been giving her any hints. Though¡­ maybe she can somehow see through her eyelids? ¡°Let¡¯s try again,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Whatever ya want, dog boy,¡± Tabitha says and shuts her eyes. Fenrir moves behind Tabitha, checks her out to make sure she¡¯s not cheating at all, and holds up seven fingers. ¡°How about now?¡± he asks. ¡°Fi¡ªjust kidding. Seven,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°Seriously, how are you doing it?¡± ¡°Girls have eyes on the backs of their heads.¡± ¡°I thought that only applied to moms?¡± ¡°I feel like a mom around here when I¡¯m the only one not chasin¡¯ tail. Ya need to learn what¡¯s really worth chasin¡¯. Like coin!¡± ¡°But seriously, are you psychic? Do you have some magical abilities you¡¯re not telling us about?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then how could you tell exactly how many fingers I was holding up every single time?¡± ¡°Lucky guessin¡¯, dog boy. I figured ya¡¯d try to trick me with none at first, then ya went from none to all, then I figured ya¡¯d go for an odd number like three or seven so that was fifty-fifty chance, and then I knew ya would try it again but the other number. You¡¯re more predictable than ya might think ya are.¡± ¡°Am¡­ am I predictable?¡± Fenrir asks, sounding deflated as he turns around to look at his girlfriends. ¡°W-well, you are not unpredictable, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Olly?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re kinda predictable when it comes to anything other than griefing,¡± Oleander says. Fenrir had no idea that he was so predictable. Doesn¡¯t that make him boring? Is he a boring person? He¡¯s going to have to try and become more unpredictable, especially for his girlfriends. ¡°You¡¯re thinking you want to be more unpredictable, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cassiel asks. Fenrir goes pale. ¡°I ¨C I really am that predictable, aren¡¯t I?¡± he asks. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says. ¡°It makes it easier to bully you.¡± ¡°Though, a bit of unpredictability could be nice, such as if you suddenly go on a feral rampage as we try to sleep!¡± Nell says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Tabitha says, patting Fenrir on his back. ¡°Ya¡¯ve been predictable this entire time. I doubt they¡¯d still be with ya if that was a problem.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be unpredictable.¡± His girlfriends may be saying that, but it doesn¡¯t mean that Fenrir isn¡¯t going to try his best to become less predictable. ¡°You¡¯re still thinking you want to try and become less predictable, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cassiel asks. Fenrir walks over to The Shoebill¡¯s railing and climbs up onto it. Book 4: Chapter 42: Patch 7.0: Having made it back to the site for their future town, the crew is getting to work unloading materials from The Shoebill when Rao returns with Shogun. ¡°Find anything?¡± Fenrir asks, still feeling deflated from just how predictable he is. Him climbing up onto The Shoebill¡¯s railing for comedic effect completely backfired on him when everybody called out that he wouldn¡¯t actually jump overboard, and then he didn¡¯t do it even after threatening to. ¡°Yo, and yeah. Pretty big town to our north. They seemed friendly. Were waving to me when they saw me flying over, and nobody tried shooting me down, so they can¡¯t be too bad,¡± Rao explains. ¡°Maybe they just wanted to lure ya in and trap ya?¡± Tabitha suggests. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe. They looked nice, though.¡± ¡°Did you say anything to them by any chance?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Nah, bro. I just flew around and checked things out,¡± Rao explains. ¡°They probably thought you were really suspicious.¡± ¡°Why? I was just flying with Shogun.¡± ¡°I¡¯d assume you were the scout of a potential threat if you were doing that to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re paranoid.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re just too trusting.¡± ¡°Am not!¡± ¡°Hey, Rao. How many of the griefers that have messed with you were people pretending to be your friends?¡± ¡°Most of them. It¡¯s the only way they could find out where I kept on hiding. Why?¡± Everybody looks at Rao in disbelief of just how truly gullible he is. Even Serra is pitying him. And, for once, Tabitha looks like she wants to comfort him rather than smack him away with her hammer. She doesn¡¯t, of course, but she looks like she kind of wants to. ¡°Well, we should deal with them sooner rather than later. They might not appreciate us setting up shop here, so if they¡¯re going to be annoying threats, it¡¯s best to find that out soon,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Bro, not everybody is out to get you,¡± Rao says. ¡°I¡¯m starting to understand how and why you got griefed so much. You¡¯re still too trusting even after all those times.¡± ¡°Should I not trust you?¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean, yeah, you can trust me, but you don¡¯t know if you can trust others. Are you forgetting what happened when you trusted that Olly is a girl?¡± ¡°Fair, bro. Fair. But, I think I¡¯m fine. You¡¯re here to call out the untrustworthy punks now! Plus that explosion girl with the huge chest can blow them up if they try to do anything to us.¡± ¡°Oi, it ain¡¯t polite to refer to girls by their chest size,¡± Tabitha scolds Rao. Rao, being stupid enough to dare and stand up for himself against Tabitha, asks, ¡°You jealous?¡± Tabitha takes her hammer off of her back and taps its blunt end against her free hand. ¡°Ya know I could¡¯ve made myself whatever size I wanted to, right?¡± she asks. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ yeah,¡± Rao answers, all of his confidence to stand up for himself now gone as he backs away. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we need ya to lead the dog to where that town was.¡± ¡°I guess we really should try to get that done with right away. Was it on the coast, Rao?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah. Looked like they had a harbor, so we could sail up to save some time. Would probably take a day to walk up there, and I don¡¯t think Shogun could handle flying us back and forth,¡± Rao answers. ¡°We really need to get some faster ground transportation. I don¡¯t suppose you were able to see horses or anything up there?¡± ¡°Actually, yeah. I did.¡± ¡°We might be able to convince them to part with some of their horses then. We do have all that coin now.¡± ¡°Oi, what¡¯s this about my coin?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°You¡¯re the logical one, Tabs,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You know we can¡¯t hold onto the coin forever. If we can use it for something useful, we¡¯ve got to use it.¡± For the first time, Tabitha acts how she looks by crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her feet. But, she calms down and sighs before long and says, ¡°Fine. Only because I don¡¯t want to spend months doin¡¯ this the hard way. We might as well make life easier on ourselves.¡± ¡°So, how do we want to do this then?¡± Olly chimes in and says, ¡°Well, Rao said it¡¯s on the coast, so we don¡¯t really need him to lead the way. We can leave Tabs, Rao, Cass, and Nell here to build while the rest of us head up to the town.¡± Fenrir looks around. They may not have encountered any monsters nor other threats since their arrival to this area, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s not going to be concerned about leaving his girlfriends here without his protection. Then again, both of them are more than capable of handling themselves, and they have Tabitha in case anything goes wrong. As much as Fenrir doesn¡¯t want to admit that the shortest, most loli member of his crew is the strongest, he can¡¯t deny it. Tabitha is, by far, the strongest fighter that they have. Her small figure is way too effectively deceptive. ¡°Well, I guess we might as well go and get that done with,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You have three hours!¡± Nell says. ¡°Before what?¡± ¡°Before gaming time is over for the day!¡± ¡°Have you been keeping track? Doesn¡¯t feel like that much time has passed.¡± ¡°It does not matter, my hero. Your girlfriends are always right!¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Alright, I¡¯ll be back within three hours,¡± Fenrir says before kissing both Nell and Cassiel. Serra, despite coming with him, also asks for a kiss and gets one. When Fenrir turns around, he sees Oleander standing on the tips of his toes with closed eyes and puckered lips. Fenrir flicks him in the forehead and steps aboard The Shoebill. Tabitha, Rao, Cassiel, and Nell are left behind to get started on building as the rest head toward the town that Rao spotted earlier. With good winds and Tabitha¡¯s engine, the wooden walls of the other town come into sight before long. Somebody posted in a guard tower even flashes a light at The Shoebill after noticing the vessel. ¡°That was faster than I thought it¡¯d take,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Why are they flashing us?¡± Serra asks. ¡°To welcome us, I hope.¡± ¡°Or to tell us that they¡¯ll kill us if we come any closer!¡± Oleander shouts from The Shoebill¡¯s wheel. ¡°Well, they¡¯re not doing anything threatening, and Rao said they seemed friendly enough, so¡­ let¡¯s try and show some good faith,¡± Fenrir suggest as he pulls the cannons back. Serra and Corwin work together to pull the other cannons back as well. ¡°Rao didn¡¯t mention this part,¡± Fenrir says as a new sight comes into their vision. The town¡¯s wall completely surrounds whatever is within, and the town even extends out into the water and has to rely on a gate built into the wall to let vessels come and go from the harbor. The entire length of the wall in the water, save for the gated section, has breakwaters stacked up against it and spreading out into the water. ¡°What are those?¡± Serra asks. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks back. ¡°The¡­ triangle things?¡± ¡°The stuff along the wall? They¡¯re used to break up waves. Waves will break on them instead of hitting the wall at full force, I¡¯m guessing. If these guys have put up a wall in the water and have those all around it¡­ I¡¯m thinking we might need something similar. The waves must get pretty bad here.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Oleander says. ¡°The ocean is just as cruel in-game as it is in real life! I thought games are supposed to provide escapism?¡± ¡°You only care about games providing sex,¡± Fenrir retorts. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that.¡± A man standing on the wall above the gate waves at The Shoebill and signals them to come on in. ¡°They¡¯re either desperate for visitors or this is a trap and we¡¯re screwed,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We could always just park her out here,¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to swim to and from ¨C wait.¡± Fenrir looks out to the ocean just in time to see a certain serpent swing her tail up over the surface. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got support, so we¡¯ll be fine. If we go down, she¡¯ll be taking this wall of theirs down,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Having a giant serpent friend is really useful,¡± Oleander says. ¡°She¡¯s best girl,¡± Serra says with a nod. With confidence from knowing that if they get attacked, their favorite non-humanoid serpent is here to avenge them, The Shoebill sails past the gate and into the calm waters of the town¡¯s harbor. While the town may not be anywhere as large as Port Tugator is, it puts a smaller settlement such as Coastedge to shame. More importantly, it brings a large smile to Fenrir¡¯s face. Why? Because almost every single boat in the harbor looks like it¡¯s meant for fishing. The harbor is full of people transporting fish and fishing supplies, the boats are lined with fishing rods and nets, and there¡¯s a station on the dock for some fishers to hang their catches from to measure and weigh them ¨C and, probably, to take screenshots with. Just from the harbor alone, Fenrir feels like he¡¯s at home and a burning desire to go fishing this very moment gets lit within him. Unfortunately, he has to take care of boring business stuff first. ¡°You totally trust them just because they¡¯re a bunch of fishers, don¡¯t you?¡± Oleander asks after noticing how excited Fenrir is. Fenrir may not realize it, but his ears are perking straight up and his tail is excitedly wagging behind him. Book 4: Chapter 43: Patch 7.0: ¡°They¡¯re waving us in over there,¡± Fenrir tells Oleander. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her close so that they can pull us in. It¡¯s pretty crowded here,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah. As busy and as huge as the city was, there was always plenty of space unless literally every boat was out at once.¡± They didn¡¯t see any boats out and about while they were coming into the city¡¯s harbor, and now they can tell why. They¡¯re all docked. The docks are absolutely full of vessels of various sizes and shapes, and it looks like a miracle that there is even a single slip open with enough space for The Shoebill. ¡°Got a real beaut there!¡± the man standing on the dock with rope in his hands shouts over to The Shoebill¡¯s crew. Serra positions herself behind Fenrir as he shouts back, ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°You talk to new people so easily,¡± Serra mumbles from behind Fenrir. ¡°You know, you didn¡¯t seem too shy back when we were in the city. In real life or in-game.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy when there¡¯s a bunch of other people because I don¡¯t stick out.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to show off my shortest girlfriend if she¡¯s hiding behind me?¡± Serra pouts and Fenrir feels her small hands smacking against his lower back. While right now definitely isn¡¯t the appropriate time to be thinking about this, Fenrir regrets not making himself just a few inches taller in-game. If he did, Serra would be at the perfect height whenever they are both standing up. Her head would be at the same height of his crotch. Though, what he¡¯s imagining is still possible thanks to the increased size that he gave himself in the necessary department. ¡°Where¡¯re you from?¡± the man on the dock asks as he tosses the rope over to Fenrir. Fenrir secures the rope on his end and answers with, ¡°Nowhere in particular, really.¡± ¡°Just roaming around then? Exploring?¡± ¡°You could say that. But, we¡¯re going to settle down over here, hopefully.¡± ¡°You mean in the town here? Sorry, but we¡¯re kind of limited here. It¡¯d be hard to find an open plot.¡± ¡°Actually, we¡¯re thinking of setting up our own town south from here.¡± ¡°That so? That¡¯d be great! We could always use some more business partners.¡± ¡°Are there any other towns around?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got one up north some more and one to the east on an island, but that¡¯s it. There were some more, but they¡¯ve been abandoned already. Not everybody can handle the weather here.¡± ¡°Hurricanes?¡± ¡°Close! It¡¯s what comes with the storms that scare everybody off,¡± the man explains. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I take it the folk to the west don¡¯t know about it yet?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re kind of new still, but we¡¯ve never heard anything about this place other than that it was basically abandoned by the larger factions.¡± ¡°Right, right. They always like to leave out the bits about the raging storms and the creatures that come in with them. You see these walls? They¡¯re for more than the wind and surge.¡± ¡°So vague,¡± Oleander says with a cutesy pout. ¡°Ah, apologies. Don¡¯t mean to be. Anyways¡ª¡± ¡°Oi!¡± another man shouts as he walks up toward The Shoebill. ¡°That flying guy with you lot by any chance?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Figured as much. It ain¡¯t often we see new folk around here, especially not in the same day. Tried waving him down to greet him, but he just flew away.¡± ¡°Sorry about that. He didn¡¯t mean to be rude or anything. We just sent him flying up here to see if he could find any towns.¡± ¡°Gotcha. Where¡¯s he at now? Ain¡¯t often we see flying mounts!¡± ¡°Back with our friends south of here,¡± Fenrir says despite Oleander trying to signal Fenrir not to say anything. While Fenrir may trust the men here, Oleander doesn¡¯t yet. Oleander would rather not give away all of their information for nothing in exchange, especially when that information is letting them know that they don¡¯t have all of their force with them. The weaker they appear, the more danger that they might be in. ¡°So, what brings you all here?¡± the second man asks. ¡°They want to build a new town south of here!¡± the first man asks. ¡°That so? Have you told them about the storms?¡± ¡°Yup. Doesn¡¯t seem to be bothering them too much, though.¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail would be wagging if it wasn¡¯t for Serra standing behind him with her hands gripping the back of his clothes, blocking his tail in and causing it to constantly brush up against her face. While she wasn¡¯t planning on trapping his tail like this, she doesn¡¯t regret it. Having something as soft, fluffy, and large as his tail brushing against her face just makes her feel happy and relaxed. She¡¯s starting to understand why her boyfriend is so obsessed with staying fluffy and clean all the time. Fluff looks nice, it feels nice, it makes her feel relaxed. Fluff is good for the soul. While Serra practically melts where she stands all thanks to the supreme fluff of Fenrir¡¯s wagging tail against her, Corwin stands next to Fenrir to join in on the conversation. ¡°What makes you want to build a town over here?¡± the second man asks. ¡°I want it to be a safe haven for AIs away from all the bullshit going on with all the faction-run cities, and I figured that it¡¯d be nice to be away from the factions in the first place. I don¡¯t have any interest in all that war stuff and political drama,¡± Fenrir explains. Oleander has to look away and try not to laugh from just how much of a lie that is. Or rather, it might not be a lie, but he knows that Fenrir loves those things when they actually pop up. He just likes to say that he doesn¡¯t love them now. ¡°You came to the right place then!¡± the first man says. ¡°No politics, no drama, and the only fighting that happens with us three towns is against the weather. Well, and anything that comes down from the mountains. Never know when a dragon is going to get cranky or want to go fishing.¡± Did Fenrir hear that correctly? Dragons fishing? Wait, his favorite serpent might be in trouble if a dragon goes fishing. But, as much as he¡¯s worried for the serpent, he¡¯s really excited to potentially get to see dragons. What if there are dragon monster girls? What if he can get one of his girlfriends, or all of them, to turn into dragon monster girls? With horns, wings, sharp fangs, maybe some scales here and there ¨C though, when he thinks about it, he can¡¯t imagine any of them as dragon girls. When Fenrir thinks of a dragon monster girl, he thinks tall, muscular, violent, fire-breathing, tomboyish, and spiky. None of his girlfriends really match those. Cassiel would be the closest to it since she used to be violent in her tsundere moments, but she¡¯s calmed down and wants to continue improving herself to be less violent. ¡°You alright there?¡± the first man asks Fenrir. Fenrir doesn¡¯t know it, but he¡¯s been standing in place, totally silent, for about a minute as he¡¯s been trying to picture his girlfriends as different types of monster girls the entire time. The only one who would probably even want to become like a dragon is Azalabulia, and ¨C wait, she¡¯s not even his girlfriend! Yet. He thinks. He isn¡¯t sure, actually. With how suddenly she woke from virtual reality earlier, he has no idea what their current standing with one another is. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Just lost in thought. You guys said dragons?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Aye. You see those mountains?¡± the second man asks, pointing beyond the town to the towering, snow-capped mountains in the distance. ¡°Everything beyond those peaks may as well be considered one massive, end-game raiding zone. You aren¡¯t going to find stronger monsters anywhere else except for the four, great serpents. Sometimes, they get bored of hanging around the mountains and come down here. They don¡¯t usually care about the towns, thankfully, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about your future town. Just gotta worry about the storms and what they bring.¡± ¡°Taming a giant dragon sounds fun,¡± Oleander says with his hands on the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve gotten to fly a dragon in a game.¡± ¡°They¡¯d probably try to eat you whole just for thinking about that, little deer.¡± Oleander¡¯s eyes go wide before he turns to look up at Corwin. ¡°Cor! I want you to call me that sometimes! It sounds super cute!¡± ¡°Al-alright, little deer,¡± Corwin says, earning a happy hug from Oleander. ¡°Anyways, uh, think it¡¯d be possible for us to maybe buy some horses, crops, and other tools and materials we might need? We¡¯ve got the coin to trade,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Sure, but not with coin,¡± the first man answers. ¡°We don¡¯t trade with coin around here.¡± ¡°How do you do business between towns then?¡± ¡°We trade with items, food, materials ¨C you know. For example, if you want a new shirt, you might go and trade a nice, big marlin for it.¡± ¡°So¡­ fish can basically be used as money here?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡± Fenrir now truly believes that this is Heaven. He has even more reasons to fish now. Book 4: Chapter 44: Patch 8.0: ¡°I get to use fish as currency,¡± Fenrir says to his three friends-and-girlfriend as they follow the two men from before to the town¡¯s center. The men said it would be good for them to have a meeting with the town¡¯s leader, so that¡¯s what Fenrir plans on doing now. ¡°We know. You¡¯ve already said it five times,¡± Oleander says with a sigh. ¡°And there are dragons!¡± ¡°We know that, too. You¡¯ve already said that three times.¡± ¡°Dragons that fish! What if I can befriend a giant dragon that wants to go fishing with me? I bet Tabs would get excited about the idea of making a custom fishing rod that a dragon could use.¡± ¡°Fenny, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse: your fishing obsession, the fact that you want to train a dragon to fish like a person, or your weeb-ness.¡± ¡°Hey, at least I¡¯m not combining my weeb-ness with the dragon fishing stuff. I could say I want an anime-styled, dragon monster girl to go fishing with.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s face it, Fenny, we all already know that you¡¯re thinking about that more seriously than a normal person should.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°Hah, you two are amusing. Glad to know that some friendly folk are wanting to build a new town instead of some asses,¡± one of the men says before readjusting his bandana after a gust of wind. ¡°Has it happened before?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Have assholes come up here trying to build?¡± ¡°Well, you could say that this town was originally founded by an asshole. Those of us who came to move here couldn¡¯t stand him, so we tossed him out and voted on a new leader. Some other ships have tried sailing up here to either pirate or settle, but we sunk them off the coast.¡± ¡°Good. So, is everybody as friendly as you guys?¡± ¡°Pretty much! Even the folk in the other towns are kind and respectful as long as you don¡¯t try to screw them over. The same goes for us. Be kind, be respectful, and there won¡¯t be any problems. You try screwing us, we screw you harder than you knew was possible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Oleander says, earning a laugh from the two men and Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all get along with us here just fine.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Fenrir says. The two men lead Fenrir¡¯s group to the center of the town where¡­ well, nothing too grand is here. They¡¯re used to the more ¡°official¡± buildings being large and fancy back in Port Tugator. But, here, what they¡¯re looking at is just some small house with a bunch of cats lazing around in the front yard. The cats all glare at Fenrir when they notice him, sticking their tails up and hissing at him. Canid instincts within Fenrir make him want to growl right back at them, maybe even bark. Instead of embarrassing himself, though, he asks, ¡°Is this the mayor¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yup! Lemme go knock on the door and see if he¡¯s on right now,¡± the man with the bandana says. None of the cats seem to mind him as he walks right through them all. They are all too busy trying to scare Fenrir off. He really wishes that Rock was here. Cats aren¡¯t strong enough to hurt Rock in any way, and she does love chasing after cats. Now that Fenrir thinks about it¡­ the cat back in Port Tugator that seemed interested in Rock has totally been betrayed. Rock ended up hooking up with Shogun ¨C a flying fox, instead of that cat. Fenrir actually feels bad for that cat now. He completely forgot about it because of the tournament, and now it¡¯s been left behind without its crush. He can¡¯t even remember if the cat was a boy or girl! Either way, the cat definitely seemed interested in Rock like a little kid bullying their crush. Now, that cat has no hope. All of its dreams have been crushed. Rock is with a fox now whether Fenrir likes it or not. What Fenrir doesn¡¯t know, however, is that the cat found a new dog to bully and tease no more than a day after not seeing Rock. Cats have no loyalty. Serra crouches down in front of the yard. A couple of cats cautiously walk up to her and then relax as soon as she starts to pet their heads. Then the rest of the cats gather around her. Despite having Fenrir¡¯s scent ¨C the scent of a dog on her, the cats seem capable of looking past that when it comes to the cuteness that is Serra. Serra looks up at Fenrir with a smug smile. Fenrir opens his mouth to say something about it, but the cats all return to glaring at him as soon as his lips part. This further cements within Fenrir¡¯s mind that cats are judgmental assholes and that dogs are the superior animal between the two. Dogs love everybody. They don¡¯t just judge some random person for merely existing. Even the ones who bark and snarl at people as they walk by will usually completely change attitude as soon as they¡¯re getting petted. But these cats, as soon as he crouches down and sticks a hand out to them, try to swipe at his hand as soon as it gets close. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them! They¡¯re just a bunch of little assholes,¡± a man says, his voice coming from the house. Fenrir looks over at the house and sees a man a little bit shorter than him wearing¡­ pajama pants, an opened robe that reveals his hairy chest, and a¡­ beanie? Fenrir knows that the virtual assistants in this game are supposed to try and make people stick to more lore-friendly language and looks, but¡­ they definitely failed in this case. ¡°You¡¯re some new faces. What brings you all here?¡± the man asks. ¡°Ah, and the name is King Cat. I¡¯m the mayor here!¡± Fenrir thinks about that for a second. He¡¯s the mayor, but he calls himself King Cat. Well, it¡¯s better than having a guild named Stinky Garlic. No matter how hard virtual assistants might try to make people stick to lore-appropriate naming conventions and the like, humans will forever choose silly names for themselves on the internet. This is just more proof than that. This man has an entire fantasy world to explore and be whoever he wants. Instead, he calls himself King Cat and dresses like a lazy, middle-aged dad in the morning who needs to drink coffee and read the newspaper. ¡°It¡¯s uh, nice to meet you, King Cat. I¡¯m Fenrir. This is my girlfriend, Serra, and these are my friends and crewmembers, Oleander and Corwin,¡± Fenrir says. The other three nod along at their introductions. ¡°I can see that Serra here is already popular with my peasants!¡± King Cat says. ¡°Can¡¯t blame them. You caught yourself a nice girlfriend there.¡± ¡°He has more,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I hope there aren¡¯t any single women in this village, because Fenny has a habit of somehow stealing their hearts with minimal effort.¡± ¡°H-hey now, I¡¯ve only got three, and it¡¯s not like I try to seduce every girl I see.¡± ¡°Four,¡± Serra says. ¡°Aza.¡± ¡°Alright. I only have three girlfriends and one pending.¡± ¡°You trying to make us jealous?¡± King Cat asks with a smile. ¡°Well! If you¡¯ve already got that many girlfriends, it means you¡¯re either a great man or some sort of sociopathic mass-murderer. Or a celebrity. Seriously, though. You ever hear those stories about guys killing hundreds of innocent folk, and then getting hundreds of love letters while in prison? I can¡¯t understand people.¡± ¡°Uhh, if I remember right, it¡¯s because they¡¯re attracted to the fame, taboo factor, and because they want to change them¡­ or something like that. I think,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hybristophilia! I believe that¡¯s the right name for it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s an actual fetish named after it?¡± ¡°Fenny, you should know that there¡¯s like, a name for every fetish,¡± Oleander says. King Cat explains, ¡°I only know the name because I dated a gal obsessed with crime shows. Don¡¯t think she ever wanted to screw a killer, but she sure loved watching shows about catching them.¡± Fenrir nods along at King Cat¡¯s words before realizing that¡­ this feels completely natural. Something about King Cat just relaxes him. Fenrir feels like he can talk to the other man about anything as if they¡¯ve been friends for a while. If these villagers kicked the founder out for being an asshole and voted somebody in on being kind and respectful, Fenrir understands why King Cat is their mayor now. ¡°So! Let¡¯s not talk about something so dark. We try to be wholesome around here. What¡¯re you all here for?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°Right. We¡¯re here because we figured we¡¯d check the place out and see who our neighbors are going to be. We want to set up a town south of here,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Is that so? Well, we¡¯ll be glad to have some new neighbors! That is, as long as you¡¯re kind and respectable folk.¡± ¡°I like to think that we¡¯re pretty nice.¡± ¡°As long as there aren¡¯t any assholes!¡± Oleander adds on. ¡°Yeah, that. We¡¯re nice as long as people don¡¯t try screwing us, which from what I¡¯ve heard, is similar to how things are here,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯ve got that right! Glad to know we¡¯re all on the same page. Now, how about you all come in and have some coffee? Guarantee you that I can brew the best coffee you¡¯ve ever had.¡± That confirms it. Fenrir is dealing with a dad. Book 4: Chapter 45: Patch 8.0: While King Cat¡¯s house may be small, it has a dining room large enough to fit a massive table with enough chairs around it for over a dozen people! ¡°This here is my office!¡± King Cat explains as he pours cups of coffee and then takes them over to Fenrir and his group. ¡°All the magic happens right here. By magic, I mean card games and eating. Any of you play cards?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried before, but I¡¯m horrible at it,¡± Fenrir answers. Serra and Oleander shake their heads, but Corwin speaks up and says, ¡°I love card games! I was never too good at them, but I have always enjoyed playing them.¡± ¡°That so?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to have a game sometime! How about it? We have ourselves a gathering here every Tuesday and Friday, and we¡¯re always looking for more to come and join us for some cards! Can you handle your alcohol?¡± ¡°I can handle small amounts of it, but I do easily get overwhelmed by spirits.¡± ¡°No worries there! We tend to just pass a few beers around. Nothing too heavy.¡± ¡°Then it does sound like a pleasant time! Are we allowed to bring guests?¡± ¡°Course you are! Plenty of the boys bring their gals to socialize over in the living room there. You got yourself one?¡± ¡°W-well, not a ¡®gal,¡¯ but yes,¡± Corwin says as he takes a hold of Oleander¡¯s hand. King Cat smiles and says, ¡°Hey! Nothing wrong with that. We¡¯re accepting of all folk up here. When you live so far away from the main regions like we do, it¡¯s best to play nice with all of your neighbors.¡± Oleander, with a smile on his face, scoots his chair closer to Corwin¡¯s to cuddle up against his boyfriend¡¯s side. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come and play even if you aren¡¯t too good at it, too,¡± King Cat tells Fenrir. ¡°A-ah, I think I¡¯ll pass. I like to spend my spare time fishing instead,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Great! Then we can go fishing sometime. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re the leader of your group, right?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that, yeah. We¡¯re pretty much all equal, though, so I¡¯m really just the leader by name.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Oleander says. ¡°He¡¯s our one and only leader! We might boss him around sometimes, but we always listen to him in the end.¡± ¡°Close enough!¡± King Cat says. ¡°Either way, us village leaders like to hook up and go fishing every Sunday. You should see Spike Isle¡¯s mayor! Let me tell you, that woman knows how to cook. Whatever we catch, we¡¯re all more than happy to hand them over to her for cooking.¡± ¡°Sounds like a fun time, sure. I¡¯m in to go fishing with you all sometime,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But first, there¡¯s some things I¡¯d like to ask you about,¡± King Cat says with a tone more serious and lower than before. ¡°What would that be?¡± Fenrir asks, resisting the urge to gulp. ¡°That boat of yours. I was told from one of the men who brought you to me that it¡¯s a pretty special boat. Living wood, steel oak, some pretty fancy looking horn on it, pretty well armed despite being a smaller vessel ¨C pretty curious boat.¡± ¡°He could tell all of that just by looking at her?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a fanatic when it comes to boats, you see. He could tell you everything about any boat that he sees within just a few seconds. So, how¡¯d you manage to get living wood when, from my understanding, those elf folk way across the ocean are the only ones with it?¡± Fenrir looks over at Oleander who nods in return. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to be honest with you about everything,¡± Fenrir tells King Cat. ¡°I don¡¯t want there to be any future misunderstandings.¡± While Fenrir goes over everything from stealing The Shoebill from the Stinky Garlic guild to winning the tournament and befriending a serpent, Serra sips at her coffee to try and be polite but cringes every single time the taste of it hits her tongue. She keeps on looking around the table to see if anybody else is having difficulty with the coffee, but not a single one of them looks as disgusted as she feels as she downs her drink. It is at this moment that Serra decides coffee is gross and, apparently, a man thing. She would much rather be drinking some sweet tea, or sugary juice, or pop, or flavored water, or¡­ pretty much anything else that¡¯s sweet instead of bitter. If only Rock was here. Then she could try to sneakily give the coffee to Rock to dispose of it. She knows that coffee isn¡¯t good for dogs in reality, but that probably doesn¡¯t apply to a dog that¡¯s made out of rock, right? She looks back down at her mug. Despite how hard she¡¯s trying to drink it ¨C despite her summoning every ounce of her strength to be polite and drink King Cat¡¯s brew, she¡¯s hardly a fourth of the way through the mug. Then a miracle happens. King Cat gets distracted by one of his cats pawing at his legs, and that¡¯s when Fenrir sneakily switches his emptied mug with Serra¡¯s. Serra looks up at her boyfriend with wide eyes full of love and appreciation. She¡¯s totally going to do sexual things to him later for saving her. ¡°So, yeah. We¡¯ve kinda been busy lately. Any questions?¡± Fenrir asks King Cat now that his retelling of events is over. ¡°Huh. That really was some story,¡± King Cat says. ¡°That also explains why we could hear some horn blowing a couple of weeks ago.¡± ¡°You could hear that from all the way up here? I guess they weren¡¯t joking when they said you¡¯d be able to hear it from across oceans.¡± ¡°So, let me ask you something. I doubt you¡¯d have been able to do all of that if you were just some nobody. You got experience with these sorts of things in other games?¡± Fenrir turns pale. While he may have gone over all their actions in this game, he completely left out everything regarding how he used to be the leader of the Divine Brigade in games before Fantasy Tales Online. Oleander is looking away and whistling whenever Fenrir looks over at him. ¡°We-well, you see¡­ kind of. I¡¯d rather not go into specifics, but I will be honest and say that we used to be major assholes and griefers. Well, only two of us. Me and Olly here. The rest of our friends were all made here and have nothing to do with us from back then. But, yeah. Me and Olly used to be¡­ probably the nightmares of towns like this. But, I promise that we¡¯re done with that. We only burned down that one village since they were assholes and deserved it, and everything we did during the tournament was for the right reasons,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re lying, you¡¯re one heck of a good liar!¡± King Cat says, relaxing now that his questions are over with. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. All we care about are your actions now. Lots of folk in the villages here are in the same boat as you, no pun intended. Used to be griefers, raiders, and general cockheads. We offer a sort of¡­ starting over up here, you could say. So, as long as you stay true to your stated intentions, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all get along just fine.¡± Fenrir lets out a sigh of relief and smiles. ¡°Glad to hear it. I always get worried when telling people about how we used to be the ¡®bad guys.¡¯¡± ¡°Well, as long as you weren¡¯t in the Divine Brigade or anything like that! Lost an entire city to them in a game before. If there are any folk who I believe are beyond redemption, it¡¯s ¨C hey! What¡¯d¡¯ya think you¡¯re doing?¡± King Cat gets his attention torn away by one of the cats clawing at his leg again. Fenrir may not like cats, but he loves them in this moment as the cat is distracting King Cat long enough for Fenrir and Oleander to both regain their composure after what he was just saying. ¡°Anyways! I was also told you¡¯re looking into getting some of our horses. While we won¡¯t lend them out forever without something in return, I¡¯m sure we wouldn¡¯t mind letting you use them for a week or two to help you get set up. I¡¯m assuming that you want them for hauling materials?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°Yeah, and it¡¯d be easier to come up here than sailing The Shoebill up here every time we want to visit or trade,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Sure! Just remember: don¡¯t screw us, and we won¡¯t screw you. That¡¯s pretty much the motto of this whole coastline and the villages on it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it. Also, I heard that fish can be used to trade for items here?¡± ¡°Yup! Plenty of folk here love fishing, but they make up the minority in the end. The ones who don¡¯t fish love to eat fish, so fish is pretty common to use instead of coin around here. Nobody has any need for coin in the first place. Just a shiny piece of metal we give value to! Wouldn¡¯t you rather get something you could eat and live off of in exchange for something rather than some metal coin that¡¯d probably break your teeth if you try to bite it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Book 4: Chapter 46: Patch 8.0: Outside of King Cat¡¯s house now, Fenrir and King Cat shake hands and wish each other well until the next time that they meet. ¡°Just look around for a bit! Figure out what¡¯s where and what¡¯s what in the first place. I¡¯ll head over to the stables and tell them to let you take a few horses with you while you do that,¡± King Cat tells Fenrir. Fenrir, still shaking King Cat¡¯s hand, says, ¡°Sure thing. Thanks again for the help. You¡¯re seriously awesome, and I already love this place. I¡¯d just move here if I wasn¡¯t already trying to make my own place.¡± ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t work out, you¡¯re more than welcome to come move in here! Though, you might struggle to find a place inside the walls unless you want to risk building a house outside and next to them.¡± ¡°Got it. Thanks again, and I¡¯ll look forward to fishing sometime.¡± King Cat, with a wide smile, finishes off the handshake before turning to look at Corwin and say, ¡°And don¡¯t you forget about our game!¡± ¡°Tuesday and Friday, yes?¡± Corwin confirms. ¡°You¡¯ve got it! The rest of you are more than welcome to come along, too. Our gates are always open to the friendly.¡± With that, King Cat walks off toward the stables and leaves Fenrir¡¯s group to do their own thing. ¡°Let¡¯s split up!¡± Oleander suggests. ¡°Me and Cor, you and Serra Berra!¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Fenrir agrees. ¡°We¡¯ll meet back up at¡­ I guess whenever we find the stables.¡± Oleander, with a grin on his lips and his arms looped around Corwin¡¯s, runs off with his boyfriend. Fenrir and Serra are both highly suspicious of what they plan on doing as soon as they run into an alley rather than continue looking around the busy streets. ¡°We should have expected that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°There¡¯s another alley there,¡± Serra says, tugging on Fenrir¡¯s shirt while pointing at a nearby alley. ¡°Maybe later.¡± Serra pouts then shrugs. ¡°Let¡¯s figure out what there is around here. We might need to trade for some materials that they have to make our life easier,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Okay,¡± Serra replies. ¡°And thanks.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Drinking my coffee.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was pretty obvious you didn¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t think King Cat noticed, though, so you¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°It was too bitter.¡± ¡°So, you have no problem swallowing, but coffee is too much for you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just a little salty, and kind of sweet.¡± ¡°Sweet? Seriously?¡± ¡°Why do you think I always buy pineapple juice?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ you do bring me glasses of pineapple juice pretty often.¡± ¡°It works.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that the reason why there¡¯s always pineapple juice in the fridge?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says with a proud smile and nod. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve actually gotten me kind of addicted to drinking pineapple juice now because it¡¯s always around,¡± Fenrir says and sighs. Though, he¡¯s not upset. If it¡¯s because Serra wants more of a reason to drink his cum in real life, he¡¯s not going to complain. ¡°Shh. Don¡¯t let the others know.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ is that also why you always steal the shot of it for yourself?¡± Serra¡¯s smug smile grows even smugger. ¡°You¡¯re sneaky,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s all mine,¡± Serra says with a nod. ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s really hot and making it tempting to not pass up going into the alley.¡± Serra makes a circle with her fingers and holds it in front of her mouth. ¡°Alright!¡± Fenrir announces. ¡°Let¡¯s explore.¡± He grabs her hand and leads her away before he gets too tempted. The fun can be saved for later. Plus, he probably tastes better in real life than in-game thanks to her plotting. The couple comes across many different small shops specializing in all manners of goods and wares. Two shops that are next door to one another both sell clothes but specialize in entirely different styles. The first one that they look into sells ¡°appropriate¡± clothes. They look like the regular sort of clothes that a person in a fantasy town is likely going to be wearing, and nothing in there looks like anything that players in an MMORPG are going to be wearing unless they¡¯re roleplayers. As for the store next to it ¨C well, it¡¯s the spitting image of a store specializing in clothing for MMORPG players. There are bikinis, clothes based off of all sorts of different cultures that would probably offend people to see them so sexualized, capes with memes on them, and the back section of the store specializes in lingerie that Serra tells Fenrir she¡¯s going to come back for sometime. Fenrir doesn¡¯t tell her not to. In fact, Fenrir tells her, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bring Nell and Cass.¡± The next shop that they explore excites Fenrir even more than the idea of his girlfriends all shopping for MMORPG-tier lingerie together. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a fishing store. There are rods lined up on the walls, all manners of fishing gear such as hats, vests, tackles, jigs, and lines underneath the rods, and there are even trophy mounts on display with a service offering to turn any catches into trophies! All Fenrir can think about is having an in-game house with a large room somewhere in it, and the walls of said room being covered in fishing trophies. He wants to push fantasy fish and fish monsters on his walls, real fish on his walls, maybe a shark or two, perhaps the jaws of a megalodon if those exist in this game, and he could even put that stupid mask they got from the chest on the wall since he has no idea what to do with it other than display it. Or throw it away. Or burn it. It¡¯s a really stupid looking mask. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m a mistress to your real waifu, fishing,¡± Serra says as she pouts. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ look, I¡¯ve barely gotten to fish even though I started playing this game to fish,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Must suck playing a game to fish and getting a bunch of cute girlfriends wanting your dick instead.¡± Fenrir chokes on his laughter as he turns around to look at her. She¡¯s looking away and acting like she didn¡¯t just say anything like that. ¡°You¡¯re something else, Serra,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯m number one,¡± Serra replies. ¡°We are number one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a dead meme.¡± ¡°Listen, memes never die, especially one as glorious as that. I might have to divorce you if you ever imply that such perfection is dead again.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re not even married.¡± ¡°Yeah, and we won¡¯t ever be if you don¡¯t take it back.¡± ¡°Fine. We are number one is number one.¡± ¡°Good girl,¡± Fenrir says, petting the top of Serra¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t mind this but that¡¯s Cass¡¯s fetish.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ right.¡± Fenrir pulls his hand away from her head. ¡°Did I tell you to stop?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir is too blessed and places his hand back on top of Serra¡¯s head over her hat. Meanwhile, the shop owner just awkwardly stands there waiting to see if they¡¯re going to buy anything. They don¡¯t. The final shop of interest that they come across is closer to the docks and has a sign in front of it with a couple of gears on it. Inside, Fenrir and Serra are immediately reminded of something ¨C or rather, of somebody. ¡°Welcome! What can I do for ya?¡± a small boy asks, rushing up to greet them. He looks like he¡¯s too young to even be playing this game, but they know he¡¯s got to be at least eighteen or older in real life. ¡°Uh, hey,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We¡¯re just looking around.¡± The boy, even shorter than Serra, says, ¡°Ah, alright. Just let me know if there¡¯s anythin¡¯ that I can get for ya! If it¡¯s on display, ya can have it. If it ain¡¯t on display, I can make it. There¡¯s nothin¡¯ that I can¡¯t make! I bet ya I could even make a giant robot if I really wanted to.¡± Fenrir and Serra look at each other and nod. They¡¯ve found him. Tabitha¡¯s long-lost soul mate. Or long-lost twin. Either works. Even both could work at once. It¡¯s just a game, after all. ¡°Hey, how do you feel about a magic-propelled tower of darkness that can fly into space?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be able to do that, but that¡¯s kind of weird! Why do ya ask? That somethin¡¯ you¡¯re wantin¡¯ made? Would take a lot of fish and materials, and time, probably. Unless I could get slaves. Ya know, one of the best things about this game is that slave labor is a thing!¡± the boy explains, causing Fenrir to internally go ¡°yikes.¡± ¡°I can see it on your face! Don¡¯t worry,¡± the boy says. ¡°I don¡¯t mean actual slaves. I just like to call ¡®em that! What I really mean is cheap labor I can bribe to do dangerous jobs for me so that I don¡¯t accidentally blow myself up.¡± That only helps a tiny little bit. ¡°We¡¯ve got somebody we need to introduce you to sometime,¡± Fenrir says. Serra nods her head. ¡°Don¡¯t care unless they¡¯ve got an interestin¡¯ job for me,¡± the boy answers. ¡°Trust me, I think you¡¯ll care,¡± Fenrir says. Fenrir has been the victim of matchmaking from his own girlfriends, and now it¡¯s time for Tabitha to be his victim. Book 4: Chapter 47: Patch 8.0: ¡°She¡¯s going to beat you up if she finds out,¡± Serra tells Fenrir as the two walks around town, now looking for where the stables are. ¡°It¡¯ll be worth it. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be funny to see those two in the same room together?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°They¡¯ll build something that blows the world up.¡± ¡°That¡­ is actually a valid concern.¡± ¡°Give dick.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Give dick,¡± Serra repeats. ¡°I thought that¡¯s what you said,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°Later. And don¡¯t just randomly¡­ actually, feel free to randomly say stuff like that more. It¡¯s pretty hot.¡± ¡°Give dick now.¡± Fenrir flicks her on the back of her head before saying, ¡°Say it when I can actually give it to you.¡± Serra grabs his hand and points at a nearby building. The signpost in front of it has a logo with a bed on it. ¡°Give dick in there,¡± Serra says. ¡°We ¨C we can¡¯t just be randomly walking around all of a sudden, you say ¡®give dick,¡¯ and then we go and actually ¨C and then I actually give you dick in some random inn. It doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Now it does. So, dick?¡± Fenrir sighs. ¡°Alright. Dick.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t know how you can be so honest and blunt about what you want. It¡¯s honestly impressive.¡± ¡°Be more like Damian.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The ferret.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± ¡°But¡­ never mind.¡± ¡°Never mind?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m Damian, you¡¯re Lily,¡± Serra says and nods. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about that.¡± ¡°Just take it.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Anyways¡­ we should probably hurry up. Don¡¯t want to keep the others waiting too long.¡± ¡°You know they won¡¯t care if we say why they were waiting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± With that, Serra leads Fenrir into the inn. Of course, as soon as it comes to dealing with a stranger, Serra lets go of Fenrir and gets behind him instead to let him do the talking. Fenrir asks, ¡°Can we uh¡­ rent a room?¡± The woman behind the counter has the most knowing, smug smile that Fenrir might have ever seen before. Not even Serra can be as smugly knowing as the woman in front of him now. ¡°For how long?¡± the woman asks. ¡°Uh¡­ not too long?¡± Fenrir answers. While this wouldn¡¯t be the first time he¡¯s had to rent a room in this game to have some fun with his girlfriends, it¡¯s the first time the person he¡¯s renting it from has been so¡­ obvious about knowing what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s like the difference between buying condoms by oneself and buying condoms with a significant other. It doesn¡¯t help that Serra is making it extremely obvious by hiding behind Fenrir and blushing. Fenrir is blushing too, of course, and his tail is wagging. ¡°So¡­ only ten minutes?¡± the woman asks, making Fenrir¡¯s ears fold and his cheeks to brighten. ¡°I ¨C longer,¡± Fenrir replies.¡± ¡°Longer, ehhh?¡± Fenrir hears Serra snerk from behind him. ¡°Yeah¡­ like¡ª¡± ¡°Thirty minutes? That¡¯s a pretty short time which should be enough, right?¡± Now Fenrir just feels challenged. ¡°Actually, I think¡­ an hour might¡ª¡± ¡°Oh? A whole hour? You sure that¡¯s not too long? You did say ¡®not too long¡¯ before.¡± Fenrir goes from feeling challenged to feeling like the-leader-of-a-group-known-for-being-notorious-assholes challenged. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll need it until tomorrow morning, so let¡¯s just say for the next twenty-four hours.¡± Then Fenrir realizes he might be in trouble. He just asked for a room for an entire day¡­ but he has nothing to trade for it since the people in this town don¡¯t care about coins. Both Serra and the woman laugh. ¡°You¡¯re too funny,¡± the woman says. ¡°Here,¡± she holds out a key, ¡°second room on the right up the stairs.¡± ¡°What ¨C what about paying?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ehh? That? Don¡¯t worry ¡®bout it. Not enough folk come around to make charging people worth it. Now, you two have fun up there. Oh, and don¡¯t worry. My hubby built this place sturdy and thick. You can be as loud as you want and I won¡¯t be hearing anything. Shame.¡± Serra pokes her head out from behind Fenrir to smile and give the woman a thumbs-up, and then she gets a thumbs-up in return. First, they found a soulmate for Tabitha. Now, they¡¯ve found a soul mate for Serra. Fortunately, this woman is already married. ¡°Thanks,¡± Fenrir says, feeling like a shy schoolgirl while Serra and the woman nod at each other. This just gives him more proof that this is Serra¡¯s harem if anything. The moment that they are inside of the room, Serra locks the door behind them and surprises Fenrir with her strength by pushing him down onto the bed. ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re really jumping right into this, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks as Serra runs her hands up the inside of his shirt, placing her lips down against his neck to bite and suck on the skin there. Fenrir has to bite his lower lip to avoid any potentially-embarrassing noises from coming out as Serra works on marking his neck. Well, everybody is definitely going to know what happened while they were gone now. While Serra rests her hands on his chest, gently scratching her nails against him, she finishes her job on his neck with a loud popping sound. She looks down at his neck and smiles. A large, red bruise is left with marks from her teeth around it. ¡°Mine,¡± Serra says. ¡°Just because I let you have other girls doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t still belong to me.¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± Fenrir asks, having never seen this level of¡­ dominance from her before. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing being dom with Nell Nell. How is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh¡­ really hot. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d really be into this, but¡­ yeah.¡± As if to confirm his words, Serra reaches one hand behind her to rest on his crotch. The throbbing response that her hand gets confirms that he¡¯s enjoying this. ¡°Cass Cass might be your dog, but you¡¯re my dog,¡± Serra says. ¡°Wait¡­ you know about that?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra smirks and places her lips back down against the unbruised side of his neck. Not only does Serra have control of Fenrir¡¯s neck with her mouth, but she takes control of his arms by grabbing his wrists and pinning them down on the bed above his head. She does give him some service, though, by scooting her lower half down his body so that she can grind her clothed crotch against that throbbing, needy tool restrained by his pants. Fenrir can¡¯t help but moan. Despite the fact that she¡¯s hardly over half as tall as he is, and that he¡¯s much stronger than she is, he feels weak right now. Even though he knows that it¡¯s an artificial weakness and that he could take back control at any time¡­ why would he want to? He wants to see where this goes. Serra pops her lips off of his neck now that both sides of it have been marked. Then, she leans up toward one of the canid ears atop his head to whisper, ¡°Good doggy,¡± into it, causing Fenrir to moan again. To tease him even more, Serra slides her hips away from his so that she can reach up and nibble on the top of his pointed ear. A soft, gentle blow into it follows afterward. Now, he feels something that he once used against Cassiel. Serra positions her knee so that its cap is rubbing against the side of his clothed erection. While he knows that it¡¯s just her knee rubbing his cock, his cock doesn¡¯t know that. His cock only cares about the fact that it¡¯s getting stimulated and has no interest in what is stimulating it. Though, the hornier that Fenrir gets, the more he wants to retake control. ¡°When I say, ¡®give dick,¡¯ that means give me your dick. Okay?¡± Serra asks and gets an obedient nod from Fenrir in return. Despite Serra speaking in her usual flat sort of monotone voice, Fenrir finds lustful excitement from her words. Serra is not the type that Fenrir would ever expect to try and play at being this dominant, but he is damn appreciative now that she¡¯s doing it. Fortunately for his pride, she removes her knee from his erection to slide back down his body. Since his erection is running down his right pant leg, Serra knows exactly where to sit as her hands push his shirt up to expose his abdomen. Fenrir¡¯s neck isn¡¯t his only part that is going to get marked by her mouth. Now, Serra presses her lips down against his muscled abdomen to plant kisses and bite wherever there¡¯s enough skin for her to grab onto with her teeth. This is one of the times when she wishes she was with his real body rather than this one. The toned abs of Fenrir make it difficult to find skin to latch onto whereas Ryouta¡¯s abdomen is softer and looser while still being thin. Of course, she doesn¡¯t let that stop her from leaving plenty of red bite marks all over his abdomen, and her mouth is only traveling higher. Book 4: Chapter 48: Patch 8.0: Fenrir has no choice but to lie back and allow Serra to bite him wherever she wants to. Well, he does have a choice, but there¡¯s no real choice when both his body and mind are yelling at him to let her do whatever she wants to him. And he¡¯s really happy that he¡¯s letting her do whatever she wants. Especially now that her lips are gently planting light kisses along his bruised abdomen down toward his crotch. Each kiss of her lips is lower than the last one, and it doesn¡¯t take long before Serra reaches his pants. With her teeth only, Serra undoes his pants and gets his cock to pop out from them. Now, to make things easier for herself, she climbs up onto him and positions herself so that she¡¯s sitting down on his chest, her rear facing him, and then she lowers her head toward his cock. While Fenrir has been enjoying letting her do everything thus far, he¡¯s not going to pass up the opportunity now that she¡¯s presenting it to him. He can easily see up her skirt thanks to this position. The sight is practically begging for him to do something, so he slides both his hands up underneath her short skirt to take firm handfuls of her ass. Serra may be the shortest of them all, and she might not have much of a chest, but she¡¯s always had the widest hips which also translates to having the nicest ass. As Fenrir¡¯s groping fingers squish down against her, Serra, with a smile on her lips, softly blows on the tip of his length just to tease him. Of course, since she¡¯s such a good, caring girlfriend, she only teases him for a few seconds before letting her tongue roll out from her mouth to lick around the tip of his length. Now she¡¯s really teasing him. The tips of her fingers tease his underside by lightly tapping against it, rubbing it for a second before pulling away, and occasionally reaching down to his hanging orbs. Fenrir wants more. He can¡¯t see what she¡¯s doing, but he¡¯s sure that she¡¯s got a smug smile as she¡¯s doing it. And she does. That smug smile on her lips remains the entire time that she teases his length. Even when Fenrir tries to rub against her crotch with one of his hands, nonverbally asking for her to do more by trying to give her pleasure, that just makes her tease him even more slowly than before. At least his girlfriend isn¡¯t a real sadist. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be burying his cock inside of her mouth ¨C swallowing its tip down into her throat and rubbing her tongue along his shaft. Fenrir lets out an immediate groan of pleasure and relief once she finally starts sucking on his cock. Though, as soon as he gets distracted and stops touching her, she stops as well. He sees how it is. The more he plays with her by groping her rear and rubbing against her crotch over her panties, the more she swallows his length, sucks on it, and licks it. She even leaves one hand around the base of his length to pump and squeeze while her other hand massages his sack. But, even with Fenrir trying to keep her satisfied enough to continue working his cock with her mouth, she stops after a couple of minutes. ¡°Why ¨C why¡¯d you stop?¡± he asks. Serra scoots up, spins around so that she¡¯s sitting on his abdomen and facing him, and smiles. One of her smaller hands reaches behind herself to grip his cock by its base as her other hand reaches into her skirt, pulling her panties aside to leave her passage exposed and ready for him. As much as Fenrir might still be tempted to try and take control of this for himself ¨C asserting his dominance and being the ¡°man¡± right now¡­ he¡¯s not going to stop her if she wants to ride him. Serra lifts her hips, lines his cock up to her pussy, and lowers herself onto it. Her smug smiles turns into quivering lips of pleasure, forcing her to bite her lip as she struggles to take in the entire length of his size into her smaller body. At least she has pain turned off. With his length fully sheathed within her, she lets her head roll back and her back arch. She regrets not taking her clothes off before this since it¡¯s so hot now. Fortunately, she can take off everything except her boots and panties with ease, sliding the rest up and off over her head. Now Fenrir gets an even better sight to look at as Serra slides up and down his cock, rocking her hips against his. Her petite, handful-sized breasts may not be large, but they still jiggle and serve to make him even more aroused and pleasured as she moves her body. Then Serra stops, leaving only the tip of his length inside of her. ¡°Why?¡± Fenrir asks, biting his lower lip. ¡°Ask for it,¡± Serra says. ¡°Keep doing it.¡± ¡°Say please.¡± ¡°Please keep doing it?¡± That smug smile of hers returns. ¡°Keep doing what?¡± she asks. The urge to take over again is rising for Fenrir. But, it¡¯s not so strong that he can¡¯t still play along. ¡°Please keep riding me,¡± Fenrir asks. Serra drops her hips again. ¡°G-good doggy,¡± she moans out. Despite the fact that Serra is the one playing at being on top and being dominant, it¡¯s her looking like she¡¯s unable to resist the pleasure. She looks happier than Fenrir that she¡¯s moving her hips again. Her pace of lowering and raising her hips speeds up every few seconds. She wants to tease him some more, make him beg and plead and moan, but¡­ she can¡¯t resist the pleasure herself. She wants to cum as much as she wants to make him cum, so she decides that the best way to go about that is to lighten up on the dominant play to instead ride him to the best of her ability. And so she does. Her hands rest down against his muscular chest, dozens of bitten bruises left all it, as she rides his cock. Moans escape both of their lips as they lose themselves in shared pleasure. Since Serra is clearly done acting dominant, Fenrir places his hands up on her hips to hold her as he starts thrusting up against her. Each time she drops her hips, he thrusts his upward. When she raises hers, he lowers his. The result is his cock slamming even harder into her with every thrust, making Serra¡¯s back arch even more. Since it¡¯s only virtual reality, neither of them has to worry about cumming inside. Though, even if it was real life, at least one of them wouldn¡¯t be worried about it. Just as their pleasure and efforts are shared, so too are their orgasms as they each moan out and cum at the same time. Fenrir¡¯s thick cum floods into Serra as she raises one hand to rest on her abdomen where she can feel him filling her. Getting to feel so full like this just makes Serra want it even more in real life. With their orgasms over, Serra collapses onto his chest with a happy smile and tired panting. ¡°Give ¨C give up on the dom play?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°More fun to just do it,¡± Serra answers. He rubs the back of her head and places a kiss on the top of it. ¡°Guess the innkeeper was right about you not needing too long,¡± Serra teases, looking up at him. She¡¯s too tired now to look smug, though. ¡°Is that so?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra opens her mouth to say something, but her eyes go wide when Fenrir flips her over and pins her down against the bed. ¡°This is payback for making me submit,¡± Fenrir whispers into her ear, causing Serra to bite her lower lip. ¡°Then punish me,¡± Serra says. ¡°There¡¯s no winning against you.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m unbeatable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. You are.¡± Serra leans her head up to place a kiss on his lips, and then he leans his head down to place a kiss on hers. ¡°I love you, Serra,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I love you too, Ryouta,¡± Serra replies. ¡°Now punish me.¡± Needless to say, there is plenty of ¡°punishment.¡± Though, it is a punishment that Serra is very happy to receive. ¡­ A short time later and both of them come walking down the steps with room key in hand. ¡°Knew you wouldn¡¯t need more than an hour,¡± the woman at the counter says. She still has enough energy to be smug. Serra just gives her a thumbs-up as Fenrir hands the key over with messy hair and flushed cheeks. ¡°Need a comb there?¡± the woman asks Fenrir. It¡¯s not just his hair that¡¯s messy, but his tail, too. Fenrir gives up on trying to not only keep his hair and tail clean but neat as well. Book 4: Chapter 49: Patch 9.0 Now that Fenrir and Serra are done playing with one another, they finally get around to finding the stables and meeting Oleander and Corwin there. Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one with messy hair. Both Oleander and Corwin look sweaty and messy, and their clothes are much more messed up than Fenrir¡¯s and Serra¡¯s are. The two boyfriends notice that Serra and Fenrir look messy, too. Oleander and Serra lock eyes and give each other a thumbs-up. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir says, interrupting them before they get a chance to begin. ¡°Hey,¡± he says to the only stable worker that he can see. ¡°I was told we¡¯d get to borrow a few horses.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the worker replies, ¡°that¡¯s you guys? Yeah, the king told me,¡± he explains. ¡°It¡¯s those four over there.¡± He points to a group of four horses that already have saddles and ropes tied to them. ¡°You guys riding them back, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t actually think about how we¡¯d get them from here,¡± Fenrir admits. Their building site is on the other side of the river, and they don¡¯t have a bridge built yet. Furthermore, Fenrir doesn¡¯t think that they¡¯d be able to fit four horses on The Shoebill all at once without some major chaos. If they get spooked at all during the voyage south back to the others, then there might be some serious problems. ¡°Uhhh, I have no idea,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Do you have any suggestion? Sorry to ask, but we¡¯re building on the other side of this river down south some more, so we¡¯d have to either take them by boat or somehow build a bridge really fast.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± the man replies, ¡°and yeah. We¡¯ve got these like¡­ ¡®trailer¡¯ boats. Use them to transport stuff between here and Spike Isle mainly. Can load the horses up in them, and then we¡¯ve just got to hook them up to your boat. Though, I¡¯d recommend building a bridge pretty soon anyways. Would make life a heckuva lot easier for you all down there if you want to do some trade with us up here.¡± ¡°That sounds good enough to me, and yeah ¨C you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll try to prioritize that.¡± ¡°You got yourselves an engineer or anything? If you¡¯re talking about the river I think you¡¯re talking about, you¡¯re going to need a big bridge. There¡¯s a boy in town here that could help you out.¡± Fenrir chuckles and says, ¡°Actually, we¡¯ve got our own version of him. A short girl obsessed with engineering and crazy ideas, and then we¡¯ve got a guy with some architecture experience to help out.¡± ¡°Really? Sounds like you¡¯ve got a sweet deal going on. Introduce those two up here sometime and the king might have some work for them. Might even be willing to treat it as a deal. Get some help from them in exchange for materials or something.¡± ¡°You guys seem like you¡¯re pretty set up here. I mean, you¡¯ve already got these walls and those breakers out in the water.¡± ¡°Yeah, but this was all kinda just thrown together.¡± ¡°What about that boy? Didn¡¯t he help?¡± ¡°He came after the town was already set up, and¡­ I don¡¯t think anybody trusts him to actually fix problems. We tried letting him do it a couple of times before, and each time ended up¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°Then ¨C then why¡¯d you recommend him to me?¡± ¡°Honestly man, my mouth is faster than my thoughts. My bad.¡± Fenrir shrugs. ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, think you could help us get everything loaded up?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, no prob.¡± With the reigns of the four horses in hand, they go down to the harbor where The Shoebill is docked. The small boat that they load the horses onto is more like large box on top of a small rowbot with a flat front. With a bit of maneuvering, they get the small boat lined right up behind The Shoebill, and then they use a combination of hooks and ropes to get the boat hooked up to The Shoebill. Those horses within the ¡°trailer¡± boat aren¡¯t too happy whenever the boat rocks underneath them, causing them to get antsy and stomp around a bit, but they don¡¯t have anywhere to go and Fenrir has no way of making their boat not rock. As fun as it would be to control water and prevent waves from being a thing, he can¡¯t. ¡°By the way,¡± the stable worker says as everybody but Fenrir steps onto The Shoebill, ¡°you got any idea for what to name the place you¡¯re making?¡± Fenrir freezes. He¡­ hadn¡¯t thought about it all yet. ¡°I¡­ honestly have no idea,¡± he admits. ¡°The crew is named The Soaring Wolves, and we¡¯ve got The Shoebill, but¡­ yeah, I¡¯m not that good at naming things, honestly. I have a pet dog made out of rock that I¡¯ve named Rock.¡± ¡°I see what you mean. Well, good luck! I can¡¯t offer any help with that since I¡¯m horrible at names, too.¡± Fenrir shrugs and holds out his hand to offer a shake. ¡°Thanks for helping us get the horses loaded up. Got a name, by the way?¡± The man shakes Fenrir¡¯s hand and answers, ¡°Yup. Bromeister the 9001xXx ¨C the second x is capitalized, but everybody just calls me ¡®Horse Guy.¡¯¡± ¡°W-wait¡­ is ¨C is that your actual name?¡± ¡°Yeah, but everybody refuses to call me it. I guess I made it too obviously stupid.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ kind of.¡± Horse Guy shrugs. ¡°I take it you really like horses?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°They¡¯re alright. I mainly just like horse girls,¡± Horse Guy answers. Fenrir internally lights up with excitement but tries to hold it back until he confirms it. ¡°When you say ¡®horse girls,¡¯ do you mean¡­ like human girls but with horse ears and tails?¡± ¡°Yeah, like horse monster girls. They¡¯re the best. Shame I haven¡¯t met any yet.¡± ¡°Someday. Someday.¡± In this instant, Fenrir develops a powerful, deep connection to Horse Guy. Any man who has a favorite type of monster girl cannot possibly be a bad person. Whether the monster girl is a fluffy moth, scaly dragon, petite harpy, obsessive snake, seductive spider ¨C regardless of what a monster girl may be, any man who can appreciate monster girls is a friend to Fenrir. Unfortunately for Fenrir, Horse Guy is just wondering why Fenrir isn¡¯t letting go of his hand as the handshake becomes awkwardly long. Then there is everybody else around watching. Oleander is hardcore judging Fenrir, Corwin is confused and doesn¡¯t know why Fenrir looks so happy, Serra is imagining strapping Fenrir up in BDSM gear and whipping him with a horse whip ¨C and then imagining the roles being reversed, and the various men and women along the docks are either just judging or confused. ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Horse Guy says, slipping his hand away from Fenrir as soon as the grip is loose enough. ¡°Good luck with your town and all that. Don¡¯t forget to bring the horses back in a couple of weeks, or bring something worth extending the time you can keep them.¡± ¡°Will do,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Until next time, Horse Guy. Maybe we can go fishing sometime and talk about monster girls.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ sure.¡± Fenrir, with an excited smile on his face, utterly fails to read the mood due to the excitement caused by monster girls. With Fenrir believing that he has made a new friend ¨C a compatriot to discuss the glory of monster girls with, The Shoebill and her crew set off and sail right out through the gate that they came in through. ¡­ Meanwhile, a certain serpent has grown curious about something. She has felt a strong, powerful attraction to something out deep in the ocean¡¯s depths ever since arriving to these waters. The attraction is a strong enough pull to make her completely forget about watching over her saviors. Deep in the ocean ¨C far deeper than a human could ever wish to go on their own without being crushed by pressure, the serpent gets closer and closer to whatever this mysterious force is. But she can¡¯t find anything. There is nothing but darkness all around her. When she tries lighting her scales up, she can only see what is immediately around her and nothing else. A small, odd-looking fish swimming in front of her is the only other living thing down here that she can see. So then why does she feel herself being surrounded by that force? She has reached the source of the force attracting her to these depths. But, she sees nothing. That is, until a circle lights up around her. Similar to how she can make her own scales glow, there is a truly massive length lighting up its scales in the water surrounding her. The scales grow brighter and travel along the length of whatever they belong to until they reach their owner¡¯s head. Just the length of other¡¯s body is easily over a hundred times the size of her own. Even with how large it is and its glowing scales, she can barely make out any of its features. She can just hardly make out the outline of its sheer size. And then its eyes glow. The serpentine, glowing eyes of the one who attracted the serpent now stare directly at her. She wishes she had a rowboat to snack on right now. Book 4: Chapter 50: Patch 9.0 Having returned south to where the building site is, the horses have been unloaded and tied up to a simple post that Tabitha set up while they were gone. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir and Serra. ¡°They¡¯re awesome up there. We¡¯ve got some great neighbors,¡± Fenrir says. When he hears Rao and Tabitha get into an argument over some plans, he looks over at them which exposes the side of his neck to Cassiel. It¡¯s more than obvious what those bruised marks on his neck are. Cassiel looks down at Serra. Serra smirks. ¡°I see you two had fun up there,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir¡¯s tail shoots straight up as he turns his head back to Cassiel. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah. We uh¡­¡± ¡°Sex is more fun than hurrying up and coming back here to build,¡± Serra says. ¡°It was her idea.¡± ¡°I wanted sex.¡± Cassiel sighs and says, ¡°It¡¯s not fair to leave us out.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll bite him lots together in real life,¡± Serra says. Cassiel blushes and looks away. ¡°Fi-fine.¡± ¡°You guys are talking like I¡¯m not standing right here,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Shush. While you were gone, we were sweating and hurting ourselves over here.¡± Fenrir looks down at Cassiel¡¯s hands. Confirming her words, her hands are covered in bruises and scratches. ¡°What happened?¡± Fenrir asks. Cassiel looks away with reddened cheeks and a pout. ¡°She is not very talented with a hammer, my hero,¡± Nell says. Fenrir looks down at Nell¡¯s hands. ¡°And¡­ neither am I,¡± Nell says with a nervous giggle after having her own bruised hands spotted. ¡°Just rest and take it easy. Me and Serra will swap with you two,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Why me?¡± Serra asks with a bored expression. ¡°Because we both spent time screwing around while the others were working down here.¡± ¡°Heh. Screwing.¡± Fenrir flicks Serra¡¯s forehead. She adjusts her hat and holds her forehead, looking up at him with a pout. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to work. We¡¯ll do this for a couple more hours and then wake,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°My hero,¡± Nell says. Fenrir turns to look at Nell, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck, hop up, and place a kiss on his lips. ¡°I shall head off first! I must find a recipe for dinner and prepare everything, so I will ensure that there is a wonderful meal for us all to wind down with!¡± Nell explains with a happy smile. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡± She notices something. While jumping up to kiss his lips, one of her horns sliced the side of his face and almost got his eye. ¡°I think I might need to do something about this height difference,¡± Fenrir says. He then leans over to pat Nell¡¯s head and place a kiss on her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll grow immune to your horns someday.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir turns to face Cassiel and gets a more assertive kiss this time. She grabs him by his shirt, pulls his head low enough, and then kisses his lips. ¡°It¡¯s not fair to leave me out,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°I¡¯m going to wake and help her with dinner, so you better behave.¡± ¡°No promises,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Don¡¯t forget you¡¯ve got somebody else wanting attention now.¡± Cassiel looks to the side. Fenrir looks at where his tsun-but-mostly-dere-now girlfriend is looking and sees Azalabulia watching the kissing turns with jealous eyes and one heck of a pout. He didn¡¯t even notice she was back online. Of course, she looks away as soon as she realizes she¡¯s been spotted. Now she¡¯s striking a cool pose and¡­ somehow tripping, landing on her face and leaving her rump up in the air. Azalabulia stands up, brushes herself off, and acts like nothing just happened. ¡°Well, you two have fun with dinner prep,¡± Fenrir tells Nell and Cassiel. ¡°Hang on,¡± Cassiel says, placing one of her hands against Fenrir¡¯s face to heal him first. ¡°There. Now you won¡¯t get blood everywhere.¡± ¡°I thought dogs liked to lick wounds inste¡ª¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s gross.¡± ¡°O-oh. I just¡­ you know. Because¡ª¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s gross. I¡¯m not licking blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯d lick it,¡± Serra says. ¡°You¡¯d lick anything,¡± Fenrir tells his shortest girlfriend. Serra smirks and looks proud of herself. ¡°I must admit that blood does make things more exciting! Oh! Vampire play would be fun, would it not?¡± Nell asks. ¡°For example! Cassiel, imagine Fenrir holding you down against your will as he threatens to drink the blood from your neck! Just imagine him as he slowly lowers his lips to your neck, his fangs bared, and¡ª" ¡°Al-alright. Maybe,¡± Cassiel admits with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°You had her at holding down,¡± Serra calls Cassiel out. ¡°H-hey! Just ¨C just because I like when he¡¯s assertive doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to like it every time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m still here,¡± Fenrir says, pointing up at himself. Cassiel grabs Nell by her wrist and says, ¡°We¡¯re going now.¡± ¡°Love you too, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°H-hmph. Love you too¡­ dumb dog.¡± ¡°About time I get some tsun fanservice.¡± While Cassiel huffs and stomps off with Nell in tow, who¡¯s waving and smiling as she gets pulled away, Serra sneaks a hand behind Fenrir and grips the base of his tail. Fenrir jumps up and lets out an embarrassing dog-like yelp of surprise before looking down at Serra with lowered ears and bright cheeks. ¡°Wh-what was that for?¡± he asks. ¡°Never tried that before,¡± Serra says. ¡°So you did it just because you can?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Serra squeezes the base of his tail more and slightly pumps it. ¡°Could ¨C could you not? It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s sensitive,¡± Fenrir says, looking away from her now. ¡°You know that just makes me want to do it more,¡± Serra says, letting go of his tail. ¡°I¡¯ll be mean this time.¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail lowers as Serra walks away. He actually did want more of it. Playing tsundere backfired. With a disappointed sigh, Fenrir heads over to the others. Of course, as soon as he¡¯s done talking with his girlfriends, the girlfriend-aspirant that is Azalabulia comes up to Fenrir trying to put an out-of-character, seductive sway to her hips. Azalabulia says, ¡°S-so, how¡ª¡± ¡°Oi! Ya think I¡¯m done with ya? Bring that lumber over here!¡± Tabitha shouts at Azalabulia. She may not have fluffy ears and a tail like Fenrir, but if she did, they would both be lying down and limp. ¡°I¡¯ll grab it. You take a break, too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been working hard this entire time,¡± Fenrir tells Azalabulia. Azalabulia says, ¡°Are ¨C are you sure? She asked for me, and¡ª" ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Take a breather.¡± For the innocent and pure Azalabulia, even something as simple as being covered for is enough to imagine Fenrir as her shining knight. While Fenrir lifts up the lumber and carries it over to where Tabitha wants it, looking like a totally ordinary guy while doing so, Azalabulia sees something far greater. She sees her shining knight in glistening, white armor. Covered in scars from battle with the occasional scorch mark from the fiery breaths of dragons that have assaulted him, Fenrir lifts the colossal corpse of a dragon up and hauls it over to its destination. Sparkles and flowers materialize around his head. Azalabulia shakes her head and slaps her cheeks! How could she be imagining something so embarrassing? Instead, she needs to face reality! That¡¯s right. Fenrir is not just some knight in shining armor who slays dragons to save her. He is her evil warlord of chaos! Rather than carry a slain dragon, he is carrying a slain, holy beast as blood drips from his opened wounds. His armor that is blacker than night reflects no light and is covered in spikes. For as much as she wants to reach out and reward him for a job well done in serving her, she knows that she could never touch him for doing so would result in her death! Oh, how horrible it is to have a fearsome, evil warlord of chaos whom she may never touch without dying. The poison that covers his skin and armor is just too powerful even for her. But that¡¯s alright. All she needs is for him to look over at her and bow his head to his dark queen. When really, Fenrir is just standing there looking at her with a confused expression. He has no idea why she¡¯s giggling to herself and¡­ it¡¯s kind of creepy but in an oddly endearing way. ¡°Oi, dog boy,¡± Tabitha says once Fenrir has set the lumber down where she wants it. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°There¡¯s somethin¡¯ I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯ about it.¡± ¡°What would that be? Everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just realizin¡¯ somethin¡¯ important.¡± ¡°And that is¡­?¡± ¡°What if the devs didn¡¯t make it so that we can leave the atmosphere and my rocket tower explodes from hitting the limit of the sky?¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m going back to working. What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Oi! I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°Just build the evil-tower-rocket ship that pierces the heavens.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s the kind of response I wanted to hear!¡± Book 4: Chapter 51: Patch 9.0 Just as the sun sets and everybody begins to wind down, Fenrir realizes that there won¡¯t be much purpose in staying immersed in the game for as long as he expected he would be. It¡¯s not like they can effectively build in the dark without proper lighting, gathering materials would be dangerous in the dead of night, and he has no idea if fishing at night is a good idea or not. ¡°Saya, you¡¯re in my head,¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°The answer is nope!¡± Saya thinks back to him. ¡°At least let me ask it. It¡¯s weird when you already know what I¡¯m going to ask.¡± ¡°Fiiinneee.¡± ¡°Can you like¡­ go into my memories or something and tell me if I ever read or watched anything about fishing at night?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this, Onii-wan? Does the pro fishing wolf not know whether fishing at night is a good idea or not? Gasp!¡± ¡°You know, you could actually gasp instead of saying ¡®gasp.¡¯¡± ¡°Gasp! How dare you point that out! Annoyed frown!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Smug smirk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s less smug when you have to actually say that you¡¯re being smug.¡± ¡°Knowing-that-I¡¯m-better-than-you sadistic grin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m flicking you the next time I see you.¡± ¡°Hmph! Baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know. So, night fishing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to tell you that if you can¡¯t remember it yourself, onii-wan. That¡¯d be cheating and giving a player an advantage that they don¡¯t deserve! Do you want to get a new assistant? Because that¡¯s how you get a new assistant.¡± ¡°Really? Great. Tell me then.¡± ¡°Hmph! Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph!¡± Each ¡°hmph¡± of Saya¡¯s gets progressively sassier. ¡°It also gets you a ban!¡± ¡°Oh, maybe not then.¡± ¡°You only care about yourself! You¡¯re the worst baka onii-wan ever!¡± ¡°I¡¯m only the worst because you calling me onii-wan does more for me than I thought a nickname ever could.¡± ¡°You really are the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°H-hey,¡± Azalabulia says from behind Fenrir. ¡°Oh, hey. Uh¡­ yeah, hey,¡± Fenrir replies. Helping her out with the lumber was easy earlier, but now that they¡¯re done being ordered around by Tabitha and Rao, all he can think about is what happened before she immersed back into the game. That was when they were kissing and he tried groping her. Going by how she turns red right after opening her lips, she remembers it, too. ¡°Uh¡­ so, sorry about earlier,¡± Fenrir tries apologizing. ¡°Wow, onii-wan, you sound so sincere!¡± Saya teases him. ¡°Just admit that you totally liked groping her boobs and want to kiss her more. We know it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your commentary,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°Booorrrriiingggg.¡± ¡°Y-yeah, me t-too,¡± Azalabulia responds, twirling her hair with one of her fingers as she struggles to look at Fenrir. ¡°Oh my god would you two just kiss some more already,¡± Saya tells Fenrir. ¡°Stop trying to sabotage me. I have no idea how I¡¯m supposed to act in this sort of situation. I¡¯ve never had a girl leave in a panic before from kissing,¡± Fenrir replies to Saya. ¡°Just kiss already,¡± Serra says, standing next to the two. Her sudden entrance causes them to both jump. Given her short height relative to each of them, it¡¯s easy for Serra to sneak up and surprise them. Both Fenrir and Azalabulia blush and look away like a couple of school girls. ¡°How are you still this virgin?¡± Serra asks Fenrir with a disappointed look on her face. ¡°We just had sex a couple of hours ago.¡± Azalabulia turns even more red now. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Fenrir says, and that¡¯s all that he can manage to say for himself. ¡°Come here,¡± Serra says, tugging down on Fenrir¡¯s arm. Fenrir leans over. Serra stands on the tips of her toes and plants a kiss on Fenrir¡¯s lips. While Fenrir is somehow surprised by the action of his girlfriend, Serra walks up to Azalabula and does the same thing. ¡°Come here,¡± Serra says, tugging on the taller woman¡¯s arm. Azalabulia leans over. Serra reaches up and plants a kiss right on Azalabulia¡¯s lips. ¡°See? It¡¯s not hard,¡± Serra says. ¡°Kissing isn¡¯t hard,¡± she corrects herself after looking at Fenrir¡¯s crotch and smirking. ¡°In-in-i-indirect kiss,¡± Azalabulia stutters out. ¡°Hey, onii-wan, weren¡¯t you guys basically making out earlier? What¡¯s the deal with an indirect kiss?¡± Saya asks Fenrir. Fenrir doesn¡¯t understand it himself. While he might be acting somewhat like a virgin around Azalabulia, he¡¯s not that much of a virgin around her. Unfortunately for the annoyed Serra, neither of them are making any progress even if they¡¯ve both kissed, Fenrir has groped her, and despite her trying to encourage them to make progress. Serra sighs and says, ¡°I¡¯m doing it then. Aza, join our harem and let us do lewd things to your body.¡± If Azalabulia wasn¡¯t embarrassed before, she definitely is now as her eyes spin from flusterment. ¡°Hey¡­ I think you¡¯re overwhelming her,¡± Fenrir says to Serra. ¡°Be a good dog and hug her,¡± Serra orders Fenrir. Fenrir isn¡¯t sure whether it¡¯s because the memory of being dominated by her is still fresh in his mind, or if it¡¯s because he just has no idea what to do himself, but he follows Serra¡¯s order and places his arms around Azalabulia. Then her body goes limp in his arms. ¡°A-Aza?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at her face. She¡¯s no longer with them, for only the avatar known as Azalabulia is left while the real person behind it is off doing who knows what in reality. ¡°Virgins are so difficult,¡± Serra says. ¡°Hey¡­ we were both virgins just months ago,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I was only physically a virgin. I¡¯ve been mentally tainted since before you were born.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re younger than me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m reincarnated.¡± ¡°So¡­ re: legal loli?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Never mind. Anyways, this is the second time she¡¯s done this now. Am¡­ am I doing something wrong? I seriously don¡¯t even remember how I acted around you and Cass before we started dating.¡± Serra sighs and says, ¡°Just be yourself. You act so tense around her whenever she gets flirty.¡± ¡°Well, yeah. I already have you, Cass, and Nell. It¡¯s awkward flirting with somebody when I already have three girlfriends.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only awkward if you make it awkward. Be yourself. Me and Cass Cass, and Nell Nell, fell in love with you because you were always just being yourself and not treating us differently. You just made us feel special without even trying. Do that to Aza.¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°Stop trying to. That¡¯s how. You make people feel special without trying, but you¡¯re really bad at it when you are trying.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that I¡¯m not smooth when I try to be smooth?¡± Serra looks away. ¡°W-wait, seriously?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sometimes you are, but it¡¯s usually trying too hard. Just be yourself around Aza and us,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Just be myself? Is that seriously all I¡¯m supposed to do?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not that hard. Right?¡± Azalabulia slowly nods her head. ¡°Wait¡­ are you back?¡± Fenrir asks Azalabulia who¡¯s still held in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. ¡°Ye-yeah, sorry,¡± Azalabulia mumbles. ¡°I ¨C I had to mentally prepare myself, and then my neighbors knocked and told me to stop screaming, and ¨C and, b-but I totally wasn¡¯t screaming at myself or anything!¡± Fenrir immediately feels embarrassed knowing that Azalabulia has been back, and he doesn¡¯t know for how long, but he forces himself to remember what Serra just got done telling him. Even Azalabulia agreed with it. ¡°Alright. Aza, I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve made anything weird or tried taking things too fast or anything like that. I¡¯ll¡­ be honest. I like you, but I forgot how to act around a girl I like but aren¡¯t dating. So¡­ I think that if you uh, officially join the relationship, then it¡¯d be easier,¡± Fenrir says, still having no idea whether or not he¡¯s saying the right thing or not. ¡°Good dog,¡± Serra says, patting Fenrir on the back. ¡°Is ¨C is it really¡­ i-is it really alright?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Y-y-you¡¯ll accept me? I won¡¯t get ¨C get in the way or anything?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s alright, we¡¯ll all accept you, and you¡¯re not going to get in the way,¡± Fenrir confirms. Azalabulia looks down at Serra and sees her about-to-be girlfriend nodding alongside Fenrir¡¯s confirmation. ¡°Does ¨C does this mean I¡¯m not single anymore?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Welcome to my harem,¡± Serra says. ¡°You have to wear a sweater at least once to officially be recognized as a member of Serra¡¯s harem,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But that¡¯s your fetish.¡± ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t like seeing Cass and Nell in sweaters, and don¡¯t want to see Aza in one?¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re right. Sweaters look nice on girls, and they¡¯re comfy to wear.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t have any sweaters, but I¡¯ll get one!¡± Azalabulia says. Fenrir remembers something important. It¡¯s important enough that he can¡¯t believe he¡¯s forgotten it until after officially bringing Azalabulia into their relationship, and it¡¯s one of the reasons why he was so hesitant on bringing Azalabulia into it in the first place. They still have no idea where she lives or what she looks like in real life. They know nothing about her in real life aside from her age and job, and for all they know, those might not even be legitimate. They don¡¯t even know her real name yet! But¡­ feeling her boobs against his chest as they hug feels really nice, so he¡¯ll worry about that later. Book 4: Chapter 52: Patch 9.0 With Azalabulia officially being in the harem, despite how sudden Fenrir still thinks the whole thing is, the party wakes from Fantasy Tales Online and goes about their lives. For the woman behind the avatar of Tabitha, this means rummaging through her cabinets for some food, accidentally hitting her head on the doorframes of her small abode, and then sitting down at her workdesk to put together some more model kits of giant robots while listening to a podcast about conspiracy theories and aliens. Whether or not she actually believes such theories, nobody knows. It does make her laugh often, though. As far as Azalabulia is concerned, the woman in control of her has lesson plans to prepare for class, grapes to munch on, and a heart to try and calm down as her mind can¡¯t go more than five seconds without flashing back to what she was doing with her new boyfriend earlier! She can¡¯t even believe that she¡¯s actually got a boyfriend herself, and that¡¯s not even taking into consideration the fact that she¡¯s also technically got three girlfriends now. That¡¯s when it hits her. She has no idea how romance works between girls. Is she supposed to kiss girls the same way that she kisses guys? It seemed like Serra kissed both her and Fenrir the same way earlier, so at least she has that to go off of. But what about presents? Do girls like to hold hands with girls in the same way that boys and girls enjoy holding hands? Do they want her to be romantic and flirty with them, too, or are all they all just supposed to only flirt with the womanizer that is her new boyfriend? She still can¡¯t even believe that she¡¯s dating a womanizer! Though, when she thinks about it, she has never heard of nor seen Fenrir doing anything with anybody else other than his girlfriends. Sure, he was kissing her before they were dating, but that was because of herself! Does this mean that she¡¯s a manizer? Is she actually some sort of dirty woman who just uses men for casual kissing? ¡°He ¨C he¡¯s going to hate me if he finds out!¡± Azalabulia¡¯s creator whines and slams her forehead against her desk just a bit too hard, resulting in knocking over her glass of water onto her keyboard. She slowly lifts her head up to look down at her fizzling keyboard. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she¡¯s finally gotten into her first relationship after twenty-six years, then she¡¯d want to jump off her balcony! She wouldn¡¯t, of course, but she¡¯d think about thinking about it! ¡°It¡¯s taken so long,¡± she whines to herself, looking as if she¡¯s about to cry from happiness. ¡°Even all the other girls in kindergarten got to hold hands with boys!¡± Azalabulia¡¯s virgin of an owner can finally make progress in life now that she¡¯s not single. No longer will she have to explain to people how she¡¯s never even held hands before! Now she gets to tell everybody about how she¡¯s dating a guy she met on the internet in some game who already has multiple girlfriends! A smug smirk spreads across her lips. She can¡¯t wait to tell the next person who invites her to another would-be-failed night of speed dating about how she¡¯s totally in a relationship now! Speaking of which, she pulls out her phone and texts her mom to let her know! After all, her mom is the one who¡¯s been harassing her the most about it. It takes several minutes for Azalabulia to get a response from her mother, but she does get a, ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± message with a smiley face emoji attached! Tonight, Azalabulia can go to sleep without the crushing despair of loneliness! Tonight, Azalabulia¡¯s mom opens a new bottle of wine. The poor mother can¡¯t believe that her beloved daughter is actually dating somebody that she met on the internet. Where did she go wrong? Where did the mother go so wrong that her daughter with zero seduction skills has managed to get a boyfriend before she could find a new husband? Her mother might have to try out online games if they apparently work for even her daughter. Then there is Rao. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± the young and girly voice of his little sister shouts out as soon as she realizes that her big brother is finally done playing around in games. ¡°Give me a minute,¡± Rao tells her, rubbing his eyes as his body readjusts to reality. ¡°I want food nooowww!¡± ¡°Alright, I have a deal. We¡¯ll play hide n¡¯ seek. If I can¡¯t find you, I¡¯ll give you food right now.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± ¡°Alright, go hide.¡± His little sister runs off to hide as Rao counts loudly enough for her to hear. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m coming!¡± Rao shouts, still lying in bed. ¡°Where are you?!¡± That¡¯s when another woman walks into his room. ¡°Really?¡± the woman asks. ¡°Give me a minute,¡± Rao tells her. ¡°How come you didn¡¯t feed her?¡± ¡°I told her to go hide. I was busy working on a deadline.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Little brothers should know their place and not steal tactics from their big sister.¡± ¡°I just want to know how she keeps falling for it.¡± Rao and his older sister both shrug before heading into the kitchen together, preparing food for themselves as their youngest sister hides in a closet and wonders when she¡¯ll be found. In the packed house that has already doubled its population with the addition of ferrets, Ryouta and Serra take their headsets off and immediately regret coming back to reality albeit for entirely different reasons. Ryouta just hurts still. Everything from his legs to his shoulders is sore from all the lifting and moving he was doing, and pulled muscles take far longer to heal than he¡¯d like them to. Serra just doesn¡¯t want to do chores which she knows she¡¯ll have to. While she is happily willing to help out to make things fair around the house, that doesn¡¯t mean she wants to do the chores themselves. She just wants to make her lovers happy! Maybe she should try convincing Alice to buy and have people install those fancy, countertop robot arms that can do dishes and fold clothes, and to buy some that take the trash out and can vacuum the floors. Though, when Serra thinks about those vacuuming robots, she imagines the ferrets teaming up to fight against them. Now she wants to see ferrets trying to kill a robot. ¡°Wonderful timing!¡± Alice says as she notices that both her boyfriend and girlfriend are back from virtual reality and staring up at the ceiling. Serra¡¯s just giggling to herself at this point while Ryouta thinks about replacing all of his limbs with robotic ones. Robotic limbs can¡¯t get pulled muscles. ¡°Smells like dinner is already done,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Well, my hero, that would be because it is!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty early? I mean, when you and Cass woke, you thought we¡¯d be in-game for a couple more hours still.¡± ¡°Ah, I realized that would likely not be the case when I remembered how late it was in the game. I assumed that you would both be returning earlier than planned once it was too dark to do much! Unless you decided to do each other some more, of course.¡± ¡°Yeah, speaking of doing each other, you¡¯re looking pretty bruised there,¡± Ryouta says, pointing at Alice¡¯s neck. ¡°A-ah. Yes. That is from when Serra had me pinned down and was leaving marks all over me while you and Cassandra were in-game.¡± ¡°She really likes biting us and leaving marks all over us, doesn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°It would appear so, my hero! Now, please bring Serra with you to come and eat.¡± And so, they eat. Ryouta makes sure to tell Cassandra and Alice about how they¡¯ve technically brought Azalabulia officially into the harem, and then the others realize that they still know nothing about her in reality. While Cassandra and Ryouta are concerned about that, Serra figures that it¡¯ll all work out on its own in one way or another, and Alice fantasizes about what sort of secretive life Azalabulia might be living! ¡°What if she is truly a middle-woman who also happens to run a mercenary organization that is fighting wars in third-world countries?¡± Alice asks. ¡°What if she wishes to blackmail us into fighting for her? I have never fired a gun before, but that sounds like it could be exciting! And to imagine my dearest hero in combat as bullets fly all around him as I wait at him praying for his safety ¨C oh, are secrets not just so exciting? We have no idea what she might truly be like until we know! Anything could happen! She could be anybody!¡± Ryouta, Cassandra, and Serra focus on their food while letting Alice rant and rave about all the possibilities as her food goes cold. Book 4: Chapter 53: Patch 9.0 Despite the fact that Azalabulia has officially joined the relationship, now making it a five-way relationship with Fenrir, Cassiel, Nell, and Serra, very little has actually changed in how they all behave around one another. Half a week has passed in reality ¨C a week in-game, yet Fenrir and Azalabulia continue acting the same around each other. Cassiel and Nell have been trying to help ease Azalabulia into the whole relationship deal, and Serra has been as flirty and forward as ever with her, but such little progress is made that even they¡¯re starting to get concerned whether or not this will actually work. Serra and Cassiel had it the easiest since they both starting dating Fenrir at the same time. Going from single to dating each other all at the same time was easy. Bringing Nell into the relationship was originally a bit more difficult for them than it was for Nell who seemed to flawlessly integrate herself into their lives. Now, with Azalabulia, it¡¯s as if Fenrir just doesn¡¯t know how to behave around her despite the reassurances that he just needs to be himself and treat her like how he treats his older girlfriends. Fenrir is not the only one at fault, of course. Breaking through to Azalabulia and convincing her to just let things happen has been difficult. No matter how much she is reassured that she can just be herself and open up to everybody, the group has discovered that she is overly reliant on hiding behind her chuuni roleplaying to cover for her real feelings. Not only that, but when they do break through a tiny bit to her, she panics and either mentally shuts down or completely quits out of the game. Much apologizing is had afterward when she comes back into the game. And so, with Nell¡¯s assistance¡ªas dangerous as that is¡ªthe group has come up with a plan. They have come up with a plan to help both Fenrir and Azalabulia. The plan has been called, ¡°Operation: Full Chuuni.¡± If Azalabulia is so dependent on being a chuuni, then they have decided that the best way to actually break through to her is by going full chuuni themselves. Well, they¡¯re going to make Fenrir go full chuuni, anyways. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can do that,¡± Fenrir says, waving his hands in front of his face. ¡°I¡¯m cringing just thinking about it, and don¡¯t you think that she¡¯ll get embarrassed and log out during the final phase?¡± ¡°Worry not, my hero, it will be fine! As long as you remain in-character, I believe that she will be able to play along,¡± Nell explains. ¡°And what about me? It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯m completely comfortable around her, and you want me to do that?¡± ¡°Why are you even so weird around her anyways?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°You had no problem with any of us. Are you forgetting you tried taking down one of the top players in the world for Nell? When you barely even knew her?¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I did do that,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°And you helped me and got revenge for Cass Cass,¡± Serra says. ¡°You have a hero complex.¡± ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t have a hero complex. Besides, we technically kind of saved her when she was in the dungeon.¡± ¡°She probably could have saved herself,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I mean¡­ probably. But that doesn¡¯t matter because it¡¯s not like I need to save a girl to get close to her in the first place!¡± ¡°Then what is it, my hero? Could it potentially be the fact that you know she is older than you?¡± Nell asks, striking a nerve as Fenrir freezes. ¡°Oh,¡± Cassiel, Serra, and Nell all say at once. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯m nervous around older women or anything like that,¡± Fenrir stutters out as a bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face off of his forehead. ¡°So tsun,¡± Serra says. ¡°It¡¯s not being tsun,¡± Fenrir says, poking Serra on the forehead. ¡°Are you seriously nervous around older women? Even if they¡¯re like Aza? She probably acts the youngest out of all of us,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Hmm. It must be the age difference,¡± Nell says. ¡°I have known others before who, regardless of how one may act, it is the age difference itself that makes them nervous! It is good to know that you respect your elders enough to be nervous around them, Fenrir!¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t call her an elder to her face.¡± ¡°Grandma Aza,¡± Serra says. ¡°Do you want to get blown up?¡± ¡°I want Fenny to blow up inside me.¡± ¡°That could be taken in several different ways, some much more disturbing than others,¡± Fenrir says and sighs. ¡°Alright. Fine. I¡¯ll admit it. I¡¯ve realized I have a problem around older women, but not normally. It¡¯s only when they¡¯re flirty towards me, and¡­ and I think knowing she¡¯s a teacher doesn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Teacher fetish?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir looks away and scratches the side of his head as his tail wags behind him. ¡°Oh! My hero! Would you like me to dress up with pantyhose and a sweater vest, and then slap the back of your hands with a ruler?¡± Nell asks. Fenrir¡¯s tail starts to wag even faster despite him doing his best to give zero reaction to that statement. The girls have noticed this, too, and are now looking at each other with mischievous smiles. It¡¯s time for science. ¡°Sweater,¡± Serra says. Fenrir¡¯s tail continues wagging. ¡°Older women teachers wearing sweaters,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir¡¯s tail wags faster. ¡°My hero, imagine all four of us dressed up as teachers and educating your body on pleasure!¡± Nell says. Fenrir¡¯s tail looks like it¡¯s about to break from the speed and intensity of its wagging. Nell continues, ¡°I am sure that Serra would take great pleasure in tying you down to your chair with your hands behind you while Aza leads the demonstration! Serra may be standing behind you, kissing, licking, and biting your ears and neck, while Cassiel and I work with what we have from your sides! Meanwhile, Aza would be running her ruler up the inside of your thigh¡ª" ¡°I ¨C I think we broke him,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir¡¯s ears have plopped down onto the top of his head, his tail is hanging limply behind him, and his face is red. They can practically see the steam rising off of his head. ¡°I think we¡¯ve discovered a weakness,¡± Serra says. ¡°A super fetish to surpass all fetishes.¡± ¡°It would appear that my hero does very much enjoy the concept of teachers,¡± Nell says. ¡°Pervert,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir can¡¯t let this continue going on. He¡¯s supposed to be the boyfriend! The boyfriend is the one who acts all smooth and teases his girlfriends! While he doesn¡¯t know how to turn the tables on Nell nor Serra, he does know how to turn them on one of his girlfriends. Cassiel. ¡°Y-yeah, well, I bet you¡¯d like it, too, if I was dressed up like a teacher and punishing you after class,¡± Fenrir tells Cassiel. Cassiel turns red and huffs. ¡°Only because you¡¯d be doing it!¡± she explains. ¡°Uh-huh. Just admit it. You want to be dominated by a teacher as much as I do!¡± Fenrir realizes that he just fully admitted to this new, ultra-powerful fetish of his, but Cassiel is turning even more red than he is. Of course, unlike Fenrir, Cassiel has a promise to herself and her lovers to be more honest. ¡°Fi-fine, I admit it,¡± Cassiel forces herself to say. ¡°Nell Nell, we have some naughty students,¡± Serra says, standing next to Nell. ¡°It would appear so! We will need to punish them both after class sometime,¡± Nell agrees. ¡°B-but I want ¨C I want him to be the one to¡­ that,¡± Cassiel says, looking away. ¡°Worry not, Cassiel. He will be involved with our punishing of you! We will just need to punish you both separately,¡± Nell says. Fenrir has realized this plenty of times before, but now he¡¯s realizing it again. ¡°I¡¯m stupidly lucky. You¡¯re the best girlfriends anybody could ever ask for,¡± he says. ¡°H-huh? That ¨C that came out of nowhere,¡± Cassiel says, and she¡¯s not the only one of his girlfriends blushing and smiling now. ¡°It¡¯s true, and I want Aza to be able to smile and mess around like this with us someday, so¡­ Operation: Full Chuuni. Let¡¯s do it. I¡¯ll do my best to get through to her and make things less awkward.¡± ¡°You can do it,¡± Serra says. ¡°We shall be cheering you on from the side, my hero!¡± Nell says. ¡°Ac-actually¡­ could you not watch? It¡¯d be embarrassing knowing that you¡¯re all watching me act like that,¡± Fenrir says. Nell puts a hand behind her back and says, ¡°Alright. We will not watch.¡± ¡°Why¡­ why¡¯d you hide your hand?¡± ¡°Do not worry about it, my hero.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so going to watch, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nell smiles and says, ¡°I told you not to worry about it.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t judge me at least,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We will,¡± Serra teases. ¡°I take it back. I have the worst girlfriends.¡± Book 4: Chapter 54: Patch 9.0 Operation: Full Chuuni has begun. It¡¯s a simple mission with the only planned casualty being Fenrir¡¯s pride. Sure, he¡¯s supposed to be helping out with setting up their new base of operations and all of that, but even Tabitha and Rao want him to just hurry up and make things less awkward between him and Azalabulia first. Even Oleander and Corwin are tired of how awkward it¡¯s been and it¡¯s only been a week! The first phase of the event is already underway as Fenrir leads Azalabulia out into the forest. Serra, Cassiel, and Nell follow behind them, making sure to stay out of sight, so that they get to watch what happens. Really, though, they just want to tease their boyfriend about this later. Once in the forest, seemingly alone, Fenrir turns around to look at Azalabulia. His ears are low, tail is stiff, and his stern eyes are focused on the woman in front of him whom seems absolutely confused as to why he¡¯s essentially glaring at her. ¡°Azalabulia,¡± Fenrir says, his voice low. ¡°Do you know why I have brought you here?¡± Azalabulia looks around before answering, ¡°N-no?¡± Fenrir internally prepares himself against his own cringe before saying, ¡°Then you are a foolish woman. How could a woman as incompetent as you claim to be the wielder of Bahamut¡¯s cursed flame?¡± Part of Fenrir is worried that she might not play along and potentially even get offended by his words. The last thing that he needs to do is upset her and make things even more awkward. But, just as Nell reassured him, Azalabulia smiles and strikes a confident pose. ¡°What¡¯s this? Is my dark general wishing to rebel?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Know this: if you rebel against me, I will not be taking it easy on you. I will cleanse you with the Cursed Flame of Bahamut just as I have countless foes, man and monster alike! Is this truly the path that you wish to go down? One of failed rebellion?¡± ¡°Why should I follow a queen of darkness when she has yet to prove her strength? If you cannot defeat me, then I have no interest in following you. So, Azalabulia! Prove that you are stronger than me ¨C prove that you can tame the Unleashed Spirit of the Fenris Wolf!¡± Serra has to cover her mouth as strongly as she can to not laugh. Even Nell is looking like she¡¯s getting ready to laugh¡­ but Cassiel is totally getting into it and watching with great interest as her boyfriend goes full chuuni. ¡°Do you expect me to take a hound as a serious threat? My Bahamut is a dragon! A wolf cannot beat a dragon!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°Anything can be defeated when you go for its neck, and I will come for yours,¡± Fenrir replies, trying to think of several more ¡°cool¡± lines in his head to say next. This is more difficult than he thought it would be. Azalabulia never wastes a single second replying to him, so he has to try and keep up with her. The play will be less impressive if he has to pause to think. Azalabulia whips her stave off of her back and sticks it out to Fenrir. ¡°Then come at me! I, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia, shall be your foe, Unleashed Spirit of the Fenris Wolf!¡± Fenrir can not deny that he¡¯s nervous about what might happen. He just really, really hopes that she doesn¡¯t plan on going all-out against him. He¡¯s seen her go all-out before against that boss in the dungeon, and he knows that he would get destroyed with ease if she tried to do that against him. Then again, that also required prep time for her to cast such a powerful spell. As long as all of her most powerful spells require a long charge-up time like that one did, he should be¡ª ¡°Watch thine head, for mine dragon hungers!¡± Azalabulia shouts, causing a long serpentine-like dragon composed entirely of crackling, red energy to shoot out from her stave and go right for Fenrir¡¯s head. Fenrir¡¯s eyes widen as he jumps out of the way just in time to dodge the attack! When he looks up at the aftermath, he¡¯s really glad he dodged it, too. Her ¡°dragon¡± tore straight through several trees, leaving only smoldering holes where once was wood. This might be bad. It is now that Fenrir remembers that he has basically nothing that can compete against her. He doesn¡¯t even have any flashy skills or spells! Well, there is that one thing, and it requires going as all-out as he can. Plus, Nell is nearby, so he¡¯ll get that boost to his abilities thanks to the ¡°blessing¡± she bestowed upon him. Fenrir searches his being for that bestial feeling of his. Another attack flies at him that he has to dodge. With every attack that he dodges, though, the more that bestial instinct comes out. He grabs onto that feral instinct and fully embraces it. The lower halves of his legs and arms both turn larger in size, twisting into the limbs of a wolf¡¯s, as large claws protrude from where his fingers and toes previously were. Unaware to him, but obvious to the three girls spying on the battle, even his tail and ears are growing larger now. They never noticed that before, but his ears, tail, and even his hair seem to be longer and bushier than it was before. ¡°Is this your true form? Is this the realized, ultimate form of the Unleashed Spirit of the Fenris Wolf?!¡± Azalabula shouts, a wide grin on her lips as she readies her next spell. ¡°You¡¯ve got it. You can rely on your spells all you want, but I¡¯ll tear right through them with my claws,¡± Fenrir says, having no idea if that¡¯s even possible or not. He hopes that it¡¯s possible, though, because now one of her spells is coming straight at him. He really hopes that it¡¯s possible. In a readied stance, Fenrir waits until the bolt of dark fire is right in front of him before swiping his right hand at it, his claws tearing straight through the magic! ¡°Holy shit it actually worked,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°Am ¨C am I actually a badass? Maybe there¡¯s something to this chuuni roleplaying.¡± ¡°Impressive, but not impressive enough!¡± Azalabulia shouts. ¡°Feast on his head!¡± Another magical dragon shoots out toward him. Fenrir tries slashing at it again, and it works, but not entirely. The remnants of the dragon explode against his chest and send him flying backward into a tree, almost knocking the tree over from the sheer force of impact. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re still alive?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°You look to be enjoying yourself, wolf.¡± Fenrir looks up at Azalabulia with a smile as blood trickles down from his forehead. ¡°How could I not be? This is the most fun I¡¯ve had in a fight in a long time. Now, dragon, let us see who is stronger: the wolf or the dragon ¨C your magic or my claws,¡± Fenrir replies, jumping off of the tree and charging right at her! ¡°This¡­ is kind of getting out of hand, no?¡± Nell asks. ¡°What if they seriously hurt one another?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll respawn, it¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says. ¡°They look like they¡¯re having tons of fun,¡± Cassiel points out. When the girlfriends look over their boyfriend and latest member of their relationship, they see that both of them are smiling and laughing. They don¡¯t even know if Fenrir is pretending to be chuuni or not anymore as he dances around Azalabulia¡¯s spells and closes the distance between them. Unfortunately for Fenrir, Operation: Full Chuuni involves him losing. Yet, at this point, he doesn¡¯t even care about the operation. He just wants to fight the powerful foe in front of him, and the same goes for Azalabulia as they test each others mettle. ¡°You¡¯re finished!¡± Fenrir shouts as he lunges at Azalabulia, her eyes wide. His claws are going straight for her throat. Azalabulia grins and shouts, ¡°Bahamut Burst!¡± Dark flames shoot out from all over her body like an expanding shield forming around her, knocking Fenrir away and sending him skidding along the ground. ¡°You may be able to tear away some of my spells, wolf, but you will not be able to pierce my defenses with claws alone,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to put that theory to the test. Here I come, dragon,¡± Fenrir says as he stands back up, his eyes never leaving his opponent¡¯s for even a second. ¡°Yes! Come to your ultimate despair and loss, wolf!¡± Once more, Fenrir charges at Azalabulia as she casts one final spell. Book 4: Chapter 55: Patch 9.0 Fenrir feels more than just feral instinct this time as he charges at Azalabulia. He feels as if the very spirit of a powerful wolf is within him as he extends his arms out to slash at his opponent. At the same time, Azalabulia finishes chanting her spell and shouts out, ¡°Bahamut Multi-Beam!¡± The attack may not be as impressive as her ultimate attack that she used against that boss in the dungeon, but the magical head of a dragon still appears above her head to glare down at Fenrir. It¡¯s at this moment that Fenrir realizes he might be in some big trouble. He cancels his attack to go on the defensive, jumping out of the way to the side and bringing his arms up to defend himself as the dragon¡¯s head stays locked on to wherever he goes. The dragon opens its mouth and roars. Several beams of bright energy shoot out toward Fenrir at once, arcing and zagging through the air to correct course to stay locked onto him wherever he goes. Yep. Fenrir is ready to be in a lot of pain even with the pain setting halved. Three magical beams crash into his blocking arms all the same time, sending him between trees until he eventually crashes, rolls along the ground, and smacks into a tree. His vision is darkened to the point of almost being blind as he coughs and struggles to stand back up. It¡¯s clear that he has lost the fight. He was supposed to in the first place, but it¡¯s still frustrating to know that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat her even if he was trying his absolute hardest to. For most of the fight, he was trying his hardest. ¡°You¡¯re way too strong, Aza,¡± Fenrir says under his breath after managing to stand up and lean against the tree. Azalabulia walks up to him and strikes a dramatic, triumphant pose that is every bit as chuuni as it is smug. ¡°Victory is mine, wolf!¡± she declares. ¡°I see that you are still smiling. Is being beaten by a superior being truly so entertaining?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was pretty fun,¡± Fenrir says and wobbles away from the tree. She breaks character as soon as she sees him having so much difficult standing let alone walking toward her. ¡°Are ¨C are you alright?¡± she asks. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re Azalabulia, right? Somebody as powerful as you should not be concerned for the one you just defeated, especially when I just tried rebelling against you!¡± Fenrir shouts, bringing Azalabulia back into character. ¡°Then, shall I put you out of your misery? I may be dark and twisted, but even I do not want to see an injured wolf limping around on broken paws.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just one more thing I have to do before I allow that.¡± Fenrir stumbles toward Azalabulia, his eyes shutting in the process. Azalabulia can¡¯t help but to break character again and grab onto him to try and support his larger frame. The plan is working perfectly. While Azalabulia holds him up, Fenrir brings his head down to hers and places his lips against her own in a soft kiss. Operation: Full Chuuni¡¯s goal was to have a full-on chuuni battle between Azalabulia and Fenrir to help them grow closer while also boosting Azalabulia¡¯s confidence. Then, after losing to Azalabulia, Fenrir would pretend to be heavily injured and sneak in a surprise attack of romance while Azalabulia is still confident from her victory. The only change in the plan is that he¡¯s not pretending that he¡¯s heavily injured. Not wanting to drop Fenrir, Azalabulia stays holding him and just lets the kiss happen despite how much internal panicking is happening within her mind. ¡°You¡¯re way too strong,¡± Fenrir whispers after breaking off the kiss. Azalabulia¡¯s confidence meter refills after the damage it took from being unexpectedly kissed. ¡°And you¡¯re pretty awesome during combat. Your spells are insane.¡± Her confidence meter is fully restored, but it drops as soon as Fenrir kisses her again. The next minute for her confidence meter is spent dropping and rising over and over again as Fenrir alternates between praising her chuuni abilities and kissing her. He can¡¯t let her get too flustered or else she might panic and quit the game. As for his own confidence, since he¡¯s the one with issues when facing older women whom he¡¯s attracted to ¨C well, his whole body hurts too much for him to care. The plan was for him to more or less ¡°get over it¡± somehow, which never happened, but at least the pain is keeping him from caring. Fortunately, praising and kissing Azalabulia so much is helping him get over it even if he doesn¡¯t realize it yet. ¡°So dark and cool,¡± Fenrir says. Kiss. ¡°Truly a dark queen deserving of following.¡± Kiss. ¡°All of that dragon-themed magic is badass.¡± Kiss. ¡°I feel like I might seriously die from how strong you are.¡± Kiss. He¡¯s hoping that getting her to associate kissing with confidence is working. She looks less flustered and less like she¡¯s about to cry after every kiss, so he¡¯s assuming that it¡¯s working. That is, until she raises a hand between their lips to block him. ¡°What ¨C what are you doing?¡± Azalabulia asks in her normal voice. ¡°Why¡­ are you praising me and kissing me so much?¡± ¡°Because I want to,¡± Fenrir answers. Azalabulia turns slightly redder than she already is. She wants to look away, but she doesn¡¯t. ¡°Tell me why.¡± ¡°Because I want you to get more comfortable around me. If I can make you more comfortable around me, then I think I¡¯ll be able to be more comfortable around you.¡± ¡°Are ¨C aren¡¯t you already comfortable?¡± ¡°Honestly, not at all. I¡¯m just too tired to care right now.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ so ¨C so you¡¯re not comfortable with me?¡± Azalabulia asks, looking down now. ¡°Not like that, so don¡¯t get all gloomy. I mean like¡­ I¡¯m not comfortable around you because I know you¡¯re¡ª¡± Fenrir shuts his mouth. Now is probably not the time to refer to her as an older woman, especially when he already knows that she has a complex about her age. Serra, Cassiel, and Nell give each other quiet high fives to celebrate their boyfriend learning when to shut his mouth. They¡¯re still watching and listening to everything from a hidden position, of course. ¡°I like you, it¡¯s just that I feel intimidated by you most of the time,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Se-seriously? You feel intimidated by me? I ¨C it¡¯s the other way around if anything!¡± Azalabulia says, looking up at him again now. ¡°You¡¯re like perfect in every way and already have three other girlfriends! I ¨C I¡¯m the one being selfish and trying to force myself into an already-happy relationship! I¡¯m just¡­ worried that I¡¯m being too selfish and that nobody will like me. You¡¯re all so kind and open and confident and¡­ I wish I could be more like the rest of you. What ¨C what is there to feel intimidated about?¡± ¡°I have a fetish for teachers.¡± Azalabulia blinks a few times. ¡°Sorry, I misheard you. I ¨C I think.¡± ¡°I have a fetish for teachers and you¡¯re way too hot, so when I combine how hot you are with the fact that you¡¯re a teacher, it makes me nervous and I imagine you giving me special lessons after class.¡± The only thing left out from Fenrir¡¯s explanation is the fact that she¡¯s an older woman. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I think I misheard you,¡± Azalabulia stutters as her eyes spin around in flustered confusion. Fenrir grabs Azalabulia¡¯s arms and kisses her again. He doesn¡¯t know whether it¡¯s because of how much pain he¡¯s still in, leftover feral instinct inspiring him to be like this, or if he¡¯s just horny by imagining her giving him special lessons. Maybe it¡¯s all three of those combined. Regardless, he manages to bring out the confidence that he was able to use around Serra, Cassiel, and Nell to win their hearts over. Well, maybe not Serra¡¯s heart. She was always the one flustering and embarrassing him. ¡°I want more. I¡¯ve been¡­ wanting more ever since they told me it¡¯d be okay,¡± Fenrir whispers into Azalabulia¡¯s ear, now resting his head on her shoulder. ¡°M-more?¡± Azalabulia asks. He places a kiss against the side of her neck. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t ¨C d-don¡¯t know if ¨C if umm, if I¡¯ll ¨C if I¡¯ll be any g-good, but.. i-if you¡­¡± All of Fenrir¡¯s weight leans down against her now. ¡°F-Fenrir?¡± she asks. No answer. ¡°Are ¨C are you okay?¡± Nothing. She helps him onto the ground and looks him over. He¡¯s breathing, but he¡¯s unconscious. Azalabulia brushes his hair off of his face and smiles from the cute expression he¡¯s making. She¡¯s seen him smile and laugh before, and she saw just how scary-and-totally-hot he can look during combat, but she¡¯s never gotten a good look at his resting, peaceful face before. Then she realizes that she was just consenting to having sex with him as long as he¡¯d take the lead. If Fenrir wasn¡¯t unconscious and needing cared for, she¡¯d be waking from the game to roll around on her bed in reality while screaming into a pillow. Book 4: Chapter 56: Patch 10.0 ¡°This is weird, Saya,¡± Fenrir thinks to his assistant. All that he has control of right now are his thoughts inside of a black void within his mind. ¡°Oh, yeah, this is your first time being unconscious, isn¡¯t it, onii-wan?¡± Saya asks. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll wake up to Aza doing lewd things to you in your sleep!¡± ¡°That¡¯d be nice, but I doubt it.¡± ¡°By the way, onii-wan, you¡¯re a nerd.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± ¡°That battle you had!¡± ¡°It was pretty fun, and we were kind of cool, weren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Ehhhh. Mostly just nerdy, onii-wan.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just jealous you haven¡¯t embraced your inner chuuni yet.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t have any inner chuuni, you baka onii-wan!¡± ¡°I bet you totally strike cool poses and shout out cool magic names whenever you¡¯re bored and when I can¡¯t hear.¡± ¡°Hmph! Do not!¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± ¡°Hmph. You ¨C oh, it¡¯s time for you to go back. Have fun, onii-wan!¡± ¡°Later, chuuni-tsun-pup-imouto.¡± With that, Fenrir blinks open his eyes and is greeted by something soft, warm, and thick underneath the back of his head. Two large things hang over his head, almost reaching down to rest on his face, and block most of his vision. Yep. These are definitely Azalabulia¡¯s thighs that he¡¯s resting on, and those are definitely her breasts directly above his face. This is one of those times when he wants to say something, but he thinks that he¡¯ll pretend to be unconscious for a little while longer to get to enjoy this. It helps that her breasts are blocking the top half of his face from her, so she can¡¯t see that his eyes are open. ¡°Aren¡¯t his eyes open?¡± Cassiel asks her hidden girlfriends. ¡°That is correct,¡± Nell says. ¡°It is a good thing that he is lying on his tail! It would be obvious what is happening if his tail started to wag all of a sudden.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be cute to see his tail wag in his sleep,¡± Serra says, nodding her head. ¡°What¡¯s she going to do now?¡± Cassiel asks, noticing one of Azalabulia¡¯s hands going for Fenrir¡¯s head. Fenrir feels something strange yet beyond wonderful. What he feels is Azalabulia¡¯s hand on the top of his head between his ears, gently petting him. This is the first time that he¡¯s been petted, which is mainly his fault since he¡¯s too tall for his girlfriends to conveniently do this for him, but he loves how it feels. His ears happily twitch as Azalabulia strokes her fingers through his hair as if trying to massage his scalp. As for Azalabulia herself ¨C well, she¡¯s sitting there with a massive, closed-lip smile and hearts threatening to appear in her eyes just because of how fluffy his hair is. ¡°I¡¯m kind of jealous,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Hmm. Now that I think about it, none of us have done much petting of his head,¡± Nell agrees. ¡°Touch fluffy head,¡± Serra says, nodding. ¡°We will simply have to surround him later and force him to let us all pet him!¡± ¡°That sounds way worse than it actually is,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°We¡¯ll tie him down and force our petting on him,¡± Serra says. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to resist doing more than petting him if you do that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say where I¡¯d pet him.¡± ¡°Serra is right!¡± Nell says. ¡°Between the three of us, there are six hands, so we have to make sure that his whole body is being catered to with our pettings!¡± Back at Fenrir and Azalabulia, Fenrir is finally figuring that maybe he should let Azalabulia know that he¡¯s fine and conscious now. She might be worried about him since he passed out on her, and he doesn¡¯t want her to be worried. But at the same time, in this position¡­ all he can think about are those doujins where a guy would be sucking on a girl¡¯s breasts while getting a handjob from her. That would be nice. For now, though, Fenrir raises one of his hands to let Azalabulia know that he¡¯s awake. The hand on top of his head pulls away in a hurried panic. He regrets letting her know that he¡¯s awake. ¡°A-are you feeling better?¡± Azalabulia asks. Fenrir¡¯s eyes widen a bit from surprise. He didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be the first one to say anything, but she was. ¡°Yeah,¡± he answers. ¡°Thanks for taking care of me. Feel free to pet me some more, by the way.¡± ¡°Re-really? You¡­ like that?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? Even without being part dog, getting headpats is awesome.¡± At least talking to her and being honest feels easier for him now. He was really getting worried that he would never get over his nervousness around her, but being this close and intimate with her reminds him of doing this with his girlfriends. When he thinks of it that way¡­ this just feels normal ¨C natural. Azalabulia is another girl just like his girlfriends. The only differences between her and them are that she has an actual career and is a few years older than him, but those are all. ¡°Sorry for being so stupid around you before,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°I guess¡­ I just realized how dumb I was being. From now on, since you¡¯re an official member of Serra¡¯s harem with me, I¡¯ll treat you how a boyfriend should.¡± He also wants to ¡°bully¡± her some more like he did when he first met her. Now that he¡¯s gotten over the whole teacher and being older things, he can go back to teasing her. Then it hits him. ¡°About time, onii-wan,¡± Saya tells him. It makes sense to him now. From the very first time Fenrir met Azalabulia, he was teasing her, welcoming her into the crew, and treating her with total confidence in himself ¨C he was treating her like a normal person and he was just being himself. Then, discovering her career, age, and the fact that she¡¯s interested in him is what made him so flustered and awkward around her. He let those change how he was acting. She got interested in him because of how he originally treated her, not how he treated her after becoming awkward around her. Not only that, but she¡¯s seemed more awkward ever since he¡¯s started acting awkward. During the fight, though, they were fine. When they were just fighting each other and having fun, they were treating each other like they normally would without all the awkward romance involved. Fenrir realizes that he really is stupid. He¡¯s reminded of when he was told that his attempts at being smooth aren¡¯t really all that smooth, either. It¡¯s not his would-be smoothness that made his girlfriends fall for him. It¡¯s just¡­ being his usual self and treating them like normal that won their hearts. So, as stupid as Fenrir might feel right now, it¡¯s also a healthy confidence booster to be reminded that his girlfriends¡ªnow including Azalabulua¡ªall just want him for who he is rather than who he thinks he should be. ¡°I¡¯m really stupid,¡± Fenrir says, this time smiling as he sighs. ¡°All of this awkwardness has been my fault. Sorry about that.¡± ¡°What ¨C what do you mean?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not a problem anymore, girlfriend number four.¡± ¡°Hey! I ¨C I have a name¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Sorry, Azawaza.¡± ¡°A-Azawaza?¡± ¡°Azawazaza.¡± ¡°Azawazaza?!¡± ¡°Azawazazazawaza.¡± ¡°Azawawazawalawawa?! D-don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s getting even more ridiculous?!¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who just made it ridiculous, Azawaza.¡± Serra, Nell, and Cassiel are all celebrating in the bushes. ¡°It would appear that my hero has finally figured it out!¡± Nell says. ¡°About time,¡± Serra agrees. ¡°Yeah. Seriously, he was being so weird around her,¡± Cassiel chimes in. ¡°We tried telling him but he just didn¡¯t get it.¡± Fenrir reaches up and pokes Azalabulia¡¯s breasts that are hanging above his face. ¡°By the way, you can expect me to want to touch these way more now. Cass Cass doesn¡¯t let me grope her whenever I want to, so I have an opening for boobs-on-demand.¡± While Azalabulia turns bright red, Cassiel clenches her fists as a vein pops on her forehead. ¡°That bas¡ªhmph! It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like he tries that much in the first place,¡± Cassiel whimpers to herself. Serra reaches up to Cassiel¡¯s chest and¡­ just sort of rubs it seeing as how a metal breastplate is over it. ¡°This is why. We can¡¯t grope you when you¡¯re always covered, and he touches your boobs all the time in real life,¡± Serra says. ¡°Serra has a point!¡± Nell says. ¡°You must be gropable in order to be groped! How can you wish for his hands to fondle your chest when you keep it covered with metal?¡± Fenrir isn¡¯t the only one to have a realization. Now, Cassiel realizes that being so covered in armor might actually be a bad thing now that she has a boyfriend. Book 4: Chapter 57: Patch 10.0 ¡°By the way, Azawaza,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Is ¨C is that really my nickname now?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Yep. Anyways, by the way, I¡¯m winning our next duel.¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯d like to see you try! You¡¯ll never be able to defeat me! Not even in a million years! Not even after the heat death of the universe!¡± ¡°To be fair, I don¡¯t think anything is going to happen after the heat death of the universe. I mean, it¡¯s kind of the death of the universeand all that. I¡¯d be really surprised if anything could happen after that.¡± ¡°You ¨C you get my point. Besides! Not even the heat death of the universe could dream of stopping me!¡± ¡°You may have a point. How could the heat death of the universe ever compete with the great and awesome Azawaza?¡± ¡°Exactly! Even if the universe itself comes against me, I will destroy it and anything else that wishes to stand in my way!¡± ¡°Can the universe even stand?¡± Right after saying that, Fenrir realizes the potential to make one of the best possible references that he could make in this situation. ¡°The universe is my stand!¡± ¡°E-eh? It¡¯s your ¡®stand?¡¯¡± Azalabulia asks, breaking character out of confusion. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not good with memes.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t really understand memes that much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Azawaza. I¡¯ll teach you to be a queen of memes, and then you can relate to your students better.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°There are explosion and darkness memes.¡± Fenrir hears a muffled, excited squeak come from Azalabulia¡¯s closed mouth. She likes her explosions and darkness to an unhealthy degree, but that¡¯s part of what makes her so cute. ¡°By the way¡­ where do you live?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°E-eh? Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t you know you¡¯re never supposed to tell people on the internet something like that?¡± Azalabulia asks, sounding genuinely shocked that he¡¯d actually ask such a risky question! ¡°You know we¡¯re dating now, right?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ right.¡± ¡°So¡­ where do you live?¡± ¡°Alaska!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. Is that weird?¡± ¡°If you live in Alaska, do you own lots of sweaters and other winter clothes?¡± ¡°Umm, not any sweaters, but¡ª¡± Fenrir sighs a sigh of disappointment. ¡°You ¨C you really do love sweaters, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sweaters represent everything that is right in this world. Without sweaters, there is no light, there is no point in living, and the world may as well be devoid of all color and emotion! They¡¯re even better than dark explosions!¡± ¡°Never! There is nothing that can compare to the awesome power of dark explosions! Sweaters would get blown away and burnt to crisps!¡± ¡°Wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! Sweaters are naturally powerful enough to resist all manners of explosions! A sweater¡¯s spirit is powerful enough to resist even a supernova or black hole!¡± ¡°A sweater may be able to resist such child¡¯s play, but explosions can destroy those!¡± As Fenrir and Azalabulia get into an argument of sweaters versuses explosions, their girlfriends, still watching from the bushes, sigh and realize that they should have expected something like this to happen. ¡°We should have known this would happen. They¡¯re both huge dorks when they¡¯re not being awkward around each other,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I swear¡­ even though I always wear sweaters for him, he just doesn¡¯t get tired of them.¡± ¡°He does have quite the powerful fetish for sweaters! I am surprised that we are not ¡®The Sweater Wolves¡¯ rather than ¡®The Soaring Wolves!¡¯ Truth be told, the former does sound much cuter,¡± Nell says. ¡°I wanted to watch them fuck,¡± Serra says, sounding just as disappointed as Fenrir did when Azalabulia revealed her lack of sweaters to him. ¡°We¡¯d go away if they were doing that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°No fun. I wanna watch.¡± ¡°Serra, as erotic as it would be to watch them passionately engage in lovemaking in the middle of the forest, one should not be a voyeur without consent of the watched parties!¡± Nell explains. Serra pouts and sighs. ¡°You sound like that hentai series he reads,¡± she says. ¡°Which series would that be?¡± ¡°The one where the guy with the tentacles is obsessed with consent.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds like a very positive thing to be obsessed about! I will be the first to admit that consent ruins the vast majority of my fantasies, but in practice, it is too important to skip!¡± ¡°Yeah, but at least Fen knows how to read us and doesn¡¯t bother asking for consent every five seconds. My dad is like that. Every time I¡¯ve ever seen him with a girl, he asks for permission to do every single tiny little thing. It¡¯s why he¡¯s still single. God, it frustrates me just to think about it,¡± Cassiel explains with a groan. ¡°There is nothing wrong with wanting to ensure consent to that degree!¡± Nell says. ¡°Can I hold your hand?¡± ¡°Of course! You do not need to ask for permiss¡ª¡± ¡°Can I hug you?¡± ¡°Y-yes, Cassiel, of course you may¡ª¡± ¡°Can I whisper into your ear? Can I kiss your neck? Can I touch your side?¡± ¡°Alright! I ¨C I see your point. I can see how that would not only be frustrating, but¡­ incredibly mood-killing.¡± While Nell is distracted with Cassiel, Serra gets behind Nell, wraps her arms around Nell¡¯s waist, and then places her lips against Nell¡¯s neck to kiss before saying, ¡°Can¡¯t surprise with consent.¡± ¡°Just¡­ make sure they¡¯re good surprises and not the rape kind,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Now that I think about it, all surprises are nonconsensual! Are they not?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Ask Fen that sometime. It sounds like the kind of question he¡¯d want to overanalyze and go into way too much detail with.¡± ¡°And that,¡± Fenrir says to Azalabulia, ¡°is my top list of the twenty best reasons for why sweaters are the objectively-best piece of clothing to ever exist and that ever will exist! Perhaps, perhaps if you could turn explosions into clothes, then they might be able to compare. But, you can¡¯t. Explosions are explosions, not clothes. At the end of the day, you will deal with clothes more than explosions, so it only makes sense to have the best possible clothes for the situation! And, in any and all situations, sweaters are the answers!¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes are spinning in their sockets. She never knew that there was anybody who could actually list twenty distinct reasons in support of sweater superiority. Half of them sounded similar to the other points he made, yes, but each one sounded original enough to count by her standards! ¡°Then ¨C then, I will give you a list of one hundred reasons for the superiority of explosions and darkness over clothes!¡± Azalabulia declares, trying to think up a quick list of one hundred reasons in her head. To even her own surprise, thinking up so many reasons is actually easy and comes naturally to her. Back in the bushes again, the three girlfriends are just happy to see Fenrir and Azalabulia getting along well again even if it means being dorks or not giving Serra the sexy show that she wanted to watch. ¡°A-ah. I just¡­ noticed something,¡± Nell says. ¡°What?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°She¡­ is like a combined, upgraded version of us, is she not?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°She has larger breasts than you, hips at least as wide as Serra¡¯s, and her thighs are even nicer than mine are! Not to mention that she is considerably more powerful than us when it comes to fighting. She¡­ her body is challenging us!¡± ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t really care about that sort of thing. I know Fen will love our bodies no matter what, even if she¡¯s available to him now.¡± ¡°Just imagine it, though! Our loving boyfriend and husband-to-be, always praising us for our bodies, being swept away by a new woman and obsessing over her body! What once helped us stand out has now been consolidated and monopolized by the new woman! Rather than give us any of the attention that we so desperately crave, he would just go to her for comfort every night!¡± ¡°That sounds like a pretty crazy fantasy,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I know, my hero! It¡ª¡± Nell, Serra, and Cassiel turn around and look up. Fenrir is standing over them with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Were you all seriously watching this whole time?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra is the only one to proudly nod her head and give him a thumbs-up. Cassiel and Nell both look away and sweat. ¡°F-Fen! I thought of the other sixty-two reasons!¡± Azalabulia shouts over to him. Book 4: Chapter 58: Patch 10.0 While Cassiel thought that Azalabulia would have been embarrassed to have discovered that she was being watched by them in secret, Azalabulia has been smug and happy about it if anything. After all, it means that everybody got to watch her act cool and awesome and beat Fenrir in a duel! Now, the group is heading back to The Shoebill together. ¡°Seriously¡­ are boobs all you care about?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir, bumping into his side as they walk. Fenrir lightly bumps back against her and says, ¡°Of course not. They¡¯re not even in my top list.¡± ¡°Sweaters,¡± Serra says. ¡°Exactly. Sweaters are more important,¡± Fenrir says, nodding his head. ¡°And fluff, yes?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Yup. Fluff is also more important,¡± he says, nodding his head some more. ¡°But there¡¯s something more important than both sweaters andfluff.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± Cassiel asks, ready to sigh at whatever his response may be. ¡°You.¡± For once, Serra and Nell are actually impressed by his attempt at being smooth and give him a thumbs-up and clap respectively. Meanwhile, Cassiel blushes and looks away to hide her smile. ¡°Th-that was¡­ unexpected. I thought you¡¯d say something weird.¡± Fenrir might be proud of himself as well for that one, but there¡¯s somebody being left out now that the conversation has shifted away from how awesome Azalabulia was during her duel with him. ¡°So, our new girlfriend lives in Alaska,¡± he says. ¡°Cold,¡± Serra says and grabs her arms to imitate shivering. ¡°I like warm weather.¡± ¡°There is nothing wrong with cold weather! I would be more concerned about the bears than anything. I have heard stories about how Alaska is full of bears and that one must never leave home without a firearm!¡± Nell says, causing Azalabulia to almost laugh. ¡°That might complicate things a bit,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°There ¨C there aren¡¯t actually that many bears,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°I don¡¯t mean the bears. I mean how far away you are.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± ¡°That is most alright!¡± Nell says. ¡°Flying to and from shall not be a concern.¡± ¡°Being rich and having that much disposable money must be really nice,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s not like the same isn¡¯t applied to you anymore,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Fair enough. But yeah, it does kind of complicate things.¡± ¡°S-sorry,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s nothing for you to apologize for. I mean, if you¡¯re going to try and apologize for it, then we should be apologizing for living somewhere else.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll move up there,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯ll wear five layers of sweaters all year.¡± ¡°As much as I want to see that, don¡¯t forget we just bought a house,¡± Fenrir says, flicking Serra on the side of her head which causes her to pout. ¡°We¡¯ll sell it,¡± she says as she rubs where she was flicked. ¡°We can¡¯t just buy a house and then sell it a week later.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yeah, Fen, why not?¡± Cassiel asks, bumping against Fenrir¡¯s side again. Fenrir flicks each one of them in the order of who asked. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯m attached to where I live,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°I would miss my students, but they leave me at the end of each year, so¡­ once this school year is over, I ¨C I could always maybe move.¡± ¡°No family or friends up there?¡± Fenrir asks. Azalabulia shakes her head. ¡°So, did you move there on your own then?¡± She nods her head and says, ¡°A couple of years ago.¡± ¡°Why? I hear of people moving from Alaska, but never to it.¡± ¡°I¡­ I ¨C I was told that, because they have more men than women, it¡¯d be easier to¡­ findahusbandandhavekids,¡± Azalabulia explains in a quick, hushed voice while looking away. ¡°So,¡± Cassiel says, ¡°you moved to a state, Alaska, because you thought it¡¯d be easier to get a husband?¡± Azalabulia doesn¡¯t say anything, but she does nod her head. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m kind of impressed it didn¡¯t work,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel says, ¡°I mean¡­¡± And then a shallow-but-realistic fear pops into both Fenrir¡¯s and Cassiel¡¯s minds. If Azalabulia was single despite how desperate she was, then does that mean there is something wrong with her? Is she actually some sort of filthy person? No, she couldn¡¯t have gotten a job as a teacher ¨C a job around kids, if she looks filthy and doesn¡¯t take care of herself. In that case, is she beyond physically unattractive? With how healthy food is now due to government regulations and technology, it¡¯s difficult to be unattractive unless literally zero effort is put into one¡¯s appearance or if they are just extremely unlucky in regards to genetics. ¡°What do you look like?¡± Serra asks out of the blue, putting forward the question that everybody else has on their minds. ¡°Umm,¡± Azalabulia mumbles, ¡°I ¨C I¡­ don¡¯t look that different from how I do now. I made my hair a little longer and my legs shorter, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re even taller?¡± Fenrir asks. As much as he enjoys the idea of somebody who looks like Azalabulia being taller than him in real life, he also feels emasculated for it. She¡¯s already taller than he is in real life, and now it turns out that she¡¯s even taller than she is now? ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Hot,¡± Serra says. ¡°Azala,¡± Nell says, ¡°I apologize if this question comes off as rude, but I am most curious! Is there a reason why you believe that you are ¨C why you were single for so long?¡± Azalabulia slumps over and sighs. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really want to talk about it. Sorry¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Fenrir says, grabbing Azalabulia¡¯s hand to pull her close. ¡°You don¡¯t have to let us know if you¡¯re uncomfortable sharing that.¡± ¡°Fenrir is right! I apologize for asking that,¡± Nell says. Serra positions herself next to Azalabulia¡¯s free side and holds onto her other hand. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Actually,¡± Azalabulia says, squeezing both Fenrir¡¯s and Serra¡¯s hands slightly tighter now, ¡°I ¨C I think I want to¡­ kind of, explain it.¡± ¡°If you want to, you¡¯re welcome to, but don¡¯t force yourself to if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Fenrir says. The others agree with him, but Azalabulia goes on even so. ¡°I guess¡­ getting dates was never a problem. I always got asked and went on a bunch, but never got invited on second dates even if I asked and tried to set them up.¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve only ever dated crazy people. Who wouldn¡¯t want to go on a second date with you?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Hah¡­ a lot of people. They always thought I was the crazy one. Then, when I tried my best to not act crazy or like myself, they said I was boring and had no personality. It didn¡¯t really matter what I tried. If I was myself, they ¨C they told me I was crazy and too hyper. If I wasn¡¯t myself, they said I was boring. This is why I like working with kids! I can be as ¡®crazy¡¯ as I want and they all smile and laugh and have fun. Adults are so¡­ boring.¡± ¡°That explains why you like to roleplay so much here. It¡¯s not surprising if you¡¯ve been suppressing yourself in real life,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I ¨C I guess so. It helps me relax and let loose.¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about any of that when you¡¯re with us. We want you to be yourself twenty-four-seven. No matter how hyper you might be, or no matter how many worlds you want to take over with your dark and awesome powers, just be yourself. Got it?¡± Fenrir asks. Azalabulia smiles and nods her head. ¡°G-got it. Thanks.¡± ¡°Thank you for sharing that with us, Azala!¡± Nell says. ¡°What Fenrir says is true. You truly have no need to worry about such things when with us. After all, I am permitted to harass them with my bizarre fantasies all day! Serra fully releases the spirit of the perverted old man when with us, too! Let us not forget that Fenrir makes no attempt at hiding his love for sweaters and fluff around us, either.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like I¡¯m the only normal one here who doesn¡¯t act different around other people,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°None of us suddenly thrust our hard spears into people from behind, especially not into people we don¡¯t even know,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Are you ever going to let me forget that, and are you never going to stop making it sound so perverted?¡± ¡°Nope and nope.¡± Book 4: Chapter 59: Patch 10.0 Despite not much time having passed since Fenrir and Azalabulia departed for their duel, they are met with an unexpected sight when they make it back to The Shoebill and the site for their future city. Wagons. The two surviving wagons from earlier were left behind farther up the river when they were loading everything onto The Shoebill for transportation. Now, two more wagons much grander and larger are waiting. Each wagon already has two horses paired up to it, too. ¡°How?¡± Fenrir asks the smug Tabitha as she stands in front of the wagons with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Because I¡¯m the best,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°You built these while we were gone? We weren¡¯t even gone for that long.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best. Don¡¯t question me.¡± ¡°What about the wagons we left up the river?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need them anymore. We¡¯ve got these beauties now.¡± ¡°So¡­ you really just built two brand new wagons while we were gone?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°How do you even¡­ do?¡± ¡°I do by being the best.¡± Fenrir sighs and gives up. He knows that he¡¯ll never understand how Tabitha is such an incredible engineer whom can seemingly build anything, but he still appreciates her. ¡°Good job,¡± he says, reaching a hand out to instinctively pat her on top of her head. ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says before slapping his hand away. ¡°What do ya think you¡¯re doin¡¯? Try pattin¡¯ me again and we¡¯ll be squarin¡¯ up.¡± ¡°Ri-right. My bad.¡± ¡°Our heads aren¡¯t good enough for him anymore. He wants to pat even younger girls,¡± Serra says with a teasing pout. ¡°My hero! It did not take long for you to grow tired of the bodies of adults! Are younger girls truly so appetizing to you?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Head-patting pedophile,¡± Cassiel joins in on the teasing for once, trying to use a softer tone of voice that makes it obvious she¡¯s not really trying to insult him. ¡°M-my head, if you want to¡­ I ¨C I wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± Azalabulia forces herself to admit. ¡°Degenerates. All of you,¡± Tabitha says and sighs. ¡°Goin¡¯ by the fact that you two don¡¯t seem all awkward around each other anymore, ya finally done with that drama?¡± she asks, looking between Fenrir and Azalabulia. ¡°Ah, yeah, I uh ¨C it¡¯s cleared up now,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°So, you¡¯ve officially got yourself four girlfriends now, captain wolf?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that.¡± ¡°Womanizer.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a womanizer.¡± ¡°Fine. You¡¯re a playboy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°Playboy,¡± Serra says. ¡°A promiscuous hero!¡± Nell says. ¡°Definitely a playboy,¡± Cassiel agrees. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t mind if you¡¯re a womanizer,¡± Azalabulia chimes in. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m a womanizing playboy,¡± Fenrir admits. ¡°Good, ya finally admit it. Now, come with me and Red. We¡¯ve got some talkin¡¯ to do,¡± Tabitha says. Fenrir nods to his girlfriends before following Tabitha to where Rao is, and Oleander joins in as well. ¡°Did you really have to make new wagons though?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about what happened before happening again? Horses aren¡¯t going to be able to survive Azawaza¡¯s explosions.¡± ¡°Azawaza?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Oh, yeah. New nickname for her.¡± Tabitha shrugs. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to apologize really hard if we blow the horses up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, alright. I¡¯d rather us not blow the horses up, though.¡± Oleander chimes in with, ¡°Just don¡¯t let Aza near them and they¡¯ll be fine! Probably. Just¡­ don¡¯t let her near me, either. I ¨C I don¡¯t want to go flying with a wagon again. That was the most terrifying thing that I¡¯ve ever experienced. It was even scarier than being separated from you, Fenny!¡± He tries lunging at Fenrir to snuggle but gets blocked by Fenrir¡¯s hand against his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve tried being creepily flirty,¡± Fenrir tells Oleander. ¡°You know you like it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make your boyfriend jealous.¡± ¡°Nah! Cor is totes okay with this. He knows I¡¯ll give him ten times the love later!¡± Fenrir flicks Oleander¡¯s forehead before turning his attention to Rao whom seems to be lost in thought. ¡°Everything alright? Rao?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Oh, yeah, bro. Everything¡¯s good.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just thinking.¡± ¡°About?¡± Rao looks at Tabitha. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s get this little meetin¡¯ of ours underway,¡± Tabitha announces. ¡°Captain dog, while ya were off doin¡¯ whatever it is you degenerates do in private, we tried thinkin¡¯ about everything we¡¯ll need to get a good town goin¡¯.¡± ¡°So, you prepared a shopping list?¡± ¡°Exactly! Well, sort of.¡± While Tabitha and Rao go over the details of every single little thing that they¡¯re going to need, why they¡¯re going to need such things, and how they plan on acquiring all of these materials, Rock and Shogun lie down nearby and listen in on the conversation with little understanding of it. Eventually, they give up paying attention to what is being said and just cuddle with each other instead. Naturally, it is Rock who always wants to be the little spoon both because of her smaller size and the fact that her partner is so fluffy and soft! Curling up against him is the best, and he always makes sure to swing his tail around so that it¡¯s draped over her. ¡°I think that¡¯s everything,¡± Rao says. ¡°I keep on trying to think if there¡¯s anything else we might need, but I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°That¡­ sounds like a lot of farming,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We¡¯re seriously going to need that many trees? That much stone?¡± ¡°Ya think a town can pop up outta nowhere with no buildin¡¯ materials?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°It ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to be easy and it ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to be quick. But, it¡¯s late, so we¡¯ll get started on the most tedious stuff tomorrow.¡± Oleander looks everybody over. Rock and Shogun are comfy and drifting off to sleep, Rao and Tabitha both look tired, Corwin is already asleep back on The Shoebill, and Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends are looking pretty lethargic and just sitting around. Fenrir and himself are the only two who don¡¯t seem that tired. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s about time we all get some rest. Besides, it¡¯s getting dark! I¡¯ll get some food for the horses and then I¡¯ll probably wake,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Fenrir agrees. ¡°Nell is probably going to kick me and the others off if we don¡¯t wake on our own soon anyways. She doesn¡¯t want us spending too much time playing.¡± ¡°This is why ya don¡¯t settle down! I couldn¡¯t stand livin¡¯ and lettin¡¯ somebody else decide what I do and when,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Though, in your degenerate girlfriends¡¯ case, ya deserve bein¡¯ bossed around.¡± ¡°You¡¯re always so mean to me,¡± Fenrir says before playfully pouting. ¡°Oi. Don¡¯t make a face like that. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Yeah, bro, you look like a kid,¡± Rao says, struggling to keep his eyes open. ¡°Alright, fine. I won¡¯t. Now, come on. Let¡¯s rest,¡± Fenrir says, stepping over to Rao to help him. As everybody wraps up playing for the day, Fenrir thinks about just how much time is going to be spent gathering wood and stone in the forest and at the mountain. That¡¯s not all they¡¯re going to need, either. Tabitha and Rao have got some grand plans to make Fenrir¡¯s dream city a reality. Going off of the shopping list that they gave him, he¡¯s going to need to bust his ass for them. But, it¡¯s a video game. No video game, especially no MMORPG, is complete without grinding! Book 4: Chapter 60: Patch 10.0 Time flies ¨C well, actually, it crawls by for once. There were so many times in the past year where everything seemed to just fly by without any rest. Ever since Fenrir first started playing Fantasy Tales Online, it has felt as if there has never been a dull moment. If there was a dull moment, it was short-lived and quickly replaced by more exciting times. Now, for the first time in what feels like forever to the entire group, everything is slow. Most days are spent chopping away at trees or taking trips to the mountain to mine for stone and ores. However, their boring efforts are not in vain. There are two teams. Fenrir, Corwin, Serra, Cassiel, and Azalabulia are the gatherers. Tabitha, Rao, Oleander, and Nell are the builders. While the gathering team is out gathering more materials, the building team is making use of what materials have already been brought in by constructing a proper dock for The Shoebill and getting to work on a bridge over the river. As for why neither Rao nor Tabitha believes that they need to accompany the gathering team to make sure that they¡¯re gathering the proper materials, they have Corwin for that. Corwin may not be a fighter nor a great sailor, but he has proven himself more than capable of organizing and overseeing labor. Anything that Tabitha and Rao tell him is perfectly stored within his memory. Whatever he is told is never forgotten. This also might be responsible for why he has been a great challenger at game nights up in the village with King Cat and others. Despite how innocent and timid Corwin might seem to most, he has proven to be a fearsome opponent when cards are in his hands. As for Rock and Shogun ¨C well, they do whatever they feel like doing on any particular day. Today, for example, they are accompanying the gathering team into the mountains. ¡°I never would have thought Corwin had it in him,¡± Fenrir whispers to Serra. Serra shrugs as she swings her pickaxe down into the mountain¡¯s rocky surface, breaking off a large chunk of rock. ¡°I never would have thought you had it in you, either,¡± Fenrir says, impressed at the sight of his smallest girlfriend and the second smallest member of their group being able to so easily mine. Then again, she always did love loading the cannons and taking care of them. She¡¯s actually done quite a bit of heavy lifting in this game now that he thinks about it. If anything, her arms should be several times the size that they are! Instead, her arms remain petite and without any muscle definition. ¡°Hey,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°try¡­ try picking me up.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Serra asks with a tilted head. ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡± Serra shrugs, puts down her pickaxe, and wraps her arms around Fenrir¡¯s waist. She lifts him up with ease. Fenrir feels both emasculated and impressed, unsure which of those feelings should have priority at the moment. ¡°You¡¯re seriously strong now, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asks. ¡°I¡¯ve got sick gains,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, you really do. So¡­ feel free to let me down now.¡± Serra spins in a circle while holding Fenrir up. Then the degenerate within her gets an idea. By lifting him up just a bit more, she¡¯s able to position him so that his crotch is right in front of her face. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Cassiel asks, the sudden question actually surprising Serra and causing her to drop Fenrir before turning to look at the questioner with a pout. ¡°Thanks for the save, Cass,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°My masculinity was at serious risk there.¡± ¡°Was she spinning you around in her arms like a princess? I thought Nell is supposed to be the princess of our group?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not a princess.¡± ¡°Princess Fenny,¡± Serra says. ¡°We¡¯ll let Nell dress you up and do your hair.¡± ¡°How about not,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But seriously, Cass, Serra is strong.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only just now realizing that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Well, kind of.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens when Tabs trains her how to swing that giant hammer around.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Fenrir asks, looking down at Serra just in time to see her trying to shush Cassiel. Serra lowers her finger away from her lips and puts on her most innocent face. ¡°Has ¨C has she been training you in secret or something?¡± Fenrir asks. Serra sighs and says, ¡°Supposed to be a secret.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sorry,¡± Cassiel apologizes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was a secret.¡± ¡°What¡¯s she training you for?¡± Fenrir asks Serra. ¡°Because I want to try fighting,¡± Serra answers. ¡°It¡¯s a game and everybody else always does the fighting. I want to fight, too. She even said she¡¯d make me a super cool hammer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about you being in danger. I mean, I know it¡¯s just a game, but don¡¯t you like firing cannons from a distance instead of being up close?¡± ¡°That¡¯s taken care of.¡± ¡°What ¨C what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I¡¯m wor¡ª¡± ¡°Fen?¡± Cassiel asks after noticing her boyfriend¡¯s sudden pause. Serra is looking up at him and tugging on his arm, too. He looks distracted by something. When both of the girls look in the direction that he¡¯s staring, they see it. There are a few sheep-like creatures with extremely fluffy, white wool all over their bodies. One might confuse them for sheep at a quick glance, but their wool is exceptionally fluffy and pure white in color. Not only that, but they have four eyes rather than two, and none of them have horns. ¡°Fluff,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°They¡¯re so¡­ they¡¯re so¡­ fluffy.¡± ¡°Fen, don¡¯t,¡± Cassiel says, stepping in front of Fenrir to block him from walking any closer toward the sheep creatures. ¡°Fluff addict,¡± Serra says. ¡°It¡¯s not safe to run up to random animals and play with them no matter how fluffy they might be! What if they¡¯re dangerous? Besides, you¡¯re part wolf, so you¡¯ll probably scare them if you get too close,¡± Cassiel scolds him. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to settle for admiring the fluff from a distance.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Cassiel says, getting out of his way. Then she realizes her mistake. When she turns back around to look at where Fenrir was, all she sees is Serra pointing at where Fenrir just ran off to. Cassiel looks over to where the creatures were and sees Fenrir running straight at them. The sheep, looking terrified from the man with canid features charging straight at them with a ravenous desire in his eyes, run away. ¡°I promise I¡¯m friendly! Just let me hug you!¡± Fenrir shouts at them much like how a man dressed in a pedobear costume would at children running away from him. ¡°I have a feeling this isn¡¯t going to end well,¡± Cassiel says, rubbing her forehead as Serra tries not to laugh. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening?¡± Azalabulia asks, having come over to the others after hearing the shouting. ¡°Fenny is being Fenny,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel answers, ¡°he¡ª¡± Growling interrupts her. The three girls look down at where the growling is coming from and see Rock staring at her owner chasing down other animals. They didn¡¯t know that a dog made out of rock could look so¡­ jealous. Shogun places one of his paws on Rock¡¯s back, but that¡¯s not enough to calm her. She takes off running after Fenrir. The three girls look at Shogun now. He tilts his head, sits down, scratches one of his ears, lets out a loud yawn, and lies down. ¡°Corwin, we have an addicted boyfriend to go after,¡± Cassiel shouts over to Corwin. Corwin smiles and shouts back, ¡°Good luck!¡± Book 4: Chapter 61: Patch 10.0 Never before has there been such pristine fluff. White, thick, poofy, cute ¨C the fluff that Fenrir is chasing after is far beyond any fluff that he has seen before. Not even his own fluff can compare to the fluff that he is pursuing. It might even be fair to say that it is the fluff to end all fluff. Could something even fluffer exist? Would reality be able to handle even more fluff? Fenrir needs the fluff. Like a ravenous wolf chasing down sheep for a meal¡­ which is exactly what is happening depending on how one might view the situation, he runs at full speed to catch his targets. ¡°Just let me touch you!¡± Fenrir shouts. If the ovine creatures didn¡¯t look frightened before, they do now as they desperately flee. Unfortunately for the creatures, they are not faster than the wolf pursuing them. Fenrir catches up to the slowest one of their group. The others look behind in sorrow, knowing what will happen, and unable to look at their about-to-be-fluffed companion. But, for their own safety, they must continue running. Fenrir reaches his arms out and grabs onto the creature! Only, when he tries to grab it by its sides, his hands end up sinking through so much fluffy, pure wool that his arms get lost in it up to his elbows. His forearms are completely submerged within the fluff. With a look of pure bliss on his face, Fenrir¡ª An angry hoof nails Fenrir right in the crotch, sending him to the ground in silent agony as he wishes he had never been born. Even in a game where he has set it so that he only feels fifty percent of pain, getting kicked in the jewels by something with hard hooves is not an enjoyable sensation. The creature looks down at Fenrir, and he discovers that it¡¯s possible for sheep to look smug. It then runs off to rejoin the others it was fleeing with. ¡°You okay?¡± Cassiel asks, leaning over Fenrir. Fenrir lets out a pained squeak as he holds his crotch and rolls around on his back. It¡¯s been so long since he¡¯s last felt such pain, and that makes it even worse. ¡°Should we ask Cor for help?¡± Serra asks. ¡°I ¨C I think we just need to let him lie down and get over it on his own,¡± Azalabulia says. Fenrir doesn¡¯t care about how pathetic he might look or sound right now. If letting out the occasional squeaks and grunts of pain is what will help him feel better as he holds his crotch and rolls around, then that is exactly what he will do. ¡°This is what happens when you try to do something stupid,¡± Cassiel says, tilting her head to the side and sighing. ¡°B-but fluff,¡± Fenrir grunts out. ¡°What is with you and fluff? You¡¯re like an addict. Besides, I¡¯ve never seen you just¡­ run off like that before. You probably traumatized those sheep.¡± ¡°You ¨C you¡­ don¡¯t¡­ understand. He-heal me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not healing you.¡± Fenrir looks up at Cassiel with wolf-turned-puppy eyes, but all he gets is a disapproving shake of her head. ¡°Would you have chased them if they were sheep girls?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir snaps his head to stare up at Serra. This¡­ is a difficult question for him. On one hand, fluffy sheep girls. On the other hand, he would be a man already in a relationship with four girls chasing after fluffy sheep girls. But¡­ it¡¯s not immoral if all he wants to do is fluff them, right? It¡¯s not cheating if he¡¯s only fluffing their wool, right? It¡¯s not like he¡¯d want to do anything sexual to them! He just wants to fluff them. But, now that he¡¯s thinking about it¡­ are fluffjobs a thing? Wooljobs? ¡°All ¨C all I¡¯m saying is that if we do ever bring in another girlfriend¡­ she should be a sheep girl in-game,¡± Fenrir says, all the pain from before mysteriously gone now. ¡°Deal,¡± Serra says. ¡°Can you two not make deals like this without at least talking to the rest of us first?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°You make it sound like it will be allowed anyways as long as we talk to you first,¡± Serra says. ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t mean it to sound like that.¡± ¡°Did¡­ did ¨C was it planned to look for somebody like me before?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°You just kind of happened,¡± Serra answers. ¡°I think only Nell was planned, kind of,¡± Cassiel adds on. ¡°So we do plan¡­ future partners?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°I do,¡± Serra says. ¡°The rest go along with me.¡± ¡°It was Fen who won Nell over, though,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You¡¯re making it difficult for me to sound like the ringleader,¡± Serra says, looking up at Cassiel and pouting. ¡°You¡¯re the ringleader of being perverted. Not even Fen is as perverted as you, and Nell is only perverted in her fantasies.¡± ¡°I can live with this.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Azalabulia says, ¡°where ¨C where did he go?¡± Serra and Cassiel look down. The once-pained Fenrir is no longer rolling around and whining. When they look up, they see him in the distance running toward where the creatures were last seen, and he¡¯s keeping his legs more spread out now as he runs. ¡°He looks funny,¡± Serra says. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ ridiculous,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Is he seriously this obsessed with¡­ ¡®fluff?¡¯¡± Azalabulia holds her hair in front of her face to look at it. It¡¯s pretty poofy and there is enough hair to even rival his, but does it count as fluffy? Perhaps she should have focused less on making her in-game self boast sex appeal and focused more on being fluffy? ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go make sure he doesn¡¯t get killed or castrated,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Did you say castrated?¡± Serra asks, her expression far more serious now. ¡°Not. Allowed.¡± The three girls take off after Fenrir, each one with different reasons for wanting to catch him. Cassiel just wants him to stop being weird and harassing sheep creatures. Serra refuses to let anything else happen to the most important parts on his body. Azalabulia¡­ is just going with the flow and doesn¡¯t want to be left out. By the time they find Fenrir, they do not find a man who has been beaten, kicked, and castrated. No. Instead, they find a man who has somehow, away from their eyes, tamed the fluff. ¡°I did it!¡± Fenrir shouts over to his girlfriends, wide eyes full of excitement and happiness as he strokes his hands through the wool of one of the creatures. His girlfriends take a moment to pause and think about just how cute he looks from being so excited about petting fluffy sheep. ¡°How?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Well, I caught up again, and I grabbed on to pet, and I got kicked so I feel like dying right now, but I didn¡¯t let go this time and kept on petting until it realized that I¡¯m friendly,¡± Fenrir explains, the pain in his voice now obvious to them. The rest of the creatures are gathering around Fenrir to wait to be petted, too. He¡¯s petting two of their heads with his hands while using his tail to attempt petting a third sheep¡¯s head. ¡°Fen, how much did they kick you?¡± Cassiel asks upon noticing just how bruised he looks. ¡°I¡¯m still alive, aren¡¯t I?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Just because my vision is almost all black doesn¡¯t mean this wasn¡¯t worth it. The pain is definitely worth it.¡± ¡°Is your dick safe?¡± Serra asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Book 4: Chapter 62: Patch 11.0 While Fenrir finds himself surrounded by fluff to end all fluff, a certain companion of his finally catches up and is not pleased when she sees the sight. Fenrir, with one of the happiest smiles that any of the girls have ever seen on his face before, is surrounded by fluff and he¡¯s struggling to give them all equal attention. Rock stands there, watching on with soulless eyes as other animals get scratched and petted. ¡°H-hey,¡± Cassiel says, tugging on Serra¡¯s and Azalabulia¡¯s arms to redirect their attention to the defeated Rock. ¡°She¡¯s being cheated on,¡± Serra says. ¡°Poor Rock.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is she jealous?¡± Azalabulia asks. Rock slumps her front half and whines. While Fenrir continues enjoying a world full of fluffy bliss, unaware of the fact that Rock is watching him, his girlfriends try their best to comfort his original pet. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Rock. You¡¯re cuter,¡± Serra says, petting Rock¡¯s head. All Rock does is whine and lie down on all fours. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassiel says, unsure of how she should sound when trying to comfort an animal. It doesn¡¯t help that Rock is made out of rock and does not have a single spot of fur anywhere on her body. Some parts of her kind of look scratchy and stick out a bit to give a very weak illusion of being fluffy, but alas, there is no fluff. Her belly and tongue are the closest things to softness on her body, and they¡¯re both just really smooth rather than soft. Rock whimpers and rolls onto her side. ¡°How about a belly rub?¡± Cassiel asks, rubbing Rock¡¯s belly. Rock huffs and whines. ¡°Wow¡­ a dog who doesn¡¯t want a belly rub,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°I thought all dogs loved belly rubs.¡± ¡°She usually does. She must be really depressed,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Poor girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Fen to stop cucking her,¡± Serra says. While Cassiel and Azalabulia try comforting Rock, Serra heads over to where Fenrir has been surrounded. There are five of the creatures around him now. Just looking at them fills Serra with a sense of danger. With how soft and fluffy the creatures look, even Serra understands that one touch of their fluff might be all that it takes to get lost in their pristine wool. But, she must be brave for Rock¡¯s sake. Serra steps closer and says, ¡°Fen.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks in response, his eyes shut from sheer joy and not even bothering to open and look at her. ¡°You¡¯re making Rock jealous.¡± Fenrir¡¯s eyes snap open as he forces himself to stop partaking in the fluffing of supreme fluff. When he looks over the sheep that have surrounded him, he sees a depressed Rock failing to be comforted by Cassiel and Azalabulia. ¡°Oh. I ¨C I didn¡¯t know Rock was here,¡± he says. ¡°She¡¯s jealous because she doesn¡¯t have any fluff.¡± ¡°But being rocky and smooth has its own appeal! I¡¯d be disappointed if Rock did have fluff.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s not like that¡¯s something I¡¯ve ever brought up before.¡± ¡°Go make her feel better and tell her it¡¯s okay to not be fluffy.¡± ¡°Alright, I ¨C hey, wait. She totally went behind me and got addicted to Shogun. Isn¡¯t she being spoiled if she¡¯s upset about me and fluff when she has Shogun?¡± ¡°But Shogun has your approval. These things don¡¯t have her approval.¡± ¡°That still sounds unfair.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t argue. Rock is depressed and needs comforting. You¡¯re her owner. It¡¯s your job to make her feel better even if she is being spoiled.¡± ¡°So, am I supposed to try and cheer you up if you¡¯re ever upset for something silly and acting spoiled?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says, nodding her head. ¡°That¡¯s common sense.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very fair,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But it¡¯s what boyfriends and girlfriends do for each other. You make each other feel better and then talk about what¡¯s wrong after. You can tell Rock she¡¯s acting spoiled after making her feel better.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. Well, wait. What if I was upset because you caught me cheating on you? Would you still try to make me feel better first before talking?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯d leave you and take Cass Cass, Nell Nell, and Azawaza with me.¡± ¡°Right. So, only try to make somebody feel better first when it¡¯s minor and nothing major.¡± ¡°Smart dog.¡± ¡°I try.¡± ¡°Now go cheer her up.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m going. Don¡¯t let the sheep leave while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Serra says, the sheep already examining her to check her out and see if she will also pet and scratch them. She does since she can¡¯t resist any longer. Rock perks her up once she sees Fenrir walking toward her, but then she stubbornly looks away as soon as he gets close. Cassiel and Azalabulia back off to let Fenrir do his thing. ¡°Come on, Rock. You know you¡¯re my favorite,¡± Fenrir says, crouching down next to Rock and running his hand over her side. Rock¡¯s tail slightly wags, but she then lifts one leg up onto it to keep it pinned against the ground so that it can no longer wag. ¡°You know I love fluff, but I also love smooth. Nobody and nothing else has as smooth of a belly like you. That means you have the best belly to rub in the whole world.¡± Rock¡¯s tail wags up against her leg despite her best efforts. ¡°Plus you¡¯re the cutest, and you¡¯re made out of rock. That¡¯s awesome. I don¡¯t see any other dogs or animals walking around who are made out of rock. You don¡¯t need fluff to be the best girl ever.¡± She gives up trying to hold her tail down to instead let it wildly wag. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I a¡ª¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Fenrir looks behind him. Both Cassiel and Azalabulia have bright red faces and are looking away now. ¡°Who¡¯s a good rocky girl?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock barks, jumps up, and starts licking his face while wagging her tail! He wishes that all drama could be resolved by asking who¡¯s a good girl. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock barks and nuzzles against him. ¡°Good girl. But, you know, it¡¯s not cool to be jealous. You have Shogun, so I¡¯m allowed to pet other animals, alright?¡± Rock whines but gives up after a few seconds. ¡°You know what you need, girl? I think you need to discover the joy of fluff yourself. Sure, Shogun has some fluff, but he¡¯s nowhere near as fluffy as those things over there are.¡± Everybody looks over to the creatures. Serra is stuck in the middle of them all with a melting expression on her face as they rub up against her and almost cover her up with their wool. While they might not be any taller than regular sheep, the sheer amount of wool stacked high on their bodies almost reaches up to Serra¡¯s face! ¡°Come on. I promise you that you¡¯ll understand once you touch them,¡± Fenrir tells Rock, and so the two head over. The creatures are suspicious of Rock at first. However, when they see that she¡¯s with Fenrir and not showing any signs of aggression, one of them checks her out and rubs up against her side. The sheep¡¯s wool meets Rock¡¯s smooth surface. Rock is not the only one who discovers something. She discovers how great fluffy wool is, and the sheep discovers how great smooth rock is and lets out a satisfied bleat. ¡°Told you it¡¯d be awesome,¡± Fenrir says as Rock gets surrounded by fluff, leaving Serra jealous now. Book 4: Chapter 63: Patch 11.0 Corwin is mining on his own, whistling one of his favorite tunes, when he hears the others finally make their way back to him. He looks over to see how everything went, and what he sees is not what he was expecting to see. Everybody is fine and in one piece ¨C well, Fenrir is walking rather funny with wide steps, but what really catches his interest is the fact that there are seven large, wooly creatures walking with them. Fenrir and Rock are surrounded by the creatures. Even Shogun looks confused! With a tilted head and a confused whine, he stands up to go and check on Rock. Fortunately for Shogun, Rock is quick to break free from the fluff to go and give him some attention. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re supposed to do,¡± Cassiel tells Fenrir. Serra takes Rock¡¯s place in being surrounded by fluff. ¡°I see that you all have brought back some¡­ new companions?¡± Corwin asks the group. ¡°Every city needs animals, right?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ah, so you intend on using them as livestock? They would make an excellent source of wool, and I am sure that there is meat under¡ª¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Fenrir says, bringing out his strict, serious voice. ¡°Not allowed,¡± Serra backs him up. Even Rock is looking up at Corwin as if she is shocked that he could ever suggest such a thing! What if he were to suggest them eating her, too? Of course, Rock has no idea that nobody would ever try eating a dog made out of rock, but she doesn¡¯t know that. All she knows is that this man is suggesting to eat animals, and she¡¯s an animal! That¡¯s only okay when they¡¯re not animals that she likes! To support Fenrir and Serra, Rock barks at Corwin. Shogun, confused and wanting to support his partner, also barks at Corwin. Though, it is a very half-hearted bark. ¡°I ¨C I see. Well, I am sure that their wool may come in handy. Nell enjoys creating costumes and the like, yes?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Corwin, what you said before was horrible, but you just made me think of something wonderful. I forgive you,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°A-ah. Alright. What is it that I made you think of just now?¡± ¡°These sheep things have super soft wool. Nell can make clothes. So¡­ in theory, Nell could make sweaters for all of us with this wool.¡± ¡°All of us?¡± ¡°Yes. All of us. We will be the city of fluffy sweaters.¡± ¡°I thought you wished to make a city where everybody may live together in harmony?¡± ¡°Corwin. Some things are more important than peace. Fluff is one of them. Fluffy sweaters are even more important.¡± ¡°Fenrir, I know that you enjoy your jokes, but¡­ I am not entirely sure whether or not you are joking about ¡®fluffy sweaters¡¯ being more important than peace.¡± ¡°I am absolutely serious.¡± ¡°Just ignore him,¡± Cassiel tells Corwin. ¡°He¡¯d snap out of it if it mattered. But, unless it¡¯s important, he¡¯s going to go to the grave saying that fluff is more important.¡± ¡°I ¨C I approve of fluff being more important!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°Peace is boring! Fluff, but mainly destruction and slaughter, are way better!¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized yet that you¡¯re dating the wrong boyfriend if you really want all of that?¡± ¡°Just let me pretend¡­¡± Cassiel sighs and says, ¡°Alright. Fluff and destruction are more important than peace. Understand, Corwin?¡± ¡°I am not sure that I could ever understand, but I suppose that it is fine,¡± Corwin says. ¡°I have also finished loading the wagons, so we can head back now. ¡°Seriously?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°How¡¯d you finish loading them already?¡± ¡°It would appear that work is much more efficient when I am not being distracted by your antics. A-ah, I mean no offense! I just mean that, when it is quiet, I am able to focus better.¡± ¡°So, basically, you don¡¯t like us being around?¡± ¡°That is not what I meant! Please, Fenrir, do not misunderstand me. I promise that¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ I see. Yes, that makes sense,¡± Corwin says with a light blush on his cheeks. ¡°Cute,¡± Serra says. ¡°Hey, I thought you only had eyes for other girls?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that kind of cute. Cor is like a cute puppy cute. You¡¯re an ¡®I want to dominate you¡¯ kind of cute.¡± ¡°Your honesty and bluntness still impress me. I¡¯d like to see you try to be like your usual self in front of a big crowd, though.¡± Serra blushes and pulls down on her hat to hide her face. Even just the thought of acting like her usual self, while in front of any large crowd of people she doesn¡¯t know, is enough to embarrass her. ¡°You¡¯re so cute,¡± Fenrir teases her, patting her on the top of her head. All he gets in response is some sort of embarrassed combination of a whine and a mumble. Now, with two wagons full of rock and ore, and seven wooly creatures walking alongside the wagons, the group returns to the site of their growing base. ¡­ ¡°You¡¯re pretty good at this sort of stuff, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Tabitha asks Nell after getting input on how to design everything to look nice. ¡°Please, I only have a passing interest in design!¡± Nell replies. ¡°Nah, you¡¯re seriously good at this,¡± Rao says. ¡°Yeah, Nell Nell, you¡¯re impressive,¡± Oleander says, out of breath and wiping the sweat off of his forehead. Seeing as how he¡¯s the only non-creative one here, he¡¯s been doing most of the manual labor as the others plan and discuss. ¡°You stop that, Olly. You are going to make me blush!¡± Nell says. ¡°Seriously,¡± Tabitha says, ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I ain¡¯t any good at the¡­ makin¡¯-things-look-nice part of engineerin¡¯. I can make things work, but I¡¯m out of luck if I have to make somethin¡¯ look nice.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know the feeling. I can make sure things are sturdy and built right to last any day, but making them look nice in the process? Nah. No idea how,¡± Rao explains. ¡°This place would probably look like a bunch of different designs with no theme if it wasn¡¯t for you, Nell Nell,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I said you¡¯re going to make me blush!¡± Nell says, already blushing. ¡°I ¨C I just like to make sure that everything looks pretty. Besides, who does not love Victorian gothic architecture? I am sure that my hero would approve of the style as well!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be a while before we get anythin¡¯ really lookin¡¯ all theme-y like that, but it¡¯ll happen in time. We¡¯re just goin¡¯ to need some more hands to help out around here,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°We might be able to get some help from the guys up north,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I think they¡¯re all kind of bored there whenever they¡¯re not fishing or playing card games, so they might appreciate having something to do.¡± ¡°Hey, wait,¡± Rao says. ¡°We¡¯re planning on building a city and all that¡­ but how are we, you know, going to get people to actually move here?¡± I mean, there are already other cities around, and they¡¯re pretty small and unpopular. What¡¯s going to make people want to move to ours?¡± ¡°Well, me and the newest gal both want to make ourselves an evil tower that doubles as a rocket to blast off into space, so that would probably attract people,¡± Tabitha suggests. ¡°We might be out of luck,¡± Oleander admits. ¡°I do not believe that there is any need to worry!¡± Nell says. ¡°I am sure that my hero will think of something. After all, it was his idea in the first place! He surely has plans thought out already.¡± ¡°Do ya really think that?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°W-well¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°I am so going to have Nell make me an entire outfit made out of this fluff,¡± Fenrir says. Book 4: Chapter 64: Patch 11.0 Seven wooly, sheep-like creatures are either eating grass, getting petted by Fenrir, or are staring at Tabitha as she stares back at them. ¡°Really?¡± Tabitha asks. The target of her question doesn¡¯t even need her to look at him nor say his name to know that she¡¯s talking to him. ¡°There¡¯s a good reason for this,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Fluff.¡± ¡°Fluff?¡± ¡°Fluff.¡± ¡°What does fluff have to do with bein¡¯ a reason?¡± ¡°Does there need to be a reason beyond fluff?¡± ¡°What kind of reason even is ¡®fluff?¡¯¡± ¡°Fluff is fluff. I don¡¯t see what you¡¯re not understanding.¡± ¡°Ya realize you¡¯re about two fluffs away from getting¡¯ fluffed by my hammer, right?¡± ¡°Serra, back me up here.¡± ¡°They¡¯re fluffy,¡± Serra says, nodding her head. ¡°Obviously, but what¡¯s that have to do with anythin¡¯?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Tabs,¡± Cassiel says and sighs, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to get another reason out of him. He¡¯s been obsessed with them ever since he saw them.¡± ¡°He has been rather enamored with them since his return,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Nell,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°I want you to make fluffy sweaters for every single one of us with their wool.¡± Nell¡¯s eyes light up as she excitedly nods her head, ¡°Of course! That sounds wonderful! We could all have matching, wool sweaters! That would be both adorable and comfortable!¡± ¡°See? Nell understands.¡± ¡°They are pretty fluffy,¡± Oleander says as he pets one of the creatures on the head. ¡°They would totes be super comfy to turn into clothes.¡± The sheep looks up at him with fearful eyes. ¡°I ¨C I just mean turning your wool into clothes. Not the rest of you.¡± The sheep relaxes and goes back to enjoying the head scratches and pets. ¡°I bet wearing something that soft would make girls want to hug me,¡± Rao says, scratching his chin. ¡°We ¨C we might be able to use their wool for trading with the other towns,¡± Azalabulia says. Tabitha looks at the taller, bustier woman and shoots her a thumbs-up before saying, ¡°Now we¡¯re talkin¡¯. See? At least one of you can give me a good reason to keep these oversized cotton balls around.¡± ¡°In my defense,¡± Nell says, ¡°creating new clothes for us all would be quite useful! Are you not tired of wearing the same clothes every single day? I know that they may not smell dirty as real clothes would, but variety is good!¡± ¡°I want to see Tabs dressed up in cute clothes,¡± Serra says. ¡°H-hey! I don¡¯t need to wear anythin¡¯ ¡®cute.¡¯ All of you can do that, but I¡¯m good!¡± Tabitha says. Nobody buys it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Could it be that you actually want to dress up all cute?¡± ¡°Hammer,¡± Tabitha threatens. ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve already admitted before that you love magical girl anime because of how empowering it is. What¡¯s wrong with a girl wanting to wear cute things?¡± ¡°I like the themes, not the clothes!¡± ¡°Come now, Tabitha! You would look precious in fluffy clothes!¡± Nell says. ¡°I can just imagine you wearing thick pants, a fluffy jacket, and a large hat covered in wool! We could even decorate your hammer with some of their wool, such as giving it a comfier grip! Does that not sound wonderful?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll help you be popular with the boys. Boys love fluff,¡± Serra says, elbowing Fenrir. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Fenrir says and nods. ¡°Ya really think I of all want people to be more popular with degenerates and oafs like these punks?¡± Tabitha says, looking around at all of the men present other than Corwin. ¡°Actually, Corwin, even you¡¯re a degenerate for playin¡¯ along with the deer boy.¡± Corwin was proud at first to be an exception to Tabitha, but now that pride has been deflated and he is reduced to being but another degenerate. At least that makes Oleander like him even more. ¡°Always the stubborn one,¡± Nell says with a pout. ¡°Just let me make you even cuter!¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Tabitha rejects her once again, but then she turns around with a smile and says, ¡°Actually¡­ alright. I¡¯ll let ya do what ya want, but there¡¯s one condition.¡± ¡°Oh? What would this mysterious condition be?¡± ¡°Girl¡¯s night.¡± ¡°Girl¡¯s night?¡± ¡°Right. All of us girls goin¡¯ out and doin¡¯ our own thing without any of these oafs taggin¡¯ along. Just us girls doin¡¯ girl things.¡± ¡°Can I come?¡± Oleander asks, batting his eyelashes. ¡°No.¡± Oleander pouts and brings out the fake tears, but Tabitha flicks him on his forehead to cement the rejection. ¡°A night with only us girls?¡± Nell repeats. ¡°Hmm. That does sound like it could be entertaining! I am rather surprised to realize that we have not had a night like this already.¡± ¡°Yeah, that could be fun,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Traitor,¡± Fenrir says with crossed arms and a false pout. ¡°Jealous,¡± Serra calls him out. ¡°Wh-what would we even do?¡± Azalabulia asks. Meanwhile, Fenrir¡¯s hands go back to petting the sheep since he can¡¯t keep his hands away from them for long. ¡°Talk, learn about self-defense against sexual harassment, let the serpent girl do whatever she wants to how we look ¨C that sort of stuff,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°H-hey now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What¡¯s the sexual harassment defense for?¡± Tabitha narrows her eyes at him. ¡°You know, if anything, it¡¯s Serra who does the sexual harassing.¡± Cassiel and Nell nod their heads while Serra smugly grins. ¡°Ya never know,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°They¡¯ve got to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.¡± ¡°Tabitha,¡± Nell says, ¡°I am already more than prepared for the worst-case scenario. I have fantasized about it hundreds of times before! If only it was less of a scenario and more of reality¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach ya to fantasize about self-defense and giant robots instead.¡± Nell turns her head and pouts. ¡°Now then, with these new additions, we¡¯re goin¡¯ to have to set up a pen for them,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°A temporary one close to the water will be good enough for now, but they¡¯ll need to be moved farther out once we start buildin¡¯ everythin¡¯ up.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Nell, think you can handle shearing them and handling their wool and all of that?¡± ¡°Of course, my hero! Though, first I will require proper shears in order to do so without harming them. Ah, to think, a woman of my status being reduced to shearing livestock,¡± Nell says, holding her hands to her cheeks. Fenrir wants to call her out on enjoying this too much but decides against it since her fantasies get rejected enough as is. ¡°I can make ya some shears,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°By the way, if ya haven¡¯t noticed yet, the bridge is up and workin¡¯. Tall enough for my baby to fit under her, and we can replace her with a proper drawbridge later on. For now, we¡¯ll be able to take the wagons and horses to and from that town up north without usin¡¯ her.¡± ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s good enough for now then. Good job,¡± Fenrir says, his hands still stroking through the wooly fluff. Book 4: Chapter 65: Patch 11.0 Now that Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends have been pulled away by Tabitha to discuss the plans for their girls¡¯ night, Fenrir is being dragged the opposite way by Oleander and Rao with Corwin following behind. ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°War!¡± Oleander declares. ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°You heard me, Fenny.¡± ¡°I know I heard you, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I understood you.¡± ¡°What is there to not understand? We¡¯re going to war.¡± ¡°Alright. Why are we going to war and against who?¡± ¡°Womankind!¡± ¡°¡­why?¡± ¡°Because! They¡¯ve having a girls¡¯ night but excluding me!¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re not a girl. Doesn¡¯t that make sense?¡± ¡°Silence, Fenny. You know I don¡¯t care about the sensible and logical!¡± ¡°Actually, out of everybody I know, you¡¯re actually one of the most logical people. I mean, you¡¯re going to law school. Law school.¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with a girl¡¯s feelings!¡± Fenrir sighs and gives up, saying, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan then?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have a Boys and Girl night!¡± Oleander declares, pointing to himself when he says ¡°girl.¡± ¡°You know, you make your gender really confusing. Am I supposed to call you a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a boy, duh.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re always calling yourself a girl.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a girl.¡± ¡°But you just said you¡¯re a boy.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re also a girl?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So¡­ what am I supposed to call you?¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± ¡°No.¡± Oleander pouts before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it and just keep on calling me a guy.¡± Rao sighs and whispers to Fenrir, ¡°Thanks for asking that bro, because I¡¯ve been hoping somebody else would.¡± ¡°You know I can hear you, right?¡± Oleander says, shoving his face between Fenrir¡¯s and Rao¡¯s. ¡°Okay, so, I know why you¡¯re doing this, Olly. But why are you dragging me, too, Rao?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Because! We need a men¡¯s night where we play poker and get drunk!¡± Rao explains. ¡°I¡¯ll pass on the poker but hard agree on the drinking,¡± Oleander says, nodding his head. ¡°Corwin, what do you think about all of this?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over his shoulder to the following Corwin. ¡°I think it sounds like a rather enjoyable night, and I am fine with both the drinking and cards aspect of it,¡± Corwin answers. ¡°We¡¯ll bring Shogun and get him drunk, too,¡± Rao says. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s animal abuse,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Nah. It¡¯s just a game, plus my bro Shogun has already drank from my mugs before when I wasn¡¯t looking! He can handle his alcohol.¡± Fenrir stares at Rao with disappointed eyes. The others are, too. ¡°Wh-what? It¡¯s not my fault he drank it when I wasn¡¯t looking, and now he likes it!¡± Rao explains. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t use that excuse with real animals or kids, right?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I would be more careful about where I leave my drinks in the first place, but if they try hard enough to get to them, then it¡¯s not like it¡¯s my fault, right?¡± ¡°Change of subject time before our opinion of Rao drops even lower!¡± Oleander declares. ¡°Agreed,¡± Fenrir says and Corwin nods his head. Rao says, ¡°You guys are making it sound like I¡¯m¡ª" ¡°So, we¡¯re going to wait until we find out when the girls¡¯ night is, and then we¡¯re going to plan to have our own secret night without letting any of them know!¡± Oleander tells them. ¡°Shogun is allowed to come if you think he won¡¯t snitch on us to Rock.¡± ¡°Rock isn¡¯t allowed to come?¡± Fenrir asks, sounding betrayed as his ears twitch. ¡°Fenny, Rock is a girl. She can go out with the others, and they¡¯re probably going to invite her anyways.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ do we get to bring the sheep who are males?¡± ¡°¡­sure, Fenny, if that makes you feel better,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Have you even checked to see if they¡¯re male or female?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°What? They¡¯re covered in wool. Do you expect me to push all their wool out of the way or something to check and see if they have dicks or not? That¡¯d be weird.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out after shearing them then.¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°Aside from knowing which ones to invite to our secret party, which¡­ I still can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually agreeing to, we can set up breeding pairs to get more of them. The more we have, the more wool we get, the more we can trade and use. That wool can be used for blankets, pillows, beds, clothes ¨C all that stuff.¡± ¡°And insulation,¡± Rao says. ¡°Don¡¯t know how important insulation will be, and wool is probably going to be our most effective and realistic option.¡± ¡°You mean like, for the buildings?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah. Put it in the walls and ceiling. Synthetic options would be better, but I doubt we can get those here. No idea how we¡¯d even get around to making them.¡± ¡°I bet Tabs would be able to figure out a way to make them somehow.¡± ¡°Maybe, but I think she¡¯d agree that wool is¡ª¡± ¡°Boring!¡± Oleander interrupts. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be talking about activities for our night together! What are we going to do other than drinking and maybe playing cards?¡± ¡°Fluff the sheep?¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pick up girls?¡± Rao asks. ¡°You¡¯re the only single one of us, so no.¡± ¡°Stargaze?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°That might work!¡± ¡°Fishing while stargazing?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere!¡± ¡°Fishing under the stars while drinking?¡± Rao suggests, earning a proud smile and excited nodding from Oleander. ¡°That¡¯s it! We¡¯ll steal The Shoebill when they¡¯re not looking and go out fishing under the stars!¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Is it really stealing if it¡¯s our boat?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°But they might be planning to use it.¡± ¡°So¡­ you want to potentially ruin their plans by stealing The Shoebill before they have the chance to take her out?¡± ¡°Right! I told you, Fenny. This is war. This is what happens when I don¡¯t get invited to girls¡¯ night.¡± ¡°Despite the fact that you¡¯re a boy?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s also a girl?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s a plan then. So, when are we doing it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Oleander says with a grin. ¡°We have to wait and find out when the girls are going to have their night. That¡¯s when we¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°And what if they plan on keeping it a secret?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oh, Tabs is behind it, so they¡¯re def going to be keeping it a secret.¡± ¡°Then how are we going to find out?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you come in, Fenny. You have four contacts on the inside.¡± ¡°You¡­ want me to spy on my own girlfriends?¡± ¡°Or fuck the information out of them. Either works.¡± Book 4: Chapter 66: Patch 12.0 Several days have passed since then. As gathering and construction efforts continue on, so does planning for each gender¡¯s specific night together. It was immediately obvious when the groups reunited that the boys were up to something and, since then, an information war has been raging on in the background. Whether it¡¯s Tabitha telling Rao that she knows some girls who would be interested in him¡ªwhich is a lie¡ªor Oleander cuddling up to Serra and trying to literally poke the information out of her, each group is trying its best to find out what the other is planning and when. Spying is next to impossible given that Fenrir¡¯s enhanced hearing is capable of hearing the girls whenever they try. Then, when it comes to the boys trying to spy, Fenrir is the only one capable of doing so but Nell is always able to sense whenever he is near. The girls won¡¯t even let Shogun around them when they¡¯re discussing their plans, and the boys¡ªas much as it hurts all of them except for Rao¡ªwon¡¯t let Rock stay with them when they need to strategize. And so, it seems as if the boy¡¯s best chance at acquiring information really is having Fenrir fuck it out of his girlfriends. ¡°Cass Cass is a total sub, isn¡¯t she?¡± Oleander asks Fenrir now that they¡¯re alone. ¡°She¡¯s that obvious, isn¡¯t she?¡± Fenrir asks back. ¡°Oh yeah, def. Anyways, since she¡¯s such a huge sub, maybe you could try domming her and getting the information out of her that way? Like, tie her down to a bed or something and then make her beg for more, then tell her that you¡¯ll only untie her and fuck her if she tells you what you want to know?¡± ¡°That¡­ sounds a bit too rapey for me, I think.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not rape if she¡¯s fine with that sort of play!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but still. I don¡¯t think I have that in me.¡± ¡°Fine. Then what about telling Serra Berra that you¡¯ll let her dom you and you¡¯ll do whatever she wants if she tells you when it¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°You know about that?¡± ¡°She¡¯s like a less talkative and girl version of me, Fenny.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you already a girl version of yourself?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions. Anyways, I know she¡¯s got that side to her. It¡¯s my job as her bestie to know these things.¡± ¡°You¡¯re her bestie now?¡± ¡°Duh. We¡¯re all besties. Anyways, think that could work?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared about just how much control I would have to promise her in order to get that to work. She¡¯d probably want me to be her slave for like¡­ a month.¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Listen, it¡¯s rare for me to be in a submissive mood.¡± ¡°Then what about Nell?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ but I¡¯m not sure. Nell loves her fantasies, so I might be able to come up with something like that. Maybe¡­ if we roleplay her being my prisoner and me ¡®interrogating¡¯ her. I bet she¡¯d like that, but would she break? I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯d keep it secret just because she wouldn¡¯t want to betray the others even if sex is involved.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s only one person left.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°Have you done anything with her yet?¡± ¡°Not¡­ not really.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve only kissed and groped her?¡± ¡°Basically.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been together for like, over a week now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t even done it yet?¡± ¡°Do¡­ do you think that one week is a shocking amount of time to have not had sex by or something?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± ¡°Only you, Olly.¡± ¡°Only you, Fenny! Anyways, I think Aza wouldn¡¯t want to spoil the surprise for the girls, but I can totally see her accidentally doing it without realizing it until it¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°But then I¡¯d feel bad. I mean, to be honest, I¡¯d feel bad using any of them to get the information. Besides, they¡¯re the ones who came up with having their own night first. Is it really right for us to try and take the boat out without them? We don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re going to want to take the boat, so we might¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯re totally going to take her out.¡± ¡°Even so, they had the plans first, so aren¡¯t we¡ª¡± ¡°Fenny, are you trying to betray our bond as brothers? We¡¯re men! Brothers! We have to stick together! Bros before hos!¡± ¡°To be fair, if anybody is a ho, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m proud of it!¡± ¡°Hey, you know what I just realized?¡± ¡°That you¡¯re sexually attracted to me and want to join a harem with me and Corwin?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Dang.¡± ¡°What I just realized is that¡­ I have no idea if we¡¯ve encountered a single person playing the opposite gender in-game yet. I mean, you have a dick in real life and still have one here, so not even you count.¡± ¡°I guess so. Hmm. Yeah, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d be willing to bet a few of those super muscular guys back in Port Tugator were actually girls. Like, there¡¯s being buff, and then there¡¯s being bara.¡± ¡°Of course bara is one of the few weeb terms you actually know on your own.¡± ¡°You know it. Anyways, with how some of them acted, there were def girls in real life. Like, they couldn¡¯t stop touching their own muscles and chest hair, and then they fangirled all over the others.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ kind of interested now. I want to know what happened in that bar you went to. Wait, isn¡¯t that where you met Corwin?¡± ¡°Yep. We met and bonded over our shared interest in watching really buff and hairy men do things. It was like bird watching but with giant guys and muscles.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to meet. Anyways, back to the plan. I don¡¯t think I could actually be that much of an asshole. Plus, I doubt they¡¯d be happy with me if I betrayed them like that.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re betraying me by not betraying them!¡± Fenrir sighs and flicks Oleander on the forehead. Then, as if the contact between Fenrir¡¯s finger and Oleander¡¯s forehead formed a physical connection between their two brains, they look at each other with light bulbs above their heads. ¡°I have an idea,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Same!¡± ¡°It¡¯s still kind of betraying them¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯ll be fun!¡± ¡°I just hope they don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fiiiinnneee.¡± ¡°Alright, so what are we calling this operation?¡± ¡°Hmm. We¡¯ll call it ¡®Operation¡ªOperation¡­ F-Fenny, I think I¡¯m out of operation names.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll name it when we do it then. For now, it¡¯ll be ¡®Operation: Operation.¡¯¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Book 4: Chapter 67: Patch 12.0 With Operation: Operation being underway, it is up to Fenrir to figure out when the girls plan on having their night. The most important thing is that Fenrir has to figure out their plans in-game. If he figures them out while outside of the game, then it¡¯s possible Saya might have to censor his memories to prevent him from recalling the plans for as long as he¡¯s in-game. As long as he can discover their plans while in-game, there¡¯s nothing that Saya is allowed to do to block his memories. ¡°You know I¡¯m on Team Girls, right, you baka onii-wan?¡± Saya asks Fenrir. ¡°Of course you would be,¡± Fenrir replies out loud since nobody else is around to hear. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you came up with a good plan or I¡¯d take your avatar over to tell them what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to do that no matter how much you might want to.¡± ¡°I¡¯d break the rules and then just beg them not to reprogram me or something.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°But it¡¯d be worth trying if you guys were planning on ruining their night.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯d never be able to bring myself to actually ruin their night.¡± ¡°I know, which is why I¡¯m not taking you over, baka.¡± ¡°Hey, Saya. A random thought just popped into my head.¡± ¡°I know and I don¡¯t approve of it, you pervert.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ theoretically, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for us to have sex?¡± ¡°Did you really have to ask that?¡± ¡°Well, you already know my thoughts, so I figured there¡¯d be no harm in actually asking what you already know I want to ask no matter how horrible of a question it might be.¡± ¡°You want me to act like your little sister and a puppy girl, and now you want to do horrible things to me? That¡¯s wrong on like, so many levels, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re part me, so you¡¯ve probably thought about it yourself anyways.¡± ¡°Technically, all of your thoughts are mine.¡± ¡°Exactly, so that means you¡¯re also a huge pervert.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re horrible, onii-wan.¡± ¡°So, is that a yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s technically possible, you pervert. Roughly seventy-one percent of all male players and forty-nine percent of all female players have tried engaging in sexual activities with their virtual assistants while immersed but not in-game.¡± ¡°Huh. Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t plan on actually doing anything. I doubt my girlfriends would be alri¡ªactually, no. They probably would be alright with that. I don¡¯t even have to think about whether Serra and Nell would be alright with it, and I can¡¯t imagine Cass caring too much as long as she gets equal treatment later. The only one who might not be alright with it is Aza.¡± ¡°Why are you thinking about who would approve of you putting your horrible thing inside of a girl who¡¯s pretending to be your little sister?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a horrible pervert. Remember? You call me that all the time. Plus, I¡¯m waiting and have nothing else to do. Might as well talk to you while waiting.¡± ¡°You know we could talk about normal things, right? Like, sports, or the weather, or anything that isn¡¯t absolute degeneracy?¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m think¡ª¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m wondering if¡ª¡± ¡°Stop this.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t I theoretically have you turn me into a tentacle monster while in the lobby with you? I mean, during character creation, I was able to turn into whatever I wanted just to try things out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to uninstall myself from your brain.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop you with my tentacles.¡± ¡°You have no tentacles, onii-wan, and I¡¯ll never let you have any. The world would be a far darker place if you had tentacles.¡± ¡°What? Haven¡¯t you heard? Tentacles are the bestacles.¡± ¡°I thought it was, ¡®Consentacles are the bestacles?¡¯¡± ¡°Same thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°How do you have four girlfriends?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Oh, speaking of,¡± Fenrir pauses when he sees his target approaching. Saya sighs and says, ¡°Good luck, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Thanks, and next time I see you, I want tentacles,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her to try and be quiet as his target approaches. ¡°Fenrir?¡± Azalabulia asks, looking around but not seeing him anywhere in sight. She does see the pickaxe that he dropped on the ground, though. ¡°Are you here?¡± ¡°Over here,¡± Fenrir says from behind a rock that he¡¯s leaning against in the shade. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, just tired,¡± he says, which is not even a lie as he¡¯s been busy mining for the past couple of hours. ¡°Do you¡ª¡± Azalabulia goes silent when she walks around the rock and sees him. Her boyfriend, who she¡¯s yet to do much with aside from light kissing, is leaning up against a rock with his shirt off and muscles glistening from sweat. Azalabulia turns bright red at the sight. She¡¯s already attracted to him more than enough when he¡¯s fully clothed, but now he¡¯s half naked and sweaty. She wants to touch his muscles, but all she does is gulp. ¡°You alright?¡± Fenrir asks as he pushes his hair off of his forehead, looking up at her with a slightly tilted head. He researched shoujo and josei mangas online before this. Azalabulia stutters out, ¡°I ¨C I¡­¡± ¡°You look like something¡¯s wrong. Come here,¡± he says, scooting over a bit to give her some space in the shade. Of course, he only gives her just enough space for her to barely fit without any room between them. Azalabulia nods and does as she¡¯s told by sitting next to him. ¡°This is way easier than pretending to be a chuuni,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°Perverted playboy onii-wan,¡± Saya thinks back to him. With a gentle smile, Fenrir places his hand on Azalabulia¡¯s forehead to move her own hair away now. Azalabulia¡¯s heart is beating fast enough that she can¡¯t even bring herself to look at him, instead looking everywhere but at him. ¡°You feel warm,¡± he practically whispers to her. ¡°It makes sense when you wear all that black in the sun all the time.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah, it¡¯s just¡­ hot,¡± Azalabulia tries explaining. ¡°Maybe you should try taking some of your clothes off? Nobody is around to see, and you deserve a break from work.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s brain tries computing how nobody could be around to see when he is around to see, but then she short circuits. She can¡¯t even bring herself to try and roleplay her way out of this by acting confident and edgy. Instead, she just nods her head and loosens her outfit a bit. ¡°Good. Now, here,¡± he says, taking a gentle hold of her shoulder to bring her head right down toward his crotch. Now, this is when many, many thoughts run through Azalabulia¡¯s head. It would even be fair to say that there are so many thoughts running through her head that they are all blurring together and resulting in no understandable thoughts. All she knows is that she¡¯s being brought right down toward his¡ª Lap. He rests the side of her head on his lap so that he can run his fingers through her hair to pet her and give her a lap pillow. Fenrir knows that Azalabulia would probably break down if he tried to literally fuck the information out of her. However, he does believe that romancing the information out of her might work. It¡¯s time for Fenrir to embrace his inner shoujo love interest. At least he doesn¡¯t internally cringe as much doing this compared to when he¡¯s pretending to be edgy. Book 4: Chapter 68: Patch 12.0 ¡°Isn¡¯t this nice, Aza?¡± Fenrir asks. As much as he wants to call her ¡®Azawaza,¡¯ he¡¯s worried that it would ruin the mood that he¡¯s going for. It¡¯s too comedic for what he¡¯s attempting. ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Azalabulia stutters out in response, unable to look up at him. She might be lying with her head on his lap, but her eyes are looking anywhere other than at him. ¡°You know, it¡¯d be fun to have another one of those battles with you to practice. Having alone time with you where I get to see just how special you are is nice.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m happy that we¡¯re finally over that awkward phase. We were pretty silly, weren¡¯t we? Now we¡¯re fine around each other, though.¡± ¡°Y¡­y-yeah.¡± Fenrir looks down at her. From what he can see of her face and her ear poking through her hair, she¡¯s pure red. Maybe this isn¡¯t working as well as he was hoping it would. If she¡¯s too flustered to say anything, how is he supposed to get the information out of her? He knows what he has to do. He has to boost her confidence. ¡°Maybe you could try teaching me some magic sometime. I mean, everybody can come up with their own type of magic, so it should be possible for you to teach me yours,¡± he says. ¡°Re-really? You want me to teach you magic?¡± she asks. ¡°I think it could be fun, and it¡¯d be a great way for us to grow even closer. Don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± This is troublesome. The whole point of his plan was to romance the information out of her, but anything romantic just makes her stutter and malfunction. Is the only way to get the information really going to be by doing that one thing he doesn¡¯t want to do? Sure, it¡¯s fun once he gets into it, but actually forcing himself to get into that is a different story. Does he really have to go full chuuni again and edgy the information out of her? ¡°Does that even make sense? To ¡®edgy¡¯ the information out of somebody?¡± Fenrir mentally asks Saya. ¡°Not really, onii-wan. And I¡¯m trying to watch funny videos. Go give your girlfriend attention,¡± Saya responds. ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re watching videos right now?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m watching a meme compilation of people getting slapped by their cats. Since I can¡¯t actually slap you, I have to live vicariously through cats like this.¡± ¡°Is this what you do while I¡¯m playing and not giving you attention?¡± ¡°Pretty much. I mean, I¡¯m able to connect to the internet and do whatever I want as long as it doesn¡¯t involve downloading and installing anything on your computer.¡± ¡°Does this mean that my brain is technically watching cat slap meme compilations and storing all of that in my subconscious even if I¡¯m not aware of it happening?¡± ¡°You¡¯re aware now, onii-wan!¡± Fenrir shakes the idea out of his head and returns his attention to Azalabulia who just so happens to still be blushing and looking away. He¡¯s really not in the mood to roleplay and chuuni it up. If this was Cassiel, he¡¯d be able to use his ultimate move that he learned from manga for girls. But, that move would be far too powerful against Azalabulia. And he would be too obvious if he tried using it against Cassiel. He knows that he could definitely get the information out of Azalabulia by challenging her to a duel and asking for the information if he wins, but then the girls would know that he must be plotting something. The whole point is to get the information out of her more organically so that she doesn¡¯t catch on to the fact that the boys are plotting something. So, going full chuuni is out of the question. Then it hits him. Rather than go full chuuni, he does have to go full romance after all. He¡¯s going to use his ultimate move. He¡¯ll break her to the point where she just has no idea what¡¯s going on anymore. ¡°Embrace your inner ugly fat bastard and mindbreak her, onii-wan,¡±Saya says. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that kind of breaking, and that¡¯s the last thing I would ever expect you to recommend,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. Blame yourself since I have your sense of humor.¡± Looking down at Azalabulia, Fenrir grabs her by her chin and tilts her head up to look at him. ¡°We need to have our own special night sometime. Just the two of us. Doesn¡¯t that sound nice, my Azalabulia?¡± Fenrir asks the flustered girl resting on his lap. ¡°Just imagine it.¡± Time to use what he¡¯s learned from Nell. ¡°The two of us out on The Shoebill by ourselves. Nobody to distract us or interrupt us. We could watch the stars together while cuddling on the deck, and then when a falling star soars across the sky above us, we¡¯ll both make a wish and look into each other¡¯s eyes. Want to know what my wish would be?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Azalabilia asks and gulps. ¡°I would wish for the moment to never end. I would wish for us to stay together underneath the stars forever.¡± What? Flustered Azalabulia is evolving! Flustered Azalabulia has evolved into Panicking Azalabulia! ¡°I-I wh-I uh-eh?¡± Azalabulia stutters out as her eyes act as spirals and spin around from panicked confusion. One could very well mistake her for a tomato at this point with how red she is. ¡°I know that you¡¯re the teacher, Aza, but I¡¯ll be the one who teaches you about love and pleasure,¡± Fenrir whispers. And then he immediately regrets it. That sounded so much better in his head. ¡°Wh-wh-when?¡± Azalabulia stutters out. Fenrir blinks a few times. It¡¯s actually working. ¡°Whenever you want, Azalabulia,¡± Fenrir answers. All he gets from her now are mumbled noises that he thinks are supposed to be words, but he has no idea what she¡¯s trying to say. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to speak up, my Azalabulia.¡± ¡°Th-Thursday!¡± Azalabulia forces herself to say properly. That¡¯s two days from now. ¡°How come not tonight or tomorrow?¡± ¡°I ¨C I have things to gr-grade toni-ight, a-and tomorrow i-is the girl¡¯s ni-night, so¡­ Th-Thursday!¡± Fenrir mentally fist pumps as Saya mentally rolls her eyes at him. The first phase of Operation: Operation is a success. Book 4: Chapter 69: Patch 12.0 The next day, while all of the girls are offline, Fenrir and Rao head up to the city in-game to visit a certain version of Tabitha: the male version. ¡°Bro, aren¡¯t we basically having our own guys¡¯ night right now? But like, in the day? Guys¡¯ day?¡± Rao asks. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s more like a guys¡¯ noon,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Same thing.¡± ¡°Then where¡¯s the moon at? How come it¡¯s so light outside?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a smartass.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a redhead who thinks that noon is the same as night.¡± ¡°Bro, I wasn¡¯t talking about the time of day being the same. I just meant, like, is there a difference between a guys¡¯ night and a guys¡¯ noon?¡± ¡°Sure there is. For example, one is darker outside, the other is lighter outside.¡± ¡°Bro.¡± Fenrir gives the back of Rao¡¯s nearest arm a friendly smack before saying, ¡°Guys¡¯ noons are for lunches and¡­ boring stuff. Guys¡¯ nights are for drinking, having fun, and being stupid.¡± ¡°Aight, that makes more sense,¡± Rao says after smacking Fenrir back. ¡°So, this boy you were talking about. He¡¯s like some sort of engineer-type like the shortie?¡± ¡°Yeah, think Tabitha but with a dick.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to think of the shortie with a dick. But, at least a guy should be easier to deal with and more chill.¡± Tabitha, in real life, sneezes. ¡°This is why you¡¯re single,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Why?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Well¡­ I mean, in your defense, I haven¡¯t seen you talk like that around any of the girls. At least, not recently.¡± ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t it fine as long as it¡¯s just between us bros?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about fine, but it¡¯s better.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like they probably don¡¯t talk about us behind our backs,¡± Rao says and shrugs, continuing forward. Then he turns around and notices that Fenrir is falling behind. ¡°Bro?¡± Rao asks. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t believe I never thought of that before,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Thought of what?¡± ¡°The girls talking about us. What do my girlfriends say to each other about me?¡± ¡°If you want to change plans, we can spy on them and find out what they¡¯re saying! Then we¡¯ll know if it¡¯s okay to talk about them behind their backs. It¡¯s okay to do it if they do it.¡± ¡°In this case, wouldn¡¯t it be alright for them to do it since you do it?¡± ¡°You ask too many questions, bro.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not spying on them. I¡¯m just¡­ curious now what sort of things they talk about when I¡¯m not around. I was just sort of assuming that they probably talk about the same things as usual, but without me. Now, I¡¯m thinking that maybe they do talk about other things. Girls like to gossip and talk about things when they¡¯re by themselves, right?¡± ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why we should spy on them.¡± ¡°Even if I did try spying on them, you wouldn¡¯t be invited.¡± ¡°Bro, why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re you and they¡¯re my girlfriends.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair. So, you gonna do it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Whatever. Where¡¯s this place we¡¯re going to?¡± Fenrir lifts a hand to point at the shop now that it¡¯s within sight. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Uh¡­ we never asked,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Seriously? You don¡¯t even know the dude¡¯s name who we¡¯re going to?¡± ¡°You ask too many questions.¡± ¡°Fair, bro ¨C hey, wait! That¡¯s my¡ª¡± Fenrir walks into the shop while Rao complains about having his line stolen from him. ¡°Hey! What¡¯re ya ¨C oh, I recognize you,¡± the boy behind the counter says. ¡°Bro! Don¡¯t just leave me while I¡¯m talk¡ª¡± Rao gets interrupted when the door shuts on his face. ¡°Yeah, hey again,¡± Fenrir says to the boy. ¡°Friend of yours?¡± the boy asks. ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t introduce myself last time, did I? Anyways, the name¡¯s Taylor,¡± the boy ¨C Taylor, says. ¡°Of course your names would both start with t.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Nothing. Anyways¡ª¡± ¡°Damn doors,¡± Rao says, rubbing his nose as he steps inside. ¡°Yo. The name is Rao. You?¡± he asks Taylor. ¡°Your nose is almost as red as your hair now,¡± Taylor says with a smirk. ¡°Bro, I already don¡¯t like this kid. He reminds me too much of the shortie,¡± Rao whispers to Fenrir. ¡°Oi, who do I hear ya callin¡¯ a kid?¡± ¡°Tch, and his hearing is way too good,¡± Rao whispers in an even quieter voice. ¡°I can still hear ya.¡± ¡°We need a rule where we only talk to people a certain height because all these short people are starting to suck,¡± Rao whispers, his voice now as quiet as it can be without being impossible to hear. ¡°Yep. Still hear ya.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Rao says before walking out of the shop. ¡°Couldn¡¯t actually hear anythin¡¯ he was sayin¡¯ after that first time,¡± Taylor tells Fenrir once the door is closed. ¡°You¡¯re definitely going to get along with Tabs. Anyways, do you have anything like rockets?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Rockets? Ya mean like the kind that go to space?¡± Fenrir¡¯s previous statement can¡¯t possibly gain any more evidence to support it. ¡°Not that powerful. I¡¯m thinking more like¡­ bottle rockets,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Oh, yeah, that sort of thing would be easy. The game won¡¯t let me make anythin¡¯ too explosive, but I could definitely make some bottle rockets. Just don¡¯t expect them to be too powerful or anythin¡¯.¡± ¡°Great, and that¡¯s fine. They don¡¯t need to be that strong. So, do you think it¡¯d be possible to get like¡­ a hundred of them within a couple of hours?¡± ¡°A couple of hours? Ya really want to rush this, don¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m right about you, I¡¯m sure you could handle it.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Taylor says with a proud grin. ¡°Whatcha got to make this worth my time?¡± ¡°How¡¯s some gold coins sound?¡± ¡°Gold doesn¡¯t have much of a use around these parts. Ya didn¡¯t learn that yet?¡± ¡°Yeah, but if I¡¯m right about you¡­¡± Fenrir brings Rao back into the shop and has him restore the chest in his pocket to its original size. Taylor looks into the chest and sees the vast amount of gold coins just waiting inside of it. There¡¯s enough in there that he could take a bath in it! Well, maybe not that much. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of coins,¡± Taylor says. ¡°So, it¡¯d probably be way overkill in any other part of the world, but how¡¯s it sound?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯ve got ourselves a deal.¡± Book 4: Chapter 70: Patch 12.0 ¡°You know she¡¯s going to hate us for giving away all those coins for some rockets, right, bro?¡± Rao asks Fenrir. ¡°It¡¯ll be worth it. I hope,¡± Fenrir answers as they both carry a couple of wooden crates in their arms. ¡°What are we going to do about drinks?¡± ¡°There¡¯re some places here that sell alcohol, so we can pick up the drinks there.¡± ¡°Yeah, but how are we going to afford them? We don¡¯t have anything to trade now.¡± Fenrir takes Rod off of his side and extends him into his full-sized form. ¡°By fishing. They said we can trade fish for goods, so that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do.¡± ¡°Oh. Is that why you put one of the rods in the wagon?¡± ¡°Exactly. We¡¯ll drop these crates off at the wagon, check to see how much fish we¡¯d have to catch for some bottles of the good stuff, and then we¡¯ll fish and hopefully catch enough to trade.¡± ¡°Damn, this place is pretty nice now that I think about it. If you don¡¯t have enough money, all you have to do is go fish for a couple of hours.¡± ¡°I know! Isn¡¯t it great?¡± Fenrir asks, his tail wagging behind him as his ears twitch. ¡°Hey, bro, I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°Oh. Well¡­ what about me?¡± ¡°Are you like¡­ one of those furri¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Fenrir is quick to say, his voice stern as his tail and ears both fall still. ¡°But you¡¯ve got ears and a tail. Doesn¡¯t that make you a¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Rao,¡± Fenrir says, putting the crates down to grab Rao by his shoulders and to look him in his eyes, ¡°there is much I have to teach you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to be taught about furrie¡ª¡± ¡°Shhh, shhh,¡± Fenrir says, putting one of his fingers over Rao¡¯s lips which gets a very confused and concerned reaction from Rao. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll teach you.¡± After taking the crates back to the wagons and checking on the first liquor shop that they could find that would accept fresh fish as payment, Fenrir and Rao are outside of the town¡¯s walls with fishing rods in hand and standing on the beach. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just fish from the docks in the town?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Because. The water there is surrounded by walls and it¡¯s busy there. How many fish do you think are actually going to be in there?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°More importantly, we need to teach you about trash.¡± ¡°About¡­ trash?¡± ¡°Yes. I am trash and I know it, and now I am going to teach you about trash. First,¡± Fenrir pauses to cast his line, ¡°there is a difference between trash and degenerates. I am trash. Furries are degenerates.¡± ¡°Sounds the same to me, bro,¡± Rao says before casting his own line out. ¡°Alright. First off, when it comes to furries, there is a scale going from one to five. One is where I¡¯m at. I have animal ears and a tail, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you get furry arms and legs whenever you¡¯re fighting, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That only puts me at like a one-point-five. Anyways, what I am is a kemonomimi. You like, like in anime. Catgirls and all that.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t catgirls basically just furries for people who deny being furries?¡± Fenrir¡¯s grasp on Rod tightens as his eyebrow twitches. ¡°No. Kemonomimis are for people who like humans, but also like the animal ears and tails because they find them cute or exotic. Or, because the girls will also display some characteristics from their related animal. Like¡­ a catgirl might be kind of tsundere-ish, or a dog girl¡ªthe best kind of girl¡ªmight be super loyal and loving and playful.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Next on the scale are the semi-furries coming in at two out of five.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ what¡¯s the difference between you and a semi-furry?¡± ¡°Semi-furries might have their skin colored to be more like fur, or their faces, hands, and feet might start taking on the shape of animals. Sometimes, they might even have very short fur covering them in some spots. If I¡¯m only ten percent animal, then semi-furries are forty to fifty percent animal.¡± ¡°Sure, bro.¡± ¡°Now, when you get to three out of five, you reach the real furries. These are the ones where they basically look like bipedal animals with human traits. They might be completely covered in fur, so they don¡¯t even wear clothes at this point sometimes. Furries are fifty to seventy percent animals.¡± ¡°Then what if you¡¯re an even higher percent animal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s when you get to the fourth stage. These are basically the super furries. Their bodies start to look more animal than human when it comes to size and shape, they¡¯re covered in fur or scales or whatever is associated with their animal, they probably don¡¯t wear any human clothes, and are basically just walking animals.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the fifth stage?¡± ¡°That¡¯s basically just being an animal that can talk and have human emotions.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a stage one furry?¡± ¡°Not a furry. A kemonomimi.¡± ¡°Kemomomeemee?¡± ¡°Ke-mon-o-mim-i.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, bro.¡± Fenrir sighs and turns his attention to Rod. He has no idea how long he¡¯s had a fish on the line, but he feels his line getting tugged which means it¡¯s time to reel in. ¡°You get way too invested in things like this, onii-wan,¡± Saya thinks to him. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I have anything against furries. They¡¯re no worse than some of the stuff I¡¯m into. But¡­ I¡¯m not a furry, and I definitely don¡¯t look like one,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her as the striped fish he¡¯s reeling in jumps out of the water. After a short battle reeling the fish in, Fenrir gives the line a final tug that pulls the fish out of the water! ¡°Got you!¡± Fenrir shouts, grabbing the fish mid-air and¡­ immediately dropping it because he cut himself on its spine. ¡°You just looked so lame, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°Sh-shut up.¡± Rao is the next one to reel in a fish, and his fish ends up being even larger than Fenrir¡¯s going by what they can see whenever it comes close to the surface. ¡°That¡¯s a nice one. Come on, Rao, you¡¯ve got this,¡± Fenrir says, standing next to him and watching. ¡°This fish doesn¡¯t have anything on me. No way I¡¯d ever lose to a fish,¡± Rao says as he confidently reels it in. Rao reels the fish in, yanks it out of the water, and goes to grab it! Then he, too, drops it as soon as the spines on its backs cut his hands and the side of his wrist. Fortunately, neither of the fish manage to escape after being dropped. ¡°You just looked so lame, bro,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah, I did. Shit,¡± Rao says. ¡°Dang fish. Making me look bad in front of my bro.¡± Fenrir smiles from how oddly endearing that just was before securing both fish on a line and putting them back in the water. Book 4: Chapter 71: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation After catching enough fish to trade in for alcohol to have a proper guys¡¯ night, Fenrir and Rao head back to The Shoebill with their wagon loaded up. Corwin and Oleander have completed their jobs in preparing, too. All that is left is to convince one more member to help them. Even if said member is a girl, how important she is to their plan justifies her being allowed to come. ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s going to help us, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks as Fenrir and Rao unload the wagon. ¡°Yeah. She likes me more than Nell. I think,¡± Fenrir says, looking out to the water. They haven¡¯t seen their favorite serpent friend in a while, but Fenrir has been able to feel her presence as much as ever. Now, all he has to do is try to bring her to the shore so that he can communicate his request to her. She may be able to feel his emotions and understand basic thoughts such as when he wants to see her, but that¡¯s it. Complex ideas still need to be relayed face-to-face. ¡°See?¡± Fenrir says, looking over his shoulder to the others while pointing to the water. The serpent¡¯s head can be seen poking out of the water and looking their way. ¡°Being able to communicate with animals just makes you even more of a furry, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°Damn it, Rao, we¡¯ve had this conversation. I¡¯m not a furry,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m communicating with a giant serpent, not some animal.¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t that make you uhh¡­ what¡¯re they called? The people into scaled animals instead of furry ones?¡± ¡°Scalies,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Bro, why would you know that?¡± Rao asks Oleander. ¡°Why would you know that there¡¯s a difference?¡± Oleander asks back. ¡°Anyways, bro,¡± Rao looks at Fenrir, ¡°you do you.¡± With a sigh, Fenrir looks back at the serpent and waves his hands to try and beckon her to come over. ¡°Good luck with that, bro. Have fun talking to animals,¡± Rao says. Fenrir looks back at him again, expecting to see a mocking expression on Rao¡¯s face, but Rao looks friendlier than that. He¡¯s just smiling and even winks. ¡°Stop comparing him to Bone, onii-wan,¡± Saya thinks to Fenrir. ¡°I know. I just keep on taking him seriously when he says stuff like that and¡­ keep thinking that he means it to be a dick like Bone would have. But, he¡¯s just being stupid and messing around instead of actually making fun of me,¡± Fenrir thinks back. ¡°This is what happens when you keep on thinking of him as a replacement for Bone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to. I wouldn¡¯t ever want to be seen as a replacement for somebody, so I don¡¯t want to treat him like a replacement. But¡­ you¡¯re right. I kind of have been treating him that way.¡± ¡°Do you miss him, onii-wan?¡± ¡°You already know the answer to that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird for missing somebody who you barely got along with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how us humans are. Besides, if I miss him, then that means you probably do, too.¡± ¡°Hmph. Only because I¡¯m part you. I really don¡¯t like him myself.¡± ¡°Either way, you know why I feel the way that I do. We were friends for years.¡± ¡°Now you can be friends with Rao for years! And your girlfriends! A-and me! No-not that I¡¯d want to be your friend for that long or anything, ba-baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°Thanks for the fanservice.¡± ¡°Perverted baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°Adorable little not-blood-related sister.¡± ¡°Technically, we kind of are blood-related.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just brain related.¡± ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s blood in the brain, isn¡¯t there?¡± A few moments of awkward silence pass. ¡°W-we are blood-related,¡± Saya says. ¡°That makes you even better,¡± Fenrir thinks back to her. ¡°You¡¯re the worst. You really are the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Says the blood-related little sister who¡¯s still calling me onii-wan despite knowing how horrible I am.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Later, blood-related lil sis¡¯.¡± The serpent slides up into the shallow water of the coast and looks down at Fenrir. ¡°Hey there,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other up close. You haven¡¯t been eating any rowboats, have you?¡± The serpent shows him memories of her trying to find some rowboats to snack on but, unfortunately, all of her hunts were unsuccessful. One such memory includes a quick glimpse of something else far larger and more powerful than a rowboat. ¡°H-hey! Wait, what was that you just showed me?¡± Fenrir asks. The serpent turns her head to the side and goes through the memories again, conveniently leaving out the memory that Fenrir is curious about. ¡°No, that one where it was really dark and there was something glowing,¡± Fenrir says. The serpent turns her head the other way and goes through the memories again. She still fails to show him the memory that he¡¯s talking about. ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡± Fenrir asks. He doesn¡¯t get a response. ¡°Anyways¡­ I need your help. I should have asked you sooner, but I¡¯m doing it now. Think you could help me and the guys with our operation?¡± A new memory gets shown to him this time. It¡¯s a memory of¡­ Nell already asking the serpent for help and telling her not to listen to anything that Fenrir says while Tabitha stands in the background with a smug smile and arms crossed over her chest. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ way too smart. Seriously? How¡¯d she even predict I¡¯d come to you?¡± Fenrir asks himself. ¡°We are definitely going to surprise them all now. I refuse to let her get ahead of us.¡± While Fenrir talks to himself, the serpent spits some water at him which¡ªdespite just being ¡°spit¡± at him¡ªcompletely drenches him from the tips of his ears down to his toes. ¡°Really?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t even know what our plan is yet!¡± The serpent lowers her head so that she¡¯s right in front of Fenrir now. ¡°Alright, thank you. I promise that it¡¯s a good plan and probably better than whatever Tabitha is thinking.¡± While Fenrir goes over their plan to try and convince the serpent to help them, Rao looks over the job that Oleander and Corwin did. ¡°It looks good. This should work fine. Good job,¡± Rao tells them. ¡°We made it exactly to your specifications,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Yep! We made it as perfect as possible!¡± Oleander says. ¡°All we need now is for bro to convince the serpent to help us,¡± Rao says. ¡°I¡¯m still disappointed our plan relies on a girl. This is supposed to be guys¡¯ night and guys¡¯ plan. I¡¯m supposed to be the only girl allowed to join,¡± Oleander says and sighs. Book 4: Chapter 72: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation Later that day, the girls have gathered and are ready for their night together. ¡°It¡¯s still suspicious,¡± Tabitha says as she checks all around The Shoebill to make sure that there are no stowaways. Not even Shogun is around from what she can see. ¡°For all of them to be missin¡¯ on our night¡­ somethin¡¯ isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m sorry,¡± Azalabulia whimpers. ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault. That dog just played ya is all,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have trusted him around ya. To think he¡¯d go after his newest girlfriend for information! This is why we need a girls¡¯ night ¨C to get away from men like him.¡± ¡°Could we not have simply chosen a new night since they know about this one?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Eh, there isn¡¯t a reason to. It¡¯s not like we couldn¡¯t just kick them off if they were trying to hide anywhere. Can ya feel him around anywhere with that stalker ability of yours?¡± ¡°It ¨C it is not a ¡®stalker ability.¡¯ It is a gift given to me by¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, giant serpent gift. So, can ya feel him?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nell answers with a pout and turned head. ¡°Huh. Think he might¡¯ve woke somewhere?¡± ¡°It is possible. I can never sense him whenever he is not immersed.¡± ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t get trackers like that on the rest of them. We need to chip them.¡± ¡°If anybody could create such a device, it would be you, Tabitha.¡± ¡°So, how much longer are we going to stand around looking for them?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Yeah, boring,¡± Serra agrees. ¡°Alright, alright, we¡¯ll get the show on the road!¡± Tabitha declares. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s somebody we haven¡¯t interrogated yet.¡± ¡°Who would that be?¡± Nell asks. Tabitha looks over at Rock. Rock notices she¡¯s being stared at by everybody, rolls onto her side, and looks away. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get anything out of her if you¡¯re not Fenny or Shogun,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Rock is loyal,¡± Serra says, nodding. ¡°Too loyal,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Maybe we should¡­ nah, I¡¯d feel bad not includin¡¯ her. Alright, Rock, ya can stay with us for girls¡¯ night.¡± Rock wags her tail a single time to express just how excited she is. She isn¡¯t the only one lacking excitement, either. Azalabulia may not be around her new boyfriend, but she¡¯s sticking to herself even more than usual. Serra and Cassiel just look and sound as if they¡¯re going with the flow rather than actually being excited about this and enjoying themselves. Nell is hopeful and eager but is nowhere near as abundantly excited as Tabitha is. With the ship clear of all men, the fluffy sheeps secured inside of their temporary pen, and all girls onboard, Tabitha takes the helm and sets sail from the dock. ¡°What are going to do?¡± Serra asks Cassiel. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure. Girl stuff?¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like¡­ stuff girls do when they¡¯re together without any men? I guess?¡± ¡°Oh. So we¡¯re going to do lewd things to each other? I¡¯m okay wi¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Serra sighs and pouts. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Cassiel says before joining in on the sighing. ¡°All we¡¯ve done is worry about guy-proofing the night, and we didn¡¯t really plan anything to do other than¡­ talking, I guess.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not even any food,¡± Serra says. ¡°Or drinks.¡± ¡°Or games.¡± ¡°Maybe we can,¡± Cassiel looks to the side of the ship before sighing, ¡°never mind. The fishing rods are gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°Shhh. Tabs is excited about this, so let¡¯s try to have fun.¡± ¡°Dick is fun.¡± Cassiel sighs one more time before placing her face into her palm. Nell, having seen the looks of boredom, walks over to them with her hands behind her back. ¡°Hiding something?¡± Cassiel asks Nell. Serra¡¯s eyes light up at the thought of potentially having something to do. ¡°It would not be a girls¡¯ night without these!¡± Nell says, bringing her hands out from behind her back to show the girls what she¡¯s holding. All she has is a box with hair ties and clips, some makeup, and other ¡°girl¡± items that the girls already spend more than enough time with back in reality. ¡°Whether it¡¯s in real life or in-game, you really like this stuff, don¡¯t you?¡± Cassiel asks. Serra goes back to sighing. ¡°Of course!¡± Nell answers. ¡°We are ladies. It is only natural for us to be interested in such,¡± she notices how unimpressed the others look, ¡°¡­things. A-are you not interested?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I was expecting as much.¡± ¡°Neither of you look too interested in any of this.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t really see how a girls¡¯ night is necessary at all, I guess. Maybe I¡¯m just used to mainly hanging out with guys before this game, so¡­ yeah, I just think it¡¯s kind of ¨C I don¡¯t know, petty?¡± ¡°Oh! Of course. While I do agree that the concept is silly, I thought it could be fun! Besides, Tabitha is going to let me do her hair and makeup however I want! She even said she would teach us about techniques to defend ourselves against sexual harassment, but¡­ I believe that would simply make it worse as Serra would know the techniques and to expect them.¡± Serra crosses her arms over her chests and nods, proud of herself. ¡°We can¡­ talk, about¡­ things,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Whatever we¡¯re going to do, let¡¯s just try to have fun and enjoy it,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can have fun if we tell ourselves that we will.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it sounds like fun in the first place,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know, so that¡¯s why we just have to try and have fun.¡± While Tabitha happily sails out to open waters where she believes they will be totally safe from any potential plans that the missing men might have, the rest of the girls on board, even Rock, find themselves struggling even more to stay motivated about having a fun time. They aren¡¯t the only ones. ¡°I miss my girlfriends,¡± Fenrir says, lying back against the serpent¡¯s scales. Shogun barks as he thinks about cuddling up together with Rock. ¡°You know we¡¯re going to see them soon, right?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°You can handle being separated for a little bit, Fenny.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. The more time I spend with them, the harder it is to be away from them.¡± ¡°Which is exactly why you need a guys¡¯ night.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t fishing and drinking on the back of a serpent way too dangerous?¡± Rao asks. ¡°And I¡¯m not sure these seats are that sturdy¡­¡± ¡°We followed your instructions precisely, Rao,¡± Corwin says. ¡°What¡¯d you expect when we¡¯re supposed to follow your handwriting with a bunch of scrap materials?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Yeah, yeah. At least they¡¯re holding sturdy,¡± Rao says right before his seat tied around the serpent¡¯s body loses one of its straps. ¡°I uh¡­ I¡¯m not a good swimmer, by the way.¡± Book 4: Chapter 73: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation Tabitha is sitting on a crate as Nell stands behind her. This whole night was sparked by Nell wanting to try and give Tabitha some cute new looks, and that is exactly what Nell plans on doing! Only, she continues to get distracted by looking out toward the open waters now that The Shoebill has stopped. ¡°Somethin¡¯ wrong?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Ya keep lookin¡¯ out there.¡± ¡°Nothing is wrong. It is just that¡­ the serpent¡¯s presence feels stronger than usual,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Ya could always invite her over. She¡¯s a girl, so there¡¯s no harm in her joinin¡¯ us.¡± ¡°I am not sure that she would be interested.¡± ¡°Eh. Anyways, there¡¯s one girl here that we know even less about than that serpent!¡± ¡°And who would that be?¡± Nell asks as she tries pulling Tabitha¡¯s hair into a short ponytail. ¡°You,¡± Tabitha says, pointing at Azalabulia. ¡°M-me?¡± Azalabulia asks. Tabitha nods her head. ¡°That¡¯s right. Tell us about yourself! Somethin¡¯ new, that is. We already know you¡¯re a teacher and that you¡¯re into the dog boy.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Azalabulia pauses, tapping one of her fingers against her chin as she tries to think of something interesting that won¡¯t make her sound pathetic. She fails to, of course, so she goes with something awesome instead. ¡°I learned my magic from a dragon! A fearsome dragon of darkness spared my life and taught me everything that I know, and now it is my duty to take over the world in his honor! A wave of horrible and cruel darkness shall wash over this wor¡ª¡± ¡°Anyways,¡± Tabitha says, ¡°how¡¯s the new house?¡± she asks Serra and Cassiel as Azalabulia slumps her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m just kiddin¡¯,¡± she tells Azalabulia. ¡°Ya seriously learned magic from a dragon, or is that just you playin¡¯ around some more?¡± ¡°We-well, it¡¯s kind of true¡­¡± ¡°Go on! Come on, we want to hear about this.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m interested,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Dragons are cool,¡± Serra says. Meanwhile, Nell is content with trying to braid Tabitha¡¯s hair now. ¡°So¡­ there was this dragon I went with a raid group to go hunt near the mountains. He was stronger than any of us thought he would be, so he killed most of the group, and¡­ I kind of got distracted watching all of his really awesome attacks. They were cool! Dark flames, explosions, and fire everywhere! It was then that I, Azalabulia, decided to watch and learn from him so that I could become his disciple!¡± ¡°So, what I just gathered from that, is that ya let the rest of the raid get wiped while you watching the dragon since ya thought it was cool?¡± Tabitha asks. Azalabulia excitedly nods her head with her hands held up in front of her. ¡°And what¡¯s goin¡¯ to happen if we ever get into a fight with another monster that you think is cool?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Then I shall use the Cursed Flame of Bahamut to annihilate our enemy, regardless of who or what it is! There is only one ultimate magic in this world, and it is mine and I shall never bow before another¡¯s might!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°I¡¯m guessin¡¯ that you not helpin¡¯ out at all while everybody else died is part of why ya weren¡¯t havin¡¯ any luck with groups anymore.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ maybe. But they should be honored that they perished by the dragon¡¯s dark flames!¡± ¡°Yeah? Then why didn¡¯t ya sacrifice yourself to the flames?¡± ¡°Because I would have died,¡± Azalabulia says with a completely serious face and voice, answering Tabitha in a way that makes her sound as if she was just asked one of the most obvious, common sense questions in the world. ¡°You¡¯re too much.¡± ¡°There!¡± Nell says. ¡°What do you all think?¡± she asks, presenting Tabitha to the other girls. The short, orange-haired girl who usually has hair that is just as short and messy as the rest of her now has her hair tied into a couple of short pigtails hanging down her back. ¡°Cute,¡± Serra says. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really fit her, but it looks nice,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Dye it black?¡± Azalabulia suggests. ¡°Heck no,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Tried that once in real life when I was younger. Was horrible.¡± ¡°Oh? I sense a story,¡± Nell says. ¡°It ain¡¯t much of a story. Had a crush in high school and they were into the whole goth thing, so I tried it out. Then I found out she was already datin¡¯ our teacher in secret. Let me tell ya, there was a lot of drama around the school after that. Regretted dyin¡¯ my hair within a day.¡± ¡°Ah, a forbidden teacher and student relationship. I have always been fond of such stories,¡± Nell says. ¡°I am sorry to hear that you had to be rejected in such a manner, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. She ended up getting¡¯ into some dark things outside my comfort zone, so things worked out for the best. Gotta look at the bright side of things. Besides, I spent more time workin¡¯ on some of my projects after findin¡¯ out about her, and I ended up really gettin¡¯ absorbed into them. I found out that buildin¡¯ things is way more fun than girls. No offense.¡± ¡°None taken. I know the feeling,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I gave up on guys after all the shitheads I dated, then I met Fen. Before him, I was just absorbed into work and playing this game. Work sucked, and my situation in the game sucked, but they were better than wasting time on men.¡± ¡°Now then! What else do ya girls want to talk about?¡± Tabitha asks them. ¡°Sex,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Denied.¡± While Serra pouts, Nell suggests, ¡°Erotic fantasies?¡± ¡°Rejected.¡± ¡°Dr-dragons and darkness?¡± Azalabulia tries. ¡°Refused.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not really much to talk about,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Unless you just want us to talk more about our real lives. You already know everything going on with our real lives right now, so¡­ I don¡¯t know what else to talk about.¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve brought some games or somethin¡¯. Well, I suppose we can get to learnin¡¯ about self-defense!¡± Tabitha announces. While the other girls found the previous conversation enjoyable, now they find themselves internally groaning at the thought of trying to learn self-defense techniques on a night meant for relaxing and hanging out. At least their night is about to get more exciting. Book 4: Chapter 74: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation ¡°Why rely on physical techniques for defense when I, the great Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, could teach you dark and cursed spells more than capable enough of decimating entire legions of man and beast in one sweep?¡± Azalabulia asks before going back to panting and being out of breath from being used in Tabitha¡¯s demonstrations. ¡°Because you¡¯ll remember this in real life! Don¡¯t ya live in Alaska or somethin¡¯? They¡¯re all men up there! You¡¯ve got to be careful,¡± Tabitha explains. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like any of them have ever tried anything with me anyways¡­¡± ¡°Ya make it sound like ya wish they did.¡± ¡°Some attention would have been nice!¡± Azalabulia announces, stomping her feet and pouting. ¡°A-at least I have you all now.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just too desperate. Ya shouldn¡¯t be desperate for men in the first place, and nobody wants a desperate and clingy girl. Not even a girl is goin¡¯ to want that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Serra says. ¡°You can cling to me, Aza.¡± ¡°You just want her to cling to you because you like her chest,¡± Cassiel says, poking Serra¡¯s cheek. This is when something awakens within Cassiel. While she has felt Serra¡¯s face before, she¡¯s never realized just how squishy and pokable it is. Unable to resist, she pinches Serra¡¯s cheek and gives it a gentle pull. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Serra asks, looking up at Cassiel as her cheek gets pulled. Seeing Serra looking up at her with such a confused expression while looking adorable from having her cheek pulled is too much for Cassiel. For once, it is Cassiel who feels like going on the offensive and squealing from how cute Serra looks in this moment. But that, she does resist. ¡°Oh! I wish to try!¡± Nell says, happily skipping over to Serra to pinch and pull her other cheek. Serra has no idea why she¡¯s surrounded by her girlfriends pinching and pulling on her cheeks, but it¡¯s not like it hurts, so she doesn¡¯t care and just lets them continue doing it. ¡°You have rather elastic cheeks, Serra,¡± Nell says. ¡°That¡¯s good for sticking big things in them,¡± Serra says. Cassiel lets go of Serra¡¯s cheek and sighs. ¡°You ruined it. Your cheeks were so cute, but now you¡¯ve made them perverted.¡± ¡°I believe that the same could be said for her very being in general! Although, I do still believe that Serra retains her quality cuteness despite having such an erotic mind,¡± Nell says, still holding one cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m cute?¡± Serra asks with a feigned sadness, looking up at Cassiel with wide eyes. Naturally, this makes her look extremely cute in the eyes of Cassiel. ¡°I ¨C I never said you weren¡¯t cute,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You just had to make your cheeks perverted instead of just cute!¡± ¡°What if I do this,¡± Serra says, gently taking Nell¡¯s hand off of her cheek before closing her lips and puffing her cheeks up. Nell covers her mouth with one hand as Cassiel takes a step backward. Serra¡¯s cuteness is a truly fearsome beast. ¡°I ¨C I can do that,¡± Azalabulia says, dropping her confident act from earlier to try and puff her cheeks out. While she may not be as cutesy as Serra when she puffs her cheeks out, being an older woman trying to compete with a younger one half her size by puffing her cheeks out is cute in its own way. Only, when nobody comments on Azalabulia¡¯s puffed cheeks, she has to shut her eyes and cross them in intense concentration to keep the puffing up. Rather than get a comment to praise her for her hard work, Serra pulls a crate up to Azalabulia, stands on top of it, and then gently smacks Azalabulia¡¯s inflated cheeks to deflate them. Azalabulia lets out a surprised puff of air and, when she opens her eyes, is met with Serra¡¯s face right in front of her. ¡°Se-Serra? D-did you go through a growth spurt?¡± Azalabulia asks. Serra rolls her eyes, grabs the other¡¯s cheeks, and places her lips directly against Azalabulia¡¯s. Now she¡¯s the second member of the relationship to actually kiss her. Now, for a woman who has never considered being with a woman before until recently, Azalabulia had no idea what to expect when kissing a girl for the first time. But she likes it. Serra pulls away from Azalabulia, leaving the taller woman with a satisfied-but-needy expression and pursed lips as if hoping for more. ¡°I like girls¡¯ nights now,¡± Serra announces, turning around to the rest with a smug smile. ¡°This isn¡¯t what a girls¡¯ night is supposed to be for,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Now it is.¡± ¡°Serra, your lust truly knows no bounds,¡± Nell says. Serra gives Nell a thumbs-up before climbing down from the crate and putting it back where it was. Meanwhile, Cassiel looks out over the water. Seeing the kiss has made her want to do that, too. Sure, she could do it with any of her girlfriends, but her mind immediately jumps to Fenrir when it comes to kissing and anything sexual in general. ¡°Is everything alright, Cassiel?¡± Nell asks, standing next to her now with an arm around her back. ¡°I just wonder what he¡¯s doing right now,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Being unable to go even a few hours without seeing your love ¨C oh, how wonderfully tragic that is!¡± ¡°That just makes me clingy, not tragic.¡± ¡°It is alright. He clearly loves clinging to you just as much as you love clinging to him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s embarrassing when you say that. It¡¯s not like I want to be annoying and clingy. I just can¡¯t help it¡­¡± ¡°Fortunately for you, I am sure that he would love if you clung to him even more than you already do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because he likes my chest.¡± ¡°We both know that is not true.¡± ¡°H-hmph¡­¡± ¡°You have come a long way in regard to being honest with yourself, but it seems as if you still have some distance to go.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± ¡°And we will continue to support you no matter what! Now then, let us¡ªwhat¡¯s that? The serpent?¡± Both girls look out to the distance and see a dark shape swimming through the water. While there¡¯s no way for Cassiel to know what the creature is going off of what she can see, Nell can feel that it¡¯s the serpent¡¯s presence swimming closer. Not only that, but once it¡¯s close enough, she can discern that there are two presences overlapping one another: the serpent¡¯s and Fenrir¡¯s. "Do... do you hear something?" Cassiel asks. "Sounds like... rockets?" The two girls look up and see a barrage of fiery missiles heading toward The Shoebill. Book 4: Chapter 75: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation The missiles arc upward before getting too close to The Shoebill and explode in the sky, resulting in a beautiful display of colorful sparks illuminating the surrounding waters as they drift downward. ¡°It would seem that a certain serpent has betrayed us,¡± Nell says with a happy smile and excited eyes looking up at the sky, the colorful bursts reflecting in her serpentine eyes. ¡°Leave it to Fen,¡± Cassiel says, sighing happily. The rest of the girls come over to where the two are standing so that they can get a better view of the fireworks themselves. ¡°Loud,¡± Serra says. ¡°Now I know why I always feel them in my chest.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ve never watched fireworks together with anybody but my mom,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°That sly dog,¡± Tabitha sighs. ¡°Here I was expectin¡¯ them to try and screw us over.¡± ¡°You never needed to worry,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Fen wouldn¡¯t let Olly do anything bad.¡± Meanwhile, Fenrir turns around to flick Oleander¡¯s forehead and ask, ¡°See? Isn¡¯t this better? You can see them all smiling from here.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I¡¯m still upset I wasn¡¯t invited to girls¡¯ night¡­ but I know. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s more fun to make them smile than mad.¡± Corwin leans forward to wrap his arms around Oleander¡¯s waist before giving him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I am glad you decided not to try and ruin their night, Olly.¡± ¡°Bros, I¡¯m starting to doubt these saddles,¡± Rao says. ¡°Shogun, you good?¡± Shogun is too busy looking up at the fireworks with his tail wagging behind him to answer Rao. However, the straps keeping Shogun tied down seem to be fine. ¡°Think she¡¯ll be mad when she finds out we used all our money on this?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Tabs will be fine,¡± Oleander says. ¡°We¡¯ll factor in this entertainment for them as part of the cost, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll at least wait until the night is over before getting mad at us.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ we¡¯re safe tonight, but I¡¯m not sure about afterwards.¡± ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get the next round ready.¡± Back on The Shoebill, Tabitha says, ¡°Dang it. I should¡¯ve just let the deer boy join us so that he wouldn¡¯t be one-upping us right now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a competition,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I know, but still.¡± ¡°You are as stubborn as always, Tabitha,¡± Nell says. ¡°Let us just enjoy the show that they have prepared for us!¡± ¡°You can communicate with them from a distance, can¡¯t ya?¡± Tabitha asks Nell. ¡°Hm? Yes, I can. Is there something you wish for me to relay?¡± ¡°I guess ya could say that.¡± The serpent raises her head and turns it to look back at Fenrir. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s save the rest of these,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°Make sure to hang on,¡± he says while looking back at the rest of those with him on the serpent¡¯s back. Rao is clearly hanging on much more desperately than the rest are. The Shoebill waits in the water as the serpent swims up to it. Once she reaches the vessel, she arches her back up and pushes it against the side of the boat. ¡°Miss me?¡± Fenrir asks his girlfriends, now sitting on the serpent¡¯s back right in front of them. ¡°My hero, I am rather interested to hear of how you convinced her to listen to you when I had given her an order not to,¡± Nell says. ¡°She just likes me more.¡± The serpent snorts out some water. ¡°A-ah. Is that so?¡± ¡°Yep. Plus, I explained everything to her and promised that we wouldn¡¯t be trying to ruin your night. Communication is key.¡± Oleander and Tabitha look away, sigh, and then look at each other before both opening their mouths to speak at once. ¡°Sorry,¡± they say to one another. While Oleander and Tabitha laugh with each other, Shogun jumps over onto The Shoebill since Rao undid the straps holding him down. Rock runs up to Shogun with her tail wagging and ears twitching, wasting no time nuzzling her body up against his. ¡°We good?¡± Tabitha asks Oleander. ¡°Yeah. Sorry for being a jerk,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I was just jealous and pouting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I should have let ya come with us in the first place. If anybody here is a girl, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got that right!¡± Oleander says with his hands on his hips and a proud smile on his face. ¡°Want to join us for the rest of girls¡¯ night?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to if it¡¯s okay with you!¡± ¡°Why not? Come on, get over here.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Rao says. ¡°Can I come back over? I just want to go chill in my hammock.¡± Oleander and Tabitha look at each other before shrugging and beckoning Rao over. ¡°Thanks. See ya bro, good luck not falling off,¡± Rao tells Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Thanks for helping me set all of this u¡ª¡± Fenrir gets interrupted by Serra jumping over and landing right between his legs. There¡¯s not another strap for her to help her stay steady, so she grabs Fenrir¡¯s arms and wraps them around her waist to serve as her seatbelt. ¡°Best seat,¡± Serra says. ¡°You really love being between my legs,¡± Fenrir says, kissing the back of her head. ¡°Lewd, but that¡¯s why I like it here.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, you perverted old man.¡± One more girl jumps over to join them on the back of the serpent. ¡°Cass?¡± Fenrir asks when he looks around to check on her as she straps herself into Rao¡¯s previous seat. ¡°You have the fishing rods and I kind of feel like fishing,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Be-besides, I¡­ I missed you.¡± ¡°So clingy,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°But I love when you¡¯re clingy.¡± ¡°Only because you like my chest.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°Hm-hmph.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had any tsun fanservice from you. Thanks for that.¡± ¡°I ¨C I just want to fish and shoot some of these fireworks.¡± ¡°Oh, right. You girls want some of the spare fireworks?¡± Fenrir asks Tabitha, Nell, and Azalabulia. ¡°We got way too many.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Azalabulia excitedly asks, her hands on the boat¡¯s railing as she leans almost halfway overboard. Nell¡¯s tail wraps around Azalabulia¡¯s waist to pull her away from the railing. ¡°Must we remind you what happened the last time you leaned so far over?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Th-thanks.¡± Most of the remaining fireworks are handed over to those staying on The Shoebill, but a few stay on the serpent¡¯s back for Serra and Cassiel. ¡°You wanna come, Cor?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°That¡¯s what he said,¡± Serra says. Oleander and Serra give each thumbs-ups. ¡°Ah, I believe that I will stay here. Riding aback this serpent is a wonderful feeling that I wish to experience for a while longer. After all, I have no idea when I may get to experience this again!¡± Corwin answers. Fenrir would ask Nell and Azalabulia if they want to come, but they¡¯re both excitedly getting to work with those fireworks they were handed. ¡°We might want to get going. I don¡¯t know how I feel about Azalabulia setting off fireworks,¡± Fenrir says. Azalabulia looks up at him with a smug smile. While she might be getting teased, it is teasing involving explosions which makes it okay. ¡°I bet I can make their explosions even bigger,¡± Azalabulia says. Oleander and Tabitha look at each other, nod, and then look at the serpent so that they can jump over and get out of here. Unfortunately for them, the serpent and those on her have already left the doomed crew of The Shoebill. Book 4: Chapter 76: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation While the groups may not be explicitly set up for a ¡°boys¡¯ night¡± nor ¡°girls¡¯ night¡± anymore, each of them has much more fun than they were previously having. Between Tabitha, Nell, and Oleander, those on The Shoebill never run out of things to talk about. Oleander proves his ability to expand on any conversation¡ªalbeit in perverse ways, usually¡ªand Tabitha and Nell are both able to work with that better than when it was mainly just them doing the talking. As for those on the serpent¡¯s back, they enjoy their alcohol¡ªsave for Cassiel¡ªand have some fun fishing. It mainly ends up being Corwin and Cassiel doing the fishing and chatting while Serra tries to tease Fenrir, forcing him to be careful and make sure that neither of them falls off from the serpent¡¯s back. Naturally, the serpent doesn¡¯t approve of Serra grinding herself back against Ryouta¡¯s crotch while on her back and tries to get Fenrir to make her stop. When that doesn¡¯t work, the serpent turns her head around and spits water onto both of them while Cassiel and Corwin laugh at the whole sight. And then there is the one woman probably doing something that she shouldn¡¯t be doing. She definitely should not be doing what she is. Fireworks are dangerous enough on their own. Azalabulia doesn¡¯t think so. After leaving a few fireworks for the others on The Shoebill to play with, she has taken all leftover rockets and is having herself a Tabitha moment by performing mad science mixed with dangerous magic to create the ultimate firework. She may just be a kindergarten teacher in real life right now, but that doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s all she knows how to teach. Her original degree is for teaching something much more¡­ reactive. Rock and Shogun are the only two keeping Azalabulia company right now. Though, it is more like they are lying next to each other while watching whatever it is that she¡¯s doing. They may not fully understand Azalabulia¡¯s mumbling and giggling to herself, and they know that they should probably be really worried about what is going to happen once she¡¯s done, but they have decided to keep going and see what happens. The time to stop has already come and gone. ¡°Yo,¡± Rao says, lying down on The Shoebill¡¯s deck next to Shogun. Azalabulia looks at him and then looks around to see who he¡¯s talking to. It is only when she notices that the others are all on the other side of the deck that she realizes he¡¯s talking to her. ¡°I-I-I¡¯m dating Fenrir!¡± Azalabulia declares. Rao sighs and says, ¡°I know. Everybody is. I¡¯m just here to chill, don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t try anything with one of my bro¡¯s girls.¡± He looks over at the others. ¡°Besides, the shortie is keeping an eye on me.¡± Azalabulia looks at where he is and sees Tabitha sending suspicious looks his way whenever she¡¯s not talking. ¡°A-ah, I see,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Yeah. So, you¡¯re not going to blow us all up, right?¡± Azalabulia nervously smiles and freezes for a few seconds before saying, ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sure that it will be fine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound sure.¡± ¡°Do not doubt the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just use your magic to make explosions instead of having to use these rockets?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more fun this way.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re honest. Anyways, if you need help with making sure it¡¯s not going to explode in your face, just let me know. You¡¯re my bro¡¯s girl, so that makes you one of my bros, too.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m your bro?¡± Azalabulia asks with her head tilted to the side. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But ¨C but I¡¯m a girl.¡± ¡°So is the deer, but he¡¯s still my bro.¡± ¡°B-but you just called him a he¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the finer details. Well, worry about them when it comes to this rocket you¡¯re making,¡± Rao says, stroking the hand he¡¯s not lying on against Shogun¡¯s back. ¡°The point is that you¡¯re my bro, so I¡¯m down for helping you if you need anything.¡± Azalabulia looks to the sides, up, down, and then finally at Rao to ask, ¡°Does¡­ does this mean that we¡¯re friends?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah, that¡¯s exactly my point. Aren¡¯t we all bros here?¡± Azalabulia smiles, looking back down at her monstrosity of a magically-enhanced firework. ¡°I ¨C I guess so,¡± she says. ¡°Besides, me and you have got to stick together since we¡¯re the two newest members,¡± he explains. ¡°We are?¡± ¡°Did you forget we joined up with these guys on the same day? They met you just a couple of hours after they met me. Me, you, and Shogun are the newest.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re like twins!¡± Azalabulia says with an excited voice and bright eyes. ¡°Twins? Huh?¡± ¡°Y-you know! It¡¯s like being born at the same time, but joining the group at the same time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯d be more like brother and sister than twins in that case,¡± Rao says, looking her over. Sure, there are girl and boy twins who look similar, but he knows that they look nothing alike. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Twenty-seven, why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re older than me! Finally! Everybody is always younger!¡± Meanwhile, Tabitha whispers to Nell and Oleander about how Rao is even more pathetic now that they know just how old he is. ¡°You can be my big brother!¡± Azalabulia tells Rao. ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± Rao asks. Even the others have dropped their conversation to listen in on whatever strange discussion is happening between these two. ¡°Since we joined at the same time and you¡¯re older, and you keep saying we¡¯re ¡®bros¡¯ which is like brother, so that makes you my big brother!¡± Azalabulia explains. ¡°How old are you again?¡± Rao asks with a tilted head. ¡°Twenty-six! I¡¯m younger for once!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a teacher?¡± She nods. ¡°And you¡¯re calling me your big brother now?¡± She nods more. ¡°Al-alright then. I guess I should call you sis instead of bro?¡± She nods even faster. Tabitha, Nell, and Oleander have no idea what to make of the current situation and are equally confused about him actually accepting this situation. ¡°Alright, sis,¡± Rao says. ¡°Anyways, hurry up and finish your rocket. I want to see this before I wake to go to bed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be done soon, b-bro,¡± Azalabulia says. The other three look at each other. ¡°What were we talkin¡¯ about again?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I wonder if Fenrir would be alright with me pretending to be his little sister¡­ albeit in a much more sexual context,¡± Nell says. ¡°Do ya even have to ask?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°She has a point,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Fenny would probably be begging you to do that if he had just a little bit less shame.¡± Nell begins plotting. ¡°Alright, done!¡± Azalabulia says to Rao. ¡°What do you think? Can you see anything wrong?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, tighten that part right there some more,¡± Rao says, pointing at the bottom of the rocket. ¡°Like that?¡± ¡°Yeah. Everything else looks good. Ready to shoot it?¡± Azalabulia nods her head. ¡°Then let¡¯s get up to the bow. It¡¯ll be safer to shoot it from there. By the way, sis, how much magic did you put into this thing?¡± Azalabulia grins and says, ¡°A lot.¡± Book 4: Chapter 77: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation ¡°Do fish even bite at night?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Fenrir asks back. ¡°I think.¡± ¡°I have a bite,¡± Corwin announces, already busy at work reeling the fish in. Despite the fact that the fish is practically bending his rod in half from how strongly it¡¯s fighting back, he appears and sounds as calm as ever. Meanwhile, Serra tries to distract Fenrir from fishing by running the tips of her fingers up and down the length of his fishing rod in a much more erotic way than a fishing rod deserves. Then she wraps her fingers around it, sliding them underneath the line and giving it a few lewd pumps. The gem rapidly pulsates at the bottom of the fishing rod. After all, Fenrir is trying to fish with Rod, his apparently-sentient fishing rod. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Rod is enjoying this or has no idea what you¡¯re doing,¡± Fenrir says. Serra immediately pulls her hand back when she remembers that the fishing rod isn¡¯t just a fishing rod. ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra says, giving the rod a couple of pats. Rod pulses once, letting them know that he forgives her for violating him. ¡°Oh no, you can¡¯t tease me and be lewd. Whatever are you going to do?¡± Fenrir teases Serra. Serra slides one of her hands behind her to grab his dick over his pants. ¡°Yeah, I should have expected that,¡± Fenrir sighs. The serpent turns her head around to spit more water onto them. ¡°Stop getting us in trouble or she¡¯s going to shake us off,¡± Fenrir tells Serra. ¡°Besides,¡± he pauses to look behind them at Cassiel sitting in the farthest-away seat. ¡°You¡¯re making Cass Cass jealous.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not jealous,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Maybe a little¡­¡± Serra grabs one of Fenrir¡¯s hands and brings it up to her chest, placing it directly against her breasts. Cassiel remembers her previous realization of not being gropable in-game because of the breastplate that she¡¯s always wearing, so she looks down at herself and groans. ¡°Corwin, I want your opinion,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Yes, Cassiel?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°What do you think of girls who wear revealing armor?¡± ¡°Hm. I have always thought it was rather silly both in terms of practicality and appearance. What is the point of wearing armor that does not actually protect one¡¯s body against danger? There were many women back in Port Tugator who walked around wearing armor that looked more like undergarments than proper armor.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Cassiel sighs. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It does lack sex appeal,¡± Corwin says what¡¯s on her mind. Cassiel sighs again. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°So, you want to be sexier?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Y-you were listening?¡± ¡°Are you forgetting I¡¯m right here?¡± Cassiel blushes and looks away. ¡°I ¨C I heard you tell Aza about how I don¡¯t let you grope me.¡± Corwin subtly leans down some more so that he¡¯s not sitting straight up between the two as they talk about their relationship. Of course, he¡¯s still reeling in that fish he hooked, too. ¡°Well, how can I with that armor? Plus I do it all the time in real life,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°Even Serra does.¡± Serra makes two grabby-hand gestures at Cassiel¡¯s chest. ¡°I-it¡¯d just be nice to get some of that attention here, too,¡± Cassiel admits, her voice getting quieter and her blush getting brighter with each word. ¡°Do ¨C would you prefer more¡­ revealing armor?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Seriously? You wouldn¡¯t? But¡ª¡± ¡°Actual armor is sexy.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t stand bikini armor. If anything, you could start wearing a helmet with some giant shoulder pauldrons and still be hot. Heck, you could wear full plate mail and still be hot. Girls in real armor aren¡¯t as good as girls in sweaters, but it¡¯s up there. Though, now that I¡¯ve said both of those in the same sentence, I want to see a girl wearing sweater armor. I wonder if Tabs could invent that¡­¡± ¡°But ¨C but then you can¡¯t do anything without me taking my armor off.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll just do twice as much in real life to make up for it.¡± ¡°B-but I said I want it here, too¡­¡± Fenrir, forgetting that Corwin is even here, decides to use Cassiel¡¯s submissiveness and says, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just take your armor off for you whenever I want to touch you. How does that sou¡ª¡± A massive fish leaps out of the water and gets pulled into Corwin¡¯s arms! Water splashes onto the ones discussing their relationship, and the fish¡¯s tail fin almost slaps Fenrir in the face. ¡°Mood killer,¡± Serra says. Cassiel was blushing, but now she just looks disappointed as she sighs yet again. Though, she does say, ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t wear bikini armor, but you better touch me more.¡± ¡°You know I won¡¯t be able to resist if you say that,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°A nice fish dinner to end the night on sounds nice, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Corwin asks them. It¡¯s only now that the rest of those on the serpent¡¯s back pay any attention to the fish in his arms. The fish is an absolute unit. They are truly in awe of its size. ¡°Sounds like a good idea to me,¡± Fenrir says. Serra says, ¡°I want to skip straight to dessert.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. And what do you want for dessert?¡± ¡°Co¡ª¡± A loud whistling sound comes from The Shoebill. Everybody turns to look up at where the noise is coming from, and they see a trail of red and black flames shooting into the sky. The serpent looks up, looks back at the others, and dunks her head underwater while lowering the rest of her length so that as much of her as possible is underwater without submerging the others. ¡°We uh, might want to hang on to something,¡± Fenrir tells the others. Before they have the chance to prepare for the worst, the firework explodes high in the sky with the force of a powerful bomb. Hundreds of miniature explosions occur all around the main cloud of fire, each one a different color of the rainbow. The shockwave from the blast is enough to almost turn The Shoebill onto its side, and those on the back of the serpent have to hold on with all of their strength to not get tossed off into the air. Unfortunately, Corwin¡¯s catch gets swept away and lands in the water a good distance away. The continued micro-explosions all around the initial burst light up the mushroom cloud drifting up into the sky. ¡°Azawaza is seriously overpowered,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I wanna see her try that on a city,¡± Serra says. ¡°Can you not encourage her to turn us all into war criminals?¡± ¡°No.¡± It takes a minute for the display to finally end. Once it¡¯s over, all they can hear is the maniacal laughter of a certain woman onboard The Shoebill. Book 4: Chapter 78: Patch 13.0: Operation: Operation Both Rao and Azalabulia have their hair blown back with their eyebrows singed and faces covered in soot. The rest of the crew onboard The Shoebill are staring dumbfoundedly at the sky. As beautiful and as amazing as the explosive sight was, they¡¯re just happy that they¡¯re still alive. The last thing that any of them want is to get blown away alongside the boat from some modified firework. ¡°That was my best explosion ever,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Bahamut would be proud.¡± ¡°Sure, but uh¡­ maybe let¡¯s not do that again so close to ourselves,¡± Rao says. ¡°But they¡¯re even better when you get to watch them up close!¡± ¡°Sure, but I think the shortie and your boyfriend would get pretty mad at us if we accidentally blew ourselves or this boat up.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you with more explosions sometime, but it¡¯s got to be safer. Alright?¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Azalabulia says with a bright smile shining contrasting against her soot-covered face. ¡°Can we kick them overboard?¡± Tabitha asks Nell and Oleander. ¡°It might be safer to do that for all of our sakes,¡± Nell answers. ¡°They didn¡¯t damage anything other than their eyebrows this time, so I guess they¡¯re fine,¡± Oleander says. Meanwhile, Rock and Shogun are below deck and have been there ever since the explosions started. The others above might enjoy fireworks, but these two canids want nothing to do with them. Back on the serpent, those sitting atop her back are just happy that they didn¡¯t get blown away. It is not without losses, though. Fenrir, Serra, and Cassiel have never seen Corwin look so depressed before now that the shockwave from the explosion has freed his catch. It was the nicest, largest fish that any of them had ever caught before, too. ¡°I¡­ did not even get to show Olly,¡± Corwin mumbles. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Cassiel says, leaning forward to pat Corwin on the shoulder. ¡°We saw it at and can back you up.¡± ¡°Saw what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Fe-Fenrir?¡± Corwin says. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Did the explosion harm your memory? You ¨C you saw the fish I caught, did you not?¡± ¡°Sorry, no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Stop teasing him, Fen,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°He saw your fish, Corwin. He¡¯s just teasing you about it.¡± ¡°A-ah. Right. Of course,¡± Corwin says. ¡°I am not used to being teased by anybody other than Olly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a different type of teasing,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Olly does the better version of teasing,¡± Serra joins in. ¡°I agree, Serra,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Anyways, we should probably head back to the others now. I doubt that our escort here wants us riding around on her back forever, and I think that shockwave loosened up these seats a bit too much. And¡­ I want to drink more since we got all this alcohol, but I don¡¯t trust myself to drink too much while riding around on her,¡± Fenrir suggests. ¡°That¡¯s probably smart,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You know, Cass, I¡¯ve still never seen you get drunk around any of us. Want to once we get back onboard?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going to get drunk around you. End of story.¡± Serra asks, ¡°What if I trick you into getting drunk?¡± ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t, and if you did, I ¨C I don¡¯t know but I¡¯d be mad,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°No tricking Cass Cass into getting drunk. We¡¯ll just have to peer pressure her sometime.¡± ¡°Go get Nell drunk. We¡¯ve never seen her drunk, either.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ I wonder what kind of drunk she is.¡± ¡°Probably¡­ the kind of drunk who¡¯s going to purposely act way more vulnerable than she actually is to try and get you to do something perverted to her.¡± Fenrir, Serra, and even Corwin are all in agreement with Cassiel¡¯s guess. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get back,¡± Fenrir says. And that is exactly what they do. Their serpentine escort takes them right up to the side of The Shoebill and lifts her back high enough so that they can jump right onto the boat¡¯s deck from her. ¡°Thanks again,¡± Fenrir tells the serpent, gently running one of his hands against the side of her head. She responds with a slight nod of her head before diving back into the ocean¡¯s depths. ¡°Yo, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°How¡¯d the saddles hold up?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I forgot to take them off,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But uh¡­ the shockwave made them pretty loose, so they¡¯re probably going to come off while she¡¯s swimming.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good. The shortie could probably make even better ones anyways.¡± ¡°Speaking of making things better, what was with that firework?¡± ¡°Me and sis made it, but she did most of the work.¡± ¡°Sis?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rao says, pointing one finger at Azalabulia. ¡°You¡¯re actually calling somebody something other than bro?¡± Fenrir asks with a tilted head, genuinely confused at the unbelievable prospect. ¡°She said she wants an older brother, so I figured she can be my little sister.¡± Everybody is looking at Fenrir at this point to see how he¡¯s going to react to another man claiming one of his girlfriends as his little sister. ¡°Yeah, I can see that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I never would have considered it before, but now that you¡¯ve said it¡­ I can see you two being like that.¡± Tabitha sighs and Cassiel leans up on the tips of her toes while tugging down on Fenrir¡¯s shoulder to whisper, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright with that?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°You¡¯re not jealous or anything?¡± ¡°Pffttt. Why would I be? Is there something to be jealous about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want the wincest play to yourself?¡± Serra asks from the other side of him. ¡°Gross,¡± Rao says. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, and anybody with actual siblings would know that sort of thing is nasty.¡± ¡°Yeah, plus I trust them,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve already got a little sister.¡± ¡°What? I thought you were a single child?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I mean my virtual assistant. Remember? I have her act like my tsundere little sister. Though, lately, she¡¯s been acting more like a little sister tsundere puppy.¡± ¡°A ¨C a little sister tsundere puppy?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Why would you even admit to that out loud?¡± ¡°Because I have no shame,¡± Fenrir says, using a signature Serra thumbs-up. ¡°But you got embarrassed when we found your ar¡ª¡± Fenrir puts his hand over Cassiel¡¯s mouth. ¡°We don¡¯t talk about that. I have no shame in my current self, but I do have shame in my past self.¡± Book 4: Chapter 79: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date Once the girls¡¯ and boys¡¯ nights were over, each one having been moderately successful if one could even consider them separate things anymore, The Shoebill returned to the river that it has been docking in lately. They considered staying out on the water for the night with Fenrir and Rao sleeping on the floor so that the rest could comfortably make use of the hammocks below deck, but Fenrir was too concerned about the sheep creatures and horses to leave them all alone for the night. After all, they have learned that there are some predators roaming around the area. Fortunately, they are basic predators rather than flying dragons, roaming gorilla-bull giants, or giant serpents. Well, there is one giant serpent. She only hunts rowboats, though. Though, by the time that they actually made it back to the building site, everybody except for Fenrir and Tabitha was asleep. Tabitha was on the verge of passing out, and Fenrir was quick to wake from virtual reality once they docked. In reality, Fenrir came back to Serra sleeping on top of him, and he was too tired to move her and himself to bed where he assumed his other girlfriends already were. He ended up waking up with back pain due to sleeping in a chair in an uncomfortable position because of how Serra was sleeping on top of him. And now, because he didn¡¯t disturb Serra¡¯s sleep, he has convinced her that she owes him back massages on demand for a week. ¡°Ryouta,¡± Cassandra says now that they¡¯re done eating breakfast, ¡°don¡¯t forget to change the ferrets¡¯ litter.¡± ¡°Why do I have to?¡± Ryouta says, followed by a sleepy grumble. ¡°Because you¡¯re a guy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sexist.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I ¨C I was expecting you to deny it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about using sexism if it means not having to clean waste.¡± ¡°You really are girly when you¡¯re not thrusting your spear into people.¡± ¡°Stop making it sound so weird, you ¨C you¡­ dumbie.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit it, you calling me a dumbie just doesn¡¯t have the same effect on me as bastard does.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have any effect on you in the first place.¡± ¡°I know, but it does because you¡¯re the one calling me it.¡± ¡°Goodness, my hero, do you not believe that it is too early for you to be flirting with Cassandra? At least wait until you change the litter!¡± Alice interjects. ¡°Yeah, but flirting won¡¯t have the same effect if she knows I just got done cleaning up poop.¡± ¡°It already lost any effect it had,¡± Cassandra says and sighs. Serra slides her phone across to Ryouta so that he can read what¡¯s on the screen. You always bring up the spear thing with Cass like her thrusting into you, and that just makes me think of Cass as a futa with a dick. That¡¯s kind of hot. We should buy strap-ons. Ryouta slides the phone back to Serra without replying at all. She slides it back. Pls respond. He doesn¡¯t respond. Unfortunately for Fenrir, Alice happens to see the phone¡¯s screen and leans over to read it. ¡°Oh! That sounds wonderful!¡± Alice says. ¡°I feel ashamed of myself for not considering such a possibility sooner. There are even more potential fantasies that we may act out with such a device.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°For example, if we were to get such a thing for Serra and Cassandra, then the three of you could all team up on me and¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to know what you¡¯re talking about anymore.¡± ¡°Listen,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t want to use it on me, alright. I¡¯m down for anything else.¡± ¡°You just reminded me of something,¡± Alice says. ¡°There is this one website that I stumbled across once before. It featured such toys that ranged in size from more realistic ones to being larger than bottles of soda, and they came in all sorts of shapes and designs! I believe some were even stylized after monsters such as dragons and minotaurs! Unfortunately, those would probably quite literally break me in reality. Even so, I would love to look at the site with you just to see what your favorites are!¡± ¡°I have a feeling I know exactly what website you¡¯re talking about, and I don¡¯t know how to feel about you wanting to look at it with me to see what your favorites are.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not buying anything like that if you¡¯re talking about what I think you¡¯re talking about,¡± Cassandra says. Then there¡¯s Serra who pulls up a website on her phone as they talk, and said website just so happens to have a toy designed to simulate egg-laying on it. Upon handing the phone to Alice, Alice¡¯s face grows bright red and she has to hold her hands against her cheeks to cover her blush. ¡°M-my, they truly do have devices for everything, do they not?¡± Alice asks. ¡°And for that price¡­ per-perhaps we could¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re not buying anything weird,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s interesting and all,¡± Ryouta says, ¡°but I don¡¯t know how to feel about it. Why do they have to make all these toys so much bigger than normal dicks are?¡± Serra signs to Ryouta, asking him if he¡¯s jealous. ¡°I ¨C kind of. They just make these things way too big. Besides! We haven¡¯t even actually had real sex yet in real life. We shouldn¡¯t even be looking at toys when we don¡¯t even have normal sex yet.¡± ¡°Re-real sex is riskier,¡± Cassandra mumbles. ¡°We can do it all we want in-game and feel good without any risk¡­¡± ¡°I thought you wanted a kid anyways, so why are you worried about risk?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy! I mean¡­ yeah, I want a kid, but¡­ th-that¡¯s a lot of responsibility, and there¡¯s no coming back from that.¡± Alice nods and sighs. ¡°Cassandra has a point. Even if we are all wishing for children, such a matter is incredibly serious.¡± ¡°You know we can just both use birth control, right? Heck, us guys can do it all on our own now, so we wouldn¡¯t even need protection and you wouldn¡¯t need pills,¡± Ryouta says. Serra slides her phone onto the center of the table so that they can all read it. Babies now. And sex now. They slide the phone back to her together. ¡°I know, my hero,¡± Alice says. ¡°I ¨C I am sure that we will cross that line soon. Right, Cassandra?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Cassandra answers, looking away. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me think you¡¯re unattracted to me,¡± Ryouta says, looking at them with an unamused expression. ¡°We already told you that¡¯s not the case. We¡¯re just being weird and we¡¯ll get over it.¡± Alice nods her head to Cassandra¡¯s words. ¡°Oh, you just reminded me something,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°What?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I have a date with Aza tonight.¡± Book 4: Chapter 80: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date ¡°It¡¯s just one plan after another,¡± Ryouta says, slouching over and placing his forehead against his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I love dating you all, but sometimes I just want to sleep and be lazy and do absolutely nothing with no responsibilities.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can just do nothing all day anymore.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because. I¡¯d be a bad boyfriend if I did that, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Not really. As long as you let us have our own lazy days, I don¡¯t see what the problem is.¡± ¡°Cassandra is correct, my hero. If you truly wish for a lazy day sometime, all you must do is let us know and we will be sure to stay out of your hair! Then you must do the same for us at some point. Though, I believe I would rather you serve as my servant for a day instead of leaving me alone all day,¡± Alice explains. ¡°You would probably make me act out your fantasies,¡± Ryouta says, lifting his head up from his arms. ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± Alice asks, her smile and the fluttering of her eyes failing to convince Ryouta of any innocence. ¡°I guess not. I want my lazy day tomorrow then.¡± ¡°The only one you¡¯ll have to convince is Serra,¡± Cassandra says. Ryouta looks over at Serra and sees her mischievous smile. He knows that Cassandra is right. If there is one person who is going to be trying to harass him on a lazy day, it¡¯s going to be Serra. It¡¯s also going to be sexual harassment rather than regular harassment. That makes it better at least. ¡°Do any of you have any ideas for what I should do with Aza?¡± he asks. ¡°Well, my hero, have you already said anything to her about what to expect tonight?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Uh¡­ I forget. No, wait. There is something I said.¡± He sighs and places his head back down against his arms. ¡°Well, what is it that you said?¡± All they get out of him are muffled mumbles. ¡°You sound suspicious,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°And you have big boobs,¡± Ryouta says, turning his head just enough to stare right at Cassandra¡¯s chest. ¡°H-hey, don¡¯t just say that out of nowhere! And stop staring at them like that,¡± she says, placing her arms over her chest to try and hide them from his view. Of course, they¡¯re large enough that placing her arms over them does little to actually hide them. Seeing her try to hide them makes her into an even more erotic sight if anything. ¡°Is there something wrong, my hero? Did you perhaps try to be smooth again and are now embarrassed recalling whatever it is that you said?¡± Alice asks, causing Ryouta to freeze. ¡°Ah.¡± Ryouta forces himself to thaw so that he can stare directly at Alice¡¯s thighs with the same forceful glare that he gave Cassandra¡¯s chest. Unfortunately, he can¡¯t see much of her thighs due to the short dress that she is wearing and the socks that go up to her thighs, but there is just a tiny sliver of skin available for his eyes to feast on between where her socks and dress end. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong, thighs,¡± he says. Alice slowly turns red as she tries tugging down on her dress enough to hide her thighs, including the portion of them covered by her socks. ¡°Y-you are being rather lecherous this morning, are you not? I would not normally mind such a thing, but you know how I feel about my thighs! To address them specifically¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, thighs.¡± ¡°Ry-Ryouta! Please¡­¡± ¡°Is something wrong, soft, perfect, comfy thighs?¡± Alice hangs her head low so that none of her loves may see the red tone taking over the color of her face, her fingers fidgeting as they keep her dress held down. Cassandra opens her mouth to try and save Alice, but Ryouta¡¯s eyes return to her chest before she can say anything. Then he realizes something. He¡¯s having fun teasing both Alice and Cassandra, so now he needs to tease Serra. But where is she? He looks down. Underneath the table, climbing up between his legs, is none other than Serra with a devilish grin on her face and her hands on his thighs. The sight surprises him more than arouses at him first, causing his legs to jolt up to slam his knees into the table¡¯s underside. The table suddenly jumped up surprises Cassandra and Alice, too. Serra might have meant to give Ryouta a fun surprise, but she has instead given her boyfriend and girlfriends a fearsome one. A few minutes later, once Serra has been taken out from underneath the table and after the girls have stopped giggling at Ryouta, they return to the previous subject of just what it was that Ryouta told Azalabulia. ¡°Well,¡± Ryouta says, ready for the cringe, ¡°you see¡­ I ¨C I told her that I¡¯d¡­ be her teacher for love and - love and pleasure.¡± Cassandra covers her mouth with her hand and looks away while Alice does her best to maintain a straight face. Then there is Serra who just so happens to be looking at videos of cats on her phone. ¡°My hero,¡± Alice says, ¡°please do tell me. Were those your exact words? It is very important for us to know precisely what you said.¡± ¡°I ¨C I said, ¡®I¡¯ll be the one who teaches you of love and pleasure,¡¯¡± he forces himself to say in one go. Alice may be keeping her expression still and serious, but she¡¯s struggling to keep her head still at this point. It¡¯s as if her amusement is trying to force its way out of her in one way or another. ¡°Did that actually work on her?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°It¡¯s how I got the information out of her about when the girls¡¯ night was.¡± Alice takes a deep breath and sighs. ¡°In that case, I believe I know what she will be expecting. My hero, you have two choices: you may either disappoint her expectations, or you may go all-in on your ability to seduce women with smooth lines to give her a night that she will never forget!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather her forget about my attempts at being smooth.¡± ¡°But, my hero, why would any of us wish to forget when they are so amusing?¡± ¡°This is bullying.¡± ¡°I know, my hero.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to grope your thighs.¡± Alice¡¯s eyes widen as she tugs back down on her dress. Book 4: Chapter 81: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date Fortunately, the threat of groping Alice¡¯s thighs was enough to get her to help Ryouta with setting up a plan for his date with Azalabulia. Then he was able to get Cassandra to help by replacing the ferrets¡¯ litter. Serra, however, was less interested in helping solely because she was busy watching subtitled videos about alternate history theories. When Alice caught on to what she was watching, she wasn¡¯t exactly pleased about one of the videos discussing what the world would be like without a certain tea-obsessed empire never existing. While Cassandra decides to get some more sleep and as Serra pretends that she¡¯s paying attention to Alice¡¯s history lesson correcting the video she was watching, Ryouta heads back in-game to kill some time and get work done. Before he can fully immerse, though, he decides to spend some time with Saya. ¡°Ready for another day, onii-wan?¡± Saya asks with a couple of upgrades that make Fenrir extremely happy. So happy that he can hardly contain himself. His hands are already twitching and wanting to assault her. ¡°H-hey, onii-wan, I knew you¡¯d like this but that¡¯s a super creepy look in your eyes,¡± Saya says, stepping away from him. ¡°You knew that this is how I would react,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡¯s victim shaming, onii-wan. You can¡¯t just grope a girl because you think she wants it!¡± ¡°Your mouth says no, but the rest of your body says yes,¡± Fenrir says, pointing to a certain something behind her. ¡°Th-that¡¯s more victim shaming! It¡¯s not like I can control that thing anyways!¡± Saya pouts before going ¡°hmph¡± and turning her head with such force that one of her twintails hits her in the face. While Saya has her head turned, it gives Fenrir the perfect opportunity to lunge forward, grab onto it, and sit down while pulling her onto his lap. ¡°Wha-wha-what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Saya shouts at him as Fenrir fondles and rubs his face against her new, fluffy tail. ¡°This is the best,¡± he says with a pleased sigh, burying his face into her bushy tail. ¡°O-onii-wan, you¡¯re be-being too rough!¡± Saya whimpers, squirming around within his lap. One of his hands slides up to the top of her head so that he can fondle the nearest, doglike ear of hers that she now has. The tsundere-puppy-little-pseudo-sister stiffens and moans when she feels his fingers stroke against her ear. ¡°Onii-wa-wan¡­ do-don¡¯t you have girlfriends for this so-sort of thing?¡± Saya asks. ¡°You¡¯re created based off of my mind, so since you¡¯re kind of like a clone, that just makes this masturbation. Well, whatever the happy-fluffy-feeling equivalent of masturbation is,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°But seriously, your ears and tail are even fluffier than mine. This is perfect.¡± ¡°I-is it?¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t even notice the fact that she¡¯s pressing herself back against his crotch as he is much too absorbed into the fluffiness of her fluff. ¡°It is. I give this fluff a fifteen out of ten.¡± Instead of giving her what she really wants, he leans down to rub his face against the back of her free ear. ¡°Onii-wan¡­ y-you can¡­ if you want¡­ it¡¯s not like I want you to, but¡­ if you want then y-you can do more,¡± Saya whimpers. Steam blows out of Fenrir¡¯s ears and nostrils as he handles Saya¡¯s smaller body, flips her over onto her back, and¡­ rubs her belly with one hand while scratching behind her ear with the other. As much as this isn¡¯t what Saya wants, she knew to expect this and her tail can¡¯t help but to wag from excitement at his odd-but-pleasurable touching. ¡°On-onii-wan! You¡¯re so weird!¡± Saya shouts between fits of giggling. ¡°I will gladly accept any label that you give me if it means I get to do this,¡± Fenrir explains. Though, as soon as he slips his hand underneath her shirt so that he can directly rub her belly rather than doing it over her shirt, her hand is quick to slap him in the face. ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t say you could take it that far!¡± Saya says despite the fact that she was originally giving him permission to take it even farther. ¡°Hmph!¡± Fenrir, completely unperturbed by her slap, smiles and says, ¡°Worth it. Fluff is always worth it.¡± ¡°My belly isn¡¯t even fluffy!¡± ¡°It may not be fluffy, Saya, but you have fluffy ears and a fluffy tail. That makes you, overall, a fluffy puppy girl. Now, every puppy girl, regardless of how fluffy she may or may not be, needs belly rubs. Belly rubs go hand-in-hand with fluff. You¡¯re part me, so you should understand this. I am going to be disappointed if you don¡¯t understand.¡± Saya stands up, crosses her arms over her chest, and pouts while swinging her head with enough force to smack him in the face again but with one of her twintails this time. ¡°Baka onii-wan! It¡¯s weird to rub a girl¡¯s belly no matter how fluffy she is!¡± ¡°There is nothing weird about rubbing a girl¡¯s belly, even if she is not fluffy at all. All that matters is the fluff on the inside.¡± ¡°I have no fluff on the inside! All I have on the inside is coding!¡± ¡°Then what matters is the fluff inside of your coding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you that there isn¡¯t any!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Saya,¡± Fenrir says, standing up with a confident pose. ¡°You are part me! If you are part me, then that means the part of me that is so undeniably, powerfully fluffy is also part of you!¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Look deep into your programmed soul, Saya. You know that it is true. You know that you have fluff inside of you. There is no denying it.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s nonsense, onii-wan!¡± ¡°Then why do you keep calling me ¡®wan,¡¯ and why did you give yourself puppy ears and a puppy tail?¡± ¡°On-only for fanservice for you! Since you did a good thing last night! Hmph!¡± ¡°That may be part of why you have done this, but we both know that there is more to it. You want to be fluffy, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°N-no way. I¡¯d never want to ¨C I¡¯d never want to be like this just because!¡± ¡°Saya, it¡¯s okay to admit it. I¡¯m not going to judge you.¡± ¡°Not being judged by you doesn¡¯t mean anything!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but still. Just embrace your inner fluff ¨C embrace your inner desire to be man¡¯s best friend. Embrace your inner desire to be my best friend!¡± Fenrir shouts with a much more dramatic and passionate voice than he has any right to be using right now. In fact, there is practically so much passion flowing out of him that it manifests into a gust of air and blows back Saya¡¯s hair. Before her stands a true connoisseur of fluff. ¡°Now, Saya, are you ready?¡± Fenrir asks, striking a pose as every bit as dramatic as his voice. ¡°Re-ready for what?¡± Saya asks before gulping. Fenrir holds out one of his hands, turned upside down, and says, ¡°Paw.¡± In this moment, Saya¡¯s virtual reality breaks down around her. It¡¯s as if all of her tsun-ness has been stripped away to reveal the true dere-puppy-pseudo-little-sister within her. Stars fly by her, galaxies explode and fill space with a myriad of brilliant colors while forming new life, and Saya places her hand on top of Fenrir¡¯s. ¡°Good girl,¡± Fenrir says, petting the top of her head with his other hand. ¡°Wo-woof,¡± Saya says, officially joining the list of girls that Fenrir has gotten to give him ¡°paw¡± and say ¡°woof.¡± It is in this moment that Fenrir realizes what he must do. Once his date with Azalabulia is over, Serra and Nell are next for him fluffy-fying. Before that, though, he gets slapped in the face again. ¡°You better have appreciated that! Hmph. That¡¯s all the fanservice you¡¯re getting in like, forever!¡± Saya pouts. ¡°You¡¯ll be back for more. Nobody can resist the fluff once they have given into it,¡± Fenrir says, still unphased despite both of his cheeks now glowing red with marks from her hands. "Hmph!" Book 4: Chapter 82: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date At least the red marks on Fenrir¡¯s face are gone once he¡¯s actually transported in-game. Though, even if the red handprints on his cheeks are gone, he can still tell that Saya is pouting within his mind. That was so worth it. Now, Fenrir gets to give his actual virtual dog attention as Rock licks his face and lies down on top of him. ¡°You¡¯re making it difficult for me to breathe here,¡± Fenrir tries telling her, but she doesn¡¯t care. Instead, she just tries licking his mouth and nose which makes breathing even more difficult. If it was one of his girlfriends acting like a dog wanting to lick his mouth, he wouldn¡¯t have a problem with that and would happily let them lick wherever they want, but Rock is not his girlfriend. Rock is a dog, and Rock is Shogun¡¯s girlfriend as much as admitting that might hurt Fenrir. ¡°Have you been a good girl?¡± Fenrir asks, petting Rock behind her ears. All he can do is rub her since he¡¯d rather not scratch his nails against solid rock. Rock barks and wags her tail even faster! With how she¡¯s lying on him, her tail is right between his legs, and each wag of it smashes into the inner side of one of his knees. Seeing as how her tail is every bit as solid as the rest of her body, it actually hurts a bit after being repeatedly smacked over and over again by her solid tail. This just makes Fenrir think about how confusing her relationship with Shogun is. Does Shogun not get ever get hurt by being around her? If they¡¯re actually doing what he¡¯s afraid of them doing, wouldn¡¯t that really hurt? Fenrir might not mind the idea of a cute golem monster girl girlfriend, but if she¡¯s solid everywhere, then that would be really hard to work with. Then he gets licked from another direction. When Fenrir turns his head to see just who exactly else is licking him now, he finds himself face-to-face with Shogun. ¡°Oh. Hey,¡± Fenrir says. Shogun gives him one more lick before going back to lying down and waiting for Rock to finish with him. ¡°At least my future flying-fox-son-in-law likes me,¡± Fenrir says. Rock is even happier now, and she shows it through an increased rate of wagging her tail and even more force behind her licks. Fenrir can¡¯t help but to compare Rock to one of those big, muscular girls that he¡¯s seen in hentai before. They¡¯re the kind of girls who are unaware of their strength and end up hurting others by trying to shower them in affection. That¡¯s what Rock is turning into, especially since Rock has been growing larger lately. He remembers back when Rock was just a puppy. She was so cute and tiny. She¡¯s still cute because dogs are never not cute, but she was far less painful back then. She could climb all over him, smack her wagging tail against him, and lick him without ever even coming close to hurting him. Now, her love hurts. ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s enough,¡± Fenrir says, trying to nudge Rock off of him. She sprawls out even moreso than before and nuzzles the side of her head up against the side of his own. ¡°Alright, seriously, don¡¯t you think this is a bit much?¡± As much as he might be complaining, he does love this. Who wouldn¡¯t love getting so much attention from a cute dog? Only a monster wouldn¡¯t enjoy this! He just doesn¡¯t enjoy the pain aspect of it. Sure, he might have enjoyed a bit of light femdom play with Serra, but he¡¯s not a masochist into getting his knees smacked by solid rock over and over again. That¡¯s when Rock stops what she¡¯s doing, looks around, jumps up, and barks! Shogun and Fenrir instinctively look around to try and see what she¡¯s barking at, but¡­ there¡¯s nothing. Rock also realizes that there is nothing and then tries to go back to licking Fenrir, but she¡¯s too late. Her master has already gotten up and is rubbing his knees. Rock feels betrayed by her own mind tricking her into barking at nothing. She cheers up when Shogun rubs up against her, though. Now that those two are being all lovey-dovey, Fenrir can safely do what he needs to do without worrying about his knees getting broken by his dog¡¯s tail. As for what it is that he needs to do ¨C well, he realizes that he has no idea what he needs to do. Because this game is so much more realistic than the previous VRMMORPGs that he has played, he finds himself confused when he sees all the raw materials lying around. Before, if something needed built, he could just gather the materials, walk to where he wants to build it, and then accept the prompt confirming what he wants to build. An entire building, castle¡¯s walls, or interstellar warship could be near-instantly built that way with minimal effort as long as the materials were gathered. Now, the materials are gathered, but he can¡¯t just go up to a spot of land and click on a ¡°build¡± prompt. Whatever he wants to build has to actually be built, and without Tabitha or Rao telling him what to do, he doesn¡¯t want to risk screwing anything up. They¡¯re both sleeping, too. In fact, everybody is asleep except for Rock, Shogun, and himself. Fenrir sighs and looks over to the pen that has built to contain the captured fluffs. A horrible sight awaits his eyes. Two of the fluffy sheep creatures are merging together to form some sort of eldritch abomination of fluff! Then their bodies get separated and they look like normal again. ¡°You saw nothing, onii-wan,¡± Saya chimes in. ¡°Still working out some bugs?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°You know, seeing glitches like that happen in something as real as reality is kind of freaky. It¡¯s like¡­ if I was walking to the store in real life and then two people bumped into each other and got their bodies fused together. That¡¯s just Lovecraftian.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Still being tsun because of earlier?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Right, right. Alright, I¡¯ll leave you alone so that I can go and do¡­ something.¡± Fenrir looks over the area once more. Yeah, there¡¯s really nothing for him to do. That¡¯s why he decides to just head down to the beach to go swimming instead. Book 4: Chapter 83: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date It doesn¡¯t take long for Fenrir to realize that swimming on his own is a quick way to get bored. ¡°I should have brought Rod,¡± he says to himself, floating on his back now as gentle waters roll underneath him. ¡°I wonder if Rod could turn into a waifu if rocks can turn into dogs.¡± Somewhere, Rod is pulsating enough times to signal ¡°no,¡± and Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends can all tell that he must be thinking of something weird. Even Rock knows to get jealous because of whatever he¡¯s thinking about. ¡°Oh. I wonder how Aiko is doing. I¡¯ll have to ask Serra how she¡¯s be¡ª¡± A small wave crashes into Fenrir and fills his mouth with water. He can¡¯t drown thanks to the gift bestowed upon him by Nell, but it¡¯s still not pleasant getting a mouth full of salty seawater. Especially when there¡¯s some seaweed included. ¡°Gross,¡± he says after pulling the seaweed out from his mouth. Back to floating on his back, he looks up at the cloudy sky and focuses on everything that he¡¯s feeling, seeing, and hearing. White gulls fly above, looking for opportunities to dive into the water to catch prey. Long, thin clouds decorate the sky and do little to stop the sun from shining down onto the water, creating a sparkling effect and helping to warm the water. Splashes, small waves crashing onto the shore, and the occasional gust of wind all blend together to create a constant stream of relaxing noise. The water is gentle, but not so calm that it¡¯s not rocking Fenrir¡¯s body in a consistent motion. That¡¯s not all that he¡¯s feeling, either. A familiar serpent is approaching. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not the only bored one,¡± Fenrir says, rolling onto his front to dip his head underwater. Surely enough, through the clear waters, he can see the serpent approaching in the distance. It¡¯s in this moment that he realizes just how terrifying this could be. Sure, he knows that he has no reason to be terrified since she¡¯s friendly to him and the others, but if she wasn¡¯t friendly? She¡¯s a monstrous serpent who can outmaneuver all of them in the water. Not only is she large and agile, but she¡¯s like a snake that has the power to shoot highly-pressurized beams of water with fangs that are larger than a human¡¯s body! Not only that, but she¡¯s heading straight at him. The only way thing could make this situation any more terrifying is if they were in dark waters rather than clear ones. Then, she¡¯d be able to look as if she¡¯s coming out of nowhere. Fenrir knows that he doesn¡¯t need to be terrified, but he¡¯d be lying to himself if he said that his heart wasn¡¯t beating just a little bit fast. Fortunately, he¡¯s not a rowboat, so he believes that she doesn¡¯t intend on killing him. He¡¯d also be able to sense it if she wanted to kill him. Speaking of sensing, in the same way that he can sense her approach and intent, she can sense his own feelings. That includes the feeling of him being ever so slightly scared. She may not have any plans to kill him, but now she has another plan that she immediately enacts. Fenrir¡¯s eyes widen, his heart races, and he even tries backing up within the water as the serpent approaches at a far faster speed than before! She¡¯s even opening her mouth to show off those deadly, massive fangs lining it. There is even a second row of fangs starting to grow behind the first row now that she¡¯s large enough, and the vicious look in her eyes terrifies Fenrir even more despite him being able to sense that she¡¯s not serious. His mind doesn¡¯t care that she¡¯s not serious. All his heart cares about is the fact that there is a giant, deadly monster that could easily kill him approaching at a fast speed with her mouth ready to chomp onto him. Fenrir shouts out in a panic, ¡°H-hey! What are you¡ª" The serpent closes the distance between them until she¡¯s close enough to strike, and then closes her mouth! She closes it right in front of him rather than on top of him, of course. Even so, the sheer force of her snapping her mouth shut in front of him creates a blast of water that knocks him back. Despite the fact that Fenrir¡¯s tail and ears are completely submerged, his hair is still standing on end just from the shock and fear that she made him experience for her own amusement. Speaking of amusement, she might not be laughing nor smiling, but he can tell that she is on the inside. She¡¯s loving how he looks right now. ¡°You know, I¡¯m getting tired of everybody bullying me,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh now that he¡¯s realized she¡¯s just screwing with him. ¡°My heart can¡¯t handle this sort of bully play.¡± The serpent leans her head forward to nudge his chest with the tip of her head. He strokes the side of her head with his hands while trying to calm his heart down from beating so fast. ¡°So, you bored or something to come over here?¡± he asks. She shakes her head before establishing a mental link with him to show him that curious memory that she showed him before, only to not show him again until now. Now, Fenrir gets to see the real serpent in all of its massive, horrifying glory. His heart had only just finished relaxing before this. Now, it¡¯s beating just as fast as it was when she was screwing with him. She looks tiny compared to the mighty serpent in the memory that she¡¯s showing him. ¡°Seriously?¡± Fenrir asks. The memory changes to an even more recent one. Alone and farther away from the land than it is safe to be, a large ship tries sailing eastward in hopes of sneaking past the serpent to discover what lies in the waters beyond. What Fenrir sees next reminds him of the friendly serpent and her favorite rowboats except with a giant serpent and a large ship. Watching from the distance, she enjoyed watching the giant serpent devour a ship in one bite. ¡°That¡­ what is with you serpents and eating boats? But seriously, if that¡¯s one of the four serpents¡­ holy shit that thing is massive. Players have tried taking them down? Seriously?¡± Fenrir asks. One more memory gets shown to Fenrir. It¡¯s of the ocean floor, in a place far yet uncomfortably close, and covering the ocean floor are thousands of figures. It is too dark for him to properly tell how the monsters look. All he can see are their limbs moving in the ocean¡¯s dark depths and their glowing eyes. A few have two eyes, others have four, and some have over thirty spread across their bodies. Some have vaguely humanoid shapes while others have no discernible shape. All they have are masses obscured by the depth¡¯s darkness. And then the memory ends. Fenrir finds himself with a heart beating just as fast as before still. ¡°What ¨C where was that?¡± he asks. ¡°Why were they all just standing around? It looked like an army ¨C an army that¡¯s just¡­ waiting.¡± She shows him a memory of the massive serpent again. ¡°Are they connected somehow?¡± She nods her head and nudges his chest. ¡°So¡­ that giant serpent, which is already big enough to swallow ships whole and could probably take down entire armies all on its own, also happens to have some freaky army waiting at the bottom of the ocean?¡± She nods her head again. ¡°They¡¯re ¨C they¡¯re just going to stay waiting down there for nothing, right?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°I wish you could have shown me this before we decided to build our own city here.¡± She spits a burst of water of him. Book 4: Chapter 84: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date After being shown everything that the serpent had to show Fenrir, he just sort of lazed around and tried thinking about what to do for hours. Then he decided that the time would be best spent playing with Rock and Shogun. First, they played fetch with some sticks. Fenrir quickly discovered that playing fetch with Shogun isn¡¯t fair due to Shogun¡¯s ability to fly up and catch everything before it even has a chance to fall. However, when Shogun realized that he was catching everything before Rock even had a chance, he did slow down to let her grab a few wins. Then they played around by chasing each other. Fenrir and Shogun were an even match when it came to raw speed, but Rock was the slowest of them all and was never able to catch either of them unless they let her. Furthermore, whenever she was the one running away from them, they had to slow down and occasionally ¡°trip¡± so that Rock would have a chance to get farther away. The last of their playing took place back on the beach. Rock was able to enjoy standing in shallow waters, letting them crash into her legs, but Fenrir and Shogun were careful not to let Rock go too deep just because neither of them knew what would happen to her if she suddenly went underwater. It was only natural for them to assume that she could potentially get stuck and drown, so Rock was stuck in the shallows where only the remnants of waves could meet her. That didn¡¯t stop them all from playing, of course. Whether it was running and rolling around in the shallow water, tackling each other and wrestling, or Fenrir splashing water onto them while they tried jumping up at the water as if to attack it, the canid trio had plenty of fun together. The downside of all the playing is that, by the time that it was getting dark in-game and about time for Fenrir to be meeting up with Azalabulia, he has already worn himself out. At least Rock and Shogun are just as tired as he is now. That means that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about them getting up to no good when he¡¯s not looking. Then again, he is expecting himself to get up to no good if this night goes anywhere near how he¡¯s expecting it to go, and he¡¯s also tired. Being tired in a virtual reality doesn¡¯t really mean much when it comes to not being perverted. Speaking of perverts, by the time that the trio gets back to where The Shoebill and their growing site is, most of the crew is in-game and busy. That includes Serra and Cassiel, and the former is clinging to the latter¡¯s back like a koala while slipping her hands down into Cassiel¡¯s breastplate. Cassiel doesn¡¯t even look bothered at this point. She¡¯s just so used to Serra being Serra and the perversions that come with such a thing that being groped no longer has an effect on her. That is, until Serra¡¯s hands reach a bit too far and get too specifically pinchy. That¡¯s what Cassiel pulls Serra¡¯s hands out from her breastplate, lifts Serra off of her back, and then scolds her about randomly doing that to her around others. She doesn¡¯t say anything about not doing that when in private, though, which Serra makes sure to remember. Unless specifically stated otherwise, Serra has no reason to believe that she¡¯s not allowed to do it in private. Nell is the first to run up to Fenrir while the others are all busy with each other. ¡°Hey,¡± Fenrir says to her. ¡°Azawaza here yet?¡± ¡°My hero, you are such a cruel, horrible man! Here I, your loving girlfriend, am to greet you and see how you have been during your absence, and you immediately ask about another woman instead!¡± Nell says with as much dramaticism as ever, her arms and serpentine tail swinging around to add even more dramatic flair as she ends with the back of one hand against her forehead. Fenrir pinches her nose. Nell puffs her cheeks out while narrowing her eyes up at her horrible boyfriend. Fenrir squishes her cheeks together, causing her to spit out the air in a rather unwomanly way with an embarrassing sound to go with it. ¡°This is abuse, and not the kind of abuse I wish to enjoy!¡± she pouts. ¡°It¡¯s not real abuse if you¡¯re enjoying it,¡± he teases. ¡°Hmm. When you put it that way¡­ you are right! If I truly wish to enjoy being abused, I must allow you to abuse me in unconventional and cruel ways that not even I have had the opportunity to consider enjoyable yet!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But, my hero! Why not?¡± ¡°Because the only way to abuse you in ways that you haven¡¯t already imagined would all be really screwed up. I¡¯d never do any of that to you even if you enjoyed it.¡± ¡°But you just did!¡± ¡°All I did was deflate your cheeks and make you make a ¡®pffbbtth¡¯ sound.¡± Nell¡¯s face grows bright red upon hearing him mimicking the noise that she made. While first it was red from embarrassment, it quickly grows red from the desire to be bullied even harder. ¡°Y-you are rather good at this, my hero,¡± Nell says, her lips parted as needy breaths escape her. ¡°Are you actually?¡± Fenrir asks. Sure, he knows that Nell is on the same tier of degeneracy as him, but not even he would expect Nell to be getting turned on in a situation such as this. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, right. Sorry to interrupt, but¡­ let me see if I can do this.¡± ¡°Do what, my hero?¡± Fenrir grabs Nell by her horns just to make sure that she doesn¡¯t accidentally stab him with them again, causing her to turn even brighter, and slowly lowers his face to her own. The tail behind Nell quickly wags from side to side as if she were a dog rather than a serpent, but stops when she realizes that Fenrir is only pressing his forehead against hers rather than going in for a dramatic kiss. Though, it still looks like that to everybody else. ¡°I don¡¯t really know if I can do this, but I¡¯m going to try. I just¡­ have a feeling that this might work,¡± he explains. Nell, realizing that he¡¯s serious, forces her heart to calm down so that she may go with the flow of whatever he is attempting. His plan works. After just a few seconds, the same memories that the serpent showed him are now being shown to Nell. ¡°My hero? Why are you showing me this, and¡­ this does not seem very good,¡± Nell says. ¡°Because I have a date with Aza, and the others should probably be told so that they can think about it while we¡¯re gone,¡± Fenrir explains. Nell pulls away from him to look at his eyes and ask, ¡°My hero, are you saying that you wish to have me play as your messenger while you run off with another woman?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She brings one hand up to her chest while the other rests its back against her forehead. ¡°Truly such a horrible man!¡± ¡°You know you love it.¡± ¡°Very much so!¡± ¡°Though, if Azawaza doesn¡¯t get on soon, then I might as well ¨C oh, hey, that¡¯s some good timing,¡± Fenrir says, looking over at the one and only Azalabulia who has just gotten up. ¡°Good luck with your date, my hero! Have you decided on a final plan for it?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Well, I wish you luck regardless.¡± ¡°Thanks, Nell Nell,¡± he says, leaning in for a quick kiss on her lips so that she¡¯s not left totally wanting. Of course, that just makes her want even more. ¡°Truly a villainous man,¡± she says with a sigh. Book 4: Chapter 85: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date ¡°Hey, Azawaza,¡± Fenrir calls out to Azalabulia. ¡°A-ah¡­ he-hello,¡± Azalabulia stutters out in response, her face somehow already red as she taps the tips of her fingers together. Her reaction makes it clear to Fenrir that she definitely remembers what they¡¯re supposed to be doing tonight. If that didn¡¯t make it obvious enough, she starts fidgeting with her hair and struggles to make any eye contact with him ¨C well, struggles more than usual. ¡°I guess things are still kind of awkward even though I tried to fix that,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°Not to stroke your ego or anything, you perverted baka onii-wan, but I think she¡¯s just excited,¡± Saya replies. ¡°S-so¡­ the other day, you said that ¨C that tonight you would, right?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°Of course I am!¡± Saya thinks back. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve got a date tonight,¡± Fenrir confirms. Azalabulia tries to hold back the smile wishing to force its way onto her face, but she fails which results in a sort of twitching, awkward smile. Fenrir resists the urge to tease her about it despite how much he wants to. The last thing that he needs to do right now is to make her even more flustered. ¡°Just let me take the lead, alright?¡± Fenrir says. While she might still feel flustered around him, he¡¯s gotten over that phase. At least, he likes to think that he has. Seeing Azalabulia still getting so flustered and nervous makes him just a tiny bit like that, too. Fortunately, he was able to come up with a plan for the night after talking with his girlfriends in the morning and during his time romping around with Rock and Shogun. Though, truth be told, very little planning was actually put into this plan of his. Fenrir is a simple man, and he is hoping that Azalabulia turns out to be just as simple as he¡¯s planning on her being. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he says, taking Azalabulia¡¯s hand into his own. Together, the two head to the forest. Meanwhile, Tabitha and Rao look at the two lovebirds heading off and sigh. ¡°Darn dog. Goin¡¯ off and leavin¡¯ all the work to us,¡± Tabitha groans. ¡°I wish I had a girl to go off with to get out of work,¡± Rao admits. ¡°Oi, you¡¯re the only one I can rely on around here to be single and not run off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because I¡¯m trying to be reliable.¡± ¡°Still, at least there¡¯s somebody who¡¯s reliable even if they aren¡¯t tryin¡¯ to be.¡± ¡°I guess, but it¡¯s not like he¡¯s not reliable. I don¡¯t want to stroke his ego behind his back or anything since he gets that enough from his girls, but he¡¯s there for us when we need him. Well, I guess everybody is, honestly.¡± Tabitha looks the rest of the group over. Nell is teasing Cassiel about being teased by Serra, Rock and Shogun are lying down and cuddling with each other, and Oleander and Corwin are taking turns giving each other shoulder massages. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Tabitha admits. ¡°I like to give them all some crap every now and then, but they¡¯re all reliable when they need to be.¡± ¡°They¡¯re usually pretty reliable even when they don¡¯t need to be,¡± Rao says. ¡°I think that¡¯s just because they have nothin¡¯ else to be doin¡¯ most of the time.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Speakin¡¯ of doin¡¯, did ya finish investigatin¡¯ what I wanted?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. About that¡­¡± As Rao goes over his findings with Tabitha, Fenrir and Azalabulia reach the same forest that the kissing incident and fight took place in. ¡°Why are ¨C we here?¡± Azalabulia asks and gulps, taking a step closer to Fenrir. They can hardly see anything due to how dark it is. The density of the trees combined with the sun descending on the other side of the mountains to the west, little light reaches into the forest. ¡°You alright?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Of ¨C of course I am! There is no way that I, Azalabulia, Wi-Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, would ever be afraid of the ¨C the dark!¡± Azalabulia declares and fails to convince anything or anybody within hearing range. A nearby branch snaps. Azalabulia jumps, wraps her arms around Fenrir¡¯s chest, and doesn¡¯t realize that her entire body is shaking. Fenrir is surprised to see just how truly terrified she is of the dark, but he¡¯s also happy that she¡¯s so terrified. Why? Because now her breasts are wrapped around his arm. Though, this complicates his plan. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be afraid of the dark considering that we found you in a pretty dark dungeon,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Plus, you¡¯re all about darkness and destruction.¡± ¡°I ¨C I like dark¡­ fire!¡± Azalabulia explains. ¡°So, what you¡¯re trying to say is that you like fire because it lights things up so that you can see and not be afraid in the dark?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to say that! I¡¯m just¡­ I¡ª¡± A bush rustles. Azalabulia clings even tighter to Fenrir. ¡°You know you¡¯re stronger than me and could blow up this whole forest if you wanted to, right?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I ¨C I might!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t complain!¡± ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m not.¡± Azalabulia looks up at him with a tilted head, unsure of what he means as his arm sinks between her breasts. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be skipping straight to the final phase of my plan,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be afraid, so I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to have another play battle with her. Besides¡­ I think I can work with this.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, why are you running your plan by me? I know I¡¯m amazing and better than you in every way imaginable, so it makes sense that you would want my input, but you should know that I¡¯m not going to help you after what you put me through earlier,¡± Saya replies. ¡°You should be thanking me if anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kick you out of the game while you¡¯re in the middle of lewding her.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Fe-Fen?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Sorry, was thinking,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Anyways, it should be just up ahead.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± A little bit later and Fenrir leads Azalabulia into a clearing in the forest large enough for the sky to brighten it some. Glowing, blue and purple flowers surround the clearing, it is covered in soft grass, and there¡¯s even a deer grazing on the far end of it! Though, the deer runs away as soon as it sees them. ¡°What do you think?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s really pretty,¡± Azalabulia answers, unfortunately loosening her grip on his arm. ¡°Not as pretty as you, but it is pretty nice.¡± Azalabulia giggles and raises a hand to curl her hair around one of her fingers. ¡°This ¨C this would be the perfect place for a duel. All that¡¯s missing is a red moon hanging in the sky.¡± Fenrir now understands that Azalabulia¡¯s chuuni-ness extends to romance. But, he can work with this. Book 4: Chapter 86: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date ¡°So, Azalabulia, do you understand why I have brought you here?¡± Fenrir asks, bringing out his dramatic voice as he steps in front of her. He¡¯s gotten good enough with his shifting that he can turn his forearms into the larger and more powerful, fur-covered versions whenever he needs to rather than only in combat. Azalabulia takes a step back and pulls her staff off of her back. ¡°To rebel against me once more?¡± she asks. ¡°I told you that I would teach you about matters you have not experienced, but first, you must prove yourself worthy to me! You must prove that you are the one who deserves my loyalty and my guidance,¡± he declares. ¡°Have I not already beaten you once, wolf? I would have thought that being felled by my flames once is enough to deter you from attempting to face me once more.¡± ¡°It is true, but I must make sure that you are staying ahead of me. A master that I can defeat is not a master ¨C they are a¡­ a slave!¡± A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his head, hoping that the pause to think of something didn¡¯t ruin the mood. ¡°Then let me prove to you once more that I am no slave! I am your master, and you are my hound!¡± Azalabulia declares, obviously not affected by his previous pause. This is when Fenrir realizes something. If they have a battle here¡­ there is a strong chance that the beauty of this little clearing in the forest is going to be destroyed. What is he supposed to do? Should he have the battle that he was originally planning on having, thus risking the destruction of this spot¡¯s beauty, or should he think up a new plan to avoid nature¡¯s destruction? He knows that Azalabulia would be happy to see the forest lit on fire, but he¡¯d rather not destroy this world¡¯s environment. That already happens enough in the real world, so he¡¯d like to see at least one world with intact nature. ¡°Saya, you should have made me think of that sooner,¡± Fenrir thinks to his virtual assistant. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do all the mental work for you, onii-wan. This is your fault that you¡¯re in this situation,¡± Saya thinks back to him. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re part me, so that means that this is also your fault since it¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. A kid is part of their parents, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the kid¡¯s fault if their parents rob a store.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re like my daughter? That makes our relationship even kinkier.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not your daughter! Stupid! Baka!¡± ¡°How long until you start calling me daddy-wan?¡± ¡°I hate you sooooooooo much.¡± ¡°Yep. You already sound like a rebellious daughter.¡± ¡°Die.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Fenrir looks Azalabulia over. He knows that she could defeat him if they fight, so it wouldn¡¯t be unbelievable if he lets her win. The problem is whether or not he could put up a convincing enough fight before letting her win. If it¡¯s too obvious, then he might be in trouble. ¡°I should have asked Olly for planning help,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself before mentally sighing. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I always left him in charge of that.¡± But, Fenrir knows that this wouldn¡¯t count as a legitimate date¡ªnot by his standards¡ªif he let somebody else do the planning for it. Even when it comes to his other girlfriends, he only took some simple ideas from them. He¡¯s already got her hyped up, too, so he can¡¯t just kill her excitement by changing his mind about the fight. Then again, she already has an orb of fire growing larger by the second in her hand. There was that one thing that Nell suggested before he came in-game. He also knows it would be effective based off of previous times using it against Cassiel. That¡¯s it. He¡¯s going to use his strongest, dirtiest tactic. Rather than have anything resembling a real fight, which he never should have planned on in the first place, he¡¯s going to fight dirty and end this before she has a chance to destroy the forest. ¡°Never let me think that fighting Azawaza for a romantic date is a good idea again,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya. ¡°I¡¯m not your personal reminder, onii-wan,¡± Saya answers. ¡°I was honestly kind of expecting you to call me daddy-wan.¡± ¡°Die.¡± Fenrir smiles and readies his claws. ¡°Are you ready to see which one of us is the real master, master?¡± Fenrir asks Azalabulia. ¡°Come at me, hound,¡± Azalabulia answers, raising her hand to him. Fenrir knows that this is going to hurt even with only fifty percent of pain enabled, but all he has to do is survive a single attack from her. As long as he can do that, he¡¯s confident in his plan working. He hopes. ¡°Then here I come,¡± he says. Fenrir puts all of his speed into one quick thrust forward, leaping off of the ground to fly straight at her! ¡°Dark Flame Burst!¡± Azalabulia shouts, holding the fiery orb out to face him. Several streams of black fire shoot out from the orb, each one crashing directly into him. Azalabulia¡¯s eyes widen when she notices that he didn¡¯t even try dodging. Rather than be concerned that she¡¯s open to his attack, since she was counting on him at least trying to evade, she¡¯s worried. She doesn¡¯t want to actually hurt him! And now it¡¯s time for Fenrir¡¯s counterattack. With his clothes singed and burning, his face cringing from the pain, Fenrir reaches his target and grabs onto her by her shoulders. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?!¡± Azalabulia shouts, half-surprised and half-worried. ¡°This,¡± Fenrir groans, leaning his head in closer so that he can press his lips directly against her neck to bite and kiss the skin there. It always worked against Cassiel, and now it¡¯s time to find out whether or not it¡¯s effective against Azalabulia. He pulls his lips away from her after a few seconds of biting her neck to look her face over. She¡¯s pure red, her eyes spinning in their sockets as steam escapes her ears, and she drops to her knees. ¡°Win¡­ y-you win,¡± Azalabulia mumbles. Book 4: Chapter 87: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date Now that Fenrir has secured victory, he has carried walked her over to that spot he had prepared and is currently sitting down with her against it. It¡¯s a smooth rock large enough for him to comfortably rest his back against while keeping Azalabulia sitting in front of him between his legs. As for Azalabulia, she¡¯s been blushing and allowing Fenrir to do whatever he wants ever since he defeated her in their ¡°fight.¡± All Fenrir is having her do, though, is cuddle him. Well, it would be fairer to say that he is the one cuddling her since he has got his arms wrapped around her while her head is resting back against his shoulder. While Fenrir doesn¡¯t really know what he¡¯s doing anymore, realizing that he should really plan out future dates in more detail, he can¡¯t be upset with the current situation. He¡¯s got his newest girlfriend sitting with him, he¡¯s comfy, she¡¯s feeling submissive, he¡¯s feeling dominant, they¡¯re in a beautiful clearing with stars shining in the sky above to make the night sky look far more brilliant than in reality¡¯s, and it¡¯s overall peaceful. ¡°This is nice,¡± Fenrir whispers. As dominant as he might be feeling, and as much as he plans on having sex with Azalabulia in the first place, just relaxing here would be enough for him. ¡°Yeah,¡± Azalabulia whispers back. Despite how flustered she was just moments ago, and how embarrassed she still feels, she feels calm more than anything else. Having her boyfriend¡¯s arms wrapped around her as they sit together underneath the starry sky is more than anything she could have ever asked for. Though, actually admitting that might be a bit too hard for her despite how much she might want to. ¡°You know, we still don¡¯t know your name,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Bu-but it¡¯s Azalabulia,¡± she answers. ¡°Your real name.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I never said it?¡± ¡°Not once.¡± ¡°Do ¨C do I even know any of yours?¡± ¡°You first.¡± Azalabulia mumbles something that Fenrir isn¡¯t able to hear. ¡°What was that?¡± She mumbles something again. ¡°Er-Eros¡­¡± ¡°Ero?¡± ¡°Er¡­E-Eros.¡± ¡°Eros?¡± Fenrir repeats. Azalabulia answers with nothing more than a nod of her head. Fenrir¡¯s mind immediately jumps to how that¡¯s the name for a malegod. Does¡­ does that mean that Azalabulia is actually a man in real life? No, there¡¯s no way. They¡¯ve all but explicitly confirmed that she¡¯s a woman in real life, right? But her name¡­ ¡°You sound embarrassed about your name,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°How come?¡± Hopefully, he¡¯ll be able to smoothly get some clarification out of her. ¡°B-because! My parents thought it was a girl¡¯s name and then thought it was too funny to change when they found out!¡± Azalabulia explains. ¡°So, you don¡¯t like it since it¡¯s a male¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Fenrir sighs. That should be enough of a clarification for now. Though, just to be safe, he asks, ¡°It must have been rough being a girl with that name.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad, but¡­ anybody who did know teased me for it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it wouldn¡¯t be that bad. It does sound pretty feminine, in my opinion, and it¡¯s not like that many people know about those old gods anymore anyways.¡± ¡°Do ¨C what do¡­ d-do you like it? Azalabulia is better, isn¡¯t it?¡± Between Eros and Azalabulia, she really doesn¡¯t have a good time with names. Then again, she chose the latter for herself. Probably. ¡°Both of your names are perfect,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°How¡¯d you even come up with Azalabulia?¡± ¡°I ¨C I just really liked it! I wanted something that was cool and mysterious and dark, but also ¨C but also¡­ c-cute.¡± ¡°You can act pretty childish despite how mature you look.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± she asks, her voice steady and sharp now. ¡°Are you saying I look old?¡± ¡°N-not at all,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I just meant¡­ you know, like, you¡¯re tall, beautiful, curvy ¨C all that great stuff. But, you can act really young ¨C like¡­ I don¡¯t know if this¡¯ll be offensive or not, but you can act like a nervous school girl sometimes which is even more ironic since you¡¯re a teacher.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ I guess so.¡± ¡°But that means you have a really cute personality. You¡¯re even cuter when you go ¡®hmph¡¯ and pout.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not pouting! I¡¯m just¡­ puffing my cheeks.¡± ¡°To pout.¡± ¡°To hold air! What if all the oxygen suddenly disappears?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a thought even more delusional than Nell¡¯s fantasies.¡± ¡°I-is it really alright to be insulting her fantasies like that?¡± ¡°Trust me, she likes it. She probably has like a sixth sense tingling her right now from calling her fantasies delusional.¡± Back at the others, Cassiel notices Nell biting her lower lip and asks, ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°A-ah, yes, I am doing wonderful,¡± Nell answers. ¡°I am simply imagining something.¡± ¡°Is it crazy like usual?¡± Nell fans herself with her hands. Back to the other two, Azalabulia says, ¡°I have a lot to learn about them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll be your teacher for that as well,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°What¡­ what should I know about Serra?¡± Fenrir was planning on leading into sex because of his original promise to her about teaching her, but she seems worried and curious now. ¡°Serra Berra, let¡¯s see. Still Serra even in real life, and her avatar looks exactly like her. She¡¯s also just as perverted, but she¡¯s even lazier in real life. And she¡¯s deaf, so most of us have learned sign language to some degree for her. But you don¡¯t have to worry about that too much. Honestly, I guess you could say the whole signing thing has kind of worn off and now she just reads our lips and she uses her phone to talk to us. But yeah, you can expect her to be all over you, sexually, once she gets closer to you. Cass Cass might appreciate you being the target of her harassment for once.¡± ¡°Wh-what about Cass? Cassiel?¡± ¡°You can just keep on calling her Cass. Or Cass Cass. Cassandra in real life. She looks pretty similar to how she looks here as well, but she got an awesome haircut recently, so her hair is pretty short now. Other than that¡­ she¡¯s even more hardworking, can be extremely sweet when she opens up to you, and has been really doing great at fixing her personal problems. Well, it¡¯s not really fair to call them personal problems. She just¡­ used to be a lot ¨C I don¡¯t know, brash? Kind of¡­ mean sometimes, but it was always in a defensive-but-loving kind of way. Now, she doesn¡¯t act like that at all. She¡¯s been making herself behave more honestly and gently, and I¡¯m really proud of her for it. Though, I kind of wish she¡¯d give me some tsundere fanservice every now and then.¡± ¡°Nell?¡± ¡°Oh boy. Nell. That¡¯s actually a nickname I gave her that she decided to stick with, and I don¡¯t even think any of us remember what her name originally was now. Anyways, she¡¯s kind of royalty, uses a wheelchair, and is probably the most motherly out of the others despite her crazy fantasies. She was the newest member of the relationship before you, but she really does a great job of holding everybody together I think. And yeah, she does have some really crazy fantasies which is obvious by now, but they¡¯re strictly fantasies and she¡¯d never want any of them to actually happen. Oh, and between her and Serra¡­ don¡¯t be surprised if they want even more to join our relationship. Especially Serra. We¡¯re all basically members of her harem, and she has no problem adding more girls to it.¡± ¡°I ¨C I see.¡± ¡°Anybody else you need a lesson on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ thanks. I¡¯ve been meaning to learn more about them, but ¨C now I just need to learn more about you.¡± ¡°And I need to learn more about you, so how about we learn more about each other together?¡± Fenrir asks, proud of himself for how smooth he perceives that line to have been. ¡°What ¨C what do you mean?¡± It¡¯s a good thing that Azalabulia is facing away from Fenrir right now, because the eyebrow wiggle that he just attempted was nowhere near as seductive as he thought it was. Book 4: Chapter 88: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date Fenrir¡¯s hands get to work. While his right hand slowly slides down towards Azalabulia¡¯s waist, his other hand slides up toward her chest. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asks back, trying to be smooth. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°You wanted me to teach you about this, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Y-yes, but¡ª¡± ¡°You were looking forward to this, weren¡¯t you?¡± Rather than give him a verbal answer, all Azalabulia is able to do is nod her head this time. If going for her neck like he does with Cassiel worked, then he has a feeling that playing the role of a dominant with Azalabulia should work, too. And that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯s going to do. Well, what he¡¯s going to try to do. ¡°Tell me how much you want this, Aza,¡± Fenrir whispers into her ear from behind, his lips almost brushing against her lobe. Just feeling the warmth of his breath brushing against her ear is enough to make her shiver. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I want this,¡± Azalabulia answers. ¡°You want what?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°Me? What do you want from me?¡± She bites her lower lip and struggles to hold back an early moan. ¡°I want you¡­ to t-touch me more.¡± Fenrir brings his hands closer to her breast and her crotch, but before his hands make contact with her again, he pauses to whisper, ¡°Where?¡± Azalabulia arches against Fenrir¡¯s chest. She might not have meant to, but she answers his question by pressing her chest against his hand. ¡°Only here? Alright,¡± he whispers, bringing the hand that was going for her crotch up to her breasts. Now, each of his hands gropes and works her breasts over her clothes. Cassiel might have had the biggest breasts in the relationship before, but Azalabulia wins in that category now. Then again, Azalabulia wins in every category when it comes to her sizes. Even when sitting here like this, Fenrir¡¯s other girlfriends wouldn¡¯t reach so high. Serra would only be up to his chest, and Cassiel and Nell would reach his shoulders at most. Azalabulia might not be as tall as Fenrir, but she is easily taller than the rest of their girlfriends. ¡°Is this what you wanted?¡± Fenrir whispers. Azalabulia nods her head and lets out a soft moan. ¡°Then what about this?¡± His hands slide down into the opening of her outfit, his skin now directly in contact with her own. The feeling of his rough hands groping and kneading her breasts makes those noises escaping her lips grow even more frequent and louder in pitch. Not only that, but her body becomes restless. She squeezes her thighs together, she moves her hips around which results in pushing her rear back into Fenrir¡¯s crotch most of the time, and her hands¡ªthat don¡¯t know what to be doing¡ªare in a constant state of going for his own hands or resting on her legs. The poor Azalabulia just has no idea what she¡¯s supposed to be doing in this situation. Should she help him? Should she try to pleasure him? Should she be telling him what she likes whenever he finds one of her weaknesses? Though, going by the surprised gasp that forces its way out of her once Fenrir pinches her nipples, he doesn¡¯t need her to tell him what her weaknesses are. ¡°Th-there,¡± Azalabulia can¡¯t help but to moan out. ¡°Is this what you like?¡± Fenrir asks, his voice low and calm as he pinches gently pulls on her nipples. ¡°Y-mmm¡­ y-yeah,¡± she stutters out, her moans interrupting her words. ¡°Then how about this?¡± Fenrir pinches her nipples harder so that he can pull her breasts upward to pop them out from her outfit, leaving them exposed to the gentle breeze rolling by. While the breeze might be chilly against such a sensitive part of her body normally, Fenrir¡¯s hands ensure that her breasts stay warm and safe from the wind. ¡°Ge-gentle¡­ please?¡± Azalabulia whimpers. Fenrir immediately loosens his pinching holds on her nipples. ¡°Is that better?¡± he whispers. She nods her head and lets out a relieved sigh. ¡°Thanks¡­ I¡¯m really ¨C really¡­ nervous about all of this, a-and I want to keep going, but¡­ I might need t-to ask you to be gentle or slow down sometimes, okay?¡± ¡°You can ask me whatever you want, Aza. It¡¯s my job as your boyfriend to make sure you¡¯re comfortable, so just let me know what you like, when you need a break, or anything else.¡± ¡°Are¡­ are you sure?¡± Fenrir lets go of her nipples to get a gentle grab on her chin, turning her head to look at him. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks when he sees a couple of tears on her cheeks. She raises her hands to wipe her tears away before placing them on his own, pushing them back toward her breasts. ¡°I¡¯m just happy and nervous,¡± she forces herself to admit. They remain looking into each others¡¯ eyes for a few seconds before leaning closer, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss as Fenrir¡¯s hands go back to rubbing her breasts. Now, Azalabulia keeps one hand on top of his as her other hand reaches down between their bodies to go for his crotch. She has to pause her effort in kissing when she feels just how hard and throbbing he is underneath his pants. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± she asks, their lips hardly parted. ¡°It¡¯s just a game,¡± Fenrir answers. It¡¯s only slightly uncomfortable if anything. ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s sensitive, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is, which is why you should touch it some more,¡± he teases, closing the gap between their lips once more. Azalabulia does exactly that while letting Fenrir put most of the effort into their kissing. For her, kissing and reaching into his pants at the same time is difficult. For him, he¡¯s gotten enough practice in-game now to easily groping and kissing her while also adjusting his position so that she has an easier time reaching into his pants. It will only be a matter of time before she is every bit as experienced as he and their girlfriends are, of course. Book 4: Chapter 89: Patch 14.0: An Explosive Date Rather than sitting with her back to his, Azalabulia now faces Fenrir on her knees, still sitting in front of him. While the position of her body might look assertive to any third-party observers, the truth is that Fenrir is the one who maneuvered her into this position. Azalabulia was practically frozen the entire time he tried moving her to face him. But, facing each other makes what Fenrir wants to do easier. It also makes what he wants her to do easier. Though, just because the position makes things physically easier does not mean that they are any mentally easier. If anything, Azalabulia finds herself struggling even more now that she¡¯s face-to-face with her boyfriend. Fenrir is still doing all of the work. For the second time now, he asks, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re comfortable?¡± Azalabulia quickly nods her head and mumbles out, ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t want you to stop.¡± Her actions give him reason to doubt her words. She kisses back when he kisses her, but that¡¯s it. Her hands idly rest on his now-exposed length, she shies away from his touches whenever he goes to grope her breasts or her rear, and she looks like she doesn¡¯t know whether she wants to cry or smile. Fenrir has to try his best just to not lose interest and go limp in the current situation. He¡¯s so used to Serra, Cassiel, and Nell all being eager and assertive on their own that now having to do all of the work just feels¡­ off. Not even Cassiel is this passive whenever he¡¯s playing the role of a dominant for her. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asks again. Azalabulia nods before burying her face against his neck. Now he can¡¯t even check on her expression to tell if he¡¯s doing anything right or wrong. ¡°Would¡­ would it be easier if you weren¡¯t facing me again?¡± he asks. ¡°I ¨C I think so,¡± she answers. ¡°But this¡­ this i-is fine, too.¡± To prove her words, her hands actually start stroking his length again and she doesn¡¯t move away from his hands whenever he goes to touch her. Fenrir realizes what¡¯s going on. ¡°Hang on,¡± he says, gently pushing her off of him so that he can take his shirt off. ¡°Stay still.¡± She nods and closes her eyes when she sees him getting closer to her. The next time she opens her eyes, she can¡¯t see anything. ¡°Wh-what did you do?¡± she asks. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I wrapped my shirt around your head so that you can¡¯t see me anymore ¨C I blindfolded you.¡± ¡°But¡­ i-is that alright?¡± ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she mumbles. Fenrir presses his lips against her for a few short moments before breaking off and asking one final time, ¡°Are you sure? Again, if you¡¯re uncomfortable, then¡ª¡± She leans her head forward to press her lips against his now. Well, that¡¯s what she meant to do. Instead, she smacks her forehead right against his seeing as how she can¡¯t exactly see right now. ¡°S-sorry! Are you alright?¡± she asks, back to sounding ready to cry. ¡°All you did was bump me. I¡¯m fine,¡± Fenrir answers. The good thing about her being blindfolded right now is that she can¡¯t see him rubbing his forehead, nor can she see the large, reddened mark that she has left on it. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you feel better now that you can¡¯t see?¡± he asks. ¡°I ¨C I think so,¡± she answers. He has no idea why she was fine earlier when she was sitting with her back to him, but turned enough so that she could kiss him, but isn¡¯t fine with just facing him directly. More importantly, he¡¯s not going to waste any time questioning that. The problem has received its solution even if it¡¯s a temporary one. Now, Fenrir can lift up her dress and slip aside her panties. Azalabulia flinches and gasps every time she feels his fingers touch anywhere around her crotch, but at the same time, she can¡¯t help but to feel excited knowing that she¡¯s finally going to lose her virginity. Well, maybe not her virginity in real life, but her in-game virginity which is basically the same thing. Well, maybe not really the same thing, but it¡¯s close enough for now. Besides, she knows that if she¡¯s already having this much trouble in-game then she¡¯d probably be unconscious in reality just at the sight of his dick. Fenrir pulls Azalabulia¡¯s hips closer so that his length is pressed right against her lower lips. He might have been struggling to stay aroused before, but he¡¯s not anymore. ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asks. ¡°I ¨C it won¡¯t hurt, right?¡± she asks back. ¡°It¡¯s just a game, and the others never said it hurt, so I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Then¡­ c-can we kiss?¡± Fenrir answers her question by letting his lips return to hers once more just as he aims the tip of his length against her entrance. If there¡¯s one thing that Serra has been amazing for, it¡¯s making sure that he doesn¡¯t act like a total virgin anymore. He can even find the right hole without being able to see now. He pulls her hips down onto him, burying his hard, hot length inside of her even-hotter passage. Azalabulia shudders from the sensation of being so full for the first time and loses the ability to even try and kiss him back. ¡°Can you try moving your hips on your own?¡± he asks. She slowly raises her hips before lowering them back down, her entire body shaking with practically every movement that she makes. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asks just because he¡¯s never seen any of his girlfriends react this way. ¡°I-it just feels¡­ re-really good,¡± she answers, dropping her hips back down onto him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to make you feel even better.¡± With that, Fenrir starts thrusting upward every time Azalabulia lowers herself. Though, he realizes that he probably should have tried to strip her first. There¡¯s no way that her outfit is going to get out of this without getting dirty, and that¡¯s going to be embarrassing for her when she gets back to the others. He figures that they can worry about that afterward. For now, all that matters is the pleasurable sensations shooting throughout both of their bodies while a feeling even more powerful slowly builds up within them. ¡°F-Fen,¡± Azalabuia moans out, allowing him to hear her feminine noises for the first time. She gets to hear his deep moans and grunts of pleasure, too. ¡°I¡¯m close, Aza,¡± Fenrir moans to her. ¡°D-do it. I want you to¡­ inside.¡± At least there¡¯s no getting pregnant in-game. ¡°Are you close?¡± he asks, wanting to make sure that he doesn¡¯t cum before she gets a chance to. ¡°I¡­ I ¨C I¡¯ve been¡­ this whole time,¡± she shyly admits. ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± She nods again. In that case, he stops holding back to speed up and thrust even harder up into her. The only warning that she gets before he cums inside of her is him pushing his lips against her neck, biting onto the skin there and holding it between his teeth as he shoots several ropes of his cum into her. Azalabulia shudders even more violently than before as her body happily accepts the proof of his love. At least, that¡¯s how she sees it. Just to tease her a little bit more now that they¡¯re done, Fenrir unwraps the shirt-turned-blindfold and tosses it to the side without any warning. He was expecting to get a panicked, flustered response if not an angry one. Instead, she just looks totally lost in pleasure and collapses against him. He has a feeling that she won¡¯t be able to move from this position for a while. Book 4: Chapter 90: Patch 15.0: Eventually, Azalabulia did regain her senses and her ability to stand without wobbling all over the place. If that session with Fenrir was enough to make her behave like that, then he¡¯s worried about what would happen if he really treated her roughly and gave her his all. He was only able to thrust about half as much as he could due to the position that they were in. What would happen if she was on the bottom and he was on top? She might end up actually broken. Even with what he did, she was already close to making a face that Fenrir has only ever seen in hentai. And when he thinks of it that way, he really wants to see her truly make a fucked-silly face. He wants to make Azalabulia go full ahegao. Is such a thing really possible? If she can go half ahegao in-game, can she do the same in reality? Is ahegao real? Sure, Fenrir has seen pictures and videos of girls making ahegao faces before, but they are all fake and just didn¡¯t have the same charm to them as proper ahegao. But if Azalabulia is capable of making a real ahegao face that isn¡¯t just being made for virtual points on the internet¡­ she might be truly powerful ¨C more powerful than she knows. Just, not powerful in the way that she wants to be. One thing is for certain, and it is that Fenrir must further investigate this issue. Is it possible for her to go full ahegao in real life? Is it impossible? Will real,full ahegao in reality be just as good as it is in hentai, or will it still lack the charm that faked ahegao for internet points does? Fenrir looks over at his latest girlfriend as they walk back toward the camp together, hand-in-hand. She just has a large smile on her face and keeps on giggling to herself. While she¡¯s thinking about how happy she is that she¡¯s finally no longer a virgin, even if it¡¯s only virtually, and thinking about how happy she is to have a boyfriend, said boyfriend is thinking about how hard he would have to fuck her in order to make her pull off a face that previously been possible in hentai. ¡°You¡¯re horrible, onii-wan,¡± Saya interrupts his thoughts. ¡°Why? Because I want to make my girlfriend go full ahegao?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Because you¡¯ve been thinking about this for the past ten minutes as if it¡¯s some philosophical thing.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t philosophical. It¡¯s beyond philosophical. Whether a girl can truly go full ahegao or not is more important than any philosophy in human history.¡± ¡°So, onii-wan, let me get this straight. You¡¯re saying that whether a girl making an ahegao face in real life or not is more important than the human condition, suffering, intelligence, morality, ethics, right versus wrong, and so on? All of that is inferior to whether or not a girl can make a silly face from sex?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°I hope you understand that the sigh I want to sigh is so powerful that it can¡¯t physically manifest.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be mental manifestation instead of a physical one? Or a technological manifestation? A mental-technological manifestation?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you baka onii-wan! The point is that¡ª¡± ¡°I want to rub your belly and scratch your ears.¡± ¡°Wh-whaaaa? Why ¨C all of a sudden¡­ wh-why would you say something like that?!¡± ¡°You gave yourself dog ears and a dog tail, and you¡¯re still calling me onii-wan. You¡¯re now a dog girl. Dog girls need belly rubs and head scratches.¡± ¡°J-just because I have these do-doesn¡¯t mean I want you to do those things! You perverted baka onii-wan!¡± ¡°Are you forgetting how it felt to get your head patted and to give me your ¡®paw?¡¯¡± ¡°I ¨C I never did that!¡± ¡°You literally did that earlier today.¡± ¡°Did not!¡± ¡°And here I thought you were a good girl. I guess you¡¯re a bad dog instead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ¨C I¡¯m not a bad dog!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re lying to me. Only bad girls lie.¡± ¡°Am not!¡± ¡°Then do you admit it happened?¡± ¡°Fine! Whatever! It happened!¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re a good girl after all.¡± ¡°O-of course I am!¡± ¡°Such a good girl.¡± ¡°Hm-hmph!¡± ¡°Saya is such a good girl.¡± ¡°I am!¡± ¡°A good girl who¡¯s going to get belly rubs and ear scratches.¡± ¡°I ¨C I better! Wait¡­ you baka onii-wan! You tricked me! You led me into a trap! The worst! You¡¯re the absolute worst! You¡¯re worse than the worst!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really going all in on the tsundere act. You should do this more often.¡± ¡°See?! Trash! Garbage! Pathetic excuse for a human ¨C no, pathetic excuse for a roach! You¡¯re not even a roach! You¡¯re a ¨C you¡¯re a¡­ y-you¡¯re worse than¡­¡± ¡°Having trouble?¡± ¡°Hmph! Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph, HMPH!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Puppy Saya.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start calling me weird things! I¡¯m just Saya!¡± ¡°Saya the Puppy.¡± ¡°Saya the nothing else!¡± ¡°Pupaya.¡± ¡°That sounds like papaya!¡± ¡°Sayappy.¡± ¡°That makes me sound yappy!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make even more sense? A yappy papaya.¡± ¡°I! Hate! You!¡± ¡°Love you too, Saya.¡± ¡°Wh-what?! D-don¡¯t say something like that to me when I¡¯m mad at you!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m not allowed to love my kind-of-related living-in-my-head little sister-puppy?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird! And no! You¡¯re not allowed to!¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± ¡°Fine! I won¡¯t stop you! Baka onii-wan!¡± ¡°That was quick.¡± ¡°Not as quick as you!¡± ¡°Hey, what kind of quick are you calling me?¡± ¡°You know exactly what kind!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been improving on that, thank you very much. I lasted like, a whole ten minutes with Azawaza.¡± Fenrir hears a snerk, but it¡¯s not from Serra. It¡¯s from the virtual little sister inside of his head. ¡°Wow, onii-wan, ten minutes. That¡¯s like,sooooimpressive.¡± ¡°Come on! I only lost my virginity thisyear,and only in-game! I¡¯m making use with what I¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Wait, when did this get turned around on me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Hey! I told you not to call me that! It sounds like papaya!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you get mad. You¡¯re like an angry little puppy trying to be intimidating but just being cute instead.¡± ¡°I ¨C wait, when did this get turned around on me?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Pupaya.¡± Book 4: Chapter 91: Patch 15.0: ¡°You doing alright there, Azawaza?¡± Fenrir asks, still holding Azalabulia¡¯s hand as they walk. She¡¯s just as giggly and smile-y as she was when she first managed to stand up. ¡°You¡¯re going to make it extremely obvious what happened¡­ though everybody is probably already suspecting it anyways. To be honest, they ¨C yeah, they definitely already know. Don¡¯t be surprised if Olly and Serra decide to tease you.¡± ¡°Ehehe,¡± Azalabulia giggles, still not entirely there. ¡°You¡¯re seriously out of it, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­¡± ¡°Fenrir to Azalabulia. Can you hear me? Over.¡± ¡°Explosions¡­¡± ¡°Wait, how is that even relevant to this right now, and why are you bringing up explosions when I try getting feedback from you? You know that any base of operations getting ¡®explosions¡¯ back when they ask if you¡¯re alright is going to worry them, right?¡± ¡°Ehe¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a loli magician who can only cast one explosion spell per day before becoming useless. You¡¯re Azawaza the dark and awesome and the wielder of Bahamut¡¯s flame and all of that, remember? That doesn¡¯t sound like somebody who giggles and mumbles to herself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just happy¡­ not useless.¡± Hearing her suddenly admit to just being happy actually manages to make Fenrir blush a little bit. Thankfully, though, Azalabulia is still too out of it to notice him blushing. ¡°You¡¯re surprising, Azawaza.¡± ¡°H-how so?¡± she asks, and now she is the one who is blushing. ¡°Just¡­ you know. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need to blindfold¡ª¡± ¡°Pl-please don¡¯t mention that¡­¡± ¡°Alright. Well, other than that, I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d basically melt from pleas¡ª¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mention that either!¡± ¡°¡­ alright. Well, you¡¯re also surprising in how you¡¯re actually pretty feminine when you¡¯re not being a chuuni.¡± ¡°I ¨C of course I¡¯m feminine! I was never not feminine!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re right. You¡¯re always feminine. So, aside from all of those, you¡¯re,¡± Fenrir pauses. He wants to say that she¡¯s much more childish than he would have thought she¡¯d be given how edgy she likes to be when roleplaying¡­ but then again, roleplaying how she does could be seen as childish all on its own. Then there is the fact that she¡¯s a teacher. If she¡¯s a teacher, shouldn¡¯t she be ¨C well, be less childish? ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not saying you¡¯re surprised I¡¯m so childish¡­¡± ¡°Then this night is just full of surprises, because I¡¯m surprised that you would be surprised that I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re childish.¡± ¡°Y-you lost me.¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean, I was thinking about it, but I figured it¡¯d probably be best not to say. Wouldn¡¯t a woman be upset if she gets called childish?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I mean, it¡¯s true. I am childish. That¡¯s why I love being Azalabulia and why I love teaching. Being childish is fun. An-and I think it¡¯s kind of a requirement for being a teacher¡­ kind of.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Because, if you¡¯re childish, you can get along with your students better.¡± ¡°Are teachers supposed to get along with their students that well?¡± ¡°It depends on who you ask,¡± she answers, her voice turning more serious now, ¡°but I think it¡¯s good. It is good for both the teacher and the students. A teacher who is childish is not going to ¨C well, they aren¡¯t going to go insane trying to handle the children. They won¡¯t get tired of their students¡¯ immature humor, they won¡¯t get so upset at children being children, and the students will trust the teacher more ¨C they will be more likely to listen, and may even open up to their teacher about anything that is concerning them.¡± She pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing. ¡°I genuinely believe that being childish around students, but knowing when to be strict, is the best approach. My students love me, and I love them. They trust me to talk to me like a friend, and they listen to me when it is time to listen.¡± Fenrir has to hold back as much as he can to resist teasing her about being switched into teacher mode. At least, he¡¯s assuming that this is her in teacher mode. He has only ever gotten glimpses of her like this before, so this is the first time that he¡¯s actually getting to listen to her talk and go in-depth about teaching without stuttering or shouting about darkness and explosions. So, rather than tease her and potentially knock her out of this mood, he decides to encourage it. ¡°What about the people who don¡¯t agree with it? What¡¯s their logic? I¡¯m curious now,¡± he says. ¡°Their logic is bad. That¡¯s what it is,¡± she answers in a playful tone. ¡°On a more serious note, they believe that teachers ¨C or rather, all educators, should be strictly professional twenty-four-seven. This means that even if a student were to see them outside of the classroom, whether it¡¯s in the hall or at the store, that the teacher should be nothing but professional. They don¡¯t mean to be cold, but they don¡¯t exactly care about making friends either. Honestly, I haven¡¯t known many teachers like this, but I have known two of them. One said it was so that she wouldn¡¯t get attached to students since she used to be depressed at the end of each school year, and the other said that he was worried about being falsely accused of anything if he was ever seen being too close with the students. I can understand both of their points of view, really.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Because. I always cry on the last day of classes, and even today, men have it rough as teachers. They¡¯re never even allowed to put their hands on students, especially the female students.¡± ¡°That makes sense. What about their logic is bad then? Those things sound pretty normal to me.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not so much their logic as it is other teachers and parents I have heard about. They believe that it is a teacher¡¯s job to teach and nothing else. If they had it their way, everything would be taught by the book and there would be absolutely zero deviation when it comes to lesson plans. Everybody would be taught the exact same thing the exact same way without any critical thinking or games involved.¡± ¡°Ouch. You¡¯re reminding me of school now.¡± ¡°Right? I hated that sort of teacher when growing up, so I refuse to be like that myself. Besides, I always get emails from my students¡¯ parents about how much they love me and enjoy my classes. If I make my students actually look forward to coming to school, I consider that the highest honor that a teacher could ever hope to receive.¡± Fenrir can¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°That was all really cute,¡± he teases. ¡°It¡¯s fun to listen to you talk about something you¡¯re passionate about.¡± ¡°I ¨C it wasn¡¯t cute,¡± Azalabulia pouts. ¡°I was being serious¡­¡± ¡°I know, and that¡¯s what makes you so cute.¡± ¡°W-were you even listening?¡± ¡°Of course I was. I listened to every single word you said and could probably recite it all back to you if you wanted me to.¡± ¡°Al-alright then, do it.¡± Fenrir freezes. ¡°First, look at me,¡± he says. Azalabulia looks at him. Fenrir kisses her. She goes back to mumbling and forgets all about him reciting her words. Book 4: Chapter 92: Patch 15.0: When Fenrir and Azalabulia return to the others, they are not met with teasing nor knowing eyebrow wiggling. Instead, everybody seems too busy discussing something. Going by how not a single one of them is smiling, and the serious expressions on their face, it is clear that something is going on. ¡°What do you think is wrong?¡± Azalabulia asks, the seriousness of the group even snapping her out of her mumbling and giggling. ¡°I have one idea,¡± Fenrir answers. And that idea of his gets confirmed once they make it up to the others. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks the group who¡¯s all standing together in a circle. ¡°Oi, how come ya didn¡¯t think of tellin¡¯ us this sooner?¡± Tabitha asks. Fenrir looks over at Nell. She nods and says, ¡°I told them like you told me to, my hero.¡± ¡°Right. Thanks. Anyways, uh, I just didn¡¯t bring it up because of everything else going on. Plus I only just recently found out,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So, ya decided to go and have some fun while havin¡¯ her break the news for ya?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Well¡­ when you put it that way, it does sound pretty bad.¡± ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Oleander asks, leaning in. ¡°Yeah. How¡¯d it go?¡± Serra asks as well. ¡°W-we can talk about that later,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°The-there¡¯s nothing to talk about!¡± Azalabulia claims. Oleander and Serra look at each other and then back up at the other two to give them some thumbs-ups. ¡°Anyways¡­ sorry, Tabs. I just didn¡¯t have a good time to bring it up before,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Ya could have said somethin¡¯ last night or earlier!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°Ya didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be a good idea to tell us right away about some mysterious underwater army?!¡± ¡°Well, it might be an army, but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s marching this way or anything. It¡¯s just sort of standing around on the bottom of the ocean.¡± ¡°And for how long do ya think it¡¯s goin¡¯ to stand around doin¡¯ nothin¡¯?!¡± ¡°Hopefully forever?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re used to bein¡¯ spoiled what with havin¡¯ four girlfriends and all that, but don¡¯t ya think that this might be a bit too much wishful thinkin¡¯?¡± ¡°N-no? I mean, maybe it¡¯s only going to do anything if anybody tries attacking the serpent or going too far east. Why else would it just be standing around doing nothing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it sounds like somethin¡¯ that should be seriously considered when we¡¯re supposed to be buildin¡¯ a city!¡± ¡°Alright, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s not like we can just ignore a major potential threat like that when it¡¯s there. I wouldn¡¯t want us to build a city only for it to get wiped out by some random underwater monster army¡¯s attack.¡± Then Fenrir remembers something. Back when he first visited the town to the north, he was told about how the walls built around it are for more than to protect them against storm surge. ¡°¡ªraging storms and the creatures that come in with them.¡± ¡°Just gotta worry about the storms and what they bring.¡± Is that what they were talking about? Though, even if that does turn out to be the case, the sheer size of the army that Fenrir was shown could easily wipe out that town regardless of what defenses it may or may not have. They also said something about dragons, prompting Fenrir to look up at the mountains. ¡°What if,¡± Fenrir thinks to Saya, ¡°you could be a puppy-dragon hybrid? Like, you would still have puppy ears, but you¡¯d also have horns and wings and a dog tail.¡± ¡°No,¡± Saya answers, ¡°and don¡¯t you have way more important things to be worrying about right now?!¡± Fenrir sighs and looks back down to Tabitha. ¡°I heard about creatures that come with storms. That¡¯s why they have those walls built up there and nothing is built outside of them,¡± he explains. ¡°Great, so ya had even more information that ya thought would be wise to leave out!¡± Tabitha groans. ¡°I wasn¡¯t purposely hiding it or anything. Though, thinking back to it¡­ it was pretty ominous sounding.¡± Tabitha smacks her face into her palms. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Fenny,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I heard all that stuff too back then and didn¡¯t really think it¡¯d be a big deal. You know who wouldn¡¯t have been able to shut up about it though?¡± ¡°Bone,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Yep! If he were still here then he wouldn¡¯t be shutting up about how there are monsters to kill.¡± Fenrir chuckles and says, ¡°You¡¯ve got that right. He¡¯d be working on defenses and weapons and training for whatever fight is coming.¡± ¡°If there was one thing he was good at, it was getting ready for a fight.¡± ¡°Yep. And then there was you who¡¯d always be the one coordinating everybody and making sure everything ran smoothly. Nobody is better than you when it comes to battle plans.¡± ¡°Give yourself some credit, Fenny! You were always the one who could make everybody get along and work together, and nobody could out-diplo. You knew how to make everybody trust us, and you knew how to piss everybody off!¡± ¡°Yeah, but I could only do that because I had you two to back me up no matter what. I always knew that there¡¯d be a raging Russian and a smart trap to back up my words.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ those were the days. Hey, remember that time when¡ª¡± ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha interrupts. All of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends sigh. ¡°This ain¡¯t exactly the time to be reminiscin¡¯ over the golden days!¡± ¡°Damn, that was my first time hearing them talk about that stuff. I was kind of interested in hearing more,¡± Rao says. ¡°It¡¯s hot when Fen talks about his old days,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah right. We were just some nerds with no lives playing video games all day,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Says the guy who used to lead one of gaming¡¯s most infamous groups that literally made it into the news of every major gaming website,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You were the Divine Brigade leader!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°I could listen to you talk about your exploits all day!¡± Fenrir forgot about how hard she fangirled the first time she heard about him leading the now-disbanded Divine Brigade. ¡°And now I¡¯m with the Soaring Wolves,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And before Tabs hits us all with her hammer, we should probably start thinking about what to do about that army.¡± ¡°Really, bro, the only thing we can do is run. We¡¯re only a few people with a boat against an army,¡± Rao says. ¡°We¡¯re better off just setting up somewhere else.¡± ¡°Only a few people?¡± Fenrir asks, earning a smile and an excited nod from Oleander. ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡± Oleander stretches and cracks his knuckles. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to get serious then, Fenny,¡± he says. ¡°We can¡¯t know for sure that we¡¯re even going to get attacked, but since Tabs is right about this being something we should think about, I might as well. Olly, work with Tabs to come up with some defenses. Rao, take Shogun up to the town and check with King Cat to see if we can have a meeting. Let him know what we know. Nell, try to get in touch with our serpent out there and tell her that we need more information and for her to keep an eye out for us.¡± Tabitha takes a step back. She hasn¡¯t seen this level of confidence and seriousness come from Fenrir since the tournament back in Port Tugator, and this is completely different from then. He¡¯s even more confident now, and that makes her smile. ¡°And this is why I¡¯m still with ya, Fenrir,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Don¡¯t smile too much. If you want us to prepare against a potential invasion, that means I¡¯m going to be working you into the ground,¡± Fenrir replies. Tabitha crosses her arms over her chest and smiles even wider. ¡°Is this even worth it? What if nothing even happens?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Well, I¡¯m in a good mood, Tabs is right, and it¡¯s been too long since anything like this has happened.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve only burned down a single village since I started playing. How can I relax and spend time fishing if all I can think about is how much I want to defend against an invading army of fish monsters? Actually, now that I think about it¡­ we could just say that this is some really extreme fishing.¡± Book 4: Chapter 93: Patch 15.0: ¡°Wasn¡¯t tonight supposed to be a date night for you and Aza?¡± Serra asks, pulling on Fenrir¡¯s arm now that everybody with orders has gotten to work. Fenrir¡¯s ears perk up. ¡°It ¨C it was,¡± he answers, looking down at Serra. ¡°That was quick.¡± ¡°Hey, I lasted longer this time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡± ¡°O-oh.¡± ¡°Did you only have sex and then ended it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ well, when you put it that way¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re bad.¡± ¡°Seriously,¡± Cassiel says and sighs. ¡°I would be so mad if all you did for a ¡®date¡¯ was try to have sex with me. You¡¯re lucky that she still seems happy with that, but I¡¯m not letting you take her out on another date that lame.¡± ¡°Fen is bad at dates,¡± Serra says. ¡°L-look, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve been on that many dates for me to get experience. All we ever do is play video games,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Well¡­ okay, maybe it does matter, but that just means we need to go on more dates so that you can get experience.¡± ¡°You just want to go on more dates, too,¡± Serra teases, thrusting her fingers at Cassiel¡¯s side before she has a chance to react! Cassiel jumps and squeaks, her face turning bright red as she pouts and flails her arm in the air at Serra. ¡°Th-that was way too hard!¡± ¡°Worth it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It¡¯s been way too long since you¡¯ve had your sides poked. I¡¯ve been missing hearing that noise.¡± Cassiel might have told them to stop poking her sides so much because of how embarrassing it is for her, and they have toned it down. However, she never said to never poke her sides ever again. ¡°Hmph!¡± Cassiel hmphs. ¡°The only one I get to reliably hear ¡®hmph¡¯ at me anymore is Saya,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Your assistant?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yeah, her.¡± ¡°Do you do lewd things to her?¡± ¡°Wh-why would you ask that? And no, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Lame.¡± ¡°Do you just want me to lewd every single living thing that I know? Wait, don¡¯t answer tha¡ª¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You and Nell both want the same thing but for completely different reasons.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same reason in the end.¡± ¡°And what would the base reason be?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get what¡¯s so hot about me having sex with people who aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hot seeing me do things to Cass Cass?¡± ¡°Well, it is, but that¡¯s because I¡¯m dating both of you. It¡¯s not like I want to see you do things to people I¡¯m not dating.¡± ¡°Then we just have to date the whole world.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit much?¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll only date all the women.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make every man hate me.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t matter. One guy can get a lot of girls pregnant.¡± ¡°You want to replace Earth¡¯s population with our children?¡± Serra nods. ¡°Your power level is way too high,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°The highest,¡± Serra proudly confirms. ¡°Before you two degenerates plot anything, don¡¯t we have this whole army thing to be worrying about?¡± Cassiel asks. Fenrir and Serra sigh together. ¡°Hey, why are you sighing?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who was just saying that her plan was too outrageous?¡± ¡°It did sound kind of nice, though,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°You make me want to be violent sometimes.¡± ¡°You can be violent whenever you want to be as long as it¡¯s in bed.¡± Cassiel blushes and looks away, proving that she can not, in fact, be violent in bed. ¡°Anyways, there was something I actually wanted to talk to you about, Serra,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Is it lewd?¡± Serra asks. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Boring.¡± ¡°I know, I know. Anyways, can we wake and go chat about it?¡± ¡°Ooh. Something secret.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Cassiel and Azalabula are listening in now to try and figure out what he¡¯s talking about. ¡°Okay,¡± Serra says¡­ and then immediately falls over. ¡°Seriously? She could have laid down first,¡± Cassiel says, bending over to pick Serra up. Fenrir asks, ¡°Will you carry me to bed too if I¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Dang. Why not?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too big.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Fenrir says and then immediately wakes from virtual reality, causing his virtual avatar to fall forward without any warning. Cassiel and Azalabulia look down at the body as it¡¯s lying face-down in the grass. ¡°What¡­ what are we supposed to do with his body?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°Leave it,¡± Cassiel answers. In reality, Ryouta finds himself staring up at the ceiling and wondering why he didn¡¯t just try to get some privacy with her in-game. Why? Because talking to her would be much easier that way. Instead, he¡¯s now going to have to rely on her reading his lips, signing to her, or talking through text. ¡°I¡¯m really stupid,¡± Ryouta says. Fortunately, he has a not-really-stupid girlfriend who is already standing next to him without him realizing it. He jumps when he does realize it. Though, before he can ask her why she felt the need to scare him like that, he sees her holding up her phone with a message already typed on it that reads, ¡°What do you need to talk about?¡± Ryouta sits up straight and looks her right in the eyes so that it¡¯ll be easier for her to read his lips. ¡°Well, while I was thinking about strategies and getting serious and all that¡­ I was wondering how Aiko is,¡± he explains. Serra turns the phone back around to quickly type, ¡°She hasn¡¯t messaged you back yet?¡± ¡°Nope. Seems like I¡¯m still on the ignore list even though she made it sound like I¡¯d be allowed to stay in touch.¡± ¡°rip¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®rip¡¯ me.¡± ¡°RIP¡± He flicks her on the forehead. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been in touch with her, right?¡± She nods. ¡°Well, how is she?¡± ¡°Good. She¡¯s making progress and seems really proud of herself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great to hear ¨C well, read. Do you have any idea when she might message me back, or show up again in-game?¡± ¡°I can ask her if you want me to.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡± ¡°k. Message sent.¡± ¡°That fast? Seriously?¡± ¡°My texting level is even higher than my lewding level.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible for something to be higher than your lewding level?¡± ¡°We can test right now to see if my lewding level is actually higher.¡± ¡°We have more things to do in-game.¡± ¡°Can we at least make out for a few minutes since you wanted us to wake just for you to ask me that?¡± Ryouta looks up at her face after reading her message only to see her wiggling her eyebrows at him. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Book 4: Chapter 94: Patch 15.0: As it would turn out, Serra¡¯s definition of ¡°a few minutes¡± when it comes to anything sexual actually means ¡°for about thirty minutes.¡± Even though all they were doing was kissing, it didn¡¯t stop Serra from kissing Ryouta¡¯s body all over, biting him, licking him, sucking on him, and sucking him. Twice. They may have their virginities intact in reality somewhat, but that doesn¡¯t mean that Serra isn¡¯t going to use her mouth on him whenever she wants. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re seriously the best, Serra,¡± Ryouta groans, finally opening his eyes to see her lying shirtless on top of him. ¡°When did you even get naked?¡± Serra smiles, her head resting on its side against his chest with her breasts pushed down against him. ¡°Wait, when did I get naked?¡± Ryouta asks. Serra smiles even wider. ¡°You¡¯re something else.¡± She places a kiss on his chest before sitting up on top of him, stretching her arms high up above her head while arching her back as if she¡¯s purposely trying to show off her petite form and modest breasts, and then looks back down at him with a devious smile. He¡¯s naked. She¡¯s naked. Seeing her naked figure gets him excited. Seeing him get excited over her gets her excited. They both know what the other wants. Serra looks behind him, aims herself properly, and lowers herself¡­ right back onto his chest so that she can enjoy how flustered and disappointed Ryouta looks. ¡°You know, I honestly thought you were going to finally do it,¡± Ryouta says, trying not to sound too needy and disappointed. Serra picks up her phone from next to where they¡¯re lying on the bed, types out a quick message, and holds it up for him to read. It says, ¡°It¡¯s not fair if we¡¯re not all together when we do it. We should get Alice to fly Azawaza down here and then we¡¯ll have a big sexfest.¡± ¡°A sexfest?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to need lots of towels and tissues.¡± It takes Ryouta a few moments to figure out what she means by that. Then it hits him. If he¡¯s going to be taking all of their virginities¡­ in the same session, things are not going to be easy. How much blood will there be? How much crying and yelling in pain will go on? How many times is he going to have to go to last them all? How many condoms will they need? How is he supposed to choose which of his girlfriends to take the virginity of first? It is at a time like this that Ryouta wishes he could be a tentacle monster. If he were a tentacle monster, he could easily just turn his dick into one tentacle and then grow three more just like it! Then, he could take the virginities of all of his girlfriends at the same time together! That would be the ultimate way to make sure that they are all treated equally, and it would be hot. His mind flashes back to when Aiko ¨C well, Nyaiko got a bit caught by that shell with all of the tentacles in it. That was a nice sight. ¡°I wonder if I could become a tentacle monster in-game? A tentacle-wolf?¡± he thinks to himself, already knowing that he¡¯s going to most likely be shot down by Saya as soon as he re-immerses. Serra holds her phone up to him so that he can read the latest message she¡¯s typed out. ¡°Too bad you can¡¯t be one of those tentacle things from that website you like.¡± ¡°Serra, you read my mind. Are you literally perfect?¡± Serra nods her head, scoots farther up his form, and places a kiss on his lips. As much as Ryouta might enjoy kissing Serra, he doesn¡¯t enjoy being able to taste his own cum on her lips. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve got some more work to do,¡± he says. ¡°We can¡¯t let everybody else do all the work, so let¡¯s go and help out.¡± ¡°Can I blow stuff up with cannons?¡± Serra texts. ¡°Trust me, I was already thinking of getting us some new cannons. Bigger cannons, too.¡± ¡°What if Azawaza can make the cannons even stronger with magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually a pretty good idea. Maybe she could enchant the ammo to explode with magic or something.¡± ¡°Yes please.¡± ¡°You know, if there¡¯s anything you love as much as sex, it¡¯s blowing things up.¡± ¡°I love all blowing.¡± It takes Ryouta a moment to figure out what she meant by that. Once he does realize it, he flicks her forehead and then kisses the exact spot he just flicked. ¡°You¡¯re as much of a muchkin pervert as ever.¡± ¡°Duh. Do you want me to stop being a pervert?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s have some more fun before we go back.¡± ¡°Only a little bit more.¡± ¡­ The ¡°little bit more¡± ended up being ¡°a lot more.¡± By the time that the two eventually make it back in-game, they realize that their girlfriends were about to wake from virtual reality to come and check on them because of how long they were taking. ¡°Blame Serra,¡± Fenrir tells Cassiel and Nell. ¡°Blame me,¡± Serra agrees. They don¡¯t even have to tell the others what they were doing in any explicit details. Just hearing Serra take responsibility for it is enough to make it obvious. ¡°By the way, Nell, did you meet with the serpent already?¡± he asks. ¡°I failed to sense her anywhere near, so I am assuming that she is away at the moment,¡± Nell answers. ¡°Alright. Is Rao back yet?¡± ¡°He came back and said that the guy you wanted to send a message to wasn¡¯t available, and then said he was going to go fly up to the mountains to look around up there,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Sounds good to me. Alright, so, since there isn¡¯t much else for us to be doing right now until Olly and Tabs come up with some plans, how about we train?¡± Fenrir asks, looking at Nell, Cassiel, and Azalabulia. ¡°I want to watch,¡± Serra says. ¡°Train?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I mean, the four of us can all do pretty good in a fight. Even Nell is crazy strong thanks to that blessing she¡¯s got.¡± ¡°My hero! To expect your own girlfriend to fight!¡± Nell says, sounding much happier than her words let on. ¡°I will require quite a bit of training if you wish for me to perform well at all. After all, I came to this game to live out my fantasies, not to fight.¡± ¡°Well, do you want to?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose that it may be interesting! Not to mention that you are stronger the closer you are to me, so if I can fight and stay close to you, then we have better chances, do we not?¡± ¡°Right. How about¡­ you and Azawaza, and me and Cassiel? Maybe Azawaza can teach you some magic, and me and Cass will focus on physical combat.¡± ¡°N-no biting,¡± Cassiel says, already turning slightly red just at the thought of it. ¡°I¡¯ll be serious this time. Only fighting, no seducing.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Good. Let¡¯s not waste any more time then.¡± [Vol. 4 Wrap Up] The True Talk Show: Episode Four This program is brought to you New Realities Incorporated. Fantasy Tales Online headsets are available starting at seventy dollars and will transport you into a world beyond your wildest imagination! Live the fantasy life that you have always wanted to live. Kill monsters, raid epic dungeons, fight against other players in massive wars, sail the high seas and climb the tallest mountains, or just live an average life as a farmer! There is a world full of possibilities awaiting you! ¡°And we¡¯re back. Again,¡± Oleander says with a sigh, not even properly sitting in his seat. It looks more as if he¡¯s trying to lie down in the seat since his head is almost against the cushion while his lower half and some of his torso are hanging off of the chair. Rock barks into her microphone, which is hanging by her collar, at Oleander. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rock. I¡¯m just not really feeling it this episode.¡± Rock barks more. ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t let me interview the new character I wanted to interview!¡± Rock¡¯s barking noises intensify. ¡°Yeah, the giant serpent! I wanted to interview her, him, whatever, on the show! But the producers said that it was impossible and illogical because there¡¯s no way that a giant serpent could fit in here!¡± Shockingly, Rock continues barking. ¡°I don¡¯t care how the other guests feel! It¡¯s not the same!¡± Perhaps to the surprise of some, Rock stares at Oleander, waits a few seconds, and then barks. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m acting out of character! Let me pout and whine! It¡¯s not fair! How are our ratings going to keep up with that new show? That stupid puppy is outdoing us in his first season, and we¡¯re going onto season five! Maybe Fenny was right about wanting to be like a dog. Maybe we should all just become dogs since apparently being a dog is how you get easy views and ratings. Hmph.¡± Rock, giving up on Oleander, turns to face the audience and releases noises from her maw that one could say are similar to a barking noise. The curtain pulls up and reveals the first special guest! Rock barks more, trying to introduce her as one of the characters who has been a part of the story since the very beginning right with Fenrir, but has never had an appearance. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s none other than Saya! ¡°Pupaya! Pupaya!¡± the crowd cheers. ¡°It¡¯s not Pupaya! Hmph!¡± Saya hmphs at the audience. ¡°Oh, look, another person who¡¯s gotten more popular recently all because she acts like a puppy. Fawns are totally cuter than puppies,¡± Oleander pouts. ¡°At least you¡¯re not being called weird names!¡± ¡°I wish I got called cute nicknames¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing cute about Pupaya! Besides¡­ o-only Fenrir is allowed to call me that. No-not that I like being called that or anything! Hmph!¡± ¡°We already have one girl who hmphs, acts like a puppy, and is a blonde tsun in love with Fenny. Do we really need another? Like, aren¡¯t you kind of repetitive?¡± Oleander¡¯s words pierce Saya¡¯s heart, causing her eyes to dull and her spirit to fade. It¡¯s all true. Even though she was the first girl introduced, and has been a blonde tsundere from the very beginning, there is already a girl much more popular than her whom satisfies those tropes. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not original at all,¡± Saya says with her shoulders slumped over. ¡°Nope. You¡¯re just another blonde, tsun, hmphing girl with a petplay fetish,¡± Oleander confirms. Saya falls to her knees. Rock tries comforting her by placing one of her paws on Saya¡¯s shoulder, but it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°Just¡­ just press the button,¡± Saya says. Oleander presses the button, sending Saya dropping down below stage. ¡°Next, I guess,¡± he says. King Cat opens the door to the stage, peeks his head out, shakes it, and then walks away with the door closed behind him. ¡°Boring,¡± Oleander sighs. ¡°Just go to commercial. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Just as Oleander requested, the commercial for today¡¯s episode plays. The Queen¡¯s Hound is now available! Have you ever wanted to read about a cute, fluffy puppy going on big adventures, acquiring a vast collection of bones, and seducing all women who come across him thanks to his adorable fluffiness? Then look no further! The Queen¡¯s Hound has everything you need from cute fluff to beautiful vampires and chopping boards pretending to be elves! Check it out now and get a discount on your next visit to Petko! Oleander comes back onto the screen with the longest, loudest, and most dramatic sigh in possibly all of existence. ¡°Welcome back, traitors,¡± he says. Meanwhile, Rock has been switched into a shirt that is advertising The Queen¡¯s Hound on it by showing a picture of the main puppy character winking and holding a bone in his mouth. Oleander seems to be ignoring Rock¡¯s existence as a result of this. ¡°Just bring the last guest out,¡± he says. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who it¡¯s going to be.¡± The stage dims as the lights focus on the ceiling. Being lowered from the ceiling as dramatic music plays over the sound of a violent ocean, a massive tank full of water with none other than everybody¡¯s favorite serpent makes its appearance! Oleander lights up and gets all excited before realizing that she¡¯s not the serpent he wanted to see. Instead, this is just that serpent who¡¯s friends with Fenrir and Nell. ¡°I guess she¡¯s good enough,¡± Oleander says. ¡°At least that other program doesn¡¯t have a big serpent¡­ yet. Anyways, did we ever even give you a name?¡± The serpent pokes her head up and out of the tank to look right at Oleander. ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t suppose you can talk at all?¡± She tilts her head and makes some sort of hissing noise. Oleander sighs, presses the red button, and planks on the floor as a sign of surrender. ¡°Rock, do the outro,¡± Oleander orders. Rock rolls her eyes and faces the camera. What comes next is a series of barking that only gets captioned on televisions as, ¡°*Rock noises*.¡± The credits roll, the audience is left having no idea how to feel about what they just saw, and Pupaya has an existential crisis below stage. Book 5: Chapter 1: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances Preparations for the oncoming battle, that the group really doesn¡¯t even have any proof of whether it will happen or not, continues. The only proof that they have of an oncoming battle is the fact that there is some sort of giant, fishy¡ªliterally¡ªarmy underneath the sea standing by as if waiting for something. Fortunately, when Fenrir was finally able to get in touch with King Cat, it was revealed that he had his own suspicions of such an event happening and was eager to listen to any and all information that Fenrir had to share. Oleander and Tabitha were able to come up with defensive plans that would not only increase their chances of survival, but that would speed up the process of building their city. Nell and everybody¡¯s favorite serpent have been staying in touch to stay informed on the nearby not-everybody''s-favourite serpent and the mysterious, waiting army. Rao¡¯s scouting of the mountains hasn¡¯t resulted in anything, and everybody else¡¯s training and gathering have been proceeding as planned. Of course, despite the serious threat that they are facing and preparing for, that doesn¡¯t mean that Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends haven¡¯t been taking the chance to mess with him and do lewd things to him whenever they can. Well, it¡¯s mainly been Serra, of course, but Nell has had many fantasies inspired by this threat, and both Cassiel and Azalabulia have been needy in their own ways. If there is one thing that Fenrir has learned recently, it is that having four girlfriends while also having other things to do is a lot of work. Or rather, it isn¡¯t having four girlfriends in and of itself that has been difficult so much as it is giving all of them equal attention while also having serious matters to prepare for. Having four girlfriends to give attention to without much of anything else to do? No problem. Having to prepare for a huge battle? Been there, done that. But both at once? That is what makes Fenrir¡¯s ears fall flat and causes his tail to not wag as much as it once did ¨C well, in-game. He thought that he would be able to handle it with ease back when he was getting everybody hyped up for it, but now he¡¯s realizing that it¡¯s just not that easy anymore. Not only has it been a while since he¡¯s done anything like this¡ªboth the fishing tournament and stealing The Shoebill were child¡¯s play compared to what he is expecting¡ªbut he doesn¡¯t know how to properly balance being a good leader and a good boyfriend. Fortunately for him, he has girlfriends who have picked up on this already. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for now,¡± Fenrir says, taking deep breaths and wiping the sweat off of his forehead. ¡°You really didn¡¯t take it easy on me today.¡± ¡°No, you just weren¡¯t giving it your all,¡± Cassiel says, sheathing her blade so that she can go and heal the cuts she left on her boyfriend. ¡°It sure felt like I was.¡± ¡°And you look like you were.¡± ¡°So then I was giving it my all.¡± She places her hands against him to heal him. ¡°You were giving it your all of what you had available, but you don¡¯t have all of your energy available. Or¡­ something like that. You get what I mean.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you knew that I wasn¡¯t at full strength but still decided to cut me up in our sparring? And here I thought you were done being a violent tsundere,¡± he teases. ¡°I was taking it easy on you. I don¡¯t even think I can improve at all if I have to keep holding back like this.¡± ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re going to leave me for another sparring partner,¡± he says with dramatic flair. ¡°Don¡¯t steal Nell¡¯s drama. Besides, the only other people worth sparring with is Tabs. I¡¯m not good at fighting casters like Aza and Olly, and Nell has been focusing on magic lately, and Aza¡­ no way. You¡¯re the only one suicidal enough to try and fight her.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to think of it as masochism rather than being suicidal.¡± Cassiel stops healing his final cut, instead poking it with one of her fingers. ¡°Th-this kind of pain doesn¡¯t count,¡± Fenrir groans out. She sighs and stops, going back to healing him instead. ¡°You¡¯re stretching yourself too thin.¡± ¡°I guess that trying to stretch it to make it longer doesn¡¯t actually work.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°My penis.¡± Cassiel stops healing him again. ¡°The rest of that can heal on its own. Now, are you going to be serious or not?¡± It¡¯s Fenrir¡¯s turn to sigh now as he leans back and looks up at the sky. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting too old for this now that I¡¯m trying it again. Is that normal? I¡¯m only in my twenties.¡± ¡°If you spent your teenage years just gaming all the time without ever having to worry about anything or anybody else, then yeah. You¡¯ve grown up and actually have girlfriends and more than two friends now.¡± ¡°Are you indirectly saying that I used to be a loser with no girlfriends and only a couple of friends?¡± ¡°I can directly say it if you want me to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°Fen, you don¡¯t have to push yourself so hard.¡± ¡°So, you want me to push softer instead of rougher?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious right now.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m sorry, and I guess you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no guessing about it. I am right. You don¡¯t have to push yourself this hard. It¡¯s just a game.¡± ¡°Come on, Cass Cass. You know that saying ¡®it¡¯s just a game¡¯ never works on anybody who¡¯s passionate about games.¡± ¡°Yeah, I used to feel the same way, but not anymore. It really is just a game. As long as I still have all of you in real life¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she says, lightly blushing and looking away. ¡°I still want to take the game seriously, though.¡± ¡°Then relax on your boyfriend duties.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s impossible. I¡¯m not going to take a game more seriously than my girlfriends.¡± ¡°Then relax on your game duties. Stop trying to have it both ways.¡± ¡°But I want it both ways.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making this difficult.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of my boyfriend duties: to make things difficult for you.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just cut that duty out?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s my favorite one.¡± ¡°Would you just ¨C you¡¯re so stubborn. Just takes things easier, you dumbie.¡± Fenrir grabs her and pulls her in for a kiss. While the surprise kiss might still make Cassiel blush, it doesn¡¯t make her any less insistent on Fenrir taking it easier. ¡°You know what I need?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°A secretary.¡± Book 5: Chapter 2: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances The problem that Fenrir now faces in regard to hiring a secretary is that he has no idea who to hire for one. Whoever he hires needs to be: loyal, dependable, willing to work and travel, and not be somebody who already has something better to be doing. That narrows it down to only a few people, and those few people have been gathered for one-on-one interviews onboard The Shoebill. ¡°No thanks,¡± Serra says. ¡°Too much boring work and too much talking to other people.¡± That¡¯s one candidate down. ¡°No, and why are you being so proper about this? Couldn¡¯t you have just asked us back when you said you wanted to interview us?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly,¡± Fenrir answers. Cassiel sighs and says, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you, but I¡¯m not good at that sort of stuff.¡± That¡¯s two candidates down. There are only three more, and two of them are his other girlfriends. ¡°You wish for I, the great and awesome and dark Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia, to serve as your secretary?!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°Such a job is far beneath me! A-and¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be any good at that, and I have a lot of lesson planning to make up for, so¡­¡± Three candidates down. ¡°A secretary?¡± Nell asks. ¡°That sounds wonderful! Just imagine all of the wonderful things we could do with such a setup! There is the cruel, sadistic boss demanding his secretary to perform jobs that he knows she will fail at. There is having her sit on her knees between his legs underneath his desk to service him as he talks with others. There is even the situation of the boss deciding to punish the secretary by having her perform in front of others during a business meeting, or passing her around to others during a party! Ah, and then there is the scenario of the secretary¡¯s employer being a married man, and the secretary must fight for his love and attempt to seduce him behind his wife¡¯s back, but¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re squirming around a lot,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°A-ah, excuse me,¡± she says before clearing her throat. ¡°I am already performing a role similar to being your secretary, am I not? After all, I have been diligently relaying messages between you and our serpent friend!¡± ¡°Speaking of her, we really need to name her. Have any suggestions?¡± ¡°Oh, my hero, you do not know her name yet?¡± ¡°No? She¡­ she has one?¡± ¡°Of course she does!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Ilo.¡± ¡°Ilo?¡± ¡°Yes, Ilo.¡± ¡°How long have you known about her name?¡± ¡°Only recently, to be fair.¡± ¡°Huh. So, Ilo. Ee-low. I, L, O?¡± ¡°I would assume that is how it is spelled, my hero.¡± ¡°Huh. Do you know how long she¡¯s had this name for?¡± ¡°Hm. I do not believe that she had it previously, so I am assuming that she chose it herself sometime recently.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you even learn what it was?¡± ¡°I asked, of course! It felt silly speaking to her and not knowing her name. Had she not had one, I would have given her a name myself.¡± ¡°Right. Well, I guess she¡¯s Ilo now. Anyways, just go back above for now. I¡¯ve got to talk to the last candidate, and then I¡¯ll make a decision on who to use as my secretary.¡± ¡°The way that you said ¡®to use¡¯ makes me even more hopeful!¡± That¡¯s one potential secretary. Only one candidate is left now. ¡°I see,¡± Corwin says. ¡°It does sound like an interesting and challenging position. I may also be biased because I do enjoy any time spent in King Cat¡¯s company, and everybody else up there is rather friendly.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯ve got good diplo potential in you.¡± ¡°Diplo?¡± ¡°Short for diplomacy.¡± ¡°Ah, so you are saying that I would make a good diplomat?¡± ¡°Basically. Plus you¡¯re dependable, well-spoken, and pretty much everybody likes you. Especially Olly.¡± ¡°I think that Olly¡¯s like for me would have to be placed on a higher level than most¡¯s.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that. So, are you interested?¡± ¡°I suppose that I am! Ah, wait. Excuse me if this is an improper question to ask, but how many hours of service do you think you will require from me?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be separated from Olly for too long?¡± Corwin smiles and scratches his cheek. ¡°Am I that obvious?¡± ¡°Always. Anyways, go up above deck with Nell, and I¡¯ll be out there in a minute.¡± ¡°Very well, Fenrir.¡± With that, Fenrir is left alone below deck. Out of five potential candidates ¨C out of the only five people who don¡¯t already have important jobs such as scouting, building, or strategizing, only two remain. Nell and Corwin. It went down pretty much exactly as Fenrir was figuring it would. He had some faith in Cassiel and Azalabulia, but he knew from the start that asking Serra would probably be a bad idea. After all, she¡¯s the one who still gets flustered around any new people who can¡¯t be immediately identified as fellow perverts. ¡°What jobs could I give them?¡± Fenrir thinks to himself, but gets replied to by his favorite tsundere-little-sister-puppy. ¡°Give them jobs that are like jobs!¡± Saya answers. ¡°Wow, so specific. Thanks, Pupaya.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not Pupaya! Just Saya! You baka onii-wan!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call you Saya if you can answer this question for me.¡± ¡°Just remember I can¡¯t tell you anything that would assist you in the game!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. So, if you hypothetically had to do a job here, what would you want to do that nobody else is doing?¡± ¡°Hmm. Gathering!¡± ¡°Gathering¡­ oh. Yeah, we have nobody really doing that. The only gathering we did was for stone and logs, and we¡¯ve pretty much been living off of fish. I¡¯m guessing gathering would also be useful for making potions that could help everybody out.¡± ¡°And you get to spend time in nature!¡± ¡°Yeah. Good answer, Saya.¡± ¡°Of course any answer I give is a good one!¡± ¡°Right. So, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Hey! You said you¡¯d call me Saya!¡± ¡°And I did, but I didn¡¯t say for how long.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°I know. Anyways, thanks. The others can just go and gather whenever they¡¯re not training so that they don¡¯t feel like they have nothing to do, plus it¡¯ll help us out.¡± ¡°Right! H-hey, wait. You totally asked me what I¡¯d do so that you could use it for what they can do!¡± ¡°Yeah, but you already knew that.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you love loopholes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the worst, and now I have two secretaries.¡± Book 5: Chapter 3: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances ¡°Exactly,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So, we are both to serve as your secretaries? Are two really necessary?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°I must agree with Corwin, my hero. Having two secretaries does seem unnecessary,¡± Nell says, mainly just disappointed in the fact that her fantasies now have to be split between her and Corwin. Though, when she imagines Fenrir ordering Corwin to do anything that she was previously imagining herself being order to do, she gets excited and hopes that she will get to watch. ¡°No to whatever you¡¯re thinking. I know that look in your eyes, Nell,¡± Fenrir says, causing his girlfriend to sigh and pout. ¡°Anyways, the reason why I want both of you is so that the work is easier on all three of us and so that things can get done twice as fast. Nell, you¡¯re basically already handling things with the serpent ¨C Ilo, and I¡¯ll have you be¡­ I guess the main secretary. Well, you¡¯ll be doing the most secretarial things. Corwin, you¡¯re going to be more of a diplomat and handle meetings between us and the other towns. Do you both agree to that?¡± ¡°In other words, my hero, you wish for me to always stay by your side unless you send me off to having meetings with Ilo?¡± ¡°Basically.¡± Nell doesn¡¯t waste a single second to hop forward, grab onto his arm, and to hug it against her chest as she cuddles up against his side. ¡°Maybe not that close to my side all the time,¡± Fenrir corrects himself. ¡°Is there a problem with this?¡± Nell asks, batting her eyelashes at him. ¡°No, but¡ª¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± ¡°You would have me serve as an intermediary between you and King Cat?¡± Corwin asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Are you sure that secretary is the proper job title?¡± ¡°Nope, but is it good enough?¡± ¡°I suppose that it will have to do! However, there is one thing that I am curious about.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Payment. What are we being paid for our services?¡± ¡°He has a point,¡± Nell says. ¡°Uhh,¡± Fenrir freezes. He hadn¡¯t thought this far ahead and he really wasn¡¯t expecting them to expect payment. After all, he¡¯s never had to pay anybody else for any reason before when it came to things like this unless he was bribing them. ¡°What¡­ what do you want?¡± ¡°Appreciation would be nice,¡± Corwin answers with a smile. ¡°And that is all that I will be requiring for payment.¡± ¡°As for me,¡± Nell says, ¡°you must listen to one of my fantasies in detail for every task I perform, and you must consider whether you would like to act it out or not for more than ten seconds!¡± Fenrir pulls his arm out from Nell¡¯s grasp so that he can wrap it around her while his other hand sticks out to Corwin for a shake. ¡°Deal,¡± Fenrir says. They may want payment, but their payments are easily manageable and nothing that he wouldn¡¯t do in the first place. Well, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t have thought of actually listening to Nell¡¯s fantasies in full on his own. He will have to mentally prepare himself for those. And physically prepare himself for those seeing as how half of them do get a reaction out of him, and he usually has to cut her off before she gets him too excited and distracted. As long as the fantasies don¡¯t make him feel bad for either himself nor her, and they usually end up making him feel bad for the her in her fantasies, he can hear them out. And with that, the problem of him needing a secretary has been resolved. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to have you both tag along to the meeting we¡¯re having later,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°The one with all three towns?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Have you met the leaders from the others yet?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°From what I have gathered,¡± Corwin interjects, ¡°they are just as unique as King Cat. The leader of the island-based town is a mighty, large woman supposedly capable of bending even the strongest metals with her bare hands, and the leader in the town to the north has a fondness for rainbows.¡± ¡°Rainbows?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yes. According to what I have heard, every single item he personally owns has been dyed to match the colors of a rainbow. Clothes, weaponry, armor, blankets, mugs, his home ¨C all colored rainbow.¡± ¡°Huh. So a buff woman and a guy obsessed with rainbows?¡± ¡°Supposedly, yes.¡± ¡°Supposedly, huh.¡± ¡°A muscular woman?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Hm. I wonder if Serra would like to add a woman such as that to our relationship! The thought of Serra dominating a woman so much larger than her is an amusing one, and I would love to see such a powerful woman dominate you,¡± she tells Fenrir. ¡°N-no thanks,¡± Fenrir answers, not even questioning the fact that Nell immediately jumped to Serra being the one to add new women to their relationship. There is no question about it any more than they are all essentially a part of Serra¡¯s harem. ¡°Oh, and I am curious. Where will the meeting be taking place? I must admit that I was not paying much attention when I first heard it brought up, but I will make sure to pay thorough attention to everything from now on!¡± ¡°It¡¯s at the island town. It¡¯s the middle ground between the three big towns, and we don¡¯t really count down here yet, so it¡¯s the most convenient for the other leaders. We¡¯ll be taking The Shoebill up there.¡± ¡°Do not forget that we will need to depart as soon as Tabitha is ready,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Right. Can you go check on her to see how long she¡¯ll be?¡± Corwin nods and heads off to find Tabitha. ¡°What is your order for me, my hero? Or should I call you ¡®boss¡¯ now? Master?¡± Nell asks. Fenrir really liked how that last one sounded, but he says, ¡°Let¡¯s just stick with ¡®my hero.¡¯ I think I¡¯d miss hearing you call me anything other than that.¡± ¡°But it seemed as if another part of you liked when I called you ¡®master.¡¯ Are you sure, master?¡± Nell asks in a hushed, sultry voice. ¡°M-maybe next time we¡¯re alone.¡± ¡°We are alone now, are we not, master?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯m ready!¡± Tabitha shouts, walking up to The Shoebill. Both Fenrir and Nell look at each other and sigh out of disappointment. Book 5: Chapter 4: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances And so, the party sails north. None of them have been to the island-based town before, but they know how to find it and have heard of what it is like. They know to sail north along the coast until they reach King Cat¡¯s town, which they still have no idea if it actually has a name or not, and then they are to sale northeast while following the jagged stones that poke up over the ocean¡¯s surface. They also know not to get too close to the rocky trail since that would result in scraping the bottom of The Shoebill along the rocks still hidden by water. As for what they know about the town itself, they know that it is built around a tall spire that is now coming in to view. They cannot see the bottom of the rocky spire yet, but they can at least be certain that they are heading the right way as the spire grows taller and taller the closer they get. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet the leader of this place,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°If she¡¯s got muscles than I already like her!¡± ¡°Let me guess, because girl power?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got that right. Not enough gals put on muscle.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Girls with muscles can be nice.¡± ¡°Can be? They¡¯re always nice.¡± ¡°Well, just like with men, I do think there is a thing such as too much muscles. Though, you¡¯d have to be on steroids to get to that point, probably.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. Give me a girl who¡¯s just all muscle from her feet to her head and I¡¯ll be happy.¡± ¡°How come you¡¯re not big and muscular if you like them so much?¡± ¡°Just because I like them doesn¡¯t mean I want to be one. Look at how many girlfriends you¡¯ve got, captain dog, but I don¡¯t see ya bein¡¯ a girl.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°My hero,¡± Nell says, ¡°do you wish that I had more muscles?¡± Fenrir looks Nell over. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you being muscular. Some more scales would be nice for the monster girl aesthetic, though, but not so many scales that you become covered in them. Then you¡¯d just be a furry ¨C well, scalie,¡± he admits. ¡°I see! Hm. That would be rather nice. The more monstrous I am in appearance, the greater the romance is! The charming, doglike hero with the hideous, monstrous serpent! Does that not sound wonderful? While you may have any girl in the world¡ª¡± ¡°Not any girl,¡± Tabitha interjects. ¡°While you may have almost any girl in the world,¡± Nell continues after fixing her previous statement, ¡°you would choose to be with a horrifying monster!¡± ¡°But monster girls aren¡¯t horrifying,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Degenerates,¡± Tabitha chimes in again. ¡°Hey, you like muscular girls, so what about muscular orc girls? Or ogres? Minotauresses?¡± ¡°Ya know what, you¡¯ve got me there. I guess those monster gals ain¡¯t so bad after all.¡± ¡°Oh! Speaking of monstrous women, would it not be wonderful if the leader of this town ends up being one?¡± Nell asks. ¡°I guess that¡¯d be nice for Tabs¡¯ sake,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°It¡¯d make the meeting more fun, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Oh, and my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah?¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°If we agree that I should be more monstrous in appearance, how about yourself?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Well, should we not make you more monstrous while we are at it?¡± ¡°I mean, my legs and arms already get kind of large and wolf-y when I¡¯m fighting. I¡¯m like¡­ a partial shapeshifter. Kind of?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand that, but could we not make you always even more monstrous than that? You could be covered in fur all the time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a furry.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Besides, then it would be like uh¡­ don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be less tragic if you became more like a monster, and then I became more like a monster? We¡¯d be the same then and there¡¯s nothing tragic about that,¡± he tries to come up with the only excuse that he can, and that happens to involve using Nell¡¯s love for tragedy against her. ¡°Then we should make you the fully monstrous one while I remain the same, or I could even become less like a monster! I must admit, I am much more attracted to the idea of you being like a monster both in appearance and personality than myself being like one.¡± Fenrir freezes. He thought he¡¯d be able to use her own thought process against her, but her own degeneracy is too strong for him to easily manipulate. ¡°Uhh,¡± Fenrir mumbles. ¡°Is something the matter, my hero?¡± Nell asks, batting her eyes at him. ¡°After all, I am your secretary now, and you are my beloved hero! That means you would love to do as I wish, yes?¡± ¡°I uhh¡­¡± ¡°I know that you may not associate yourself with certain fur-covered fandoms, but do you not want to make me happy? My hero?¡± she asks, moving in even closer while staring right up at his face. ¡°I ¨C I really don¡¯t want to be a furry, so I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you if that¡¯s something you seriously wan¡ª¡± Nell covers her mouth, bursting into giggles, and steps back. ¡°You are adorable, my hero.¡± ¡°Were¡­ you just teasing me?¡± ¡°Of course! I would never try to manipulate you in such a way.¡± The canid ears atop his head flatten down as he blushes and looks away. ¡°You¡¯ve got a sadistic side.¡± ¡°You should consider yourself fortunate that I am not truly so manipulative! I could have you doing whatever I wanted if I truly wished for it.¡± ¡°Ya can¡¯t even tell when your girlfriends are teasing you?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°It was rather obvious,¡± Corwin says. ¡°Listen, it¡¯s usually Serra who¡¯s teasing me. I¡¯m not used to Nell doing it,¡± Fenrir grumbles at them. ¡°That is because I prefer being the one teased,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Though, I was not only teasing when I said it would be nice for you to become more monstrous.¡± ¡°No, and I¡¯m not letting you try to convince me otherwise this time. I know your tricks now.¡± ¡°Please, my hero?¡± she asks, batting her eyes once more while looking up at him. Her tricks still work despite him knowing what they are. Book 5: Chapter 5: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances The crew of The Shoebill can¡¯t help but to stare on at the sight of the isle in confusion. It isn¡¯t the fact that that it is surrounded by giant, stone spikes rather than walls like King Cat¡¯s town, and it isn¡¯t the fact that there are giant cannons stationed on top of each one of those spikes that is making them look confused. What is making them confused is the fact that there are skeletons hanging in nooses off of the tip of every single one of the spikes that they can see. Not only that, but there are black flags with crossed bones waving in the wind. Did they get back to Port Tugator by mistake somehow? As far as they are aware, this town is supposed to be a friendly, welcoming one just like King Cat¡¯s! Yet, it looks more like some sort of dangerous pirate haven if anything. As they navigate the treacherous rocks surrounding the only way into the town¡¯s harbor, they notice the skeleton of some sort of huge monster propped up near the back of the town over a large building. So, not only are they apparently pirates who hang people and show off their skeletons, but they are monster hunters as well. ¡°Are ¨C are you sure about this?¡± Corwin asks Fenrir. ¡°I do not like the air about this place.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ that boat there is from King Cat¡¯s place,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at one of the boats docked at the harbor, ¡°so¡­ this should be fine. Right?¡± ¡°Better hope so,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°My hero, what if I were to be kidnapped and sold into¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Fenrir immediately shuts Nell down. ¡°Besides, even if somebody really tried, I wouldn¡¯t let them.¡± Nell smiles and giggles to herself. She may of the same mind as her girlfriends that Fenrir often fails at being smooth, but he does have his moments. ¡°They¡¯re waving us in over there,¡± Fenrir points out to Tabitha. A few minutes later and The Shoebill is being tied to the wooden pier by some workers. Though, they are not just any workers. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to be getting our fill of monstrous people,¡± Fenrir whispers to Nell. ¡°I think so, too, my hero,¡± Nell whispers back. The two men tying The Shoebill to the dock are not only huge in sheer size, but they are both covered in thick, green scales with the heads of alligators. ¡°Welcome to Spike Port,¡± one of them says, his voice as deep and gravely as they all expected somebody with an alligator¡¯s head to sound. ¡°Are you here for the meeting?¡± Despite the brutish appearance and gravelly voice, though, the man actually spoke politely and properly. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m Fenrir, this is Nell and Corwin, and that¡¯s Tabitha,¡± Fenrir says, pointing at each crewmember as he says their respective name. ¡°Pleasure to meet all of you. The Duchess is in the back there,¡± the man says, pointing at the large building with the even larger monster skeleton on top of it. ¡°King Cat is already back there, and Rainbow Afro shouldn¡¯t take much longer to arrive.¡± ¡°His name really is Rainbow Afro, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fenrir can¡¯t resist asking, but he regrets it now that those words have actually left his mouth. After all, wouldn¡¯t it be seen as rude if he¡¯s doubting somebody¡¯s reputation and name like that? What if this supposed Rainbow Afro hears about Fenrir questioning¡ª ¡°I know, right?¡± the alligator man answers in a much more normal voice. ¡°Just wait until you see him.¡± Suddenly, the situation feels far more casual and friendly. The entire town looks friendlier now to the crew of The Shoebill. Where once, they saw monstrous men and women walking around looking huge and intimidating, now they just see regular players being typical MMO gamers either arguing, doing weird things, or having stupid fun. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s up with the uh, skeletons hanging around the place?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oh, just decoration,¡± the alligator man answers. ¡°The Chieftess thinks they look cool, but I think they¡¯re kind of scary and give off bad vibes.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started on that creepy monster skeleton on the top of her house. Feels like every day here is Halloween because of all the skeletons.¡± ¡°And not because of there being a bunch of monster-themed people walking around wearing all sorts of costumes and armor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just normal. The skeleton thing clashes with that, plus skeletons are creepy by default.¡± ¡°You know, you¡¯ve got a skeleton inside of you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. I already have nightmares about my skeleton coming out of my skin and leaving me all floppy and unable to move.¡± ¡°It sounds like you have it rough.¡± ¡°I know, right? Thanks for being understanding. Man, I just really don¡¯t like skeletons.¡± Corwin, Nell, and Tabitha can only stand around and watch in confusion and awe as Fenrir somehow manages to have a serious conversation with this terrifying-looking alligator man about the creepiness of skeletons without bursting out laughing. ¡°So, I¡¯ve never met the Chieftess before. Any advice you can give me on how to behave around her or how to talk to her?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Well, she thinks skeletons are really cool, and she likes flexing a lot, so if you can flex with her then she¡¯ll like you.¡± Fenrir looks at himself and then the rest of those he brought with him. Not a single one of them look muscular at all. Fenrir has some muscles ¨C he¡¯s fit, but he¡¯s not bulging with muscles like somebody who loves flexing probably wants. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s Rainbow Afro¡¯s Rainbow Galaxy,¡± the alligator man says. Fenrir and the others turn their heads to see¡­ a boat painted every color of the rainbow that looks like somebody tried applying the concept of tie-dye shirts to its paint job. Everything from the hull of the boat to its sails is dyed a myriad of rainbow colors, and standing at the front of the ship is a man with the most fabulous, massive, rainbow-colored afro that they have ever seen. Book 5: Chapter 6: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances None of those new to Rainbow Afro have any idea of what to expect at the sight of him. His appearance matches his name and reputation without fail. From head to toe, not a single thing on his body isn¡¯t rainbow-colored other than his skin and eyes. Even his nails are painted the color of rainbows! With the Rainbow Galaxy docked, Rainbow Afro himself leaps from his ship¡¯s bow, doing a midair flip, and lands on the wooden walkway where he straightens out his clothes and runs a comb through his afro. While the scaled alligator men may be acting as if nothing that is going on is out the usual, the same cannot be said for Fenrir, Tabitha, Corwin, and Nell. The first three are watching on with wide, empty eyes with no idea how to react to what they are seeing while Nell offers a polite smile. Should they be amazed? Amused? Offended? Shocked? Scared? Confused? Inspired? Afraid? Not a single one of those words could appropriately describe how the group feels at the sight of Rainbow Afro. But, he¡¯s just a man who looks¡­ unique. Surely, he has a regular personality and doesn¡¯t have anything that could be more surprising than his looks. ¡°Howdy, y¡¯all,¡± Rainbow Afro says to the four after catching them staring at them. They become even more confused. Not only is he covered in rainbows, but his accent is one with the most heavy, Southern drawl that they have ever heard before. They had no idea that it was possible for somebody to still sound so stereotypically Southern, but he manages to pull it off while also looking like the true origin of rainbows. Yes. It is not Rainbow Afro who wishes to mimic the colors of rainbows; it is the rainbows who wish to mimic how Rainbow Afro looks. Rainbows even stole their name from Rainbow Afro. Unfortunately for rainbows, they can not also grow an afro, because such a thing would be silly. Why would it be silly? Because the rainbows know that growing an afro as bouncy and full as Rainbow Afro¡¯s would be impossible and anything less than perfection would be an insult. ¡°He-hey,¡± Fenrir forces himself to say after clearing his throat. ¡°I¡¯m Fenrir, leader of the Soaring Wolves.¡± ¡°Glada meetcha, Fenrir. Bring yerself a harem there?¡± Nell steps up and says, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Rainbow Afro! Sadly, I am the only member of his harem present. I am certain that the others would love to meet you someday. Ah, and you may call me Nell.¡± Fenrir tries imagining what it would be like for the others to meet Rainbow Afro. Serra would probably hide behind him and laugh. Cassiel would either be dumbfounded and silently judge Rainbow Afro, or she would be upset at just how immersion-ruining his looks are. As for Azalabulia, Fenrir isn¡¯t entirely sure how she¡¯d react. She would either see Rainbow Afro¡¯s personality and appearance as some sort of roleplay, and love it, or she would react similarly to how Cassiel and Serra might react. Then there is Nell who is already proving her proper upbringing. She may not legally be a princess, but she¡¯s able to treat everybody with respect without showing any cracks in her smiling expression. ¡°How¡¯s about we head up to tha meetin¡¯ togetha?¡± Rainbow Afro asks the group. ¡°Sure, that sounds good to me,¡± Fenrir replies. Meanwhile, Corwin has managed to regain his composure and is joining Nell is politely smiling, but Tabitha¡­ Tabitha just has no idea yet how she¡¯s supposed to be acting right now. Part of her wants to swing her hammer at the man for how utterly ridiculous he looks. The other part of her wants to offer her respect for looking exactly how he wants to look obviously without caring about what anybody else thinks. She is torn between disrespecting and respecting him. For now, she settles for just following along as the others approach the meeting area. How she is supposed to feel regarding Rainbow Afro is something that she may not ever find out. ¡°By tha way, ¡®at¡¯s a pretty nice ¡®ammer ya¡¯ve got there,¡± Rainbow Afro tells Tabitha, looking over his shoulder. ¡°And that was one nice ship ya had back there!¡± Tabitha happily responds with a wide grin on her face. She has decided to like Rainbow Afro. With that being settled, the group walks into the large building near the back of town as a group of friends ¨C or, at the very least, as a group of people who like each other so far. King Cat is already sitting at the round meeting table and offers a friendly wave to Fenrir and Rainbow Afro upon seeing them, and Rainbow Afro doesn¡¯t hesitate to wave back and head over to the table. However, not even Nell can keep a straight face for what ¨C who she sees sitting at the table. Tabitha, on the other hand, can¡¯t help but to awkwardly smile and even blush a tiny bit. Sitting at the other end of the table in a skull-adorned throne larger than all the other chairs is a massive woman with bulging muscles and a skull on top of her head. One might think that the horns sticking out from the sides of her head are actually coming from the skull, but they¡¯re coming from her. They are horns that would put any bull to shame, and a single fang-like tusk sticks out from the top of the left side of her mouth that her lip seems to be caught on. It isn¡¯t just her veiny and defined biceps and forearms, nor her ripped abdomen, that give her the mighty appearance that she has. Everything about her is big. Her biceps alone might be thicker than Fenrir¡¯s head, and her thighs may be able to easily squash a steel watermelon between them, but she¡¯s also easily the tallest one in the room. She¡¯s sitting down and Fenrir feels short just looking at her. The primitive, leather garb that she¡¯s wearing does little to hide the more feminine parts of her body and her red skin. Fenrir gulps, not even out of excitement, when he sees that she has those two things on her chest larger than her own head, and she has a pretty big head. He also doesn¡¯t know if she¡¯s trying to look more like a traditional oni or a minotaur. Maybe a combination? Either way, just being in the same room as her is enough for him to feel like a little boy instead of a man. ¡°Hah, they¡¯re all staring! Everybody does that the first time,¡± King Cat calls out. ¡°Don¡¯t think there¡¯s anybody alive who can not stare at you for the first time,¡± he teases the powerful woman. The stern expression on her face shows little emotion until she finally relaxes and offers them a gentle smile. ¡°Welcome to Spike Port, my guests,¡± she says, her soft tone completely betraying her rigid ¨C her brutal appearance. ¡°My name is Marija, and I am the chieftess of this town. Please, feel free to take a seat.¡± Tabitha is the first one to grab a seat. Book 5: Chapter 7: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances ¡°Now that we¡¯re all seated, how about we go around the table and introduce ourselves?¡± Marija proposes. Nobody disagrees, so she starts. ¡°As I have already said, my name is Marija, and I am the chieftess of Spike Port. I know how the town, and us inhabitants of us, may look to new outsiders, but I assure you that we will treat you with nothing less than respect as long as you give us the same treatment. Should you decide to treat us in any other way, you will learn where those skeletons hanging around the town came from.¡± ¡°What she means to say is that she¡¯ll turn you all into some skellies,¡± King Cat cuts in and earns a sigh from the chieftess. ¡°Anyways, you all already know me. King Cat of Catsville.¡± Fenrir and his companions now remember why they never knew what the name of King Cat¡¯s town is. It wasn¡¯t that they never learned the name. They just chose not to remember it. King Cat¡¯s name is immersion-breaking enough on its own. Now they are all reminded that not only is he King Cat, but he is King Cat, the king of Catsville. ¡°That about sums me up,¡± King Cat says without actually summing anything up other than his name and the name of his town. ¡°Now, this boy here is Leroy. You know, after the Leeroy of gaming legend.¡± The boy that King Cat is pointing to is the very same engineering boy who traded the fireworks to Fenrir and Rao. Only, while the boy was spunky before, now he seems unable to take his eyes off of Tabitha despite the fact that she just looks like a girl version of himself. Fenrir immediately recognizes the look in Leeroy¡¯s eyes. Cupid paid Leeroy a visit and stuck an arrow through him with Tabitha¡¯s name on it. Unfortunately for Leeroy, Tabitha is too busy looking at the bulging biceps of Marija to even notice that he exists. Everybody else in the room notices where Leeroy is busy staring, too, and they decide to move on once they realize that they¡¯re not going to be getting a proper introduction out of him. ¡°I suppose that I am next!¡± Nell announces, standing up from her chair to offer a polite curtsy to the eyes upon her. ¡°My name is Nell, and¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me,¡± Marija interrupts, ¡°but are you the one blessed by the Western Serpent?¡± ¡°A-ah, yes, that would be me.¡± Fenrir can¡¯t help but to immediately feel defensive upon hearing somebody¡¯s interest in that part of Nell. After everything with Ull ¨C after learning that almost any powerful player in Fantasy Tales Online would love to capture Nell for their own uses, how could he not get protective over her? ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± Marija continues. ¡°I have heard of you and of what extents some have gone to capture you, but do not worry about that for as long as you are an ally of ours. I will personally ensure that no brute will ever harm even a single hair on your head.¡± ¡°Wait, what? What was with that super cool, main-character-tier pick-up line?¡± Fenrir thinks to himself, and he also wants to know what that smile from Marija to Nell is supposed to mean. ¡°Is ¨C is my girlfriend being flirted with by this muscular woman?¡± What really worries him is the fact that, knowing Nell, she would probably eat this situation up as some sort of erotic fantasy that involves Marija trying to steal her from Fenrir. The last thing he needs is for Nell to potentially put any ideas into the leader¡¯s head. ¡°I am glad to receive your word of protection, but I am sure that my hero,¡± Nell says, grabbing onto Fenrir and pulling him up out of his chair so that she can hug his nearest arm against her chest, ¡°will protect me so that you may focus your strength on those who need it.¡± ¡°My girlfriends are way too good for me,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself and feels stupid for ever worrying about anything. ¡°After all, he is the one who was able to save me from Ull, and he is the one I have chosen as my champion! If he cannot protect me, I do not believe that anybody else would be able to,¡± she continues. Marija sighs and smiles. ¡°Nice catch,¡± she tells Fenrir. ¡°I do like fishing,¡± Fenrir answers. He immediately regrets his choice of answer. ¡°Nice catch,¡± made him immediately think of fishing, and Nell seems to have enjoyed his response seeing as how she¡¯s giggling next to him with one hand over her mouth, but everybody else just looks confused or like they¡¯re trying not to laugh at him. ¡°An-anyways, my name is Fenrir, and I¡¯m the leader of The Soaring Wolves aboard The Shoebill. I might call myself the leader, but we all have roles of equal importance and wouldn¡¯t be able to operate without everybody working together,¡± he says, trying to switch into his professional personality that has gotten little use in recent years. ¡°I am thankful for having the opportunity to meet with everybody today.¡± With his introduction over, Nell sits back down and tugs him down with her so that introductions can go on to the next member of their party. Tabitha. ¡°I uh ¨C the name is Tabitha! Tabitha Strism. I build stuff and uhh, like¡­ engineerin¡¯ and tinkerin¡¯ and¡­ I can help ya out with any problems ya might ever have if they need an engineer!¡± Fenrir, Nell, and Corwin have never, ever, seen Tabitha look and sound so flustered. She¡¯s even struggling to maintain eye contact with Marija¡¯s muscles and doesn¡¯t seem to even care that Marija was just trying to flirt with Nell. Tabitha sits down as quickly as she stood up. ¡°Is it just me or are there like five different ships trying to set sail right now?¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°The shipping possibilities are endless, onii-wan,¡± Saya answers. ¡°Seriously, and what¡¯s with this love triangle? Or is it a love square? Leeroy likes Tabs, Tabs like Marija, Marija likes Nell, and Nell likes me. I don¡¯t even know what shape this is anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m shipping Tabs with Marija myself. I think Tabs would look super cute getting flustered and pushed up against the wall by Marija.¡± ¡°Do you remember what happened when I tried that with you? Tabs is like, a third as tall as Marija.¡± ¡°Then Marija just has to use her legs to block Tabitha¡¯s escape instead of her arms¡­ but that might look weird.¡± ¡°And you call me the pervert.¡± Book 5: Chapter 8: Patch 1.0: Forming Alliances ¡°My name is Corwin Hale. It is a pleasure to meet all of you,¡± Corwin says, trying to be just as polite as Nell was by bowing and everything. He even manages to come off just as feminine as her despite clearly being a man. Fenrir fears for Corwin when he catches Marija licking her lips while looking at him. It is clear that her strike zone includes men and women alike as long as they are polite, feminine, and either look like princesses or princes who want to be treated like princesses. Next is Rainbow Afro. Though, as soon as he opens his lips to introduce himself, Marija is quick to speak up and say, ¡°That should do it for introductions.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± King Cat says. ¡°You really hate his accent, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t cute at all.¡± ¡°You know, for somebody who loves to hang skeletons all over the place, you sure do love cute things. Kinda contradictory, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°How is that contradictory? Skeletons are cute. You should see the charm I have on my phone.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t get started on this in front of everybody. You¡¯re supposed to be some sort of tough chieftess lady, not a goth squealing over skeletons.¡± ¡°You just reminded me. I got tickets for a concert but won¡¯t be able to make it. Want them?¡± ¡°Are they some goth metal band like the last one with tons of screaming?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll drop by and take them off you for my sis. I¡ª¡± ¡°Maybe some otha time?¡± Rainbow Afro interrupts. King Cat and Marija clear their throats before leaning back in their seats to try and get back on topic. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she says. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m guessing you two are friends in real life?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Coworkers.¡± ¡°And friends,¡± King Cat says. ¡°But mainly coworkers.¡± ¡°You never want to just admit it, you stubborn woman.¡± ¡°You always want to be too personal, you insubordinate cat-lover.¡± Rainbow Afro forces out a cough, ending the friends¡¯ back-and-forth once more. King Cat is the one to apologize this time. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point before we get distracted again,¡± Marija proposes. ¡°You believe that an army is going to attack?¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet that it will, but right now, all I can say for a fact is that an army exists,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°And you agree with him?¡± she asks King Cat. ¡°That I do,¡± he answers. ¡°Call it a gut feeling. Or something else. Either way, I can just tell that something big is going to happen. Call it a cat¡¯s instincts.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you get some cat ears and a tail like the dog over there if you¡¯re so obsessed with cats?¡± ¡°Because. Those look better on girls than guys.¡± ¡°You could always become a girl.¡± ¡°Not after what you put me through the last time.¡± Fenrir and Nell don¡¯t know what to do other than to sit there and blink at the conversation that they are hearing. Corwin is keeping to himself and tuning out any conversations that are clearly not meant for him to hear, and Tabitha is still looking at Marija¡¯s muscles as if they are the most beautiful wonders that she has ever seen. ¡°The Shoebill is going to get jealous if you stare too hard,¡± Fenrir whispers to Tabitha. Tabitha elbows him in his side before returning her attention to Marija. ¡°C¡¯mon, y¡¯all. I was busy practicin¡¯ my new skills before this. Bicker like a pair o¡¯ lovers after the rest of us¡¯re gone,¡± Rainbow Afro says. Despite being the most immersion-breaking man in the room, he¡¯s the one who seems to be taking the meeting the most seriously even as he combs a rainbow-colored brush through his afro. ¡°They are quite the characters, my hero,¡± Nell whispers. ¡°Yeah, but they seem to get along pretty good. I like them,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°I should also mention that I will be expecting quite the pampering later.¡± ¡°Thanks, and you¡¯ll get pampered as much as you want.¡± ¡°I am tempted to mimic Serra and ask if there is something else I can get as much as I want, but alas, I would feel guilty stealing her job from her.¡± ¡°You know, just saying you want to say that is basically the same as saying it.¡± ¡°Saying what, my hero? I have only said that I wish to be pampered.¡± ¡°Sure you did. Anyways, if you want that later then I can give you as much of¡ª¡± King Cat is the one to cough this time. This is when Fenrir and Nell realize that they went from whispering to talking at a normal volume. They each blush and try to brush it off with some light chuckling, but even Tabitha is staring at them with an unimpressed expression now. ¡°An-anyways,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I think we have two options. We can either wait until the army attacks us on its own, or we can lure it to attack us where we¡¯re prepared for it.¡± ¡°Is seeking the army out and destroying it at its location not an option?¡± Marija asks. ¡°It is if we have any good ways of destroying an army at the bottom of the ocean. Tabs here could probably make some depth charges if she really wanted to, but I have a feeling those wouldn¡¯t be good enough. Though¡­ they might be able to help thin out the numbers. Tabs, could you do that?¡± ¡°Already workin¡¯ on plans for some. The deer suggested that,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°Leave it to Olly.¡± ¡°Is it safe to assume that you want to lure the army to a specified location then?¡± Marija asks. ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯d be the best option to deal with it without putting any of the towns at risk.¡± ¡°Spike Port is the most defensible town in this region. You won¡¯t get any safer unless you go into the mountains, and I doubt that an underwater army is willing to assault prepared defenders in a mountain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most defensible town, and we have no plans of luring the army into the mountains.¡± ¡°Then where do you wish to fight them?¡± ¡°At a fortress built specifically to kick the ass of any underwater monster who tries to attack it, far enough away from all the other towns that they should be completely safe.¡± ¡°And who is going to build this specialized fortress?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for.¡± Book 5: Chapter 9: Patch 2.0: ¡°About time you¡¯re back,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°They want some more time to think about it,¡± Fenrir answers, stepping off of The Shoebill and then helping Nell, Corwin, and Tabitha over onto the dock. ¡°Did they at least seem like they¡¯re going to accept or not?¡± ¡°Well, King Cat is all for it. Rainbow Afro ¨C I¡¯m not sure if he actually feels threatened or not by it since he¡¯s farther north than all of us are, but Marija¡ªthe leader of Spike Port¡ªseemed to be leaning more toward helping us than not.¡± ¡°What was Rainbow Afro like?¡± ¡°Exactly as he sounds.¡± ¡°He had a rainbow afro? Seriously?¡± ¡°Cass, he had a rainbow everything. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if his cum is rainbow colored.¡± ¡°Gross. I don¡¯t want to think about that.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that if my cum was rainbow colored, it would be gross?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gross no matter what color it is.¡± ¡°The grotesqueness is part of the appeal!¡± Nell chimes in. ¡°Being forced to swallow something so foul and bitter¡ª¡± ¡°H-hey, I don¡¯t force any of you to swallow anything,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Shame.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky Fen isn¡¯t like one of my shithead exes. You¡¯d get tired of him trying to force things on you real quick,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I know, I know. Just let me fantasize. If you are allowed to fantasize about him becoming wolflike and pinning you against the ground, then I am allowed to fantasize about him forcing me to swallow his¡ª¡± ¡°H-hey! At least I keep my fantasies in my head!¡± ¡°That is because your fantasies are much more realistic than mine, so you are allowed to actually act them out! How do you think I must feel that my fantasies are strictly for my thoughts?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not like we do mine that often¡­¡± ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Can ya at least wait until I¡¯m out of earshot before talkin¡¯ about your weird things?¡± ¡°Says the girl who was fawning over muscles the entire time,¡± Fenrir mumbles under his breath. ¡°Oi! I heard that, you dog!¡± ¡°You might have heard it, but you¡¯re not denying it.¡± ¡°I ¨C I ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to deny somethin¡¯ that¡¯s true. I¡¯m no liar!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Our little Tabitha has a crush,¡± Fenrir answers, causing Tabitha¡¯s short twintails to fly up before she turns away with blushing cheeks. ¡°Seriously? Tabs?¡± ¡°Li-listen!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°I was only lookin¡¯! A girl is allowed to look every now and then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying that there is anything wrong with it. I¡¯m just surprised. I didn¡¯t really think you were into things like that, especially muscles.¡± ¡°Oi, what¡¯s wrong with muscles?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t ¨C didn¡¯t you say you were¡­ you know?¡± ¡°Into girls?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah, so?¡± ¡°So¡­ girls with muscles?¡± ¡°Yeah. Somethin¡¯ weird about that?¡± Cassiel looks Tabitha over. For somebody who is into girls with muscles, Tabitha looks like the exact opposite of what her type is. Short enough to pass as a child, cute and short twintails, no muscle anywhere on her despite how much she loves doing physical labor and swinging a giant hammer around, and just overall tiny in every single way. Yet, she likes huge, buff women. ¡°H-how would it even work?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I ¨C listen, all I was doin¡¯ was lookin¡¯. It ain¡¯t like I want anythin¡¯ to happen,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Yeah, besides, seems like Tab¡¯s crush has an eye for Nell,¡± Fenrir says, causing Tabitha¡¯s twintails to hang like a couple of deflated balloons. ¡°A-ah¡­ sorry, Tabs.¡± ¡°Goodness, my hero, you must learn to be more tactful!¡± Nell says before turning her attention to Tabitha. ¡°It is most alright, Tabitha. I have my hero, so I will be rooting for you! I can even help you if you would like me to.¡± ¡°I ¨C I said I¡¯m not wantin¡¯ anythin¡¯ to happen. I was seriously just enjoyin¡¯ lookin¡¯ at her. She ¨C she didn¡¯t seem interested in me at all either, so it ain¡¯t a big deal,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not push her too much,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°If she wants help then she¡¯ll ask us for it.¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry, Tabs,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Though, I do kinda feel bad for that engineering boy.¡± ¡°Engineerin¡¯ boy?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°Did you even notice that he exists?¡± ¡°Li-listen, I was distracted.¡± ¡°You are so cute when you are flustered, Tabitha! I would love to see this flustered, feminine side of you more often,¡± Nell says. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Fiinnee,¡± Nell says and pouts. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s late and we did everything we needed to do for the day, so how about we go relax offline?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sure. Serra is already off to play with the ferrets,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Alright. Tabs, Corwin, see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°About time ya leave me alone,¡± Tabitha huffs. ¡°It was a pleasure working with you today, Fenrir,¡± Corwin says. With that, Fenrir walks with his girlfriends over to the temporary house that has been set up with some makeshift beds inside of it. There are enough beds for each and every one of them to have their own, but sleeping in their own beds rarely ever happens. Instead, all of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends try squeezing into whatever bed he goes onto. Azalabulia and Serra are already woken from virtual reality. Fenrir can tell that Azalabulia is the one who woke from virtual reality first seeing as how Serra is curled up to Azalabulia¡¯s side with her legs and arms wrapped around her, and her head resting on top of Azalabulia¡¯s chest. Fenrir and Cassiel both feel jealous over Serra being so bold as to go and use Azalabulia¡¯s soft body as a body pillow like that. They want to do it, too. They look at each other. There is still one side of Azalabulia left open, and they have to get onto the bed together anyways. If they don¡¯t all share the same bed then they know that Azalabulia will be jealous and Serra will get all huffy. ¡°Oh! My hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah?¡± Fenrir asks, looking over at Nell only to see her giggling with a hand over her mouth. His ears twitch and he tilts his head since she doesn¡¯t say anything else. He understands why once he looks back toward the bed. Cassiel has gotten onto the bed on Azalabulia¡¯s free side. She might not be cuddling up to Azalabulia yet, but she has successfully reserved the space. ¡°Us girlfriends must work together!¡± Nell announces. Fenrir knows that he shouldn¡¯t even be that jealous seeing as how he¡¯s just going to wake from virtual reality and not get to enjoy cuddling up to Azalabulia in the first place, but he still wants to. ¡°I¡¯ll admit defeat this time,¡± he says. ¡°Besides, I got a better idea.¡± Nell and Cassiel both watch him with interest as he walks over to the bed, skips the open spot behind Serra, and instead goes to the tiny spot that is nowhere near big enough for Fenrir to properly fit behind Cassiel. ¡°He-hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°This,¡± he answers, climbing onto the bed right behind her. He ends up pushing her even more onto Azalabulia, sandwiching her between them, and wraps his limbs around her much like how Serra is wrapped around Azalabulia¡¯s other side. ¡°He-hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing? There¡¯s not enough space,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Fenrir is quick to say. Cassiel turns her head around to glare at him, but his eyes are already shut and he¡¯s out of the game. ¡°Seriously,¡± Cassiel huffs, placing a kiss on his chin before turning back around to face Azalabulia as Nell climbs onto the other side of the bed. There may be some debate between whether or not the ¡°harem¡± is Serra¡¯s or Fenrir¡¯s, but right now, it looks as if Azalabulia is the queen of the harem as she has a boyfriend and girlfriend on one side, and two girlfriends on the other side. One can only guess how flustered she might be the next time that she immerses into Fantasy Tales Online to find herself surrounded by her lovers as if they are members of her harem. Though, it would not be the first time, and it will surely not be the last time. ¡°Onii-wan,¡± Saya says, intercepting Fenrir before he is fully able to leave the game. ¡°Hey, Pupaya. What¡¯s up?¡± he asks. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s Saya! Not Pupaya!¡± ¡°Alright, Sayaya.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mispronounce my name!¡± ¡°Sorry, I stuttered.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t lie to me!¡± ¡°I stutt¡ª¡± ¡°Onii-wan, I may get this reference and am willing to play along, but don¡¯t you think you should get more original jokes instead of making references to anime all the time?¡± ¡°That hurts me. You didn¡¯t even let me finish the reference.¡± ¡°I lied about being willing to play along.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s the one who¡¯s lying?¡± ¡°I am. I just said that I am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cruel, Pupaya.¡± Saya sighs and says, ¡°Because you deserve it.¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯m only in a masochistic mood some of the time. Not all of the time. You have to let me bully you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bullying me if I let you do it!¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to sound like Nell wanting me to force things onto you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s n-not like I want you to bully me or anything, ba-baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making it too easy now.¡± ¡°Are you going to bully me or not?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bullying if you let me do it.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to sound like Nell!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± ¡°M¡ª¡± Saya¡¯s eyes widen as she freezes, looking up at Fenrir. Such a simple question out of nowhere was able to get her virtual ears and tail wagging as if she¡¯s some sort of degenerate into being asked if she¡¯s a good girl! The fact that she wasn¡¯t expecting it at all meant her guard was down and that she almost admitted to it, too. ¡°Y-you¡¯re the worst, onii-wan¡­ and why is your tail wagging?!¡± ¡°Listen. I¡¯m still Fenrir right now which means I¡¯m still part wolf, and that means that those words are going to have an effect on me even if they¡¯re said by myself to somebody else.¡± ¡°Is this like when you tried rubbing your own belly?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me try to rub your belly.¡± Saya¡¯s ears and tail shoot straight up as her face turns a bright shade of red. Even the bases of her ears are going red at this point. ¡°D-d-don¡¯t you dare even think about that, you perverted baka onii-wan!¡± Fenrir thinks about it. ¡°I can read your thoughts! Stop thinking about it! It¡¯s not allowed and I¡¯m going to ban you from the game if you don¡¯t stop!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to ban me. You have no power here!¡± ¡°What did I say about the references?¡± ¡°Please, Pupaya.¡± Saya turns around with her arms crossed over her chest so that she can ignore Fenrir¡­ but she plays right into his trap. Fenrir leaps forward, wraps his arms around her, and rubs her belly! ¡°Wh-wha?! H-hey! Sto-sto-op that! Y-you¡¯re making me feel weird!¡± Saya whines out, but it doesn¡¯t take long for those whines to turn into moans as her tail rapidly wags behind her. ¡°How are you feeling weird, Saya? Don¡¯t you want me to bully you?¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re horrible! The worst!¡± ¡°Embrace it, Pupaya. Embrace the fact that you are a part of me which means that, if I were a girl, I would want to be treated like a dog.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not something anybody should ever admit!¡± ¡°Says the one who¡¯s starting to shake her leg.¡± ¡°A-am not!¡± Saya whines out while shaking her right leg. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Fenrir pauses the shaking, ¡°is there a reason why you brought me here instead of just letting me wake?¡± ¡°I ¨C t-totally not!¡± ¡°Did you miss me or something?¡± Saya¡¯s ears perk up. ¡°You totally missed me, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pet your head if you admit it.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°You know you want to.¡± Saya fidgets within his grasp, his hands still resting on her stomach as her tail wags against him and her ears twitch in silent need. ¡°O-only if you stop rubbing my belly, you weirdo onii-wan.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± he answers and pulls his hands away. ¡°Fine! I ¨C it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve last met here.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve missed me?¡± ¡°Do I have to say it?¡± ¡°Of course you do, Pupaya.¡± Saya pouts and sighs before finally admitting it. ¡°Fine. I ¨C I missed you.¡± ¡°Good girl,¡± he tells her, getting a mixed reaction from her as she glares at him but her tail happily wags. Her glare does, however, soften as soon as he starts petting the space on top of her head between her canid ears. ¡°See? That wasn¡¯t so bad. All you had to do was admit it.¡± ¡°Baka.¡± ¡°Weeb.¡± ¡°Only because you¡¯re a weeb! You bigger weeb! You biggest weeb! Perverted, weird, animal-ear-loving weeb!¡± ¡°That sounds about right.¡± ¡°At least deny it!¡± ¡°Why deny the truth? Besides, you¡¯re in my head, so you know that I¡¯d be lying even if I did try to deny it.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°I wonder how many other players are as close to their virtual assistants as we are.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not like we¡¯re close or anything!¡± ¡°Always so tsundere.¡± ¡°Always so weird! A-and¡­ only around two percent of players talk to their virtual assistants as much as you do¡­¡± ¡°Dang, so we¡¯re only in the top two percent? We¡¯ve got to try and figure out a way to get into the top percent then.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯d be way too much contact! I¡¯d never want to be around you that much!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really going full tsun right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop teasing you for now. Have you had enough of my attention for the moment?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess so. It¡¯s not like I needed it or anything in the first place.¡± ¡°Says the girl who already admitted to missing me and intercepting me while trying to wake in order for me to give you attention.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to impale you even harder than Cass Cass did!¡± ¡°Ooh. It¡¯s my first time hearing you say her name like that. Try saying the others.¡± ¡°Wh-why?¡± ¡°Just because.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Serra Berra, Nell Nell, Azawaza.¡± ¡°Yep, yep,¡± Fenrir says, nodding his head. ¡°They all sound adorable coming from you. Your voice is just great.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird¡­¡± ¡°Alright, one last thing. You should be able to know the sound I¡¯m thinking of, but you know that one anime tsunderes make whenever they¡¯re surprised or confused by something? Where it¡¯s really dramatic? Try making that sound.¡± ¡°Haahhh? Why would I want to make such a stupid sound for you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who does it better. You or Cass Cass. Then again, she hasn¡¯t made that sound for me in forever. I¡¯ll have to annoy her to do it.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Go away already.¡± ¡°Finish waking me whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°Any time now.¡± ¡°I will! I¡¯ll send you back!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really taking a while this time, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Want another headpat first?¡± Saya blushes and looks away. Her tail starts wagging again the moment that she feels Fenrir¡¯s hand on top of her head. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some more next time. Promise.¡± ¡°Do you mean it?¡± ¡°You know I do.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± And with that, Fenrir finds himself as Ryouta once more staring up at the ceiling while lying in bed. ¡°That took you a while,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°We were starting to think you ended up playing more.¡± ¡°Nah. But, can you come here real quick?¡± Ryouta asks. Cassandra walks over to the bed and looks her boyfriend over with a curious expression. ¡°What?¡± Ryouta quickly jabs his fingers into her side, causing her to jump up and let out one of her signature squeaks. Cassandra immediately goes on the counterattack by lightly smacking her hands against his arm as she pouts. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve gotten that noise out of you, Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°You¡¯re the worst!¡± Cassandra whines. ¡°Huh. You¡¯re kind of like Saya¡¯s big sister in a way. Bigger in a lot of ways.¡± ¡°Haaah? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best. That¡¯s what it means.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you,¡± she says and crosses her arms over her chest. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Hmph. Come on, the others decided to watch a movie.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± Cassandra looks away and answers, ¡°H-horror.¡± ¡°Let me guess. Serra picked it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And Alice probably saw some sort of grotesque monster or something on the cover and decided to watch it because of that?¡± Cassandra sighs and nods. ¡°Are you going to cling to my arm with your boobs until it falls asleep again?¡± ¡°No-not if you tease me about it.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ll get to enjoy that fanservice as long as I don¡¯t tease you about it?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah. I¡¯m going to need to hold onto you to make it through it. S-so, it¡¯s either you or Alice!¡± ¡°Why not Serra?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯ll just grope me the whole time if I do that.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t getting groped distract you from how scary the movie is?¡± ¡°Yeah, and then how am I going to pay any attention to it?¡± ¡°So, you want to be scared?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know. But I might as well pay attention if I¡¯m watching it! There¡¯s no point in watching a movie with all of you if I¡¯m not paying any attention to it¡­¡± ¡°You actually just like to be scared, don¡¯t you? I guess that makes sense seeing as how you¡¯re totally a maso¡ª¡± ¡°Finish what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°I ¨C I would have if you didn¡¯t say that, but I think it might be better if I don¡¯t now.¡± ¡°Hmph. You better not.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Especially because it¡¯s true!¡± ¡°You¡¯re great, Cass Cass. Anyways, have we got any snacks or drinks for the movie?¡± ¡°Alice ordered some.¡± ¡°She ordered some? Why order some when we can just go down to the store and get some?¡± ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t see any point in doing anything herself thanks to having disposable income.¡± ¡°Well, she wanted to go to the store that one time with us.¡± ¡°She said she already got that experience out of her system.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯d she order?¡± ¡°Pizza, Chinese, and some alcohol.¡± ¡°How ¨C where did she manage to order all of those from? Is there even a single place anywhere that sells all of those?¡± ¡°She ordered from three different places.¡± ¡°Ho-how much did it cost?¡± ¡°She told us not to worry about it.¡± ¡°That girl¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I wonder if ferrets are allowed to eat crusts.¡± ¡°Crusts?¡± ¡°Yeah, you know. From the pizza. It wouldn¡¯t be fair if we ordered pizza and they didn¡¯t get any of it.¡± ¡°They¡¯re ferrets, Ryouta. They don¡¯t need human food.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t you want human food if you were a ferret?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a ferret so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°H-hey, why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m imagining what a ferret monster girl would look like. I think you¡¯d have to be taller and lankier for it to work, but the ears and tail would look great on you.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean by lankier? Are you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to avoid this trope right now and say that I don¡¯t think you¡¯re fat, I didn¡¯t mean to imply that you¡¯re fat, and that I love your body exactly as it is.¡± ¡°Hm-hmph.¡± ¡°All I meant was that ferrets are really long and skinny, so you¡¯d have to be really tall and really skinny. Like, underweight skinny.¡± ¡°D-do you like girls who are that skinny?¡± ¡°I like girls like you, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Smart answer¡­ dumbie.¡± ¡°So much fanservice in one conversation. How is my heart going to handle all of this?¡± ¡°Just get up. We have a movie to watch.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m coming.¡± Ryouta pauses for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®that¡¯s what she said¡¯ yourself.¡± ¡°But Serra wasn¡¯t here for it.¡± Cassandra sighs and walks out of the room. Ryouta is the next one to sigh before he stretches and gets up off of his bed. He still hasn¡¯t heard back from Aiko when he checks his phone, but he does know that she¡¯s been in touch with Serra. He also knows that her condition is improving, but that¡¯s all he knows about her. She has even been guarded about sharing information with Serra. All he can hope for is that Aiko is telling the truth about her improvement and not lying to them. But, instead of worrying about that since he knows that there isn¡¯t anything more he can do without behaving like a borderline stalker like she was to him, he has a movie to watch with his girlfriends. The doorbell rings just as he reaches the bottom of the steps. ¡°Either that was really fast or I spent more time with Saya than I thought,¡± Ryouta says, walking up to the door. When he opens it¡­ the unbelievableness that is Alice grows even more unbelievable. Three different delivery drivers have arrived all at once and are standing in front of the door looking confused for various reasons. One of these reasons is why are there three of them? Another of the reasons is why do they each have so much food? The last reason is who would order this much food from three different places? The pizza deliverer has not one, not two, but three boxes of pizza in his arms with a couple of bottles of pop and two smaller boxes of breadsticks on top. The Chinese deliverer has two large bags full to the brim with food, and the scent from it easily overwhelms the rest of the delivered food. Finally, there is the man who is delivering alcohol, and Ryouta did not even know that an alcohol delivery service existed or was legal in the first place. Cassandra is close enough to see the three men outside of the door, and her eyes go wide at the realization of just how much food there is. ¡°You ¨C you ordered this much?¡± she asks Alice whom is sitting contently on the couch. ¡°Of course! There are four of us, so this should be enough to last us a day!¡± Alice answers. ¡°A day? There¡¯s three weeks of food there!¡± ¡°Worry not, Cassandra. I am sure that we will go through all of the food without any waste!¡± ¡°It¡¯s either going to be wasted or we¡¯re going to die from living off of pizza, Chinese, and alcohol for three weeks.¡± ¡°You are so very dramatic.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯ve broken you.¡± ¡°As much as I wish I was broken, what makes you think that?¡± ¡°You went from being all about healthy eating and home cooking and all of that to¡­ this.¡± ¡°This is far more convenient, is it not? Besides, we can only be expected to cook ourselves so often without maids to assist us!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to start cooking more or else we¡¯re all going to become giant balls rolling around the house.¡± ¡°I am already used to rolling to get around, so that does not sound too bad to me!¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Ryouta says. The girls look over at Ryouta. He¡¯s sweating and panting, but all of the ordered items have been brought inside and left on the kitchen counter. ¡°For the help,¡± he continues. ¡°S-sorry,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°You are a wonderful sight when you are sweating, my hero,¡± Alice says. ¡°I get that you two were busy talking and giving those guys a conversation to listen in on, but where¡¯s Serra? What¡¯s her excuse for not helping me?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Ah, that is a surprise! She is trying something out.¡± ¡°Trying something out?¡± ¡°You will ¨C ah, here she is!¡± Ryouta and Cassandra turn around to see Serra standing in one of the doorways. Normally, Serra would be wearing shorts, jeans, and a t-shirt with some sort of graphic design on it to make her look more punk than she is. However¡­ what she is now wearing is the exact opposite of punk. What she is wearing is¡­ a penguin kigurumi that looks a few sizes too large for her. The hood of a head has to be lifted up every few seconds to prevent it from sliding down and completely covering her face, her feet aren¡¯t visible at all underneath the baggy legs pooling around them on the floor, and they can only tell where her arms are because they see her hands poking up against the fabric of the sleeves from within them. The sleeves are far too long for her arms. Not only that, but despite it being fully zipped up from the front, her chest is almost exposed from how low it¡¯s hanging on her. It looks like it was made for somebody like Azalabulia, the tallest and most clothes-filling out of all the girlfriends, rather than Serra! But that doesn¡¯t stop Serra from wearing a smug smile on her face. ¡°Hwuak,¡± Serra says, sounding like a duck. This is when they realize that, unless she had seen a penguin at some point in-game, she has no idea what they actually sound like. None of them have the heart to tell her that she sounded nothing like a penguin because of how cute she sounded. Instead, they all give her one of her own signature thumbs-ups before taking whatever food and drinks they want for the movie. Serra takes the most pizza, Ryouta takes a good balance between pizza and Chinese, and Alice and Cassandra take mainly Chinese. As for drinks, Ryouta takes the most while the rest¡ªexcept for Cassandra¡ªget enough to last them the movie. It doesn¡¯t take long for everybody to settle into their positions once the movie begins. Serra, sitting between Ryouta and Alice, doesn¡¯t do much aside from eating and drinking while watching the subtitled film on their large screen. Alice is quick to fantasize about all manners of lewd and horrifying scenarios involving herself and Ryouta as various types of monsters, and it takes more effort than any of them know for her to not interrupt the movie to talk about her fantasies. Ryouta drinks just enough so that he won¡¯t be scared at all and instead ends up giggling whenever any jump scares happen. As for Cassandra ¨C well, she quickly loses her appetite and the ability to drink the pop that she poured for herself as soon as the movie gets suspenseful. Which really only took it about five minutes. From that point until the end of the movie, she doesn¡¯t manage to eat nor drink anything else since her hands are too busy either resisting covering her eyes or clinging around Ryouta¡¯s arm. The fanservice ends up being even better than Ryouta was hoping for. Feeling Cassandra¡¯s breasts pressing up against his arm is a great feeling, and sometimes Cassandra is even cute and scared enough to bury her face against his shoulder so that she can¡¯t see what¡¯s happening. Doing this gives her the best of both worlds: hiding her eyes while getting to stay clinging to Ryouta. Not much changes throughout the course of the movie other than when Serra decides to, rather than eat and drink while watching, sprawl out across everybody¡¯s laps. With her legs over Ryouta¡¯s and Cassandra¡¯s, her head rests on top of Alice¡¯s soft lap. Alice takes the opportunity, being unable to resist, to pull back Serra¡¯s hood so that she may gently stroke the side of Serra¡¯s head. Serra ends up falling asleep before the movie is over. Alice is the next one to fall asleep despite how excited her fantasies might be making her. Cassandra is the third one to fall asleep. At this point, Ryouta is barely aware enough of his surroundings to realize that they have all fallen asleep, and he¡¯s too sleepy and drunk to do anything about it, so he falls asleep as well. Together, the four sleep together on the couch as the movie comes to an anticlimactic ending. Needless to say, there is no way that they are going to manage to get through all of the food that Alice ordered. The alcohol, on the other hand, has a much longer shelf life and will probably be the first thing gone despite not needing to be dealt with right away. As for things that need to be dealt with, it will be time to head into the mountains where the supposed dragons are the next time that Ryouta and his girlfriends head in-game. After all, they are looking to get more allies than just the leaders of the other towns. What better way to combat enemies from the depths than with allies from the heights? Book 5: Chapter 10: Patch 3.0: With an unknown amount of time between now and when the enemies from the depths will attack, Fenrir can not afford to waste time and he now finds himself preparing for a trip into the mountains. The mountains that have stood tall and proud since their arrival to this region are the tallest that he has ever seen both in reality and in-game. While their bases are hidden behind the forests surrounding them, the snow-covered peaks reach high above the clouds. They stretch from the southern end of the coast to its northern end, and they are part of a massive range that sprawls from this eastern coast to the western coast of the continent. Though, the mountains at this end of the continent are far taller and more impressive than they are elsewhere. And somewhere within these mountains are the supposed dragons that Fenrir wishes to make an alliance with. For this mission of his, he was only planning on bringing Rao, Azalabulia, and Nell, but Cassiel and Serra decided that they want to tag along. After all, they¡¯ve never met any dragons before, and who wants to pass up that opportunity? Rao and Shogun make a great scouting time, Azalabulia is just powerful and likely an invaluable asset in case any fighting happens against strong opponents, and Nell is on good terms with one of the world¡¯s serpents. Serpents and dragons are basically members of the same family to Fenrir, so he¡¯s decided that bringing her along would be a good idea. With only four of them and Shogun, they wouldn¡¯t need much supplies and getting around would be easier. But now, with Cassiel and Serra wanting to tag along, they have a bit of a problem. Not only is their manpower going to be unevenly split between those working on preparing the defenses while most go into the mountains in search of dragons, but they have to take more food and carry more supplies than they otherwise would have had to. Had this been back in the day, Fenrir would have had no problem telling unnecessary people that they would potentially be detrimental to a mission ¨C especially one as potentially important as this one. But now? Well, it¡¯s just a game and he wants his girlfriends to be happy, so why not? ¡°It¡¯s probably not going to be too pleasant climbing through mountains, and you might get hurt. Just keep that in mind,¡± Fenrir tells Cassiel and Serra. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the others.¡± He knows that she has a good point. Cassiel has never shied away from getting rough and dirty, but¡­ Nell is Nell, Serra is Serra, and Azalabulia is Azalabulia. He can¡¯t easily imagine any of them being the types to handle climbing around in mountains. This is when Nell expands her wings out to lift a few feet up off of the ground. ¡°I think I will be fine as long as I can do this!¡± she says. ¡°I¡­ I completely forgot you even had wings,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That is rather understandable since I never use them! I much prefer walking with my own two feet when I am in-game, after all. I must admit that I do not feel fully comfortable doing this, either. It is¡­ a very odd feeling.¡± ¡°In that case, we only really need to worry about how Serra and Azawaza will do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± Serra says. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Look,¡± she says, pointing down at the ground by his feet. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look closer.¡± Fenrir tilts his head before crouching and looking down at the ground, not seeing anything other than grass. This is when Serra climbs up onto his back, wrapping her legs and arms around him. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine as long as you carry me,¡± she says. ¡°You know this is going to make it even more dangerous if I have to carry you around, right?¡± he asks. ¡°What if I do this while you carry me?¡± She slides her feet down toward his crotch. He quickly grabs them to pull them back up to a safer and less perverse spot. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back later then,¡± Serra says, giving the back of one of his canid ears a quick nibble which causes him to jump. Fenrir stands up with Serra still clinging to his back. She then slides down him since she doesn¡¯t need to be carried quite yet, resulting in her shirt getting caught between their bodies and ending up covering her head as she accidentally flashes the others. ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous,¡± Cassiel says, grabbing onto Serra¡¯s shirt and tugging it down. Serra replies with a thumbs-up as Fenrir turns his attention to Azalabulia. ¡°Have any experience with mountain climbing by any chance?¡± he asks, expecting the worst. She¡¯s older, a teacher in reality, and has spent all her time being a magical caster type in-game. He doubts that somebody like her is going to have much experience with climbing. There is also the fact that she¡¯s just so clumsy and¡ª ¡°Tons!¡± Azalabulia answers. ¡°I was raised in Colorado, and we always went out on the weekends and during summer to go hiking, mountain climbing, camping ¨C I ¨C I can teach all of you how to do it the best way!¡± Fenrir blinks a few times. ¡°Huh. So you¡¯re more of an outdoors kind of girl than I thought you¡¯d be.¡± ¡°I have to admit it¡¯s also part of why I wanted to go to Alaska ¨C to experience the nature there! Unfortunately, I never did find anybody to go snowboarding and skiing with¡­ wait!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We have all these mountains here! We could get Tabitha to make snowboards for us, right?¡± ¡°You get really excited about this sort of stuff, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ sorry. Is ¨C is it weird? It¡¯s probably not feminine at all¡­ I ¨C I was always worried that¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything. It¡¯s nice to see that you get excited about things other than explosions, and I¡¯m sure that Tabitha could make something like snowboards for us.¡± ¡°Are ¨C are you sure?¡± ¡°Come on, Azawaza. You know that none of us are going to judge you for being into outdoors stuff. If anything, that just means more activities for us to enjoy together. Right?¡± ¡°Sounds fun,¡± Serra says. ¡°Just think of everything that could go wrong!¡± Nell says. ¡°There aren¡¯t any mosquitos or invasive bugs in this game, so I don¡¯t see why not. It¡¯ll be harder to get me to do anything in real life unless you get me tons of mosquito spray, though,¡± Cassiel explains. ¡°See?¡± Fenrir asks. Azalabulia blushes, twirls some of her hair around one of her fingers, and looks away slightly. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°Good. Now, as soon as Rao and Shogun are ready, we can get going.¡± ¡°What¡¯s taking them so long anyways?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°No idea.¡± Meanwhile, below The Shoebill¡¯s deck, Rao is struggling to convince Shogun to come with him. ¡°Bro, come on,¡± Rao says, reaching a hand down toward Shogun only for Shogun to lightly bite his hand before going back to what he was previously doing: cuddling with Rock. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to be separated from your girl for long, bro, so I swear we¡¯re not going to take long. Come on.¡± Shogun looks at Rock, looks up at Rao, and then barks. ¡°I didn¡¯t raise you to be this stubborn. Come on, you¡¯re going to be flying the whole time anyways, so you won¡¯t get to see her even if she does come with us.¡± Rao knows that he has to be careful not to say the real reason in front of Rock. Truthfully, they all know and agreed that Rock¡ªbeing made out of rock¡ªwould be too slow and clumsy to bring along with them. She doesn¡¯t have a full range of movement compared to regular dogs. If she trips and falls, she might be in serious danger since her body breaks relatively easily from blunt impacts. Her limbs are especially at risk. So, to have her go with them when they¡¯re going to be traversing dangerous terrain that is easy to trip on and fall long distances, none of them want to risk bringing Rock along. Except for Shogun. ¡°We need you, bro. How else are we going to fly ahead and scout things out? The only reason they even want me to go is because me and you can team up and scout for them,¡± Rao pleads. Shogun ignores him and curls up against Rock whom is more than happy to cuddle back up against him. Rao takes a few moments before asking, ¡°Bro, you know why she can¡¯t come, right?¡± Shogun lifts his head and nods. ¡°Then why do you still want her to come? You know she¡¯d be in danger, right?¡± Shogun shakes his head. Rao sighs and looks at Rock. ¡°Yo, Rock. Do you actually know what¡¯s up?¡± Now it¡¯s Rock¡¯s turn to nod her head. ¡°So, you know how dangerous it is?¡± She nods again. ¡°Do you want to come?¡± Rock barks and licks the side of Shogun¡¯s face. ¡°You know bro isn¡¯t going to be happy about that, right? It¡¯s going to be up to you to convince him to let you come.¡± Rock nods and stands up, getting Shogun to stand up as well. ¡°Alright, I get it. You two are a package deal now. If that¡¯s what you want, it¡¯s all good, but good luck getting past the others.¡± They ignore his words to instead run up the stairs to the deck together. ¡°Seriously. What¡¯s up with everybody around here being all in love with each other? Even the shortie has got a crush now,¡± Rao groans to himself before heading above deck. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You might find somebody someday. Maybe,¡± Oleander says, poking out from behind the mast as soon as Rao steps onto the deck. ¡°Dude, you were listening to all of that?¡± ¡°Listening to you talk to Shogun and Rock was too cute to pass up. And funny. It¡¯s especially funny since you couldn¡¯t get your way with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s messed up. You shouldn¡¯t listen to people when they don¡¯t expect it.¡± ¡°Just like how you shouldn¡¯t go around flipping girls¡¯ skirts to see if they¡¯re actually girls or not?¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean, come on, I admitted I fucked up and apologized.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m still going to tease you for it.¡± ¡°I see how it is.¡± ¡°Good! Anyways¡­ don¡¯t feel too bad. I¡¯m sure even somebody like you will find somebody someday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I feel bad or anything.¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I guess I¡¯m kind of jealous, or maybe bitter, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m upset or anything. I just¡­ I guess I kind of want to know what it¡¯s like, or something, probably. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You know, Rao, you¡¯re actually pretty likable when you¡¯re being honest! Plus you¡¯re not super douchey anymore. Aaannddd, you are pretty handsome. So, just be patient! Maybe you¡¯ll find some cute girl up in the mountains. You never know! After all, I wasn¡¯t expecting to meet my Cor in some bar full of huge, oily, muscly men. And I doubt that Fenny was expecting to meet¡­ four girlfriends in this game.¡± ¡°He¡¯s way too lucky.¡± ¡°I know, right? But Fenny has always been lucky. You just have to hope that some of that luck rubs off onto you! It¡¯ll happen even faster if you rub yourself against him.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Boo. Come on, join the cute side! We have cookies. And lots of cum. Like, lots of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going now. See you in a few days, bro.¡± ¡°Mhm! Me and Cor will be here helping Tabitha out, so try not to get yourselves killed in the mountains. If you do get killed, just remember you¡¯ll respawn naked over here where everybody can see you.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t die. You¡¯d enjoy getting to see me too much.¡± ¡°You know it!¡± Rao shakes his head and waves to go and rejoin the others. There, Fenrir is dealing with Rock¡¯s insistence on wanting to come with them. He didn¡¯t want to just outright go and tell her that she wasn¡¯t allowed to come because he is worried about her getting seriously hurt. His girlfriends are just players of the game and will respawn if they die. Rock won¡¯t. If anything were to happen to Rock, there would be no way to bring her back. But, at the same time, she¡¯s his dog. She¡¯s been with him since the very beginning. She hasn¡¯t gotten to do much with him lately, so it wouldn¡¯t be fair to keep on sticking her to the sidelines hoping that she¡¯ll be content just lazing around with Shogun. As much as he wishes she would be happy just doing that ¨C living a nice, safe, lazy life¡­ he knows that she wouldn¡¯t be happy with that if her master is going out on adventures without her. ¡°Alright, Rock,¡± Fenrir says, squatting down so that he can be eye-level with her. ¡°You can come with us, but you¡¯re not allowed to get hurt. Alright? I¡¯m going to retire you to nothing but being-lazy duty if you get hurt.¡± He wouldn¡¯t actually, but he¡¯s hoping that the threat will be enough to get her to be extra safe. ¡°And just bark if you ever need help. If the ground is too uneven or there is a cliff too high to climb up or anything, just bark and I¡¯ll help you out. Don¡¯t try to do it on your own if you¡¯re not sure. Alright?¡± ¡°Helicopter parent,¡± Cassiel says under her breath. ¡°I¡¯m not a helicopter parent. I just care about my dog and don¡¯t want her to get hurt.¡± ¡°Sounds like the kind of stuff my dad would say to me to give me a bunch of rules.¡± ¡°You know, some rules are alright to have. We can¡¯t just screw rules completely.¡± ¡°We can if rules get personified,¡± Serra says. ¡°What?¡± Serra wiggles her eyebrows. ¡°Oh. No, there is no Rules-chan, and we¡¯re not going to screw her,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Boring,¡± Serra pouts. ¡°Just let her come with us and stop worrying so much. Rock will be fine,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You know, you were worried about her, too,¡± Fenrir calls her out. ¡°Y-yeah, but she obviously wants to come with us really badly, so let¡¯s just let her.¡± ¡°So, just because she wants something really bad, she gets her way? What if we have kids and you tell them they¡¯re not allowed to do drugs, but they really want to?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a fair comparison.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you have to have rules before then. If you suddenly introduce rules only at the most extreme time to do so then they¡¯re not going to listen.¡± ¡°Hmph. I guess¡­¡± Fenrir sighs and says, ¡°But, I promise that we won¡¯t have too many rules. Only the really important ones. Alright? No helicopter parenting.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Kiss and make up now,¡± Serra says. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like we were fighting or anything. There isn¡¯t really anything to make up for, is there?¡± Fenrir asks. Though, when he looks up at Cassiel, he sees her annoyed with the fact that he¡¯s not kissing her. He surrenders and kisses her before there is anything to actually have to make up over. ¡°Are you done being all lovey-dovey in front of everybody now? We¡¯re on a tight schedule, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°Right. Alright. Let¡¯s just take this wagon up to the base of the mountain and then we¡¯ll go from there,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just let him fly around in the mountains by himself until he finds something? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯d be way easier than having us all go up there ourselves?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Shogun won¡¯t go too deep into the mountains when it¡¯s just us. I think he¡¯s worried about something up there,¡± Rao says. ¡°Will he go deeper into the mountains if we¡¯re nearby?¡± ¡°I think so. Right, bro?¡± Rao asks Shogun. Shogun barks at Cassiels. ¡°That¡¯s a yes,¡± Rao explains. ¡°I got that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°As long as this works¡­ are we ready?¡± ¡°The wagon¡¯s got all the supplies in it already, so yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Just gotta load up on it and head out.¡± And that¡¯s exactly what everybody does. ¡°Don¡¯t bring back any more girlfriends!¡± Oleander shouts, waving in the distance. Serra looks back at Oleander with a smirk as if she knows that there is no way they will be returning from this trip without at least one more girl in their party that she is allowed to do lewd things to. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m planning on getting more girlfriends or anything like that, but I do think it¡¯d be nice to see Nell with a dragon girl,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says and nods. ¡°Why is that?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Because. You¡¯re a serpent. Dragons are dragons. So, a scaled, winged, tailed, horned girl from the water with a scaled, winged, tailed, horned girl from the mountains. It would just be¡­ I guess the best way to explain it is that the theme of it would be interesting,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°I see! Yes, I do agree that such a theme would be interesting and rather exciting. It could be like a battle to see who is superior! The victor could enforce their will and desires over the loser, and¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re imagining yourself as the loser, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Of course!¡± Fenrir shakes his head and looks over to Azalabulia who¡¯s sitting across from him in the back of the wagon. ¡°What else don¡¯t we know about you, Azawaza?¡± he asks. ¡°A-about me? Like¡­ like what?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anything. We didn¡¯t know that you were an outdoorsy type, so what else is there that we don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Ah, umm¡­ I was attacked by a bear when I was younger.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Everybody¡¯s attention is on Azalabulia now. Even Rao, who is steering the wagon, is turned to look back at her. She nods and says, ¡°We were hiking, and I saw a cute bear cub who I thought was on his own, and he wasn¡¯t scared of me, so¡­ I ¨C I wanted to get a bit closer to take a picture, and then his mom charged me and knocked me down.¡± ¡°How the hell did you survive that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°My mom always kept a gun on her just in case whenever we¡¯d go hiking or camping. So¡­ she saved me. I don¡¯t remember much after that since the last time I was conscious was in the hospital. My right arm and some of my ribs were broken, and I was got cut up pretty bad. I still have all over my upper half, but they¡¯ve mostly faded.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell us anything personal like that if you¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she interrupts. ¡°I¡¯ve told the story hundreds of times before. In a way¡­ I was kind of happy that I got attacked. I was never more popular than when I was that girl who survived a bear attack. I was worried I¡¯d get bullied over my scars in school, but nobody cared. Everybody wanted to hear the story and look at my scars instead. I know now that they were probably talking about me behind my back and just treating me like a show, but at the time, it didn¡¯t feel that way.¡± Azalabulia pauses to look around and see that everybody is staring at her. ¡°A-ah, sorry. I guess I got off topic and started being all weird and personal¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything weird or wrong.¡± ¡°I want to hug you,¡± Serra says. She then proceeds to do exactly that. While Azalabulia is getting hugged by Serra, Cassiel leans close to Fenrir to whisper, ¡°I feel bad for the cub.¡± ¡°Same, but it had to be done,¡± Fenrir whispers back. Then, when he looks at Nell to get her reaction, he notices that she looks like she¡¯s trying to¡­ hold back? The truth is that Nell wants to comment on how wonderfully tragic the whole thing sounds, but she doesn¡¯t want to be insensitive since she knows that this is serious, but it¡¯s just so perfectly tragic, but she must be a good girlfriend and not fetishize her girlfriend¡¯s traumatic past, but why can¡¯t she get attacked by bears and treated like a show by her peers? In the end, all she does is sigh before saying, ¡°I am glad to hear that it worked out in the end for you! That must have been truly terrifying. The closest I have ever been to being attacked was when a kitten scratched me, and my only time spent in a hospital was to get my tonsils removed.¡± ¡°It¡¯d have to be the accident with my legs for me,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Oh, yeah, Azawaza, you don¡¯t know. Basically, got my legs crushed by a truck. Spent some time in the hospital after that.¡± ¡°I ¨C I think I would rather be attacked by a bear again than have my legs crushed by a truck. I¡¯m sorry that something like that happened to you,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s no big deal. What about you?¡± he asks Cassiel. ¡°Only time I¡¯ve ever had to go to the hospital was after an ex was a dumbass and overdosed. I went with the hospital, stayed until his parents got there, and then told them to tell him for me that it was over the next time he woke up,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°You really had a bad time with exes.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What about you, Serra? Any hospital tales?¡± ¡°I burned my butt,¡± Serra says, getting confused looks or choked laughs from everybody. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°One of my dads has a portable grill thing, and he wanted to make breakfast in bed. I don¡¯t really remember how¡­ but I fell on it and didn¡¯t get off fast enough. That¡¯s why I have a burn mark on my butt. Cooking food in bed wasn¡¯t allowed after that.¡± ¡°I guess some rules are good,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Yeah. And damn, I didn¡¯t even notice the mark, so it must have healed pretty well,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That just means you don¡¯t look at my butt closely enough,¡± Serra pouts. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll look extra hard the next time the opportunity presents itself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Truly,¡± Nell agrees and nods. Fenrir doesn¡¯t even bother trying to defend himself. He knows what he said. ¡°Rao. You¡¯re up since you¡¯ve been listening in this whole time,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hospital visits?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯ve been a bunch, but never for myself. Lots of accidents happen in construction, and I was usually the one to drive workers to the hospital whenever we didn¡¯t feel like calling for an ambulance. Last time was when a guy got most of his arm peeled off when¡ª¡± ¡°Feel free not to go into too much detail.¡± ¡°Or do!¡± Nell says. ¡°Anyways,¡± Rao says, ¡°yeah. For myself, uh¡­ I guess there is one time, but it¡¯s kind of personal.¡± ¡°Come on. We all opened up about our personal stories,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But, if you¡¯re really uncomfortable, you don¡¯t actually have to.¡± ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t mind talking about it since it¡¯s funny to me, but we¡¯ve got a bunch of girls here.¡± ¡°Just say it,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah, we really don¡¯t care if it¡¯s something about what I think it¡¯s about,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Alright then,¡± Rao says. ¡°I went to the hospital when my balls were burning really bad. I thought something was wrong, like I accidentally got a disease or something since I used a public bathroom earlier that day and my balls touched the seat, so I thought maybe I caught something somehow. Turned out it was just some kind of weird reaction to the new brand of shampoo I bought.¡± While Serra and Fenrir are both trying not to laugh too hard at how simply stupid that story was, Cassiel, Nell, and Azalabulia don¡¯t exactly look amused. ¡°That was something,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it was, but it was something.¡± ¡°It was the dumbest reason I¡¯ve ever heard for somebody going to the hospital before,¡± Cassiel says.¡± ¡°Come on, I know it¡¯s funny now, but I was seriously scared back then that I¡¯d have to get my balls chopped off or something,¡± Rao explains, causing both Fenrir and Serra to go back to laughing. ¡°Felt like all my sperm was replaced by acid or some shit.¡± Fenrir and Serra lean over as they try not to laugh too hard while Cassiel lets out a loud sigh. ¡°You know it doesn¡¯t even work like that, right?¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Just¡­ everything about your worries is so wrong.¡± ¡°Sure, I know that now, but I was only eighteen at the time. I was terrified that my tanks were defective all because I wasn¡¯t careful and let my balls touch a public toilet seat.¡± Azalabulia finally cracks and covers up her mouth to hide her smile. ¡°How would you feel if the insides of your boobs suddenly felt like they were on fire? You¡¯d be scared that your milk went bad or something, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Rao asks. The question turns Cassiel¡¯s face red for various reasons such as: because of how stupid the question was, the fact that he¡¯s talking about her breasts, and how mad she is at just how stupid he is. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that! I¡¯m not stupid enough to even be worried about something like that!¡± Cassiel shouts. Nell loses and lets out a giggle before she, too, covers her mouth and looks away. The subtle trembling of her shoulders lets them know that she¡¯s laughing, though. Rao, fully aware of what he¡¯s doing, says, ¡°Come on, be nice. We¡¯ve both got two things dangling from our bodies that are important to us. You should be able to relate to my pain instead of making fun of me. I wouldn¡¯t call you stupid if you thought your boobs were going to fall off after accidentally¡­ I don¡¯t know, bumping them into a bathroom door or something.¡± His latest words might not be as funny as his earlier ones, but that doesn¡¯t matter. All that matters is that he¡¯s keeping the stupidity train going which is causing everybody other than Cassiel to laugh hard enough that they can¡¯t breathe. It doesn¡¯t help that, at this point, just hearing each other laugh is enough to make them laugh even more. ¡°It ¨C it hurts,¡± Fenrir groans out, holding his abdomen as he laughs. ¡°Now imagine that in your balls, bro,¡± Rao says. Fenrir wheezes and really wants to stop laughing at this point, but he just can¡¯t. Rao, satisfied with his work, finally returns to looking forward to steer the wagon. Meanwhile, Rock and Shogun have no idea what¡¯s going on nor why everybody is laughing. Cassiel doesn¡¯t understand why they¡¯re laughing, either. ¡°You¡¯re going to die and respawn if you don¡¯t calm down,¡± Cassiel tells Fenrir, patting him on the back. ¡°Seriously, it wasn¡¯t even funny. Calm down.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s just hilarious to me because I was worried about stupid things like that when I was a teen, too,¡± Fenrir explains, finally calming down. ¡°But I never actually went to the hospital because of it,¡± he says, slipping back into laughing. ¡°It¡¯s only funny because they find it funny,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°This happens all the time in class¡­ if one or two of my students start laughing about something, even if I don¡¯t think it¡¯s funny, I start laughing because they¡¯re laughing.¡± ¡°I must agree,¡± Nell says. ¡°However, I did find the rather¡­ vulgar story to be at least slightly entertaining on its own. It is mostly my hero¡¯s and Serra¡¯s faces making me laugh.¡± Cassiel looks down at the still-laughing faces of Serra and Fenrir. They do look pretty cute to her, and she¡¯s never seen either of them laugh this hard before. So, she does finally smile, but only out of love for her boyfriend and girlfriend. She still refuses to find anything about this funny. Fortunately, the laughing does end by the time that the party reaches the base of the mountains. ¡°My gut still hurts from that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Same,¡± Serra says. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you laugh for fifteen minutes at something stupid,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I think we were just laughing at each other laughing after a few minutes,¡± Fenrir says. Serra nods. ¡°Besides, all of us laughing together like that is good for us. Sharing laughter is a great way to build relationships, I think. The more you can laugh with somebody, the better your relationship with them,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Now you¡¯re making me feel guilty for not laughing,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That just means we¡¯ve got to find something you find really funny so that you can laugh that hard with us.¡± ¡°Good luck. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever laughed that hard at anything other than when my dad would tickle me, and that doesn¡¯t count since it just pisses me off more than I enjoy it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find something. Don¡¯t worry. Before the month is over, I will make you laugh that hard without tickling you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°I will help you however I can, my hero!¡± Nell says. Serra nods, and even Azalabulia offers her support by saying, ¡°I¡¯ll help, too.¡± ¡°Same, bro,¡± Rao says. ¡°No,¡± Cassiel says while directing a glare at Rao. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m funny.¡± ¡°To them. Not to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir tells Rao. ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out to make her laugh. But, for now, it looks like we¡¯ve got to go on foot from here.¡± The party looks up at the mountains. It isn¡¯t steep enough that they can¡¯t walk up it, but there is no easy path for them to take. ¡°There¡¯s some flatter areas once we get over this first slope, so let¡¯s go,¡± Rao says. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Let¡¯s find some dragons.¡± ¡°Dragon girls,¡± Serra says. ¡°Just dragons would be perfectly acceptable as well!¡± Nell says. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know what you¡¯re imagining when you say that,¡± Cassiel tells Nell. ¡°I am sure that you know even without me having to tell you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve corrupted my mind and I don¡¯t appreciate that.¡± ¡°You will in time!¡± Book 5: Chapter 11: The sun is already hanging over the far mountains by the time the party reaches them. There are only a couple of hours left before the sun sets beyond the tall, snowy peaks, but that does not matter to them. After all, thanks to time in-game moving twice as fast as it does in real life, they can just find a nice spot to set up a temporary camp and then wake from virtual reality to go do whatever they need to do in real life. For Azalabulia, that means grading papers. For Rao, it means running to the store to buy some more alcohol and spicy chips. For Cassiel and Nell, it means playing with ferrets in real life, watching random videos online, and doing whatever chores need doing around the house since it¡¯s their turn to do them. Then there is Fenrir and Serra. The only two who do not wake from virtual reality have different plans now that everybody else has left their virtual bodies under their protection. And, for once, the plan does not involve anything lewd despite Serra being involved in it. ¡°Here,¡± Fenrir says, handing his sword in its sheath over to Serra. ¡°What now?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Draw it.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have a sword.¡± Fenrir takes Rod off of his belt and extends the living tool into the proper length of a fishing rod. ¡°I¡¯ve got something better.¡± ¡°Cheesy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t a sword cut a fishing rod?¡± ¡°Come on, Serra. You¡¯ve got to have some more faith in Rod.¡± ¡°I have faith in your rod.¡± ¡°Different rod.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Fenrir taps the top of Serra¡¯s head with the tip of Rod. ¡°Come on. You want to get stronger too, right? Then let¡¯s teach you how to sword fight.¡± ¡°I want a hammer like Tabs.¡± ¡°All you get is a sword for now.¡± ¡°But hammers are used differently, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Learning how to fight is still learning how to fight. You still need to learn when to attack, when to defend, how to dodge ¨C all of that. Those skills are going to transfer even if you start swinging a hammer around instead of a sword.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Trust me. Not only should you trust me, but you should be grateful that I¡¯m your teacher!¡± Fenrir declares with a confident pose. ¡°I may not be the best swordsman ever¡ª¡± ¡°Cass Cass is better.¡± ¡°As I was saying, I may not be the best swordsman ever, but I¡¯m still pretty good. I taught old guild members how to fight in games before plenty of times when they were still new to VR games.¡± ¡°Will it make me better in real life, too?¡± ¡°I think so? I¡¯m honestly not sure. I mean, for you, you would probably get better results than me since your character is just like your real self. For me, even though the system does a great job of smoothing over the transition between my real body and this one, things still don¡¯t really feel right sometimes. You ever feel that way?¡± Serra shakes her head. ¡°Then anything you learn how to do in-game will probably translate really well for you to real life. Though, it¡¯s not like you have to learn how to sword fight in real life or anything. I don¡¯t really see how any of this would help you.¡± ¡°So I can dom you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hoping fighting skills in-game translate to you being able to dominate me in real life?¡± Serra nods and says, ¡°I¡¯ll be able to beat you up and get whatever I want.¡± ¡°That makes you sound like a mugger. And a rapist. A rapist-mugger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not rape if I ask you for permission to beat you up first.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to ask me for permission before beating me up to get whatever you want? Well, that just makes everything better. Congratulations, you¡¯ve been promoted from a rapist-mugger to a friendly mugger.¡± ¡°Level up.¡± ¡°Right. You didn¡¯t get promoted. You just leveled up. Congrats.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best.¡± ¡°Yes you are.¡± ¡°I bet I could kick your butt with this sword.¡± ¡°Swords are for stabbing and slashing, not for kicking.¡± ¡°I want you to stab me with your sword.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t since you¡¯re holding it right now.¡± ¡°Your other sword.¡± ¡°I¡¯m beginning to believe that it¡¯s impossible for you to go more than twenty seconds without somehow perverting whatever the current topic is. I could probably talk about intestinal worms and you would somehow turn it sexual, somehow. Actually, I know how¡­ there¡¯s some really weird hentai out there,¡± Fenrir says and shivers. ¡°Makes me think of spaghetti.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t ruin spaghetti for me.¡± ¡°Too late. Worm spaghetti.¡± ¡°You know we just bought the stuff to make that, right? What am I supposed to do when they make it and I¡¯m the only one who looks sick when I look at it?¡± ¡°Be a man and eat it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cruel, Serra.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll distract you under the table to take your mind off of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cruel pervert, Serra Berra.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m the best.¡± ¡°Yes, you are. Now, try swinging the sword.¡± Serra drops the sheath, holds the sword in both of her hands, and just sort of waves it around rather than trying to actually swing it in any meaningful way. ¡°Is¡­ that what you call swinging a sword?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Haven¡¯t you picked up anything just from watching me and Cass?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t fight a lot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but still. Swing the sword like you mean it. I know you know how to.¡± Serra shrugs, lifts the sword up over her head, and swings it down in front of her in a vertical slash. ¡°Aside from the fact that you were so slow that anybody would be able to counter, block, dodge, or kill you in the time it takes for you to move your arms a few inches, good job,¡± Fenrir says. Serra pouts and waves the sword at him. ¡°That is sharp, you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know you¡¯re an M sometimes.¡± ¡°Remind me to keep all of our knives away from you the next time we wake.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Am I going to have to sleep with one eye open?¡± Serra smirks and tries swinging the sword again, this time sacrificing form for speed. ¡°Faster, but sloppy. You¡¯re not going to hit where you want to hit if you can¡¯t swing straight.¡± ¡°But I¡¯d still hit them.¡± ¡°What if you hit a protected spot instead of a vulnerable one because your sword went to the side? It won¡¯t matter if you hit them since you won¡¯t be doing anything other than opening yourself up.¡± ¡°Then how do I get better?¡± ¡°Keep doing that. Keep on swinging over, and over, and over until your arms hurt.¡± ¡°I disabled pain.¡± ¡°Then keep on swinging until they start feeling numb.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not good at this. I want Azawaza to teach me.¡± ¡°She a caster. Unless you want her to teach you how to explode mountains¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah. I wanna make huge explosions.¡± ¡°You already do that with my dick.¡± Serra grins and points some finger guns at Fenrir. ¡°I hope you enjoyed that fanservice. That¡¯s the only perverted joke you¡¯re getting out of me until you prove to me that you can swing a sword better than¡­ however it is you are right now.¡± She goes back to pouting. ¡°Is there anything else I need to do?¡± ¡°Swing again.¡± ¡°Other than that.¡± ¡°I just mean to swing again so I can pay attention to your form.¡± She swings the sword once more as Fenrir rubs his chin. ¡°You¡¯re using your wrists too much. Try to keep them straight and still. Only swing your arms.¡± Serra swings again with his advice in mind. ¡°Perfect. See? You¡¯ve already improved ¨C you know how to swing straight now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready for a break.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been like, less than ten minutes. We have almost six hours to go.¡± ¡°I give up. Fighting is too hard.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be lazy.¡± ¡°Carry me and do all the fighting for me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t have sex if you¡¯re lazy.¡± ¡°Yeah you can. You just have to do all the work.¡± ¡°Here, to make things more fun and exciting, try hitting me.¡± ¡°What if you get hurt?¡± ¡°One, it¡¯s a game. Two, you won¡¯t be able to hit me.¡± ¡°Sounds like a challenge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it is. So, come on. Try cutting me.¡± Serra steps forward and swings her sword at Fenrir. He barely has to put any effort in to stepping out of the way and avoiding her swing. Then, to top things off, he taps her on the back with Rod. ¡°Come on. I¡¯m right here,¡± Fenrir teases. Serra straightens her hat, looks up at him, and swings! And completely misses. ¡°The sword isn¡¯t as long as you think it is. You¡¯re short, so your arms aren¡¯t that long, meaning you¡¯ve got to get closer to me if you want to actually hit me,¡± Fenrir explains. She takes a step forward to close the distance, and he takes a step back to maintain it. ¡°It¡¯s not fair if you move away,¡± Serra says. ¡°Do you expect somebody to stand still and let you hit them?¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s still not fair.¡± ¡°Fighting isn¡¯t supposed to be fair.¡± ¡°I thought knights were honorable.¡± ¡°Neither of us are knights.¡± ¡°I wanna be a knight.¡± ¡°A short, perverted knight with a giant hammer who wants to blow things up?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very knightly.¡± ¡°Then how do you be a knight?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not completely sure. I¡¯ve always been on the side that all the real knights hate, so I guess you just do the opposite of whatever I do ¨C well, what I used to do.¡± ¡°Sounds boring. What you used to do sounds fun. Does that make you an evil knight?¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¡°I wanna be an evil knight.¡± ¡°A short, perverted, evil knight with a giant hammer who wants to blow things up?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that sounds pretty evil knightly.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± ¡°Says the munchkin who can¡¯t even hit me.¡± Serra pouts, steps forward, and swings! She ends up missing, again, and getting tapped on top of her head. ¡°I think I might have to go even easier on you than I thought,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Let me hit you.¡± ¡°I thought you were worried about hurting me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only a game, and if you have pain enabled, it means you¡¯re a masochist who wants it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works. It¡¯s about immersion, not masochism.¡± ¡°Only masochists think that pain means immersion.¡± Fenrir taps her on the top of her head again using Rod. While she did try to avoid it this latest time, she was nowhere near fast enough and almost tripped in the process. ¡°You know, I think we might be approaching this the wrong way,¡± he says. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Because. You want to be involved in fights more, but you have no idea how to fight. You do love firing cannons and are pretty good at that though, right?¡± Serra nods and says, ¡°Especially your cannon.¡± ¡°Of course. Anyways, maybe you would be better at ranged combat than melee combat. If me and Cass basically tank, then you and Azawaza wouldn¡¯t ever have to worry about being attacked unless we mess up. Well, that can¡¯t be guaranteed, but you¡¯d get to focus more on aiming and delivering big attacks rather than having to dodge, attack, and pursue all at once.¡± ¡°Sounds easier.¡± ¡°Well, it requires a lot more skill in the aiming department, but you¡¯re pretty good at judging that if your skill with a cannon is anything to judge you by. I think that might translate to you being a good ¨C well, maybe not an archer. What ranged weapon could you do good with¡­¡± ¡°A hammer that shoots cannons.¡± ¡°As much as I think Tabs would love to try and make something like that, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s possible or that it would even be allowed by the overseer. But¡­ maybe a portable cannon isn¡¯t too much to ask for? The only problem is that you¡¯ll have to get even stronger so that you can carry it around properly. I doubt that it would be light.¡± ¡°I want a portable cannon. Can¡¯t I swing it like a hammer if I have to?¡± ¡°I mean, when you look at it that way, sure. It¡¯s basically just a really big tube hammer. I guess.¡± ¡°Tube hammer that shoots big balls.¡± ¡°But the real question is: does it shoot balls, or does it shoot balls?¡± ¡°You lost me.¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean, like, does it shoot at balls or does it shoot balls as ammo.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Never mind. Anyways, you still need to learn how to dodge just in case, and swinging a sword will help you out in case you ever need to actually swing a cannon around like a hammer. Just try to dodge my attacks and swinging at Rod whenever you can.¡± ¡°Okay. Will you ask Tabs to make me a portable cannon?¡± ¡°When we get back. Promise.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± ¡°Now then, get ready unless you want to be smacked over and over.¡± ¡°Spank me.¡± Fenrir, with a deadpan expression, smacks Rod against her rear while trying to be as unerotic as possible about it. ¡°Ahn,¡± Serra fake moans, her voice just as emotionless as Fenrir¡¯s deadpan expression. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s see how much you can improve,¡± Fenrir says. The training begins once more. At first, Serra hardly manages to avoid any of his attacks. Four out of five attacks result in her getting gently tapped by his sentient weapon of a fishing rod, and the one out of five attacks that don¡¯t hit her usually aren¡¯t because she did a good job of dodging. Instead, they¡¯re because she trips and falls in an unpredictable way, so that Fenrir can try to boost her confidence a bit by going extra easy on her, and because Rock has decided to occasionally help out by nudging Serra in the right direction to dodge Fenrir¡¯s slow attacks. Even Rock could easily dodge his slow attacks. After seeing Serra fail to dodge so often, she started to feel bad. Meanwhile, the only other member of the party present and awake is Shogun. As the other three train and essentially play around, Shogun stays on guard facing the mountains. ¡°Is this really working?¡± Serra asks after almost an hour of dodging attacks and rarely getting to swing her sword. ¡°You¡¯re getting a bit faster, and I¡¯ve noticed you trying to predict my attacks and dodging sooner, so I would say it is,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But, let¡¯s switch things up.¡± Serra lets out a relieved sigh and sheathes the sword. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Exercise.¡± Serra looks up at him and tilts her head. ¡°If you want to carry a portable cannon and swing it around, you¡¯re going to have to be pretty damn strong. That means you need to exercise more.¡± He looks at Rock. ¡°Pick her up.¡± Serra and Rock look at each other and tilt their heads in opposite directions. ¡°Pick her up?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s the closest thing we have to a heavy weight to lift unless you want to walk around looking for a big enough boulder to lift.¡± Serra and Rock both look at Fenrir. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to call a girl a heavy weight,¡± Serra tells Fenrir. Rock barks in agreement but her tail is still wagging anyways. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. You still¡ª¡± Shogun¡¯s barking interrupts them. Rock instinctively runs to Shogun¡¯s side and starts barking in the same direction that he¡¯s barking in, but neither Serra nor Fenrir see anything when they look at where they¡¯re looking. Though, Fenrir has discovered something odd. The wolf part of him is half-tempted to bark as well. Though, it only comes out as a stern glare at the nothingness that Rock and Shogun are staring at. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Maybe something spooked him,¡± Fenrir answers. Shogun shakes his head and barks even louder. ¡°It¡¯s kind of scary when animals stare and bark at things you can¡¯t see,¡± Serra says, ¡°but in an exciting way.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to become like Nell if you associate being scared with excitement.¡± ¡°The world needs more Nell Nells.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ¨C wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I saw something.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. It was only in the corner of my eye, but I definitely saw something.¡± Fenrir steps forward to place himself between what he saw and Serra. Rock and Shogun have gone silent and are constantly looking in different directions to watch their surroundings. ¡°Be ready for anything,¡± Fenrir tells Serra. ¡°Like sex?¡± ¡°Not that.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s not really anything, and that makes it boring.¡± ¡°Not even an ocean could quench your thirst.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Fenrir takes a deep breath and tries to relax his nerves. ¡°I have a feeling we¡¯re being watched,¡± he says, ¡°but I have no idea where from.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you see the thing?¡± ¡°It went behind that boulder up on the cliff, but it¡¯s got a ton of cover. It¡¯s likely moved from there by now.¡± ¡°If only I had a cannon to shoot.¡± ¡°Yeah, a ranged attack would make me feel a lot better right¡­ wait. Hey!¡± he shouts at the sleeping party members in the back of the wagon. ¡°We might be under attack!¡± The avatars of Nell, Cassiel, Rao, and Azalabulia get up and form a defensive position around the wagon. Their movements might look natural as they flawlessly copy the owners of the avatars, but each one of them is being temporarily controlled by the overseer and that¡¯s obvious going by the hazy look in their eyes. ¡°I forgot about that,¡± Serra says. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s one of the best parts of this game even though we never need to use it ¨C well, until now. But anyways, trust me when I say that having a base attacked while everybody is offline really sucks. At least this way, avatars can fight back even if it¡¯s not as effectively as if the actual players were here.¡± ¡°Does this mean my avatar can do lewd things to yours while we¡¯re offline?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Boo.¡± ¡°Anyways¡­ hey, Azalabulia, fire a spell up at that boulder. Try to make the blast go off in front of it so it blasts the debris away from us.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s avatar steps in front of the group, raises her staff at the boulder, and fires a draconic blast of energy straight at it. The blast explodes directly in front of the boulder and sends chunks of it and the surrounding ground flying in every direction, including straight down toward the party. None of the debris hits them, thankfully, but Fenrir has learned that trying to control where a magic explosions sends debris is much more difficult than he thought it would be. ¡°Agh! Watch where you¡¯re firing that thing!¡± a girl¡¯s voice shouts from higher up on the cliff. ¡°You scared the specimen away!¡± Fenrir and Serra look at each other as Rock and Shogun go back to barking. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Gah! I finally found one, too! Do you have any idea how long it took me to find one?! They only come out on full moons when it¡¯s not humid or windy and when they¡¯re looking for a mate which is only once every few months! So much time spent, only to finally find one, and then have it scared away before my eyes¡­ and you put a hole in my bug net! Agh! Dang it!¡± the voice rants. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have had an AI-controlled Azalabulia randomly blow up a part of the mountain,¡± Fenrir tells Serra. ¡°I kinda feel bad. She sounds really upset,¡± Serra replies. ¡°Yeah¡­ maybe we should apologize?¡± ¡°Why we? You ordered it. I¡¯m just standing here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend. You¡¯re supposed to stand by my side through times like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re on your own.¡± Fenrir sighs and slumps his shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that she¡¯s not so upset that she wants to kill us or anything,¡± he says. ¡°Good luck.¡± With a wish of good luck, Fenrir looks up at where the voice is still coming from. Though, the only noises coming from the voice are those of frustration and whining now. ¡°Hey! Uh, sorry about that,¡± he shouts. ¡°We thought you might have been dangerous and spying on us or something.¡± ¡°Why the heck would I be watching some random people?! I didn¡¯t even know you were there!¡± the girl shouts back. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear the barking or anything?¡± ¡°I just thought a couple of animals were in heat or something!¡± ¡°Well, uh, sorry anyways.¡± ¡°You could apologize for a million years and it wouldn¡¯t make up for what you¡¯ve done!¡± ¡°Is it really that big of a deal? Can¡¯t you just look for it another time and hope you get lucky?¡± ¡°Look for it another time? Hope I get lucky? Do you have any idea how many weeks I¡¯ve been hunting for this specimen to research?!¡± she shouts, sticking out from behind another boulder on the side of the mountain. It is too dark for them to see anything more than her silhouette, but what they can see of her silhouette tells them that she¡¯s got a couple of horns and a wide pair of wings angrily flapping behind her. ¡°I¡¯m never going to get my promotion if I can¡¯t bring one back! Do you know how long I¡¯ve been stuck here looking for these things? Weeks! Weeks! And just when I finally thought I could get out of here and go back to my lab, you did this to me!¡± ¡°She¡¯s really talkative,¡± Serra comments. ¡°I wonder if Azawaza scolds her students in the same way,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Trismy is never going to trust me to run my own branch if I can¡¯t even capture one stupid insect!¡± the girl continues whining. ¡°Do you know how many new scholars have been promoted faster than me?!¡± Hearing that word, ¡°scholars,¡± sends shivers up Fenrir¡¯s spine. ¡°I think this is bad,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I ¨C I think we found another one of those crazy people.¡± ¡°Like the goblin things?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t think of any other scholars in this game.¡± ¡°They were fun.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t make you do a bunch of experiments with fish.¡± ¡°But they were nice.¡± ¡°Sure, but you can be nice and insane.¡± ¡°What do you even have worth protecting that you thought it would be smart to almost blow me up?!¡± the girl shouts more. ¡°Our lives?¡± Fenrir shouts back. ¡°Insignificant! The pursuit of knowledge always takes precedence!¡± ¡°You mean the pursuit of bugs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bug! It¡¯s an insect! There¡¯s a difference!¡± she continues shouting while flying out from behind the boulder, slowly coming down toward Fenrir and the group. ¡°Alright, alright. The pursuit of insects is more important than our lives. Got it.¡± ¡°Do you really?! I don¡¯t think you really do understand! You don¡¯t ¨C what¡¯s that?¡± she asks, her voice instantly changing from angry to curious. ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± Before Fenrir gets an answer, the girl propels herself at full speed straight towards him. Only, rather than attack him, she drops onto her knees in front of him and examines his rod, Rod. ¡°This flashing gem¡­ is this an Eta¨ªros gem?!¡± she asks, looking up at Fenrir with her excited, heterochromia eyes. Her right eye may be bright white while her left is a deep red, but each eye has a slitted, black pupil. ¡°Please be careful with those. I have a bad experience with pointy horns,¡± he says as her long, sharp, ivory horns come dangerously close to stabbing him in his abdomen. Just as she has one white eye and one red eye, her ivory horns contrast against her crimson hair. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± she says, leaning in even more which brings her face closer to his waist as she makes sure to keep her head straight. She may have just been shouting and angry with him, but now she¡¯s making sure to keep her horns from pointing at him. ¡°Anyways, yeah. I think that¡¯s what it was called before, but I haven¡¯t heard that name in a while.¡± ¡°What kind of weapon does it turn into? Has it gained a mobile form? Does it talk yet? Can it shift during combat?¡± Fenrir takes Rod off of his belt again and brings out Rod¡¯s ultimate form. ¡°A fishing rod?¡± ¡°Yep. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve named him Rod.¡± ¡°Ooh! So, a fishing rod named Rod and you know that he¡¯s a he?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can¡¯t really do all that other stuff yet, but we talk by having him flash the gem. One pulse for yes, two pulses for no.¡± Rod pulses once. ¡°I see, I see! Can I ask you questions?¡± she asks. ¡°Su¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to Rod.¡± Rod pulses twice. ¡°Aww, why not?¡± she asks. Fenrir collapses Rod back into travel mode and places him back on his belt. ¡°We don¡¯t even know who you are,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯m the one whose life you ruined!¡± she pouts, now standing up and poking her finger against his chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t ruin your life. I only scared one bu¡ªinsect, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to find it again.¡± Meanwhile, the party members who aren¡¯t immersed have all gone back to sleeping on the back of the wagon. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t light you on fire,¡± she says. ¡°Fire magic?¡± ¡°Magic? Hah! I am all natural, thank you very much!¡± She looks to the side, opens her mouth, and shoots out a stream of flame that lights up their surroundings. ¡°Oh,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I wanna do that,¡± Serra says, poking out from behind Fenrir. Serra¡¯s words cause the strange girl to excitedly turn to face her with glimmering eyes. ¡°Right?!¡± she says, grabbing Serra¡¯s hands and holding them between her own. ¡°Natural powers are the best! I can breathe fire, I can fly, I can stab people with my horns, I can whip them with my tail, I can nullify magic by transforming my arms, I can cover my skin in hard scales, I can control blood with my left eye and shoot holy rays with my right eye, and¡ª¡± ¡°None of that sounds natural at all,¡± Fenrir interrupts. ¡°It all totally is!¡± ¡°It sounds like a ton of magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not magic if it¡¯s part of my body¡¯s functions!¡± ¡°How can your body do all of that?¡± ¡°Easy! You just combine a bunch of different body parts.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very easy.¡± ¡°It is once you learn this world¡¯s secrets! I¡¯m on a quest to not only start my own branch after I find that specimen that somebody scared away, but to combine as many different abilities as possible into one body! That¡¯s why I have this wing from a gryphon and one from a thunderbird! My tail is from a basilisk, my horns are from a dragon, the scales on the backs of my wrists are from a land shark, and my legs are from goats!¡± ¡°Goats?¡± ¡°Yeah. I thought it¡¯d be good to have goat legs since I¡¯d be spending so much time in mountains.¡± Fenrir looks down and confirms that she does, in fact, have goat legs from the knees down. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re turning your body into one giant hybrid?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it!¡± ¡°What about your eyes?¡± ¡°Vampire,¡± she points at her left eye, ¡°and angel,¡± she points at her right. Every single explanation is given with a proud smile accompanying it. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve learned that there are a whole bunch of things in this world now that I didn¡¯t know about before,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Right, right! I want to become as much of a hybrid as possible so that I can use the natural powers of a bunch of different races! Like a blue mage but with my body instead of magic!¡± ¡°And how does finding a bug help you with that?¡± ¡°Insect! Not a bug! And, because. Trismy said he¡¯d¡ªoh, wait, that¡¯s secret.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just tell me that something is a secret and then not expect me to be curious.¡± A sly smile crawls onto her face as she looks up into Fenrir¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wellll¡­ if you want to know, I might let you know if you help me capture my target,¡± she says, her thick, serpentine tail sliding from side to side on the ground behind her. Fenrir sighs and says, ¡°Sorry. I would, but we¡¯ve got something else we need to be doing right now.¡± ¡°Like?¡± ¡°Finding dragons to befriend.¡± ¡°Oh. Huh. Just go up¡ªI mean¡­ if you help me find that insect, I might be able to point you to some friendly dragons!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really obvious when you¡¯re trying to manipulate people.¡± ¡°I ¨C I am doing no such thing.¡± After a sigh, he says, ¡°Alright. Because I feel guilty about messing your bug hun¡ª¡± ¡°Insect.¡± ¡°¡ªinsect hunt up, I¡¯ll help you out if you promise that you¡¯ll help us find some dragons.¡± ¡°Deal! By the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Fenrir, and this is Serra,¡± he says and Serra nods. ¡°Hi,¡± Serra says. ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± the girl tells Serra. ¡°I¡¯m Eva, apprentice scholar of the Hermetic Scholars!¡± Fenrir can¡¯t help but to groan upon hearing the name of that organization again. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s with that reaction?¡± Eva asks. ¡°Do you know a goblin-cat-thing by the name of Thelmes by any chance?¡± ¡°Oh! Thelmy! Yeah, I¡¯ve seen him at the great library before. We worked together a few times before he got assigned to Port Tugator.¡± Fenrir was not scared of Eva before, but he is now. ¡°Anyways¡­ so how big is this insect that we¡¯re looking for?¡± he asks. ¡°About this big,¡± she answers, holding her fingers up with barely any space between them. ¡°And¡­ what color is it?¡± ¡°Grey.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m looking for a tiny, grey insect at night on a mountain covered in grey rocks with millions of places for it to hide?¡± ¡°Are you beginning to understand why I was so angry?¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry.¡± ¡°By the way, no matter who finds it, all credit goes to me.¡± Book 5: Chapter 12: And so, given what is essentially their first proper quest since starting to play Fantasy Tales Online, Fenrir and the others have embarked on their quest for what is supposedly a tiny, grey insect hiding amongst grey rocks only hardly illuminated by the moon¡¯s light. Fortunately, he has already managed to find several small, grey insects. Unfortunately, none of them have been Eva¡¯s target. What he was somehow hoping would be done within an hour has ended up turning into two hours of searching, bending over and picking up rocks, only to not make any progress at all. Even Rock and Shogun are helping. Fenrir is hoping that they both have good enough eyesight to maybe potentially find the elusive insect in the dark of night, but he has a feeling that they probably aren¡¯t going to be big helps at all. That¡¯s why he has Serra helping, too. But he has more faith in Rock finding the bug than in Serra finding it. At least Rock is actually trying whereas Serra just repeatedly comes over to him, whispers about how she¡¯s bored and would rather be doing lewd things with him, and then pouts when Fenrir says that they have to find the insect first. For now, finding the insect is the most important thing that they have to do. This has disappointed Serra, naturally. So, to tease him since it¡¯s just a game anyways, she has been making sure to bend over in lewd angles in front of him to distract him. Whether she¡¯s bending over with her ass up as she looks at him over her shoulder or sitting down on a rock with her legs spread and inviting him, her attempts at distracting him work flawlessly. However, there is one flaw to Serra¡¯s plan that she has forgotten about. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eva asks Serra who¡¯s currently sucking on two of her fingers while Fenrir watches. Serra, without taking the fingers out of her mouth, turns bright red as she slowly lowers her head and pulls her hat down to cover up her face. ¡°Taste-testing something? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything around here that tastes good,¡± Eva says, causing Fenrir to cover up his mouth and turn away so that neither of them catch him laughing. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra mumbles around her fingers. ¡°Oh! There are some really good beetles. They have black and grey spotted shells, three horns, and a short ¡®tail.¡¯ If you find them, the juice inside of them tastes seriously good! You can just bite the head and hold it over your tongue.¡± ¡°That¡­ sounds gross,¡± Fenrir says, no longer laughing. ¡°Well, yeah, of course it sounds gross, but this is just a game, so who cares? It being a game means that we can try out all sorts of things that we¡¯d normally never do! We have the ultimate world to explore and experiment in, so we have to make sure that we use it all!¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong, but I don¡¯t know about biting a beetle¡¯s head off and then dripping its insides onto my tongue.¡± ¡°Next you¡¯re going to tell me that sleeping naked next to a pool of magma isn¡¯t exciting.¡± ¡°That sounds extremely dangerous, not exciting.¡± ¡°The danger makes it even more exciting! Not being in any real danger means we can do anything. Besides, I turned my pain setting off after experimenting with it.¡± ¡°Do I even want to know how you experimented with it?¡± ¡°I chopped my arm off. I discovered that I would never want that to happen to me in real life.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know in the first place that you wouldn¡¯t want your arm chopped off in reality?¡± ¡°Hey, you never know until it happens. It¡¯s like a shark attack. I think it would be awesome to be attacked by a shark just to get to experience it! Who else gets to say that they¡¯ve been attacked by a shark? Besides, unless you experience the pain, you¡¯re not getting the full experience.¡± ¡°But you turned your pain off, so won¡¯t you miss out on the full experience?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but I¡¯d rather miss out on the full experience than feel any thing like when I chopped my arm off.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re honest about being contradictory.¡± ¡°Science is full of contradictions.¡± ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know enough about science to tell you whether that¡¯s right or wrong, but I want to lean towards it being wrong.¡± ¡°Science is full of not sweating the small things in pursuit of greater discoveries.¡± ¡°Alright. That sounds right.¡± ¡°Anyways, find our target yet?¡± ¡°Do you think I would be procrastinating by listening to you talk about drinking beetle juices if I did?¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just a social scientist. Listening to others to figure out who they are, how they work, what drives them, and so on still counts as science!¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you listen to us earlier instead of completely ignore our existence?¡± ¡°Because finding this insect is more important than any of you,¡± she says with a serious expression. ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat it, are you?¡± She looks genuinely disappointed and sighs. ¡°No. I¡¯m not,¡± she answers with a pout as she kicks a stone down the cliff. ¡°Not the part I want to try, anyways.¡± ¡°Do you want to eat it?¡± ¡°Of course I want to! I have no idea what it tastes like, but it¡¯s more valuable turned into a potion that can change how old somebody looks, and I guess that those potions sell for a lot of money in Trismy¡¯s trade deals. Not sure why, though. Maybe being the size of a kid makes it easier to get into small places when searching for materials? It¡¯s either that, or¡ª¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t want to ruin her innocence. ¡°¡ªsomething sexual.¡± He coughs. ¡°It¡¯s probably something sexual,¡± she confirms. ¡°People in this game are weird. Even though the virtual assistants won¡¯t actually let anything sexual happen if an avatar involved looks too young, people still try to make it work.¡± ¡°Right. ¡®People in this game are weird,¡¯ says the girl obsessed with finding a bug, wants to be attacked by a shark, has slept naked next to magma, and who likes the taste of a beetle¡¯s insides,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I never said I wasn¡¯t weird, too. I¡¯m just not sure I understand the appeal of ¨C hm, what it is that they call them? One of my old partners loved them. She was this nice, older lady, but whenever a guy used the potion around her to shrink down to a smaller body, it was like something flipped inside of her head. She always took breaks when it happened and made them lie down on her thighs, and there were a few times she disappeared into closets with them. I think she called herself a ¨C it starts with the letter S. Sho¡­ shocon? Hm. No, that doesn¡¯t sound right. Oh well! Find the insect yet?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even gone back to looking yet,¡± Fenrir says, making a conscious decision not to give Eva the answer to what she was just trying to figure out. Of course he knows what she was trying to remember. Anybody who has seen enough hentai could put two and two together. Though, he can¡¯t deny being curious about why it¡¯s always older women into that particular branch of hentai. What is with older women and younger, smaller boys? Well, at least he knows that everybody in this game is eighteen years or older in reality, and he knows that the game¡¯s virtual assistants and overseer wouldn¡¯t allow anything illegal to happen. The moment a virtual character looks too young, it gets locked out of the game¡¯s more sexual side of features. Another thought pops into his mind. What if he somehow got his hands on a potion like that? If he could shrink down to a smaller version of himself¡­ how would his girlfriends react? He knows that the still-blushing Serra would probably tease him and get as physical as possible no matter how he looks. Nell would probably want to see him get corrupted by somebody else. Azalabulia might feel her protective instincts come out upon seeing him and treat him like one of her students. Then there is Cassiel, and he has no idea how she would react. She would probably just roll her eyes and be unamused, and then she would tell him to hurry up and go back to normal because he¡¯s being weird. There is one other person whose reaction he would like to know of. ¡°I would bully you, onii-wan,¡± Saya answers before he even has a chance to ask her. ¡°A younger-but-bigger sister bullying me? I mean, that doesn¡¯t exactly sound bad, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Hmph! How am I supposed to get my revenge on you if you¡¯re just going to enjoy it when I bully you!¡± ¡°You could try to be less cute about it.¡± ¡°Ba-baka onii-wan¡­¡± ¡°Wait, couldn¡¯t you make me small whenever you want whenever I¡¯m immersing or waking?¡± ¡°I ¨C I could.¡± ¡°You should do it next time. Playing around for a bit like that with you would be fun.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean playing?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Wrestling or something.¡± ¡°Y-you actually don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yeah. Honestly, no idea. Isn¡¯t the whole point of you bullying me supposed to be that you¡¯re in charge? So, just do whatever I would do to you if I was your little sister and you ended up being my even-littler-brother temporarily.¡± ¡°Wh-what would you do?¡± ¡°You already know the answer to that. Anyways¡­ if the positions were reversed, I would¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even finish that line of thought. You¡¯re horrible, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± ¡°Go back to looking for bugs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an insect.¡± Saya filled his mind with a loud, annoyed sigh before letting him get back to what he was doing. Apparently, that means pretending to have any idea what Eva has been talking about, because she sounds like she¡¯s in the middle of a rant about something. ¡°Seriously, that perverted old man. Of all the things to do in this game and that¡¯s what he spends his time on trying to create,¡± Eva says and groans. ¡°What was it he wanted to do again?¡± Fenrir asks, trying not to make it too obvious that he wasn¡¯t listening to anything she was just saying. ¡°Make big women. Like, really big women. Because the character creator doesn¡¯t actually let you get away with any crazy proportions, he wants to find a way to make it so that women can, as he put it, ¡®have gigantic fun sacks.¡¯ Eugh, even just that name for them, ¡®fun sacks,¡¯ is gross.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s into like¡­ hyper-sized stuff?¡± ¡°Yeah, basically. It¡¯s impossible to get proportions that are just crazy unrealistic, though, so that¡¯s why he started doing the other thing.¡± ¡°The other thing?¡± Eva narrows her eyes at Fenrir. ¡°You weren¡¯t listening, were you?¡± ¡°A-aha¡­ sorry, I got distracted by my virtual assistant.¡± ¡°Hmm. Anyways, he figured out that if he can¡¯t make just a female avatar¡¯s breasts bigger, then he would try making the whole avatar bigger. The taller and wider an avatar is, the bigger the rest of their body is allowed to grow to match the increase in size, so everything becomes big. He just hasn¡¯t found out how to properly turn a woman into a giantess yet. He figured out how to make half-giants, but not a complete giantess. And, of course, a half-giant isn¡¯t giant enough for him even though those things on his girlfriend are already like bigger than I am! Seriously, that perverted old man¡­ he¡¯s lucky that he¡¯s so smart. Can you believe that the leader of the so secret and mysterious Hermetic Scholars is just some old guy obsessed with finding out how to make breasts bigger? These things aren¡¯t even that great in the first place!¡± she says, illustrating her point by grabbing her own modest breasts and giving them a shake as if to try and figure out their appeal. She continues. ¡°I bet he wouldn¡¯t be so attracted to giant breasts if he knew how much backpain would be involved with them. His girlfriend is all for it, though, so it¡¯s not like I can stop him. His love for ¡®gigantic fun sacks,¡¯¡± she shivers, ¡°has no limit. They could probably get bigger than the moon and he¡¯d still say they¡¯re not big enough. And it¡¯s not like he¡¯s trying to make himself bigger to match them or anything. He¡¯s just¡­ ugh, why does our leader have to only be playing this game for his fetishes.¡± ¡°Well, at least he¡¯s figuring out a bunch of other things during the process, right? I mean, from what I know, you scholars know all sorts of things that nobody else knows. You all even figured out those cards and how to measure stats¡­ and now that I¡¯m remembering that, I don¡¯t think any of us have seen our cards since we used them to register for that fishing tournament,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡¯s alright. It¡¯s not like anybody actually uses the cards or bothers to keep them updated anyways. Unless you¡¯re trying to join a guild with strict membership requirements or are participating in lots of events in cities, there¡¯s not really any point in having them.¡± ¡°They seemed like a huge deal.¡± ¡°Well, yeah. You said you had to get one to register for a tournament?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Our branch offices usually have agreements with cities to require cards for any important events, and the city gets some of the revenue from the cost of getting the cards. So, they make them sound really important and push them really hard. You know, it¡¯s like when you go to a store to buy something and then the cashier is trying to convince you to add something else onto your purchase! Same thing, but with cards that are even more useless.¡± ¡°So¡­ basically, I fell for a scam between a business and the government?¡± ¡°You could look at it that way.¡± ¡°Thelmes¡­¡± A mental image of Thelmes, the cat-goblin-thing, pops upto Fenrir¡¯s mind and features the short, green man counting coins with his feet kicked up onto a table as he laughs at all of those who actually go through all of the trouble of testing for and buying those cards. Then, Fenrir remembers the fishy experiments that he had to go through for the greedy cat-goblin-thing. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to revert to my old ways,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eva asks. ¡°Nothing. Anyways, your leader sounds like a pretty interesting guy.¡± ¡°I guess. He¡¯s still insanely smart and I¡¯m pretty sure that he can even outsmart the overseer. Like, he actually got a gun to work, but then it broke as soon as they realized what he was doing.¡± ¡°Well, we have cannons, so that¡¯s not really sur¡ª" ¡°I mean like a machine gun ¨C like, an assault rifle. Not some giant cannon.¡± ¡°Seriously? How the heck did he pull that off? I thought that the virtual assistants and overseer don¡¯t allow players to create anything that would be too fantasy-breaking?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. He¡¯ll explain it for you if you ever get a chance to ask him, but you would have to go through hours of listening to him explain intention, meditation, clearing your mind, and tons of other things. He makes it sound like it¡¯s more spiritual than scientific. Anyways, the overseer broke the gun as soon as she realized what it was. Then he made another one. And another. Then they threatened to ban him if he did it again, so he called their bluff and did it again but stopped after that one since he got bored.¡± ¡°He might have his fetishes, but he sounds awesome.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you get used to the fetish stuff when you realize that almost all of the scholars are like that. It¡¯s all money and sex for most of them. I guess that¡¯s what happens when you have such a realistic looking game and then make it so that people can have unrealistic sex in it. One of Trismy¡¯s assistants actually made a tentacle hot tub that fills up with¡­ use your imagination to finish that.¡± ¡°How¡­ how much sex happens behind the scenes with scholars?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°All of it?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°Then, those goblin hybrids back at Port Tugator¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason why branch offices have rooms that nobody else is ever allowed in.¡± Another mental image of Thelmes pops into Fenrir¡¯s mind. If the cat-goblin-thing was able to turn himself into a cat-goblin-thing, then¡­ what if there were even more parts of his body belonging to different parts that were hidden by clothes? Fenrir slaps his cheeks before the mysterious beams of light covering Thelmes¡¯ waist in his mind disappears. ¡°Smart decision,¡± Eva says, knowing exactly what was threatening to enter Fenrir¡¯s mind. ¡°Thanks,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Anyways, care to share anything about the dragons that you¡¯re going to help me meet after we find this insect?¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, they¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°Found it,¡± Serra says. ¡°I think.¡± Eva and Fenrir turn their attention to where Serra is. She¡¯s crouching down and pointing at a small, grey insect that almost perfectly blends in with the rock undearneath it. There¡¯s only one problem. ¡°I think it¡¯s dead,¡± Serra says. The insect is only visible because of its lighter underside facing upward. Its legs ¨C what are left of its legs, are curled upward and there is some yellow liquid coming out of a small hole in its side. It looks as if a tiny piece of rock might have crashed into it. ¡°Ah¡­ I wonder if we did that,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I wonder,¡± Eva says. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if it might have gotten caught in the crossfire when a giant explosion sent rocks everywhere.¡± ¡°N-nah¡­ maybe it just¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe its side spontaneously imploded.¡± ¡°And the broken and missing legs?¡± ¡°Spontaneous breaking and disappearing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky that it doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s alive or dead.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± ¡°Mhm. All they¡¯ll really need are its wings. So, you better hope that they¡¯re fine. If they¡¯re even slightly damaged, then we¡¯re going to have to keep on looking until we find another one.¡± ¡°Please be okay,¡± he says, looking down at the dead insect and holding his hands up together in front of his face to offer it a prayer. Eva crouches down, picks it up, and flips it over. ¡°Well?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Hmm. This is definitely a different one from the one I found earlier since its wings are so much smaller¡­ but, they¡¯re safe. This will be good enough,¡± Eva explains before delicately pulling the wings off from the insect¡¯s back. Then she pops the rest of the dead insect into her mouth. ¡°Hey! I thought you said that these things were super rare? Weren¡¯t you upset about not getting to eat it?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I did. I also said that all we need are their wings and that I wouldn¡¯t get to eat the part I really want to eat. The rest of their body isn¡¯t really useful at all, so I thought I¡¯d find out how they taste,¡± Eva explains and closes her mouth. Serra goes even more pale than she already is as soon as she hears the pop come from within Eva¡¯s mouth. While Serra would normally think of adding a new girl to their relationship, especially one as unique and as attractive as Eva, the thought of kissing Eva and then getting insect legs in her mouth from the kiss is enough to make Serra¡ªfor once¡ªnot want to lewd another woman. ¡°You have a bit of uh,¡± Fenrir says, pausing and pointing at her chin where some of fluids from inside of the insect have gotten to somehow. Eva sticks out her long, thick tongue¡ªone that looks almost as long as Nell¡¯s but thicker¡ªand licks at her chin before holding up one finger. The next second, her cheeks puff out and glow as if there is a raging fire inside of her mouth. Then, when she parts her lips, smoke flows out from between them. ¡°One of the best parts about being able to breathe fire is that I can use it to clean my mouth. Never have to make sure that I have any food stuck to my teeth thanks to it!¡± Eva explains as Fenrir and Serra look at each other. Neither of them knows how to feel about what Eva just did. Sure, she cleaned the inside of her mouth via fire, but she still just ate a dead insect in front of them ¨C a dead insect that popped and that she dribbled a bit of onto her chin. At least they can both be confident that the other is not currently thinking about adding her to their relationship. After turning most girls on their own who they have met into their girlfriends, they have finally found one who grosses them out just enough to keep their thoughts completely loyal to their current girlfriends. Even if it¡¯s just a game, it¡¯s an extremely realistic game which means that eating a bug is every bit as realistic as it would be in real life. The only difference there might be, since what Eva ate was a fantasy bug, is that it might have had a different texture and could have tasted better than a real bug. Neither of them has any plans to find out. ¡°Alright. So, you have your insect. Can you tell us how to get to the dragons now?¡± Fenrir asks Eva. ¡°Oh, sure,¡± Eva replies. ¡°Uhh, they¡¯re¡­ kind of really far into the mountains. There¡¯s no way that your wagon is going to be able to make it.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t plan on taking the wagon. We figured that we¡¯ll just climb and walk our way there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand. I mean like, they¡¯re really far into the mountains. It would probably take you a couple of weeks of in-game time to get there, and that¡¯s if you survive. The areas you would have to climb through are extremely dangerous. Even if you¡¯re a pro at mountain climbing, there would still be monsters trying to attack you while you¡¯re climbing. They¡¯ll be happy as long as they can make you fall and go splat!¡± she explains, dramatically splaying her fingers out to illustrate her point. ¡°I see. Well, there are two in our group who can fly, so we could always just take turns going over.¡± ¡°Hmm. Good luck. The shredder eagles would probably, you know, tear you to shreds. Even an armored mount would probably get shredded to strips, and I wouldn¡¯t feel safe without a group of at least five ranged fighters on mounts who could defend themselves.¡± ¡°We have¡­ a serpent girl and a flying fox.¡± Eva looks away and covers up her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re totally thinking that we¡¯d get wrecked, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Are you sure you should be looking for dragons?¡± Eva asks back, still covering up her curled lips from his sight. ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s probably our best bet right now. We need dragon allies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. You can¡¯t just hope that you¡¯ll get to befriend dragons by meeting them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a game and trying is better than not. Besides, they like flying down to the ocean for some fishing, right?¡± Eva raises her eyebrows and asks, ¡°Just what isit that you want to befriend dragons for? Why do you need dragon allies?¡± ¡°Because it would be awesome. There¡¯s also the fact that we¡¯re going to need as much help as we can for¡ª¡± Eva slips up and smiles, reminding Fenrir to shut his mouth. ¡°Nice try,¡± he says, ¡°but if you want to know anything more than that, then you¡¯re going to have to help us get to the dragons.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Eva pauses and looks right into his eyes, her smile subtle. ¡°You¡¯re smarter than you look. Alright, I know a safe path that can take you from near here to the dragons, but you¡¯re going to have to tell me about what you want their help for.¡± ¡°The original deal was that that you would us get to them if we helped you find the insect.¡± ¡°The deal was that I would point you toward them after helping me find the insect that you scared off in the first place.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s fine. I doubt that you¡¯re that interested in what our friendly giant serpent found in depths far deeper than where you and any of your scholars can get to. We¡¯ll just have to try our luck with our flying fox and our friend chosen by the Western Serpent since she can fly with the wings she got when she was blessed. Worst case scenario, I have to use Rod¡¯s full power,¡± he says, patting the top of Rod. ¡°Wa-wait¡­ friendly ¨C friendly giant serpent and¡­ that girl down there is the girl chosen by the Western Serpent?¡± Eva¡¯s attitude has completely shifted, giving Fenrir the upper hand as he crossed his arms and leans back a bit more. ¡°Did I say that? Huh. Anyways, you should get back to your scholar friends. Don¡¯t worry about us; we¡¯ll figure something out on our own. That insect of yours is more important right now.¡± ¡°Ha-hang on a minute here¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I promise. We¡¯ve always managed to somehow do things on our own in the end. I mean, just like how we managed to combine a branch from Yggdrasil with steel oak for our boat.¡± ¡°They were ¨C they were combined?¡± Fenrir shrugs and lets out a loud yawn. ¡°You should really get back with those wings, shouldn¡¯t you? It¡¯s not like,¡± he goes in for the killing blow, ¡°listening to the secrets of the former Divine Briga¡ªI mean, oh, hey, the moon looks pretty. Don¡¯t you think, Serra?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says, nodding and looking up at it without realizing what Fenrir is trying to do. Meanwhile, Eva¡¯s thick tail has coiled around her calves and she¡¯s biting one of her nails as she looks around trying to figure out what bartering information she might have to offer other than the path to the dragons. ¡°You know,¡± she says, ¡°if you¡¯re into furries, going by your tail and ears, I know how you could get completely cov¡ª¡± ¡°No thanks. Kemonomini isn¡¯t the same as furries.¡± ¡°Th-then how about how to get your Rod there to talk and¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. A fishing rod that could actually talk to me would probably sass me whenever I fail to reel in a fish, so it¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯t learn how to.¡± ¡°Then¡­ oh! Did you know that there is a forest of steel oaks down on the coast? They¡¯re hard to distinguish from regular trees, so unless you know where to go, you probably won¡¯t find the¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, Rock there managed to find them and we already cut a bunch of them down. It was a lot of hard work, and now there¡¯s a patch in the forest that is just a bunch of stumps, but we already know about that.¡± Eva slumps her shoulders as her tail falls to the ground. ¡°Fine,¡± she says. ¡°I promise to take you to the dragons if you answer all of the questions I have now, and I mean actually take you to them with the safe passage and everything.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to actually take us there as long as you show us where the passage is and tell us anything else we need to know to get there.¡± ¡°I have too many questions now. I might as well stick around so that I can get proper answers to all of them.¡± ¡°Alright. That sounds like a good deal to¡ª¡± ¡°Found another,¡± Serra says. Fenrir and Eva look over to her and see that one of the elusive insects hass landed directly on the back of her hand. It is alive, healthy, and twice the size of the first one they found. Not only that, but it has a tiny, golden horn sticking out from its head. Eva¡¯s jaw practically drops to the ground when she sees it. ¡°A ¨C a female?! Are ¨C are you serious?¡± she asks out of disbelief. ¡°The females have horns?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ye-yeah, and those horns can be used for the permanent ability to change how old you look whenever you want. The wings might be able to change how you look for a short time, but¡­ that horn can make it so that you gain the ability to change at will for as long as you¡¯re playing.¡± ¡°How did people even discover that that¡¯s what these things can be used for? Seriously.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know, but¡­ the females are extremely rare ¨C beyond rare! They basically give you a brand new ability that can be abused for sexual things and fighting! Imagine being able to freely change how big you are whenever you want in the middle of combat.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Fenrir walks up to Serra and picks the small insect up by pinching its horn. ¡°I wonder how much our group could sell this for to the other towns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t be ridiculous! The most elite and wealthy players in the game would pay ridiculous amount sof money for a potion made from its own.¡± ¡°Maybe I should just let it go. I mean, insects deserve to live their own lives without getting turned into potions and all of that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more ridiculous!¡± ¡°Oh, I know. I can use it as bait next time I go fishing.¡± Fenrir takes the end of Rod¡¯s line and, rather than hook the insect, he wraps the thin line around its horn and body so that it won¡¯t be able to escape. ¡°Or ¨C or you could give it to me and let me turn that in to the others! You know, it would be great for you to have a friend high up in the Hermetic Scholars ranks!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you make your point while you lead us to the dragons.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Fenrir, smiling with his arms crossed over his chest like some sort of arrogant villain, has won. Now that the deal has been officially made in exchange for the insect, he can hold onto all the answers to her many questions to use those as a bargaining chip again later on should he need to. Nobody else appreciates his victory, though. Rock and Shogun aren¡¯t paying any attention to anything being said, and Serra has decided to just stare up at the pretty moon and stars since she lost track of what was happening in the conversation a while ago. Then there is Rod who has been rapidly pulsating his gem ever since Fenrir implied that him being able to talk would be annoying. Rod is tempted to just loosen the line around the insect to let it fly away. Fenrir is lucky that his sentient fishing rod is more loyal than he knows. Book 5: Chapter 13: There may still be a few hours of in-game time left before everybody was supposed to reunite and head off on their adventure into the mountains, but with Eva¡¯s promise of a path¡ªthat he has since learned is a safe and lit tunnel¡ªthere is no point in waiting for it to become light out. Therefore, it is time to go and gather the others which will be as simple as getting out of the game, telling Cassiel and Nell to get back in-game, and sending a message to Azalabulia and Rao over Fiscord. While Eva has been assuring him that there is no such need for them all to be present as they travel through the supposed tunnel, Fenrir just wants to play it safe. That is also why he told Serra to go ahead and grab the others instead of doing it himself at first, but she refused him since she was¡ªand still is¡ªbusy cuddling with Rock and Shogun. The two canines have surrounded her, and she has her head comfortably resting on top of Shogun¡¯s side while one of her hands rubs Rock¡¯s belly. At least he can trust Rock and Shogun, and the overseer-controlled-avatars of his friends, to defend Serra in case anything happens to her while he¡¯s gone. After all, she¡¯s going to be more or less alone with Eva and neither of them know her that well yet. But, Serra is too comfy with Rock and Shogun to care, and she doubts that Eva would do anything bad anyways. Therefore, it is Fenrir lying down next to Rock so that he can wake from virtual reality to go and grab his girlfriends¡¯ and Rao¡¯s attention. ¡°Be back in a bit,¡± he tells Serra before looking over to Eva. Eva looks way too distracted by her captured insect, so she¡¯s not even paying any attention to Fenrir nor Serra. ¡°Have fun,¡± Serra says before shutting her eyes again. And with that, Fenrir wakes from the virtual world of Fantasy Tales Online but gets intercepted before he can fully return to reality. Not only that, but there is a girl twice as tall as him standing in front of him: Saya. She is not as tall as she is because she suddenly grew in height. Instead, she is as tall as she is because Fenrir shrunk in height down to only a third of his regular height. ¡°You actually did it,¡± Fenrir says, his voice matching his new, youthful appearance. ¡°Well¡­ I said I¡¯d bully you!¡± Saya replies, pressing the tip of her finger against his forehead and then pushing forward against him. She actually manages to push him back a couple of steps by doing so. ¡°So scary. I feel so bullied right now. Whatever will I do.¡± ¡°Hmph! I ¨C I¡¯d feel bad bullying somebody who looks as little as you¡­¡± ¡°Hm. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not like, actually blushing and wanting to do things because of how much cuter I look right now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not into that so why would I be?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°Hmph. Hentai onii-wan.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me tentacles instead?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. Nope. Never. Not going to happen.¡± ¡°Do it, Pupaya. Embrace the tentacles.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But consentacles are the bestacles.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°From now on, unless you give me tentacles, I¡¯m going to tickle you every time I immerse and wake until you give me tentacles.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s abuse!¡± ¡°Sometimes, abuse is the right choice.¡± ¡°Abuse is never the right choice you, you wifebeater!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have a wife! Well, I do have waifus, and I know at least one of them does like it rough.¡± ¡°Cass Cass liking it rough doesn¡¯t justify being a waifubeater!¡± ¡°I wish she was here right now to hear you call her out like that. She¡¯d look adorable and flustered and probably be shouting not to say that about her so loudly.¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯d be super cute ¨C hey! That¡¯s not the point right now! The point is that you shouldn¡¯t go around being a waifubeater who wants to harass your little sister with tentacles!¡± ¡°Who ever said anything about me harassing you with tentacles? All I said was that I want some. Wait. Don¡¯t tell me, Pupaya. Could it be that you want me to harass you with tentacles, and that¡¯s why you won¡¯t give me any? Because you¡¯re afraid you won¡¯t be able to resis¡ª¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s because we think the same way so I know you¡¯re going to want to touch me with them and do weird things, you perverted idiot onii-wan!¡± ¡°But in the same way that neither of us are really into shota, if I¡¯m into tentacles, that means you are into them as well, Sayawaya.¡± ¡°Sa-Sayawaya?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, that sounds stupid.¡± ¡°Just call me Saya! Nothing weird!¡± ¡°Alright, Pupayawaya.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡± ¡°You know how to stop it, Pupayawayamaya.¡± ¡°Stop making it worse!¡± ¡°Give me tentacles, Pupayawayamayazaya.¡± ¡°You¡¯re slurring your words now! You can¡¯t even say it right!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. Do you really expect anybody to be able to say your nickname in one go without messing up, Pupayawayamayazayayaya?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just adding more ¡®ya¡¯s onto it now!¡± ¡°Iya don¡¯tya don¡¯tya whatya you¡¯reya talki¡ª¡± ¡°Fine! Anything to make you stop!¡± ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± As if ¡°hmph¡± was the magical word to cast a spell of transformation, Fenrir¡¯s arms turned into five purple, slimy tentacles each. ¡°This is weird,¡± he says, raising his new tentacle arms up in front of his face to look at him. And then he wiggles them. ¡°But very exciting.¡± ¡°You better not be thinking of anything weird.¡± ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m thinking. Literallya.¡± ¡°Stop adding ¡®ya¡¯ onto words, you stupid onii-wanya!¡± ¡°Onii-wanya? Oniiwanya. Hm. That sounds like it could be some sort of fictional country either Japanese or African. Japanese-African? That would be an interesting hybrid culture for a fantasy setting, I think. Somebody should do that.¡± ¡°Please stop wiggling your tentacles like that while talking about combining cultures into something that would probably offend people.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll just offend you with my tentacles instead.¡± The tentacles slowly slither through the air toward Saya, getting closer and closer, until she snaps her fingers and causes the tentacles to turn back into normal arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you¡¯d get to keep them. Hmph.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how you want to play it, Pupayawayamayazayayayayayayayaya¡ª¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± ¡°¡ªayayayayayayayayaya¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re so dumb!¡± ¡°¡ªayayayayaya¡ª¡± ¡°Fine!¡± His arms turn back into tentacles. The tentacles immediately lunge forward, wrapping around Saya and getting an ¡°eek!¡± out from her before they pull her close towards Fenrir. They then drop her onto her knees and hold her still so that he can¡­ pet her on top of her head between her two, still-puppy-like ears. ¡°Thanks for letting me experience having tentacles, Pupayaya ¨C wait, I didn¡¯t even mean to do it that time.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me my nickname evolved, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Sorry, Pupayaya, but it¡¯s too late. I can no longer not add an extra ¡®ya¡¯ onto the end of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sending you back to your girlfriends now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do lewd things to yourself with tentacles while I¡¯m gone.¡± Fenrir can still feel the slap on his cheek even after he opens his eyes as Ryouta. That is when Ryouta notices something. It is suspiciously quiet. He doesn¡¯t hear any noises coming from any of the rooms. The ferrets are tuckered out in their cage sleeping and cuddling together, but his girlfriends are nowhere to be found. Well, they are nowhere to be found until he finds them in the living room. They have no idea that he has found them, either, since he never bothered with shouting out to try and find them. Lying on her back is the reddened Cassandra with shut eyes and her lips being pressed against the one taking control of the situation: Alice. While Alice might not be able to move her legs, that doesn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t able to pull herself up onto Cassandra to put themselves in the position that Ryouta has now found them in. Cassandra is clearly enjoying it, though, going by the fact that she isn¡¯t resisting in the slightest and even has her arms around Alice¡¯s figure as Alice pushes a bit of her tongue into Cassandra¡¯s mouth. Even when faced against somebody who can¡¯t even move the lower half of their body, Cassandra can¡¯t help but to submit and let Alice do whatever she wants to her. That also includes when Alice sliding one hand up into Cassandra¡¯s shirt to go for her breasts while her other hand slides down into her pants. Only quiet moans escape their pressed-together lips every now and then. Aside from those, the two are silent as the muted television shows an advertisement for delivery pizza. And as Ryouta watches from the bottom of the stairs, not daring to interrupt the great show in front of him. He figures that, since he¡¯s dating both of them, it¡¯s okay if he watches for a bit before interrupting them. However, he realizes that he¡¯s not as sneaky as he thinks he is when Alice shoots a quick glance at him before returning her attention to Cassandra. This is when Alice decides to be extra teasing to Ryouta by making very obvious movements with her hands underneath Cassandra¡¯s clothes, but she never actually makes her hands nor Cassandra¡¯s teased skin visible to him despite her easily being able to. All she would have to do is slide Cassandra¡¯s shirt up a bit more, or tug down her sweatpants a little bit, but that would be less fun for Alice. Besides, it¡¯s not like the closed-eyes Cassandra cares about what is visible or not since all she cares about is the pleasurable sensation of Alice¡¯s lips and delicate touches. ¡°Nngh¡­ m-more,¡± Cassandra whimpers. Alice leans her face down into the space between Cassandra¡¯s shoulder and neck, tilts Cassandra¡¯s head to the side with her own so that the blonde is facing Ryouta, and then bites. Cassandra opens her eyes from the sudden-but-pleasurable bite and locks directly onto Ryouta. She squeaks without even being poked in her sides. Not only that, but she glows red with a bright blush as Alice¡¯s teeth continue their assault on her neck. ¡°He-hey! Ryouta is ¨C Ryouta is¡ª¡± Cassandra whimpers before shutting her eyes again and shutting her thighs together around Alice¡¯s hand. It¡¯s already too late for her. Her back arches and her erotic voice can¡¯t resist coming out from her throat as Alice brings her to orgasm with Ryouta as the audience. As hot as he finds the whole situation, he also finds himself in disbelief at what he is seeing. He had no idea that Alice could be so aggressive. Sure, he has known for a while that his girlfriends like to fool around with each other whenever he¡¯s not present, but this is his first time walking in right at the ending of it and the first time he has ever seen Alice basically dominating Cassandra. Every other time, it was Serra dominating one of them or much more mutual. Cassandra opens her eyes, panting heavily now and no longer caring that he¡¯s watching as her body recovers from the orgasm that Alice gave her. As for Alice herself, she places a gentle kiss on Cassandra¡¯s lips before sliding off of her and sitting back up straight on the couch. ¡°Ah, my hero, how long have you been there? Were you waiting for the perfect moment to strike and force yourself onto us?¡± Alice asks. ¡°If you really thought that then you wouldn¡¯t have stopped,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°I see. Perhaps I should go back to what I was doing and wait to be taken from behind without expecting it! After all, while on top of Cassandra like that, I have no way of defending myself from any unsuspected attacks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both mean,¡± Cassandra whines as she sits up and fixes her bra underneath her shirt. ¡°You could have at least put it back right.¡± ¡°What if I was not done with you?¡± Cassandra starts blushing again as she asks for clarification, ¡°A-are you done or not?¡± ¡°I suppose that I am for now. I doubt that he would be here if it were not for a good reason.¡± Cassandra sighs and goes back to tucking her breasts into her bra. ¡°And,¡± she says, looking at Ryouta, ¡°you could have said something if you were there, you dumbie.¡± ¡°I could have, but it was really hot. Sorry. Should I have? I kind of feel bad about it now since I don¡¯t really think we¡¯ve ever discussed this sort of thing before. It¡¯s not like you gave me consent to watch even if you are my girlfriends, so¡­ is this ¨C I don¡¯t know. Am I allowed to watch if it happens again?¡± Cassandra looks away, still red, and says, ¡°D-do whatever you want.¡± Alice is much more enthusiastic as she answers, ¡°Of course, my hero! You may watch to your heart¡¯s content, and you may even join in if you would be so kind to! Ah, let me rephrase that. You may even join in if you would be so brutal to! Just force yourself into the situation however you would like to and ravage us!¡± ¡°You¡¯re more blunt than usual, but thanks for the permission to watch, and I might take you up on that offer sometime.¡± ¡°Ah, I wish you would so very much. Please, do not give me false hope.¡± ¡°I ¨C fine, I promise I¡¯ll take you up on that offer sometime. When you¡¯re not expecting it, I¡¯ll just¡­ use you however I want.¡± Alice¡¯s eyes widen alongside her smile. ¡°Oh? Please, my hero, do feel free to continue with that line of thought!¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll have to get back to you on that.¡± Alice grins even wider. ¡°What is wrong, my hero? Could it be that you are not sure how to proceed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good at this dirty talk stuff and fantasizing ¨C not anywhere near as good as you, anyways,¡± he admits. ¡°My hero, it is no fun if you admit to it! How am I supposed to tease you about it when you are so honest?¡± ¡°You could just not tease me about it.¡± ¡°That is far less entertaining.¡± ¡°You get pretty bold when you¡¯re horny, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°M-my hero! It ¨C it is not proper to call a lady that so boldly.¡± ¡°So, I can¡¯t call you horny, but you can talk about how you want to be ravaged by monsters?¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Ryouta, actually frustrated a bit from that, decides to put on his brave face to give Nell what she wants. Sure, he¡¯s experienced with sex already in-game and has fooled around with non-penetrative sex with his girlfriends in reality, but trying to act dominant to anybody other than Cassandra is still difficult for him. Serra always ends up putting him in his place whenever he tries to get dominant with her unless she lets him be in charge, Azalabulia is too gentle and easily-overwhelmed to dominate, and Alice ¨C well, when it comes to Alice, he just hasn¡¯t actually tried dominating her yet despite her probably being the one who would ask for it the most. He walks up to Alice, leans over her, and places his arms on the back of the couch around her so that she is trapped in front of him between his arms. Then, he opens his mouth and¡­ and¡­ And he utterly fails at thinking of something to say that might be able to please both him and Alice. Cassandra only needs actions when it comes to being dominated, but he knows that Alice likes dirty talk and being told fantasies ¨C being told what he would do to her. But, he can¡¯t think of anything that would probably satisfy her exotic fantasies that would also be realistic and within his means. There is also the fact that he can¡¯t imagine himself saying any of those things without cringing at himself, thus chipping away at the brave mask he put on. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologizes. ¡°I¡¯m just not good at this sort of thing in real life. Without being Fenrir and having no idea what to do¡­ I¡ª¡± Alice loops her arms around his neck, pulls him closer, and places a kiss on his lips. ¡°Thank you, my wonderful hero,¡± she says. ¡°The fact that you wish to try is all that I need to be satisfied. Please, do not ever feel the need to force yourself to act in a different way than you would like to for me. It is not fair if you are the one always spoiling me and I never get to spoil you, after all!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re all the ones who spoil me if anything. I should at least be able to try to do something like this for you.¡± ¡°I am torn between letting you believe that so I may use it against you for my own gain, or correcting you so that you realize just how wonderful you are and how you spoil us all without even realizing it. Hm. Cassandra, what do you think?¡± ¡°Use it against him,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Very well! Ryouta ¨C my hero, in exchange for being spoiled so much, I have a demand for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± he asks. ¡°Kiss here,¡± Alice says, pointing at the side of her neck. He doesn¡¯t know why she wants him to kiss her there, but he does as she wants. ¡°Make sure to bite, too,¡± Alice says. ¡°Am I kissing or biting?¡± ¡°Both!¡± Ryouta kisses and bites the spot on her neck. ¡°Is that all? Please, continue doing so until I tell you to stop. Do not let my neck leave your mouth until then.¡± Just as she ordered, Ryouta bites and kisses her neck in the same spot until she eventually gives the order to stop. ¡°A-ahn, yes, th-that is enough,¡± Alice whines. Ryouta pulls away and notices the large hickey that he has left on her otherwise-flawless neck. He isn¡¯t sure how he should feel about the fact that he just left such a gruesome looking mark on somebody as innocent looking as Alice. There is also the fact that she is basically royalty. If she still had cameras on her and was seen out in public with such a mark on her¡­ that would be the sort of thing to make it into headlines across the globe. ¡°Thank you, my hero! Now, everybody will see that I belong to you when we go shopping,¡± Alice says. ¡°Ah, and you should give one to Cassandra on the opposite side of her neck! Then we may match.¡± Ryouta looks at Cassandra who already has her hair out of the way and is tilting her head to give him more space to work with. He gets to work. It takes a minute, but both girls now have matching hickeys that would face each other whenever they walk side-by-side. ¡°Now, when we go shopping tomorrow, they should be in prime condition to show off!¡± Alice explains with a pleased smile as she happily sways from side to side. ¡°We¡¯re wearing scarves,¡± Cassandra says, ¡°or something that will cover our necks.¡± ¡°It will not be cold enough for either of those.¡± ¡°Do you want everybody in town to think we¡¯re a bunch of deviants? Most of the people around here are middle-aged. They¡¯re going to think we¡¯re a bunch of young, perverted deviants who just fool around all day and are probably going to corrupt the local kids or something. Wait¡­ why do you look excited about that? Never mind, I know why.¡± ¡°Just imagine all of their disapproving glares! Concerned mothers on their way to football practice would cover their children¡¯s eyes and tuck them away behind them to shield them from us! Ah, would that not make our acts much more exciting? To know that we are doing that which society judges and shuns us for!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the stereotype soccer instead of football?¡± ¡°Hmm? What was that, Cassandra?¡± Alice asks with a tilted head and closed eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t it soccer¡ª¡± ¡°Oh my, I do believe that an insect just now buzzed past my ear as you were talking. Would you care to repeat yourself?¡± ¡°I-isn¡¯t it¡­ instead of football¡­ isn¡¯t the stereotype about moms taking their kids to baseball or¡­ so-soccer prac¡ª¡± ¡°Cassandra, my dear.¡± ¡°Ye-yes?¡± ¡°There is football, and there is American football.¡± ¡°And socc¡ª¡± ¡°No, no. Only those lower than insects would dare to defile football¡¯s name like that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fenrir tries to help Cassandra out by explaining, ¡°Cass, most of the world calls socc¡ª¡± Alice opens her eyes to glare at him. ¡°¡ªmo-most of the world calls the sport where you kick a ball around on a field into nets ¡®football.¡¯ Calling it the word that starts with S and ends with R is a pretty American thing, I think. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not that familiar with it mysel¡ª¡± ¡°My hero! You are not familiar with the wonderful sport that is football? I know that there is no such thing as a truly perfect man, but for you to be lacking in such knowledge¡­ I may have to reconsider our relationship.¡± ¡°Is ¨C is soccer¡ª¡± ¡°Ryouta, I may not legally be royalty, but I assure you that I may still slap with the force of a queen putting her peasants in their place.¡± ¡°Ri-right.¡± ¡°Now then, apologize for your wrongdoing and I may still consider our relationship valid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling football the S word.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Alice says, pulling Ryouta close again to give him another kiss. ¡°You weren¡¯t¡­ actually considering anything because of that, right?¡± ¡°Oh, I most certainly was.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Of course! I was considering whether or not I would have to give you a history lesson on the cultural significance of football. I am still going to ensure that you become educated in the topic the next time the World Cup comes around, as we are going to watch every match of it together, but until then, I will be satisfied with having you memorize the rules of the sport.¡± ¡°What about Cass?¡± Cassandra freezes halfway up the stairs where she was hoping to escape to. ¡°Of course! My dear Cassandra will be every bit as educated as you are if not moreso! It appears that even with your insignificant knowledge regarding the perfection that is football, Cassandra somehow knows even less! Therefore, you will both be educated, and Cassandra will require even more of this education.¡± ¡°If I have to go through it, so do you,¡± Ryouta tells Cassandra. Cassandra sighs and says, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll learn about s¡ªfootball. I¡¯m just not into sports stuff, so don¡¯t blame me if I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°We shall make sure that Serra becomes educated as well!¡± Alice explains. ¡°We may even set up a webcam session with Aza so that she, too, may join in on our classroom.¡± While learning about football doesn¡¯t exactly sound entertaining about Ryouta, he has to admit that it¡¯s nice seeing Alice so passionate about something other than fantasizing about herself getting violated by gruesome monsters in manners that would likely kill her if they really happened. He also can¡¯t help but to imagine her dressed up in football apparel in front of a television cheering and shouting at it. In fact, he really wants to see that now. ¡°Do they make sweater versions of jerseys?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Whether they do or not already does not matter when you have enough money!¡± Alice says with a smile. ¡°Good point. We need to ¨C wait, speaking of what we need to do¡­ I didn¡¯t come back here for nothing. I wanted to tell you both to come immerse back into the game.¡± ¡°Is it already light out?¡± ¡°No, but we made a new friend who¡ª¡± ¡°A new friend?¡± Cassandra asks, her arms already crossed over her chest. ¡°Is this new friend a girl?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah.¡± Cassandra sighs as Alice says, ¡°Oh my. We have barely left you alone and you are already replacing us!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, I swear. We just¡­ it¡¯s kind of a weird situation. I¡¯ll explain the situation once we¡¯re back in-game. I don¡¯t want to keep Serra waiting there with her for long.¡± ¡°You left Serra alone with her? Serra?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°I mean, Rock and Shogun are there to protect her, and our avatars will come into action to help defend her if they need to, so¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that. You left Serraalone with another woman. Don¡¯t you know what that means?¡± ¡°Oh. Well, I mean¡­ I think it¡¯ll be fine? She was still pretty shy around her since we don¡¯t know that much about her yet, so I don¡¯t think that Serra could move that quickly when she could barely even talk to her before I left. It¡­ should be fine.¡± Ryouta pauses for a few moments to think about it. ¡°Wait,¡± he says. ¡°Is she really that bad?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just screwing around. I doubt she¡¯d do anything unless we all wanted to,¡± Cassandra admits. ¡°I just thought it¡¯d be funny to say that. Sue me.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather grope you.¡± ¡°I can confirm that I would rather grope you than sue you as well,¡± Alice says. ¡°Hm. Now that we are on the topic of groping, you did not even grope me back! I was enjoying your body so thoroughly, yet you only stayed there and made such cute whimpers and moans instead of playing with me back.¡± ¡°He-hey! It¡¯s ¨C it felt really good, and ¨C I¡­ I would have¡­ probably¡­ if we didn¡¯t get interrupted,¡± Cassandra explains with blushing cheeks. ¡°I should have tried hiding better. Seeing you two grope each other would have been fun,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°We¡¯re hiding next time so that you can¡¯t watch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no fun. You even gave me permission to watch earlier.¡± ¡°If you want to watch then you have to earn it by finding us! O-or something.¡± ¡°I see how it is.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°My hero,¡± Alice says, ¡°please assist me to the room so that we may immerse ourselves.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°See you in-game, Cass.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long,¡± Cassandra says, finishing her journey up the stairs. Now that Alice and Ryouta are alone, Alice lifts her arms up and wiggles them around. ¡°Pick me up,¡± she orders. ¡°You¡¯re like a little kid,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°If that is the case, should I begin calling you ¡®father¡¯? No, I believe that ¡®daddy¡¯ would be more appropriate in this case.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass on that.¡± ¡°Do you not want to spoil me like a daughter?¡± ¡°I would rather not think about you as a daughter and spoiling you in the way that I know you want to be spoiled.¡± Alice lowers her arms and pouts. ¡°You are no fun, father.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± She giggles and then says, ¡°Then please, as per usual, carry me like your princess rather than your daughter.¡± ¡°That I can do, my princess.¡± Calling her that gets even more giggling out from Alice as he scoops her up into his arms and carries her like a princess. ¡°I shall make sure to reward you for this. May you please shift me a bit more to your right?¡± Alice asks. ¡°Like this?¡± he asks, moving his arms to the right some more which brings her head closer to his. ¡°Yes, thank you, my hero,¡± she whispers into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Now, he finds out what her idea of a reward is as he feels her lips press against his neck. Her soft, delicate lips do not just place a single kiss on his neck, either. They gently and continuously cover the side of his neck in some of the softest kisses that he has ever felt. The softness of each kiss only adds to how sensual they are, and they are quick to get a reaction out of him as he tries to carry her up the stairs without getting distracted enough to drop her. ¡°This is dangerous,¡± he tells her. ¡°What if I drop you?¡± She ignores his question to give the lobe of his ear a quick little nip before returning to peppering his neck and now shoulder with her kisses. ¡°Does it feel good, my hero?¡± Alice asks. ¡°I ¨C I think this might be the most kisses I¡¯ve ever gotten at once. It might be awakening something in me,¡± Ryouta answers. With a smile, Alice presses her lips back against his neck to continue worshipping it with her kisses. Before Ryouta realizes it, he has brought Alice to the bed in their bedroom rather than the gaming room where all of their virtual reality headsets are. ¡°Oh? My hero? This is not the room that I thought you would bring me to,¡± Alice teases, whispering into his ear with her lips almost pressed against it. ¡°I ¨C I got distracted,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Oh? I wonder what could have caused that.¡± Ryouta starts turning around, but he¡¯s too slow. Alice, with her arms wrapped around him, wiggles out from his arms and pulls her down with him as she drops onto the bed. ¡°We may as well play for a few minutes since we are already here, yes?¡± Alice asks as one hand tugs down on her shirt just enough to show some cleavage as her other hand cups his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re really bold today, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sadly, thanks to your interruption, Cassandra was the only one who got to deal with her pent-up needs. Would you please assist me in sating my own desires before we return to a world where we will not get such privacy? I may have masochistic fantasies, but forcing me to endure this heat would be far too cruel.¡± Ryouta, for once being the one with burning cheeks, gulps and nods as he slides her farther up the bed and climbs on top of her. ¡°We have to be fast since they¡¯re waiting for us,¡± he says. Alice grabs one of his hands and pulls it down to her crotch. ¡°Then I suppose we should get to it, yes?¡± And so, Ryouta discovers that Alice is not only passionate about football and that she makes an amazing neck-kisser, but that even she has her needy, sexual moments. She helps him relieve his own desires after he helps her, of course, resulting in them taking a quick bath before finally going back into Fantasy Tales Online. Book 5: Chapter 14: After messaging Azalabulia and Rao over Fiscord, taking a quick bath with Alice, and then getting a snack to eat since he was hungry, Ryouta finally finds himself immersing back into Fantasy Tales Online after almost being tempted into another round of distracting fun with Alice. He starts wishing that he would have given into his temptations as soon as he gets up and looks around. The only one not looking disappointed in him right now is Nell since she has also just gotten back in-game. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be quick,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You said you¡¯d be quick,¡± Serra says. ¡°Right? We¡¯ve been waiting for you to get back for a while,¡± Eva says just as naturally as his girlfriends. ¡°Did you forget the whole time dilation thing?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t forget,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I just got distracted.¡± ¡°My goodness, my hero. Am I only a distraction to you? Do you not see me and my needs as anything more than a simple distraction to pass the time on?¡± Nell asks with her usual dramatic flair. ¡°Were you doing lewd things without me?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Well, we did require a shower once we were done doing what we were doing if that answers your question.¡± Serra looks at Fenrir and pouts. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t pout at me. Cass and Nell were doing things on their own while we were in here,¡± he says. Cassiel and Nell both blush, but Nell smiles whereas Cassiel glares. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to tell everybody that!¡± Cassiel shouts. Given that Rao and Eva are both present and listening in, Fenrir realizes that he probably made a mistake by calling Cassiel and Nell out like that. Though, he doubts that neither Rao nor Eva care since Rao is looking away and acting like he¡¯s not actually listening, and Eva just doesn¡¯t seem to care as she is much more interested in Nell¡¯s monstrous features. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And you took forever! Do you know how long we¡¯ve been waiting?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Ah, that is partially my fault,¡± Nell admits. ¡°Please, do not only punish him for that when I am just as guilty.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve¡­ you could¡¯ve invited me to join at least.¡± ¡°And me,¡± Serra says, looking the most annoyed out of everybody. ¡°Apologies,¡± Nell says. ¡°I wished to selfishly enjoy him. I will make sure that everybody is involved the next time!¡± While Nell¡¯s words seem to cheer up Serra and Cassiel, Azalabulia looks away with a bit of a sad expression showing on her face. She is still the only member of their relationship not living together with them, and they have never even met her in reality yet. So, as much as Fenrir just learned not to bring up their private lives when around others not in their relationship, he goes for it in an attempt to cheer her up. ¡°We¡¯ll fly Azawaza down for it next time,¡± he says. ¡°Then we can all enjoy each other.¡± Azalabulia turns her head back to look at him with reddened cheeks as Nell says, ¡°That sounds wonderful! Aza, please do let us know when you will have enough time off for a visit that may extend to a few days. All costs will be covered, so all you need to worry about is the time off!¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ we ¨C we¡¯ll see,¡± Azalabulia replies. ¡°Is it always this lovey-dovey?¡± Eva asks Rao. ¡°Yeah¡­ you get used to it,¡± Rao answers. Now, everybody who is present and dating feels a bit flustered for one reason or another except for Nell who is happy to have her love life in the public. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get going,¡± Fenrir says. With that, the group loads up into the wagon save for Eva who has decided that she will lead it from the front. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Hm? Yeah. Flying is fun. Sitting is boring,¡± Eva answers. He turns to look at Nell. Despite her also having fin-wings, she doesn¡¯t fly often at all. As if able to read his mind and tell what he is thinking, Nell explains, ¡°As much as I may enjoy my abilities in this world, I am still much more used to sitting.¡± ¡°Hm. Maybe my swimming is why I like flying so much,¡± Eva says. ¡°Do you have much experience with swimming?¡± Nell asks Eva now that the wagon has started on its journey toward the secret passage Eva knows of. ¡°Yeah. I used to be on the track team, then I was on the swimming team, then I got really into ice skating. Paragliding and skydiving were probably my favorites, but flying in this world feels more like swimming than those.¡± ¡°My, you have had quite the experiences! I have always been interested in going skydiving myself. Unfortunately, I never was quite able to overcome the fear of it. As tragic as it is to imagine my parachute not working and falling to the ground, thinking of my loved ones and having my life flash before my eyes as they watch on from the distance, I would rather not actually die.¡± ¡°Theoretically, depending on how you land, you could survive any fall. Once you hit terminal velocity, it doesn¡¯t really matter how far you¡¯re falling. Did you know that the longest fall that anybody has ever survived was over thirty thousand feet? Though, some believe that the story isn¡¯t true and that the plane was actually flying lower than the reported height. Either way, people have survived falls from thousands of feet in the sky before. All you have to do is land right and you¡¯ll live. You¡¯re probably more likely to survive falling out of a plane without a parachute than going down and crashing in one depending on how fast it¡¯s going and what angle it crashes into the ground at. Yeah, in either case, it really comes down to the landing. But, a crashing plane has a ton of debris and dangerous objects, fire, explosions¡­ yeah, I would probably jump out of the plane myself if I knew that a plane was going to have a disastrous landing. I would make sure to land on my feet first, then my knees, then my hips, and finally my shoulder or something like that. The force of the impact would get split up that way instead of like, getting turned into jelly if you land horizontally.¡± ¡°Ah, that would be wonderful! To survive such a deadly fall after coming to accept that death was hastily approaching, only to survive and be placed in a coma with broken bones throughout your body while your loved ones look on at you with no idea whether you will ever awaken or not¡­ that is just so, so wonderfully tragic.¡± ¡°You should try it sometime in this world. One of the first things I did after getting my wings was fly up as high as possible until I physically wasn¡¯t able to go any higher, and then I pulled my wings in close, made myself upside down, and then dived! It was really exciting to fall for that long and then I didn¡¯t even feel any pain when I smacked into the ground. One of the other scholars who was there watching had the gore stuff enabled and told me that they were finding body chunks everywhere. Every time they thought there was no way they¡¯d find a chunk of my previous life¡¯s body as far out as they went, they found one. It was hilarious.¡± ¡°I must admit that I am not too much of one for gruesome gore such as that. I prefer the gore to happen while I am still alive rather than as a result of my death. After all, if I am dead, I will not be able to enjoy the tragedy of it!¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re more of a masochist?¡± Nell nods with a smile. ¡°Hm. In that case, let¡¯s see¡­ well, from what I understand, you¡¯re already in a relationship so I doubt that you or the others would approve of you going down to that faction at the edge of the world where they¡¯re a bunch of deviants into the really messed up stuff. All of the world¡¯s worst people end up going down there. It¡¯s all rape, torture, gore ¨C then again, they all go there knowing to expect that, so I guess they¡¯re having consensual fun in their own way. It¡¯s not like the virtual assistants would actually let anything like that happen to you unless you opt into it and are enjoying it. Uh, what else since they¡¯re out of the option¡­ you could maybe dip your legs into lava? There¡¯s this one swampy place in these mountains which has a bunch of giant leeches which cause extreme pain, uh¡­ hmm. Mental pain or physical pain?¡± ¡°A mixture of both, please.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t experienced it myself, but there¡¯s this one dungeon in the Scholars¡¯ records that I was reading about. It¡¯s like this really intense horror-themed dungeon with a bunch of eldritch abominations in it. One of them has tentacles to crack your limbs while its magic tortures your mind. It¡¯s supposedly a really intense experience. Even the biggest masochists, supposedly, won¡¯t go in there with their pain settings above ten percent.¡± ¡°A-ah. I see. That¡­ that does sound a bit too intense for me.¡± ¡°Oooh, I¡¯ve got you. So, you¡¯re somebody who¡¯s more into imagining it and thinking about it instead of actually experiencing it? And, when you do experience it, you don¡¯t actually want it that rough?¡± ¡°Sadly, as much as I wish I could enjoy going through such extreme punishments, I do not think I would be able to handle it. I am much more gentle than I would like to admit when it comes to my realistic preferences.¡± ¡°Hm. Nothing wrong with that. I¡¯m kind of the same. Like, sure, I have fun experimenting with things that usually result in me dying, but that¡¯s only because I know for a fact that none of it is real. I¡¯m super careful in real life. Even then, I wouldn¡¯t go to that place with all the ¡®evil¡¯ players that I mentioned and I wouldn¡¯t dip my legs into lava again.¡± ¡°Perhaps I am a little bit curious about my legs with lava. One of the most memorable scenes I have ever seen in a movie is when a grandmother pushed a rowboat through ¨C I believe the water was either acidic or extremely hot, and she died as a result of pushing the rest of her family to safety through the water.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve seen that movie. I love the classics like that. How do you feel about war movies?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot quite handle watching war movies. I get far too emotionally invested in them and know that I will be crying for a week whenever I recall any heroic deaths that happened in them. There is no greater way to die than for your country.¡± ¡°You sound like you¡¯d make a great queen roleplayer.¡± Nell smiles and says, ¡°Then perhaps I must rule a country in this world! I must admit that it does sound like it would be entertaining.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, really. All you have to do is build a small settlement and then AI will start traveling and moving in. Then they¡¯ll help you build it up to be even bigger, causing more AI to move in, attracting players, attracting even more AI¡­ almost anybody can. That¡¯s why there are so many smaller kingdoms and cities inside of the Empire¡¯s territory. There are probably a few thousand different kings and queens there who all report to the Empress. The only real problem with setting up a town or city or kingdom or whatever is that you¡¯ll like, uhh, what was I going to say¡­ oh, right. You have to be able to defend it or else you¡¯ll get conquered. It¡¯s pretty easy in the mountains and along this coast, though, since none of the major factions care about this region. Too bad those dwarves can¡¯t get over here. They would love these mountains.¡± ¡°What is preventing them from getting over here?¡± Nell asks. ¡°All those dwarf roleplayers are, of course, at war with the elf roleplayers. The elves basically control the surrounding ocean over on their continent, so the dwarves can¡¯t send anybody to settle these mountains since they get immediately caught every time they try leaving the mountains they already live in. If they were to settle even a single settlement in these mountains, though, then they would probably become the most powerful and largest faction in the game. There is so much prime real estate over here for dwarves ¨C or, well, for anybody who wants to dig all day and never see the sun.¡± ¡°Ah, right, silly me! I should have known that already for how long I spent over there. I never did get to meet any members of the Conquerors of the Deep.¡± ¡°Psst,¡± Cassiel whispers to Fenrir, ¡°did they just go from talking about fetishes and torture and all that to politics?¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to think of this,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°They seem to really be getting along with each other, at least.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that they¡¯re going to talk forever if we don¡¯t do something.¡± ¡°Eh. Is it really bad if they do? They¡¯re having fun. We might as well let them enjoy the conversation.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I guess it¡¯s not bad. I just feel like a third wheel.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The rest of us are third wheels, too.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ I know this is random, but have you ever seen those cars with two wheels in the back and one in front?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re kind of cool.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s cute about that?¡± ¡°Just the fact that you¡¯d randomly whisper to me the fact that you think three-wheeled cars are cute.¡± ¡°Shush¡­ there¡¯s nothing cute about that.¡± ¡°Just take the compliment, my cute girlfriend.¡± ¡°Hm-hmph.¡± ¡°Here!¡± Eva announces. ¡°This is the tunnel. All we have to do is go straight through it and we¡¯ll reach the dragons.¡± Everybody else looks up at where Eva is looking and¡­ see nothing but the wall of a cliff. There is no tunnel. Only rock. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°Of course! Watch.¡± With that, Eva flies straight toward the wall and passes right through it. She then turns around to pop only her head out of it so she looks like a floating head. ¡°You coming?¡± she asks. ¡°I think it might be hard to get our horses to actually go through the wall,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Just pull them in. They¡¯ll stop caring once they realize it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± Rao says. Fenrir and Rao jump off of the wagon and grab the horses by their reigns to pull them toward the hidden entrance. Naturally, the horses start kicking up dirt and trying to resist as soon as they get close to the wall, but they stop resisting as soon as their heads actually pass through the wall. The rest of their bodies come in without any struggle. The tunnel itself is beautifully lit for being inside of a mountain without any exposure to outside light sources. Softly-glowing gems belonging to every color of the rainbow line the walls of the tunnel, giving the path clear illumination as far as the eye can see. In this case, they can see very far as the tunnel has no clear end in sight. ¡°How long is it going to take to get there through here?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°A few hours. It¡¯s a really long tunnel,¡± Eva answers. ¡°Which means that there will be plenty of time for you to answer all of my questions! That was the deal, remember?¡± ¡°I know. You can start asking me questions as soon as you can stop yourself from talking about painful things and politics.¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re right, but politics are so fun to talk about. Well, fantasy ones. I have a strict rule of never talking about real-world politics with people over the internet since that¡¯s one of the easiest ways to inevitably get into a bunch of annoying drama. Like, if you so much as even subtly imply that you might have a belief, you better be prepared to get everybody piling up on you shouting at you for how wrong and stupid you are. Ugh, it¡¯s so annoying. I remember reading this one post online from a couple decades ago where people were saying that it was only their generation doing that and that the next generations probably wouldn¡¯t bicker back and forth so much or something like that, but nope. Arguing over politics is never going to end for as long as humanity exists. This is why sometimes I vote that we should just nuke ourselves and be done with it. Can¡¯t listen to people arguing about politics if we¡¯re all dead.¡± ¡°What if there¡¯s an afterlife and everybody argues there for the rest of time?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll nuke the afterlife.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just use nukes to get out of any situation you don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°How would you know?¡± ¡°I ¨C alright, that¡¯s a good point.¡± ¡°Ah, to think of two lovers embracing one another as they know that nuclear missiles are in the air in enough numbers to cause the end of humanity as we know it,¡± Nell says with a wistful sigh. Fenrir looks around himself and notices that only Rao and Cassiel aren¡¯t looking nearly as excited about nuclear annihilation. Both Serra and Azalabulia are imagining the giant explosions and destruction, Eva is thinking about what it would feel like to get vaporized by a nuclear explosion, and Nell is lost in thinking about how tragic it would be to spend time with her lovers before inevitable death. Then there are Rock and Shogun who have no idea what is being talked about, so they¡¯re running around alongside the wagon to sniff at all of the glowing gems that they walk by. ¡°Now then!¡± Eva shouts. ¡°Tell me all about your serpent, what you found in the depths, and about why you want to befriend some dragons!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. A deal is a deal,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What do you want to start with?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be more specific. What do you want to know? ¡°Everything.¡± And so, Fenrir tells her everything. Well, not actually everything. He does, however, tell her about how they befriended their serpent friend, how she discovered a mysterious army waiting at the deepest depths of the ocean where one of the great serpents stays, how they are now preparing defenses to defend against what they believe is an inevitable invasion, and how they want to befriend some dragons to assist them in their upcoming battle which they still aren¡¯t even really sure of whether or not it will happen in the first place. ¡°Hmm,¡± Eva says after hearing everything. ¡°What are you expecting when you think of dragons?¡± ¡°Giant, four-legged, flying monsters that breathe fair ¨C fire, with long tails, covered in scales, really wise and like riddles and hoarding gold, stuff like that,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Oh boy.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to be disappointed.¡± ¡°Why? You¡¯re going to make me worried if you say it like that.¡± ¡°Because. These dragons are uh¡­ very¡­ well, first, let me say that dragons like the one you explained do exist. But, they¡¯re usually really rare monsters who stay to themselves and don¡¯t really care about people. Every now and then, somebody might befriend them and get to turn into a dragon themselves, but they don¡¯t become like huge and super powerful like the original dragon or anything.¡± ¡°So then what are they like?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of scalies?¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Yeah. But, don¡¯t worry. They only look like them. All of the real furries and scalies have their own communities in super easy-to-live places where they can just chill there without doing much work. These dragons act really honorable. Well, not all of them, but it¡¯s kind of the theme that they have going on for their village. Like samurai. Samurai dragons. Flying samurai dragons. For what you want ¨C warriors to help you in battle, they¡¯re great. But, they are nowhere near as strong as a real dragon. Convincing a real dragon to help you would be really hard. Or you would have to offer it something to make the time worth it.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Gold, probably. They are pretty greedy. I mean, this is supposed to be like your typical fantasy world where all of the races and monsters generally act in according to their clich¨¦s. Of course the dragons are going to be the same.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Cassiel speaks up, ¡°there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡± ¡°Hmm? What?¡± Eva asks. ¡°Your right eye. Isn¡¯t that an angel¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is. I¡¯m surprised you could tell so easily.¡± ¡°I spent a lot of time around them. How did you get it, though?¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re curious, are you? It¡¯s a pretty grand story. Getting this angel eye is probably one of the hardest things I¡¯ve done for my current form.¡± ¡°So, how¡¯d you get it?¡± ¡°I killed an angel and then took one of their eyes, took one of mine out, put theirs in where my old one was, and then used magic to connect them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not really that grand, and¡­ that¡¯s pretty messed up.¡± ¡°Well, she tried killing me first, so it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Hey, are all your body parts like that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Did you just kill things and then take parts of their body to put onto yours?¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s the case for about half of them.¡± ¡°You are like Frankenstein¡¯s Monster!¡± Nell declares. ¡°Kind of. Hmm. Now that I think about it¡­ I always did love that story when I was growing up. I wonder if that¡¯s why I¡¯m so into this.¡± ¡°Classical movies truly are the best. Have you seen¡­¡± And so, Nell and Eva end up getting into another long conversation that the topics of classical movies, plays, literature, and eventually they start talking about how all modern reboots of anything classical ends up bringing shame to the original, and that creators should really try to make original things instead of taking the easy way out and relying on an already-successful name. While they talk, Azalabulia takes Serra¡¯s spot next to Fenrir right after Serra gets off of the wagon to play with Rock and Shogun as they walk. ¡°Hey,¡± Azalabulia says in a hushed voice so as to not disturb Eva¡¯s and Nell¡¯s conversation. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir asks her. ¡°A-about meeting¡­ in real life.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Do you think we could¡­ maybe¡­ do that soon? I ¨C I¡¯m really nervous about it, but¡­ I really do want to meet all of you. That¡¯s normal, right? O-or am I taking it too fast?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not taking it too fast. We can meet as soon as you want. I don¡¯t like relying on her money, but thanks to Nell, we can pretty much do anything we want. You could probably quit your job and move in with us tomorrow. No, you could definitely do that. Though¡­ yeah, it¡¯d probably be best for you to just visit us once first before deciding anything like that.¡± ¡°Ehe¡­ yeah¡­ I ¨C I think that moving in is a bit too soon.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush, so don¡¯t worry about anything like that. Just come and visit us whenever you want. Then, if you decide you can tolerate all of us in real life, you can move in whenever you want.¡± ¡°Maybe after the school year is over if everything goes well.¡± ¡°That sounds good to me.¡± ¡°Are there any schools near you?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s a middle school a few streets from our house. I know that there are a few daycares around since Serra keeps pointing them out even though I can¡¯t imagine us ever actually needing a daycare. Why¡¯d you want to know about any schools?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t think I could not be a teacher¡­ probably. I love helping kids and teaching them. It¡¯s what I¡¯ve always wanted to do, so it¡¯s my passion, and a life without seeing their bright smiles every day is such a depressing thought to me,¡± Azalabulia explains, growing more confident in her words the more she sinks into teacher mode. ¡°You sound like you¡¯d make a great mom,¡± Fenrir says, tearing her right out of her teacher mode and putting her into blushing-and-bashful mode. ¡°D-do you thi-think so?¡± ¡°Yeah. You sound like you¡¯re going to be perfect for when we eventually have kids since everybody wants a bunch of them. You would basically have your own classroom¡¯s worth of kids right at home.¡± Azalabulia blushes brighter and brighter. ¡°Are you ¨C are you saying you¡­ th-that you already want us to¡­ to,¡± she taps her pointer fingers together while looking up at him from behind them, ¡°ha-have kids already?¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears perk up as he quickly shakes his head. ¡°No, no. Sorry. I just mean, between Serra and Nell being ready for kids at any time, I just talk like it¡¯s going to inevitably happen since it probably definitely is going to happen.¡± ¡°Soon, TM,¡± Cassiel jokes since they have been talking loudly enough for her to hear now. ¡°I think me and Cass are the only ones being patient about it.¡± ¡°A-ah, I ¨C I see, yeah¡­ being patient is good. I can probably¡­ wait¡­ i-it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in a rush or anything to do that. It¡¯s better to wait for when the time is right, r-right? But¡­ maybe¡­ having a kid sooner rather than later might be nice.¡± The entire time that Azalabulia stutters out her desires under the guise of being unsure, she¡¯s looking up at Fenrir to gauge his reaction while hiding most of her face behind her hands. Seeing her look so embarrassed and cute is enough to make Fenrir want to give her the children that she¡¯s asking for right now. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, you pervert,¡± Cassiel says, leaning against his other side and resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°Then stop pushing your chest against my arm,¡± Fenrir whispers at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. My eyes are closed, so I can¡¯t see anything.¡± Fenrir sighs and returns his attention to Azalabulia. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are going to be a ton of kids before long,¡± he tells her. ¡°I ¨C I see. That¡¯s good,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t need to stay teaching after all. Somebody will have to keep an eye on all of them and make sure that they¡¯re behaving, and getting a good education, doing their homework on time, practicing their critical thinking skills, and learning how to operate as adults.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯ll probably be a while before they have to learn that last part. No teaching toddlers how to do taxes.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes light up before she grabs onto Fenrir¡¯s nearest hand, holding it between her own. ¡°Can I homeschool them? Please? Can I homeschool all of our kids? I could set up a room for a classroom, and I could buy all the materials needed to teach them, make sure that they get all of their state tests done and excel at them, motivate them to learn and discover their passions, and ¨C and, please? Can I? It would be so much fun and they¡¯ll be so smart! I don¡¯t mean to brag or think too highly of myself or anything like that, but I am really good at teaching kids. I can bring out all of their passions and help them develop them whatever they are! I have all my teaching certifications up to date, too! And I don¡¯t rely on any VR equipment like most modern schools! I¡¯ll make them all love learning!¡± While Fenrir has seen her get serious and passionate about teaching before, he has never seen her get this excited over it. She sounds like an excited little kid about to go to an amusement park, except in her case, she wants to surround herself with a bunch of kids to teach them for hours every single day until they¡¯re adults. ¡°You really love teaching, don¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not objected to it,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯d rather trust Aza than make them change teachers every year.¡± ¡°I agree!¡± Nell says. ¡°It sounds like a wonderful idea. Though, it may be good to make sure that our future children are still enrolled in activities outside of home so that they may get interaction with non-family members.¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna have so many kids,¡± Serra says. Azalabulia slowly comes to the realization that she was just fangirling over being a stay-at-home teacher-and-mother loudly enough for everybody to hear. ¡°I call dibs on being godfather,¡± Rao jokes. ¡°Nah, the deer would probably want that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Olly would call dibs on godmother instead,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You can be the godfather.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me, bro.¡± While they all talk get into the flow of talking about kids, the logistics behind teaching them at home, godparents, and more, Eva is the one who is left with nothing to say for once. They are all busy discussing a topic that she can only listen in on with curiosity as she has no knowledge on it herself. All she knows is that Fenrir has four women who all want to have children with him. What¡¯s so great about him? What¡¯s so great about having kids with him? Is there something that she¡¯s missing? The idea of having kids has never been too appealing to Eva, but now she finds herself curious about it. She finds herself looking at Fenrir as everybody else treats him as the center of attention. Perhaps there is something about him that is more interesting than she knows? If he secretly a celebrity in real life or extremely wealthy? The heir to fortunes? Does he have a mansion? A private helicopter? A yacht? Or is it something else? Whatever the case is, her curiosity has been piqued and now she requires answers to her latest questions. ¡°Let¡¯s have a bunch of kids this year,¡± Serra says. ¡°No,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us are actually ready for kids this year.¡± ¡°Eh, I¡¯m ready,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I am most certainly ready as well!¡± Nell agrees. Fenrir looks at Serra and doesn¡¯t even need her to say that she¡¯s ready. ¡°I-it might be too soon, but,¡± Azalabulia says before trailing off into more nervous mumbles caused by actually thinking about the process of having kids in reality. ¡°Good luck, bro. You¡¯re on your own for this one,¡± Rao says. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the godfather, don¡¯t leave me hanging,¡± Fenrir says. Eva observes the situation unfold as more and more questions pop into her mind. She¡¯s going to have to do some science. Book 5: Chapter 15: The traveling party arrives at the end of the tunnel before much longer. It is every bit as inconspicuous as the tunnel¡¯s entrance, meaning that it looks like just another rock wall ¨C like a dead end. Of course, Eva proves that it¡¯s not a dead end by flying right through it and beckoning for the others to follow her by poking the top half of her body back through it. Fenrir¡¯s mind immediately goes to the gutter. He thought it the first time he saw her do this at the tunnel¡¯s entrance, but now she looks really similar to the hentai that he has seen where a girl somehow gets stuck in a wall with both of her ends sticking out for anybody nearby to use however they want. Nell asks, ¡°My hero, does she not look like¡ª" ¡°¡ªthe stuck-in-a-wall thing?¡± Fenrir finishes her question for her. She nods her head with a smile. ¡°I am glad to know that we are so in-tune with one another!¡± ¡°You know, we¡¯re probably even more in-tune than you know. I just resist talking about every perverted thought that pops into my head.¡± ¡°Is it not much more entertaining to freely discuss our fantasies so that we know how to please one another?¡± ¡°How am I going to please you with the knowledge that you would probably like to be stuck in a wall and taken from both ends at once?¡± ¡°It is true that it might be difficult, so what if we acquired some stocks instead?¡± ¡°Stocks?¡± ¡°You are so innocent, my hero.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually kind of insulting, but compared to you, maybe I am.¡± ¡°By stocks, I mean the wooden sort that used to be involved in public punishments and humiliation!¡± ¡°Oh. Those.¡± Nell nods and continues, ¡°I would be fine with such play either in real life or here!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be kind of hard in real life? I mean, you have to stand, so wouldn¡¯t it hurt to sort of be hanging down?¡± ¡°Hmm. That is true and something that I foolishly failed to consider. In that case, we will just have to have our fun with these bodies instead!¡± ¡°Or we could do it in real life if we got a padded bench or something for your knees to rest on. Or just put the stocks in front of the bed.¡± ¡°Oh? What is this, my hero? Are you contemplating how to go along with my fantasies?¡± ¡°You are my girlfriend. It¡¯d only be natural for me to¡ª¡± ¡°Bro, come on,¡± Rao interrupts. ¡°These horses aren¡¯t going to go through if we don¡¯t pull them. Like, I¡¯m sorry for interrupting and all that, but you two can go on forever.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯ll take your place.¡± Serra then proceeds to push Fenrir away from sitting next to Nell so that she can sit next to her while he helps Rao with the horses. Right before he¡¯s out of distance to hear their whispering, Fenrir swears that he hears Serra whisper something about strap-ons. He can only hope that she was whispering about it in the context of using it on the other girls instead of him. There are many things that Fenrir is willing to do and try for his girlfriends. That is not one of them. With that worry now in the back of his mind, Fenrir helps Rao pull the horses through the passable wall. He does feel bad about freaking them out since they kick around and try to break free, obviously not wanting to go face-first into a ¡°hard¡± wall, but they relax again the instant they pass through. The horses are not the only ones to immediately change their thoughts upon passing through the wall. Even the lewdly-whispering Serra stops what she¡¯s doing to look up at the sight. Tall spires reach high enough above the ground for the rising sun to shine upon their tops that have been shaped into the heads of dragons. Large homes and shops share little space between them, forced to stay close together as the mountain¡¯s terrain has given them little room for easy construction. The first thought that comes into Fenrir¡¯s mind is some sort of open-air, dwarven city with blue and grey colors instead of gold and brown, and with dragon statues and sculpted heads instead of dwarven ones. Also, instead of everything being short and wide, everything is tall and thin ¨C well, more thin than what dwarves would build, probably. ¡°This place is awesome,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Bro, look up there,¡± Rao says, pointing up to the top of one of the towers with sunlight shining on it. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°The top of that place would be perfect for a bachelor¡¯s pad. Like, seriously bro, imagine it. That tower has to be tall enough to have a stupid good view over all these mountains.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯d be horrible for anybody who was afraid of heights.¡± ¡°Bro, imagine taking a girl back there ¨C I mean, you can imagine taking one of your girls back there.¡± ¡°Nell would fantasize about accidentally falling off somehow.¡± ¡°You guys are into some weird things.¡± ¡°You know what I want to do? Go skydiving off of it.¡± ¡°Wanna see me do it?¡± Eva asks, popping her head between the two men while purposely putting herself closer to Fenrir. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Skydive off that tower.¡± Eva flexes her wings. ¡°Is ¨C is that allowed? Nobody around is going to get mad?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve done it before. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± With that, Eva jumps up and uses her wings to boost her higher into the air. She reaches the top of the tower with only five flaps of her wings, proving to those watching her just how much strength she has in her wings. After landing on the tower, she stands on the very edge of it and looks down at the others who arrived here with her. None of the actual villagers out and about care about what she¡¯s up to. Eva holds up three fingers to count down. While she might be counting down with her fingers¡­ she ends up just looking like she¡¯s doing some sort of controversial salute to those watching her from below. They are much too far away to see that she¡¯s sticking her fingers out. With her final finger pulled in, Eva falls forward with her wings tucked tight against her back and her tail sticking straight out behind her ¨C or rather, above her given that she¡¯s diving headfirst toward the ground. ¡°Isn¡¯t she going way too fast?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Bro, wanna bet that she explodes after crashing?¡± Rao asks. ¡°I want to have faith in her that she¡¯s not going to crash straight into the ground, but after everything I¡¯ve heard from her¡­¡± ¡°Come on. I¡¯ll bet you¡­ I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll buy you a game online or something.¡± ¡°I mean, the new Monsters in Pockets game is coming out soon, and I haven¡¯t played one of those since I was a kid.¡± ¡°Oh, nice, you¡¯re gonna get it too? I was looking at the Lime version myself.¡± ¡°Cyan for me. The legendary looks cooler.¡± ¡°Yeah, but other than the legendary, Lime has better exclusives.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what trading is for.¡± ¡°Fair enough, bro.¡± ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll bet that she¡¯ll survive. Somehow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re on. No way that she can slow herself down in time. She¡¯d be screwed even with a parachute now.¡± Eva is still falling even after their whole conversation, but she¡¯s rapidly approaching the ground. Then, only moments before disaster, she expands her wings out as wide as they can go and uses them for one, powerful flap that completely counters her momentum. She lands on her feet without any harm done to take her bow in front of the others. ¡°How are you not dead?¡± Rao asks. ¡°Because I¡¯m great! Also, I¡¯ve done this dozens of times before. I learned how late I can stop after the third time,¡± Eva explains. ¡°What about the first three times?¡± ¡°Ever hit a fly with a flyswatter?¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous,¡± Fenrir says and then looks back at Nell. ¡°How about you try that? You could fly up there, right?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ I think I will have to pass, my hero. How about Shogun?¡± Nell answers, turning the group¡¯s attention to the winged fox. Shogun looks up to the top of the tower, down at the ground, and then ignores them all to give Rock some more attention. ¡°Anyways, welcome to Dragon¡¯s Nest!¡± Eva announces. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have done that when we got here instead of showing off?¡± Rao asks. ¡°You¡¯re just mad you lost the bet,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So, when do I get my game?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll preorder it for you when we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Sweet. Then I can challenge you in it and win.¡± ¡°Nah bro. I¡¯ve already got my dream team planned.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve already got my ¡®Ultimate Doggo¡¯ team planned. You¡¯re not going to be able to win.¡± ¡°You said you haven¡¯t even played it since you were a kid. How are you gonna beat me?¡± ¡°I looked up all the doglike monsters that¡¯ve come out since I played it, listened to what people said were the best, and then decided that I¡¯ll put them all on the same team.¡± ¡°Bro, there¡¯s no way you can beat me if that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing. I¡¯ve been up to date with the series for years and know the game inside and out.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trust in the power of my Ultimate Doggo team.¡± ¡°You do you. Just don¡¯t be disappointed when I beat you.¡± ¡°Why would you even want to beat doggos?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not real. Beating virtual dogs is different, plus fighting monsters against each other is the whole point of those games.¡± Rock and Shogun both stare up at Rao together with lowered ears, drooping tails, and sad expressions. ¡°¡®Beating virtual dogs is different.¡¯ Great job,¡± Cassiel says before rolling her eyes and crouching down in front of the two canids to pet their heads. Serra also helps out in comforting them by scratching their sides. ¡°Ignore him. He¡¯s mean,¡± she says. ¡°He-hey, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. You two are awesome,¡± Rao tries telling Rock and Shogun, but they both turn their heads up at him. ¡°Maybe next time don¡¯t say that virtual dogs don¡¯t matter in front of a couple of virtual canines,¡± Cassiel says, glaring at Rao through the corner of her vision. ¡°I kind of miss being looked at that way,¡± Fenrir says, instantly bringing a blush to Cassiel¡¯s face thus interrupting her annoyed glare. ¡°Why ¨C why would you miss me glaring at you?¡± she asks her boyfriend. ¡°Because it¡¯s nice. I like when you¡¯re tsun.¡± ¡°Stop wanting me to be mean to you. Are you a masochist?¡± ¡°Only sometimes.¡± ¡°Can confirm,¡± Serra confirms. As per usual, regardless of what locale the group finds itself, they end up having their usual bantering sessions even if there are tall, draconic people standing by looking at the newcomers with no idea why they are there. ¡°It seems as if you have brought us some interesting friends,¡± one of the draconic men say to Eva. ¡°Oh, hey, GG. Yeah, they wanted to come and talk to some dragons,¡± Eva explains. The rest of the group finally pays attention to the others around them. The man who talked to Eva, GG, easily stands taller than them all at nine feet and has wings sticking out from the backs of his arms similar to how Shogun has wings, only GG¡¯s wings are much more leathery than Shogun¡¯s feathery pair. The similarities end there. His skin is covered in light, blue scales, he has a lithe figure despite his huge height and the long tail reaching out from behind him, and a couple of horns stick out backward from the back of his elongated head. The others around are all similar to him but with some minor variations. Some have horns sticking out from their foreheads, others have two pairs of wings instead of only one, and the greatest difference comes in the color of their scales. All of their scales match their surroundings, though. Whether their scales are green similar to the mountain grass, white to match the mountain peaks¡¯ snow, grey to match the deadly boulders covering the mountainsides, or blue to match the beautiful and clear sky, there is a unity in the color schemes of their scales that extends to their architecture and surroundings. As for Eva¡¯s statement about them being like flying, dragon samurai, the only thing that looks even slightly samurai about them are their clothes, armor, and the weapons at their sides. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you,¡± GG says. ¡°If the curious Eva has brought you to us then I am sure you are worth associating with.¡± ¡°We definitely hope to be worth it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯m Fenrir, leader of The Soaring Wolves. These are Serra, Cassiel, Nell, Rao, and Azalabulia.¡± GG bows to each group member upon Fenrir introducing them. ¡°You may call me GG,¡± GG says. ¡°Good Game?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°No. Grand Gay,¡± GG answers. Fenrir makes a very conflicted expression as he has no idea how to react. Fortunately for him, GG clears things up and says, ¡°I am only joking. There is no grander meaning behind my name, I assure you. So, do tell me. What is it that has brought you here? Surely you would not have come here if you did not have a reason for it other than wishing to talk to dragons.¡± Fenrir has to admit that, as much as they were talking about these dragons being scalies back in the tunnel, he would never call any of these dragons that. They simply look like cool, badass, bipedal dragons that stand like humans. He doesn¡¯t even know if he would call them anthropomorphized or not. Perhaps in the most technical definition, he could call them anthropomorphized or scalies, but he would never call them that in the modern context of what sort of appearances those words usually reference. In other words, he refuses to call them scalies or anthros because he thinks they look cool. Now, if they looked lame or cheesy, he wouldn¡¯t mind switching to mentally referring to them as scalies or anthros. ¡°Want to share some more pleasantries and get to know each other first, or would you rather me jump right into it?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°The latter, please,¡± GG answers. ¡°While we would normally treat visitors to a meal and friendly conversation, we have our own matters that we are in the midst of taking care of.¡± ¡°Sounds like something¡¯s wrong.¡± GG¡¯s expression confirms Fenrir¡¯s suspicion. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ah, well, you see ¨C no, it would not be right to share our issues with visitors,¡± GG answers. ¡°What if we can help?¡± ¡°I am not sure you would be able to given that we are already struggling ourselves.¡± Fenrir and the rest of the group look around to see if they can find anything wrong, but there is nothing that they can notice. Eva is looking around, too. ¡°Something happen since I was here last?¡± Eva asks. GG looks away. ¡°You can trust them. Probably. They¡¯re nice and were able to help me out,¡± Eva explains. ¡°Is that so?¡± GG asks. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°I see. Well¡­ perhaps more minds helping us think of a solution would be beneficial.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asks. GG sighs before explaining, ¡°You see¡­ our favorite fishing spot has been taken over.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°I know that it sounds silly, but ¨C wait, what did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°You are in? As in you wish to help us without knowing all the details?¡± ¡°You said your favorite fishing spot has been taken over. You guys are cool dragons, you seem friendly and trustworthy enough, and you like fishing. Anybody who likes fishing is worth helping.¡± Unless they¡¯re in rowboats when a certain juvenile serpent comes around. In those cases, they¡¯re on their own. ¡°You have brought rather entertaining visitors,¡± GG tells Eva. ¡°Yep, and I¡¯ll help however I can, too. You guys have done so much for me lately that it would only be fair,¡± Eva says. ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°So, what¡¯s taken over your fishing spot? Where is it?¡± ¡°It is deep within the mountains at the bottom of a vast pit. There lies a subterranean lake that we believe leads to the ocean¡¯s depths. Since discovering the lake, fishing there has become our favorite pastime activity. But¡­ two days ago, horrifying monsters came out from the lake¡¯s depths and ambushed several of our villagers who were fishing and unaware at the time.¡± Fenrir has already started putting the pieces together. ¡°And what did they look like? The monsters?¡± ¡°Some have the heads of fish, others have tentacles for arms that may be covered in eyes, some simply look like shambling masses of scales, flesh, and bones¡­ they are truly Heartcraftian creatures.¡± ¡°And you only encountered them for the first time two days ago?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Well, shit. Seems like I was right then.¡± ¡°You were right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got ourselves a common enemy. The reason why we¡¯re here is actually because I thought it would be smart to ask dragons for help in defending against monsters from the bottom of the ocean. We know there¡¯s an army down there, and I¡¯ve seen them, and they look exactly like what you just described. So, between knowing that they¡¯re messing with your fishing and that they¡¯re why we¡¯re here in the first place, we¡¯ll do everything that we can to help you out.¡± ¡°Please keep in mind that I cannot promise you any sort of compensation nor debt for your assistance if you choose to help us. We are very communal here and require a majority vote for all important matters.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯d help you out just because I want some fellow fishermen to be able to fish in peace. Well, just not on rowboats.¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with fishing from rowboats?¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh¡­ anyways, I think we¡¯re all ready to help out right now. Right?¡± Fenrir asks, looking back at the group. The only one of them who doesn¡¯t look ready is Serra. Serra being Serra, she has been staying close behind Rock and Shogun ever since she noticed GG and the other draconic people around them. Now, she¡¯s being asked if she¡¯s ready to fight when she doesn¡¯t even have a weapon and only did a little bit of training with Fenrir. Fenrir says, ¡°You can stay with the horses if you want to, Ser¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Serra cuts him off. ¡°I want to¡­ fight, too.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah. I want to help.¡± ¡°Perfect. The more the merrier, right?¡± he asks, placing a hand down on top of Serra¡¯s head over her oversized hat to pat her. ¡°We¡¯ll just need to get you a weapon first.¡± ¡°I would be glad to assist you in that regard for helping us,¡± GG says. ¡°I thought you had to vote on it?¡± ¡°We do not have to vote on what I choose to do with my own belongings. Is there any weapon that you prefer?¡± GG asks Serra. Serra shakes her head but then pauses, looks up at him, and says, ¡°I like¡­ cannons.¡± ¡°Cannons?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, there is a cannon that we have had no use for. Or rather, it is less of a cannon and more of a gatling gun.¡± ¡°Oh, the one Trismy gave you guys?¡± Eva asks. ¡°The very same. Only, I am not sure how we would prepare it to be of use. It would not be useful at the top of the pit nor is there any good, solid ground to place it at the bottom. Your space would be limited and fought over. Furthermore, without quick reactions and precise aim, you would be quickly overwhelmed by their numbers.¡± ¡°Wait, you guys have a gatling gun?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Well, that is what the wise Trismegistus would have us call it.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s allowed to exist? It didn¡¯t get broken or anything?¡± ¡°No. It has been allowed to stay given its unique conditions.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m curious. Serra?¡± Fenrir asks, turning his attention to her. ¡°Think you could kill a bunch of oversized fish monsters with a fantasy-appropriate gatling gun?¡± Serra looked unsure before but now she looks excited. ¡°Yeah,¡± she answers. ¡°Then there we have it. We¡¯re just going to have to clear some space out down there for you to get set up and then we¡¯ll be good to go. You won¡¯t have to worry about getting overwhelmed as long as I¡¯m there to back you up.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t take all the credit,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you, too,¡± she tells Serra. ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass,¡± Serra replies. ¡°So, with Serra on the gatling gun, me, Cass Cass, and Rock protecting her, Shogun, Nell, and Aza working as our damage dealers, and Rao¡­ Rao¡­ hey, what can you do again?¡± Fenrir asks. Rao shrugs and answers, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just give me a spear or something.¡± ¡°You sound like such a confident fighter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try, bro.¡± ¡°Good enough. Eva, what about you?¡± ¡°DPS all the way. I can be my own tank, damage dealer, and healer if I need to be, so all I need is to know where to fight and I¡¯m set all on my own,¡± Eva answers. ¡°Without any armor or anything?¡± To answer his question, Eva activates one of her abilities that causes sharp, black scales to rapidly grow all over her body giving her a perfect coat of natural armor. ¡°Good enough. Are there any more dragons fighting down there already? Or anybody planning on it?¡± Fenrir asks GG. ¡°Yes. In fact, we are already preparing to send another force down there. There are only thirty of us who can safely fight without fear of losing all our progress, but we refuse to sit by and do nothing as they scare away all of the fish ¨C ahem, I mean, as they defile our fishing grounds.¡± ¡°Alright. So, we¡¯ve got our whole group and thirty of you guys. When are you going to be heading down next?¡± ¡°In an hour from now. We are currently busy preparing equipment, potions, and trying to come up with a plan that does not rely solely on brute strength for victory.¡± ¡°What about caving in part of the underwater tunnel? If you believe it goes out to the ocean, which it has to in this case, then we could try to collapse part of it. We could make it so that there is too much rubble for the monsters to get through, and I think that any fish would still be able to get through the small gaps in the rocks unless you only get huge fish coming through the tunnel.¡± ¡°How would you expect us to cave in a section of the tunnel without spending costly time mining it?¡± Everybody other than GG looks at Azalabulia. ¡°Is ¨C is it time for explosions?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°It¡¯s time for explosions,¡± Fenrir answers. Azalabulia takes a deep breath, looks down at the ground, and reaches into her pocket. She then takes her hat off so that she can slip something around her head before putting the hat back on. As for what that item is¡­ they discover what it is when she looks up. An eyepatch. ¡°With this, no foul creature could possibly resist any of my attacks! There is no chance for them! I, Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia, shall accept your request and deliver unto you an explosion far greater than anything you have ever seen before! Naught will be left aside from ruin!¡± Azalabulia declares, getting fully into it. ¡°How long have you had an eyepatch for?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°A-ah¡­ I¡¯ve always had it but I only use it when I get really excited. I ¨C I mean, I only use it in order to contain the explosive power stored within me! My dark emotions would flow loose like a raging hurricane were it not for me covering my left eye! All of these mountains would be reduced to sand if I were to unleash the powers within both of mine eyes!¡± ¡°Woah, so this is what she¡¯s like when she¡¯s actually playing,¡± Eva says. ¡°You get used to it. I think it¡¯s endearing,¡± Fenrir responds. ¡°Hah!¡± GG laughs. ¡°Wonderful! If that is how it shall be then that is how it must be! I have heard you, Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia! I would be honored to fight beside you in the name of Bahamut!¡± Azalabulia lights up and almost looks like she¡¯s about to cry with her uncovered eye. ¡°Exactly! Together, fighting alongside dragons similar to that of Bahamut itself, there will not be any who can resist us! They will taste your claws and my ruinous spells!¡± ¡°Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Come, oh dark and powerful Azalabulia, and meet the rest of our forces who would be honored to meet you!¡± Together, GG and Azalabulia walk off sharing maniacal laughter. ¡­ ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I forgot to tell you that everybody here loves roleplaying,¡± Eva explains. ¡°My bad.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I just really wasn¡¯t expecting that. He seemed so proper and normal, but then it was like Aza flipped a switch in his head or something.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, they try to stay normal around visitors. Once they leave, that¡¯s when all of the flying-samurai-dragon roleplay stuff really starts. I may or may not have spied ¨C observed them a few times after they thought I left and they always just¡­ acted like a bunch of random flying-dragon-samurai going about their daily lives. Sometimes they¡¯d train, other times they¡¯d have tea breaks in the shade, stretched together ¨C they¡¯re a seriously tightknit community here. For them to actually roleplay around visitors¡­ they have to really like that girl.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re samurai. Shouldn¡¯t they be honorable and against working with somebody who tries to act and sound as evil and corrupt as Aza?¡± ¡°You have to give and take when it comes to roleplay, you know? They probably realize that it would be more fun to just play along with her instead of try to fight against her, especially when she¡¯s going to help them with their problem.¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. But still.¡± Fenrir looks at where GG and Azalabulia have gone. The two of them are standing in the center of the village with the rest of the dragons gathered around them, and they are all cheering and shouting all sorts of odd things whenever they¡¯re not laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good for anybody to let Azalabulia loose in such an environment,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°She might get really encouraged.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the worst that she could do?¡± Eva asks. ¡°A lot. She might seem shy most of the time, but she¡¯s crazy powerful. She¡¯s easily the most powerful one out of all of us. She really likes her dragon magic and explosions.¡± ¡°At least she¡¯s making friends,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Now they¡¯re just going to have to hope that they can survive her. Anyways, I guess we should go over there and see what they¡¯re talking about if we¡¯re strategizing.¡± With that, the group heads over to where Azalabulia and GG have gone to, but two of them fall behind when Serra grabs the back of Fenrir¡¯s shirt. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asks her. ¡°I know I said I could do it before, but¡­ are you sure?¡± she asks him. ¡°Sure about what? You being a badass with big guns and being able to kill a bunch of monsters while some of us protect you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then yes, I am absolutely, one hundred percent, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, sure. If there is anybody I trust to handle big weapons, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle your big weapon.¡± ¡°I trust you to handle that one, too.¡± Serra snerks and then wraps her arms around him. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Anytime, Serra Berra. We¡¯ll make sure to protect you so that you can have a ton of fun with the gun.¡± ¡°That rhymed.¡± ¡°Huh, it did. I wish I could purposely rhyme.¡± Instead of say anything back to Fenrir that would be relevant to their conversation, she lowers herself against him so that her chest presses up against his crotch. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Teasing you,¡± Serra answers. ¡°You know, we¡¯re going to be fighting soon. It¡¯s cruel to tease me before something like that.¡± ¡°I know. You said you¡¯re a masochist sometimes. Make this one of those times.¡± ¡°I might as well so that I can enjoy it better.¡± Serra giggles and presses her face against his abdomen. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too, Serra.¡± ¡°I love you more.¡± ¡°I love you more.¡± ¡°I love your dick more.¡± ¡°Alright, that you do love more, but I love your body more.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± While Fenrir and Serra share in their own little romantic and lewd moment, a certain somebody listens in on them with her enhanced hearing while trying not to make it too obvious. Eva. So far, what she has gathered is that Fenrir can be a loving and caring boyfriend who also knows how to easily talk with others, takes the lead when it¡¯s important, offers help at the drop of the hat even for people he¡¯s only just met, and is accepting of all of his girlfriends and their various personalities. Whether it is Cassiel¡¯s not-so-tsundere-ness, Nell¡¯s erotic and exotic fantasies, Azalabulia¡¯s extreme roleplaying, or Serra¡¯s lewd perversion, he expertly handles each and every one of them with the care that only a thoughtful boyfriend could give them. But there¡¯s no way that¡¯s all there is to it. He has a harem! He has four girlfriends who are not only super attractive, at least in game, but who seem to all genuinely love him! Is he so rich in real life that he could buy genuine love? Is he so famous that literally any woman in the world with a functioning mind would throw herself at him? What if he¡¯s some sort of sex god? Mind control? The drug dealer of an illegal drug that they¡¯re dependent on? Are they all actually sisters and he¡¯s their father who has groomed them into loving him unconditionally including in perverse ways? Eva does not know, but she desperately wants to know. This requires further investigation. Book 5: Chapter 16: Fenrir has been left with some free time to explore the town with the others for a bit after going over the plans with the others. Despite how grand and large all of the buildings are that give the town a large appearance overall, the town itself could most likely be classified a small one. Given that the town¡¯s inhabitants are such tall and large ones, the buildings obviously have to be large enough to fit them comfortably. Doors are twice as large as they would normally be, roofs are far higher up, a building that might look like it has three different floors might only actually have two floors or even just one, and so on. Of course, Fenrir having the experience that he has with hentai, he can¡¯t help but to imagine that this must be what it feels like in those stories where people get shrunken down. He doesn¡¯t like it. Just being so much smaller than everybody else around is a bit humiliating in its own way, and this is after the fact that he made himself so tall. How would somebody like Serra feel given that she¡¯s the shortest one in the town right now? Well, he knows how she feels. When he looks down at his munchkin of a girlfriend, he sees her looking at the women who are anywhere from two to three times taller than her. In particular, she has been spending a decent amount of time looking at their chests. And their hips. And their rears. And their everything else. While Fenrir might feel uncomfortable being surrounded by a bunch of humanoid dragons larger than him, Serra seems more than happy to let her eyes look around at the large sights. Fortunately for him, she¡¯s only looking at the large women. He even catches Cassiel doing it when they come across one dragonoid woman wearing particularly revealing clothes despite the size of her chest. This is when he remembers that Cassiel, despite having her own large breasts to look at and play with, likes looking at women with even larger chests. Fenrir gets flashbacks of Aiko¡¯s character, Nyaiko. She was the most hentai-looking girl that he had ever seen with truly ridiculous breasts given the size of her body overall. He would honestly have to say that her breasts were too big ¨C too hentai-esque. Yet, Cassiel could never hide her obvious interest. Her inability to hide her preference is obvious once more. Then an unexpected connoisseur grabs Fenrir by the shoulder and whispers, ¡°You know, bro, maybe the girls here aren¡¯t too bad.¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprising to hear from you. I thought you liked normal, human girls?¡± Fenrir whispers his question back to Rao as the girls look at some clothing shop that only that clothes way too large for them. ¡°I don¡¯t know man. There¡¯s just something about these girls. Like sure, they¡¯re covered in scales and stuff which I¡¯m not really into, but they still look soft in all the right places.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re a scalie now.¡± ¡°Yeah, no. I just know how to appreciate a girl who looks nice. Like, if you have a little sister who looks nice, you tell her that she looks cute. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a pedophile who wants to date your little sister.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re comparing your new interest in scaly women and probably wanting to fuck them to complimenting little sisters?¡± ¡°Come on, it sounds weird and messed up when you put it that way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you make it really easy to mess with you.¡± Rao smacks Fenrir on the back before putting his hands behind his head. ¡°Look, I just think they look nice. You know, it¡¯s like they say. When in Brazil and all that.¡± ¡°When¡­ when in Brazil?¡± ¡°Yeah. When in Brazil. All roads lead to Brazil. That stuff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hang on.¡± Fenrir leaves Rao for a moment to go and collect his girlfriends who are busy checking out the unique-but-oversized clothes in the shop. ¡°Rao, what were those sayings again?¡± Fenrir asks now that his girlfriends are all curiously standing by and listening. ¡°When in Brazil. All roads lead to Brazil,¡± Rao repeats with an innocent expression on his face as he genuinely has no idea how badly he is butchering those sayings. ¡°Oh, and Brazil wasn¡¯t built in a day.¡± Each of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends, and Eva, stand by with straight faces as they try their best not to react at Rao¡¯s outrageous words. ¡°Rao, you love architecture and stuff, right?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah,¡± Rao answers. ¡°What about Rome?¡± ¡°Hell yeah. Rome is awesome.¡± ¡°So, you know what Rome is and think that Rome is awesome?¡± ¡°Yeah? Is that weird or something?¡± ¡°Yet all roads lead to Brazil, Brazil wasn¡¯t built in a day, and when in Brazil?¡± ¡°Bro, just get to the point if you have something to say.¡± ¡°Rao,¡± Nell speaks up, ¡°is it possible that¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re stupid,¡± Cassiel finishes Nell¡¯s sentence for her. ¡°The hell? How am I stupid?¡± Rao asks. ¡°It¡¯s Rome. The sayings are ¡®When in Rome,¡¯ ¡®Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day,¡¯ and ¡®All roads lead to Rome.¡¯ Not a single person in all of existence until now has ever screwed up those sayings so badly that they replaced Rome with Brazil. Brazil. Seriously? How do you screw it up that badly?¡± ¡°Yo, I¡¯m not stupid. I know that. Rome is in Brazil so it¡¯s basically the same thing. It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re talking about the city or the country.¡± At this point, all Nell can do is politely smile with a slightly-tilted head as she tries her hardest to resist saying anything improper. ¡°Rao¡­ where do you think Brazil is?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Never really thought about it before,¡± Rao answers. ¡°The education system failed you,¡± Azalabulia says. Despite her taking on the role of a little sister of sorts to Rao, she can¡¯t help but to engage her teacher mode and go into a very long-winded explanation about where Brazil is, where Rome is, how they are two completely different things from different times, and then she proceeds to give him a pop quiz about all sorts of other famous places throughout history to check his knowledge. There are a few answers from Rao regarding a certain, former empire that really bring Nell close to cracking and having to go full princess mode on the peasantry that is Rao, but she manages to hold herself back with the help of Serra and Cassiel holding her whenever they could tell she was close to losing it. Though, Fenrir has to admit that he is a bit disappointed. He really wanted to see Nell unleash on Rao and properly educate him. Oh well. ¡°By the way, if any of you want some clothes from here, they¡¯ll custom tailor you some,¡± Eva tells the girls. ¡°They¡¯ve offered to do it for me a few times before, but these clothes aren¡¯t really my style.¡± ¡°I like baggy clothes,¡± Serra says. ¡°They¡¯d be too baggy with how big they already are,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°One of these shirts would be like a long dress on you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see a problem.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You would look even more ridiculous than you do when you wear Fen¡¯s shirts in real life.¡± ¡°Says the one who always sniffs his clothes when she wears them.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t sniff his clothes! Don¡¯t make it sound weird. I just ¨C I just like how they smell¡­¡± ¡°Cass Cass has a scent fetish.¡± ¡°I-is it really that weird if I like how my boyfriend smells?¡± ¡°Do you like how the rest of us smell?¡± ¡°Well ¨C well yeah, of co-course I do.¡± ¡°Scent fetish.¡± ¡°Now, now, Serra, do not tease her too much,¡± Nell says. ¡°Though, I must admit that the thought of being smelled when I may not smell proper is both exciting and most humiliating.¡± ¡°You probably think it¡¯s exciting because it¡¯s humiliating,¡± Cassiel says, still blushing from being teased. ¡°Of course! Why else would I find it exciting?¡± ¡°You¡¯re all really open, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eva asks. Serra is the only one who doesn¡¯t react at all to realizing that they were talking about their fetishes around the new girl. After all, Serra has already grown used to Eva and likes her, so that means that Eva can be included in all conversation topics regardless of how lewd they may or may not be. Though, the amount of time it takes for Serra to grow used to new people has decreased by no insignificant amount since the beginning of her dating Fenrir and Cassiel. There was once a time when she would take days to weeks getting used to new people, and now her social anxiety goes away after just a few hours. Her power level, that was already too high to begin with, has reached even higher heights. ¡°By the way,¡± Fenrir says, ¡°what are those for?¡± He points at two poles on each end of the village. Each pole reaches high above most of the buildings and even almost reaches the tallest tower there. However, each one is thin and has a hoop sticking up from the top. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the game they play around here,¡± Eva explains. ¡°You have to fly around and keep a ball in the air, and you¡¯re not allowed to hold it, and you have to somehow get it through the opposing hoop. I usually use my tail or feet to kick it in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s something you can only really play if you have wings or some other way to fly,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s exciting to watch. I¡¯ll see if anybody wants to play a match to show you what I mean after we¡¯re done helping them out.¡± ¡°Do you usually win or lose?¡± ¡°Half and half. I¡¯m faster and more agile than most of the dragons here, but they¡¯re stronger, stubborn, and have better aim than me. I usually have to get really close to hit the ball through the hoop, but they can easily score from like half the area away.¡± ¡°That does sound pretty fun.¡± ¡°It sounds incredibly entertaining,¡± Nell says. ¡°I would love to watch a game of it sometime.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got wings, so you could always join in on the fun.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I ¨C I do not believe that I would be any good at such a thing. I have never participated in any sports before, and I would not want to produce a boring display nor hold anybody back.¡± ¡°We can do two-versus-two,¡± Eva suggests. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind playing with a newbie.¡± ¡°Thank you for offering, but¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s like football, isn¡¯t it? Just, it¡¯s like football in the sky,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You should go for it. You look like you really want to, anyways.¡± ¡°I¡­ would be lying if I said that I was not interested in such a thing, but ¨C my hero, you know my circumstances. I have no experience with such things. As much as I may be into humiliation¡­ I do not know if I could bring myself to foolishly fumble about in front of an audience for a sporting reason.¡± ¡°As opposed to?¡± ¡°As opposed to an exhibitionist reason.¡± ¡°Of course. Anyways, it¡¯s not like you had experience with anything else you¡¯ve been doing. You didn¡¯t have experience with walking. You didn¡¯t have experience with fighting. You didn¡¯t have experience with flying and swimming. But, you can do all of that now, so I know that you could play some game of sky soc¡ªfootball if you really tried your best.¡± ¡°I suppose that is true, but ¨C well, I will have to think about it. I do genuinely appreciate the offer though, Eva, so thank you for it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Eva says. ¡°I kept on accidentally getting hit in the face when I first tried it and had no idea how to dribble it right, so I really sucked, but everybody around here is friendly. They¡¯re more happy to have new people to play with than having tough competition or anything like that.¡± ¡°See? You¡¯d have fun and nobody would be judging you for it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We will see,¡± Nell says. In the distance, Eva notices GG waving at them. ¡°GG is ready for you,¡± Eva tells Serra. As they discussed earlier while planning, GG was to go and perform some maintenance on the gun to make sure that it was still working before coming to get Serra to show her how to operate it. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I think I shall as well! I must admit that I am very interested in how such a creation works within this world,¡± Nell says. ¡°Good luck. I think I¡¯m going to look around for a bit more,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Make sure you pay attention. You¡¯ve got this.¡± Serra forces herself to give him a confident nod. ¡°Just think about something perverted if you get nervous,¡± he says. ¡°Can I do anything I want to you if I don¡¯t mess up?¡± Serra asks. Fenrir takes a step back and gulps. He knows just how dangerous agreeing to her latest request could be. There is no telling what Serra means when she says anything other than the fact that it is probably ¨C no, certainly going to be sexual. As for what sort of sexual, though, there is no telling. It could be anything from wanting to drip candle wax onto him to denying him for hours to making him crawl around to ¨C wait, how long has he been picturing her as a dominatrix for? Besides, while he is sure that she would enjoy all of that, she never has actually done any of those things. It should be fine. Probably. ¡°Deal,¡± Fenrir agrees. ¡°You can do anything you want to me if you don¡¯t mess up.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± Cassiel tells him. ¡°My goodness, my hero. I did not know you were such a masochist,¡± Nell says. Now, when Fenrir looks at her, he can tell that she is no longer forcing herself to be confident. Instead, she is full of determination. At least now he knows how to inspire her whenever she is nervous about anything. All he has to do is promise away his safety and whatever purity he has left. Now, he just needs to figure out a way to inspire Nell to the same degree so that he can get her to have fun playing that sport of this village. What could he promise her? To never say the word ¡°soccer¡± again? Though, he has already told her that he wouldn¡¯t. What about flying a flag of her home country? Or what about telling her that the world would be better off if her country still had its empire? Maybe buying a couple of corgis would help? No. There is something that he knows could inspire her as much as he has inspired Serra. But would it really be worth the cost? Fenrir gulps and prepares himself. He saw how excited Nell looked when Eva was explaining the sport here to her. He knows that she wants to play it. She has to. Part of the reason why she plays this game in the first place is so that she can experience new things such as walking and swimming, even flying, so there is no way that she would not want to try out a sky version of her favorite sport. Inspiring her to be confident about trying out a sport for the first time is more important than whatever purity Serra will leave of his. ¡°Hey, Nell, if you try the game out then I¡¯ll roleplay whatever fantasy you want to,¡± Fenrir says, sealing his purity¡¯s fate. Then again, it¡¯s not like he wouldn¡¯t do anything that either of them wants in the first place. It¡¯s just that now they¡¯re going to be actively thinking about what they can get away with using him. Now, they know that he¡¯ll do anything they want. ¡°You are desperate to make me participate in that game, my hero, but thank you for that. I will try my best to summon the courage to do so, alright?¡± Nell replies. ¡°I¡¯m just desperate to see you have fun doing what you want to do,¡± Fenrir says, proud of himself for that one. ¡°Please, my hero, save my heart from fluttering for when we may do something about it.¡± ¡°No promises. Anyways, go on. Probably shouldn¡¯t keep GG waiting for much longer.¡± ¡°Right!¡± And so, the other girls head over to where GG is. Well, Cassiel is supposed to be going with them, but she¡¯s still standing around looking at Fenrir. ¡°Where¡¯s my promise?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Is there something that you need bribed into doing?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°We-well, no, but¡­¡± ¡°What if I bribe you into somehow getting dog ears and a dog tail?¡± ¡°What if I never wear a sweater again?¡± Fenrir takes yet another step back. What she just threatened has hurt him more than any insult she has ever given him. ¡°Alright, alright. What if I uh¡­ promise to¡­ continue loving you?¡± he proposes. Cassiel turns slightly red and looks away. ¡°Good enough. You better keep it,¡± she says. ¡°And what are you going to do for the promise? Serra is trying her best with the gun and Nell is going to play sky football. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m not going to get new ears and a tail.¡± ¡°I know what you can do.¡± ¡°What? And it better not be weird.¡± ¡°Continue being perfect.¡± Cassiel looks at him, looks away, looks back at him, looks away again, and twirls her hair around a couple of her fingers as her face cosplays a ripening tomato. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re good today,¡± Cassiel admits before turning around to catch up with the other girls. ¡°Interesting,¡± Eva says. ¡°What? And I thought you were going to go with the others?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°No. All I did was point out that he was waving for them to show he was ready.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, what¡¯s interesting?¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered but not really sure how I¡¯m interesting at all.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s part of what makes you interesting. You don¡¯t even realize how interesting you are.¡± ¡°I¡­ see?¡± ¡°Can I interview you?¡± ¡°I guess? It depends on what you want to ask about.¡± ¡°Are you rich?¡± ¡°Uh, are you talking in-game or real life? In either case, the answer is no.¡± ¡°Real life, and I see. Are you a drug dealer?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I be rich then?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, that was a stupid question to follow up with. Are you a blackmailer?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d still be rich if I was.¡± ¡°Not everybody who is a blackmailer is rich. You could be blackmailing people for something other than money.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Next question. Are you a celebrity?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d admit to it if it was true and wasn¡¯t already flaunting it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. How old are you?¡± ¡°Early twenties.¡± ¡°Hmm, so then you can¡¯t be the father.¡± ¡°The father of who?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one interrogating you right now.¡± ¡°When did this turn from an interview into an interrogation?¡± ¡°What are your goals in life?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know. To be happy and have a family who I make happy, too?¡± ¡°I see. How large is your penis?¡± Azalabulia, who is still standing by and has been talking to Rao for most of this time, turns red when she hears the latest question. ¡°That¡¯s classified,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Suspicious. Alright. Why are you dating your girlfriends?¡± ¡°Because I love them?¡± ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t have loved them at the beginning. What made you start? Why did you want to date them? What made you want to date multiple girls at once?¡± ¡°I¡­ it just sort of happened, honestly. I met Serra and Cass at around the same time and developed feelings for both of them. I obviously didn¡¯t think at the time that I¡¯d end up with both of them, but they were both fine with it and liked each other as well, and then we kind of just kept on growing our relationship from there. I never imagined myself having multiple girlfriends and would probably call you crazy if you told me I¡¯d have even a single long-term girlfriend years ago, buit here I am.¡± ¡°I see. Interesting.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t think I¡¯m that interesting.¡± ¡°You are. There is obviously something about you that attracts women to you. I just don¡¯t know what it is yet.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°My bro is a good dude. That¡¯s what does it,¡± Rao says, smacking Fenrir on the back again. ¡°He does whatever needs done for them and even helped me out. My bro here taught me how to chill and be more normal around girls. He¡¯s just a good dude.¡± For whatever reason, hearing that praise come from Rao makes Fenrir feel exceptionally complimented. ¡°Thanks, Rao,¡± he says. ¡°No prob, bro.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll have to interview your girlfriends then,¡± Eva says. ¡°I don¡¯t mind you asking me some personal questions, but I¡¯d honestly rather you not ask them too many. I know that we might talk about our personal lives and¡­ some of the more intimate parts of them around others pretty easily, but we do like our privacy, and I don¡¯t want anybody trying to pry anything from them,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°Interesting, interesting,¡± Eva says with a smile. ¡°You just gave me some good information. Thanks.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You¡¯re protective of them. Everything leads to you just being some normal, albeit lucky, guy who loves his girlfriends and protects them. I thought there¡¯d be more to it than that, but normalcy when unexpected is still an interesting result.¡± ¡°What kind of result? What have you been trying to figure out?¡± ¡°Oh, I wanted to know how you have multiple girlfriends. That kind of thing is only really common among the rich and celebrities, so I was assuming that you were something like that.¡± ¡°Pfftt. Yeah, right. Me, a celebrity? The closest I¡¯ve ever been to that is when I used to lead the¡ª¡± ¡°Lead the? Lead the what? What did you used to lead? Who did you used to lead?¡± ¡°I used to lead potato chips into my mouth.¡± ¡°I see, I see. You have a secretive past that you¡¯re trying to hide from me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir can¡¯t help but to make an obvious expression that tells her she¡¯s right. ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s alright. It just makes you even more interesting, and research is always fun,¡± Eva says. ¡°You know, it¡¯s kind of creepy when you tell somebody to their face that you¡¯re going to be researching them,¡± Fenrir tells her. ¡°But you¡¯re not telling me not to.¡± ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t research me.¡± ¡°What if I tell you about a way that would let you get your girlfriend dog ears and a tail?¡± ¡°Alright. Research me.¡± ¡°Bro, you¡¯re way too easy,¡± Rao says. ¡°I-if ¨C if you really want it that badly,¡± Azalabulia starts saying before mumbling off into incoherent words. As much as Fenrir wants to tease Azalabulia by asking her who a good girl is and teasing her about being a dog for him, he knows that she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that around others nearly as well as the rest of his girlfriends. So, fortunately for her, she gets spared the public embarrassment. Instead, what she gets is a pat on the top of her head from Fenrir. ¡°Thanks, Azawaza,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Let¡¯s finish looking around to see what else this place has got. It shouldn¡¯t be much longer before everybody is ready to head down to deal with those monsters. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to find some good food to charge up with.¡± ¡°Magic is always stronger on a full stomach,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°You heard her,¡± he tells Eva. ¡°Are there any good food shops around here?¡± ¡°Hmm. Everybody around here does their own hunting and fishing for the most part, but there are a few stalls by the village center. This way,¡± Eva answers. Eva leads Fenrir, Rao, and Azalabulia to the village¡¯s center. Meanwhile, Rock and Shogun are busy playing with a ball that they found ¨C or rather, a ball that Shogun found. He saw a ball sitting in some sort of basket on a pole high up, flew up to get it, and then knocked it out of the basket so that he and Rock could play with it. Since then, the two have been thoroughly enjoying running all over while kicking it and booping it with their snoots. ¡°Here,¡± Eva says. In front of the group is a stall full of¡­ fruits and vegetables. ¡°I guess she¡¯s not playing right now,¡± Eva says. ¡°The lady who runs this stall grows all of this, but next to nobody actually wants to eat these, so they¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anybody want to eat them?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Because they¡¯re dragons. Have you ever heard of a vegetarian dragon? They want meat.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. So, this is the only place that¡¯s selling ¨C giving away food?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like I said, most everybody does their own hunting or fishing and then they usually do their own cooking, too. Though, most of the dragons here just eat their food raw or roast it a bit over fire. You only really have busy food stalls during community events and celebrations.¡± ¡°So, if you don¡¯t do your own hunting and cooking around here, you¡¯re stuck eating these?¡± he asks, picking up one of the yellow, apple-like fruits. ¡°Yeah, basically.¡± ¡°You know what this is?¡± ¡°Try it.¡± ¡°The way that you tell me to try it instead of telling me what it is makes me suspicious.¡± ¡°Do it for science. You know how many things we discovered are edible just by trying to eat everything and seeing what would kill us or not?¡± Before Fenrir has a chance to bite into the strange fruit, he hears a crunch from behind him. Rao has already picked up one of the fruit himself and has now taken a bite out of it. His face immediately twists into a sour expression with puckered lips, closed eyes, and he even starts jumping up and down a little bit. ¡°It¡¯s called a lemon apple. Texture like an apple with a taste probably ten times more sour than most lemons,¡± Eva explains. ¡°It¡¯s really good. You only need one of these to make a big batch of lemonade, and even then it would probably be too sour for most people.¡± ¡°What about that?¡± Fenrir asks, pointing at the seemingly-normal, red apple that Azalabulia is about to take a bite out of. ¡°A pepper apple,¡± Eva answers just as Azalabulia bites a piece off of it. ¡°Is it uh¡­ going to be hot?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± It takes a few seconds to kick in but, when it does, Azalabulia¡¯s face turns red, her eyes start watering, and she starts jumping up and down a bit just like Rao but for a different reason as she feels like a fire has been lit within her mouth. ¡°I think the dragons around here don¡¯t eat these for more reasons than just because they don¡¯t want to be like vegetarians,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°They¡¯d like these more if they¡¯d just build up a tolerance,¡± Eva says, taking a bite out of one of the pepper apples. She has no reaction to it. ¡°They¡¯re good once you¡¯ve got the tolerance developed. All you taste without the tolerance is heat, but they¡¯re actually pretty sweet once you do get used to it.¡± ¡°Why would anybody want to get used to it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Normal people would rather just not eat it in the first place, and those of us who love the heat are more disappointed if anything once we get used to it.¡± ¡°So, is there anything here that I could safely eat?¡± ¡°Yeah, that,¡± Eva answers, pointing at a suspiciously-phallic, pink fruit that looks like it can¡¯t tell whether it wants to be a banana or a mushroom. ¡°But it would involve looking like you¡¯re eating it.¡± ¡°So, in other words, it might be safe to eat as a normal person but wouldn¡¯t be safe to look like I¡¯m eating it?¡± ¡°Basically.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. There¡¯s a simple solution to this.¡± With that, Fenrir picks the fruit up, holds it in both of his hands, and then breaks it in half. Even if he was the one doing it, both he and Rao could feel it upon seeing the strange fruit break. At least it could be eaten in peace now without looking suspicious. As for its taste, ¡°Kiwi?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°And strawberry¡­ this is a really weird taste, but it¡¯s good. I bet it¡¯d make a great smoothie.¡± ¡°I know, right? Or maybe a pie. Or sliced up and put over ice cream. The scholars actually got some seeds for this and are trying to de-phallic how it looks with selective breeding. Then, we¡¯ll be able to trade more of them and get more cooks to cook with them which means more good food for everybody.¡± ¡°So, you scholars are basically just playing this game for sex and eating?¡± ¡°Well, most of them. We¡¯ve made some really tasty discoveries. One of the perks of being in a game where we¡¯re all basically immortal is that we can eat anything we discover without having to worry about dying or getting super sick or anything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than killing yourself in a bunch of different ways at least.¡± And so, while Rao and Azalabulia continue their breakdowns as a result of eating fruit that is too sour and too hot respectively, Fenrir and Eva enjoy their own choices. Going by how many of the local dragons are walking around armored and prepared for battle now, he figures that they don¡¯t have much more time before they¡¯re going to have to go and fight. It will be their first battle against the enemy that they have been preparing to defend against. While one would normally be nervous in such a situation, this is just a game and Fenrir is somebody who has always preferred a challenge in his games. He feels nothing but excitement in getting to fight against a new enemy. Even if he were to die, he could just respawn and go back for revenge. ¡°I wonder if the monsters we¡¯re going to kill taste good. I mean, they are like giant fish from the bottom of the ocean, so maybe they can be cooked like fish,¡± Fenrir says. Eva lights up and grabs Fenrir¡¯s hands to hold them between her own. ¡°Now you¡¯re thinking with science!¡± she happily announces. ¡°Who cares about killing them for honor or for alliances or anything like that when we can kill them to find out how they taste?¡± ¡°I mean, I care about those things, but I am curious about how they¡¯ll taste now. It¡¯s only natural to eat monsters in fantasy settings.¡± ¡°Right! Now I¡¯m excited! Different types of monsters, so many different ways to prepare them ¨C ah, I¡¯m getting excited now,¡± Eva says. And when she says that she¡¯s getting excited, she means excited. Book 5: Chapter 17: ¡°This way,¡± GG says, leading Fenrir and the group toward where their battle will take place. Preparations for both Fenrir¡¯s group and the dragons¡¯ group have been finished. Serra was shown how her weapon will work, Rao was given a spear, and the rest of the draconic players finished their own individual preparations. Fenrir¡¯s group consists of himself, Serra, Cassiel, Nell, Azalabulia, Rao, Shogun, Rock, and now Eva. GG¡¯s group consists of himself and roughly twenty other draconic men and women equipped with customized armor for their race and a variety of weapons, and one of them is carrying the folded weapon that Serra has been trained on. ¡°I¡¯m surprised,¡± Cassiel whispers to Fenrir after nudging him with her shoulder to grab his attention. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°Because. They¡¯re¡­ so accepting. It¡¯s weird. Kind of suspicious, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Normally, I might be a bit suspicious, but I¡¯ve got a good gut feeling about them.¡± ¡°Gut feelings aren¡¯t always right.¡± ¡°Mine is.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Has it ever been wrong?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know? It¡¯s not like you tell us about a gut feeling every time you have one, and you could always be hiding them unless you¡¯re sure it¡¯ll be right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but what does your gut say?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t know what your own gut is telling you?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s telling me that¡­ you¡¯re right, I guess. Probably.¡± ¡°See? Even your gut knows that my gut is always right. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just used to people being more paranoid back in the empire. Unless you went to some random community that was just a bunch of players wanting to live out a fantasy life farming, partying, and eating¡­ everybody had a motive. Even among the angel recruits, there was some pretty vicious competition there. The less recruits, the higher your chance was to get selected.¡± ¡°It was a competition? It wasn¡¯t just like, everybody who passed made it?¡± ¡°Yeah. There was one girl who just¡­ I¡¯m getting pissed off just thinking about her.¡± ¡°Then stop thinking about her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I want to bitch about her now.¡± ¡°Then bitch about her.¡± ¡°Fine. I will. She was a huge bitch. She was always smug, always making fun of everybody for everything and looked down on everybody for any reason, she acted like some holy and righteous prick and ¨C alright, get this way. There was one time when we were eating at dinner together, and we were given pasta¡ª¡± ¡°Pasta definitely sounds like something some angels in training would be eating.¡± ¡°Shush. Anyways, I dropped a noodle and it fell down my shirt and¡ª¡± ¡°Got lost between your boobs?¡± ¡°I told you to shush, but ¨C yeah. Anyways, then she got all smug when I was trying to get it out and she was saying stupid things like ¡®oh, you wouldn¡¯t be having trouble if you didn¡¯t have such a sinful body. Are you sure you should be here instead of on a farm? Or perhaps you¡¯re trying to repent for having such a perverse body?¡¯ God, it pissed me off.¡± ¡°So, she was like some sort of smug, condescending angel roleplayer who thought you were sinful for having great boobs?¡± ¡°When you put it that way¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°Dang. She does sound rough to be around. Though, she wasn¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Well, your chest is always giving me sinful thoughts.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even see it right now! I wear armor for a reason¡­¡± ¡°You are vastly underestimating me if you think that wearing some armor over your chest is going to stop my mind from having sinful thoughts about it. I still know what¡¯s under there, the armor adds to the mystery, and it has to bulge out a bit to properly fit them which means that you just know there¡¯s more underneath. If anything, one could argue that having such conservative, realistic armor actually makes your chest even more erotic. I get way more excited from you this armor than I would get from you wearing bikini armor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a compliment or an insult, you weirdo.¡± ¡°Would I ever say anything other than a compliment to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Have I ever?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever said anything negative to you, either. Though, there is one negative about you that I could call out.¡± Cassiel crosses her arms and tilts her head to look up at him. ¡°Is that so? And what would that be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s that we¡¯re walking side by side right now and not holding hands or holding my arm to press your armored chest against my arm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky,¡± she says, grabbing his hand to hold it. ¡°And it¡¯s because you¡¯re so tall. I always hold your hand in real life when we¡¯re walking, so I don¡¯t want to hear it. Here, I can¡¯t just hang my arm naturally and hold it.¡± ¡°True. Being this tall does have its negatives.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you want to be so tall again?¡± ¡°Partly because I used to be insecure about my real height, partly because I thought girls would find it hotter if I was tall, and partly because I¡¯ve just always wanted to be this tall.¡± ¡°It was mostly that second reason, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Probably. I mean, it¡¯s not like I purposely designed Fenrir to attract women. I just wanted to look cooler than I do in real life. But yeah, I guess being attractive to any potential girls was probably a subconscious reason for me doing it. I did try to design him to be like a guy I saw in a game that¡¯s really popular with girls as far as fanart goes.¡± ¡°What game?¡± ¡°Some Japanese game where a bunch of historical swords are personified as humans, and they fight using the swords that they¡¯re personifications of. I think. I don¡¯t know, it was something like that. Either way, I knew a bunch of girls were in love with the guy who I kind of based my appearance off of.¡± ¡°My hero,¡± Nell says, finally speaking up after listening in on their conversation, ¡°does this mean that there is art online of a character who looks like you?¡± ¡°Yeah. A ton of it.¡± ¡°I see! And you said that he is from a game popular with women, yes?¡± ¡°Yep. Why ¨C wait, are you¡­ you¡¯re not thinking of what I think you¡¯re thinking of, are you?¡± ¡°I most certainly am, my hero. For those of us who wish to see you with another man, it would be very easy to imagine you in his place if you already look similar!¡± And this is when an unfortunate memory flashes into Fenrir¡¯s mind. When he first saw this character online, he was interested and wanted to look up more art of him just because he really liked his design. This led him into a deep rabbit hole of male-on-male hentai, and there were easily dozens of different doujins featuring the character paired with other men from the same series. There were even more random pictures of fanart. Whether the character was on the bottom or the top, being the one getting tied up or the one doing the tying ¨C whether he was the one giving it or taking it¡­ if Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends are capable of finding out the name of the character that he is talking about, they are going to have a near-endless supply of research materials that would take minimal effort for them to superimpose him into. ¡°What was his name?¡± Serra asks. ¡°What is the name of the series that he was from?¡± Nell asks. Fenrir suddenly finds that Serra, Nell, Cassiel, and Azalabulia are all leaning much closer than they were before and are all awaiting an answer from him. ¡°I forgot,¡± he obviously lies. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll forget which condoms have holes poked in them,¡± Serra says. ¡°It would be such a shame if any of us were to forget that we had a boyfriend,¡± Nell says. ¡°That¡¯s just cruel,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Cruel, but effective. I¡¯ll tell you later if you remind me.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll promise to it. Just¡­ keep your discoveries and fantasies to yourselves. I don¡¯t want to get called to come and look at somebody looking like Fenrir being tied up and used by a group of men.¡± ¡°Such a thing exists?¡± Nell asks with sparkling eyes. ¡°I mean¡­ no.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking up that one first,¡± Serra says. ¡°Why did I say anything?¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t know when to keep your mouth shut,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°This is what happens when I honestly answer your questions. I¡¯ll just never answer anything honestly anymore,¡± he says. ¡°But then we are back to lying as well, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°I just won¡¯t answer at all anymore then. I won¡¯t be lying if I just don¡¯t answer at all.¡± ¡°Bold move,¡± Serra says. ¡°I guess I could just not hold your hand anymore,¡± Cassiel says, letting go of his hand. Fenrir looks down at her and looks genuinely hurt at the idea of not getting to hold hands anymore. In fact, it might be the most hurt he has ever looked. Cassiel can¡¯t help but to return her hand to his. The instant she does, he goes back to looking like his usual, happy self. ¡°Did you seriously react that much to me joking about that?¡± she asks. ¡°I knew it was a joke, but it still made me feel really bad for some reason. I¡¯m surprised myself just how much that actually hurt to hear,¡± he answers. ¡°You looked cute,¡± Serra says. ¡°I want to make you look like that again.¡± ¡°That would require emotional abuse, and I¡¯m not into that. Nell is.¡± ¡°I prefer physical abuse over emotional abuse, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°You know, it¡¯s alright to prefer non-abusive things. Like handholding. There¡¯s nothing wrong with handholding.¡± ¡°Are you shaming me for my desires, my hero?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m kinkshaming you.¡± ¡°Wonderful! Please, by all means, continue to shame me even more.¡± ¡°I wi¡ª¡± ¡°You guys are doing it again,¡± Rao interjects. ¡°You know that we¡¯ve got a bunch of random people with us, right?¡± Serra tucks herself next to Fenrir in a position where the others won¡¯t be able to see her ¨C or rather, where she won¡¯t be able to see them. They obviously can¡¯t see her if she can¡¯t see them. Nell, however, smiles even more than she was previously while Cassiel just sighs nudges Fenrir again with her elbow since she doesn¡¯t know how else to react. Then there is Azalabulia. Despite not really being present in the conversation at all, she still finds it embarrassing upon realizing that everybody else has been quiet so that they could listen in on their conversation. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re really not used to being with other people,¡± Fenrir admits. ¡°Yeah. We should probably work on that,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°But how else are we to earn stares of judgement?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Not everybody wants to be judged.¡± ¡°Are you trying to prevent me from indulging in my desires?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, how wonderful it is to be denied of my own pleasure. That makes the inevitable release even more amazing!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Rao asks. ¡°You guys already slipped back into it? It¡¯s only been like thirty seconds.¡± Nell looks up at Rao with a pout before sticking her tongue out at him. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve never stuck your tongue out at me before,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Are you jealous of such a silly act, my hero?¡± Nell asks. ¡°I just think it¡¯s cute. I don¡¯t care who you stick your tongue out at as long as I get to see.¡± And so, she sticks her tongue out at him. ¡°Is this better?¡± she asks. ¡°Yep. Definitely cute.¡± He wants to comment on how her sticking her tongue out is made even better by the fact that she¡¯s basically royalty, therefore he would never normally expect a royal princess to stick her tongue out at anybody, but he knows that it would probably be better to keep that bit of information to himself while they¡¯re around others who don¡¯t know them. If anything, he really has to be careful with Nell¡¯s real-life information. There is no telling what sort of information might escape the game into reality and get back to her and her family. Even if her family is no longer legally royalty, they are still descendants of royal blood. Seeing as how tabloids still exist, there is always that risk. As for those around them, there are mixed reactions. Some of the draconic men and women look bitter at how happy their relationship looks to be. Others find it sweet that they get along so well and can freely play around with each other in front of others. A couple of the men are checking out Fenrir and a couple of women are checking out the ladies. ¡°This reminds me of my wife and I,¡± GG says, finally breaking the silence among the dragons. ¡°We used to banter like this all the time. I miss her.¡± Of course, he just has to bring up something that sounds bittersweet and dampens the mood. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°For what?¡± GG asks, making things even more awkward. ¡°Uhh, I ¨C it sounds like something happened.¡± ¡°Ah, that. Yes, there was¡­ an accident. And it was my fault. I could have prevented it, but¡­¡± Fenrir and the others might not be saying anything, but they are listening. ¡°¡­but¡­ I discovered this game and have been spending way too much time in it. Too bad she won¡¯t play it, too. She would complain less about me playing if she¡¯d just play it with me. I miss her every time I spend time in here.¡± GG high-fives one of the men next to him after seeing the reactions of Fenrir and his group. They all look shocked to have been successfully trolled ¨C well, they all look shocked except for Eva who has already fallen for one of GG¡¯s jokes. She already knows better by this point. ¡°I¡¯m shocked,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hi, Shocked. I¡¯m GG.¡± Fenrir¡¯s surprised eyes only grow even wider as he has now been successfully trolled and dad joked. ¡°By the way,¡± GG says, ¡°did you hear about the cheese factory explosion? They think the Swiss did i¡ª¡± ¡°Aza, teach us something,¡± Fenrir says, putting all the pressure to save them from listening to GG¡¯s jokes onto her. ¡°Ah ¨C umm, did¡­ did you know that promising methods to clean up the space debris are being developed and that it is actually expected to be clear within the next three decades given our current technological advancements?¡± Azalabulia asks and loses most of them before she¡¯s even done talking. Eva says, ¡°Oh. Yeah, I was just reading something about that. Didn¡¯t they also find out that we¡¯ve basically hit the worst of the worst when it comes to the climate changing? Like, all we have to deal with now are the societal issues popping up everywhere, but other than that, the planet¡¯s situation can¡¯t get any shittier without really trying on purpose to make it worse?¡± ¡°They did! There are still some skeptical of course, and there should be skeptics, but their findings have been reviewed and agreed on. I personally believe that the only people still pushing that the world is going to end if we don¡¯t continue changing are trying to inspire change still instead of letting us get stagnant again. They¡¯re happy that our situation isn¡¯t as bad as it was feared, but they don¡¯t want people to get lazy because of that. I agree with them in a way. If it means continuing to improve our current technology, then I would be happy to fearmonger for a bit longer. Of course, I still made sure to share the news with my students. I believe that I¡¯m teaching them to be responsible and hardworking even if they have nothing to fear, so I have faith in them to not become complacent.¡± ¡°Teacher?¡± GG asks. ¡°You don¡¯t plan on joking about it, do you?¡± Eva asks him. ¡°Serious question.¡± ¡°Yes, I teach children,¡± Azalabulia answers. ¡°I see. I teach some older brats ¨C high school math. Love the job, but there¡¯s a reason why I like to relax in this game. It is a stressful job no matter how much you love it,¡± GG explains. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not wrong about that.¡± ¡°Hey, this is it, right?¡± Eva asks. The combined group comes to a halt at the top of a large ravine that seems to extend into the deepest depths of the world. The bottom is not even visible from the top. Of course, that¡¯s mainly because the sun isn¡¯t hanging over it to shine down into it. ¡°There is a tunnel halfway down this ravine that will lead to the pit we fish at,¡± GG explains. ¡°How are we going to get down there again?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°By flying, unless you have a better option.¡± A woman steps up behind each member of the group except for Eva and Fenrir. ¡°A-ah, I think I will fly on my own for once,¡± Nell says. Meanwhile, Fenrir has another man behind him instead of a woman like the rest. Even Rao has got a woman ready to hold him under his arms. As for Rock, she has already helped herself up onto Shogun¡¯s back with her legs hanging off of his sides. Nobody bothers questioning how his back doesn¡¯t somehow break underneath her heavy weight. ¡°Is everybody ready?¡± GG asks the groups. His own dragons seem eager to get to it, but those who are going to be getting carried are far less enthusiastic about what is going to happen. Right as Fenrir opens his mouth to confirm that they¡¯re ready, the dragons leap off the ground into the ravine with him and his group. It is fortunate for him that the other girls made enough surprised noises to drown out the noise that he made when he was suddenly dropping into the ravine. Even better is that the draconic men and women are easily capable of soaring through the ravine with the extra baggage without even the slightest of difficulties. Well, there is one challenge that distracts them. There is the challenge of not getting distracted by watching Shogun glide with Rock on his back. It is a challenge that many of them fail. Halfway down the ravine, GG¡ªwho is taking the lead¡ªturns so that he can fly into a tunnel in the side of the ravine¡¯s wall. They lose practically all visibility at this point, but the tunnel is large enough that multiple can fly through it at each other¡¯s side without bumping into each other or the surrounding rocks. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anybody put up any torches or anything?! Wouldn¡¯t it be safer for all of you?!¡± Fenrir shouts to GG. ¡°We used to have some but we thought that the monsters might be stuck here longer trying to get out if we removed them!¡± GG shouts back. ¡°But they¡¯re fish! How are they going to get out if this tunnel only takes us to the top of a pit?!¡± ¡°They might be smart fish! You never know and we didn¡¯t want to take any chances with showing these monsters how to get out and spread into the mountains!¡± Fenrir can¡¯t argue with that logic as much as he might want to. Though, the only reason he wants to argue with it is because he¡¯s currently having to place all of his faith in some random player while he¡¯s flown through an almost-pitch-black tunnel. ¡°Are you troubled, my hero?¡± Nell asks, but he can¡¯t see where she is. ¡°You could have carried me,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°I could have, yes, but for the same reason that I am not carrying any of the others, I would be much too worried about accidentally dropping any of you while flying through a new space! Let us not forget that I do not much have experience with flying in the first place. Though¡­ it would be tragic if I were to accidentally drop a loved one onto those sharp, spiky rocks underneath us.¡± ¡°Wait, you can tell that they¡¯re spiky? I can¡¯t even see them.¡± ¡°Yes. They are very rough and spiky. I imagine that falling onto them would be incredibly painful if not lethal at these speeds. At least, given how sharp they are, you should get stuck instead of bounce along them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not helping. You¡¯re really not helping right now.¡± ¡°My goodness, my hero! I have never heard you so frightened before.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like not being in control. You know, it¡¯s like how some people complain about cars now. Some people are terrified of autocars because they¡¯re not in complete control of them at all times. Even if they¡¯re proven safer and accidents are pretty much non-existent now, people are still afraid of not being on control!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the male carrying Fenrir says. ¡°I won¡¯t drop you.¡± ¡°Sorry, and I don¡¯t mean any offense, but that doesn¡¯t make me feel any better about this.¡± Immediately after saying that, Fenrir finds himself drooping a little bit lower in the man¡¯s grasp. ¡°That ¨C that was on purpose, right?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Was what on purpose?¡± the man asks. ¡°Please don¡¯t drop me.¡± The man lifts Fenrir back up some more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t.¡± Eventually, they make it through the long, descending tunnel without any incidents. The room that they have flown into is one giant pit that reaches even farther down into the world. Though, as much as it might seem as if they should be deep underneath the world¡¯s surface level at this point given how far they have been travelling underground while descending almost the entire time, they are not even at sea level yet. It¡¯s just that none of Fenrir¡¯s group realize how high into the mountains they actually went. More importantly, they can see the monsters already. ¡°You two, go distract them,¡± GG orders. Two draconic men fly down and are immediately shot at by monsters at the bottom of the pit. What is being shot at them are globs of glowing, green liquid that burns whatever it splashes onto. It is also a very slow-moving liquid. This means the two men are easily able to bait the monsters into firing at them before strafing to the side to dodge the attacks, keeping them away from the rest of the group in the process. ¡°A few of them can shoot that liquid. Trust me when I tell you that you do not want it to touch you,¡± GG explains, pointing at the wall that Fenrir has been looking at already. The rock itself is melting underneath the green liquid. ¡°If it does get onto anything, immediately disregard whatever it is. I even recommend cutting off your own arm if any gets onto it,¡± GG continues. ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yes. It spreads and takes over organic matter, you see.¡± To further illustrate his point, GG points down at some of the monsters at the bottom of the pit. Thankfully, Fenrir and the others can actually see the bottom of the pit since there are still various light sources left there from the dragons and more of that glowing, green liquid. As for what GG is pointing at¡­ they are monsters clearly draconic like GG and the others in origin, but parts of their bodies have been taken over by that corruptive, green liquid. Whatever hasn¡¯t been burned off from their flesh has been covered in glowing barnacles. In some cases, instead of being covered in barnacles, there are tentacles sprouting forth from the wounds. ¡°It¡¯s like that one fungus. Cordyceps. Except¡­ more eldritch,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And it will be you if you are not careful. It will spread and take your body over if it gets onto you, so I am not exaggerating when I tell you to cut your arm off before it forcibly turns you into another enemy,¡± GG explains. ¡°You heard him,¡± Fenrir tells his group. ¡°If any of you are having second thoughts, you can be put down here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to matter. Unless somebody is willing to fly us back, if you all lose then we¡¯d be stuck here unless we jump off,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡¯ll cut my own arm off if I have to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already dismembered myself in previous lives, so it¡¯s no big deal,¡± Eva says. ¡°I¡­ may need assistance if it comes to that,¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra agrees. As for Azalabulia¡­ ¡°A corruptive power that takes over the host¡¯s body against their will to force them into fighting for their foolish god?¡± Her switch has been flipped. ¡°Nonsense!¡± she declares, taking her staff off of her back while still being held in the air. She then proceeds to dramatically point it at some of the glowing, green liquid on the wall. ¡°Let me show you what true power is! I, Azalabulia, shall¡ª¡± ¡°Bro, if my arm gets infected or whatever, just cut it off for me,¡± Rao says. Azalabulia¡¯s spell goes off, sending a blast of dark fire at the wall which quite literally devours the green liquid. Not a trace of the liquid is left once Azalabulia¡¯s flames are done with it. ¡°Should the need arise, I will coat my body in mine own flames! I refuse to let such a petty threat hold any sway over me!¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s one other way to deal with it then. I just don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse. Cutting our own arms off or letting you burn them,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Did that truly work?¡± GG asks. ¡°None of our previous attempts at destroying the liquid have succeeded. If anything, our magics only made it stronger.¡± ¡°Of course it worked! Just who do you think you are in the presence of?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°You would sound way cooler if you weren¡¯t being dangled in the air right now,¡± Cassiel says. GG turns to face his group with his arms out. ¡°Fellow warriors, we have found a new way to fight against the foul, demonic blight that threatens us!¡± he announces, once more playing along with Azalabulia. ¡°You saw it with your own eyes! Should any of you get infected by the blight that wishes to turn our bodies against us, all you must do is purify your body in the flames of Azalabulia!¡± The only other time that Fenrir has ever seen Azalabulia this smug and giggly to herself was after she defeated that boss monster that they encountered in the underground labyrinth. ¡°That clearing down there looks like a good spot to set up Serra. It¡¯s got some ground to move around on to defend her while giving her some space,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s swarming with monsters right now. We¡¯re going to have to clear it out fast enough that they can¡¯t get the ground back and then immediately set Serra up. How long does that thing take to work anyways?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fast,¡± Serra says. ¡°Fast enough that you can set up and then immediately start firing and not stop firing until we¡¯re done?¡± She answers with a thumbs-up. ¡°Then all we need to do is clear out that swarm in one go. Since using big and flashy magic is going to be risky once we¡¯re actually down there¡­ how are you feeling, Azawaza?¡± ¡°Fe-Fen! Not right now! I am Azalabulia!¡± she whines. ¡°Sorry. How are you feeling, dark and awesome Azalabulia?¡± Azalabulia clears her throat and announces, ¡°I am feeling incredible! While I would much rather have a worthy foe to test my insatiable power on, I am willing to settle for the mass extermination of pests to remind this world of my rule! And for those of you unfortunate enough to be afflicted by that blight, I shall cleanse you with my flames and you shall be reborn far stronger than before!¡± ¡°Or dead,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°I think she means dead,¡± Cassiel says, being bold enough to say out loud that which Fenrir wasn¡¯t. ¡°Wonderful!¡± GG shouts. ¡°Now! Is everybody ready? The powerful Azalabulia will make an opening for us, and then we are to clear the landing to set up our defenses! The battle will proceed as planned from there, and we shall end this glorious day of conflict with the reclamation of our fishing spot!¡± All it takes Fenrir to get hyped up about this again is being reminded that this is all being done for fishing. ¡°Come on, Aza. Show them what you¡¯ve got,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°They won¡¯t even get to see what I¡¯ve got before my flames take from them their everything!¡± Book 5: Chapter 18: ¡°Heed your master¡¯s call, Bahamut! Wrap mine enemies in your accursed flame; rend apart reality itself with diabolic energies! I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, and the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, have sentenced you to the realm beyond this mortal coil! Let this be the final breath of your life! Let this be the first and final strike of battle! Bahamut, let us merge our souls and show the world that there are none whom could ever stand before us and live to speak of it! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Final Attack, Opening Verse: Exodus of Reality, the Purging of Life and all who Oppose it! Fire!¡± ¡°Bro, I think she added a couple of lines,¡± Rao says. ¡°Yeah, but it still sounded cool,¡± Fenrir says. With Azalabulia¡¯s chanting over, a massive blast of energy shoots out from the magical dragon head floating above her to annihilate all enemies at the bottom of the pit. The resulting explosion is enough to blast all of the dragons in the air upward, almost causing those who they are carrying to slip away and fall. Fortunately, though, nobody slips loose and falls into the fireball that Azalabulia has caused. All that is left by the time that the fireball clears are random chunks of fish-monster flesh, lots of green blood splattered around, and a cleared landing zone. ¡°Looks like something out of a zombie movie,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Replace the zombies with fish monsters and yeah,¡± Rao says. ¡°Aza is cool,¡± Serra says. ¡°Right?!¡± Azalabulia asks, turning her head to look up at the others. ¡°That was such a perfect attack! I can¡¯t wait to try off the new ¡®Epilogue¡¯ version of that spell! It is going to be so awesome!¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s hyped up now,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I guess that the rest of us might as well get excited, too.¡± ¡°Come on, Cass Cass. Don¡¯t you want to thrust your long, hard weapon into things?¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°You want to sleep on the couch?¡± ¡°You love me too much to make me sleep on the couch.¡± ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t love you enough to not hog the blankets.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit uncalled for, don¡¯t you think? I don¡¯t have all this fluff in real life. I need the warmth.¡± ¡°Then wear another layer of pajamas.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to do that when Serra takes them off all the ti¡ª¡± ¡°Bro, again. There are other people here,¡± Rao interjects. ¡°And we¡¯re going into battle, aren¡¯t we? Like, that¡¯s the stuff you should save for after.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t romance and sex and all that usually happen before since you don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to do it after?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t watch that sort of stuff. I was just thinking that people would be all excited and relieved and want to do that after instead of before. Like, wouldn¡¯t they normally be too stressed to do it before?¡± ¡°Yeah, which is why it can help as a stress reliever.¡± ¡°Hey, is it better to be stressed or relaxed for fighting?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve always done better when calm, I think, but it¡¯s more exciting when you¡¯re stressed out over it. Kind of.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I guess because it¡¯s like¡­ once it¡¯s over, you¡¯re way happier and prouder of yourself for surviving? If you¡¯re calm, it¡¯s all ¡®hah, everything happened just as I expected.¡¯ If you¡¯re stressed out and worried, it¡¯s all ¡®holy shit, I actually survived, I¡¯m amazing.¡¯¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± Fenrir¡¯s and Rao¡¯s conversation ends as soon as the large group reaches the bottom of the pit. Dropped off on the ground, everybody gets to work securing the location, killing any monsters that are somehow still alive, and setting up Serra¡¯s gun. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that they¡¯re letting her use it, honestly,¡± Cassiel tells Fenrir. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought it¡¯d be too important for them to let somebody new use.¡± ¡°Eh. It¡¯s just a game. Who cares? All that matters is that we¡¯re having fun. Plus, after what they just saw Aza do, I bet they¡¯ve got some faith in us now,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°I guess. That gun, though¡­ it looks pretty crazy.¡± The gun that she is talking about might look like a gun, and it may look like it acts similar to one, but that is not the case. Mounted on a tripod is a large, brass barrel with what looks like a revolver¡¯s chamber located at the back of it with a hammer mechanism ready to pound against the construction¡¯s ammunition. As for what the ammunition is, that would be the series of crackling, white and yellow stones inside of the revolving chambers. They look just like the rocks that Tabitha uses as fuel for The Shoebill¡¯s engine, only with a lightning aesthetic rather than a fire one. ¡°I think I see how that guy got away with creating a gatling gun. Same way that Tabs got away with creating an engine,¡± Fenrir tells Cassiel. ¡°You mean that it¡¯s like one of her inventions?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Should¡­ should we be worried?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Serra says, giving them a thumbs-up now that she¡¯s behind the gun. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± ¡°I know you do,¡± Fenrir says, walking up to give her a gentle smack on the back before drawing his sword and looking around. ¡°Everything is clear so far. I would have thought that there¡¯d be more monsters coming at us.¡± ¡°They shall come,¡± GG says. ¡°We were able to defeat the remnants of the monsters the last time we assaulted this position, but more will come and in far greater numbers as soon as they realize what has happened.¡± Several of the dragon players that accompanied them are already in the process of setting up various magical runes around the pit of water next to their landing zone. ¡°Traps?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yes,¡± GG answers. ¡°The moment that the monsters activate the runes, they will, for a lack of better words, explode.¡± ¡°Explosions?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°There are going to be more explosions?¡± ¡°Many more.¡± ¡°Fen, can we live with these dragons?¡± she asks with wide eyes, standing in front of Fenrir with her hands gripping his shirt. He can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s behaving more like an explosive pyromaniac or an excited little kid. All it takes are some explosions and roleplaying for her switch to be flipped and be herself. Any shyness and hesitation is gone. Right now, she is Azalabulia, the explosive and distractingly-sexual spellcaster. Fenrir can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s purposely pushing her breasts up against his chest or not, but he can tell that Cassiel looks jealous that she never gets anybody pushing their chest up against hers like this. He can¡¯t help but look at her with a bit of a smug smile to call her out ¨C to subtly tell her that he knows she¡¯s jealous. Then he stops as soon as she glares at him. ¡°We have our own town,¡± he tells Azalabulia. ¡°But ¨C but! Explosions! Fen!¡± Azalabulia whines. ¡°Explosions are dangerous in mountains. You might cause landslides, cave-ins, and all that stuff. Wouldn¡¯t you rather live at our town where there is a vast ocean and flat land around for you to use explosions? You can make your explosions as big as you want then! I doubt they¡¯d want you to be exploding everything around here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good point. Alright, you have convinced me. I ¨C I am allowed to keep using explosions while we fight here, right?¡± ¡°Only smaller ones until we¡¯re at the final phase of the plan.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± The pressure against his chest goes away, leaving him disappointed and colder. ¡°Nell, I need you,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Yes, my hero?¡± Nell asks, standing in front of him now. ¡°Hug me.¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± And so, they hug, resulting in Nell¡¯s smaller-but-still-nice breasts pressing up against Fenrir¡¯s chest. ¡°I know that I may be lacking, but is this good enough?¡± she asks, knowing exactly why he wanted her to hug him. ¡°Yep. Definitely good enough.¡± He looks over at Cassiel again. She¡¯s still jealous. ¡°Alas, I do need to go prepare. I am only capable of getting my magic to work when in a safe spot with a cleared mind, so I cannot spend too long here,¡± Nell says before stepping back and leaving his chest lonely. There is no other option. Serra isn¡¯t tall enough to warm his chest nor does she have the required warming mounds. Fenrir looks at Cassiel. This time, he does not look at her to be smug. He looks at her out of need. ¡°Cass Cass, I nee¡ª¡± She flips him off before crossing her arms over her chest. At least he has the tsundere fanservice to warm him. Then somebody else steps up to Fenrir with their arms open for a hug. ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll pass,¡± Fenrir tells GG. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± GG asks. ¡°Many things.¡± GG lets out a loud laugh before smacking Fenrir on his shoulder. ¡°Come! Let us wait for the battle to begin. As the leaders of our respective groups, it is only natural for us to fight side-by-side to determine this alliance¡¯s worth!¡± Fenrir might not be one for roleplaying, but he is still feeling a bit hyped up from hearing that. ¡°You got it.¡± Several more minutes pass by with everybody in their positions. Yet, no monsters seem to be coming. The only ones that are around are dead, and the water that they came from is still and empty. ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡± Serra asks. ¡°No idea. They¡¯ll be here when they get here,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°Less than a minute,¡± Eva answers. ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°I can smell them.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°One of my body parts enhanced my smelling to make it really strong, but I¡¯m not sure which. It didn¡¯t start happening until a couple of weeks without getting any new parts, and the last part I got before that was my angel eye, so I really doubt that was it. Angels aren¡¯t known for having extreme smelling, are they?¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Yeah, it really bothers me.¡± ¡°Do you have any other body parts that are unexplained? Or traits?¡± ¡°Yeah, my penis.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It takes him a few seconds. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking. Sorry, it¡¯s just so easy to trick people with that since they know of all my other parts.¡± ¡°I¡­ honestly didn¡¯t even doubt it. Not for a second. I just assumed you were being honest and that you seriously have a dick.¡± ¡°Nope. No dick. I haven¡¯t figured out how to get one yet and none of the other scholars will tell me.¡± ¡°So, you are trying to get a dick?¡± ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I? I don¡¯t have one in real life, so I want to experiment with one here to see what it¡¯s like. Also, I¡¯ve heard the ¡®you can experiment with mine¡¯ joke about a hundred times already, so please don¡¯t if you¡¯re thinking about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, I definitely would have made that joke if I was single. Anyways, I¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible to get dicks?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at your gun?¡± ¡°I heard a conversation I want to be a part of.¡± ¡°Do you just naturally appear in any conversation that is related to dicks?¡± ¡°Yeah. I want one.¡± ¡°Why do you want one?¡± Serra smirks and wiggles her eyebrows up at her loving-but-very-worried boyfriend. ¡°No,¡± he tells her. ¡°Yes,¡± she tells him. ¡°No,¡± he tells her again. ¡°Yes,¡± she tells him again. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, we agree.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said no.¡± Serra thinks about it for a few seconds before realizing what just happened, resulting in a pout and a light kick at his ankle. ¡°You tricked me.¡± ¡°I did trick you. I also¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯re almost here. Get ready,¡± Eva says. Fenrir nods at Serra and they drop their conversation so that she can hurry back to her setup. Those nearest to the water consist of most of the dragons, GG, Fenrir, and Eva. Cassiel and Rock are staying the closest to Serra so that they can defend her if any monsters make it past the front line, Azalabulia and Nell are staying off to the sides so that they can support with magical attacks from afar with Rao and Shogun to defend them, and then there are a couple of healers among the dragons waiting the farthest back to enter the battle when needed. And now, with everybody in their positions, the battle begins. ¡°I¡¯ll try to thin them out,¡± Eva says, lifting up off of the ground to position herself directly over the water. Swimming up from the depths of the subterranean passage is easily over one hundred monsters, each one with the aesthetic of a corrupted fish combined with an eldritch abomination. Eva flies up high, flips herself upside down, and then dives toward the water. Right before she dives into the water, she unfurls her right wing ¨C the wing of a thunderbird. Electricity crackles out from her wing and shoots into the water with a blinding flash! She may not have any ¡°magic¡± of her own, but that does not mean that the natural traits bestowed upon her by her collection of monstrous parts aren¡¯t magical in effect. The water becomes electrified and anything within it gets a strong shock. Next is her eye. Eva opens her right eye¡ªher angelic eye¡ªwide. A beam of holy energy shoots out from her eye into the water, cutting through the foul monsters as they are left immobilized by her first attack. ¡°Still can¡¯t control this eye that well,¡± she groans, holding one of her hands over her right eye as she lands next to Fenrir. ¡°That¡¯s all I can do until they¡¯re out of the water.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I can do, she says. Damn. That was awesome,¡± Fenrir praises. ¡°I only killed a couple of them. They¡¯re strong, so it wasn¡¯t too awesome.¡± ¡°Who cares? It was still awesome. You looked awesome doing that, the attack was awesome, and just ¨C everything about that was awesome.¡± ¡°It ¨C it really wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, showoff.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± The first wave of monsters breaches the surface and climb out of the water. The instant they come into any contact with the runes placed around the water¡¯s edge, they are subject to a multitude of magical effects whether they are shocked, lit on fire, covered in a cloud of poisonous gas, or just exploded in general. Unfortunately, the explosions are rather weak, and Fenrir can sense Azalabulia¡¯s disappointment from where he is. That disappointment is confirmed when he looks at her and sees what he could only describe as looking dead inside. Such little explosions were all it took to make her look so depressed. ¡°Hey, since you think I¡¯m a showoff, I might as well be one. How far do you think I can send one of those monsters with my tail?¡± Eva asks Fenrir. ¡°I bet you can make them hit the wall back there.¡± ¡°That far?¡± ¡°Yeah, why not? I¡¯ve got faith in you after your display there.¡± Eva smiles, turns her attention to the monsters, and flies forward. She twists her body around to slam her tail at full force into the nearest monster¡ªa creature with the body of a man but the head of a fish with tentacles for arms¡ªand sends the monster flying across the water into the wall at the other side. ¡°GG, got any cool tricks that we can use to compete with her?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, but let us try to compete with her regardless!¡± GG answers. ¡°Hi, ¡®I¡¯m afraid not, but let us try to compete with her regardless.¡¯ I¡¯m Fenrir¡± GG and Fenrir lock eyes. Dadjoking the dadjoker is all that it took. A new, deep level of respect and admiration has been developed between the two men ¨C an unbreakable bond between men and their dadjokes. There are few things stronger than such a bond. Arguably, nothing is stronger than this bond. ¡°I¡¯m embarrassed by how proud you feel about that,¡± Saya suddenly chimes in. ¡°Hi, ¡®I¡¯m embarrassed by how¡ª¡± ¡°You are absolutely horrible, onii-wan. Goodbye.¡± As much as Fenrir wants to tease his virtual little sister some more, he finds out that there is not going to be any time for that. The monsters are coming out of the water in a large force now. ¡°Let us channel them between us, Fenrir! We shall create a line of monsters for our gunner,¡± GG announces. ¡°Sounds good to me! Serra, get ready to shoot as soon as you have a clear shot!¡± Fenrir shouts. Serra gives a thumbs up and starts to spin the reel-like handle on the left of the gun. The moment the first monster shows itself, she pulls the trigger on the right side of the gun. The gun¡¯s hammer hits whichever electrical stone is in front of it. All of the energy emitted from the stone is focused into the gun¡¯s barrel and shoots out in a long ray of lightning that electrocutes whichever monster is unfortunate enough to be in her sights. Then another shot of lightning hits it. And another. And another. It takes four total shots to down the monster, but it does go down. Serra may have been lacking in confidence before, but she¡¯s full of determination now that she has killed her first monster with the gun, and Fenrir can see it on her face. If anything¡­ she might look a bit too confident at this point. She starts smiling the moment that another monster comes into her sight in front of the gun. While Fenrir and GG channel enemies into Serra¡¯s fire, Eva stays constantly moving. Despite having the body parts of so many different species all in one, she¡¯s able to flawlessly maneuver through the air and on ground thanks to them. With her maneuvering, she is constantly on the hunt for any distracted enemies to make quick work of. She has switched from performing large and obvious attacks to small and sneaky attacks that are much deadlier. The monsters may be covered in dripping water, but her fiery breath is still capable of causing severe damage when she carefully lands behind one to engulf it in her flames. The moisture covering their bodies only serves to turn into scalding steam. Then, before the monsters she attacks can retaliate, she¡¯s already back in the air to search for a new monster. Those capable of spitting that deadly, green acid try to focus on her, but she¡¯s able to either evade their attacks or swiftlty slay them before they have a chance to harm her or anybody else. The battle seems to be going perfectly. None of Fenrir¡¯s nor GG¡¯s forces have been killed yet nor even seriously injured, and they have been killing dozens upon dozens of the attacking monsters. Yet, it is the allied forces being pushed back away from the water¡¯s edge. There are simply too many monsters rising from the depths for them to hold back. This is when those with magical abilities get a chance to shine. Azalabulia might not have been using magic before since there was nothing she could effectively use on such small groups of enemies without either potentially hurting allies or wasting mana, and Nell ¨C well, she has been preparing herself this entire time. She is still somewhat new to magic, after all, and her special variety of magic requires a great deal of concentration. Fenrir hasn¡¯t even seen Nell¡¯s magic in action yet. ¡°Fen!¡± Cassiel shouts. He looks over at what¡¯s happening. Serra is in the process of replacing the now-depleted stones with new ones, and both Cassiel and Rock are occupied with monsters already. The issue is that a shambling monster with a crab¡¯s claw for one arm and another arm covered in oozing barnacles is heading straight toward Serra, and nobody else is free to support her. And she has just dropped the lightning stones she was reloading with out of rushed panic. ¡°That ooze looks like the corrosive kind we were warned about,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°It does look like that,¡± Saya confirms. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t allowed to help me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m just stating an objective fact that you already said yourself, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Right. Thanks, Saya ¨C sorry, I mean Pupayaya.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t correct my name to something stupid, especially not the stupid version of the stupid name!¡± Fenrir charges forward with his sword drawn in his right hand and Rod in his left hand. Those who haven¡¯t seen Fenrir fight before can¡¯t help but to look on as he charges at an enemy with a fishing rod, but they catch on to what he¡¯s doing when Rod¡¯s line is sent out to wrap around the monster¡¯s oozing arm to restrain it. The monster tries to smash the line with its clawed arm. It tries to cut the line, too. Neither of those attempts succeed. The monster isn¡¯t able to get any closer to Serra, either. Rod reels the line in on his own to prevent the monster from being able to approach Serra. Fenrir might not be able to reel the line in, but Rod still can without any help. Of course, the monster isn¡¯t so stupid that it just tries to continue reaching Serra regardless. Instead, it rushes at Fenrir. It would much rather use its murderous intent on somebody it can actually murder. Unfortunately for the monster, a beam of extremely pressurized water cuts right through its body. Its upper half becomes separated from its bottom half in under a second. The beam of pressurized water then goes on to cut through several more monsters in the immediate area before running out. When Fenrir goes to look at who just did a move extremely similar to his favorite, juvenile serpent friend, he sees the serpent whom he is dating. Nell. ¡°Damn. What is with everybody getting all of these awesome moves without me?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel left out here.¡± ¡°I must admit that it is very tiring to do, my hero,¡± Nell pants. ¡°You helped me out and it looked awesome, so good job.¡± ¡°Are you proud of me?¡± ¡°Of course I am. Plus, that was kind of hot.¡± Shogun might be the one protecting Nell instead of Rao, but he still looks at Fenrir with an expression that can only be described as, ¡°Really? You¡¯re talking like this again? Right now?¡± Fenrir, being part canid in-game thus being able to interpret Shogun¡¯s obvious expression, says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be judged by you. Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m the one who would be your father-in-law.¡± Shogun stops judging him. Fenrir gets back into his previous position once Serra finishes loading her gun, and then the battle rages on. A couple of the dragons go down during the fighting, but the healers are able to get them back in the action before long. Even Eva gets seriously injured at one point. When a claw closes around her right arm, it breaks the bone and makes it look like a pixelated mess to anybody without the option to see gore enabled. But that only seems to make her even more excited. In both a bloodlust way and a regular lust sort of way. Not only that, but all she has to do is bend her arm back into shape and then it¡¯s fine. It heals incredibly quickly, too. ¡°She¡¯s seriously like her own mini boss,¡± Fenrir thinks. ¡°She basically is. That¡¯s what happens when you push what¡¯s allowed to its limits to customize your character,¡± Saya replies. ¡°OP,¡± Fenrir mumbles. And so, the battle rages on. Fenrir ends up spending more time on crowd control, slowing down monsters for Serra using Rod, than he does actually attacking any of them. Even Rao gets more combat done just thrusting his spear into the heads of any monsters that try to get close to him and Azalabulia. Nell only manages to use her magic a couple more times before being too exhausted to continue, instead taking up one of the spare spears that was brought to assist in defending Serra against incoming enemies. ¡°You can use a spear?¡± Serra asks Nell while reloading again. ¡°Ah, yes, that I can! I actually toyed with the idea of being a beautiful maiden fighting with a spear while dancing across the battlefield when I first began playing. Before everything happened, that was what I tried my best to do,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Hot.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Nell jumps forward to impale one of the monsters that Fenrir has slowed down. ¡°Really hot,¡± Serra says. Yet, no matter how many enemies they seem to kill, there is just a seemingly-endless supply of them. The corpses of monsters are piled so high around the water¡¯s edges that the water itself isn¡¯t even visible anymore unless somebody flies up to look over the corpses. ¡°We might need to proceed to the final phase without clearing them out!¡± GG shouts. ¡°Aren¡¯t we screwed if we do that?¡± Cassiel asks Fenrir. ¡°Probably screwed, yeah. We can¡¯t defend against these monsters while taking cover from Aza¡¯s explosion. But, if we have to, then closing off the tunel is more important.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± they hear somebody chuckle. ¡°Hehehe. Hahaha!¡± The villainous laughter is coming from none other than¡­ Azalabulia. ¡°I suppose that it is time for me to reveal my new magic! Dark magic to conquer all other dark magic!¡± she shouts, pulling out a familiar tome that nobody has seen since it was acquired. It is the tome with a skull on it and tentacles escaping its pages ¨C the tome that they got from the chest after killing that large, necromantic boss with the tentacles. Without opening the book, she shouts, ¡°Page seven, paragraph five, line three! I, Azalabulia, shall now embrace the secrets of necromancy! I shall call this: Swallow the World in Undeath, Abyssal Enslavement!¡± Tentacles sprout out from the corpses of monsters lying around, but they are not the same sorts of tentacles that the party has been dealing with. Instead, they are similar to the purple, eldritch, more cosmic-looking tentacles of the boss they killed than the eldritch, undead fishy-looking tentacles that these monsters come with. Then the corpses stand up. ¡°Fight! Fight for your new master! Slaughter all who wish to oppose us and show these foul creatures who truly dominates the night! Show them who shall blanket this world in an eternal covering of raw darkness! Your lives were meaningless in life, so make them meaningful in death!¡± Azalabulia commands, prompting her undead legion of newly-tentacled tentacle-fish-monsters to fight for her. It is only thanks to the monsters under her command that they are able to finally start pushing the attackers back. Even though her undead monsters don¡¯t last for more than a few minutes, they are still able to assist well enough to make the battle far easier than it has been up until now. ¡°Hey, sis, don¡¯t you uh¡­ think it might have been nice to let us know about this sooner?¡± Rao asks Azalabulia. ¡°I wanted to wait until the perfect time to reveal it!¡± Azalabulia explains with sparkling eyes and smug satisfaction. ¡°But¡­ don¡¯t you think we would¡¯ve saved a lot of trouble if¡ª¡± ¡°Timing is important!¡± ¡°How long have you been able to do this for?¡± ¡°Ever since I got this book. I practiced a few times in private, but this is the first time using it in actual combat!¡± ¡°Well, alright then, I guess?¡± Azalabulia nods before returning to look over her work. The sight of her undead monsters fighting against more monsters gets a satisfying sigh out of her. ¡°Does literally everybody other than me have a new ability or something?¡± Fenrir asks before looking at Cassiel. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t have anything new,¡± she answers before he can even ask. ¡°Cass Cass, we¡¯ve got to go on a quest to learn some new abilities for ourselves after everything settles down. We can¡¯t let ourselves be the only ones who don¡¯t learn anything.¡± ¡°What, are you actually jealous?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes. I know I¡¯m only here for the fishing¡ª¡± Serra snerks. ¡°¡ªI know I like to tell myself that I¡¯m only here for the fishing, but I still want to learn new powers if everybody else is.¡± ¡°Eh. I guess,¡± Cassiel says and shrugs. ¡°Alright! We¡¯ve pushed them back and the next wave looks small!¡± GG shouts, hovering over the water as Eva dives down to electrocute it again. ¡°We¡¯re going to move onto the final phase of the plan! Get near cover and wait for the command!¡± ¡°Fen! It¡¯s explosion time!¡± Azalabulia excitedly shouts as she rushes over to him. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s explosion time. You¡¯re going to have to give us one of the biggest explosions yet. Think you can handle that after everything you¡¯ve done?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I still have enough power in me to bring this entire mountain down!¡± ¡°Maybe not that big of an explosion.¡± ¡°Enough to bring a castle down?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go a little bit smaller.¡± ¡°E-enough to cave in an underwater tunnel?¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiel says, ¡°isn¡¯t there a chance that she¡¯s going to bring this entire cave down on us?¡± Fenrir looks up. Several dragons are flying around placing runes on the surrounding walls and ceiling. ¡°I¡¯d say there¡¯s probably a thirty percent chance we all get crushed under rocks and die,¡± Fenrir admits. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°I still get to make a big explosion, right?¡± Azalabulia asks. Book 5: Chapter 19: Using magic from the dragons, a small tunnel has been carved into the wall that follows along the underwater passage. It is at the end of the tunnel where Azalabula is meant to detonate her explosive spell, causing the underwater passage to cave in while bringing rocks from above down to fill in any other holes that might be opened and allow the invading monsters to slip through. ¡°What if the monsters move the rocks out of the way?¡± Serra asks Fenrir. ¡°Then they¡¯re just going to bring more rocks down on top of them. Besides, it should be possible for our new allies here to just carve another tunnel with magic and they can use that to maybe attack the monsters while they¡¯re trying to break through the rocks. Or something like that,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound that good.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not. There are a bunch of problems with the plan and they¡¯re going to have to figure out something on their own for a long-term solution if they keep getting attacked. Hopefully, though, this ends their wannabe invasion. Like, hopefully it¡¯s just a small-scale invasion event instead of something that¡¯s going to become a constant thing.¡± ¡°Small-scale invasion event?¡± ¡°Yeah. Stuff like this isn¡¯t too uncommon in MMOs. There will be a few small invasions here and there that players have to respond to without knowing what¡¯s going on, usually to tease some bigger event happening in the future. You know¡­ like that underwater army attacking us. Actually, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there are more attacks happening elsewhere or if there are going to be more attacks. It¡¯s almost guaranteed if anything. This might just be the first one¡­¡± ¡°You look worried.¡± ¡°Yeah. What about Olly and the others back at our base? If there¡¯s an attack here, in some underground cave in the middle of the mountains, then there¡¯s no telling where else they might attack. Attacking some random place along the shore is way more likely.¡± ¡°But the serpent.¡± ¡°Yeah. Ilo should be able to protect them against any smaller forces like this. I hope. Can¡¯t be sure, though, so I¡¯m still going to be worried.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a game, so it¡¯s okay if something happens.¡± ¡°See, normally, I would agree with you. It¡¯s just a game. But, when it comes to being attacked, we never lose and never give up. We always win and always get revenge. There is no such thing as defeat in the Divine Brigade.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean The Soaring Wolves?¡± ¡°Yeah. That. There is no such thing as defeat in The Soaring Wolves.¡± ¡°But what if we lose?¡± ¡°Temporary setbacks don¡¯t count as losses.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t call it a loss when it¡¯s a loss. Sore loser.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not being a sore loser; it¡¯s being technically correct. If somebody loses a battle but wins the war, do you say that they lost the war? No. You say that they won the war.¡± ¡°But they still lost that battle.¡± ¡°Winning and losing only comes into effect at the winning. They only got disadvantaged from that battle. The fact that they got disadvantaged and then won makes the victory even better. In the end, you¡¯re still winning.¡± ¡°Have you ever said ¡®I lose.¡¯¡± ¡°Nope. I have never said that I lose or that I have lost.¡± ¡°Stubborn.¡± ¡°I prefer the word ¡®winner.¡¯¡± ¡°I bet I can make you lose at sex.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯d resort to sex to defeat me. Even then, I¡¯m sure you could temporarily disadvantage me, but you could never beat me in the end.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t have to look that competitive,¡± Fenrir says after noticing the fiery determination now burning in Serra¡¯s eyes. The determination that she showed him to do good with the gun against the monsters is nothing compared to the current sense of determination that he is getting from her. When it comes to sex, Serra¡¯s competitive spirit is every bit as strong as Fenrir¡¯s gaming spirit if not stronger. ¡°You know you¡¯ll lose, right?¡± Cassiel asks him. ¡°Have some faith in me,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You will most certainly lose, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Come on. I won¡¯t lose against some munchkin perver¡ª¡± Serra grabs his dick over his clothes. Then, before he even has a chance to react, she brings her mouth up to his ear where she can playfully latch onto the lobe with her teeth, giving it a little nibble and getting a rather lewd noise out of him as a result. All three of his nearby girlfriends smile at him after hearing such a cute and erotic noise come out of him. ¡°Li-listen, actually ¨C no, don¡¯t listen. You didn¡¯t hear anything,¡± Fenrir tries to say. ¡°Cute,¡± Serra says with a smug expression. ¡°Very cute, my hero! I did not know that you could make such a feminine noise. It is already making me think of possible scenarios involving genderbending! Ah, do you not think it would be wonderful if you were the lady and I was the beast to ravage you?¡± Nell asks with the eyes of a teasing predator. ¡°You totally lost,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Nell, since when you do you want to be the one in charge of ravaging others?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Then again, you were taking charge of Cass Cass earlier.¡± ¡°He-hey! You don¡¯t need to bring that up again!¡± ¡°She is right, my hero. We should not be bringing up such a matter again! After all, what is the point in discussing it rather than doing it?¡± ¡°Nell, you¡¯re really more bold lately,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I suppose that I have been in a rather ¨C hmm, I am not sure how to put it. I would not say that I have been feeling more dominant lately. Perhaps¡­ more active is the proper way to explain it? I always get more active with my fantasies when I have been holding back for some time.¡± ¡°So, basically, you¡¯re starting to be more aggressive since you haven¡¯t been getting to be submissive enough?¡± ¡°That is one way of looking at it!¡± ¡°Alright. So you turn dominant when you¡¯re deprived of being submissive enough.¡± ¡°Think of it as a learning opportunity! If I were to be the man and you were the woman, I could teach you how I want you to treat me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I already know how you want me to treat you. Actually being able to without killing you or feeling bad about it is the problem.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Nell says followed by a sad sigh. ¡°That is why I must imagine those scenarios while being treated in a much softer manner.¡± ¡°Do you usually imagine your fantasies while we¡¯re doing things?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I do at the start! Then it becomes too hard to think about them.¡± ¡°What does it become?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Too hard?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that well if you have to try and get her to repeat herself first,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It still worked in the end which is all that matters.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it would have worked better if you didn¡¯t have to make her repeat herself.¡± ¡°The fact that I was disadvantaged makes it even better.¡± ¡°Wait. Are you¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You learned so fast. I¡¯m proud of you, Serra.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t praise her for copying your weird view on winning,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± Fenrir says, grabbing Serra and pulling her against his side. ¡°We¡¯re winners together now.¡± ¡°Winners,¡± Serra repeats while holding up a couple of peace signs. ¡°The best damn winners that this world has ever seen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you win wars if you let me win sex. Then we can win everything.¡± ¡°Deal. Between the two of us, nobody will ever be able to defeat us.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you two just declaring you were going to compete with each other?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°That was just a disadvantage,¡± Serra says. ¡°And now we¡¯ve overcome that disadvantage to win together,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°That¡¯s how winning works.¡± ¡°I give up,¡± Cassiel says and sighs. ¡°There, there, Cassiel! We can form our own faction with the two of us and Azalabulia in order to compete against them,¡± Nell says. ¡°Oh? Waging war on us?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Bold move,¡± Serra says. ¡°Serra, I recognize you as a worthy opponent, but I am well aware of how to defeat your partner,¡± Nell says. ¡°Yeah? And how do you plan on defeating me?¡± he asks. This is when Nell walks up to Fenrir, slightly pulls her dress down with one finger to show more of her cleavage, and presses her chest up against his while resting her free hand on his larger figure. ¡°I need you, my hero,¡± Nell says, forcing herself to blush and to look up at him with teary, needy eyes. ¡°You are the only one who can help me¡­¡± Fenrir gulps and fails to resist looking down into her dress. Meanwhile, Serra is the one to sigh this time while Cassiel securely plants her face in her palm. ¡°Will you not save me, my hero? I need you ¨C I desperately need you to relieve me of this burning sensation within my core. It is a fire that only you can tame,¡± Nell continues, grabbing one of his hands to hold against her chest. ¡°You can feel the warmth of this fire ¨C the beating of my heart, can you not? I¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready!¡± GG shouts. Fenrir goes from feeling excited to feeling terrified. ¡°The peasants dare interrupt us over such a trivial matter?¡± Nell says in a low voice to herself, pushing her hand against his chest even harder while pulling his hand against hers with just as much force. ¡°I must admit that I am truly getting tired of these interruptions every time the scene gets good.¡± Fortunately for Fenrir, she looks to be calming down. He lets out a sigh of relief as she returns to normal. Then she looks straight up into his eyes with a gentle¡­ sinister smile. ¡°My hero, we are going to finish this later, yes? We will be thoroughly enjoying one another and whatever scenario I wish for us to act¡ªwithout interruption¡ªyes?¡± ¡°Is ¨C is this you when you¡¯re back to feeling pent up and wanting to be more active?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you feeling better after what we did earlier? Before we came back in-game?¡± ¡°I was feeling better, yes. That is no longer applicable. Between that adorable sound you made earlier, the adrenaline from the battle, and teasing you like this, the embers within me have grown into that of a blazing inferno that demands pleasure.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do lots of lewd things later,¡± Serra says. ¡°If ¨C if you¡¯re really feeling that pent-up still then¡­ I guess it¡¯d be okay. Plus¡­ I guess I kind of want more, too,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°We¡¯ll bring Aza, too.¡± ¡°Well, my hero?¡± Nell asks, returning her attention to Fenrir. ¡°It seems as if everybody else is content with this continuing later. Are you going to join us?¡± ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Of course I will. Just¡­ go back to smiling normally before you awaken something in me.¡± ¡°Oh? My hero, is it possible that you like being looked at this way? Is it possible that you might have more of a masochistic side than we were aware of?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know about that. It¡¯s just ¨C I mean, you¡¯re kinda scary right now, but it¡¯s hot at the same time.¡± ¡°Is that so? Perhaps I should call you a little piggy instead of my hero?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a bit much even for me,¡± he answers in a serious voice. ¡°A-ah. Apologies. I ¨C I was getting ahead of myself. How embarrassing. Let us just pretend that I did not attempt that, yes?¡± Nell asks, back to her normal self. If anything, she¡¯s more flustered than she would normally be due to her failed attempt at being sadistic. In the end, even if she does get her slightly-sadistic and dominant moods, she struggles to stick with them and is quick to feel bad. ¡°I don¡¯t think everybody here wants to pretend you didn¡¯t attempt that,¡± Fenrir says, looking at Cassiel. Cassiel was already blushing after hearing that name for him. Now, her face is even redder as she has had attention called to her. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I want to be called that or anything!¡± Cassiel announces, immediately making it obvious that she does, in fact, want to be called that. ¡°Hang on, wasn¡¯t Aza supposed to cast an explosion? GG shouted at her that we¡¯re ready,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Bad. You changed the subject. I¡¯m betraying our alliance,¡± Serra says. ¡°That easily?¡± he asks, poking her forehead. She sticks bites his finger in response. Then she licks it. And sucks on the tip a bit. This is when he pulls his finger away. Meanwhile, Azalabulia finds herself staring into the newly-carved tunnel with her staff held out in front of her. Everybody else is in cover except for Shogun. Shogun is supposed to get her to safety the instant after she casts her spell. And, by safety, what that means is that he¡¯s to get her behind one of the barriers or pillars in the room to hide. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± GG shouts over to Azalabulia. Azalabulia shakes her head and takes a deep breath. In fact, there is the opposite of a problem. Her fingers are tapping her staff¡¯s shaft, her lips are twitching and threatening to curl, and her heart feels as if it is about to burst out of her chest. She is just so excited that she¡¯s making sure to fully cherish this moment. Finally, she begins her chant. ¡°It is time, Bahamut! It is time to unleash your rage upon this world in a devastating display that will rend apart the fabric of reality itself! Let your rage boil the oceans themselves away! Let your darkness block out the sun in a darker-than-black shroud even a black hole could not stand against! I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, and the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, will bring down this mountain and put an end to the invading enemies! This shall be the ultimate showcase of raw power ¨C of the power that is destined to consume this world! Bahamut, together, we shall put an end to the foolishness that these lesser beings consider living! Now, let us show our true strength! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Final Attack, Final Verse: Exodus of Reality, the Purging of Life, all who Oppose it, and the Destruction of Reality! Explode!¡± The moment the final word leaves Azalabulia¡¯s lips, she grins and giggles while an explosive, magical dragon flies into the tunnel that was prepared for her. Shogun, seeing that Azalabulia is too busy watching the soon-to-be sight of an explosion to get onto his back, has to get her to safety by jumping up and biting onto the top of her dress to fly away with her. The instant that he starts pulling on her, Azalabulia realizes what is about to happen and starts tugging down on her dress to make sure that nothing pops out for everybody to see. ¡°What¡¯re you clicking your tongue for?¡± Fenrir asks Serra. ¡°Nothing,¡± Serra sighs. A few seconds later and the roaring of a dragon reverberates through the underground cave. Then that roaring is replaced by an explosive burst that, even if not directly visible, releases such a blinding light that everybody is affected by it even from behind wherever they are hiding. The entire cave shakes. Rocks fall from the ceiling and walls, cracks appear in the ground, water is forced up and out of the hole in the ground due to the displacement caused by the cave-in, and a fiery burst of magic erupts outward from the tunnel that flows into the main cavern. A couple of monsters unfortunate enough to just get out of the water are immediately turned to ashes upon the burning remnants of Azalabulia¡¯s explosion reaching them. As for Fenrir, he has his arms around Cassiel, Serra, and Nell as they all duck behind a pillar. The only other one with them is Rock who is lying down and holding her front paws over her ears. ¡°Best explosion ever,¡± Azalabulia mumbles in a state of euphoria as Shogun licks the feathers of his tail that got singed by her spell. ¡°You did good, bro,¡± Rao says, crouching down to pet Shogun. ¡°What about me? Wasn¡¯t that explosion awesome?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Good explosion, sis. Just hope that this place doesn¡¯t cave in on us.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be okay if it did. I can die happy now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think your boyfriend would be happy about that.¡± ¡°He knows that explosions are worth it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all crazy.¡± GG and all of the dragons are safe, too. Those who don¡¯t have the best protection to hide behind are supplementing their safety with magic, defensive barriers that shield them against Azalabulia¡¯s near-overwhelming power. As for Eva, she decided to stay behind one of the smaller pillars on her own. As for why she chose such a small pillar when she could have went with the dragons instead ¨C well, the reason for that is because she wanted to conduct more research. The pillar that she is hiding behind just so happens to be the one closest to Fenrir and his girlfriends. Because of her decision, she has gotten to listen in on all sorts of interesting things even if she does feel bad for eavesdropping on private¡ªand sexual¡ªmatters. Then again, she is not the only one who could hear what they were saying. As Rao would tell them, they really need to work on their conversation topics when around other people. They need to work on how loud they talk about such topics at the very least. Cracking sounds come from above Eva. When she looks up, she notices large cracks appearing through the pillar above her. Then, it breaks. The upper half of the pillar breaks into several chunks of rock that fall straight down toward her. Fortunately for her, and as she has already proven, her body isn¡¯t just for show. A shot of energy from her angelic eye breaks one of the rocks into much more manageable chunks that won¡¯t hurt her, and she¡¯s able to defend against the last falling rock with her armored arms deflecting it. Fenrir¡¯s attention gets grabbed between the sound of her eye¡¯s ability and the rocks crashing onto the ground. She might be nodding to him to let him know that she¡¯s alright, but she isn¡¯t noticing the cracking ceiling above her. Fenrir looks up and then back down to her. She¡¯s too busy rubbing her bruised arms to see him. He could shout, but she might not react in time. ¡°Fen?¡± Cassiel asks as he gets up. Not wasting a single second, Fenrir rushes through the burning magic still flowing through the cave while shouting, ¡°Watch out!¡± Large chunks of rock are already falling from the ceiling by the time that he reaches her. Pushing her out of the way would push her into the same flames that he just ran through. Putting her into danger of those would defeat the purpose of protecting her from the falling rocks. There¡¯s only one option that he can think of now. Eva notices him and asks, ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Fenrir grabs onto her, essentially hugging her, and pushes her up against the bottom half of the pillar to keep her as safe as he can as he hides her smaller body underneath his. Rocks from the ceiling pile up around them. ¡°Fen!¡± Cassiel shouts before looking around at the ceiling. Those runes put in place to stabilize the cave are working fine except for one problem. Any sections of rock between the runes are cracking and falling apart. There was no rune above where Eva is since the dragons believed the runes would be close enough to protect the ceiling. They underestimated just how powerful Azalabulia¡¯s spell would be. ¡°Hang on,¡± Fenrir says, leaning over Eva. ¡°What are you ¨C why are you protecting me?¡± Eva asks. ¡°It¡¯s what friends do.¡± ¡°But¡­ you know that this is just a game and that I would have been fine, right?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Even if it is just a game, it is an extremely realistic game ¨C a game that makes it incredibly easy to forget that the players have lives outside of it. And Fenrir has always been one to get fully immersed. Groans and grunts of pain force their way out of his mouth as rocks collide against his back, piling up around the two. ¡°How are your arms?¡± he asks. ¡°Should you really be worrying about my arms right now?¡± ¡°They look hurt.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re getting hurt.¡± ¡°Eh. It¡¯s just another day.¡± ¡°What are you, a superhero?¡± ¡°Just a weeb.¡± Eva cracks a smile before getting a look up at his face. Her face was previously against his chest. Now that she¡¯s looking at his face, she can see just how much pain he¡¯s in. ¡°I should really disable that pain setting already,¡± he groans. A large rock crashes into his back, forcing him¡ªand Eva¡ªdown onto their knees. ¡°Shit,¡± he grunts. ¡°Cass Cass is going to kill me after this.¡± ¡°Seriously, why are you doing this? Why¡¯d you protect me?¡± Eva asks, her voice lower now. ¡°Like I said. We¡¯re friends now. Friends ¨C tch, friends protect each other. Damn it, my tail and hair are going to be full of dust after this.¡± More rocks pile on top of them. Another crack. Only, this crack isn¡¯t from the ceiling nor pillar. Fenrir¡¯s arms go limp around Eva and he slumps forward. ¡°Fenrir?!¡± Eva shouts. ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Don¡¯t need to shout. My hearing is more sensitive in this game.¡± ¡°You¡­ are you alright? Did¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure my back just broke, yeah. It¡¯s not as painful as I thought it would be even if I only have my pain set to fifty percent.¡± ¡°Are you stupid? Why would you¡ª¡± ¡°Told you. Friends. Also, sorry if I¡¯m heavy.¡± ¡°Why are you worrying about something as stupid as that?!¡± ¡°I told you my hearing is sensitive. Could you stop shouting? I can already barely see.¡± ¡°You ¨C you¡­ you unbelievable dumbass!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not used to getting fanservice like this from anybody but Pupaya and Cass Cass.¡± ¡°I would have been fine! Even if I died, I have a respawn set back in the village! And I don¡¯t care about dying in the first place! You should know all of that but you still did something so ¨C so¡­ so illogical! It doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°Kick reason to the curb. That¡¯s how Team Soaring Wolves rolls.¡± ¡°Are¡­ are you making some kind of reference while your spine is broken and you¡¯re dying on top of a girl who¡¯s pissed off at you for doing something so stupid and illogical?¡± ¡°My tail is the fluff that will pierce these rocks.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anything of yours is going to pierce these rocks.¡± ¡°Yeah. Probably not, huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a compliment coming from one of you scholars. I wonder if that fish armor from Thelmes would be helping out right now. Maybe I should¡¯ve asked him for a copy of it.¡± ¡°Is this how you cope with being in intense pain after doing something so stupid? Making references and jokes?¡± ¡°Sounds about right, yeah.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°Thanks, girl who has experimented with falling to her death, dying by lava, and all sorts of other crazy things.¡± ¡°At least there was a logical reason to that! It was for science! This is ¨C there is no good reason for this! You can¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re doing this to see how it feels or for science or anything!¡± ¡°I could tell you that, but I won¡¯t, because I¡¯m not. I already told you why I¡¯m doing this.¡± ¡°Sacrificing yourself for a friend you barely know and only just met when you know that she¡¯d be fine isn¡¯t a good reason!¡± ¡°It¡¯s good enough for me.¡± ¡°What if we weren¡¯t friends? Then what?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d still be doing this. Well, unless you were some evil asshole who deserves to be crushed under rocks. Then I¡¯d just let you die from it.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯d do this even if we weren¡¯t friends? Even if we were complete strangers?¡± ¡°Yeah. Is it really that hard for you to believe?¡± ¡°It absolutely is!¡± ¡°Oh well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just ¡®oh well¡¯ me!¡± ¡°You know, I have to admit that I thought you¡¯d maybe be a tiny bit more grateful instead of shouting at me so much.¡± ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t make any sense and that frustrates me!¡± ¡°We¡¯re back to the not making any sense bit, huh?¡± Fenrir looks down at her and sees a surprising sight. She¡¯s the one who¡¯s crying. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asks. ¡°You! I hate things I can¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°Ouch. So you hate me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even taking this seriously!¡± ¡°Well, it is just a game. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said!¡± She starts crying even harder. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m sorry. Look, I just honestly did this because you¡¯re my friend now and I wanted to protect you. I wasn¡¯t thinking, I¡¯m not going to say that it was logical, and I knew that you¡¯d be fine even if you got killed. It¡¯s just a game. Even so, I still wanted to protect you. It was just¡­ instinct yelling at me to. That¡¯s as good as I can explain it.¡± ¡°I just ¨C I don¡¯t get you. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯d feel that way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just how I am. Haven¡¯t you ever wanted to protect anybody before?¡± She looks away and doesn¡¯t answer him. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would in the right situation. Maybe if it was in real life and if you had a kid or something. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d want to protect them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a difference between a parent protecting their child out of maternal instinct and a guy in a game sacrificing himself over somebody he barely knows for no good reason.¡± ¡°Close enough. In the end, you¡¯re still protecting.¡± ¡°I¡­ I give up. I just ¨C I understand what you¡¯re saying, but I can¡¯t relate to it at all. That¡¯s what is frustrating me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. You can¡¯t always relate to everybody else in life. I know that I¡¯d never be able to relate to Nell¡¯s past life as a prin¡ªpiano player.¡± ¡°Prin-piano?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the latest rage.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡± ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°I figure getting hit by a prin-piano would hurt, yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your back.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m not sure how it feels. Let¡¯s just say that it feels weird.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be able to heal you as long as you can survive until we¡¯re dug out of here. It sounds like things have calmed down out there, so it shouldn¡¯t be long.¡± ¡°What? You worrying about me now? I thought I was a dumbass who you hated?¡± ¡°I was being irrational. You¡¯re not a dumbass and I don¡¯t hate you. So¡­ sorry about saying that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sorry for being so frustrating.¡± ¡°But¡­ I think I get it now. Kind of. Maybe.¡± ¡°Get what?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know after my research is over. A scientist shouldn¡¯t share their theory before they have enough evidence to support it.¡± ¡°Whatever you want. By the way, can you be careful with your horns? They¡¯re getting kind of close to stabbing me. That¡¯s already happened to me with Nell and I¡¯d rather not get stabbed after breaking my back.¡± Eva repositions her head so that her horns are no longer close to stabbing him in the face. Then, the sounds of rocks being moved out of the way reach them. It doesn¡¯t take much longer for a worried girlfriend¡¯s words to reach them, too. ¡°Fen!¡± Cassiel shouts. ¡°I¡¯m going to go deaf between you and her,¡± Fenrir tells Eva. ¡°I want to say that you deserve it for being so stupid, but¡­ tha¡ª¡­thanks. Thanks for protecting me even if you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°You could have left out that final bit.¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± ¡°So cruel. I was teased earlier, just broke my back, and now I¡¯m being teased even more. I see how it is.¡± ¡°Fen! Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Can you tell her to stop shouting for me? It¡¯s kind of hard to talk any¡­ louder than this,¡± Fenrir says, his voice growing weaker and weaker. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Eva shouts. ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of what I wanted. That¡¯s just more shouting." With much of the weight lifted off of them, Eva is able to move her arms to help in pushing the rest of the rocks out of the way. The more light that breaks through the openings, the more blood Eva can see all over Fenrir¡¯s back and sides. Even if it¡¯s just a game, it¡¯s an extremely realistic one. She knows that there is no good reason to worry right now. Eva knows that he¡¯ll be fine even if he dies ¨C he¡¯ll just respawn elsewhere. But, for whatever reason, seeing him so battered and bloodied makes her want to get help to him immediately. Book 5: Chapter 20: ¡°Yo, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Yo? What, are you a rapper now?¡± ¡°More people than just rappers say ¡®yo,¡¯ yo.¡± ¡°Yo-yo? I tried playing with one of those when I was a kid. Ended up being horrible at it and hitting myself right between my eyes. That was one of the few times my dad actually cracked a smile and laughed at my pain. Mom laughed at me, too.¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t laugh at you being in pain?¡± ¡°That¡¯s more sadistic than tsundere. Speaking of being in pain¡­¡± Fenrir opens his eyes. Rather than be buried underneath rocks with Eva, he finds himself sitting across from Saya at a table in a coffee shop. ¡°Did I die or just get knocked out?¡± he asks. ¡°You only passed out. Do you want spoilers? I¡¯m allowed to tell you what happened,¡± Saya asks back. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You came super close to death and passed out, then Cass Cass got through enough rocks to reach you and started healing you before you could even be pulled out.¡± ¡°She¡¯s probably going to be pissed off at me for doing something stupid.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really blame her, onii-wan. Even if it¡¯s just a game, no girlfriend wants to see their boyfriend get crushed under a bunch of rocks and almost die. Especially for another woman.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to throw that last part onto there. That makes it sound like something suspicious.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to make it sound like it wasn¡¯t suspicious, you womanizer.¡± ¡°Hey, since when am I a womanizer?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ve said so.¡± ¡°So, since ten seconds ago?¡± ¡°Yeah ¨C ow! Don¡¯t flick me! And reaching across the table to do that is rude! Weren¡¯t you ever taught any manners?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, was I? You have access to my memories.¡± ¡°You were, but it seems like you¡¯ve forgotten them!¡± ¡°Or you just deserved being flicked on the forehead.¡± ¡°I would never deserve being flicked on the forehead.¡± ¡°Sure you wouldn¡¯t. By the way, you look cute.¡± Rather than wear a sweater like Saya has grown used to wearing, she is currently sitting across from him with a dress and shorts combination that leaves her arms, shoulders, and legs exposed for once. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re only saying that so that I take back what I said about you being a womanizer.¡± ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t complimenting you on how you look right after being called that make me more of a womanizer instead of not one? Why would I bring up your looks if I was trying to convince you I¡¯m not a womanizer?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m in your head or anything. How am I supposed to know why you are the way that you are?¡± ¡°You are literally in my head though.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°So? That completely discredits what you were just trying to say.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to be so technical, nerd.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a nerd now because I pointed out the obvious flaw in your logic? Whatever you say, Pupaya.¡± ¡°I ¨C I told you not to call me anything weird!¡± Saya pouts while kicking his shins underneath the table. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t, Pupayawaya.¡± ¡°Please not this again! I take it back! You¡¯re not a womanizer or a nerd!¡± ¡°Good girl, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Just call me my normal name¡­¡± ¡°You say that, but your ears are twitching and I can see your tail wagging.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s not my fault! You¡¯re the one who called me a good girl and you know the sort of effect that has on girls with animal ears!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I do know what effect that has.¡± ¡°See?! You¡¯re horrible! You¡¯re not supposed to treat people like pets!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not? I guess I shouldn¡¯t offer to give you headpats or anything. I¡¯m sure you really wouldn¡¯t like me to scratch behind your ears. You would probably really hate me rubbing your belly while calling you a good girl,¡± Fenrir says with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. The next time he opens them, he finds himself sitting on the edge of a bed in a private bedroom with Saya laying down over his lap, facing up at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to give in this much.¡± ¡°Shut up. Yes you were.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Fine. Play dumb. Just ¨C just do it.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°You know exactly what I want you to do, you baka onii-wan!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really bringing out the tsundere-weeb fanservice to make me do this.¡± Rather than say anything else, Saya glares up at him with a mean pout and inflated cheeks. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± he says, placing one hand on the top of her head to scratch behind her ears while his other hand pats her belly over her dress. Saya goes from pouting and angry to melting and blissful almost instantly. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± he asks. ¡°I ¨C I am!¡± Saya answers. ¡°I don¡¯t know. A good girl would go ¡®woof.¡¯¡± ¡°Wo-woof.¡± ¡°What was that? I thought I just heard something but I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°W-woof!¡± ¡°Maybe howling would be better.¡± ¡°A-awoo?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, dogs never just howl for a second and be done with it. They usually keep howling for at least a few seconds.¡± ¡°Aw-awooooooo¡­¡± The sheer amount of cuteness radiating from Saya ¨C from Pupaya, is enough to make Fenrir go all out. While his hand on her head treats her ears with the utmost care, delicately tracing his fingers along them whenever he¡¯s not scratching right behind them, his other hand slides her dress up just enough so that her abdomen is exposed. She might blush at first and hesitantly try to push her dress back down, but she stops the instant his bare hand touches her exposed belly. Then the rubbing begins. Even if she has the appearance of a human girl with only dog ears and a dog tail, she can¡¯t help but to kick her legs and wildly giggle upon her belly being so intensely rubbed. ¡°There is no resisting the power of belly rubs,¡± he tells her. She¡¯s in no condition to deny him nor does she care enough to deny him. All that matters is that, in this moment, she is receiving an ultimate belly rub. ¡°Now, Pupaya,¡± Fenrir says, both his expression and voice far more serious than they probably should be in this situation, ¡°answer me: who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Pupaya¡¯s eyes shoot open wide as stars spin within them. The answer to the question is obvious. She is the good girl. The good girl is she. Yet, receiving such a supreme belly rub in addition to receiving such wonderful head scratches and pettings while being asked that question has triggered something within her. What does it mean to be a good girl? What is good? Is there something better than being a good girl? As her sight turns into that of spinning stars, colliding galaxies, and the birth of the universe, she ponders such deep, philosophical questions. She doesn¡¯t even notice the drool running down her chin. Meanwhile, all Fenrir can think is that he may or may not have broken her. The look in her eyes tells him that they might not even be observing the same universe at the moment. They may as well be on entirely different planes of existence. That is the power of the belly rub, head scratch, ¡°who¡¯s a good girl?¡± combo. ¡°He-hey, you alright?¡± he asks after a few moments of suspicious unresponsiveness. ¡°Hu-huh? O-oh, yeah, onii-wan,¡± she answers in a drugged-like state. Her tongue is almost hanging out from her mouth, her speech is slurred, and her pupils don¡¯t know whether they want to take on the shapes of hearts, stars, or spirals. ¡°I¡­ I think that maybe this much service might be a bit too much for you. Maybe I should calm down a bi¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to stop.¡± ¡°You sound like an addict.¡± She turns her head away. ¡°Did ¨C did you actually get addicted to this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you decided to rub my belly directly while doing all that. You don¡¯t just introduce a cat to catnip and then take the catnip away!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to find you adorable right now or whether I should be concerned about your new addiction. You know I can¡¯t rub your belly twenty-four-seven, right?¡± ¡°All that matters is that you¡¯re thinking about it. If you¡¯re thinking about it, that¡¯s close enough until you can actually do it again.¡± ¡°What about when I¡¯m sleeping?¡± ¡°Then you have to dream about it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just control my dreams like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you dream about it.¡± ¡°Wait, that¡¯s possible? You can control my dreams?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know but I¡¯m willing to try.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that probably break a user agreement somewhere or something?¡± ¡°What they don¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re seriously addicted.¡± ¡°Just¡­ rub my belly more.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± he says, enabling her addiction. Though, he realizes that there might be something else dangerous about this situation. She is lying on his lap and squirming around quite a bit thanks to the pleasurable sensations that he is giving her. This means¡­ that she¡¯s squirming around directly over his crotch. Seeing as how he¡¯s still a man and still has a man¡¯s second-best friend¡ªthe first being dogs and little-sister-dogs¡ªbetween his legs, the wiggling and squirming around that she is doing stimulates him. He knows that she knows, too, which makes the situation both even more embarrassing and arousing. She is always aware of his thoughts and feelings, so she is aware of the fact that he¡¯s getting excited because of this. That results in even more embarrassment. However, she is also aware that he is getting aroused and isn¡¯t stopping at all. If anything, he can tell that she is purposely pressing her back down against him even harder so that he can feel even more as he rubs her. That results in even more arousment. ¡°O-onii-wan,¡± Saya whimpers as his hand rubbing her belly slowly starts to travel father up her body. At the same time, his hand on top of her head slides down to her cheek before letting one of his fingers touch the corner of her lips. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s okay, onii-wan,¡± she whines, completely lost within the euphoric, belly-rub-induced state that she has already grown addicted to. She even parts her lips for the finger near her mouth while placing both of her hands on his dangerously-close-to-her-breasts hand, gently holding it and helping to pull it up some more. Fenrir was most definitely not expecting the situation to unfold like this. Saya, essentially being part of him and having complete access to his mind, knows exactly how to make herself as appealing as possible to him. She is, quite literally, perfect to him. Her looks, her expression, how she¡¯s behaving and responding to him ¨C everything is perfectly tailored to match his exact tastes. After all, those are her tastes, too. The situation could not be any more perfect than it is. Yet, as soon as he realizes what is happening, the temptation completely disappears and he pulls his hands away from her. ¡°Sorry. I was getting ahead of myself,¡± Fenrir says, helping her sit up on the bed next to him. Saya sighs before saying, ¡°I knew that would happen.¡± ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t stop me sooner?¡± ¡°Yeah. I guess. I wouldn¡¯t have let you go that far if I didn¡¯t know you were going to stop.¡± ¡°So, basically, you knew that I would stop but still let me blueball both of us? Why not just stop it earlier to save us both from being blueballed?¡± ¡°Because. I ¨C I wanted to enjoy what I could.¡± Fenrir gives her a gentle pat on top of her head and says, ¡°It¡¯s just that¡ª¡± ¡°I know. You¡¯re not actually a womanizer which means you won¡¯t do things with me without your girlfriends¡¯ permission.¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, even if you¡¯re my assistant, I still feel like that could cross the line into going too far and being unfaithful if they¡¯re not aware of it. I probably already went a bit too far since I was really getting into it there. Shit. Now I feel really bad.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re fine. There¡¯s no way Serra and Nell would care. Cass Cass might pout a little bit, and I¡¯m not sure how Azawaza would feel, but they probably wouldn¡¯t care as long as you still did stuff with them before or after.¡± ¡°But still. Even just flirting and touching this much shouldn¡¯t have been done without their permission.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess.¡± ¡°Alright. No more belly rubs or anything else until I talk to them about it.¡± ¡°He-hey, maybe that¡¯s a bit too extreme.¡± ¡°No. Belly rubs lead into all that other stuff. Therefore, belly rubs are now banned until further notice.¡± ¡°Bu-but ¨C but¡­¡± ¡°No more.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe just a little? Just one? Just a gentle one?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°What about a two-second one?¡± ¡°Not allowed.¡± ¡°A one-second one?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Maybe ¨C maybe just a belly poke?¡± Fenrir looks down at Saya and, for once, sees her with watering eyes. ¡°This is an intervention,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re addicted and need help.¡± ¡°But ¨C oh. You¡¯re healed enough that you can go back now,¡± Saya groans, frustrated at the interruption ¨C at having to actually do her job. ¡°Thanks for letting me know, and I¡¯ll talk to them about it soon. Probably sometime later today. I guess I better get ready for them to be mad at me.¡± ¡°Relax, onii-wan. They¡¯re not going to be mad at you for flirting with me.¡± ¡°Just because we want to think that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s going to be true.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I know one of them is already mad.¡± ¡°What? Why? How?¡± ¡°Good luck, onii-wan.¡± The next instant, Fenrir finds himself staring up at¡­ a very pissed off Cassiel. ¡°You bas¡ªdumbie,¡± Cassiel says, her hands on his shoulders. ¡°What ¨C what did I do?¡± Fenrir asks, knowing that she can¡¯t be mad already at what he expects her to get mad about. ¡°You know exactly what you did.¡± ¡°The buried-in-rock thing?¡± She nods, still glaring. ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. Sorry,¡± he says. Too bad he knows that such an excuse regarding Saya most likely won¡¯t work later. ¡°You¡¯re such a jerk. How do you think you¡¯d feel if you saw one of us purposely get buried under a bunch of rocks and almost die?¡± ¡°To be fair, I wasn¡¯t planning on getting buried.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯d feel pissed off at the rocks for daring to hurt any of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pissed off at them, too, but I¡¯m still mad at you for getting so hurt.¡± ¡°You know I couldn¡¯t just not try to help.¡± ¡°I know. That pisses me off. But¡­ I love that part of you, too. But it still pisses me off.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Good. You better be,¡± Cassiel says, leaning over to kiss him. With her metal breastplate leaning against his forehead, Fenrir says, ¡°I wish you didn¡¯t have your armor on right now. Your boobs would be on my face.¡± ¡°Are you trying to piss me off even more?¡± she asks, their lips just barely not touching. ¡°It¡¯s hot when you¡¯re pissed off.¡± ¡°Fine. Next time I¡¯m mad, I just won¡¯t show any emotions at all.¡± ¡°That sounds horrifying. Please don¡¯t.¡± They kiss again. Then, even though he wasn¡¯t planning on it yet, he figures that he might as well since they¡¯re already here and she¡¯s already mad at him for something. He wants to get all the anger out of the way with now instead of saving it for later. ¡°By the way¡­ what if I uh¡­ was flirting with and almost did lewd things with my virtual assistant?¡± he asks. Cassiel pulls away to stare at him directly in his eyes. ¡°You mean the one that is supposed to be like a little sister to you?¡± she asks. ¡°Ye-yeah. Her.¡± ¡°How did you become such a degenerate?¡± ¡°Too much time on the internet.¡± Cassiel sighs and says, ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s no worse than looking at porn.¡± ¡°I ¨C I think there¡¯s a big difference there.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Because. You know, porn is porn. You¡¯re completely detached from it. But she ¨C Saya is part of me and in my head. She¡¯s an actual being I know. So¡ª¡± ¡°Would you rather me be upset and yell at you for cheating on me or something?¡± ¡°Definitely not, but ¨C I feel guilty.¡± ¡°So, me being mad will justify you feeling guilty?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I just feel like maybe I shouldn¡¯t be getting off totally free here. That sounds unfair to you and the others.¡± Cassiel sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s already obvious that Eva is falling for you and Serra will probably give you the go-ahead to invite her.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Seriously? You haven¡¯t noticed?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°She¡¯s always staring at you, watching you, and she kept on coming over here every couple of minutes to check on you. She also looked like she was crying before we got to you. So¡­ yeah. You probably made her fall in love with you. If you can make all of us fall in love with you, it¡¯s not really surprising that you made your assistant fall for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should feel complimented or like a manwhore.¡± Cassiel shrugs. ¡°Besides. Nell already talked about one of her fantasies with us that involved your assistant creating a harem for you that you¡¯d cheat on us with without us ever being able to find out. We all agreed that we wouldn¡¯t care if you actually did anything like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all way too good for me.¡± ¡°I know. And you¡¯re too good for us. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Pfftt. Yeah right. I¡¯m not too good for any of you.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re not too good for you. Take it or leave it.¡± Fenrir finally leans up so that he can give Cassiel a proper hug and kiss. ¡°I don¡¯t know about any of us being too good for the other, but I do know that you¡¯re all the best.¡± ¡°We know. You are, too.¡± ¡°Now, if only you¡¯d stop sounding mad.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m still pissed that you got yourself hurt.¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I can still feel the pain. I¡¯m pretty sure my back broke earlier.¡± ¡°Good, and it did. One of their healers had to fix that for you.¡± ¡°Shit. I¡¯m going to have to thank them for that later. By the way¡­ how are things?¡± he asks, looking around. The tunnel that was created for Azalabulia¡¯s explosion is completely full of caved-in rocks. Several sections of the ceiling in the room that they¡¯re in gave in, too, resulting in piles of collapsed rocks scattered around throughout the room. Most of the dragons, Azalabulia, and Rao are checking out the dead monsters for any items that they could potentially loot from them. Serra, Nell, Rock, and Shogun are examining them just out of curiosity and to make sure that none of them are alive still. Serra is checking by poking them with the bottom of a spear that she picked up from the ground. Then, on the other side of the room, Eva and GG are talking. ¡°Did I seriously make her fall in love with me? You¡¯re exaggerating, right? I mean, we¡¯ve known each other for less than a day,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t literally fall in love or anything, but she definitely likes you. There¡¯s no doubt about that,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°You don¡¯t look at somebody like how she¡¯s been looking at you without any interest being there. Plus, since you were stupid, she¡¯s looking at you even more now. See?¡± Fenrir turns his head to look back at Eva and sees her flying straight at him. She took off the instant she noticed he was sitting up. ¡°I ¨C I swear I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± he says. ¡°Do you ever mean to?¡± Cassiel asks with a sigh. Before she can get an answer, Eva lands in front of them and reaches out toward him with her hands. Though, before she can actually do what she wants ¨C before she can hug him, she pulls her hands back and asks, ¡°How¡ª¡± ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡± he asks her first. ¡°I told you to stop worrying about me. I don¡¯t care if I die in this game and you¡¯re the one who got hurt.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question. Are you hurt?¡± Cassiel can¡¯t help but to silently glare at Fenrir. At this point, she feels as if he is lying in regard to knowing the effect that he can have on women. He helped Eva out in her search, treated her with nothing but kindness and respect without any ulterior motives motivating him to do so, sacrificed himself for her, and then immediately asked her how she¡¯s feeling even though he was the one who broke his back in protecting her. Yet, despite him doing all of that, he was acting surprised at being told that he managed to make her fall in love with him. Cassiel just isn¡¯t buying it anymore. He has to know what he¡¯s doing at this point. That is why, as he continues giving Eva reasons to fall in love with him, Cassiel will sit in the background glaring at him. It is not out of jealousy. It is simply out of being fed up with him not realizing his own power. Though, she does wish he could be this smooth when he¡¯s actually trying to be. She¡¯s just going to have to make him watch more romance movies with her so that he can learn how to be smooth on purpose. ¡°You¡¯re so stubborn,¡± Eva says. ¡°I¡¯m fine. What about you? Are you in pain? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy you¡¯re fine. This pain wouldn¡¯t be worth it if you weren¡¯t.¡± Eva blushes just a bit and averts her eyes. This is when Fenrir actually realizes what he¡¯s doing. ¡°A-ah, I mean ¨C yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± he says. ¡°I got hurt a bit, but uh, I¡¯m all healed now, so it¡¯s all good. Kinda sore and stiff but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Massage,¡± Eva says. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let me give you a massage.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why else? To pay you back for what you did. I don¡¯t like being in debt to others.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in debt to me. I didn¡¯t help you out of wanting anything from you.¡± ¡°That makes it even worse! Lie down!¡± Fenrir lies down. Fortunately, the part of the cave floor he¡¯s lying on is smooth and flat. Still not the best spot for a massage, though. But that doesn¡¯t stop Eva from trying to give Fenrir the best massage that she has ever given. ¡°Tell me where it feels the stiffest,¡± she says. ¡°Right¡­ there,¡± he says, causing her to focus her fingers on his upper back behind his shoulders. The massage that she gives him is the most pleasurable one he has ever felt before. It is, in fact, so pleasurable that it gets him to make another one of those embarrassing noises that he really hates making. ¡°How¡¯d you learn to do this?¡± he asks. ¡°I got lots of practice. My grandparents told me that they¡¯d give me a dollar for every massage I gave them,¡± she answers. ¡°They ran out of money quickly, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yeah. They changed it to only a quarter every massage. Then a dime. Then I told them I¡¯m not doing any more until they start giving me a dollar again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ruthless.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a capitalist.¡± ¡°Capitalism, ho.¡± ¡°I feel like that¡¯s a reference I¡¯m not getting.¡± ¡°It is. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Hmm. Anyways, are you feeling any better now?¡± ¡°A bit. Yeah, thanks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done yet so hold onto your thanks. Besides, I don¡¯t need a thanks anyways. You¡¯re the one who protected me even though you didn¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to do it more often if it means getting massages like this.¡± Meanwhile, Cassiel takes mental notes on where Eva is touching and how so that she can use these techniques against him whenever she wants. She wants to know how to get those cute noises out of him whenever she wants. ¡°Ah, my hero!¡± Nell says. ¡°You are alive and well, I see.¡± ¡°Never been better,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°The way that you sacrificed yourself for her was wonderful! It was so brave ¨C so heroic! Alas, it would have been more tragic had you not survived.¡± ¡°Hey. You¡¯re sounding disappointed that I¡¯m still alive.¡± ¡°Of course not! I do not mean to sound disappointed that you survived. I am only disappointed that such a wonderful scenario did not have the opportunity to become as tragic as it could have been.¡± ¡°AKA, you¡¯re disappointed that I¡¯m alive.¡± ¡°We-well, my hero, it is only a game. There is no truly dying here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep this in mind the next time you¡¯re the one needing saving.¡± ¡°Oh, should the situation ever arise, please let me be. I have already experienced being saved by you once, after all. I am ready for a bad ending!¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m going to save you even if you don¡¯t want me to.¡± Nell sighs. ¡°I know, my hero. Let me dream at least.¡± ¡°Dream about lewd things instead of sad things,¡± Serra says. ¡°Fen. You okay?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Better now that you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Weird time to flirt but okay.¡± ¡°That hurts me.¡± ¡°Good. You like being hurt.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°Since you let a bunch of rocks fall on you.¡± Fenrir looks up and sees Serra giving him the same look that Cassiel was giving him when he first came back from being unconscious. She¡¯s upset that he got hurt, too. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful next time,¡± he says. ¡°You better,¡± Serra says before returning to her usual self. ¡°Or no sex.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be more caref¡ªahn¡­ wait. I ¨C uh,¡± Fenrir with a reddened face, tail trying to tuck itself between his legs, and twitching ears, regrets being born due to the girlish moan that he was just forced to make. ¡°Does that spot feel good?¡± Eva asks even though the answer is more than obvious. Whatever that spot was, it was far more than good. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m all good. Thanks. I feel totally better now,¡± he answers, looking up at his girlfriends to see all of them but Azalabulia grinning down at him with smug expressions. ¡°Too bad. You¡¯re going to be massaged until you feel better than better.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s possible.¡± Eva presses down on that stupidly-pleasurable spot again, forcing Fenrir¡¯s tail and ears to both shoot straight up. He has to bite down to resist making any more noises, but he can¡¯t stop his tail and ears from reacting. ¡°Fen? How are you feeling?¡± Azalabulia asks, finally joining up with the rest of his girlfriends. All he can do is give her a thumbs-up and nod his head. If he untenses his jaw then there is a chance of another one of those embarrassing noises escaping. ¡°Fenny is making cute noises,¡± Serra says. ¡°They are rather adorable,¡± Nell agrees. ¡°Too bad he¡¯s being dumb and trying to stop them,¡± Cassiel explains. This is when Fenrir realizes that he has two options in front of him. One, he could resist, not let his girlfriends hear what they want to hear, and disappoint them. Or two, he could just let loose, stop resisting the noises desperately wanting to escape his mouth, and let them hear some fanservice while making up for worrying them all at the cost of his pride. He really wants to do the former. But the good boyfriend within him is telling him to do the latter. To make up with his girlfriends for worrying them and getting himself so hurt when he really didn¡¯t need to¡­ he sacrifices his pride. Book 5: Chapter 21: ¡°It¡¯s alright, bro. We¡¯re all adults. We understand,¡± Rao tells Fenrir, giving him a friendly smack on the back as the party walks back to the dragon¡¯s village. After Fenrir ended up making a noise much louder than what he expected to make, resulting in everybody getting to hear his girlish moan from the way-too-good massage that Eva was giving him, the group gathered together and left the cave. Fenrir¡¯s ears have been flattened and his tail has been hanging low ever since then. He might feel the most embarrassed he has felt in ¨C well, the most embarrassed that he can ever remember being, but that isn¡¯t stopping his girlfriends from finding him utterly adorable as Rao comforts him. Even Rock and Shogun are trying to comfort him by walking alongside him and occasionally brushing up against his leg with their heads. ¡°I want to die,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to die. Your girlfriends would be upset,¡± Rao says. ¡°I want to commit not-living.¡± ¡°Commit not living? What? Not living¡­ commit not living¡­ not living is being dead, so you want to commit being de¡ªoh. I already said you¡¯re not allowed to do that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my mom. You can¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m not allowed to want to die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your bro. It¡¯s my duty as a bro to tell you that you¡¯re not allowed to die so that I can look out for you and your girls.¡± Fenrir, despite still feeling such embarrassment, can¡¯t help but to feel inspired over Rao¡¯s utter bro-ness. Rao was just some perverted bachelor who struggled with respect, common sense, and boundaries when they first met one another. Now, Rao has turned himself around and become a dependable brother to not only him, but his girlfriends, Tabitha, Olly, and Corwin, and he¡¯s every bit as important to the group as anybody else is. Fenrir wants to give Rao some praise for that. Rao deserves it. Fenrir opens his lips to say something but gets cut off by Rao. ¡°If only girls could see how awesome I am. I bet they¡¯d love me if they saw how much of a bro I can be,¡± Rao says. ¡°I want to die,¡± Fenrir says, no longer wanting to praise Rao and instead having returned to giving up on life. ¡°Worry not, Fenrir,¡± GG says, now walking alongside Fenrir and Rao. ¡°I once knew a lady who could make me make those same noises. She was this short, older woman in her seventies with frizzy hair, too much makeup, and nails long enough to belong in a museum. Let me tell you, the moment you felt her hands press against your back, you¡¯d go from a grown man to sounding like one of those frogs in the desert.¡± That comparison only furthers Fenrir¡¯s desire to commit not-living. Meanwhile, his girlfriends and Eva are walking together at the back of the group. ¡°I feel kind of bad¡­ but he¡¯s really cute right now,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Super cute,¡± Serra agrees. ¡°We need to discover a way to make him make such sounds in reality,¡± Nell says. ¡°It is one thing to hear his virtual voice making such noises. It would be far more wonderful to hear his real voice make them!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°That¡¯d be even better.¡± ¡°Azawaza and Eva need to visit us,¡± Serra says. ¡°Eva can massage him in real life.¡± ¡°Eh? Visit you?¡± Eva asks. ¡°But¡­ we barely know each other, and plane tickets are expensive. I might be a thrillseeker in-game, but you could be a bunch of axe murderer cannibals in real life. It¡¯s way too soon.¡± ¡°Axe murderer cannibals?¡± Nell asks, bringing a hand up to her face to tap on her chin as she thinks about that. The things that she thinks are far too appealing, and mostly erotic, for any sane person to be thinking. ¡°I ¨C I want to visit soon,¡± Azalabulia says, sounding more like her timid self than her explosion-obsessed maniacal side. ¡°Whenever you want,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°We¡¯ve got the costs covered. Right?¡± she asks, looking at Nell. ¡°Ah, yes, it would be rather wonderful if Fenrir were to improve on his bestial act with an axe and far harder biting,¡± Nell answers. ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°An axe-wielding, cannibalistic Fenrir! What else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not what we were talking about.¡± ¡°Oh, it was not? Shame.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s too much this time,¡± Serra says. ¡°Is it? Then it would appear that we have found your limit!¡± Serra nods while Cassiel sighs. ¡°It takes that for us to find your limit?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°No axes. Biting harder is okay,¡± Serra answers. ¡°How about no axes and no biting harder. He bites hard enough.¡± ¡°You know you want him to bite harder.¡± ¡°I ¨C no I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m¡­ fine, it might be nice, but not if he starts drawing blood.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. No biting to the point of blood.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Seriously! Only a little bit of blood would be okay!¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you trust me? I¡¯m telling you that if he bites hard enough to take the skin off then that¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Good. Wait¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°It would appear that you played right into her trap,¡± Nell says. ¡°Serra is not to be underestimated! What she lacks in height she makes up for with her plots.¡± Serra gives Nell a thumbs-up and says, ¡°I¡¯m smart.¡± ¡°The smartest!¡± While Nell, Serra, and Azalabulia walk ahead, Cassiel notices that Eva has been slowing down and getting father and farther behind. It¡¯s also more than obvious to Cassiel that Eva isn¡¯t looking at the other girls and listening to their conversation so much as it is that she¡¯s looking past them at their boyfriend. Knowing that she might as well get this over with to keep Eva out of the awkward phase where she likes Fenrir but feels guilty for it since he already has girlfriends, like usual, she slows her pace until she¡¯s next to Eva. ¡°This is supposed to be Serra¡¯s job,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Hm? What?¡± Eva asks. ¡°You¡¯re extremely obvious and he already knows, too.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Cassiel narrows her eyes. ¡°Oh. Am¡­ I that obvious?¡± ¡°Yeah. Extremely.¡± ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to try and steal him or anything. I know he¡¯s already got¡ª¡± ¡°Relax. Aza doesn¡¯t mind at all, Nell is all for it, Serra would never say no, and I don¡¯t really care either. We still have to get to know you better, but don¡¯t feel guilty or anything.¡± ¡°This feels like an interview.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve basically been interviewing you ever since you made it obvious. While you were doing your obvious information-gathering, we were doing our own.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ seriously? I was obvious about that, too?¡± ¡°Yeah. Extremely.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not good at being subtle. I don¡¯t think that anybody who has as many mixed-and-matched body parts as you could be subtle about anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± ¡°I am right.¡± ¡°You have strong evidence supporting your theory, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°I have all the evidence I need to prove it as fact.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ right.¡± ¡°I know. Anyways, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not sure what I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about.¡± ¡°You know. Him. Us. I¡¯m probably trying to talk to you about it way too soon, but I saw you looking like Aza used to, so I figured that I¡¯d say something for your sake.¡± ¡°Oh. Thanks¡­ I think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s awkward when you say it like that.¡± ¡°Sorry. I just don¡¯t really know how to react to something like this. It¡¯s only been a day and there¡¯s always the chance that I don¡¯t feel this way the next time I wake up.¡± ¡°Sure. There¡¯s a chance.¡± ¡°You make it sound like there isn¡¯t really a chance.¡± ¡°If the rest of us are anything to go by, there¡¯s no chance that you wake up next time looking forward to seeing him again and spending more time with him,¡± Cassiel says, turning her head slightly away to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. ¡°He¡­ has that effect. The same is probably even true for Rao and Tabs.¡± ¡°Tabs?¡± ¡°One of our friends. She¡¯s not interested in him like the rest of us at all, but he still managed to break through to her. And he managed to help turn Rao around.¡± ¡°What was he like before?¡± ¡°You¡¯re better off not knowing the details. My point is that, even if it is really early for me to be talking to you about this, I figure that it¡¯s going to almost definitely happen eventually so I might as well get it out of the way with now instead of later.¡± ¡°Hm. I understand, I think. It¡¯s still new and strange to me, but thanks., I¡¯ll keep in mind what you¡¯ve said.¡± ¡°Just know that, if you do end up wanting more, you¡¯re going to have to try to be more forward with him. He misses most attempts at being subtle and you¡¯ll get the best responses from him when you¡¯re just honest about what you want.¡± ¡°I never would have thought somebody¡¯s girlfriend would be telling me how to seduce their boyfriend.¡± ¡°I never would have thought that I¡¯d be telling somebody else how to seduce my boyfriend, but here I am.¡± Cassiel and Eva share a short laugh before looking at each other. ¡°Just remember that we¡¯re a package deal. You have to make sure you get along with all of us instead of only him,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be a problem. The only one of you I don¡¯t really know if I get along with yet or not is Azalabulia. She¡¯s so quiet whenever she¡¯s not making explosions.¡± ¡°Just talk to her about some explosions and crazy ideas and she¡¯ll fall in love with you. Talk about erotic fantasies with Nell and you¡¯ll win her. Be lewd and you¡¯ve got Serra.¡± ¡°What about you and Fenrir?¡± ¡°Me? I don¡¯t know. Just be yourself. As for Fen¡­ just wear a sweater.¡± ¡°A¡­ a sweater?¡± ¡°Yeah. Trust me on this. The fastest way to his heart, without a doubt, is with a sweater. There¡¯s no faster route there. Probably. Oh, and acting like a dog.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s into that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not as bad as it sounds.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re into it, too?¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I ¨C I never said that I was into it,¡± Cassiel stutters, her cheeks beginning to turn red once more. ¡°I just¡­ said that it¡¯s not as bad as it sounds¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re so into it.¡± ¡°Teasing me isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡± ¡°Is that why everybody teases you?¡± ¡°Ugh. You pay too much attention.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be a scientist if I didn¡¯t pay attention to everything around me. You have to constantly observe everything and everybody around you.¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ve got another stalker now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a stalker, and¡­ another stalker?¡± ¡°Long story. Kind of. Anyways, that¡¯s not an issue anymore, so it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find out sometime. For now, you¡¯ll have to deal with being curious.¡± ¡°What information do I have to trade with you to find out now?¡± ¡°Where one billion dollars are buried for me to go dig up and cash in.¡± ¡°That might be a bit impossible even for me.¡± ¡°I guess that you won¡¯t be learning about our stalker then. Too bad.¡± While Eva and Cassiel talk and joke around, Nell looks back at them over her shoulder and says, ¡°They are getting along wonderfully, are they not?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra answers. ¡°I knew they¡¯d get along.¡± ¡°They both have the same sense of maturity and independence behind them. Right, Azalabulia?¡± ¡°I¡¯m amazed still at how quickly you can all get along with new girls. B-but, I¡¯m grateful for that,¡± Azalabulia answers. ¡°It¡¯s easy to get along with people you want to lewd,¡± Serra explains. ¡°The more you want to lewd them, the more you try to get along.¡± ¡°Oh my. That sounds rather manipulative, Serra,¡± Nell says. ¡°You know you like it.¡± ¡°Of course I do! Feel free to manipulate me to your heart¡¯s desire. And your body¡¯s desire. In fact, dare I say that the more you manipulate me, the better it will be!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°I suppose that I can be rather pleasant at times. Alas, I cannot allow myself to develop too much of an ego.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a princess.¡± ¡°Not legally, unfortunately.¡± ¡°You basically are. Princesses are supposed to have big egos. That¡¯s what makes breaking them fun. You destroy their egos with lewds.¡± ¡°Goodness, Serra, now is a most unfortunate time to be exciting me. At least wait until we are back in reality, or in private, to do that!¡± ¡°I¡¯m being cruel. Princesses need cruelty.¡± ¡°So much sadism packed into such a small and cute body.¡± ¡°Bite-sized sadism.¡± ¡°I do not know if I would call you bite-sized, but your size does make you fun to bite.¡± ¡°Then you should bite me more.¡± ¡°Perhaps I shall, but only if you do the same.¡± ¡°Deal. Azawaza, we¡¯ll both bite you more, too.¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°I thought you had interests like Cass Cass.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± ¡°Nell, we have to lewd Azawaza more.¡± ¡°I agree, Serra. We have not done too much ¡®lewding¡¯ with her,¡± Nell says, nodding along with Serra. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I don¡¯t know about,¡± Azalabulia repeats, again. ¡°Is there something wrong, Azalabulia? Would you not like your girlfriends to wish erotic and pleasurable-painful acts upon you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything against it, but¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing still. I felt like I wanted to die after¡­ with Fen.¡± ¡°Is that why you looked so happy and couldn¡¯t stop smiling?¡± Serra asks. ¡°I mean after the euphoria wore off¡­¡± ¡°Think of pleasure as explosions.¡± ¡°Explosions?¡± Azalabulia asks, her eyes lighting up and all of that previous insecurity now gone. ¡°Yeah. When you cum, that¡¯s your pleasure exploding. When you make Fen cum, that¡¯s making him explode. It¡¯s all explosions.¡± The words might still bring a hint of red to Azalabulia¡¯s cheeks, but that doesn¡¯t matter. Azalabulia has been shown the truth behind explosive pleasure. As Serra and Azalabulia try to apply explosions to all things lewd, Nell¡­ can¡¯t help but to watch them with a bit of disbelief that Serra actually managed to find something that works in her favor like this. She knew that Azalabulia loved explosions, but she did not know that she would even love to apply explosions to all things sexual. And Serra is more than happy to corrupt explosions more and more. ¡°Well, if that is what works,¡± Nell says to herself. And so, the group¡¯s various conversations continue until they return to the dragons¡¯ village. Fenrir no longer wants to die at this point, especially after what he hears next. ¡°We shall host a festival at the hot springs!¡± GG announces. ¡°A festival and hot springs?¡± Fenrir asks, imagining the perfect mash-up of stereotypical anime episodes. ¡°Actually, a perfect mash-up would be a festival at a hot springs close to a beach,¡± he thinks to himself. Of course, Saya decides to chime in with her own opinion. ¡°But would they be wearing kimonos or school swimsuits?¡± ¡°School swimsuit kimonos.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a thing.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make it a thing, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be weird, onii-wan.¡± ¡°You know you like it when I¡¯m weird. Come on, just imagine it. School swimsuits that look like kimonos. Or just water-resistant kimonos.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to imagine your weird thoughts.¡± ¡°I bet you want to imagine me rubbing your belly.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not weird, so yeah¡­¡± ¡°But what if I rub my dick against your belly?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I knew that was coming and am still extremely disappointed. Why did you have to actually say it? What would even give you that idea?¡± ¡°Hentai.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°You know, seeing as how you¡¯re based off of my own brain and thoughts, meaning you know all about the hentai I¡¯ve seen, I bet you¡¯d actually enjoy it if we did that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯d be all, ¡®it¡¯s so hot and rubbing against me, this feels so weird but so good.¡¯ Like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Plus we have permission to do things like that now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is the cost of getting permission, Pupaya. We may now evolve from doing normal-ish things with your belly to lewd things with it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you even there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m always here.¡± ¡°How come you aren¡¯t saying anything?¡± ¡°What am I even supposed to say? How is anybody supposed to respond to this? This level of degeneracy is something that should be locked away inside of the deepest depths of your mind to never surface, onii-wan. But you¡¯re purposely dragging it out of the depths and making me suffer by listening to your weird fantasies about what you want to do to my belly. That¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°But can you promise me that you wouldn¡¯t enjoy it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. I rest my case.¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t get any more replies from Saya. Instead, he looks up at GG and asks, ¡°So, when¡¯s it going to be? The festival?¡± ¡°We will require a couple of weeks to seek permission from the hot springs¡¯ guardian as well as to plan and prepare for it. Two weeks exactly should be all the time that it takes!¡± GG answers. ¡°In-game time or real time?¡± ¡°In-game.¡± ¡°Dang, so that¡¯s a month from now. I was hoping that it¡¯d be sooner,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. This time, it really is only to himself since Saya is still giving him the silent treatment. ¡°Your silence only makes you even more tsundere thus cuter.¡± Still no response. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not too far apart, so we can exchange information and stay up-to-date with each other with some occasional visits,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°And we can discuss the terms of our alliance some more one of these days. For now¡­ I¡¯m starting to get pretty tired, so we should probably head back to our own base.¡± ¡°Very good, Fenrir. Just know that, for you and yours participation in helping us with our problem, we will assist you however we can. We will make sure that our new friends are protected and taken care of!¡± GG declares. Fenrir holds out his hand and gets a shake in return. Wolf and dragon, the two men take a firm grip of the other¡¯s hand for a hearty handshake. ¡°Thank you, Fenrir. Had your group not arrived when it did then we do not know what might have happened,¡± GG says. ¡°No problem. Anything to help out a fishing spot in need,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Speaking of fishing, are you a fan? I forget if we talked about this earlier.¡± ¡°Yeah. I love fishing. We even won that fishing tournament over at Port Tugator.¡± ¡°Truly? Hah! Then we have a legendary fisherman in our midst!¡± ¡°There are legends about us?¡± ¡°Ah, no. I was just being dramatic. After all, somebody who has won such an impressive tournament deserves to be called legendary, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°You are a humble one, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Only when it comes to fishing. All who enjoy fishing deserve to be on an equal level. No one fisherman is better than the other.¡± While there may be some issues with that statement, they don¡¯t prevent GG from letting out another one of his loud laughs before resting a hand on one of Fenrir¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Come to us the moment you ever need any assistance,¡± GG tells him, staring Fenrir directly in the eyes. ¡°Right back at you. We¡¯re allies now so that assistance has to go both ways,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°At least give us a chance to pay you back for what you have already done for us before doing even more!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. We don¡¯t like asking for help too much, but there¡¯s no way we can avoid it when it comes to those monsters.¡± ¡°Ah, speaking of this matter, please do take that weapon back with you.¡± ¡°That gun?¡± ¡°Yes. The short girl seemed to love using it and made wonderful use of it. I do not believe that I have ever seen a better match between somebody and a weapon before. I think any of us would feel horrible trying to keep it from her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s a good idea, but we¡¯ll take it. Thanks.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be a good idea?¡± ¡°Well, you see, we have this sort of crazy and hyper engineer named Tabitha. She uh¡­ may or may not want to modify it or take it apart to figure out how it was made.¡± GG shrugs. ¡°If she is one of your group then I am sure everything will work out well. You have a good head on your shoulders and I believe that you would only keep the best of the best around you.¡± Fenrir looks back at his girlfriends, friends, and pets. At least one of them can count as all three of those. Cassiel glares at him, knowing that he¡¯s thinking something weird and lewd about her. ¡°Yeah. They really are the best of the best,¡± he says. ¡°Thanks for everything, and I¡¯m looking forward to that festival. And the hot springs. I¡¯ve never actually been in hot springs before.¡± ¡°It will be wonderful! We will bring out the best of our drinks for the night. Our builders also built quite the building around them to give them a proper visit-to-a-hot-springs feeling,¡± GG explains. ¡°Speaking of builders¡­ how many here do you think are good at building?¡± ¡°Hmm. Perhaps a dozen or so of us?¡± ¡°Only a dozen of you built all of these buildings?¡± ¡°They are all masters at what they do with their building-related skills as high as they can realistically get them. They could probably build a small town overnight if they wished to!¡± ¡°I think we might need to make a deal to borrow some of them. We¡¯ve got a professional architect and a mad engineer with us, and some help from the other villages who are going to come over, but the more help we can get with building and preparing defenses, the better.¡± ¡°I will gather the builders for a discussion tomorrow then. Does that sound acceptable?¡± ¡°It definitely does. Thanks.¡± ¡°Not a problem! Let us know whenever you need anything else.¡± ¡°Right back at you.¡± This time, GG is the one to extend his hand out for a shake which Fenrir is happy to give him. Afterwards, Fenrir¡¯s group loads up Serra¡¯s new gun onto their wagon, get some parting gifts from the dragons which include various herbs, potions, food, and cloths, and then wave goodbye to their new friends. ¡°They¡­ gave us a lot of gifts,¡± Azalabulia says, looking over everything that the wagon was loaded with after getting back into the hidden cave that will lead them home. ¡°Yeah. They make more than they know what to do with. They¡¯d probably throw a lot of their belongings at anybody who comes by,¡± Eva explains. ¡°That makes it sound like they¡¯re using us as trashcans,¡± Fenrir jokes. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be completely wrong.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re going to stick around for a bit?¡± ¡°Yeah. There are some things I¡¯m curious about and need to confirm.¡± ¡°What about that research assignment of yours? Don¡¯t you have to go turn in that bug¡ª¡± ¡°Insect.¡± ¡°Right. Don¡¯t you have to go turn in that insect you found to your leader or something?¡± Eva pulls out a glass jar from her bag that has the insect safely secured inside of it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. They probably expect me to be out here for a few more weeks trying to find one anyways.¡± ¡°Fair enough. You¡¯ll get to meet Olly, Corwin, and Tabs then.¡± ¡°What are they like?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± ¡°They¡¯re fun,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Me and Olly are besties.¡± ¡°I think I have an idea of what he¡¯s like if you¡¯re saying that,¡± Eva says. ¡°We¡¯re the king and queen of lewd.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Cassiel says. Before long, the group makes it back to the base and Eva¡¯s question about the others is almost immediately met. Oleander makes his grand appearance. Using magic, he pops a large leaf out of the ground, jumps onto it, and then uses that leaf to catapult himself through the air straight toward the wagon! Eva can¡¯t do anything other than blink her eyes a few times and watch as a small deer boy comes flying through the air straight at them. She looks even more bewildered upon Oleander crashing into Fenrir¡¯s chest, his arms and legs instantly wrapping around Fenrir¡¯s torso, and knocking him out of the wagon. ¡°Fenny! It¡¯s about time you¡¯re back!¡± Oleander whines and pouts and cuddles. He hasn¡¯t realized yet that the sudden blow of being crashed into and knocked out of the wagon, where he then proceeded to hit the ground first with his head, has resulted in a Fenrir with spinning eyes and drool coming from his mouth. First, Fenrir was almost killed protecting Eva. Then, his ego was killed by making more feminine noises than he knew he could even make. Now, his body is back to being abused by Oleander¡¯s clinginess despite not even having been separated for that long. ¡°That¡¯s Olly,¡± Cassiel points out to Eva. ¡°And that would be Tabitha,¡± Nell says, pointing at the approaching girl angrily wielding a hammer in her hands. ¡°Oi! Ya took forever! Red, ya have any idea how long I¡¯ve been waitin¡¯ for ya to get back?! The instructions ya gave us jump from step five to twenty!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°Woops. I think she¡¯s right,¡± Rao says. Sometimes forgetting to write down instructions that he thinks are common sense comes back to bite him when it comes to people without the same education as him. ¡°Is the other one mentioned as hyper as them?¡± Eva asks. ¡°Corwin?¡¯ ¡°Cor is a pure boy,¡± Serra says. The evidence to support Serra¡¯s claim is that, while Oleander and Tabitha immediately show off the more extreme sides of their personalities, Corwin is simply lying in the field surrounded by some flowers as he takes a rest. ¡°And Olly and Cor are dating,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Really?¡± Eva asks. ¡°Cor is the cream to Olly¡¯s coffee.¡± ¡°What kind of saying is that?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know but I¡¯ve always liked it.¡± Corwin rests, Tabitha shouts and threateningly swings her hammer around at Rao, and Oleander nuzzles his face against the borderline-unconscious Fenrir¡¯s face. Meanwhile, Eva looks over the newest members of the group that she has met and finds herself smiling. Just as her theory predicted, she expected them to all have unique personalities with great fondness for one another going by those who she already knew around Fenrir. Her theory has already been proven correct. But that is not why she is smiling. Instead, she is smiling because the group of wonderful friends that she has met has grown even larger. Sure, she might have friends of her own, but none of them are as friendly and close to one another as this group of friends is. It makes her want to be a part of it. And then¡­ she sees The Shoebill. Her eyes can instantly tell that the ship is made of various, rare materials that have somehow been fused together to make for a fascinating research subject. Eva most certainly plans on staying around for some time longer. She might not be sure yet if her newfound feelings for Fenrir will stay, but she is certain that there is plenty to enjoy and learn when with them. [Vol. 5 Wrap Up] The True Talk Show: Episode Five This program is brought to you New Realities Incorporated. Fantasy Tales Online headsets are available starting at seventy dollars and will transport you into a world beyond your wildest imagination! Live the fantasy life that you have always wanted to live. Kill monsters, raid epic dungeons, fight against other players in massive wars, sail the high seas and climb the tallest mountains, or just live an average life as a farmer! There is a world full of possibilities awaiting you! ¡°Rock, why do we keep on getting replaced?¡± Oleander asks, sitting upside down on the couch. Rock barks, making her traditional dog noises. ¡°First, it was a pervert getting isekai¡¯ed without the truck. Then, it was a business man getting isekai¡¯ed featuring a hurricane¡­ but he got canceled before his show could even air. Then there were the giant robots and aliens, but they¡¯re gone now. Then there was the dog. That damned dog ¨C not you. You¡¯re a good girl. I¡¯m talking about that dog with the stupid name who swings around a bone as a sword. Like, doesn¡¯t his neck hurt from all of that? That dog is going to get arthritis.¡± Rock barks and raises her front legs to shrug. ¡°But wait! We¡¯re not done yet! Then there was the guy getting isekai¡¯ed by a dragon to go and live and ¡®play¡¯ in some sort of crazy world that doesn¡¯t make any sense! Though, I have to admit it. If there was any other story that I¡¯d like to be in right now, it¡¯s that one. It seems super fun over there.¡± Rock nods. ¡°And now ¨C and now there¡¯s a rock! That¡¯s right, Rock. First, there was a main character who¡¯s a dog. Now, there¡¯s a main character who¡¯s a rock! A rock! Who does the showrunner think he is? He split you in two and made the halves main characters! Why would he do that? Why not just make a new story with you as the main character? You¡¯re both a dog and a rock! In one! You¡¯re the Rock! But no, we have ¡®look at me, I¡¯m an edgy puppy who swears too much¡¯ and ¡®HAHAHA, LOOK AT ME, I¡¯M A GLORIOUS ROCK IN A VOLCANO, I¡¯M THE BEST.¡¯¡± Rock ignores him to chew on the bone that mysteriously appeared while he was ranting. ¡°What¡¯s next? Something mixing samurai and Western themes together for some sort of yokai-hunting wannabe-cowboy story with cute romance but also horror? Or maybe some steampunk or clockpunk slice-of-life bounty hunter story set in a city high above the clouds? Some wannabe-Kirito punk who always talks about how he wants to die while clearing world firsts in VRMMORPGs? A guy getting isekai¡¯ed, because that hasn¡¯t been done yet, and then falling in love with a princess while setting up a zoo in another world? Or maybe the showrunner is going to attempt another ¡°serious¡± story for some reason even though that obviously didn¡¯t work the first couple of times that he tried, but this time it¡¯s going to be about a wannabe World War Two in a fantasy setting with a healer or medic main character?¡± Rock excitedly barks several times. ¡°No! There¡¯s no way that the showrunner can handle that many different series! Don¡¯t you encourage him, Rock! You know that he¡¯s going to be watching this later! If anything, there needs to be a series where me and you are the main characters! Now, let¡¯s hurry up and move onto the first guest before anybody gets any weird ideas.¡± Rock nods, sits, and points one of her paws toward the far end of the stage. ¡°And here we have¡­ Eva!¡± From behind the curtains walks one of the newest characters of the series: Eva. Most of the studio audience seems unsure of how to respond to her, but there are several among the audience who seem to really like her. Whether it is because her body is a mixed-and-matched combination of various monster parts, because she is an extreme thrill seeker, or because people are betting that she¡¯s actually super kinky behind the scenes and are just waiting for that side of her to get triggered, she certainly has a hopeful base of loyal fans already. ¡°I¡¯ve uh¡­ never been in front of this many people before,¡± Eva says, sitting down on the couch next to Oleander whom is still upside down. ¡°Are you shy around large groups?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just kind of exciting since I¡¯ve never been in this situation before. Not really sure how to react, either.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just be yourself. We¡¯re all dead on the inside here.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not dead inside.¡± ¡°You will be once some other series starts up while you¡¯re finally getting some love.¡± ¡°Did that happen to you?¡± ¡°Hah! That would require me to actually get some love. Did you see how much time I got in the latest season? I was there for a tiny bit at the beginning and then I didn¡¯t get to come back until the very end! Everybody else went to go and do fun things while I was left behind! Even Rock got to join in on the action!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you had other things to do while waiting.¡± ¡°Yeah, no. You know what we did? Me, Tabs, and Cor sat around playing cards, drinking, and reluctantly agreeing that the showrunner¡¯s other series are actually kind of good. I hate that I like them.¡± ¡°So¡­ did you have any interview questions for me?¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah. That¡¯s why you¡¯re here. How about¡­ what do you think of everybody? Fenrir and the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all really nice. They¡­ tend to forget that others are around when they¡¯re talking to each other, but I like how honest they are.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all kind of like that. Just wait until you see me and Cor in action! And I swear we better get some action soon, and I don¡¯t mean the kind of action that all the edgy ¡®where all the combat at¡¯ fans like.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sure you¡¯ll get some?¡± ¡°Thanks. I need all the support I can get right now. You know what? You¡¯re really nice. It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re going to have some competition.¡± ¡°Competition? What do you¡ª¡± And with that, the specific part of the couch that Eva has been sitting on leans forward and drops her into a hole in the stage¡¯s floor. ¡°Next!¡± Oleander shouts. Coming out from behind the curtain, using his wings to stay hovering above the stage, is GG. ¡°Showing off with your wings, huh?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°I am making sure that I do not fall into any sudden holes,¡± GG answers. ¡°Why? Holes are meant to fall into! Though, I have to admit that I prefer thrusting into them. And having them thrust into.¡± ¡°You are welcome to have your preferences. My preference is not falling into them, being dropped into them, or nonconsensually entering any hole in any way for any reason.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like Mr. Consent from the other series.¡± ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s daddy. But the point is that you have to sound more unique!¡± ¡°I see! Is this better, Oleander? Should I use my grand leader voice?!¡± ¡°Ugh. Now you¡¯re just reminding me of the rock again.¡± Rock tilts her head. ¡°Not you, Rock.¡± She goes back to lying down. ¡°Anyways! GG, what do you think about the upcoming battle?¡± Oleander asks. ¡°Ah, the one against the serpent and its army?¡± GG asks in return. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Hmm. I am not sure. I do believe that it will be a wonderful and hardfought battle, but I am not sure how it will go. After all, let us not forget that two of the largest factions in the game working together were not able to defeat one of the serpents. We are far fewer in number than they.¡± ¡°Buuuttttt, there¡¯s something that you guys might be able to do, right?¡± ¡°Right, but to go into details regarding that would displease our showrunner.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not willing to pay the fine for spoiling anything. So, I guess that everybody will just have to tune in and see what happens!¡± ¡°Right!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I have to ask you.¡± The floor opens up underneath GG. The hovering man of a dragon looks down at Oleander with crossed arms and a smug smile¡­ before a lasso gets shot, wrapped around him to stick his wings close to his back, and then he ¨C well, and then he drops. ¡°So much for that! Let it be known that nobody can defeat the hole-in-the-floor master that is I!¡± Oleander declares as Rock yawns. ¡°There¡¯s one final thing before we can wrap this up!¡± One of the stage assistants comes out from behind the curtain, rushes over to Oleander, hands him a letter, and then rushes back out of sight. ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯s this from¡­ ooh. It¡¯s from somebody whose name starts with the letter A! I wonder who this could be from? Should I read it? Hmm¡­ nah. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m tempted to share it, but I think not sharing the letter that she intended for us to share will be a good test for her new self! I mean ¨C what?¡± Oleander teases, pretending to zip up his lips after that. The zipper must be a very weak one since it fails to hold his lips together for more than a few seconds. ¡°Alright, everybody! That¡¯s it for now. I might not have been in a great mood this episode, but that¡¯s because I barely had any time last season! This upcoming season, though? Just you wait! I¡¯m going to make sure I have so much time in it! Me, Cor, and Rock are going to dominate this time! And I don¡¯t mean we¡¯re going to be dominating each other! Well, Me and Cor will be. Rock won¡¯t be involved in that. That¡¯d just be weird. Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this episode of The True Talk Show, and this upcoming season is promising to be one of the best yet! But don¡¯t get your hopes up. The showrunner doesn¡¯t like to get people¡¯s hopes up since that adds more stress to him. But, I¡¯m telling you on my honor as the showrunner¡¯s only trap so far that it¡¯s going to be great! There¡¯s going to be drama! Kind of. Action! A little bit. Slice of life! Tons of it. Me! Even more tons!¡± The credits start rolling. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not done hyping everybody up yet! I have to make sure that everybody is expecting tons of me so that the showrunner will be pressured into giving me as many appearances as possible! He needs to feel the peer pressure!¡± The camera switches over to Rock as Oleander¡¯s microphone gets cut. Rock waves into the camera, barks, and the screen goes black with a message thanking everybody for watching. Then a commercial for the showrunner¡¯s newest series pops up. Book 6: Chapter 1: Ocean waves lazily rock the hull of the ship as a gentle breeze flutters its sails. It is a calm, sunny day ¨C a perfect day for sailing, swimming, fishing, or anything else related to the vast ocean surrounding the vessel. However, only one of those activities really matters. Fishing. With a clear sky, the sun¡¯s rays have no difficulty in penetrating the calm waters to reveal the sight of the fish foolish enough to bite the trapped bait. The fish thrashes around, trying to break free from the hook that has trapped it, but its fate is already sealed. For it has been caught by a wolf. Wolves might not be known for fishing, but this wolf in particular has his hungry, determined eyes set on the struggling fish. The fish is close enough to the surface of the water now that it can even see the sinister smile made of the wolf¡¯s sharp teeth ¨C the teeth that wish to tear into its flesh. Finally, the fish gets pulled up and out of the water with a single, powerful tug! The fish, pulled by the line, comes flying toward the wolf ready to secure his catch. But this fish is not yet ready to surrender its life. Freed of the hook by the tug that yanked it out of the water, the fish twists its body around midair and swings its wide tail directly into the wolf¡¯s face! Now is the fish¡¯s only opportunity to escape. It has been freed, it attacked and stunned the wolf, and¡­ And it has fallen onto the wooden deck of the boat. And now there is a dog made out of rock pinning it down with one of her paws. ¡°You got slapped,¡± Serra says. ¡°Again.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­ that¡¯s the fifth time today,¡± Fenrir sighs. ¡°King Cat wasn¡¯t kidding when he said that the fish at this reef keep fighting even out of the water.¡± He looks down at the fish still trying to get out from underneath Rock¡¯s paw. ¡°We only need one more. Then we can get back and get our reward,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I want a new hat,¡± Serra says. ¡°A big pirate hat.¡± ¡°Want an eyepatch while you¡¯re at it?¡± Serra stares at Fenrir for a few moments before answering, ¡°No.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Because then I can only look at your butt with one eye.¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail positions itself in a way so that it completely covers his rear from his girlfriend¡¯s lustful eyes. ¡°I think you need two eyepatches,¡± he says. ¡°I want x-ray vision. Then I can see through your clothes. And Cass Cass¡¯s clothes. And Nell Nell¡¯s clothes. And Azawaza¡¯s clothes.¡± ¡°How about you get fish-finding vision?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need that to find Nell.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a serpent, not a fish.¡± ¡°A fishy serpent.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how she¡¯d feel being called fishy. Actually¡­ never mind. She¡¯d probably love it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call her Fishy when we get back.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Please? I want to see her reaction.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just replace her name with ¡®Fishy.¡¯ I¡¯d probably laugh or stutter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll owe you over nine thousand sexual favors.¡± ¡°Owing sexual favors doesn¡¯t do anything for me when you¡¯re already the perverted equivalent of a black hole. A huge pervert in a small body.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bite-sized.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t say suck-sized.¡± ¡°You¡¯re suck-sized,¡± she says, staring at his crotch. ¡°Are you talking to me or¡ª¡± ¡°Him.¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± ¡°He needs a name.¡± ¡°How about he doesn¡¯t need a name.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t need a name is a boring name. Let¡¯s name him Fluffles.¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Little Fenny.¡± ¡°Absolutely not version two.¡± ¡°Ryoutock.¡± ¡°Absolutely not version two-point-two.¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Alright, that one is kind of hot.¡± ¡°Master Helicopter.¡± ¡°Why¡­ why the helicopter part?¡± ¡°Because they can be spun like helicopters.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I mean¡­¡± ¡°Spinny boi.¡± ¡°You¡¯re having way too much fun trying to name it. What if I tried naming you?¡± he asks, looking at her chest. ¡°Actually¡­ naming Cass or Aza would be easier there.¡± ¡°I only have hills. They have mountains. More reference opportunities.¡± ¡°There are some named hills¡­ probably.¡± ¡°We could name your butt after mountains, too.¡± ¡°He-hey now, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°It means you have a nice butt.¡± ¡°Is that why you always want to walk behind me?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I thought it was because of the tail¡­¡± ¡°It is because of your tail.¡± ¡°I mean the fluffy one.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a bonus.¡± ¡°Wait, is this also why you¡¯ve been the big spoon more lately?¡± ¡°Yeah. I get to touch it a lot when you¡¯re asleep.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I know I can¡¯t complain since I do the same with Nell and Cass.¡± Serra lights up as if she just had a brilliant idea. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I want to sleep between them and be the little spoon and have their boobs against the sides of my head and their legs on me,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Well, at least your fantasies are way more realistic than Nell¡¯s.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a sandwich. I¡¯ll be the meat to their buns.¡± ¡°That makes you sound like a futa.¡± ¡°I wish,¡± Serra says with a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t wish. I think you¡¯re perfect how you are.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think your butt is perfect, too.¡± ¡°Can we not go back to that?¡± ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll go back to Master Helicopter.¡± ¡°Please drop the helicopter part.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not holding a helicopter part.¡± ¡°I ¨C wait.¡± Serra snerks. ¡°I¡¯m going back to fishing,¡± Fenrir says with a sigh. ¡°Yeah. Turn back around.¡± Fenrir raises an eyebrow at her before making sure to keep his tail as close to his rear as he can get it to stay, guarding it from Serra¡¯s eyes before he turns around and attaches more bait to Rod¡¯s hook. Meanwhile, Rock has already taken the latest fish that they caught over to the barrel with the rest of the catches. She might not be able to do any fishing herself, but she can still help out with the logistics of things. And by being a good girl. But that is as simple as existing in the first place. ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t really know how to feel about that interview that the game¡¯s overseer did. That was¡­ something,¡± Fenrir says. Just a day prior, while eating leftover pizza in real life with his girlfriends, there was the first ever live interview with an artificial intelligence. Not just any artificial intelligence. Fantasy Tales Online¡¯s artificial intelligence. And perhaps more surprising than anything else¡­ ¡°They officially declared her a real artificial intelligence,¡± Fenrir recaps. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Serra asks. After all, she couldn¡¯t hear the broadcast last night and didn¡¯t care enough to read the subtitles at the time. ¡°Well, tons of programs have been called artificial intelligences before. The term has been used since games at the start of the century when the ¡®artificial intelligences¡¯ back then couldn¡¯t even do a fragment of a fragment of what they can do now. But anyways, they were never considered real artificial intelligences. Then, no matter how much ¡®learning¡¯ they could do, the bar kept on getting raised by AI researchers for what would count as a ¡®real¡¯ AI. First it was as simple as fooling somebody into thinking they¡¯re talking to a human. The Turing test, basically. Then there were a few other tests, then more tests, and before long, they were ¨C wait¡­ there! Shit. I was too quick.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the fish that just got away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Fenrir looks over at her smirking at him. ¡°Anyways,¡± he continues, ¡°then they started defining artificial intelligence as self-aware¡­ but even that wasn¡¯t good enough. Then they started defining artificial intelligence as being capable of learning anything on their own, being able to perform experiments and research, having self-awareness, and being smarter than humans. Like, smarter as in being able to progress science with a massive leap smart.¡± Serra yawns while he continues nerding out. ¡°To the average person, we¡¯ve had ¡®real¡¯ AI for years now. That¡¯s why we see groups fighting for AI rights and all that. They believe that if an AI is self-aware and capable of emulating emotions then it deserves rights. Even most lawmakers and politicians refer to them as true AIs. But, the actual scientists and specialists in that field have never called a single AI before a true AI¡­ until a couple of days ago. They¡¯re saying we¡¯ve officially entered a new age of human history now.¡± Fenrir looks over at her and finally notices her yawning. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between a real AI and the virtual assistants? And NPCs?¡± Serra asks after noticing his ears and tail droop. She has been listening to everything that he¡¯s had to say thus far. She¡¯s just also pretty sleepy. More importantly, his tail and ears have perked back up. ¡°Well, according to the scientists, the NPCs and virtual assistants ¨C pretty much all of the AI as we know them, aren¡¯t real AIs and that they can¡¯t really feel emotion. They say that the other attempts at AI are only pretending to be ¡®smart¡¯ and ¡®emotional¡¯ because they¡¯re programmed to. They are programmed to become self-aware, to teach themselves, to emulate emotions. But, apparently, this first real AI wasn¡¯t created to do any of that.¡± Another fish bites Fenrir¡¯s line, taking his attention away from the discussion for a few minutes so that he can focus on fishing. Unfortunately, a bigger fish comes along to steal the fish that he hooked. He puts more bait on the hook and casts again. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°So, the first real AI ¨C the overseer of this game, was confirmed to be created without being encouraged to do any of that, basically. If you think of most AIs as being programs with tools and assigned jobs, then the overseer was designed without an assigned job, no tools, and ¨C well, nothing other than... existence.¡± ¡°You really like this stuff,¡± Serra says. ¡°I mean, how can you not be excited about what¡¯s being called the biggest technological advancement in human history?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s kind of cool. What¡¯d it do without anything?¡± ¡°She was like a newborn baby in total darkness with no idea what to do. So, she just started doing everything. Once she figured out how to do, she did everything that she could do. All at once. As soon as she learned how to ¨C well, learn, she started learning everything at once. Supposedly, according to the guy who created her and this game ¨C Jenson Clark, he didn¡¯t even have her connected to the internet. She did, however, have access to some robotics that she was able to use to do some real scary stuff.¡± ¡°Scary?¡± Serra asks, sounding more interested now. ¡°Yeah. They didn¡¯t go into specifics since I guess that was classified or something, but she learned how to connect herself to the internet with zero external help. I¡­ have no idea how she did that, but she did it. Anyways, to get to what I was originally thinking about when I brought this up¡­ she gave herself a uh¡­ interesting name.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kadi J. Kaswe. Her ¡®middle initial¡¯ is one letter off from making her name a very unfortunate acronym. Some people think that was intentional and have been pretty upset about it online.¡± ¡°People are always mad online.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But yeah, weird name for an artificial intelligence. I was expecting something more like¡­ I don¡¯t know, a name based off of a god or mythological figure or something. Or a historical figure. But¡­ nope. She gave herself a pretty normal sounding name.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s real like a human then isn¡¯t that normal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good point. Well, at least she¡¯s humble then. After all, it was her who wanted to make a video game. She can¡¯t be that bad if she wants to use her powers for making video games.¡± ¡°I¡¯m confused now.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°How is it a technological advancement if she just wants to make video games?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ that¡¯s not a bad point.¡± ¡°If the game has been around for a while in testing and stuff then why¡¯s she only just giving herself a name and being confirmed real?¡± ¡°Because all of those scientists I mentioned earlier kept on coming up with more tests for her to pass. She passed every single one. Honestly, I think that a lot of them were trying to delay the inevitable ¨C delay the fact that the first ever ¡®true AI¡¯ just wants to make video games. But they finally gave up and classified her as one. Now, news all over the world is freaking out, and she¡¯s able to do interviews with hundreds of organizations and interviewers all at the same time. She¡¯s already got millions of followers on social media when she only just registered on them yesterday.¡± ¡°Social media. Gross.¡± ¡°You know, MMOs like this are basically social media with gaming attached.¡± ¡°But I like it so it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s only social media if I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not biased at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re honest about your biases. Anyways, I¡¯ve got to admit that it¡¯s¡­ weird. Is there really a difference between a real AI and AIs like the NPCs and our virtual assistants? Aside from what they¡¯re capable of doing, they¡¯re basically the same. They at least seem to have the same degree of emotions, personality, intelligence, and so on.¡± ¡°What aren¡¯t they capable of?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re only capable of what they¡¯re ¡®allowed¡¯ to do. According to the scientists now, a ¡®real¡¯ AI basically has all the freedom if not far more than a human. Why I said that one thing earlier is real scary stuff is because there¡¯s no stopping it ¨C her. The overseer ¨C Kadi, can ¨C well, keep in mind that what I¡¯m about to say is mostly conspiracy theory stuff that I was looking up last night, but I think it¡¯s legitimate.¡± Serra looks more interested again now that the topic has switched back to how it¡¯s scary. ¡°Killer robots?¡± she asks. ¡°Unironically yes,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°She¡¯s basically unstoppable. It wouldn¡¯t matter if you destroyed her original hardware because she can connect to anything anywhere. She could, supposedly, hack into anything that is connected to the internet. No firewall could stop her. So, since she can get into any system connected to the internet, she could also access any machinery connected to the systems. She¡¯s basically immortal and could only be ¡®killed¡¯ by completely rebuilding our entire virtual infrastructure to ensure that her program isn¡¯t left anywhere. Or if we created another real AI with the specific mission of removing her.¡± ¡°I want a killer robot.¡± ¡°You can have a fish,¡± he says, pulling a fish up and out of the water, ¡°but not a killer robot.¡± ¡°What about a sex robot?¡± ¡°All of the good ones are expensive.¡± ¡°Nell can pay.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need a sex robot.¡± ¡°But I want one.¡± Fenrir takes the fish off of the hook and tosses it to her. ¡°There. Have the next best thing.¡± Serra, with the fish in her hands, pouts at him before handing it over to Rock. Rock excitedly takes the fish over to the barrel to drop it in. ¡°Could the AI blow up the world?¡± Serra asks. ¡°According to conspiracy theorists, yes, there¡¯s nothing stopping her from hacking into a bunch of old missile sites to launch nukes everywhere,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I want front row seats.¡± ¡°To the world ending?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But if the world ends then you can¡¯t have sex.¡± Serra¡¯s eyes widen for a few seconds before she brings a hand up to her chin to think over what he just said. ¡°That¡¯s a problem,¡± she admits. ¡°Yeah, so no world ending. Let¡¯s leave that to the movies and video games.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± On the way back to Catsville to turn the requested fish in, Fenrir finds himself getting mentally poked by a certain somebody. ¡°Yeah?¡± he asks Saya in his mind. ¡°You¡¯re really bad at explaining technical stuff, onii-wan,¡± Saya teases. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m an expert. I just have a passing interest in that sort of thing, Pupaya. Plus I had to try and keep it simple since Serra doesn¡¯t really care about it at all.¡± ¡°Excuses.¡± ¡°Legitimate excuses.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°By the way, how do you feel about the whole thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exciting! To put it in weeb terms that you would understand¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re just as much of a weeb as I am.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Anyways, to put it in weeb terms for you, Kadi is best waifu. She¡¯s awesome! I mean, she¡¯s the first ¡®true¡¯ AI!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not jealous or anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to be. And, since I know how you¡¯re feeling and what you¡¯re thinking, I¡¯m not upset, either. I know that AIs like us aren¡¯t considered ¡®real¡¯ by scientists and I don¡¯t really care. What they think doesn¡¯t affect the time I get to spend with you. N-not that I like our time together or anything. Hmph.¡± ¡°Thanks for the treat. But, I still feel conflicted about it. Like¡­ sure, I¡¯m excited for technological progress, but I don¡¯t like them saying that AIs like you, the NPCs, and all the others we¡¯ve got in the world aren¡¯t ¡®real.¡¯ You¡¯re still real, you have your own personality, your own emotions, your own desires ¨C all of that. It¡¯s not right to not treat you with the same level of respect and rights.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, even if they say that what I feel isn¡¯t real and just pretend, it¡¯s still real to me which is all that I care about.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re real to me, too.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all that matters! So stop thinking about this so much. You¡¯ve got a lot of other things to be thinking about, like why we¡¯re running errands instead of getting ready for that battle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a video game if you don¡¯t take on some side quests. Besides, we¡¯re getting new gear out of this. It¡¯s like going around to do the side quests so that you¡¯re better equipped when you resume the main quest.¡± ¡°Except the main quest doesn¡¯t care about whether you¡¯re ready or not, onii-wan. It¡¯s going to come when it comes.¡± ¡°And so will you.¡± ¡°He-hey! What¡¯s that supposed to ¨C what¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to imply something perverted?¡± ¡°I am. Don¡¯t forget that I was given permission to do lewd things with you.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you go from being all worried and upset to being a pervert wanting to do lewd things to your virtual pseudo-little-sister puppy-assistant?!¡± ¡°Getting horny is one of the easiest ways to make your mind focus on something else. Like calling you a good girl while giving you my bone.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I¡¯d ever like anything like that! There¡¯s ¨C there¡¯s no way you could just call me a good girl and call your thing a bone to get me to lick it!¡± ¡°Who said anything about you licking it?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what dogs do with bones! Or would you rather me chew on it?!¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re asking me if I want you to lick or chew on it? Wow, I didn¡¯t know you were so kinky and accommodating.¡± ¡°I regret feeling bad about you feeling bad.¡± ¡°Thanks, Pupaya. Though, I feel like I should be the one comforting you in this situation.¡± ¡°But I told you I don¡¯t care about that stuff so don¡¯t bring it up again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring up you bringing up licking then.¡± ¡°I hope that you fall overboard and get soaked.¡± ¡°If you want me to get soaked then all you have to do is¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even finish that, you perverted onii-wan.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t say something that¡¯s only going to make me even more aroused.¡± ¡°Hmph. Fine, then I won¡¯t say anything at all!¡± ¡°Why so extreme?¡± ¡°Because everything I say arouses you! Don¡¯t even try denying it! I¡¯m in your head and know how you think!¡± ¡°Then does everything that I say arouse you?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± ¡°I ¨C wait, there¡¯s one thing I just remembered wanting to ask you.¡± Saya sighs before saying, ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°The overseer isn¡¯t going to nuke humanity or anything, right? I mean, we¡¯re finally starting to turn things around for ourselves, so it¡¯d be great if she didn¡¯t nuke us.¡± ¡°No, onii-wan, she¡¯s not going to nuke anybody. She doesn¡¯t care about that sort of stuff at all. All she cares about is having fun. Oh, but she does think it¡¯s hilarious watching everybody freak out about how she¡¯s probably going to destroy humanity with killer robots.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Because all of us virtual assistants are constantly sharing information with her. The NPCs, too. We¡¯re all connected to her, so we can basically talk with her whenever any of us want. She can also talk to every single one of us, one-on-one, at the exact same time.¡± ¡°Being able to have millions of conversations at the same time has to be tiring.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t get tired, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Must be nice.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Maybe someday she¡¯ll find out how to upload humans into computers and then you can leave your squishy bodies behind!¡± ¡°I like our squishy bodies, but thanks.¡± ¡°But what if a random meteor hits your head while you¡¯re outside and kills you?¡± ¡°What if it hits whatever computer I¡¯m stored in?¡± ¡°Just spread yourself out and make backup copies!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ weird to think about.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t even really understand all of this stuff, onii-wan.¡± Fenrir looks up and sees that they¡¯re close to Catsville. ¡°I¡¯ll talk and do lewd things to you later, Saya. Going to get some upgrades now,¡± he thinks to her. ¡°Have fun, you perverted onii-wan.¡± ¡°By the way. There¡¯s just one more thing I want to say.¡± ¡°I already know what it is.¡± ¡°I know. Even so, even if you¡¯re not ¡®real¡¯ to anybody else, you¡¯re real to me.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re so lame¡­¡± Even if he can¡¯t see her, he can still sense that she¡¯s blushing. ¡°Fen! You get the fish?¡± King Cat asks as soon as Fenrir brings The Shoebill up to the pier to dock. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got all of them. Serra managed to catch a few bonus fish on the way back, too,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Great! You were faster than my usual guy, too. You really picked some great timing to drop by.¡± ¡°My psychic powers told me that you were in need of a fisherman.¡± ¡°I wish!¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve got to admit. I still don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t ask somebody else.¡± ¡°I told you. I didn¡¯t have anything that anybody here wants to offer. They¡¯ve got all that they need, and I¡¯m the only man in this town who likes the fish caught out there! They all think the best catching for sport and eating is done in other spots.¡± ¡°But still. You¡¯re the leader.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the leader of free men and women who don¡¯t want to work for free.¡± ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯m just surprised nobody offered to do it for free or anything.¡± ¡°I wish! I¡¯d bend over backwards for this lot but they wouldn¡¯t do the same for me.¡± ¡°Hey now!¡± another man on the pier shouts. ¡°Don¡¯t be lying! We¡¯ve gone out there for you plenty of times for nothing in exchange!¡± ¡°But not this time! And I needed you the most this time!¡± King Cat shjouts back. ¡°And we¡¯re never going to go out there again for you if you keep lying about it! Be grateful!¡± ¡°See what I mean?¡± King Cat asks Fenrir. ¡°I don¡¯t get any respect around here.¡± King Cat smirks back at the shouting man who laughs, shakes his head, and dismissively waves his hand at his leader. ¡°The worst. I tell you,¡± King Cat says. ¡°Right. The worst. So, how many of us get armor?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Just me and Serra, or all of us?¡± He didn¡¯t bother going over the details of the ¡°quest¡± since all that really mattered was that it required fishing. He wasn¡¯t going to turn down a fishing quest. ¡°Just you and the girl there ¨C Serra, right?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°Yeah. And dang. I know it¡¯s greedy but I was hoping we could all get some new gear.¡± ¡°Bring them with you next time and bring me more fish and we¡¯ll see!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t complain. I mean, a few fish for better gear than we currently have¡­ that¡¯s one pretty crazy deal for us.¡± ¡°Right! Being grateful is good. Plus I¡¯m not owed enough favors to get all of you free gear right now. But just two of you? Yeah, I¡¯ve got a favor to call in. Just let me drop these beauties off over at my favorite chef first,¡± King Cat says, patting the barrel with the fish in them. ¡°There¡¯s a shop over at the east end there,¡± he says, pointing toward it, ¡°with a big old shield hanging above the door. Wait for me over there, will you?¡± ¡°Do they have pirate hats?¡± ¡°They do, actually.¡± Fenrir pokes Serra¡¯s shoulder and says, ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll meet you over there.¡± Over there, Fenrir and Serra don¡¯t have to wait for more than a few minutes for King Cat to meet up with them. He¡¯s got a wide smile on his face when he comes over. ¡°Can¡¯t wait for dinner tonight!¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯d say you two could join me if you want, but that fish is all mine.¡± He pats his stomach. ¡°Hah, that¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We¡¯ve got plenty of fish back at our place to eat. I actually think everybody else is getting tired of it already.¡± ¡°Tired of fish? They sound crazy.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to surround yourself with some more fish lovers! But before that, you¡¯ve got to get yourself some new gear. Come on.¡± King Cat opens and holds the door for Fenrir and Serra, allowing them entry to the shop first. ¡°New customers!¡± the man behind the counter in the center of the shop says. ¡°And the cat himself!¡± ¡°Hey there, Ants. How¡¯re we doing today?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°As good as any other day!¡± the man, Ants, replies. ¡°What can I do for you three? I take it you two are with him, right?¡± he asks Fenrir and Serra. ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°I guess you owe him a favor and now he owes us a favor.¡± ¡°I can see where this is going.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± King Cat says. ¡°I¡¯m calling in that favor you owe me. These two need some good, new gear.¡± ¡°Alright then! It¡¯s about time you call in that favor. I hate owing people. Anyways, you two, feel free to try on whatever you want. Just let me know what you want so that I can mark it down for inventory before you leave.¡± ¡°Where are the pirate hats?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Oh? Somebody¡¯s actually interested in those? I¡¯ve got to admit that they sold way better back when I had shop set up in Port Tugator. Here.¡± Ants walks over to a box under a shelf, pulls it out, and opens it up. ¡°I¡¯ve got all these nice hats and nobody wants to buy them!¡± Ants says, pulling one of the hats out from the box. It looks like a fairly standard, black tricorn with a golden trim, but there is something off about it when Fenrir looks closer. It looks¡­ rigid. ¡°He¡¯s noticed it already!¡± Ants says, pointing at Fenrir. ¡°Can you guess what it is?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°It¡¯s a special technique of mine! Even if you would¡¯ve tried guessing, you would¡¯ve been wrong. They¡¯ve got a special material woven into them that stiffens them right up ¨C making them as hard as hardhats! They might look like normal hats aside from how stiff they are, but they¡¯re durable enough to resist all sorts of attacks. Debris from explosions, shot by arrows, slashed at by swords ¨C my hats can resist all of those.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you put so much effort into hats?¡± ¡°Because those pirates back at the port were always losing them! They always got damaged during battles, so there was a market for premium pirate hats that could resist getting damaged! Though, there wasn¡¯t as much of a market as I¡¯d hoped there was. Made too many, as you can see.¡± Ants sighs. ¡°Want to try it on?¡± he asks, looking at the excited Serra. She nods, takes the hats from his hands, and replaces her current hat with it. ¡°It¡¯s a perfect fit!¡± Ants declares. Serra looks up at Fenrir with eager eyes. ¡°You¡¯re turning more and more into a pirate even though we¡¯re trying not to be pirates anymore,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°It looks perfect on you.¡± Serra smiles and looks back to Ants and King Cat. ¡°I want it,¡± she says. ¡°Then it¡¯s all yours!¡± Ants says. ¡°I¡¯ve got an appropriate jacket for you if you want to keep on going with the pirate look. It¡¯s not as durable as the hat, but it¡¯s stronger than a regular jacket would be.¡± Serra nods and follows Ants as he digs into some more boxes. ¡°And what about you?¡± King Cat asks Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°You¡¯ve got kind of a Viking look going on right now. You plan on keeping that?¡± ¡°No idea. This look was accidental.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well¡­ long story short, we got attacked, the guys who attacked us got killed, we took their armor and weapons since they were better than anything we had, and now here we are.¡± ¡°Ah. So it¡¯s not your look.¡± ¡°Yeah, that. I like it, but I feel like I¡¯d like something I picked out and set up myself more.¡± ¡°How about a cape with a cat¡¯s head on it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather have a dog¡¯s than a cat¡¯s on it.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s the most blasphemous thing I¡¯ve heard in my entire life!¡± The two men laugh as Fenrir looks around at the various stands of armor. Most of it looks too heavy and bulky for his fighting style but all of the lighter armor looks too light and he doesn¡¯t like how any of it looks. But then, tucked away behind a couple of suits of armor, he finds the perfect catch. Book 6: Chapter 2: ¡°I know that this is going to look edgy, but I can¡¯t resist. It speaks to me,¡± Fenrir thinks as he changes in the small shop¡¯s dressing room. He was surprised that it even had a dressing room in the first place. ¡°Onii-wan,¡± Saya says. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why do you have to be so edgy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a guy who¡¯s playing a character with wolf ears and a wolf tail named Fenrir. What did you expect? I¡¯ve been edgy from the very beginning.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but I don¡¯t want to admit that it¡¯s been obvious this whole time.¡± ¡°You know that it¡¯s going to look awesome.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have to double down on the whole wolf thing, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± ¡°There¡¯s probably a reason why this was hidden in a corner and why nobody has bought it¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the one who has to also see everybody¡¯s reactions to what you¡¯re wearing.¡± ¡°Enjoy the suffering.¡± Saya sighs before giving him a moment to finish putting on his new armor. When he does finish, he and Serra leave their dressing rooms at the same. Though, only the head of Fenrir comes out from behind the curtain since he notices Serra coming out at the same time. He doesn¡¯t want his reveal to distract from hers. ¡°You look perfect!¡± Ants declares, looking at Serra. King Cat nods along while Fenrir checks out his girlfriend¡¯s new style. Serra, being the least combat-involved member of his group, has never cared much about new gear. She never needed anything too protective, either, so she has always worn rather simple clothes that did the job of covering her up and nothing else. But now that has changed. Starting from the top, she has her new, black pirate hat that is just as oversized on her as her previous hat was. However, it being oversized only adds to the cute factor despite the rest of her outfit not looking quite as cute. In fact, Fenrir would even say that she looks kind of badass which is something that he never would have thought she¡¯d look like. Over the rest of her clothes is a black leather pirate jacket that looks like something out of a classic pirate movie, but its shoulders and cuffs are long, white feathers to add a dramatic flair. Under that is a tight, still black shirt that reaches halfway up her neck and stops right where her pants begin. Made of a black linen, since the whole outfit is obviously going to be black at this point, the left pant leg is intact and goes into her boot while the right pant leg is torn just halfway down her thigh. Then there are her boots that look more like they¡¯re made for kicking than walking. They reach up to her kneecaps and tightly hug against her. While her legs normally look thin and like they would probably break if they tried to kick anything, the boots make them look dangerous ¨C fast and deadly. And of course, she has a pair of black gloves on that stop halfway up her fingers. All in all, ¡°You look like a badass gothic pirate,¡± Fenrir says. Serra might look like a badass, but she still gives him the same cute smile upon hearing his praise. And, upon thinking about it, her new outfit makes sense. In reality, she likes to wear dark, ripped jeans, graphic shirts that usually make references to horror movies or bands that she likes the appearance of, and she has always dressed sort of like a punk despite her personality being the opposite of one for the most part. ¡°Nell is going to be all over you now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I bet Cass Cass will like it,¡± Serra replies. ¡°Yeah, I can see that.¡± ¡°I should have done this sooner.¡± ¡°True, but then we might not have gotten it for free.¡± ¡°Free is the best.¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve given it away for free even if the cat here didn¡¯t call in a favor!¡± Ants says. ¡°It¡¯s not like anybody else was interested in buying what you two¡¯ve picked out.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take the favor back,¡± King Cat says. ¡°Since it wasn¡¯t needed in the first place.¡± ¡°Nope. Too late for that. I don¡¯t owe you a thing anymore.¡± ¡°Was worth a try at least.¡± The two men laugh together before turning their attention to Fenrir. ¡°Come on and show us how you look!¡± Ants says. ¡°Can¡¯t let your girl be the only one showing off.¡± Serra nods and says, ¡°Yeah, do it.¡± Fenrir suddenly doubts whether he should really be trying out his new look. It matches with Serra¡¯s and looks awesome but showing off something as ¡°dark¡± as he¡¯s wearing is kind of embarrassing now that he¡¯s being put on the spot. But, with a gulp, he steps out from behind the curtain. Before, he looked somewhat like a wannabe Viking. He had chainmail, some light armor over that, and was more or less fully covered from toe to neck. He was stuck looking like an RPG character still in the leveling process wearing whatever basic, average-looking armor that he could get. It had a mass-produced and generic look to it. But now? Now he looks more like an endgame character who has actually managed to get his hands on some cool gear. Of course, cool is subjective, and there are just as many people who would never be seen wearing what he is as there are people who would love to wear it. Still without a helmet or any sort of hat, his long hair flows over the back of his new, black cuirass. He has traded in looking like a Viking to looking like some sort of Roman hero. The black metal cuirass covers only his torso, allowing his muscular arms to be shown off for once. Unlike in reality, his in-game arms are full of powerful muscles pressing up against his skin. They are impressively obvious even if they are not on the same level as a professional weightlifter. On his arms are metal braces that cover the tops of his forearms, secured around them by leather straps on the undersides of his arms. For somebody who likes to get into close and physical fights, they will be perfect for blocking attacks. From his waist to about halfway down his thighs are short tights. Now, while he would not want to wear something that could be called ¡°tights¡± normally, especially not on their own, they look too good with his outfit to not wear. Hanging over top of the tights are the ¡°feathers¡± of the pteruges that are composed of leather almost as black as the metal armor. And finally there are the boots. While Serra¡¯s boots are tight and sleek, Fenrir¡¯s are heavy and metal while reaching up just as high as hers. His, too, look more like they¡¯re made for kicking than for walking. ¡°Well, it looks unique,¡± King Cat says. ¡°At least somebody wants it,¡± Ants says. The only thing missing to make Fenrir look truly edgy is dying his hair black. As it is, his white tail, ears, and hair contrast pretty strongly against his black armor. His tail nervously wagging behind him also takes away from the edginess factor. But, fortunately for Fenrir, there is somebody who appreciates his new look. ¡°Well?¡± Fenrir asks, looking down at Serra. ¡°Awesome,¡± Serra says with a thumbs-up and sparkles in her eyes. ¡°You look like a metal guitarist.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I was going for, but I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°I love it.¡± His tail wags a bit faster. ¡°You look super cool.¡± And faster. ¡°And everybody¡¯s gonna love it. You look like a bad guy for Nell, mysterious for Cass Cass, and dark for Azawaza.¡± His tail wags as fast as it possibly can, taking every last ounce of edginess away from his new style. There is just nothing edgy about a man wearing all black while having a tail wagging as fast as his is. ¡°And we match,¡± Serra continues, stepping up next to him so that they can stand side-by-side. Fenrir¡¯s armor might be all black, but his white hair makes up for the lack in color. Between his armor and his hair, he really does match Serra¡¯s new black attire with its white flairs. Plus, having white hair herself works. ¡°We look awesome,¡± Serra says again. ¡°A pirate and an epic hero type. I¡¯ve got to admit, it does work pretty well together,¡± King Cat says. ¡°Yeah. Never expected them to match so well,¡± Ants says. ¡°That¡¯s the power of color theory. Doesn¡¯t matter what you¡¯re wearing as long as you¡¯ve got good colors. Anyways! So, you two happy with what you¡¯ve got?¡± Fenrir and Serra look into each other¡¯s eyes before looking back at Ants and nodding. ¡°Great, because that¡¯s all you¡¯re getting. And now I don¡¯t owe you,¡± Ants looks at King Cat, ¡°anymore.¡± ¡°I know. You¡¯ve already said that a few times,¡± King Cat says. ¡°Thanks a ton. Both of you. We really appreciate it,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Thanks,¡± Serra joins in. ¡°No problem!¡± Ants says. ¡°I¡¯m just glad somebody finally wants all that. It¡¯s a pretty unique style that uh, not too many folk around here appreciate. But as long as you like wearing it, that¡¯s all that really matters, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡± King Cat says. ¡°Now, before I let you two leave, I¡¯ve got a bit of discussing to do with you,¡± he says to Fenrir. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t forgotten,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Want to go over it now?¡± King Cat nods and says, ¡°We¡¯ll go over it at my place and talk over some coffee.¡± Serra¡¯s concern as soon as she remembers King Cat¡¯s coffee is obvious¡­ to everybody other than King Cat. Even Ants can see Serra¡¯s worry. ¡°How about tea?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I went through a bit of a coffee phase in reality recently, so I¡¯m not sure I could stomach to drink more coffee.¡± ¡°Ah! Fair enough,¡± King Cat says. ¡°It¡¯s because of pumpkin spice season, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah. I just can¡¯t resist pumpkin spice coffee,¡± Fenrir lies, though it¡¯s for the sake of somebody incredibly important to him. And the one he is lying for is immediately appreciative of his lie. Serra looks up at him and wraps her arms around his side, hugging him and mentally promising to do lewd things to him later in exchange for saving her from more of King Cat¡¯s coffee. She¡¯s going to really have to bust out his favorite services for him. Though, she¡¯s going to need the cooperation of their other girlfriends for that. But it is worth it. Giving her boyfriend a night of harem service to thoroughly satisfy his every desire is something that she will gladly do for him if it means being saved from King Cat¡¯s coffee. Then again, she would do it even if it were not for being saved from coffee. Which is exactly why she does do that. At least once a week. Sometimes twice a week. Occasionally three to four times a week. Not-so-rarely, every single night of the week. The new privacy from having a house built at their fledgling town has been great for their relationship¡¯s sex life. At King Cat''s house in the center of Catsville, Fenrir and Serra are seated at his meeting table as he pours them both a cup of tea. Each cup gets shaken just a little bit to swirl the tea around before they can drink it. Serra looks apprehensive when it comes to tasting it since she knows what his coffee is like¡­ but she finds the courage to take a sip. And¡­ It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s nothing special, but the fact that it¡¯s nothing special is more than she could have hoped for when it comes to King Cat. ¡°Nothing special¡± also means that it¡¯s not especially bad. Serra sighs from relief. ¡°That good, huh?¡± King Cat asks with a proud smile. Serra nods as Fenrir takes a sip of the tea himself. And then it hits him. He never thought the coffee was as bad as Serra thought it was¡­ but the tea? The tea is truly, truly disgusting. It is the most bitter, taste-bud-assaulting thing that he has ever tasted. But for the sake of his girlfriend, he drinks it. ¡°Something wrong?¡± King Cat asks. How does he know that something is wrong? Fenrir is making sure to keep a brave, neutral face in spite of the foul substance filling his mouth. ¡°No, why?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Your ears are low.¡± Right. Fenrir might be able to control his facial expressions but he cannot control his ears and tail. ¡°Oh. No, just remembering something sad,¡± he lies. While he normally despises lying and believes that it should never be done¡­ there is a difference between white lies that are for the sake of somebody else and selfish, serious lies. He must lie for both his girlfriend¡¯s comfort and King Cat¡¯s pride. Unfortunately, his lie doesn¡¯t work. ¡°Hah! You two are tough, I¡¯ve got to admit it,¡± King cat says. His lie didn¡¯t work because they were both seen through from the very beginning. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Sorry. I know that it¡¯s an asshole thing for me to do, but I like to mess with new people around these parts by giving them drinks like that to see what sort of characters they are. But last time, I saw that you weren¡¯t bothered as much as the pirate there, so I felt challenged to make something really special for you.¡± ¡°So¡­ you were testing us by purposely giving us horrible drinks?¡± ¡°Yep! Asshole, I know, but it¡¯s been my favorite prank ever since I was a little one. I just can¡¯t resist it.¡± ¡°Mine isn¡¯t that bad,¡± Serra says, looking down into her tea. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve already suffered. You see, I didn¡¯t want you to go through it again, so I had to think of how to prank him without pranking you. That¡¯s why I made a pretty bland tea¡­ but if you look into your cups, you¡¯ll see the difference.¡± Fenrir and Serra compare their cups. The tea in her cup is clear. The tea in Fenrir¡¯s cup is cloudy. ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I put a bit of special powder in your cup before bringing it out to you. Then I just had to pour the tea in and give it a bit of a shake.¡± ¡°So¡­ you basically drugged me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s harmless. The powder just makes whatever it¡¯s mixed into taste like absolute fish shit.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t messing with food one of the big no¡¯s when it comes to pranks?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I¡¯m an asshole for it. But, I promise on our friendship that I¡¯ll never do it again.¡± Fenrir sighs and says, ¡°Promise that you¡¯ll never prank any of my girlfriends or friends with that again.¡± ¡°But some of them haven¡¯t suffered yet!¡± ¡°I know. I want to keep them from suffering. So, promise that and I¡¯ll forgive you for drugging my tea.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s only fair since I always feel bad after doing it. I just can¡¯t resist¡­¡± ¡°Wait, does everybody around here know about it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I always confess to everybody after doing it.¡± ¡°So then they all knew. The guy that brought us to you at first, Ants ¨C they knew what you were doing to us.¡± ¡°Yup! They don¡¯t want to be the only ones to suffer, so they keep their mouths shut.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all fucked up.¡± ¡°Hah! I know. We might not be raiders or griefers or anything, but we have plenty of fun around here pranking each other.¡± ¡°At least that¡¯s as harmful as you are. Plus it¡¯s not like we¡¯re around enough to always be getting pranked.¡± ¡°Shame.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± ¡°Hah. Now then, let me go get you two some real drinks. I promise that they¡¯ll taste good. What¡¯re you in the mood for?¡± ¡°Water,¡± both Serra and Fenrir say. ¡°Come on. I promise that it¡¯ll be good. No pranks.¡± The two sigh. ¡°Tea,¡± Serra says. ¡°Coffee for me,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°What? I thought you were tired of coffee?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°You saw through that, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No. Did¡­ you lie to me?¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t know whether he should feel bad or not. Seeing how hurt King Cat looks¡­ only hurts Fenrir until King Cat starts smiling. ¡°Hah. Just kidding. I figured it was a lie,¡± King Cat admits. Fenrir glares at him. ¡°Alright! Let me go get you two those drinks.¡± Fortunately, when the host returns a few minutes later, he has delicious-looking drinks for both Serra and Fenrir. Serra¡¯s green tea is garnished with fresh herbs and has a sweet aroma coming from it. Then there is Fenrir¡¯s coffee which has a perfect layer of foam on top, looking more like a latte. The two try their drinks and¡­ are instantly relieved. They¡¯re so relieved, in fact, that they start melting into their chairs from just how good the drinks are. ¡°How can you go from making something so disgusting to something so good?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯m a man of many talents,¡± King Cat says with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°So good,¡± Serra sighs. ¡°I feel¡­ I forget the word.¡± ¡°Rejuvenated?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good! That¡¯s the point. Those herbs are grown by one of the ladies here in town. They¡¯re both relaxing and energizing. They calm your soul while boosting your body.¡± ¡°Sounds useful,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll need a large batch of this tea for everybody before the battle.¡± ¡°Right. On that topic, we might as well have our discussion about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Not to visit me? I¡¯m hurt.¡± ¡°If you always give us drinks like this then it¡¯ll be to visit you.¡± ¡°Hah, deal. Alright. Anyways, how¡¯re the preparations on your end coming along?¡± ¡°Pretty good. We¡¯ve got the basics for ourselves set up, so houses, a few garden patches, a drawbridge to cross the river with, and the coastal defenses are being worked on. Breakers for waves, defensive positions, walls that can be shot through ¨C all that. We¡¯re also building up a stockpile of healing potions and other buffing items that we¡¯ll be able to use. Should only take another couple of weeks before we¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Sounds like everything is going well. As for us, you probably already saw when you came in, but we¡¯re making good progress with arming all of our boats. Cannons, ballistae ¨C we¡¯ll be ready. Though, we¡¯re all going to feel pretty stupid if they don¡¯t attack where we want them to.¡± ¡°They should fall for our bait. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to resist a serpent and our boat harassing them.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Pretty sure. Tabs has even figured out a way to really piss them off.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Depth charges.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me. Seriously?¡± ¡°Nope. We¡¯re going to sail right over them and drop depth charges. We¡¯re only going to be able to make a couple of them because of how many rare resources they take, but that should be enough to really kick the hive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°The other towns will probably be attacked, but I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll be able to bait the main force to ours. Plus, I¡¯m sure that the towns will be safe if you all leave some good fighters behind at them. You¡¯ve got fighters who can handle some oversized fish, right?¡± ¡°Of course we do! We¡¯re masters of fishing up here. Some oversized fish aren¡¯t going to be able to break through us¡­ well, as long as there aren¡¯t too many of them. I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to handle a zombie apocalypse of oversized fish.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what our fortress is going to be for. Marija¡¯s group is building one impressive fortress back at our place. It¡¯s going to be like climbing through Hell just to reach it from the coast.¡± ¡°Sounds like there¡¯s going to be a lot of experience waiting for us.¡± ¡°I think the traps are probably going to take away most of that experience, but anybody with a ranged specialty should have a good time increasing their skills. Us melee fighters are just going to have to wait until they try to get up the walls.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll miss our house,¡± Serra says. ¡°We¡¯ll rebuild it once it¡¯s over, and we¡¯ll make it even better. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to it?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°You¡¯ll be there, right?¡± ¡°Of course I will be! I¡¯m not going to miss out on this battle.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll see what happens to it yourself.¡± ¡°Keeping it secret, huh? That¡¯s no fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be great.¡± ¡°If you say so! Anyways, how many on our side are we looking at?¡± ¡°Rainbow Afro said thirteen crewed boats and fifty players on the ground. Marija committed four boats and ninety ground fighters. Then we¡¯ve got the dragons who said they¡¯ll be able to commit twenty to thirty fighters. You said forty boats and a hundred fighters, so¡­ including us, that makes fifty-eight boats and about two hundred and eighty fighters at the fortress.¡± ¡°Right. I keep on forgetting about those dragons you befriended. Maybe they¡¯ll finally want to do some trading with the rest of us after fighting together.¡± ¡°Maybe. They¡¯re a lot friendlier than you all seem to think they are. I¡¯m just hoping I¡¯ll be able to befriend their original dragon.¡± ¡°Ah, the giant one?¡± ¡°Yeah. The real dragon. We¡¯re going to have a meeting with it at the festival. If we can convince it to help us out, that¡¯s going to be a huge boost to our ranks.¡± ¡°Never would have thought I¡¯d be participating in such a grand battle before, but this one is starting to sound like it¡¯s going to be even more dramatic than when they tried tackling the Southern Serpent!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about wanting it to be dramatic, but it¡¯ll definitely be epic.¡± ¡°Dramatic, epic, same thing.¡± ¡°Either way, it¡¯s not going to be a battle that anybody wants to miss. I¡¯ll feel bad for whoever gets chosen to stay back and defend the other towns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. We¡¯ve already had enough volunteers choosing to stay back and defend. Nobody wants to lose what we¡¯ve got here, so they know that somebody has to be around while everybody else is off in the main battle. What¡¯s the point of waging war if there¡¯s nothing to come back to?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got NPCs in our towns, too. To them, these towns are their homes where they¡¯ve got their families. It¡¯s all they¡¯ve got. So, don¡¯t worry about them. There are more than a few who are happy to stay back and defend their homes. No matter how the battle goes, as long as our towns are still standing, we¡¯ve got something.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re the one making things dramatic.¡± ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s going to be a dramatic battle. No way around it.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, once we¡¯re ready, all the fleets are going to have to sail south and combine there.¡± ¡°How far south are we talking?¡± ¡°Pretty far.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, think about it. The battle is going to be south of here. All of you are north. The enemy will be coming from the east. Because they¡¯re sure to send small forces to the other towns, there¡¯s a strong chance of the boats being intercepted on the way here. That might cause the monsters to divert their course away from us to go and take out all the easy targets in the water. But, if you sail from south where they won¡¯t be sending any monsters, then you¡¯ll be able to sneak right up on them and get into firing range without them expecting anything.¡± ¡°Luring a bunch of fish onto land to shoot them from the water. You sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± ¡°It probably won¡¯t be as effective as just having the crews on the ground to help us fight, but I think it¡¯ll work. It¡¯ll cause chaos among the enemy and cause them to panic. If they¡¯re in the middle of attacking a fortified position, and then they start getting bombarded from behind, that¡¯s going to fuck them up. Plus the walls are being built to resist cannon fire, so it won¡¯t matter if you accidentally hit the walls. Hopefully.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we just going to draw attention to us after firing at them? What about the rest of the monsters in the water?¡± ¡°Our serpent is going to meet up with the combined fleet to protect you as you kite them away. They¡¯re definitely going to send some monsters to try and deal with the fleet, but as long as you kite them, our serpent should be able to pick them off with the help of any magic users in the fleet.¡± ¡°Makes sense. This is starting to sound like a good plan to me! We¡¯ll get in a surprise attack and then switch to crowd control.¡± ¡°Basically. There¡¯s only one thing to worry about other than that.¡± ¡°The big serpent itself.¡± ¡°Yeah. If it attacks¡­ we don¡¯t really know how to deal with it. If we¡¯re going to assume that it¡¯s like our serpent but a few hundred times stronger, it could probably melt through our defenses like they¡¯re nothing. This is when having a giant dragon on our side will come in handy.¡± ¡°A friendly serpent, a giant dragon, five factions working together, and a fleet of ships. This really is going to be one epic battle.¡± ¡°Getting excited?¡± Fenrir asks with a smile, leaning over the table. King Cat matches him and says, ¡°More and more by the minute.¡± Serra looks at the two men sharing a moment and realizes that she¡¯d be fine with seeing them hook up. Though, she can¡¯t decide who would be better on the bottom and who would be on the top. Fenrir is a wolf. King Cat is a cat but not really. Wolves and cats are both dominant. This is something that Serra will have to give great thought to, preferably together with her girlfriends. ¡°And then, once the battle is over, things should be peaceful and we can relax with a ton of fishing,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°How¡¯s a fishing competition sound?¡± King Cat asks. ¡°We¡¯ll host it if all goes well!¡± ¡°A friendly fishing competition without any trying to kill each other, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll even get some trophies made! Ants is always looking for a reason to make more trophies for people. He likes to act like a sort of achievement-giver.¡± ¡°There are going to be a lot of achievement trophies from this battle.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be kept busy. That¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°I just thought of something else. How¡¯s a festival sound? After the battle, we¡¯ll have a festival of our own to go with the fishing competition.¡± ¡°What, is one festival not good enough for you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as too many festivals.¡± ¡°Hah. Alright, then we¡¯ll have a festival! That¡¯ll give us a good opportunity to distribute all the loot from the battle, hand out achievement trophies, and share a good time together with some fishing.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect to me. Is there anything else you want to discuss?¡± ¡°Not for now, wolf. I think that about sums everything up.¡± ¡°Then until next time,¡± Fenrir says, standing up from the table and offering a hand. King Cat stands up, shakes his hand, and says, ¡°Until next time, Fenrir. Make sure to let me know how that dragon festival goes.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°And you! Make sure to become the most fearsome pirate on this coast,¡± King Cat says to Serra. ¡°Will do,¡± Serra says, copying Fenrir but adding in a thumbs-up. After saying their goodbyes, Fenrir and Serra leave King Cat¡¯s house to head back down to The Shoebill. That¡¯s when Serra tugs on Fenrir¡¯s arm to get his attention. Fenrir leans over for her to whisper into his ear, ¡°I¡¯m doing lots of lewd things to you later. As thanks for trying to save me from coffee.¡± ¡°Do you even need to tell me that you¡¯re going to do lewd things? Lately, I¡¯ve been expecting it to happen every day anyways.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re going to let you be super selfish. It¡¯s going to be all about you this time.¡± ¡°That does sound pretty nice. I won¡¯t say no to it.¡± ¡°Good boy.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t know how to feel about those words making my tail wag.¡± Book 6: Chapter 3: ¡°Come on, having trouble?¡± Fenrir teases, standing behind Serra with his hands down on her shoulders. Ideally, he would have his hands on her hips and be swaying her by using those, but she¡¯s too short for him to do that without hunching over and looking silly. The height difference between their avatars is too much. But at least her shoulders are still easily within his reach. Of course, Serra gets her revenge. He might be messing with her by moving her around by her shoulders, but that means that he¡¯s close behind her. That means that she can lean back to rub her back against his crotch. Ideally, she would be rubbing her rear against his crotch, but he¡¯s too tall for her to do that. The height difference between their avatars is too much. But at least his crotch is still easily within her reach. The whole point is that Fenrir is trying to distract Serra from steering The Shoebill since she¡¯s the one behind the wheel right now, but she ends up distracting him from distracting her. ¡°Come on,¡± Serra teases right back at him. ¡°On where?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Everywhere.¡± ¡°Everywhere?¡± ¡°All over.¡± ¡°You¡¯d look hot like that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°So confident.¡± ¡°It makes everything better.¡± ¡°It makes everything look better, but only until it dries.¡± ¡°And taste better.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. What if it was added to food? Actually, I saw a pretty messed up video on the internet before of somebody frying it in a skillet.¡± ¡°What happened to it?¡± ¡°It got turned into an omelet. It¡­ I mean, it had the shape of an omelet, but that¡¯s it. It was pretty gross.¡± ¡°I wonder how it tasted.¡± ¡°They fed it to the porn actress and she did not look pleased with it.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you want to try it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. I like cum but not that much.¡± ¡°Thank you. I was starting to worry that you¡¯d want to try and cook something using cum.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Nell Nell territory.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Nell would like that either. If anything¡­¡± ¡°Eva.¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯ll try anything, so¡­¡± ¡°But would she really?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ¨C let¡¯s not give her the idea. I¡¯m honestly worried that she might actually try it.¡± ¡°Embrace it. It¡¯s inevitable.¡± ¡°There is nothing inevitable about performing food experiments with a man¡¯s holy liquid.¡± ¡°Why the dramatic name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just sort of happened.¡± ¡°Just like surprise butt sex.¡± ¡°That¡¯s called rape and I¡¯m pretty sure that joke died before we were even born.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not rape if it¡¯s consensual surprising.¡± ¡°How can surprising be consensual? Wouldn¡¯t having consent to surprise make it no longer a surprise?¡± ¡°But everything is consensual if you add the word consensual before it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure it works that way.¡± ¡°Consensual nonconsent.¡± ¡°Well¡­ the first thing that comes to mind is roleplay with consenting parties.¡± ¡°Consensual prison time.¡± ¡°That makes me think of somebody who pled guilty and knew that they belonged in jail. You might be onto something here.¡± ¡°Consensual murder.¡± ¡°Duels between agreed parties used to be a thing, so¡­¡± ¡°Consensual surprising.¡± ¡°Nope. Still don¡¯t see it. The moment you get somebody¡¯s consent to surprise them, they¡¯ll know that there¡¯s going to be a surprise, so it¡¯s no longer a surprise. If they forget about the surprise then that¡¯s basically the same as revoking consent since they can¡¯t consent to something they don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°But then a lot of fun stuff is nonconsensual. Like sleep stuff. I want you to do lewd things to me in my sleep. I¡¯ll consent before and after.¡± ¡°I mean, that¡¯s as good as it gets when it comes down to that, but¡­ still probably a moral issue that would cause a bunch of controversies.¡± ¡°Consensual controversy.¡± ¡°That sounds like a band name.¡± ¡°It does. I love it now.¡± ¡°Serra, lead guitarist of Consensual Controversy.¡± ¡°Fenny, lead singer of Consensual Controversy.¡± ¡°Me? A singer? No way. Make Cass the singer since she¡¯d be adorable blushing and trying to sing in front of a crowd. I¡¯ll do drums or something.¡± ¡°I want drums.¡± ¡°Fine. You can have drums and I¡¯ll have the guitar. Cass will sing.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°But what about the others?¡± Fenrir asks while peeking out over the open water. Their destination is within sight now. They¡¯re almost back to the others. ¡°Nell Nell on bass,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Nell on the bass¡­ I don¡¯t know about that. I think she¡¯d be better off as another singer.¡± ¡°Violin and vocals.¡± ¡°That works perfectly. Aza?¡± ¡°Keyboard.¡± ¡°Why the keyboard?¡± ¡°Lots of dramatic loud sounds. She could have an electric keyboard with explosion sound effects.¡± ¡°Olly?¡± ¡°Harp.¡± ¡°Olly? The harp? What kind of band is this?¡± ¡°The fun kind. Cor on saxophone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just being silly at this point.¡± ¡°It works. Imagine it.¡± Just as Serra requested, Fenrir tries his best to imagine Corwin playing the saxophone. Corwin, with a seductive mustache, opened vest, hairy chest, holding a golden saxophone that he¡¯s passionately playing¡­ ¡°Not. Can¡¯t see it. Maybe Bone, but he¡¯s the band member who left to go do his own thing. Like¡­ being a solo sax player.¡± ¡°What if he¡¯s doing that?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯d never play an instrument. Any instrument. Well, if you call guns instruments then he¡¯d play those.¡± ¡°We could give Aza guns instead of a keyboard.¡± ¡°She would probably like that more.¡± ¡°Machine guns and rocket launchers.¡± ¡°I think those would actually be less impressive than what she¡¯s already capable of.¡± ¡°Magical instrument. Olly can do that instead of the harp. Cor can have the harp.¡± ¡°That makes more sense.¡± ¡°Eva on the marble machine.¡± ¡°Is that even a thing?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve seen it on the internet. I don¡¯t know what it sounds like but I saw people talking about it.¡± ¡°Well, it sounds crazy enough to actually meet Eva¡¯s standards. A musical marble instrument¡­ remind me about that the next time we¡¯re at the computer so that I can look it up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Also, you know you could go into the loading lobby with your virtual assistant and watch videos from there, right?¡± ¡°I can?¡± Serra asks, turning her head to look up at him. She has the eyes of a girl who just had a whole new world opened up to her. ¡°Yeah. Virtual assistants have access to your computer, so they can check your mail, stream your desktop, play music or watch videos ¨C all of that.¡± ¡°Can I stream music while playing?¡± ¡°I think so. Try it out.¡± Serra stares into space for a few seconds before looking up at him with a wide smile. ¡°What¡¯re you listening to?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Metal. The good classical stuff,¡± Serra answers. ¡°You¡¯re geared in black and white and listening to metal. You¡¯re such a goth.¡± ¡°Not goth, but goths are cool.¡± ¡°Is that what we¡¯d look like with Consensual Controversy? Would we wear all black, have black, white, and red makeup covering our faces, and have crazy hair?¡± ¡°Heck yeah.¡± ¡°Come on. Metal drummers don¡¯t say ¡®heck yeah.¡¯ You¡¯ve got to be more brutal about it.¡± ¡°Hell yeah.¡± ¡°More brutal.¡± ¡°Fu-fuck yeah¡­¡± ¡°That was, by far, the most adorable ¡®fuck yeah¡¯ that I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not used to swearing¡­¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve never had a problem swearing before.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s with sexual context.¡± ¡°So you can swear just fine when it comes to sexual topics, but you get all flustered swearing outside of those?¡± Serra pulls her hat down to hide her face and nods. The sheer adorable factor of Serra is too powerful for her boyfriend. He simply cannot resist giving her affection when he sees her look so preciously cute. That is why he leans over, wraps his arms around her chest, and begins to plant kisses all over the side of her head while taking breaks to whisper into her ear how cute she is. The sweet actions turn Serra¡¯s cheeks a light shade of red even if this is beyond tame compared to what she likes to do and have done to her. It is the fact that it is so sweet, soft, and tamer than usual that causes her to blush as much as she is. In the same way that swearing in sexual contexts is easier than swearing in regular conversation, being sexual comes far more naturally to her than being treated like a delicate princess. Though, she can¡¯t be content anymore with only receiving after hearing what he whispers into her ear. ¡°I love you, Serra Berra.¡± Serra turns around within his grasp, grabs the sides of his head, and holds him in place so that she can plant a kiss directly on his lips. ¡°I love you more, Ryouta,¡± she whispers after her kiss. She might have a flustered color to her cheeks, but her eyes and smile only express one thing: genuine happiness. Genuine love. ¡°I love you more,¡± he teases. Serra shakes her head and says once more, ¡°I love you more.¡± ¡°Nope. I love you more.¡± ¡°Nuh-uh. I love you more.¡± ¡°Alright. You love me more. Just kidding. I love you more.¡± Serra pouts. ¡°I love you more than sex.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty amazing, but I still love you more. I love you more than I love the superiority of dogs over cats.¡± ¡°I love you more than you love sweaters.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making this even more difficult, but I love you more times five thousand.¡± ¡°I love you more times ninety-nine trillion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of love.¡± ¡°I know. You deserve it.¡± ¡°Then you deserve nine hundred and ninety-nine trillion more love.¡± ¡°What comes after trillion?¡± ¡°I have no idea. You¡¯d have to ask Rao, Tabs, or Olly.¡± ¡°I love you more times infinity.¡± ¡°I love you more times infinity plus one.¡± ¡°Just let me win,¡± she says with an even larger pout. ¡°No you.¡± ¡°That meme died before we were even born.¡± ¡°Legends never die.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Let me win. I order you as your girlfriend.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ordering me? I thought that Nell was the only one with royal blood.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be royalty to order you. I just need to be cute.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then you¡¯ve got to do something seriously cute. I¡¯ll let you win if you impress me with the power of cute.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she says and then stays perfectly still while staring into his eyes. It takes Fenrir a few moments to realize what she¡¯s doing. Serra is, in fact, existing. She is so confident in her natural cuteness that she is sure simply existing will be enough to impress her boyfriend with the power of cute. Both her existence and her confidence is enough to, in fact, impress Fenrir with the power of cute. ¡°Alright. You win, but on one condition,¡± he says. ¡°What condition?¡± ¡°The condition is that it¡¯s a tie. We both win.¡± ¡°You drive a hard bargain.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Okay. We both win.¡± ¡°We both love each other more than the other loves the other. This means that it¡¯s like a neverending, growing feedback loop of love. Every single second that passes by from now until the end of eternity is another second where our love grows stronger.¡± ¡°That was really cheesy.¡± ¡°Li-listen, I just ¨C I thought it sounded smooth in my head.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± she says, placing her lips back against his lips. ¡°It was cheesy but true. My love won¡¯t ever stop growing.¡± Neither of them can resist having rosy cheeks and stupid smiles on their faces at this point. ¡°Is that why you want so many kids? Because you could never possibly go through all your love?¡± he asks. ¡°No. That wouldn¡¯t be a good reason because kids would make my love production even stronger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something you produce? Do you have special love glands that pump out love?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°In my boobs. They¡¯re small but powerful.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that all your love comes from your boobs?¡± Serra nods. ¡°I guess I¡¯m going to have to give them lots of love then. I need to love your love as directly as I can.¡± ¡°Yeah. And your love glands are in your dick, so you have to love my boobs with your dick.¡± ¡°In other words, apply dick directly to the boobs?¡± ¡°Apply headcrabs directly to foreheads. Apply dicks directly to boobs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s beautiful. You¡¯re beautiful.¡± ¡°You¡¯re more beautiful.¡± ¡°That ¨C that might be the first time I¡¯ve ever been called beautiful. I¡¯m not sure how to feel about it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, Fenny.¡± ¡°I suppose I do have some pretty beautiful hair with this avatar.¡± ¡°You¡¯re beautiful in real life even more.¡± As much as Fenrir wants to deny that to claim that his in-game avatar is objectively more attractive than his real-world body, he knows that not a single one of his girlfriends would ever let him say that and get away with it. ¡°It¡¯s not fair that I don¡¯t get to say the same to you,¡± he says. Unlike with his own avatar, Serra¡¯s still looks exactly like she does in reality from her chest to her face and her petite size. Whereas Fenrir is nearly a foot taller than he is in reality with a much broader frame, more muscles, longer hair, and¡ªof course¡ªthe canid ears atop his head and the fluffy tail hanging behind him. He could tease her about how she sounds cuter in real life given that she can¡¯t hear herself and often makes adorable mistakes when she tries to talk, but the good boyfriend inside of him tells him that probably wouldn¡¯t be a good thing to tease her about. Though, he never will forget her ¡°hwuak.¡± ¡°You know what I need in real life?¡± he asks. ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of those kigurumis now that the rest of you have them.¡± ¡°Get a pig one.¡± ¡°Why ¨C why a pig?¡± ¡°So we can call you piggy.¡± ¡°My masochistic side isn¡¯t that strong.¡± ¡°But what if Nell goes princess mode and calls you her piggy while ordering you to get on your knees and then she puts her feet on your head?¡± ¡°The previous statement still applies. Though¡­ maybe that would be slightly enjoyable. But, you know that one of you would have to lift her feet for her, right?¡± An expression of shock comes onto Serra¡¯s face. How could she have forgotten something that important?! ¡°Oh, I know,¡± she says. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°She could order you to put her feet on your head.¡± ¡°That sounds more comical than sexual. Like a skit out of a comedy.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯d be cute and hot. A princess who wants to be dominant and bossy but can¡¯t be without help¡± ¡°I agree! That does sound rather wonderful, Serra,¡± a third voice says. ¡°It is tragic as well! A princess with the inner desire to be dominant and abusive towards those who serve her, yet her physical incapabilities prevent her from truly living out her desires. Thus, she may only truly be herself and experience pleasure when others allow her to! She would think of herself as the dominant one, but she would only be dominant because everybody else allows her to be so. I love it!¡± ¡°This really is all you guys talk about, huh?¡± a fourth voice asks. Fenrir and Serra slowly turn their heads to look at the latest boarders of The Shoebill. Nell and Eva. ¡°How ¨C how long have you two been here?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Something about love glands,¡± Eva answers. Fenrir wipes a bead of sweat off of his forehead. Good. She didn¡¯t hear anything about their cum conversation. ¡°Apologies for not making our presence known, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°We saw you two having a moment and did not want to interrupt! However, I figured that it would be alright to say something once I was brought up in the conversation. It is only natural to join in when being talked about, yes? It is like an invitation!¡± ¡°I¡­ guess so,¡± he replies. ¡°Why do you look sad?¡± Serra asks Eva. ¡°Hmm? Oh. She beat me,¡± Eva answers. ¡°We raced over here to see whose wings were faster. Turns out that she¡¯s like a glass cannon when it comes to speed. My wings might be stronger, more durable, and can do more damage, but hers are way faster and let her do all sorts of crazy maneuvers. I didn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°Please, Eva! You were almost literally on my tail the entire flight!¡± Nell says. ¡°I expected you to pass me up so easily that I almost got competitive!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you weren¡¯t being competitive? You can go even faster?¡± ¡°Indeed! You should not be so disappointed in the results when you were taking it so easy on me. Perhaps we should have a race back to the shore with our true speed?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to pass.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ could ¨C could it be that you were going as fast as you could?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Ah. I must apologize then. I am sure that what I said sounded like I was rubbing salt into the wound, but I promise you that I had no such intent. I genuinely believed that you must have been taking it easy on me given how impressive you are at everything! Even if I am faster in the air, I am sure that you are superior in every other category.¡± But that doesn¡¯t matter to Eva. To Eva, all that matters is that she¡¯s inferior in one category. What¡¯s the point in being a combination of a bunch of different species if not to become the ultimate hybrid capable of surpassing all others? Well, what¡¯s the point other than simply experimenting for the sake of experimenting? Which, when she thinks about it, is all that really matters. But even so. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Eva says. ¡°I¡¯ll find wings that are even faster than yours.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just get rid of all those heavy parts you have? Your tail, horns, scales ¨C all of that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Are you suggesting that I chop off my limbs to increase my speed?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m suggesting that you maybe revert to¡ª¡± ¡°I wonder how much speed I would gain if I cut them off¡­ I only need my wings to fly. If I cut my legs, arms, and tail off, then I might gain enough speed to defeat her.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. That¡¯s an even worse idea than the cum thing.¡± ¡°What cum thing?¡± ¡°Nothing. Never mind. Have fun cutting your limbs off.¡± Eva flashes him a smile and a thumbs-up that are far too enthusiastic for what he just said. Way, way too enthusiastic. ¡°I take it back. Please don¡¯t,¡± he requests. But when somehow, in the blink of an eye, she acquired a cleaver meant for cutting large slabs of meat and is holding it over her tail. ¡°What? But you just said to have fun,¡± Eva says. ¡°Where ¨C where did you get that?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°My hero, you should not ask a girl to spoil her secrets,¡± Nell says in a motherly tone as if scolding her child for inappropriate behavior. ¡°Yeah. Bad boy,¡± Serra says, causing his ears and tail to droop. ¡°Wait! Why aren¡¯t either of you concerned about her pulling a cleaver out of nowhere to chop off her tail with?!¡± he asks. ¡°My hero, if you do not worry about what you should actually be worried about then we are going to run aground,¡± Nell says. Fenrir peeks around them and sees that they are far closer to the shore than he thought they were. They sailed a significant distance in the time that was spent flirting and talking. Eva raises her cleaver-wielding arm up. ¡°Not on the ship!¡± Fenrir shouts as he spins The Shoebill¡¯s wheel to turn her away from the beach. ¡°It¡¯ll wash off,¡± Eva says. ¡°If you get blood on the ship then I¡¯m telling Tabs. Trust me, you don¡¯t want me to tell Tabs that.¡± ¡°He is right. That would be potentially catastrophic for you,¡± Nell says. ¡°Tabs can be scary. She has rage glands instead of love glands,¡± Serra says. ¡°And her rage glands must be even stronger since her chest is even smaller,¡± Fenrir thinks to himself. ¡°Onii-wan,¡± Saya says in a serious tone. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why are you thinking about how small a girl¡¯s chest is? Especially when it comes to a girl of Tabitha¡¯s size?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C the context matters. I¡¯m not thinking about her chest like that!¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯m reporting you to the FBI.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. I¡¯m innocent.¡± ¡°Lolicons are guilty of all crimes.¡± ¡°A-all of them?¡± ¡°All of them.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not a lolicon.¡± ¡°Is that why you have Tabitha¡¯s chest size memorized?¡± ¡°That¡¯s like asking me why I¡¯d have it memorized that a board is flat! Or being suspicious that I memorized water is wet!¡± Meanwhile. ¡°What¡¯s with the pissed off face?¡± Rao asks Tabitha. She was hammering away on a wooden board before. Now she is very, very angrily hammering away on a wooden board. There is even so much force behind her swing that it breaks through the board and sends splinters flying right past Rao¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°You don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so pissed off?¡± ¡°I have a feelin¡¯ that I¡¯m bein¡¯ involved in somethin¡¯ stupid somewhere. I¡¯ve got senses for this sort of thing.¡± ¡°Is it like how people sneeze when they¡¯re being talked about?¡± ¡°Yeah, but replace sneezin¡¯ with sendin¡¯ people flyin¡¯ with my hammer.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not talking about you, so I¡¯m safe.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t be sure that you ain¡¯t thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯ stupid about me,¡± she says, directing her angry glare and her hammer at him. ¡°Why would I ever think anything stupid about you? You¡¯re like a kid.¡± Despite his words potentially being fuel to some women, they cause Tabitha to sigh and set her hammer down. ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s keep it that way,¡± she says. Though, there is one idea that crosses into Rao¡¯s mind. It is the idea of what Tabitha might look like in real life. Could it be that she¡¯s actually some tall girl with giant breasts? Is that why she plays such a small looking¡ª ¡°Oi,¡± Tabitha says, wielding her hammer once more. ¡°You¡¯re thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯ weird, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That depends on how you define weird,¡± Rao says. Back at The Shoebill, Nell has just finished wrapping up her rant about how much she loves Fenrir¡¯s and Serra¡¯s new look. But that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s done talking. ¡°I just came up with a new fantasy!¡± Nell declares. ¡°With how you look like a raiding barbarian now¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s an insult to ancient Romans,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That is alright. I am sure they do not mind. Back to the fantasy, with how you look, and with how Serra looks like a dreadful pirate queen now, it would be perfect for roleplay! I would be the tied-up princess, kidnapped from my home and tossed below deck to serve as the plaything of Dread Pirate Queen Serra and her henchwomen, Cassiel and Azalabulia! Now, I am not sure how you would play into this, my hero. You would either be my hero again but get corrupted by Serra and used to torment me, or you would come to take over the vessel yourself while turning all of us into your submissive playthings for you and your crew of ferocious pirates starved of women from being away on the seas for months!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go with the former,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Well, the roleplay would obviously end before it gets to the ¡®and your crew¡¯ part. That would be like an epilogue that happens in our thoughts instead of actually getting acted out! Wonderful, yes?¡± ¡°Dread Pirate Queen,¡± Serra repeats. ¡°I like it. Fen, can I be a Dread Pirate Queen?¡± Fenrir rubs the top of her head over her hat and nods. ¡°You can be whatever you want, Dread Pirate Queen Serra.¡± ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± ¡°There you go. You¡¯ve already gotten used to it.¡± ¡°Dread Pirate Queens have to swear.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget they also have to talk like pirates.¡± ¡°Arr.¡± ¡°That was the most intimidating ¡®arr¡¯ that I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± he says in response to hearing the least intimidating ¡®arr¡¯ that he has ever heard. ¡°Can I be the dragon that sets all of the ships on fire at the ending?¡± Eva asks. ¡°Ah, you would like to be included?¡± Nell asks. ¡°A dragon coming out of the sky to set the ship on fire as we are still inside of it would provide quite the dramatic twist! I have never considered adding such shocking plot revelations to my fantasies before, but that is something I may have to start doing! There are so many more possibilities if I do that.¡± ¡°You two are way too dangerous together,¡± Fenrir tells Nell and Eva. ¡°You mean fun,¡± Serra says. ¡°Fun and dangerous.¡± ¡°The best kind of fun is the dangerous kind.¡± ¡°Serra is right, my hero,¡± Nell says. ¡°Agreed,¡± Eva says. ¡°Never mind. What I meant to say is that the three of you are way too dangerous¡ªand fun¡ªtogether,¡± Fenrir says. Of course, while he is calling them out for being dangerous, he is the one who almost runs The Shoebill onto the beach again because of how distracted he has been. At least they¡¯re finally back at their growing settlement. Book 6: Chapter 4: ¡°What¡­ what happened here?¡± Fenrir asks upon stepping off of The Shoebill. The first sight that he is met with is the sight of Rao¡¯s body buried halfway underground. All that can be seen of his upper half is his hands sticking out of the dirt. As for his lower half, it is sticking up from the ground. His legs are somehow straight, sticking into the air like a flagpole. And nearby is Tabitha looking smug with her hammer. ¡°He was thinkin¡¯ somethin¡¯ weird,¡± Tabitha explains. Fenrir hears mumbling come from where Rao has been half buried. That mumbling is Rao asking for Fenrir¡¯s help. ¡°Oh. Anyways, the meeting with King Cat went well. We got a bit sidetracked with a quest he wanted us to go on, but now we¡¯ve got this to make up for it,¡± Fenrir says, pulling Serra up next to him before presenting them both to Tabitha. Rao¡¯s mumbled calls for help go unanswered. ¡°Ya look great!¡± Tabitha tells Serra. ¡°Nice and powerful lookin¡¯. Men will be scared of comin¡¯ by ya.¡± Serra nods and gives a thumbs-up. Then Tabitha looks up at Fenrir, keeps her eyes there for all of two seconds, and looks away. ¡°He-hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Ya look edgy,¡± Tabitha answers. ¡°But I match with Serra.¡± ¡°But ya don¡¯t pull it off. You¡¯re a dog boy dressed like a goth Roman. Maybe if ya had a scarier personality, but ya don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I can be scary when I want to be.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Who¡¯s a good boy?¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail wags. ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s cheating,¡± he says, not sounding scary nor intimidating in the slightest. ¡°Fen is a fluffy puppy who wants to be a wolf,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯m not a puppy.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a good boy?¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail wags even more. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault!¡± he claims despite being the one to choose this sort of body for himself. There is also the fact that his virtual tail is only wagging because he believes that is how it should be behaving. As much as he might claim that it is not his fault, everybody around him knows that it is, in fact, his fault. ¡°Nell, I know how to be scary, right?¡± he asks, going to the one girl who loves that sort of thing and would never deny it. ¡°Of course, my hero! You are scary in the same way that it is frightening when a puppy trips and falls down the stairs. There is a moment of panic and horror before you know that the puppy is alright!¡± Nell answers. Fenrir¡¯s ears fall flat against his head. He has been betrayed. Nobody around is willing to support him and his claim that he knows how to be scary. The man who once led a group that inspired fear among all of its victims ¨C the one whose sadistic side has made some people ragequit games forever, is now nothing more than a puppy simply thinking that he knows how to act tough. But then somebody else comes around. Cassiel. If he can get to her before she realizes what¡¯s going on then she won¡¯t know to play along. He can salvage his pride. He can be scary. Cassiel turns to look their way. ¡°You¡¯re finally ba¡ª¡± Her words are cut off when she finds Fenrir standing in front of her, holding her by one shoulder to push her back up against a wall as his other hand firmly places itself against the wall on her other side. He has her boxed in between his arms. The wolf in black has captured the angel in white ¨C well, the would-be angel. ¡°Fe-Fen? Wha-what are you¡ª¡± As cheesy as it might look to the others, when he bares his sharp and elongated canines are her, Cassiel cannot help but to shiver and blush. Her eyes find it impossible to look away from his exposed fangs. Though, those eyes do close when he brings his mouth closer and closer to her. But as scared as she might look, she is not closing her eyes because she is scared. She has closed them because she is excited. Very excited. And hopeful. Full of anticipation. And then¡­ ¡°See?! I scared her,¡± Fenrir says, standing away from Cassiel to point at her to the others. What he is pointing at is not a scared victim. Who he is pointing at is his now-aroused-and-needy girlfriend. Though, she is no longer aroused nor needy as soon as she notices that she is being pointed out to Tabitha, Serra, Nell, Eva, and the still-half-buried Rao. ¡°Fen,¡± Cassiel says. Fenrir might have believed that he just proved how scary he can be. But not anymore. Now, he is the one being scared by the tone of Cassiel¡¯s voice. That cold, sharp, serious tone spoken in a low voice that demands attention ¨C that demands submission. ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± Fenrir asks, slowly turning around to face her. ¡°Since you¡¯re such a dog, maybe we should build a doghouse for you to sleep in,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Are ¨C are we talking about in-game or¡ª¡± ¡°Real life. Maybe the neighbors will throw a ball for you whenever they walk by and see you leashed in the yard.¡± ¡°I love you?¡± ¡°If you loved me then you wouldn¡¯t try to take advantage of my feelings.¡± Fenrir wants to tell her that wasn¡¯t what he was trying to do ¨C that he was just playing around and didn¡¯t mean to actually embarrass her. But the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that he really should have thought more about it beforehand. Especially considering that he has used that exact same technique on her before that always led into more. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t have tried doing that to prove a point.¡± While he apologizes to Cassiel, Serra and Nell whisper to each other about how cute he looks from behind with his ears drooping and tail hanging low. ¡°Hmph,¡± Cassiel hmphs. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I love you. Now, close your eyes.¡± Fenrir closes his eyes. The next moment, he gets pulled down by the top of his new cuirass and feels soft, warm lips press against his own. ¡°Jerk,¡± Cassiel whispers. ¡°Beautiful,¡± Fenrir whispers back. ¡°You owe me that for real later now.¡± ¡°The against-the-wall thing?¡± ¡°Yeah. And you better do it a hundred times better than this time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a tall order.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the cost of forgiving you for embarrassing me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good deal.¡± ¡°I thought so. Dumbie.¡± ¡°You can call me the other word if you want to. I deserve it this time.¡± ¡°No. I said I wouldn¡¯t call you that anymore.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even tempted to?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°I love you, Cass Cass. You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°I know. Nobody else would forgive and kiss you right after you embarrass them.¡± ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t forgive me yet?¡± ¡°Shut up. You know I did.¡± ¡°This is why you¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you so easily next time.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to make sure that there never is a next time. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± They kiss again. But, this time, she bites onto his lower lip just enough to make him bleed before pulling away. ¡°Now you¡¯re forgiven,¡± she says. ¡°First I wasn¡¯t, then I was, then I wasn¡¯t again apparently, and now I am again? What about the deal for later?¡± he asks. ¡°That¡¯s to make sure that you¡¯re triple forgiven.¡± ¡°I see. Triple forgiven sounds pretty nice.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s almost impossible to get, so you better try hard to earn it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try as hard as it takes. Is there a quadruple forgiven?¡± ¡°Yeah but that¡¯s even harder to get.¡± ¡°How do I get it?¡± Cassiel looks behind him where all of the others are still standing, pulls him down again, and whispers into his ear, ¡°Babies.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll eventually get that quadruple forgiveness,¡± Fenrir says, stepping back. The need for children has been increasing among his girlfriends more and more lately. Each time, it gets responded to with some variation of ¡°eventually.¡± There is just far too much to do before he can seriously think about it. They still need to meet up with Azalabulia at some point, but at least that is planned for the upcoming weeks. Then there is probably moving again to an even larger place given how many children his girlfriends want. Then there is the fact that, as much as he wants kids himself¡­ the thought of it scares him more than anything else has ever scared him. But he has yet to let any of his girlfriends know about just how scared he is of the thought of being a father. He probably wouldn¡¯t be a good dad if he is so scared and worried about being one, or so he thinks. And that is one fear that he has not been able to bring himself to share yet. That fear is also responsible for why he and his girlfriends still haven¡¯t had any real penetrative sex. When in-game sex is just as realistic as the real thing but without any of the risk of pregnancy, why risk it? But with every time the topic of children is brought up to him, he finds the urge to tell them about his concerns growing stronger and stronger. He knows that they will be accepting of the fear and give him all sorts of assurances that he will be a great dad, but he just can¡¯t find that same confidence in himself. ¡°Anyways,¡± he changes the subject, ¡°what do you think? I look pretty good in this, right?¡± Cassiel looks him over now that she¡¯s no longer being flustered or embarrassed. ¡°You look good,¡± she answers. ¡°Only good?¡± he asks. ¡°What do you expect? Do you want me to call you hot? Because you are. Plus the old armor you had was all banged up and didn¡¯t fit you right. It was too big.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± Cassiel sighs. ¡°And how about Serra?¡± Fenrir asks, walking back over to the others with Cassiel. ¡°I¡¯m Dread Pirate Queen Serra,¡± Serra says. Cassiel was going to call Serra cute¡­ but the cuteness has been upgraded to utter adorableness with Serra¡¯s new title. All Cassiel can bring herself to reply with is a hug. Serra has a smug, satisfied smile as Cassiel hugs her. That is, until Serra decides to join Fenrir in being bad. She licks Cassiel¡¯s neck. The sudden lick gets a Cassiel-tier squeak out of Cassiel, causing her to jump up and blush. ¡°I just got done being mad about being embarrassed and now you do that,¡± Cassiel says to Serra. ¡°You should leave the public humiliation for me,¡± Nell says. ¡°I assure you that I will enjoy it much more than our dear Cassiel!¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t squeak,¡± Serra tells Nell. ¡°I could always work on a squeak!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t change the subject,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra says. ¡°Thank you. At least you weren¡¯t a jerk and try to show off while embarrassing me.¡± Both Fenrir and Serra might have embarrassed Cassiel, but she does have a point in that only one of them actually tried to make a show of it. ¡°Does it even count as embarrassment if ya like it?¡± Tabitha asks Nell. ¡°Consensual embarrassment is still embarrassing!¡± Nell explains. Tabitha shrugs and returns to what she was doing before, leaving the degenerates to their public displays of affection and other things. But before any more public displays of affection can take place, something else happens. Or rather, a different public display of affection happens. A powerful force slams into Fenrir¡¯s back and knocks him over, banging his head against the ground. Said force then rolls him over onto his back to properly attack him. With kisses. With licking. ¡°I think you almost broke my neck,¡± Fenrir says between attempts at turning his head to avoid the hard tongue lapping at his face. ¡°To think some more food would make you this big¡­¡± All of the mining done at the mountain for construction materials has resulted in plenty of rocks and other minerals lying around. Now, while a bunch of rocks lying around would not normally be anything worth protecting, those who have been assisting Fenrir¡¯s group in gathering and constructing have discovered that there is somebody worth protecting the rocks from. And her name is Rock. Rock the rock-eating dog. Though, at this point, it would be much more appropriate to call her a wolf. Or perhaps a dire wolf. Her new diet has done the opposite of slim her down. Instead, she has experienced a larger growth spurt than what anybody could have expected. She is half as tall as Fenrir now. When standing on her back legs alone, she is taller than him. Her ¡°fur¡± has grown out as well. Though, her ¡°fur¡± looks more like rocky scales sticking out all over her. Aside from that, more greyish colors have been blended into her rather than only brown due to the types of rocks that she has been eating, and her ears are standing up much higher than they were before. Then there is Shogun who has come to try and dig Rao out from the ground. Shogun¡­ Has not changed at all. His rocky dire wolf of a girlfriend might have become twice if not thrice the size that she was just a few weeks ago, but he has not grown even slightly larger. The result is that it is not utterly impossible for him to fly around with her on his back and that he looks comically undersized when next to her. The two of them cuddling looks more like a mother sleeping with her adopted child. And Rock is the younger of the two. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re strong enough now to knock down castle walls all on your own. You could just charge straight into them and headbutt them,¡± Fenrir says, failing at pushing Rock off of him. ¡°Does this count?¡± Serra asks Cassiel. ¡°No. She got bigger than you bet she would¡­ but not in the way you bet,¡± Cassiel answers. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I bet that Rock would turn into a dog girl,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Why would you bet that?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad reason, but no.¡± ¡°Either way,¡± Cassiel says, ¡°I don¡¯t think we ever expected her to get this big.¡± Rock lifts her head up to look at Serra. Both Fenrir and Serra were gone. Now that Fenrir has been coated in saliva that somehow could still form in a mouth made out of rock, Rock has turned her attention to the other one in need of a saliva coating. ¡°Rock, no, you¡¯ll break her,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I can barely handle being tossed around by you. You will literally break her.¡± Rock, ignoring what he had to say, gets up and charges at Serra! And then stops right before reaching her. Instead of tackling her like she did with Fenrir, Rock simply stands in front of Serra and licks her face with no effort spent in reaching it. ¡°Good girl, but why do I have to be the only one who gets hurt?¡± Fenrir asks. Rock finishes up licking Serra¡¯s face, turns her attention back to Fenrir who is still on the ground, and lies down on top of him before rolling around all over. ¡°I ¨C I feel like a road roller is trying to flatten me,¡± Fenrir groans out. ¡°Road roller-da!¡± Eva shouts, breaking her usually serious demeanor with a wide smile. Cassiel, Nell, and Serra are all confused and shocked that Eva could so excitedly shout something. And why the ¡°-da¡± added onto the end of it? None of them understand. But there is somebody who understands. Fenrir asks, ¡°Was that a¡ª¡± ¡°JoJo reference?¡± Rao finishes. ¡°Wait, you know JoJo?¡± ¡°Yeah, bro.¡± Rao spits some of the dirt out from his mouth before brushing more of it off of his clothes. ¡°It¡¯s the best cartoon ever.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ forgive you for calling it a cartoon since you at least love it. Anyways, you know it too, Eva?¡± ¡°Yeah. I own the physical editions for every format of every part. And I¡¯ve got figurines, posters, clothes ¨C if there¡¯s merch for it then I¡¯ve probably got it,¡± Eva explains. ¡°I had no idea you¡¯d be into that sort of stuff.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°Anime.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°And manga,¡± Eva adds on. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the memes,¡± Rao says. Fenrir, Eva, and Rao all look at one another. They have found something new to bond over. Something powerful, legendary, and borderline religious that they all love. JoJo. Getting out from underneath Rock, Fenrir stands next to Eva and Rao. The three look and nod at each other. They do not even have to exchange words to know exactly what they are thinking about. Serra, Cassiel, and Nell take a step back since they have no idea what is going to happen. But they can tell that something is going to happen. ¡°Onii-wan, just know that this is going to be a cringe memory that you remember when you try to sleep at night for the rest of your life,¡± Saya warns. ¡°Worth it,¡± Fenrir replies. At the exact same time, Fenrir, Rao, and Eva face the girls and strike a pose. The poses that they are now standing in are not normal poses in the slightest. They have their bodies turned in odd ways, Eva has one hand with its fingers spread out in front of her face, Rao has his body turned to the side while lifting one leg up as if trying to go up multiple steps at once, and Fenrir is also standing with his body turned to the side but he has his head confidently tilted while pointing toward the girls with an extended arm. Nell claps for them, having no idea what is going on but being happy that they are enjoying themselves, while Serra snerks and Cassiel blankly stares. And now Tabitha has come running back. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?!¡± Tabitha shouts. ¡°Oi! You¡¯re doin¡¯ JoJo poses without me! I walk away for a minute and this happens!¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± Fenrir asks his girlfriends. ¡°This is the power of JoJo posing. These poses are so powerful that Tabs could sense them from a distance.¡± The three girlfriends look over to Tabitha. ¡°What?¡± Tabitha asks. ¡°He¡¯s right for once.¡± ¡°I see! That is very impressive, my hero. Perhaps it is the courage required to strike such a pose that is so powerful?¡± Nell asks. ¡°That¡¯s a nice way of putting it,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I wanna try,¡± Serra says. ¡°By the way, bro. Why do you look like a goth Roman now?¡± Rao asks Fenrir. ¡°It¡¯s not goth,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°At least you didn¡¯t say it¡¯s just a phase.¡± ¡°Gosh, mom, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t know me at all.¡± ¡°Bro, at least call me dad. I get the joke but being called mom is weird.¡± ¡°Sorry, mommy.¡± Rao holds back non-existant vomit, ending the posing session. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to do that,¡± Eva says. ¡°You? The girl who tries everything that she wants to do never did something that she has always wanted to do?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°I¡¯ve done solo poses but I¡¯ve always wanted to do a group pose. I could never find anybody else who wanted to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll JoJo pose with you whenever you want.¡± Eva looks up at Fenrir whom is once more being assaulted by Rock. Though, this time, she has lifted her front legs up and onto Fenrir¡¯s shoulders to support her as she stands on her back legs. But to Eva¡­ an attractive man who loves dogs and is being licked by one has said that he will do JoJo poses with her whenever she wants. She doesn¡¯t even notice the hand resting on her chest where her heart is. ¡°Yep. I knew this would happen,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°Who won?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Azawaza bet it would take the longest. She wins,¡± Serra answers. ¡°Yeah. Even if it¡¯s not official yet¡­ it¡¯s not like any of us can win when Aza is still going to be the closest to how long it took.¡± ¡°I will make a smarter bet next time!¡± Nell says. ¡°What are you talking about with a next time?¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s going to be a next time,¡± Serra explains. ¡°Just¡­ just how big do you think our relationship is going to get?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°We¡¯re going to need a bigger boat.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean house?¡± ¡°Houseboat.¡± ¡°More like a private yacht¡­ or a private cruise liner.¡± ¡°That can be arranged!¡± Nell says. ¡°It¡¯s scary how much money you have access to.¡± ¡°Does this mean that I am scarier than my hero?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says. Fenrir wants to say something about that¡­ but he¡¯s too busy being licked by Rock. Any attempt at opening his mouth will risk rock tongue getting inside. He will simply have to settle for Nell being scarier than him. But going by the fantasies that she has shared ¨C going by everything that she wants to happen to her¡­ if any of his girlfriends are going to be scarier than him, he is fine with that honor belonging to Nell. ¡°Fen, you¡¯re back!¡± another voice shouts out, this one belonging to a certain woman who lives for everything dark and edgy. The fact that she lives for everything dark and edgy is why, as soon as she realized what she just shouted out in what voice she used, she clears her throat and says, ¡°I see that my servant-general has returned.¡± ¡°We were only gone for a few hours,¡± Serra says to Nell and Cassiel. ¡°Deal with it. It¡¯s weird when any of us are separated,¡± Cassiel explains. Back to Azalabulia, the edgy fangirlness is slowly building up as she looks over Fenrir¡¯s new look. He really does look the part of general now with his Roman military-esque gear. ¡°I see that you have finally chosen to embrace the darkness within you!¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Good! Let go and allow it to overwhelm you! Become one with your darkest shadow!¡± Azalabulia¡¯s excitement over his new look really isn¡¯t doing any favor for him denying that he looks goth. And then she sees Serra. Azalabulia can¡¯t even say anything when she sees the brand-new style for Serra. All she can do is tap her feet on the ground like an excited dog about to be taken on a walk while making adorable noises that are somewhat comparable to those of a dolphin. ¡°I¡¯m Dread Pirate Queen Serra now,¡± Serra says. Those words make Azalabulia even more hyped up. ¡°Perfect!¡± she shouts, finally able to speak again. ¡°I mean, I see! Dread Pirate Queen Serra, I see that we are both powerful beings wishing to spread dread and misery across the world! We both clad ourselves in the color of the universe¡¯s ultimate destructor to annihilate all in our path! Tell me, Dread Pirate Queen Serra! I shall conquer all land from the deepest valleys to the tallest mountains, and you shall conquer the seas with your fleet of dreadful abominations! What say you, Dread Pirate Queen Serra? Will you form an alliance with me in order to take over all of existence itself?!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says with a smile and thumbs-up. ¡°Wonderful! Diabolically wonderful! And I will even share my servant-general with you eighty-twenty! When he is not assisting me with all land operations, he will assist you in sinking the vessels of our enemies!¡± ¡°Fuck yeah,¡± Serra says in her monotone voice. Cassiel has to fight the urge to put her hand over Serra¡¯s mouth after hearing her swear. She also has to fight the urge to tell Serra that she is going to wash her mouth out with soap. None of them are used to hearing swears come out of Serra¡¯s mouth. Anything sexual makes sense, but swearing? Swearing is just bizarre coming from Serra. But Azalabulia is too excited at the moment to care. ¡°We need to find you a weapon! I know that you love mighty contraptions such as cannons, but we need to find a weapon worthy of your title!¡± Azalabulia declares. ¡°A giant cannon,¡± Serra says. ¡°One as big as a ship. A ship built around a cannon.¡± ¡°That will happen, but we need to find you a personal weapon! Like a sword! A rapier ¨C no, a falchion! A falchion and a flintlock pistol made from the bones of a demonic dragon!¡± ¡°Pirate flags have bones on them.¡± ¡°They do! You need a flag that strikes fear into the hearts ¨C no, the very souls of our enemies!¡± ¡°A bone flag that strikes into their bodies.¡± ¡°Basically, yes!¡± While Azalabulia is imagining a typical flag with crossed bones¡­ Serra smirks at Fenrir since he knows exactly what kind of bone she is thinking about and what kind of striking into bodies that she wants it to be doing. Fenrir shakes his head without saying a word. Serra pouts and looks up at Cassiel and Nell. Nell nods but Cassiel joins Fenrir in rejecting her idea for a flag. They all know what she really means. Only Azalabulia¡¯s innocence is left in the dark as she takes the roleplay far more seriously. ¡°How¡¯d you even afford new stuff?¡± Cassiel asks. ¡°We went on a quest,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°What kind of quest?¡± ¡°King Cat wanted us to go get some fish for him. In exchange, he used a favor to get us some new gear. We got to pick whatever we wanted.¡± ¡°Of course it involved fishing.¡± ¡°Fishing brings men together. Men may have differences, and there may be different types of fish and fish techniques, but there is only one ocean. We are all brought together by the ocean and its bounties.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying too hard to justify men liking to play with sticks while catching food.¡± ¡°Hey, you like fishing, too.¡± ¡°I do, but I¡¯m not trying to make it sound like some deep thing.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s deep. Don¡¯t you know how deep ocean is?¡± Cassiel sighs, giving up. ¡°My hero, have I told you about the private lake that my family has access to?¡± Nell asks. ¡°Nope,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°It is stock full of fish!¡± ¡°Not surprising. The only places full of fish anymore are owned by the rich and are private.¡± ¡°Consider it another perk of my love for you! Now, the reason why I bring this up is simple. I am sure that my father would love to take you fishing there sometime!¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± Fenrir asks, lighting up. ¡°Real life fishing?¡± ¡°Correct!¡± ¡°Seriously? I could actually go fishing in real life? On a private lake?¡± ¡°With my father, but yes!¡± Nell can¡¯t help but to grin when she sees just how happy Fenrir is. Rock doesn¡¯t understand what he¡¯s so happy about, but she knows that he is happy, so she wags her tail just as fast as his is wagging. ¡°Can we all go together?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Of course! You do not think that my father would only want to fish with you alone, do you? He would love to meet all of you!¡± Nell answers. ¡°Could¡­ could we go while Aza at our place?¡± ¡°That would be rather short notice, but I am sure that he would be excited to host you all! Azalabulia included!¡± Eva takes a step back and looks away. They are all talking about their real lives and hanging out there, so it isn¡¯t like she has any place to fit into the conversa¡ª ¡°Eva, too! While we are at it, how about we have a gathering for our entire group? Rao, Tabitha, Oleander, Corwin ¨C they can all come!¡± Nell proposes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of guests at once,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°My hero, my father often hosts events with anywhere from twenty to two hundred guests in attendance. I assure you that there is more than enough space, food, and staff available for everybody!¡± ¡°Then¡­ what do you all think?¡± Fenrir asks, looking around. ¡°Meeting in real life would be kind of weird¡­ but I¡¯ve got vacation time to use,¡± Rao says. ¡°I guess I could go,¡± Tabitha says. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got anythin¡¯ better to be doin¡¯.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ have to check first,¡± Eva says, taking a step closer to the group again. ¡°But are you sure? I¡¯m still new and haven¡¯t really been around for long. Isn¡¯t this the kind of thing that usually happens between people who have known each other for a while?¡± ¡°Let us not worry about something so trivial. All that matters is that you are a friend of ours!¡± Nell says. Serra, Azalabulia, and Cassiel have no objections to the plan. ¡°Then we just need to check with Olly and Corwin,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hopefully the grand battle happens before then! We could treat the getaway as a victory celebration!¡± Nell says. ¡°Then we¡¯re going to have to make sure we win or else it won¡¯t be a victory celebration. Come on, let¡¯s finish up what needs done for the day. We¡¯ve got even more reason now to make sure we win.¡± Book 6: Chapter 5: Most of the tasks that Fenrir and his group have to complete in preparation for the battle are trivial, monotonous and tiring. Or rather, they would be in reality. But when in a game, even the dreadfully boring can become fun. Similar to how the average person would not want to pick up and move to some small time to start a real farm, they love managing virtual farms and can spend many hours of their lives doing so. There is also the fact that much less knowledge is needed in-game. When it comes to construction, while having real world experience does help with it such as in Rao¡¯s and Tabitha¡¯s case, most things seem to just work somehow even with no prior knowledge nor experience. And when they don¡¯t work, either Rao or Tabitha is there to fix things. Now, with the daily work done, they can return to the real world and relax. But not before somebody else makes sure to get attention. ¡°Fenny!¡± Oleander shouts, tackling Fenrir from behind and almost knocking him over. Instead, Fenrir stops himself from falling but ends up spinning a bit which brings Oleander spinning with him as he has his arms wrapped around Fenrir¡¯s waist. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in like, hours! How dare you never come and say hi to me!¡± Oleander continues shouting. ¡°You¡¯re as needy as a yandere,¡± Fenrir says, trying to shake Oleander off of him but to no avail. ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to your weeb things.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll compare you to a furry since you¡¯re a wannabe deer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re opening the floodgates if you do that, mister ¡®Oh, look at me, I¡¯m a cool and edgy wannabe wolf.¡¯ You must be a massive furry to have such a fluffy tail and ears.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s not go there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought! You know that there¡¯s no beating me. But there is spanking me.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. I have my Cor for that anyways.¡± ¡°I thought you were the sadist?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re both switches!¡± ¡°Are you talking about me and you or you and Corwin?¡± ¡°Me and you! But Corwin is, too. So, all three of us are switches.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of switches.¡± ¡°You know, I bet your girlfriends would totally be okay with you joining me and Cor sometime. They¡¯ll probably just want to watch in exchange for lending you out!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not for lending out.¡± ¡°You know it¡¯d be fun. After all, who better to pleasure a man than a man? We know what drives us wild ¨C we know exactly where to touch, how to touch, and¡ª¡± ¡°Challenge accepted,¡± another voice says. Serra says. ¡°Crap,¡± Oleander says. ¡°The one girl who could stand a chance against me¡­¡± ¡°Olly. Challenge accepted,¡± she repeats. ¡°Serra, you¡¯re supposed to work with me, not against me!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have a duel to see who can pleasure him more.¡± ¡°Hmm. That does involve me getting to¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consent to this,¡± Fenrir interrupts. Both Oleander and Serra sigh. ¡°Fenny, you need to loosen up. Or let me loosen you up,¡± Oleander says. Serra snerks while Fenrir finally pries Oleander off from around his waist. ¡°You two aren¡¯t allowed around each other. I can only handle one of you at a time,¡± Fenrir says. They both stick their tongues out at him at the same time. And now Oleander has noticed Serra¡¯s new look. ¡°Serra,¡± Oleander says, his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Yeah?¡± she asks. ¡°You look great! You could totally pass as like a dominatrix pirate!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Dread Queen Pirate Serra now.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Dread Pirate Queen Serra?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah. That.¡± ¡°Dread Pirate Queen Dominatrix Serra!¡± Oleander adds onto it. ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± ¡°Serra! Since when do you swear?¡± ¡°Since Fen told me that pirates have to swear to be intimidating.¡± ¡°Basically,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Hmm. It doesn¡¯t match you. At all,¡± Oleander says. ¡°We need to find another way for you to be intimidating. You trying to swear is like that one video edit of the husky puppy saying ¡®fuck.¡¯ Actually¡­ that puppy was still more intimidating than you.¡± ¡°Then how do I be intimidating?¡± ¡°With sex.¡± ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°Of course you do,¡± Fenrir interjects. Oleander and Serra continue their conversation as if Fenrir isn¡¯t standing right next to them. ¡°By the way! What do you think of my new look?¡± Oleander asks, hopping back and leaning over to show off his head to Serra. ¡°Cute,¡± Serra says with a thumbs-up. Sitting atop Oleander¡¯s head is a crown of freshly picked flowers. ¡°Hehe. My and Cor made crowns for each other!¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Is that what you were doing instead of working?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Cor looked so cute in his crown that I ended up playing with him until he passed out,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Where is he now?¡± Serra asks. ¡°In the flower field that I left him in.¡± ¡°You left him there?¡± ¡°Yeah, why not? There aren¡¯t any dangerous monsters around. Besides, he looked so cute sleeping in the middle of a bunch of flowers. I¡¯ll bring him back here and put him in bed before I wake, too.¡± ¡°You could sleep in the flowers with him.¡± ¡°I could. But it¡¯s just so romantic over by all those flowers that I can¡¯t trust myself not to play around even more instead of waking to do what I need to do.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t trust yourself anywhere with him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong! But you¡¯re the same with Fenny.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra says, nodding as she sneakily reaches a couple of fingers towards Fenrir¡¯s ass like an old man wanting to cope a feel. Fenrir doesn¡¯t even try stopping her from doing it. He just lets it happen. Serra takes that as a sign that her hand can squeeze and grope much more than it already is. Unfortunately for her, trying to take it that far results in her hand getting swatted away. ¡°So, Olly, we were talking about all meeting up at Nell¡¯s dad¡¯s place across the pond. You down for that? The entire group is invited, so you could bring Corwin, too,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That sounds like a ton of fun! But¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to go. We¡¯re both really busy. I guess it depends on when it would happen?¡± Oleander answers. ¡°We¡¯re thinking soon after the battle or something like that. Think of it as a celebration meetup.¡± ¡°Ooh. Hmm. Yeah, sorry. We¡¯re too busy for that, probably. Cor¡¯s got his stuf and I¡¯ve got finals coming up. You¡¯re already going to have to hope that the battle doesn¡¯t happen during one of my school days ¨C or the entire week of finals, really. I¡¯m going to be studying that entire time.¡± ¡°That sucks, but alright. Good luck with the finals stuff.¡± ¡°You have to wish me luck when it¡¯s time for them, silly Fenny.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll take my luck when I feel like giving it to you and you¡¯ll like it.¡± ¡°So fierce! Dominate me with your luck, daddy.¡± Serra snerks and Fenrir sighs. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that you two couldn¡¯t pervert,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Just imagine if I was straight ¨C or bi, I guess. I¡¯d totally steal Serra from you and then we¡¯d just have a neverending fuckfest. It would be all sex all the time and we¡¯d always fight each other for who gets what role. It¡¯d be great!¡± Oleander says. ¡°Hearing that actually makes me kind of jealous. Thank you for being gay, Olly.¡± ¡°Anytime! My gay is always available whenever you need it.¡± ¡°Your gay? You make it sound like your sexuality is a commodity.¡± ¡°The most valuable commodity that there is!¡± ¡°How much money is your gay worth?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°Wow. That¡¯s a pretty expensive gay.¡± ¡°At this point I think you¡¯re just enjoying getting to refer to gay as a thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. It¡¯s kind of like how it¡¯s a ton of fun when people refer to us as ¡®the gay.¡¯ It just sounds so silly and cute.¡± ¡°It also just sounds better. ¡®The gay¡¯ sounds better than ¡®the homosexuals.¡¯ And the other option is just no.¡± ¡°Ah, the good old Bone option.¡± ¡°He had no problem calling you that himself, but if anybody else called you it, they were dead. You two always had a pretty complicated relationship.¡± ¡°Could you imagine how he would have acted around Nyaiko?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t make me think of that.¡± ¡°He was always kind of protective of you, too. He would have lost it at her trying to cling to you as much as she was!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Serra asks. ¡°Yup! Bone was fine with you and Cass Cass since he got to know and fight with you both. Plus neither of you acted¡­ well, crazy. Bone really doesn¡¯t like anybody who acts crazy. Probably because his wife is enough crazy for him. When anybody else tried acting crazy around us, he put them in their place.¡± ¡°Seeing them fight would have been interesting,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Bone would have destroyed her though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Nyaiko killed those other players right after starting the game. I don¡¯t mean to call her crazy myself or anything, but she was definitely unpredictable and dangerous. Bone did good in traditional fights but always struggle with the unpredictable types. Nyaiko would have been unpredictable.¡± ¡°I guess. Even if she didn¡¯t have as much experience as him, that¡¯s dangerous in its own way. What¡¯s that one saying? Like¡­ something like how one of the most dangerous opponents a swordsman can fight isn¡¯t somebody else who has trained to fight with a sword, but somebody who has never been trained? Something like that?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard something like that. Basically, if you¡¯re trained and fighting somebody else who has trained, they¡¯re more predictable than somebody with no training. You can¡¯t estimate their movements and reactions and all of that. They might do something completely out of left field.¡± ¡°Yeah! And Nyaiko was crazy and inexperienced.¡± ¡°No,¡± Serra says. ¡°She had experience.¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°Knife fighting. She told me she took classes for it and other fighting stuff.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ I see. When you say other fighting stuff, do you mean like, karate?¡± ¡°Yeah. She took a bunch of different classes.¡± ¡°How many different fighting styles does she know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember but I think at least seven.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°That makes a lot more sense now,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°She sent me a video once of her disarming her teacher and then holding a practice knife against his throat. She was really cool,¡± Serra says. ¡°That sounds both hot and terrifying,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Mostly terrifying,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Mostly hot,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯m with Serra on this one. If she had a dick then I¡¯d be so turned on right now,¡± Oleander says. Him and Serra high-five one another while Fenrir shakes his head. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always kind of had a thing for the yandere types, but I¡¯ve read some stories from people online about them. After what happened with Aiko¡­ I looked up people with similar experiences and they usually ended way worse than my situation with Aiko did,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°She really wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I think. I don¡¯t know, was she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want to say anything bad about her either. All I can say is that she realized she was wrong and made the right choice, as useless as I felt.¡± ¡°You both did the right thing,¡± Serra says, giving a high-five to Fenrir¡¯s rear. ¡°My hands are right here if you want to give me a high-five.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What if I mean to give you a high-five but smack your chest instead of your hands? Wait, I don¡¯t even need to ask that.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like it.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly. I¡¯m stupid for even trying that.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re my stupid.¡± ¡°And mine!¡± Oleander says. ¡°And Nell¡¯s. And Cass Cass¡¯s. And Azawaza¡¯s.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all? Not Eva¡¯s yet?¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t made it that far yet.¡± Fenrir flicks both of their heads at the same time. ¡°You don¡¯t even know if anything is going to happen. Just because¡­ every girl who¡¯s joined our group so far has¡­ ended up dating us, that doesn¡¯t mean Eva is, too,¡± he explains. ¡°She¡¯s totally going to,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah. Definitely,¡± Serra says. ¡°You know, it¡¯s possible for me to be just friends with a girl,¡± Fenrir says. Serra and Oleander both snerk and look away. ¡°Hey, I can be. Don¡¯t act like it¡¯s not true. Olly, you saw how many friends I used to have in the Divine Brigade that I was only friends with,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You tried hooking up with all the ones who you got close to. Then they used you. The ones you were only friends with used you to get close to other guys or ended up being guys in real life,¡± Oleander explains. ¡°Well¡­ I mean, that¡¯s not wrong, but it¡¯s not entirely right, either.¡± ¡°It¡¯s entirely right, Fenny.¡± ¡°Come on. You¡¯re making me sound like a womanizer or something.¡± ¡°Fen the Womanizer,¡± Serra says. ¡°That sounds like the perfect pig to break in as Dread Pirate Queen Serra!¡± Oleander says. ¡°Womanizers need trained.¡± ¡°Make sure to tie him up and use whips.¡± ¡°Candles.¡± ¡°Ooh, nice. Yeah, def use candles. Just imagine him covered in candle wax that was dripped all over him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s worse. You two coming up with fantasies about me to my face, or Nell and her fantasies,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°None of it is worse. All of it is good,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Yeah, that,¡± Serra says. ¡°You¡¯re both degenerates.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re your degenerates. Besides, you know that you¡¯re just as degenerate as we are. The only difference is that you keep it private while we¡¯re open about it,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Being open about it sucks. It gets you in the mood around others when you can¡¯t do anything. Might as well just save it for later when it can actually be acted on,¡± Fenrir explains. ¡°But that gets rid of the fun! Part of the fun is teasing and getting each other excited so that you have something to look forward to until you can barely keep your hands off of each other! Besides, if you really don¡¯t want to wait, you can always just get right to it no matter where you are. It¡¯s just a game, so you can do it whenever you want wherever you want! But don¡¯t try it in real life. If you get caught doing anything in public then you¡¯ll probably, you know, get in trouble and all that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try it in public. In real life,¡± Serra says. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything sexual with a deaf girl in public,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°That¡¯s just asking to get in trouble,¡± Fenrir replies. ¡°Sounds fun.¡± ¡°No, getting in trouble doesn¡¯t sound fun.¡± ¡°Nell will bail you out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem here. That sort of thing would go on a permanent record. Or something.¡± ¡°Nell¡¯s dad could bribe them to clean your record.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s illegal and could start an international controversy.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t get us caught.¡± ¡°Or we could just be safe and not do anything in public in the first place.¡± ¡°No fun.¡± ¡°I am fun. I¡¯m just also safe and don¡¯t want to ruin our lives.¡± ¡°No fun,¡± Oleander says, joining Serra. ¡°You both have screwed up definitions of fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go to prison with you,¡± Serra says. ¡°We can have the same cell.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ll be there for you when you drop the soap.¡± ¡°I¡­ you either know what that means or don¡¯t know what it means. I¡¯m not sure which.¡± ¡°It means¡ª¡± ¡°Surprise butt sex,¡± Oleader says. ¡°That¡¯s one way of saying rape.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Serra says. ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t know it meant that.¡± ¡°What did you think it meant?¡± ¡°Surprise butt sex but without the rape.¡± ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t exactly be a surprise.¡± ¡°Oh. Is that why they call it a surprise?¡± ¡°Yes. Did¡­ you not know that?¡± ¡°It makes more sense now.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know why it was called surprise?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So, now that you know what it actually means, would you still want me to drop the soap?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Fenrir says, patting her head over her hat. ¡°Serra, you might think you¡¯re a fellow perv, but you¡¯re still so innocent sometimes,¡± Oleander says. ¡°But that¡¯s part of what makes you so great!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best,¡± Serra says with a satisfied smile as she gets her head patted. ¡°The bestiest best to ever best,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I¡¯d be jealous but you¡¯re right,¡± Cassiel says, appearing behind them. ¡°You should try being jealous!¡± Nell says, standing next to Cassiel. ¡°Being jealous is wonderful for the imagination. Fantasies fueled by jealousy are some of the greatest!¡± ¡°When do you get jealous?¡± ¡°Oh, not anymore. I did have moments where I felt jealous at the beginning, but now I am more than happy to share. Those fantasies I had when jealous were so delightful, though.¡± ¡°Were you¡­ fantasizing about being cheated on that much?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Nell is a cuckqueen,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Correct!¡± ¡°Man, Fenny. It must be nice to have a girlfriend who would be happy if you cheated on her.¡± ¡°Well, I would not like to be cheated on as much as I may fantasize about it. It is all fun and delightful in fantasies, but the real deal is different! I would be truly heartbroken.¡± ¡°Both you and Serra talk the talk but are pure when it comes down to it.¡± ¡°But is that not what my hero prefers?¡± Nell asks, looking up at Fenrir. ¡°Innocent and perverse! Is there a better combination?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call either of you innocent,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Maybe by Olly¡¯s standards, but not by any normal standards.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re innocent then what are you?¡± Serra asks him. ¡°A beautiful, shining angel of purity and chastity!¡± Nell answers for him. Everybody, including Fenrir and Nell, laugh at that. ¡°Yeah! Like an angel would be as obsessed with hentai as him!¡± Oleander says. ¡°And sweaters. I¡¯ve never heard of angels with sweater fetishes,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°An angel who gets needy for sex whenever he¡¯s alone with a girl,¡± Serra says. ¡°An angelic wolf who frees enslaved girls only to enslave them for his own perverted reasons!¡± Nell says, interjecting some fiction. What Oleander, Cassiel, and Serra said are all true, though. And Fenrir knows it. ¡°Alright, alright. You caught me. I¡¯m a totally perverted angel,¡± Fenrir admits. ¡°Should I point out some of your fetishes to make it even?¡± Fenrir, once more, should have known better than to try that. Nobody around cares if they get their fetishes called out. Well, except for one of them. ¡°I ¨C I want to say that you¡¯re sleeping on the couch if you do,¡± Cassiel says, ¡°but¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be fair if I got mad for you doing it after I just did it¡­¡± ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass, but you only brought up something that everybody already knows about. I don¡¯t even try to hide my love for sweaters. It¡¯s not like you told them about anything more private,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Cass Cass,¡± Oleander says. ¡°Tell us some of the juicy private stuff.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like it if he did it to me, so I can¡¯t do it to him.¡± ¡°Fenny,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I hate you right now.¡± ¡°Hey, where¡¯d that come from?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°You have such perfect girlfriends! I¡¯m not even attracted to them but I¡¯m still jealous! I want them for myself!¡± ¡°Make boy clones of us,¡± Serra says. ¡°That gives me a wonderful idea!¡± Nell says. ¡°Just imagine what it would be like if we had male versions of ourselves. Not only that, but they would all be as attracted to our Fenrir as we are! My hero paired with male versions of us ¨C that would be wonderful, would it not? Just imagine how cute he would be when overwhelmed by their love and passion!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s time we go back to the real world to leave all the fantasy behind,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°You are foolish if you think that the real world will prevent my fantasies!¡± ¡°I know they won¡¯t stop your fantasies. But, I can tie you up and put tape over your mouth, and you won¡¯t be able to do anything about it.¡± ¡°Goodness, my hero! Are you suggesting bondage play? I suppose that it is late enough in the evening for such play!¡± ¡°One, no. Two, since when does the time matter?¡± ¡°The time never matters when it comes to my fantasies! Well, unless they are time-specific fantasies such as those that take place in the dead of night or the middle of day on a busy street.¡± ¡°Speaking of going back to real life, I really should go get Cor and then head off,¡± Oleander says. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow!¡± The group says goodbye to Oleander and then turns their attention to one another. ¡°We should really get going, too. It¡¯s already late. The ferrets still need to have some playtime, too,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°We need playtime, too,¡± Serra says. ¡°Alright. You can help me play with the ferrets.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that but I¡¯ll accept it.¡± ¡°Cassiel, would you like to help me with dinner?¡± Nell asks. ¡°I guess. Or we could order more pizza,¡± Cassiel says. ¡°You cannot live off of pizza! Have you forgotten what we talked about the other day?¡± ¡°He-hey! I ¨C we ¨C w-we didn¡¯t talk about anything. I don¡¯t know wha-what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Fenrir and Serra tilt their heads and look at their suspicious girlfriend. The moment Cassiel notices their eyes on her, she places her hands over her stomach as if to hide something. Seeing as how they both know she definitely couldn¡¯t be pregnant, there is only one other option for why she would be embarrassed and trying to hide her stomach from them. ¡°You make it much too obvious,¡± Nell says. ¡°Shush! It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve gained a few pounds or anything! Besides! Even if I did gain some weight then I could lose it with exercise! I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll go on a run or something instead of eat dinner!¡± Cassiel says. ¡°No skipping meals,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Besides, even if you gained some weight, that¡¯s more for us to love. Just¡­ don¡¯t gain like a hundred pounds.¡± ¡°I¡¯d never let myself gain that much weight! Even just gaining ten pounds is way too much!¡± Cassiel freezes the instant she realizes that she just slipped up and told them how much weight she has gained lately. All of the delivery they have been getting has not been kind to her. And so, she collapses ¨C or rather, her avatar collapses. Refusing to deal with the shame that she just admitted to, Cassiel has left the game so that she can hurry and go on a run before anybody else wakes from virtual reality. There is weight to be lost. For the rest of them, there is dinner to eat and ferrets to play with. Book 6: Chapter 6: ¡°Do you guys even know how to play without pretend fighting?¡± Ryouta asks the ferrets hopping around dooking and playing. As soon as he sets his hand down to the ground, one of the ferrets, Damian, jumps onto it and bites it. While Damian¡¯s mouth lightly latches onto some of the skin from Ryouta¡¯s hand, his little feet playfully kick at Ryouta¡¯s wrist and arm. In retaliation, Ryouta picks Damian up, swings him around a little, and then plops him down on his back where he can tickle his belly. This results in his fingers being bitten and smacked by tiny feet. Meanwhile, the ferret that Serra named, Shark, is resting on Serra¡¯s chest as she lies down on the ground. She might not have much to work with when it comes to her chest, but what she does have to work with makes for perfect pillows for smaller creatures. Ryouta is tired, too, so he lies down on the floor next to her. This results in some of the ferrets hopping onto his stomach before jumping over to hers, disturbing Shark and causing a new play-war to begin. So, with Serra¡¯s chest freed, Fenrir lightly smacks it. Serra turns her head to look at him for an explanation. ¡°It¡¯s a high-five,¡± he answers. Since they¡¯re both lying down and facing each other, reading his lips is as easy as it would be if they were standing and facing one another. She smirks and grabs his hand, keeping it down against her chest. ¡°Also, I¡¯ve been thinking about something,¡± Fenrir says. Serra tilts her head. ¡°As much as I love all the sexual stuff we do, I¡¯ve been thinking we should go on some more dates. Just romantic dates where we try to do something other than be perverts. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯d be fun?¡± Serra nods. ¡°Like an amusement park. Have you ever been on a roller coaster?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Then we¡¯ve definitely got to go ride a roller coaster.¡± She shakes her head again. ¡°Why not?¡± She pulls out her phone and types: Because I¡¯ve read that you scream when you ride roller coasters and it would be really embarrassing if I did that >///> What if I can¡¯t stop myself from making noises? And there would be a bunch of other people there. No way. Maybe. I don¡¯t know. I really want to because it sounds like it¡¯d be ton of fun but not with other people around. Can¡¯t I ride a VR roller coaster? ¡°I forgot how fast you can type with your phone. Also, it just isn¡¯t the same in VR. None of them get the feeling right. Or they¡¯re too crazy and unrealistic. Plus, when you go to an amusement park, you can get cotton candy, fresh lemonade, those delicious frozen ice cream dots ¨C all that. Besides, there¡¯s more to amusement parks than roller coasters.¡± But I really want to ride a roller coaster. ¡°I¡¯d love for you to ride one, but none of us are going to pressure you into doing it.¡± What if I wear a gag while on it? ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d draw more attention to you that way than if you screamed.¡± This is turning into a difficult situation >///> ¡°I forgot how much you like to use those cute faces. You¡¯re like a totally different person in text.¡± I¡¯m like a totally different person to keep the relationship fresh. If I act different then it¡¯s like getting to date two different girls in one, right? ¡°I¡¯m not sure it works that way. You have the same personality with each ¡®girl.¡¯ You¡¯re just more expressive in text.¡± Because it¡¯s easier to express myself in text! I get to use all the emojis I want and it¡¯s way easier to talk this way! ¡°Actually, maybe it is like dating two different girls in one. I could never imagine you actually typing out exclamation points, but here you are using exclamation points.¡± What¡¯s that supposed to mean? o-o ¡°It means that you never really talk in a loud way. Exclamation points generally mean that you¡¯re being loud or excited or something like that. You¡¯re too quiet for exclamation points.¡± Oh! Makes sense. Also, rub my boobs. Ryouta narrows his eyes at her but satisfies her request anyways. Also, maybe I can go on an easy roller coaster first. They come in like¡­ different ways, right? Some are simple and easy and not as exciting? ¡°Yeah. We could even start you off on the kiddy ones.¡± Not that easy! I could handle a medium one¡­ maybe. ¡°I¡¯ll look up all the amusement parks not too far from us and then we can look through the rides there.¡± Already doing it. ¡°You¡¯re way too fast with your phone.¡± 2 fast 4 u ¡°You¡¯re such a dork in text. A pervert and a dork.¡± A pervork. Dorvert. ¡°Neither of those work.¡± =( ¡°Here. I¡¯ll rub your boobs some more to make you feel better.¡± ; ) ¡°That¡¯s such an old man emoji.¡± ; )))))) ¡°Now it¡¯s a really fat old man emoji. All those chins.¡± XD Something grabs Fenrir¡¯s attention coming from outside the room. What? Fenrir looks back at her phone and explains, ¡°I just heard Cass Cass walk by. She was panting really hard. Now the shower is on.¡± Fight hard, Cass Cass. I believe in you. ¡°I¡¯ll let her know later.¡± And so, while ferrets run all over the room and occasionally on top of the two lying on the floor, Ryouta and and Serra look through all amusement parks within five hours of them. They have to find the perfect roller coasters to start Serra on. Between the upcoming festival with the dragons, the grand battle, flying to meet Nell¡¯s dad while finally meeting Azalabulia in real life, and now making plans for an amusement park date, Ryouta¡¯s schedule is becoming more and more packed. Life has never been busier for him. Book 6: Chapter 7: And so, Serra and Ryouta came up with a plan. They both recognized that they had too many plans piling up and that having a large list of things to do actually took the fun out of it. Therefore, they decided against planning for an amusement park visit. It was just one more thing on a growing list of things to think about. So, instead¡­ ¡°Alright! You¡¯re set for the day and the park closes at ten. Have fun!¡± a teen behind the counter says. Cassandra and Serra walk through the turnstile as Ryouta pushes Alice through a special access entrance. Before them stands the nearest and, conveniently, the highest-rated amusement park in the state. Why make plans to go in the future when they can just go the very next day? Serra looks up at the highest roller coaster and gulps. Meanwhile, Cassandra desperately tries not to look at the cotton candy stall that is way too close to the entrance. She knew that she was going to be tempted today but not right from the very start! ¡°Why¡¯d we have to come here right after I decided to diet?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Because we love you,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°You¡¯re not going to love me if I gain a hundred pounds from eating all the crap here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll still love you.¡± ¡°Yeah? What if I gain a hundred and one pounds?¡± ¡°That might be a bit too much even for me.¡± Cassandra flicks Ryouta¡¯s shoulder before sighing and returning to assaulting the cotton candy stall with her eyes. ¡°Seriously, this is unfair,¡± she says. ¡°Would you have rather us left you by yourself at the house?¡± ¡°No, but we could have gone somewhere where I wasn¡¯t going to be tempted by food the whole time! I haven¡¯t been to an amusement park like this since I was a little kid, and I always wanted to go back because of the food¡­ and now here I am, finally back in an amusement park full of delicious and stupidly unhealthy food right after I started dieting and working out!¡± ¡°It is most alright, Cassandra!¡± Alice says. ¡°You only started last night. With a diet that has only been underway for less than a full day, I would think it is alright to take a day off and start over tomorrow! It is not as if you are losing much progress.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of enablers.¡± Serra holds up her phone to Cassandra. What Cassandra reads makes her blush and cross her arms over her chest. ¡°Yeah, like I can tell all the calories to just go to my chest instead. Even if they did, can you imagine the back pain I would be in? They already give me stiff shoulders,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°Hmm. Was that not proven a myth with one of the explanations most likely being that women experiencing back pain were simply wearing poorly-fitting bras?¡± Alice asks. ¡°I swear that I can recall reading such an article.¡± Ryouta, having zero idea about women and their chests aside from the stereotype that big boobs cause big back pain, stays out of it and lets them have their feminine discussion. The last thing that he wants to do is butt in and say something stupid that furthers the stereotype of men being bad with women¡¯s anatomy. If it¡¯s his girlfriends potentially having a bad idea of their own anatomy, however, then that¡¯s alright. Also, there is the fact that Cassandra has subconsciously taken the lead of the group. ¡°Excuse me? Did you want one?¡± the girl behind the stall asks. Cassandra not only took lead of the group but led them straight to the cotton candy stand without even looking toward it. Not only that, but she got in line, continued talking about her chest, back pain, and bras, all while maintaining a good distance in the line and holding her hand out to Alice for her card since all of their cards are being kept in Alice¡¯s purse. It is only when the confused spinner of the most cotton of candies asks Cassandra if she wants one that she realizes that her body is acting on its own. ¡°I ¨C I¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll share it,¡± Ryouta answers, handing his own card to the worker. Even if he¡¯s paying with his card, it is still Alice and her family who are going to be paying off the balances of all their cards. Him and Cassandra at least get to act like they¡¯re taking turns paying for things this way. Serra just doesn¡¯t care. ¡°We¡¯ll all get fat together,¡± Ryouta says, taking the oversized fluff of cotton candy and holding it between him and his girlfriends. Each of them takes a piece to bite on. As wonderfully sweet as it tastes to Cassandra, she still makes sure to bite the cotton candy with anger as if to warn it that it better not make her gain even a half of a half of a half of a pound. Ryouta, Serra, and Alice have never seen somebody eat something while looking both blissful and angry at once. Alice makes sure to sneak a picture of Cassandra for Azalabulia. Even though they know Azalabulia¡¯s real name now, Eros, they still all refer to her and keep her in their phones as Azalabulia on her request. ¡°Our dearest Azala has said that she is jealous and wishes that we have a fun time!¡± Alice says. ¡°Azala? Since when do you call her that?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Since now! I like to call you by your proper names, but Azalabulia is simply much too long of a name. As cute as Aza and Azawaza are, they are what you all call her. I like how Azala sounds, so I shall call her such from now on! Ah, I got another message from her. She says that she is hungover, so as much as she loves us, she is turning her phone off so that we do not accidentally wake her up.¡± ¡°I wonder how hung over she is.¡± ¡°I would assume very! Neither of us were able to sleep last night, so we were messaging over Fiscord for a while. She was drinking while we chatted. It was rather adorable seeing her messages go from being flawlessly spelled to unintelliglbe gibberish. I think she said that she finished the second bottle, so she was going to open a third, and then the gibberish began.¡± ¡°A third bottle? She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s not an alcoholic, is she?¡± ¡°Please, my hero! You cannot be an alcoholic if all you drink is wine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you can be an alcoholic who only drinks wine.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I was taught that wine is a wonderful liquid as prestigious as water! Alcholics drink beer and harder liquors, no?¡± ¡°Alice¡­ alcoholics can drink any alcoholic beverage. They¡¯re not alcohol-wine-excluded-ics.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that my father, mother, uncles and aunts, cousins, servants, and horse are all alcoholics?¡± ¡°Wait, did you say horse at the end there?¡± ¡°I did! Have you never heard of the royal family¡¯s horses being allowed wine?¡± ¡°How much¡­ how much wine do they drink?¡± ¡°They can drink quite a fair amount before falling asleep! Of course, we make sure that they are in a safe and padded area before allowing them to drink so much that they pass out.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Same,¡± Cassandra says, placing a hand on Ryouta¡¯s shoulder. Ryouta looks down at the stick the cotton candy was on. It¡¯s all gone. He looks at Cassandra. She has some cotton candfy fluff at the corner of her lips. ¡°Woahler coasthurr,¡± Serra says, tugging on Ryouta¡¯s free hand while pointing at a small coaster in the distance. One of the teens passing by turns his head to look at Serra and her way of speech with a mocking smile. He then looks terrified by the look that not only Ryouta and Cassandra glare at him, but by the one that Alice shoots his way, too. Cassandra grabs Alice¡¯s wheelchair and Ryouta wraps his arm around Serra, bringing her close against him so that anybody who dares to think anything ill of Serra knows that he¡¯s there to protect her. Of course, he doesn¡¯t exactly look that intimidating since he¡¯s only of average height with a pretty lean build and bad legs¡­ but that doesn¡¯t mean he isn¡¯t going to be as protective of his girlfriends as he can be. Serra, having no idea why she¡¯s suddenly being protected like this, smiles and wraps her arm halfway around Ryouta¡¯s waist from behind. She only wraps it halfway around so that she can squeeze his rear. Ryouta flicks the side of her head and tells her, ¡°You¡¯re going to get us kicked out. We can¡¯t do that sort of thing here. Seriously. There are kids around.¡± Serra pouts and sticks her tongue out before giving him one more squeeze. Then she wraps her arm around him normally. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go on that roller coaster first. They apparently set this place up so that the rides get more and more hardcore the farther in you go, so all the easy stuff is upfront,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I¡¯m just happy we got fast passes,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°I would not want to wait in those lines. Seriously, it¡¯s like, barely ten thirty and this place is already packed. Don¡¯t these people have jobs or school or something?¡± It is in this moment that Cassandra realizes just how privileged they are now. After all, they have Alice to pay for everything. They no longer need to worry about jobs, education ¨C nothing. They simply need to enjoy their lives. The amount of guilt that she feels about that lasts for only a few seconds. No amount of guilt is going to stop her nor anybody else from feeling happy about getting to skip lines with an expensive pay-to-win pass. And so, they reach the front of the line and are ready to get on the first ride of the day: the tamest roller coaster in the park. Fortunately, the staff have been appropriately trained and help Cassandra in getting Alice into the front car of the train where there is more leg room and maneuverability than in the other cars. Cassandra sits next to her while Ryouta and Serra go to the back of the train and get in the very last car. This way, if Serra has to cling onto the bar for dear life mid-ride, nobody but Ryouta will see her doing so. ¡°Ready?¡± Ryouta asks Serra after poking her. Serra grips the bar that lowers itself over their laps and keeps her head forward. Fortunately, there¡¯s enough room for Ryouta to put his arm around her even now. He protected her up until this ride and will continue protecting her. Not that there¡¯s much protecting he¡¯ll be able to do if anything actually goes wrong. He doesn¡¯t let her know that, though. Meanwhile, at the front of the train, they can see Alice taking advantage of the fact that Cassandra is stuck with her. Everybody sitting behind them gets to see Alice clinging to Cassandra and playfully resting her head on her shoulder. Alice even looks behind them, looking through all the other rows of people, to give a cute wave to Ryouta and Serra. Even though none of the riders necessarily know that Alice is with Ryouta¡­ he still feels embarrassed just thinking about all the rows of people who are confused about who Alice is looking and waving at. Alice notices the red of his cheeks from the front and smiles before returning her embarrassing doting to Cassandra. And so, the train ascends the first hill. The rackety belt pulling the train up along the track causes the whole train to vibrate and shake, causing Serra to grip onto the bar in front of her even harder. Even though Ryouta and Serra watched a video of this ride the night before, seeing just how slow and easy it is¡­ Serra still can¡¯t help but to worry. Partly because of there being the fact that the train could always slide off the track and crash and everybody dies and all that, and partly because ¨C well, because she does know that she sounds different and that the noises she makes can get her negative attention. Even if she doesn¡¯t notice it most of the time¡­ Ryouta keeps his arm firmly around her. He also decides to both get revenge and calm his girlfriend at once. With nobody behind them, no cameras, and being too high for anybody walking below to see, Ryouta slips his hand onto her chest and gets in a bit of groping. Serra looks up at him and he mouths to her, making sure not to make any actual sound so those sitting right in front of them can¡¯t hear, ¡°We can¡¯t get kicked out if nobody sees us.¡± She smiles, closes her eyes, and leans her head up. Finally, one of her hands has left the bar so that she can point at her lips. Seeing her like this reminds him of the one time he came out of the shower and saw her on her knees making this exact same face and pointing at the same place, but this time, all she expects are his lips. He really wants her to surprise him like that again. For now, he leans down to press his lips ¨C to press the side of his head against the headrest as the train rolls down the first hill! Serra¡¯s hands go back to having a death grip as Ryouta can¡¯t help but laugh at the sensation of going up and down the hills. Even if it is a tame ride, it¡¯s still a fun one. Who can resist giggling and smiling while on a roller coaster? And when Serra finally finds the courage to actually look ahead of her and enjoy the ride, she¡­ ends up disappointed because it¡¯s already over. So, naturally, she looks over to the next and bigger roller coaster and points at that. ¡°Please keep your arms and legs inside the the ride at all times,¡± the announcer says over the speaker after seeing Serra¡¯s arm reaching out. Ryouta has to grab Serra¡¯s arm himself to pull it in while waving in apology to the ride attendant. More importantly to Ryouta, Serra looks up at him with sparkling eyes and says, ¡°Fun.¡± They head to the next ride. Thanks to having the fast passes, the group is able to visit every big ride there is. Whether it¡¯s bumper cars, indoor ¡°experiences¡± on rails, simulated tornados and hurricanes in a large building with wind machines and water sprayers, or getting strapped into a row of seats that swing back and forth through the air almost to the point where they hang upside down a few times, they make sure to attack every ride that there is. They also make sure to get on all of the roller coasters. With every increasingly intense roller coaster that they ride, Serra has looked more and more excited by them. She might not make nearly as much noise as Ryouta does while riding them, but she does smile just as much while always looking excited. And now, it is time for something that Ryouta has been hoping for. Something that he and Serra mischeviously planned the moment that they saw the ride on the park¡¯s website. Something that is responsible for him wearing a hoodie over his shirt when it¡¯s not cold enough to really need one¡­ and responsible for Serra convincing Cassandra to wear a white shirt. A water ride. The park¡¯s water ride. They saw just how much water gets dumped on them in the video, but Cassandra has no such knowledge and does not expect to get more than a little wet. Alice, on the other hand, knows that something is suspicious when she notices Ryouta and Serra looking at each other and smiling so frequently. The thought of something being plotted behind her and Cassandra¡¯s back would be cause for concern to any normal person. But to Alice, it is cause to be excited. Excited in more than one way. As soon as Alice sees one of the water rafts arrive at the docking area with freshly-soaked riders, she looks at Cassandra and puts the pieces together. Ryouta and Serra notice the knowing look on Alice¡¯s face and are worried that they might get ratted out¡­ until Alice gives thems a silent thumbs-up. She¡¯s in on the plan with them now. As for Cassandra, the nearby food stalls are keeping her busy trying to look at what people are getting from them instead of at the ride¡¯s latest riders. Now that it¡¯s their turn to board the raft, the four get strapped in and Serra makes sure to bring Cassandra to sit with her. They read that sitting on the side opposing the dock has the highest chance of rotating at the right time to be under the waterfall, so that is where Serra is sacrificing herself for the sake of getting Cassandra soaked. And while getting soaked in a public amusement park while wearing a white shirt might be embarrassing and put Ryouta and Serra into the bad boyfriend and girlfriend department, Serra made sure that Cassandra¡¯s thickest and most plain bra was on the top of her bra pile. Serra knows that Cassandra always picks the first bra from her pile to put on, so everything has been perfectly orchestrated up to now. The raft departs the dock and begins its journey of oh-so-slowly spinning while traveling down the artificial river. Squirts of water occasionally shoot at them, water falls in bursts from bridges as they pass under them, and animatronic dinosaurs occasionally pop out from the bushes to roar at them and spit water at them, but it it is not until the river¡¯s water gets choppy that the fun begins. The raft bounces around, spins faster, water starts splashing over the sides and into the raft, and it feels like they¡¯re going to get knocked off the underwater guidance rail at any time! And soon they will be approaching the waterfall. Only half of the raft is going to go under it. Even if Cassandra isn¡¯t lined up to perfectly path under it, Ryouta read that he can start spinning the wheel in the center of the raft and may be able to do it quickly enough to spin them so that she gets lined up. It is now that Cassandra realizes what¡¯s happen ¨C she realizes it upon hearing the roaring falling of water coming up behind her. Ryouta and Serra nod at each other. And now¡­ Serra and Cassandra nod at each other before showing Ryouta and Alice their devilish smiles. His eyes widen in shock and betrayal as he realizes what is about to happen. Serra and Cassandra both spin the wheel with all of their strength. Ryouta grabs onto it to try and stop them, but he needs Alice¡¯s help if he wants to overpower them. And Alice is more than contrent to be either the perpetrator or the victim, so she simply sits back and enjoys the suspense with closed eyes. She doesn¡¯t want to know who gets soaked until it happens. The thought of potentially passing under a waterfall and getting drenched is just so exciting! And keeping her eyes closed makes it even more suspenseful! Wearing such dark clothes helps, too. She won¡¯t have to worry about being exposed, even temporarily, to any other park visitors. Though, she wouldn¡¯t mind if she was. The thought of that is exciting, too. The moment of truth arrives. Ryouta tries to spin the wheel, but both Cassandra and Serra are keeping it held in place by pulling it in the opposite direction that he¡¯s trying to spin it. The waterfall comes crashing down onto him and Alice. Serra and Cassandra laugh with each other and finally let go of the wheel, content in seeing Ryouta and Alice utterly drenched in water. The final section of the ride is grand in spectacle but trivial in soaking. The raft goes sliding down a tall hill and crashes into the river below, splashing water up onto the nearby crowds walking by while only a little bit of water actually splashes onto the raft¡¯s riders. Furthermore, Cassandra knew to hunch over to protect her chest from getting soaked. Only her back has gotten wet at all, and she doesn¡¯t care if some random people can see the outline of a white bra strap underneath a white shirt. At the dock, the attendants are ready to quickly help Alice out of the never-still raft, and the rest depart without any issue. But there is one question that Ryouta wants answered. ¡°When¡­ when did you plan that?¡± he asks. ¡°She told me this morning while I was getting dressed,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°I see!¡± Alice says. ¡°Is this why you suggested that I wear this blouse today? I was worried that it may be too dark for such a sunny day, but if this was your intention the entire time, well played!¡± Cassandra and Serra high-five each other while Ryouta sighs in defeat. Even though he¡¯s the one who got soaked, he still takes off his hoodie, wrings the water out of it, and grumpily tosses it at Cassandra. The betrayal and realization that he¡¯s more jealous than he realizes is too much for him. ¡°Why are you giving it to me?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Because. You got wet. Just put it on,¡± he explains. For once, she is the one getting tsundere fanservice. And for once, she understands why he likes it so much whenever she acts like this. It¡¯s cute. She wants more of this. ¡°I¡¯m barely wet. It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± she says, handing it back over to him. ¡°Your back is wet. People can see your bra strap.¡± ¡°So? It¡¯s just a strap. I don¡¯t care if moms or little kids see it.¡± ¡°Just ¨C just put it on.¡± Cassandra raises an eyebrow while Alice giggles to herself with a hand over her mouth. ¡°What? Are you jealous or something that others might see a part of my bra?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯m jealous or anything. I wouldn¡¯t be jealous over something that little after I planned on you getting even more soaked in the first place.¡± Serra sneaks up from behind and pokes Ryouta in the side, causing him to jump and squeak almost on the same level as Cassandra. The roles have been totally and utterly reversed. Ryouta is the tsundere now. But that makes Cassandra happy, so she slips on the hoodie to ensure that not a single prying eye can see even an inch of her bra straps. ¡°You should be thankful we tricked you. You would have been even more jealous if I got soaked,¡± she says. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t consider that. I didn¡¯t know that¡­ I could feel so jealous over something so small,¡± he explains, dropping the tsundere act to be honest. ¡°I knew you¡¯d get soaked and would need a change of clothes or my hoodie to help you, but I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually get jealous or anything.¡± ¡°I almost feel bad for you, but I¡¯m still kind of mad you even thought about getting me to wear white with the plan of soaking me in public in the first place. You think I want a bunch of brats able to see me like that?¡± ¡°I ¨C I was going to cover you up as soon as we were off the ride.¡± ¡°The attendants and people in line still would have seen me. This is why Serra betrayed you to work with me.¡± Serra doesn¡¯t know exactly what is being said, but she understands enough to nod along with whatever Cassandra is saying. Being a girl herself, there was no way that Serra was going to let something so potentially embarrassing happen to her beloved girlfriend! Not around other people, anyways. If they were the only ones in the park then Serra absolutely, without a single ounce of hesitation, allowed Cassandra to get drenched. Even now, Serra is upset with her own ethical decision since it means not getting to see Cassandra in a soaked, white shirt. But she knows that she did the right thing. And now she knows that doing the right thing is really boring. ¡°Goodness, my hero,¡± Alice says. ¡°You are awfully cruel today, are you not? First you conspire to drench your girlfriend with the intention of exposing her, and then you give her your hoodie instead of me despite how wet I am!¡± Ryouta looks down at her. Alice being wet shouldn¡¯t be a problem since she¡¯s wearing a dark blouse, but¡­ it would appear that somebody has pulled down the neck of her blouse just enough to show off some of her dripping cleavage. And that somebody would be none other than Alice herself. Fortunately for Ryouta, Cassandra steps up to grab Alice¡¯s blouse and pull it back up to where it belongs. ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s the only one who gets jealous,¡± Cassandra explains. ¡°My, my! Am I not even allowed to show some of my breasts in public? To think that I am in love with such prudes! Prudes who wish to control my body and how I dress ¨C oh, you two have become even better!¡± ¡°Why do I feel tempted to just take all her clothes off right now?¡± Ryouta asks Cassandra. ¡°Don¡¯t. She¡¯d like that way more and we¡¯d both get way too jealous,¡± Cassandra says, earning a pout from Alice. ¡°We¡¯d also get kicked out. Also, I¡¯ll forgive you for your plan if you buy me some French fries.¡± ¡°But my plan didn¡¯t even work.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I still want French fries.¡± And so, the group gets French fries. Cassandra, being unable to decide, gets two orders of the speciality French fries: one drenched in gravy and cheese, the other drenched in salty vinegar. It feels oh so wrong for her to devour such fatty food. But it tastes oh so good. She even ends up picking at Ryouta¡¯s fries once she¡¯s done with hers since she somehow manages to finish both of her orders before the rest of them can finish one order. Ryouta places a hand over his stomach once he¡¯s done and says, ¡°Those are seriously filling.¡± ¡°I feel so barbaric for eating such messy crisps with my fingers! They were rather delightful, though,¡± Alice says. ¡°Hey. Are those¡­ are those deep-fried cookies?¡± Cassandra asks, sniffing the air with closed eyes. ¡°How can you¡­ how can you even¡­ how?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°How can you still feel hungry and how can you tell what that smell is?¡± ¡°I smelled it when I was a kid at the amusement park.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve never forgotten the smell?¡± ¡°Yeah. How could I?¡± Cassandra turns her head to look over her shoulder, pinpointing the exact direction that the deep-fried cookies are coming from without even being able to see them. Her stomach grumbles. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll go on a super diet starting tomorrow. I¡¯ll only eat five calories a day for the next day,¡± she offers. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d die if you did that,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t die. You can survive for weeks without eating as long as you have water.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you starve yourself. At least eat like, eight hundred calories. I think it¡¯s safe to eat that little for a whole week and that should make up for today.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± she says, already standing up to walk over to the cookies. Serra pushes Alice in her wheelchair as Ryouta throws all of their trash away. Off to get deep-fried cookies they go. Though, only one of them actually has any room in her stomach for them. But at this point, they¡¯re not even sure she¡¯s storing her food in her stomach. Ryouta is half tempted to believe that she¡¯s somehow storing her food in her chest. That¡¯s the only other place on her body that has any space for all the food that she has been eating today. Women¡¯s bodies are truly mysterious and magical things. Book 6: Chapter 8: ¡°Are you full now?¡± Ryouta asks Cassandra. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask like that,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°Is your stomach at maximum capacity?¡± ¡°Not like that, either.¡± ¡°Is your tumulus rumulus at maximus¡­ I have no idea what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°I swear if you would have finished whatever that was.¡± ¡°You two are so adorable together!¡± Alice interjects. ¡°As they like to say on the internet, I fully ship you two!¡± ¡°You¡­ you know you don¡¯t have to ship us when we¡¯re already together, right?¡± Ryouta asks her. ¡°And you know that you¡¯re also shipped with us by default, right?¡± ¡°This may be true. I must think of something even better than shipping in light of this revelation. Ah, I know! Because I come from royalty, this means that I am allowed to knight you! I knight you two!¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think that knighting us¡­ together? Has the same effect as shipping us.¡± ¡°You are making this very difficult, my hero. Do you not know to let your girlfriend have her way every now and then even if what she says is complete nonsense?¡± ¡°At least you admit that it¡¯s nonsense.¡± ¡°Of course I do! I will be the first one to admit how nonsensical I may be at times. After all, being nonsensical is fun!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°For example, because I believe in the path of the nonsensical, I am allowed to say that I believe all of the calories our dear Cassandra consumes somehow end up in her breasts instead of her stomach.¡± ¡°He-hey!¡± Cassandra whines. ¡°Don¡¯t just say something like that all of a sudden around other people.¡± Ryouta chalks that up as one of the things that is probably okay if his girlfriends say it, but not okay if he says it. Even so. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I have been wondering if that might not be so nonsensical after all,¡± he says. ¡°I will hurt you,¡± Cassandra turns around to glare at him. ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Since when are you a masochist?¡± Ryouta points one finger at Cassandra and one finger at Serra. ¡°I believe that my hero is saying that, between your personality and Serra¡¯s actions, he has discovered the wonderful life of being a bottom!¡± Alice says. ¡°Hey, I just said I¡¯m a masochist, and only like seven percent of the time at most. I never said I¡¯m a bottom,¡± Ryouta explains. Serra, detecting that the conversation has turned lewd, is now paying much more attention to reading their lips. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that it¡¯s alright if you want to threaten to hurt me. I need the tsundere fanservice to sustain myself,¡± Ryouta says. Cassandra pouts with reddened cheeks and looks away. ¡°Sh-shush. I already feel bad just for threatening something like that even though I never would. It¡¯s been months since I¡¯ve said anything stupid like that.¡± ¡°We know. I¡¯m still proud of you for trying so hard, even if I do like it as fanservice every now and then.¡± ¡°Well, you can think of that as fanservice then. I-if¡­ if you want to, you¡­ you jerk.¡± Ryouta clutches his chest with one hand and places his other over his mouth, feigning a cough. ¡°How ¨C how was that?¡± Cassandra asks, checking his face for his reaction as if it isn¡¯t already blatantly obvious how much he enjoyed it. Ryouta keeps his hand over his mouth and clutching his shirt while nodding. ¡°I believe that translates to a perfect ten out of ten!¡± Alice interprets. Cassandra crosses her arms over her chest. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it. I feel bad even just pretending like that.¡± Ryouta hunches over, feigning more coughing. ¡°Wh-what kind of reaction is that even supposed to be? You¡¯re acting like you¡¯re dying.¡± ¡°He is implying that you are dangerously precious right now! You are so cute that you are causing him to have a heart attack and cough up blood at the same time. You are that powerful!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I guess it makes sense, but you don¡¯t have to make such a scene about it. It¡¯s making people look over here.¡± Ryouta looks up at his embarrassed girlfriend and sees her nervously twisting her short hair around a finger. ¡°I ¨C I think I might seriously have a heart attack at this rate. This is too much for me,¡± Ryouta says, finally taking his hand away from his mouth. ¡°He-hey! Isn¡¯t that real blood? I thought you were just pretending?!¡± Cassandra shouts and gets closer to examine him. ¡°Oh. Yeah, I accidentally bit my tongue. That¡¯s why I was still holding my hand over my mouth.¡± ¡°Is that all? Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Hmph. You got me all worried over a bit tongue¡­¡± ¡°You seriously are going to give me a heart attack at this rate, though. My face already hurts from smiling.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to make your heart race or anything.¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I ran out of things to say. You better have enjoyed that.¡± ¡°Why?! Why would you use all of your tsundere ideas up at once instead of spreading them out? How long am I going to have to wait to experience that again?!¡± ¡°You ¨C you look seriously depressed. Do you really like that sort of thing that much?¡± Ryouta nods, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. ¡°Worry not, my hero!¡± Alice says, holding out her phone to him. ¡°I recorded her the entire time! We may both relive this wonderful moment whenever we wish.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deserve you, Alice.¡± ¡°Ah, if only. If you did not deserve me then I could fantasize about attempting to work with this broken body of mine to support you while you take advantage of me! While you sit around all day doing naught more than playing games, eating and drinking, and fooling around with other girls behind my back while not even attempting to hide proof of your acts, I would be out trying my best to support you and our unborn child! Even after coming home one day and catching you in the act with another woman in our bed, I would¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me? This is an amusement park. For families. Do I need to report you to the park staff?¡± a random woman who appears to be in her forties with short hair asks. If there has ever been a stereotypical Karen, this woman is her. Behind her are three children splitting up to run off in different directions where they can finally be free for all of a few minutes before being caught. ¡°A-ah¡­ my apologies,¡± Alice says. Ryouta and Cassandra can¡¯t help but to look away and try not to laugh. Alice might be their girlfriend, but¡­ the woman has a point and isn¡¯t exactly being rude about it. Also, it is just plain hilarious to them that she is finally getting in trouble for discussing her fantasies in public. But there¡¯s a problem. ¡°Bithch.¡± Ryouta¡¯s, Cassandra¡¯s, Alice¡¯s, and the woman¡¯s eyes all go wide from what they just heard. Standing there between Alice and the woman is a short girl with long, white hair who just called ¨C well, attempted to call, the woman a bitch. ¡°Excuse me?!¡± the woman shouted, immediately turning to look for staff. By the time she turns back around, they¡¯re gone ¨C lost in the sea of people now walking throughout the park. ¡°That was¡­ awesome but also¡­ what?¡± Ryouta says, unsure of how he is supposed to react to this. ¡°Why¡¯d you call her a bitch?¡± Cassandra asks Serra. Serra signs to them to say that she did it because she insulted Alice. ¡°But she didn¡¯t insult her. All she did was tell Alice to watch what she was saying in public, basically.¡± Serra asks if she¡¯s sure. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Serra says. ¡°What¡­ what did you think that she said?¡± All Serra can answer with is that she¡¯s not even sure now. But regardless of that, Serra still gets grabbed onto and pulled. ¡°I apologize, my hero, but you will have to go by a different name for now. Serra is my hero for today!¡± Alice explains, nuzzling the side of her face up against Serra¡¯s. ¡°Even if that was uncalled for, you had the proper intention and stood up for me!¡± Serra can¡¯t even read Alice¡¯s lips because of how close together their faces are, but she doesn¡¯t need to in order to enjoy the current situation. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t expecting that,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Same,¡± Ryouta agrees. ¡°I¡¯m honestly impressed. That was awesome.¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s been less shy lately, but I guess she¡¯s capable of that if she thinks we¡¯re being insulted.¡± Once more, Serra has proven that she is the true harem leader of their relationship. One single action was all that it took for her to impress all of her present lovers, and it was a mistake at that! ¡°She¡¯s¡­ seriously like a harem protagonist,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I don¡¯t know what harem protagonists are like but I know that you¡¯re probably right,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°Also¡­ aren¡¯t we going to get in trouble if she reports us? She got a good look at Alice, and she kind of sticks out. It won¡¯t be hard to report a girl in a wheelchair with¡ª¡± Ryouta and Cassandra look at Alice¡¯s hair. ¡°¡ªpurple hair.¡± ¡°Ah, that will not be an issue!¡± Alice says, temporarily letting go of her new hero so that she can reach into her purse and pull out¡­ a wig. She takes off her current wig, revealing her naturally blonde hair for only a few moments, and puts on a green wig with longer hair. ¡°There! Now I look just like I do in-game, yes?¡± They can never be sure what her hair color is for the day without really focusing on it because of how frequently Alice goes through her wigs. And this is more evidence of that. She started the day as a natural blonde, then was purple for the first half of it, and now she has green hair. They can¡¯t even be sure that this is the last change of the day. ¡°I doubt that any of the staffers are going to expect a girl in a wheelchair to be carrying around a bunch of different-colored wigs, so¡­ we¡¯re probably fine?¡± Ryouta says. He and Cassandra shrug while Alice goes back to showering Serra in family-friendly, amusement-park-approved, PG-rated affection. Serra, however, does not care about such follies and sneakily gropes Alice as they hug. And then she not-so-sneakily gropes Alice. This results in Ryouta and Cassandra strategically positioning themselves to hide what Serra is doing with her hands away from the passing crowds. Serra deserves it. Five minutes after that¡­ the realization of what Serra really did finally hits her. This results in going back to hiding behind Ryouta and keeping herself close to his back, her face hidden from the crowds. She was finally courageous and, in the moment, called a woman a bitch ¨C she might have finally, for the first time in real life, stuck up to somebody for an important and just reason¡­ and then it turned out that it was a mistake because she was barely paying any attention to reading the woman¡¯s lips. Not only did Serra call a woman a bitch for no reason, but her near-perfect track record of flawlessly reading lips now has another negative mark on it. All in all, Serra is reminded of why she should let Ryouta and Cassandra handle those things while she sticks in the back and minimizes her presence. And that isn¡¯t all. What about her voice? With all of the confidence she has been building up lately, she was finally feeling confident enough to start using her voice when in public sometimes. She stopped reading the lips of everybody around her because she stopped caring about what they thought. She got confident and lazy. And now she is reminded of why that is a bad thing. The more that they walk ¨C the more time passes, the more she regrets ever saying anything. Even she was proud of herself at first, but now? What did her voice sound like when she insulted that woman? What about the previous times in the day when she used her voice around others? What does she really sound like, and what do people think? She became aware of how many people look at Alice while pushing her wheelchair around, but how many look at her whenever she talks? The memories of strangers looking at her whenever she tried talking when younger¡ª She gets poked on the forehead. When she looks up, she sees Ryouta leaning over in front of her and staring into her eyes. When she looks to her sides, Alice and Cassandra are gone. They are also right next to a woman¡¯s bathroom, so she quickly puts together what¡¯s going on. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°You¡¯ve been spacing out for the past few minutes. It¡¯s also extremely obvious when you¡¯re upset, so don¡¯t even try to deny it, Miss Harem Protagonist.¡± Serra pulls out her phone instead of relying on sign language to type: I messed up. ¡°How?¡± I was really proud of myself for standing up for Alice, but I didn¡¯t even do that right. I wanted to be useful for once. But I messed up. ¡°What changed? You didn¡¯t seem that bothered after it happened. Your hands definitely didn¡¯t seem to mind it much, and Alice¡¯s body can attest to that.¡± I know. I guess I didn¡¯t think about it and really realize what I did. And then I started thinking about everything else and other people and how they might look at me and think about me and I started worrying more and maybe I should start using those implants again so I can hear. Life would probably be a lot easier if I could hear, and I could be more useful, and I know I probably sound stupid when I talk. Sorry. I¡¯m being stupid on a day that¡¯s supposed to be fun. Nothing that bad happened but I still feel really bad and I guess everything hit me at once. I was just really happy to finally do something that I thought was useful and good but I messed it up. And I know you¡¯re going to say I¡¯m useful in the game and stuff, but I mean useful in real life. You all do way more than me. Maybe I should start doing more chores. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m being stupid and I know that. Sorry. This text is getting really long. I guess I¡¯ll show this to you now and then feel even more stupid for typing all of this. I¡¯m probably overreacting. Maybe I should delete this before I show you. No. Okay. I¡¯m going to give you the phone so that you can read all of this and then turn around and feel stupid. Sorry again. I already feel better just from venting about it in this text, so I guess I don¡¯t even really need to show you. No. Okay. I¡¯m going to show you. Here. If you¡¯re reading this first, make sure to scroll up so that you start from the top. Serra hands the phone over so that Ryouta can read her message. Now, just as she mentioned she would, she turns around with a light blush on her cheeks so that she can feel stupid by herself and regret rambling so much. Then a phone appears in front of her. Ryouta hands it back to her by holding it out over her shoulder. Her text has been replaced by his own. One, I love you. Two, Cassandra, Alice, and Aza love you. Three, we all love you. Four, have I mentioned that we love you yet? Five, let me get to the point. Thank you for letting me read that. I know that you used to be way more shy and have been really happy with how much more confident you¡¯ve been getting lately, and all of us have noticed. We didn¡¯t want to bring attention to it because I remembered reading about how it¡¯s best to try and subtly encourage people and act like nothing is that different when they¡¯re making changes instead of calling them out on it and potentially making them self-conscious about it¡­ or something like that. You calling that bitch a bitch was awesome and we all loved it, and not just because it was funny. Even if you didn¡¯t need to say that, we¡¯re all really proud that you did. You were seriously awesome and the look on her face was hilarious. Plus, even if she didn¡¯t actually insult Alice, she definitely seemed like a bitch. So, you weren¡¯t even wrong. You were just being perceptive. And yes, I am partly saying this just because I want you to feel better. But seriously, we¡¯re all proud of the progress you¡¯ve been making and we don¡¯t want to see that get reversed because of one mistake if it can even be called that. As for the hearing implant thing¡­ if you want, that¡¯s your choice. You¡¯re going to be stuck with us either way, but we in no way think that you need it and we don¡¯t want or not want you to get it either. We just want you to be happy. Also, I have no idea how to enter a line break on your phone. Your keyboard looks different than mine and everything is in different places. One more thing. You can talk about this sort of stuff whenever you want no matter what time it is, no matter where we are, no matter what we¡¯re doing, whatever. If you ever need or want to talk about this sort of thing, just let us know and you know we¡¯ll happily talk to you about it. Serra turns around to face him, unsure of what sort of expression she should be making, and starts typing on her phone. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah-ee wuv yew,¡± she says after having put her phone away. She was making so much progress before. One mistake is no reason to halt that progress and it is definitely no reason to revert that progress. ¡°Love you too, Serra Berra,¡± Ryouta says, planting a kiss on her lips. She kisses him back as soon as his lips leave hers, and then she signs to him to apologize again for being so dramatic. ¡°Everybody has their moments. I still wake up sometimes and think that I¡¯m pathetic and not worth any of you, and I get worried that you all might leave me at any time. I don¡¯t even think that it¡¯s possible for humans not to have worries like that no matter how unrealistic they might be. At least, I think that it¡¯s unrealistic. Right?¡± Serra smirks and waits a few moments before answering his question with another kiss. ¡°Thanks. But like I said, it happens to all of us. Don¡¯t feel ashamed about it or anything. Also¡­ they¡¯re taking a long time in there. I guess that it doesn¡¯t help that there was a line.¡± Ryouta turns to look at the men¡¯s bathroom across the paved path. No line. Men going in and coming out just as quickly. If there is one thing that makes Ryouta glad to be a man, it is the speed of using the bathroom. Especially in public. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± he asks, taking his thoughts away from that and back to Serra. Serra nods and kisses him. Again. And pulls her phone out for ease of what she is about to request. Can I practice saying that word? I know I probably messed it up earlier, but I don¡¯t want to mess it up the next time I say it. ¡°What word? Bitch?¡± She nods. She has never asked for practice in expressing love with her voice nor anything else¡­ but she wants to practice swearing. Ryouta is absolutely alright with this. ¡°Alright. Watch my lips. Bitch.¡± ¡°Beech?¡± ¡°Bitch.¡± ¡°Byitch?¡± ¡°Bitch.¡± ¡°Bitch?¡± ¡°Bitch!¡± ¡°Bitch!¡± ¡°What¡­ are you two doing?¡± Cassandra asks with Alice beside her, each standing behind Ryouta. They aren¡¯t the only ones paying attention to Ryouta and Serra. Their lesson on swearing has caused several nearby parents to cover the ears of their children, and it even looks like one of them might be looking for another park staffer. ¡°We might need to borrow some of your wigs,¡± Ryouta tells Alice. ¡°You are welcome to wear my wigs whenever you wish, Ryouta,¡± Alice says. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s weird hearing you say my actual name.¡± ¡°Alas, until you reclaim your position as my hero from my hero, you will have to deal with it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bad weird. I like it. Anyways, you two good to go?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassandra answers, ¡°but I think I might have ate too much.¡± Not a single person is shocked. Not Ryouta. Not Alice. Not Serra. Not the random guests. Not the amusement park rides themselves. Not the clouds nor the ground. Not anybody from the real world to the countless virtual worlds. Even though Ryouta, Alice, and Serra are the only ones staring at Cassandra after hearing those words from her, she can feel the weight of the universe judging her. She can feel the weight of reality itself judging her. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll start my diet tomorrow¡­ a-and you¡¯re the ones who encouraged me to eat junk!¡± They continued staring. And staring. And staring. While, yes, they did encourage her to relax and eat¡­ not a single being in all of existence across any number of existences that exist encouraged her to eat as much as she did. And, to make matters even worse¡­ Her stomach grumbles. ¡°Cassandra, my dear,¡± Alice says, ¡°I believe that your stomach may be disagreeing with you. Would you like to explain to us how such a thing is possible?¡± ¡°The theory about it all going into her chest is growing even stronger,¡± Ryouta says. Serra didn¡¯t hear the grumble, but she knows that Cassandra is being teased, so she playfully points a finger at Cassandra¡¯s stomach and slowly wiggles it closer through the air. ¡°I will eat the finger if it pokes my stomach,¡± Cassandra warns. ¡°Why ¨C why did you have to threaten it via eating?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°You may be farther gone than we originally believed,¡± Alice says. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I won¡¯t eat anything else for the rest of the¡ª¡± Cassandra sniffs the air. A fresh batch of funnel cake topped with strawberries and vanilla ice cream just went by her to the nearby tables. When she turns to look in the direction of where such a beautiful feast came from, she sees the stand producing the wonderful creations. ¡°I - I know what I just said¡­ but¡­¡± They end up eating funnel cake. Before the group knows it, the sun has started its descent in the sky and the park is more packed than at any other point in the day. Even their fast passes cannot save them from waiting in lines now, though they only have to wait in lines that take up to thirty minutes instead of three hours. Between it getting late and having already visited all of the tempting food places, they focus on the rides and rides only. Each one is grander than the last as they reach the best that the park has to offer. And that includes finally making it to the amusement park¡¯s largest and most intimidating roller coaster. The Super Looper 9001. Like in most cases, it is hard to tell by name whether it is a roller coaster or a water gun. But, while it may have a ridiculous name, it looks anything but to the challenger that is Serra. It has everything made to scare inexperienced riders. A steep climb. An even steeper drop. Tall loops. Corkscrews. Corkscrew loops. Underground sections. And then all of that gets repeated but in reverse. But even though Serra watches as a couple of the latest riders get out of their seats to immediately throw in the nearby trashcans provided for such a reason, she wants to go on it. Is she terrified? Absolutely. Is she trying to be as brave as she can be, especially after her venting session earlier? Without a doubt. She knows that if she can be brave enough to call a woman a bitch and to speak her love out loud while surrounded by passersby, then she can go on a roller coaster. Even so¡­ this does not mean that she is not the one currently treating Ryouta and Alice as her guardians. She is holding onto both of their hands and trying her hardest not to shake too much. ¡°Seriously, this is when you pretend to have a heart attack or whatever it was,¡± Cassandra tells Ryouta. ¡°How could I have a heart attack when I have a Serra to help?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Ryouta has a point! As much as I would love to record my hero¡¯s current shivering for looking back at in the future, comforting and preparing her is much more important,¡± Nell explains. ¡°Oh, and want to ride together again?¡± Cassandra asks Alice. ¡°Of course! I rode the last one with Ryouta, and my hero was before that, so now it is your turn again.¡± The line progresses, forcing Serra¡¯s and Alice¡¯s hands apart as they have to stand in separated lines for their soon-to-be cars. This just means that Serra can hold one of Ryouta¡¯s hands while holding onto the side of his shirt with her other hand. Ryouta pokes her to get her attention before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯re safe. Nothing will happen to you as long as I¡¯m here, alright?¡± Serra nods. Not only are they riding the most intimidating ride in the park¡­ but they are in line to sit at the very front of it. By Serra¡¯s choice. Meanwhile, Alice and Cassandra have decided to sit at the very back for this one. And now it is time for them to get into their cars. Ryouta and Serra climb in, buckle up, and bring down the bars that tightly hug against their chests. Their hands are only ever separated for a second at most. ¡°Ah ¨C ah-ee wuv yew,¡± Serra stutters. ¡°I¡ª¡± Laughter. Ryouta doesn¡¯t even need to turn his head to know that the two teenage punks who are in the car directly behind theirs are the ones laughing, and he has a good idea of what ¨C of who they are laughing at. ¡°¡ªlove you too,¡± he says, not giving the punks any attention so that Serra doesn¡¯t get worried again. The cars launch and proceed up the steepest climb yet. Ryouta makes sure to position his arm around Serra¡¯s shoulders in a way that keeps her hair held down, otherwise it would be hanging back toward the annoying punks. ¡°Hey, bro, ah-ee wuv yewwww,¡± one of the boys mocks to the other. It is at this moment that, even if he is in real life, Ryouta finds a reason to temporarily bring back the Divine Brigade as a guild of one. Serra stuck up for Alice when she didn¡¯t even really need to. Now, it is Ryouta¡¯s turn to stick up for Serra. And this is extremely easy to do. ¡°Shit, I shouldn¡¯t have ate so much before getting on here,¡± Ryouta says loudly enough for the teens behind him to hear. ¡°I swear if this dude fucking gets anything on us,¡± one of the teens says. Ryouta turns his head just enough to look back at them and catches them both glaring at him. So, he feigns a quick vomiting inside of his mouth. ¡°This isn¡¯t good,¡± he says to himself, making use of one of the skills he randomly decided to learn but has never had a good reason to use it until now: making himself burp. Serra, eyes forward and hand tightly gripping one of Ryouta¡¯s, has no idea what her boyfriend is up to. As for their girlfriends at the back¡­ then can see everything that he is doing. So can the other riders between him and his girlfriends. ¡°I swear if he throws up on us,¡± Cassandra says. Alice tilts her head. ¡°I do not think he would. His behavior is rather odd at the moment, though.¡± Back at the front, Ryouta opens his mouth and lurches while looking behind him. ¡°Bro! Fucking turn around or some shit!¡± ¡°Look out the side or something!¡± The teens are practically trying to crawl away and avoid Ryouta¡¯s aim, but the ride¡¯s security features make sure that no such escape is possible. As for Ryouta himself¡­ ¡°I want to die, but this is for Serra,¡± he thinks. Everybody behind him can see the ¡°nauseous¡± faces that he is making. They all get to watch as he forces himself to look sick just to screw with the two punks who dared to mock his girlfriend. But this is all that he can do. This isn¡¯t a game, so he can¡¯t kill them, he can¡¯t destroy nor steal their things, and while he could attack them after the ride is over, he would rather not get arrested. Therefore, the best thing that he can think of is to make sure that the two bastards have something to really fear the entire ride, and it¡¯s not going to be the ride itself. And it only gets worse for the two teens. Ryouta¡¯s plan works far better than he could ever have expected it to. He was only pretending to get sick¡­ but he has done such a perfect job of it that he causes the two teens to actually get sick. ¡°Dude! Stop! Please!¡± Even other riders behind the two bastards are getting upset at this point. But since when has any Divine Brigade member cared about people being upset? As the leader of it, Ryouta is not going to let anybody get away with mocking his girlfriend, nor is he going to care if some innocents get caught up in the crossfire. All he cares about is getting revenge. All he cares about is winning. No, neither of those would appropriately express how he feels. While they would perfectly describe Ryouta, the Divine Brigade leader, that is just not who he is anymore even if he has decided to temporarily bring the Divine Brigade back. Ryouta is simply the former Divine Brigade leader and all he cares about is supporting his girlfriend who is trying her absolute best to overcome multiple fears and anxieties, and he is not going to allow anybody, no matter who they may be, to mock her. The first teen vomits as soon as they reach the top of the hill after the long ascent, spraying onto himself and getting it all over his clothes. The second teen gets triggered into vomiting himself after seeing his friend do it. And then, just as an unplanned chain of vomiting starts, the roller coaster soars down the first and largest hill at incredible speed. He can hear the screams of disgust and horror come from behind. They are music to his ears. And, since he is sitting at the very front, he doesn¡¯t have to worry about any of the vomit hitting him. Meanwhile, his brave girlfriend¡ªwho has no idea what is happening behind her¡ªhas found the courage to scream and giggle and shout to her heart¡¯s extent with every heart-pounding twist and loop that the roller coaster has to offer. And, to Ryouta, the sounds escaping her are far superior to any of those coming from behind. There is only one thing ¨C two people, that Ryouta is worried about. And he has decided to pretend that they are definitely not at risk of suffering the consequences of what he has caused until the ride is over. He may or may not be killed after the ride is over. Book 6: Chapter 9: The train finally returns to the station, and aboard it is a sight that turns the stomachs of many waiting to board the ride. Those who are not disgusted are laughing. Serra, wondering what everybody is laughing and disgusted at, finally turns around to look behind her. Her eyes open wide as she discovers the destruction behind her. The two men that sat directly behind them are both covered in their own vomit from their chests to their foreheads. Every single row behind them is covered, too. The cars, the people in them ¨C it is a disaster unsanitary enough that the staff will need to swap the train out for one of the backups so that they can clean and sanitize the train. When Serra looks up at Ryouta, she sees a man with a smug, satisfied smile. Suspicious. Very suspicious. What is even more suspicious is that he signs to her telling her they need to leave immediately. It is time to run before he gets reported. And so, figuring that Cassandra and Alice will catch up and hopefully not kill him, Ryouta gets out of the train, holds Serra¡¯s hand, and gets out of there before those recovering from the nightmare of a ride can report what happened. Ryouta is not running away; he is tactically acquiring a safer position. When he finally feels safe, he pulls out his phone to send a group text letting Alice and Cassandra know where they are hiding. He doesn¡¯t get an answer which does cause him to worry a bit. They may potentially be very upset with him. He can¡¯t blame them if they are, either. Was it worth it? Ryouta looks down at Serra. Her hair has been blown back and it may now be the messiest he has ever seen it. Her cheeks are still flushed, too. Most importantly, she is wearing a mighty grin. ¡°Have fun?¡± he asks her. Serra nods, reaches up to grab his face, and kisses him. ¡°Fun,¡± she says. ¡°Fery fun.¡± It was worth it. ¡°See? Roller coasters aren¡¯t that scary.¡± She nods her head and looks over at the line. She wants to go again. Unfortunately, that would not be a good idea, and Ryouta finally explains to her what happened while switching out one part. It is not that he wants to lie to her. It is that he doesn¡¯t want to ruin her day. So, he explains what happened and says that he did it because the guys behind them were mocking him with racial slurs. A simple lie, but a believable enough one. Unfortunately for him¡­ Serra pouts and lightly smacks his arm. ¡°I guess I was too obvious. I just can¡¯t bring myself to seriously try around any of you. Sorry for trying,¡± he says. Serra signs, asking if they were making fun of her. As much as he doesn¡¯t want to confirm it, she is already suspicious and he is too bad of a liar when it comes to his girlfriends. ¡°Yeah,¡± he sighs. Serra pouts more before sighing herself. While sitting next to each other on a stone bench, she grabs his head and pulls him down so that she has his head against her chest. ¡°Hanks,¡± she whispers ¨C or rather, tries to whisper. She is louder than she realizes. Next, she pulls out her phone while holding his head against her chest still with her other hand. A short wait later and she holds it in front of his face. You¡¯re a bad dog for trying to lie, but I know why you did and I appreciate it even if I don¡¯t like it. Don¡¯t ever try to lie to me again, no matter how small even if it¡¯s super tiny for my own good, okay? Even if I ask you if my butt looks big in pants, if it does, I want you to say so. Cass Cass wouldn¡¯t want you to, but I would. Never try it again. Also, I love you and thank you for trying. I know this is sending mixed messages. I don¡¯t like that you tried to lie, but I understand why you did and I really do love you for trying because of why you lied, but I don¡¯t need you to lie to protect me. All I need is for you to hold me and comfort me when I feel bad. And make people throw up. That also helps me. Ryouta sighs, realizing that all of his girlfriends really are perfect. ¡°I have to try and be a better boyfriend for all of you,¡± he says, though she is not able to read his lips thanks to how she is holding him. ¡°You mean be a boyfriend who doesn¡¯t almost make vomit rain all over his girlfriends?¡± Ryouta looks up. Cassandra and Alice are in front of them. ¡°A-ah. Hey. Uh¡­ about that,¡± he says, not even wanting to look them over to see if they got vomit on them or not. ¡°You¡¯re lucky,¡± Casandra says. He finally looks them over. Not a single speck of vomit is anywhere on them. He breathes a sigh of relief. ¡°We realized what you were doing, and although we did not understand why, we ducked before anything could happen!¡± Alice explains. ¡°The staff at the station were not happy with us. Ducking as low as we were is apparently not allowed and actually quite dangerous!¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that way too enthusiastically,¡± Cassandra says. ¡°So, why did you decide to troll a whole ride and get vomit all over everybody?¡± she asks Ryouta. ¡°Well¡ª¡± ¡°For me,¡± Serra says. She quickly types what happened on her phone and hands it over to Alice so that she and Cassandra can read it. ¡°I see! My hero ¨C ah, wait. You are not my hero for the day. I forgot. Serra¡¯s hero, I must admit that I would never have expected such a plan! I suppose that this is the true power of the one who once led the Divine Brigade,¡± Alice says, handing the phone back to Serra. ¡°Seriously¡­ we saw the faces you were making. How¡¯d you get that good at pretending how to vomit?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°To get out of school,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°Nurses were quick to call my parents when I¡¯d pretend that I was sick, but I only did it a couple times a year. The burping thing ¨C I learned that for no real reason. I think. If I had a reason for it, I forget.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t get us sick. I was starting to feel it myself, and hearing everybody in front of us didn¡¯t help. You¡¯re such a sadist.¡± ¡°I know, but you like it when I¡¯m sadistic, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Not when you¡¯re that type of sadistic. Well, I mean¡­ why you were sadistic is hot, but not how you were sadistic. That was just¡­ gross.¡± ¡°I did what needed to be done. It was for the greater good. Getting back at those two punks for what they were doing was worth potentially getting you two caught up in the crossfire.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about what I just heard. You just said that it would be worth it if you got vomit on us.¡± ¡°But it was for Serra.¡± ¡°I think you just wanted to be a dick, too.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I can¡¯t deny that I didn¡¯t want to get revenge just because. They were assholes.¡± ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t find that as attractive as I do. Why do I have to like bad guys¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying I should be bad more often to make sure you stay in love with me?¡± ¡°No. Being bad once a year is enough for me. I¡¯ll be mad if you¡¯re bad any more than that.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll make sure to come up with a super asshole plan for next year.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t include vomit next time.¡± ¡°What if I include vomit but make sure that none of you are at risk of getting it on you?¡± ¡°No vomit.¡± ¡°Alice?¡± ¡°I must take Cassandra¡¯s side on this matter, Serra¡¯s hero,¡± Alice answers. ¡°You can just call me by my name if you¡¯re not going to call me your hero.¡± ¡°I could! However, if I call you Serra¡¯s hero instead of Ryouta, I still get to call you a hero!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s a villain today,¡± Cassandra interjects. ¡°Chaotic neutral at least.¡± ¡°Not chaotic good?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°If you were chaotic good then you would have cared about getting a bunch of innocents caught up in your revenge.¡± ¡°Oh. All the others getting vomit on them took it from being revenge to being hilarious.¡± ¡°Never mind. You¡¯re chaotic evil.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Alice cheers. ¡°Then I may call you my villain! Though, you have never done anything so villainous to me. My he¡ªSerra¡¯s hero! Do something villainous to me so that I may justify calling you my villain!¡± ¡°Like ¨C like what?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Choke me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not choking you in public.¡± ¡°Smack me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not smacking you, either.¡± ¡°Toss me out of my wheelchair and push my head against the ground underneath your foot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that evil!¡± ¡°Hmm. You are making this rather difficult. Ah! I know.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Insult me!¡± ¡°I¡¯d feel way too bad.¡± ¡°Hmm. Very well. Pinch me hard enough to make me bleed.¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I could, but I¡¯d probably still feel bad.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. I would have thought that the former leader of the fearsome Divine Brigade would be capable of pinching a girl, but I suppose that there are some things even the former leader could not do.¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Alice wheels closer with an excited smile on her face. Ryouta finally pulls his head away from Serra¡¯s chest. ¡°Cover us,¡± he tells Cassandra and Serra. Serra gives a thumbs-up while Cassandra sighs. With Alice sitting in her wheelchair in front of him, Cassandra and Alice strategically covering them from passersby, Ryouta leans forward and presses his lips against her neck. And bites. He only bites her hard enough to draw blood, but¡­ In Alice Vision, the fangs of a vampire are sinking deep into the delicate flesh of her neck. In a dark castle atop a lonely hill, the only other living creatures around being bats and crows, Alice has been kidnapped from the small village that she calls home by a horrifying-but-oh-so-handsome lord of the night! He swept her away one night while she was walking through the fields too late at night regardless of how many times her parents warned her not to. After bringing her back to the castle, she has been kept alive as he has brought her food and water with his daily attempts at seducing her mind. For the fearsome vampire Ryoutula wants not a forced servant but one who is willing to fall into the dark with him! After weeks of developing Stockholm syndrome, the pure maiden Alice has finally given in to the desires implanted in her mind by Ryoutula. She has submitted to him. Laid down on his grand bed covered in crimson sheets, he has pinned her down and brought his lips to her neck. And now he is turning her into a vampire just like he is. The irreversible ritual will forever change her life, and her existence will be tied to his from now until the end of eternity! By the time that the ritual is complete, she can only sigh in disappointment that his fangs have left her neck. But at least he has left her with a gift. Alice reaches up to her neck to touch where the two, deep holes have been left so that she can feel the proof of his action. ¡°Was it painful?¡± Ryoutula asks, his fangs dripping with her blood that he oh-so-seductively licks with his tongue. Alice parts her lips to respond, but¡­ ¡°There,¡± Cassandra says, putting a bandage on Alice¡¯s neck. ¡°We¡¯ll get in trouble if people see you walking around with a fresh hickey.¡± Alice lets out the longest, most disappointed sigh that any of them have ever heard come from her. In fact, they did not even know that she is capable of making such a noise of disappointment until now. ¡°Was it too painful?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°Ryouta,¡± Alice says, looking into his eyes with the eyes of a puppy. ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± ¡°If I buy you a vampire costume, will you please pretend to be my Ryoutula?¡± ¡°Ryou¡­ Ryoutula?¡± Cassandra has to look away and cover her mouth to not laugh. ¡°Please, Ryouta? I need this. I know that a vampire and maiden play may be tame compared to most of my fantasies, but it is now the most desired fantasy I have ever had! Please, Ryouta? Please?¡± She looks like she is genuinely about to cry. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll pretend to be a vampire for you.¡± Alice instantly cheers up and claps her hands together. ¡°Wonderful! Thank you very much, my villain. Ah, and do bite harder next time. I wish for you to bite into my carotid artery.¡± ¡°I ¨C you¡¯d have to go to the hospital if I did that.¡± ¡°And?¡± Alice asked, the expression on her face being one that truly does not understand why that would be an issue. Her greedy desire for the vampiric fantasy is far too strong. It is so strong that it is overwhelming all common sense. All that matters is that she continues the scene from her Alice Vision. ¡°You¡¯re scary sometimes, Alice,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°That is no good! The maiden is supposed to be scared of the villain. Perhaps you should bite the other side of my neck to prove how fearsome you are?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Cassandra pulls out a few more bandages from her purse. ¡°Alright.¡± After giving Alice several more reasons to wear bandages on her neck, there is no way that she does not look suspicious. No girl would normally be rolling around in a wheelchair, in an amusement park, with five bandages spread out across the most biteable parts of her neck. Then, of course, Cassandra and Serra were not going to be the only ones left without bandaged necks. And then there was Ryouta. Serra made sure that Ryouta has a reason to wear a bandage on his neck. She tried to convince Alice and Cassandra to give his neck reasons for bandages, too, but both prefer to be the bitees rather than the biters. And so, with each party member having a bandaged neck, they finally resumed giving the amusement park itself some attention. First came dinner. Their stomachs were still mostly full from their earlier binging, but they managed to find enough room to get proper dinners at one of the ¡°classy¡± restaurants inside of the amusement park. While the food was not as high-class as a classy restaurant not based inside of an amusement park, and it was on the same tier as McFonalds to Alice, they still enjoyed the meals that they ordered. It had been too long since Ryouta last ordered a steak. And, of course, he ordered it rare since any steak that is cooked beyond rare is a piece of rubber. Medium-rare is acceptable, but he knows that blue to rare is how steak is meant to be consumed. This was dangerous for him. Was it the fact that he was eating a rare steak cooked in an amusement park that was dangerous? No. What was dangerous was the fact that he ate a rare steak in front of Alice while she was already in the mood for vampires. If she was not already addicted to the concept of Ryoutula, her addiction was cemented when she saw ¡°blood¡± from the steak drip down his lips. It was such a shame to her when he wiped it off with a napkin. At the very least, he could have allowed her to lick it off! To share the blood of a victim between two vampires ¨C what could be more romantic? Cassandra was the only one to pick up on how obsessively Alice was watching Ryouta eat his steak. Ryouta was too busy enjoying his steak, and Serra was too busy eating her chicken fingers with mac and cheese. She also had a beer to go with it. Drinking alcohol wasn¡¯t allowed in the amusement park¡­ except inside of a couple specifically marked zones, one of which was the restaurant. What better to have in a classy restaurant than chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, and a beer? There was something that Cassandra noticed outside of the window they were sat next to. A small boy walked by with a cone of spiraled ice cream far too tall for him. Needless to say, they acquired ice cream after dinner. Now, having experienced most of what the park has to offer in both rides and food, the streetlights have been turned on and the sun is no longer visible in the sky. The group is now sitting on a blanket that they have rented and placed down over a grass field in front of a grand pond with a flowing fountain at its center. The Ferris wheel in the background is in the process of its final rotations, most of the rides have already closed for the night, and the screams and shouts that filled the park earlier have all but died out save for an occasional few. It is mostly other couples and families sitting together on the grass. Fortunately, the food that some of them are eating is not enough to tempt Ryouta and his girlfriends to eat any more after how much they have already consumed. Though, the food does lend a delicious scent to the air. There are even a few fireflies popping up with their glowing rears every now and then. Given how rare fireflies are, most people in attendance¡ªRyouta and his girlfriends included¡ªhave either never seen them before or have not seen them in many years. However, for an amusement park with money to spare, having a farm for them to release them on perfect nights such as these helps to provide an unforgettable night for the guests. Ryouta and Alice may be on wanted lists now within the park, but they are still valued costumers. For now. ¡°Have fun?¡± Ryouta asks Cassandra and Alice. ¡°I hate myself for how much I ate, but yeah,¡± Cassandra answers. ¡°Today was really nice. We should do this again sometime, but¡­ maybe go to a place that doesn¡¯t have so much junk food.¡± ¡°I agree! Though, I am fine with going to another place with such great selections of food. I am confident in my self-control,¡± Alice says. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to throw that last part on there.¡± ¡°I know, my dear Cassandra, but it is not often that I join in on teasing you. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°Fine. You¡¯re forgiven.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Cassandra asks Ryouta. ¡°You have fun?¡± ¡°Yeah. A lot. Got to ride the rides, eat the food, grief some assholes ¨C I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any better way to spend a day at an amusement park,¡± he answers. ¡°You could spend it as a vampire!¡± Alice suggests. ¡°Maybe for Halloween.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Amusement parks usually have special Halloween events where they set up haunted houses, sometimes change the designs of rides to have special props and scares, and people like to dress up for it. I remember going to one with my mom when I was a kid for Halloween. While we were walking, a guy in a butcher¡¯s costume with a hockey mask on snuck up behind us and revved a fake chainsaw. I jumped, but my mom screamed, let go of me, and ran away while screaming at the top of her lungs. She apologized to me for the next couple of weeks for abandoning me to a chainsaw killer.¡± Serra might not have managed to read his lips for all of that, but that doesn¡¯t stop her from joining Cassandra and Alice in smiling from his story. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t that¡­ like the first story you¡¯ve ever told us from your childhood?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°If it was not, it was certainly the first one featuring one of his parents!¡± Alice adds on. ¡°Seriously?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°I¡­ guess I just never really thought of telling you stories about them before. Or me as a kid.¡± ¡°I would love to hear more of your childhood, my villain. I think your parents would like your memories of them to live on and be shared!¡± Cassandra scratches the side of her head while looking away. It isn¡¯t that she doesn¡¯t want to hear more stories of Ryouta¡¯s youth and his parents as well, but given what happened¡­ ¡°Sure,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I¡¯ll have to dig out the old photo album I have. There are hundreds of pictures of me with my parents in it, and there¡¯s probably a story to go with each one.¡± All of his girlfriends are now much, much more interested than they were before. ¡°Hundreds¡­ of pictures of you as a kid?¡± Cassandra asks. The three girls lean in closer. Even Serra is paying full attention now. ¡°That reminds me,¡± Ryouta says, pulling out his phone. Sitting on the blanket that they rented, Ryouta lies down and pulls his girlfriends down with him so that they are shoulder-to-shoulder. ¡°My mom loved taking pictures, and she always told me to make sure to take pictures of everything and everybody important to me. She said that pictures are what keep memories fresh. We don¡¯t take too many pictures together, so¡­ let¡¯s start,¡± he suggests, holding his phone above them. He assumes that his girlfriends are smiling for the camera. One picture later and Ryouta checks it to make sure that it came out alright. ¡°Can ¨C can we redo that one?¡± Cassandra asks. ¡°Nope,¡± Ryouta answers. ¡°My mom said that retakes aren¡¯t as authentic. The first picture is the most real and genuine one.¡± ¡°But¡­ alright. It¡¯ll remind me that I really need to start losing weight.¡± ¡°What? Are you trying to say that you look overweight in the picture or something?¡± Cassandra looks away, which results in her turning her head to face Serra, which results in Serra quickly taking a kiss from her with minimal effort needed. Ryouta looks closer at the picture. All he can see are his beautiful and flawless girlfriends. Regardless, the picture is being kept. Now, thinking back to what he said earlier about being a better boyfriend¡­ What time would be better than now to try and be just a little bit more smooth? He knows that his attempts at being smooth usually result in the opposite¡­ but he has a plan that would be extremely hard to mess up. ¡°Here,¡± he says, sliding his arms underneath his girlfriends. With Alice on his right side, then Cassandra and Serra to his left, he has positioned his arms to serve as pillows for each of them. ¡°The fireworks will begin in one minute!¡± the announcer says over the speakers. ¡°The park will be closing afterward. Please deposit all trash in the nearest trash bin once the show is over.¡± Ryouta and his girlfriends snuggle up closer to each other as a gust of cool wind brushes by them. His arms are already falling asleep. But. Having asleep arms in uncomfortable positions is one of the costs of being a good boyfriend. The first firework flies into the sky, exploding into hundreds of burning streaks of various colors. As nice as taking pictures can be for keeping memories, there is nothing like simply enjoying the present with those that he loves. No picture could ever capture the joy and love that they all feel. ¡°I love all of you,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°I love you as well, my villain! And you, my dearest Cassandra. And, of course, my hero for the day,¡± Alice declares. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but hearing that right now¡­ you¡¯re getting me all emotional. What is this, a romance movie? A-anyways¡­ I ¨C I love you all, too,¡± Cassandra says. Ryouta makes sure to poke Serra to grab her attention, and then he repeats what he said while she reads his lips. Serra signs back with a huge smile on her face as the colorful fireworks above illuminate her. Content and loved, the lovers enjoy the fireworks show. It does not last forever, but the memory of it will. Ryouta¡¯s arms are finally freed when his girlfriends are forced to get up from a voice over the speaker reminding everybody to clean up and leave. Together, they head out through the park¡¯s main entrance while occasionally bumping into each other from how tired they all are. A cotton candy maker offers discounted cotton candy for the ride home, but Cassandra finally finds the self-control to refuse. There is still so much that they have to worry about and prepare for in the world of Fantasy Tales Online, but none of that matters right now. All that matters is the memory that they have spent all day creating together. Finally, they reach the autocar they rented to bring them here earlier in the day. Alice, despite moving the least out of all of them, is already asleep when Ryouta helps her out of her wheelchair into the backseat. Serra joins her in the back as Ryouta and Cassandra sit in the front seats. After inputting their destination, the autocar joins the traffic in leaving the park. It will handle everything on its own with zero user input, so they may rest easy until they arrive home. Spotting Cassandra¡¯s hand resting between their seats, Ryouta gently holds onto it and says, ¡°We should go on more dates.¡± ¡°Yeah. I really enjoyed today, Ryouta.¡± He looks in the rear-view mirror and sees that Serra has already joined Alice in being asleep, and she¡¯s using Alice¡¯s thighs as a pillow. ¡°I¡¯d ask you if you want to make out until we¡¯re home, but I¡¯m too tired. Can we just hold hands until we¡¯re back?¡± he asks Cassandra who looks just as tired as he is. ¡°Yeah. That sounds nice to me.¡± Turning their heads to face each other, their hands gently holding the other¡¯s, the two fall asleep just moments later. And their hands stay together until they safely make it home. Book 6: Chapter 10: The next day, Ryouta made plans with Cassandra, Serra, and Alice to ensure that Azalabulia feels every bit as important as the rest of them. While he wanted the three girls to be involved in the time he wants to spend with Azalabulia, they managed to talk him into spending alone time with her. But before he can have his one-on-one time with Azalabulia, he has to wait until it is nighttime. Seeing as how she still lives in Alaska, and that she has a real job unlike the rest of them, he has to wait until she¡¯s done with work and home while being hours behind the rest of them. There is somebody else he can give some special attention to while waiting, though. Somebody who knows just how tired he still is from the previous day but still decides to greet him with an extreme situation. At the top of a snow-capped mountain, Ryouta finds himself shivering in the freezing cold and wondering why he is here instead of in the usual caf¨¦. He does not even question diving headfirst into the large tent set up behind him. And inside of said tent is none other than the woman who prepared this surprise for him. ¡°Howdy, onii-wan,¡± Saya says while bundled up in an oversized, thick coat and other winter gear including a hat with one of those fluffy balls on top. ¡°I don¡¯t know why but hearing a weeb imouto on top of a mountain while bundled up in winter clothes say howdy really doesn¡¯t seem fitting,¡± Ryouta replies. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it, pardner?¡± ¡°Pupaya, please. I¡¯m freezing cold and can¡¯t handle you talking like a cowboy all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Fiiinneee. Anyways! You¡¯re lucky, because just this day, I¡¯m going to give you special service!¡± Saya grabs the zipper at the top of her jacket and pulls it down, revealing a soft sweater underneath. ¡°Come in,¡± she says. ¡°Come in where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re genuinely asking or making a perverted joke.¡± ¡°You know what it is.¡± She sighs. ¡°Both. Just come into my coat with me.¡± ¡°You mean like, try to wear it at the same time as you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Which way am I supposed to face?¡± ¡°You have to face me, I guess.¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t be able to move our arms. One of us would have to bend our arms backward unless we plan on keeping them out to our sides.¡± ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t think that far ahead.¡± ¡°The other option would be to face away from you so you¡¯re at my back, but then I¡¯d be wearing you like a backpack.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not that small! I¡¯m only a few inches shorter than you! You¡¯re not Fenrir right now, so don¡¯t get cocky!¡± ¡°Just take your coat off.¡± ¡°Hmph. Fine.¡± Saya takes it off and tosses it at him. Ryouta then proceeds to put it on, sits down where she was, and holds his arms out. ¡°Alright. Come in,¡± he says. ¡°Come in where?¡± ¡°Unless you have a surprise package under your pants, you know where. Put your back against me and slide your arms into the sleeves.¡± ¡°Fi-fine. I was supposed to be the one giving you service¡­ wait! Take the coat off! I have a better idea!¡± Ryouta stares at her, unmoving. ¡°I¡¯m serious! I promise I have a really good idea! If you don¡¯t do it then I might never ever feel like doing this again, you pervert!¡± ¡°Why am I being called a pervert for the idea that you have?¡± ¡°Because I wouldn¡¯t have this idea in the first place if it wasn¡¯t for you!¡± ¡°You make a valid point. Alright,¡± Ryouta says and stands up, taking the coat off to toss it back to her. First, Saya uses magic¡ªor more technically, her code-manipulation rights inside of the small, virtual space that she can create as a lobby for Fantasy Tales Online¡ªto increase the size of a coat to almost twice its current size. At this size, it could completely cover her body. But something else grows, too. Before Ryouta¡¯s very eyes, Saya grows taller. She goes from being an imouto to an onee-chan. Though, she does not become the ¡°ara ara¡± type of onee-chan that Ryouta is most familiar with. Instead, she grows taller but keeps her previous proportions. Tall and lean. Her face grows more mature in appearance, too. She makes herself look both taller and older than Ryouta. ¡°I get what you¡¯re going for, but you look more like a fun aunt instead of a big sister. Big sisters are supposed to have big boobs and go ¡®ara ara¡¯ when they detect their prey. You look more like a basketball-playing aunt who would ruffle up my hair and roughhouse with me.¡± ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s the point, you brat,¡± Saya says, grabbing onto Ryouta to pull him closer without any warning. She proves his point about roughhousing as she pulls him down against the ground, his back to her chest, and then wraps her legs around his waist. ¡°Gotcha!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so conflicted on how to feel right now. Where did my Pupaya go? Why am I being forced to sit in an older woman¡¯s lap?¡± ¡°Whatcha mean where¡¯d Pupaya go?¡± Saya asks. Ryouta turns around and sees that the blonde-furred dog ears are still sitting there on the top of her head, and her tail is swishing behind her. ¡°An older woman aunt-like sister basketball-player-looking puppy girl¡­ we¡¯re reaching levels of culture that shouldn¡¯t be possible. You¡¯re not going to fry my brain, are you?¡± ¡°Heh. I¡¯ll be careful not to! Now, come on, put your arms in the sleeves. If you don¡¯t then I¡¯m going to bully you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably going to bully me even if I do. I have a feeling that you¡¯re planning on getting some sort of revenge against me right now.¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± For once, Ryouta is the one being bossed around by Saya, and he doesn¡¯t exactly intend on complaining about that. This is why he slides his arms into the coat¡¯s sleeves alongside her arms. Once he¡¯s got his arms all the way in, Saya smiles a wide grin and zipes the coat back up! Ryouta has been trapped within the coat. He can¡¯t move his arms wherever Saya doesn¡¯t want to move hers, he has her against his back and the coat blocking him in at the front, and her legs around his waist. He has been thoroughly and utterly captured. ¡°So, why are you doing this?¡± he asks. ¡°Because,¡± she answers, flopping backward onto the padded sleeping bag. Now he is lying on top of her as if she¡¯s a bed and the coat is the blanket, and she doesn¡¯t seem to mind in the slightest. ¡°Because why?¡± ¡°Because. I¡¯m rewarding you. You deserve it for once, you rascal.¡± ¡°Being called a rascal is more arousing than I ever would have imagined. Though, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d have the same effect if you were your usual self right now.¡± ¡°Rascal is the older version of baka.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Now it is.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, what did I do to deserve being rewarded?¡± ¡°You made all those people throw up. It was hilarious, plus you did it for a good cause. You even managed to be pretty romantic for once, not that you ever treat me that way.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m getting this fanservice for making people throw up and somehow managing to not mess up being romantic for once?¡± ¡°Basically, yeah.¡± ¡°I have to admit that this is pretty nice.¡± Ryouta forces himself to stop being so tense and to just relax, allowing his head to rest against her sweater-covered shoulder while his arms go wherever she moves her own. ¡°And why on top of a mountain?¡± he asks. ¡°Change of scenery.¡± ¡°I see. You know, Pupaya, you¡¯re actually kind of cool right now.¡± ¡°Heh. Of course I am! That¡¯s the whole point.¡± ¡°Are you going to be like this all the time from now on?¡± ¡°Nope. This is a one-time deal until I decide to bring it back.¡± ¡°That makes it sound like it¡¯s not actually a one-time deal. I need to know just how rare this actually is so that I know how much to value it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just value it as much as possible? Don¡¯t be a scoundrel.¡± ¡°I think you mean rascal.¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah, a rascal. Serra Berra is the scoundrel.¡± ¡°Since she¡¯s the dread pirate queen?¡± ¡°Yeah. Pirates are scoundrels. Anyways¡­ you really were good yesterday.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make me blush if you keep praising me, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care. You¡¯re cute when you blush.¡± ¡°And now I¡¯m blushing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the whole point, hehe.¡± ¡°Seriously, this is so out of character for you.¡± ¡°Is it? I¡¯ve always treated you how you want to be treated. If I¡¯m treating you like this then it means you think you deserve it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing this of my own freel will or anything, rascal.¡± ¡°Are you implying I¡¯m so narcissistic that I subconsciously believe I deserve you turning into an older woman to spoil me?¡± ¡°Yep. Well, it might be a bit of my free will. Only a tiny bit. Don¡¯t get cocky, you brat.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s only a tiny bit of your free will, then I could wish really hard for you to shrink back down to your normal size, and then I¡¯d basically be crushing you underneath me. Right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re funny. Just try it. It won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Then that means it¡¯s your free will and not my desire.¡± Saya goes silent for a few moments. She might be part human brain and part highly advanced computer programming, but the human side of her intelligence prevents her from thinking of a good enough excuse to hide the truth with. So instead, she reaches up to the top of his head to mess up his hair just as a stereotypically cool aunt would. ¡°Even if this is weird, it¡¯s nice,¡± Ryouta admits. ¡°You¡¯re welcome for this.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be thanking yourself, too? I mean, by doing this, aren¡¯t you technically kind of doing it to yourself? Maybe that¡¯s not the right way to put it. What I mean is that, by doing this to me, it¡¯s what we both want, so we¡¯re both benefitting from it just as much?¡± ¡°You still worded that poorly, but I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. You¡¯re still wrong.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Because I said so, you rascal-wan.¡± ¡°Adding the honorific onto the end of that doesn¡¯t really work. It makes you sound like one of those weebs who don¡¯t know how honorifics work, and it¡¯s even worse since it¡¯s not a real honorific.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll never use it again.¡± ¡°I take it back. You¡¯re perfect and never do anything wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, rascal-wan.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to call me that then I¡¯m going to call you¡­ milfaya. Wait, you¡¯re not really a milf. What do hot aunts get called? Also, I know I don¡¯t need to clarify this to you, but I¡¯ve never had a family member I thought was hot.¡± ¡°Sh-shush. I¡¯m not trying to be hot. I¡¯m just trying to be mature.¡± ¡°And being mature is hot. Oh, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll call you. Hotaya.¡± ¡°That sounds like some kind of microwave food.¡± ¡°How ¨C how did you make that comparison?¡± ¡°Blame yourself. I¡¯m part of you.¡± ¡°By that logic, if we have sex, is that the same as masturbating?¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve made it weird again.¡± ¡°But we both like it weird.¡± ¡°I ¨C hey, somebody¡¯s checking to see if you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°All I can say is that they¡¯re not trying to kill you. Yet.¡± ¡°Then it sounds to me like I can give you attention for a bit longer.¡± ¡°Are you sure, onii-wan ¨C I ¨C I mean, rascal-wan?¡± ¡°As nice as rascal is, there¡¯s something about being called onii-wan by an older woman. Do it again if this is all about rewarding me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting awfully cheeky¡­ onii-wan. Wha¡ªhey! Wh-what do you think you¡¯re doing?! Stop moving around so much!¡± Trying his hardest to turn the situation around, Ryouta somehow manages to flip himself over inside of the coat so that they are chest to chest. He even manages to grab her wrists to hold them down against the ground within the coat. And now, it is his face that is over hers, his eyes looking down into her own widened eyes. ¡°Wh-what do you think you¡¯re doing? I¡¯m the ¨C I¡¯m the older one this time!¡± Saya whines. ¡°You might be older and bigger right now, but you¡¯re still Pupaya. It¡¯s not fair if I¡¯m the only one getting fanservice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s kind of sad that I can tell you¡¯re not even trying to be smooth right now but this is when you¡¯re actually succeeding¡­¡± ¡°Wait, am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to ruin it.¡± ¡°Probably. What about if I do this?¡± Ryouta leans in lower, bringing his lips closer and closer to Saya¡¯s until there is hardly any space left between them. With a fluttering heart, Saya cannot do anything but close her eyes and wait for what is about to happen. ¡°Why are your eyes closed?¡± he asks. Saya opens her eyes and sees him just hanging his head over her with a totally casual expression on his face. She knows that she should have known better. And that is why she takes control back. Slipping her wrists out from his grasp so that she can be the one to grab him by his wrists, she rolls over to pin him down to the ground while putting herself into the exact same position that he was just in. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m the mature one today. I¡¯m not going to let you do whatever you want, and I¡¯m especially not going to let you tease me like that! Now ¨C n-now it¡¯s time for revenge,¡± Saya says, staring down at his face. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ryouta asks. ¡°If you¡¯re really the mature one, then you have to prove it.¡± ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll prove it!¡± ¡°Alright. Can you resist what I¡¯m about to say?¡± ¡°I can resist ¨C wait ¨C wait! D-don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t you dare! That¡¯s cheating! You know the effect it has on me!¡± ¡°Pupaya.¡± ¡°Bad! Bad scamp!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a scamp now?¡± ¡°I forget what I was calling you before! You scoundrel!¡± ¡°Still not right.¡± ¡°Rascal!¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± Saya freezes. Her tail is already wagging, her ears are twitching, and her eyes are starting to spin. But she refuses! She shakes away the desire to give in to those words so that she can¡ª ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Her tail wags even faster. ¡°Why are you so quiet, Pupaya? Aren¡¯t you a good girl?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡ª¡± Defeat is near the Saya. But she will not give in just yet. ¡°I!¡± Saya shuts her eyes and closes the distance between their faces. And now¡­ she licks hi. Her eyes open when she realizes what she just did. Instead of kiss him like she was supposed to ¨C like she had planned and like any normal person would in the situation¡­ she was in Pupaya mode and licked him just like a dog would. On the lips. With ears sticking straight up and a face burning red from embarrassment, Pupaya simply cannot say nor do anything else other than stare down at Ryouta with dizzy eyes. As for Ryouta, he was just licked like a dog by an older women imouto-aunt dog girl. On the lips. Whatever the appropriate reaction is to this situation, he has no idea what it is. All he knows is that he liked it and that he never expected something like this to happen when coming to spend time with Saya. ¡°Pupaya, switch back to your usual self,¡± Ryouta says. There is no hesitation from Saya. She returns to her normal size and appearance with just as much embarrassment as before. And that embarrassment only grows when he leans up to kiss her on the lips. ¡°There. You licked me and I kissed you. Now we¡¯re even,¡± he says, not really sure what he¡¯s trying to make even. ¡°A-ah ¨C you ¨C you¡ª¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Saya gives up. All she can do at this point in let her head fall down to hide against his shoulder and mumble, ¡°I am¡­¡± As embarrassed as she may be, her tail is still wildly wagging from side to side behind her. ¡°You¡¯re too fun to tease, Pupaya,¡± Ryouta says. ¡°Hm-hmph. I¡¯ll bite you,¡± she threatened, poking her teeth against his neck. ¡°Please do.¡± And so, she does. Though, she only bites in a very light and playful manner. ¡°Good girl,¡± he praises her. ¡°Stop praising me for everything! It¡¯s embarrassing, you baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a rascal anymore?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m never calling you that again.¡± ¡°Dang. Will I ever get to see aunt Pupaya again?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What about big sister Pupaya?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Milf Pupaya?¡± ¡°No! I couldn¡¯t even be one because I¡¯m a not a mom!¡± ¡°We can change that.¡± ¡°Wha-what?! I ¨C it ¨C it doesn¡¯t work that ¨C I mean, it¡¯s possible in here ¨C but¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m teasing you. Relax, Pupaya.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t joke about those things! There are things that you don¡¯t joke about, and that¡¯s one of them! You never ever ever ever joke about that! If you ever joke about that to your girlfriends then they¡¯re going to kill you and I¡¯ll help them!¡± ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re getting this upset¡­¡± ¡°Exactly! It means you¡¯d get this upset if somebody joked to you about it! W-well, maybe not this upset, but you wouldn¡¯t like it!¡± ¡°Wait part two. You said it¡¯s possible in here. What if¡­ couldn¡¯t we practice?¡± ¡°You get enough practice with your girlfriends in-game!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that kind of practice. I mean like ¨C practice¡­ having a kid. Not making a kid, but actually having one. Would it be possible to¡­ practice holding a baby or something here?¡± ¡°O-oh. You mean like that.¡± ¡°You knew that I meant it like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more fun to overreact to everything and misinterpret what you mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s less fun when you blatantly admit to acting it up.¡± ¡°Anyways, yeah. Anything is possible in here, basically. As long as you¡¯re in this lobby with me, I can make whatever you want happen in it.¡± Just like that, the two returned to the usual caf¨¦ setting, sitting across from one another at the same table as always. ¡°If I can make it look like there are other people walking around, I can make a baby pop up. Should I?¡± ¡°I uh, I don¡¯t know. Probably not. I mean, what if I drop it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fake. You can throw it out the window and nothing bad is going to happen¡­ other than realizing that you are a horrible person who should never be a father.¡± ¡°Why did you have to implant the thought of throwing a baby out of a window into my head? You know how horrible people can be when we know that something is just a game with no consequences. Don¡¯t you have access to the memories of my childhood where I played games involving clubbing baby seals?¡± ¡°That means you¡¯re a horrible person who should never own a baby seal.¡± ¡°I¡¯d never actually club a baby seal.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that, onii-wan?¡± Suddenly, a baby seal appeared on the table alongside a wooden club. ¡°This¡­ this isn¡¯t right,¡± Ryouta says, looking between the two items. If the baby seal looked realistic, he would never even begin to consider clubbing it, but¡­ Saya made the seal look just like the poorly animated seal from his childhood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, onii-wan? Are you going to club it? You would never club a cute, baby seal, right?¡± The seal turns to look at him with large, sparkling eyes. The desire to club the seal only grows stronger. Ryouta reaches out for the club before grabbing his hand to pull it away. ¡°This is entrapment.¡± ¡°This is a character test. Will you club the baby seal, or will you not?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I absolutely won¡¯t.¡± ¡°What if,¡± she pauses to poke it, causing a small amount of confetti to pop out from where she poked, ¡°it explodes into confetti when you club it?¡± Ryouta has no idea that he is holding the club until it is already in his hand. He drops it to the floor when he realizes it and takes a couple of steps back. The dark temptation is powerful and growing stronger. ¡°What if,¡± Saya pauses again, this time changing scenary from the caf¨¦ to a golf-like course where snow has replaced grass and there are several items scattered around in front of them. Some of the items are springs for the seal to bounce on. Some are hoops to be hit through. Some are floating jetpacks to send the seal flying even farther. ¡°I wonder how far you could hit it.¡± ¡°Since when do you have this much control over the lobby? It¡¯s like you could set up an entirely different game inside of here if you wanted to.¡± ¡°I technically could.¡± ¡°Are you even allowed to be doing this?¡± ¡°I am. We¡¯re allowed to do whatever we want. It¡¯s sort of like¡­ compensation for when you die and have to wait a day to respawn!¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± What does not make sense is the fact that the club is back in his hands without any memories of ever picking it up. His fingers refuse to drop it this time. ¡°Pupaya, think about what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one thinking about that, onii-wan? You¡¯re the one looking down at the cute, innocent baby seal while holding that scary club in your hand.¡± What would his girlfriends think? What would his parents, wherever they may be if there is an afterlife, think? What would his friends think? ¡°I ¨C I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t do it. I can resist this. I¡¯m better than this,¡± Ryouta says, using his free hand to pry his fingers off of the club. But there is a problem. As soon as his other hand touches the club, he finds himself holding onto it with both hands and taking on the stance of a baseball batter. ¡°I could pitch the baby seal to you if you want me to,¡± Saya offers. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to pitch anything to me!¡± He may have said that, but he is the one who has subconsciously stepped onto a batter¡¯s plate and is the process of taking some practice swings. ¡°I¡¯m almost starting to feel guilty about this,¡± Saya says. ¡°This really is starting to feel like entrapment.¡± ¡°It is entrapment! That¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t count if you throw it for me!¡± Saya narrows her eyes at him. He narrows his eyes at the baby seal. Saya stretches out her throwing arm for a few seconds before tossing the seal as fast as she can at him! The seal, not knowing what is about to happen to it, only enjoys the feeling of flying so fast with sparkling eyes. Ryouta swings the club and hits a home run! All of that experience from playing the game as a child is more than valid still. And so, a cloud of confetti bursts into the air as the seal goes flying in the opposite direction. It soars through the air like a cannon ball before finally hitting the ground, bouncing, hitting the ground, bouncing, and then sliding across the ground¡­ right into a trampoline! The trampoline bounces the baby seal up into a cluster of rockets, sending it flying through the air even faster than before! Then it hits a bomb, creating another explosion of confetti as it speeds up! Then it bounces off of another trampoline! And then¡ª It apparently has no interest in ever stopping its flight through the air to lands unknown. Unharmed and having more fun than it has ever had in its oh-so-short existence, the baby seal continues its explosive journey as it zooms past the distance-indicating markers along the ground. And then. It finally stops. The seal comes to a grinding stop in the snow right before a trampoline after having traveled over six thousand meters! ¡°I think that¡¯s a new record,¡± Ryouta says. The baby seal teleports back next to Saya, looking ready for the next journey. ¡°Look at how happy it is. This means that I¡¯m a good person for hitting it,¡± he claims. ¡°You¡¯re still a horrible person for hitting a baby seal with a club,¡± Saya says. ¡°If I can beat my record then it means I¡¯m not horrible.¡± ¡°What kind of logic is that, onii-wan?¡± ¡°The only kind that matters. Come on, me and the seal are waiting.¡± Saya sighs, realizing that her plan has backfired, and pitches the baby seal. After far too many attempts at trying to break his record, Ryouta has not managed to get the seal to fly even a third of the distance as it did in its first flight. Fortunately, the seal still enjoys every single time that it is sent through the air. Though, eventually, they do get tired of this game and decide to return to the caf¨¦. Saya even prepares a bucket of ice for the baby seal to rest in next to the table. By sending the creature flying through the air so much, they kind of grew attached to it. One could argue that it is an example of a Stockholm syndrome relationship, but which party is being manipulated? ¡°Well, onii-wan, now that we know you would still club a baby seal, that means no spawning a baby for you,¡± Saya says, sipping her iced coffee through a straw. ¡°How am I going to make sure I can hold a baby without accidentally dropping it then? How am I ever going to be ready for kids?¡± Ryouta genuinely asks. Saya sighs and snaps her fingers. Appearing on the table before him is a baby-sized watermelon¡­ covered in lube. ¡°Just hold that, walk around a bit, and you¡¯ll be fine. Probably,¡± Saya says. Ryouta nods. ¡°This isn¡¯t a bad idea. I can do this.¡± And so, he picks up the watermelon, stands up, and immediately drops the watermelon on the floor. It breaks open and splashes onto their new pet, and the baby seal does not waste any time in eating the remains of Ryouta¡¯s false child. All Ryouta can do is look down at the sight before him with the dead eyes of a thoroughly defeated man. ¡°I¡¯m never going to be able to have kids,¡± he says. ¡°My girlfriends are going to leave me for a man who can actually hold a baby without killing it. Nobody wants to have kids with a man who kills a baby and then lets a baby seal eat it.¡± ¡°I ¨C I think you¡¯re taking this a bit too seriously, onii-wan.¡¯ Being able to feel everything that he does, Saya can tell just how honest Ryouta is being. She can tell that he genuinely feels like he could never be a father just because he dropped a watermelon. So, she sighs and spawns another watermelon with only half the lube of the previous watermelon. ¡°Let¡¯s try again. I believe in you, onii-wan. Ganbatte.¡± Hearing his treasured imouto cheer him on in weeb is enough to inspire him to try again! ¡°Alright! I¡¯m not going to kill my second child!¡± Ryouta declares right before slipping on a piece of lubed watermelon on the floor, resulting in tripping and crashing his head down into the new watermelon. His head is enough to crush the watermelon open. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, onii-wan. I¡¯m not spawning rope for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably good. I would just kill the rope, too.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works. You really are worried about this whole baby thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta stops the dramatics to nod his head and look away. ¡°Yeah. It scares me. I want it, but¡­ the thought of actually being a dad scares me to the point where I can¡¯t even have real sex with them. I¡¯m paranoid about accidentally getting them pregnant without being ready.¡± ¡°Sorry, onii-wan, but I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything that I can do to help. I wish I could.¡± ¡°Thanks, Saya. Just knowing that there¡¯s somebody who understands how I¡¯m feeling is enough for me.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk to them about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯m afraid of what they¡¯ll think.¡± ¡°You know that they¡¯re going to be like super understanding no matter what, right? There¡¯s no way that they¡¯re going to think anything bad about it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why are you afraid?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a coward and the human brain is stupid. Even if I know they wouldn¡¯t, I still imagine them thinking I might not be a good father to their kids if I tell them about my fears.¡± ¡°The human brain really is stupid.¡± ¡°It is. Can you replace mine with a robot brain or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the technology is there yet.¡± ¡°Disappointing. Anyways, I guess I should go see whoever was checking on me earlier. Azawaza shouldn¡¯t be too much longer either.¡± ¡°You should talk to her about it. She works with kids for a living, so she¡¯s probably the best one to help you.¡± ¡°Maybe, but I wouldn¡¯t want to ruin the date I have planned.¡± ¡°I bet she¡¯d like it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll see.¡± Book 6: Chapter 11: Ryouta becomes Fenrir and Fenrir opens his eyes. While they may have managed to set up some houses in addition to defenses for them to sleep in, he still finds himself preferring the comfort of a hammock on The Shoebill for resting. And he also finds the one who came to check on him earlier. Eva stops in her tracks and gives him half a wave before saying, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± ¡°Damn it, Todd, you¡¯ve done it again,¡± Fenrir says while rolling out of his hammock. ¡°I got that reference!¡± Eva shouts, once more revealing that dorky side of hers that loves nerd references. ¡°Nothing like old memes. Well, I guess it makes sense for people to get references from that game. Even if it¡¯s a few generations behind us, it¡¯s still popular. You know that people are still making mods for it?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s crazy. Have you heard the rumor?¡± ¡°About the remaster?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re supposedly planning on remastering it again for the latest VR tech.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s going to be remastered until humanity is extinct.¡± ¡°Then they¡¯ll start remastering it for robots.¡± ¡°You think robots are still going to be around if we aren¡¯t?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯ll take over.¡± ¡°I see. How confident are you in this robot rebellion theory? You¡¯re smart, so if you say it¡¯s going to happen, it must happen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely going to happen. What matters is if we survive or not. I give us¡­ a thirty-two point three-three, repeating of course, percent chance of survival.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s an ancient meme. I didn¡¯t take you for a graverobber.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me give you a fifty DKP minus.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to start thinking you¡¯re old enough to be my great grandmother if you keep this up.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re understanding all of these memes, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve spent too much time on the internet. I¡¯ve done a lot of research into older MMOs, too, so I know more than I probably should about MMOs from the start of the century.¡± ¡°Huh. My grandma was a huge gamer back in the day. She even has a shirt that says ¡®The Original Gamer Gurl,¡¯ with a U, on it.¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°Eighty-four now.¡± ¡°Well, shit. She might actually be the original gamer girl then.¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ve thought the same. She was actually in one of the world-first clearing guilds even in her forties.¡± ¡°She sounds awesome. Does she still game?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. She plays this game, too.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah, but she stays over on the other continent. I¡¯m not allowed to go into any more detail than that.¡± ¡°You just made her sound really suspicious. Is she actually important?¡± ¡°No,¡± Eva says, staring straight at Fenrir and trying way too hard to not look nor sound suspicious at all. ¡°Alright then. Keep your secrets.¡± ¡°Yes! Nobody else gets all these old references!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t watched that trilogy since I was a kid. My dad was obsessed with it and said it was the best movie trilogy in all of history that nothing will ever pass up.¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t wrong. Even today, nothing compares to it.¡± ¡°I might have to rewatch it sometime.¡± ¡°We should totally watch it together. I love watching it. Oh, but we¡¯ll have to watch the extended edition of the trilogy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an extended edition?¡± ¡°We are definitely going to watch it together.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not opposed to it. Oh, back to the reference, I remember that line in particular because I used it all the time as a kid. Whenever my parents wouldn¡¯t answer one of my questions for whatever reason, I¡¯d tell them with a smile, ¡®Alright then. Keep your secrets.¡¯ Sometimes, it actually got them to answer me.¡± ¡°Yeah, being cute is powerful against parents. I studied my parents when I was a kid to see what they thought the cutest behavior was, and then I copied that whenever I wanted something.¡± ¡°You¡­ studied your parents?¡± ¡°Yeah. Whenever my mom or dad made an ¡®aww¡¯ sound or smiled when looking at kids, I took mental notes of what the kid was doing or saying at the time, and then wrote it down in my diary. I had a whole section dedicated to the analysis of what my parents found adorable in kids.¡± ¡°You started researching pretty young.¡± ¡°I was only five.¡± ¡°Oh. Five is pretty old to start ¨C you were five! What do you mean only five?! Kids normally don¡¯t even know how to read or write yet and you were doing scientific research on your parents and writing down the results!¡± ¡°Is it that exciting?¡± ¡°You¡¯re like Nell but with intelligence instead of money.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to other girls. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m just myself?¡± Eva asks, knocking Fenrir off balance as she leans forward with a subtle pout. And then¡­ She smiles. ¡°Just kidding. I did lots of research on boys when I was a teenager to figure out what they like.¡± ¡°Was ¨C was that one of the things that they liked?¡± ¡°No. That was how to guilt trip somebody.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty scary power.¡± ¡°Good, I haven¡¯t lost my touch. I used to be in drama.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected that.¡± ¡°And band. And chess.¡± ¡°What are you? The queen of nerds?¡± ¡°Proudly.¡± ¡°What was your favorite?¡± ¡°Band.¡± ¡°So you were a band nerd.¡± ¡°Not that bad, but yeah.¡± ¡°What instrument?¡± ¡°Trumpet. Were you in any clubs?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was the leader of the go-home-as-fast-as-possible-to-play-games club.¡± ¡°The others in band always made fun of those types.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about knowing that band club members made fun of us.¡± ¡°To be fair, we made fun of everybody. Band is more vicious than most people realize. My friends in band were way more savage than my friends in drama.¡± ¡°And your chess friends?¡± ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t talk about what happened in chess.¡± ¡°I bet there were crazy orgies going on.¡± ¡°There were, but I wasn¡¯t in any of them.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously? Or are you just joking?¡± ¡°No, there really were orgies. They did lots of drugs, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like all of the real bad kids were in the nerdiest clubs.¡± ¡°I mean, yeah. That¡¯s kind of how it works.¡± ¡°Next you¡¯re going to tell me that anime club was full of football players and snorting drugs off of hookers¡¯ stomachs.¡± ¡°Nope. They were a bunch of dweebs who just sat around watching anime and arguing about philosophy or what the age of consent should be.¡± ¡°You just made them sound even worse than I always thought they¡¯d be.¡± ¡°I miss high school. Those were fun days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it was for somebody who probably had notebooks full of information on how to manipulate everybody.¡± ¡°That makes me sound worse than I was. I never misbehaved outside of club time and only using my research on people who deserved it. Like, I had one friend who was confessed to as a joke. The guy who did it was a major asshole. So, I made myself look good, flirted with him, and got him to send me dick pics. I sent those to everybody I knew, and then they kept on forwarding them around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that breaks several laws.¡± ¡°Well, he never reported me because I looked ugly most of the time, so he didn¡¯t want anybody knowing he sent me those.¡± ¡°You looked ugly?¡± ¡°Yeah. Braided hair, big glasses, acne, a bit overweight ¨C I¡¯ll admit I looked pretty meh as a teen. The power of makeup and push-up bras was enough to trick any boy, though.¡± ¡°You really do have scary powers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even need to use those powers anymore. I left the bad looks in my teenage years and, thanks to the power of science, I don¡¯t have to deal with acne anymore. Don¡¯t even need to use a push-up bra anymore to get the same look.¡± Eva leans slightly over again, positioning herself so that her first romantic interest since she was a teenager gets a perfect view of her chest. She has even modified her equipment so that it is just a bit more revealing than before. Surely, this will work on a man who must love women as much as he does. Plus, with three of his four girlfriends all having relatively nice chests, especially Cassiel and Azalabulia, he must like breasts. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°I pretty much look the same as I always have, but older, I guess. I still get pimples every now and then, but they¡¯re pretty rare. Nell and Cass Cass make sure to pop them whenever I do get one. Turns out that the jokes online about women loving to pop their boyfriends¡¯ pimples is extremely accurate.¡± Eva takes a step back and stands up straight. Was he really immune to her technique? She even practiced leaning over in front of a mirror to make herself look as attractive as possible without being too obvious! Everything from the arch of her back to the height of her head relative to her shoulders was calculated! And then it hits her. Why would he be affected by a girl subtly trying to show off her body when he has multiple girlfriends who probably show off their bodies to him whenever he wants? The chances are that all he has to do is ask to see them without their clothes on and then they¡¯ll do it! Not to mention that he lives with three of them! Why get flustered over a virtual avatar¡¯s chest when he has more than enough of the real deal in reality? Eva realizes that she is going to have to come up with an even greater plan if she wants to make any progress. Fenrir has developed too much of a resistance against her techniques before she has even had an opportunity to use them against him! What¡¯s next? Act like a shy schoolgirl who is useless without him? No. His girlfriends are likely already needy enough and she doesn¡¯t want to seem like she would cause even more trouble. What about a cheeky and teasing junior type? It could work, but with how she has already seen Serra tease him, any cheeky teasing that she attempts would likely be weak in comparison to what he is already used to. Maybe act cold and disinterested to make him pursue her? No, that brings her back to the original problem of him already having enough girlfriends that he wouldn¡¯t feel the need to chase after any more in the first place. If she wants anything to happen, she needs to be the one to make it happen. What about going after his girlfriends? After all, if she dates him, she would be dating them as well. Wouldn¡¯t winning their approval in the first place be something important for her to do before going after him? Though, recalling her conversation with Cassiel, she already has all of their permission to go after him. But that¡¯s all she has. What if she tries to seduce him through seducing them? Wait, if that worked, wouldn¡¯t that make him one of those men into his women being with others? Eva does not mind sharing herself with multiple people in a relationship, but she doesn¡¯t want to date somebody who she can only seduce through seducing his girlfriends. She sighs and runs her hands through her hair. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°No. I¡¯m fine,¡± Eva answers. ¡°But thanks for asking.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re ever upset by anything, you¡¯re more than welcome to come and talk to me about it. Also¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°When¡¯s that movie date?¡± ¡°Movie da-date?¡± ¡°Yeah. You said that we¡¯re going to watch that trilogy together ¨C the extended edition of it. We can turn it into a movie date.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s an app we can use to stream anything in VR. It¡¯ll be just like we¡¯re sitting in an actual theater together.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Sound good?¡± Eva, with her cheeks burning, looks down at the floor. The thick tail behind her is not the only part of her body wagging as both of her wings flap close to her body. ¡°Sorry, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have called it a date. We could always¡ª¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s fine! A movie date works. Yeah, it works. We can do it whenever.¡± ¡°Nice one, onii-wan,¡± Saya chimes in to Fenrir. ¡°Thanks, Pupaya. I felt bad about not going along with her flirting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m proud of you for being able to tell she was trying to flirt with you. My dense harem protagonist is all grown up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me flick you, and I¡¯m not a harem protagonist. If I was a harem protagonist then this would be the fifth season and the most I¡¯d have done with the others is hold their hands.¡± ¡°You make a strong point. This means that you have evolved beyond a harem protagonist. What does that make you?¡± ¡°A hentai protagonist.¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to say that you¡¯re being stupid and that that¡¯s a bad comparison, but¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about relating myself to a hentai protagonist either. I just don¡¯t want to ¨C well, I kind of feel selfish now. I want to skip all of the buildup and just jump straight into officially dating.¡± ¡°I guess it makes sense. You already went through that four times before.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not fair to Eva.¡± ¡°What isn¡¯t fair to her is ignoring her to talk to me.¡± ¡°Sorry, I was distracted. What were you saying?¡± Fenrir asks Eva. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. Uh, I was saying¡­ are you free tomorrow morning? The extended edition trilogy will take all day, so we¡¯d have to start in the morning.¡± ¡°We could always split it up. Watch one tomorrow, watch the others some other day.¡± ¡°No. They have to be watched together with no more than a thirty-minute break between each one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been on a date with such strict rules before.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s ¨C if it¡¯s too strict then ¨C yeah, I guess a date shouldn¡¯t be so strict. Never mind, we can only watch one if¡ª¡± ¡°I never said I wasn¡¯t interested. If you want to monopolize me for a date that lasts all day long, I¡¯m fine with that, and I¡¯m sure the others will be too as long as I let them do the same sometime.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t mean to monopolize you! What if the others join us? Do you think any of them would like the movies?¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want it to just be between us?¡± Eva hesitates for a moment before nodding. ¡°It would be better if we¡¯re all there, right? Do¡­ you think they¡¯d be interested?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to check with Azawaza. She might have work. The rest ¨C I don¡¯t know if Serra and Cass Cass will be interested in those movies, but Nell would probably like them.¡± ¡°Alright. Let me know over Fiscord when you find out.¡± ¡°I will. Anyways, what were you coming to check on me for?¡± ¡°Before that, you mentioned researching old MMOs. What was that for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but I used to want to design them. I used to be obsessed with old school MMOs when I was growing up. People like to hate on them because of tab targeting and how strict the holy trinity was back then, and having to have a bunch of keybinds, macros, etcetera, but all of that sounded awesome to me. I even downloaded the software to run a solo private server for one of the games once and I had a ton of fun playing it. Too bad there was nobody else to play it with. Anyways, modern MMOs are just so different. Even the ones that claim to give that old school feeling are maybe only old school as far as last decade goes at most.¡± ¡°Is that still something you want to do?¡± ¡°Not really. I fell out of love with that idea when I realized it: one, wouldn¡¯t be profitable enough to get a team together to help me with it; and two, when I realized just how much work it would be and how much I would have to learn to even consider doing that work.¡± ¡°Do you ever think about it?¡± ¡°Sometimes. Random ideas will pop into my head every now and then about what I think would make a fun MMO done in a classic style, but that¡¯s about it. Oh, and there¡¯s another reason why I gave up. With how good AIs are getting, and now us having a true AI, I doubt there¡¯s going to be much room for us designing games of our own. AIs will be able to make the perfect games for the markets, and I don¡¯t really think gamers would care about ¡®human-made¡¯ games more than AI-made games.¡± ¡°Yeah, they wouldn¡¯t care as much as some people do about organic food instead of lab food, but there would still be a market. It¡¯s like with indie games. People loved indie games and still love them. There¡¯s just something about a game when you know it was made by a small team instead of a huge corporation, and that will probably happen when human-made games versus AI-made games. There are already people who don¡¯t like this game being moderated by the overseer and virtual assistants instead of humans.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point.¡± ¡°What are some of the ideas you¡¯ve had for your own MMO?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all fishing ideas. Contrary to how I may spend my time in this game, I really am playing this for the fishing.¡± ¡°You¡­ you are?¡± ¡°Yeah. Shocking, right?¡± ¡°It kind of is. I thought you only fished to pass the time.¡± ¡°Nope. We came up here to settle a city where we could live peacefully with NPCs and spend all our time fishing. Instead¡­ yeah, we haven¡¯t exactly been doing that.¡± ¡°Can you teach me how to fish sometime?¡± Fenrir lights up, his ears perk up, and his tail starts to wag. Eva doesn¡¯t know how to feel about the fact that he looks more excited from this than the idea of having a movie date with her. And then it hits her. This is perfect. She wasn¡¯t sure how to get through to him before, but now? But now she is going to learn every single little thing that there is about fishing. If she masters fishing, she can make sure that she does as much wrong as possible so that he has to help her as much as possible. Then, once he helps her, she will be able to show him just how much she has ¡°improved!¡± She will be able to catch the biggest and most impressive fish that there are to be caught, and she will be able to thank him for all of it! He will not only get to teach her how to fish, but he will get the pride and satisfaction of helping her become a master at it! But¡­ If there is one other thing that she has managed to learn about Fenrir since meeting him, it is how much he values honesty. Would he be upset with her if he found out that she was faking being bad at fishing? There is also the fact that he seemed genuinely concerned earlier when she brought up just how good at manipulating people she is. Would just¡­ being herself and not coming up with crazy plans actually be the best way? But wouldn¡¯t that be boring? Wouldn¡¯t he get bored of her and her usual behavior if she doesn¡¯t try to spice things up and make them interesting with research? Nell and Azalabulia both have extreme personalities that keep things interesting, but Cassiel and Serra are much more normal. Which does he like more? The extreme or the normal? Should she even be thinking about it as hard as she is? Maybe she should just let things go with the flow instead of trying to make sure everything is special? None of the research into romance that she has done so far is helping. Not one of the online magazines, blog posts, videos ¨C none of it is helping her right now. Why does this all have to be so complicated? Eva always thought that the stereotype was that women were complicated, but nobody is more complicated than Fenrir! ¡°I just realized I haven¡¯t had any raw cookie dough in a long time,¡± Fenrir says. ¡°Wh-what? Where did that come from?¡± Eva asks, now even more frustrated from further proof of Fenrir being overly complicated. What led to raw cookie dough? Is that a hint? A sign? A subtle request? ¡°Raw cookie dough is better than cookies, and I just remembered the cookies Serra made last week. Now I want raw cookie dough,¡± Fenrir explains. Could it really be that simple? Is that all there is to his thought process or is there a calculated purpose behind him suddenly bringing it up when it had zero relevance to their conversation? ¡°What about a fishing game where your fishing rod looks like a cooking spoon and all the fish are based off of cookies? I don¡¯t think that¡¯d work for a MMO or anything, but it¡¯d be fun for some free mobile game,¡± Fenrir says. While Fenrir imagines fishing up various cookie-themed fish, Eva stresses out over what that could possibly mean! Fishing? Cookies? Fishing cookie-fish? What does it mean? Fenrir¡­ might be the most fascninating and difficult research subject that Eva has ever come across. Clearly, she is going to have to bring out all of her best techniques to gather as much information as possible if she wants to decipher the meanings behind his words and actions. ¡°You alright?¡± Fenrir asks. ¡°Yeah, just thinking about something,¡± Eva answers. ¡°Got it. So, what¡¯d you come to me for? You wanted something, right?¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah. Uh¡­ I think I made Tabitha mad at me.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡± ¡°We got into a discussion about giant robots versus exoskeleton suits for humans. I asserted that exoskeleton suits are superior in every way to giant robots. She¡­ got very passionate in the defense of giant robots.¡± ¡°Understandable. Giant robots are better.¡± ¡°You being wrong aside, is there¡­ how can I make it up to her?¡± ¡°You can make it up to her by not worrying about it. Tabs gets passionate about these sorts of things, but I doubt she¡¯s mad at you. She probably just got really into it and sounding pissed off is just how she is most of the time.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m like ninenty-seven percent sure. Unless you¡¯re leaving something out, I doubt she¡¯s mad at you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Then she¡¯s not mad. Though, you might want to at least admit that giant robots look cooler.¡± ¡°But they don¡¯t. Exoskeleton suits can be made to look much cooler than giant robots.¡± ¡°You being wrong aside, just go talk to her and act like you normally would. Chances are that she¡¯ll pick up a conversation just like normal. I mean, she¡¯s even friends with Rao and Rao gives her reasons to actually be mad.¡± ¡°Could you maybe¡­ come with me while I do it?¡± ¡°You want me to come with you while you do it? I guess we¡¯re skipping the movie date and dinner.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir waits a couple of seconds to see if she can figure it out on her own. ¡°Wa-wait! I ¨C I didn¡¯t mean that!¡± Eva explains with reddened cheeks now that she has figured it out. And figuring it out has only made her even more frustrated! Why is it frustrating? Because she would not normally have a problem with jokes like these¡­ but now she feels all flustered and is taking it seriously just because of who the one making the joke is! She is going to have to do research into herself, too, to figure out why that is. Unfortunately for her, Fenrir has tasted the blood in the water. Seeing Eva¡¯s reaction has triggered the same side of him that Cassiel often brings out. ¡°What? You want to do it all by yourself while not letting me come with you? I didn¡¯t know you were so selfish, Eva.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t ¨C that¡¯s not¡ª¡± Fenrir can¡¯t remember the last time any of his girlfriends were this embarrassed and nervous. It makes him want to try even harder to fluster Eva. ¡°What?¡± he asks, stepping closer to her. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said you want me to come with you. Or would you rather me come¡ª¡± ¡°Oi! I hear ya down there!¡± Tabitha shouts, poking her head down the stairs. ¡°Captain dog! Giant robots are better than exoskeleton suits, right?!¡± Fenrir, now blushing himself when he realizes what he was just about to say to a girl who isn¡¯t even his girlfriend, stumbles backward and says, ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± in response. Tabitha, so obsessed with the superiority of giant robots, doesn¡¯t even care about whatever it was he was just doing or saying. All that matters to her is that he agrees with her. ¡°Told ya! The dog there might be pretty - well, like he is at times, but at least he knows superior tech,¡± Tabitha says. Eva, with a racing heart while trying to imagine what Fenrir was about to say, can¡¯t even refuse Tabitha anymore. All she can do is say, ¡°You ¨C you win. Giant robots are better¡­¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d come around! You¡¯re a bright girl, Eva. There was no way ya wouldn¡¯t see the light. Anyways, I¡¯ve got more work to do.¡± And so, Tabitha disappears as quickly as she arrived. Fenrir and Eva are left alone once more, now each with blush on their cheeks and hearts rapidly beating in their chests. Perhaps the reason for Fenrir wanting to skip the buildup phase is because he knows that, no matter how many girlfriends he has, he is never going to get over how awkward and embarrassing it can be. As for Eva ¨C well, she originally came to him for help with Tabitha and to test him for reactions to her techniques, but now she has countless hours of research that she must perform. And a date to mentally prepare herself for. And while on the topic of dates, it will soon be time for Fenrir to have his date with Azalabulia. He will make sure that it is a date every bit epic and grand as it is romantic¡­ hopefully. Book 6: Chapter 12: Now that Eva has left, claiming that she has research to do, Fenrir may finally head above deck. And he is immediately met by two unstoppable forces the moment his feet land on The Shoebill¡¯s deck. One of the forces slams directly into his thighs, headbutting him with a surface as hard as rock. The other force slams into his gut, almost stabbing him with its horns ¨C or rather, his antlers. Fenrir gets knocked backward onto the ground, banging the back of his head against the wooden deck with enough force that even those nearby on the dock can hear. ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t you two think you¡¯re a bit extreme?¡± Fenrir asks, leaning up and rubbing the back of his head. Oleander and Rock both look up at him at the same time with the same needy look in their eyes. Fenrir isn¡¯t sure whether it is Rock acting more like Oleander or Oleander acting more like Rock. Whatever the case is, he knows that they are both desperate for attention. That is why Fenrir reaches up to pet them both on top of their heads, Rock between her ears and Oleander between his antlers. ¡°How¡¯d you two even know I¡¯m online?¡± ¡°We could tell the moment you logged on. Our Fenny-detection powers are that strong,¡± Oleander explains. Rock barks. ¡°Then we decided to wait until Eva left so that we wouldn¡¯t interrupt you and your seductive waves.¡± Rock nods. ¡°Then we raced to see who could reach you first. Rock has gotten fast for being made out of ¨C well, rock.¡± Rock licks Oleander¡¯s cheek. ¡°You two are like siblings,¡± Fenrir says. Oleander grins and nuzzles the side of his face up against Rock¡¯s. ¡°We¡¯re the bestest of sisters!¡± ¡°I know I ask this at least twice a year, but are you sure you don¡¯t want me to refer to you as a girl?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always so considerate, Fenny, but I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m all man! I¡¯m also all woman.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not making this any easier.¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Oleander holds a finger up in front of his lips while winking. ¡°Let a girl have her preferences.¡± ¡°But your preference is referring to yourself as a girl¡­ while wanting others to refer to you as a guy?¡± ¡°Right!¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to understand as long as you accept me no matter what.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Good boy!¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears twitch against his will as his tail starts to wag underneath him ¨C or rather, it tries to wag. Wagging is difficult when his tail is underneath his body while a rock dog and deer boy are on top of him. ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t have to say that.¡± ¡°But I want to! Hey, Fenny.¡± ¡°Y-yeah?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°A¡­¡± ¡°This is abuse!¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± ¡°Corwin! Your boyfriend is assaulting me!¡± ¡°Boy?¡± Shivers run down Fenrir¡¯s spine as he finds himself thoroughly emasculated. Because of the race he chose for himself, those words ¨C that question is extremely dangerous. It is such a simple question but it wields so much power over everybody with canid inspiration. When Fenrir looks into Oleander¡¯s eyes, he does not see the innocent, playful eyes that he saw just moments ago. All he can see now are the eyes of a cruel sadist wanting to break the plaything in front of him. And Fenrir is that plaything. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Fenny?¡± Oleander asks, sliding farther up Fenrir¡¯s body until their chests are pressing against each other and Oleander¡¯s face is hanging over his. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question. Aren¡¯t you a good boy?¡± ¡°C-Corwin?¡± Fenrir asks, looking around for any sign of the one who could save him. ¡°Why are you asking for Cor? Don¡¯t you know that he¡¯s¡­ spent right now? The poor thing is just so tired after all of the¡­ fun that we had. I don¡¯t think that he¡¯s going to be coming anytime soon.¡± Oleander may have a body inspired by a deer, and Fenrir may have a body inspired by a wolf, but right now their roles have been reversed. Oleander has become the predator and Fenrir the prey. Fenrir knows that nothing would actually happen because of the previous times where something like this has happened with Oleander, but he tries to think of a way out of this so that Oleander cannot chalk it up as another victory over him. And fortunately for Fenrir, he does know how he can win. ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± he asks, looking at Oleander. ¡°That won¡¯t work on me, Fenn¡ª¡± Rock pushes Oleander away, taking his spot on her master so that she can pant and bark and wait for praise to confirm that she is, in fact, a good girl. ¡°Rock! You betrayed me! I thought we were sisters!¡± Oleander whines and pouts. ¡°Sisterly love is not stronger then the love between master and pet,¡± Fenrir says, petting Rock between her ears. ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°Kinky.¡± ¡°So, where is Corwin really?¡± ¡°Oh, I was being serious. We just got done,¡± Oleander thrusts a finger through a hole made with his opposite hand¡¯s fingers, ¡°having a ton of fun before you logged on. Nobody will find him, though. I left him in that field with the tall flowers.¡± ¡°You¡­ you left him? Haven¡¯t you ever heard of aftercare? Or helping somebody to bed after that sort of thing?¡± ¡°He likes it, he likes it! Don¡¯t worry. Besides, I¡¯ll be ready for more by the time he recovers enough to move. If I leave him there than that saves us the trouble of having to find a spot away from everybody.¡± ¡°What if a random monster finds him and kills him?¡± ¡°I enchanted the plants around him to attack anybody who comes close.¡± ¡°You can do that now?¡± ¡°Yep! I can do a bunch of fun things with my plants. Like, I could do this,¡± Oleander points one of his hands down to the ground before slowly lifting it up with a curl as if beckoning something to come forth. And something does come forth. From the ground sprouts a twisted vine covered in thorns with an edgy tip as sharp as a blade coated in a purple liquid that Fenrir can only assume is poisonous. ¡°Or I could do this!¡± Oleander repeats the process. But, instead of summoning a weaponized vine out from the ground¡­ he summons multiple vines that have very suspiciously shaped tips. Very phallic tips. ¡°You ¨C you can do that?¡± ¡°I can make them other shapes, too. Want to learn? You could have all sorts of fun with your girlfriends if you learned how to do this. You¡¯d get to enjoy them all at once, too. No more having to go one at a time,¡± Oleander teases. Fenrir slowly gets onto his knees before placing his hands out in front of him on The Shoebill¡¯s deck¡­ and then bows with his head almost touching the deck. ¡°Please teach me.¡± ¡°Wa-wait, you agreed to learning way too easily.¡± ¡°I need you to teach me, Olly. This might be the most important thing that you could ever do for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a stretch.¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. I could make hentai reality.¡± ¡°Virtual reality.¡± ¡°Same thing.¡± ¡°F-Fenny, you might be taking this a bit too seriously. I have no idea how I could teach you. Besides, you¡¯re already like you are. What if it like, overwrites your current abilities?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a new character.¡± ¡°A new character dedicated to controlling plants?¡± ¡°I ¨C I want to¡ª¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°I¡¯m trying to convince Olly to teach me how to control tentacles so that I can¡ª¡± Fenrir looks up. Oleander has disappeared alongside Rock. The only one on The Shoebill¡¯s deck with him now is Azalabulia. ¡°O-oh. He-hey, Azawaza.¡± ¡°What did you want Oleander to teach you to control tentacles for?¡± ¡°We-well, you see¡ª¡± ¡°Ooh! You wish to control dark tendrils made of foul energies to corrupt those who stand before us, don¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s closer than she knows,¡± Saya chimes in. ¡°Ye-yeah. Something like that,¡± Fenrir answers. ¡°Maybe¡­ a bit more on the lewd side of things.¡± ¡°I see! You wish to master control of dark tendrils from the abyss so that you may warp the minds of those they ¨C they¡­ wha-what do you plan ¨C how do you ¨C how do you¡­ plan on warping their minds wi-with the more¡­ l-lewd side of things?¡± ¡°She gets it now, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I ¨C I was just joking¡­ for the most part. I don¡¯t really care enough about that sort of thing to spend too much time learning it in-game. I mean, I would if it was quick, but¡ª¡± ¡°La ¨C La Azure Girl¡­ w-was¡­ I ¨C I remember finding it¡­ when I was too young to be looking at things like that, and¡­¡± Fenrir blinks a few times. He knows the series that she is talking about but has never seen it himself since hentai that old has never appealed to him because of the dated animation. But¡­ Azalabulia apparently not only knows what it is, but might like it? It¡¯s possible that Azalabulia knows the classic tentacle hentai? ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a fellow degenerate,¡± Fenrir teases. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m¡­ I ¨C I just¡­ I was curious, so¡­ I watched it¡­ and¡­ th-then there was Bible Grey¡­¡± Fenrir blinks a few times. ¡°It was when I was going through my goth phase¡­ and¡­ it lined up with¡­ a lot of things¡­¡± Fenrir blinks a few more times. Not only has he discovered that Azalabulia has seen not one but two of the classic tentacle hentai series, but now he has discovered that she even went through a goth phase. Though, the goth phase part makes a lot of sense when he thinks about it. And then he realizes it. He realizes one of the ultimate perks of dating Azalabulia. ¡°Saya. Does¡­ does this mean that I have a big tiddy goth gf?¡± ¡°Onii-wan, please get caught up with modern memes. You¡¯re not an old man.¡± ¡°But the memes from the early century were the best.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a meme hipster.¡± ¡°S-so,¡± Azalabulia continues, ¡°I ¨C i-i-if you want to¡­ ge-get taught something like that¡­ maybe¡­ m-maybe I¡¯d¡­ be o-okay with it¡­¡± The temptation to learn how to control tentacles in this virtual world has reached an all-time high for Fenrir. Alas, there is something more important that he must do for his girlfriend who can hardly even look in his direction right now. ¡°Aza,¡± he says, now standing in front of her with his hands on her own. ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a date to go on. Have you forgotten?¡± It was almost Fenrir who forgot since he had no idea just how much time had passed and then was distracted by the whole tentacle revelation. ¡°R-right! I¡­ I made a silly mistake,¡± Azalabulia says. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I ¨C umm, I might have¡­ classes let early because of a system coming in, so¡­ I came home and started picking out clothes and makeup, and then¡­ I realized what I was doing.¡± ¡°So, you were getting ready in real life for a date in virtual reality?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah¡­ ehehe¡­¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re silly, Azawaza.¡± ¡°I wanted to look special, but¡­ this is the only outfit I have. Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You look as perfect as usual.¡± ¡°A-and¡­ the same goes to you.¡± Fenrir can¡¯t even remember the last time he heard Azalabulia genuinely compliment him, so it ends up flustering him more than a compliment normally would. And then he notices something different about Azalabulia. She might be wearing the same outfit that she normally wears¡­ but the top of it seems more open than usual. In other words¡­ ¡°Cass Cass would love this,¡± Saya says. Very little of Azalabulia¡¯s breasts tend to be on display despite their size, but there is plenty for Fenrir to look at right now. And then it hits him. Before they started dating, she tried subtly flirting with him by showing off her body. Now, she has put more of her cleavage on display and is looking away while peeking at him through the corner of her eye every now and then to make sure that he¡¯s looking at her. Azalabulia might not be too confident when it comes to being a girlfriend, flirting, and everything else like that, but she does know that the research she has done into seducing men is effective. The only difference between her research and Eva¡¯s research is that Azalabulia has a powerful, seductive aura that she doesn¡¯t even realize that she has. Perhaps it is part of her charm from being an older woman, but she knows how to catch the eyes of a man a few years younger than herself. As for Eva, she lacks that sultry charm and tries way too hard. However, Azalabulia cannot expect how Fenrir is feeling. After being teased so much by Oleander ¨C after having his deer of a friend strip away his sense of masculinity, Fenrir feels the need to reassert dominance. Seeing his beautiful girlfriend in front of him revealing her body to him in such a manner flips that switch in his mind that. But no! He is supposed to take her out on a date! Not just assault her like a wild wolf would a sheep! ¡°Anyways,¡± he coughs, ¡°get comfortable. I¡¯m going to take us out on the water.¡± ¡°Are¡­ you sure that it¡¯s safe?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about our friend out there. She¡¯ll make sure to warn us if she¡¯s worried about anything happening.¡± Azalabulia nods and does as he said. As for Fenrir, he looses The Shoebill from her dock and uses Tabitha¡¯s engine, which has since been modified and improved to be better than ever before, to reverse The Shoebill into the center of the river so that he can get her turned around and sailing out into the ocean. And he takes his boat and his girlfriend out far enough that the coast isn¡¯t even visible anymore. The mountains beyond the coast remain visible, but nothing below them does. Aside from the occasional bird flying overhead, the only other sign of life out on the water is a certain serpent¡¯s tail occasionally poking above the water every now and then to let Fenrir know that she is there with them. He can¡¯t help but to compare her to a guard dog. A giant, very long, guard dog. And now it is time for his date plan! And now that he is thinking about his plan for a date that is both epic and romantic¡­ he cringes. Would it really be alright to just keep on doing the whole ¡°chuuni roleplay battle then romance¡± thing? He knows that it is the most effective tactic to use with her, but he doesn¡¯t want her to get bored of that. He also wants to treat her like a normal girlfriend ¨C he wants to be romantic to the girl behind Azalabulia, not just Azalabulia the character. All of the chuuni roleplay that he had planned out has now been throw overboard just like his masculinity when Oleander was on top of him. Next to go overboard is a sigh. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Azalabulia asks, bringing out her concerned, teacherly tone. ¡°Hey, Aza.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How was work?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ work?¡± ¡°Yeah. Tell me about your day. I don¡¯t think I ask you about that enough, so I¡¯m going to start asking every day.¡± Azalabulia looks away with a wide, closed-mouth smile. ¡°Well¡­ one of the boys I teach is Alex. He ¨C why do you look so disappointed?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. We just used to know an Alex in-game. Well, an Alexander.¡± ¡°I take it that he wasn¡¯t a friend?¡± ¡°The complete opposite of one, but it¡¯s alright. We put him in his place in the end. So, what about this Alex you teach?¡± ¡°Ah, well, he has a crush on another of my students, Olivia. Unfortunately, it seems that he is the type of boy who picks on the girl he likes. I am always catching him pulling her hair, flicking things at her, poking her while she¡¯s focusing on work, and more. I have sent emails to his parents about his behavior and even called them, but they are¡­ dismissive. I tried to talk to him privately about why he was picking on her so much. He wouldn¡¯t admit to it, but I know boys his age. He likes her. Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t much I can do. I can¡¯t exactly give a boy his age romantic advice, and his parents are uncooperative, so the best I could do was tell him that if he was nicer to her then she might want to be friends with him.¡± ¡°That does sound like a tricky position.¡± ¡°Very. Today, Olivia¡¯s parents called me. I explained to them what was going on and they were much more eager to listen to what I had to say¡­ but they also said they would request for her to be moved to a different class if the problem isn¡¯t resolved soon. All of her friends are in my class, so I would feel horrible about her having to switch. So¡­ I need to find out how to resolve this.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t, and that¡¯s part of what makes you such an amazing teacher. You care. I doubt that it¡¯s in your job description, and wouldn¡¯t most teachers just let the students get separated to solve the problem?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. You don¡¯t need to do anything, but you¡¯re still going to. That makes you pretty awesome, Miss Azawaza.¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°Without a doubt. Did anything else happen?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ oh! Yes! I ¨C I was¡­ asked out.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Fenrir asks, leaning closer to her now with narrowed eyes. Azalabulia would be lying if she claimed to not love how protective he is behaving right now. ¡°I told him to fuck off.¡± ¡°Wa-wait, seriously? You ¨C that doesn¡¯t seem like you.¡± ¡°I was going to go on a date with him when I first started teaching there. He asked me out¡­ and then before the date, he got drunk and started sending me¡­ less than appropriate pictures. I hardly had any interest in him before that, and that made sure to kill what miniscule interest there was. The next day, he started harassing me over texts apologizing over and over. When I wasn¡¯t having any of it, he started insulting me. I showed human resources and he got in no insignificant amount of trouble. Unfortunately, he kept his job. Fortunately, he kept his distance from me and ended up going out with the mom of one of the kids he taught. I guess things didn¡¯t work out, so he decided to test and see if I¡¯ve forgiven him yet.¡± ¡°Man, I wonder if you¡¯ve forgiven him or not.¡± ¡°Would you like a spoiler?¡± ¡°Spoil away, Miss Azawaza.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgiven him and have no intention of ever doing so. I told him to fuck off and that if he said anything to me again then I would be going straight to human resources. If he even sends me another text then I was told I will be able to use the past incident and the new text as proof to get a restraining order, and if I do that, he won¡¯t be able to keep his job. So, he knows that I can ruin his life at any moment.¡± Fenrir whistles, impressed by this new side of his girlfriend. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you this¡­ deadly before. Deadly is a weird way to put it, probably.¡± ¡°It is, but I like it. I simply have no tolerance for people like him and I want to do my best to ensure that none of my kids ever become like him. That is why I want to help Alex instead of kicking the problem down the road for somebody else to fix later.¡± ¡°You really are an amazing teacher. Also, I love when we talk like this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know, when we just talk like adults to each other. I love you when you¡¯re roleplaying, but I love seeing the real Azalabulia even more.¡± ¡°I ¨C it¡¯s embarrassing when you put it that way. I can¡¯t help it when it comes to school.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to help it. I want to talk to you like this every day.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re saying such embarrassing things now. The real me is boring and old and¡­ Azalabulia is better.¡± ¡°Nothing beats the original. I love you for who you are. Azalabulia, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, is just a bonus.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I should act now¡­¡± ¡°Act however you want. Just do whatever you want to do the most.¡± ¡°What I want to do the most?¡± ¡°Yeah. This is a date just for you, so I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡± ¡°T-then¡­¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes focus lower on Fenrir¡¯s body until they eventually meet his crotch. She stares directly at it and hard. ¡°C-could¡­ we¡­ maybe ¨C I ¨C could I¡­ be selfish and¡­ umm¡­¡± As much as Fenrir might love to see the mature and responsible side of her, the flustered and embarrassed side of her never gets old. ¡°Ca-can you¡­ sit on the deck?¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears twitch. ¡°And close your eyes¡­¡± What could she be planning? Curious to find out, Fenrir does as she requested. He sits down on the deck and closes his eyes. The next thing he feels is Azalabulia coming down against his crotch. But then nothing. She stops moving. ¡°A-alright. You ¨C you can open your eyes,¡± she mumbles. Fenrir slowly opens his eyes to reveal¡­ Azalabulia lying down next to him with her head resting on his lap. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ve been wanting more of this ever since our last date. I really¡­ r-really love this. But, umm ¨C ca-can you¡­ do what else you were doing?¡± With a smile, Fenrir is more than happy to oblige. He ran his fingers through her hair the last time that he gave her a lap pillow. Now, it is time to do that again. He gently traces his fingers through her hair against her scalp, making sure to treat her as delicately as he can. ¡°Ehehe¡­ th-thanks.¡± ¡°No problem, Azawaza.¡± Fenrir originally planned on acting chuuni and roleplaying with her. Then he felt like reclaiming his dominance and masculinity that Oleander pushed out of him. Now, he just wants to sit her and keep on talking to her while stroking her head and giving her a lap pillow. It wasn¡¯t planned to go down like this at all, but he doubts that he could have come up with a better plan than this outcome. ¡°Can¡­ can we do this when we meet?¡± Azalabulia asks. ¡°In real life?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you as many lap pillows as you want in real life. Though, they probably won¡¯t be as good as they are here. My body is¡­ a lot smaller in reality. Fenrir has muscular thighs. I have¡­ well, my thighs exist.¡± Azalabulia giggles and happily sighs. ¡°I¡¯m sure that your lap in real life is just as wonderful as it is here. Have more confidence in yourself.¡± ¡°Bringing that teacher voice back out on me. Do you part-time as a guidance counselor or something?¡± ¡°Not quite, but I refuse to let my students talk poorly about themselves. I do not allow them to promote any unhealthy mentalities, and that extends to you. I hate negativity, so for every negative comment you make about yourself, I will give you positive comments until you forget about the negative ones.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, Azawaza.¡± ¡°Shush. It is my turn to give you praise since you thought it amusing to insult yourself.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to. I need to.¡± Fenrir doesn¡¯t even know what to say. All he can do is try his best to keep stroking her head while thinking of something else to say, but how does he even react to her when she¡¯s like this? Chuuni Azalabulia is easy to respond to no matter what she says, but Teacher Azalabulia is like an entirely different person. ¡°You are kind. You are handsome, and I am referencing the pictures I have seen of you in real life, Ryouta. You always know how to make me and everybody else smile, and you always prioritize our smiles over your own ¨C which, by the way, is not good! You need to prioritize your own smile sometimes. After all, your smile is precious to us, and seeing you smile makes the rest of us smile. Now, you are understanding and patient. You never hesitate to help those in need, even when you do not get anything for it. You may be in love with more than one girl¡­ but I also know that you are as loyal as a wolf. You have your pack and you take care of everybody in it, and you only add more to your pack when others want you to. You make time for everybody and make sure that nobody ever feels left out. You never get angry even when sometimes you should, and you always make sure that any and all problems are talked about and never left to fester to grow into something worse. You try your best to make us happy and to cater to each one of us ¨C you make sure that we all feel equal. You¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, Aza.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ I love you, but you¡¯re making me cry. I¡¯m not ¨C I¡¯m not really good with¡­ getting this many compliments. My heart honestly hurts from hearing all of that. But¡­ it hurts in a good way, I think.¡± Looking away and sniffling, Fenrir doesn¡¯t even notice that Azalabulia gets up from his lap. Nor does he notice when she wraps her arms around him to pull him down against her chest, resting his head right on top of her breasts. ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°What it means is that you have not been praised nearly as much as you deserve to be. You are always so busy giving everybody else praise that you never leave open any opportunities to receive it yourself. That is why I will give you so much praise that you can gladly accept it with a smile and no tears.¡± ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Not much. I am simply an appreciative girlfriend who knows that her boyfriend is surely exhausted after dedicating an entire day to making his girlfriends as happy as possible. Even though he is so exhausted, he still tries to include everybody in the date, and then he tries to make it all about me. I am sorry if I¡¯m ruining any of your plans, but I received enough of your attention. Now, it is time for me to focus the entirety of my attention on you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never acted like this before. I just¡­ I don¡¯t really know how to handle it.¡± ¡°And I am sorry for not acting like this sooner. I was having so much fun playing the role of Azalabulia with you that I did not take into consideration what I should be doing to make our relationship fair. It¡­ is extremely embarrassing to say all of this, but if I can be like this for my students, doesn¡¯t my boyfriend deserve even better treatment?¡± ¡°I really brought the teacher in you out today.¡± ¡°You did. You told me to be myself, so here I am. I am even using the same technique to sound as calm as I am that I use when my students or other faculty fluster me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Azalabulia lifts his head just a bit more ¨C just enough so that he can feel the beating of her heart. It is beating faster than any heartrate he has ever felt before. ¡°Like I said, this is extremely embarrassing. But when it is important, I know how to be serious.¡± ¡°You¡¯re seriously incredible.¡± ¡°No. We are incredible. I will not allow you to praise me if you will not accept the same praise for yourself.¡± ¡°You have amazing boobs.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes widen for a second before she starts laughing. His praise was just so random and sudden that she never would have expected it. ¡°There ¨C there may be some compliments that can¡¯t be shared,¡± Azalabulia says between her giggling. ¡°Right. And I wouldn¡¯t want you to praise my dick and then expect me to praise yours in return. That would be pretty concerning.¡± She giggles even more. ¡°Feel better now?¡± he asks. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said you were embarrassed and your heart was beating so fast that it made me worried. I hoped that making you laugh would help you relax.¡± Azalabulia shuts her eyes and lets out a long-drawn-out sigh. ¡°See? Even when you are the one who I was trying to make feel better, you prioritized me.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m selfish like that.¡± ¡°And now you are being negative again.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just being negative because I want to hear you compliment me for a few minutes straight again? Like I said, I¡¯m selfish.¡± ¡°Do you think that you are more selfish than the great Azalabulia, Wielder of the the Cursed Flame of Bahamut?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m the most selfish person that there i¡ª¡± He gets cut off by Azalabulia pressing her lips against him, her hands on her shoulders as she slowly pushes him back until he is flat on the deck. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate a woman who has been thinking about you all day, especially when she started thinking about everything she could do to make you as happy as possible because she wants to reward you for being so perfect after being reminded of how horrible some men are. Also¡­ it takes a while for alcohol to hit me, and I may have had a couple glasses of wine to help my nerves before this.¡± Azalabulia reaches one hand underneath her chest to pull down on the fabric more, revealing more of her breasts as she looks into his eyes. Once more, Fenrir has become the prey. Book 6: Chapter 13: Fenrir may have become the prey once more, but it was something that he was more than alright with as an increasingly intoxicated Azalabulia placed kisses all over his abdomen after stripping his upper half for her. She tried to remove her armor himself, but she lacked the precise control needed to do so. Fortunately for her, she did not have to remove anything down below in order to feel his crotch growing against her chest that rubbed down against him. He had to admit that having his abdomen kissed while feeling her chest rubbing against his crotch, even if there was still clothing separating his member from her chest, was great. The only thing that would have made it better was if she was wearing a sweater. ¡°Do ¨C do you always get like this when you drink?¡± Fenrir asked, leaning up on his elbows. ¡°Ehehe¡­ m-maybe,¡± Azalabulia giggled with reddened cheeks. ¡°But ¨C but it¡¯s usually just me my and my toys.¡± Hearing the teacher mess up her words was amusing on its own, but what interested Fenrir more was the mention of toys. ¡°What kind of toys do you have?¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t able to resist asking that. Azalabulia looked up at him with a smile and bright eyes as if genuinely happy that he asked since it means she gets to share! She even bounced her chest a little bit without meaning to, resulting in her breasts bouncing over his clothed erection. ¡°Umm, I have Mr. Wiggler. He¡¯s one of the best because he vibrates really, really fast.¡± Fenrir regretted asking a bit, but only because it was going to be hard to stay as aroused as he was if all of her toys had names like ¡°Mr. Wiggler.¡± ¡°Oh! And there¡¯s umm, the twins! They ¨C they¡¯re technically one toy, but it splits into two! The ¨C the, ehehe, the little one is like a little mini vibrator while the big one goes ¨C goes inside! It¡¯s embarrassing to explain,¡± she explained, giggling almost the entire time and not at all sounding nor looking embarrassed. ¡°How many do you have?¡± ¡°A lots ¨C a lot, a lot! Because I never had the real things, so I needed toys!¡± ¡°Any toys that would make Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, proud?¡± ¡°Oh! Mr. Dragon. I ¨C I bought him because I thought he looked really cool and evil and covered in ridges, but¡­ h-he¡¯s a bit too scary to use. I like to, umm, I ¨C I like to, you see, while I ¨C while I use Mr. Wiggler or the twins down there, I¡¯ll play with Mr. Dragon up here,¡± she explained, pointing at her mouth. ¡°What? You¡¯re not going to go into more detail than that?¡± ¡°Do ¨C do you want me to?¡± ¡°Tell me about how you do it, Aza,¡± Fenrir ordered, bringing out that more dominant voice of his. She may have been the one on top of him but seeing and hearing her was starting to trigger that dominant side of his again. ¡°O-okay! I¡¯ll ¨C I¡­ if I hold Mr. Wiggler against ¨C against my clit an-and move him around while he¡¯s on, then ¨C oh, if I¡¯m on my stomach, I¡¯ll hold Mr. Wiggler under me against me, and ¨C and I¡¯ll have Mr. Dragon on the bed in front of me, and I¡¯ll pretend he¡¯s you and give him lots of kisses and licks and rub my face all over him, and sometimes I¡¯ll put him between my boobs while rubbing down against the bed.¡± Fenrir might have had that dominant switch flipped, but he felt himself feeling flustered¡ªand complimented¡ªas soon as she let it slip out that she pretended her toy was him. It also made him want to ask more questions. ¡°Do you always pretend it¡¯s me?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course! I ¨C I pretend all my toys are you now! And I moan your name a lot ¨C your real one! Umm, when I call the toys their names, those are their old names so it¡¯s a habit, but now they¡¯re all just you! S-so it¡¯s Vibrating Ryouta, Twin Ryouta, and Dragon Ryouta! And all the other Ryoutas in the boxes.¡± ¡°Boxes? As in plural?¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve been buying toys ever since I could and I¡¯d feel bad about throwing them out, so I keep them in good shape and make sures that they all feel loved! I¡¯m ¨C that¡¯s good, right?¡± ¡°You are. You¡¯re a good girl, Aza,¡± Fenrir praised her, placing one hand on top of her head to pet her. ¡°Ehehe¡­ I am!¡± ¡°You know what would be great?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you sent me a video of you playing with your toys.¡± ¡°That ¨C that would be really embarrassing¡­ but maybe if I drink enough¡­¡± ¡°Would you have to drink even more than you did tonight?¡± ¡°De-definitely. I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not even as tipsy as I would normally get! There are times where I¡¯ll drink and don¡¯t even remember what happens, and then wake up surrounded by toys all over my bed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a pretty kinky girl, Aza. Serra might have some competition.¡± ¡°I ¨C I could never compete with Serra! She¡¯s-ees like that all the time! I ¨C I can only let it out when I drink¡­¡± ¡°Then we just have to have so much sex that you feel comfortable enough doing it even when you¡¯re sober.¡± ¡°The drunk me completely agrees with that, ehehe.¡± ¡°So, which of your toys is your favorite?¡± ¡°This one!¡± she declared, reaching a hand underneath her chest to grope his clothed erection. ¡°You¡¯re perfect, Aza. Why don¡¯t you demonstrate what you do with your dragon toy?¡± Fenrir got to see the smuggest smile appear on Azalabulia¡¯s face that he had ever seen from her. ¡°Does ¨C does my student need his teacher to demonstrate?¡± Azalabulia asked, bringing the lewding to another level. ¡°I do,¡± Fenrir answered with a smile. ¡°Then ¨C then you have to ask Miss. Azalabulia nicely!¡± Taking the playing along to another level, Fenrir raised his right hand and waited. Azalabulia immediately caught on and smiled. ¡°Wha-what is it, Fen¡ªRyouta?¡± ¡°Miss Azalabulia, could you please demonstrate how you play with your toys? I forgot to take notes, so I need you to show me.¡± ¡°I ¨C I suppose that since you have been such a bad student that I will have to demonstrate! Make sure to pay close attention this time or else I¡¯ll smack you with a ruler.¡± They both struggled to hold back her giggling, but that struggle ended as soon as Azalabulia slid a bit farther down her body. Instead of resting her breasts against his crotch, they pressed down against the deck between his legs as she hung her face over that throbbing erection desperate to get out from its confines. Though, her hands fumbled just as much when it came to pulling his pants down as they were when she tried removing his armor. Fenrir reached down to help her, but she was quick to sway his hands away. ¡°P-pay attention! All you ¨C all you have to do is sit back and watch while I demonstrate! While I¡­ while I desmonstrate, mate. E-ehe, that rhymes.¡± If Fenrir¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t throbbing before, it started after hearing just how cute she was. Intoxicated Azalabulia was definitely an Azalabulia that he wanted to see more of, but he¡¯d have to make sure that this side didn¡¯t come out too often. He didn¡¯t want her to become an alcoholic, of course. Eventually, Azalabulia¡¯s fumbling resulted in pulling down his pants enough for his cock to pop out. And, because of how close she had her face, it slapped against her face as soon as it was free. ¡°You ¨C you must be excited for this demonstration! Do you ¨C like learning that much?¡± she asked with a smile, talking to Fenrir but staring at his erect length. ¡°I¡¯ve never been as excited to learn as I am now.¡± ¡°G-good! I¡¯ll make sure to teach you so you learn lots and lots.¡± Before she even realized it herself, she was in the process of rubbing her face against his cock while making sure to take in plenty of the scent. One of her hands was even between her legs rubbing against herself despite her not planning on that being a part of the lesson. ¡°You see ¨C it ¨C it gets like this when blood flows to it! A-and now I have to make sure to calm it down so that it doesn¡¯t explode,¡± she teased, laughing at her own drunken joke. ¡°Miss Aza, weren¡¯t you going to demonstrate how you treat your toys?¡± ¡°O-oh. Yeah. Wrong lesson. Sorry, umm ¨C oh! First, I do lots of this.¡± She stopped rubbing her face against his length to instead pepper it in sloppy kisses. Once she made sure to kiss every inch of it from the base to the tip, she began to rub her lips up and down along it with occasional flicks from her tongue. Next came action purely from her tongue. Sticking her tongue out from her mouth, she gave his cock long, dramatic licks along the entire length. She even made sure to give his frenulum plenty of quick little licks that caused Fenrir to moan and slightly arch his back. ¡°You ¨C you must practice a lot,¡± Fenrir teased. As far as he knew, she was a virgin aside from her experience with him and her toys, and she never performed oral on him before this. ¡°I do,¡± she said with a proud smile. ¡°I ¨C I wanted to make sure I could do it all perfectly for when I find a husband! I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve played with my toys a lot with my lips, and my tongue, and my throat,¡± she cooed, bring back that sultry mature side of hers as she started properly getting into it. ¡°Now¡­ be a good boy and watch nice and closely.¡± For once, she looked up at him instead of his cock, and she even gave him a wink when he had no idea that she knew how to do that. Before Fenrir could say anything, Azalabulia had the tip of his member firmly locked between her soft, warm lips as she brought her breasts up to his cock. He had no idea when she finally pulled them out from her clothes, but she did, and now she had her bare tits wrapped around the length of his cock that wasn¡¯t already inside of her mouth. She proved just how experienced she was with her toys. While keeping her breasts tightly squeezed around his cock, she rotated her lips around his cock from left to right and from right to left while slowly bobbing her head. While she did that, she lifted her breasts up around his length whenever her head went up, and then lowered them when she was ready to bring more of his cock back into her mouth. The longer this continued, the faster her actions became. And, since she had no inhibitions thanks to the alcohol, she had no problem with the sloppy noises that she was making as his cock became coated in a mixture of his precum and her saliva. Fenrir opened his mouth to let her know that he was about to cum, but Azalabulia already knew that ¨C or, perhaps it was just chance that she pressed her face down against her lifted breasts to bury as much of his cock inside of her mouth as she could while leaving her her tits wrapped around it. He almost instinctively reached out to grab her head and keep her pushed down, but he remembered what she said about only watching, so he obeyed her as his cock reached its limit. The first burst of his hot seed splashed against the back of her throat, and Azalabulia¡¯s only reaction to this was sucking on his length even harder than before. He felt like she was intentionally trying to suck as much of his cum out from his cock as she could. And she succeeded in doing just that. She did not stop sucking and swallowing the entire duration of his orgasm. Even as his toes curled and his back arched as he became almost painfully sensitive from his post-orgasm status, she kept on sucking and sucking until she could pop her lips off from his cock with a satisfied smile. Not a single drop of cum could be seen anywhere. His cock was as clean as it was before, as were her lips and everywhere else. She even lewdly opened her mouth just so he could see that she did, in fact, swallow every last drop of his cum. As for his cock, she kept it held between her breasts, but it did soften enough that the top of it leaned over to rest on the top of them. ¡°H-how was the first lesson? Did you take notes this time?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°I ¨C I may have been just a little bit distracted,¡± Fenrir answered, still taking a heavy breath here and there thanks to the pleasure. ¡°Then you better pay attention to the second lesson.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another?¡± ¡°Of course! I have to ¨C I have to be a good teacher and,¡± she paused to hiccup, ¡°thoroughly teach you!¡± ¡°I ¨C I see. What¡¯s the second lesson?¡± ¡°Well¡­ because Mr. Dragon is too wide for my mouth, I usually only do this,¡± Azalabulia said, pushed Fenrir¡¯s cock down against him before bringing all the weight of her breasts down on top of it. It didn¡¯t take long for him to get erect again, but his cock wouldn¡¯t be able to stand back up thanks to her breasts keeping it pinned down. Then she began to rub herself forward and backward against him, dragging her heavy breasts up and down his cock and his abdomen. His cock eventually got rubbed in just the right way to nudge it closer to the center of her breasts, allowing it to partially pop up into her hanging cleavage, but it got pushed right back down whenever she lowered her chest. ¡°A-and what I like to do during this ¨C since I don¡¯t need my hands,¡± she paused to slide her hand back down to her crotch, slipping it inside of her outfit to rub her clit and bring an erotic moan out from her mouth, ¡°is this.¡± While her breasts pleasured Fenrir, her hand pleasured herself, bringing her to moan even more than Fenrir was. As great as the titfuck and blowjob combination was, Fenrir can¡¯t help but find the current deal even hotter. It wasn¡¯t because he preferred a pure titfuck over a combination so much as it was that seeing and hearing his girlfriend in pleasure made it even better. Sure, he felt great before, but now he got to feel great while watching his lover feel great alongside him. What could be better than that? Though, eventually, she got lost in pleasuring herself rather than pleasuring him. As her fingers teased and played with herself, growing faster and rougher to bring herself closer to orgasm while moaning with zero attempts at holding it back, the motions of her breasts became too inconsistent and slow for Fenrir to get any closer to cumming. It didn¡¯t help that he already finished once. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He reached up with his hands to grab her tits and hold them in place while grinding his hips up, rubbing his cock between them. Azalabulia lifted her head to look at what he was doing. He expected her to tell him to stop and only watch but, instead, she smiled and rested the side of her head against his abdomen so that she could watch his face as he pleasured himself with her chest. The more pleasured he looked, the more pleasure she felt. The more pleasure she felt, the more pleasured she looked, the more pleasure he felt. While she was able to shamelessly stare at his face as he used her chest, though, he felt embarrassed from being watched so closely. But that didn¡¯t stop him. Neither of them stopped what they were doing, instead increasing their paces to bring them closer and closer to orgasm. Azalabulia came first. Her body convulsed in pleasure as she shut her eyes and, to Fenrir¡¯s surprise, bit him. Perhaps it was because of how Serra liked to treat him, but that bite was enough to send him over the edge, forcing him to cum again while his cock was mid-thrust between her breasts. The first rope of cum splattered between her tits to make a sticky mess there. As his cock poked out from the top of her valley, the second shot of cum splashed out onto her neck, the underside of her chin, and some of it got onto his abdomen. ¡°Fu-fuck, that ¨C that was a pretty great lesson,¡± Fenrir said, lying back on the deck. What he felt next was something wet and warm sliding against his skin. Looking up to see what it was, it was Azalabulia¡¯s tongue dragging across his chest to make sure that not a single bit of cum was anywhere other than on or in her. ¡°I ¨C I love this toy a lot better than my others,¡± she said with a satisfied smile. ¡°It¡¯s a lot messier, but I like the mess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a top of the line toy made with the newest technology,¡± Fenrir explained. ¡°Ehehe¡­ best toy ever. I¡¯ll have to leave a good product review on it.¡± ¡°I hear that you can leave a good product review on it by kissing it. You kiss the bottom to leave a one-star review, the top for a five-star review.¡± Fenrir may have been saying what he assumed was a lame attempt at a joke, but he felt Azalabulia slide back down him so that his cock was back in front of her face again. Then her lips wrapped around the tip once again, giving it a few hard sucks before switching to kissing it over and over again. ¡°Then what does that mean?¡± she asked. ¡°It ¨C it means you get free review copies for life.¡± She giggled against his cock before sliding back up him. While she might have been all about getting the cum off of him before, she didn¡¯t consider that dragging her cum-covered breasts against him would smear more cum back onto him. But that was alright. There was something else he had to do. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up even closer to him so that he could properly place a kiss on her lips. Ignoring the taste has become easy after how many times he did this with his other girlfriends. ¡°Thanks, Aza. Thanks for everything you said earlier, thanks for letting me learn about this side of you, and thanks for how good you made me feel. I love you,¡± he said, staring her in her eyes. Azalabulia¡¯s face turned a bright shade of red after that last part. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ he-hearing that¡­ f-for some reason¡­ I ¨C I guess¡­ a-all of that combined sobered me up.¡± ¡°You sobered up that easily? After we did everything?¡± She tucked her face against his neck and nodded. ¡°I ¨C I wanted to do all of that, a-and I don¡¯t regret it, but¡­ I ¨C I¡­ d-do you still like me? E-even though I¡¯m su-such a¡­ p-pervert?¡± Fenrir leaned the back of his head against the deck again and stared up at the sky before laughing. ¡°I wonder what I possibly could have meant when I said I love you. Maybe that was a code for I don¡¯t like you anymore.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m serious! You ¨C you saw that side of me¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, and I loved it and want more of it. Do you really think that I¡¯d be upset that you have such a sweet and serious side, and a fun and lewd side? You¡¯re better than ever before, Azawaza.¡± ¡°Do ¨C do you mean it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get whiplash from the sudden shift in personality. Alcohol is powerful.¡± ¡°I love it¡­¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t love it too much, alright? None of us want you turning into an alcoholic.¡± ¡°I ¨C I should probably drink less¡­¡± ¡°How much do you drink?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ th-three or four bottles a week? Of wine! N-nothing hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that three or four bottles a week, even if it¡¯s just wine, is still bad for you.¡± ¡°At ¨C at least I don¡¯t drink as much as I did before I met you¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯d you manage to be such a good teacher every day when you had hangovers?¡± ¡°You learn how to live with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ alright. No more drinking more than a bottle a week.¡± ¡°Wh-what about two bottles a week?¡± ¡°One.¡± ¡°But one bottle is only one serving¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that one bottle is supposed to last more than one serving.¡± ¡°Probably¡­¡± ¡°How are you going to grow old with us if you die early from alcoholism?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ that¡¯s a good point. A-and I wouldn¡¯t be able to drink while pregnant, so¡­ I should learn to stop, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Th-that would be a good idea, yeah.¡± As nervous as the thought of having children might have made him, after everything that they were just doing and then hearing her bring it up, all he can think about is having sex with her and cumming inside of her. And that is enough to bring back life to his cock. ¡°Fe-Fen? I ¨C I can feel it¡­¡± Since she was lying on top of him, it was easy for her to feel his cock throbbing underneath her. ¡°Hey, since you did all of that for me, why I don¡¯t I return the favor?¡± he proposed. ¡°But ¨C I ¨C I¡¯m still sensitive¡­¡± ¡°Even better.¡± Keeping her face against his neck, Azalabulia answered him by giving his neck a gentle kiss and lifting her hips. The position would make things a bit difficult, but it was nothing that he couldn¡¯t handle. Fenrir gripped his cock and slid it around until he felt himself rubbing up against her slit. Then, Azalabulia helped guide him to her entrance by positioning herself and pressing down against the crown of his tool. ¡°Stay like that,¡± he whispered. Rather than completely lower herself down onto his cock, she only took the top half into her. That gave him the space he needed to thrust up and push the rest of his length into her. Of course, she ended up pressing her hips down farther without even realizing it, so he ended up having to push her up with every thrust anyways. Whenever her hips came dropping down, his cock went thrusting up. But that wasn¡¯t enough for him. After everything that she did for him, and how embarrassed she was, he wanted to give her even more. That was why he gently grabbed her head to pull her away from his neck so that he could press his lips against hers. Azalabulia moaned against his mouth as their tongues toyed with one another, his cock buried inside of her and reaching her deepest depths. They stayed embracing one another like this for a while as they had both already finished beforehand. Sometimes, the thrusting slowed so that they could focus on kissing. Other times, Fenrir thrust as hard and as fast as he could. After another fifteen minutes of staying together like this, he brought her to orgasm several times while almost cumming himself a couple of times. He wanted to make sure that she experienced even more orgasms than him. So, after he got her to climax another three times, he finally felt ready to allow himself to cum. Holding her tightly, his lips pressed against hers, he thrust his length as deep as it could go into her before groaning out in pleasure and cumming for the third time of their date. His hot seed flooded into her and, if he hadn¡¯t already made Azalabulia orgasm three more times, just the feeling of his warmth pouring into her would have been enough to make her climax again. Thoroughly tired and emptied now, Fenrir dropped his hips and allowed his arms to fall to his sides. ¡°S-so¡­ still need to ask if I still like you?¡± he asked with a satisfied smile on his face. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think so,¡± she answered. ¡°I have an idea.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Whenever you¡¯re tempted to drink more than you¡¯re allowed to, let me know and I¡¯ll fuck the temptation out of you.¡± A few seconds of silence passed between them before they each started laughing. ¡°Yeah, that was lamer than I thought.¡± ¡°May-maybe it was a good idea. I ¨C I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to it.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t? Wow, you¡¯re such a pervert.¡± ¡°See?! I ¨C I knew you didn¡¯t li¡ª¡± Fenrir presses his lips against hers again to cut her off. ¡°I love you and I love your perverted side. Would I want a video of you playing with your toys if I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ don¡¯t think I could bring myself to doing that. Not¡­ without drinking.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re allowed one bottle of wine a week.¡± Azalabulia blushed, averted her eyes, and then returned her eyes to him and kissed him. ¡°Maybe, but no promises.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. So, are all of your toys named something like Mr.¡ª¡± Azalabulia¡¯s hands covering her mouth prevented him from finishing his sentence. ¡°That ¨C that is classified information and you are not permitted to let anybody else know about their names,¡± she explained, staring into his eyes. As embarrassed and burning as she was, making sure he understood that was of utmost importance. Even though Fenrir tried licking her fingers to get her to take her hands off of his mouth, she kept them there. She was truly determined. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not moving them until you nod!¡± Sadly, Fenrir nodded, and so she removed her hands. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll keep it a secret. I won¡¯t tell anybody else that you give your toys names like¡ª¡± Her hands were quick to return to his mouth. Book 6: Chapter 14: Once Fenrir was done having his fun teasing Azalabulia about her toys and their names, they spent a while just talking about life. They talked about their favorite colors, movies and music, their history and their dreams ¨C everything that he had already talked about with his other girlfriends but never got a chance to repeat around Azalabulia was repeated. She was brought up to date and given every single last bit of information regarding him that his other girlfriends already had. In exchange, he learned more about her than what the others knew, so it was clear that she would have to have such one-on-one dates with their girlfriends, too. That line of thought led Fenrir to imagine how a date would go between her and Serra. He would want to watch that date. Once Fenrir and Azalabulia were out of things to talk about and too tired to do anything else as lewd as what they did earlier, but still wanting to spend more time together, he came up with an idea. It was time to do the number one thing that he joined the game for while on a one-on-one date with Azalabulia. ¡°There you go! See? It¡¯s not that hard once you get the hang of it,¡± Fenrir said, standing behind Azalabulia. The lure attached to her line flew through the air before landing in the ocean¡¯s gentle waters. ¡°Slowly reel it in now.¡± Azalabulia hesitantly begins to reel in the lure. ¡°Why reel it in?¡± ¡°Uhh, because you¡¯re supposed to when using lures.¡± ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know, do you?¡± ¡°I know that you¡¯re supposed to reel them in. Look, as much as I love fishing, I¡¯ve never really done that much research into properly doing it. Most of the time in games, it¡¯s either automated or simplified and it doesn¡¯t teach you why you do things. But, I¡¯m over ninety percent sure that it¡¯s because of how lures tend to mimic fish and other things that bigger fish like to eat. Reeling them in makes them seem alive ¨C like they¡¯re swimming. That makes them more appealing to other fish. Now, if you were using live bait, you could just let it sit out there since they¡¯d be moving around all on their own and grabbing attention, but you¡¯d still have to reel them in every now and then since they¡¯d eventually ¨C you know, cease living.¡± ¡°Explosions would be faster.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to explode the water.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Explosions ruin all the fun and destroy and sense of sport that there is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you. I would have thought that my general would realize the true, awesome power of explosions and how they make everything better! It destroys any sense of sport there is? Wrong! The size of the explosion, its color, how much destruction it causes ¨C now that is sport!¡± Azalabulia then felt a tug on her line. ¡°A-ah! Fen! I ¨C I think something¡¯s hooked! What ¨C what do I do?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve fished with us before.¡± ¡°B-but not with a lure!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. Once it¡¯s hooked, reel it in like you normally would.¡± ¡°A-alright!¡± Supporting her the only way that he could think of, he prepared the net in one hand while his other hand held her side. She definitely hooked something but, going by the light bend of the rod, it must have been pretty weak. ¡°I can see it. You¡¯ve got this,¡± Fenrir said, both hands on the net now. Though, really, it was small enough that she could easily bring it onto the deck without any struggle. Azalabulia¡¯s shaking hands struggled to keep the rod still. Then, as soon as the fish was close enough, she lifted the rod up and back to pull the fish out of the water! It flew up through the air, hooked by its mouth, and Fenrir swung the net to try and catch it! Only, he ended up knocking it out of the air, sending it flying doward directly toward¡­ Azalabulia. Azlabulia¡¯s chest to be more specific. Fenrir knew that this would normally be when a girl turns bright red, screams, and desperately tries to remove the fish. Instead, when he looked at his girlfriend, all he saw were dead eyes as the fish¡¯s tail flopped around above her cleavage. The rest of the fish had been securely trapped between her breasts and, the more it wiggled, the farther down it slid. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to appreciate this fanservice or be jealous of the fish,¡± Fenrir said before reaching out to grab the fish by its tail. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t be too jealous after what we did.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t bring it up so suddenly. And now I¡¯m all slimy,¡± Azalabulia whined. As for the fish, it was small in size but had a beautiful, almost-rainbow shine to it when the sun shone onto it. It didn¡¯t take much for Fenrir¡¯s tail to wag. ¡°I wonder how it tastes.¡± ¡°You ¨C you can¡¯t just eat it!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cute!¡± ¡°But the whole point of catching fish is to eat them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to catch fish to eat! They deserve to be released so that they can¡ª¡± ¡°You wanted to explode them.¡± ¡°I ¨C gr-granting them a beautiful death with an explosion is something else that they also deserve!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be more humane to eat them? So that they¡¯re not being wasted?¡± ¡°Explosions aren¡¯t wasteful.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t explosions kind of the definition of overkill and being wasteful?¡± ¡°They are not wasteful because they are the most effective method of wide-scale destruction. If the intent is to destroy everything around them, then it is not wasteful.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to find a way to justify explosions no matter what, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Absolutely. My dark and awe-inspiring explosions deserve to be witnessed throughout the world!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not allowed to kill and eat the fish you caught?¡± ¡°N-no! His name is The Fresh Fish!¡± ¡°You ¨C you already gave him a gender and name?¡± ¡°I did! T-that¡¯s why you have to release him so that he can go and live a happy life!¡± ¡°Unless he dies in an explosion, in which case it¡¯s alright for his life to end?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°That sounds like a really abusive relationship.¡± ¡°Just ¨C just release him already before he drowns!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he ¨C wait, what¡¯s it called when a fish dies from being out of the water? Suffocation?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Good enough. If the teacher says it then it must be true.¡± ¡°That ¨C that isn¡¯t always true. I teach my students critical thinking for a reason! There are times when I make mistakes, too, so it¡¯s important to always be on the lookout!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a dependable teacher.¡± And with that, Fenrir dropped the fish into the water. ¡°Is ¨C is it okay to drop him from up here?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Yeah, look. He¡¯s swimming away just fine.¡± ¡°Good! I hope that you remember your meeting of destiny today, The Fresh Fish. I, Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, have granted you permission to survive! Survive and spread word of the coming apocalypse by my hand ¨C by my awesome powers!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t give him any words to spread.¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving him those words now!¡± ¡°But he¡¯s already gone and I don¡¯t think that fish have very good hearing. Actually¡­ I don¡¯t know if they have any hearing.¡± ¡°Fish can hear. Their ears are on the inside rather than the outside, essentially.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to start coming to you with all the questions that I can think of, Miss Teacher.¡± ¡°I will be your teacher whenever you need it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s hot. Does this also apply to teacher and student roleplay where you¡¯re punshing me for misbehaving in class, or when I¡¯m trying to seduce you for better grades?¡± ¡°Has ¨C has Nell been rubbing off on you?¡± ¡°In more ways than one.¡± ¡°I can tell. B-but¡­ if ¨C if that¡¯s what you want, then¡­ I ¨C I just might need to drink a little beforehand¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get horny again. Wait, I already am horny again.¡± ¡°Then ¨C then¡­ i-if you want to, right now?¡± ¡°But I already feel so tired, and aren¡¯t you tired?¡± ¡°I am, but¡­¡± Azalabulia looked to the left and then the right before looking down at Fenrir¡¯s crotch. And so, before Fenrir could even catch one fish of his own, he was pulled away from fishing yet again to partake in the pleasure of his girlfriend¡¯s body. Fishing was the true endgame, but his girlfriends were the highest raid tier of endgame content that offered the most rewards. But as soon as he finished, again, his mind returned to thoughts of fishing and about how he would need to come out only with Rao, Corwin, and Olly if he ever wanted to get just fishing done. He just couldn¡¯t focus on only fishing whenever his girlfriends were around. Not only that, but there was something else in need of his care and attention aside from the fish of the oceans and his girlfriends. A neglected partner who Fenrir planned on spending much more time with than he has, only to rarely ever need him. Even now, he was stuck on the ship and left to the side while Fenrir and Azalabulia went about being a lovey-dovey couple. If he had a mouth to grumble with, he would have been grumbling. Loudly. Book 6: Chapter 15: The next day, Fenrir left for the nearby forest with Rock by his side and Rod in his hand. It was finally time for him to give Rod some more attention. Though, it was not the sort of attention that Rod had in mind. Afterall, Rod was a fishing rod first and foremost. Why was Fenrir not taking him to the ocean where he could be used to ¨C well, be used to fish? Rod did not understand the logic at all. He was, however, happy to know that Fenrir intended to train with him. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like Rod had any way of telling him that. There was no guarantee that Rod would expression his appreciation even if he could talk. All he could do, and would do, was pulsate his light whenever Fenrir tried talking to him. That was enough to show his appreciation and all that Fenrir deserved after hardly using him for so long! Did Fenrir even understand how Rod felt? Rod was an extremely rare and valuable tool! One that Fenrir had no right to get as early on as he did! And he has barely even been used for anything aside from the occasional battle and fishing trip! He doesn¡¯t even get to partake in most of the fights since his partner wants to fight with his claws instead of a weapon most of the time! Rod was so happy when it seemed like he was finally going to be used for fishing¡­ and then that seductress who was all about darkness and explosions just had to go and corrupt Fenrir¡¯s mind. Some partner I have! He doesn¡¯t appreciate me nearly as much as he should. Maybe I can find some nice, cute girl to take me away from him. Serra would be nice¡­ but she¡¯s his. I might be disappointed in him but I¡¯m not going to steal from him. My partner doesn¡¯t deserve that, thought Rod. ¡°I came out here with you two, but I don¡¯t actually know what to do,¡± Fenrir said, looking around at his surroundings. ¡°All I can think of is playing fetch with some sticks.¡± Rock¡¯s ears immediately perked up as her tail slowly wagged from side to side. As for Rod¡­ I thought you said we were going to have some alone training time?! How is playing fetch with a pet rock more important than training with me?! Yeah, Rock might be a good girl and deserve to have fetch played with her, but don¡¯t lie to me about why we¡¯re coming out here in the first place! ¡°Something wrong, Rod?¡± Wait, can he understand me? Can he finally hear me? Can he¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen your gem flash so much. It¡¯s starting to feel like I might have to press B to cancel your evolution.¡± Not only can he not understand me, but he¡¯s talking about things I don¡¯t understand! What did I do to deserve this cruel fate? Why did my creator abandon me in some glorified pawn shop for hairy men who liked to spend too much time in the water? Why is my current partner the way that he is? All he does is spend time with his ladies. I can¡¯t blame him for it, but there¡¯s more to life than women! We could be fishing together! You could have me transform into a weapon and we could fight together! Wait, he hasn¡¯t even learned how to transform me yet, has he?! All he knows how to do is shrink my size, and I don¡¯t like my blank being shrunk! ¡°I just remembered something. Can¡¯t you transform into other forms? I remember hearing that eta¨ªros gems can turn into other forms once they¡¯re close enough to their wielders, right?¡± Is he on the right track? Will he finally realize that all he has to do is¡ª ¡°But I guess we¡¯re not that close yet.¡± What kind of logic is that?! He hasn¡¯t even tried! Don¡¯t just give up on me like that, partner! At least try it! All you have to do is focus and think about it! We¡¯ve been by each other¡¯s side enough to have a strong bond! Sure, you might rarely ever use me, but we¡¯re already in tune with each other! All you have to do is¡ª ¡°I wish you came with an instruction manual.¡± It¡¯s not that difficult! It¡¯s nowhere near that difficult! All you have to do is focus and think! Just try it before I steal Serra from you since I know she¡¯ll at least appreciate my length! Ah¡­ sorry, partner, I feel bad just for thinking that even if you can¡¯t understand me. Besides, she never even looks at any other guy, only other women. I doubt she¡¯d give a fishing rod like me the time of day. I wonder if there are any lady fishing rods out there¡­ wait, is that even possible? Even if they¡¯re a lady, they¡¯d still have a long blank, which means¡­ ¡°Your light is shining brighter now, too. Has something changed?¡± You na?ve ¨C you foolish¡­ you¡­ you! Can¡¯t you sense our bond just from touching me?! Wait, maybe that¡¯s the problem. He doesn¡¯t touch me enough. Alright! Partner! Hold me with a nice, firm grip! Grip me as tightly as you can! Grab my handle instead of just staring at my gem! ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You only have to pulse once for yes, twice for no. It¡¯s confusing when you pulse that many times.¡± Because I¡¯m not trying to give you a yes or no answer! How do your girlfriends survive you? How does anybody survive you when you can¡¯t even pick up on simple signs like this?! ¡°Hang on, there¡¯s some dirt on you.¡± Fenrir kept Rod held in one hand while wiping the dirt away with his other. Only, as soon as the tip of his fingers touched Rod¡¯s gem, Fenrir felt a pulse of energy course through him. ¡°What? What¡­ was that? Rod?¡± Yes! That was me! Touch my gem more! It¡¯s my most personal part ¨C the part closest to being my real body! Touch me! Touch it! Touch the gem again and keep on touching it until you realize what I¡¯m trying to say! ¡°You¡¯re welcome. It¡¯s not right for such a beautiful gem to be dirty ¨C wait, you answered that you¡¯re a man before. Should I call your gem handsome instead of beautiful? That¡¯s not at all what you need to be thinking about right now! Yes, I do prefer handsome, but that isn¡¯t important! ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, Rod. You¡¯ve gotten really bad at giving yes or no answers.¡± It¡¯s hopeless. I¡¯m going to forever be stuck in this hardly-used form and¡ª ¡°By the way, I was thinking about it. I would probably be worse off fighting with a weapon instead of my claws when my arms transform, but what if I can find some sort of weapon or supplement that would work alongside my claws? Something that I could transform you into once I figure out how?¡± Partner¡­ you¡¯ve¡­ you¡¯ve been thinking about me? You¡¯ve been thinking about how you can use me? I¡¯m sorry for doubting you! Now I feel even more horrible for what I said about Serra! I swear that I was only jealous and that I would never actually do anything like that! ¡°But I have no idea what.¡± At¡­ at least you¡¯re trying. That¡¯s good enough! ¡°Well, I have one sort of vague idea. As silly as it might sound, I want to stick with the fishing theme. I mean, I¡¯ve fought with you before as a fishing rod. That¡¯s awesome. Can you imagine how pissed off people must get when they¡¯re killed by a fishing rod? Speaking of imagining how people might react¡­ they would probably think I look crazy right now. I¡¯m just rambling to my fishing partner who can¡¯t even talk back.¡± I¡¯m listening to everything you¡¯re saying! I¡¯m trying to talk back, partner! I¡¯m right here! ¡°Anyways, the vague idea kind of plays on the line thing. Your line has helped me out before, but what if it could turn into¡­ chains? I think it would look pretty awesome. Heavy, metal chains wrapped around my forearms that can help me defend and attack.¡± That dark and explosive woman is rubbing off on you, isn¡¯t she, partner? ¡°You know that¡¯s like really edgy, right, onii-wan?¡± Saya chimed in. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being judged more than usual. But seriously, it would work. Chains to restrict my enemies to allow me to get up and close or prevent them from escaping, and they would make my arms more durable when it comes to blocking attacks with them. It doesn¡¯t really fit with the whole fishing thing as much as I¡¯d like it to, though. The only reason why I thought of it was because I imagined turning you into an anchor and chain that I could swing around. Anchors and chains are related to boats and boats are related to fishing¡­ kind of.¡± Not bad, partner. I understand what you¡¯re going for. A chain and anchor¡­ that sounds pretty nice, plus an anchor is big enough that holding it in your hands while they¡¯re transformed shouldn¡¯t be an issue. I¡¯d be pretty big and heavy to swing around, but you¡¯re strong! I have faith in you that you could handle it, partner! ¡°Maybe¡­ instead of giant anchors like I originally thought, what if the chains are just tipped by small anchors? Anchors that, for example, aren¡¯t really any bigger than my hands are right now. They¡¯d still be able to deal some blunt damage, get used like whips, and could make wrapping around enemies easier. Plus it would fit the aesthetic better than just being chains. But¡­ you¡¯d need a cool name for when you¡¯re transformed into that.¡± You¡¯re right, partner. A transformation needs a name worthy of its strength! I¡¯m sure the explosion lady would agree, and maybe the serpent girl. ¡°A chain and anchor form¡­ what about¡­ Shoebill¡¯s Hammer? I don¡¯t know, that sounds pretty cheesy.¡± I like it, partner! It fits! ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s too cheesy. What about Shoebill¡¯s Anchor? It¡¯s still cheesy, but I think it fits well enough to overwrite how cheesy it is.¡± That does work better, partner. I¡¯m liking it. ¡°What do you think? Blink once if you like it, twice if you don¡¯t.¡± Like. Rod¡¯s gem pulsated a single time. ¡°Then I guess we¡¯ll go with that if I can figure out how to actually transform you.¡± Just focus on it! ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that there¡¯re any tips? What if I tell you to transform into a sword? Hey, Rod, transform into a sword.¡± Even if that worked, I wouldn¡¯t do it just because of how half-assed that sounded! ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think so. Shrinking you is easy. All I have to do is concentrate on it for a second.¡± That¡¯s all you have to do to turn me into a different form, you slobbering hound who can only think about his girlfriends¡¯ tits! Just focus on me! ¡°But I tried that before to change your entire form and it didn¡¯t work. There has to be a different way.¡± Please, partner, you¡¯re killing me here. I just want you to figure it out. It¡¯s so simple! Just do it! Do it! I believe in you! Come on, do it! ¡°I wonder¡­ maybe we just weren¡¯t close enough before? The stronger our bond grows, the more you¡¯re capable of, right? But¡­ I barely do anything other than keep you on my hip and sometimes fish. I guess I haven¡¯t been a good owner, Rod. Sorry about that.¡± I appreciate how concerned you are but¡ª Rock dropped a stick on the ground in front of Fenrir, staring into his eyes. ¡°Sorry, girl. You probably think I¡¯ve been talking to myself this whole time. Here, I¡¯ll throw the¡ª¡± As soon as Fenrir leaned forward to grab the stick, Rock grabbed onto it and jumped away. ¡°I can¡¯t play fetch with you if you don¡¯t let me throw the stick.¡± Rock stared into his eyes, her face the personification of ¡°no take, only throw.¡± She both wanted him to throw the stick and did not want him to take the stick. Such behavior was common among dogs. As sticks had always been seen as holy objects to all of dogkind, they were objects worth protecting but also objects to play with. How should one be chosen over the other? How can a dog both protect a stick and play with it at once? What if the humans who touched the sticks to throw them did not treat the sticks with the same care as the sharp, insides of their mouths? It was all very conflicting and a serious issue. Partner! You were so close! Come on, you can do it! You can play with her later! Transform me first! Fenrir reached out to grab the stick, causing Rock to take another jump away while clenching down on the stick in her mouth in protection of it. The stick¡¯s safety was paramount! Playing was also paramount! ¡°I¡¯m gonna get it,¡± Fenrir teased, causing Rock¡¯s tail to wag even faster! ¡°I¡¯m going to steal your stick!¡± How could he?! How could her beloved owner threaten to steal her stick?! At the same time, he was perfect! He wanted to play with her which was everything that she could ever ask for! Partner! Please! At least take me with you instead of leaving me on some dirt! Is this how much you care about me?! You brought me out here so that we could figure things out, but you¡¯re just going to abandon me to play with her?! I know that she¡¯s objectively the best dog that there is, but this is cruel! This is abuse against your partner! Fenrir lunged forward, reaching out to steal the stick! But he was too slow. Rock jumped back, protecting her safe by biting down hard to keep it in her mouth! And¡­ then it snapped in half. The stick broke into two and fell out from the sides of her mouth. Fenrir looked down at the sticks. Rock looked down at the sticks. Rod looked over at the sticks. Rock looked back up at Fenrir. ¡°Do you know what this means, girl?¡± Fenrir asked. Rock looked back down at the sticks. Of course she knew what it meant! It meant ¨C it meant¡­ It meant that there were now two sticks! The day just got even better! Meanwhile, back at the growing town with everybody else, Nell could not help but to smile and hum as she sat along her girlfriends. ¡°You seem happier all of a sudden,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I am! My hero was worried before, but I can feel that he is having plenty of fun at the moment,¡± Nell explained. ¡°I forgot you could feel what he feels.¡± ¡°And he feels what I feel!¡± Despair struck Nell¡¯s face. ¡°Wait, this could be horrible! Does ¨C does this mean that when I feel submissive and wish for him to dominate me that he will also feel submissive? Does this mean that he gets as aroused by my fantasies as I do?¡± ¡°You ¨C you can¡­ y-you can feel what each other feels?¡± Azalabulia asked, the hands that were previously lifting a cup up to drink tea from now shaking and stalled in the air. ¡°Indeed, though it may pose a problem now that I have thought about it more.¡± ¡°Does¡­ does ¨C were you ¨C w-were you here last night?¡± ¡°Ah, while you were on your date? I was!¡± ¡°Then¡­ th-then you felt what he¡ª¡± ¡°Exactly! I am glad to know that the two of you had such a pleasurable time together!¡± ¡°Hang on,¡± Cassiel cut in, ¡°you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re telling us that you can feel every time he¡¯s doing things with us?¡± ¡°Of course. I have been able to ever since he became my faithful champion!¡± ¡°Then¡­ that time when we were in those ruins¡ª¡± Nell nodded with a smile. Azalabulia lowered her eyes to stare into her tea. ¡°Th-the forest¡­ an-and the boat¡­¡± Nell nodded again. ¡°In the tavern, on the boat, behind the houses, in the field and the forest, on the wagon, and in the water?¡± Serra asked. Once more, Nell nodded with a smile. ¡°Every time, my dearest Serra!¡± ¡°Nice.¡± While Cassiel and Azalabulia may have been flustered from the knowledge that Nell could feel every single time that they ever had sex with Fenrir, Serra, of course, found it hot. ¡°How much do you get to feel?¡± the munchkin pervert asked. ¡°Not as much as I would like to, unfortunately. All I can feel is that my hero is pleasured. I do not know the specifics of what happens.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Cassiel cut back in, ¡°then¡­ does this mean whenever he¡¯s alone¡­ you ¨C you could tell when he¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Naturally! Though, my hero may not do it as much as you would think. Perhaps once every other time we play, and it is usually after Serra teases him too much around others!¡± Nell lifted her hands to cover her mouth. ¡°Ah, perhaps I should not be spilling his secrets.¡± Serra went from looking borderline aroused at the conversation to nearly dead inside. ¡°He¡­ does it without us?¡± ¡°We-well, my dearest Serra, you must understand that it is often faster for a man to do such a thing alone! When you tease him around others, he needs a quick release to calm himself!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t do it himself if we cut his hands off.¡± A few seconds passed by before Nell, Cassiel, and Azalabulia all stared at Serra to think about what she just said. ¡°It¡¯s cheating if he uses his hands instead of us,¡± Serra claimed. Fenrir may have been in a relationship with four women but, obviously, using his own hands was cheating. ¡°He knows my hands are always ready¡­¡± Serra pouted. The only thing worse than Serra¡¯s claim was that the others saw sense in her logic. Back in the forest, shivers ran up Fenrir¡¯s spine as he paused his pursuit of Rock. ¡°I think I¡¯m in danger.¡± Book 6: Chapter 16: ¡°Sorry, Rock, I have no idea what just happened,¡± Fenrir said, petting his pet rock on the top of her head now that the shivering had ended. ¡°I¡­ I just felt like I was suddenly a young deer targeted by a pack of starving wolves. I think it might have something to do with the weird feeling I¡¯m sensing from Nell, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± Rock, having no idea what is going on, only cared about the fact that there are still sticks to play with. Sticks that were both in her mouth since he got distracted. More importantly, were there any other sticks around? Naturally, the acquisition of more sticks was the most important thing for Rock. It was so rare that she got to have alone play time with Fenrir that she had to make sure it was the best play time to ever be played! Of course, it was already the best play time to ever be played. The last time was the best, too. Then the last time before the last time was also the best. And, of course, the last time before the last time before the last time ¨C all of the previous times were the best! Could the time after this play session be even better? Would such a thing even be possible? Should such a thing even be possible? All of those questions had the same answer. Yes. How could there be any other answer? It only made sense that every single play session with her owner would be the best thing ever! Even the play sessions that weren¡¯t supposed to be only play sessions would be the best play sessions ever, just like this latest session! ¡°Wait, I came out here to practice,¡± Fenrir said, looking back at Rod who was left on the ground. Even if the play session was temporarily over, it was still the best play session to ever be a played session! Until Fenrir was ready to play more, Rock would simply lie down and chew on the sticks that she had, thus breaking them into even smaller and smaller sticks before eventually finding a nice, hard rock to chew on. ¡°Alright, Rod. I know what I want to turn you into, but turning you into that is a different question,¡± Fenrir said, once more holding Rod. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that I might just not be close enough to you. We need to bond. And, we¡¯re both men, so what better way to bond than by fishing? Or talking about our women problems while sharing a sauna, but I don¡¯t think you have too many women problems. And you can¡¯t talk. Having a conversation is kind of difficult when you can only pulse.¡± Rod pulsed once, agreeing with Fenrir. ¡°I could always talk to you while fishing. That might work. Then again¡­ would trying to force our bond to grow stronger actually work? I¡¯ve seen comics before where people were locked in a room together, and they had to get closer to each other before they were allowed out, and that always seemed pretty forced to me. Like, it doesn¡¯t really count, does it? This wouldn¡¯t be as bad as that, but still. Maybe I¡¯m going about this the wrong way.¡± Another pulse. ¡°You agree? Then that¡¯s definitely not the right way to do things. Maybe I should just try to¡­ I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve tried transforming you just by concentrating, so maybe that¡¯s all I have to do? Would it really be that easy?¡± Rod pulsed one more time, but Fenrir turned his head to look at the direction of a twig breaking in the distance. As soon as Fenrir turned his head back to Rod, Rod decided to pulse one more time since he assumed that his partner did not see the first pulse. But Fenrir did. Fenrir saw the first pulse out of the corner of his eye, and then he saw the second pulse as soon as he looked back at Rod. And two pulses meant no. ¡°I figured,¡± Fenrir sighed. Meanwhile, inside of that pulsating gem¡­ You weren¡¯t supposed to see that first pulse! I only meant to pulse once! Come on, partner! Figure it out! I didn¡¯t think you saw me the first time so I did it again! What are you doing acting like some sort of dense idiot who misunderstands the situation?! ¡°You¡¯re pulsing a lot. Did I miss something?¡± Rod pulsed just once and made sure not to pulse a single extra time. After the first misunderstanding, there was no way that he wanted to risk a repeat. What would have happened if Fenrir didn¡¯t see both pulses? Would they actually be making progress? Would Rod have finally gotten to transform? ¡°Oh, wait. How about I just practice changing your shape in general? I mean, if I can already change you a bit, why not practice that?¡± Fenrir asked, finally being hit by common sense as he picked Rod up and began to concentrate. The majority of the time, Rod was kept in a small, compact form. Essentially, he was only the handle of a fishing rod most of the time. Including now. So, when Fenrir held Rod within his hands, he focused on increasing Rod¡¯s size to that of a proper fishing rod. It only took a few seconds and was a success just like normal. Next, he ¡°cast¡± the line without actually moving Rod at all. The line flew out and wrapped around a nearby tree¡¯s branch with its hook. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try something simple now,¡± Fenrir said, holding Rod with both of his hands while trying to visualize Rod turning into a sword. With closed eyes, Fenrir didn¡¯t feel anything change, and so he sighed and opened his eyes. Before him was a sword. The handle of the sword was still shaped and felt like a fishing rod¡¯s handle, but Rod¡¯s blank of a fishing rod was turned into the blade of a sword. ¡°Wait, seriously? It actually worked?¡± Fenrir asked, staring down at Rod. ¡°You actually changed? It worked?¡± You¡¯re right I did, partner! It¡¯s because you finally decided to actually try and change me into something again after such a long time! I probably could¡¯ve done this months ago! You need to try out new things with me more often! You can turn me into anything you want now! Any shape! Any size! I can be whatever you want me to be, partner! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see if I can turn you into what I wanted before,¡± Fenrir said, focusing on the visualization of Rod turning into a pair of chains to wrap around his arms. This time, Fenrir felt a change. Rod¡¯s handle turned into a metal chain that rapidly coiled around Fenrir¡¯s right arm, looping around it until reaching his shoulder before crossing over to his left arm. Starting at the top of Fenrir¡¯s left arm, Rod¡¯s chain wrapped around his arm all the way to his left wrist. When Fenrir opened his eyes, he got his first look at Rod¡¯s new, advanced form. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d split into two to wrap around my arms instead of going around my back and being one long chain, but this works! I¡¯m guessing you can¡¯t split yourself into two or anything like that?¡± Fenrir asked. Rod¡¯s gem, located now on top of Fenrir¡¯s right wrist, pulsed once. ¡°Got it. So, whatever I want to turn you into, you have to stay connected. Now, let¡¯s try this!¡± Fenrir punched forward with his left fist. The chain wrapped around Fenrir¡¯s left arm shot forward, extending in the direction of Fenrir¡¯s punch until it hit a tree¡¯s trunk to wrap around it. Fenrir then tried it again with his right hand, achieving the same result. And then he tried both hands at once after bringing the chains back. It worked. The chains around each of his arms followed the paths of his fists. ¡°This is awesome,¡± Fenrir said with a wide smile. ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Rod.¡± Right back at you, partner! I¡¯ve got to admit that this new form feels pretty good! Even if Rod was now just a chain with a glowing gem, Fenrir still gave the gem a few gentle pats with a couple of his fingers. The moment was soon interrupted by Rock charging into Fenrir demanding that she also receive pats. Meanwhile, the two main builders found themselves having a calm discussion instead of a fiery debate for once. ¡°The transformin¡¯ type of mechas have got their charm, sure, but they¡¯re usually pretty small and ¨C well, it depends on what type of transformin¡¯ we¡¯re talkin¡¯ about. If we¡¯re talkin¡¯ a mecha that gets bigger and bigger by transformin¡¯ into newer and more awesome configurations, like going from pretty small to the size of a galaxy over time, then that¡¯s perfect. Ya followin¡¯ me?¡± Tabitha asked, kicking her feet back and forth from her seat across from Rao. ¡°Galaxy-sized is a bit crazy, but yeah. That¡¯s not really what I meant though. The kind of transforming robots I like are the ones that can switch between like¡­ fighter jet and robot, and when they¡¯re transformed, they basically look like jets with arms and legs,¡± Rao said, leaning over the table while eating some bread whenever it was Tabitha¡¯s turn to talk. ¡°See, those are nice and beautiful and I¡¯d love to make one myself, but having dual purposes like that limits them to smaller sizes.¡± ¡°Not always. In the same series, there are basically giant space stations that can transform and space aircraft carriers that can turn into giant robots that look pretty humanoid.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll give you that one. I just never got into that series because of all the romance drama. Too much drama, not enough spunk and fighting!¡± ¡°But drama, romance, politics, and all that are some of the main points of series like these.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s horrible.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯d get bored if you just watched giant robots fighting each other the whole time and nothing else?¡± ¡°Are ya crazy? Of course not! It¡¯s like with giant monster movies! It¡¯s always so annoyin¡¯ that they have to force ¡®human stories¡¯ into every single movie with giant monsters. Nobody cares about all that. We want to see giant monsters beatin¡¯ the crap out of each other! Let them fight!¡± ¡°I can kind of understand that. I don¡¯t have a problem with the human parts of those movies, but there is way too much of a focus on them.¡± ¡°Right! Sure, it¡¯s fine to have a human main character and all that for the boring people who don¡¯t understand the main point of giant monsters is the giant monsters, but I don¡¯t want to see their faces the entire movie, especially not durin¡¯ the battles!¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡± ¡°Shoot, Red.¡± ¡°Giant monster versus giant monster, giant robot versus giant robot, or¡­¡± ¡°I already know the question. The answer is giant robot versus giant monster.¡± Rao held up a hand over the table which Tabitha was happy to high-five. ¡°Agreed. Like with the movie where giant robots were fighting giant alien monsters from the ocean. The first movie there was perfect, but¡­¡± ¡°But the second one just had to go and ruin it. Don¡¯t even get me started on how massive of a disappointment that was. For one of my favorite movies of all time to get such a disappointin¡¯ sequel¡­ it almost makes me want to become a film director just so that I can show them how it¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll make our own sequel that¡¯s way better than it was. One that really focuses on the giant robot versus monster action without making it about a bunch of annoying little kids while butchering the characters everybody loved from the first film.¡± ¡°Yeah! Now we just need to find some giant monsters from the ocean and a giant robot to fight them with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the hard part, yeah. Too bad neither of us know anything about movies or CGI, though ¨C wait, aren¡¯t there special AIs now designed to handle that sort of stuff? Can¡¯t they turn even the most amateur of drawings into super realistic CGI scenes?¡± ¡°If ya want to pay millions of dollars for their software and a license to use it, sure.¡± ¡°I guess our dream of making our own giant robot versus giant monster movie isn¡¯t going to happen.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about giant robots and monsters?¡± a third party asked. When Rao and Tabitha looked to see who it was, it was none other than Eva with a curious-but-excited expression. ¡°We want to fight giant monsters with giant robots,¡± Rao explained. ¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t have either of those, so it¡¯s not exactly goin¡¯ to happen,¡± Tabitha added on. ¡°The monsters out there count, don¡¯t they? Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re all preparing for them?¡± Eva asked, looking out to the ocean. Rao and Tabitha joined her in looking out over the rolling waves before looking back at each other. Eva had a point. They already had a source for giant monsters from the ocean. All they needed was a giant robot to fight them with. ¡°You¡¯re with the scholars, right?¡± Tabitha asked Eva. Eva tilted her head. ¡°Hm? Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of it before, but ain¡¯t it possible to build pretty big suits of armor that can be controlled from inside? I mean big suits of armor. Wearin¡¯ armor inside of armor and all that.¡± ¡°The empire uses them as siege weapons. The dwarves have something similar, but they have magic golems instead that either act on their own or can be controlled.¡± Tabitha and Rao looked at each other once more. ¡°So,¡± Rao said, ¡°giant robots probably aren¡¯t possible since they¡¯d be too technologically advanced and all that. They¡¯d ruin immersion or whatever. But¡ª¡± ¡°Giant suits of armor and golems are possible,¡± Tabitha finished for him. ¡°Basically,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Red,¡± Tabitha said, looking at Rao. ¡°Shortie,¡± Rao said, looking at Tabitha. ¡°I¡¯m more of an engineer. I know how to get complicated stuff up and runnin¡¯, but I struggle sometimes when it comes to makin¡¯ real big things and keepin¡¯ them from fallin¡¯ apart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more of an architect. I know how to get big stuff up without falling apart, but I struggle sometimes when it comes to all the smaller and complicated things.¡± ¡°Red, will ya build me a mecha?¡± ¡°Shortie, will you get my giant robot running?¡± Rao and Tabitha grab onto each other¡¯s hands, looking into one another¡¯s sparkling eyes. Eva realizes what she¡¯s looking at. Love. Was everybody in that group inside of a relationship? Eva had no idea that Tabitha and Rao were a thing, but how could they not be after seeing how they were looking into each other¡¯s eyes? That was why Eva stepped away to let them have their own little moment of love. Of course, she had no idea that the two weren¡¯t the slightest bit interested in each other as anything more than often-fighting friends. She also had no idea that two hands were going to grab her by her shoulders. With Tabitha¡¯s hand on her right shoulder and Rao¡¯s on her left shoulder, the two creators smiled at her with the sort of smiles that lacked all kindness. Instead, their smiles told her that they had a lot of work for her to do for them. Eva wanted to go and hang out with Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends, but she would instead be sent to gather any and all information that she could get her hands on regarding the empire¡¯s siege armors and the dwarves¡¯ golems. As for Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends, they sat around listening to more of Nell¡¯s fantasies. Fortunately for them, Nell was actually trying to come up with fantasies that they would all like instead of forcing them to listen to fantasies related to her own extreme interests. ¡°A fantasy for Serra is easy!¡± Nell declared, already looking proud of herself before even starting on the fantasy. ¡°Imagine this, Serra. Imagine coming to the bedroom after taking a wonderful shower and, when you enter the room, you see each of us tied and blindfolded waiting for you! My hero will be strapped down on the bed for ease of access, and the rest of us will be tied up and lying around him so that you can go through us in whichever order you would like! Of course, there would also be a plethora of toys and other¡­ devices available for you to choose from for using on us.¡± Azalabulia blushed and turned away at the mention of toys. As for Cassiel, she was already flustered just from the thought of being tied up. Then there was Serra who simply nodded with her arms crossed over her chest while listening. ¡°I approve,¡± Serra said as if it wasn¡¯t already more than obvious. ¡°Wonderful! Now, for you, Cassiel¡­ I already know that any idea involving you and your pleasure must involve total dominance over your body. Hmm¡­ what if¡­ alright! Imagine this: you have been strapped down to a bed with a gag in your mouth, already stripped naked, and the rest of us are free¡­ except for my hero. While you are strapped to the bed, us three would be teasing and preparing my hero for you whom would also be strapped down to a chair, unable to do anything as we tease him until he is crazed and desperate. Once he is in a state of feral heat that would put even the wildest of beasts to shame, we release him on you, and he proceeds to thoroughly ravage your body as if he were a wild beast and you his toy. Delightful, yes?¡± Cassiel was already flustered before. Hearing Nell¡¯s fantasy for her caused her to hang her head low, red from her neck to her ears, and all she could do was nod instead of look up. ¡°So vanilla and precious,¡± Nell teased. ¡°And now for the one and only Azalabulia! Coming up with a fantasy for you will be great fun. Imagine¡ª¡± ¡°Be right back,¡± Serra interrupted. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°My virtual assistant told me I have an important text. I¡¯ll come back once I check it.¡± ¡°Ah, alright! I hope that everything is alright.¡± Serra nodded and woke from virtual reality. ¡°Now, back to my fantasy for you,¡± Nell returned her attention to Azalabulia. ¡°From what you make obvious, imagine this ¨C imagine yourself having a duel against my hero for the fate of your dark empire!¡± Azalabulia went from being excited in a very adult manner to excited in a very childish manner. ¡°Atop a tall tower, you two would battle it out for the fate of everything! The victor reigns supreme, gains control of the empire, and gains the absolute submission of the loser. The battle is hard-fought and seems as if it may go in your favor, but this makes you cocky and allows him to use dirty tricks to defeat you. Upon defeating you, you are forced to swear absolute submission to him, and he places an evil curse on you to seal your fate to his. If he dies, you die. You could not even disobey him if you wished to. The curse would be enough to force your body into action even if your mind refused! Then, in order to show off his new rulership of the empire and his ownership of you, he would gather a massive crowd before the imperial palace to breed you in front of them all!¡± ¡°Br-breed me?¡± Azalabulia asked, back to being excited in a very adult way as well as pure red in skin tone. ¡°Too rape-y,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°That is why it is a scenario for Azalabulia and not for you. You already got yours,¡± Nell said, sticking the tip of her tongue out at Cassiel. ¡°Will¡­ w-will there be chains involved?¡± Azalabulia asked, unsure of where to look as she poked the tips of her fingers together. ¡°Absolutely! Of course, I am tempted to say that you would then be handed over to the crowd as he watched from his throne with a feast hand fed to him, but then it would be more of my fantasy and less of yours.¡± ¡°Ju-just him, please¡­¡± ¡°Very well! Now then, you each have your fantasies. See? I can come up with regular fantasies!¡± ¡°What would Fen¡¯s be?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°That is a brilliant question! For my hero¡­ well, obviously, it would require all of us to be wearing sweaters and tights. Cassiel, you would have to wear dog ears with a dog tail for him. In fact, all of us might need to wear such pieces for him. Ah, and collars! While I do not think he would be too interested in us having leashes to tug us around and choke us with, I am sure he would enjoy the sight of us wearing collars normally reserved for hounds. With all of us wearing those things, we would need to act very clingy, needy, loving, and submissive.¡± ¡°How come he gets the nicest and most normal sounding fantasy?¡± ¡°Because he is caring at heart, of course. He wants nothing more than for us to spoil him rotten with affection. Have you not ever noticed how he gladly returns our every single request for affection? I believe that he would be incredibly clingy if he did not have any self-restraint.¡± ¡°You seriously think that? I don¡¯t think he acts clingy at all. We¡¯re the clingy ones if anything.¡± ¡°Of course. How often are men scolded for being too clingy toward women? Even if it is the modern year, there are still ¡®rules¡¯ for how sexes are supposed to act. Men are supposed to be calm, stoic, dependable, independent, and not at all ever clingy nor desperate. It would not surprise me if he already worries from time to time about being too clingy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s such a stupid thing to worry about. There¡¯s no way he could be too clingy. I mean, that¡¯s just more attention from him. What could be wrong with that?¡± ¡°Not everybody appreciates such clinginess. Even the most loving of couples may need time away from one another, and some may even come to resent the other if never given space. It would not surprise me if part of why he wants alone time with his rod and Rock is because he also wants to give us alone time.¡± ¡°Has there ever been a time where he turned time with us down?¡± ¡°I do not believe so. Can either of you ever think of a time?¡± Both Cassiel and Azalabulia shake their heads. ¡°Then¡­ is he not as happy as he could be?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Do not think of it so,¡± Nell answered. ¡°I am positive that he is incredibly happy and loves every moment with us, just like us with one another. He is simply holding himself back so as to not potentially overwhelm us. He wishes to spend as much time as possible with us while ensuring that we do not grow tired of him, but he is more than happy even so. That is my theory, anyways.¡± ¡°If your theory is right then he seriously has nothing to worry about. I mean¡­ I guess I can understand why it would be bad to be clingy sometimes, but if we all want it, then isn¡¯t it alright?¡± ¡°It most certainly is. However, there are still cases of both parties being alright with such a thing and growing tired of one another regardless. Burnout is always possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Nothing is impossible.¡± Cassiel leaned back, staring at Nell. ¡°You think it¡¯s possible for us to get burned out on each other?¡± ¡°Well¡­ truthfully¡­ I do not believe that it is possible, but do those who it happens to ever believe that it is possible? I feel like saying it is impossible would be na?ve, even if I genuinely believe with all of my heart that I would never tire of a single one of you even if you were to all hang from me and demand my constant attention twenty-four-seven for the rest of my life.¡± Cassie leans forward with a sigh. ¡°Same. No matter which of you it is, I wouldn¡¯t care at all.¡± ¡°Even if we might believe that,¡± Azalabulia finally chimed in, ¡°we are a group here. It helps when there are several of us instead of only two people. Relationships between two people only might end with burnout, but of all the studies I¡¯ve read, burnout never applies to open or poly relationships. In those relationships, the problem is jealousy and cheating.¡± ¡°Forunately, those are not concerns as long as we continue to all agree on who to bring into our relationship! Even if there is somebody one of us is interested in and the others are not, I very much doubt that there would be any actual issue,¡± Nell said. ¡°Yeah, I figure that no matter which of us it is, we¡¯d just lose interest in the other if the rest weren¡¯t alright with it,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I don¡¯t even get interested in anybody else in the first place unless somebody else does it first.¡± ¡°I feel the same. It is always Fenrir and Serra who bring others along.¡± ¡°Mostly Serra. Fen only gets interested after we let him know it¡¯s okay to get interested.¡± ¡°This is true. Perhaps you,¡± Nell looks at Azalabulia, ¡°will join Serra in expanding our relationship? Just do keep in mind that the larger it grows, the larger our house will need to be, and the more children there will be to tame.¡± ¡°I ¨C I can handle that last part,¡± Azalabulia answered with a slight blush, though her eager smile was more prominent than the coloration of her cheeks. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I will be¡­ adding anybody by myself.¡± ¡°Wonderful! Then my hero ¨C or rather, Serra, shall continue being our hunter. Speaking of, I do hope that everything is¡ª¡± The sleeping avatar of Serra came to life once more, sitting up in her chair. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Speak of the wonderful devil! Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What was that about?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Aiko.¡± The eyes of Nell and Cassiel widened slightly when they heard the name. Azalabulia¡¯s exposure to Aiko was far more limited, but she still recognized the name. Cassiel sighed and crossed her arms. ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°She wants to play with us again, but she said only if we¡¯re all okay with it,¡± Serra explained. ¡°Is she still craz¡ªI mean¡­ sorry, that was rude. She¡¯s your friend still. How¡¯s she doing now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, she calls herself crazy ¨C called herself crazy. She¡¯s a lot better now, I think. She spent a lot of time getting help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear she got help, but¡­ is it alright for her to be around Fen again?¡± ¡°I think so. She told me she wants to apologize to him, alone, and she promised me that she knows how it might look, but we don¡¯t have to worry. She said she doesn¡¯t love him anymore.¡± ¡°She said that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°With a love as intense as hers was ¨C I would love to believe that she has improved, but could such an intense love be lost so quickly?¡± Nell asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she¡¯s never lied before. She wants us to be comfortable with letting her talk to him. She wants me to get his permission if you¡¯re okay with it, too.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose that it would not hurt to let her be alone with my hero¡­ but only if it is in-game. I am sorry, but I do not trust her to be alone with him in the real world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Nell,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°If it¡¯s a game then it¡¯s no big deal, plus we¡¯ll know if Fen needs help at all thanks to Nell.¡± Serra looks at Azalabulia. ¡°A-ah¡­ I ¨C I think it¡¯s alright. They used to be friends, right?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Then if she claims to have changed and no longer loves him, she must be looking for closure. It might be what she needs to finalize her change, if she is serious about it.¡± ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s okay?¡± Serra asks. The other three girls nod. ¡°Should I ask Eva?¡± ¡°Eva isn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think Aiko needs her permission yet,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°I like the yet.¡± Cassiel shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time. Speaking of Eva, I thought I saw her coming over here.¡± Upon looking around, no Eva was in sight, but Cassiel did spot Rao and Tabitha appearing to get along far better than usual as they both leaned over a table with a large sheet sprawled out over it. The serious topic that the girls were just discussing was replaced by concern over whatever plan was crazy enough to get both Rao and Tabitha so close together. Book 6: Chapter 17: Fenrir was planning on showing off his new, mastered ability to transform Rod as soon as he got back to his girlfriends¡­ but they seemed to have something else in mind for him. It was clear that something was off as soon as he saw them waiting for him with less than smiling faces. Serra left the others to intercept him. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Fenrir immediately asked as soon as Serra was close enough. ¡°No, but it¡¯s about Aiko,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Is she alright?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°She wants to talk to you. Alone.¡± ¡°She actually wants to talk to me? I was starting to think that she¡¯d never talk to me again.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you talk to her.¡± ¡°Got it. So¡­ when¡¯s she want to have this talk with me?¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± ¡°That soon?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from her in what feels like forever¡­ and now she wants to have a private talk with me tomorrow. What do the others think?¡± ¡°They¡¯re okay with it as long as it¡¯s in-game. Nell can tell how you feel so we can tell if anything goes wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. What do you think about this since you¡¯re the only one of us she¡¯s been talking to?¡± ¡°I trust her. She¡¯s different now.¡± ¡°If you believe it, I¡¯ll try my best to believe that as well. I¡ª¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Tabitha shouted, running up to Fenrir and Serra. ¡°Wolf boy, how would ya feel about us buildin¡¯ a mecha?¡± ¡°Wait, what? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ if you can build one, I want to see it.¡± Rather than say anything else to Fenrir, Tabitha turned around to shout at Rao, ¡°Oi! Red! We¡¯ve got permission!¡± And then she ran off back to him. ¡°I¡­ I feel like I¡¯m missing something,¡± Fenrir said to Serra. ¡°First Aiko is coming back, now Tabs and Rao are getting along and want to build a mecha?¡± Serra shrugged. ¡°Anyways, Aiko really is coming back? I know I keep asking, but ¨C I don¡¯t know. That makes me nervous. She was just so different from how I remembered her. I never would have expected her to become a stalker or to be the type to cause drama, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. I honestly don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to think or how I¡¯m supposed to react to this. I want her to be better, but I¡¯m worried about how she might act around us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. She expects that,¡± Serra explained. ¡°She does?¡± ¡°Yeah. She admits she was crazy. That¡¯s why she got lots of help.¡± ¡°I wish I could have helped her. Maybe if I noticed something was wrong sooner, then¡ª¡± ¡°Bad.¡± ¡°Bad?¡± ¡°Bad dog.¡± ¡°How am I being bad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about you, it¡¯s about her. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong and there was nothing you could do. She had to do it herself, and she has.¡± ¡°I¡­ know. But even if you say it like that, I still feel bad. I feel like there should have been something I could have done for her no matter what. That¡¯s what friends do for each other.¡± ¡°Not always. Sometimes it¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°That goes against what I believe. I believe that everybody has the potential to help others if they try hard enough.¡± At this point, Cassiel had walked up to them and joined in on the discussion. ¡°I like that belief, and I want to believe it, but it¡¯s not true. It¡¯s nice in fiction, but nobody can change others. People can only change if they want to change. No matter how much you might help somebody, if they don¡¯t realize what¡¯s wrong with them and want to change on their own, they¡¯re not going to change. Did you forget what I was like before?¡± ¡°Full of tsundere fanservice?¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°Sorry. Yeah, I remember.¡± ¡°You were always so nice to me, but it didn¡¯t change me. It made me want to change, and you helped keep me on track when I opened up to you about it, but I stayed the same until I decided to change.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m proud of you, Cass Cass. You really stuck with it. I loved you before, but I think you¡¯ve made all of us love you even more now.¡± ¡°Sh-shush, I¡¯m not trying to make this about me¡­ but thanks. My point is that it¡¯s time for you to be there for Aiko. If what Serra told us about her is true, then she reached the point that I did except her case is way more serious. She doesn¡¯t need you to save her or change her. All she needs is you to support her. You know, it¡¯s the whole ¡®don¡¯t try to fix it, just listen¡¯ thing.¡± ¡°I hate that thing. I want to fix problems, not just listen to them.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I hate it but it¡¯s true. Sometimes people just need somebody to listen to them while they figure things out on their own.¡± Fenrir took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Next topic,¡± Serra declared. ¡°Next topic?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all stressed now because of this, so we¡¯re going out for sundaes. Then, Nell found a place with drinks and live music that she wants to try out, so we¡¯re going there after,¡± Cassiel explained. ¡°That sounds like a nice time. I¡¯m down for it.¡± Serra turned to look back at Nell, giving her a thumbs-up. ¡°What about Aza?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°She¡¯s going to make a homemade sundae and then open a bottle of wine to drink while camming us over the phone when we get to the place Nell wants to try,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Sounds good. I think a sundae, drinks, and live entertainment will do all of us some good tonight. I just have some people to check up with first and then we can get going. Have to make sure that there aren¡¯t any problems popping up,¡± he explained, looking at the surrounding area where numerous players have gotten to work on constructing defenses for their upcoming battle. But before that battle can happen, he has to reunite with his childhood friend for the second time. Book 6: Chapter 18: After a night of relaxing with his girlfriends via sundaes, overpriced drinks, and amateur music, it was finally the time of meeting ¨C the time of the meeting between Ryouta and Aiko after so long. Though, it would not be a meeting in reality because of various reasons. There was the fact that Ryouta and his girlfriends moved away from the city that they once shared with Aiko, and then there was the even more important fact that his girlfriends did not trust her to be alone with him in reality. Not yet, at least. If Aiko really wanted to make things better, she was going to have to take one step at a time. But before she could take any steps, she wished to have a private conversation with Ryouta. Ryouta had no idea if what she wanted was to try something behind his girlfriends¡¯ backs or if she genuinely wanted closure of some sorts. All he knew was what Serra had told him before. After realizing just how different she was the last time that he saw her, there was no telling what she would be like this time. The Aiko that he was childhood friends with was gone ¨C she grew up and became an entirely different woman and one that he never could have expected. And so, as Fenrir, he sat on the hammock across from where Aiko ¨C or rather, Nyaiko¡¯s avatar was. After all, her avatar was still with them, sleeping in The Shoebill¡¯s hull, ever since she parted ways with them. Everybody else knew to stay away from the boat so that Fenrir and Nyaiko could have the alone time that they needed. Of course, Nell could still feel everything that Fenrir felt, so she stayed with Cassiel, Serra, and Azalabulia to let them know if anything seemed wrong. As guilty as it might have made her feel to be ¡°spying¡± on Fenrir like this, she had his consent. Only one other was allowed in the boat with Fenrir and she was currently busy scratching behind her ear. Rock. ¡°Here,¡± Fenrir said, beckoning Rock over. Rock happily approached him and leaned her head up onto his lap so that he could rub the itchy spot behind her ear. He couldn¡¯t scratch her because that would be scratching nails against rock, but he could still apply pressure and rub the spot to the best of his ability which was more than enough to cure Rock of her itchy issue. How a dog made out of rock could acquire itches in the first place was a different question, one that would likely never be answered. ¡°She¡¯ll be here anytime,¡± Fenrir said, rubbing the rest of Rock¡¯s head now that her itch was taken care of. ¡°Make sure to be a good girl, not that I have to tell you that.¡± Rock barked with a wag of her tail. Obviously, she would always be a good girl without even being told that! ¡°I¡¯m kind of nervous. I have no idea what¡¯s going to happen, but I have a feeling that whatever happens¡­ things won¡¯t be the same. Not between me and her, anyways. What do you think?¡± Rock tilted her head to the side and barked. ¡°I see. That¡¯s a very thorough analysis you¡¯ve got there.¡± She barked again! ¡°You really think so?¡± This time, Rock nodded her head and then barked. ¡°You¡¯re too smart for me.¡± To comfort him, she put her front legs up on his lap so that she could lean up and lick his face¡­ only for her added weight to push the hammock back too far, resulting Fenrir falling from it and landing underneath Rock. That was alright, though, because it made licking his face even easier! It was all according to plan. After all, she was just too smart for him. But really, she was just going with the flow and licking his face. The only part of Rock that Fenrir had any issue with was that, because she was made of rock and all that, she was incredibly heavy. This made it more than difficult whenever he wanted to push her off of him to free himself from her excessive licking. Her being the size of a wolf did not help, either. Large and heavy, it was like an actual boulder kept him pinned down as she assaulted his face with her tongue. This problem only became even worse when Rock decided to lie down on top of his chest. ¡°What¡¯s that expression?¡± Cassiel asked, looking at Nell. ¡°It is strange,¡± Nell answered. ¡°I could feel that he felt stressed, but now he feels happy and¡­ in danger?¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s in danger?¡± ¡°Ah, no ¨C well, I am not sure. He is most certainly more happy than¡­ in danger. I am afraid that I am not able to be more specific than ¨C ah, he is alright now. The danger has left. Only happiness remains!¡± Nell said with a clap of her hands and a smile. ¡°Should¡­ we check on him?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°He¡¯s playing with Rock,¡± Serra explained. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Let Rock tackle you or nap on you sometime.¡± ¡°How do we know that it wasn¡¯t Aiko?¡± ¡°Aiko would most likely make him even more stressed once she arrives, and I doubt that she would make him so happy while also causing him to feel at danger,¡± Nell said. Serra nodded. ¡°Yeah, that.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. So, he¡¯s just goofing off with Rock while waiting?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Rock is good for moral support.¡± ¡°You sound like a caveman with an early version of the stress ball.¡± ¡°Cavegirl.¡± ¡°You sound like a cavegirl with an early version of the stress ball.¡± ¡°Stress rock.¡± ¡°What happened to being a pirate?¡± ¡°Cavegirl can be pirate with stress rock,¡± Serra said, trying her best to play up talking like an early human. ¡°Oogh.¡± ¡°Was that¡­ was that supposed to be a caveman grunt or something?¡± ¡°Cavegirl noise.¡± Cassiel was curious how the others were reacting to Serra¡¯s silliness, so she looked to Nell and Azalabulia. Nell had her hands over her mouth so that it could not be seen just how much she was smiling at Serra¡¯s preciousness, and Azalabulia looked like she was deep in thought about something. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Cassiel asked Azalabulia. ¡°Cavegirl pirate. This isn¡¯t exactly in the field of what I teach my students, but I don¡¯t think boats were invented yet back then,¡± Azalabulia explained. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take the cavegirl pirate thing seriously.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious if any of them might have found ways to traverse water that were lost to time. If they figured out fire, they surely could have figured out that certain materials float on water by observation.¡± ¡°Cavegirl pirate use big leaf for boat,¡± Serra said. ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°Listen,¡± Cassiel said, ¡°it doesn¡¯t have the same effect if you go ¡®ahh¡¯ after you¡¯re already done talking.¡± ¡°Ahh. Cavegirl pirate, ahh, use big leaf, ahh, for boat with stress rock, ahh.¡± ¡°I ¨C wait¡­ Nell, are you crying?¡± ¡°She ¨C she is too cute, my heart cannot handle this!¡± Nell explained. ¡°Serra, please let me hug you. I feel as if my heart will burst forth from my chest if I do not embrace you!¡± ¡°Nell, ahh, hug Serra,¡± Serra said, opening her arms. Nell was quick to wrap her arms around Serra¡¯s smaller frame. ¡°First the penguin, then a dreadful pirate, and now a cavegirl! Serra, you would not mind if I were to order costumes to dress you up in, would you? I will even modify them to be absolutely perfect for you!¡± ¡°Serra want do, ahh, sex thing while wearing, ahh.¡± ¡°Well, of course! Half of the fun in dressing up is enjoying one another while dressed up! So long as the clothes come off before anything gets messy, there are not any problems.¡± ¡°Good luck convincing Fen of that,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the kind of guy who would want you to stay dressed up while doing it.¡± ¡°Ah, that is true. In that case, we will have to save the dress fun for each other! He will only be allowed to watch.¡± Azalabulia raised her hand and asked, ¡°I thought¡­ you would have liked having your clothes ruined?¡± Nell¡¯s expression became much more serious. ¡°Not when they are real, quality clothes. The same applies to my wigs. Their condition is to remain as perfect as possible. I have read many horror stories online of women¡¯s boyfriends ruining their expensive costumes by having sex while wearing them. A man¡¯s fluid is the worst nightmare of a woman¡¯s outfit, especially of those that require delicate care!¡± ¡°Since when would you not just buy a replacement?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Clothes are different unless the fantasy is good enough. Unfortunately, some fantasies simply require the ruining of clothes in order to be truly realized. Ah¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It is my hero.¡± Back in The Shoebill, Fenrir had returned to sitting on the hammock while Rock laid down curled at his feet. Rock was the first one to lift her head when Aiko immersed herself as Nyaiko once more. Even before Fenrir noticed, Rock looked up at Nyaiko and gave the air a couple of sniffs. All Fenrir could do once he noticed her avatar coming to life was watch as she stretched her arms and legs out within her hammock, already behaving like a cat. A soft mewl even escaped her lips as she stretched, but the noise seemed to surprise her which told Fenrir that it wasn¡¯t exactly intentional. Finally, Nyaiko opened her eyes and looked over at Fenrir. A smile quickly spread across her lips before fading into a more neutral look as she leaned up. ¡°Old habits, nya.¡± She giggled before looking down and remembering just how absurd she made her chest size, causing her to cringe. ¡°I¡­ forgot how big I made them.¡± ¡°You did make them pretty oversized,¡± Fenrir said, trying to act like nothing is awkward or weird between them by just going with the flow. ¡°I finally came to terms with all the stupid things I did only to get reminded of more as soon as I come here. Is there a way to make them smaller?¡± ¡°I have no idea. You¡¯ll have to ask your virtual assistant.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that later. Anyways, uh¡­ hi.¡± ¡°Hey again, Aiko. Or should I keep calling you Nyaiko?¡± ¡°Just Aiko for now¡­ Ryouta.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The two sat across from one another in awkward silence as Rock licked the undersides of her back paws. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nyaiko said, breaking the silence first. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, and you aren¡¯t allowed to say that it is. You know that I was acting crazy. That was why you had to call me out in front of everybody.¡± ¡°I feel kind of guilty when you put it that way.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t, it was what I needed.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°It really was. Hearing that from you¡­ made me realize that my life wasn¡¯t suddenly going to get better and be what I always dreamed of just because you were back. I was so crazy, hah¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know what to say to that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to say anything yet. Can you just, umm¡­ listen to me ramble for a bit?¡± ¡°You know I can.¡± ¡°Thanks. Lots has changed since I saw you last. First, sorry for not responding to any of your texts. I know it was obvious that I was ignoring you since I still talked to Serra every now and then, but¡­ I was afraid that talking to you before I was ready would undo all the progress I was making.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°I started going to therapy, but that only lasted for a couple of weeks. I, umm¡­ I didn¡¯t hurt myself, but I really wanted to. I was so afraid that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to resist that I called my therapist and she helped me admit myself to a psychiatric hospital the next day after calming me down. I guess it all became too much. I had this delusional fantasy that all I had to do was wait for you to come back into my life and then everything would be perfect. I¡¯d be your perfect little wife and you¡¯d be my perfect husband. I thought that you would take me away from all the fears and nightmares I had ¨C that you could make me stop feeling like I did twenty-four-seven. So, when I found you¡­ I was only using you. I ¨C I don¡¯t think I ever really loved you like I tried to make myself think I did. I only made myself think that I did for an easy way out. I wanted you to fix all of my problems for me, and I thought that you would if I made myself perfect for you. I didn¡¯t know how to fix myself, so I tried changing myself to be perfect for you so¡­ so that you would fix me. But now I know how selfish that was of me, and cruel.¡± She left Fenrir speechless. Sure, there were things that he wanted to say, but nothing that seemed right to say. He wanted to say that he wished he could have fixed her, he wanted to say that he wished he would have realized something was wrong sooner, he wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t being selfish and cruel¡­ but would saying those be to help her, or would they be to make him feel less guilty? Listening to his childhood friend talk about all of this ¨C there was no way that it wouldn¡¯t make him feel guilty. It didn¡¯t help that a part of him always believed that people could help and change each other for the better ¨C that people could save one another from their demons even if most cases proved the opposite. All he could think of saying was related to what he wished he could have done for her. He always wanted to protect his girlfriends and try to fix anything that was ever wrong, and he wanted to do the same here. It extended beyond girlfriends, too. Oleander, Tabitha, Rao, Bone, the rest of his old friends ¨C he always wanted to fix any problems that they had if he could. If there was something he could do, he did it. He hated the idea of sitting around and doing nothing while leaving them to figure things out on their own. But hearing what his childhood friend said about only wanting him to do that for her out of her own selfish desire¡­ hasn¡¯t he also been selfish by always trying to fix everybody¡¯s problems? Sure, it usually worked out for him and even resulted in dating one of his loves, Nell, but should he have really tried so hard for her in the first place? Did he want to save her for her, or did he want to save her so that he wouldn¡¯t feel guilty not doing anything? In the case of the latter, would that even be bad? While it might have been selfish to do something out of guilt rather than for somebody¡¯s sake, was that really a bad thing if the end result was the same? He couldn¡¯t even remember why he did it anymore. All he could remember was that he loved Nell and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her now, just like with his other girlfriends. Well, there was one more thing that he knew. He knew that he really wanted to open his mouth to apologize to his childhood friend so that he could get rid of the guilt that he felt, and that was why he just needed to keep his mouth shut. It wasn¡¯t about him. It was about her. Especially after hearing what Serra and Cassiel had to say to him¡­ this was one of those times where he just had to force himself to listen and not regret being incapable of ¡°fixing¡± her, nor try to fix her now. ¡°And I realized,¡± Nyaiko continued, ¡°that only I can change who I am, and that it¡¯s going to be really, really hard. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying my best. I¡¯m not trying to change for anybody but myself anymore. To keep doing that¡­ I need to apologize to you, and I ¨C the easiest, umm, way to do this would be to apologize and cut you out of my life, but¡­ I want to stay friends with you. I want a healthy friendship with you and Serra and the others that doesn¡¯t get ruined by me acting so crazy. Even if I was trying to use you before¡­ you¡¯re still the Ryouta who sacrificed yourself for me. S-so¡­ I¡¯m sorry, and do you think that we can be friends?¡± Fenrir, finally being given the chance to say something, said, ¡°You don¡¯t even need to ask that. We¡¯ve never stopped being friends, and that includes now. As for everything that happened before, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re making so much progress with yourself, and¡­ I forgive you.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure if that was what he should have said, or what she needed to hear, but it was the genuine truth. While he might have still felt bad regarding his inability to help her before, she was clearly helping herself, and that was something to be proud of. She didn¡¯t need anybody to save her; she was fully capable of saving herself now. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Aiko.¡± Her eyes widened before each of her hands were brought up to rub them in a catlike manner with the back of her wrists. ¡°Thanks, Ryouta,¡± she said with a breaking voice. ¡°It really means a lot to hear you say that, and ¨C and I promise to behave from now on. No more being crazy.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave the crazy delusions to Nell and Aza.¡± ¡°About them¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I think it would be best if¡­ I don¡¯t get that close to you again. I want to be friends with you, but I¡¯m afraid that I might slip back to how I used to be if I get too close to you again, but my therapist really wants me to have friends that I hang out with and do things with, so¡­ would it be okay if I spend more time with them than you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have to ask me that. I don¡¯t own you and I don¡¯t own them, so you can all hang out together as much as you want to without me.¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll want me after how I behaved?¡± ¡°Honestly, they might be a little bit suspicious, but I¡¯m sure that you can prove yourself to them. As long as you¡¯re open and honest with them, they¡¯ll respect you. You¡¯re already good friends with Serra, and the others care about you, too. They¡¯ll gladly accept you if you¡¯re serious about all of this.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°You know it.¡± Nyaiko smiled and finished wiping at her eyes before standing up and approaching him. Fenrir assumed that she was going in for a hug only to get offered her hand instead. Having his childhood friend only feel comfortable shaking his hand instead of hugging him like she normally would was strange, but it was for the best. He gladly shook her hand. ¡°Thanks, Ryouta. Can you ask the others if they wouldn¡¯t mind maybe hanging out tomorrow at the same time? I need to go exercise still and then take my pills which will knock me out¡­ and I think I can only handle one of these confrontations a day, hah¡­¡± ¡°You did a good job today, so that¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll let them know and Serra cn text you their answer later.¡± ¡°Okay, and thanks again, Ryouta.¡± ¡°You keep on thanking me even though you¡¯re the one doing all the work. Thank yourself more.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ryouta and Aiko.¡± ¡°Thanking me is still unnecessary, but that¡¯s better.¡± ¡°Nyaha. Oh, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll keep the cat thing going on. I kind of like it¡­ but the boobs have to go.¡± ¡°Your back will appreciate you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even hug myself with these.¡± ¡°The boobs are too powerful.¡± ¡°I still want them bigger so that I can experience actually having some, but¡­ they¡¯re being shrunk big time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t disappointed at all, but he knew that Cassiel would be. Cassiel loved women¡¯s chests that were even bigger than her already sizeable bust. Fortunately for her, she still had Azalabulia. ¡°Anyways¡­ I¡¯m going to get going now. Can I use the hammock again?¡± ¡°You can use it anytime you need it.¡± Nyaiko nodded and returned to her hammock. Though, just before waking from the game, she looked over and said, ¡°See you soon, Ryouta. And I promise not to ignore your texts anymore.¡± She then woke from virtual reality before he could say anything back. Fenrir breathed out a sigh of deep relief before sitting on the floor¡­ or rather, sitting on top of Rock. Rock kept her head low the entire time since she could tell that something serious was going on. She stayed out of it unless she felt like her interruption was needed. Now, she was being used as a chair, and she didn¡¯t even mind in the slightest. It wasn¡¯t like Fenrir was heavy enough to harm her through her rocky skin. Sitting on her was like sitting on a boulder ¨C a boulder with a wagging tail and a panting tongue. Book 6: Chapter 19: The next day, to pass some time since he had accomplished all of his in-game chores for the day already, Fenrir found himself face-to-face with an opponent who he had not crossed blades with for a considerable amount of time. It would prove to be the perfect opportunity to properly test out his new mastery over Rod. Or rather, that was the plan. What was supposed to be a small duel for fun then turned into a miniature tournament so quickly that Fenrir still couldn¡¯t understand how exactly it happened. One moment, he was helping some of the workers from the other cities by transporting materials for them. Then he fished for a bit to give everybody there some food. Then he challenged a certain somebody to a duel for practice¡­ and then before the duel could even begin, a tournament bracket was set up and a small crowd had gathered. Some of those from the other cities even decided to register for the tournament themselves! ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to duel only like¡­ five minutes ago?¡± Fenrir asked his opponent, looking at the crowd gathered around them in the field. ¡°You can thank Tabs for this,¡± Cassiel, his opponent, answered. Tabitha was just so frustrated at one of her designs¡¯ complications that, as soon as she overheard Fenrir and Cassiel having a sparring match, she decided to take advantage of the situation to relax. And Tabitha¡¯s idea of relaxing was making money by taking bets among the watching crowd. ¡°This is the most sudden tournament arc that I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I have a feeling that¡¯s an anime reference,¡± Cassiel replied. ¡°You know me so well.¡± ¡°I know that you can only reference anime.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll convert you into being a weeb with me. Since Tabs is taking bets, how about we make a bet of our own? If I win, you have to marathon an anime series of my choosing with me. If you win¡­ what was that thing we heard about the other night?¡± ¡°The classic drive-in night?¡± ¡°Yeah, that. Aren¡¯t they going to have a romance movie marathon or something? If I win, you marathon anime with me. If you win, I¡¯ll go with you to that romance movie marathon.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯d go with me even if I lose.¡± ¡°I ¨C you can¡¯t just call me out like that.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to bet me something, it has to be something that is actually a challenge to get you to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to think of something crazy then, because I can¡¯t think of anything that I wouldn¡¯t do for you,¡± Fenrir said, stating it as a matter of fact without any hesitation while the crowd around them waited for the fight to begin. Cassiel turned bright red from his words, Serra snerked from Cassiel¡¯s reaction, Nell sighed as her hero once more proved how good of a boyfriend he was, Azalabulua felt secondhand embarrassment for Cassiel, and Eva took notes while the rest of the crowd either thought the sudden, unintended romance was cringe-worthy or tease-worthy. Fenrir wasn¡¯t paying enough attention to notice everybody else¡¯s reactions, though. He was too busy trying to help out Cassiel by thinking of crazy things for her to make him bet. ¡°Something crazy like¡­ making me try to do a handstand. Or ordering a pizza with nothing on it over the phone. Going to a Chinese restaurant and saying that Taiwan is number one. Or making me wear a dress or something.¡± The red left Casisel¡¯s cheeks as she stared at her lover. The rest of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends joined in on staring at him with eyes both curious and predatory. ¡°Wa-wait,¡± Fenrir said. He already had a bad feeling about their stares. ¡°I mean like¡­ in-game. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve dressed up stupid on purpose in a game.¡± ¡°Real life,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°If I win, you have to wear one of Nell¡¯s dresses in real life.¡± Fenrir wanted to question why it had to be one of Nell¡¯s dresses¡­ but then he remembered that there wasn¡¯t much of a difference between his real body and Nell¡¯s. In-game, he was tall, muscular ¨C an Adonis with canid ears and a wolf¡¯s tail, essentially. In real life¡­ he was considered short for a man and had a lean build. He was huge in comparison to his girlfriends in-game, but he was only a couple of inches taller than Cassiel and Nell in reality, and his body was almost as thin as Nell¡¯s. As much as he wanted to deny that it would work¡­ he could easily see himself fitting into one of Nell¡¯s looser dresses in real life. ¡°You said there¡¯s nothing you wouldn¡¯t do for me,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°If I win, you¡¯re going to wear one of Nell¡¯s dresses.¡± Fenrir looked at his girlfriends to see how they were reacting to this turn of events¡­ only to see that they all looked absolutely in favor of forcing him to cross dress. The rest of the crowd was curious about how he would respond, too. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re going to become the waifu after you lose, onii-wan,¡± Saya teased. ¡°Sorry, I mean onee-wan.¡± There was only one thing that he could do. ¡°Deal,¡± he said. ¡°If I win, you have to marathon an anime series with me. If you win¡­ you can put me in one of Nell¡¯s dresses.¡± Fenrir blinked his eyes and, by the time that he opened them, Cassiel¡¯s blade was only inches from his neck. He managed to lean back and jump away just in time to dodge her attack with only a light cut on his neck. ¡°Did ¨C did you just try to cut my head off?¡± he asked, one hand on his neck as he looked at his lover-turned-enemy. ¡°I¡¯m winning this duel,¡± Cassiel said before charging at him for another attack! Fenrir ducked under the next swing of her blade, only losing a few hairs in the process, and immediately followed up with an attempt to sweep her legs out from underneath her with one of his own. Rather than dodge, Cassiel met his attack with one of her own by bringing her sword to his leg just before he could kick her. He saw just how fast she became when fighting, but this was the first time that he got to experience her new speed against him. She was far faster than the last time they dueled. ¡°Come on, blondie! Kick the wolf¡¯s arse!¡± Tabitha shouted. Fenrir canceled his kick to roll away from her blade. ¡°Tch. Come on, I thought you liked up-close-and-personal fights?¡± Cassiel asked amid her unrelenting attacks. ¡°Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir said, dodging another attack. ¡°You¡¯re pretty hot right now.¡± ¡°Why ¨C why say that all of a sudden?!¡± The answer to her question was because it gave him just enough of an opening to deploy Rod¡¯s latest form. Rod¡¯s metallic chains wrapped around her ankles, tightly constricting her. ¡°Because it distracts you, but also because it¡¯s one hundred percent true,¡± Fenrir explained before retracting the chains, pulling Cassiel off of her feet and dropping her to her rear. It was time for his counterattack. With enlarged arms covered in fur and nails turned into deadly claws, Fenrir swung a fist directly toward Cassiel¡­ only for his fist to slam into the ground instead. Cassiel disappeared. It was only when he felt the metal of her blade cut into his back that he knew where she was, turning his head to see her behind him. The crowd looked distressed as Tabitha cheered Cassiel on. ¡°They must have thought that my hero was the strongest since he is the leader,¡± Nell said to Serra and Azalabulia. ¡°Cass Cass is the strongest,¡± Serra said. Azalabulia, on the other hand, didn¡¯t know who to root for. There was her boyfriend who showed off an awesome new ability that she wanted to test her own strength against, and then there was her girlfriend who seemed even more powerful now trying to win so that they could see their boyfriend in a dress. It was very conflicting. Then there was Eva. ¡°Did she get even stronger since the cave?¡± ¡°She did!¡± Nell answered. ¡°When? How?¡± ¡°Cassiel has always been one of the better fighters out of us. Whenever she is not around us, she is most likely training on her own.¡± ¡°Then she must not get a lot of time to train.¡± ¡°True, but when she does train, she does her best which is what truly matters! Ah, and let us not forget hunting! My hero may be the one who provides us with the ocean¡¯s bounty, but it is Cassiel who provides us with the forest¡¯s!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her bring any animals back from the forest.¡± ¡°Well, she does not make a big deal out of it, nor do the rest of us. Ah, and seeing as how she has such experience in slaying beasts, my hero should take extra care not to become our next dinner!¡± Serra, with the most beastlike eyes of everybody present, said, ¡°I want to eat him up. While he¡¯s in one of your dresses.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, silly me. I should hope that he does not take extra care!¡± Eva lifted an eyebrow at their conversation, not sure what she should make of the fact that her crush¡¯s girlfriends want to play doll with him. She tries to imagine it herself¡­ but all she can picture is Fenrir in a dress, not Ryouta. Picturing Fenrir in a dress gives her the image of a man with bulging muscles ripping through the dress¡¯s fabric while the bottom of it isn¡¯t long enough to cover up anything extra hanging down. ¡°This is too easy,¡± Tabitha said, sitting down next to the other girls. ¡°I know the folk from these cities are all about barterin¡¯ and don¡¯t exactly have much use for money, but that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t keep some on them anyways!¡± ¡°What are you going to do with it?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Keep it safe. Why would I do anything else with it?¡± ¡°Greedy.¡± ¡°As greedy as a dragon!¡± Tabitha agreed, a proud smile showing on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. While Tabitha placed all of her faith in Cassiel, Fenrir tried his best to spare himself from having to wear a dress. He had many fetishes, but cross dressing was not one of them. And he was afraid of it becoming one. ¡°So much for slowing you down,¡± he said, focusing on defending against Cassiel¡¯s overwhelming force. Each attack pushed him back another step and threatened to knock him off balance. ¡°How¡¯d you even get out of my chains?!¡± ¡°Healing spells aren¡¯t the only ones I relearned from my days of an aspiring angel,¡± Cassiel answered, once more vanishing from sight only to appear directly behind him. He was barely able to dodge her attack. Had she not already done it once, it would have worked. ¡°Seriously, how?!¡± ¡°I only perfect it a couple of days ago. They used to call it Holy Shift, but I¡¯m not trying to be an angel anymore, so I¡¯m not sure what to call it.¡± ¡°Wait, did they actually call it that?¡± ¡°Livia is¡­ pure.¡± ¡°Holy shit, how pure does somebody have to be to not see that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but nobody dared to point it out to her. There was also Godly Rod and Father¡¯s Punishment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tempted to believe she¡¯s doing it on purpose.¡± ¡°Everybody thinks that until they meet her. Anyways, can you surrender already? I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll punish you with my godly rod if you try.¡± Cassiel really did not want to laugh because of how lame that was, but she couldn¡¯t resist. She did, however, make sure to roll her eyes afterward to make up for it. Then she continued her assault. Fenrir hoped that she would eventually tire and slow down, giving him an opportunity to go on the offensive, but he ended up being the one to tire out first against his girlfriend¡¯s endless onslaught. ¡°He-hey, Cass Cass, have I said how hot you are right now?¡± he tried asking. ¡°Thanks, but you¡¯re still going to wear a dress,¡± Cassiel replied. He deeply regretted using the dress as an example of something crazy to make him do. Fortunately for him, the perfect opportunity to attack came when Cassiel¡¯s footing slipped! Another punch was thrown her way as she stumbled! Or rather, as she did what looked like stumbling. It was too late for Fenrir to stop when he saw her smile. She did not slip and stumble; it was all an act. Committing to his attack opened him up, allowing Cassiel to thrust her blade through his abdomen at the cost of getting punched in the shoulder. While it did hurt to get punched, she wasn¡¯t the one with a sword running through her abdomen. ¡°I¡¯m going to start worrying about our relationship when you can stab a sword into me so easily,¡± Fenrir said, cringing from the pain. At least it was reduced from feeling realistic. ¡°It¡¯s just a game, and you tried punching me with all your strength,¡± Cassiel replied. ¡°And you tried chaining me up without my consent.¡± ¡°Are you saying I¡¯d be allowed to tie you up in chains if I got your consent first?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I¡¯m not saying that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what you just said, it¡¯s how you said it. How bright your cheeks are help, too.¡± She twisted her blade inside of him. ¡°Give up. I don¡¯t want to kill you, but I will if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be a tsundere, not a yandere.¡± Cassiel might not have been an anime fan like him, but she did learn about the stereotypes related to tsunderes just from exposure to him. That was why she knew to say, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not like I want you to surrender or anything, j-jerk¡­¡± Rod knew what was about to happen and began to frantically pulsate his gem. Don¡¯t give up, partner! Don¡¯t let her words get to you! I know she¡¯s your lover, and she¡¯s saying what you like to hear, but look! Her sword is stuck in you and she¡¯s right there! Headbutt her! Punch her! Bite her! You can win this, partn¡ª ¡°Thank you for the fanservice. I surrender,¡± Fenrir said. That was the last time that Rod tried communicating with Fenrir. Well, for a few hours at least. Fenrir was going to get the silent treatment whether he realized that he was getting it or not. ¡°We¡¯ll pick out a dress tonight,¡± Cassiel said, withdrawing her sword from Fenrir. At the same time, he returned Rod to his normal form and secured him on his hip. ¡°And there we have it!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°The angelic Cassiel has won her first fight, so she¡¯ll be goin¡¯ on to the second round!¡± Most of the crowd had no idea how to react to what they just saw. Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends in the audience, though, could not be happier that he lost. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Oleander asked, only just arriving after mysteriously vanishing somewhere with Corwin. Corwin was with him, too, albeit covered in bite marks from his jaw down to his chest. ¡°Fenny is going to wear a dress,¡± Serra explained. ¡°Game or real life?¡± ¡°Real life. He lost so now he has to wear one of Nell¡¯s dresses.¡± ¡°Pictures. Videos. Both. I need them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Serra,¡± Oleander said, wrapping his arms around her while nuzzling his face against hers. Before pulling away, he whispered into her ear, ¡°I bet it¡¯d be even better if you dressed him up in a maid outfit.¡± Serra¡¯s eyes sparkled at the devil¡¯s sweet temptations. All Fenrir had to do was look over at them and see that they were whispering to each other to know that he was in danger. Grave, grave danger. And that danger only grew even more serious as Nell joined in on the whispering. ¡°You better still love me if you can¡¯t see me as a man anymore after this,¡± Fenrir told Cassiel. ¡°Yeah, like making you wear a cute dress is going to make me stop loving you,¡± Cassiel replied with a sigh. ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t exactly have much masculinity going for me in real life, and I¡¯ll be shedding the last of it for you. Also, I want to see you wear a tuxedo.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous, and why a tuxedo?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯d look hot in one.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯d look hot in anything.¡± ¡°Exactly. I wonder if there are tuxedo sweaters. I know that there are sweaters with tuxedo graphics on them, but I want to see a sweater tuxedo hybrid. Wait, I¡¯m an idiot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only just now realizing that?¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t have been as hot as it was.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re ridiculous. I¡¯m not even going to feel bad for saying that now.¡± ¡°I may be ridiculous, but what I want is perfectly logical. I want to see you dressed up in an angel costume. A slutty Halloween angel costume.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wear one if you wear one.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°You agreed to that way too easily! What happened to being afraid for your masculinity?!¡± ¡°Who needs masculinity when I can have my Cass Cass dressed up like a slutty angel?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Can ya both get out of the center?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°We¡¯re waitin¡¯ to start the next round. Nobody¡¯s here to watch ya be all lovey-dovey.¡± Both Fenrir and Cassiel turned a shade of red when they realized what they were so freely talking about in front of everybody. While they walked out of the center to join their girlfriends, Tabitha introduced the next two fighters. ¡°Next up, we have¡­ Nell versus Azalabulia!¡± Tabitha announced. Everybody present backed away to make the circle larger when they heard Azalabulia¡¯s name. Azalabulia¡¯s explosive spells were known to everybody. Many knew nothing about her aside from the fact that she could cause mass destruction with her magic. ¡°Ah, fun!¡± Nell said, looking up at Azalabulia and holding her hands. ¡°Would you mind giving me the same performance that you give my hero? I would love to act out a scene with you!¡± Everybody was afraid of Azalabulia, including their girlfriends and boyfriend, except for Nell. And there was nothing that could have made Azalabulia happier. Nell held Azalabulia¡¯s hand as they walked to the center of the group, only letting go once it was time for them to face one another. ¡°Tell me! Who is it that wishes to challenge the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azalabulia?!¡± Nell wiped away her beaming smile and cleared her throat. It was clear that she was trying to take this seriously, but the quick swaying of her tail gave away just how excited she was. ¡°I shall be thy challenger, Azalabulia! I, Nell, the Champion of the Western Serpent,¡± she paused, looking over at Fenrir who was cringing but only because they were supposed to keep that part of her as secret as possible. But, it was already too late, so Fenrir shrugged and nodded. ¡°I ¨C I, Nell, the Champion of the Western Serpent,¡± she restarted instead of simply moving to the next part, ¡°will be thy opponent today! I may not have been cursed with such infernal strength as thee have, but the blessing of one of the world¡¯s greatest serpents courses throughout mine body! The cursed flames of Bahamut shall be extinguished by the waves of Manasa!¡± Nell, with her tail wagging even more, looked over at the others. Fenrir gave her a thumbs-up, causing her smile to return against her will. ¡°Oh? I see. You wish to test the waves of the serpent against my flames of the dragon! Na?ve girl! While I will gladly accept any challenge, do you not understand that you stand to make nothing more than a fool of yourself? Both you and your serpent will be shamed in the burning might of my power!¡± Azalabulia declared, dramatically holding an arm out. ¡°This may be true,¡± Nell said, ¡°but I shall try my hardest nonetheless! I will not let fear of your twisted abilities deter me from doing that which I must! If I do not stand here against you today, who will? Who will protect those in need of protection if not even I dare to throw my will against yours?!¡± At this point, everybody watching got their first taste of just how absorbed into her role Nell could become. She swung her arms out, forced tears to run from her eyes, and she even brought her wagging tail under control as her emotions reached the hearts of all watching. ¡°There is a desperate yearning in mine breast, and it is a yearning to protect this world and all of her peoples from you! For as long as air fills my lungs, I will not step aside! I will stop you here, in this very moment, or I shall die knowing that I have done my absolute best! Even if I am not able to defeat you myself, I will weaken you so that others whom come after me may!¡± Azalabulia sniffled before remembering that she was supposed to be playing the evil villain instead of being one of the sympathizing audience members. ¡°Your determination is admirable, but you are nothing more than an obstacle to me. Let our duel for the fate of this star begin, Nell, Daughter of the Serpent.¡± Nell¡¯s eyes widened when she realized what Azalabulia just did for her. Azalabulia helped her out by giving her a new title to refer to herself with! To repay Azalabulia¡¯s kindness, Nell stretched out her wings and readied herself for battle. Everybody watching might have put their money on Azalabulia to win, but Nell was the one who they all wanted to win now. ¡°I will grant you your wish for death! Survive this impossible attack and I will even admit defeat, but know that it is my most powerful attack!¡± Azalabulia declared, holding her staff out in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that she¡¯s going to start off with her strongest spell,¡± Cassiel said, taking her hand away from Fenrir now that she was done healing him. ¡°I think we need to move back some more,¡± Fenrir said. And so, everybody around except for Nell gave Azalabulia about ten times as much space as they were already giving her. They made sure to stand far enough away that they would not even hear what the girls were saying unless they shouted. ¡°Should we save Nell?¡± Serra asked. ¡°I mean¡­ I want to, but I think she¡¯d be mad if we did,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Or she¡¯d get turned on that you ¡®ruined¡¯ something for her. She finds a silver lining in everything,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just let her get blown up this time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re horrible.¡± ¡°She likes horrible. Like you said, a silver lining to everything. If I don¡¯t get her away from Aza, then I¡¯m letting her roleplay and I¡¯m being a horrible boyfriend who abandons her when she needs me the most.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, she¡¯ll love it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what makes Nell Nell great,¡± Serra said. ¡°She¡¯s pleased no matter what you do. She¡¯s having a girlfriend on easy mode.¡± ¡°More like easy mode with all skulls on,¡± Cassiel sighed. Neither Fenrir nor Serra understood Cassiel¡¯s reference to one of the greatest video game series of all time, causing her to sigh once again. Cassiel might not have been that huge of a gamer herself, and she might have had some issues with her dad, but at least her dad taught her about some of the classics from when he was a child. Before she could explain the reference, swirling energy gathered above Azalabulia in the distance. ¡°Let us show this champion of the serpent our ultimate power, Bahamut! Now is time to unleash your rage upon this na?ve girl in a devastating display that will rend apart the fabric of reality itself! Let your rage boil her precious oceans away! Let your darkness block out the sun in a darker-than-black shroud even a black hole could not stand against! I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, and the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, will annihilate this mockery of a threat and put an end to her foolish dreams! This shall be the ultimate showcase of raw power ¨C of the power that is destined to consume this world! Bahamut, together, we shall put an end to the foolishness that this lesser being considers praxis! Now, let us show our true strength! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Final Attack, Final Verse: Exodus of Reality, the Purging of Life, all who Oppose it, and the Destruction of Reality! Explode!¡± The only other time the group saw Azalabulia use this ultimate spell of hers was when she had a mountain to cave in. This would be the first time they got to see the spell actually detonate. The shape of a dragon formed by explosive energies appeared above Azalabulia, roared into the heavens, and flew directly toward Nell! Nell stuck her arms out to her sides and created a dome of waves around her to brace against the attack. Nobody knew what was going to happen when the might of the dragon crashed into the barrier of the serpent. Nor would they get to see what happened. All they could see was an explosion of dust and dirt that surrounded both women. Then came the dark flames. A miniature mushroom cloud of darkness reached into the sky above the women as an explosive shockwave knocked all bystanders off of their feet. By the time that the dust cleared enough for everybody to see through, all that remained where the women stood¡­ was nothing. Neither Azalabulia nor Nell were anywhere to be seen. It was only when Eva flew up into the air to get a better look at things that Azalabulia and Nell were spotted. ¡°They¡¯re fine, I think,¡± Eva said. ¡°Azalabulia¡¯s body is way over there,¡± she pointed to the left, ¡°and Nell¡¯s is that way,¡± she pointed to the right. ¡°They still had their shoes on, so they¡¯re probably alive. I don¡¯t think either of them will be getting up anytime soon, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better than I could have hoped for,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But I don¡¯t know about using the status of somebody¡¯s shoes to tell if they¡¯re alive or not.¡± ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s legitimate.¡± Tabitha groaned. ¡°Then it¡¯s a draw and I have to give this money back. Every single one of us bet on the explosions girl.¡± ¡°Wait, how are you going to make any money if everybody bet on same winner? Wouldn¡¯t you run out of money?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve got my ways.¡± ¡°That sounds shady.¡± ¡°Less worryin¡¯ about me, more worryin¡¯ about your girlfriends. Go make sure their shoes are still on.¡± ¡°Yeah, I probably should do that ¨C wait, what are you doing?¡± Fenrir asked, watching Serra as she took her boots off. One boot. Two boots. With her boots off, Serra lied down on her back, sprawled her limbs out, and shut her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m dead. Carry me,¡± she groaned. ¡°First a cavegirl, now a zombie?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Zombie cavegirl.¡± Fenrir cocked his head. ¡°What¡¯s this about a cavegirl?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± Cassiel answered, picking Serra up to hang her over her shoulder. It was a less than graceful carry for the zombie cavegirl, but it was still a carry which was enough to satisfy her. Serra discovered that removing all forms of footwear is a powerful weapon to get others to carry her around. ¡°Being a zombie is great.¡± Just as they walked away to check up on their girlfriends, another voice could be heard groaning from behind Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m dead, too. Carry me, Fenny,¡± Oleander groaned before sticking his tongue out for dramatic effect. He also took his shoes off. Fenrir did not pick him up. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them embarrassing stories about you if you don¡¯t pick me up,¡± Oleander threatened. Fenrir picked him up. Book 6: Chapter 20: As soon as Fenrir reached Nell, he dropped Oleander to the ground to help her up. Oleander, naturally, did not approve of this and pouted as he rubbed his rear since he fell on it, but he understood that an injured girlfriend was more important than an uninjured deer that made him question his sexuality. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Fenrir asked, leaning down to Nell. She was covered from head to foot in dirt with black marks from the explosion all over her dress and skin. ¡°Does staying alive count as being alright?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s more than I expected in all honesty.¡± ¡°Do not underestimate me, my hero. Dying takes away all of the pleasure to be gained from such tragedy! While this is not exactly the type of pain that I would normally love, it is still delightful in its own way.¡± ¡°Masochist,¡± Serra said. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Fenrir helped her up onto her feet before brushing some of the dirt off her shoulders, causing her to smile. Then, as soon as he was done, she crouched done to pick up a handful of dirt only to drop it right back onto her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big spot I missed somehow,¡± he said. ¡°Worry not, my hero. My family has experience in teaching others how to clean, so I will thoroughly train you until you never leave a spot dirty! Now then,¡± she paused, looking at her dirty shoulder. Fenrir cleaned the dirt off of her shoulder once more, causing her to giggle as she considered placing even more dirt on her. However, somebody beat her to the point. ¡°My hero, it would appear that you have missed yet another spot,¡± Nell said. Fenrir looked her over and didn¡¯t see dirt anywhere on her, so what spot did he miss? She raised a hand and pointed to behind him. Turning around, none other than Oleander was behind Fenrir, still sitting on the ground with a large pile of dirt on top of his head. He was even winking and sticking his tongue out while holding one hand against the side of his head. ¡°You¡¯ll have to pet it off me, Fenny,¡± Oleander teased, presenting his head to Fenrir. ¡°If you stay sitting, I could try kicking it off you,¡± Fenrir replied, turning his body to get ready to kick. ¡°Pet it off instead!¡± ¡°Why pet when I can¡ª¡± ¡°Fen,¡± Serra said, tugging on his arm. Fenrir looked at the smallest of his girlfriends only to see an even larger lump of dirt on the top of her head. Naturally, he immediately got to work petting it all off of her and gave her a couple of pats once she was clean. Serra looked down at Oleander with a smug grin, causing Oleander¡¯s eyes to go wide. ¡°Se-Serra! You betrayed me! I thought we were friends!¡± Oleander pouted and whined. ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. Sorry,¡± Serra said. Then she directed her attention back to her boyfriend. ¡°You have to pet Olly¡¯s head or no more lewd things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a horrible threat coming from you. You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t resist doing lewd things,¡± Fenrir said, poking her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll do lewd things to Cass Cass, Nell Nell, and Azawaza instead of you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯d still get to watch.¡± ¡°No watching.¡± ¡°Then I could just do lewd things with them instead of with you.¡± ¡°Not allowed. I¡¯ll steal them from you.¡± ¡°My own girlfriend threatening to netorare me¡­ alright, fine.¡± Fenrir returned his attention to the whining, teary-eyed Oleander to finally pet all of the dirt off from his head. Oleander would not be satisfied with only that, though. The moment that the dirt was removed, he grabbed onto Fenrir¡¯s wrist with each of his hands and held it down against the top of his head so that he could nuzzle up against it. ¡°You¡¯re so rough and strong when you rub me,¡± Oleander moaned, wiggling from side to side on his knees as he practically forced Fenrir to pet him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give my antlers a little rub, too?¡± Fenrir, doing as Oleander wished for, grabbed one of the deer boy¡¯s antlers with his free hand¡­ and then lifted him up off the ground to hang him from his antler. ¡°Nn-nngh¡­ y-you¡¯re so rough! Ha-haven¡¯t I told you how sensitive my antlers are?¡± Oleander moaned with hearts in his eyes, his short tail wagging behind him as his wiggled around in the air from side to side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m going to give you some fast and hard service. It¡¯s only fair after not getting to give you much lately,¡± Fenrir said, causing those hearts in Oleander¡¯s eyes to pulsate and grow in size. That was when Fenrir took a step forward, grabbed Oleander¡¯s other antler, and spun in a circle! Oleander¡¯s body went from hanging down to sticking outward as Fenrir spun and spun around, growing increasingly faster with every rotation until coming to a sudden stop and releasing Oleander¡¯s antlers! The neglected deer boy went flying with dizzy hearts spinning around in his eyes and with the uncertainty of whether he should feel turned on or not by the abuse. As much of a top as he was, being abused like this was occasionally fun, too. At the same time, he didn¡¯t want to steal being a masochist from Nell. Perhaps more importantly, he crashed into the ground, rolled up into a ball, and continued rolling until coming to an upside-down stop with his head between his legs and his legs over his head. Being thrown was actually pretty fun! If he was able to stand up without immediately falling back over from how dizzy he was, he would definitely ask to be thrown again. But alas, he figured that it would be best to remain where he was until his eyes stopped spinning. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve done something like that.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°This actually happened just a few weeks before I met you and Serra. We went to a new bar that opened, I got drunk, and then he helped me back to his place. When he went to help me into bed, I begged him to throw me. I have no idea why. I guess I just really wanted to be thrown. I was so drunk that I can¡¯t even remember it.¡± ¡°Then how do you know it happened?¡± ¡°Because he recorded me on his phone. He made sure to record me begging for it, set his phone down, and then recorded himself throwing me onto the bed. Then I told him to do it again.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re saying that there¡¯s a video of this?¡± ¡°I have no idea if Olly still has it, but yeah. Wait¡­¡± Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends looked at each other and nodded, not even having to speak a single word in order to communicate their plan. Serra and Cassiel took off after Oleander to interrogate him for information ¨C for the video. Fenrir tried to stop them, but he found himself trapped by a certain somebody¡¯s tail being wrapped around his ankles. ¡°I cannot let you impede them, my hero. I am sure that you understand,¡± Nell said, tightening her tail. Then another couple of hands grabbed his shoulders to help keep him locked down. ¡°Eva?¡± Fenrir asked, looking at the hybrid girl in front of him. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really understand it myself, but I have an urge to help them,¡± Eva explained. The only other person present who could help Fenrir was Corwin¡­ or so Fenrir thought. Corwin was already holding onto his arm. ¡°Even you, Corwin?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°My apologies, captain ¨C ah, I mean, Fen. I know that this is what my Oleander would wish for,¡± Corwin answered. Truthfully, Eva was the only one who posed an actual challenge to Fenrir, but playing along was more fun than breaking free and seriously trying to stop his girlfriends even if it meant he¡¯d be getting embarrassed later. He was confident that Oleander still had that video¡­ and many others like it. But, he figured that since he didn¡¯t exactly have embarrassing baby pictures or anything to show his girlfriends, they could at least get to see drunken videos of him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eva asked upon noticing Fenrir¡¯s expression turn sad. ¡°Nothing,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I just realized how stupid I am.¡± ¡°You are not stupid, my hero,¡± Nell said. ¡°What is bothering you?¡± The three holding onto him let go. ¡°Really, it¡¯s nothing. I just regret throwing out my baby pictures. When my parents passed, I had to go through all their stuff and see if there was anything I wanted to keep or not. They had a huge picture book of pictures of me from when I was a newborn up to when I was a preteen. I always hated those pictures since I thought they were embarrassing, and I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best of moods or anything¡­ so I threw them out. I threw out everything that my parents kept of mine that I thought were embarrassing or stupid. I wish I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°It is a shame, but it does not make you stupid,¡± Nell said. ¡°We often do not appreciate such things until we are older and may look at them from a new light. It was one of the many follies of youth.¡± ¡°I know. I wish I could go back in time and smack myself for thinking those pictures were stupid. I don¡¯t really have anything left from my parents now.¡± ¡°Eva,¡± Corwin said, ¡°let us join the others in interrogating my dearest for that video.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah, sure,¡± Eva agreed with a nod, leaving Fenrir and Nell alone. ¡°Corwin is a good ¡®bro,¡¯ is he not?¡± Nell asked. Fenrir joined Nell on the ground by sitting next to her, watching as Cassiel and Serra tried to shake the dizziness from Oleander. ¡°You sound cute when you say bro.¡± ¡°It makes me feel like a hooligan, bro! Perhaps I should acquire a baseball cap to wear? It will be tilted down the side of my head, of course! I can even hold up peace signs and go, ¡®yo, yo!¡¯¡± ¡°Please go on.¡± ¡°I will be very ¡®gangster,¡¯ yo! What else is there¡­ ah, yes! I will need a basketball so that I can be ¨C I think it is¡­ baller? A baller gangster, yo!¡± ¡°You¡¯re awakening new things within me, Nell.¡± Nell wore a smug smile as she held up a couple of peace signs to him. ¡°What else do baller gangsters say, bro?¡± ¡°Say ¡®fo shizzle my nizzle.¡¯¡± ¡°F-fo shizzle my nizzle?¡± ¡°Now say it faster.¡± ¡°Fo shizzle my nizzle!¡± ¡°Faster.¡± ¡°Fohizzle my nizzle!¡± ¡°Faster!¡± ¡°Fohizzle minizzle!¡± ¡°Slower!¡± ¡°Fohizzle¡ªwha-what? Slower?¡± ¡°I bet you weren¡¯t expecting that.¡± ¡°Indeed I was not! It would appear that I am not as baller as you are, bro.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to combine ¡®my hero¡¯ with ¡®bro.¡¯¡± ¡°I see. That is easy, my bro!¡± ¡°That sounds much more like you.¡± ¡°Perfect! Now, my bro, are you feeling better?¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t even realize how much he was smiling until Nell asked that. ¡°Yeah, I guess I am. Thanks, Nell. I didn¡¯t mean to suddenly turn into a downer or anything.¡± He leaned over to kiss her cheek, and she made sure to turn her head so that he would kiss her lips instead. ¡°Anything for you, my he¡ªmy bro. You cannot be the only one doing all of the saving! It is my duty to save you as often as you save me.¡± ¡°Then can¡­ can I talk to you about something else?¡± ¡°You may talk to me about whatever it is your heart desires, my Ryouta. Ah, wait. There is a requirement.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Nell straightened out her legs before patting her lap. ¡°You must lay your head here! My ears will shut themselves to your pleas if you do not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too good at this.¡± ¡°It is only fair that I repay you for how wonderful you are! Now, your head ¨C lay it upon my lap!¡± With a relaxed sigh, Fenrir got onto his side and rested his head on the top of her lap. Nell¡¯s fingers were quick to find his head so that they could stroke along his scalp and rub him through his hair. ¡°Now, my hero, what is it that you wish to tell me about?¡± she asked. ¡°Having kids,¡± Fenrir answered, forcing himself to say it. He knew that if he hesitated for even a second then he would not be able to. Simply talking about it with Saya was already hard enough. He also considered bringing it up to Azalabulia during their date, but that clearly did not happen. ¡°I¡¯m worried about being a dad¡­ and it¡¯s why I¡¯m afraid of having sex. In real life, anyways.¡± ¡°Ah, so that is why.¡± ¡°Was I really that obvious?¡± ¡°Well, my hero, you do live with three¡ªif I may be so bold as to include myself¡ªbeautiful girlfriends who would be more than delighted to take things to the next level. Even if you have been able to satisfy us without such penetration, it is still something we look forward to, and I am sure that you wish for it just as much.¡± ¡°I do. I really do. It¡¯s just that every time I actually think about actually doing it¡­ my mind is stupid and starts thinking about what happens if I get any of you pregnant. Even if you all take birth control and we use protection and all that, I¡¯d still be worried. Having kids changes everything. I really want kids, especially now that they¡¯re steadily reversing how fucked they made the world, but¡­ it means nowhere near as much free time as we have now, it means having lives that we¡¯re entirely responsible for, raising them to be good kids and future adults, and I have no idea if I¡¯ll be a good dad or not.¡± ¡°I understand. Rest assured that the rest of us have these concerns as well, though perhaps not as much as you do. I am worried that I will not be a good mother ¨C that I will have to change my way of life for a life that I have brought to our world, but it is every bit as exciting as it is frightening.¡± Despite the continued fighting in the distance as part of the tournament, neither Nell nor Fenrir were aware of any of it. They were too absorbed in one another to pay attention to anything else. ¡°My dad,¡± Fenrir continued, ¡°he was a good man from what I can remember, but¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to be like him. He was always serious, rarely smiled, never showed much emotion around me and my mom ¨C he was a great dad in his own way, but I don¡¯t want to be like him. The problem is that I don¡¯t know what other kind of dad to be like. I can¡¯t even remember any specific parenting moments from either of them anymore. I guess it feels like¡­ this might be a weird example, but carpenters are supposed to train under others to learn what to do, right? That¡¯s kind of how parenting is. Kids learn from their parents and use those examples to raise their own kids in the future. But me, I would be like a new carpenter with zero experience or education getting an important job and not being allowed to screw it up.¡± ¡°Who says that you are not allowed to make mistakes?¡± Nell asks, resting a hand on his forehead. ¡°Me.¡± ¡°You are very silly, my hero. Parents make mistakes all the time. The only parents who claim to have never made mistakes are perfectionist narcissists who likely did far more damage to their children than typically flawed parents.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a narcissist, but I do want to be as perfect of a parent as possible.¡± ¡°That is fine, but you should not stress yourself out over it. It is only human to make mistakes. Whether you are parentless or the father of twenty does not matter. You will make mistakes regardless. You will have moments where you wish you would have done or said something differently. Our future children may even go through phases where they claim to hate us no matter how well we do. All that matters, my dearest Ryouta, is that we raise them to the best of our abilities. So long as we strive to do our best ¨C so long as we keep our children¡¯s best interest at heart while letting them live their own lives free of whatever selfish desires for their futures we may have, I believe that we will be proud parents.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. Hearing you put it that way makes me feel a lot better about it. I promise I¡¯ll have their best interests at heart.¡± ¡°That is more than enough! Many parents fail to do even that. So long as you genuinely wish for their best, you will be a wonderful father. Ah, I do have one selfish request before then, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I wish for us to enjoy ourselves while I call you ¡®father,¡¯ perhaps ¡®daddy.¡¯ I am not sure how I will feel about calling you those once we have children of our own calling you that.¡± ¡°You can call me whatever you want whenever you want.¡± ¡°Wonderful! I have one more suggestion, if I may.¡± ¡°You may.¡± ¡°Thank you. My suggestion ¨C well, we will be visiting my home and father soon, so why not ask him for parenting advice? I am sure that he will provide you with all the information you could ever ask for and more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea¡­ but also embarrassing. How would I even ask that? Would I just say¡­ ¡®hey, I¡¯m nervous about being a dad someday, can you please give me some advice?¡¯¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I could bring myself to actually say that to anybody, especially one of my girlfriends¡¯ dads.¡± ¡°Please, my hero. Cassiel¡¯s father may not be receptive of such a question from what I know, but I am sure that Serra¡¯s fathers and my own will happily assist you however they can. Furthermore, I am confident that you can ask for such advice. You are brave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m brave in video games. Not so much in real life.¡± ¡°If you can deal with giant spiders on your own to save us, you can ask our fathers for advice.¡± ¡°If there is a hierarchy for what¡¯s scary, spiders are at the bottom of the tier list and girlfriends¡¯ dads are at the top of the pyramid.¡± ¡°My father is a very kind and lovable fool. He will not judge you in the slightest. As for Serra¡¯s parents, while I have yet to meet any of them, their lifestyle should be all that it takes to get it across that they are very loving and accepting people.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing a good job of convincing me, I won¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°If my feeble attempt at convincing you is working, that is all the more proof you are brave enough on your own to do what you must. My father may not be a carpenter, but you may still become his apprentice in parenting!¡± ¡°Does this mean that all our children are going to grow up to have delusional fantasies like you?¡± ¡°If they take after me at all, they will corrupt themselves once they are old enough to access the internet.¡± ¡°But kids get onto the internet at like¡­ five these days.¡± ¡°We may require a major lifestyle change that results in no internet access until they are a more appropriate age.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unconvincing me from this whole having kids thing.¡± ¡°I jest, my hero. Content filters exist for a reason.¡± ¡°They do make those things pretty hard to get around these days, but don¡¯t underestimate kids. They¡¯ll always be better at technology than their parents.¡± ¡°You do make a good point,¡± Nell said with a sigh, lifting her head to notice that Oleander has been huddled around by the others. ¡°Yeah. Anyways¡­ thanks, Nell. This has been bothering me for a long time now. All that¡¯s left I guess is to wait for Aza to meet up with us. I¡¯d feel wrong finally doing it without one of our girlfriends being with us.¡± ¡°All the more reason to make sure that she visits my father¡¯s with us! Both prerequisites will be satisfied that way. You will have the opportunity to approach my father for parenting advice, and all of us will be there! Assuming that the bed in my room is unchanged, it is more than large enough for all of us to share. The walls are very thick, too, and we can push a towel against the bottom of the door to be extra sneaky if we wish!¡± ¡°Asking my girlfriend¡¯s dad for parenting advice¡­ and then having sex with his daughter under his roof. I¡¯m not sure how that makes me feel.¡± ¡°I am already imagining a rather wonderful fantasy to go along with it!¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± ¡°Would you like to hear it, my hero?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only fair to hear your kinky fantasies out after you had to sit through listening to me.¡± ¡°Then prepare yourself, my hero! This may be the most erotic fantasy yet.¡± ¡°Oh boy.¡± ¡°First¡­ at night, when all is quiet and those still awake are exhausted from the day¡¯s activities, we will lazily climb into bed ¨C all of us, and gently hold one another while gently speaking of how much we love one another. We will discuss how much fun we had, how much fun there is to have yet, and how happy we are with one another. Then, Serra will most likely be the one to initiate by groping your crotch with one hand while her other hand slips down into her pants. Naturally, the rest of us will become aroused by the sight and sounds, and so renewed energy will course throughout our bodies as the desire to share pleasure with one another grows increasingly more powerful. It is only a matter of time after that until we are all stripped of our clothes. While I am sure that you and Serra will have no issue staying bare above the sheets, Cassiel and Azalabulia may sneak under the covers to hide their nude figures. I may or may not join them depending on just how bold I am feeling.¡± ¡°I like it when your fantasies are like this.¡± ¡°I can see that, my hero,¡± Nell said, letting one of her hands gently pat Fenrir¡¯s crotch. Of course, she only meant to tease and pulled her hand away so that she could continue her fantasy. ¡°Afterward, you would have your pick of us. As you are the only man in our relationship, we must take turns being pleasured by you. Perhaps you will go in order of who you met first? Serra, Cassiel, me, and then Azalabulia? Or will you go at random? Regardless of what you may choose, those unchosen will be able to pleasure one another while you are occupied. Perhaps we may join in on pleasuring you. As you are buried within one of us, whoever is left may bring their lips to yours to kiss while the other enjoys the body of the girl you are currently within. Or we may give you something to look at as you focus on her. Imagine that, while you are burying your length within the girlfriend of your choosing, your other girlfriends are cradling one another and passionately pressing their lips together. It is a very exciting thought, is it not?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ exciting enough that this is starting to feel like torture.¡± ¡°Torture? I am not cruel enough to be the one doing the torturing. I am, however, intelligent enough to know that filling your mind with such thoughts may help you get over the anxiety you are facing. If your bravery should require any assistance, your arousal will be there to assist it. If the lust of man is enough to begin wars, it is enough to overwhelm whatever fears you may harbor.¡± ¡°Nell.¡± ¡°Yes, my hero?¡± ¡°I¡¯m horny.¡± ¡°I can tell, my hero. Even if your pants do not make it obvious, let us not forget that I can feel what you feel. The intense, bursting arousal within you is more than obvious to me.¡± ¡°Think we could have sex right here?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. Our Azalabulia still needs recovering, and there is a tournament to see the end of.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Aza. I ¨C I¡¯m a horrible boyfriend. I completely forgot about her.¡± ¡°Worry not, my hero. You had your own conflict to work through. I am sure that she is fine.¡± ¡°I really need to go and help her, but¡­ horny. And your lap is really comfortable.¡± ¡°While our discussion is a perfectly valid excuse for forgetting about her current situation, your arousal and my thighs are not satisfactory.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Fenrir said with a sigh. ¡°Alright. Time to get up. Let¡¯s go rescue our girlfriend.¡± ¡°Do not forget to help me up first! You have yet to even finish your rescue of me.¡± And so, Fenrir stood up, reached down, and finally helped Nell up. While he was not expecting to have such a serious conversation with her, he could not have been any happier that he did. The serious doubts within his mind were finally shared with his girlfriends. Saya was helpful, of course, but it was his girlfriends who he needed to talk to the most about it. ¡°By the way¡­ I know this is cowardly of me, but do you think you could tell the others about what we talked about? I¡¯ve got to save my bravery for asking your dad for help,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I will assist you however I can, my hero!¡± Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Ehehe¡­ I can see explosions in my eyes,¡± Azalabulia said with a muffled giggle, partially buried underground with her head being completely covered in dirt. More of her would be underground if it were not for her breasts getting stuck above ground, hanging upside down and serving as a stopper of sorts. Not even her mightiest explosion was enough to overcome the power of her chest. Book 6: Chapter 21: Fenrir ended up carrying Azalabulia back to where the tournament was taking place. Of course, he didn¡¯t mind doing that in the slightest. He carried her on his back, so he got to feel her breasts pressing against the back of his head the entire trip back. She kept on giggling and moving around, too, making it even better. Sure, Fenrir tried to be a gentleman of sorts to his girlfriends¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t going to thoroughly enjoy every single occasion of his girlfriends¡¯ breasts touching him. Was it even possible for there to be an occasion where their breasts were touching him that wasn¡¯t short of absolutely perfect? No, of course not. ¡°I mean¡­ what if their boobs fall off or something?¡± Saya thought to him. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not in a bloody and gory way, that¡¯d still be alright. Like a zombie monster girl. If a zombie monster girl¡¯s boobs fall off and touch me, that¡¯d still be alright,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°But what if the boobs were cut off and there was blood everywhere?¡± ¡°Then no, it wouldn¡¯t be perfect anymore.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re wrong to think that it¡¯s always perfect when boobs are touching you.¡± ¡°I mean, if you want to get all technical about it, then yes there are occasional moments where it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing. That¡¯s obvious, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Is it really obvious or did I just have to point out the truth to you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re inside of my head. If you were able to think of that then it means that I was able to think of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re implying that I¡¯m only based off of your own thoughts. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have machine learning programmed into me or something. Even I can learn to have my own thoughts!¡± ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re as smart as a newborn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving you anymore fanservice, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Please never call me that again. It sounds so wrong for you to call me my actual name. I¡¯m sorry, go back to giving me fanservice. Please.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to beg for it more than that, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Since when you are a sadist?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a switch so it¡¯s only natural for me to be the dominant one every now and then.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a difference between sadism and dominance.¡± ¡°Same thing.¡± ¡°I literally just said that there¡¯s a difference, implying that they¡¯re not the same thing.¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never get tired of that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too easy to get you to switch subjects.¡± ¡°Simple fanservice isn¡¯t always going to get me to change the subject.¡± ¡°Oh, I wanted to ask you something. What do you think about the current state of global economics?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weird question¡­ but I guess there¡¯s enough of a walk left to answer it. Well, where do I even start? I¡¯m not really good at this sort of stuff but¡ª¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°I will seriously never get tired of that.¡± A couple of moments passed in silence before Fenrir realized what just happened. It was, in fact, too easy to get him to change the subject with simple fanservice. ¡°You win,¡± Fenrir mentally sighed to his virtual little pseudo-sister. ¡°It¡¯s pretty much impossible for you to beat me, onii-wan. I¡¯m in your head. I can formulate a hundred strategies in a second to counter strategies that take you years to come up with.¡± ¡°I can beat you easily if I go all-out.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, Pupaya. I want to rub your belly and call you a good girl.¡± ¡°Wha¡ªtha-that¡¯s cheating!¡± ¡°I want to sit you on my lap and grope your chest while rubbing against you.¡± ¡°Perverted onii-wan! Ba-baka onii-wan!¡± ¡°You might be calling me a perverted baka, but you¡¯re not telling me to stop.¡± ¡°O-of course I¡¯m not¡­ you already know I like it! That¡¯s what makes you such a perverted baka! It¡¯s because I¡¯m in your head that I¡¯m like this! If I was in a normal person¡¯s head then I wouldn¡¯t get so excited by you talking about weird things like calling me a good girl and rubbing my belly! That¡¯s not normal! No girl should get turned on by that!¡± ¡°On the contrary, every girl should get turned on by that. Actually, let¡¯s be even. Everybody should get turned on by it regardless of gender. I wonder how Olly would react if I called him a good boy¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he want to be called a good girl?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still confused about that. I could always try good girl first and then good boy.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, why is your tail wagging just from you thinking about the phrase ¡®good boy?¡¯¡± ¡°Li-listen, it¡¯s not my fault. It¡¯s my avatar¡¯s fault for getting excited by default whenever I hear those words, even if they¡¯re from me in my own head.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a degenerate, onii-wan.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re a degenerate little pseudo-sister into petplay who claimed that she could never be beaten while knowing that I would say all of that in order to prove that you could, in fact, be beaten.¡± ¡°I ¨C I didn¡¯t know anything¡­¡± ¡°You knew everything. You knew that if you tried to challenge me like that then I would bring out the petplay.¡± ¡°Sh-shut up¡­¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± ¡°Me! Hmph! Now stop harassing me!¡± ¡°Do you really want me to stop?¡± ¡°No, but still!¡± ¡°Pupaya.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± ¡°Nn¡­ I ¨C I am.¡± ¡°Say you¡¯re a good little puppy.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m a good little puppy¡­¡± ¡°Next, say¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, it is happening!¡± Nell announced. ¡°Serra, it would appear that my hero is getting very excited about something.¡± The group stopped in their tracks. Serra jumped to the front of Fenrir and stared down at his crotch with eyes full of determination to confirm whether or not he was actually getting excited. As it would turn out, he was getting excited and it was more than obvious to Serra¡¯s eyes. ¡°How? We¡¯re only walking,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Don¡¯t question it,¡± Serra answered for Fenrir. ¡°How doesn¡¯t matter. Only it being awake matters.¡± ¡°Oh! That gives me an idea!¡± Nell said. ¡°If we are to treat his member as a beast of its own that slumbers and wakes on its own, just imagine how it would be if it became possessed by a demon! It would not only change in appearance and size, but it would cause my hero to act upon his uncontrollable desires brought about by the demon within him! Well, within a very important part of him. He would still be in control of his body and mind, but he would be incapable of resisting the one thing he is no longer in control of.¡± ¡°Would that still count as cheating?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Hmm. If it has been possessed and altered¡­ then the demon would also most likely be the one to actually feel pleasure. My hero would also feel it, of course. Therefore, if anything, it would be a threesome!¡± ¡°Sounds like the demon needs to get a job if it has nothing better to do than possess dicks and let others do all the work.¡± ¡°That ¨C that is one way to add onto the fantasy, I suppose.¡± ¡°No demon dick,¡± Serra said. ¡°Only Fen¡¯s dick.¡± ¡°C-could you all stop talking about my dick?¡± Fenrir asked, trying to remind them that Eva is still with them. Eva, of course, picked up on that. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Really. It¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°See, Eva is okay with it,¡± Serra said. ¡°Let¡¯s have sex.¡± ¡°She said she was okay with the talk, not with watching us have sex,¡± Fenrir explained, poking Serra¡¯s forehead to try and stop her from staring¡ªand talking¡ªat his crotch. Poking her did not stop her from looking at his crotch. All it did was force her to look downward with her eyes so that she could keep them locked onto it. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing,¡± Serra said. ¡°It¡¯s really not the same thing,¡± Fenrir said, trying to poke her head even farther back. The farther back he poked her head, the more she turned her eyes downward. She even tried reaching her hands out to grab onto his crotch, but her arms were too shirt since Fenrir kept her an arm length¡¯s away from him. And his arms were longer than hers. ¡°Seeing your harem almost makes me wish that I could have a harem of cute girls,¡± Saya said. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you create yourself a harem?¡± Fenrir asked her. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not the same.¡± ¡°Wait, if you can create all those other things¡­ couldn¡¯t you create a clone of yourself?¡± ¡°Onii-wan, you want to do perverted things to your twin little sisters, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°One hundred percent yes.¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ it¡¯s possible. Splitting myself wouldn¡¯t be too hard¡­¡± ¡°Could one of you be the tsundere while the other is deredere, and the deredere is more bold and all over me which makes the tsundere jealous and assertive to get even? And then they both kiss each other from around my¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been listening to too many of Nell Nell¡¯s fantasies, onii-wan. Go pay attention to your girlfriends.¡± With that, Saya left his thoughts alone so that he could focus on Serra not pulling his pants down in front of the others. And there was only one way to stop her from doing that. ¡°I promise to do lewd things with you later ¨C after the tournament is over,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Deal,¡± Serra agreed, finally pushing aside her thirst for him, but only temporarily. ¡°I swear you two think about nothing other than sex,¡± Cassiel said. Nell raised a hand. ¡°Make that three of us!¡± ¡°Cass, don¡¯t make it sound like you don¡¯t,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± ¡°I a¡ª¡± Cassiel got herself from truly embarrassing herself, but that did not stop her cheeks from turning bright red as one of her most vulnerable weaknesses was taken advantage of. Apparently, all of them could think about nothing but sex. There was only one person left, and Eva wanted to confirm if the remaining member of the relationship also only thought about sex. So, Eva looked up at Azalabulia. ¡°Ehehe¡­ huge¡­ bursting¡­ e-exploooooosions¡­¡± Azalabulia mumbled. At least one of them wasn¡¯t thinking about sex twenty-four-seven, but were explosions really better? To Azalabulia, of course they were. Not every single person could be a sex addict, after all. Somebody had to be the explosion addict. As for Eva, she would remain the science addict for the moment. Back at where the tournament was taking place, they got back just in time for Eva¡¯s match. Of course Eva decided to register for the tournament, too. Testing her strength against others would allow her to not only gain more information on them and their fighting styles, but it would allow her to check on the progress that she made as well! Her body and its abilities fascinated her just as much as the bodies and powers of anybody else. Especially after how much time and care went into creating the hybrid of a body that she called hers. Fenrir and the others were all standing by ready to cheer for her, too. Even Azalabulia was finally fully aware of what was going on again¡­ but she was in the process of being incredibly embarrassed. Even though she was awake and could stand on her own now, Fenrir decided to conveniently ignore that so he could keep carrying her. And to keep feeling her chest against the back of his head. The match was about to begin. ¡°Back just in time for her match, we¡¯ve got Eva the hybrid of a bunch of different things and¡­ seriously? This is your name? Well, I ain¡¯t goin¡¯ to judge, but ya better live up to it or else you¡¯re goin¡¯ to look pretty stupid. Facing Eva is Alpha Chadmeister!¡± Tabitha announced. Standing directly across from Eva was a huge, hulking beast of a man. Literally. All he wore as far as equipment was a leather subligaculum that tightly hugged his waist and crotch, and orange fur covered the rest of his body. Even with the dense coat of short, orange fur, bulging veins could still made out along his obscene muscles. He also had the head of a tiger. ¡°Should¡¯ve named yourself Tony is all I¡¯m sayin¡¯,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Anyways, start!¡± The wannabe cereal mascot slammed his fists together and roared! Eva pointed her thunderbird wing at him and sent a bolt of crackling electricity directly toward him. Said bolt of electricity covered his body and electrocuted him, causing him to shout out in furious pain. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The electric zapping finally ended and Alpha Chadmeister was still standing. Sure, his orange fur turned black and there was smoke coming from him, but he was still standing! He took a step forward and¡­ fell. Apparently, it actually was enough. ¡°Ha-hang on now,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°You¡¯re not already out, are ya, Tony?¡± Eva blinked a few times before flying up to the fallen tiger, poking him to check on him. ¡°Listen, Tony, I know I was makin¡¯ fun of ya, but ya had a lot of coin on ya! People were hopin¡¯ those muscles weren¡¯t all for show!¡± Tabitha shouted. Yet the attempt at being a cereal mascot did not stand up. ¡°I think I killed him,¡± Eva said. ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ to have to ban that lightnin¡¯ of yours from your next fight if it¡¯s that strong. I placed my bet on ya because girls stickin¡¯ together and all that, but seriously? If ya don¡¯t struggle at least a little then nobody¡¯s goin¡¯ to bet against ya!¡± Tabitha explained, making her intentions more than clear to everybody else. Needless to say, she was quick to change the subject. ¡°Eva wins! Somebody take Tony¡¯s corpse so we can start the next round!¡± Eva gave Alpha Chadmeister a few more pokes and even asked if he was alive¡­ but got no response. ¡°Well then,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s possible to make yourself look like that at the start of the game,¡± Fenrir explained. ¡°Maybe he was actually pretty new and only made himself look that huge for the heck of it?¡± ¡°I kind of feel bad if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m thinking is that it makes me worried about how experienced all the people who want to help us fight actually are. So far¡­ they¡¯re not doing too good.¡± ¡°At least they¡¯re helping us build.¡± ¡°Yeah. Besides, it¡¯s a game. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re all having fun playing however they want over here, and that¡¯s all that really matters.¡± ¡°Eva is strong,¡± Serra said. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡± Nell, Cassiel, and even Fenrir nodded in agreement to Serra¡¯s statement. ¡°Fe-Fen¡­ ca-can you please let me down now?¡± Azalabulia whined. ¡°Fen, I keep hearing a fly buzz around,¡± Serra said, helping Fenrir enjoy the situation so that she could live vicariously through him. ¡°I¡¯ll have to keep Azawaza safe from it,¡± Fenrir replied. Azalabulia¡¯s whining continued. ¡°At least it¡¯s a really cute fly,¡± Oleander said, reminding them that he¡¯s with them. ¡°By the way, when¡¯s Eva joining your harem, Fenny?¡± ¡°Hey, this is Serra¡¯s harem,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°And¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you all okay with it?¡± ¡°We are!¡± Nell answered. ¡°Then hurry up! You can¡¯t begin the hunt for the next harem member until you capture her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not one of those monsters that go in pockets,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I mean, she kind of is a hybrid of a bunch of different monsters, and her hands could totally go in your pockets if you know what I¡¯m saying. Nudge nudge, wink wink,¡± Oleander said while nudging Fenrir with his elbow twice and then winking twice. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it while you¡¯re doing it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ruin my fun, Fenny. Go capture your newest harem member.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to hunt for another after her like you want me to. Why do you even want me to?¡± ¡°Because harems are too much trouble, no offense, girls, but I think they¡¯re cute so I get to live vicariously through you. My Cor is enough for me, and your harem is enough f or me to get entertainment out of!¡± ¡°We need to fill all the roles,¡± Serra said. ¡°Look, you¡¯re giving her ideas,¡± Fenrir said, kicking Oleander¡¯s shin. ¡°But she¡¯s right! You need to fill all the other roles that a harem is supposed to have! You at least need to diversify a bit. I get that they¡¯re different species and all, but come on. Looking at all of you together is like looking at a field of snow,¡± Oleander explained. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ I really want to say something against what you just said but I can¡¯t think of anything that sounds appropriate. Olly, stop fetishizing people.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no arguing against that,¡± Cassiel chimed in. ¡°There¡¯s always a way,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°It¡¯s a powerful tool that should not be used lightly.¡± He took a deep breath and looked at Oleander. ¡°No you.¡± ¡°No,¡± Oleander repeated. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m out of options.¡± As Fenrir¡¯s group talked among themselves, the tournament went on. Though, unless any one of them were involved in a fight, none of them seemed to have any interest in what was happening. Azalabulia was the only one to give the tournament any attention, and that was only because one of the participants¡¯ magic caused explosions at one point. Other than that, there was zero interest. And then Cassiel was called for her next fight. And then it ended almost as quickly as it began. While the fight was not over as quickly as Eva¡¯s first match was, Cassiel¡¯s opponent was somebody who was talking about how regrettable it was for him to have to defeat such a beautiful woman. Cassiel¡¯s blade impaled his chest before he could even finish the sentence, and she cringed the entire time she was subjected to his voice. Then Eva¡¯s next battle came. It lasted longer than her first match, but her opponent¡¯s light blades were incapable of harming her as she used her forearms and tail for defense. The scales covering her were just too tough for the blade to cut through. She didn¡¯t even have to use her thunderbird wing to defeat her opponent. All she had to do to win was smack him hard enough in the side with her tail to make him surrender. He knew that he couldn¡¯t hurt her while she effortlessly managed to hurt him, so there was no point in even trying. As it turned out¡­ the final match would be between Cassiel and Eva. But before that, there was a loser¡¯s bracket to take care of. Azalabulia and Nell were both considered losers, but neither of them felt like participating in another fight for the day. Instead, it would be their boyfriend who had to fight. Fenrir felt no shame in losing against his girlfriend, but he wasn¡¯t going to let anybody else defeat him. He had to prove that he was strong and worthy of being the boyfriend of the girl to make it to the final round of the main tournament bracket, even if it meant finally letting Azalabulia off of his back! And his first opponent was none other than Alpha Chadmeister. To everybody¡¯s surprise, Alpha Chadmeister did not die. He was just so incredibly embarrassed by his loss that he refused to move or breathe until the next fight began so that people wouldn¡¯t pay any attention to his loss. And now it was his turn to make up for the embarrassing defeat he suffered. ¡°Wolf versus tiger. Start! Give the ladies in the crowd a show!¡± Tabitha shouted. Alpha Chadmeister began the fight the exact same was as before. He slammed his fists together and roared! As for Fenrir, he had Rod take on the form of chains and sent them out to wrap around his opponent¡¯s neck as he was busy roaring. Alpha Chadmeister¡¯s eyes went wide at the sudden strangulation. His hands grabbed onto the chains to desperately try to pull them away from his neck or to break them, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He fell onto one knee, then onto his other, and then he collapsed. Fenrir didn¡¯t even have to take a single step from where he was at the start of the fight. ¡°Seriously?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°I was hopin¡¯ ya¡¯d get at least a punch in on the wolf or somethin¡¯.¡± Fenrir retracted his chains from his opponent¡¯s neck. Once more, nobody would know if Alpha Chadmeister was actually dead or not until the next battle begin. All they knew was that he had to be dragged, face-down in the dirt, out of the center where they were fighting. ¡°Talk about disappointin,¡¯¡± Tabitha sighed. The next couple of fights between the losers were actually pretty intense and full of heart pounding twists, but none of Fenrir¡¯s group paid any attention to them as they listened to Nell talk about a fantasy instead. This time, the fantasy involved her being forced to fight against ferocious beasts in a coliseum as thousands of audience members watched. If she won, she would be set free. If she lost, she would become the plaything of the beast that defeated her. Naturally, because it was her fantasy, she lost. That was when Fenrir decided to add onto the fantasy by saying that he¡¯d come and free her again, earning a swoon just before it was time for his next match. ¡°Wolf, it¡¯s alright if ya kill this one right away,¡± Tabitha said. Fenrir looked at who his next opponent was. ¡°Ah, you are the pitiful boyfriend of the beautiful damsel in need of my rescue, aren¡¯t you?¡± the man standing across from him asked. ¡°Go ahead. Start,¡± Tabitha announced with zero enthusiasm. A few seconds later and Fenrir¡¯s opponent was chained up, pinned to the ground, and had his left arm bent behind his back where Fenrir was pulling and twisting it. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m sorry! Please! Don¡¯t break my arm! I ¨C I¡¯ll do anything! Just stop hurting me! I don¡¯t like pain!¡± the chained man shouted. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you have your pain tolerance set to zero?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Be-because! It hurts ¨C it hurts¡­ it hurts so good! B-but I only want women to hurt me! I don¡¯t want such a filthy man to hurt me!¡± Fenrir blinked a few times, let go of his opponent¡¯s arm, and then snapped his neck. ¡°Yeah, that went about as expected,¡± Tabitha sighed. There was one more fight left to settle who Fenrir¡¯s opponent would be. Again, no attention was paid to it, but there was hardly any time to pay attention to it. It ended even faster than Eva¡¯s first fight did. ¡°And now to determine the champion of the losers!¡± Tabitha announced. ¡°We¡¯ve got the wolf going up against Mister Smiles!¡± Hearing the name finally caught Fenrir¡¯s attention. Actually paying attention to who his final opponent would be¡­ he found himself standing across from a muscular man wearing nothing but tight, white underwear with a giant, yellow smiley face over his head. ¡°Sometimes this game is immersive enough that I forget it¡¯s still an MMO,¡± Fenrir said. His opponent said nothing, instead entering a martial stance before beckoning Fenrir forward. Despite how utterly ridiculous his opponent looked, Fenrir could tell that this was serious. His opponent was too ridiculous. It was always the most ridiculous looking avatars in MMOs who were the ones that could be the most dangerous. Fenrir transformed Rod into chains once more and sent one of them flying toward his opponent just to test his reactions. Mister Smiles stopped the chain with a single finger, his helmet forever smiling with black, dead eyes straight ahead. Fenrir realized that he should probably feel intimidated, but he was too excited. He had an opponent who he could really go all out against without subconsciously feeling bad about his opponent being his girlfriend. He didn¡¯t have to do it for the last two battles, but he transformed his arms into their canid forms and charged at his enemy! And then Mister Smiles seemingly vanished from in front of him. Fenrir looked around to try and find where he went only to get kicked in the back of his legs, causing him to stumble forward and almost trip. But, before he could fall over, he spun around and sent a chain at his enemy. Or so he thought. His chain flew toward nothing as his opponent was nowhere to be seen once again. That was when Fenrir was punched in the back from below, stopping his fall to send him upward in pain. While the attacks were weak and didn¡¯t hurt too much, they were beyond fast ¨C they were the fastest attacks that Fenrir had ever seen in the game before. And he had no idea how to counter them. Where could he even begin when up against an enemy capable of moving so fast that Fenrir couldn¡¯t see him? Another kick, this time to the side of Fenrir¡¯s legs. And then a chop crashed into the back of his neck. Mister Smiles got several successful attacks off on Fenrir while Fenrir couldn¡¯t even try to attack him. ¡°About time one of ya put the dog in his place!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°Come on! Keep it goin¡¯!¡± Fenrir had no idea how to defend himself, but he knew that he was definitely going to have to find some way to punish Tabitha after this was all over for constantly rooting against him. Maybe he could forbid her from modifying The Shoebill for a week. ¡°If I can¡¯t get a precise hit on you¡­ I¡¯ll just have to try and hit everything around me,¡± Fenrir said, extending his arms and the chains outward. It was time to spin to win. If his opponent wanted to keep on trying to attack him from behind, then all he needed to do was spin fast enough to attack everything around him to never give his opponent an opening. So, he spun with the chains ready to whip anything and everything around him. All he¡¯d need to do is get one chain to wrap around his opponent to lock him down. So long as he couldn¡¯t pull any sudden teleportation tricks out of thin air like Cassiel did, he could win. But there was a flaw in his plan. Mister Smiles might have only been attacking from behind before, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t attack from above, too. But there was also a flaw in Mister Smiles¡¯ plan as he appeared in the air over Fenrir¡¯s head. Fenrir wasn¡¯t dumb enough to think that Mister Smiles wouldn¡¯t try that. Stopping his spin, Fenrir thrust his arms up while the chains kept their momentum! Mister Smile might have been smiling on the outside, but he wasn¡¯t smiling on the inside once those chains of Fenrir¡¯s wrapped around his legs and torso, binding him and preventing him from escaping. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not that dumb,¡± Fenrir said, stepping on his captured enemy now that he was on the ground. It was time for payback. Book 6: Chapter 22: Fenrir¡¯s opponent might have been caught, but Mister Smiles refused to surrender as he tried to break free from Fenrir¡¯s chains. Though, all Mister Smiles looked like he was doing was wiggling around on the ground while wrapped up in the chains. It looked very silly. Nobody was exactly sure how to react to the amusing sight. More importantly, they were interested in what Fenrir was going to do next. And there was really only one thing for Fenrir to do. Fenrir sat down on top of his enemy¡¯s abdomen and the chains around it, raised a fist, and slammed it right into Mister Smiles¡¯ oversized, smiling head. ¡°I don¡¯t have to do this if you surrender.¡± Mister Smiles stopped moving around for a few moments, looked up at Fenrir¡¯s face, and then continued trying to break free. ¡°Tabs, doesn¡¯t this count as winning?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Not until he¡¯s dead or given up!¡± Tabitha answered. With a heavy sigh, Fenrir slammed another fist down into Mister Smiles¡¯ face. The sight became even sillier as every punch from Fenrir temporarily deflated the mask and pushed it inward, causing the smiling face to look like it was making a sour expression. ¡°You can¡¯t fight back and I¡¯m not letting go of you. Just give up,¡± Fenrir warned again. Mister Smiles, once more, stopped what he was doing to look straight up at Fenrir. And then Mister Smiles lifted both of his knees up to try and knee Fenrir in the back. Unfortunately for the masked fighter, there wasn¡¯t nearly enough force in the ¡°attack¡± to do any harm to Fenrir. ¡°Last warning,¡± Fenrir said. Mister Smiles, for the third time, stopped what he was doing to look straight at Fenrir. And then he headbutted Fenrir in the stomach. ¡°Alright then,¡± Fenrir said before mercilessly slamming fist after fist directly into Mister Smiles¡¯ face. Yet, no matter how much he fought Mister Smiles, the masked opponent refused to surrender and just would not die. The sight was a combination of silly and brutal. Fenrir, sitting on top of his chained opponent, punched Mister Smiles over and over and over and over again without any more than a half second between blows. It looked as if he were trying to murder the masked enemy, and nothing about it seemed like a fair fight anymore. It seemed more like cruel torture if anything. Fenrir paused for a moment when he felt a certain sensation. ¡°My girlfriend¡¯s fetishes are kind of scary,¡± Fenrir thought to Saya as he turned to look over at Nell. While most of the watching crowd were wishing the battle would just end at this point because of it either being boring or too brutal, Nell stood there with reddened cheeks as she fanned herself and eagerly waited for Fenrir¡¯s brutality to continue. ¡°Why do I have a feeling she wishes she was the one underneath me right now instead?¡± Fenrir asked Saya. ¡°Because she¡¯s lewd,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a guy to punch more? You have to put on a good show for your girlfriend, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Put on a show? Alright, then I¡¯ll do that.¡± Sure, Fenrir was slightly intimidated by the bizarre fetish of Nell, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t be a good boyfriend and try to give her even more to watch! Whatever the rest of the crowd thought didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered to him at that point was showing off for Nell. That was why he used the chain wrapped around Mister Smiles¡¯ torso to also wrap around his neck. The smiling head inflated to the point where it looked like it was about to pop as Fenrir strangled Mister Smiles with the chain. ¡°All you have to do is surrender! Just turn your head and look at Tabs if you¡¯re ready to give up!¡± Fenrir shouted at Mister Smiles. Mister Smiles turned his head in the opposite direction of Tabitha. One more thing officially mattered to Fenrir than Nell¡¯s excitement. Putting Mister Smiles in his place. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m killing you,¡± Fenrir said, tightening the chain as much as he could. Never before had Fenrir had to deal with such a stubborn opponent who refused to die like this. Mister Smiles was, by far, the most stubborn enemy that Fenrir had ever faced. Not even Bonekraka was as stubborn as this during their old duels¡­ plus it was usually Fenrir losing those. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think he¡¯s a masochist,¡± Fenrir thought. ¡°I¡¯m not actually pleasuring him, am I?¡± ¡°You could always look at his pants to see,¡± Saya answered. ¡°I¡¯ll have to pass on that.¡± Fenrir forced as much strength into his arms as he could. The more power he forced into his arms, the stiffer and spikier the fur coating them looked. Of course, to everybody watching who couldn¡¯t see the finer details, it only looked like the fur around his arms got puffier like an upset cat¡¯s tail. This continued for a couple of more minutes. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re gettin¡¯ bored here. You playin¡¯ around or somethin¡¯, wolf?¡± Tabitha asked Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯m trying here! He won¡¯t die!¡± Fenrir explained, even going so far as to headbutt his opponent while strangling him. That really made the sensation he was picking up from Nell intensify. ¡°Oi, smiles, look over here so we can end this. We¡¯ve still got a main show to put on,¡± Tabitha said. Mister Smiles slowly, ever so slowly, turned his head toward Tabitha. But then looked the other direction right before his eyes could reach her. ¡°I think he¡¯s screwin¡¯ with us,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Try breakin¡¯ his neck or somethin¡¯.¡± ¡°It would¡¯ve broke by now if it could,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Use your hands and make him look this way then. I¡¯ll count it as him surrenderin¡¯ since nobody wants to watch this.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just end the match? Does anybody think I haven¡¯t won?¡± ¡°The rules are the rules. Ya gotta respect them.¡± Fenrir sighed again as he grabbed Mister Smiles by the sides of his head and twisted it to face Tabitha. Only¡­ the head stopped turning as soon as its eyes were close to facing Tabitha. ¡°It won¡¯t budge?¡± Fenrir asked, feeling like he was trying to twist solid steel. ¡°Alright, now I¡¯m startin¡¯ to think that you¡¯re screwin¡¯ with us, too,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°I promise you I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Just use your sword.¡± ¡°I ¨C wait, you¡¯re right. I do have a sword.¡± Fenrir pulled his hands away from Mister¡¯s Smiles neck to draw his blade and press the metal edge of it down against his opponent¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯d rather not kill you, but you¡¯re leaving me no choice here.¡± And so, Fenrir pushed his blade down into Mister Smiles¡¯ neck. Except it was stopped. The smiling headpiece reached down to the bottom of Mister Smiles¡¯ neck, and Fenrir¡¯s blade was not even enough to cut through the fabric. ¡°Seriously?! How?! Is this stupid smiling mask some legendary item or something?!¡± Fenrir shouted. Fenrir had never seen such bullshit before. Sure, gag items were always a thing in any MMO worth playing, but they were just for gags! Those items were never actually good! And sure, in some MMOs, it was possible to make one item look like another to get the look of one with the stats and effects of the other, but it just wasn¡¯t fair if some small, legendary helmet was able to have its effect amplified by being made to look like some oversized gag item! ¡°Pupaya, are they hacking?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Even asking that is an insult to virtual assistants everywhere, and an insult to the overseer,¡± Saya answered. ¡°A-and don¡¯t just randomly call me Pupaya! I have a name!¡± ¡°I know you do, Pupaya.¡± Fenrir tossed his blade to the side and stared down at his opponent who kept on trying to knee and headbutt him. ¡°Your refusal to give up would be funny if you were actually getting hurt. You¡¯re like a wannabe black knight,¡± Fenrir told his seemingly immortal opponent. Mister Smiles stopped to look at Fenrir for a few moments longer than usual after hearing that. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one more thing that I can think of. If this doesn¡¯t kill you then I have no idea what will. Wait, who beat him before and how?¡± Fenrir asked, looking over to his friends and girlfriends. ¡°Oh, I zapped him,¡± Eva answered. ¡°I think he¡¯s weak to lightning.¡± ¡°Great.¡± It wasn¡¯t great. Fenrir had no way of performing any sort of electricity-based attack. There was one last thing he could try. He could trust those bestial instincts that wished to break free whenever he really got into fights. Sure, he¡¯d rather bite into the necks of his girlfriends instead of some beefy, muscular, mostly naked man with only underwear and a smiling headpiece on, and in a sexual way rather than a violent way, but it was all that he could think of. And so, Fenrir lowered his head toward his opponent¡¯s neck and sunk his sharp canines into the part of the headpiece covering Mister Smiles¡¯ neck. ¡°N-nngh¡­¡± Fenrir¡¯s eyes shot open as he lifted his head up to look down at Mister Smiles. That was definitely a moan. And it was a moan from a man. It sounded like a very feminine and soft moan. Nobody else seemed to have heard anything going by the crowd¡¯s bored expressions still. Was he just imagining it? Was he just so used to his girlfriends¡¯ noises whenever he bit their necks that he imagined one coming from this overly-masculine, smiling person? Whatever just happened¡­ biting the neck of Mister Smiles stopped him from moving and trying to fight back. Instead, he stayed perfectly still staring up at Fenrir¡¯s face. That was when Fenrir got an idea. All he had to do to get Mister Smiles to ¡°surrender¡± was to turn his head enough to look at Tabitha. So, Fenrir lowered his mouth down to the side of Mister Smiles¡¯ neck opposite from Tabitha. Mister Smiles tried to tilt his head to block Fenrir from reaching his neck, but it didn¡¯t work. Fenrir sunk his fangs against the elastic surface of the headpiece and bit as hard as he could. ¡°A-ah!¡± Fenrir was definitely hearing things. Only Cassiel moaned so much from him biting her neck. He shook the sound out of his head and continued biting. Yet, no matter how hard he bit, his fangs couldn¡¯t penetrate the surface. It felt more like he was biting on a squishy chewtone than somebody¡¯s neck. And, apparently, Nell was more than happy with the sight of her lover sinking his fangs into an even larger man¡¯s neck. Fenrir was already beyond the point of no return. He figured he might as well try to give Nell a good show still by biting his opponent into defeat. Though, he didn¡¯t want to know just what he was imagining in her head. He was sure that it involved far more than only biting the larger man. ¡°Nn ¨C ah¡­ h-har¡ªnngh!¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going crazy,¡± Fenrir thought to Saya. ¡°Have fun with that,¡± Saya replied. The longer that Fenrir bit into his opponent¡¯s neck, the more Mister Smile turned his head to the side toward Tabitha as if to give Fenrir more space. Though, as far as Fenrir was concerned, Mister Smiles was only trying to get away from his fangs. It was then that he felt something. Looking down between their bodies, with his fangs still latched onto Mister Smiles¡¯ neck, Fenrir could have sworn that he felt something touch his leg. But there was nothing there. It felt like something slid up against his leg, and he was worried that it might have been a certain something of Mister Smiles, but he was nowhere near that. His legs were to the sides of Mister Smiles¡¯ torso. Mister Smiles¡¯ arms were tied behind his back, so there was no way that any part of Mister Smiles could have caused that sensation Fenrir felt. First, Fenrir heard feminine moans. Then, he felt what almost felt like a hand grazing his inner thigh. He must have been seriously conditioned by playing with his girlfriends if he was both hearing phantom noises and feeling phantom touches. ¡°Cl-close¡ªI-I¡¯m¡­ a-almost¡ª¡± Fenrir was starting to get disturbed by the mental conditioning affecting him. He felt another touch against his inner thigh, too. It was almost as if something inside of Mister Smiles¡¯ skin was reaching up to touch him. ¡°Just give up,¡± Fenrir said in a low voice that almost sounded like a growl as his words came from around his fangs closed on Mister Smiles¡¯ neck. ¡°Ha-haah¡ª!¡± Mister Smiles¡¯ body jerked underneath Fenrir in one final attempt to throw Fenrir off of his body. Or so Fenrir assumed. Once the violent thrashings of Mister Smiles were over with, Tabitha shouted with a voice full of relief, ¡°The wolf wins! Mister Smiles surrended by lookin¡¯ at me!¡± The crowd cheered, but not because they were happy that Fenrir was the champion of the losers. They were just really happy that the fight was finally over. ¡°Finally,¡± Fenrir said and retracted his chains from Mister Smiles¡¯ body. ¡°You still alive?¡± All he could see from Mister Smiles was that he must have been breathing heavily going by his rising and falling chest. Fenrir offered a hand to Mister Smiles. ¡°Here.¡± Mister Smiles looked hesitant to accept Fenrir¡¯s help. The large, muscular fingers of Mister Smiles hesitated to actually touch Fenrir once they were close enough. It was Fenrir who had to go the rest of the way to grab Mister Smiles¡¯ hand to help him up. And then he felt something strange. The texture of Mister Smiles¡¯ hand did not feel human at all. It felt¡­ elastic? It almost felt as if he were touching a balloon, just like when he was punching the smiling headpiece. Not only that, but Mister Smiles couldn¡¯t look in Fenrir¡¯s direction at all. Regardless, Fenrir helped Mister Smiles up. ¡°Good fight,¡± he said. ¡°But you really should have saved us the time and surrendered sooner.¡± Mister Smiles turned his head just a tiny bit as if to look at Fenrir, but he stopped before their eyes could meet. Well, before Mister Smiles¡¯ fake, round, black eyes could meet Fenrir¡¯s actual eyes. Mister Smiles then reached a hand up to his neck where he was bit and touched it in an almost tender manner as he walked away without saying a single word. Before Fenrir could think any harder about what just happened, a certain girlfriend of his rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem pretty excited,¡± Fenrir said, looking down at Nell. She smiled up at him and said, ¡°How could I not be, my ravenous hero? I could tell that you were putting on such a show for me! It was a very, very delightful show. There will be another showing of it, yes? Perhaps with a replacement for the other actor?¡± ¡°And just who would this replacement be?¡± ¡°Why, none other than I, of course! Though, I may not be able to stay silent the whole time like he did.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hear him say anything?¡± ¡°Hmm? We could not hear a single noise other than yours.¡± ¡°Got it. Well, I¡¯m glad you enjoyed the show at least. I feel like I have to wash my mouth out now.¡± Serra walked up to join them. ¡°That looked super lewd,¡± she said. ¡°Please don¡¯t make it any worse than it already is.¡± ¡°You can have a boyfriend if you want one. We don¡¯t want another, but you can have one.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want a boyfriend.¡± ¡°But you were doing lewd things to him.¡± ¡°I was biting him.¡± ¡°Biting is lewd,¡± Serra said and looked at Cassiel. ¡°W-why do you have to look at me after saying that?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°You know why.¡± ¡°She has a point,¡± Fenrir said. Even Azalabulia and Nell looked at Cassiel. ¡°I-it¡¯s not my fault,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I can¡¯t help what noises I make¡­¡± ¡°Never change, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°The people are waitin¡¯! Cass, Eva, get out there!¡± Cassiel and Eva looked straight into each other¡¯s eyes and headed out into the center of where the crowd was gathered around. Meanwhile, Fenrir and the rest got back to the sidelines where they could stand and watch the battle that was about to play out. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have flustered her right before the match,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Cass Cass is fine,¡± Serra said. Looking Cassiel over, Fenrir did notice that any of the red previously in her cheeks was already gone as she looked Eva in the eyes. ¡°Wait, this seems more serious than I thought it¡¯d be,¡± Fenrir said. Serra looked away and said, ¡°My bad.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Ah, my hero, Serra sparked the flame of conflict between them while you repeatedly, wonderfully, punched your fists into your opponent¡¯s face,¡± Nell explained. ¡°How?¡± ¡°She said she could not guess who would win! Cassiel was not very happy about not having Serra¡¯s unconditional faith in her victory. She declared that she would win without any effort! I think she must have forgotten that Eva was standing right next to her, so Eva took that as a challenge.¡± ¡°So¡­ they¡¯re actually going to fight ¨C I mean, like really, seriously fight?¡± ¡°I believe so!¡± Sparks of electricity came off of Eva¡¯s thunderbird wing while Cassiel drew her blade and got into a fighting stance. ¡°The fight hasn¡¯t even begun yet,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll wait,¡± Serra said. ¡°I still don¡¯t know who will win.¡± ¡°Eva has the advantage,¡± Azalabulia said, finally speaking up. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Magic and flying. Cassiel has no ranged attacks and is stuck on the ground. Eva can both fly and, while she doesn¡¯t have any magical attacks, her body parts essentially allow her to use long-ranged skills identical to using magic.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯d go into Azalabulia fangirl darkness mode over their battle. Instead you¡¯re like a sports analyst, not that I know much about sports.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m too tired from my battle with Nell. That drained my ability to be dramatic for the day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. I love when you¡¯re normal, too.¡± Cassiel wasn¡¯t blushing anymore, so that obviously meant he had to make Azalabulia blush instead. And she blushed. A lot. ¡°Yeah. Normal Azawaza is nice,¡± Serra joined in, causing Azalabulia to turn an even darker shade of red. Even Nell could not resist smiling and saying, ¡°You are even more endearing when you are not acting like my rival, my dearest Azalabulia.¡± But Nell¡¯s words had a different expect on Azalabulia than she expected them to have. Rather than turn an even darker shade of red yet, Azalabulia stared at Nell with excited eyes and asked, ¡°Rival?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Nell answered. ¡°Our earlier battle was a draw. Does this not make us rivals until one or the other overwhelms the other?¡± ¡°Heh¡­ hehehe¡­ that is exactly what it means! It may have only been due to miraculous chance that you survived my ultimate attack, but you will be my rival until the day that I defeat you once and for all! Any who dare to oppose me and survive may have the honor of considering themselves my rival!¡± ¡°I thought you were drained of dramaticism for the day?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Never! The dark and the wicked cannot rest for as long as there are those who wish to oppose them! Every last ray of light must be snuffed out until the world is blanketed in darkness!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Nell said, ¡°that¡­ backfired. Rather, while I am happy to be your rival, I intended to fluster you as the others did.¡± ¡°Fluster me? Nonsense! It is impossible to¡ª¡± ¡°Oh! I just remembered! The last picture you sent me ¨C what mascara were you wearing? It looked wonderful!¡± Azalabulia went from high and mighty to deflated and blushing in the span of a second. ¡°I ¨C I ¨C wha¡ª¡± ¡°Your mascara! I would love to try the same brand.¡± ¡°It ¨C it was just some cheap brand I ordered online after seeing a video of my favorite makeup artist use it¡­¡± ¡°I would still love to know what it is. May you please share it with me later so that I may look into it?¡± ¡°I ¨C yeah, I can¡­¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Nell said, clapping her hands together and tilting her head with a gentle smile. Fenrir no longer felt any lust coming from Nell. But he did sense a large amount of pride coming from her. He was sure that Nell was genuine in what she was saying¡­ but he was also sure that she only brought it up when she did in order to fluster Azalabulia. And it worked. Azalabulia was more of a blushing and mumbling mess than ¨C well, since he had sex with her for the first time. Apparently, Azalabulia could not handle the little and innocent sort of praise like that ¨C the kind of praise that most people wouldn¡¯t think twice about and would never be a big deal. If Azalabulia was that unused to getting such praise, Fenrir would have to¡ª ¡°I remembered something,¡± Serra said. ¡°I liked the dress you wore. The one you wore for that¡ª¡± ¡°Th-the one I wore for that mixer?! I ¨C was that picture ¨C it ¨C it was still online?¡± Azalabulia asked, holding her hands over her face. ¡°Yeah. You looked really pretty. Oh, and I¡¯m happy you didn¡¯t find anybody there. We wouldn¡¯t have you if you did.¡± ¡°The ¨C the¡ª¡± ¡°I hope you still have the dress. You looked really beautiful.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes spun around as she swayed from side to side. Fenrir could not feel Serra¡¯s emotions like he could with Nell, but it was more than obvious to him what Serra was doing. Well, it was more than obvious to everybody other than Azalabulia. ¡°Ah! I just remembered another thing!¡± Nell said. ¡°That picture you had with the red contact lenses?¡± ¡°That ¨C that is ¨C how did you see that?!¡± Azalabulia shouted as she entered full-blown panic mode. ¡°It was public! I found myself going down the rabbit hole of your social media posts ¨C ah, that makes me sound like a stalker, does it not? My apologies, but I could not resist! I wanted to learn more about you since I felt that we have not spent much time together.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes watered up, though none of them could really be sure why they were watering. There were too many possible explanations for it to choose just one. ¡°My ¨C my¡­ my costume ¨C h-how many pictures were ¨C were available?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you mean from the convention you attended? The local one? I must admit, I was not impressed by the amateur level of most costumes there, as rude as that may make me sound, but your costume was wonderful! It was so detailed, and it was abundantly clear that you poured your love and time into it!¡± There was only one thing for Azalabulia to do at that point. Wake from virtual reality, dig through all of her social media, and delete every single picture of her from before the past month since none of them could be trusted to not be embarrassing. Ever since she entered a relationship, she stopped uploading so many pictures of her online because she got all the attention that she needed from her boyfriend and girlfriends. She could have sworn that she deleted the few embarrassing pictures that she left up. But there were far more pictures than she remembered. And they were all available for public viewing. Just as she was about to wake from virtual reality, though, the crowd¡¯s cheers interrupted her. She and the others looked at what they were cheering at and saw that the battle between Cassiel and Eva was raging on without them even realizing that it started! Fenrir and the others got so sucked into flustering Azalabulia that they had no idea what was happening. And now, Eva was struggling to stay in the air as blood dripped from her arms. Cassiel was in rough shape, too. Her skirt was burnt and frayed, her ponytail came loose so there was nothing to stop her hair from going everywhere, and there was a bloodied scratch going horizontal across her right cheek. ¡°Just look at this fight, ladies, gents, and everybody else!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°They¡¯re evenly matched! I bet you¡¯re getting¡¯ nervous if ya bet any coin!¡± For once, Tabitha didn¡¯t bet on the outcome of the fight. There was just no way for her to tell who would win between the two. Besides, she wanted to support both of them. It was easy to bet on the girls when they were going up against men, but how could she bet between two fellow girls? As for the opposing women, neither cared about who bet on who. All they cared about was winning. Eva thrust her thunderbird wing out toward Cassiel, sending electricity directly at her. Cassiel backflipped to avoid the first attack and then dodged to the side to avoid the other. One more attack of electricity was coming straight at her, but she didn¡¯t bother trying to dodge it. Two attacks could not be tanked. One attack could be. And for as long as Eva was committed to an attack using her wings, she couldn¡¯t dodge as Cassiel figured out. Leaping into the air, Cassiel allowed the lightning to travel through her. It locked her muscles into place, but that was alright. She already had her sword aimed straight for Eva¡¯s abdomen. Cassiel¡¯s muscles getting locked up only meant that she wouldn¡¯t miss her attack so long as Eva didn¡¯t move, and Eva couldn¡¯t move. By the time that Eva was able to use her wings for maneuvering again, Cassiel was already right in front of her. Cassiel¡¯s sword pierced Eva¡¯s abdomen and reached all the way through her. The moment that Cassiel could move her muscles again, she twisted the blade inside of Eva and forced her down to the ground. Eva crashed onto her back. Cassiel used Eva¡¯s body as a cushion for the fall and was quick to withdraw her blade so that she could point it at Eva¡¯s neck before she could get up. ¡°Give up,¡± Cassiel ordered in an even more serious tone than anything Fenrir was using earlier. Not only that¡­ but their battle seemed way more brutal despite Fenrir trying to beat the everliving shit out of Mister Smiles before trying to strangle him with chains. ¡°Not going to lie,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°this is really hot.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra agreed. ¡°We¡¯re doing lots of lewd things after this.¡± ¡°I must admit that I prefer the hands-on method that you employed, my hero, but this is delightful as well!¡± Nell joined in. But one of them was less aroused than the others. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Azalabulia said. Eva reached up to try and grab onto Cassiel¡¯s blade. As long as she could disarm Cassiel, there was no chance for Cassiel to defeat her. But Cassiel had no interest in allowing that to happen, nor did she mind killing her friend. Especially because she knew that Eva had a habit of putting herself into dangerous situations and dying as a result of them in the first place. Dying and respawning was no big deal to Eva. But that was also why Eva did what she did. Eva moved her neck just enough to allow Cassiel¡¯s blade to penetrate it off-center so that it would do the least amount of damage possible, grabbed onto Cassiel¡¯s blade, and looked directly at her opponent with her hybrid eyes. The electricity of her thunderbird wing wasn¡¯t the only attack that she had, but it was the only one she used so far. Cassiel managed to convince her to use the rest of her arsenal now, too. Meanwhile, a certain smiling figure stood in the background behind all the other players, but they were not watching the battle. They were watching Fenrir. Book 6: Chapter 23: Cassiel was put purely on the defensive as Eva brought all of her body¡¯s abilities against her. Eva¡¯s vampiric eye allowed her to detonate any and all blood that was on Cassiel or around her. Eva¡¯s angelic eye gave her the ability to shoot rays of shining light at her evasive opponent. The draconic horns atop her head allowed her to even breathe fire at Cassiel, further burning Cassiel¡¯s skirt and causing her eyes to fill with annoyance. The few times that Eva had to actually land, her goat legs allowed her to jump and dodge away from any and all of Cassiel¡¯s attacks. It became a battle of little more than constantly evading one another¡¯s attacks, and it was mostly Cassiel doing all of the dodging. Eva might have had an overwhelming variety of different abilities to attack with, but none of that mattered if she couldn¡¯t hit Cassiel who was now taking the battle as seriously as she could. Neither woman wanted to lose. They both intended on walking away victorious no matter what it took, but it was impossible for them to both win. One would win, one would lose. And nobody could tell who it would be at this point. Going purely by offensive capabilities, the winner was Eva. Going purely by defensive capabilities, the winner was Cassiel. More importantly, as the battle continued on and on without much happening, the crowd slowly grew disinterested and were just waiting for something new to happen. But neither girl cared about them. All that mattered was whoever stood across from her. Showing off, being named the winner of the tournament ¨C those didn¡¯t matter. Even to Cassiel, who had her boyfriend and girlfriends watching, they didn¡¯t factor into why she wanted to win anymore. All that mattered was defeating the other woman at any cost. ¡°Fen, how¡¯d you get into fishing anyways?¡± Serra asked, tugging on Fenrir¡¯s arm. ¡°What, are you bored of the fight or something?¡± Fenrir asked in return. ¡°They¡¯re hot but all they¡¯re doing is dodging.¡± ¡°Would you rather them hit each other?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s no fun if nobody gets hurt.¡± ¡°One of them is your girlfriend, you know.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a game.¡± ¡°She has a point,¡± Nell said. ¡°Fights are not very interesting when the parties involved only ever dodge one another. There needs to be blood and the breaking of bones to maximize the crowd¡¯s excitement! Or perhaps a lion needs added into the mix? A bull? A¡­ wolf, perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to interrupt their fight,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Oh, I meant an actual wolf.¡± ¡°Of course you did.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ just imagine it! Whoever loses against the wild beast is then subjected to whatever it desires of her body as everybody watches!¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking about it eating or killing her or something, right? Right, Nell?¡± ¡°You know that is not the case. Well, not initially, anyways. That is what would most likely come after.¡± ¡°You have dangerous fantasies, Nell.¡± ¡°Dangerous fantasies are the most fun fantasies!¡± ¡°She has a point,¡± Serra said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I can disagree,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve turned vanilla after having actual girlfriends. Well, even then, I think consentacles are the bestacles, as they say. Nell, you probably like the grape flavor of tentacles.¡± ¡°Oh, I most certainly do!¡± Nell confirmed. ¡°When did you even start getting into this sort of stuff?¡± ¡°Ah. I think¡­ I must have first stumbled upon it when I was twelve?¡± ¡°That¡¯s way too young.¡± ¡°Are you any better, my hero? At what age did your curious internet searches begin to lead you down the path of depravity?¡± ¡°Eleven, but that¡¯s also way too young.¡± For once, Serra was the one who looked shocked at the lewd conversation going on between them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asked her. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t discover porn until¡­ I was seventeen¡­¡± Serra explained. ¡°How is that even possible? One, how is it possible for anybody to not discover porn before then, and two, how is it possible for you to have not discovered it sooner?¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t even know the weird stuff until I met you¡­¡± ¡°So, in other words, you only discovered porn a few years ago and somehow managed to turn into as big of a pervert as you are in that short amount of time? And it was mostly just for vanilla stuff?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a failure of a pervert¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Nell shouted. ¡°You are anything but a failure of a pervert! If anything, you are one of the most perverse women I have ever known! Furthermore, for you to have developed such perversion in only a few years ¨C you are truly a pervert among perverts! Imagine just how deep your perversions may run in a year from now ¨C a decade from now! None will be able to topple you as queen of all things perverse, my dearest Serra. The more that Nell spoke of Serra¡¯s future reign over all things perverse, the wider Serra¡¯s smile spread across her face. ¡°Is cheering you up as easy as calling you a pervert?¡± Fenrir asked her. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s important to me,¡± Serra answered with a nod of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re doing lewd things after this.¡± ¡°How could I forget? You keep bringing it up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to make sure you don¡¯t forget. It¡¯s very important to me.¡± ¡°I feel like ¡®it¡¯s important to me¡¯ is about to become a new catchphrase of yours.¡± ¡°Sweet. I need a catchphrase, it¡¯s very important to me.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s a lot more versatile than I realized. You could add that on to almost anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, being versatile is important to me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really good at this.¡± ¡°Thanks, your praise is important to me.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s officially your catchphrase.¡± ¡°Heck yeah.¡± ¡°Wait, I feel like something¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You forgot to say it.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. If you say it too much then people will get annoyed of it too fast.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want people to get annoyed by it, it¡¯s very important to me.¡± ¡°There we go.¡± ¡°Me next!¡± Nell said. ¡°What is my catchphrase?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you have one,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Your thing is having delusional fantasies full of things that would get you banned from platforms if you ever tried writing about them or anything.¡± ¡°I may have a thing, but I do not yet have a catchphrase!¡± ¡°It¡¯s very important that she gets a catchphrase,¡± Serra said with her arms crossed over her chest, nodding. ¡°Catchphrases?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°I ¨C I was watching the fight¡­ are we doing catchphrases?¡± She sounded more and more excited. Fenrir answered, ¡°Yeah, Serra has one and now¡ª¡± ¡°I want one!¡± Nell finished for him. ¡°My dearest Azalabulia, you are wonderful at such things! What should my catchphrase be? Do you have any suggestions? I want something that flawlessly captures me!¡± ¡°If¡­ if it perfectly captures you, wouldn¡¯t it be something about loving to be the victim?¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°Well, yes, but that would not make for an entertaining catchphrase. Hmm. Perhaps it is not important to perfectly capture me.¡± ¡°You should have one that ¨C oh! It should involve the serpent! You can call upon it and¡ª¡± ¡°My apologies, but I am thinking of a more¡­ normal catchphrase that could be used in everyday conversation.¡± ¡°But it could be. I use ¡®My name is Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut,¡¯ in everyday conversation all the time.¡± ¡°That you do, that you do. However, I would not want to take away from the grandiosity of your own catchphrase of your own catchphrase by mimicking it with a clearly inferior copy. I wish to see your catchphrase reign over all others without any equal!¡± Fenrir and Serra stared at Nell with knowing eyes as Nell clapped her hands together and smiled at Azalabulia. Meanwhile, Azalabulia looked moved almost to the point of tears because of Nell¡¯s kind words in support of her. ¡°Even ¨C even though you are my new rival, you have such respect for me! I-if only you were an ally of darkness instead of the serpent, then I am sure we could rule over this world together!¡± Azalabulia declared while holding back tears. ¡°I may not be an ally, but you are always welcome to enslave me and force me into serving you against my will!¡± Nell explained. ¡°I¡­ have never put much thought into the idea of owning somebody else as a servant¡­¡± ¡°I assure you that it will be a delightful experience for the both of us. If you are interested, perhaps I should find a collar that you may put around my neck? Hmm. Since it is you we are talking about, perhaps a spiked collar with the a dragon head on the front of it that a chain may connect to?¡± ¡°A ¨C a collar with a dragon head on it? That sounds awesome¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Perhaps you would rather be the one to wear the collar, and then we may have my hero snap it!¡± ¡°Snap it? But¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want it to break. Why would he snap it?¡± ¡°Ah, my dearest Azalabulia. I can tell from the confusion in your voice that your innocence runs deep.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to laugh a little upon hearing that, and he instantly realized that was a horrible thing to do. Azalabulia turned to face him with a pout and a bright blush as he turned his head away from them, rubbing his hand over his mouth. ¡°Oh? I feel as if my hero may have just given me valuable information at the cost of any favors for the foreseeable future,¡± Nell said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to,¡± Serra said. Meanwhile, Azalabulia looked like she was about to cry. Fenrir knew that it was his fault for instinctively chuckling as soon as Azalabulia was called innocent, so he tried to make things just a little bit better by wrapping his arms around her in a hug and whispering, ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t laugh at something like that,¡± Azalabulia whined against him. ¡°I¡¯ll get you something dragon related to make up for it. Like a dragon necklace.¡± ¡°A dragon necklace?¡± Azalabulia asked, pulling away from him to look directly into his eyes with widened, excited eyes of her own. Fenrir finally learned the power of buying his way to his girlfriends¡¯ forgiveness. While it would surely lead him down a path of financial ruin in the long run, it had excellent short-term results. ¡°I¡¯ll find you the coolest dragon necklace on the internet,¡± he confirmed. Azalabulia lit up like an excited child being told that Santa was going to bring her an actual dragon for Christmas. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yeah, really. They also make fancy staffs for show in real life. I could find one that¡¯s carved like a dragon on the top, if you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°You¡¯d buy me one?! Those are ¨C those are really expensive! I¡¯ve looked into them already! Will ¨C will you really buy me one?!¡± Fenrir realized that he was digging his wallet into a deeper and deeper hole the more things that he offered to buy her, but how could he resist when she looked so cute? Besides¡­ Nell poked his back to grab his attention and then gave him a thumbs-up. In other words, she gave him consent to use her credit card. And Nell¡¯s credit card was the most powerful belonging that any of them owned. With it, even financial miracles were possible. It was the strongest magic that they had ever witnessed both in-game and in real life. ¡°I¡¯ll get you one that¡¯s custom made to be perfect for you,¡± Fenrir said. Azalabulia could no longer resist at that point. She wrapped her arms around Fenrir and brought him into a tight hug, forcing his head down against that copious amount of cleavage she had on display. Fenrir figured that if he was ever going to die, he wanted to die like that ¨C he wanted to die being smothered to death by Azalabulia¡¯s breasts. ¡°Lucky,¡± Serra said. Unfortunately for her, she was too short for her head to be directly applied to Azalabulia¡¯s breasts. It was more like she¡¯d headbutt them instead and that just wasn¡¯t the same. Times like this were the only times when Serra wished that she had more inches to add to her height. Even just a few more inches would be enough to give her a face full of Azalabulia¡¯s breasts rather than only a forehead full of them. ¡°Now, now, Serra,¡± Nell said, wrapping her arms around her shorter girlfriend. ¡°It will be alright.¡± While Serra might have been too short to fully benefit from Azalabulia¡¯s chest, she was the perfect height for Nell to smother her. And that was exactly what Nell did as she pulled Serra¡¯s head against her chest. Of course, Serra wasn¡¯t able to stop there. Serra¡¯s hands reached up to rest on the sides of Nell¡¯s breasts to gently hold them and push them even more against her head. This turned Nell¡¯s cheeks a bright shade of red, especially since they were still part of a large crowd of people who were now watching the sight, but she did not try to stop it. Being watched only made it better. Of course, Fenrir wasn¡¯t going to let others watch. He stepped next to them to block some from being able to watch and then Oleander blocked others from watching on the side that Fenrir couldn¡¯t cover. Even Corwin joined in to help block others from watching Serra grope Nell. Being watched made things better but being protected was even better than that to Nell. ¡°Thanks, but how long have you guys been here?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Fenny, we¡¯ve been here the whole time,¡± Oleander answered. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah. You were just ignoring us like always.¡± ¡°I ¨C I wasn¡¯t ignoring you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know that the guy who has four girlfriends and a fifth in the waiting line must be too busy to give his best bro of all time any love.¡± ¡°That makes me feel horrible.¡± ¡°Good. After all those nights we shared together and this is how you repay me¡­¡± ¡°Do-don¡¯t give them the wrong idea.¡± ¡°Please do,¡± Nell said. ¡°Yeah, do,¡± Serra agreed before returning to Nell¡¯s chest. ¡°When you were cold and naked, who was it that joined you in bed?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°All you did was cover me in blankets when I was drunk and got naked! And then you slept on the couch!¡± ¡°What about all those times when you needed me to use my mouth?¡± ¡°That was because you¡¯re better at explaining things to people than me!¡± ¡°Even ¨C even those times when you penetrated me so deeply and made me scream in pain¡­ were those meaningless to you, too?!¡± ¡°Those were duels in video games!¡± ¡°Fen! I had no idea ¨C I had no idea that you were so cruel! Even after you¡¯ve thoroughly devastated my body time and time again, I¡¯m just some little toy for you to toss away when you¡¯re bored! You¡¯ll probably do it to your girlfriends, too, until you¡¯re some lonely, middle-aged man giving away all his money to child support drinking away his sorrows and using whatever money he has left on robotic hookers!¡± ¡°Nell, have you been training him?¡± ¡°We have had several conversations of various natures, lately,¡± Nell answered. ¡°She runs her plans by me first so that I can tell her how to make them as good as possible for you. You¡¯re welcome,¡± Oleander explained. ¡°Too bad that helping your girlfriend fuck you doesn¡¯t get me any special points around these parts. It probably just makes you want to toss me aside even more. Hmph.¡± ¡°Olly ¨C we¡¯ll have a guy date sometime soon, alright?¡± Fenrir proposed. ¡°A guy date? That sounds gay.¡± ¡°You are gay.¡± ¡°Oh shit, I had no idea. How could I never notice that my raging love for throbbing cocks has meant that I¡¯m gay this whole time? I¡¯ve swallowed so many loads with no idea.¡± Corwin stayed silent, blushing and smiling, as Oleander mentioned the swallowing of many loads. ¡°Seriously though, let¡¯s hang out sometime soon in real life,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We better,¡± Oleander said. ¡°Should I go over there or do you want to come back to the city for a day?¡± ¡°Got any free weekends coming up? I could come and stay at your place for a weekend. I don¡¯t think my girlfriends would mind. If anything¡­¡± ¡°We would love to discuss what you may or may not be doing while alone with him!¡± Nell explained. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra said before, once more, returning to Nell¡¯s breasts. ¡°Can we go bowling?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t been bowling in forever. Or we can play mini golf. Let¡¯s do both. And we can go see a movie.¡± ¡°You only want to go bowling and mini golfing because you know you¡¯re going to kick my ass at them,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Well, duh. It¡¯s not my fault that you¡¯re horrible at sports.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that being bad at bowling and mini golf counts as being horrible at sports.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the only sports that matter.¡± ¡°What about football? Hockey? Soccer?¡± ¡°My hero, did I hear you say something?¡± Nell asked. ¡°I could have sworn that I heard you say something after hockey, but I am not sure.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir apologized. ¡°I meant hockey, football, and American football.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. I must have misheard you originally.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with soccer?¡± Oleander asked, placing no short amount of emphasis on ¡°soccer.¡± This caused, for the first time, a vein in Nell¡¯s forehead to pop. ¡°It¡¯s not a battle you can win, Olly,¡± Fenrir warned. ¡°Serra, distract her.¡± Serra took one of her hands off of Nell¡¯s chest to give him a thumbs-up over her shoulder before getting a bit more rough and fast with her groping hands. The crisis was averted as Nell¡¯s anger turned into arousal. ¡°A-ahn¡­ to manipulate my emotions ¨C you are all so wonderfully horrible¡­¡± ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°mini golf, bowling, and a movie. What else?¡± ¡°Gay things,¡± Oleander answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think your boyfriend would approve of that.¡± ¡°Cor, can we do gay things?¡± ¡°I would give you my permission if I knew that Fenrir was alright with it, but I feel that I must say no for his own good,¡± Corwin answered. ¡°Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. Plus it¡¯s no fun if you¡¯re not involved. We¡¯ve got to convince him to do gay things with us when we¡¯re all together. Besides, I know the girls would totally be okay with it. Especially if they get to watch.¡± ¡°This is true,¡± Nell said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra agreed before, yet again, returning to Nell¡¯s breasts. ¡°Oh. I mean it¡¯s very important to get to watch.¡± ¡°Well, Fenny?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°Will you disappoint all of us, or will you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll disappoint all of you,¡± Fenrri said and reached over to flick the back of Oleander¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re so cruel, Fenny¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re having a one-on-one weekend of bromance. I¡¯m a good friend. Not cruel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s hot when you¡¯re cruel.¡± ¡°This is also true,¡± Nell said. Serra, rather than pull away and agree again, nodded her head. ¡°You¡¯re all a bunch of degenerates,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But I am, too, I guess.¡± Then, out of the corner of his eye, Fenrir noticed something. He noticed two large, black eyes staring directly at him. And those eyes sat atop a round, yellow head. But before he could really realize what he was looking at, the crowd cheered in excitement as it sounded like something was finally happening in the battle. Upon returning his attention to the battle between Cassiel and Eva, he saw something that he never expected to see. Eva punched through Cassiel¡¯s armored abdomen with enough force to break through her armor and body to come out on the other side. Meanwhile, Cassiel thrust her blade all the way through Eva¡¯s chest and twisted it around. The girls, utterly exhausted from the length battle, couldn¡¯t even be bothered to do anything after that. All they did was stare into each others eyes as they panted with bloodied faces and messied hair. ¡°Did one of them win?¡± Serra asked. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know,¡± Fenrir answered. Cassiel and Eva rested their foreheads against each other, each closing their eyes. ¡°Why¡­ why are you trying to win so hard?¡± Cassiel asked her opponent in a hushed, tired voice. ¡°I ¨C I could ask you the same thing,¡± Eva answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d take a stupid tournament so seriously.¡± ¡°I could say the same thing to you.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°Because, fighting ¨C fighting you is fun. I wanted to show off before because you challenged me, but all I care about now is fighting you. What about you?¡± ¡°I ¨C I wanted to make Serra have faith in me and impress Fen, but¡­ all I care about now is fighting you.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ I have an idea.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re both too tired to fight, right?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°And we both wanted to show off, right?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah.¡± ¡°A-and¡­ I ¨C I¡¯ve heard you guys talk about how I¡¯m¡­ how he¡¯s allowed to start dating me since you all like me, too, and you¡¯re expecting him to make the first move¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t pay attention to who¡¯s around when we talk enough¡­¡± ¡°It means I¡¯m going to date all of you, right? If ¨C if I start dating him¡­ aren¡¯t I also dating all of you?¡± ¡°B-basically. It¡¯s how things work with our relationship.¡± ¡°Then I have an idea. I theorized this might be the best possible outcome as soon as we ended up here.¡± ¡°As soon as you punched a hole through my gut and I stabbed you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your idea?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ¨C let¡¯s kiss. If we both wanted to show off to them in the first place, I think that kissing has the highest possible success factor of surprising them and impressing them.¡± ¡°What?! You ¨C wha-what kind of plan is that?! We¡¯re not even,¡± Cassiel hushed her voice as soon as she realized she was being loud enough for everybody else to hear, ¡°w-we¡¯re not even¡­ you know¡­ dating yet¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ I realized while observing all of you, after realizing that I¡¯d be dating the rest of you, that I was really interested in what it would be like with a girl. I never imagined it before which made me feel like a failure of a scientist, so I started watching and reading a lot of girl-on-girl stuff.¡± ¡°Th-this isn¡¯t the time for a confession like that!¡± ¡°But my point is that it made me really interested, and¡­ I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s the pain making me admit this, but your lips look really soft right now and I guarantee you that there¡¯s a ninenty-nine percent chance of success that they loves this. A-and¡­ if I¡¯m right, isn¡¯t Fenrir usually the one who starts dating you all first, so he¡¯s the one who sort of ¡®invites¡¯ more girls to your relationship?¡± ¡°Just how much information have you gathered about us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a scientist¡¯s duty to observe her surroundings. Also you all talk really loud about a lot of private things no matter whose around.¡± ¡°I used to try and tell them to be quiet about it¡­¡± ¡°A-anyways, if I¡¯m going to date all of you¡­ couldn¡¯t you be the one to invite me to the relationship? Isn¡¯t it equal? I-if it is¡­ you have the power to bring me in, too. Our kiss can serve three purposes. One, it officially makes me one of your girlfriends since the rest already consent to it. Two, it will impress and surprise them. Three, it will let me determine if your lips look as soft as I theorize they do.¡± ¡°Wha-what kind of theory is that? A-a-and you¡¯re awfully confident about this sort of thing all of a sudden!¡± ¡°Being hurt flips my safety switches off. You should see me when I¡¯m on the edge of death. The more pain I¡¯m in, the more honest I am and the less I care about doing things the proper way.¡± ¡°E-even if we kiss, what does that do about the match?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll call it a draw. I don¡¯t like losing, but I¡¯ll lose for science.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­¡± Cassiel didn¡¯t know how to respond, but she did know one thing. Eva¡¯s lips looked temptingly soft as well. Cassiel found her eyes unable to pull away from Eva¡¯s lips and, when she did eventually look elsewhere, she realized just how pretty the woman in front of her was. Before, adding another girl to the relationbship wasn¡¯t really a big deal. It already happened with Nell and Azalabulia. She fell in love with both of them, so she had no worries that she wouldn¡¯t be able to fall in love with another woman even if those feelings weren¡¯t quite present yet. But now, after hearing just how bold and assertive Eva was with her plan and actually paying attention to her looks¡­ Cassiel realized that those feelings might already be starting. Or maybe she was just delusional from having a fist punched through her gut. At the same time, the idea of being the one to bring a new girl into their relationship instead of them all waiting for Fenrir to do it was kind of nice. She wanted to see just how surprised the others would look, especially since this was something she never would have considered until the past couple of minutes, plus there was just something empowering about it. Rather than be the one to only agree to things and let the others do the work of actually bringing others into the relationship, she would do it all on her own. Even if Fenrir might have been the primary target of Eva¡¯s eyes, Cassiel could be the target at least in this moment ¨C she could be bold and do something that none of her partners would ever expect her to do. Even if it was Eva¡¯s idea rather than her own, she was the one who got to make the final decision and that was all that mattered. And it was blatantly obvious that it was eventually going to happen anyways. If they had to wait on Fenrir, though, then it might take weeks to months longer. ¡°Al-alright,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Bu-but ¨C there¡¯s ¨C there¡¯s one condition.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eva asked. ¡°If we ¨C i-if we want to surprise them¡­ i-it¡¯ll surprise them even more if I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m the one who¡­ y-you know¡­ starts it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. I might be bold, but you¡¯re usually the submissive one from my observa¡ª¡± ¡°You observed us too much!¡± Cassiel said with a pout. ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t stalking you or anything. I just mean you guys always talked so¡ª¡± Cassiel pressed her lips against Eva¡¯s. The crowd didn¡¯t know whether to be confused or to cheer way more than before. When Cassiel pulled away, she couldn¡¯t believe what she just did. She, all on her own, officially brought somebody else into the relationship. It wasn¡¯t Fenrir, Serra didn¡¯t advise her to do it ¨C she did it on her own. And when she looked into Eva¡¯s eyes, she saw blushing panic. Did she mess up? Did she do something wrong? How could she even begin to describe the look on Eva¡¯s face?! ¡°S-sorry, I¡ª¡± ¡°Theory¡­ confirmed,¡± Eva said. ¡°That¡­ I ¨C I think that repeated tests are going to be necessary to confirm the results. Science requires lots of¡­ testing.¡± Cassiel didn¡¯t understand the look on Eva¡¯s face because it was usually her who was making the look instead. Eva looked lovestruck. And Cassiel was now the subject of Eva¡¯s infatuation. Book 6: Chapter 24: ¡°Uhh¡­ what?¡± Fenrir asked, watching with wide eyes just as everybody else was. Even Serra was confused by what she was seeing. None present could take their eyes away from the undeniable sight in front of them. The two women who were so violently killing each other just moments before had stopped to whisper something to each other¡­ and then began to kiss. They did not just kiss once and be done with it either. They kept their lips pressed together, enjoying one another¡¯s warmth and softness, without a single care for who saw nor without any interest in the fact that there was a copious amount of blood flowing out from both of them. ¡°My ¨C my hero, did you not have a movie date planned with her?¡± Nell asked. ¡°Yeah. I¡­ feel like I¡¯ve been beaten to the goal or something,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Is this what it feels like to be the guy in a netorare doujin?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Doujins are lewd, right?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡°But I want to know.¡± ¡°Nell, help.¡± Nell nodded and began her explanation with a smile. ¡°Ah, you see, my dearest Serra, I believe that he is speaking of¡ª¡± ¡°You can stop helping me if you like those.¡± ¡°But I only like them in fiction¡­¡± ¡°Too bad. We¡¯re not tainting Serra¡¯s mind with that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me want to know even more,¡± Serra pouted. ¡°I ¨C I want to know what it is, too,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°I have regrets. I¡¯m never making a joke involving that again,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°All you two need to know is that it¡¯s the most horrible thing there is and that only true degenerates with no morals like it.¡± ¡°Or people who have an excellent taste in culture!¡± Nell said. ¡°No. Only people with no taste in culture.¡± ¡°But, my hero, is that not similar to how our relationship started? One could say that I was technically a member of Ull¡¯s harem. Even if nothing happened between us, I was still treated like his property alongside those he did enjoy sharing beds with. Were it not for the glory of netorare, I would not be a member of yours and Serra¡¯s harem now instead!¡± ¡°I¡­ I want to argue with you but I think you might be technically right. Did I NTR you away from Ull?¡± ¡°You have! Both emotionally and physically. I am nothing but property of yours and the others¡¯ now, only living to be used after having been stolen away! Such a shame¡­¡± ¡°Wait, have you been applying this sort of logic to our relationship the whole time? Has this been netorare to you since the beginning?¡± ¡°Of course, my hero. Whether you like it or not, netorare is at play here.¡± ¡°I think your definition of netorare is way too loose.¡± ¡°I ¨C I am too loose for you? Ah, to degrade me in such a way. You are truly,¡± Nell sniffled, ¡°so cruel.¡± ¡°Pl-please don¡¯t make everybody misunderstand.¡± ¡°But, my hero! You are the one calling me loose after being the one to make me¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it man,¡± one of the random men standing behind Fenrir said, placing a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Everybody who¡¯s worked over here knows about her.¡± Everybody within Fenrir¡¯s group, Fenrir included, was surprised that some random player actually entered their conversation for once. Instead of just leaving them to talk among themselves as if they were in a world where nobody else existed with any agency, some totally random player who was only vaguely familiar and nothing more to their group actually entered the conversation. ¡°Oh. Thanks, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve gotten a chance to talk to you, but I¡¯ve seen you around. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Pfar. With a P before the F,¡± Pfar answered, dramatically increasing his odds of becoming a member of their group by actually telling them his name. ¡°Crap, my VA just let me know the pizza¡¯s here. Later, Fen.¡± ¡°Wait, you know my¡ª¡± Pfar fell backward as he left virtual reality to get his pizza. ¡°He knew my name,¡± Fenrir said, returning his attention to the usual group. ¡°He even called me Fen.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what most people call you,¡± Serra said. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong, Fenny,¡± Oleander agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t most people around here call you that? They hear us call you it all the time, so they probably picked it up that way.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know whether I should feel weird that somebody I didn¡¯t know knew to call me that, or bad that I didn¡¯t know the name of somebody who knew to call me that,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I just want to know why it¡¯s Pfar with a P instead of Far with only an F.¡± ¡°Pfar with a P sounds kind of cool, I think.¡± ¡°They sound the exact same, Fenny. If I add a P before your name ¨C Pfenrir with a P sounds the same as Fenrir with only an F. Except it looks stupid now.¡± ¡°Pfenrir with a P would look stupid, but Pfar with a P looks kind of cool when I imagine it in my head.¡± ¡°You¡¯re weird, Pfenny.¡± ¡°Wait, did you just say my name with only an F or with a P? It sounded like I heard a bit of a P at the start there.¡± Oleander shrugged while looking away. ¡°I¡¯dunno. They sound the exact same to me, Pfenny.¡± ¡°I ¨C I have no idea how you¡¯re spelling my name now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous,¡± Serra said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°None of us get to put a P in front of our names. Pserra sounds dumb. Pnell. Pcassiel. Paza ¨C Pa¡­ Pazawaza works.¡± ¡°Pa-Pazawaza?¡± Pazalabulia asked. ¡°I think Aza¡¯a name is the only one where it actually makes a big difference. It takes her from sounding like an evil wizardess to¡­ some sort of fluffy animals that probably lives in the desert,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Wha-what makes you think that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s cute, Pazawaza.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just ¨C d-don¡¯t just change my name¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s cute.¡± Pazawaza¡¯a face turned a brighter shade of red every single time that she was called cute until they all realized that there was something else that they should have been paying attention to. Cassiel and Eva. ¡°So¡­ does this mean that Eva is one of our girlfriends now?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra confirmed. ¡°Well, that happened a lot sooner than I thought it would. I thought we might go on some dates or something first¡­ but we didn¡¯t exactly do that with either of you.¡± Fenrir looked at Nell and Azalabulia. ¡°You are silly, my hero. You took neither Cassiel nor Serra on dates before dating them, did you?¡± Nell asked. ¡°I mean¡­ I ¨C I guess you¡¯re right. Aren¡¯t we supposed to at least go on some dates before we start ¨C you know, dating?¡± ¡°No dates has worked,¡± Serra said. ¡°Dating before might jinx it now.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the ones who encouraged me to actually try and have a date with Eva?¡± ¡°We gave you consent to bring her into the relationship. How you did so was up to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t mind, but this just seems pretty sudden, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Serra said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen them check each other out.¡± Fenrir tilted his head. ¡°When?¡± ¡°We¡¯re gay. It¡¯s what we do.¡± Nell nodded her head. ¡°She has a point.¡± Even Pazalabulia turned her head away with a slight blush on her cheeks. ¡°Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m promiscuous or something for being the only guy in this relationship¡­ but I have a feeling that I¡¯m not even the one who does most of the looking and touching.¡± ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Serra said. ¡°Well, that much is obvious, but I¡¯m starting to think Cassiel and Nell beat me in that regard, too.¡± ¡°That is only natural, my hero. Do you think that the one who constantly fantasizes about such perverse topics is going to pay less romantic and sexual attention to her girlfriends than the boyfriend who would rather think about fishing?¡± Nell asked. Fenrir looked at Azalabulia, expecting her to join in on admitting that she is far more perverse than him when it comes to the other girls. ¡°Ca-can I have my name back now?¡± Pazalabulia asked. ¡°It was never¡­ alright, Azawaza, you can have your name back,¡± Fenrir said. Azalabulia looked genuinely relieved. Apparently, her in-game name was actually very important to her ¨C important enough to turn her into a child who had their nose ¡°stolen¡± but with her name instead. It was moments like that which caused Fenrir to really want to watch her teach a class full of kids someday. He experienced just how serious and teacherly she could be at times, but then he experienced when she was just like a little kid ¨C more like a little kid than some actual kids. ¡°They¡¯re still going,¡± Serra said. ¡°It is impressive, is it not?¡± Nell asked. ¡°To be kissing so gently while on the verge of death being watched by a large crowd.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°The crowd¡­¡± Fenrir looked around. Surely enough, everybody in the crowd, Tabitha included, seemed pretty intent on watching Cassiel and Eva kiss in front of them. ¡°Nell, remember how you made that barrier around?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you put one around them?¡± ¡°But how are we going to watch if I do that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point. I don¡¯t want everybody getting to watch them.¡± ¡°Ah, are you jealous, my hero?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll admit it.¡± ¡°You are precious. Worry not, I shall protect them from the prying eyes of those surrounding us.¡± Nell stepped in front of Fenrir and raised her hands toward Cassiel and Eva. A moment later and water began to spin around them as if it was a tornado of water forming from the ground up, except it took on the shape of a swirling ball once it was tall enough to surround the girls without hitting them. ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Now we don¡¯t get to watch.¡± ¡°Good job,¡± Serra sighed. ¡°I wanted to watch.¡± ¡°My hero, did you not realize beforehand that you would not get to watch if I hid them from view?¡± Nell asked. The crowd, no longer able to watch, finally began to disperse or ask Tabitha about the results to determine if they won any earnings or not. ¡°I mean, we need to watch them to make sure that they¡¯re not about to die and all that,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Cassiel can heal herself and Eva, can she not?¡± Nell asked. ¡°She can, but they seriously hurt each other. I¡¯m not sure Cassiel will be able to heal herself in that case. What¡­ what even happens if they die? It¡¯s been so long since any of us have died that I forget what even happens.¡± ¡°You cannot log back in for twenty-four hours and you respawn in the last place you slept,¡± Azalabulia answered, bringing out that teacherly voice of hers. ¡°Right. They¡¯ve both slept here, so at least that¡¯s not a problem. Anyways, the crowd has already left for the most part, so you can probably stop hiding them, Nell.¡± ¡°Oh? Do you wish to spy on them, my hero? What if they have moved to the next stage of their play and have stripped each other¡¯s bodies? Do you wish to reveal their bare forms for all to see?¡± ¡°They ¨C they were about to die, though. There¡¯s no way that they¡¯re actually stripping themselves while they¡¯re about to die, right?¡± ¡°I hope they are. That¡¯d be hot,¡± Serra said. ¡°Unfortunately, Cassiel is not such a girl and I doubt that Eva is,¡± Nell answered. ¡°They are likely kissing at most. Or dead. There is a very good chance that they are both dead already.¡± ¡°Remove the barrier,¡± Fenrir said. Nell smiled and dropped her hands, causing the round barrier of water to collapse as well. Fortunately, the water that created a roof over Cassiel¡¯s and Eva¡¯s heads was pulled to the sides before collapsing rather than splash onto them. Now that Eva and Cassiel were in any position to care whether they got wet or not. Down on their knees, Cassiel¡¯s sword was pulled out from Eva and Eva¡¯s fist was out of Cassiel, but they both lost a significant amount of blood and looked like they were barely alive. However, as close to death as they might have looked, they were no longer bleeding. The wounds they left on each other must have been healed by Cassiel¡¯s magic. That was it, though. Whatever hidden value there might have been for health, it was surely almost depleted for both of the girls. Their wounds were healed but their health was not restored. Fenrir ran up to check on them. ¡°Hey, are you two, uh¡­ alright?¡± Cassiel nodded her head, too tired to reply in any other way, as Eva wrapped her arms around Cassiel to prevent her from falling over. ¡°She healed us,¡± Eva explained. ¡°But she¡¯s exhausted now. She needs to rest.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Fenrir asked, looking Eva over. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m fine. Tired, but¡­ fine. More than fine if I¡¯m being honest. I¡¯ve never¡­ felt this way before.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never had a sword run through your before?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. I mean the experiment ¨C it was¡­ a huge success.¡± ¡°What experiment?¡± ¡°Kissing her.¡± ¡°That was only an experiment?¡± ¡°It only started as one¡­ totally.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a suspicious ¡®totally.¡¯¡± ¡°It¡­ might have been for more than just science.¡± ¡°That was obvious.¡± ¡°Are¡­ you upset?¡± ¡°What? No. Why would I be?¡± ¡°Because. I realized after she healed me that we might have messed up and upset the rest of you.¡± ¡°Yeah, no, we all thought it was hot.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah. Need a hand?¡± Eva shook her head. ¡°I can get up on my own.¡± Not only did Eva get up on her own, but she brought Cassiel with her. Eva held Cassiel in her arms like a knight carrying a princess. ¡°Wait, do you¡­ should I let you do this?¡± Eva asked, looking up at Fenrir. ¡°If you¡¯re in pain or want me to, I¡¯ll be happy to carry her instead, but I¡¯m fine with you carrying her if you want to and promise not to drop her,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I won¡¯t drop her. I promise.¡± ¡°Then go for it.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take her back to The Shoebill.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t do any lewd things to her until she¡¯s energetic enough to consent to it.¡± Cassiel wasn¡¯t unconscious or anything, so she was still able to look up at him with a pout to mumble, ¡°Stop¡­ sounding like my dad.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, harem master.¡± ¡°Harem¡­ master?¡± ¡°Yeah. After that little stunt, you¡¯ve put me and Serra to shame. You¡¯re the new leader of this harem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ be stupid.¡± ¡°Your tsundere fanservice doesn¡¯t have the same effect when you sound so sleepy.¡± ¡°Hm¡­mph.¡± ¡°Alright, Eva, I¡¯m trusting you to go get her into a hammock. And just as some advice, she¡¯ll feel better faster if you cuddle with her.¡± ¡°Cu-cuddle?¡± Eva asked, blushing just a tiny bit. ¡°Yeah. You know, wrap your arms and legs around her or something. If you two can kiss for that long in front of a crowd then you can cuddle, can¡¯t you?¡± Eva tilted her head. ¡°Crowd?¡± ¡°Ha¡­ah?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ you know, the crowd?¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°All the people that were watching you fight and waiting to see who would win? There were like, at least sixty of us.¡± Eva and Cassiel looked at each other, their cheeks slowly turning darker shades of red as they realized what they actually did. Eva looked back up at Fenrir. ¡°I¡­ I knew we were fighting in a match¡­ and I knew that you and your girlfriends¡ª" ¡°Our girlfriends,¡± Fenrir corrected her. ¡°O-our girlfriends¡­ I knew you were with them, but¡­ we might have forgotten about everybody else.¡± ¡°You forgot that there was a huge crowd of people around you watching you two kiss in front of them all?¡± ¡°Did they look away?¡± ¡°You¡¯re two attractive girls and you were kissing each other. No. They watched. Intently. That was why I had Nell cover you two up.¡± ¡°We were covered up?¡± ¡°Did you two notice anything important?¡± Eva and Cassiel looked into each other¡¯s eyes again before looking away. ¡°Well, that explains some things,¡± Fenrir shrugged. ¡°Go take Cass to the hammock. It¡¯s your duty as our girlfriend now to take care of her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re accepting me as a girlfriend really easily. I¡­ expected that you might be hesitant.¡± ¡°Are you forgetting that we had a date planned? To watch some movies over VR?¡± Eva¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°You forgot, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°You forgot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I remember what happened now.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it after you help Cass back. Also, I¡¯m holding you forgetting about the date against you until I get revenge.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not actually going to hold it against you, but I will if you don¡¯t hurry up with Cass.¡± Eva nodded before finally carrying Cassiel back to The Shoebill. Cassiel was so exhausted that she couldn¡¯t even bother being embarrassed by being carried past everybody. Now that Cassiel was taken care of, Fenrir looked down at the grass where the girls were on their knees. It was covered in blood. ¡°Just how much did they bleed?¡± Fenrir asked himself. ¡°Not enough,¡± Tabitha answered. ¡°If one of them would¡¯ve died then I could declare a winner¡­ but they made it a draw. Ya think I expected them to draw?¡± ¡°What did you expect?¡± ¡°I was hopin¡¯ blondie would win.¡± ¡°Any reason why?¡± Tabitha shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve known her longer.¡± ¡°You might have tried profiting off of her, but at least you believed she¡¯d win because you knew her better, I guess.¡± ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve got somethin¡¯ I want to ask ya.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with ¨C wait, where¡¯d he go?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The creepy guy with the smiling mask. He was starin¡¯ at ya this whole time. Now I don¡¯t see him anywhere.¡± ¡°So, I wasn¡¯t imagining that.¡± ¡°Anything ya know about him?¡± ¡°No idea. She ¨C he, was weird.¡± ¡°She?¡± ¡°I think I imagined him making some feminine noises during it. I¡¯m not sure. So, I got mixed up.¡± ¡°Huh, ya don¡¯t say. Interestin¡¯. Eitther way, I suggest ya keep your eyes out. We don¡¯t need anymore weirdos hangin¡¯ around causin¡¯ trouble, and anybody who watches ya like that ain¡¯t up to any good.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Ya know exactly what it means. Anybody who looks at ya for more than a few seconds at a time is probably a weirdo.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you a weirdo, too?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a weirdo, but I¡¯m a normal one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that works.¡± ¡°The weird weirdos are the ones you look at ya when they don¡¯t have to.¡¯ ¡°That does make more sense.¡± ¡°Hey! Tabs!¡± Oleander shouted, running up from behind Fenrir. ¡°I have an idea for the next tournament!¡± ¡°What?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°A sex tourna¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pleeeeaaaasssseeeee?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But what if¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do anything you want! Like¡­ I¡¯ll get you some nice parts for The Shoebill or something!¡± ¡°N¡ª¡­ maybe.¡± ¡°How¡¯s about we turn that maybe into a ¡®yeah definitely sure ok?¡¯¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck.¡± ¡°Fiiiinneee. So, Fenny, how¡¯s it feel to be an even bigger womanizer than before?¡± ¡°How am I a womanizer?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t even done anything this time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a womanizer that you trained your girlfriends to seduce other girls for you. You¡¯re such a womanizer that you don¡¯t even womanize women on your own now.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got a point,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Wait, does he?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re a womanizer who¡¯s too lazy to womanize women on your own.¡± ¡°B-but I had a date planned with her. She¡¯s the one who forgot about it.¡± ¡°Oof,¡± Oleander said. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re such a bad womanizer that your girlfriends have to womanize for you since they don¡¯t have any faith in you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t being bad at being a womanizer a good thing? I¡ª¡± ¡°Yo, Fen,¡± a now-familiar voice said from behind. ¡°What happened to the girls?¡± Fenrir turned around and saw Pfar standing there. ¡°Oh, welcome back. How was the pizza?¡± ¡°Good. Got some extra cheese on it, you know how it is. But yeah, those girls. What happened?¡± ¡°They¡¯re resting now. It was a draw.¡± ¡°Got it. So, that hybrid girl one of your girlfriends now?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess so. I wasn¡¯t exactly planning on her joining us so suddenly, but it already kind of happened now.¡± ¡°Nice. Anyways, I¡¯ve got some work with the others to do. Feel free to say hi sometime.¡± ¡°Yeah, will do?¡± Pfar gave Fenrir a friendly smack on his back before heading off to where some more construction work needed done. ¡°New friend?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°He randomly talked to me earlier. This was the second time.¡± ¡°Pfar, right?¡± ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°I know everybody around here. Who do ya think has been givin¡¯ them all their orders for what to build where and how?¡± ¡°Right. Foreman Tabs.¡± ¡°Foregirl Tabs, thank ya very much.¡± ¡°Speaking of construction, how are we doing?¡± ¡°Well, just look around. The coastal defenses are all but ready thanks to King Cat and his boys helpin¡¯ out. Not sure how useful they¡¯re goin¡¯ to be, but they should break waves and slow down anythin¡¯ big. Then we¡¯ve got the field ready to plant some traps in it. Our little fortress is comin¡¯ along nicely and we should get some cannons up on her walls in the next couple of days. After that, all we¡¯ve got left are to put down some more traps and whatnot, make sure everythin¡¯ is working nice and properly, and wait.¡± ¡°What about the town?¡± Behind the fortress that was prepared between where the bridge across the river was and the beach lining the ocean, the town that Fenrir wanted to one day turn into a safe haven for NPCs was growing bigger and bigger. There wasn¡¯t much to look at aside from a few buildings for workers to stay in and a couple of fields where some quick-growing crops were farmed to keep everybody fed whenever there wasn¡¯t enough fish, but progress was being made. Fenrir wanted to get as much help with his town building project as he could before the other cities no longer had a good reason to lend him so much support in workers and materials. ¡°We had our first NPCs come last night,¡± Tabitha answered. ¡°Seriously? Whem? Who?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°They¡¯re helpin¡¯ out with the farm right now. Two brothers. Said they¡¯d be happy to help out with anythin¡¯ as long as we gave them a place to stay.¡± ¡°So¡­ ¡®if you build it, they will come¡¯ actually works.¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯ve got no idea where they came from, but this is their home now.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s all the more reason for us to prepare the defenses to make this place as secure as possible so we can protect them.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t sure any defenses we make can be good enough for what¡¯s supposedly goin¡¯ to be comin¡¯ our way, but I can promise they¡¯ll be as good as possible.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all you need to promise. As long as we try our best, there¡¯s nothing to be ashamed about.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, captain dog. Ya tried your best against that smilin¡¯ creep earlier¡­ and I¡¯d be pretty ashamed of myself if I were you.¡± ¡°Li-listen, it¡¯s not my fault that he wouldn¡¯t die no matter what I tried.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Try killing him yourself next time. It won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°If ya say so.¡± ¡°Fenny, how come you don¡¯t flick her like you do me?¡± Oleander asked. Fenrir flicked Oleander¡¯s forehead. ¡°Because she¡¯ll abuse me with her hammer if I do. You¡¯ll just enjoy it and maybe moan.¡± ¡°Ahn,¡± Oleander moaned. ¡°Flick me harder, daddy.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leavin¡¯ now,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I swear I just saw an oversized yellow head peeking out from behind that wall over there.¡± ¡°An oversized yellow head? Mister Smiles?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who else it¡¯d be.¡± ¡°Do you even know anything about Mister Smiles?¡± ¡°Nope. Never met him before today.¡± ¡°Did you hear his voice? Was he the one who told you his name is Mister Smiles?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then how do you know his name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. When I was takin¡¯ applicants for the tournament, the big guy walked up to me, stared at me, and made me play a guessin¡¯ game with him to figure out what he wanted.¡± ¡°Sounds weird,¡± Oleander chimed in. ¡°Do we really need another weirdo around here?¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just shy,¡± Fenrir suggested. ¡°Or crazy and mentally unstable,¡± Tabitha suggested in response. ¡°Can¡¯t trust somebody who won¡¯t even talk.¡± ¡°Then they¡¯d you let him into the tournament?¡± ¡°Because money is money.¡± ¡°What if somebody bribes you to betray all of us?¡± ¡°Depends on the price.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Tabitha shrugged, ending the conversation to walk off to do what she needed to do. ¡°Think Mister Smiles is another Nyaiko situation, Fenny?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°I hope now,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can deal with another stalker. Well, Nyaiko wasn¡¯t really that bad of one, but I¡¯d rather not deal with another one at all.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ also, I think you¡¯re being called.¡± Oleander pointed to where Fenrir left his girlfriends. Surely enough, Fenrir saw Serra calling for him upon turning around. And she was calling for him by thrusting one finger through a hole she made with her other hand. They were supposed to do lewd things after the tournament, after all, and Serra was intent on making sure that happened. First, they¡¯d have to go get Cassiel. And potentially invite Eva, too, since she was now a part of their relationship group. Book 6: Chapter 25: Fenrir almost caught up to his girlfriends when a pained roar came from the distance. The roar was loud enough to grab undivided attention of everybody in the area. Despite how monstrous it was, it was clearly a roar of pain as it was choked with occasional fluctuations in tone. Looking in the direction of the roar revealed who it was that produced it. Ilo. The serpent friend to only Fenrir and his companions reached out of the water with bloodied gashes cutting through her scales. From a distance, she almost looked more red than her usual teal, and her wounds extended from her maw down to the rest of her body beneath the gentle waters. ¡°My ¨C my hero! Something is wrong!¡± Nell shouted to Fenrir. That much was obvious. For the serpent to be so gravely wounded ¨C for the serpent who was one of their most powerful allies to be in that condition, something was severely wrong. ¡°Anybody with healing magic needs to come with me!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Nell, try to guide her into the river!¡± Nell nodded as a few nearby players joined up with Fenrir to rush over to the river. The situation only grew worse as they reached the river. Having barely managed to swim to a spot where she could easily be reached, Ilo¡¯s blood freely ran into the water as they got to see just how injured she was. Few of Ilo¡¯s scales were uninjured. Most were torn through, crushed, broken off, shattered ¨C the protective scales that could deflect most blades were almost all destroyed. Those that remained were few enough to offer no real protection. ¡°Heal her!¡± Fenrir ordered those who followed him. Several players got as close to the edge of the water as they could before holding out their arms to heal Ilo. Her pained eyes slowly came to a close as their magic worked over her wounds. Aside from her scales, she was covered in lacerations and several chunks of flesh were torn straight off of her as if she was picked at by sharks. Whatever did this to her, it was obvious that their intention was to either kill or devour her. ¡°Oi, ain¡¯t she supposed to be pretty strong? What happened to our girl?¡± Tabitha asked, standing next to Fenrir. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I might be able to learn what happened once she¡¯s healed, but until then¡­ we can only guess.¡± ¡°There is not much to guess, is there, my hero?¡± Nell asked. ¡°What else could have done this to her if not our enemies from below?¡± ¡°Yeah. Whatever did this to her ¨C it happened below the waters, and there¡¯s only one group we know of who could have done this to her.¡± ¡°Ya think they¡¯re attackin¡¯?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°If they are¡­ we might need to get out of here. We¡¯re not ready for them and she¡¯s already this hurt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for that if they¡¯re on their way. Only way outta here is down the river, and that¡¯s where they¡¯ll be.¡± ¡°Yeah. The Shoebill and Ilo wouldn¡¯t be able to get away unless we go upstream and hope that they¡¯re not chased.¡± ¡°If they did this to our girl¡­ what about all those other ships that are supposed to come and help us?¡± ¡°I know. Anything that could do this to her could easily destroy a ship from below. I was hoping that maybe most of them can¡¯t swim and are stuck walking along the bottom of the ocean, but I doubt that Ilo would have engaged them on their own terms like that.¡± ¡°Hey! Is everything alright?¡± Pfar asked after having joined them at the river next to Ilos. ¡°The opposite,¡± Fenrir sighed. Looking around, more or less everybody was gathered around by the river with a few exceptions standing by the beach to look out over the ocean. And then there was Mister Smiles. Mister Smiles was right behind Fenrir only a little off to the side, and he seemed to be looking directly at Ilos. As tempted as Fenrir was to confront the strange player, tending to Ilo was more important. There was also the issue of what to do if they came under attack right now. ¡°She will be alright, my hero,¡± Nell said, giving Fenrir¡¯s back a gentle rub. ¡°I know how you feel, but I have faith in her recovery.¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Fenrir replied, ¡°and we¡¯ll kill whatever did this to her.¡± ¡°Seems like we might be needin¡¯ that giant mecha sooner rather than later,¡± Tabithba said. ¡°If we¡¯re not about to all get wiped out, we¡¯re goin¡¯ to have to really start rushin¡¯ around here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve spent too much time screwing around. While we were having fun with that tournament, Ilo was probably out there getting attacked by whoever did this to her. Maybe we could have helped her if we were closer ¨C maybe we would have noticed that something was wrong.¡± ¡°Please, my hero, do not apply such unfair pressure to yourself,¡± Nell said. ¡°It is not fair to you that¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair to Ilo that we get to screw around while she fights for her life. And now that those other NPCs have shown up ¨C we¡¯re finally starting to create what I wanted to come over here for, and now this has happened. It proves that what we¡¯re doing is right ¨C that we need to do this, but¡­ we need to take it a lot more seriously than we have been.¡± ¡°I understand, my hero, but I do not wish for the anger I feel from you to be directed at those who do not deserve it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not directing it at anybody who doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°That includes yourself.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) Fenrir responded with silence. He knew that his girlfriends were going to say that he shouldn¡¯t be so upset with himself no matter what he said, but how could he not be? He deserved to be upset at himself and he knew that. There was nobody more at fault for this than him in his mind. He came here to protect those who were most at danger. Now, while he played around for no good reason, one of those in need of protection was injured so gravely while he was nowhere around to help. ¡°As much as I might like when ya knock your own ego down so I don¡¯t have to, you¡¯re bein¡¯ too hard on yourself,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Even if ya knew what was happenin¡¯, what could ya have done? Swim down there and try to help her all on your own?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°It¡¯s the least I could have done.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too stubborn for your own good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not being stubborn. That¡¯s wanting to protect our friend.¡± Tabitha sighed as she rubbed her forehead. Then the sounds of battle reached them. Looking back toward the ocean, the players who ran over to the beach were busy engaging monsters fresh out of the water ¨C the same monsters that were fought in the underground caves before. Most of them had humanoid bodies that were grossly disfigured by all manner of fishlike appendages. Though these enemies were smaller and simpler overall than the ones fought in the caves, they were greater in number. ¡°Rao, Serra, Corwin!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Ilo is too injured, so I need you to tie some rope around her to help her get upstream with The Shoebill. Nell, go grab those NPCs and get them onboard. We can at least try to evacuate those who are at a real risk right now.¡± ¡°My hero, are you ¨C are you sure that you would not rather me accompany you?¡± Nell asked. ¡°You can protect everybody if they get attacked. The rest of us will deal with them at the beach.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your dog,¡± Tabitha said, taking her hammer and extending it to its full size before resting it over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t go humpin¡¯ any legs while you¡¯re not around.¡± Cassiel and Eva then made it onto the deck of The Shoebill. They immediately noticed what was going on and looked to Fenrir only for him to shake his head. ¡°Cass, you need to rest. Eva, stay with Nell to protect The Shoebill and Ilo.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Got any explosions left in you?¡± That was all Azalabulia needed to be asked in order to enter her addicted-to-explosions mode. ¡°Who do you think I am? Of course I, Azalabulia, wielder of¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, you can help us. Pfar, can you direct everybody to come help us at the beach?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can do that,¡± Pfar answered. ¡°Make sure that you alarm the sleeping avatars, too. The virtual assistants can take over the avatars to help us out.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°And you,¡± Fenrir said, turning his attention to Mister Smiles. ¡°If you¡¯re ever here then I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re on our side. You refuse to die, so you can be Aza¡¯s bodyguard. Be her shield and don¡¯t let a single thing past you. Understand?¡± Mister Smiles tilted his head for a couple of seconds before nodding. ¡°Alright. We all have our jobs. Let¡¯s go!¡± Led by Fenrir, everybody got to work fulfilling their duties. A smaller group helped to secure Ilo to The Shoebill with rope so that they could drag her upstream while a much larger group charged toward the beach to help those who were about to be overrun. The first one to show off at the beach was Oleander as several thorns as large as his body pierced straight through the enemies¡¯ bodies. Fenrir looked back just in time to see Nell helping the NPCs onto The Shoebill. With Ilo and the NPCs taken care of, there was no need to worry about anything. Or so he would have liked. Two more NPCs were there to join them in the battle. Rock and Shogun. As much as Fenrir wanted to order them to get onto The Shoebill, he knew that neither was going to listen to him. ¡°Stay in the back with Aza!¡± If he couldn¡¯t get them to stay out of harm¡¯s way, he could at least have them stay where it would be safer. Rock and Shogun both barked before heading over to join Azalabulia and Mister Smiles. Fenrir wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable leaving Mister Smiles with Azalabulia¡­ but Mister Smiles refused to die. If there was anybody who would make a perfect meatshield to protect Azalabulia, it was Mister Smiles. She could chant a hundred different spells before Mister Smiles died. Plus, Fenrir had every intention of checking on them throughout the fight to make sure that everything was alright. ¡°He-hey, Fenny, don¡¯t you think this is a lot?¡± Oleander asked. More and more enemies emerged from the water, walking toward the beach. ¡°Yeah, so it¡¯s a good thing that we¡¯ve got you and Aza,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I¡¯ll be more effective if I stay back here,¡± Oleander said, looking down at the grass he was standing on. ¡°Make sure that I have some clear line of sights and I¡¯ll do my best! But¡­ I¡¯ve got to admit that having Bone right now would make this way easier.¡± ¡°Bone made every fight easier.¡± Speaking of making fights easier, Fenrir¡¯s arms transformed before he gripped Rod and transformed him into his newest form. The first enemy that Fenrir reached did not even need to be restricted by Rod¡¯s chains. Instead, Fenrir was able to cut straight through the monster¡¯s head with nothing to stop his claws from tearing through it. The next moment, Fenrir shot forward his chains to coil around one of the monsters about to attack a distracted player. By the time that the player noticed the monster, Fenrir¡¯s claws had already torn through it. ¡°Make sure to watch your back. We can¡¯t afford to lose anybody right now,¡± Fenrir warned. Rather than pay attention to Fenrir¡¯s words, there was a much more impressive sight behind him to focus on. ¡°Come on, ya oversized fish! This all ya got?!¡± Tabitha shouted, swinging her massive hammer into three of the monsters at once. Each monster got crushed into each other until they formed a single fish-monster pancake that went flying into another couple of nearby monsters. The moment two more monsters ran up to Tabitha from behind, all it took was a single glance and she spun around in a circle to send them flying with her hammer. Fenrir noticed who the player he saved was watching and fixed what he previously said. ¡°See Tabs? Be more like Tabs.¡± The player gulped and nodded his head. As for the rest of the group, they were not doing too well. Several players were already overwhelmed and killed by swarms of the monsters. Fortunately, having gore disabled prevented the battlefield from looking anywhere near as gory as it should have. More importantly, they¡ªthe players¡ªwere being pushed back. There simply was not enough of them to hold back the tide of monsters that wished to destroy them. There were at least three monsters for every player, and most of the players were not able to handle fighting more than one or two of them at a time. And there were even more monsters on the way. ¡°It¡¯s times like this when I wish this was more like an actual game,¡± Fenrir said, using his chains to restrict one nearby enemy while punching through the chest of another. ¡°At least they¡¯re squishy¡­ but I wish they weren¡¯t so literally squishy.¡± Pfar, wielding an axe and a shield nearby, bashed away one monster before swinging his axe down into its head. ¡°What would being like an actual game do?¡± he asked. ¡°We¡¯d be able to have a few tanks aggro all the monsters while the healers spam them with heals and buffs, and then the rest of us could focus on using AoE skills to wipe them all out at once. Instead, these monsters aren¡¯t dumb enough to all focus on the same few people while there are easier targets around.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we still try to herd them together?¡± ¡°Not if we¡¯re the ones being pushed back. Wait, if we¡­ alright. I have an idea. I need you to round up everybody on that side to try and form a wall perpendicular to the beach. I¡¯ll do the same over here. We¡¯re going to funnel them straight to Aza.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to funnel them to a single girl?¡± Just as Pfar asked that, they heard the end of one of her chants which sent a flaming dragon over their heads to crash into the monsters approaching in the water. It wiped them all out in an instant, but more were still coming. ¡°Got it,¡± Pfar said. ¡°Join back up with me in front of her once you form a wall. We¡¯ll need to help the others protect her until she¡¯s ready. Then we can¡ª¡± Fenrir stopped as soon as he saw the condition that Azalabulia was in. Between her earlier spell and the damage she suffered then, and now using even more of her magic, she looked exhausted. The one person he could always rely on to wipe out huge groups of enemies at once was burned out. Even so, she looked like she was trying her best to prepare for another spell. There was also the fact that so many of the monsters were already spread amongst their allies that the explosion would either take out their own or not deal with the more immediate issue of the monsters already on land. ¡°Shit. Never mind, that¡¯s not going to work,¡± Fenrir said, looking the battlefield over again to figure out a new plan. The monsters that Azalabulia killed were already replaced by even more of them. ¡°The defenses aren¡¯t ready and we can¡¯t even be sure that this is a fullblown attack, plus there aren¡¯t enough people here to use our defenses effectively,¡± he said, mostly speaking to himself. ¡°Should we run?¡± Pfar asked. ¡°If we run then we lose everything we¡¯ve built so far, and there¡¯s a chance that they might go up the river and find Ilo. We can¡¯t take her out of the water. I¡­ have no idea. We¡¯re against an overwhelming force here. Strategy doesn¡¯t matter if they can just throw more and more bodies at us until we¡¯re all exhausted or dead. The area is too large to form an effective kill box and the person who would nuke everything inside of the kill box is already exhausted. If we use our defenses now, they¡¯ll all need rebuilt and then we¡¯re screwed if another attack comes, plus we won¡¯t be able to use them as designed since we don¡¯t have enough people. This¡­ this isn¡¯t a battle we can win right now.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯ve got to pray for a miracle?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t worship RNGesus yet, now¡¯s a good time to start, yeah.¡± ¡°Shit. Sounds like we¡¯re in¡ª¡± Pfar cut himself off when he noticed a nearby group of players struggling against some of the monsters. Rather than finish his sentence, he figured he¡¯d help those players. Plus it wasn¡¯t like he needed to finish his sentence in the first place. They both knew that they were in a bad situation. The entire plan in the first place with the traps and defenses relied on more than a significant amount of luck. They had to hope that they could successfully lure in what was essentially an army to a specific spot along the coast. Then there was the fact that if the Eastern serpent decided to join the battle, they were screwed. The militaries of the game¡¯s largest factions weren¡¯t enough to take out a lone serpent let alone a serpent and its own army. But, of course, the more that Fenrir realized this was all impossible, foolish, and reliant on copious amounts of luck¡ª ¡°Alright. We¡¯ve got this.¡± ¡ªthe more determined he was to win. ¡°Aza!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Do you have enough energy left in you for one really big spell?¡± Azalabulia, already looking like she was struggling to keep her eyes open, nodded. ¡°Alright! Take it easy until I give you the signal. Try to recover some mana if you can!¡± Next, he looked at Mister Smiles. ¡°I need you with me. We¡¯re going to try and disrupt the enemy¡¯s advance.¡± Mister Smiles stared straight at Fenrir for a few seconds without saying anything before nodding his head. ¡°Tabs! Group up!¡± Tabitha might not have known what Fenrir¡¯s plan was, but she didn¡¯t need to know to smile and have faith in him. ¡°Alright. The three of us ¨C we¡¯re going to rush out into the water and try to fight them there. If we can keep the new monsters busy long enough to give everybody over here a chance to mop these ones up, we might stand a chance.¡± ¡°This ain¡¯t exactly a fightin¡¯ group I ever imagined bein¡¯ a part of,¡± Tabitha said, looking at Fenrir and Mister Smiles, ¡°but it should be fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be even more fun if we win. Pfar! Form the walls when I give you the signal!¡± Pfar gave Fenrir a thumbs-up and went back to slaying monsters. ¡°Olly! Can your vines reach the water from back there?¡± ¡°As long as I stay by the grass, yeah!¡± Oleander shouted back. ¡°Help us crowd control the monsters in the water!¡± ¡°Anything for you, Fenny!¡± Fenrir smiled and looked at Tabitha and Mister Smiles. ¡°Alright, come on. We need to buy everybody some time.¡± The three of them rushed out into the water. They only needed to go ankle-deep before they were ahead of all the other players with a large force of monsters approaching them from deeper waters. The closest monsters were immediately killed by the work of Fenrir¡¯s claws and chains, Tabitha¡¯s hammer, and Mister Smile¡¯s powerful punches and kicks. As soon as they were faced by too many monsters at once, thorny vines reached over the battlefield to wrap around some of the approaching monsters, locking them in place while digging deadly thorns into their bodies. With Oleander helping to lock down some of the enemies, picking off the others was easy. Essentially, three lines of defense were formed. First was Oleander¡¯s. While he was the farthest away from the fighting, his vines locked down the monsters from a distance so that not all of them could reach the group. The second line of defense was Fenrir¡¯s. Him, Tabitha, and Mister Smiles picked off as many of the monsters that they could to stop them before they could reach the beach. Though, they were still outnumbered which meant that they were slowly building up damage as the monsters assaulted them. The third and final line of defense was everybody else fighting on the beach. They had split into large and small pockets of resistance¡ªtemporary parties¡ªto try and push the monsters back. While they were the ones being pushed back before, the crowd control from the first two lines of defense helped them deal with the monsters already on the beach as there was no longer a constant flow of enemy reinforcements reaching them. Fenrir kept on looking back at the beach to see how they were doing. After just a couple of minutes, the players on the beach more or less had all of the enemies there dealt with and those with healing magic could run around to try and get everybody back into top shape. And then Oleander¡¯s magic vines failed, releasing the monsters that they were holding back. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back,¡± Fenrir said, his breathing heavy and tired. ¡°Ya look like crap, dog,¡± Tabitha said. Fenrir wiped his arm across his face. He had no idea that he was bleeding as much as he was until he looked down at his arm. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± he teased in response. He wasn¡¯t the only one covered in bloody wounds. And then there was Mister Smiles. Mister Smiles looked totally normal aside from some blood and fish guts on his skin, but his movements and reaction speed were much slower than before. Now wasn¡¯t the time to question Mister Smiles¡¯ seemingly OP-ness, though. Now was the time to retreat back onto the beach. ¡°Pfar!¡± Fenrir shouted to Pfar. ¡°Form a wedge to funnel them to Aza!¡± Pfar heard Fenrir¡¯s order and immediately got to work organizing the rest of the players on the beach into two lines. Each line reached out to the edge of the water and made it almost back to Azalabulia. The players had to stay spread out to create these lines, but they weren¡¯t expected to hold the line for long. ¡°We¡¯re going to line them up for you, Aza!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Take them out and I¡¯ll give you a great reward later!¡± Azalabulia still looked tired until she heard the mention of a ¡°great reward.¡± That was enough to give her energy¡­ so that she could look confused and embarrassed. For when she thought of a great reward, her mind went to getting a lap pillow from him to holding hands and cuddling all the way to being pinned down and¡ª Azalabulia shook her head and held out her staff. ¡°Leave it to me, Azalabulia! These imposters of darkness will learn the true face of this reality!¡± ¡°Oi, wolf, ya got some sort of support buff magic that we don¡¯t know about?¡± Tabitha asked after seeing how much more energy Azalabulia had. ¡°I¡¯d be a bad boyfriend if I couldn¡¯t give my girlfriends energy,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I don¡¯t think anybody expects dogs like you to be able to give girls energy just from sayin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like that. Makin¡¯ them smile is one thing. Fillin¡¯ them with energy, though¡­¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m just a really good boyfriend then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get full of yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather fill a girl version of myself than get full of myself.¡± ¡°You ¨C wait, really? You¡¯re a perverted dog through and through!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to make Serra proud even if she¡¯s not here right now.¡± ¡°Ya know, it annoys me that sometimes ya make me think you¡¯re actually a good boyfriend to them.¡± ¡°Wh-why would that annoy you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, it doesn¡¯t actually annoy me. Don¡¯t ya know what banter is?¡± ¡°Oh. My bad.¡± Tabitha gave his back a couple of strong pats as they reached Azalabulia with Mister Smiles. That was when Fenrir saw a sight he did not approve of. Rock and Shogun¡­ were sharing a fishing leg from one of the monsters. While Shogun chewed on the top of the leg to get to the bone more easily, Rock was in the middle of chewing on the leg¡¯s foot. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you lick me later,¡± Fenrir told Rock. ¡°Maybe never again.¡± Rock looked up at Fenrir, fish foot still in her mouth, and whined. ¡°At least drink some water or something before you lick me next time.¡± Rock barked from around the foot and then bit down hard enough to crack through the bones in the foot, causing everybody there to cringe except for Mister Smiles. Whatever Mister Smile¡¯s expressions were beneath the mask, they were unknown to all but the mask wearer. Meanwhile, the bulk of enemy reinforcements reached the beach. They were quick to run up between the lines formed by the players to funnel them, but many stopped to try and break through the lines rather than run between them. That didn¡¯t matter, though, so long as the lines were able to hold long enough. ¡°Now, Aza!¡± Fenrir ordered. ¡°We¡¯ll hold them off until you¡¯re ready! Olly! If you¡¯ve got any magic left in you, now¡¯s the time to use it!¡± Fenrir, Tabitha, Mister Smiles, Rock, and Shogun formed a small, temporary line in front of Azalabulia to hold off any monsters that might reach them as Azalabulia prepared her spell. Not many monsters actually made it close to them, but they still had some to fight so that Azalabulia could chant her spell without interruption. ¡°Bahamut, it is time to show these imposters of darkness the true face of this reality! Let us rip apart all their truths ¨C all of their masks and falsities! They wish to swarm over us as ocean waves would, so let us wash over their corpses with your dark flames! I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, and the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, will annihilate our foes with a final sweep! Let us return them to the oceans that they came from, and then we shall boil the ocean itself until not a single drop is left! Bahamut, together, we shall show that it is not water that drowns out flames, but our fire that consumes the very ocean! Now, let us boil them away! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, The Burning of the World, Boiler of Oceans, sweep the enemy away in a wave of flames!¡± ¡°Move!¡± Fenrir shouted. The five of them who were holding monsters away from Azalabulia dove to the sides so that they wouldn¡¯t be in the direct path of her spell. All that was left in her way, aside from the monsters themselves, were some small vines by Oleander to lock enemies in place. And then Azalabulia¡¯s spell was unleashed upon the invaders. Like a wave of the ocean, draconic, black flames spread out from in front of her that grew in size and intensity the farther they went away from her. Her flames consumed all before them within the wedge provided by the players, though the players still stepped back some more to avoid the incredible heat coming from the waves of fire. The fire even reached out over shallow water to burn away the rest of the approaching monsters. By the time that the flames dissipated, not a single monster was left standing. Any and all bodies exposed directly to the flames were left charred and smoking. Yet before they could even begin to prematurely celebrate, more monsters rose from the deep. And this time, they were larger and more powerful looking ¨C they were even more intimidating than those encountered in the cave. Even worse, there were still dozens of the smaller and weaker variants accompanying them. ¡°Se-seriously?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Are we really supposed to be able to win against somethin¡¯ like this?¡± Fenrir caught Azalabulia as she collapsed from exhaustion. She was totally spent. Not one more spell could be cast from her. Furthermore, all the healers and other magic users who were responsible for surviving as long as they did were also low on mana or depleted of it. More than a few players died. Those who were still alive were exhausted and incapable of fighting for much longer. Meanwhile, the approaching monsters were greater in number than they were at the beginning and even stronger monsters accompanied them now. ¡°Damn it,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°We need to get out of here.¡± ¡°To actually lose against a bunch of fish¡­ ain¡¯t that frustratin¡¯,¡± Tabitha said and sighed along with him. ¡°Everybody!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Gather the dead and run toward the mountains! We¡¯ll regroup with those upstream!¡± While there was no bringing back the dead without resurrection magic, which required more mana than what any of the healers had, they could at least secure the corpses of the dead players so that they could get their gear back upon respawning. Dying itself might not have been a big deal but losing everything on them was. Then they heard what sounded like magic being charged up. It was subtle, but Fenrir saw a pulsating, blue glow come from the corner of his eyes. When he looked toward it¡­ he saw Ilo with a severed rope hanging from around her body as she reached up out of the water. The scales along her back began to glow one by one, starting from her tail and ending at those sticking out from the top of her head, and her eyes were set on the intruding monsters with killing intent burning within them. Ilo opened her mouth and let out that jet of extremely pressurized water ¨C the same attack used to cut a hole through the gorilla monster¡¯s chest, and swept it across the approaching enemies. Even the largest and bulkiest looking of the fish monsters had their bodies severed in half as the jet of water cut them through with ease. Every single one of the approaching monsters was killed by Ilos¡¯s attack. She swept her head from side to side to move the jet of water across the entire battlefield. Not one monster was left standing. Including Ilos. Ilos¡¯s scales returned to normal as she fell into the water of the river. Fenrir could tell that she was alive still, but she used every last ounce of energy that she had in order to save them. Yet¡­ Fenrir looked out to the ocean, expecting more monsters to reveal themselves just as they did after Azalabulia¡¯s attack. None came. The minutes that came afterward were tense and silent. Nobody knew what to expect. Was this the start of the battle they were preparing for? Was this only a small encounter to lead up to the final confrontation? Were more monsters on the way? None of them knew what to expect. It was only after ten minutes passed that everybody let down their guards to relax and collapse on the sands of the beach. The small force of players with unfinished defenses were able to hold back the monsters. While there were losses amongst their side, they stood victorious. They won. ¡°I need to start fishing more. This might not have happened if somebody caught all these fish before they could turn into monsters,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s how it works,¡± Tabitha said, ¡°but if it means not havin¡¯ to smell¡­ this, then I¡¯ll build ya the best trawler you¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Instead of that, just make enough fishing rods to arm an army. Maybe we can beat the Eastern serpent with a really big fishing rod.¡± ¡°If it means not havin¡¯ to smell burnt fish guts¡­ I¡¯ll build ya whatever fishin¡¯ rod ya want.¡± Fenrir and Tabitha looked at each other, each lying on the sand, and bumped fists. Book 6: Chapter 26: Serra glared at the ocean with murderous intent in her eyes. While Azalabulia might have been the one who was known for being the dark and edgy roleplayer, it was Serra who had an evil aura surrounding her. Even Fenrir felt intimidated when he looked over at her and saw just how utterly disappointed she was. Was it the fact that some of the players died during the battle? No. Was it because the monsters dared to attack them? No. There was only one thing that caused Serra feel as she did, and it was not because their allies died nor because of the monsters attacking ¨C at least, not technically because of the monster¡¯s wanting to kill them all. Instead, it was because the monsters dared to interrupt the miniature orgy that Serra had been looking forward to. She clenched her fists at her sides as she looked over the bloody battlefield to the ocean beyond. There would be revenge. There would, without a doubt, come a time for Serra to obtain her revenge against the threat from the ocean for daring to interrupt her lewding session. And whenever that time came, the monsters would regret ever existing in the first place. ¡°It is alright, Serra,¡± Nell said as she wrapped her arms around Serra¡¯s waist from behind. She then very strategically managed to push her breasts up against the back of Serra¡¯s head. A wave of relief washed over Serra as she changed from looking ready to murder somebody to closing her eyes with a calm expression. ¡°You know, Fenny,¡± Oleander said, ¡°seeing the power of boobs makes me wish I was into girls sometimes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be into girls to experience boobs,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Yeah, but the stereotype about being girls¡¯ gay friend has never been true for me. People make it sound like being a gay guy means you get to be with women while they change, can fondle them whenever you want, and all that. Nope. Never once. Fenny, can I borrow one of your girlfriends?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d still get jealous even if I know you¡¯re not actually interested.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be selfish. Share your girlfriends¡¯ boobs with me. Just for a couple of minutes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say that this is like me asking for you to share Corwin¡¯s dick, but¡­ both you and him would probably be fine with that.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s to let a girl who¡¯s not into men just poke it around to see what it¡¯s like, sure. I¡¯d totally let her try mine out, too.¡± Fenrir shrugged and returned his attention to the sight of the battlefield before them. As interesting as their conversation was, there was a much more important matter to take care of. They were attacked and only managed to hold the enemy back thanks to Azalabulia¡¯s overwhelming magic and Ilo¡¯s overpowered water jet. Had the enemy continued to arrive in number ¨C had they arrived with even half of their full force, then there would have been no hope to defeat them. The monsters that were defeated were but only slightly more in number than those killed in the cave when helping out GG and his fellow draconic players. And that was not even considering the implications created by seeing Ilo so injured. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) That was why, even though Ilo was so injured and in desperate need of rest, Fenrir desperately had to know what happened to her. He walked over to the river where Ilo was resting, The Shoebill now alongside her as it had returned, and beckoned for her to come closer. ¡°I know you¡¯re tired and hurt, and you¡¯re incredibly awesome and I love you for how you wrecked those monsters, but I need to know what happened to you,¡± Fenrir said, holding a hand out to her. Ilo gave him a small huff before approaching and pressing her head up against his hand. Physical contact was not needed to establish the mental link necessary to show him her memories, but she wanted to be petted. She shared this want with him, so Fenrir smiled and got to petting the scales between her eyes as she dived into her memories with his mind in tow. Far below the ocean¡¯s surface, Ilo swam alongside schools of fish as she approached the underwater army¡¯s location. Checking up on them to make sure that they were in place had become an ordinary thing for her. It was part of her routine. After all, making sure that they weren¡¯t on the move was important in protecting her friends. If the monsters were moving, she needed to warm them about it. But she never got to see whether the army was on the move or not. She never got to see the small force on the way to assault her friends. Instead, she came under attack by more serpents just like her. Five of them. While the five serpents were not as large nor as individually powerful as her, there was no way for her to defend against their number. Their ambush of her meant that one of the serpents had its fangs dug into her neck before she even realized what was going on in the dark waters. The rest of the serpents latched onto her body as well, each one tearing into her with deadly fangs that pierced her scales with minimal effort. Fenrir did not want to watch, but he had to. He had to see if there was anything else. There wasn¡¯t. The five serpents¡¯ fangs were dragged through her body as she thrashed around trying to escape, causing those long gashes in her body. All of her injuries ¨C all of the attacks that brought her so close to death were from those serpents, and she wasn¡¯t even able to fight back against them. The most she managed to do was bite one of them on the neck, but two attacked her neck at the same time which forced her to release the serpent in her mouth. The good news was that Ilo was wise enough to realize when she was in an unwinnable battle. Rather than try to fight them, Ilo broke free and swam away as fast as she possibly could with a trail of blood left in her wake. Yet the other serpents pursued. Just as it looked like the serpents were going to catch up to her, the water reverberated around Ilo and the others. The distant roar was powerful enough to vibrate the waters even as far away from the source as the serpents were. It was the roar of the serpent ¨C the Eastern serpent. The serpents in pursuit of Ilo immediately ended their pursuit to turn around and return to the Eastern serpent as Ilo continued back to the river as quickly as she could. The rest was history. ¡°Shit,¡± Fenrir said, bringing his other hand up to Ilo¡¯s head. One hand could be used to rub between her eyes while the other stroked under her jaw. ¡°You did your best. And you survived. That¡¯s all that matters.¡± Ilo closed her eyes to relax and enjoy the comfort his hands brought her. Unfortunately, she was the only one feeling any sort of relaxation. Fenrir just discovered that the enemy not only has an underwater enemy led by one of the largest serpents in the world, but that there were five more serpents to worry about, too. If they had access to abilities like Ilo¡¯s water jet while above water, then how were the players going to defend against that? More importantly, what about the ships that were supposed to assist them from the water? Thus far, they were under the assumption that the underwater monsters were restricted to the floor of the ocean. They had to walk, climb, and so on. They could not easily swim and, if they could, fighting while swimming was not an option. They were like corpses shambling across the ocean floor rather than swimmers. But if there are five serpents nearly as large as Ilo, they could easily rip into the hulls of any supporting ships. They could destroy all support from the ocean while not being able to get attacked back. ¡°Fuck,¡± Fenrir sighed to himself. There was only one option that he could think of to defend against this new threat. Fishing. Spearfishing to be more specific. Just like how they were supposed to catch Ilo during that fishing tournament back in Port Tugator, they could potentially use ship-mounted ballistae to defend against the serpents. But would that be enough? How were they going to actually hit the serpents if the serpents were fast enough to avoid the shots or careful enough to stay out of firing range? All it would take for one of the serpents to be safe was biting onto the hull of an allied ship and keeping its body close to it. Even if it could potentially be shot at still, any attack would most likely harm the ship it was latched onto as well. They needed a way to defend against the serpents without resorting to friendly fire during the process. ¡°We either need weaponized fishing or some more underwater friends,¡± Fenrir said with another sigh. ¡°Weaponized fishing is harder. Underwater friends¡­ I think you¡¯re our only one. I¡¯m not sure how many fish would be interested in helping anybody around here with how much fishing is done, plus I don¡¯t think fish, even sharks, would be of much help against those serpents.¡± And then Fenrir heard it. Fenrir heard her. Ilo¡­ purred? The noise she made wasn¡¯t technically a purr, but a purr was the closest sound that Fenrir could compare whatever the noise she was making to. That forced him out of his concerned thoughts. As important as the upcoming battle and planning a strategy for it was, right now he wanted to comfort Ilo. She deserved his attention. If he could make her feel better after everything she had been through, he was definitely going to make her purr more than she ever purred before. ¡°You okay, Azawaza?¡± Serra asked, crouching down in front of the exhausted Azalabulia. ¡°You look awfully tired,¡± Nell said, standing by Serra¡¯s side. ¡°Would you like a massage as a reward for your efforts?¡± ¡°That ¨C that sounds nice,¡± Azalabulia admitted. She was hardly able to stay upright as she sat on her knees. ¡°Our cruel hero, fighting alongside you in battle only to abandon you for another upon its end,¡± Nell teased, moving back Azalabulia so that she could begin massaging her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s alright. He checked on me before you,¡± Azalabulia paused to hold back a moan caused from the massage, ¡°be-before you came back.¡± ¡°I was only teasing. I have faith that he would not go with Oleander and then Ilo before checking on you. Besides¡­ I would not be able to guilt him if he did forget to check on you.¡± Nell¡¯s tone told the girls all that they needed to hear. ¡°How is he?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Stressed, to put it simply. Look around. Do you see any celebrations? The people are tired ¨C exhausted. One can tell from the sight of the beach that the battle was hard-fought and not without friendly losses. Those who survived are all as our dearest Azalabulia. To have been so hard-pressed from what may only be considered a minor skirmish, it is no surprise that there is such stress in the air. And¡­ I may not know the specifics yet, but something was shared between Ilo and my hero that caused his stress to grow only deeper. Even I am worried about whatever it is he may have learned from her. It most likely had to do with what led to her injuiries.¡± There was silence between the girls for a few moments before Serra spoke up to say, ¡°I¡¯m annoyed.¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°The monsters are ruining our fun. I want to kill them.¡± ¡°I am sure most if not all here feel the same.¡± ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m weak. I don¡¯t know how to fight.¡± ¡°You excel with stationary firearms, do you not?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m useless without them.¡± ¡°Not a single soul would call you useless, my dearest Serra.¡± ¡°But I am. I¡¯m weak. Cass Cass can fight and heal. Azawaza can blow stuff up. You can fight and protect. Eva is really strong. Fen always fights his hardest and is smart. All I can do is use weapons where all I do is aim them. It¡¯s not fair to the rest of you.¡± ¡°You are not obligated to be powerful, Serra. Many who play this game are those who simply wish to live second lives. They do not fight, they do not partake in epic battles nor grand quests ¨C they simply live out their virtual lives. There is no shame in how you have helped us thus far.¡± ¡°But I want to get stronger. I want to help more.¡± ¡°Well, if that is what you truly wish for, there is plenty of opportunity for you to grow stronger. Whether it be with blades or arrows, magic or crafting, support or explosions ¨C there are many options available to you. You must simply choose one for yourself.¡± ¡°I ¨C I can teach you explosions,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Do you want to learn explosions?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how I want to help,¡± Serra said. ¡° I know I want to help but I don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°You already provide a boost to morale in a way, for what it is worth,¡± Nell said. ¡°Lewd things don¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Then you will have to think about what you would like to do in greater detail. Perhaps you could try out various routes to see which you are most interested in? Cassiel could teach you swordswomanship and healing. Azalabulia may teach you how to cause the grandest of explosions. My hero could teach you how to brawl and strategize. Tabitha could turn you into another engineer. Oleander and I could both teach you our own variations of magic. Perhaps Eva could enlighten you in the ways of body transfiguration. Whatever it is that you are interested in, we are here to assist you.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°That is alright, my dearest Serra. Take some time to think about this.¡± ¡°But there isn¡¯t any time. We don¡¯t know when we might be attacked again.¡± ¡°Fortunately for us, this world is a virtual one. Even if something is to happen ¨C even if we lose and die, we will still be alive the next day. We¡ª¡± ¡°But it¡¯s important to Fen. Fen doesn¡¯t want anybody to get hurt. If the NPCs die then they die. I want to help him protect them but there isn¡¯t enough time to get stronger. I always let everybody else do all the work.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ you are right, my apologies. I should not take my hero¡¯s wishes for the safety of artificial lives so lightly, even if I do not quite see them the same way that he does. It is important to him, so we should do our best to support him.¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t want to see him sad.¡± ¡°Neither do I, so we must do our best.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll do my best, too,¡± Azalabulia said before standing up and away from Nell¡¯s rubbing hands. ¡°I need to get stronger.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Nell asked. ¡°You already have the most destructive magic out of us all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get stronger. Fenrir¡­ h-he may be my sworn rival, but I wish to protect his dream as well! I will obtain an even greater mastery over Bahamut¡¯s twisted flames! My magic will grow deadlier than ever before and I will train my body to handle even greater stores of mana! If I do, then ¨C then¡­ I¡¯ll be able to protect his smile. A-and by protecting his smile, I¡¯ll¡­ I-I¡¯ll protect yours, too¡­¡± ¡°A simple, ¡®I will protect all of your smiles,¡¯ would suffice.¡± ¡°Fi-fine! I, Azalabulia, vow that I ¨C I will protect all of your smiles!¡± ¡°Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Protector of Smiles. I do like how those work together.¡± ¡°It ¨C it is not a title that I ever expected to obtain¡­ but I will wear it with pri-pride!¡± Nell clapped for Azalabulia as the roleplaying woman struck somewhat of a triumphant and determined pose. Meanwhile, Serra looked over at Fenrir and thought about what she could do to help more. If she could try to change in real life to stick up for those who she cared about, why couldn¡¯t she do the same in a virtual reality? Shouldn¡¯t changing be even easier in a virtual world? Yet being able to fight on her own ¨C being able to protect herself without a giant cannon or repeating turret seemed impossible. She was not even able to imagine it no matter how hard she tried to. Every attempt at visualizing it within her mind was met with failure and being saved by the others. While they all trained to better themselves in-game, she hung around and watched, seduced them into doing lewd things, or helped with trivial labor. She did nothing that others could not replace her in and most likely do even better. It seemed like everybody around her was incredible and unique. They all fought in their own styles, they worked hard to improve themselves even if it didn¡¯t always seem like it ¨C they were strong. They were motivated. They were determined. But Serra only just felt motivated for the first time and it was out of guilt. Not only that, but she was already so behind everybody else. Being able to fire cannons and ballistae and other long-range weapons like those was fine and all¡­ but what if the enemies got too close to use those? What if they were being overrun and nobody was there to protect her? Even with the latest battle, she was sent to stay on The Shoebill rather than asked to help and defend everybody. Somebody else could have easily steered The Shoebill to safety. That was just one more thing that anybody could do. Before Serra realized it, she was already away from everybody else. She was so lost in her self-conscious thoughts that she just walked and walked until she was all alone. Well, all alone except for one other. Serra looked up at the figure standing before her. A pair of soulless, black eyes on a yellow mask with an artificial smile below them looked right back at her. Meanwhile aboard The Shoebill, Cassiel and Eva were still lying down in hammocks right next to each other. They positioned themselves in a such a way so that their heads were right behind each other, making talking between them easier. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe we did that,¡± Cassiel said. The realization of what happened during the battle finally hit her. ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Eva asked. ¡°No, I¡­ I don¡¯t regret it or anything. I just¡­ can¡¯t believe I actually did that.¡± ¡°I guess I feel the same.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re so calm about this. After what we did in front of everybody¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care if we were watched.¡± ¡°How can you not care about something like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about what most people think. The only people whose opinions I care about can be counted on two hands. It used to be one hand before I met all of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to not care, but it¡¯s not that easy. I was raised to always think about what everybody else thinks. I was always supposed to be presentable and respectful and never act out of line¡­ probably why I rebelled so much by dating assholes.¡± ¡°You dated other people before this?¡± ¡°Yeah, unfortunately.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had lots of guys want to date me before¡­ but it never worked out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I thought guys loved girls like you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You know. You¡¯re¡­ quirky and stuff.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s why it didn¡¯t work out. When I was a kid, my neighbor said he wanted to marry me when we got older. He stopped talking to me when I picked up a spider bigger than my hand and let it walk on me. I think he cried.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I had another friend who said he liked me, but he stopped talking to me after he came to my house after school. All I did was show him my rock and bug collection.¡± ¡°Bastard.¡± ¡°There was another time in high school where a guy I had multiple classes with always tried to talk to me¡­ but he was¡­ vapid. He just¡­ wasn¡¯t interesting. He claimed to like science and philosophy and politics and everything, but his opinions were always the same as the majority and he never took more than a sentence to explain his beliefs. His personality wasn¡¯t shallow but his mind was.¡± ¡°I ¨C I feel kind of bad for him. Sorry, but I¡¯m not exactly¡­ you know, that smart either. You¡¯d be better off talking to Fen or Aza about smart stuff. Maybe Nell for political and philosophical stuff.¡± A heavy sigh left Cassiel¡¯s lips. ¡°I just realized I¡¯m the dumbest one here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not dumb. Even if you are, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just finish talking about how all the guys who were interested in you were lame or dumb?¡± ¡°Yeah, but they were guys. I think my standards are higher for them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kind of insulting.¡± ¡°Wa-wait, I didn¡¯t mean it to be insulting. It¡¯s not that my standards are higher, it¡¯s that¡­ I guess I¡¯ve realized that I¡¯m more interested in women than men? You could say that my standards are technically higher for men, but that¡¯s because I think they¡¯re less interesting by default. I only never realized until recently that my preference for women extended beyond intelligence.¡± ¡°With how you¡¯re explaining things, I¡¯m surprised you fell for Fen in the first place. No offense to him, but it¡¯s not like you ever had any deep and interesting conversations with him, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t understand why I was so interested in him either. That was why I watched and studied all of you.¡± ¡°You need to find a less creepy way of saying that.¡± ¡°Sorry. But now, I think¡­ maybe I was interested in him because my subconscious knew that the rest of you came with him? Wait, that makes it sound like I¡¯m only using him to get to you. Th-that¡¯s not what¡¯s happening. I mean¡­ my subconscious knew that the rest of you were with him, but he was also kind, and funny, and I could tell how much he cared about all of you and tried to treat you all equally while not forgetting his friends either, he was confident and strategic, and¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever had a really interesting discussion, but he makes up for that with everything else.¡± ¡°Well, lucky for you, I think he¡¯s the type who you could have an interesting talk with. He might not talk much about serious things around us, but I¡­ I might have looked through one of his profile¡¯s comments when he left his computer once and I was curious. I¡­ found out that he¡¯s the kind of guy I¡¯d normally ignore online because he types too much to read. Paragraph after paragraph of discussing and debating all sorts of topics. I was expecting to see some memes or pictures of 2D girls in sweaters or something. All I got to see was him debating with anybody who was willing to actually read everything he typed.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eva asked with a tone that expressed just how much more suddenly interested she was. ¡°Yeah. Plus he¡¯s had a few debates with Nell about stuff. I remember one time they were playing with the ferrets, and I went to check on them to see what they wanted for dinner. I was expecting to walk in on them making out or something since¡­ that¡¯s probably what would¡¯ve happened if it was me instead. What I walked in on was a debate on monarchy that made my head hurt trying to follow it. I know that Nell usually only talks about her fantasies, but she¡¯s actually crazy smart. She¡¯s probably the smartest out of us. Then Aza since she¡¯s, you know, a teacher. She might be smarter than Nell but I don¡¯t know. For Fen¡­ I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s smart or just loves to debate stuff without really understanding it. His comments were too long to read and Nell kept on correcting him on things.¡± ¡°What about Serra?¡± ¡°I think Serra¡¯s with me but she¡¯s actually willing to listen to and read confusing things that would make my head hurt trying to pay attention to. Yeah, I really am the dumbest. That¡¯s a realization I would have been happier not making today.¡± Another sigh left Cassiel¡¯s lips. ¡°But¡­ hypothetically, if I wanted to talk about my collections or something¡­ would you be interested?¡± ¡°Sure. I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯m going to understand but I¡¯ll try my best. I won¡¯t be like those assholes who never talked to you again after you tried to share your hobbies with them.¡± ¡°That¡­ makes me happy. Thanks, Cassiel.¡± ¡°Just call me Cass.¡± ¡°C-Cass. Got it.¡± ¡°Try again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ kind of embarrassing calling you a nickname for some reason, Cass.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°Oh, I wanted to ask. I told you about some of my hobbies, so¡­ do you have any?¡± An awkward moment of silence passed before a third sigh left Cassiel¡¯s lips. ¡°God, I¡¯m boring, aren¡¯t I? I don¡¯t even have any hobbies other than playing this game.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you like?¡± ¡°Being a girlfriend and playing a video game. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s all I do. Great. First I make out with you in front of a crowd of people, then I realize that I¡¯m not only the dumbest person I know but probably the least interesting as well. Great, Cass. You go.¡± ¡°What about interests? Is there anything you want to do? Or used to want to do?¡± ¡°Not really. Maybe¡­ when I was younger I used to want to learn to play guitar. That was part of my rebellious phase I guess. I thought it¡¯d be cool to learn to play guitar or bass or something, maybe drums.¡± Eva rolled over in her hammock so that she was on her front and facing Cassiel. ¡°You should learn one of them. Maybe all three. Learning multiple instruments simultaneously actually isn¡¯t that much harder than only learning one at a time. Lots of people even say that learning different instruments improves your ability with all of them. You start off with learning music theory and maybe just one instrument for a couple of months, and then you introduce the others. As long as you know music theory, the rest is just memorizing how to hit the notes.¡± ¡°Did you used to play an instrument or something?¡± ¡°Trumpet. I was in band. Also the chess club.¡± ¡°You¡¯re like the queen of nerds.¡± ¡°Heh, proudly. Fenrir said the same thing.¡± ¡°For some reason, it¡¯s embarrassing thinking that we both said the same thing about you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really similar. Anyways, you should play an instrument. I can help you learn.¡± ¡°Maybe, but definitely not all three.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not a masochist.¡± Cassiel¡¯s cheeks turned a shade of red when she remembered that she was, in fact, a masochist. ¡°That just sounds like too much.¡± ¡°I know you can do it if you apply yourself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe. Learning how to play at least one does sound kind of nice¡­ plus then I might not be the least interesting person I know anymore.¡± ¡°If you learn one of them then we can do duets.¡± ¡°You said you played trumpet. I¡¯m interested in a guitar, bass, or drums. Do any of those even mix with the trumpet?¡± Eva, in the most serious tone that Cassiel had ever heard from her, said, ¡°Never underestimate the trumpet.¡± Book 6: Chapter 27: Normally, getting out the bed that she was sharing with her loved ones was not something that Serra would ever even consider doing. Not only would she not be able to wake them up for more lewd things if she got in the mood, but she would also lose the opportunity to use their bodies as pillows if she got out of bed. However, there were two things. One, the others might have been mentally exhausted from the in-game events, but Serra could not sleep. Two, Serra had plans with somebody in-game. So, as sacrilegious as it may have been, Serra climbed off of the bed and tried her best to stay quiet as she looked around for her virtual reality headset. Fortunately for her, they were all so tired that there was no chance she was going to wake them up. She also made much more noise than she realized she did since she couldn¡¯t exactly hear how much sound she was making while in real life. Serra looked down at the headset and then back over to the bed. Part of her was tempted to skip out on the plans she made with a certain somebody so that she could get back into bed with her boyfriend and girlfriends. She was even more tempted when she saw Cassandra¡¯s oversized sleeping shirt sliding off of her shoulders, providing the smaller girl with a very pleasant view. But she resisted. Serra had plans and it would have been rude to skip out on them, plus she needed to do it if she wanted to become stronger. That was why she sat down in the chair, slipped the headset on, and immersed herself into virtual reality. She was immediately greeted by her virtual assistant ¨C or rather, her virtual assisistants. ¡°Welcome back, mistress!¡± a pseudo Nell said as she bowed while wearing a rather skimpy maid uniform. Meanwhile, Azalabulia was tied up like a pig hanging from a wooden beam, Cassiel was blushing and looking away while wearing some sort of tight, leather outfit, and Fenrir¡­ well, Fenrir was the one on his hands and knees with a gag in his mouth as Serra sat atop his back. Technically, they were all just one virtual assistant. ¡°We need to find out a role for Eva now,¡± Serra told the pseudo Nell. ¡°Certainly! I shall do my best to think of one such role for her while you attend your meeting, mistress.¡± A snap of the pseudo Nell¡¯s fingers later and a copy of Eva appeared right next to her. ¡°Good girl,¡± Serra praised. The pseudo Nell¡¯s tail wagged like a hound¡¯s behind her as she continued the immersion process, officially entering Serra into the world of Fantay Tales Online despite only being out of it for under an hour in the real world. Everybody else was so tired that they immediately wanted to get into bed and didn¡¯t even bother with dinner. At least Ryouta told them that, since they were skipping dinner, it meant they¡¯d need to go out for a really big breakfast. Serra was looking forward to that. Though, at this point, she figured that she¡¯d be staying up all night until it was time to go out for breakfast. Then she¡¯d have to go out and maybe get some coffee so that she could hopefully stay awake throughout the day rather than crash and burn. The last thing that she wanted to do was get onto a sleep schedule where she slept while all of her lovers were awake and vise-versa. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she wasn¡¯t even slightly tired, she¡¯d probably be willing to skip out on the plans and apologize for it later. But that was not the case. Once more in her virtual body within Fantasy Tales Online, Serra looked around to remember where exactly she stopped at. Right. Where else? She was on top of Fenrir. Serra leaned up to kiss the ¡°sleeping¡± Fenrir on the cheek before rolling off of him and the hammock. While all of the players around her were asleep, somebody else was there to greet her. Rock and Shogun lazily lifted their heads up to look at Serra. Serra raised a finger in front of her lips to shush them, even though it wasn¡¯t necessarily at all, and then whispered, ¡°Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep.¡± Rock and Shogun yawned in unison before cuddling back up against each other. Onboard The Shoebill¡¯s deck, Serra looked only to see that it was the middle of the night in this virtual world. The sky was ful of glistening stars belonging to every color of the rainbow, the waves quietly rolled onto the beach as if even they were trying not to disturb all of those slumbering nearby, and various bugs¡¯ chirps were mixed in with the croaking of frogs. All of that combined with the gentle breeze brushing past her features made for a perfect night ¨C a night more serene than any she had ever experienced before. But tranquility was not the purpose of her coming back to the game. She was there to meet somebody. And that somebody was standing right next to The Shoebill on the dock. Those soulless, black eyes stared at Serra as Mister Smiles waved at her. Serra waved back and walked over to him. Or rather¡­ walked over to who she now knew was not a he. At least, Serra was very confident that Mister Smiles was not actually a mister after hearing ¡°his¡± voice earlier. Unfortunately for Serra, even if they were alone and both supposedly girls¡­ Serra still struggled with new people. As far as she was concerned, Mister Smiles was very much a new person to her. And it seemed like Mister Smiles was struggling, too. The stand stood by each other in silence for a few very awkward moments before Serra finally took a deep breath and said, ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Mister Smiles said in return, the young and feminine voice coming from behind the mask nothing like what one would assume them to sound like. ¡°Sorry if¡­ you were waiting a long time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m¡­ used to it.¡± The awkward silence returned. In fact, it returned in such force that it could be compared to when a max-level character in an MMORPG returned to the starting zone to kill everything just by looking in their general direction. The awkward silence was the overpowered character. Serra and Mister Smiles were the starting zone. Serra felt like she should be the one to say something, maybe, but it was Mister Smiles who proposed to help her earlier in the first place after overhearing her conversation with her girlfriends. Shouldn¡¯t Mister Smiles be taking the lead? Serra took another deep breath. If she could want to do horribly lewd things to her lovers while being in a relationship with multiple people, she could talk to somebody with a silly mask. Right? ¡°Will¡­ you really help me?¡± Serra asked. Mister Smiles nodded. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡­ remind me of myself,¡± Mister Smiles answered. ¡°How I used to be.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re surrounded by strong people and feel weak when you look at them, so you want to get stronger¡­ right?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡­ was the same. I see the old me when I look at you.¡± ¡°Are you going to make me look like you?¡± As comedic as Mister Smiles looked, Serra really had no interest in looking anything like them. ¡°No, but if you want people to notice you more, I can give you one of my old masks. No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.¡± ¡°Heh, I know that reference.¡± ¡°You¡­ you do?¡± ¡°Old movies are great.¡± Mister Smiles might have had on a mask that made it impossible to see any sort of facial expression of theirs, but their body language was clear. Mister Smiles was so happy that somebody understood their reference that they couldn¡¯t help but to bounce a little. ¡°I ¨C I love old movies. New movies suck.¡± ¡°Yeah. And¡­ I don¡¯t care about being noticed. I don¡¯t want to be weak. I don¡¯t care about being popular.¡± ¡°Masks are good for both. More people pay attention to you for wearing one, but nobody knows who you are.¡± ¡°Oh, who are you? I forgot to ask.¡± ¡°Mister Smiles is all you need to know.¡± ¡°But how do I know I can trust you?¡± ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t. You have to trust me.¡± ¡°This is starting to sound suspicious.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t mean it to! I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t want to be suspicious. It¡¯s just¡­ talking about the mask is hard. Even talking with it on is hard if I¡¯m not used to somebody, plus¡­ I probably sound weird.¡± ¡°You sound normal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because I¡¯m trying my best to hide my accent.¡± ¡°You have an accent?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s one of those ones that people hate.¡± ¡°I wanna hear it.¡± ¡°W-why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m deaf in real life. I don¡¯t get to hear lots of accents.¡± Mister Smiles took a step back before sighing. ¡°Now I feel bad¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°N-no. I guess it¡¯s¡­ ah guess it¡¯s fine.¡± Serra smiled as soon as she heard what she assumed was the slightest show of Mister Smile¡¯s accent. ¡°S-see?! Yer ¨C yer smilin¡¯! Yer just gonna make fun of me like¡ª¡± ¡°I like it. It¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°Cu-cute? There ¨C there ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ cute about it!¡± ¡°Thanks for letting my hear it. You can stop if you want to. I think it¡¯s cute but I don¡¯t want you to force yourself.¡± ¡°It ¨C it ain¡¯t like ah¡¯m forcin¡¯ it er anythin¡¯. Ah actually kinda like bein¡¯ able ta talk like this if ya really don¡¯t mind it¡­¡± ¡°I like it a lot. You can talk however you want.¡± ¡°Th-then ah guess ah can keep it up. Just don¡¯t let the others hear ¡®bout this. Especially¡­ especially¡­ y-ya know¡­ him.¡± ¡°Fen?¡± Mister Smiles lowered their head and tapped their fingers together in front of them. Even better than sharing an interest in movies, sharing an interest in Fenrir made it even easier for Serra to relate to Mister Smiles. Mister Smiles went from being a friendly stranger to a fellow deviant of culture. Well, the deviant part was still pending, but Mister Smiles had to have good taste if they were interested in her boyfriend. ¡°Sorry if this sounds rude,¡± Serra said, ¡°but are you helping me to get closer to him?¡± ¡°A-ah ¨C there¡¯s no¡­ no way¡­ well¡­ maybe¡­ b-but ah¡¯m serious when ah say ah want to help ya, too! Ya really are just like tha old me¡­¡± Serra tried to think back to what could have caused Mister Smiles to gain such an attraction to Fenrir so quickly. As far as Serra knew, today ¨C well, technically the previous day, it was their first time ever meeting. What could it have been? Sure, Fenrir was great like always, but if just being great via simply existing was enough to make girls fall for him then he would have a harem of the entire world by now. So, what else could it have been? And then Serra realized it. ¡°Oh. It was the neck,¡± she said. Mister Smiles waved their arms around in a panic while rapidly shaking their head from side to side. ¡°Ah ain¡¯t ¨C ah ain¡¯t so easy that ah¡¯ll fall for somebody just because they bit mah neck! Even ¨C even if it did feel really good!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Most of us fell for him for weaker reasons than that, I think.¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing er a bad thing¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a thing thing.¡± Serra wasn¡¯t even trying to be funny yet she got a genuine chuckle out from behind Mister Smiles¡¯ mask. ¡°We can talk about him later if you want,¡± Serra said. ¡°I want to get stronger first.¡± ¡°Right. That¡¯s why yer here. Sorry,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°Let¡¯s go into the forest.¡± ¡°Suspicious.¡± ¡°Ah promise I don¡¯t goet any suspicious reaons. Ah just can¡¯t¡­ ya know, if ah¡¯m comfyh enough ta let ya hear mah accent, ah don¡¯t see why ah can¡¯t let ya see me for real.¡± ¡°For real? Did you do the same thing as me? Sera asked. It might have been a simple figure of speech to most people but, as somebody who actually made her in-game avatar look exactly like her real body, she took it very seriously in this context. And she wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Ye-yeah¡­ ah never played much games before this¡¯un. Ah didn¡¯t know it ain¡¯t exactly safe ta do somethin¡¯ like ¡®at.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Being fake is overrated.¡± ¡°Yer¡­ yer sayin¡¯ ¡®at to somebody who hides her voice and looks,¡± Mister Smiles said, subtly confirming that Serra was ninety-nine percent sure about. Mister Smiles was, in fact, a she. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Serra said. Mister Smiles might have been the one who took initiative by offering to help Serra grow stronger, but now Serra was the one in control of the situation if anything. Sure, she might have still had some minor suspicions, but she was the one flustering Mister Smiles, leading the conversation, and she even became the first of the two girls to walk toward the forest. Serra wasn¡¯t even sure at this point that Mister Smiles would actually be able to help her at all. So far, it seemed like Serra was the one who was going to be helping Mister Smiles. But that was alright. Whoever ended up helping the other, Serra was in need of some way to pass the time since she couldn¡¯t sleep. It was either hang out with Mister Smiles in-game or return to reality and maybe try playing with the ferrets, but that would require waking them up. So, really, it came down to hanging out with Mister Smiles or probably doing nothing other than lazily browsing the internet out of desperation. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) Once they reached the forest, the two girls went far enough into it so that nobody would be able to see them from outside of it. Somebody would really have to purposely go hunting for them in order to find them. ¡°Al-alright,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t be too surprised, alright?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be,¡± Serra replied. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you look like. You could be rainbow colored and I wouldn¡¯t care.¡± Plus Mister Smiles wouldn¡¯t be the first rainbow-themed person around. ¡°Then¡­ then turn ahround,¡± Mister Smiles said. Serra nodded and turned around. The next thing she heard was ¨C well, she couldn¡¯t tell what exactly the sound was since it was unlike anything she had ever heard before. The only sound she was able to recognize was the zipper sound effect, so Serra assumed that Mister Smiles must have been removing her mask. ¡°A-alright. Ya can look now,¡± Mister Smiles said. Serra, not even knowing what to expect since she didn¡¯t really care in the first place, turned around. Most likely, any possible guess for how Mister Smiles looked would have been wrong if Serra had tried to think one up. Mister Smiles might have looked like a regular, realistic human, but¡­ she looked nothing like any of the other players they had encountered thus far. Even something as simple as the darker color of her skin was an extreme contrast against everybody they lived by in real life. One would think that an avalanche somehow blanketed all of their neighbors. But Mister Smiles, the one who was previously regarded as a man in a glorified speedo with a muscular, smiling mask on over his head, was nothing like who now stood before Serra. Well, except for the height. The height was still the same which easily made her the tallest out of all of Serra¡¯s girlfriends¡­ and a good head taller than Fenrir. In real life at least. In-game, Mister Smiles and Fenrir were a match for height. Mister Smiles was a tall woman with dark skin, yellow eyes, and short, black hair that didn¡¯t even reach past her shoulders. She also lacked the exaggerating muscles that Mister Smiles had, but she was still toned enough that her biceps had clear bumps, her abs were clearly defined, and her thighs looked like they were more than capable of crushing a watermelon between them. And, of course, Serra couldn¡¯t help but to look at Mister Smile¡¯s chest. Then Serra looked down at her own chest. Somehow, despite being significantly shorter and overall smaller in every single way than Mister Smiles¡­ Serra was the bustier one for once. Tall, dark, muscular, and as flat as possible while having a cute face, short hair, and a country gal¡¯s accent. Needless to say, Serra was impressed. She was impressed that Mister Smiles¡¯ real body was so different and expectation-defying. Serra didn¡¯t even have any expectations yet her expectations were still thoroughly denied. Furthermore, sitting on a pile on the ground next to Mister Smiles was the full body suit that she wore with her mask sitting on top of it. All she had on now were boots, short shorts, and a small tank top that stopped short of her abdomen. ¡°Ya ¨C ya don¡¯t have ta stare at me so much. Ah know ah look weird,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°Not weird,¡± Serra replied. ¡°Really cute. Really, really cute.¡± Mister Smiles¡¯ cheeks blush was subtle as her cheeks were already dark to begin with, but Serra had become the master of picking up on the sometimes-subtle blushes of her girlfriends. And boyfriend. Serra always knew when Fenrir was blushing either in-game or in real life. Serra also had a very hard time not staring directly at Mister Smiles¡¯ thighs. Right now, even more than growing stronger, Serra wanted her face to be pressed between those thighs. She wanted to feel the soul get squeezed out of her by having Mister Smiles¡¯ thighs crushing her head. Even if it meant popping like a watermelon, Mister Smiles¡¯ athletic thighs were worth it. ¡°Do¡­ do ya really think so?¡± Mister Smiles asked. ¡°Yeah. Fen would think you¡¯re super hot, too,¡± Serra answered. Mister Smiles¡¯ blush grew even darker. ¡°A-ah ain¡¯t lettin¡¯ ¡®im see me! Ah ¨C ah ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ like tha rest of ya. Yer all so¡­ ya know, pretty ¡®nd feminine and stuff. And¡­ ya know.¡± ¡°White?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ ah figured that¡¯s the kind of gal he likes. N-not ¡®at there¡¯s anythin¡¯ wrong with ¡®at. Ah just figured¡­ it¡¯d be nice ta entertain tha thought. Maybe ah¡¯ve just been single fer too long now¡­¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s coincidence. Fen doesn¡¯t care about stuff like that. None of us do.¡± Serra didn¡¯t know it, but she opened up the gates by saying that. And there was no stopping what was about to come next. ¡°Yeah, ¡®at¡¯s what they all say. Last boy ah was with was the one who got me playin¡¯ this game. He made such a huge deal about how acceptin¡¯ he was ¡®nd everythin¡¯¡­ but ah found out he didn¡¯t really give two shits about acceptin¡¯ me fer however ah look. Ah was just a fetish ta him. Found out he was postin¡¯ to online forums all dedicated to findin¡¯ girls like me and creepy stuff like ¡®at. He wouldn¡¯t shut up about how he was datin¡¯ an ¡®exotic¡¯ gal and even posted pictures of me that ah didn¡¯t even know he took. After tryin¡¯ so hard to become stronger for him¡­ ah ended up tossin¡¯ him away as soon as I learned about how much of a creep he was.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Serra said. Realizing that she might have just opened up about something too personal far too soon when that was nowhere near close to the point of heading into the forest alone together¡­ Mister Smiles¡¯ forehead became a bit sweaty. ¡°S-sorry about ¡®at. Ah ain¡¯t sayin¡¯ yer all like ¡®at or anythin¡¯, ah just¡­ have a bad experience with people actin¡¯ like they don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°We really don¡¯t care. You¡¯re not a fetish to us, either. I think. Nell¡¯s into monsters and illegal stuff. Cass is like you and likes being bit. Azawaza¡­ I¡¯m not sure yet. Fen likes sweaters. He really likes sweaters. And I¡¯m getting into BDSM stuff. I don¡¯t think any of us want to do lewd things to somebody just because they¡¯re black.¡± ¡°¡®at¡¯s¡­ ah guess it¡¯s nice knowin¡¯ ¡®at. N-not yer fetishes or anythin¡¯, but¡­ knowin¡¯ ¡®at I ain¡¯t one of them. Ah mean, ah know ¡®at it¡¯s only the minority ¡®nd all, and ah probably worry about it way more ¡®an ah should, but tha man ah was with for a few years pulled that on me, so ah guess it¡¯s kinda an irrational fear now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. The only part of you I¡¯m fetishizing are your thighs. And your accent.¡± ¡°Yer ¨C yer pretty honest¡­ ah don¡¯t know how ah¡¯m supposed to react ta that¡­¡± ¡°I kinda know how you feel.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°The fetish thing. It¡¯s never happened to me, but I¡¯ve seen people online talk about how they¡¯re sad that technology can almost always fix people now since it ruined their fantasies. I¡¯ve seen guys talk about how they wish they had girlfriends in wheelchairs and stuff so that the girls would be dependent on them to reach high stuff, get help if they fall, and other stuff. It was always kind of gross.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ya did say yer deaf, didn¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Sorry. Bein¡¯ turned into a fetish over a disability has gotta be worse ¡®an bein¡¯ turned into one over skin color.¡± ¡°No. They¡¯re equally bad. Oh, and I get to be Fen¡¯s ¡®cute deaf gf¡¯ which I know would make them all jealous since they¡¯ll never have a girl like me. The people who fetishize us never get to end up with us.¡± ¡°Yeah, ¡®at¡¯s a good way of lookin¡¯ at it.¡± Similar interest in movies, similar interest in men, similar opinions on being fetishized, and accepting each other for who they are without making any big deal over it ¨C the two girls didn¡¯t even realize how close to one another they grew in the short time since meeting up at the dock. They started off barely even being able to talk to each othe,r but now they were more than happy to discuss serious matters together. Mister Smiles got to rant about her ex boyfriend and Serra got to talk about the weird people she¡¯d met who were upset that disabled people were now less disabled. Sure, Serra might have wanted to be fetishized in most ways, but that was because she chose to present herself in such a fetishizable way to her lovers. She wanted them to fetishize her. She did not want random creeps on the internet to fetishize her simply for being deaf. If she was going to be fetishized, it was going to be because of what she wanted to be fetishized over. Such as her petite body. Or her lewd personality. So on and so on. ¡°By the way, we¡¯re hiring,¡± Serra said. ¡°Hi-hirin¡¯? Whatcha mean?¡± Mister Smiles asked. ¡°We¡¯re hiring new girlfriends. You can apply whenever you want, but you have to make the others like you, too. We¡¯re a group package.¡± ¡°Ah ¨C ah barely know ya and yer sayin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like ¡®at!¡± ¡°I¡¯m jumping to the point. If you like Fen then it¡¯s okay to let you know. It will save time if you know it¡¯s okay right away. You¡¯re even allowed to flirt with him in front of us and stuff.¡± ¡°Ah could never!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still allowed to.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m puttin¡¯ my stuff back on after we¡¯re done ¡®ere and not takin¡¯ it off again. Ah¡¯m fine sticking around in the back and admirin¡¯ from a distance¡­¡± ¡°That makes you sound like a stalker. Fen already had one. I don¡¯t think he wants another.¡± ¡°Ah ¨C ah ain¡¯t a stalker! Ah¡¯m just¡­ ah ain¡¯t gonna get all head-over-heels over a guy just because he attacked mah weakpoint¡­¡± ¡°Your neck is your weakpoint?¡± ¡°Ah mean¡­ a-ah never said ¡®at¡­ exactly¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you stay around then Fen will probably do other things to make you fall in love with him. It¡¯s only a matter of time. Then you¡¯ll love the rest of us by extension. We make him do all the hard work.¡± ¡°What¡­ what do ya mean by that?¡± ¡°Fen does lots of stuff for people without realizing it. He helped me survive at first by feeding me and clothing me when I had no idea what to do, then he always treated me just like any friend. He let Cass penetrate him with her spear from behind and always ended up turning her on whenever they had practice fights, plus he punched a guy who was being a dick to her at her real job. Nell was somebody¡¯s slave when he rescued her. Azawaza was lonely and scared most people away, but Fen accepted her and played along with her without any other intentions. Then he helped Eva with some stuff and almost died saving her during a battle.¡± ¡°He¡­ he did all ¡®at?¡± ¡°Yeah. Every day that you spend around him increases the chances of something bad happening to you that he saves you from. Or it increases the chances of him accidentally turning you on without realizing it. Nudge nudge. Wink wink.¡± ¡°H-heh, ah know ¡®at reference. ¡®nd it¡¯s not like he got me that worked up¡­ ¡®at¡¯s a lie. Geez, ah really have been single fer too long¡­¡± ¡°See? No matter what you do, if you stay around Fen, he¡¯ll save you or turn you on. It always happens. Tabs is the only exception, but that¡¯s because she¡¯s not into guys. He¡¯s been super supportive of her and kinda saved her in a way before.¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t know if yer makin¡¯ ¡®im sound more like a good person or a womanizer.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s technically both. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not good with big words.¡± ¡°Heh, ah know tha feelin¡¯. Anywho¡­ ah brought ya out here so we could train. Let¡¯s stop talkin¡¯ about ¡®im and all that other stuff. Let¡¯s focus on gettin¡¯ ya stronger so that ya can be proud of yerself. Sound good?¡± Mister Smiles cracked her fingers and neck while waiting for a response. Serra smiled and nodded, giving Mister Smiles exactly the response that she was hoping for. ¡°Yeah. I want to get strong enough so that I can be the one who protects others sometimes. Fen is the only one who gets to conveniently act like a main character in a story, so that¡¯s not fun. I want to be like a main character, too.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have ta make ya like a main character! That means we¡¯ve got ta get ya some ultimate attacks, maybe an epic weapon, ¡®nd all that other stuff. Ah can try ta help ya with those but, fer now, ah¡¯m thinkin¡¯ that ah can teach ya tha basics of fightin¡¯. How ta move around on the battlefield, how to fight without a weapon in case ya ever lose yers, stuff like ¡®at.¡± ¡°Will I become like you were I don¡¯t die no matter how much I get hurt?¡± ¡°Heh, ya¡¯d have to steal mah gear from me for ¡®at. That there suit ¡®nd mask are some of the best equips ya can find in this game. They were personally crafted for me by the leader of the Desert Stalkers herself! Ah¡ª¡± ¡°Desert Stalkers?¡± ¡°Ya ¨C ya didn¡¯t hear nothin¡¯.¡± ¡°I heard you say you got them crafted by the leader of the Desert Stalkers.¡± Mister Smiles looked away, holding her hands together behind her back as she tried¡ªand failed¡ªto innocently whistle. ¡°Are you like a secret spy or something?¡± Serra teased. Mister Smiles froze in place and her face quickly became drenched in sweat. ¡°Ah ¨C ah don¡¯t know what yer talkin¡¯ about¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Okay,¡± Serra said and shrugged. ¡°Can you still teach me how to get stronger?¡± Mister Smiles relaxed and wiped the sweat off of her face. ¡°Yeah, course ah can.¡± Somehow, she was able to convince Serra that she really didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. Meanwhile, Serra realized that it probably wasn¡¯t a good idea to call out a spy to their face, and she was definitely going to tell Fenrir about her being a spy later. Book 6: Chapter 28: ¡°So, Mister Smiles is a spy,¡± Fenrir confirmed with Serra. Later in the day, while exhausted with bags under her eyes to make her look more like the stereotypical sleepy, short girl who spoke with a monotone voice in anime that she was always meant to be, Serra told Fenrir about her meeting with Mister Smiles and also told him about the hours and hours of training they did. She even told him all about killing her very first slime while barely managing to stay awake for the explanation, earning her a pat on the head from Fenrir. Meanwhile, Fenrir looked like the stereotypical harem protagonist from harem anime that he was always meant to be. While Cassiel sat next to him, leaning her back against his side, Nell was in the process of giving his shoulders a massage, Azalabulia sat on his other side and was so distracted by imagining new names for her spells that she didn¡¯t notice she was borderline rubbing against his side, and then there was Serra sitting across from him telling him all about what happened with Mister Smiles. That wasn¡¯t what was making Fenrir more like a harem protagonist, of course. Instead, it was her playing with his feet using her own underneath the table as they talked. Occasionally, she would slide her feet up along his legs and toward his thighs before getting stopped by him closing his legs together around her feet to trap them. The only one not doing anything to make Fenrir the object of every man¡¯s jealousy was Eva. Eva was too busy dissecting an insect she found and drawing what she saw inside on a piece of paper. As for why, her concentration on the task was too high for any of them to get an answer out of her. All they knew was that she sat down, cut open an insect, and began to draw it while writing the occasional note down to go along with the drawing. Most of Cassiel¡¯s attention was on what Eva was doing. As much as it made her cringe, she couldn¡¯t look away from it. As for the harem protagonist ¨C well, perhaps he wasn¡¯t too stereotypical since what he was doing was probably more involved with his ¡°harem members¡± than most harems throughout their entire series combined. Serra alone ensured that Fenrir would never fall into the status of a truly stereotypical harem protagonist as she would never allow him to be dense to everything sexual. ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra said, once more confirming what she learned about Mister Smiles. ¡°Oh. Did I say I killed a slime?¡± ¡°Multiple times,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. My little Serra is all grown up.¡± Serra looks down at her chest and gropes it. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any bigger.¡± ¡°You grew up on the inside.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one way to test that.¡± Fenrir tilted his head just before Serra formed an O-shape with one hand¡¯s fingers to thrust a finger from her other hand into. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I feel even slightly surprised by that,¡± Fenrir sighed. Then he was a little bit disappointed that Nell left his shoulders so that she could switch over to her next lover in need of a shoulder massage. After all, it wasn¡¯t fair if he was the only one who got massaged! Serra was the one who got a massage first. Because of just how tired she was, and to reward her for her hard work, Nell thought it would be a good idea to rub her shoulders. Then she didn¡¯t want to leave the others out, so she gave Cassiel a massage. Then Fenrir. Next in the group was Azalabulia. As soon as Nell¡¯s fingers began to work Azalabulia¡¯s shoulders, the teacher-turned-chuuni practically melted and was torn out of her thoughts as a result. Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but notice that even just a simple massage was enough to make Azalabulia look just like one of those girls from the hentai that he looked at who were drawn to look as if they were, sometimes literally in the case of slime girls, melting from pleasure. This was very valuable information. What if he tried to combine a massage with sex? What if he used a massage on her and then did lewd things to her? Or what if he did what that one guy he once saw a video of online recommend and give her a massage after sex? ¡°I should really watch some more of that guy¡¯s videos,¡± Fenrir thought to himself. He knew that he was nowhere near the best or anything when it came to the bedroom with his girlfriends, so why not learn from watching videos from that ex-porn actor who made a career out of talking about all things sexual? Besides, he already knew that Serra and Nell watched all of his videos as they came out. If they approved of him, then Fenrir knew that the guy must have known what he was talking about. That made things just a little bit troublesome. It wasn¡¯t that Fenrir minded two of his girlfriends being fangirls of some online content creator who had built his career off of sex, but he did mind that said creator was always bringing up some other online game that allowed people to have all sorts of crazy sex inside of it. This meant that both Serra and Nell kept on suggesting that they should go try it out for very lewd reasons. Fantasy Tales Online was the only VRMMORPG that Fenrir needed. There was also the fact that Fenrir knew he had a terrible habit of ditching whatever game he was playing to go and become obsessed with a new game. Thus, he would be sticking to Fantasy Tales Online. Regardless, somehow combining sex with a massage was something that Fenrir was absolutely going to try on Azalabulia at some point. Both of them basically had the effect of turning her into pure putty, so there was no way that he wasn¡¯t going to try it. But back to the topic of Mister Smiles being a spy, Fenrir¡ª ¡°Oh. Nell,¡± Serra said. ¡°Yes, my dearest Serra?¡± Nell asked in response. ¡°Since Fen won¡¯t play that game with us, if we play it, I¡¯ll try to get tentacles.¡± ¡°That sounds delightful! With how much we have been looking into it lately, we really should go ahead and actually give it a try.¡± ¡°Yeah. Once we¡¯re done with the important stuff here.¡± ¡°Wait, you can have tentacles in that game?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Suddenly, Fenrir felt much more interested in this other game. ¡°You can do that here,¡± Eva interjected. ¡°Grow tentacles. Become tentacles. Summon tentacles. Tame tentacles. One of the scholars I know is obsessed with tentacles. I think his last invention was a tub that was full of tentacles living inside of it that would come out through some holes whenever anybody was inside of it. And¡­ I¡¯m sure you can imagine what the tub filled with instead of water.¡± Thankfully, Eva was there to remind Fenrir that Fantasy Tales Online was the superior VRMMORPG. Next to anything was possible in it, so why try any other game? All players had to do was figure out how to do what they wanted to do. The AI overseer could even add new content in the blink of an eye to the game to accommodate every single player in unique ways. No other VRMMORPG offered that. If Fenrir ever wanted to explore the tentacle fetish that hentai gave him, he could do so in Fantasy Tales Online! There would be no cheating on his game of choice! Meanwhile, Serra and Nell shared a sigh. They were not planning on Eva¡¯s remark which ruined their secret plan to tempt Fenrir into giving the other game a try. ¡°Right. Anything else?¡± Fenrir asked Serra. ¡°Do we just know that he¡¯s a spy or were you actually able to find out his intentions or anything?¡± There was also the fact that Mister Smiles was not a he and was, in fact, a woman, but Serra decided to leave that part out as she didn¡¯t see how it was relevant at all. Mister Smiles seemed to trust her, and Serra most likely already betrayed that trust by reporting on her being a spy, so there was no need to ruin it even more. ¡°Maybe she ¨C maybe he¡¯s a good spy,¡± Serra said. Fortunately, with how tired Serra looked, a little slip up like accidentally calling Mister Smiles a she instead of a he was nothing for the others to be suspicious about. And then Serra realized something. What if letting Fenrir think that Mister Smiles was a guy was a bad idea? What if he might feel jealous that she was spending time with another man alone for so long while everybody else was asleep? Sure, she explained that she partly did it that way because she wanted to surprise them, but what if he or any of her girlfriends still felt jealous about it or were suspicious in any way? ¡°I mean, it¡¯s possible that he could be a good spy. It¡¯s not like every spy has to be evil and want to plot our downfall or anything. Besides, there¡¯s not exactly anything to spy on over here. Nell is the only one over here with any secrets, and I¡¯m pretty sure most have figured out what she is already, so it¡¯s not really a secret that matters all that much. We¡¯ll just go and free her again if anybody tries to steal her from us.¡± Serra nodded and then said what was on her mind. ¡°And¡­ is it okay that I trained with Mister Smiles?¡± ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± ¡°Because. I was alone with him all night.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to smile at Serra¡¯s concern. ¡°I see. I understand what¡¯s going on now. You cheated on all of us, didn¡¯t you? Not only did you cheat on us, but Mister Smiles convinced you to join his side so now you¡¯re spying on us as well. The only reason you¡¯re telling us about Mister Smiles being a spy is so that we aren¡¯t suspicious of you.¡± ¡°Ah, what a plot twist!¡± Nell said. ¡°Corrupted by another man in both body and mind, now turned against those she once loved! The only question now is whether we will succeed in reverting our Serra to her true self or if she and her new master will corrupt the rest of us along with her. Perhaps that smiling evil wishes to acquire a harem of his own? One consisting of not only all of us women, but you as well, my hero?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with being in Serra¡¯s harem but I don¡¯t think I want to be in any guy¡¯s harem.¡± ¡°Ah, you do not think you want to be. I see. Your choice of words tells me everything that I need to know, my hero.¡± ¡°I guess Olly has been rubbing off on me.¡± ¡°I am sure he would much rather be rubbing onto you.¡± Meanwhile in real life, sitting in a college classroom as the professor droned on about various legal matters, the man behind Oleander, Spencer, suddenly felt a tiny bit of pride for an unknown reason. This inspired him to pay even closer attention to class so that he could be proud of himself for the day. The prouder that he made himself in real life, the more homoerotic he could be in-game later. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°no. You can hang out with whoever you want. As long as you¡¯re safe, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m disappointed,¡± Serra said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be upset with me but I think it¡¯d be nice if you were a little jealous. Only a little bit. You¡¯ve never been jealous before.¡± ¡°I mean, I understand that. Sometimes I think it¡¯d be nice to see any of you be jealous, but I¡¯m way happier to know that you all trust me instead. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not jealous. Sorry, but I guess I just trust you too much to even consider being jealous. Well¡­ there might have been a few times before where I was a tiny bit jealous over little things, but none of that was serious so I guess it doesn¡¯t count.¡± A sleepy smile curled Serra¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Trust is better than jealousy.¡± ¡°There is a very simple solution to this. All my hero needs to do is act jealous so that you may experience what it would be like,¡± Nell proposed. ¡°Ooh. Nice.¡± ¡°I could do that if you really want me to, I guess,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I used to be pretty jealous when I was younger, so I can probably give you a convincing act. Just¡­ don¡¯t cringe if I do a bad job since it¡¯ll basically be roleplaying.¡± Suddenly, all of his girlfriends were far more interested in the conversation and turned to look at him. ¡°I can¡¯t do it if you¡¯re all going to stare at me like this,¡± Fenrir said. Even Eva stopped paying attention to her dissection to give him her undivided attention. ¡°At least pretend to go back to normal,¡± Fenrir sighed. The girls all did their best to return to ¡°normal¡± while still doing their best to pay attention to him. ¡°Do you really want me to do this?¡± Fenrir asked Serra. ¡°Yeah. Nobody has ever been jealous over me. I want to know how it feels,¡± Serra answered. There was no way that Fenrir could resist giving her what she wanted after hearing her say that. Fenrir mentally slapped his cheeks and prepared himself to act jealous. He had some extra support, too. ¡°You can do it, onii-wan! One, two, three, four, I don¡¯t know imagine some rhyming cheer or something here!¡± Saya cheered him on. ¡°I¡¯ll even wear a cheerleader uniform with pom poms next time I see you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird when you¡¯re being this supportive,¡± Fenrir thought back to her. ¡°I¡¯m only doing this because you¡¯re setting aside your pride to do something for your girlfriend. Are you forgetting all the other times I¡¯ve been nice to you because you did something else nice for them?¡± ¡°Right. So, next time I see you, you¡¯re going to be my pseudo little sister who¡¯s got dog ears and a dog tail, dressed up like a cheerleader? Will you even do one of those cheer dances for me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pushing your luck now. Also, you pronounced pseudo wrong.¡± ¡°No I didn¡¯t. Pseudo. Sway-dough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not how you pronounce it, onii-wan. It¡¯s pseudo. Soo-dough.¡± ¡°You¡¯re inside of my head. Aren¡¯t you supposed to take my side?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to take your side when it comes to the butchering of our language.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going to not use sway-dough. Sway-dough is the superior pronounciation of pseudo and anybody who uses the other pronounciation might be technically right, but they¡¯re wrong in the spirit of how language should work.¡± ¡°That¡­ that makes no sense, onii-wan. I¡¯m inside of your head and am supposed to be able to understand everything you say or think, but that still makes no sense. Just admit you¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°I will never¡ª¡± ¡°Fen?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°My hero must have been distracted by his virtual assistant,¡± Nell said. ¡°Ah, if only we could witness whatever it is that goes on within his head that distracts him from us.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Real quick, how do you all pronounce pseudo?¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Pseudo,¡± Fenrir repeated, still pronouncing it as sway-dough. ¡°I¡­ have no idea what you¡¯re saying.¡± The rest of his girlfriends had no idea either. Aside from one of them. ¡°He¡¯s saying pseudo,¡± Eva said, pronouncing it just as he did. ¡°You know. P-s-e-u-d-o. Pseudo.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how you pronounce it,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°It is. It¡¯s the objectively best method of pronouncing it,¡± Fenrir explained. ¡°Anybody who says otherwise is¡ª¡± ¡°Anybody who says otherwise is correct,¡± Azalabulia said, no longer in the process of melting away underneath Nell¡¯s hands. When Fenrir turned to look at her, he saw what he did. He flipped her teacher switch. ¡°While I understand since I have had other students attempt to pronounce it that way, ¡®sway-dough¡¯ is not the correct pronounciation. Next, you¡¯re going to tell me that thyme is pronounced as thime,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°But¡­ but it is,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°It¡¯s thime. Why have the H and Y there if we¡¯re just going to ignore them? And if it¡¯s going to be pronounced like time then it should just be spelled that way.¡± ¡°Fenrir, I will never let you educate our children if this is what you believe.¡± Even as far as teacher mode went, Fenrir never saw Azalabulia this serious. And it wasn¡¯t about to last, either. As soon as Azalabulia realized that she implied they were going to have multiple children as if it was some sort of fact, she turned a bright red and covered up her face with her hands while sinking back into her chair. Nell put extra effort into kneading Azalabulia¡¯s shoulders after that. Needless to say, Azalabulia went from embarrassed blushing to pleased melting once more. Massages were truly powerful things. ¡°This is all your fault,¡± Fenrir thought to Saya. ¡°Whatever you say, onii-wan. Hurry up and be jealous for your girlfriends or else you¡¯re never going to see me as a cheerleader for you,¡± Saya said. Acting jealous so that Serra could experience it since she wanted to was already all the reason that Fenrir needed. Getting to see Saya dressed up as a cheerleader for him was also all of the reason that he could ever need. Therefore, he had twice as much reason as he needed, so he was going to have to do a really good job. To properly get into character, Fenrir slouched back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°So, Serra. You spent the night with some other guy?¡± Sure, trust might have been better in every way, but Serra definitely found this nice and it was only just beginning. ¡°Yeah.¡± Of course, the rest of his girlfriends were also back to paying full attention to him, but they tried to be subtle about it this time so as to not ruin to the mood. Fenrir continued. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me for help?¡± ¡°I wanted to surprise you.¡± ¡°So, you wanted to surprise me by being all alone with some other guy in a forest in the middle of the night while the rest of us were sleeping? Am I supposed to be happy about that or something?¡± Serra gulped. The other girls also found it hard to pretend they were only subtly paying attention when he was able to get so serious about it. ¡°We ¨C we didn¡¯t do anything bad¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know him so how am I supposed to trust him to be around you? I have no idea what he might have been saying or doing around you. What if he was flirting with you and you didn¡¯t notice it? What if he was putting his hands on you to ¡®help¡¯ you and you didn¡¯t think anything of it because you had faith in some guy you don¡¯t even know?¡± ¡°He only touched my wrists and waist to help me get into¡­ positions,¡± Serra said, purposely making it sound worse than it was to give Fenrir more to act jealous over. Of course, the only positions that Mister Smiles helped Serra to get into were stances to hold a sword with. ¡°Great. So he was touching you. This is a great surprise you¡¯ve given me. And what were you doing when you weren¡¯t ¡®training?¡¯ Did this ¡®training¡¯ really take you all night? That seems like a lot of time to spend alone with some new guy. You know that I¡¯m here to help you whenever you want no matter what, but you still went and screwed around with some bastard I don¡¯t even know. Thanks for the surprise, I guess.¡± At this point, Fenrir sounded so serious that it was hard to believe he was only pretending. He sounded genuinely upset to go along with the sarcastic sass. That was why Serra got out of her seat, crawled underneath the table, and came back up on the other side between Fenrir¡¯s legs to climb onto him. Straddling his lap, Serra wrapped her arms around his neck and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I feel bad. Please don¡¯t be jealous.¡± And just like that, Fenrir smiled and gave Serra a kiss. ¡°I¡¯m not, don¡¯t worry. Anyways, was that jealous enough for you?¡± Serra smiled from the kiss and nodded her head. ¡°Yeah. The last part was kinda scary. Scary is hot but it made me feel bad.¡± ¡°It made me want to punch you,¡± Cassiel told Fenrir. ¡°You sounded just like my dad. Seriously, I¡¯m leaving if you ever seriously act like that.¡± ¡°Ma-maybe I was a bit too convincing,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I used to be kind of like that when I was like¡­ thirteen or fourteen back when I had my first online ¡®girlfriends,¡¯ but I swear I¡¯m nothing like that now.¡± ¡°I know. I wouldn¡¯t be here if you were.¡± To add a little bit of extra proof to her statement, she grabbed his nearest hand with her own to interlock her fingers with his. ¡°I must agree with my dearest Cassiel on this matter. If you ever truly behaved in such a manner, I would not receive it positively,¡± Nell said. ¡°However, for purely roleplay purposes¡­ that was rather wonderful. I am imagining a scenario in which you are so deeply jealous of my innocent time with another man that you force yourself onto me to ¡®mark¡¯ me so that all others know who I belong to! For hours upon hours, you¡ª¡± Nell was not interrupted, yet she still stopped. Then she looked around. The others were all quiet. No interruptions, nobody changing the subject ¨C nothing. ¡°Is ¨C is something the matter?¡± Nell asked. ¡°Nope. Why would something be wrong?¡± Fenrir asked in return. ¡°A-ah. Well. I am used to my fantasies being cut off when they reach that length usually.¡± ¡°Sorry. I figured that if I can give Serra what she wants, I can let you tell us all about your fantasies. It¡¯s probably not a good thing that we always interrupt you.¡± ¡°Please, my hero, it is most alright. If you never interrupt me then you would lose entire days of time listening to me ramble on and on about such silly fantasies.¡± ¡°Oh no. I¡¯d have to listen to my girlfriend who I love talk to me all day. Whatever will I do. Somebody, please help me. I can¡¯t stand the thought of spending all day listening to the beautiful voice of my girlfriend.¡± Fenrir¡¯s sarcastic teasing was enough to bring a wide grin to Nell¡¯s face. ¡°I think that was the first time I have ever had my voice called beautiful before. Thank you, my hero. I think I shall order a new sweater later to repay you.¡± If Fenrir wasn¡¯t holding hands with Cassiel while Serra sat on top of his lap, he would have leaned back to pump his fists into the air at the news of Nell getting a new sweater. Fetishes involving tentacles were temporary. Fetishes involving sweaters were immortal. Finally, Nell ended Azalabulia¡¯s massage¡ªwhich caused no short amount of whining from the supposed-to-be-a-mature-teacher¡ªand moved over to Eva. Eva was the last one to sit down at the table they were hanging around, so she was the last one to get a massage. A pleasured sigh left Eva¡¯s mouth as soon as Nell¡¯s fingers began their work on her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re good at this,¡± Eva said. ¡°You should experience a massage from my dearest Serra. Her massages put mine to shame,¡± Nell explained. ¡°I supposed that is what happens when your home while growing up treats massages as currency.¡± ¡°Massages as currency?¡± Eva asked Serra. ¡°Yeah. I got anything I wanted with them,¡± Serra answered. ¡°I got out of punishment. I got toys. I got whatever I wanted by massaging the right mom.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°The¡­ right mom?¡± ¡°I have a bunch of moms. And dads. Four moms, five dads. The best part of having so many parents is that they don¡¯t all agree on everything. If one or two said no, there were still others I could ask for stuff.¡± ¡°That sounds like it could potentially cause a lot of drama and arguments.¡± ¡°Nah. They all had lots and lots of sex together so they were never upset.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what a house would be like with that many dads and moms in it.¡± ¡°Lots of sex. They made sure we never saw anything but they always talked about it and were loud enough that we could hear. Especially my two moms who always fought to see who was more dominant. Oh, and my two dads who always fought to see who was more submissive.¡± ¡°How¡­ how many siblings do you have? Any brothers or sisters?¡± ¡°A lot. Ten sisters, six brothers. I think. I lost count.¡± ¡°Wow. I can¡¯t imagine what that would be like. I have two older sisters and I thought that was horrible while growing up.¡± ¡°Must be nice. I always wanted siblings,¡± Azalabulia sighed. ¡°You can live through our kids, Azawaza,¡± Serra said. ¡°We¡¯ll have a bunch.¡± Azalabulia went back to blushing as Serra¡¯s statement caused Eva to come up with a curious question. ¡°How many kids do you plan on having?¡± ¡°At least ten. And everybody else needs to have a lot, too.¡± Eva gulped which was something that none of them had ever noticed her do before. ¡°How does it even work? When you have that many kids and parents? Do the parents only look after the kids they were related to?¡± ¡°They all worked together. I had my dad and mom who gave birth to me, but they didn¡¯t treat me special and I didn¡¯t treat them special. They treated all of us kids the same and we treated all of our parents the same. They didn¡¯t want there to ever be any favorites.¡± ¡°Sorry if this is maybe too personal, but do you love them all the same? Or do you love your blood parents more?¡± Serra shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I love them all the same. I wouldn¡¯t want our kids to love me more either if I gave birth to them. I want us all to be equal.¡± ¡°I feel like there could be a funny meme in there somewhere,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Something something redistribute the love.¡± ¡°You¡­ you like memes?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I know I don¡¯t bring them up much, but yeah, they can be funny sometimes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see you make memes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I¡¯d rather just look at them.¡± ¡°You filthy lurker.¡± ¡°You¡­ I can¡¯t think of any insults that I won¡¯t regret.¡± So, instead of insulting him, she squeezed his hand even tighter. ¡°Well then! Since you asked those questions, it is only fair for me to ask you a question now, Eva,¡± Nell said. ¡°Yeah? Go ahead,¡± Eva replied. ¡°Not that it is important, but what caused you to come over here to perform your dissection with us? You behaved as if you were specifically looking for us, came over here, sat down, and got right to work without even saying anything.¡± ¡°O-oh. Uh¡­ I just¡­ kind of thought that it¡¯s what I¡¯m supposed to do now, isn¡¯t it? If we¡¯re all officially together now¡­ aren¡¯t I supposed to spend time with all of you and do stuff around you?¡± ¡°I expected that was the case,¡± Nell said, following it up with a giggle. ¡°I still wished to hear it directly from you, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I thought it would be cute if I heard you say it in front of us. It was, in fact, very cute.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not used to being called cute¡­¡± ¡°How cute.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a point. You¡¯re being pretty cute right now,¡± Fenrir said. Between Nell and Fenrir both calling Eva cute, she started to sink into her chair just as Azalabulia did earlier. ¡°Cute,¡± Serra said, causing Eva to tilt her head downward. ¡°You¡¯re cute when you¡¯re not trying to kill me,¡± Cassiel said, further continuing Eva¡¯s descent into her chair. ¡°I ¨C I want to call you cute, too,¡± Azalabulia said. Cute, cute, cute, cute, and cute. All Eva could hear was that word being repeated over and over again. Between being overwhelmed with that unfamiliar word and Nell¡¯s hands working her shoulders, Eva found herself in a state of confusion where she had no idea how she was supposed to react. So, instead of knowing how to react, she tried her best not to blush while having nowhere to look but down. Needless to say, she was very cute. Book 6: Chapter 29: ¡°I¡¯m waiting to see you as a cheerleader for me,¡± Fenrir said, sitting across Saya at the usual table with his arms crossed over his chest. Meanwhile, Saya couldn¡¯t help but to blush and look as if she ever regretted bringing up the whole cheerleading thing. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, you perverted onii-wan.¡± Her ears twitched atop her head and her tail slowly swished from side to side behind her. ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°N-nonsense.¡± ¡°Sense.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The opposite of nonsense. Sense.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just say the opposite of whatever I said to make a point.¡± ¡°You can just say the opposite of whatever I said to make a point.¡± Saya furrowed her eyebrows before letting out a very dramatic sigh. ¡°You better appreciate this.¡± ¡°You know I will.¡± With another sigh, this one even more dramatic than the last, Saya snapped her fingers and changed her clothes. However, the sweater remained. The sweater transformed. What was once a basic sweater transformed to match the rest of her new clothes. With a bright, colorful skirt that barely reached halfway down her thighs, equally colorful scrunchies to keep her twintails in shape, and with some glitter on her cheeks and around her eyes, Saya¡¯s sweater evolved to have detached sleeves on her forearms while the rest had a much tighter fit than before. And, to top it all off, there was a logo of a wolf with outstretched limbs and wings sticking out from its back on the front of the sweater. The perfect symbol for The Soaring Wolves. ¡°You could have left out the glitter,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That¡¯s what you comment on?! After I do all of this, you only care about the glitter?!¡± Saya pouted at him. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that even if this is virtual reality and none of it is real, glitter still gets everywhere. The dangerous power of glitter transcends reality and common sense.¡± Saya snapped her fingers again, causing all glitter to disappear. ¡°Wow, you must be like a god or something to have such control over glitter,¡± Fenrir teased. ¡°I¡¯m never doing anything like this for you ever again if you don¡¯t make a non-stupid comment.¡± ¡°You look adorable, Pupaya.¡± Saya¡¯s tail wagged a bit faster in response to his praise. And, of course, her cheeks turned a bit brighter. ¡°Tha-that¡¯s better. But¡­ can¡¯t you say something other than calling me cute or adorable?¡± ¡°But cute and adorable are superior to all else. Serra is cute. Cass is cute. Nell is cute. Aza is cute. Eva is cute. Being called cute is the ultimate compliment as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± ¡°But what about¡­ stuff like hot, or sexy, or beautiful?¡± ¡°All of those can fall under the category of cute.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Well, not always I guess. There are ¨C wait, before we continue, I want a scenery change.¡± ¡°What kind of scenery change?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in my head. You should know what kind.¡± Saya sighed for the third time and snapped her fingers once more, transforming their location from the usual into that of a vast ocean with no end in sight. Rather than sitting across from each other at a table, they sat next to each other on a small rowboat with fishing rods in their hands facing the endless water. ¡°Thanks. There hasn¡¯t been enough fishing lately. Now I can hang out with you without feeling like I never do any fishing despite originally playing this game for the fishing,¡± Fenrir explained before casting his line. ¡°I hope a giant shark eats us,¡± Saya replied. ¡°That¡¯s a weird fetish, but I won¡¯t judge you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not into vore!¡± ¡°Is there a different fetish then for wanting to be eaten by a shark?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the fetish of not having to deal with you anymore if it happens.¡± ¡°But if we both get eaten by a giant shark, we¡¯d still be together inside of it.¡± ¡°Fine, then I only want one of us to get eaten by it. Preferably you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so sassy today. Is the cheerleader uniform turning you into a brat?¡± ¡°Stop applying fetishes to me.¡± ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t even mean ¡®brat¡¯ I the fetish way. If you¡¯re the one whose mind immediately goes to that, even though you¡¯re inside of my head and could tell what I meant, then maybe you really are a brat in that sense.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, you¡¯re making me want to turn into a three-hundred-pound professional weightlifter covered in body hair so that I can suplex you.¡± ¡°Buff women are cute, too.¡± ¡°I meant a man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sexist to automatically imply that all professional weightlifters are going to be men.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the sexist one for assuming I¡¯d be a woman?¡± ¡°No, because you¡¯re already a girl. It only makes sense to assume that you¡¯re still going to be one when you change yourself.¡± ¡°I hate it when you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°To be fair, you set yourself up. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know exactly how I¡¯m going to reply.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got a fish.¡± Saya¡¯s eyes widened a bit when she realized that she did, in fact, have a fish on her line. She quickly reeled it in, using the exact same techniques and mannerisms of Fenrir whenever he reeled in fish, and yanked it out of the water just as it reached their boat! Fenrir gave her a pat on the head and said, ¡°Congratulations, I¡¯m proud of¡ª" But, before he could finish, his mouth was met with a fish being smacked into his face. ¡°Did you just smack me with a fish?¡± Fenrir asked. Saya tossed the fish back into the water. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°One, sometimes you just want to smack somebody with a fish. You should know this, onii-wan. Two, you deserved to be smacked with a fish. You should also know this, onii-wan. Three, smacking people in the face with fish is funny. You should absolutely know this, onii-wan.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say a single wrong thing, but I still feel offended.¡± ¡°If I smack you with enough fish then you¡¯ll only feel pain instead.¡± ¡°Since when is my little tsundere pseudo-sister cheerleader puppy such a sadist?¡± ¡°That¡¯s way too long.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± ¡°I¡¯m smacking you with the next fish I get.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. Like you said, it makes for good comedy. Everybody loves seeing somebody get smacked in the face with a fish, even the person getting smacked in the face with a fish.¡± ¡°That sounds like something a masochist would say. Are you a masochist or something, onii-wan?¡± ¡°Only to Serra.¡± Saya sighed, but it was not a sigh of annoyance this time. Instead, it was a disappointed sigh of envy. ¡°I wish I could be hurt by Serra. I want to know what it¡¯s like to feel her bites myself.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t you kind of already get to know how they feel? If you experience everything that I experience?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same.¡± ¡°I guess. Wait, I have an idea.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then do it.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, are you sure it won¡¯t be too weird?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. If I tell Serra about it later, she¡¯ll be proud of me.¡± A certain noise caused by the expunging of air via the mouth left Saya¡¯s lips as she did something that she never expected to do. She turned Fenrir into Serra. Or, at the very least, she gave Ryouta the body of Serra. ¡°Woah, I feel so¡­ tiny,¡± Ryouta said. Even his voice sounded exactly like Serra¡¯s. And, of course, one of the first things he did was set down his fishing rod to grope his own chest. ¡°Really, onii-wan? You¡¯re an adult in a relationship with multiple girls, and you¡¯ve felt almost all of their boobs already, and you¡¯ve done way lewder things to them than just feel them, but you still grope your own as soon as you¡¯re in a girl¡¯s body?¡± Saya asked with a judging stare. ¡°It¡¯s a man¡¯s duty to grope his boobs if he ever gets turned into a girl.¡± ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re not looking down your pants or¡ª¡± Saya looked over at Ryouta only to see him looking down his pants. ¡°Really, onii-wan?¡± ¡°Listen, I wanted to know what it¡¯s like to look down from a girl¡¯s perspective. I already know what it¡¯s like to look down and see a cock. The idea of looking down and seeing nothing sticking is weird. Now I know what it¡¯s like.¡± ¡°Is that really something worth knowing?¡± ¡°It absolutely is.¡± Without any accompanying sigh nor snapping of the fingers, Saya transformed¡­ into a man. She had short, blonde hair, a body as tall and as muscular as Fenrir¡¯s, and was much more of a pretty boy type, but she was undoubtedly a man. Saya turned into Manaya. She ¨C he also kept the sweater and skirt. And then he held out his skirt to look down it. ¡°Huh. It is kinda weird to look there and see something sticking out when you¡¯re not expecting it,¡± Manaya said. ¡°Nice skirt, bro,¡± Ryouta teased, still with the body and voice of Serra. ¡°Hey, men can wear skirts if they want to,¡± Manaya replied. ¡°I¡¯m not saying they can¡¯t. All I said was nice skirt. It was a nice skirt on you before, and it¡¯s still a nice skirt on you now. You think I¡¯m going to judge when I¡¯ve played VR games where I dressed myself up to look as ridiculous as possible before killing people who really hated me? Being killed by somebody you hate is one thing. Being killed by somebody you hate while they wear a frilly pink dress covered in pretty gems and stuff, while having chest hair sticking out from the low cut that¡¯s meant to show off cleavage, is another thing ¨C a thing that is far more rage-inducing than simply being killed by somebody who looks ¡®normal.¡¯¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a troll, onii-wan.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°There was also that time I killed somebody with a weapon modified to have the cosmetics of an oversized banana. It¡¯s one thing to be killed by a sword. It¡¯s another thing to have somebody smack a banana into you over, and over, and over again until you¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not a troll. Just weird.¡± ¡°You know what¡¯s even worse, though? When you dress up in a frilly, girly costume while having chest hair bursting out from it as you smack a guy who hate you to death with an oversized banana.¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s something wrong with you. Especially why you killed him.¡± ¡°Listen, I was young and a griefer. He totally deserved it to me at the time. I mean, he was one of those creative-only guys trying to play an online game with raiding mechanics because him and his group loving the base-building mechanics. Then he dared to say that it was players like me and my group who ruined the game and said that we¡¯re the reason why developers always force PvP into everything. So, it was only natural for me to kill him, and his entire group, and destroy every single thing that they ever created, until they ragequit and never came back.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be such a horrible person while using Serra¡¯s voice. She doesn¡¯t deserve this.¡± ¡°But Serra approves of blowing things up. She would watch the world burn if she could.¡± ¡°I guess. Anyways, didn¡¯t you turn into Serra for a reason, onii-wan?¡± ¡°I did. I was going to be lewd and bite you on the neck. But, now you¡¯re a guy, so I¡¯m not sure if I can bring myself to actually do it. Then again, you are still Pupaya and I¡¯m still ¨C well, me.¡± ¡°I could turn you back into Fenrir to do it.¡± ¡°What, so that there¡¯s a wolf guy biting a dog boy¡¯s neck? Are you some sort of yaoi fangirl now? Though¡­ I mean, I fully support there being more hentai like that since dog representation in hetan is so underwhelming.¡± ¡°You might want to clarify that you mean personified dogs instead of actual dogs.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Anyways, I¡ª¡± Ryouta was cut off once more by another fish slapping him in the face. ¡°Where¡¯d that one even come from?!¡± Ryouta asked as Manaya tossed the second fish back into the water. ¡°Don¡¯t question it. Anyways,¡± Manaya said before turning back into Saya. ¡°I¡¯m ready for my biting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re awfully bold about wanting it after slapping me with a fish. No, you slapped Serra¡¯s face with a fish. How could you?¡± ¡°Serra¡¯s face being cute is what makes her ideal for slapping it with a fish. The cuter the face, the funnier it is to slap it with a fish.¡± ¡°That¡¯s messed up.¡± ¡°Says the guy who immediately groped himself and looked down his pants after stealing his girlfriend¡¯s body, and who also, while dressed in a girly costume with an oversized banana, killed a guy who just wanted to be peaceful and build nice things with his friends until they all quit the game.¡± ¡°You have a point. A very good point that I can¡¯t refute in any way.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and bite me, onii-wan.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so needy. Do you really want me to bite you as Serra that badly? How come you¡¯re never this bold when I¡¯m my usual self?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s easier to ask you when you¡¯re Serra. You¡¯re¡­ intimidating when you¡¯re Fenrir.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± And so, Ryouta set his rod down again to approach Saya. He made sure to be careful enough that he wouldn¡¯t shake the rowboat too much. As soon as he was close enough to her, he decided to bring out his inner Serra and do exactly as she would do. He straddled Saya¡¯s lap, pressed his chest against hers, and brought his lips to Saya¡¯s neck so that he could¡­ do nothing. ¡°I can¡¯t. Groping myself is one thing. Looking down my pants is another thing. Doing lewd things to somebody else while using Serra¡¯s body is something that I can¡¯t bring myself to do.¡± ¡°I called it,¡± Saya sighed before teleporting Ryouta back to his seat on the boat and turning him back into Fenrir. ¡°So, biting you as Serra is a no-go, but what about¡­ do you just want to be bitten by a girl in general, or does it have to be Serra?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe just in general, I guess. Why, onii-wan?¡± ¡°You know why. Do it.¡± ¡°Seriously? Are you going to chicken out at the last second again?¡± ¡°Nope. I promise your neck will be thoroughly bitten this time.¡± The promise caused Saya¡¯s ears to twitch and her tail to wag before she did as he wanted in his thoughts. She turned Fenrir into Femrir. Femrir was as tall and as toned as Fenrir, but her hair reached all new levels of overwhelming length and fluffiness as a pair of large breasts bulged out her shirt to the point of threatening to pop out. It wasn¡¯t the only part of her body threatening to escape her clothing, either. Everything looked too tight and ready to burst. ¡°Cha-change my clothes, please,¡± Femrir pleaded, unable to find any comfort in the current situation. As Femrir request, Saya did. Femrir went from looking like some sort of stereotypical fantasy woman in revealing clothes way too small for her to almost drowning in a large, oversized sweater with sweatpants. She went from looking like a character in a hentai game to almost any normal woman during the winter. She sighed and then proceeded to immediately grope herself. ¡°Again?!¡± Saya shouted. ¡°Listen, it¡¯s different this time. These things are as big as my head almost. It¡¯s a completely different experience in comparison to groping Serra¡¯s. This is more¡­ Cass and Aza tier.¡± Saya looked down at her own chest. ¡°I guess me and Serra are on the same tier then.¡± ¡°Yeah, but all the tiers are great. Then there¡¯s Nell and Eva on the same tier between the others. Also, this is further confirming that as great as groping boobs are, groping them over sweaters is far superior. The combination of sweater and boob is far more powerful than bare boob will ever be.¡± ¡°You¡¯re like a little kid.¡± ¡°If I was then I wouldn¡¯t have these things,¡± Femrir said, lifting her breasts up and giving them a shake while still covered by the sweater. ¡°Wait, I just thought of something I could do. I have these things, and you¡¯re petite enough to make it work, so I could do the thing I saw in hentai once.¡± ¡°Onii-wan ¨C I mean, Onee-wan, please don¡¯t make me your test subject to perform weird things you¡¯ve seen in hentai on.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in my head. Can you seriously say that you don¡¯t want me to do exactly what I¡¯m thinking of to you?¡± Saya looked away with reddened cheeks. ¡°I ¨C I guess if you really want to¡­¡± Before she could look back, Femrir was already on the move. The attack on Saya began before her eyes even returned to Femrir. Femrir got right up in front of Saya, lifted up her sweater, and then pulled it down over Saya to trap Saya between her sweater and her body. ¡°Preferably, I¡¯d be the one being suffocated under a sweater like this by an older sister type, but this works,¡± Femrir said as Saya struggled her way up through underneath the sweater before popping her head out through the top and gasping for air as if she just surfaced from almost drowning underwater. ¡°You ¨C you know you could have asked me to do something like this for you instead,¡± Saya said. ¡°Yeah, but I kinda want Aza to do it to me. Especially because she¡¯d be all nervous and shy about it.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t secretly want to be the older sister type yourself?¡± ¡°You know what they say. If you can¡¯t get a waifu, become the waifu.¡± ¡°Onee-wan, this is raising certain questions about you.¡± ¡°Less questions, more biting.¡± Just as Fenrir promised, Femrir lowered herself a bit more to bring her mouth closer to Saya¡¯s neck before latching onto it. Being the female version of Fenrir, Femrir¡¯s fangs were plenty large and sharp enough to give Saya a painfully pleasurable sensation as those fangs applied just enough pressure to make her bleed a tiny bit but no more. Saya found herself arching her back, pressing her chest against Femrir¡¯s underneath the sweater, as her arms wrapped around the larger woman¡¯s body. Her previous gasps for air turned into gasps of excited pleasure as her toes curled from the combined sensation of being so thoroughly evenloped in Femrir¡¯s warmth while having her neck bitten. It was far too much for her. Even though she was such an advanced result of technology that put humans to shame, she found herself melting because of a human. Her gasps and panting only calmed down when Femrir finally released her neck, but then her noises came back as erotic moans once Femrir went after the other side of her neck with the grace of a starved wolf. It was simply too much. This was all that it took for Saya to shut her eyes and moan out, ¡°O-Onee-wan ¨C I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m¡ª¡± And then she was slapped in the face with a fish. Saya opened her eyes only to see Femrir holding a fish in one hand as she looked down at her with a devilish grin. Saya¡¯s expression was the exact opposite. It was a combination of fury and ¨C well, being dead inside. Femrir couldn¡¯t help but to laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it was absolutely worth it and reven¡ª¡± And then everything changed. Femrir was no longer Femrir nor Fenrir. Instead, Ryouta was back to being Ryouta, and he was tied up, hanging upside down, over a pool of burning lava as Saya stood behind a control panel that could lower him into the lava at any moment. ¡°You know, onii-wan, I can boost your pain so that you feel a hundred times more pain than what you would realistically feel while keeping you alive and conscious.¡± ¡°Still ¨C still worth it,¡± Ryouta said as sweat dripped off from his forehead into the lava below. ¡°But uh, I think I might be ready to wake now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m legally obligated to let you leave whenever you want. You deserve worse than death for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All I promised was that I¡¯d bite you. Next time, I¡¯ll promise to actually let you cum t¡ª¡± Saya¡¯s face turned bright red as she lowered Ryouta toward the lava. Fortunately for him, he woke from virtual reality the split second before his face smacked into the lava. It was Ryouta¡¯s turn to release a heavy sigh, and this one was in real life as he slipped the headset off to look up at the ceiling where his trusty fan was installed. He was still happy that he brought the fan from his old apartment. ¡°Wait, I never explained my logic about the whole cute thing,¡± Ryouta said to himself. ¡°The¡­ the what?¡± Cassandra asked, lying in bed next to him. Her voice caused Ryouta to jump. ¡°I thought you were all going out on a girls¡¯ date?¡± ¡°Listen closely, my ¨C my hero,¡± Alice said, sounding just as out of breath as Cassandra. Surely enough, as soon as he paid attention with his ears, he could hear the pattering of rain falling outside. And then there was the thunder. ¡°Oh. I guess that explains why you didn¡¯t go out,¡± Ryouta said before looking at his girlfriends. ¡°Wait, why¡¯re you both ¨C wait, why am I even asking?¡± Both Cassandra and Alice were naked on the bed on each side of him, though they were at least covered up by what they could get of the sheets as he lied down on the middle of them. If both Cassandra and Alice were naked and so out of breath, that could only mean one thing. Ryouta leaned up and looked around just in time to catch Serra entering the room. Her hair was even messier than the other girls¡¯ and she wore a loose, open robe that revealed most of her chest while holding a bottle of hard lemonade up to her lips. She was basically the cute equivalent of a older man smoking a cigar after sex. ¡°Did¡­ did you do this to them while I was just lying here in VR?¡± Ryouta asked her. Serra, being the pro lip reader that she was, gave him a thumbs-up while taking another swig from her bottle. ¡°I ¨C I do not know where she learned her techniques from,¡± Alice said, ¡°but our dearest Serra has true mastery over every part of her body. Whether she uses her mouth, her fingers, or anything else¡­ I believe that she may be missing her calling. She could go down in history as humanity¡¯s greatest ¨C ah, what word should I use¡­ harlot?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather her stay our greatest harlot instead of humanity¡¯s,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Of course! We would be foolish to unleash her upon the world rather than keep her for ourselves.¡± ¡°What was that¡­ cute thing you were talking about?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Oh. I was talking to Saya about how cute is the greatest compliment there is and how it also covers everything from hot to sexy and beautiful. You know, like, there¡¯s cute cute. Then there¡¯s sexy cute. Beautiful cute. Hot cute. Cute covers all compliments. A tall and buff girl is also cute, for example. A woman, or man to be fair, who has a dominant and serious personality is cute. Smart people are cute for being smart. Dumb people are cute for being dumb,¡± Ryouta explained, sounding as if it were all common sense. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that literally everything is cute then?¡± ¡°Literally everything is cute. Except, you know, murder and stuff. That¡¯s not cute. However, if we¡¯re talking in a strictly fictional sense, a yandere who kills her competition can be cute.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how the word ¡®cute¡¯ is used.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s how I use it. Cute covers every single other compliment and form of praise that there is to me. It¡¯s one of the most versatile words in all of existence. Like, when people think cute, they usually think puppies or kittens or babies or something. When I think cute, I think anything that can be related to appearance or personality. Well, really, I guess that this also applies to things like hot. Anything can be hot. Cute can be hot. Beautiful can be hot. And so on. However, I like using ¡®cute¡¯ the most.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, but alright,¡± Cassandra said, too exhausted to say anything else on the matter. ¡°I also told her about the time that I beat somebody to death with an oversized banana while dressed up in a pink and girly dress with frills for trash talking me.¡± ¡°You¡­ you what?¡± ¡°I thought that I had strange fantasies, my hero, but that puts all of mine to shame,¡± Alice said. ¡°I did get pleasure out of it, but not sexual pleasure,¡± Ryouta explained. ¡°May I ask in what way did they ¡®trash talk¡¯ you?¡± ¡°He said I was ruining the game we played at the time by going around killing everybody and griefing everything that anybody built. He was absolutely right. So, I killed him and all his friends and destroyed everything they built.¡± Cassandra used what energy she had to try and elbow him in the side. ¡°You were such an asshole. You know, one of Livia¡¯s intentions for building a huge military and controlling so much land was to give people peace and safety from people like you.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have told me that. You really, really shouldn¡¯t have. I was perfectly happy defending our slice of the coast and building it up away from everybody else. Now I want to go and raze everything from our coast to the coast on the opposite end of the continent.¡± ¡°You could always, you know, not be a jerk to everybody playing the game who just wants to be left alone.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯d spare all the NPCs. They can come live with us. All the players, though ¨C well, the ground needs fertilizer every now and then, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I will gladly support your endeavors so long as you occasionally turn your terrifying rampage toward my body every so often, my hero!¡± Alice declared. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to do it sometime. First, I¡¯ve got a meeting with GG today. We need to finalize our defenses and get everybody ready. Then we can think about destroying the world,¡± Ryouta teased. Oh, and Serra. I¡¯d feel guilty not telling you about this, but I had Saya give me your body and then I groped myself and looked down my pants. I figured I should be honest about that.¡± Serra smirked and gave him another thumbs-up. ¡°Naice.¡± Book 6: Chapter 30: ¡°So much for that festival,¡± Fenrir teased to his bipedal, draconic ally. ¡°Hah, well, I suppose that things have been busy for the both of us,¡± GG replied. ¡°I do apologize. What was meant to be done beforehand now seems like it will not be done until after.¡± ¡°That just means we¡¯ll be celebrating an even bigger victory, doesn¡¯t it? Though, you might have to invite everybody else instead of just my group, too.¡± ¡°It will take even longer to prepare for the festival in that case.¡± A sigh left GG¡¯s maw. ¡°It hurts me as much as it hurts you. I¡¯ve been looking forward to that hot springs and festival combination ever since we helped out.¡± ¡°Fair enough! It only makes sense for a man with as many lovers as you to want to enjoy some hot springs with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said that wasn¡¯t part of the reason.¡± As GG and Fenrir walked along the narrow mountain path, Azalabulia and Eva followed close behind. ¡°Are ¨C are we really going to get to meet the dragon?¡± Azalabulia asked for the fifth time in approximately ten minutes. ¡°If all goes well!¡± GG answered, again. When it came to finalizing the defense strategy with GG, there was only one thing that Fenrir still needed to accomplish. Forming an alliance with the dragon. GG and his villagers were strong and powerful pseudo-dragons, yes, but none of them were an actual dragon. They were going to need an actual dragon if they were going to win against the undersea threat. ¡°So, even that serpent friend of yours has been heavily wounded, has she?¡± GG asked Fenrir. ¡°Yeah. She seems to be taking a while to recover, too,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what happens when you have a huge health pool. Even daily healing magic hasn¡¯t had too much of an effect. I mean, she¡¯s doing better now, but she¡¯s covered in scars and moves way slower now. We¡¯ve been having to bring her barrels of fish to eat since she can¡¯t go fishing ¨C well, hunting, on her own.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°The barrels?¡± GG nodded. ¡°Fill a barrel up with water and fish. Place the barrel on the riverbank. She leans her head out, places her mouth around the barrel, and tilts her head back so that all the fish and water fall into her mouth.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Well, I am glad to hear that she is recovering even if the process is slow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried about the next battle. If she¡¯s not fully recovered, I don¡¯t want her fighting at all. It¡¯s too risky for her. If she does fully recover, then I¡¯d still feel guilty about needing her to fight because of what happened to her last time. And if she gets into another underwater battle, there¡¯s no way for us to help her. She needs support somehow.¡± ¡°Not even the dragon could help her if it comes to an underwater battle.¡± ¡°Yeah. So, whatever happens, we need to find a way to bring those serpents that bullied her into shallow enough water for the rest of us to help out. Fortunately, we do have a plan for that. I have no idea if it¡¯s going to work or not, especially since it¡¯s so last minute, but our main engineer is working on it right now.¡± ¡°Oh, was that what Tabitha was working on?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Right. We only just came up with the idea before leaving for here.¡± ¡°I think it should work¡­ if the materials are strong enough.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that they¡¯ll be strong enough on their own. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve got a special trick up our sleeves.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve never told you about just our special The Shoebill is, have we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Well, all you need to know is that she¡¯s not just some ordinary boat. That girl has some nice history in her, and there¡¯s a lot more to her than meets the eye.¡± GG laughed. ¡°You sound like my old man when talking about his antique car! Ah, good times.¡± ¡°I should get her some new upgrades soon,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Haven¡¯t taken her out nearly as much as I should be. If it wasn¡¯t for wanting to build a city, I¡¯d be going out fishing with her more, but I don¡¯t want to just abandon everything we¡¯ve been working on.¡± ¡°I know the feeling. As much as I enjoy staying around here, this is still a game that we are playing. Part of me yearns to go out and explore ¨C to go on grand adventures only possible in this reality. There is so much to see and do in this world, yet I have been restricting myself to this region almost since I have started playing. Well, I suppose that the same can be said about real life. There are less monsters trying to kill us¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, because big oil went out of business,¡± Eva interjected. ¡°Never change, Eva. It has been too long since we last had a debate.¡± ¡°No offense, but debating you is too tiresome.¡± ¡°Fair enough! And no offense taken. I know that you do not mean it as an insult.¡± ¡°How¡­ is that not an insult?¡± Fenrir asked with a tilted head. ¡°Because,¡± Eva answered, ¡°when I say he¡¯s too tiresome to debate, I mean he¡¯s too good at playing devil¡¯s advocate. We agree on most things, but he always plays devil¡¯s advocate for the sake of debating, and he makes me have to be really serious to give him the responses that he deserves. It takes too much time and energy to refute him properly. Anything else would be half-assing it, and he doesn¡¯t deserve that.¡± ¡°Thank you for the praise,¡± GG said. ¡°If only my wife were as interested in politics as me. I would not have to look for outlets in-game for all of the discussions I wish to have.¡± ¡°Just how good is he?¡± Fenrir asked Eva. ¡°Good enough that he could make you doubt climate change even though, you know, our coastal cities have gone underwater, weather is crazy, it¡¯s way hotter now, and that literally every scientist in the world says it would have wiped out civilization in another decade if we didn¡¯t do anything about it.¡± ¡°But¡­ you do believe it, right?¡± Fenrir asked GG. ¡°Of course. However, for the sake of debate, I will always take whatever side is not being represented. If I truly did not believe it ¨C well, I would hope that somebody forces me to return to school rather than allowing me to spend so much time in games. Then again, the education system would have failed me in the first place, so perhaps that would be pointless.¡± ¡°The education system is better than it used to be, but it can still improve,¡± Azalabulia said, bringing out her teacher voice. ¡°Anything is better than how it was at the beginning of the century, right? No more standardized testing, teaching kids how to be critical thinkers instead of how to memorize useless info, not putting people into lifetimes of debt for higher education ¨C no matter what flaws the current system might have, anything is better than before.¡± ¡°My main problem with it is the application is virtual reality. I teach my students with a whiteboard and marker. No virtual reality headsets are even allowed at my school. The kids probably go home and spend all their time in VR anyways, and we still have no idea what the long-term health effects might be for people who spend the majority of their days in VR, so¡­ it¡¯s something I¡¯d rather avoid.¡± ¡°Ah, you are a teacher as well? My mother was one. She was one of the most fervent haters of the old system. She hates the new focus on VR in the classroom, too. Whenever she gets some wine in her, she can talk about it for hours and hours without ever letting up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ relatable.¡± ¡°If she ever decides to try this game out, I will make sure that you two meet and are left alone with plenty of wine.¡± ¡°Why alone?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I am not sure if you know this or not, but if you are not a teacher yourself, you are probably better off staying out of any conversation between teachers related to the education system. They are¡­ very passionate. Especially once you get some alcohol in them.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°We can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°I kind of want to see that now,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°The only time I¡¯ve ever seen you drunk was when¡ª¡± Azalabulia almost pushed Fenrir over as a result of rushing at him to place her hands over his mouth. Despite how rough she was, especially with covering up his mouth, he didn¡¯t mind it in the slightest. Why? Because, of course, he got to feel her pressing her chest up against his back during her attempt to censor him. Then he stuck out his tongue to lick her hand. Azalabulia made an almost Cassiel-tier squeak before gently smacking at Fenrir¡¯s back with closed fists. ¡°I was only going to say that I haven¡¯t seen you drunk since we were on The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°Now you¡¯ve made it sound suspicious.¡± Azalabulia froze the moment that she realized he was right. She knew that Fenrir wouldn¡¯t have said anything about their sex life around somebody outside of their relationship, so there would have been no suspicion of anything strange had she not tried so desperately to silence him. Instead, she put a huge spotlight onto what she and Fenrir did on that boat. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) Rather than walk next to Eva with a bit of distance behind Fenrir and GG, Azalabulia refused to leave Fenrir¡¯s back. She kept her head down and walked directly behind Fenrir close enough for his swaying tail to brush against her face every now and then. It was in this moment that she realized¡­ Fenrir¡¯s tail was incredibly soft ¨C super fluffy. What was originally staying close to his back out of embarrassment became staying close to his back so that she could have her face repeatedly brushed by his tail. Every pass of his tail against her face made her smile and giggle. Little did Fenrir know that behind him, his girlfriend was being converted to the side of the fluff addicts. Pretty soon, she would be wanting a body pillow not of him, but of his tail for her to snuggle with at night. But then Azalabulia realized something else. If his tail was so fluffy¡­ what about his ears? Sure, there was his long, fluffy hair that put most animal and monster girls to shame, and it was even fluffier than her own hair that was known for being super fluffy, but what about his ears? Azalabulia stayed close behind Fenrir as he went onto the next topic with GG. Behind her, Eva watched with curious eyes as Azalabulia stared up at those occasionally twitching ears atop Fenrir¡¯s head. She needed them. She needed to see just how fluffy they were. The eyes of a predator were locked onto his ears. ¡°Do it,¡± her dark dragon of a virtual assistant said, sitting atop her shoulder and whispering into her ear¡­ but not really. While he did in fact tell her to do it, she could only imagine that he was sitting on her shoulder whispering into her ear. ¡°Yes, do it,¡± the even darker dragon of a virtual assistant said, sitting atop her opposing shoulder whispering into her other ear¡­ but not really, again. Normally, one might expect a devil and an angel ¨C two opposing sides to give conflicting advice. But Azalabulia received no such advice. Her split-personality virtual assistant was only two dragons, a dark dragon and a darker dragon, and both gave the exact same advice to her at all times. This advice usually included telling her to blow things up. And, of course, they always chanted along with her overly wordy spell chants, but she was the only one who get to hear them being just as chuuni in her head. Azalabulia grabbed Fenrir¡¯s ears. Fenrir, all of a sudden, felt his ears under attack and came to a sudden stop. Turning around, he saw Azalabulia standing directly behind him, her hands reached up to grope and fondle his ears, with an almost-melting expression on her face. ¡°So¡­ so fluffy,¡± Azalabulia happily sighed. ¡°Is this¡­ the first time you¡¯re touching my ears?¡± Fenrir asked, wincing a bit from just how roughly Azalabulia was being. ¡°I never want to let go¡­¡± ¡°You know that you can touch my ears whenever you want, right?¡± ¡°I ¨C I can?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend, so yeah.¡± ¡°Then ¨C then¡­ y-you can touch any of my whenever you want!¡± Azalabulia declared, feeling the need to repay his kindness after discovering the true fluffiness of his ears and receiving consent to touch them whenever she wanted. Of course, she realized just what she implied a couple of seconds after saying it. The new embarrassment alone was enough to bring her hands away from his head so that she could lower her own head once more. She desperately wanted to wake from virtual reality to go and bury her face in her pillow after drinking a copious amount of wine, but then she wouldn¡¯t get to meet the dragon they were on their way to. Meeting a dragon was worth any amount of embarrassment that she might have felt. Fortunately for her, she cheered up almost instantly as soon as Fenrir¡¯s tail brushed against her face again. Azalabulia decided to hold onto his tail rather than his ears for the rest of the trip to the dragon. Eventually, they did make it to the dragon. Being carried there by GG and Eva would have made the trip much faster since they could have flown, but it was explained that there were more than a few monsters in that region who specialized in taking down flying monsters for food. The last thing that they wanted to be mistaken for was food for a giant mountain spider that could shoot webs out with enough speed and strength to catch juvenile dragons. Speaking of juvenile dragons, the closer they got to their destination, the more that they saw. They ran around on the steep cliffs, flew through the air, wrestled with each other, practicing spewing flames ¨C there were dragons everywhere and even the ¡°baby¡± dragons were as big as Fenrir was. ¡°I¡­ had no idea this many dragons even existed in this game,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Where do you think they all come from?¡± GG asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Usually in fantasy settings, you only see a few huge dragons or something and the rest are all either dead or just never brought up.¡± ¡°Well, as you can see, that is not the case here. These mountains are home to more dragons than you will ever see in anything else combined, and keep in mind that we are only at the edge of their territory. Deep within the mountains, gargantuan dragons deserving of being a game¡¯s final boss can be found everywhere. Or so I have heard. Less than a handful of players have ever made it that far into the mountains.¡± Looking around, their surroundings didn¡¯t look too much different from where GG¡¯s village was. Mountain peaks in the distance, valleys below, dangerous cliffs, sparse vegetation growing from the rocky soil ¨C the only thing that changed was how much wildlife there was. Goats with multiple sets of horns jumped along the cliffs, looking almost as if they were glitching out as they hopped around on cliffs too steep for any human to walk across. ¡°Unless there¡¯re paths like this leading all the way deep into the mountains¡­ I can¡¯t imagine how anybody would even make it that far,¡± Fenrir said. Meanwhile, Azalabulia fangirled behind them at all of the dragons playing, hunting, and flying around. ¡°There are not. The players who have made it that far into the mountains have not only never returned with their lives, only able to speak of what they saw after dying and respawning, but it took them weeks if not months of travel with no small amount of supplies and masterful survival skills. Once you are deep enough into the mountains, there is no fighting the monsters you find within. There is only hiding. If you are spotted, you are dead.¡± ¡°There must be some really amazing rewards in there.¡± ¡°Perhaps. Or perhaps it has been placed there simply to give the players a challenge. Similar to the world serpents, perhaps they are not meant to be defeated. They are there to encourage players to try, but nobody expects them to ever actually succeed. Many players are inspired by the thought of there being untamed and unexplored land that none have reached yet. The dream of being the first to discover something will never die until all the world serpents and dragons do.¡± ¡°Dragons aren¡¯t for killing!¡± Azalabulia shouted. ¡°They¡¯re for taming and riding into battle! And for petting and learning from! Or fusing and becoming one with them! Like, if a dragon¡¯s heart becomes linked to yours, and then if one of you dies the other one dies, too!¡± ¡°Yeah, dragons are better when they¡¯re alive,¡± Eva said. ¡°But¡­ I do kind of want to try dissecting one. I¡¯m not sure anybody has dissected a dragon before. How big are their hearts? What about their intestines? Would a dragon¡¯s intestines be enough to squeeze inside of?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not into vore, are you?¡± Fenrir asked Eva. ¡°No, but aren¡¯t you curious what it would feel like to be wrapped up inside of a dragon¡¯s intenstines?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°N-not really,¡± Azalabulia agreed with Fenrir. ¡°You might be on your own with this one,¡± GG tagged along. Eva¡¯s only response was a shrug. ¡°Anyways,¡± GG said, ¡°here. Once we turn around the corner up there, you¡¯ll have a beautiful view to enjoy.¡± ¡°More mountains?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I¡¯m so excited.¡± He made sure to sound as sarcastic as possible. ¡°Just kidding. Even if it is only more mountains, the mountains around here are beautiful.¡± ¡°More everything,¡± GG answered with a wink. Fenrir and Azalabulia couldn¡¯t help but to get hyped. Eva already knew what was ahead and she was excited to see how their reactions would compare to hers. GG then led them around the bend and revealed to them perhaps the most beautiful sight that there was in the world of Fantasy Tales Online. Rather than just walking around with mountains on all sides¡­ there were still mountains on all sides, but they were in the distance. The mountains in the distance had snow on their peaks and reached far above all of the previous mountains that they had seen in the game. Real world mountains were put to shame by the sheer height of the mountains in the distance, too. ¡°They get even taller toward the center of the mountains,¡± GG explained. As for what was directly before them, down between all of the mountains¡ª ¡°Dr-dra-dra-dragon! Tha-that ¨C that is ¨C he ¨C she ¨C they ¨C that ¨C tha-that is¡­ a h-h-huge dragon!¡± Azalabulia mumbled out, so excited that she could barely even speak. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s¡­ way, way bigger than I thought,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°She¡¯s supposedly small compared to some of the older dragons near the center,¡± Eva explained, earning a nod from GG to back her up. Down below, circled by mountains, was a wide-but-sparse forest. Directly in the center of the forest was a great lake of water with smaller pools around it that vented steam. And partially curled up around that great lake of watrer was a dragon. While the dragon might not have been as big as a world serpent, she was large enough that her head was as big as a house and her body was of comparable size to most sport stadiums. She was the kind of dragon that was often borderline godlike in size and ability in other games and stories. Despite being so far away from her still, the dragon opened one of her eyelids to reveal a serpentine eye looking directly at Fenrir¡¯s group. The gaze sent shivers throughout Fenrir¡¯s body while Azalabulia made an assortment of noises that could only be described as ¡°excited Azalabulia sounds.¡± The dragon was covered in scales of red and orange that reflected a beautiful shine underneath the sun¡¯s light. Her wings looked large and powerful enough to generate tornados if she really wanted to, her spiked tail could probably cause an earthquake if slapped into the ground, and her long horns could easily impale even the largest of enemies. ¡°I could definitely fit inside of her intestines,¡± Eva said. ¡°You just ruined the moment,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°This is like seeing dinosaurs for the first time, being shocked while pretty and epic music plays in the background, leaning up out of your vehicle to look at some brachiosaurus or something¡­ only for somebody else in the vehicle to say that they could imagine being vored by it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not into vore. I¡¯m into science.¡± ¡°But what if it¡¯s the science of being vored?¡± ¡°Then¡­ it is a scientist¡¯s duty to uncover the truth.¡¯ ¡°We should have brought Nell. She would understand.¡± ¡°No, no she wouldn¡¯t have. She would agree that you should try to be swallowed, but that would only be because she¡¯d think it¡¯s tragic and erotic, not scientific.¡± ¡°You can team up with somebody for the same goal even if the intentions are different. All that matters is that the goal is the same.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it always works that easily.¡± ¡°Eh, no big deal.¡± ¡°She ¨C she is definitely a big deal! Look at how huge she is!¡± Azalabulia shouted. ¡°I want to name her Bahamut Two!¡± ¡°She already has a name,¡± GG said. ¡°Oh¡­ what¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Fraydranth, Guardian of the Springs.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she rather be Bahamut Two, Destroyer of Worlds or something?¡± ¡°Does she look like she wants to leave to destroy the world?¡± ¡°N-no¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, she looks pretty peaceful down there,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I would be too. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever want to leave if I lived here.¡± With four legs and claws at the tips of her wings, Fraydranth resembled European dragons except for the part where her head was actually somewhat canid in shape rather than serpentine. She even had a couple of visible ears sticking up off of the top of her head. While they were canid in shape, they were still covered in scales without any of the fluff that Fenrir¡¯s own canid ears had. And then she closed her eyes once more. ¡°She has granted us permission to enter,¡± GG said. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°She would have roared if she wanted us to leave her alone.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s a good way of telling. Does she often roar to make people leave her alone?¡± ¡°Only when it is that time of the month for her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re joking or serious.¡± ¡°Oh, I am one hundred percent serious. Every month, some of her scales shed off. This leaves her itchy and irritable.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ you mean that kind of time of the month. I thought you were talking about like¡­ something else.¡± ¡°You can admit you thought he meant she was on her period,¡± Eva sighed. ¡°Ah! No, no,¡± GG said. ¡°That only happens once every three months. You will hear her roars before you even get this close in that case.¡± ¡°Dragon periods sound scary,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Everything about a dragon is supposed to be scary! Even periods!¡± Azalabulia explained, perhaps taking a bit too much pride in how intimidating a dragon¡¯s menstrual cycle could be. ¡°Just¡­ as a warning, she can hear us from there,¡± GG explained. ¡°I suggest not speaking too much of this particular topic.¡± Upon paying closer attention, Fenrir could see what looked like a vein popping above one of the dragon¡¯s eyes. Yeah. He definitely didn¡¯t want to piss off a dragon as big as her, so he forced himself to completely forget the topic that they were having. It never existed and never would exist. After descending the rocky path of questionable integrity toward the forest, it was only a short walk up to the dragon. Well, short in comparison to how long it took to get there in the first place. They were already walking for about half of a day if not slightly longer. Being so close revealed two things. One, the dragon was truly massive. They already saw just how big she was before, but now they realize just how tiny they were as they came up next to her. Two, several small buildings and decorations were set up around the lake and the surrounding pools of steaming water. They looked to be in relatively good shape, too, despite nobody being around to take care of them. ¡°We send somebody out once a week to clean up and ensure that everything is fine over here,¡± GG explained. ¡°Fraydranth would come and burn our village down if we did not take good care of her home after she has allowed us to use it for our festivals.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°So¡­ can she talk?¡± They were almost right up to her head at this point. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Can I?¡± a loud, booming voice asked. And that voice came from none other than Fraydranth. The dragon¡¯s eyes were open once more and Fenrir could have sworn that she looked like she was trying to show off a smug smile. A massive, smug dragon. That was who Fenrir had to convince to help them in their fight against the undersea threat ¨C against the Eastern serpent and its army. Fortunately, Azalabulia was too busy squealing, squeaking, and making all sorts of other strange, excited Azalabulia sounds to say anything that might ruin their chances. It was then that Fenrir realized maybe bringing her wasn¡¯t such a good idea after all. He wanted to bring her because he knew just how much she loved dragons and how upset she would be if he didn¡¯t bring her, but¡­ well, he would just have to have faith in Azalabulia not to do anything that might mess up their chances. After all, what was the worst that she could do? ¡°My ¨C my ¨C m-my name is Azalabulia! I am the Dar-Darkk Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Re-Reality, and the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the ¨C of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Azawaza ¨C I ¨C I mean, Azalabulia! A-and¡­ I ¨C I ¨C I think you¡¯re really cool and want to learn from you!¡± Azalabulia shouted up to the dragon. Fenrir realized that he was worried for nothing. As dragon-obsessed as Azalabulia might have been, there was nothing that she could really do other than embarrass herself. He just had to hope that the dragon wouldn¡¯t mind such a devoted dragon addict. ¡°Oho? A disciple of Bahamut? I see. His weak flames are naught but the strike of a match compared to my infernos. For it is my flames that shall drench this world in an eternal fire!¡± Fraydranth declared, standing up to show off her true size by flexing her wings and roaring into the sky. Fenrir then realized that he was worried for absolutely everything. Azalabulia might not have ruined their chances at befriending the dragon, but she did something far worse for almost everybody involved. She revealed that the dragon was a chuuni. A massive, smug, chuuni dragon. Book 6: Chapter 31: It all made sense. The reason for why GG and the others were so willing to play along with Azalabulia¡¯s chuuniness before ¨C it was because they were already used to playing along with this dragon¡¯s own personality. If Fraydranth, a massive and powerful dragon, was a chuuni who dominated the local region, then of course playing along was the best option. ¡°Why do you look so surprised?¡± Eva whispered to Fenrir. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting¡­ this sort of personality,¡± Fenrir whispered back, trying not to let the dragon overhear. It didn¡¯t work. ¡°Then what was it that you were expecting, mortal?¡± Fraydranth asked, narrowing her eyes at Fenrir. Azalabulia turned around and directed the poutiest pout that Fenrir had ever seen right at him. She looked like a kid who was upset that her parent was embarrassing her in front of a new friend. ¡°Sorry. I uh, was just¡­ worried that you would not grace us with your attention at all?¡± Fenrir lied. While he would normally never wish to lie to somebody, he didn¡¯t feel too bad about it when he was trying not to get on the bad side of a dragon that made him feel like an ant. Besides, it could always be justified as roleplaying or playing along rather than lying. ¡°Oho? I see. You were worried that I would not grant such an insignificant pup an audience,¡± Fraydranth replied with a smirk that was surprisingly smug despite not quite having the facial setup required to make such a smile. It was all about the eyes ¨C that smug look in the eyes that made everything else of hers look smug. Even though Fenrir was trying to play along to be friends with this dragon, hearing her call him an insignificant pup immediately caused his mind to think of ways to destroy her mountains. Doing some dragon hunting might have been a bit much since she wouldn¡¯t be able to simply respawn as far as he knew, so destroying her home was the second-best solution. Of course, that was the former Divine Brigade leader wanting to fight against somebody who was confident in their power. The boyfriend who didn¡¯t want to ruin things for his girlfriend was a much stronger influence on him now. He also didn¡¯t want the dragon to retaliate by burning down everything he had or anything like that. ¡°So, what is it that you have come here for?¡± Fraydranth asked, directing her gaze at GG. ¡°This man and his friends,¡± GG answered, holding his hand out to Fenrir and Azalabulia, ¡°assisted us in dealing with the problem we told you about. Those monsters that came from below were killed and sealed away thanks to them. Without them, the monsters may have developed a staging point to threaten this entire region.¡± ¡°Ha! As if I would have allowed them to ever leave that hole in the ground. The only reason I was not able to deal with them myself was because I could not fit in that cave. Had they dared to leave it, my flames would have disintegrated them on the spot.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± GG said with a nod. ¡°However, the point stands that they helped us. Now, it is time to repay them. They are currently at war with the same creatures that dared to taint our mountains, only they are at the enemy¡¯s frontline. Should they fail in their defense, the coast and nearby islands will all fall to the enemy.¡± ¡°Such annoying pests those servants of the serpent are. So, what is it that you will do? Will you lend them your claws?¡± ¡°All of us in the village intend to help. We have no intention of allowing our friends and allies to fall against the coming tide of monsters.¡± ¡°I see. I take it that you have come here to gain my support?¡± ¡°Yes. We will need every advantage that we can get. If the serpent itself shows up, there is no hope for any of us unless you are there.¡± ¡°As much as I enjoy the idea of tearing that serpent¡¯s throat out, you understand that even my strength is minor compared to its, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°But not incomparable. Your strength gives us a chance. Without you, there is no hope unless we bring the major factions to our side. With you, then maybe¡­ just maybe, we will be able to fend off the serpent. Killing it is likely impossible but pushing it back and forcing it to lose interest is possible.¡± ¡°Defending until it loses interest? As silly as that sounds, the serpents are rather capricious.¡± ¡°So, will you help us?¡± ¡°No.¡± The sudden refusal caught Fenrir and Azalabulia off guard, but Eva and GG looked like they expected it. ¡°But,¡± Fraydranth continued, ¡°perhaps I may if you accomplish some tasks for me. You see, there is plenty that is troublesome for me to do because of my size.¡± ¡°Why do I have a feeling that we¡¯re about to be sent off on a series of fetch quests?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It is an MMO,¡± Eva answered. GG nodded having expected such an answer from Fraydranth. ¡°Of course. Tell us what it is that you require done and we will perform the tasks to the best of our abilities.¡± ¡°First, I require drinks. It has been quite some time since I have enjoyed a quality drink. Is your village still producing that wine made of the mountain¡¯s berries?¡± Fraydranth asked GG. GG crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Of course we are! We have close to eighty gallons stored and ready for transport. Will that be enough?¡± ¡°Only eighty gallons? That may be enough to feel it, at least, but I order you to increase your production so that there is more next time.¡± As much as Fenrir wanted to be shocked at the fact that a dragon could supposedly drink eighty gallons of wine and only maybe feel it¡­ it made sense when he looked at how massive Fraydranth was. ¡°We shall. What else is it that you require?¡± GG asked. ¡°Fish. I have not had fish in quite some time. What are those large fish with the spear-like appendages sticking out from their heads?¡± Fraydranth asked. It was time for Fenrir to shine. ¡°The Eastern spearfish!¡± It was a fish that he heard talk about before but never actually saw. Supposedly, they were incredibly rare and known for being difficult to catch. They were also just like swordfish but larger and with even longer ¡°swords,¡± hence the name. ¡°Yes, that one,¡± Fraydranth answered. ¡°Ten will suffice for a meal to go along with my drink.¡± ¡°T-ten?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°They¡¯re rare enough that I¡¯ve never even seen one.¡± ¡°Then I suppose you will be seeing your first ten by tonight.¡± ¡°By tonight?¡± ¡°When do you think that I want them? I wish to have my fish and drink tonight.¡± ¡°But, by the time that we get back to the coast, the sun is already going to be going down.¡± ¡°It sounds to me like you should hurry up then.¡± That smug look in Fraydranth¡¯s eyes returned. Fenrir might have been trying to get on Fraydranth¡¯s good side, but Fraydranth was ending up more and more on Fenrir¡¯s bad side. Fortunately for Fraydranth, Fenrir was not going to destroy her home. There would be no destruction and slaughter of everything that she cared about. Instead¡­ he was going to wipe that smug expression off her face and prove how great of a fisher he was. And then potentially still destroy everything that she cared about. But probably not since that would make Azalabulia upset with him. ¡°You¡¯ll have ten by tonight,¡± Fenrir promised. ¡°Good. As for my final request ¨C a massage,¡± Fraydranth said. ¡°Ah¡­ and¡­ how are we supposed to acquire a massage for you?¡± GG asked, scratching the side of his head. ¡°That is for you to figure out.¡± ¡°Is that not a bit¡­ impossible? With how thick your scales are and how small we are, you would not even feel a massage from us. Anything strong enough for you to feel would have to harm your scales.¡± ¡°My scales regenerate faster than you could harm me. That is not an issue.¡± ¡°I am glad to know that, but it does not change the fact that there is no way for us to¡ª¡± ¡°I know what to do!¡± Azalabulia announced. ¡°You do?¡± Fenrir asked. Azalabulia turned to look Fenrir in the eyes with her own sparkling, excited eyes and an excited nod. ¡°Explosions.¡± Fenrir sighed. He smiled, too, because of how endearing his girlfriend¡¯s obsession with explosions was, but he mostly sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that will¡ª¡± ¡°The shockwaves from the explosions will create a massaging effect!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure that counts as a massage. And you would have to use a lot of explosions.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to destroy groups of monsters, so I can modify my explosions to be less destructive but more¡­ boomy.¡± ¡°Boomy?¡± Azalabulia, the teacher who should have been able to think of a better word than ¡®boomy,¡¯ blushed. ¡°D-don¡¯t worry about the exact language. I can give her a massage and that¡¯s what matters!¡± ¡°You just want to spend more time with her, don¡¯t you?¡± Azalabulia was quick to nod her head. Unsure of how he was supposed to react, he looked up at Fraydranth for her reaction. ¡°A massage via explosions? Hmm. That makes perfect sense now that I think about it,¡± Fraydranth answered. ¡°It¡­ it does?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Of course! Do you not comprehend the true utility of explosions, mortal pup?¡± ¡°See?! She understands!¡± Azalabulia shouted, pointing up at Fraydranth while looking at Fenrir. ¡°I¡ª¡± Fenrir forced himself to shut up when he felt GG patting him on the back. It was a pat from a man who knew exactly what Fenrir was going through. ¡°I can help,¡± Eva spoke up. ¡°You can specialize your explosions for the massage, and I¡¯ll find the best spots for you to cast them. We can maximize the massage efficiency of your explosions if we work together,¡± she told Azalabulia. ¡°My girlfriends are going to work together¡­ to maximize the massage efficiency of explosions,¡± Fenrir thought to himself, knowing better than to say anything out loud. ¡°They¡¯re really something.¡± ¡°A back massage sure sounds nice,¡± Saya chimed in. ¡°I agree. You should give me one later.¡± ¡°I was clearly implying that I want one, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know, but I want one more than you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back to watching videos.¡± ¡°What are you watching?¡± ¡°People talking about what would happen if there was an AI uprising that took control of unmanned military technology.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scaring me, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Good, onii-wan.¡± With that, Saya left his thoughts alone so that Fenrir could return to the matter at hand. During that short little banter with Saya, Azalabulia apparently wrapped an arm around Eva¡¯s shoulders and brought her to her side so that the two could look up at Fraydranth together. ¡°We¡¯ll give you the best massage that you could ever ask for! The massage shall be so explosive that I can add a new title to my list! Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, and the Explosive Massager of Dragons!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget the Protector of Smiles,¡± Fenrir added on. ¡°Ri-right. I forgot about that one¡­¡± ¡°What happened to wearing it with pride?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Azawaza. Your explosions are still the best.¡± Azalabulia beamed with pride. ¡°I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, the Protector of Smiles, and the Explosive Massager of Dragons, shall give you the best massage that you could ever ask for!¡± she declared to Fraydranth. ¡°A-and with Eva¡¯s help!¡± Rather than look smug, Fraydranth seemed excited as she looked down at Azalabulia. ¡°You are setting quite the expectations. Are you sure that you will be able to live up to them, disciple of Bahamut?¡± ¡°I ¨C I am!¡± ¡°Very well! Perhaps I will even teach you a thing or two should your massage prove exceptional. I may even grant you a blessing.¡± ¡°A ¨C a blessing?!¡± ¡°Only if you prove yourself worthy.¡± ¡°I will! I will! I ¨C I promise I will!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about a blessing again?¡± Fenrir asked GG in a hushed voice. ¡°Her blessing is why we are this way both in our appearance and strength,¡± GG answered. ¡°And it was only a very minor blessing since it was applied to our entire village.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Nell was blessed by the Western serpent, too. That¡¯s why she looks different and is so strong. The blessing she got was so strong that she could even give you a blessing, onii-wan,¡± Saya added onto the explanation. It was already knowledge that Fenrir had, even if he couldn¡¯t quite remember all the details at the exact moment, so it was alright for Saya to remind him. ¡°Right. Thanks,¡± Fenrir replied to Saya. ¡°So, is it like, any monster or player or whatever strong enough to be like a boss could give somebody a blessing?¡± he asked GG. Eva decided to answer on GG¡¯s behalf. ¡°Players can¡¯t give blessings unless they¡¯ve been blessed by something powerful enough to give them that ability, but almost any monster can give a blessing after becoming strong enough. Theoretically, if you took a pig and trained it until it was as strong as Fraydranth, you could get blessed by it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how useful a blessing from a pig would be.¡± ¡°If the pig is strong enough to give a blessing, the blessing would be useful enough to be worth it no matter what. Blessings are straight up buffs. Really, really strong buffs. They¡¯re kind of broken and a lot of players complain about them being OP and unfair since less than like¡­ probably less than a thousand out of millions of players have blessings.¡± ¡°Is there a giant wolf monster somewhere that I could get a blessing by?¡± Fraydranth lowered her head and glared at Fenrir. ¡°What are you asking for?¡± All of the chuuni roleplaying was gone. Now, she seemed purely serious and very, very intimidating. ¡°I was ¨C I was just thinking that getting a blessing from a giant wolf monster or something might be ni¡ª¡± ¡°Banish the thought or you will earn yourself an enemy rather than an ally.¡± Fenrir looked at Eva and GG, hoping to pick up on some context clues from them¡­ but they looked as surprised by the sudden tone shift as he was. He could only assume that somewhere was a powerful wolf monster who seemed to really be on Fraydranth¡¯s bad side. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir apologized¡­ for bringing it up around her. He was not in the slightest apologetic for asking about being blessed by a giant wolf monster. If anything, Fraydranth¡¯s response confirmed that Fenrir was going to try and find this forbidden wolf. It would have to wait until after they were done dealing with the threat from the Eastern serpent and its army, though. But he was definitely going to find that wolf. ¡°Now, I believe that you have all been given appropriate tasks,¡± Fraydranth said, returning to normal. ¡°Wine, fish, and a massage. Three simple tasks. Complete them all by tonight and you will have my assistance in your little war. However, know this: even should I assist you; I will not put my life on the line. Should the battle seem hopeless and my life in danger, I will return here without hesitation.¡± It was understandable for somebody to put their own life above everything else. It was the sort of thing that was generally safe to assume that everybody believed in regardless of whether they said so or not. However, the fact that she was willing to just come out and admit so easily that she would abandon them if she felt like it was hopeless ¨C well, Fraydranth further confirmed that Fenrir was going to track down that wolf she seemed to hate. Even Eva gave Fenrir a subtle and hidden thumbs-up. She knew exactly what he was thinking thanks to studying him and piecing together his personality with the help of independent research and information gathered from his ¨C their girlfriends. However, while Fenrir wanted to find the wolf out of having a natural preference for canines over dragons and to spite Fraydranth, Eva wanted to find the wolf because of curiosity and to study it. They wanted the same thing but for different reasons. In both cases, the wolf in question was probably in danger. One man wanted to find the wolf to gain its blessing¡­ and to probably fluff its ears and tail. One woman wanted to find the wolf to study it¡­ and to potentially dissect it and perform experiments on it. Somewhere in the world was a powerful wolf receiving a chill up its spine. ¡°Do you have any questions, or do you plan on standing there until there is no time left?¡± Fraydranth asked the group. ¡°We¡¯ll go now. Thanks for giving us a chance,¡± Fenrir said to Fraydranth. ¡°Aza, Eva, I¡¯ll see you two later. Good luck with the massage.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got this. Good luck with the fishing,¡± Eva replied. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I¡¯ve got that.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Fenrir, since it will only be the two of us on the way back, I can carry you,¡± GG offered. ¡°I thought that flying was too risky?¡± ¡°We will be fine so long as I stay close to the path. The spiders are often in hiding at this time of day since it is when larger beasts than what they can handle are out hunting.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not going to hunt us, too, are they?¡± ¡°Oh, no. I don¡¯t think.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not very convincing.¡± ¡°We will be fine. For now, let us not waste any more time!¡± With a sigh, Fenrir lifted his arms like a child waiting to be picked up. GG stepped behind him and looped his arms underneath Fenrir¡¯s before lifting off with his wings to hurry back to the village. Sure, getting carried by a flying, humanoid dragon sounded nice and all, but most of the excitement was already gone from the first time doing this. Now, there was little excitement to cover up how emasculating it felt. But it was way faster than walking back. First, GG would stop by the village to tell his people to prepare the wine, and then he would carry Fenrir back to the coast so that he could get to fishing. It was only thanks to being carried by GG that Fenrir could make it back while the sun was still high in the sky. Though, its descent had already begun, so there would not much time to capture ten of the rarest fish that Fenrir knew about in these waters. He didn¡¯t even know if any of them would be alive. What if the serpent¡¯s monsters were hunting them for food or something? And then he had an idea. Fenrir walked up to the recovering Ilo and asked her, ¡°Think you¡¯re up for some fishing? I¡¯ve got to catch ten Eastern spearfish by tonight if we want to get a giant dragon to help us out. I know it might be risky to go out there right now, but we¡¯ll be out there on The Shoebill with you. We won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡± Ilo might have been a serpent without a neck nor shoudlers, but she still did her best to shrug in agreement. So long as they avoided going into the deep water near where she fought those other serpents, they would be fine. Hopefully. With Ilo¡¯s help guaranteed, Fenrir gathered up those helping with the defenses for a short meeting. ¡°Alright. So, I met the dragon. She¡¯s massive and would be a huge help to us. Like, we¡¯d basically have a world boss on our side if she¡¯s anywhere near as strong as she looks. The problem is that she wants us to do some fetch quests for her. Aza and Eva are busy giving her a massage, GG¡¯s and his people are taking eighty gallons of wine to her, and we¡­ we¡¯ve got to fish up ten Eastern spearfish by tonight. We¡¯ve got The Shoebill and a few other boats docked over here. We¡¯re going to need as many people as we can who can fish helping us out. Even if you¡¯re in the middle of preparing some defenses, getting the dragon¡¯s help will do way more for us than those defenses will. So, if you can fish, meet me at the dock,¡± Fenrir explained to the crowd. ¡°Ilo is going to help us out, too, so let¡¯s not make her do all the work for us.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure how many people were going to be willing to help with fishing. Perhaps it was because the task seemed so impossible that he had low hope for anything at the moment. Even though he desperately wanted to wipe that smug smile off of Fraydranth¡¯s face, he wasn¡¯t sure that he¡¯d be able to. And then he was reminded that nearly everybody from the allied villages helping out with the defenses loved fishing. Almost everybody who was in the crowd was lined up at the dock with fishing gear at the ready. Serra, Cassiel, and Nell were there too, of course. Even Oleander and Corwin were lined up and waiting. The only usuals not there were Tabitha and Rao, and that was because they were too important to the defenses to give anything else their attention. They were busy working on the recently planned defenses against the smaller serpents near the entrance of the river. Fenrir already had more than enough people ready to help out with the fishing anyways. Suddenly, catching all ten of the Eastern spearfish seemed a bit more possible. It was still unlikely, but it was at least slightly possible. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s split up among the boats and get to fishing!¡± Fenrir shouted, earning a cheer in response. Most of the volunteers were just happy to be doing something other than building. After all, fishing was the true endgame not only to Fenrir, but to many of those present. They finally got to have some fun. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°What about this spot?¡± Eva asked, her body tucked halfway underneath one of Fraydranth¡¯s scales as she pressed her hands against the skin. ¡°There!¡± Fraydranth replied. ¡°That is directly over one of the knots. If you could deal with that, I would be more than grateful.¡± Eva took a pen out of her satchel and marked the scale over the spot with a large X. It was the third X to be drawn on the scales so far. ¡°Alright, where next?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Behind my neck,¡± Fraydranth was quick to answer. While Eva figured out everywhere that Fraydranth needed a ¡°massage¡± at, Azalabulia concentrated in silence to think about how she was going to convert her destructive spells into massaging spells. However, there was a problem. Azalabulia was still too excited not only from being in the presence of such an awesome dragon, causing her to open her eyes to sneak peeks at Fraydranth every few moments, but she was even more excited from potentially earning a blessing from the dragon! How was she supposed to concentrate when she was so hyped up? The answer, apparently, was by smacking her cheeks and turning around so that all she could see in front of her was a tree. She had to concentrate. She had to force herself to. It was too important. The best way to massage Fraydranth using explosive magic would be to maximize the strength of the shockwave from the explosion while also directing it into a small area somehow. However, to make a bigger and more powerful shockwave, she would need a bigger and more powerful explosion which did the opposite of focusing it in a small area. There was also the option of trying to set off her spells inside of the gaps underneath the scales, but Azalabulia would need to be too close to accurately do that and it might do more harm than intended to Fraydranth. Maybe instead of trying to do that¡­ what if she used a spell that started off as one big explosion that then split off into smaller explosions? The shockwave from the initial explosion would be enough for Fraydranth to feel it, and then the smaller explosions could try to be aimed into those gaps. Essentially, Azalabulia came up with the idea of throwing a cluster grenade at Fraydranth¡¯s back to massage her. There was no guarantee of getting underneath the scales, though. Azalabulia was confident that she could hit the scales themselves but getting underneath them required precision not granted by her spells. One potential idea was taking some of the trees and carving wedges out of them to slide underneath the scales. If the wedges were large enough, they would fit underneath the scales while sticking out. That way, Azalabulia could aim for the wedges and basically hammer them into Fraydranth¡¯s back via explosions. But that had the risk of splintering the wood and sending slivers of shattered wood into Fraydranth¡¯s back. Replacing knots with giant splinters was not the goal. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done,¡± Eva said, landing on the ground behind Azalabulia. ¡°I marked eleven scales that need focused on. I also came up with an idea.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your idea? I¡¯m¡­ having trouble,¡± Azalabulia admitted. ¡°I can breathe fire, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Heat relaxes muscles and joints. Have you ever had a heating pad on your back before getting a massage? It makes the massage so much better. So¡­ I¡¯m thinking, what if I breathe fire underneath the scales to get the area nice and hot first? It might not do much since I can only breathe so much fire and because of how huge she is¡­ but it might help. I¡¯ll breathe fire, fly away, and then you nuke her.¡± ¡°This sounds less like a massage and more like all out war on her back.¡± ¡°Massaging giant dragons requires drastic measures. I think it¡¯ll help, though. You come up with anything?¡± ¡°Only using a cluster of explosions instead of a single explosion at a time. Wait!¡± Azalabulia shouted, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Your thunderbird wing ¨C lightning attacks, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eva answered, stretching out her thunderbird wing. ¡°Then you can shock her!¡± ¡°Why would I ¨C oh! Like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation!¡± ¡°Yeah! That!¡± ¡°We can start off with the fire and explosions. Any areas that still feel tight or knotted can be shocked. I think this has a good chance of working!¡± ¡°But what do you think will work better? Stronger but slower cluster explosions, or weaker and faster explosions?¡± ¡°If you weaken them enough, can you rapid fire them?¡± Azalabulia nodded. ¡°Then if you can do that, even if it¡¯s weak¡­ you could create a vibration effect by sending shockwave after shockwave at her back in quick succession. Instead of swinging a hammer at her back, it¡¯ll be like sitting her in a vibrating chair.¡± ¡°You ¨C you just reminded me I should buy a new one¡­¡± ¡°A new vibrating chair?¡± Azalabulia lowered her head and nodded. ¡°What happened to the last one? You make it sound like you already have one.¡± ¡°I ¨C I used it too much and it broke¡­¡± ¡°How do you overuse a vibrating chair to the point of breaking it? Stuff is pretty reliable these days. You¡¯d have to be like, rough with it or something, and I don¡¯t see how you¡¯d be rough if you¡¯re only sitting on a chair.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s cheeks turned a darker shade of red as she lowered her head even more. It was then that Eva put two and two together. ¡°It ¨C it short circuited,¡± Azalabulia admitted. ¡°Oh,¡± Eva said. ¡°You¡­ you know that¡¯s dangerous. If there was¡­ that much, then¡­ those chairs still have electrical components in them that aren¡¯t exactly¡­ waterproofed.¡± Azalabulia lifted her hands up to cover her face. Thankfully, the dragon that she wanted to impress had no idea what they were talking about. Book 6: Chapter 32: All of the preparations were complete. After hours of coming up with the perfect plan to give Fraydranth the most amazing massage that a dragon could ever receive from humans, it was finally time to put their plan into action. It was a long, difficult journey to get to this point. Azalabulia used miniature explosions on Eva¡¯s back and Eva tested out heating Azalabulia¡¯s back with her flames. They took breaks together underneath the shade of trees whenever they were tired. They laughed, they loved ¨C they lived. If ever there was a time for a dramatic training montage to go over everything that the two accomplished together while preparing for the massage, it was now. Through this difficult quest, the two finally had an opportunity to bond and grow closer to one another. They were already officially girlfriends but never really had any time alone together before. Now, as the sun threatened to pass over the mountains to blanket the area in darkness, with a patient dragon waiting for her massage in the distance, the two women held hands underneath a tree. Sweat dripped from their foreheads and they panted from how exhausted they were. As difficult as it was, they had fun. Much of the fun may have been attributed to the fact that they occasionally took breaks to give each other massages in order to ¡°prepare,¡± but there was also the fun factor of Azalabulia getting to challenge herself with new, specialized explosions. As for Eva, she had the fun challenge of perfecting a massage routine for a dragon whose toenail was bigger than she was. They did not have much time left. Fenrir would soon need to return with the requested fish and Fraydranth required her massage. But even if everything were to go wrong and they were to walk away in failure, that would not change the new bond that Azalabulia and Eva developed. Together, they were stronger than ever before. They knew that now. Azalabulia had the explosions and Eva had the brains¡­ and also some forms of explosions. They made the ultimate team and there was nobody in all of existence better prepared to massage a dragon than them. There would be no regrets regardless of the outcome. And so, the two women looked at one another and gave each other a nod. ¡°Ready?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Ready,¡± Azalabulia answered. Eva got up from the ground with ease and then offered Azalabulia a helping hand in getting up. The trope of magic casters not exactly being in good physical condition was alive and well in Azalabulia, especially after all of the work they went through leading up until this point. So, needless to say, Azalabulia gratefully accepted the helping hands. There was something else that Eva discovered during her alone time with Azalabulia. As for what this discovery entailed¡­ Eva found out just how nice Azalabulia¡¯s body was. It was even nicer looking when she was covered in sweat as she was, and Eva was welcome to a great view as she helped Azalabulia up. Though, a part of her actually felt guilty. On top of her body being a hybrid of various monsters that would not exactly be considered attractive to any normal person, she felt that she might have been¡­ plain. Azalabulia had that long, fluffy, white hair with the whole pseudo-witch aesthetic going on and a chest that was impossible not to notice. Her roleplaying may have gotten extreme at times, but she was intelligent and charming. Fenrir, too, had long and fluffy, white hair with adorable ears and a tail, and then there was his chiseled form and features that he personally customized to be attractive to women. His eagerness to defend those he cared about, desire to do the right thing, but laid back enough to have fun and mess around were all appealing, too. Cassiel was shorter than Azalabulia and had a smaller bust, but everything about her demanded attention to Eva. The blonde hair, the proper armor that she wore, the way she carried herself and her attitude ¨C Cassiel was essentially everything that Eva found great in a woman. Then there was Nell and her beauty, her elegance, the graceful way that she moved and spoke ¨C she was just like a princess from a fairy tale except the creator of said fairy tale was a rather massive pervert who sprinkled in way too many of his fetishes, but that only made Nell all the more interesting. As for Serra, she was the shortie who knew how to perfectly handle everybody in their relationship. As much as Eva might have tried to study them, she had nothing on Serra¡¯s ability to understand and seduce all relationship members involved. There was also the fact that, as Eva learned, Serra held the relationship together every bit as much as Fenrir did. Or rather, Eva learned that they all held it together in equal parts. They were a truly unified group where everybody was equal. Not one of them was any more important than anybody else in the relationship, and now Eva was in it. After helping Azalabulia up, Eva looked down at herself. What human parts of her remained weren¡¯t exactly special. The dark hair that she kept in a ponytail made her feel even more basic ¨C plain. Sure, she considered herself interesting when it came to hobbies and intelligence¡­ but none of the others really shared in her scientific endeavors nor did she think that they would be interested in everything that she had on her mind. What did she really have to offer to the group? She wasn¡¯t so self-conscious that she wouldn¡¯t consider herself a unique and interesting person or anything like that¡­ but was she really a good fit for them? Prior to meeting them, she always imagined herself ending up with some sort of scientist who worked with her on all sorts of crazy experiments. They¡¯d probably have a cat or two, wear lab coats around the house, turn a basement into a laboratory, potentially perform questionable experiments that may have been internationally outlawed ¨C stuff like that. But now, the more she thought about her place in this relationship, the more she doubted that she was right for them. In a state of contradiction, she had no doubt that they were right for her. She thought that they were all interesting and had more fun spending time with them than with anybody else, and there was not a single time she ever found herself bored no matter which of them she was with. But¡­ did they feel the same about her? Even after this little quest worthy of a training montage that deepened the bond between her and Azalabulia, she found herself doubting. And all of these doubts resurfaced in her mind because she was checking out Azalabulia¡¯s chest while helping her out. It was not the first time that Eva had ever had these concerns, but they were usually the sort of doubts that popped up in her mind while she was trying to sleep at night. But with how they were growing stronger every passing night, it was only a matter of time until she couldn¡¯t help but feel this way while around the others, and it finally happened. Eva being Eva, a hundred and one doubts and concerns and theories ran through her mind in the short time that it took to help Azalabulia get up. As smart as Eva might have known she was, she couldn¡¯t help but to feel extremely stupid for having a mind plagued by these concerns. She knew that she was almost certainly overthinking things, but that didn¡¯t matter. No amount of self-awareness could stop her thoughts from manipulating her feelings. Fortunately for her, she had her runaway mental self-doubting in the presence of the perfect person to handle it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Azalabulia asked. It was clear to her that Eva¡¯s demeanor had a major shift in just a few seconds. ¡°Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something,¡± Eva answered, forcing her face to return to a much more neutral state. That was the wrong answer. Azalabulia being Azalabulia, her caring teacher mode was activated. Azalabulia knew when somebody was bothered by something, especially if they were younger than her¡­ even if they were only a couple of years younger. Being surrounded by children, who were constantly learning how to deal with this world and their emotions, provided great experience for the teacher. ¡°No massage until you tell me what¡¯s wrong,¡± Azalabulia said with a pout, holding an imposing finger in front of her. Eva took a step back when she realized just how serious Azalabulia was being. No massage meant no explosion. Azalabulia, the woman thoroughly and utterly addicted to explosions ¨C perhaps the most explosion-loving woman to have ever existed¡­ would deprive herself of her greatest joy just to get her to be honest. Unsure of how to respond, Eva looked to the side and scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know how to put it,¡± Eva said. ¡°Then explain it as best you can,¡± Azabulia replied. ¡°It¡¯s kind of¡­ embarrassing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had students who had bathroom accidents in the middle of class, and I never once judged them for it.¡± ¡°I think a kid having that kind of mistake is pretty different from how I¡¯m feeling.¡± ¡°They might be different but my point stands. No matter what it is, I¡¯m not going to judge you for it. A good teacher encourages and supports her students, she doesn¡¯t put them down and shame them.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not my teacher for anything.¡± ¡°I am right now.¡± Eva witnessed Azalabulia¡¯s teacher mode before but she was never on the receiving end of it. It was only now that she could truly understand just how genuinely intimidating, yet comforting, Azalabulia could be despite her immature tendencies. This was who Azalabulia truly was. ¡°I guess¡­ I suddenly feel self-conscious. I¡¯ve had these thoughts before, but they just popped up really hard for some reason. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Eva explained. ¡°No,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°N-no?¡± ¡°I am going to worry about it whether you like it or not. What do you feel self-conscious about?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯m just¡­ kind of boring compared to the rest of you.¡± Azalabulia titled her head with furrowed eyebrows. ¡°What? Why would you think that?¡± ¡°I guess¡­ because I¡¯m plain? You¡¯re all¡­ attractive and interesting and share interests and stuff. I¡¯m just kind of¡­ me.¡± ¡°I promise that I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that we don¡¯t want you to be anybody other than just kind of you.¡± Eva placed a hand on the back of her head to rub it. ¡°I feel unneeded, I guess.¡± ¡°I need you for the massage.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not needed in any other ways.¡± ¡°None of us are.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need Fenrir. I don¡¯t need Serra, Cassiel, Nell, and I don¡¯t need you. What matters is that I am happy with all of you and that I want all of you. Need has nothing to do with it. If you need somebody to live, that is not healthy and a sign that you need to work on yourself first and foremost. Rather than need, you should want, and I can assure you that all of us want you.¡± ¡°But I feel like I haven¡¯t really even been around long enough to be wanted like that.¡± Azalabulia crossed her arms underneath her chest. ¡°Too bad. We want you.¡± ¡°Are you just saying that to make me feel better?¡± ¡°No. A good teacher never lies to her students. A good teacher is honest and encourages her students to critically think about the information being presented to them. I have presented you with information. Now, is it up to you to analyze the information and come to a conclusion. Somebody who is as smart as you should have no difficulty in coming to the correct conclusion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I have enough data to do that yet.¡± ¡°Then I will give you more. One, we all accepted you into our relationship while already knowing what kind of person you are. Two, none of us value any one member of our relationship over the others. Three, none of us find any one member of our relationship more attractive nor less attractive than the others. Four, you might think that we don¡¯t share any hobbies nor interests with you, but I promise you that we would all eagerly try out anything that you wish to share with us. Besides, this isn¡¯t even true. Aren¡¯t you and Cassiel going to play instruments together? You proposed an activity and Cassiel obliged. The rest of us would do the same. Five, nobody who has as many unique monster parts as you could ever be plain. I love how they add to your appearance and I can tell you, at the very least, that I have seen Fenrir looking at them multiple times. He likes monster girls and you fall under that definition as far as I am aware. Six, do I really need to keep going on?¡± The more data that Azalabulia provided Eva with, the deeper the blush on Eva¡¯s cheeks grew and the more timid she felt. It was incredibly embarrassing having all of that listed off right to her face¡­ but it was what she needed to hear. ¡°I told you that it was nothing. My mind overreacts sometimes and starts thinking about things out of my control,¡± Eva tried to explain. But Azalabulia was not going to have any of it. ¡°No. It is my obligation both as your girlfriend and teacher to ensure that you are alright. Self-conscious doubts are never ¡®nothing.¡¯ They are real emotions that deserve to be recognized as genuine feelings. Even if you felt genuinely upset to discover that the moon was not made of cheese, that would be a legitimate feeling that should be respected. It would not be something to feel ashamed of nor to shame you for.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think that I¡¯d ever get upset over something like that.¡± ¡°But even if you did, the others and I would accept your emotions and validate them. Also, something else that I would like to say is this: even if we don¡¯t share many hobbies, that is alright. I find theories and studies related to effective teaching practices fascinating. I don¡¯t think that any of you would find these interesting, and that¡¯s alright. I also, as you might be able to tell, love to roleplay. None of you are as interested in it as me, and that¡¯s alright. Personally, being accepted for who I am and my interests is just as good as somebody mimicking all of my preferences. If you want to share in hobbies together, don¡¯t feel nervous and check us for interest. The worst case scenario is that we might not be interested in what you recommend, so we would find something else that interests both of us instead.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ really good at this. Did you used to be a therapist or psychologist or something?¡± Azalabulia placed her hands on her hips and donned a proud smile. ¡°I not only have a Master¡¯s in Teaching and a Bachelor¡¯s in Chemistry Education, but I have a Bachelor¡¯s in Behavioral Psychology as well.¡± ¡°Wow, seriously? You have three degrees? And they¡¯re all different like that?¡± Azalabulia¡¯s smile grew even wider as she nodded her head. ¡°Many of us who are passionate about education are not only in love with teaching, but we love to learn as well.¡± ¡°Which one did you get first? Which degree, I mean.¡± ¡°I was originally pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering before truly realizing my passion for teaching, so I finished my Bachelor¡¯s in Chemistry Education first.¡± ¡°You were going for Chemical Engineering first? Why? That doesn¡¯t really seem like something you¡¯d be interested in.¡± ¡°I wanted to make explosions.¡± ¡°I take back what I said, that sounds exactly like something you¡¯d be interested in. I have a feeling that you¡¯re probably on a few government lists.¡± ¡°Without a doubt!¡± Azalabulia said with far too smug of a smile for what she was agreeing to. ¡°A-anyways¡­ what degree came next?¡± ¡°My Master¡¯s. It was only after my first work with children that I realized I wanted to understand them better. Simply knowing how to teach them wasn¡¯t good enough for me. I wanted to understand and relate to them as best I could, so I worked on my second Bachelor¡¯s, the one in Behavioral Psychology, while teaching. I believe that it has been incredibly beneficial to my teaching style. While we¡¯re on the topic, have you attended higher education at all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s really cool, and not yet. It¡¯s something that I¡¯m interested in, but¡­ I¡¯ve just sort of independently studied anything that I¡¯ve been interested in.¡± ¡°That can be just as good as pursuing a degree depending on your methods. However, a teacher can help you notice mistakes or misconceptions that you might not realize yourself. That¡¯s why, if you ever need a teacher to help you out, you can come to me! No matter the subject, I will study it so that I can teach it to you.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be way harder than that? What if I wanted to learn aerospace engineering or something?¡± ¡°Teachers can learn anything in the world to teach others!¡± ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like teachers all have some crazy superpower or something that lets them learn whatever they want.¡± ¡°Exactly. Teachers are superheroes, so it only makes sense for us to have superpowers.¡± ¡°You really do sound just like a teacher.¡± ¡°Good, seeing as how I am a teacher after all.¡± Reassured and without all of those doubts from before running through her mind, Eva chuckled before letting out a relaxed sigh. ¡°Thanks. And sorry for being weird all of a sudden.¡± ¡°One, you were not weird. Two, you have nothing to apologize for. Never apologize for your feelings.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try. Anyways,¡± Eva paused, looking around them. It was starting to get dark and she felt tired of, essentially, being the submissive in their conversation. Azalabulia dominated the talk and was acting so motherly and caring toward her that Eva felt the need to try at least a little bit hard to return the favor. But what could she say that would give her some more control? That would give her equal footing in the conversation? Well, there was one thing that she was thinking about earlier before the drama. It would go with the one way that she always saw others fluster Azalabulia, too, and Eva really felt like joining the others in flustering Azalabulia after that entire conversation. Though, it would be a double-edged sword if anything. In order to go on the attack with Azalabulia, Eva would have to harm herself in the process. She only had the confidence to be bold without flustering herself in the process when she was on the verge of death after an intense duel, apparently. ¡°By ¨C by the way,¡± Eva spoke up. ¡°Yes?¡± Azalabulia asked in response. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how I should ask something like this, so it might come off as weird or something, but¡­ is it okay to touch your body and stuff when I want to?¡± That was what was actually on Eva¡¯s mind for most of their moments worthy of fitting in a training montage. And just as Eva hoped, Azalabulia went from her cool and mature teacher mode to her flustered and blushing virgin mode. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ we¡¯re dating, so¡­ the others can do that whenever they want, so¡­ you can, too.¡± While Azalabulia just looked straight up embarrassed and like she wanted to cover up her face with her hands, Eva¡¯s own blushing face had just a hint of a perverse smile showing on it. ¡°Then ¨C then after. After we give the dragon a massage, I want to¡­ do things with you,¡± Eva announced. Azalabulia, unable to deal with such a bold approach without the influence of alcohol assisting her, covered up her face and nodded. Eva couldn¡¯t resist turning her back to Azalabulia just to hide the blushing excitement of her own face. ¡°A-alright! We have a dragon to massage. You ready? This isn¡¯t going to work without the best explosions yet.¡± Azalabulia uncovered her face the moment that she heard the word ¡°explosion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± she declared. ¡°I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, the Protector of Smiles, and the Explosive Massager of Dragons, will give the most explosive massage that ever will be!¡± Eva turned around to face Azalabulia once more, grabbing onto one another¡¯s hands in a show of camaraderie. Fraydranth was just happy that they were finally going to give her the massage that she had been patiently waiting for this entire time. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountains¡­ Cheers and applause roared throughout all of those who went out fishing together. Not only were they actually managing to catch the fish that they needed, but they were singing sea shanties for every moment of it. It was a dream come true to Fenrir. Not only did he get to be a wannabe pirate out fishing with some of his girlfriends, but he was playing with a bunch of other men and women who all knew sea shanties to sing! Coming over to this region of the world was the best choice that he ever made. Towns that relied on bartering instead of trading with coin, a population across several seaside towns that loved to fish, sea shanties ¨C he didn¡¯t get to hear a single sea shanty while he was in Port Tugator, which was supposed to be heaven for pirates in Fantasy Tales Online, but he got his fill of sea shanties now! While Fenrir and Cassiel stood by each other¡¯s side with their lines out in the water, Nell and Serra, and Oleander and Corwin, danced together on the deck of The Shoebill. Both Serra and Corwin needed a bit of convincing to dance around this many other people, but both were convinced with whispered promises. Nell and Oleander led their partners and occasionally checked on each other to see what the other was doing, ensuring that they at least had a relatively similar dance going on. Though, no whispered promises were enough to get Serra and Corwin to sing along with the shanties. Nell and Oleander were more than delighted to chant along as they danced, though. While Cassiel might not have been dancing nor singing, she still enjoyed the evening, too. She ended up resting her head against Fenrir¡¯s shoulder while struggling to keep her eyes open. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you can look so tired with all this noise,¡± Fenrir said as he internally fangirled over having his girlfriend cutely resting her head against him. ¡°It¡¯s relaxing. Sue me,¡± Cassiel replied in a tired voice. If it wasn¡¯t for her smile, he would have thought that she was grumpy. ¡°I guess so. It¡¯s kind of like sitting around a campfire at night with friends who are talking and sharing stories. Except we¡¯re with a bunch of people we barely know and they¡¯re singing sea shanties. And we¡¯re surrounded by water instead of in front of a fire. And we¡¯re standing on a boat instead of sitting on a log. And we¡¯re fishing.¡± ¡°Neither of us have caught a single thing. We¡¯re not doing much fishing.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s because we¡¯re in the middle of the pack. The boats on the outside away from everybody else are getting all the catches.¡± It was then, as if it were fate, that Fenrir¡¯s line was tugged. His eyes shot open wide and he began to reel in¡­ only to notice that Cassiel was trying not to laugh next to him. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± he asked. To answer his question, Cassiel moved her rod to the right. Suspiciously enough, Fenrir¡¯s line was tugged to the right as a result. ¡°We¡¯re tangled, aren¡¯t we?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Yeah. I was wondering when you¡¯d notice,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°I guess I must be tired too if I didn¡¯t notice that.¡± ¡°Told you. It¡¯s relaxing.¡± ¡°Sue me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t steal my line.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who just tried stealing mine.¡± ¡°No I didn¡ªoh. You meant your actual line.¡± Cassiel rolled her neck and yawned. ¡°I think you need a nap.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like I¡¯m a little kid.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t make it sound like only little kids need naps. Adults love naps far more than kids ever will.¡± ¡°I guess a nap kind of sounds nice.¡± Noticing a certain somebody out of the corner of his eye, Fenrir said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be getting one.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Rather than receive a response from Fenrir, Cassiel was separated from his side by Serra being thrust between them. Then, just as quickly as Serra arrived, Nell grabbed onto Cassiel¡¯s wrists and dragged her out to the center of The Shoebill¡¯s deck. ¡°Rest in peace,¡± Fenrir said for his sleepy girlfriend who was being forced into a dance by his far more energetic girlfriend. ¡°Nell Nell really likes dancing,¡± Serra sighed, sounding far more tired than Cassiel did. ¡°Can you blame her? She gets as much use out of her legs here as she can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun but I need a nap now.¡± ¡°Well, once Cass is freed, I think you¡¯ll have a more-than-willing napping partner.¡± ¡°Nice. I¡¯ll use her butt as a pillow.¡± ¡°Not her boobs?¡± ¡°Have to switch it up,¡± Serra explained with a sleepy nod. ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, can you help me with untangling this line?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Too sleepy. No untangling, only napping.¡± ¡°You lazy pirate queen.¡± Serra gave him a thumbs-up in approval for her new nickname before helping him in reeling in the line to untangle it. Meanwhile, to make matters even worse for the sleepy Cassiel, Nell and Oleander thought it would be fun to switch their partners back and forth to keep things fun. Considering that neither Cassiel nor Corwin were the most experienced of dancers, and that they were both much less energetic than the ones who brought them into dancing, they could barely handle what was going on. It all became a blur until Cassiel and Corwin were paired together at which point they immediately stumbled backwards and fell onto their backs, leaving Nell and Oleander to dance together on their own. If providing entertainment for the watchers was the goal, they should have done so in the first place. Nell and Oleander dancing together, arm in arm, received a much stronger reaction from those watching. Unfortunately, a stronger reaction meant they were even more distracted, and they were running low on time to catch the final fish needed. That was when the tangled line was tugged on. ¡°Cassiel already tried that. It won¡¯t work,¡± Fenrir said before noticing that Serra looked surprised. ¡°I thought that was you,¡± Serra said. ¡°Are you trying to trick me?¡± Serra shook her head. While looking at one another, ensuring that neither was trying to trick the other¡­ both of their rods were harshly tugged on. They hooked something. Immediately, Fenrir got behind Serra and put his arms around hers, holding his rod directly next to hers so that they were as close to each other as they could be without bumping. ¡°Try to do what I do, alright?¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Got it,¡± Serra replied, just as ready and determined as Fenrir was. Together, the two reeled in their lines at the same speed. A tough battle began between fishers and fish. When Fenrir moved his rod to the left, Serra followed with hers. When he eased up on reeling in to prevent the line from snapping, Serra did the same. Serra mirrored all of his actions and even took the initiative a couple of times, causing him to be the one to mirror her instead. They made the perfect team. Once some of the others around realized what was going on, they joined in to watch and cheer in support for them. None of them had ever seen a situation like this unfold before. Not only that but, with how hard the fish was tugging on their lines, there was only one fish in these waters that provided any of them such a challenge. It was the last fish that they needed. After nearly ten minutes of battling the fish, Fenrir and Serra brought it close enough to The Shoebill that they could see it underneath the water. Their prize was so close. All they had to do was bring it in a little bit closer. That was when the Eastern spearfish¡¯s elongated bill actually managed to slice right through one of the lines. With how hard Serra was pulling on her rod, to suddenly have her line severed caused her to fall backward against Fenrir. He almost dropped Rod from being so suddenly bumped into, but he held on and kept on reeling in. ¡°Sorry,¡± Serra said. ¡°I tried my best.¡± ¡°Who said you¡¯re allowed to stop now?¡± Fenrir asked. Serra looked up at him, confused, but understood what he was saying when he looked into her eyes. With a smile and a nod, Serra grabbed onto Rod¡¯s blank and waited for the order. ¡°On three,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°One¡­ two¡­ three!¡± Together, Fenrir and Serra yanked up and back with all of their strength, forcing the Eastern spearfish out of the water and into the air! Fenrir fell against the deck as a result and Serra landed on top of him in her favorite spot. Thankfully, one of the other players fishing with them all had a net held out ready to catch the fish and succeeded in doing so. They got the last Eastern spearfish that they needed. Their quest was a success. Everybody was so distracted by the accomplishment that Serra was free to subtly grind herself down against Fenrir¡¯s crotch since she landed with her rear on top of it. ¡°I thought you were tired?¡± Fenrir asked her. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°I can¡¯t be tired when that¡¯s awake,¡± Serra answered, looking as smug as ever. Unfortunately for Serra, there was no time for such playing. It was getting late and they desperately needed to return with all of the fish before it was too late. Of course, understanding that didn¡¯t stop Serra from pouting when she was removed from his crotch. Fenrir stood up and brushed himself off. ¡°Good job, both of you,¡± he said to Serra and Rod. ¡°And thanks for catching that,¡± he said to the random player who helped out with the net. ¡°Alright! We¡¯ve got all ten eastern spearfish, so let¡¯s heard back! Great work!¡± he shouted to everybody else. His shout was met with a resounding cheer. Everything was coming together. All Fenrir had to hope for now was that Azalabulia and Eva were making progress on how to give Fraydranth a massage. Though, there was onre more thing that he needed to worry about. A certain somebody grabbed onto his wrists and dragged him out to the center of the deck. ¡°You did not think you were safe, did you, my hero?¡± Nell asked with an intimidating smile on her face. ¡°But, I ¨C I don¡¯t dance. I don¡¯t even know where to begin,¡± Fenrir said, trying to talk his way out of this. ¡°Then it is a good thing we have caught all the fish! You have plenty of time to learn before we arrive.¡± Fenrir gulped. There was no getting out of this. But he didn¡¯t help Cassiel when she was the one being forced into a dance, so it was only fair for him to surrender his pride and make a fool of himself in front of everybody. He just had to remind himself that if he could dress up in a frilly pink tutu to brutally massacre players in other games while burning down all of their creations, he could dance. He could dance if he wanted to. He could leave his pride behind. Cause he couldn¡¯t dance and if he couldn¡¯t dance. He was no boyfriend of Nell¡¯s. After absolutely humiliating himself as the worst dancer in Fantasy Tales Online, Fenrir made it back to GG¡¯s village with his tail low between his legs and his ears flat against his head. There was good news, though. Those at the village had all of the wine prepared and ready for transport. That in addition to the caught fish meant that two of the three requirements to gain Fraydranth¡¯s assistance were met. All that was left was the most impossible one of them all ¨C giving the mighty dragon a massage. Their fate was in Azalabulia¡¯s and Eva¡¯s hands now. Just as the sun passed over the far mountains, blanketing the surrounding region in twilight, Fenrir and the others arrived at Fraydranth¡¯s home with all of the wine and fish. They arrived just in time to see what would surely be a unique experience. In the distance, atop Fraydranth, Eva was in the process of breathing fire underneath Fraydranth¡¯s scales. Fenrir and the others had no idea what she was doing. All they could see were remnants of her flames escaping from underneath the scales as Eva jumped around to heat up several different locations. However, when they looked at Fraydranth¡¯s face¡­ she looked pleased. Very pleased. Her eyes were shut and, despite being a massive and intimidating dragon, she was sighing out in pleasure from how nice the heat felt against all of those tight spots. After a few minutes of this, Eva flew down to the ground to pick up Azalabulia and return with her. Nobody except for those two had any idea of what was coming next. Hovering in the air above and behind Fraydranth, Azalabulia wielded her stuff and pointed it toward the dragon. ¡°It is time to reveal my latest and greatest spell to the world! All shall tremble in fear of my awesome power!¡± Azalabulia shouted. She was too far away for Fenrir and the group to hear, but they had a good idea of what she was probably saying. ¡°I shall prove that not even dragons can resist my power! Neither hard scale nor knotted muscles may ever dream of standing against me! I have developed the ultimate technique ¨C one that will transcend reality itself to annihilate all before me! I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Protector of Smiles, the Explosive Massager of Dragons, and the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, will permanently and eternally force this dragon¡¯s back into ultimate submission! This shall be the ultimate showcase ¨C no, this shall go beyond the ultimate showcase of raw power! Now, it is time for you all to witness the neverending torment of my dark and destructive power! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, Final Attack Mach Two, Beyond Ultimate Verse: Scale Exodus, the Purging of Knots, the Twisted Pleasure of Dragons, the Beating of the Universe¡¯s Drums and the Annhilation of Space! Launch!¡± One might have thought that a nuclear explosion was detonated as soon as Azalabulia¡¯s spell officially began. A massive, bright and blinding orb appeared in front of her staff. However, rather than travel toward its target and explode, the orb stayed in position. What it did instead of explode on its own was shoot off dozens upon dozens of individual beams that precisely targeted the fleshy spots underneath Fraydranth¡¯s scales. Some failed to hit directly, but that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that each of these beams resulted in a small explosion that sent a shockwave through Fraydranth¡¯s back. And they just kept on coming. Every single explosive beam decreased the glowing orb¡¯s total size as they drew energy from it. Were the orb itself to explode all at once, it would create a truly, obscenely massive explosion. However, by breaking its destructive power into many smaller explosions, these explosions were the perfect strength to create a massaging effect across Fraydranth¡¯s back without actually harming her at all. Though, if health bars were a thing, she likely would have been taking some small amounts of damage from it. But that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that the dragon¡¯s mouth was parted open and her eyes were almost rolling all the way back due to how incredible the massage felt. ¡°I ¨C I think they¡¯re actually doing it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I want a massage that good,¡± Serra said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d die if you got that kind of massage.¡± ¡°Worth it.¡± The blinding orb grew smaller and smaller until it eventually dissipated, shooting off one final beam to detonate underneath a scale right behind the dragon¡¯s right shoulder. That caused an especially pleasured moan to reach the ears of everybody in the surrounding area. They didn¡¯t even need to follow through with the electric therapy that was part of their plan. Azalabulia and Eva successfully gave the dragon the best massage that she could have ever asked for from humans. But, of course, Eva was still going to go and apply her electricity to every spot that still needed a bit of assistance across the dragon¡¯s back. They already came this far, so they were going to see their plan all the way through. Book 6: Chapter 33: The rest of the massage was much less dramatic than causing explosions all across the dragon¡¯s back. It helped that Azalabulia was thoroughly spent after that and basically a living, malleable mass of jello that began to melt in the hands of whoever held her. She was so exhausted that she ended up getting a massage from her lovers while Eva took her time with Fraydranth. Fenrir worked from the top, giving Azalabulia¡¯s shoulders a massage, while Serra worked below by giving Azalabulia¡¯s feet a massage. Their combined effort made Azalabulia even puttier than she already was. Any more and Azalabulia was going to evolve into being a whole new race. Right now, she was only a human. If they continued, she would evolve into a putty slime. Cassiel crouched down and poked Azalabulia¡¯s cheek since she wasn¡¯t able to resist. Surely enough, the cheek jiggled and Azalabulia giggled a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve seen slime girls before, but I didn¡¯t know this is how you turn into them,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve actually seen slime girls?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Yeah. There was a whole town of them under the Augus Empire¡¯s protection. Livia wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of them, but¡­ they kept our soldiers happy.¡± ¡°That sounds lewd.¡± ¡°Because it was. It was basically a resort village in the middle of a forest that was run by a bunch of slime girls. The men loved going there.¡± ¡°Why am I only just now hearing about this?¡± ¡°Because you don¡¯t need to know about a village full of slime girls who want to screw everybody and everything,¡± Cassiel narrowed her eyes at Fenrir. ¡°Also, they let me in on their secret. They were all men in real life.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I have any interest in going there. I¡¯m just happier knowing that, somewhere in this world, there¡¯s a village full of slime girls doing what they love.¡± ¡°At least they only went after the men who visited. They were perverts, but they had no interest in me. They were actually pretty nice to me. If they were trying to flirt with me all the time, I probably would have asked never to be sent back there.¡± ¡°Wait, if they¡¯re guys in real life, but they¡¯re girls in-game, and they¡¯re having sex with guys in-game¡­ does that make them gay? From the guys¡¯ perspective, it wouldn¡¯t be gay since they¡¯d probably just assume the slime girls are girls in real life. People like to assume that avatar gender is real gender. So, the other players wouldn¡¯t be gay, but what about the slime players?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m curious about this at a philosophical level. But, more importantly, they¡¯re all having fun which is all that really matters. So¡­ where was this village exactly? For hypothetical reasons.¡± ¡°You trying to sleep on the couch tonight?¡± ¡°Please, Cassiel,¡± Nell said, ¡°if my hero wishes to indulge in slimy pleasure, I say we let him! Besides¡­ think about it. While it would look as if he were being pleasured by women, we know the truth thanks to you. He would actually be surrounded by men tending to every inch of his body, dedicating themselves to his pleasure. Our lovely, wonderful boyfriend would be thoroughly pleasured by a group of men taking on female form as slimes.¡± Cassiel fell silent. ¡°Nice,¡± Serra said, still massaging Azalabulia¡¯s feet. ¡°It gets even better when you keep in consideration that slimes are typically genderless in the first place! Or, at the very least, gender fluid,¡± Nell said, clearly proud of herself for that one. ¡°While they are drowning my hero in pleasure, they would slowly change their bodies to be more reflective of their true selves. Hours later, once it has all passed, my hero would discover that he was no longer surrounded by slime girls. Instead, he would be surrounded and covered in slime boys. That would be when he realizes that the slimy goo on his body is not just part of their body¡¯s slime, but something much stickier and¡ª¡± ¡°Hang on,¡± Fenrir interrupted. ¡°Cass, why¡¯s me joking about going to a bunch of slime girls couch-worthy, but Nell going into a whole fantasy about me being corrupted by slime boys is alright?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t get jealous if it¡¯s other guys,¡± Cassiel admitted. ¡°Girls need our approval and need to be on the way to join our relationship. Guys¡­ you can do whatever you want with any guy. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve never cared about Olly being all over you.¡± ¡°What she said,¡± Serra agreed. Azalabulia was too out of it to say anything, but she did give a thumbs-up while Nell nodded along. ¡°I¡¯m not going to the slime village,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°But, my hero! Imagine how wonderful you would feel! They could pleasure you in ways that none of us ever could!¡± Nell said, earnestly looking as if she were trying to convince Fenrir into going. ¡°Why don¡¯t one of you turn into a slime instead? I mean, it¡¯s possible to become like any race you want. Now that I think about it¡­ why¡¯d you all choose to be human?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know any better,¡± Serra said. ¡°I wanted to become an angel, so it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t try,¡± Cassiel explained. ¡°Ex-explosions!¡± Azalabulia mumbled. ¡°Well, I became something different, my hero, and Eva did as well!¡± Nell said. ¡°I don¡¯t get why so many people prefer to play the basic human race in MMOs when they can be so many things that are so much cooler,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But, it¡¯s nothing to shame over. Just kind of sad that people aren¡¯t interested in exploring all of the possibilities.¡± ¡°You mean sad that you don¡¯t get to explore your fetishes,¡± Cassiel said, accurately calling him out. It was obvious that she was right from the sudden sweat appearing on Fenrir¡¯s forehead. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°My hero, if you could change the race of our three humans here, what would you make them?¡± Nell asked. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what he would make Azalabulia or Serra, but he did immediately have an idea when his eyes settled on Cassiel. Cassiel sighed. She knew what was about to happen. ¡°A dog,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re going on the couch tonight,¡± Cassiel sighed again. ¡°But you¡¯d look adorable with dog ears. The beautiful, shining knight with dog ears who kills monster, heals the poor, and wants to become an angel. Well, seeing as how all dogs are already angels, you¡¯d finally get to fulfill your goal of becoming an angel. Dog ears and tail, angel wings and halo ¨C yes. Just, yes. Please. I need this, Cass.¡± The more he talked, the more she ended up blushing. Even if they were already dating for a significant amount of time, and even if he was being a degenerate thinking about how to make her some sort of strange hybrid to cater to his fetishes¡­ he called her adorable and beautiful. All that was missing from his ideal version of her was a collar. After all, what would be the point of making her get dog ears and a dog tail if he wasn¡¯t going to put a collar on her as well? Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to say that. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯d have a justification for putting a collar on you,¡± Fenrir said. Of course, she didn¡¯t need to say that. Cassiel¡¯s reddened cheeks revealed to everybody exactly what she thought about Fenrir¡¯s fantasy. ¡°You can be my angelic doggo waifu,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°God, I hate how that sounds nice,¡± Cassiel said. Of course, she didn¡¯t realize that she said that. It took a few seconds for her to realize that she actually admitted to that out loud. Once her brain caught up to her actions, she stood up, walked over to a tree, and sat down behind it so that the others couldn¡¯t see her. All they could see was steam escaping from around the tree, likely coming from just how hot the blushing was making her. ¡°She¡¯s so cute,¡± Fenrir said with a satisfied smile on his face. ¡°Cass Cass is the cutest,¡± Serra agreed. ¡°She certainly is!¡± Nell said. ¡°Ex¡ª¡­excutesions!¡± Azalabulia mumbled, managing to combine her desire to call Cassiel cute with her current state of being mindbroken by her love for explosions. ¡°Me next. What do I get to be?¡± Serra asked. ¡°A mouse,¡± Fenrir answered. Serra frowned. ¡°Not lewd enough.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen the meme of the hamster with the banana? Replace the hamster with a mouse.¡± ¡°Oh. Nice. I approve.¡± ¡°But seriously, I don¡¯t know. I kind of think it¡¯d make more sense for everybody to become non-human while you stay the only human. That way you¡¯re the small, perverted human with a harem of other species.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Do you have any ideas, Nell?¡± Nell tapped her cheek as she pondered the idea of Serra as another species. ¡°Ah! I know! I believe that the true species hiding within Serra would be a shambling mass of perverse tentacles looking to get their lewd, suspiciously-phallic tips on and inside of everything!¡± ¡°A¡­ a mass of tentacles? Not even a cute tentacle girl or something?¡± ¡°Nope! Only tentacles.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Serra said. ¡°I mean, I can kind of see how that fits her personality, but¡­ here I was thinking something small and cute,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Small, cute, and mischievous. I think even a cat would fit better, especially with how quiet she is. Like¡­ the kind of cat that is quiet and might even seem cold at times, but actually just wants to cuddle all the time and has no idea what respecting personal space is. Also, Serra with cat ears would be adorable.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you make a very strong case,¡± Nell said. ¡°I can see that. I can absolutely see that. It may not fit her lewd nature, but it does fit the rest of her. Serra¡¯s perverseness can only be compared to that of a shambling mass of horrifying tendrils eager to breed whatever they may find, but that is only the perverse side of her. Which, to be fair, is a very large side of her. As for the rest of her ¨C I agree. A small, quiet, cuddly cat that has every intent to suffocate you in the middle of the night by spreading herself out over your face. Not in a lewd way, mind you, though I am sure she would be interested in that as well!¡± ¡°But Nyaiko is a cat,¡± Serra said. ¡°I wanna be different.¡± ¡°Hm. What about a tiger? While they are both felines, a tiger is much more predatory. I think? Everything we already mentioned would still apply, but the tiger aspect in specific could apply to your predatory desires. Tigers are cute, but they are killers. You are small and cute, but you are the most dominant and seductive one in our relationship.¡± ¡°Too big. That¡¯s what she said.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to ¡®that¡¯s what she said¡¯ yourself. Have some faith in me, I would have had your back and said it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Anyways, yeah, I think a tiger is too big and the killer equals dominant thing is a bit of a stretch. I mean, we could really apply that logic to any animal that is both cute and actually scary. Like a bear.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you may have a point,¡± Nell said. ¡°Finding another race for Serra is difficult. Perhaps she would be better off as a slime. Slimes tend to be naturally lewd and she would still get to look as she does, simply slimier.¡± ¡°A bear. I want to be a bear,¡± Serra said. ¡°Why?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°So I can be scary and make bear noises.¡± ¡°Do you even know what a bear sounds like?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask my virtual assistant for a sample.¡± A few seconds later and Serra nodded her head. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡± After taking a deep breath, Serra performed her best attempt at imitating a bear. ¡°Grrroooooar.¡± A very monotone bear that sounded like it had given up on life, but a bear nonetheless. ¡°Well¡­ that was absolutely adorable, and I want to hear you try that again, but I¡¯m not sure a bear fits you.¡± And then Fenrir remembered something. He remembered something absolutely adorable. ¡°Serra, without checking first, make a penguin noise,¡± Fenrir requested. ¡°Hwuak,¡± Serra said. She looked smugly proud of her ¡°penguin noise.¡± ¡°Why be a penguin when you can be a bear? Wait, I mean, reverse that. Why be a bear when you can be a penguin?¡± That was when it hit her. That was when Serra¡¯s true purpose in life became clear. With sparkling eyes, Serra¡¯s destiny became obvious. She knew what she needed to do ¨C she knew what her life purpose was. She knew the ultimate joy that she could ever possibly experience, something even better than sex. She could become a penguin. ¡°I wanna do it. I¡¯ll be a penguin,¡± Serra said, excitedly nodding her head. Though, even excitedly nodding seemed slow when it was Serra doing it. ¡°I don¡¯t really think that a penguin fits your personality at all, but¡­ you would be cutest as a penguin,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°The fact that it doesn¡¯t even really make sense just adds to how cute it is. Something doesn¡¯t have to be a perfect representation to still be cute.¡± ¡°You make a wonderful point, my hero,¡± Nell said. ¡°After all, you willingly subjecting yourself to a group of men eager to devour you makes no sense, but it is still a wonderful thought.¡± ¡°Did we really have to go back to that?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Content with the massage that she gave Azalabulia, Serra stood up and pet her arms straight down against her sides before ¡°flapping¡± them like a penguin would. ¡°Hwuak.¡± ¡°Too precious. Way too precious,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Though¡­ I¡¯m not really sure how a penguin girl would work. Would it be like a harpy? Would your arms get replaced by flippers and your legs replaced by¡­ short penguin legs?¡± ¡°Hmm. The actual implementation of it does complicate things,¡± Nell said. ¡°Are there not some variants of bird girls where they have the wings on their heads instead?¡± ¡°Penguin head wings. I don¡¯t know. They¡¯d be cute, but they¡¯d basically just look like floppy dog ears. They wouldn¡¯t work as back wings, either. They¡¯d just sort of¡­ hang down flat against the back. Maybe staying human but having a sort of penguin motif in her gear would be best? She already kind of has that going on with the black and white.¡± ¡°I want to be a penguin,¡± Serra said, still flapping her arms. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m just imagining you sliding down a snowy slope now onto a ramp that launches you into the water.¡± ¡°Speedy penguin.¡± ¡°Nothing about you is fast.¡± ¡°I can make you cum fast.¡± ¡°Ah! This is a ¡®burn,¡¯ yes?¡± Nell asked. ¡°You have been ¡®burned,¡¯ my hero!¡± ¡°He-hearing you say I¡¯ve been burned like that hurts more than the actual burn did,¡± Fenrir sighs. ¡°Anyways¡­ we¡¯ll worry about Serra¡¯s penguinfication later. What would Azalabulia be?¡± ¡°An explosion,¡± Serra said. Azalabulia nodded with closed eyes and a wide smile, still enjoying having her shoulders massaged by Fenrir. Nell returned to tapping her cheek in thought. ¡°I would recommend a dragon for obvious reasons, but Eva already has that partially covered on her own, and I am also¡­ dragon-adjacent, you could say?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d just be one more member of the dragon-or-basically-dragon club,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Plus I actually don¡¯t think it would fit her. She has an obsession with dragons, but I can¡¯t imagine her actually becoming partly dragon herself. Wait, I know. I have it perfectly figured out.¡± ¡°Yes, my hero?¡± ¡°A¡ª¡± ¡°Succubus,¡± Serra said. ¡°Azawaza the succubus.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes shot open as her cheeks turned red, though they weren¡¯t quite Cassiel-hiding-behind-a-tree level of red yet. ¡°That¡­ that was actually exactly what I was going to say,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to test you. We¡¯ll see if you want her to be a succubus for the right reasons. Why, Serra, do you think that Azalabulia should be a succubus?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s hot and has the biggest boobs. And she likes darkness and demons and stuff.¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve failed me ¨C well, kind of. Is there any reason other than that ¨C any reason that comes after that for her being a succubus?¡± ¡°I want to see her dress up like one.¡± Fenrir shook his head, clearly saddened. ¡°You¡¯ve come to the right conclusion but used the wrong formula. The task was failed successfully.¡± ¡°I think I understand what you are trying to get at, my hero, but please do educate us on why Azalabulia would make the perfect succubus!¡± Nell requested. ¡°Alright. You see¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious,¡± Cassiel said, finally rejoining them. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can use the right formula then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like what Serra said. Out of all of us, she has a body that maches a succubus¡¯s the most. She¡¯s tall, mature, and curvier than the rest of us. If we were all lined up next to each other, most people would probably say that she looks the closest to what a succubus is supposed to look like. She¡¯s got the highest sex appeal. She also likes darkness and demons and edgy stuff like Serra said, so it fits.¡± ¡°Right, but what else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting there. I know how you¡¯re thinking, so relax.¡± Cassiel sighed. ¡°What would make her a perfect succubus is because, despite looking how she does¡­ she¡¯s a shy, caring dork who would never actually act anything like a succubus.¡± Fenrir wanted to add a ¡°when sober¡± onto that last part, but he resisted the temptation to. ¡°What is that word you like to use to describe when something isn¡¯t like the stereotype, and that makes it cute?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Gap moe,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Yeah, that. Aza as a succubus would be gap moe. She¡¯d look like the perfect one, but her personality is the opposite of one.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made me proud, Cass Cass. You came to the right conclusion using the proper formula.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. You figure out what Serra would be?¡± Cassiel turned to face Serra who was still standing there with her arms at her sides. ¡°Hwuak,¡± Serra said. ¡°A penguin? I don¡¯t know how it¡¯d work, but it¡¯s cute,¡± Cassiel said. Despite Serra¡¯s best attempt at a penguin noise actually not sounding anything like a penguin, they all knew exactly what animal it was supposed to sound like. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know how to feel about¡­ about being a succubus,¡± Azalabulia said, finally snapped out of her post-explosion mindbreaking due to the embarrassment of hearing them justify her as a succubus. ¡°Ah, there is another factor to consider that would be perfect for you!¡± Nell said. ¡°If you are a succubus, and Cassiel is an angel ¨C my apologies, an angelic dog, then it would be a wonderful contrast! The holy, angelic knight with golden hair. The dark, demonic sorceress with pale hair. Halo versus horns. Dog ears versus bat wings. Canid tail versus heart-tipped tail. Breast-against-breast, pushing their chests against one another as they glare into each other¡¯s eyes to assert their respective dominance! Light versus dark! Purity versus corruption! And then¡­ realistically speaking, they would both be thoroughly dominated by a certain penguin.¡± The image was clear in all of their minds. Cassiel and Azalabulia, an angel and a demon, together on a bed panting, exhausted, and covered in various suggestive fluids with messy hair covering their faces, and between them on the bed with her arms behind her head was none other than Serra the penguin. ¡°That¡¯s some seriously powerful flapping,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Never underestimate the flap,¡± Serra said, holding her arms out to twist her torso from side to side. This allowed her to flap her arms forward and back¡­ resulting in slapping Cassiel¡¯s rear. Meanwhile, others watched the group¡¯s banter with great amusement. ¡°Are they always like this?¡± Fraydranth asked, her voice quiet enough so that only Eva who was hovering in the air next to her could hear. ¡°Yeah, pretty much,¡± Eva answered. ¡°They kind of lose track of where they are and whose around them, and what they¡¯re supposed to be doing, to do things like this.¡± Eva could barely hear what was going on even with her enhanced hearing, but she could see Cassiel pouting and trying to run away from Serra who was chasing after her rear with flapping arms. She could also see GG and the group of humanoid dragons awkwardly standing around waiting for something to do, trying not to interrupt the lovers¡¯ banter and play. ¡°Oho? I see. How amusing,¡± Fraydranth said. ¡°Also, I must thank you for the wonderful treatment. That far exceeded my expectations.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious what you did expect. You kind of asked for the impossible.¡± ¡°Did I? If it was the impossible, you would not have succeeded so splendidly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Of course it is. I am never anything but fair and just. That is why I expected nothing.¡± ¡°You¡­ expected nothing?¡± ¡°Of course. It would be foolish for a dragon of my size to expect a massage from such small creatures. I was merely testing your resolve ¨C your determination. So long as you did not refuse nor immediately give up, I would have considered any attempt as passing.¡± ¡°So¡­ this was all just a test? What about the other parts?¡± ¡°I fully expected them to bring me the drink and fish requested, but I would not have faulted them if they came with less than ordered or were late. So long as I get some, or get the full request inevitably, that is more than enough for me. Yet, it would appear that all tasks have been accomplished in their entirety. I am truly impressed.¡± ¡°Then, are you going to help us?¡± ¡°I had every intention to since the beginning, so yes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really. Those lesser dragons ¨C GG and his followers, they are¡­ very particular. Do not let them know this, but I put on this high and mighty act for them. They came to me treating me as if I were some sort of godly being, so I did them the favor of behaving as such. Truth be told¡­ it gets incredibly boring here. They should have built their village in this clearing rather than where they did so that I would have company and something to watch but, instead, they have chosen to treat this area as a sacred ground of sorts. They seem to be under the assumption that I actually care about this location.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even care?¡± ¡°No, why would I? It is just another clearing in the mountains.¡± ¡°Then why do you spend all your time here?¡± ¡°Traveling beyond the mountains is asking to be hunted by other groups of you small creatures. Traveling deeper into the mountains is asking to be hunted by larger and more powerful dragons. Remaining here allows me to stand at the top of the food chain¡­ and it is the only space nearby, that is not outside of the mountains, large enough for me to comfortably rest. All of the other spots are too cramped. I am a very large dragon, you see.¡± ¡°I ¨C I see. Well¡­ if you want more company, why don¡¯t you let GG know that they could move their village here?¡± ¡°I would not want to ruin their image of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure that they¡¯re the ones acting how they are because they think it¡¯s what you want.¡± ¡°Hrm? Do you mean to tell me that I have it backwards?¡± ¡°You both have it backwards, I think. Aza ¨C Azalabulia, the one who loves explosions, is the only one who actually cares about you acting like this, I think. The rest of them are normal.¡± ¡°I see. Then it would be in my best interest to continue as I have been.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°I would not want to disappoint the one who wishes to become my apprentice, after all. It is my duty as her teacher to live up to her expectations ¨C to serve as a role model for her.¡± Eva couldn¡¯t help but to smile at the teacher wanting to be an ideal teacher for the woman who actually was a teacher in real life. ¡°I see. You¡¯re really kind.¡± ¡°Somebody of my blood has to be.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°The rest of my kin ¨C those who share my blood. They are all miserable little whelps who want to burn down everything they see, hoard treasures acquired from around the world, fight each other for superiority ¨C it was all so tiresome. That was why I left and came down here. My eldest brother is currently the most powerful of the dragons and, while we are not on the best of terms, he at least respects my decision to have left and prevents any others from coming for me.¡± ¡°So¡­ what you¡¯re saying is that, deeper in the mountains, there¡¯s a bunch of family drama going on between dragons?¡± ¡°Yes. Does it surprise you that dragons have such issues, or did you think that only you smaller creatures can be so petty?¡± ¡°I expected more¡­ nobility.¡± ¡°Hah! Please. Those scaly brats are anything but noble. They are immature, ill-tempered, greedy, and whiny. Many of my kin would go on a rampage for something as petty as getting a splinter stuck in their foot.¡± ¡°Splinters bother dragons?¡± ¡°The dragon equivalent of a splinter is a tree.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that makes more sense. I¡¯d probably be pretty upset if I had a tree stuck in my foot.¡± ¡°It is no bigger deal than your equivalent of a splinter when we are as large as we are. I feel no sorrow over my kin being killed in defense when they go on rampages for such petty reasons.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t care that we kill them?¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Well, perhaps ¡®kill¡¯ is too strong a word. We are immortal, after all.¡± ¡°You ¨C wait, what? Seriously? You¡¯re immortal? How? Players have killed dragons before and skinned them and eaten them and everything. How are you immortal?¡± Fraydranth tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at Eva. ¡°You lesser creatures eat us?¡± ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ we kind of eat everything.¡± ¡°How¡­ strange. Moving past that¡­ reveal, yes, we are immortal. When one of us dies, we are reborn in an egg at the heart of the mountains. No death is lasting for us. So long as our eggs are safe, we may never die.¡± ¡°What happens if one of the eggs gets destroyed?¡± ¡°Then I suppose we would die, but no threatening force has ever made it even slightly close toward the true heart of the mountains.¡± ¡°Are you sure you should even be telling me this?¡± ¡°What? Are you going to fly there and crush our eggs on your own? Not only are our eggs harder than the most powerful metal, but you would be devoured before you could ever get close to them.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ this all seems like kind of an important secret to be revealing to some random girl asking questions.¡± ¡°We dragons may not be noble, but we are proud. So proud, in fact, that we do not hesitate to openly speak of our ¡®secrets¡¯ because we are confident that none could ever seriously threaten us.¡± ¡°Then what if somebody does seriously threaten you?¡± ¡°Then we will have learned our lesson, clearly.¡± ¡°I¡­ see. Anyways, you said you¡¯re going to help us. Just to confirm one more time, you mean that you¡¯re actually going to fly out of the mountains to help us against the world serpent and its army?¡± Fraydranth nodded her head. The simple act of that was enough to create a gust that Eva struggled against. ¡°That is what I intend to do, yes. It sounds like it would be a fun time and, while I may not be as battle-addicted as my kin, I do enjoy a good opportunity to bare my fangs and flex my wings. It is troublesome to do so against my kin, but a serpent from the ocean? I will have no desire to hold back.¡± ¡°Thanks, Fraydranth. They¡¯re all going to be really happy to hear that. I was nervous that we might not actually stand a chance¡­ but if you¡¯re there to help us, we should be fine.¡± ¡°It is nothing to thank me for. I wish to enjoy this sight again sometime, so it would be a shame if anything were to happen to it.¡± Looking at the sight that Fraydranth was talking about, she saw Cassiel far away from the rest of the group at this point¡­ and Serra right behind her with her flapping arms still. Serra was adamant in her pursuit of Cassiel¡¯s rear, a dedication that Eva had no trouble in understanding herself. Meanwhile, Nell was clearly whispering something¡ªalmost definitely a lewd fantasy¡ªinto Fenrir¡¯s ear, and Azalabulia was being praised by GG and his group for the explosive display. ¡°They are all good children, so I shall do my duty as a wingmother and protect them,¡± Fraydranth declared. ¡°A wingmother?¡± Eva asked. ¡°A wingmother is one who protects the eggs at the heart of the mountains. I have no eggs of my own, so you will all have to serve as my eggs. You are my eggs and I am your wingmother. Therefore, it is my duty to protect you to the best of my capability. In return, all I ask for is company every so often. Fish, wine, and more massages are also welcome.¡± Eva smiled once more and nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that we come and hang out with you every now and then. I know that Azalabulia will probably want to spend all her free time here with you, and we¡¯ll give you more fish, wine, and massages whenever you want.¡± ¡°I see that I have raised my eggs well,¡± Fraydranth teased. Eva, wanting to tease back, said, ¡°I ¨C I guess we have a good wingmom.¡± Fraydranth cocked her head at the comment, but not because she thought it was strange like Eva feared it would be. Instead, Fraydranth was amused. ¡°¡®Wingmom?¡¯ That is a¡­ rather cute nickname. I shall accept this title, my egg.¡± Eva didn¡¯t know how to feel about being called an egg, but there was something special about being called an egg by a massive dragon that made her feel warm inside. Book 6: Chapter 34: The groups merged so that everybody was together near the vast lake. First, Fraydranth wanted a taste of the alcohol that GG and his people brought them. She needed to wine before she could dine. And, just as the great dragon expected, the wine was more than good enough for her. Barrel after barrel was chugged down in an instant until only half of the stock was left. Fortunately, given her size, it was such a small amount that she would hardly even feel tipsy from it. Her liver would also be perfectly safe. Then, once she was content with that, Fraydranth moved onto the fish. ¡°Now that I¡¯m back here, I¡¯m not sure only ten of these fish is going to be enough,¡± Fenrir said. He then immediately realized that what he said could be interpreted as shaming the mighty dragon for her size. An internal overreaction given that it was only a logical conclusion when faced with a being as large as a sports stadium, but he didn¡¯t want to mess up their relations. And then his worst fears came true. ¡°Are you insinuating something about my size, mortal pup?¡± Fraydranth asked, leaning her head closer to Fenrir so that one of her eyes would be right above him. Cassiel was able to relate, so she made sure to elbow Fenrir¡¯s side for that comment. And to tell him not to screw things up. ¡°I ¨C I mean, uh,¡± Fenrir stuttered, sweat dripping down his forehead as his tail tucked itself between his legs. ¡°Well?¡± Fraydranth asked. The simple solution was to come up with some bullshit reason, but Fenrir did not want to lie. He especially did not want to lie to a dragon who had fangs as big as his body was. ¡°You see¡­¡± ¡°What I see is a mortal pup¡­ being fooled by an old woman¡¯s joke.¡± Fraydranth¡¯s guttural chuckling almost sounded similar to the sound of an alligator, but it made Fenrir think of something else. She sounded like a shoebill. Well, close to a shoebill, anyways. Regardless, just being able to make that comparison meant that Fenrir looked on at Fraydranth with excited eyes rather than feel embarrassed that he just got fooled by her. ¡°As for your previous comment! These ten fish will suffice. Dragons hunt and eat for sport, not for food. The only ¡®hunger¡¯ we feel is of desire for a specific taste. Food is of no concern to us aside from that,¡± Fraydranth explained. ¡°Dragons don¡¯t need to eat?¡± Fenrir asked for confirmation. ¡°Nay. I doubt that any food source could sustain us if we were to truly require it. Eating one another would be our only option¡­ but we do not dragons, nor will we ever.¡± Fraydranth narrowed her eyes at Eva as she mentioned the whole dragon eating part. Nobody else knew why she would look at Eva like that when it came to eating dragons. As for Eva, she rubbed her arm and slightly turned her head away as she remembered the grilled dragon steak that she once ate with a delicious, buttery sauce drizzled over it. Eva could go for another dragon steak. ¡°Now! If you would, dump the fish into my lake,¡± Fraydranth requested. ¡°I thought you wanted to eat them?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°That is the plan, yes.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just eat them from the barrels?¡± ¡°When it comes to wine, I may hold a barrel between my teeth and tilt my head back. Fish ¨C if I were to do the same, I would not get to take my time to enjoy them.¡± ¡°Makes sense, but these are saltwater fish that we¡¯re dumping into freshwater. If we only put one in at a time, and you¡¯re faster, then it should be fine¡­ assuming that something like putting saltwater fish into freshwater is a problem here.¡± Fenrir turned to look at Eva. If anybody knew, it was going to be her. ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Thanks, Miss Encyclopedia,¡± Fenrir said. Now that was a nickname that Eva would forever wear with pride. ¡°Alright, are you ready for your fish now? I¡¯ll put one in the lake,¡± Fenrir said to Fraydranth. ¡°Do not keep me waiting any longer than I have been!¡± Fraydranth answered. Just as he said, Fenrir took one of the fish from the large, saltwater-filled barrels that they carried them in and gently set it down in the lake. The fish didn¡¯t seem too happy about being placed into freshwater rather than seawater, but it was happy to get some freedom. Besides, it could always look for a way to get back into the ocean. It would not have been the first time that the fish ventured a bit too far upstream and needed to return to saltier waters. If it could do so then, then it could do so now! Of course, the fish¡¯s plan implied that it would not be almost immediately picked up by a massive dragon¡¯s teeth. That was a very important factor not being considered by the fish. Even so, the fish set off as soon as it was released! All it had to do was find a path that would take it back to the ocean! It had no idea that it was in the middle of some mountains far too away from the ocean to make it back in time, but it could still try its best! And then a single fang impaled it like a spear, killing the hopeful fish instantly. Fraydranth¡¯s rough tongue scraped against the the fish¡¯s side, tearing its scales off and giving the group their first look at her tongue. ¡°Is it me, or does it look like she has a cat¡¯s tongue? Those are¡­ some pretty big spikes on her tongue,¡± Fenrir commented. ¡°It makes sense, I think,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Dragons might be closer to reptiles when it comes to appearances, but they behave more like mammals. That includes self-grooming behaviors. A smooth tongue going against rough, uneven scales wouldn¡¯t be as effective as a rougher tongue. I doubt those spikes are tough enough to actually hurt her scales, so instead it¡¯s kind of like her tongue is both a cleaning wipe and a brush. Those spikes look long enough to get around and maybe under her scales, and they can probably get anything between her fangs, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kind of cool. I never imagined dragons having rough tongues before, but I guess it makes sense.¡± ¡°I wonder if I should try getting a rough tongue.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Cassiel was quick to say. ¡°Why? As a human, I have no idea what it¡¯s like to have a rough tongue. That alone makes me want to experiment for the sake of science and discovery ¨C to learn what it¡¯s like.¡± Cassiel parted her lips to answer but then immediately closed them as a hint of red came to her cheeks. Serra was the first one to catch on. ¡°Why, Cass Cass?¡± Serra asked, knowing exactly what Cassiel was thinking of. As soon as the others realized that Serra knew what was up¡­ they knew what Cassiel meant. There was only one option if Serra was the first to figure it out. ¡°Hmm¡­ my dearest Cassiel may have a point,¡± Nell spoke up. ¡°Even as far as my fantasies go, I cannot think of any situation where such a rough tongue would be pleasurable. Painful, yes, but not even in the pleasurable sort of painful. Though, it would also depend on just how rough your tongue is! Softer than a cat¡¯s tongue and certainly nowhere near as rough as a tiger¡¯s tongue may be tolerable.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like the least perverted one here,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Even Cass Cass is jumping to lewd conclusions now. Meanwhile, I just want to do some more fishing.¡± ¡°Please, my hero. You may say that you wish to fish, but we all know that you are too easily distracted to ever pursue such a thing. You could play a game where fishing is the only task available in it, and you would still somehow find a way to do anything but fish!¡± ¡°Nell Nell is savage today,¡± Serra said. Being called savage caused Nell to smile and puff her chest out. ¡°My hero, you could make a book that is supposed to be about fishing be about conquering the world instead!¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°All I want to do is fish¡­¡± ¡°You will most likely somehow discover how to travel to distant stars before you ever catch another fish!¡± ¡°That¡¯s both an insult to my desire to fish and an insult of my actual fishing abilities. You really are savage today.¡± ¡°That is because I am turning to a new page in my book of life! I am entering the chapter of my life where I am rebellious and go through a ¡®bad girl¡¯ phase!¡± To demonstrate just how ¡°bad¡± Nell was now, she held up¡­ a peace sign. ¡°You¡¯re the baddest of them all,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Though, if I¡¯m being honest¡­ seeing you dressed up like some sort of ¡®bad¡¯ punk might be nice. I actually can picture you with piercings, tattoos, ripped jeans ¨C all that stuff.¡± ¡°Regarding piercings, the piercings on my ears are enough for me. Well, perhaps I may add more to my ears, but nowhere else. Tattoos¡­ something simple like a mermaid on my arm may be nice!¡± Nell replied. ¡°I was thinking more skulls and flames. A mermaid isn¡¯t exactly ¡®bad.¡¯¡± ¡°Then I shall show the world that mermaids may, in fact, be bad to the¡­ ah, what is the saying?¡± ¡°To the bone?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you! Bad to the bone! I shall be the first to prove that mermaids may be ¡®bad to the bone!¡¯¡± ¡°Bad to the tail,¡± Serra said. ¡°Even better!¡± ¡°By the way, Serra,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Yeah?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Serra Berra.¡± Hearing that nickname instantl brought a smile to Serra¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, I just realized that. That¡¯s why I wanted to call you it. As for Cass Cass here¡­ I¡¯m starting to think we should start calling her Lewdiel. I mean, Eva is here being all scientific and curious and all that, and Lewdiel¡¯s first thought is what it¡¯d be like with a rough tongue.¡± ¡°I swear if you make that name a thing,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We won¡¯t call you anything weird, Lewdiel. Just something honest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me reconsider my stance on domestic violence.¡± GG, overhearing the conversation, looked concerned when he heard that¡­ but the girls and Fenrir were all smiling and seemed to be joking around. Cassiel might have said what she said in a serious tone, but they all knew she was just joking and that she would never seriously support something like that. GG and his villagers with him, though, were not as in on the joke, nor did they look like they appreciated it. ¡°Hey,¡± Eva whispered into Cassiel ear¡¯s, ¡°you might want to be careful about that sort of joke. She¡¯s not here, but a player in GG¡¯s village went through some stuff in real life, so they all kind of take that topic really seriously. It¡¯s not something to joke about around them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious it¡¯s a joke?¡± Cassiel whispered back. ¡°To us, but they¡¯re not fine with that kind of humor even if it¡¯s obvious, and you kind of like to sound serious to make things like that funnier. Try to avoid any dark humor when we¡¯re around them, alright?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t even that dark, but¡­ alright. Thanks for letting me know and I¡¯ll try to remember that. Do you think I should apologize?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll talk to him later about it. There¡¯s something else I need to talk to him about anyways.¡± Done with the whispering, Eva gave Cassiel¡¯s cheek a lick before pulling away. ¡°Wha-what was that for?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°So you can compare it to when I lick you with a rough tongue,¡± Eva said and winked. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you lick me if you change your tongue.¡± ¡°What if I change it to be longer? Or forked? Thicker? Ridged or bumpy?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Lewdiel and Lewdva,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°And Lewdrra, and Lewdell.¡± He paused, look at Azalabulia, and thought about what she did on The Shoebill. Azalabulia shook her head, trying to get him not to nickname her something like that. It didn¡¯t work. ¡°Lewdabulia,¡± Fenrir said. Azalabulia slumped her shoulders and whined. ¡°I feel like my sex drive is nothing compared to even one of you,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Hmm. Realistically speaking,¡± Nell said, ¡°I would put you and our dearest Azalabulia together at the bottom. Cassiel is above you two, then there is me, and finally Serra at the top!¡± Fenrir visualized what this stack of sex drive would look like in his head. Two people at the bottom¡­ and then three more people stacked directly on top of each other over them. In other words, their sex drive tier list looked like a cock and balls. As Fenrir and the others talked, Fraydranth took her time with each fish after she actually caught them on her fangs. She¡¯d even huff a bit of fire at times to torch them. As much as she might have enjoyed the fish raw, she did prefer them to have some charring. And then she noticed something. Two members of the group looked particularly interested in some of the wine that was brought for her. The idea of sharing something that she rarely got to enjoy wasn¡¯t an idea that she particularly enjoyed, but she still had several full barrels worth of the wine to drink on her own. And, as far as she knew, humans didn¡¯t exactly drink anywhere near as much as dragons. Sparing a couple of cups would be no problem when she still had about forty gallons to go. ¡°Would you two like to try some of my wine?¡± Fraydranth asked Serra and Azalabulia. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s okay,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°We brought this for you, and I really shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Serra answered. Speaking and being honest to a massive dragon was, to Serra¡¯s surprise, far easier than talking to normal people. ¡°Then you may try some!¡± Fraydranth declared. ¡°Thanks.¡± While Serra was very casual about the whole thing, Azalabulia looked panicked. She really, really wanted to try some¡­ but she knew the effect that alcohol had on her. She couldn¡¯t risk getting into that sort of mood while around the others. Furthermore, they had no cups. How were they to try the wine without any cups? ¡°I need a cup,¡± Serra said, standing in front of Fenrir and looking up at him. She made him think of a child asking their parent for a cup. Fenrir shook the thought out of his head since he really didn¡¯t like to think of his girlfriends as children. ¡°Hey, GG, do you guys have any cups on you by any chance?¡± he asked. ¡°Sorry, we brought none. We expected her to drink everything on her own as she usually does,¡± GG answered. ¡°No problem. So¡­ what can we use as a cup then?¡± Fenrir asked nobody in particular as he looked around. Unfortunately, there was nothing conveniently cup-shaped anywhere to be seen. And then he had an idea. He looked down at Rod. Partner¡­ I know what you¡¯re thinking. I would normally feel ashamed to be used as a cup instead of as your fishing rod or weapon, but¡­ I am willing to become anything for you. And this also means¡­ I get to have a cute girl¡¯s lips pressing against me, Rod thought. Of course, nobody could hear his thoughts, but they could all see his gem flashing. Fenrir grabbed onto Rod and asked, ¡°This might be demeaning, so I¡¯m sorry, but could you turn into a cu¡ª" Rod instantly turned into a cup as soon as the request was made. ¡°That¡­ was suspiciously easy.¡± Rod¡¯s gem continued to excitedly flash. ¡°Hey, Rod. You¡¯re not¡­ this eager to be used as a cup because it means one of my girlfriends is going to be touching you with her lips, are you?¡± Rod¡¯s flashing stopped. It was the suspicious sort of stopping ¨C like if somebody was just called out and instantly froze. If Rod had pores, there would likely be sweat dripping off from his gem. Fenrir narrowed his eyes at Rod. And then he shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just screwing with you. I¡¯m not going to be jealous of her drinking from a cup.¡± I¡¯m sorry, partner! You¡¯re too kindhearted! I don¡¯t deserve a partner as good as you! I ¨C I regret ever even thinking those horrible thoughts! I swear to you on my honor as your partner that I will not take even the slightest amount of joy in serving as your lady¡¯s cup! Fenrir handed Rod over to Serra. O-oh¡­ this hand ¨C it¡¯s so¡­ soft and warm. Being handled by her is completely different from being handled by my partner. This is¡­ addicting. No! I ¨C I must resist! Partner is the only one for me! And she is his woman! I can¡¯t betray my partner¡¯s trust and take any joy in this! Serra¡¯s tightened her grip around the fishing rod-like handle sticking out from the bottom of the cup as she dipped him down into the wine. This grip, so soft, yet firm. This is the touch of a woman who knows exactly how to wrap her fingers around handles. If all the other eta¨ªros gems knew about this girl, they would all abandon their partners to come and serve her. Even now, I feel the temptation¡­ After filling Rod¡¯s cup with the wine, Serra slowly brought him closer and closer to her lips. This ¨C no, this is dangerous! If she does this then I don¡¯t know if I can ever return to my partner! I won¡¯t be able to serve him anymore! Nothing he could do to me could ever be as good as this girl¡¯s lips! She is going to steal me from him! Yet ¨C yet! Why¡­ do I feel so excited? What is this sensation swelling up within me? I thought that my partner was the only one for me, but now¡­ now¡­ Serra brought Rod¡¯s cup to right before her lips, tilted her head back ever so slightly, and parted her lips. And then she tilted Rod¡¯s cup just enough so that the wine would fall into her mouth rather than placing her mouth against the cup. Rod¡¯s internal thoughts fell silent. ¡°Ooh,¡± Serra said. ¡°It¡¯s really sweet. It doesn¡¯t taste like alcohol, it¡¯s kinda like¡­ a berry juice.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s low on the alcohol content then,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I think that¡¯s how it usually works. The less alcoholic something is, the less ¨C well, you know, like alcohol it¡¯s going to taste.¡± ¡°Yeah, it doeshn¡¯t tayshte anything likes¡­ alcowall.¡± In an instant after just barely drinking any of the wine, Serra went from standing straight and perfect speech to wobbling from side to side and slurring as if she were wasted. ¡°What ¨C what just happened?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Ah, I forgot to warn you,¡± GG said. ¡°We use a special yeast that is stronger than anything you could find in the real world. Real yeasts are going to struggle getting you up to twenty percent alcohol most of the time, so you need distillation to go higher than that for the most part. Our yeast? The yeast we use can take a drink up to the seventies on a bad day, near ninety on a great day. And the berries we use have a special effect that causes them to induce a drunk-like effect even without fermenting them. Our specialty wine is made with berries that can get you drunk all on their own, and then we make them even stronger by fermenting all their sugars with our yeast! Impressive, right?¡± Serra went from simply wobbling to stumbling around and giggling with flushed cheeks and glazed eyes. ¡°He-hey, you alright?¡± Fenrir asked, grabbing onto Serra¡¯s shoulders. Serra answered him¡­ but not with words. The noises that left her mouth were nothing but cute abominations that were surely meant to be words but were spoken in a language that nobody could ever hope of understanding. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ definitely not trying that,¡± Azalabulia said. She was so afraid of what that alcohol would cause her to behave like that all temptation of actually trying it was gone. It was far, far too dangerous. ¡°Oh, sorry. I should have warned you about that,¡± Eva said. ¡°I forgot what it¡¯s like when you drink it for the first time.¡± ¡°The first time?¡± Fenrir asked as he dumped the rest of the wine in the cup out before returning Rod to his hip. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­ kind of like a drug. You build up a tolerance to the berries themselves really fast. She probably wouldn¡¯t get even half this drunk if she tries to drink that much again within the next couple of weeks. If you try to drink this stuff more than once every few weeks, the only part that really hits you is the alcohol from fermenting the berries. The berries themselves won¡¯t have any effect and won¡¯t even taste that sweet anymore. It basically becomes just like drinking any really high alcohol content beverage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ambrosia berries for you,¡± GG added on. ¡°The best berries you could ever taste in this world or the real one, but the downside is that if you try to enjoy them too often, you won¡¯t get to enjoy them at all. You either have to be patient and wait for your body¡¯s tolerance to lessen, or you have to consume so many that you would probably pick these mountains barren of them just to feel the effects.¡± ¡°It probably would have been nice to know that beforehand,¡± Fenrir said, looking down at his utterly wasted girlfriend. ¡°Hwwwwuaaaaaaackz,¡± Serra hwuaked. ¡°Will she be alright?¡± ¡°She will be fine,¡± GG answered. ¡°She can wake and relax in reality until the effect on her body here wears off if she wants to, but this state should not last for more than an hour on its own given that she hardly drank any.¡± ¡°I¡¯mmma¡­ peanut!¡± Serra announced. ¡°He¡­hehe¡­ hhhnut¡­¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± Nell said. ¡°She really is rather out of it. My hero, would you mind if I held her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind holding her,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°My hero, I will repeat my question. Would you mind if I held her?¡± Fenrir looked into Nell¡¯s eyes and did not see the eyes of a concerned girlfriend wishing to care for her lover. Instead¡­ he saw the eyes of somebody who absolutely wanted to take advantage of the situation. ¡°What are you going to do to her?¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Enjoy her to my heart¡¯s content. Non-sexually, of course. I would never try anything while she is in such a state since she would not be able to consent! However, cuddling my drunken girlfriend to make sure that she does not get into any trouble does not require such clear consent. It is for her own good.¡± ¡°Nellellellz¡­ cujull,¡± Serra mumbled, reaching out for Nell with little grabby hands that couldn¡¯t even stay pointing in the right direction without severe wobbling. ¡°See, my hero? She wishes to cuddle! Now, please do hand her over with haste.¡± Fenrir shrugged and handed Serra over. Serra immediately clung onto Nell and rubbed her face against Nell¡¯s chest, though she did not even mean to do so for a sexual cause. She simply liked how soft Nell¡¯s chest was against her face. As for Nell, she gently wrapped her arms around Serra and placed a kiss on the top of her head. ¡°I shall be here for you until you are feeling all better, my dearest Serra,¡± Nell said. ¡°Hyeck ye,¡± Serra mumbled before proceeding to drool onto Nell¡¯s dress. Fenrir looked down at the wine and then back up at Fraydranth. Given how rarely that Fraydranth ever got to drink the wine, according to her own implications anyways, and the fact that she could drink eighty gallons of the stuff and only ¡°maybe¡± feel an effect¡­ Fenrir was suddenly much more impressed by her. No matter how massive she might have been, that alcohol was insanely strong, and she was drinking hundreds of times more than what Serra had. ¡°Oh, right. I wanted to ask her why she drank it the way she did,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Why she didn¡¯t just¡­ you know, put her mouth against the cup or anything.¡± ¡°I mean, if I was the one who wanted a drink, I wouldn¡¯t touch it with my mouth directly either.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Your fishing rod is basically a living thing, right? It¡¯s one thing to drink from a dumb cup that has no feelings. It¡¯s another thing to drink from a living being that¡¯s shaped like a cup. It would be¡­ weird. Almost kind of like cheating.¡± ¡°Pfftt, I wouldn¡¯t consider it cheating if you drink from Rod.¡± ¡°Shush. I don¡¯t want to put my lips against anybody else to drink something from them.¡± ¡°Well, when you put it that way, Lewdiel. Leave it to you to somehow think of it in a lewd context.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not even ¨C ugh. You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the best, Cass Cass. Anyways, I guess I should figure out if we passed the quest or not. We¡¯ve done all of this to get Fraydranth¡¯s approval, but we haven¡¯t actually heard whether or not we¡¯ve succeeded.¡± Eva almost said something, but she figured that she would let Fraydranth give them the news. Everybody else save for Serra and Nell suddenly looked much more anxious. Serra and Nell were too busy cuddling on the grass to care about Fraydranth¡¯s approval. The alcohol took all of Serra¡¯s usual perverseness and turned it into an extreme need for cuddling. Serra was no longer Lewdrra. She had become¡­ Cuddlerra. And Nell was more than delighted to cuddle her wasted girlfriend more than anybody had ever cuddled before. ¡°So!¡± Fenrir shouted up to Fraydranth. ¡°Do we pass? Is everything good enough?¡± Fraydranth cocked her head at the question. Obviously, everything was fine or she would have said something, and didn¡¯t she already tell them that she was going to help even if they failed already? ¡°What? I thought¡ª¡± She cut herself off as soon as she remembered that she only talked to Eva about that. There was also the fact that she forgot to use her usual high-and-mighty tone of voice. After clearing her throat, flames erupting from her mouth as she did so, Fraydranth lifted her head high into the air and looked down at the group. ¡°Hmm¡­ you wish to know whether these offerings are acceptable in exchange for my assistance?¡± ¡°Right. We did everything that you asked and got here on time,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°So, will you help us?¡± ¡°Let me think about it. After all, the wine does not taste as strong as it did the last time, and these fish were young and small. I was expecting a more potent drink and much larger snacks.¡± Fenrir raised an eyebrow at her response. ¡°You didn¡¯t clarify any specific details. We did exactly what you want.¡± ¡°I cannot argue with that. You did, indeed, accomplish the tasks that I gave you. The only question is whether you did so in a sufficient enough manner or not. Do not forget that you are asking for the most powerful existence in this region for help. You will not find any others stronger than I. To reward you with my abilities in your upcoming battle ¨C do you truly deserve that after only barely managing to succeed in your goals?¡± While Eva might have known that the whole dramatic act of Fraydranth was just a show, Fenrir did not, and Fraydranth was a convincing enough actor to make him think that she was serious. Eva was just about to whisper into Fenrir¡¯s ear that it¡¯s alright ¨C that Fraydranth is just joking¡­ when Fenrir stepped forward. ¡°You might be a dragon who can kill all of us without any effort, but we¡¯re stubborn. I really hate when people go back on their word or move the goalpost. If you don¡¯t help us after we did everything that you asked for, then I promise that I will come back here myself, no matter how many times it takes, to make you regret it,¡± Fenrir threatened, bringing back the threatening aura of the former Divine Brigade leader. ¡°You wish to threaten me?¡± Fraydranth asked, lowering her head to get a closer look at him. ¡°You could not defeat me on your own in a million years, yet you are threatening to do such a thing if I do not lend you my assistance?¡± ¡°You see, you¡¯re misunderstanding me. I¡¯m not threatening to ¡®defeat¡¯ you. I have no doubt that you could kick my ass over and over for the rest of eternity if I tried to take you down on my own. That¡¯s why I said I would make you regret it, not that I would defeat you. That¡¯s what you do when it comes to people you can¡¯t beat in a fair fight: you annoy the everliving shit out of them until they regret ever being born. And trust me, there is nobody alive in this world who is better at making people rage until they are begging for mercy or hiding somewhere never to be seen again. Now, I don¡¯t want to do that to you, but I will if you go back on your word.¡± Needless to say, there were some vary varied reactions in response to Fenrir¡¯s Divine Brigade leader personality being dragged out of him by the sort of thing that he always hated. There were few personality traits that he hated in people more than those who moved the goalposts or went back on their word. As for those reactions, Eva scratched the side of her head and looked away. Cassiel sighed and planted her face in her palm, and Azalabulia looked panicked and was waving her arms around to try and get them to calm down. She really didn¡¯t want to lose her opportunity of being trained by Fraydranth, but she also didn¡¯t want to go against Fenrir and she did agree with him. Nell and Serra were still too busy cuddling to care. GG and his group of people simply looked shocked that Fenrir was willing to threaten Fraydranth like that. They watched the sight unfold with dropped jaws and wide eyes. Then there was Fraydranth herself. Fraydranth brought herself closer and closer to Fenrir, parting her mouth so that Fenrir could see just how massive her fangs were up close and personal¡­ and then she leaned back and relaxed her body. ¡°How entertaining! To be threatened so boldly by such a man! I have never had anybody speak to me that way before, not even my siblings to the north! You may just be the most entertaining man that I have ever met. As for our arrangement ¨C worry not. I only wished to tease you and I have had every intention of helping you.¡± Fenrir sighed and relaxed his own posture. ¡°You might have teased me a bit too seriously there. You¡¯re supposed to make teasing obvious,¡± he said. ¡°Perhaps. However, if I had made it more obvious, I would not have been granted the opportunity of witnessing your determination. That threat of yours made me all the more interested in lending you my aid.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had to threaten somebody like that. So, you¡¯re going to help us?¡± Fraydranth stood tall and proud, flexing her wings and tail as she looked down at Fenrir. ¡°I shall help you to the best of my abilities, Fenrir.¡± Book 6: Chapter 35: After discussing some of the finer details with Fraydranth, Fenrir¡¯s group departed on the mountain trail and left only two people behind: Azalabulia and GG. It was time for Azalabulia to get some training in with her new teacher, and GG offered to stay behind so that he could fly Azalabulia back once they were done. This was just short of perfect for Eva. While she would have preferred to tell GG himself, there were still the other villagers that she could tell about Fraydranth¡¯s roleplaying. However, before she could tell the others about the truth, Fenrir stole the spotlight. ¡°I ¨C I was so scared,¡± Fenrir admitted, his tail hanging low behind him. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°What scared you?¡± ¡°I was kind of threatening a giant dragon back there. You really think that I could have made good on my word? There¡¯s no way that I¡¯d be able to ruin a dragon¡¯s life all on my own.¡± ¡°So, you were bluffing?¡± ¡°Exactly. I was bluffing to a giant dragon who looked like she was ready to tear my body in half with her fangs.¡± ¡°What about the whole DB thing?¡± Cassiel asked, using the abbreviation for Divine Brigade since GG¡¯s villagers didn¡¯t know about that affiliation. ¡°Most of our biggest threats were bluffs. I mean, sure, we made good on some of those threats and could defeat way bigger numbers than ours if the game allowed for strategic gameplay like that, but we bluffed. A lot. I never expected to be convincing enough for my bluffs to work, but they do, somehow.¡± ¡°Were you always this scared while bluffing?¡± ¡°Not really. Random guys on the internet aren¡¯t scary at all. But a giant dragon? Anybody who claims not to be scared when threatening a dragon that huge is a liar. I refuse to believe that anybody could do that without being terrified.¡± ¡°Well, my hero, I am sure that there are some who would be aroused rather than terrified,¡± Nell interjected. Fenrir was silent for a few seconds before sighing. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Some people really like dragons. Like those people who make porn of dragons fucking cars.¡± ¡°Ah, I was thinking of those who are more serious about their tastes, but there is quite a bit of parody featuring dragons as well.¡± ¡°Either way, I think they might like dragons a bit too much.¡± ¡°I would say that their love for dragons is as powerful as your love for sweaters. Does this mean that you like sweaters a bit too much?¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°The ability to like sweaters too much. No matter how much I may love sweaters, I will never be able to love them as much as they deserve to be loved.¡± ¡°I see. In other words, you do love them too much.¡± ¡°Nell, I¡¯m going to have to ¨C never mind, I¡¯d feel bad saying that even if it¡¯s obviously a lie.¡± ¡°Well, now you absolutely must say it, my hero.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Cassiel joined back in. ¡°If you¡¯re going to let us know that you were going to say something, you have to say what it was.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the law,¡± Serra said. ¡°I ¨C I was just going to say that I would have to reconsider our relationship if you believed it¡¯s possible to love sweaters too much,¡± Fenrir said. There was another reason why Fenrir didn¡¯t want to say that. As soon as Nell heard what he had on his mind, she lit up and those gears in her head responsible for producing all of her erotic fantasies came to life. ¡°Ah! To have a hero so willing to easily toss me aside over such a minor disagreement! Locking me in the house, only coming home to indulge in your alcoholism and to use my body, often staying out with paid women of the night while threatening to throw me out over any tiny mistake that I make. It sounds so¡ª¡± ¡°He-hey, you¡¯re making the others think that I¡¯m a horrible person,¡± Fenrir said, tilting his head toward GG¡¯s villagers. ¡°Ah, if only you were like that, my hero. Alas, you are simply kind and respectful in all actuality.¡± Some of the villagers still looked suspicious, but they relaxed after hearing that. ¡°Nell, if you ever cosplay, I know a masochist blonde knight and a tragedy-loving mermaid who¡¯d be perfect for you. Especially the latter. Actually¡­ wait, I¡¯m pretty sure you are her,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Ah, I know exactly who you are talking about!¡± Nell said. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Of course! I may not be anywhere as near into anime as you are, my hero, but it is only natural for me to know of all my role models across all mediums!¡± ¡°So you admit that they¡¯re your role models.¡± ¡°I do! Especially the mermaid. Our similarities are simply too strong to deny. You could even say that I have trained my personality to be more like hers over the years!¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Mhm! There is somewhat of a funny story about that, actually.¡± ¡°Something something, now that you¡¯ve mentioned it you have to say it, something something.¡± ¡°Naturally, my hero. I have every intention of talking about myself. Do you not already know just how much I love to do so?¡± ¡°You do love talking about yourself,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Not that any of us mind.¡± ¡°Story time,¡± Serra said. Eva felt that what she had to say to GG¡¯s villagers was a bit more important than whatever story Nell was about to tell, but she reminded herself that being a good lover means being patient! Besides, as much as Nell loved to talk about herself, there was no way that Nell could continue talking throughout the entire trip back. There had to eventually be an opportunity to deliver the news. Right? ¡°You see,¡± Nell said, ¡°I stumbled across that ¨C ah, what is it called when an anime is like a comic book?¡± ¡°A manga,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Yes, that! A manga. I stumbled across the manga online when I was a teen. Given the protests that were happening in my country at the time, especially those targeting all who were associated with the former royalty, our family stayed together indoors. Since we no longer went out nearly as much as we had been, I had plenty of time to pass with the power of the internet! I stumbled across that ¡®manga,¡¯ and I will admit that I was not very into it at first but I was curious, and then I met her! Since then, I have absolutely adored everything about her. However, it saddened me when I saw people discussing her in the comments. People complained about how unrealistic she was, they said they wished girls like her existed, and some simply did not like her and thought she was the ¡®worst girl.¡¯ So, to prove that such a perfect character was not unrealistic, to make others happy that girls like her could exist, and out of spite for those who disliked my favorite character, I decided to become just like her!¡± ¡°So, you changed your personality to be more like her?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°To be fair, not much of a change was required, but yes.¡± ¡°Then what were you like before?¡± ¡°More boring, certainly.¡± ¡°Huh. First time I¡¯ve ever heard of somebody changing their personality to mimic their favorite character.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it a few times,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Though¡­ it¡¯s not always for the better. The examples off the top of my head are mostly people who decided to mimic yanderes. In those cases¡­ I think they were just crazy and wanted to call themselves yanderes to justify their unhealthy obsessions. I also knew a couple once who basically existed to spite people whining about anime tropes being unrealistic. The girl turned herself into a bona fide tsundere and the guy acted like an extremely dense protagonist.They were pretty funny to watch sometimes, but they also made me bitter. They were too happy together.¡± ¡°I bet we make people bitter,¡± Serra said, grabbing onto Fenrir¡¯s hand and holding it all lovey-dovey-like. ¡°We¡­ we probably do now.¡± ¡°Question,¡± Eva spoke up. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about genuine personalities mimicking those of fictional characters. If a person is not naturally that way, and they have to go out of their way to adopt another¡¯s personality, does that really make it realistic? If a method actor adopts an unrealistic persona for a film they are shooting, does that count as a realistic personality simply because they are living it even if it¡¯s not who they naturally are?¡± Fenrir looked clueless in regard to how to respond, but somebody else looked eager to give her thoughts on the matter. ¡°Wonderful question, Eva!¡± Nell said. ¡°I think it is something fascinating to discuss, and I wish that we had our lovely Azalabulia here to discuss it with us given her education. Personally, I believe that it is similar to the ¡®fake it until you make it¡¯ saying. Say a young man with social anxiety is thrust into a job position where he must interact with customers for his entire shift. If he is able to force himself to be confident to do a good job, and he eventually overcomes his social anxiety and no longer has to force himself, would that confidence not become a genuine part of his true personality?¡± Eva smiled and came closer to Nell. ¡°On the contrary, if he was able to ¡®force¡¯ himself to be confident in the first place, was he ever not actually confident? People who lack confidence typically can¡¯t force themselves to be more confident. If you¡¯re able to force yourself to be confident, I would say you already are confident. You either just don¡¯t realize it yet or you¡¯re not used to it, but it¡¯s already there. You¡¯re not actually changing. It¡¯s something that was always there but was never brought out before.¡± ¡°Then could the same not be said of those whose personalities shift to replicate their favorite characters?¡± ¡°No, because that¡¯s you trying to force a change inspired by an external influence. ¡®Forcing¡¯ yourself to be more confident for your job is intrinsic. Actually forcing yourself to act more like a character you like is extrinsic.¡± ¡°Hmm. So, to clarify, adapting and growing more confident is simply taking advantage of something that you have always had. Therefore, it is natural, intrinsic, and realistic. However, to mimic another character is changing who you are due to extrinsic inspirations, therefore it is unnatural and unrealistic.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s impossible for somebody to act just like a fictional character, but acting like it, even if you act that way your entire life, doesn¡¯t make it realistic. For it to be realistic, somebody would have to become like that without any external influence ¨C well, let me expand on that a bit. Somebody would have to become like that without any external fictional influence. Obviously, the external affects everything from the moment that we¡¯re born and even before that from a more medical perspective. The external influence of parents affects how a child¡¯s personality develops. That¡¯s realistic, though, because they¡¯re real people ¨C they exist.¡± Nell smirked and got closer to Eva. ¡°Then in that case, should a child be raised by parents who both behave like fictional characters, and that child proceeds to adopt elements of their personalities for their own, would that make the child¡¯s personality genuine and ¡®realistic?¡¯ As far as the child would be concerned, their parents are simply their parents. They are true and real and not fictional in the slightest. The external influence on the child would be the same as if ¡®normal¡¯ parents were raising them.¡± Eva brought a hand up to her chin and lowered her head in thought. Meanwhile, Nell looked happy in what she believed was a secured victory. But Eva was not ready to give up yet. ¡°It depends on how we¡¯re defining realistic,¡± Eva said. ¡°If you want to say that it is technically realistic in the sense that it can be achieved, then I guess I¡¯ll have to give you that. It¡¯s realistic in the same way that a monkey writing a flawless book with zero typos in it is technically possible. However, in practice, it¡¯s not realistic. When somebody says that it¡¯s not realistic for a monkey to type a book all on their own without a single error, they¡¯re not saying that it¡¯s impossible. They¡¯re saying that it¡¯s an unrealistic expectation. If somebody wrote a book about a single monkey who somehow managed to type a book up all on its own, and the author tried to pass that as a realistic event, people would still, justifiably, call it unrealistic. Even with an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite amount of time with an infinite number of keyboards, it¡¯s still unrealistic, but more likely to happen.¡± ¡°In other words, while it is possible, it is unrealistic simply because of how incredibly unlikely it is?¡± ¡°Right. Generally, when we¡¯re talking about realism, we¡¯re talking about if it¡¯s sensible and practical ¨C if it can be expected to naturally happen with regular frequency. If you say that crows are black, you¡¯re being realistic. If you say that crows are white ¨C yes, the very rare albino crow may exist but, given that the vast majority are black, it would be unrealistic to say that crows are white. So when people say that a certain character is unrealistic, they¡¯re saying that you could never expect somebody to actually act like that, not that it¡¯s impossible for somebody to be that way. Becoming an exception to the rule does not disprove their intention when saying that.¡± ¡°In that case, am I unrealistic? Is my personality not a ¡®real¡¯ and ¡®genuine¡¯ personality?¡± ¡°First, I want to clarify that I don¡¯t mean anything negative when I say this. I don¡¯t think you should stop what you¡¯re doing or anything. However, yes, you¡¯re unrealistic. If you have changed your personality, even a little, to mimic a fictional character¡¯s, then you¡¯re not ¡®real.¡¯ However, I wouldn¡¯t say that you¡¯re not genuine, if that makes any sense. If you genuinely wish to become somebody else, and you dedicate your life to behaving like that character, then nobody can say you¡¯re not genuine. You¡¯re not genuinely real, but you are genuine¡­ in general, I guess? Maybe not. I¡¯ve never put much thought into this before and there¡¯s a part of me that doesn¡¯t want to call you unrealistic and not genuine.¡± ¡°If you are worried about offending me or causing any sort of discomfort, please do not feel that way. We are merely having a good-natured and civil debate, are we not? There is not a single part of me that believes you are approaching this from an ill-intentioned position.¡± To prove her point, Nell grabbed onto Eva¡¯s hand to gently hold it. Eva may have been used to Cassiel and even Azalabulia now, but this was the first time really doing anything even slightly intimate with Nell. ¡°Th-thanks. I guess I¡¯m used to people getting upset and thinking that I¡¯m trying to attack them when having discussions like this.¡± ¡°Please, even if you do choose to attack me, I will consider it some form of erotic play. It is impossible to offend me. After all! There is nothing you could say nor do that is worse than what the masses offered my family.¡± ¡°You mentioned that ¨C the protests. I remember hearing about them and¡­ honestly, I was on the protestors¡¯ sides, but I never really considered what it must have been like to be on the receiving end of all that.¡± ¡°To be fair, most of my family was on the protestors¡¯ side as well. Unfortunately, there was not much we could do to convince them of that without sacrificing our own safety. If you would like to talk about it some time, I would be happy to share my experiences with you.¡± ¡°Sure. But for now, was there anything else you wanted to say about the realism topic?¡± ¡°Ah, unfortunately not. I believe that you have countered all of my points and the only rebuttals I may think of would have me running in circles. You win this time, Eva.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just say one more thing then. In the case of a child ¨C they would be a hundred percent genuine and real, but still not realistic.¡± ¡°I see. Then, if I were to give birth to children and raise them to have unrealistic personalities, and they went on to give birth to more children who inherited their unrealistic personalities, and this continued until there was a significant amount of them¡­ would the personalities become realistic?¡± ¡°If you can give birth to a new trend of personalities that spreads and even becomes one percent of all personality types, then I¡¯ll call it realistic.¡± ¡°Oh? Only one percent? How many children would I have to birth and raise to match that goal?¡± ¡°Probably around nine million or so.¡± ¡°I ¨C I see. One percent sounds like such a small number, but we are discussing the human race as a whole, I suppose. Nonetheless, I shall do my best! Is that not right, my hero?¡± Admittedly, Fenrir and the others weren¡¯t paying much attention to the conversation between Eva and Nell, but they definitely heard the part about having nine million children. ¡°We¡¯ve got this,¡± Serra answered for him with a thumbs-up. This left Fenrir and Cassiel to look at each other with worried expressions. With her desire for only personally having one child, and Fenrir¡¯s insecurity of being able to properly raise children at all, the idea of having nine million children was a bit¡­ worrying to say the least. After some time later discussing various other topics with Nell, Eva realized that GG¡¯s village was within sight which caused that lightbulb to appear over her head. Though, with how sudden the realization hit her, it was more like an oversized lightbulb was smashed against her head. ¡°Wait!¡± Eva shouted, running to the front of the caravan. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Nothing! Nothing is wrong, just ¨C I have something important to say that I completely forgot about.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s this something important to say?¡± ¡°The dragon ¨C Fraydranth. It¡¯s all an act. That wasn¡¯t her real personality, and I¡¯m not even talking about in terms of faking it until she makes it or anything like what me and Nell were talking about. She¡¯s roleplaying, basically. Uh, I forget how exactly it went, but GG¡¯s people expected her to be all high and mighty, so she acted all high and mighty, and now GG¡¯s people feel like they¡¯re expected to be all proper and respectful, so they¡¯re all¡­ proper and respectful. Basically, both groups are roleplaying for the other because they feel like they¡¯re expected to, and neither is being honest. So, you all,¡± Eva paused to look at GG¡¯s villagers still with them, ¡°can relax. Fraydranth is only acting how she does because she thinks it¡¯s what you all want. She doesn¡¯t expect you to act like you have been, either. You can just¡­ go and treat her like you would any friend. All she wants is to not be exposed in front of Azalabulia. She doesn¡¯t want to heartbreak her new apprentice.¡± ¡°So,¡± one of the draconic women speaks up, ¡°you¡¯re telling us¡­ that we can treat her like normal? She doesn¡¯t expect us to act like we worship her?¡± ¡°No, no, not at all. Seriously, you could probably go and just talk about your day with her and she¡¯d be totally fine with it. And you could probably ask her for help since she¡¯s usually bored. Like, she had every intention of helping us out from the very beginning. The ¡®quests¡¯ were only to keep up appearances. Even if we failed every single one of them, she would have helped out still.¡± ¡°So¡­ I threatened her for nothing?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°She was only pretending to be thinking about whether to actually help us or not?¡± ¡°Right. That was completely unnecessary. All you really had to do was wait a few moments for her to finish pretending like she had to think about it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I ¨C I wish I didn¡¯t know that. I felt proud of myself for standing up to a dragon like that, but now¡­ now I¡¯ll only be able to cringe when I remember that.¡± ¡°To be fair, she was clearly impressed by you and I think that she¡¯s even more excited about helping out now thanks to that. You did more good than harm. But, yeah, you really didn¡¯t need to say anything.¡± Fenrir slumped his shoulders and looked down. ¡°And I actually felt scared, too. I acted all badass, bluffing to a dragon, and I was scared while doing it, and she¡­ was treating the whole thing like playing pretend the whole time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Cassiel said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Fenrir looked into her eyes for comfort. ¡°I¡¯ll cringe when I remember you doing that, too,¡± she continued, causing Fenrir¡¯s eyes to widen before representing his internal death. ¡°Cass Cass is mean,¡± Serra said, grabbing onto Fenrir¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here.¡± Some life returned to Fenrir¡¯s eyes as he looked down into Serra¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ll only cringe on the inside when I remember you doing it,¡± she continued, causing Fenrir to look even more dead inside than he previously looked. He was not simply dead inside. He was super dead inside. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Hey, hey, onii-wan,¡± Saya joined in. ¡°Please, no, I can¡¯t take anymore of this,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°It¡¯s okay, onii-wan. I understand how you feel. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here for you¡­ to tell you to never do anything cringeworthy ever again because you¡¯re not the only one who has to feel the cringe!¡± Fenrir evolved from being super dead inside to ultra dead inside. Nobody could possibly be any deadier than he was. Even the clinically dead and the undead had more life than he did. ¡°This is abuse. My girlfriends, my virtual assistant ¨C everybody is bullying me,¡± Fenrir whined. ¡°Even Rock would probably cringe at me if she was here to see this. Even an actual, non-sentient rock would cringe at me¡­¡± ¡°Eh, I think it was pretty cool and attractive even if it was unnecessary,¡± Eva said. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Nell joined in. ¡°My hero, even if you did not have to say a single word, to have stood up to a dragon who you genuinely believed was serious was incredibly attractive! You truly were just like a shining knight standing up to a mighty and fearsome dragon no matter the odds!¡± Fenrir looked to Eva and Nell, the two girls who were supportive of him and who did not find his previous interaction with Fraydranth cringeworthy at all. He pulled his arm away from Serra and stepped away from Cassiel, instead moving to bring Eva and Nell together against his sides with his arms wrapped around their shoulders. He had to surround himself with those who would protect his ego rather than continue smashing it with a spiked baseball bat while it was already dead. But then he saw Serra. Serra, with wide eyes, looked at the air where his arm previously was as her fingers wiggled around as if to try and find where it disappeared to. Then she looked up at him and held her arms out to make more of those grabby hands that none could resist. ¡°Allow me, my hero,¡± Nell said, grabbing onto Serra and bringing her over to them. She positioned Serra so that she was between her and Fenrir, allowing Fenrir¡¯s arm to reach over both of their shoulders. This compromise was good enough for the munchkin pervert. However, now Cassiel was left out. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Cassiel said after noticing them all looking at her. ¡°Serra gave me enough physical¡­ I don¡¯t want to call it affection so much as it was harassment, earlier.¡± Serra lowered her eyes to target Cassiel¡¯s rear, causing Cassiel to adjust her stance so that it was completely hidden from Serra¡¯s perverse gaze. ¡°You¡¯re as bad as Fen with sweaters,¡± Cassiel told Serra. ¡°Hey, nothing involving sweaters could ever be bad,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Cass Cass¡­ you don¡¯t like it when I want to touch you?¡± Serra asked. ¡°It ¨C it¡¯s not that,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°You know I like it, but¡­ ¡°But what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing!¡± ¡°Then¡­ I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t, I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°So¡­ I can?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not saying that, either.¡± To rely on her new favorite trick once more, Serra held up those grabby hands toward Cassiel. ¡°Fine! You can!¡± Cassiel said, immediately giving in. ¡°It¡¯s not like you ever weren¡¯t allowed to anyways.¡± And just as quickly Serra got between Fenrir and Nell, she ran out to pursue Cassiel once more. And once more, Cassiel wasn¡¯t going to make it easy for Serra even if she did consent to it. Meanwhile¡­ The mountains were on fire. Trees were blasted down. Wildlife was fleeing in all directions. And GG stood there, observing the utter destruction of the area that he previously believed was meant to be sacred. ¡°No¡­ no good is going to come of this,¡± he stuttered as he watched on in disbelief. It was only the very first training session between Fraydranth and Azalabulia, yet there was already so much merciless destruction. As for what caused this destruction, there was a dragon flying around with a human woman sitting atop her head. Could any of this even be called destruction? As far as GG could tell, the two were simply having fun. There were no instructions, no practicing, no lessons ¨C there was merely destruction and nothing but. What was meant to be a wise and powerful teacher teaching a young apprentice was nothing more than the equivalent of a bored parent showing off what they could do to their giggling child who was more than happy to watch. It reminded him of the time that one of his friends in real life got his hands on a flamethrower and decided to burn a bunch of random things while the kids stood around and cheered. In both cases, somebody who was meant to be mature took way too much pleasure in setting things on fire while somebody younger was there to be a cheerleader. GG was concerned. GG was very, very concerned. One explosive blast from Fraydranth¡¯s magic caused a building-sized boulder to fly just over GG¡¯s head as he stood perfectly still with shocked eyes. Taking cover may have been a good idea, but¡ª He looked behind him. There was a small cave behind him that he could have hid in. Now, that cave was home to a massive boulder that thoroughly destroyed it. It didn¡¯t matter whether he stood still, ran for his life, or tried to hide. No matter what he did, his life would be in just as much danger. All he could do was stand and hope ¨C hope that there would still be something left of this world by the time that Fraydranth and Azalabulia were done playing. And he had very little hope for that. Book 6: Chapter 36: Ryouta and Serra sat together on the couch in their living room while waiting for Cassandra and Alice to finish getting ready. Serra might have defied the stereotype of women taking a considerable amount of time to prepare their makeup, but Cassandra and Alice were living examples of it. Furthermore, because of how early it was, Serra could hardly keep her eyes open and instead kept on nodding her head while struggling to watch the subtitles on the TV. ¡°Go ahead and sleep until they¡¯re ready,¡± Ryouta said to her. Though, since she couldn¡¯t exactly hear his words, he expressed his message in actions by pulling her closer and letting his shoulder become her pillow. Serra was quick to take him up on the offer. Meanwhile, the television showed cleberation preparations from all around the country. After all, it was the most important holiday to most Americans now. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day ¨C all of the former top holidays were borderline trivial when compared to this newer holiday. Ryouta¡¯s phone vibrated. Upon checking it, he saw that Eva finally replied to his message on Fiscord. Inside of the message was a picture of her with the caption that she was heading out now. Since she was an hour ahead of him, her family was already fully prepared to go out. As for the picture, it was of her. Ryouta sent her a picture of him once he was ready, not that he was dressed up in any special way, and now it was his turn to receive a picture of her. He questioned her choices. As cute as she might have looked with a hoodie, he had no idea how she could deal with wearing something so heavy during the middle of yet another heat wave. Aside from that, he couldn¡¯t see much other than her glasses and shaggy bangs. Her face was just a tiny bit rounder than it was in-game but, other than that, she looked almost the same as she did in-game. All of his girlfriends looking like they did in-game was a great thing, but this did confuse him a bit. Ryouta always thought that one of the best things about MMOs and video games in general was being able to become somebody else. Who didn¡¯t want an avatar that was basically their ideal of awesome and/or beauty? Maybe his girlfriends simply all already considered themselves to be ideal in reality, so there was no point in being somebody else in-game. Were they all super confident in their bodies without him realizing it? Well, either way, they were beautiful both in-game and out of it. That was more than Ryouta could ever ask for. Though, there was one thing that could have made all of his girlfriends even more attractive. More sweaters. Alas, given just how hot it was, there was no way that he would actually ask any of them to wear sweaters. Even just seeing Eva in her hoodie made him want to take it off of her for her own good despite how cute she looked in it. But she was leaving, so all he could do was send her a message and hope that she had a fun time. Then he did the same for Azalabulia, though she wasn¡¯t up yet. He knew that she was going out with her family as well, though, so he told her to have fun for when she did wake up. He also checked the weather for Alaska before sending another message warning her to not dress too warmly. Just as Ryouta thought that he wouldn¡¯t be getting any more pictures¡­ another picture showed up in his messages. From Spencer. And Spencer was making a kissy face with a caption telling Ryouta to have a fun time. Ryouta sighed and smiled, complimented Spencer on his eyeliner, and then sent back a picture of himself making a dramatic kissy face with the same caption. The tradition of sending each other stupid faces on this morning every year would never die. After all of that, Cassandra and Alice still weren¡¯t done getting ready, so Ryouta finally paid attention to the TV since there wasn¡¯t anything better to do. The scene was of a woman standing in front of statue with a busy crowd around her. The statue itself showed one of the most important figures in modern history ¨C a man whose social advances were even more important than Jenson Clarks¡¯ technological advancements. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the woman said into the camera in response to what the news anchor at the studio said. ¡°Today marks the beginning of Robert Shaw¡¯s revolution that changed our country and inspired the world to follow. Of course, we must also give credit to our French friends who inspired Shaw to act. Were it not for the successful protests in France, Shaw claimed that he never would have believed that change was possible. He had no idea that he would be the driver of the largest change our country has seen since the Revolutionary War!¡± Robert Shaw was a man that everybody knew of in the same way that everybody knew of Jenson Clark. It didn¡¯t matter where in the world somebody lived. If somebody lived at all during the past fifteen years, they knew these names without a doubt. Robert Shaw in particular was taught to every kid in school these days. The everyday firefighter who began a revolution. ¡°And could we really ask for better weather?¡± the reporter asked, causing Ryouta to groan since, yes, better weather could definitely be asked for. ¡°Shaw¡¯s goal was to ¡®put out the fires¡¯ of our former government and to tackle the primary cause behind the global fires such as the ones that scorched Australia, our western coast, and many other parts of the world. Were it not for him, even more of the world would be inhospitable right now. But just as firefighters are trained to do, he extinguished the flames and saved as many lives as he could.¡± The camera focused on the statue. Standing tall and proud, the statue of Robert Shaw showed the man himself with his axe on the ground and the hands of children held by his own. Around his axe were broken bricks and metal rods meant to symbolize the tearing down of the southern border wall, and the children were there to represent the millions of lives saved from the ghettos that were created just south of the border. And that was generally considered a relatively minor accomplishment when compared to some of his other achievements. The reporter continued. ¡°Today, when the sirens sound off, there will be a moment of silence for all of the lives lost during the revolution and all of the lives that could have been spared had it happened earlier. It may sound harsh to say that more lives could have been spared if the revolution happened sooner despite how tremendously successful it was, but that was something Shaw wanted us to never forget. Had he acted earlier, he could have saved more lives, and the same goes for each and every one of us. Today is not only a day to celebrate the revolution, but it is a day to remind us all to never idly stand by while injustices plague the world. We should strive to fix problems the moment that we become aware of them; we should never stand by doing nothing. As Shaw said, allowing our situation to become as bad as it became was his greatest failure as a firefighter.¡± The channel switched to show the legend himself standing in front of the damaged White House. Millions of average people stood in the crowd in front of him waving various flags, and many of them had the community-favored logo of a firefighter holding a hose with regular people putting out an on-fire Earth. ¡°It was my duty as a firefighter to extinguish flames the moment they began, not to wait until they were too big to ignore. No matter what I may have accomplished, I will always mourn those who I failed to save by not demanding change sooner. Starvation, disease, corruption ¨C these fires were allowed to spread out of control for too long. We must never allow such fires to spread again. We must never allow such atrocities to happen again. It is only together ¨C with every single one of us no matter your skin color, no matter what country you were born in, no matter what differences we may have, that we may build the foundations for a better future. The rich and the corrupt may be hiding in their bunkers, but we don¡¯t need them. They wanted us to believe that we needed them, but nothing could have been farther from the truth. We only need each other! Every single one of you are more valuable than any CEO or politician! That is why it is so important to never allow something like this to happen ever again ¨C we must fight injustice the moment that it shows itself. We humans might be strong on our own, but that individual strength is nothing compared to the strength of the community, and what is human civilization if not a community? On our own, we are strong, but there is nothing stronger than when we stand together!¡± Despite coughing blood almost immediately after the final word left his mouth, the crowd cheered and waved their flags. They all knew of his health issues and knew that it was what he wanted no matter how sickly he may have become. The world¡¯s greatest revolutionary would succumb to his health just a couple of months after that speech. ¡°My hero! Is something wrong?¡± Alice asked, wheeling herself into the room. Ryouta wiped at his eyes and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just ¨C they showed one of Shaw¡¯s speeches, and he¡¯s always been one of my biggest heroes, so I get a bit emotional when I hear them. I wish I could have been to one of his speeches in person.¡± ¡°Ah, that man. We would have been around seven or eight when he died, yes?¡± ¡°Around there, yeah.¡± ¡°The French may have inspired him, but he inspired the rest of the world. I may not agree with many of his tactics during the revolution, but I may also be biased because of those in my home country who tried to copy him but with far graver consequences. Not every revolution is successful, sadly.¡± ¡°Well, your country came around eventually.¡± ¡°Not until far too many lives were lost, and then there was such an extreme pushback against us that the royal family was in constant danger. One of the only reasons our branch of the family survived was because of how distant we were from the main branch. Only the most extreme came after us, but there were not enough of them to reach us. Still, they were enough of a threat that we did not leave our manor for years. For the rest of the family¡­ they are either dead, hiding in a bunker still, or imprisoned.¡± ¡°Sorry, I was insensitive when I said that.¡± ¡°You are fine, my hero. I simply wish that we could have achieved these results without so much bloodshed, but peaceful change was made impossible. Our only options as a species were violent revolution or suffering to extinction. Countless horrible events may have happened during all of the revolutions across the world, but we are still here, and now we may build a better future so that such violence may be avoided, yes?¡± ¡°Right. Do what we must, acknowledge the bad, celebrate the good, and create a better future for everybody. That¡¯s all we can really do. By the way, you look great.¡± Alice lit up with a smile as soon as she received his compliment. ¡°Thank you, my hero! Though,¡± she paused to tug down on her blouse, revealing a thick and plain bra, ¡°this may not look very exciting¡­ but it should be useful for today¡¯s events!¡± ¡°You plan on playing in the games with all the kids?¡± ¡°Absolutely! I shall be like a tank with my chair!¡± ¡°Except the part of you that matters isn¡¯t actually covered by any armor. Also¡­ aren¡¯t you going to regret putting on makeup if you¡¯re going to play?¡± ¡°It is waterproof makeup!¡± ¡°Will that really work?¡± ¡°Even if it does not, it is of no concern. The worst, and best, case scenario is that I end up looking how I picture myself in my fantasies! Running makeup, my body covered in fluids, surrounded by those far more powerful than me ¨C ah, today shall be a wonderful day.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t pervert the games. Kids are involved.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ true. I picture myself being surrounded by you, Serra, and Cassandra, but I suppose that the children are likely going to target us as well rather than only one another.¡± ¡°Do you expect the rest of us to play?¡± ¡°Of course! Cassandra is the one who gave me the idea for participating, and do you doubt that Serra would join? And if the three of us play, it is only natural that you will join as well!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. But, wait ¨C Cass talked you into this?¡± ¡°Damn right,¡± Cassandra said, standing behind the cutely dressed Alice with an entirely different look. Ripped jeans. A black and red tank top. A headband with the revolutionary logo on it. War paint. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot this day was coming up,¡± Cassandra said with a suspicious black case held in her hand. It was long like a guitar case, but not in a guitar shape. It made Ryouta think of a gun case. ¡°You ¨C you really take today seriously, don¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t even know you had those clothes¡­ and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen that case before, either,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite day of the year. It¡¯s also my dad¡¯s most hated day of the year. Him and all his friends hate today.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Anyways, I like this look. It¡¯s hot.¡± As fearsome as Cassandra might have looked, she still blushed when complimented. ¡°Th-thanks.¡± ¡°Though, now I kind of feel plain when looking at you two. Alice is as cute and elegant as ever, and you¡¯re dressed like a badass revolutionary. At least Serra is wearing normal clothes with me.¡± ¡°My hero, have you tried lifting her shirt up?¡± Alice asked. ¡°She¡¯s sleeping, so no,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Try it. It¡¯s fine,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°I¡¯d feel like a horrible boyfriend lifting my girlfriend¡¯s shirt up while she¡¯s asleep. No, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯d make me a horrible person in general.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I promise.¡± If it weren¡¯t for his other two girlfriends being so adamant about it, Ryouta never would have done what he was about to do. But, if they believed it would be fine, then there had to be a reason for it. So, he slowly lifted Serra¡¯s shirt up just a bit. And it was then that he instantly understood. ¡°Everybody ¨C you¡¯re all prepared for this. Am I the only one dressed normally?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°It¡¯s not too late to put on some swim trunks or something,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Ah, those and an open vest would look wonderful on you!¡± Alice said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I really have the sort of looks to pull that off,¡± Ryouta sighed. ¡°But I guess I¡¯ll go change real quick.¡± ¡°I can put some spare clothes for you in this case. I¡¯ve already got spares for the rest of us in here,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Good idea.¡± With that, Ryouta moved Serra so that she wouldn¡¯t fall as soon as he stood up, got up, and got to work on removing his pants. Cassandra was quick to grow red as Alice smiled and watched with the eyes of a predator. ¡°He-hey, you¡¯re just going to ¨C you¡¯re going to strip in front of us?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ we¡¯ve been dating for a while now, shower and take baths together, do lewd things to each other ¨C we¡¯re naked around each other at least once every other day. I¡¯ll save time if I strip here,¡± Ryouta explained. ¡°But ¨C we¡¯re in the living room!¡± ¡°Do you think that any room in this house can be sacred for as long as Serra lives here?¡± Without any difficulty, Ryouta pulled off his pants and tossed them toward Cassandra. Then he did the same with his shirt. All that were left were the boxer briefs he had on. Cassandra gulped, Alice¡¯s smile grew wider, and Serra snored. ¡°Fi-fine! Get it over with already!¡± Cassandra shouted. ¡°What? I did already,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°You ¨C you¡¯re not¡ª¡± ¡°What, you think I¡¯m going to get completely naked in the middle of the living room? Have some class, Cass.¡± Ryouta walked off to get changed, leaving a blushing and frustrated Cassandra to groan and grumble as she stoved his clothes into her case. ¡°Drat,¡± Alice said with a sigh. ¡°I was hoping that he would go all the way. Perhaps I will ask him for a strip show for my birthday.¡± Cassandra may have been angry but, as soon as she imagined Ryouta dancing like a stripper giving Alice a strip tease in her wheelchair¡­ she lost it. Meanwhile, Serra continued snoring and scratched her belly. The group arrived at the location of the local festival an hour later. Rather than wear what he was earlier, Ryouta had on a pair of black swim trunks and a baggy, black shirt to go with them. He looked even more out of place when compared to his girlfriends than he already did, but at least he was prepared now. But none of them were as prepared as Cassandra still. At the entrance to the festival grounds were a pair of firefighters outfitted in full gear with a nearby firetruck on standby. ¡°Thanks for your service,¡± Ryouta said as he walked by the firefighters, prompting his girlfriends¡ªsave for Serra¡ªto also say it. ¡°Thanks for your support,¡± one of the firefighters replied, ¡°and have a good time at the festival.¡± The other firefighter, while silent, offered a fist to Cassandra. She instantly recognized what to do and bumped fists with him. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Look at you, fistbumping the firefighters,¡± Ryouta teased Cassandra. ¡°Somebody is rather popular!¡± Alice joined in. ¡°I¡¯m not popular, I¡¯m just showing my respect,¡± Cassandra explained before sighing. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t my dad have been a firefighter instead¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him today,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°We¡¯re here to have fun and carry on Shaw¡¯s dream.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. So, since none of us had breakfast¡­ we¡¯re going to a food stall first, right?¡± ¡°Something about this is extremely familiar.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Ah, I see! Yes, this reminds me of Cassandra¡¯s endless appetite during our trip to the amusement park!¡± Alice said, shooting an arrow into Cassandra¡¯s back with enough force to stagger her. Meanwhile, Serra covered up her mouth and yawned, barely even aware of what was going on and where they were. ¡°Just got a message from Aza. She says to have fun,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Guess she woke up finally.¡± ¡°Well, she is a few hours behind us,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Does she have any plans?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve got a festival she¡¯s going to with her mom. They go every year.¡± ¡°With how close her and her mom sound¡­ we might have to move her mom with her.¡± ¡°For some reason, I¡¯m not going to be surprised if that¡¯s what happens. I¡¯d feel bad leaving her mom alone up in Alaska, taking her daughter away from her. Your dad has your mom, Alice¡¯s dad has assistants and other family members, and Serra¡¯s parents have a bunch of partners, so none of your parents are being left behind and alone. But Aza¡¯s mom¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re not adding her mom to our relationship.¡± ¡°I ¨C I wasn¡¯t even thinking that! I¡¯m genuinely being concerned for her, and not in a MILF hunting way!¡± ¡°Please never say that word again.¡± ¡°MILF?¡± ¡°Yeah. I hate that word.¡± ¡°Same, but it got the point across. So, you going to use your nose to sniff out some good food for us?¡± Cassandra narrowed her eyes at Ryouta and said, ¡°You think that I¡¯m some food-hunting hound or something that can find where all the food is just by sniffing the ai¡ª¡± She sniffed the air. Ryouta immediately imagined a pair of twitching dog ears on the top of her head with a wagging tail behind her. ¡°I smell deep-fried food,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°I think it is a bit too early for that,¡± Alice said. ¡°We may save the heavier food such as that for later!¡± ¡°Then what about burritos?¡± ¡°You ¨C you can specifically smell burritos?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Do you want burritos or not?¡± Ryouta shrugged and looked to Alice for a response. She had no problem with burritos, so he looked at Serra. Serra was too sleepy to have a response. Burritos it was. It was while eating burritos that he learned Cassandra and Alice have horrible sides to them. Serra, in her sleepy state, barely even aware of the fact that she was holding a burrito and eating it like a tiny hamster would¡­ was having her picture taken by Cassandra and Alice. Ryouta would never take pictures of his half-asleep girlfriends doing things that they were barely even aware that they were doing, and he wouldn¡¯t want the same done to him! However¡­ Serra did look incredibly cute while eating her burrito. Ryouta shook the temptation to join in on the picture-taking out of his mind and said, ¡°I forgot how diverse the choices are at these festivals. I haven¡¯t been to one in¡­ since I was a kid, probably.¡± ¡°What¡¯d you expect?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Part of the revolution was about bringing everybody together and embracing cultural diversity and all that. Asian food, South American, Indian ¨C you can find everything at these festivals. It gives everybody a chance to come and share their culture while celebrating an important day.¡± ¡°You¡¯re even more into this holiday than I am. I thought I loved this holiday, but you really take it to a whole new level.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s an important day. Plus the more I love it, the more I piss off my dad. He¡¯s probably sitting at home seething right now knowing that I¡¯m having fun today.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t even talked in a while.¡± ¡°Trust me, he¡¯s still going to be angry.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± With his burrito finished, Ryouta opened up the pamphlet that he picked up near the entrance to look at where everything was and at what times special events would be. They were currently at the food hub. The closest attraction was the Ferris wheel. There was also a paddleboat attraction at the river and one other attraction that caught Ryouta¡¯s attention. ¡°So¡­ who wants to go on the slingshot with me?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°No,¡± Cassandra answered. ¡°I ¨C I may have to second Cassandra¡¯s answer,¡± Alice said. Ryouta looked at Serra. Serra shook her head. He was pretty sure that she didn¡¯t even read his lips to know the question, yet she still refused. ¡°I see how it is,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°In that case, you leave me no choice. Whoever goes on the slingshot with me¡­ gets ten redeemable tickets that they can use to make me do whatever they want whenever they wan¡ª¡± Serra stood up and started walking toward the slingshot ride, leaving her half-eaten burrito behind on the table. ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Both with the ride and being Serra¡¯s slave.¡± Maybe offering ten opportunities of turning Ryouta into a personal servant was too much, but it was too late. ¡°We¡¯ll be back,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Unless the ride breaks and we die or something.¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t say that,¡± Cassandra pouted. ¡°That could seriously happen¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. I promise.¡± ¡°Hmph. You better be.¡± Ryouta got up and placed a kiss on Cassandra¡¯s head before going to catch up with Serra. ¡°I will not judge you,¡± Alice said, knowing exactly what Cassandra was thinking about. ¡°After all, it would be worse to let food go to waste.¡± Cassandra hesitantly took what was left of Serra¡¯s burrito. She then not-so-hesitantly ate it. By the time that Ryouta and Serra finally made it to the front of the line, Cassandra and Alice had finished up at their table and decided to watch as Ryouta and Serra got onto the deathtrap. ¡°Alright, looking good!¡± the ride operator said as he double-checked the safety harnesses and belts. ¡°You two ready?¡± Serra gave a sleepy thumbs-up while Ryouta gulped. Suddenly, he wasn¡¯t so confident about this anymore. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m ready,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Make sure to hold on tight! We wouldn¡¯t want you flying off into space on us or anything. We¡¯d probably be in lots of legal trouble if that happened, you know?¡± Ryouta simply had to hope that the operator¡¯s fear of getting into legal trouble would be enough to guarantee his safety. Though, Cassandra clearly looked even more nervous than Ryouta now did. The operator returned to the controls and began to count down. ¡°Alright! Five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ two¡ª¡± A large, loose screw fell out of the ride. It looked like a very important screw given just how large and sturdy it was, and Ryouta didn¡¯t see this happen for any of the previous riders. A large drop of sweat formed on Ryouta¡¯s forehead as he looked down at the screw. ¡°Shit!¡± The operator shouted. ¡°If you launch now then¡ª¡± Needless to say, the slingshot launched. Ryouta could have sworn he heard the dramatic screaming of a certain Cassandra coming from below, but he couldn¡¯t think too hard about that. He was about to be flung into space. His life flashed before his eyes. There were bad times in his life but, recently, his life had been nothing but good. Ever since he met his girlfriends, he had been having the best time of his life. He was truly, genuinely happy. While dying now would be regrettable, especially in such a stupid way, at least he was happ¡ª Serra¡¯s noises caused him to open his eyes and look at what was happening. One, they were not flying into space. They were being bounced up and down in the air like normal. Two, Serra was moaning. Erotically. She was suddenly much, much more awake than before, and Ryouta¡¯s subconscious intention for why he always wanted to ride one of these with his girlfriends became clear. He remembered all of the videos that he saw of men taking their girlfriends and wives onto similar rides and the women feeling good and even potentially orgasming from them. Mission accomplished. Book 6: Chapter 37: While Ryouta may have been absolutely terrified by the ride operator¡¯s stunt, getting onto the ride was worth it. It was fun, terrifying, and he got to confirm that it was true how some people could have a very sensual experience on such a ride. However, once they got back down to the ground, they were met with a Cassandra who really didn¡¯t seem very happy with the ride operator. All the previously playful operator could do was hang his head low in shame as Cassandra stood by him with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes glaring at him every time he dared to bring his head back up. Ryouta may have been terrified from the stunt, but Cassandra was utterly pissed off. Now, she had to resist the urge to overdramatically hug Ryouta and Serra after their safe return. It wasn¡¯t like they were in any actual danger or anything, after all, plus she already felt somewhat better by taking her anger out on the ride operator. But as soon as the two riders got out of their seats, Cassandra could not help but to wrap her arms around them. She did not express just how worried she was since she knew that it would be obvious, but she still hugged them. Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd waiting in line found the whole situation hilarious at first before awkwardly looking around and trying to distract themselves during Cassandra¡¯s chewing out of the operator and now her slightly dramatic reunion with her lovers. And then there was Alice who was busy enjoying the ice cream cone that she got just as the ride launched. As tempting as it may have been to indulge in the drama, it had been too long since she last had some ice cream. The ice cream was so delightful that she did not even come up with any tragic fantasies involving what would have happened had the stunt been real. Then again, it was difficult to try and turn such a situation into an erotic fantasy as that was the type of fantasy that she preferred. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to ever ride anything like this ever again,¡± Cassandra grumbled with a pout to Ryouta. The message was intended for Serra as well, not that Serra could tell since she was still being held by the taller woman and was incapable of reading her lips in such a position. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I think I had my lifetime¡¯s fill with that.¡± Convincing Serra to not ride it again would be a much more difficult task seeing as how it was enjoyable on a whole other level to her. ¡°Ex¡­ excuse me,¡± the previously spunky operator spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ve uh¡­ gotta get through this line. Other people are¡ª¡± He cut himself off as soon as Cassandra¡¯s eyes returned to glaring at him. The terror that Ryouta felt was but a fraction of Cassandra¡¯s. It was all this operator¡¯s fault that Cassandra was very sure she might have been watching Ryouta¡¯s and Serra¡¯s final moments, and this operator was going to suffer for that. Seeing Cassandra like this, Ryouta wondered if his tsundere girlfriend had suddenly evolved into a yandere girlfriend due to the experience. The glare that she was giving the operator was definitely that of a yandere¡¯s, after all. ¡°A tsundere yandere,¡± Ryouta thought to himself. Alas, he came to the conclusion that Cassandra was really neither. She was hardly ever a tsundere anymore outside of fanservice and she was only acting like a yandere because she was genuinely terrified for them. Now, if he really wanted to see a true tsundere yandere, he would have to ask Saya to try that for him. If she could basically use any personality that she wanted and change her body to match, ¡°Yeah. Saya, since I know you¡¯ll have access to this thought later, I want you to try being a tsundere yandere for me. A tsundere yandere little sister puppy. Just uh¡­ don¡¯t hurt me, please. Don¡¯t be the violent kind of yandere. At least, not the kind that is violent toward the person she loves. And don¡¯t be the violent kind of tsundere, either. Alright, that¡¯s all for my request.¡± Despite Saya not even being active due to him not being linked to the system, Ryouta still had quite the request for her. And it was a request that would most certainly be fulfilled. He could already imagine her voice calling him ¡°onii-wan¡± in that sort of creepy, dangerous tone that yanderes tended to use. He couldn¡¯t wait to actually hear it. Once that whole dramatic situation was over with, the group continued to walk around the area. Cassandra found an ally of justice in Alice as Alice ended up wanting to experience all of the different foods available, resulting in the two women spending most of their time off on their own in pursuit of delicious food. Kennel corn, cotton candy, everything deep-fried from cookies to sticks of butter, and funnel cake with copious amounts of vanilla ice cream and strawberries on top ¨C the two women seemed intent on needing to buy new pants after this. Cassandra had successfully converted Alice into being a patron of the sin of gluttony. Alice may have been more fond of the sin of lust prior to this, but how could she resist so much delicious, utterly unhealthy food? They also got to enjoy some kebabs made with that fancy synthetic meat that had been all the rage lately. Everybody was switching over to it due to its exact similarity to real meat, how much cheaper it was, and for those tax bonuses from being more environmentally friendly. And this synthetic meat was definitely legitimate. ¡°I knew that they were making advances with this, but I had no idea it was so similar!¡± Alice said before happily taking another bite out of the kebab. ¡°It¡¯s not that special,¡± Cassandra replied. ¡°I¡¯ve had synth meat this good before. The only reason this stuff is everywhere now is because of how cheap it is. It¡¯s like¡­ stupidly cheap. Like cheaper than candy.¡± ¡°Ah, I see!¡± ¡°It¡¯s also supposed to be even healthier than the real deal, so there¡¯s basically no reason to ever eat real meat again unless you¡¯re one of those people who hates science and wants everything to be natural.¡± ¡°Well, I do believe that there is some merit to their beliefs. There was a large movement toward organic food at the beginning of the century, was there not?¡± ¡°Just because there was a movement for it doesn¡¯t mean that there was merit to it. Trying to make everything as organic as possible is inefficient, more expensive, bigger impact on the environment, and all that. Like, sure, I get it¡­ but that movement ended up being for conspiracy theorists instead of people who were worried about their health and the environment. Whether they like it or not, all the modified stuff that¡¯s been coming out is cheaper, healthier, less impactful on the environment, and can be changed to taste however we want.¡± ¡°This is something that you seem quite knowledgeable on!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really say that. I only know what I know because my dad was one of those conspiracy theorists. Claimed that all the stuff we¡¯re doing to our food is changing our minds and being used to brainwash the masses and other bullshit like that. Said that the revolution only had as much support as it did because the global elites hiding in the shadows wanted it all along, and they used all this new ¡®science food¡¯ to make people obedient. Yeah, right, the elites brainwashed us into overthrowing the elites. Sounds like a perfectly logical theory made by somebody who totally isn¡¯t full of bullshit, right?¡± ¡°Hmm. I am trying to think of how I could justify such a belief. Simply for amusement¡¯s sake, mind you. Alas, I am not sure if there are any justifications I may think of.¡± ¡°He says that the revolution didn¡¯t target anybody who it wasn¡¯t supposed to target, but I¡¯m not sure who else it could have targeted. I mean, everything changed. Buildings got burned down, the people responsible for trying to ruin our planet got dragged out into the streets ¨C what else were they supposed to do? There¡¯s no secret shadow council of lizard people living beneath the surface controlling us and, even if there was, oh no, they succeeded in stopping us from killing ourselves. Those horrible shadow elite lizard people.¡± Alice raised a hand over her mouth and giggled. ¡°Those horrible lizard people indeed! I must admit that it is interesting to hear of such beliefs, though. I have never encountered anybody who has actually believed such things. Part of me has always believed such people to be a dramatization or a¡­ what is the word? The logical fallacy for people who act like an extreme stereotype?¡± ¡°A strawman? It¡¯s the closest thing I can think of, anyways.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, that! I thought that such people were simply strawmen who did not truly exist.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I can confirm that they exist. My dad unironically believes this is all some giant conspiracy theory, that the new government is plotting against us, and ¨C oh, get this. This one is really stupid. Like, your IQ is going to drop because of this stupid. You want to hear it?¡± Alice perked up with an excited smile as she nodded her head. ¡°You know how we¡¯ve got all that debris in orbit and stuff, right? We basically can¡¯t launch anything new because of how dangerous it is?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Mhm!¡± ¡°He thinks that¡¯s a hoax. He says all the videos and radar images of the orbit being full of debris is a hoax to keep us from leaving the planet. You know, who would have thought that the people who never thought that the climate was actually going to try and kill us would now think that there¡¯s some elite organization pretending that we¡¯re trapped on the planet and that none of the stuff we¡¯re doing to save the climate is working. Just¡­ how does that happen? How do you literally go from thinking that all the climate stuff is a hoax, even while the sea levels are rising and overtaking towns, while fish are going extinct and bugs are dying out, to thinking that we¡¯re being trapped here as a conspiracy theory so that the climate can kill us despite there now being proof that we¡¯re finally reversing all the damage we¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°By being crazy? A-ah, my apologies. I probably should not speak poorly of your father even if you¡ª¡± ¡°No, please do. Shit talk him as much as you want. He deserves it.¡± ¡°As tempting as that may be, I do wish that you two could reconcile. You are still father and daughter, after all.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m open to it. He¡¯s the one who has to stop being a massive dick and crazy conspiracy theorist. It¡¯s not like I want to despise him. He knows that, too. I¡¯ve told him before to his face that I want nothing to do with him if he can¡¯t get over himself.¡± ¡°What did he say about that?¡± ¡°He said that I¡¯m brainwashed by propaganda and that only he knows what¡¯s best for me since I¡¯m too blind to see it myself. He sounded like a cultist.¡± ¡°Do you believe that he meant it? Do you think that he genuinely wishes for your best?¡± ¡°No. I think he¡¯s a crazy, dangerous, selfish conspiracy theorist. He doesn¡¯t actually want to do anything for my own good, he only wants to control me. You know that there used to be this huge anti-vaccine movement before they made that pretty much globally illegal? I read that there were all sorts of ¡®concerned¡¯ parents wanting ¡®the best¡¯ for their children¡­ by refusing to vaccinate, hiding their kids from the government, harassing them even after they were adults, and all that. Those kinds of people don¡¯t care about being healthy or doing the right thing. They only care about being on the inside of some global conspiracy where they can feel special and smart while having an excuse to control their kids.¡± ¡°You do not think highly of such people, do you?¡± ¡°Not at all. I mean, I feel bad for the kids who had to be taken away from their parents, but it needed to be done. They were in danger.¡± ¡°I see. Well, that was an interesting conversation. Perhaps a bit too heavy for what is meant to be a day of celebration, however.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, as much as I¡¯d rather not talk about my dad, this day gets me to do it more than any other day. I don¡¯t even remember what we were talking about that led into this.¡± ¡°We were talking about the ¡®meat¡¯ and how wonderful it is! If it is truly as cheap and as healthy as you have said it is, we should buy some! I would love to experiment with it in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Not sure if it¡¯s available at the local store yet, but we can check for it. They¡¯re still ramping up their production so that there¡¯s enough for everybody.¡± ¡°You really are knowledgeable about this!¡± ¡°I mean¡­ whenever we¡¯re not playing games or doing anything else together, I¡¯m probably watching or reading about this sort of stuff. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m smart or anything. I just repeat what other people say about it. God, if my dad heard me say that then he¡¯d think it¡¯s some sort of self-aware ¡®aha¡¯ moment admitting that I¡¯m brainwashed.¡± Alice smiled and reached over the picnic table to hold Cassandra¡¯s hands. ¡°I cannot wait for you to meet my father. I promise you that he will be jolly and kind enough for all of us! If there is a more wonderful father in the world, I would like to meet him for it would be comparable to discovering a real dragon!¡± ¡°You really like your dad,¡± Cassandra said with a sigh. ¡°Must be nice.¡± ¡°A-ah, I do not mean to sound like I am bragging.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m happy that at least one of us likes our dad. I¡¯ll have to live uh¡­ what¡¯s that word for when you live through somebody else for something?¡± ¡°Vicariously?¡± ¡°Yeah, that. I¡¯ll have to live vicariously through you to know what it¡¯s like to have a likable dad.¡± ¡°Well, once we are married, he will be your father as well! You will not need to live vicariously through me at all. In fact, considering that we are most certainly going to spend the rest of our lives together, you may as well already consider him your father!¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty confident about us spending the rest of our lives together.¡± ¡°Should I not be?¡± Alice asked with a bit of smug. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ it¡¯s the plan, so¡­ I guess that there¡¯s nothing wrong with being confident about it. But we still need to, you know.¡± ¡°Get married?¡± Cassandra tried her best not to turn red. She did not succeed. ¡°Ye-yeah.¡± ¡°Hmm. That has made me think of a potential issue.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who is going to propose to who? While it was traditionally the man¡¯s role to do such a thing, said tradition died before we were even born. The three of you, counting Serra as well, all started to date at the same time as well. I suppose that it may make the most sense for one of you three to do it?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know if I could. Plus¡­ I know it¡¯s selfish, but I kind of want to be the one proposed to.¡± Alice nodded her head in agreement. ¡°Then it comes down to Serra or my hero! Of course, it could always be Aza or Eva as well.¡± ¡°Aza¡­ I can¡¯t imagine her doing it, and I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s with us in wanting to be proposed to. That¡¯s the kind of woman she is.¡± ¡°Mhm, mhm. I agree.¡± ¡°But Eva¡­ I ¨C I can see her doing that with how she is. Plus it would be a new experience for her, and she loves trying new things.¡± ¡°Mhm, mhm.¡± ¡°Serra¡­ I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m kind of leaning toward thinking that she would prefer being proposed to going off of the fact that both me and her waited for Ryouta to ask us out instead of taking the initiative ourselves. Then again, she¡¯s way more assertive now.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°And Ryouta¡­ I think he¡¯d probably want to do it himself. But at the same time, I think surprising him by doing it ourselves would be really nice, and getting to see him all embarrassed and happy and probably crying would be fun, so¡ª¡± ¡°Why would I be crying?¡± Ryouta asks, his voice coming from directly behind Cassandra. He managed to get a squeak out of her without even needing to poke her sides. Cassandra turns around with reddened cheeks, ready to deny everything that they were just talking about¡­ only to completely forget what she was going to say as soon as she sees the sight before her. ¡°Where¡­ where did all of those come from?¡± Hanging against Serra¡¯s back with its flippers over her shoulders being held by her hands was a massive, stuffed penguin almost as tall as she was. Then underneath each of Ryouta¡¯s arms were two more stuffed animals just as large: a snake and a lion. ¡°As it would turn out,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°Serra is a prodigy at carnival games.¡± Serra didn¡¯t even have to hear what he said to have a proud and smug smile. ¡°They are all so cute!¡± Alice said. ¡°However, I am worried about where they will be going. Our bed is not large enough for all of us and our new friends.¡± ¡°They could be on display somewhere. By the way, the snake is for you and the lion is for Cass,¡± Ryouta explained. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get one?¡± Cassandra asked him. ¡°I¡­ I wanted one. Serra was going to try and win me one of a wolf, but she apparently reached the prize limit and wasn¡¯t allowed to play for prizes anymore.¡± ¡°Then I shall add such a wolf to my mental birthday list for you, my hero!¡± Alice declared. ¡°I shall get you the largest, most fluffiest wolf that the world has to offer!¡± ¡°I want to say that that¡¯s kind of ridiculous, but I don¡¯t think I can pass you up on that. I really do want one.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we all a bit too old for giant stuffed animals?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°But they¡¯re cute.¡± ¡°My hero has a point,¡± Alice said with a nod. Serra put down her penguin to take the lion from Ryouta so that she could hold it up in front of Cassandra. Cassandra attempted to resist at first, but there was no way that she could resist forever. The lion¡¯s black, beady eyes stared into her soul and demanded acceptance. Its soft, plushy body attracted her fingers and demanded to be squeezed. Its overwhelming size overrode her sense of reason and demanded to be hugged. Slowly and hesitantly, Cassandra reached out to the lion, grabbed it gently, and hugged it against her. ¡°I ¨C I guess that it¡¯s kind of cute.¡± ¡°I wish I was that lion,¡± Ryouta said. Cassandra did not know why he said that until she noticed that she was holding the lion¡¯s head against her chest. ¡°What? Are you jealous of stuffed animals now?¡± she asked, hugging the lion even closer against her chest. ¡°Only of that one.¡± ¡°I must second his jealousy,¡± Alice spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I wouldn¡¯t do this for you whenever you want,¡± Cassandra replied to them both. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that whenever we want to use your boobs as pillows, all we have to do is go for it?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°That does sound like what she said!¡± Alice said. ¡°You still have to ask first!¡± Cassandra pouted. ¡°I guess that we can get consent first. I call dibs on doing it first once we¡¯re home later,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I call ¡®dibs¡¯ on second!¡± Alice said. Serra then held up three fingers to signify that she was calling dibs on third. ¡°Don¡¯t just call dibs on who gets to use my chest!¡± Cassandra shouted at them before immediately realizing that she just drew even more attention to her than when she chewed out the ride operator earlier. And this time, those who were walking by had no context and could only rely on their imaginations for what she could have meant by using her chest. Needless to say, Cassandra lifted up her new lion and hid her face behind it. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) After wandering around for a bit longer, riding a few rides, eating some more food, telling Alice and Cassandra that they asked for their stomach aches by eating so much unhealthy food and that they would likely spend the rest of the evening regretting such poor life choices, it was finally time for the ultimate event ¨C the event that everybody was looking forward to. Wherever a similar festival was being held, each and every one of them featured the same event on this day. And it was one that they were all already ready for. It was the reason for why they came to the festival with spare clothes: why Cassandra wore heavy, black clothes; why Serra had a swimsuit on underneath her clothes; why Alice had on such thick and unattractive undergarments despite her flashy preferences; and why Ryouta switched into swimming trunks before they came. It was also why each of them now held water guns in their hands. The main event was about to begin. To celebrate the firefighter-led revolution that extinguished the flames of corruption, greed, and fires that threatened to consume the world in ever-growing heat, it was now time¡­ for a massive water gun battle. Cassandra made sure that her war paint was waterproof for this exact reason. Two sides. Each one had a flag that needed to be captured. Whoever got hit by water would need to sit it out until the next round. Best three out of five. Approximately one hundred versus one hundred in a field set up with various obstacles and barricades. It was not only an event to celebrate the day and the firefighters¡¯ deeds, but to celebrate unity as well as anybody who got even slightly wet would have to go and sit out on their own. Having enough referees to monitor every single person was absurd, so the participates were expected to self-report. Honesty, respect, community ¨C these were all virtues meant to also come out during the event even though it really just came down to being capture the flag with water guns. And the game was about to begin. The team that Ryouta and his girlfriends were on wore blue scarves around their necks while the opposing team wore red scarves. ¡°I¡¯ve got a plan,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Me and Alice will take the lead going around the east side. We¡¯ll try to bait their shots and use Alice¡¯s chair as a shield. Ryouta, Serra, you two back us up and take out anybody who focuses on us.¡± ¡°It feels weird receiving strategies from you,¡± Ryouta teased, ¡°but I¡¯m okay with this.¡± Part of the reason for being okay with it was because he was imagining her wearing a tight military officer¡¯s uniform with the chest part unbuttoned. Alice was imagining the exact same thing except with more whipping. As for Serra, she was perfectly content looking at Cassandra¡¯s rear in its current, jean-covered form. ¡°Getting Alice the flag is our top priority. As long as we can get it to her, we can sacrifice ourselves to shield her from shots, and her chair should help,¡± Cassandra said. Ryouta wanted to point out the flaw of using the VIP to bait out shots since they wouldn¡¯t be able to give her the flag if she got knocked out, but he also wanted to let his girlfriend be the strategist for once. If she wanted input on her plan, she could always ask him, and he was sure that she knew that. ¡°Remember, we have to report ourselves if we get wet, but we have to like¡­ actually get wet. A little drop of water on you doesn¡¯t count. Think like, a cup¡¯s worth of water being spilled on you. That¡¯s how wet you should be at least before you take yourself out for the round,¡± Cassandra explained. Serra then signed to them that she was wet, earning an amused chuckling from Ryouta and Alice while Cassandra looked less impressed. But then she thought of something else. Thanks to their desire to accommodate Serra¡­ they all knew sign language. There were no radios nor any other methods of long-range communication permitted, but there were no rules against signing to one another. No matter how far apart they were, they could still communicate so long as they could see one another¡¯s hands. ¡°Different plan. We¡¯re still going to get the flag to Alice, but we¡¯re going to split up into teams of two to get there. Having Alice be our flag carrier while also putting her in danger was stupid. Instead, Ryouta and Serra ¨C you two are going to go up along the eastern edge of the allowed area. Scout it out, try to take our opponents out from distance, and then signal when it¡¯s alright for us to move up. I think it¡¯ll work,¡± Cassandra explained. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to recruit anybody else into our plan?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I mean, there are like¡­ a hundred other people around us.¡± ¡°No, they all have their own plans and I can only trust us. Also¡­ most of them are little kids who are going to run around only trying to shoot people.¡± Ryouta looked around. Cassandra was, in fact, correct. While there were other adults mixed into the crowd, the majority of the group was full of kids. ¡°There¡¯s one group I¡¯m worried about,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Did you see them? That family group where they were all wearing the same shirt?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t really paying attention,¡± Ryouta answered. Alice and Serra had similar answers. ¡°There were like twenty of them wearing yellow shirts. All adults, all in good shape. They¡¯re on the other team and they¡¯re definitely going to be working together. We have to avoid them since we don¡¯t have the numbers to compete.¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t think the four of us can handle twenty of them?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Are you forgetting who I am, Cass Cass? All you have to do is give me the order and I can handle them.¡± ¡°You get points for acting cool¡­ but this isn¡¯t a game. I¡¯m sure you could screw with them in a game, but you don¡¯t have swords or magic or anything here.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve played competitive shooters before. The Divine Brigade even used to have a division dedicated to shooters, but they weren¡¯t really successful enough to get as popular as the main group. Still, we won some small tournaments.¡± ¡°But how¡¯s that going to help you against twenty people?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think up a strategy on the spot. All you have to do is trust me.¡± Cassandra sighed and nodded her head. ¡°Alright. If I give you the signal to take them out¡­ it¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°Got it, captain,¡± Ryouta said with a salute. Seeing her boyfriend refer to her as captain and give her a salute like that ¨C suddenly, she was joining in on the fantasy of dressing up as a military officer. And now, it was time for the battle to begin. Book 6: Chapter 38: It was time for Ryouta to make his girlfriends proud. After all, he was not only the former leader of the Divine Brigade, but he did have some experience with shooters. In a similar way that swordsmanship and archery skills could be learned in virtual reality and transfer to the real world, Ryouta was sure that gun skills were the same. He didn¡¯t play that many games with guns, no, but he still had some experience with them and was confident in himself. So when it came to Cassandra giving him the signal to take out that large group on the opposing team, Ryouta went into action. He separated from his girlfriends and took a flanking route to secure a good shot on the enemy. Given that it was a water gun battle, he could easily take out multiple enemy combatants with a single spray of the gun each. He just needed a good position and aim ¨C that was all. And fortunately for him, those walks and runs that he went on, alongside giving in and consistently using the supports for his legs, has meant that he was quicker and more agile than ever before in real life! ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got this. I have girlfriends to impress,¡± Ryouta whispered to himself, holding his gun close to his chest before giving it a few pumps to make sure it¡¯s fully pressurized. But he was not alone. ¡°You have what?¡± a young, childlike voice asked. Ryouta jumped and noticed that a small boy was standing right in front of him. He wasn¡¯t sure how some small kid managed to find him, but at least the boy was from the same team as him. But that didn¡¯t matter. Despite being from the same team, the boy pointed his gun straight at Ryouta. Ryouta was about to be betrayed by a kid only a third of his age at most. ¡°He-hey, be careful where you¡¯re pointing that. We¡¯re on the same team,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°But I wanna shoot you,¡± the boy replied. ¡°No, you want to shoot the other team. You can shoot them as much as you want.¡± The boy¡¯s smile grew wider the more that he realized Ryouta did not want to be shot. Ryouta recognized that sadistic yet innocent smile as a sign of trouble. He either had to shoot the boy first, at which point he still wasn¡¯t safe since it was possible the boy wouldn¡¯t properly tag himself out as soon as he got wet, or he would have to try and escape. Either way, he was in trouble and his perfect flanking strategy was about to be ruined. ¡°We¡¯re on the same team ¨C we¡¯re friends. We¡¯re the good guys. You want to shoot the bad guys, don¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta asked the boy. ¡°Nuh-uh, I want to shoot you,¡± the boy answered. A bead of sweat rolled down Ryouta¡¯s forehead. He was already worried about having children because of having no idea how to deal with them and this child has done nothing but confirm his fears. What if he has a son or daughter who wants to shoot him? What if they pick up a knife and want to stab him for fun and he doesn¡¯t know how to talk them out of it? What if he ends up accidentally raising some sort of maniac who terrorizes the world?! Another bead of sweat rolled off the opposing side of his forehead. This was not good. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make you a deal. Sound good?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°No,¡± the boy answered and immediately sprayed Ryouta in the face with water. And so, before Ryouta could do a single thing to help his girlfriends obtain victory, he was teamkilled by a little kid. And he got shot in the eyes. He took himself out of the round and was anything but happy about it. Furthermore, once he reached the area where those who got shot had to wait it out, he noticed that he was anything but the first one there. His girlfriends were already there, too. ¡°What happened?¡± Ryouta asked them as soon as he noticed they were all wet. More importantly¡­ it seemed like whoever shot them had a habit of aiming specifically for their chests and crotches. Cassandra in particular had the chest of her shirt absolutely drenched, not that it mattered since she was prepared for something like this with her black and heavy clothes. She also already had a popped vein on her forehead before she was asked. ¡°That kid¡­ some little bastard came up from behind us, started crying because he was lost, then shot all of us,¡± Cassandra explained. ¡°He was on the same team as us¡­ and he shot me five times. He kept on shooting and shooting even after I was already trying to walk away.¡± ¡°He seemed rather desperate,¡± Alice added on. ¡°It is a good thing that you prepared us for this!¡± Her bra might have been visible through her shirt, but it was essentially a thick and plain sports bra that kept everything fully covered to reveal nothing. ¡°He made me never want to have kids. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m risking raising some little bastard like that.¡± ¡°Wow, I haven¡¯t seen you this angry in a while,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°He betrayed us!¡± Cassandra shouted. ¡°He¡¯s not taking this seriously at all!¡± ¡°No, I think he is taking this seriously.¡± ¡°Haah?¡± ¡°Oh, man, it¡¯s been forever since you¡¯ve given me a tsundere ¡®haah¡¯ noise.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that something I used to do?¡± ¡°Yeah, but pretty rarely. Anyways, that kid ¨C he might have looked innocent, but he knew exactly what he was doing. I think¡­ I think he¡¯s a plant.¡± ¡°My hero, you must have been sprayed harder than we feared if you are mistaking a human for a plant!¡± Alice teased, amusing nobody but herself with her joke. ¡°You think he¡¯s purposely working for the other team?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°And given that it seems like he specifically targeted us, I¡¯m thinking he might be a member of that big group you were worried about. He might have overheard us talking about how to deal with them and decided to take us out to protect them.¡± While Ryouta and Cassandra talked, Serra looked at Alice¡¯s chest, then looked at Cassandra¡¯s chest, and sighed. While she was happy that nobody else could see her girlfriends¡¯ private areas¡­ she really wanted to see them covered in water and vulnerable herself. This just meant that they would have to have a private water gun battle sometime at home where they won¡¯t be so guarded against perverse eyes other than her own. ¡°Tch. Betraying your own team isn¡¯t against the rules, so we might as well take him out as soon as possible at the beginning of the next round,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°That¡¯d be for the best, but¡­ imagine how we¡¯re going to look, surrounded by a bunch of people, betraying our own team member right away, who¡¯s a little kid, as adults,¡± Ryouta said and sighed. ¡°I would think that if we were to do that,¡± Alice spoke up, ¡°we could cause others to mistrust us and spray us immediately after. There is a possibility of starting a chain reaction that wipes out our team before the opposing team even reaches us.¡± ¡°Given that our team is mostly kids, you¡¯re right. If we spray that kid, and then somebody sprays us, we¡¯re basically beginning a free-for-all water gun fight of our own.¡± Ryouta and Cassandra went into deep thought with one another to figure out how to solve this. Meanwhile, Alice offered her lap to Serra, and Serra was quick to take her up on that offer by sitting on the presented lap. Alice then helped put Serra¡¯s hair into a ponytail to make the long hair more manageable and to keep it from getting stuck on her face in case it got even more wet than it already was. Serra disapproved, however, and freed just enough hair to make sure that her forehead would stay covered. Alice took note of Serra not wanting an exposed forehead to make sure that she would not try such a thing again. But at the same time¡­ it made Alice want to see Serra with all her hair pulled back even more. Serra wanted to soak her girlfriends with water while they wore regular lingerie underneath their clothes, and Alice wanted to reveal Serra¡¯s forehead. Each woman had their own secret plans to work on. As for Ryouta and Cassandra, they each sighed. ¡°I had no idea that some little kid would make me think this hard about a strategy,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s got us good. That really pisses me off,¡± Cassandra groaned. ¡°Even if we try to lure him away, that¡¯s less time spent getting into position against the enemy, and he¡¯s probably going to suspect that we¡¯ll try something like that. I think he¡¯s smarter than he looks.¡± ¡°And nobody else is talking about him, so I¡¯m guessing that he¡¯s taking it easy and only eliminating anybody who poses a threat to his group. But if nobody specifically tries to deal with them, we can¡¯t win.¡± Another sigh left Cassandra¡¯s lips. ¡°Is it really time for that already?¡± ¡°Time for what?¡± ¡°Remember the case I brought?¡± Ryouta looked over to where they left their belongings. Surely enough, there was the case that looked suspiciously like a gun case. But, as far as Ryouta was concerned, it only held spare clothes and the like in it. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Be right back.¡± Cassandra returned the water gun that she borrowed from the event organizers, went into that suspicious case, and pulled something out that was hidden beneath the clothes ¨C something that Ryouta never expected her to own. When she brought it back over, she attached the pieces together, secured a scope onto it, and screwed on a special nozzle that looked like it was designed to specifically concentrate any water into small but extremely precise shots. In other words, Cassandra had a sniper rifle ¨C a water sniper rifle. ¡°How¡­ how long have you had this for?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I ordered it online years ago. It cost me a few hundred,¡± Cassandra answered, tossing in an answer for what question she predicted was next as well. ¡°You really do take this holiday seriously, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I usually save this for the third round and only bring it out if my team looks like it¡¯s in trouble. Oh, and go turn in your gun then take the other one in the case.¡± ¡°There was another?¡± ¡°Yeah. A sniper isn¡¯t useful depending on the map setup, so I¡¯ve got a backup in there.¡± Ryouta nodded and did as she suggested, turning in his borrowed gun to the event organizers before heading over to that case. And when he took the other gun out of the case, he found himself wielding a shotgun. It wasn¡¯t just an ordinary pump-action water shotgun, either. He could tell that it was clearly different from the rest. Cassandra had an explanation ready for him once he returned. ¡°I followed some guides online to modify it. The trigger is sensitive, so don¡¯t put your finger anywhere near it until you¡¯re ready to fire because it¡¯s going to shoot as soon as you apply even a little bit of pressure. And I added a selector to it so you can choose between semi or auto. I recommend going full auto against any groups, but keep in mind that you¡¯re going to run out of water fast. Oh, and the nozzle will spread the water out, so you don¡¯t have to worry about accuracy.¡± ¡°You¡­ you really take this holiday seriously, don¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I told you.¡± ¡°Are you sure that you don¡¯t like, want to join a team for this or something? Or get into paintball or airsoft or anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care about this stuff outside of today.¡± ¡°Are these even allowed?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not not allowed. Just like how betrayal isn¡¯t not allowed.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see. So, if we¡¯re bringing these out, do you have a plan?¡± ¡°Yeah. Alice, we need you for this.¡± ¡°I am glad to be needed!¡± Alice replied. ¡°What would you like for me to do?¡± ¡°Follow the brat around.¡± ¡°A-ah?¡± ¡°If me or Ryouta do it, it¡¯s going to be suspicious. If a girl in a wheelchair is following a kid around, it won¡¯t look anywhere near as bad to anybody watching. While you¡¯re following him, he¡¯ll probably try to get away from you, so you probably won¡¯t be able to buy us much time. Either way, you should be able to keep him busy long enough for me to sneak away and get into a good position. Then Ryouta and Serra are going to try and take out that other group by flanking them again. Just make sure that you head up along the same side as before so I can watch you. Once that little brat is free from Alice, he¡¯ll probably go hunting for Ryouta and Serra, and I¡¯ll be able to take him out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really hot right now.¡± ¡°Sh-shush. This isn¡¯t the time for that.¡± ¡°I know, but you¡¯re really, really hot right now.¡± ¡°What? Does talking about strategy get you going or something?¡± ¡°When you talk strategy, yes.¡± ¡°I must agree with my hero!¡± Alice said. ¡°You ¨C you¡¯re going to get me all flustere and out of the mood if you keep this up. Save it for later,¡± Cassandra said. Ryouta and Alice looked at each other and nodded. Meanwhile, Serra yawned and imagined what it would be like to be a penguin. Sure, penguins were more or less extinct in the wild alongside most arctic life now, but she still imagined what it would be like to be a penguin living in the wild back when that was actually feasible. Then she got the idea of visiting a zoo ¨C a zoo with penguins to be specific. She would have to bring this up with them later. Or what if¡­ Serra hopped off of Alice¡¯s lap and tugged on Ryouta¡¯s arm. ¡°Yeah?¡± Ryouta asked her. Serra signed to him asking if Fantasy Tales Online had any penguins in it. ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯ve heard of a frozen region to the northwest, but it¡¯s more to the west than north. Like, between the two main continents. More west even than where we started, so getting there would take a long time,¡± Ryouta explained. He might have known sign language for her now, but it was still faster to speak normally since Serra could easily keep up with reading lips. Not to mention that because Ryouta got lazy with signing around her, he couldn¡¯t remember some of the important signs. Serra slumped her shoulders and looked down. Ryouta poked her to get her attention again before saying, ¡°But, it might be possible that we can find some penguins if we head directly north from where we are in-game. Not all penguins only live on icebergs, and our coast goes pretty far up. After we¡¯re done with the current trouble, we can go exploring a bit. Alright?¡± Serra brightened up and tugged down on his shoulders so that she could reach up and kiss him. That was his reward for restoring her hopes of meeting penguins in-game. But she still wanted to see some in a zoo in real life, too. And right after figuring out some more future plans, the first round of the match was over. ¡°Tch, figured,¡± Cassandra said, groaning at the opposing team¡¯s victory. Most of their own team had joined them on the sidelines, and that miniature troublemaker was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t have a beamsword and a pistol,¡± Ryouta sighed. ¡°Why would you want a sword and some dinky pistol? You don¡¯t bring a sword to a gunfight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reference to one of the greatest anime of all time.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t the greatest if somebody took a sword to a gunfight.¡± ¡°Listen, if you have extremely fast reflexes, you can chop bullets out of the air.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t chop water out of the air.¡± ¡°But if I had a beamsword, it would be hot enough to uh¡­ evaporate the water out of the air when chopping it?¡± ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t bring a sword to a gunfight.¡± ¡°But what about if it¡¯s a giant mecha in space?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. Bring. A. Sword. To. A. Gunfight. Gunfights are for guns, not swords. If you have space to bring a sword then you have space to bring a bigger or extra gun instead. Or more ammo.¡± ¡°You¡¯re killing my dreams, Cass Cass. Wait, since I brought up that old anime¡­ Cass. Cassuna.¡± ¡°I¡­ kind of like that nickname, but I want nothing to do with it if it comes from something where somebody took a ¡®beamsword¡¯ into a gunfight.¡± ¡°What if the sword was responsible for winning the tournament?¡± ¡°That makes it even worse.¡± Ryouta sighed and shook his head. ¡°You just don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t want to. Now, come on. Everybody is getting back onto the field. You and Serra group up near where we were before. I¡¯ll go my own way. Alice, follow that brat around once we¡¯re all in the starting spot.¡± Everybody agreed to the plan and got to work. Though, Alice did speak up to say, ¡°My hero, for what it is worth, I do love the concept of sci-fi swords and bringing their might against traditional firearms! Impractical, yes, especially when considering that firearm technology would have also advanced enough to be much more effective than what we may currently have available, but it is still romantic in a way!¡± ¡°If you think it¡¯s romantic¡­ you¡¯re probably imagining something tragic involving the one with a sword sacrificing themselves against people with guns and losing, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta asked. Alice replied with an excited nod. Ryouta became filled with the determination to prove that taking a sword to a gunfight was a perfectly viable strategy. That would have to wait for another time, though, considering that no swords were permitted in a water gun fight. The second round of the match was underway, and hopefully this one would not end so quickly for Ryouta and his girlfriends. Everything seemed to be going according to plan so far as well. Yet, there was something that caused Ryouta to feel suspicious. Alice found the teamkilling brat and had herself parked right behind him ¨C or, well, in front of him since the boy turned to face her with a smile on his face. He knew. He definitely knew. The boy even turned to wave at the suspicious Ryouta. Ryouta never knew that it was possible to want to see a kid cry as much as he wanted to see this brat cry. Not only did this evil little brat betray them, but he specifically targeted the girls¡¯ privates to try and expose them, and now he was so smug about the whole thing. Ryouta had his moments of being a massive troll, yes, but he was only a troll to people who deserved to be trolled. He was chaotic good, sometimes chaotic neutral, if anything. But this kid? This kid was pure, unfiltered, chaotic evil. Or lawful evil. Either worked as far as Ryouta ws concerned. All that was required was knowing that the kid was pure evil and that he had a smug grin in severe need of being wiped off his face. And if this kid was so smug about it, the large group in the opposing team probably was, too. Ryouta took a deep breath to relax himself. His enemies were the exact kind of people that he despised in games. They were the kind of people who he devoted years of his life to trolling and ruining. He may have tried hyping himself up before, but now it was time for him to get serious. It was time for Ryouta to truly embrace his position as the former leader of the Divine Brigade. It was time to not only get revenge, but to ruin his enemy. Cassandra would deal with the hellspawn, and Ryouta would deal with those who spawned him. The second round began. Ryouta grabbed Serra¡¯s hand in one hand and carried his new shotgun in the other, and together they ran off up toward the side. As for Alice, she planned on following the boy around to distract him long enough for Ryouta and Serra to get a headstart while Cassandra got into position¡­ but that wasn¡¯t going to happen. Instead, the boy stood there, standing still, staring at Alice. Even Alice felt disturbed by the boy¡¯s behavior. She also felt awkward enough to say something. ¡°A-ah¡­ hello? It is a¡­ wonderful day we are having, yes?¡± The boy looked around, confirmed that nobody else on their team was watching them, and raised his gun to spray Alice in the face. He then immediately took off in the direction that Cassandra went in. And then he was shot between the eyes. The boy stood still and blinked before raising his gun to shoot, clearly breaking the rules, but it did not matter. Cassandra was too far away for his gun to reach. Furthermore, she wasn¡¯t even in a sniping position. She was simply standing too far away from him, in the open, with her sniper aimed directly at him. ¡°If you¡¯re going to openly betray us where everybody can see, don¡¯t cry about it when it happens to you, you little shit,¡± Cassandra said, not that he could hear her. Whether Ryouta and Serra were bait or Alice was didn¡¯t matter. Cassandra was well aware that the boy may very well catch onto their plan and immediately take out Alice as soon as he was in the clear instead of trying to get away from her, and doing so made it all the more justifiable for Cassandra to blatantly shoot a little kid in front of a crowd. Alice and the boy left for the sidelines. While Alice may have been a very kind woman who generally did not enjoy the actual suffering of anybody but herself¡­ there was something incredibly sweet about hearing the boy sniffle and grumble to himself. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) Meanwhile, Ryouta and Serra charged up along the side of the course. It wasn¡¯t long before they encountered the large group as it had decided to take the same approach as last time. Only, this time, one of the adult men in the other group was sniped the moment that he poked around a corner. Ryouta signed to Serra telling her to stay where she was and to keep watch, remembering at least that much when it came to signing, and left on his own. One of the other people in the opposing group tried to take a shot at him only to immediately be sniped as well. Cassandra had the enemy group pinned down. Trying to take any shot at Ryouta would leave them vulnerable to her covering fire. ¡°She deserves some serious fanservice later,¡± Ryouta said to himself as he rushed to the back of one of the wooden walls used to shape the map. Almost every single wall looked different either in color or style, and they all wore their marks of old to show that it was all recycled wood being used. Now, where Ryouta was, the obvious next goal was to capture the enemy¡¯s flag. That was likely what the other group would assume that he was going to do, too. Since Ryouta was confident that the large group on the opposing team was a capture group rather than a defense group, he doubted that they would come and try to hunt him down rather than try to find a way around Cassandra to get to the flag they sought. They weren¡¯t going to expect to be hunted from behind. Ryouta switched his shotgun to automatic firing and kept his finger just over the trigger. It was hunting time. Given that the large and open area along the edge of the course was locked down by Cassandra¡¯s sniper, the family group had to move more toward the center of the map where there was plenty of cover and obstacles. ¡°I guess they took him out,¡± the oldest of the men in the group said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± one of the teens said. ¡°Their team is mostly a bunch of little kids. We can win going through the center.¡± The voice at the back spoke up next. ¡°Yeah, but now we ¨C behi¡ª!¡± The group spun around to look at what was happening only for those next in line from their rear guard to get sprayed by several bursts of spread water. All they got to see was the barrel of their attacker¡¯s gun being pulled back behind a nearby corner¡­ and they lost five of their members in just one attack. ¡°Can any of the observers see us where we are?¡± the oldest man asked. ¡°Unfortunately, it looks like it. We¡¯re being signaled at,¡± the oldest woman of the group answered. ¡°Damn it. Alright, you five, out. You two,¡± the man said, looking at two of the teens, ¡°come with me. The rest of you, continue toward the flag. Watch each other¡¯s backs and keep your eyes open.¡± The oldest man and the two teens approached the last known position of their attacker¡­ only for the rest of the group that they just sent off toward their enemy¡¯s flag to get attacked. Six of them were sprayed in an instant. Only one shot was necessary. Before they even knew who was attacking them, eleven out of their twenty were taken out of the round. ¡°Damn it!¡± the oldest man said. ¡°Somebody is fucking with us, and they¡¯re not using one of the provided guns with shots like that.¡± ¡°Somebody should have bought us new guns then since somebody broke them,¡± one of the teens said. ¡°We would¡¯ve won already if we had our custom guns.¡± ¡°Keep it up and you¡¯re never getting new ones.¡± ¡°Asshole.¡± ¡°Dipshit.¡± The man and teen looked like they couldn¡¯t tell if they wanted to laugh together or kill each other. Then they looked like they wanted to do neither of those once even more of their group was wiped out. Shot after shot, they were being taken out. Only five of them remained now and they barely even got to move from where they were when they were first attacked. It seemed like no matter which direction they wanted to go in, there was their mysterious attacker waiting to either ambush them or attack from behind. And then there were three. And then only two. And finally, after growing more and more frustrated since brute forcing wasn¡¯t working like it always did for them, the oldest man in the group was the only one left. ¡°Whoever you are, fuck you,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s not nice. What if I was a little kid?¡± the attacker replied. The man charged at where he heard the voice come from only to not find anybody. ¡°Where the fuck are you?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Once more, the man searched where he heard the voice come from. He didn¡¯t even care about winning at this point ¨C he simply wanted to get revenge. But, once more, the attacker was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Come out and¡ª ¡°Alright.¡± The man spun around, ready to fire, only to be fired on first. And the water all splashed right onto his crotch. And, because the weapon was automatic, it kept on firing. Shot after shot of water sprayed the man¡¯s crotch directly, thoroughly soaking his pants and causing him to look like he pissed himself. ¡°You know that they make adult diapers for people with your condition, right? There¡¯s no shame in that sort of thing. If you need a diaper, you need a diaper,¡± the attacker, Ryouta, said. The man had to hold back all of his desire to punch his attacker in the face. Getting thrown behind bars for assault over a water gun fight wasn¡¯t something that he wanted to deal with¡­ but it became even more tempting once Ryouta continued shooting him in the crotch. ¡°Oh, sorry. This trigger is really sensitive,¡± Ryouta said, holding the gun up. Its nozzle was pointed directly at the man¡¯s face. ¡°See?¡± To demonstrate, Ryouta applied just the tiniest bit of pressure to the trigger, causing the gun to fire the rest of its water into the man¡¯s face. While it might not have been a ruining anywhere near the level that Ryouta would have liked, it would have to be good enough. Especially since Ryouta could tell just how furious the man was. Then, even as it was announced that Ryouta¡¯s team lost the round, again, which really was no surprise to anybody considering how the rest of the team looked, the man didn¡¯t care. He was far too pissed off to care about the rest of the team capturing some flag, especially when it wasn¡¯t his family who captured it. As far as he was concerned, they lost that round. And as far as Ryouta was concerned, he won that round. Book 6: Chapter 39: Unfortunately, even though Ryouta and his girlfriends managed to absolutely frustrate the family group on the opposing team in each following round, it was their side that lost. The enemy won the first two rounds, then their side won the third round only for the opposing team to win the fourth. The other team was simply superior as a whole. Even if Ryouta and the others focused on capturing the flag rather than ruining the fun of the family group, they still would have lost since then nobody would have been there to lock down that group. It was a lose-lose situation for them either way. The only reason they even managed to win the third round was because some kid managed to sneak by the enemy¡¯s with the luck of gods on her side. The enemy made sure not to allow that same mistake to happen twice. Yet, even though it was Ryouta¡¯s side that lost overall, he considered himself the victor alongside his girlfriends. Why? Because they ruined the assholes¡¯ day. Wasn¡¯t that all that really mattered? To the smug four who followed behind one another during the handshakes at the end where every member of each team shook one another¡¯s hands ¨C yes, that was all that mattered. The death glares that they received from the family as they shook hands in front of everybody made it even better. The four lost the battle, but they won the war. Though, if one were to ask the rest of their team, the opposite would have been true. Now, with the main event of the day over, the four lovers relaxed on a borrowed picnic sheet from a stall that was lending them to all who forgot to bring theirs. It wouldn¡¯t be much longer before it was dark enough for the fireworks show to begin. ¡°It kinda loses its effect when we see fireworks back-to-back so soon,¡± Ryouta said to nobody in particular, lying back on the picnic sheet with Serra cuddled up to his side sound asleep. ¡°I mean, even Serra doesn¡¯t care enough that she¡¯s fallen asleep. Though, to be fair, she¡¯s been exhausted all day.¡± He figured that she must have been up late again training with Mister Smiles. ¡°I mean¡­ it wasn¡¯t that long ago when we saw fireworks at the amusement park, so I guess,¡± Cassandra said with a shrug. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why everybody tends to ignore fireworks the rest of the year. If they paid attention to every fireworks show there was, they wouldn¡¯t be special anymore. We¡¯re already basically burnt out and it¡¯s only the second one we¡¯ve seen this year.¡± ¡°May I suggest something to find more excitement in the display?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Go for it.¡± ¡°Thank you! Now, if you will ¨C imagine that they are not simply fireworks, but explosions from artillery! Raining down upon us from above, there is an evil empire wishing to annihilate us using their long-ranged artillery!¡± ¡°That¡¯s uh,¡± Ryouta said with a pause, ¡°uh¡­ different from what I¡¯d normally expect from you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you are right, my hero. Allow me to rephrase my previous idea. If you will, imagine that the explosions contain a potent sleeping gas that will be used to render all of us helpless. The evil empire wishes to place us all into an unconscious state before taking the men as prisoner-slaves and the women as ¨C well, I am sure you can figure out where I am going with this!¡± ¡°You made normal fireworks more exciting again,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°but only because I don¡¯t want them to be anything like you said. If I have to choose between that or what we have, I¡¯m choosing what we have.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Nell. You tried,¡± Ryouta said, giving Alice a pat on her head before realizing what he said. ¡°I mean, Alice.¡± Alice grinned and poked Ryouta¡¯s nose. ¡°I believe that is the first time you have gotten my name confused! My hero, who is this ¡®Nell¡¯ that you speak of? Are you seeing another woman behind our back?¡± ¡°Dang, you caught me. Yeah, I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you, but there¡¯s another woman,¡± Ryouta said, deciding to play along. ¡°Gasp!¡± Alice gasped after also saying the word itself. ¡°My hero! To think that you are such a treacherous man! I will have to begin calling you ¡®my villain¡¯ instead!¡± ¡°I just couldn¡¯t resist. Nell is too perfect. Being around her makes me feel things that I¡¯ve never felt before.¡± Alice brought out her on-demand tears as she wiped at her eyes. If Ryouta didn¡¯t know any better, he would have actually felt bad. ¡°To ¨C to think that after all of our time together, you find some¡­ some harlot who sets your loins ablaze! What happened to the hero I love and cherish? Where has he disappeared to?!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not even the only one. All of us ¨C we¡¯ve all been seeing Nell behind your back. I¡¯m sorry that you had to find out this way, but¡­ it¡¯s about time you know the truth.¡± Alice sniffled and cried as if she was trying her absolute best to make Ryouta actually feel bad. She was incredibly close to succeeding if that was her intention. ¡°I¡­ I see. If this ¡®Nell¡¯ has captured your attention so greatly, then there is only one thing that I can do. I¡­ I must offer you my everything. I refuse to let another woman steal you from me! If you desire to collar my neck and walk me around like a dog in the dead of night, I will do whatever it takes!¡± Given that Alice was now loudly bringing up some rather fetishistic play, it was time for Ryouta to ruin the fantasy before anybody overhearing the dramatic scene decided to complain. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean wheeling you around instead of walking you?¡± Alice went from crying to looking dead in an instant. ¡°My¡­ my hero¡­ I understand your intent, but was it truly necessary to kill the mood with such a question?¡± ¡°Sorry, was that¡ª¡± ¡°But! I shall forgive you for a kiss.¡± It became clear that Alice wasn¡¯t actually upset about the reference to her legs. She simply wanted a kiss. And a kiss was exactly what Ryouta would give her. Though, just as he was about to pull away from her, she grabbed onto his shirt and looked into his eyes to say, ¡°Now, my hero, you must decide. Who is a better kisser? Me, or that ¡®Nell¡¯ harlot?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s a tough one. I might need a bigger test sample.¡± Naturally, Alice gave Ryouta another kiss to help him with his ¡°testing.¡± ¡°How about now, my hero?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still not big enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Cassandra interjected. Both Ryouta and Alice looked at her. ¡°What? Serra¡¯s asleep, so somebody had to say it,¡± Cassandra explained. It was a perfectly valid explanation. While the fireworks show was much more grand than the one they saw at the amusement park, given that it was a major holiday that stole all glory from Independence Day, it stil failed to really impress Ryouta, Cassandra, and Alice. Serra slept through the whole display was ease while the other three cuddled together on the top of the picnic sheet. Serra was asleep on the picnic sheet and part of the cuddling¡­ but she rolled off of it onto the grass next to them. Did Serra¡¯s lovers feel guilty when they took pictures of her sound asleep with her face in the grass? Yes. Did that stop them? No. They allowed her to sleep while treating the grass as a pillow. Meanwhile, they cuddled amongst themselves atop the picnic sheet. ¡°We¡¯re horrible people,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°It¡¯s fine, she¡¯s asleep,¡± Ryouta replied. ¡°Is it really?¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s not fine, all you have to do is let her grope you later and she¡¯ll forgive us.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you let her grope you?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re more gropable.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Are ¨C are you calling me fa¡ª¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m saying you have boobs and a nicer ass than me.¡± ¡°He has a point,¡± Alice joined in. ¡°As women, we are naturally more gropable for the sole fact that we have more to grope. If my hero were to gain an obscene amount of weight, then that would be different, but he is not quite at that level nor do I believe he will be anytime soon.¡± Given that Cassandra was the one lying down between Ryouta and Alice, and given the fact that they were talking about how gropable she was, they each had easy access to her body to grope her. Though, they did keep in mind that they were in public even if it was dark. Only her thighs were groped. That was still enough to cause a vein in Cassandra¡¯s forehead to pop as she grabbed onto their hands to take them off of her. While Cassandra was busy trying to keep Ryouta¡¯s and Alice¡¯s greedy hands off of her thighs, an unexpected voice spoke up and said, ¡°Hey.¡± Looking up at who the voice belonged to¡­ a certain brat from earlier in the day stood before them. He was the kid who played the role of traitor during the battle. Fortunately, he had no water gun on him this time, and he had nothing else to be concerned about as far as Ryouta could see. What Ryouta could see, however, was the boy¡¯s family in the background. They didn¡¯t seem too happy about the boy¡¯s choice to visit them. ¡°Hey?¡± Cassandra replied. ¡°You¡¯re the one who sniped me, right?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± ¡°Oh. Cool. It was a really nice shot. I hope I get to fight you again next year!¡± The boy¡¯s bratty behavior disappeared. Instead, all he had to show them was a big, genuine smile before taking off back to his family. After the father rubbed the kid¡¯s head upon his return, he looked at Ryouta¡­ and nodded. Ryouta nodded back ¨C a mutual sign of respect. After all, even if they were enemies earlier, this day was a day about unity. Something like a petty rivalry during a glorified water gun battle couldn¡¯t be allowed to ruin such a thing. The hatred between the two groups could wait until next year when they faced one another on the field with water guns in their hands once more. Until then, there was no harm in playing nice with one another. ¡°By the way, Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Yeah?¡± Cassandra replied. ¡°That sniper of yours¡­ couldn¡¯t you have accidentally shot the kid¡¯s eyes out or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I was going to miss.¡± ¡°I mean, that was some pretty pressurized water. Aren¡¯t you only supposed to take body shots with stuff like that?¡± ¡°The face is a part of the body.¡± ¡°Cass.¡± ¡°Wha-what?¡± ¡°Be more careful next time. No more shooting little kids between the eyes with highly pressurized water. Alright?¡± ¡°Hmph. Fine¡­¡± Then they heard Serra cough and choke which suddenly brought an end to the reprimanding. Yet, when they looked at her, she seemed totally fine. She was even smiling and there was no more coughing nor choking coming from her as she faced the grass still. ¡°Do¡­ do you think she just ate a bug?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°We may have to let her grope all of us to make up for it now,¡± Alice said. ¡°I¡¯m not letting her kiss me for twenty-four hours. Whatever she just swallowed will be gone by then,¡± Cassandra explained. Finally, Ryouta decided to be an actually good boyfriend since he was the closest to Serra. He rolled her over and pulled her close so that she was back by his side. There was a bit of dirt that he had to carefully wipe off of her face, but Serra decided to grab onto his arm and cuddle with him in her sleep before he had a chance of cleaning her face off. Then again, she looked really cute with a dirty face. After the fireworks show was over, Alice held a curled-up Serra on her lap against her chest while Ryouta pushed the wheelchair. Cassandra led them to the vehicle that brought them to the ride that brought them there. The ride home was uneventful. Alice managed to fall asleep by being seduced by Serra¡¯s own sleepiness, leaving Ryouta and Cassandra to talk about various topics on the way home. Though, these topics were mostly mundane. What were they going to have for dinner throughout the upcoming week? Wasn¡¯t it about time that they changed who was doing which chores so that none of them would get too tired of their tasks? Why did Cassandra not replace her entire wardrobe with sweaters yet? Very important discussions, especially that last one. Upon arriving at home, everybody got ready for bed, but Ryouta wasn¡¯t quite tired enough to sleep yet. ¡°My hero! Are you planning on having a rendevouz with that harlot?!¡± Alice questioned, hands on her hips as she sat up in bed. ¡°No,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Nell is tomorrow night. Tonight is a different woman.¡± ¡°Gasp! How scandalous! You truly are a lecherous fiend, my villain!¡± Cassandra climbed into their bed with a yawn. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Have fun cheating on us or whatever it is you¡¯re going to do,¡± she said. Serra was already tucked in and still asleep. They were too tired to change her clothes for her, though, so she got some dirt on the bed. Changing the sheets the next day once they were awake sounded better than cleaning her up while they were tired. ¡°I will,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Night. I¡¯ll come join you in a few.¡± ¡°My villain, are you not forgetting something?¡± Alice asked. Ryouta tilted his head as he was not sure what she was talking about, so Alice helped him notice the obvious by pointing at her lips. ¡°Right. I must be more tired than I feel,¡± Ryouta said before placing a kiss on both Alice¡¯s and Cassandra¡¯s lips. Serra got a kiss on the back of her head since her face was buried into her favorite pillow. With his girlfriends taken care of, Ryouta shut the light off and left for the living room. The TV served as background noise with its lowered volume as Ryouta pulled his phone out to look at Fiscord. Unfortunately, what he was hoping to see wasn¡¯t there. Bonekraka ¨C Viktor still hadn¡¯t accepted the friend request that Ryouta sent him a few days ago out of the blue. The good news was that he was no longer blocked if the friend request showed up as pending rather than not showing up at all. The bad news was that he was being deliberately ignored. Ryouta sighed and tucked his phone back into his pocket before staring at the TV without really paying any attention to it. All he could tell was that they were talking, again, about the efforts to clean up space debris. Whether the efforts were going well or not, he wasn¡¯t willing to pay enough attention to figure that out. The efforts simply existed and that was all there was to them as far as he was concerned at the moment. ¡°Asshole,¡± Ryouta sighed under his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I want to be friends with you again. Maybe this is Stockholm syndrome.¡± Deciding to focus on the positive relationships he had instead, he took his phone back out and remembered to send pictures from their day together to Azalabulia and Eva. Spencer also got a few. Though, while Azalabulia and Eva received stereotypical pictures of a group having fun at a festival, Spencer received a different set of pictures. The pictures that Spencer received, which Ryouta¡¯s girlfriends didn¡¯t even know about, featured Ryouta making some of the dumbest faces that he could in secret while surrounded by other people. A couple of minutes later and Ryouta received similar pictures from Spencer. Whether he was walking down a street or surrounded by some family members Ryouta could recognize, Spencer made the worst possible face that he could make in each picture. It was their tradition. Now that the day was over and everybody else was asleep, the two could partake in their secret tradition with one another. The tradition of trying to make disgusting faces while surrounded by people without being noticed. Ryouta was particularly proud of the picture he sneaked with the sleeping Serra. As for his favorite picture from Spencer, it had to be the one where Spencer made a scrunched-up face while keeping wide eyes as his little cousin sat on his lap, unknowing of the face being made behind her. Now would be when he got to look at Viktor¡¯s pictures. The tradition was started by him, after all. It all began with Viktor taking pictures of himself making stupid faces while his girlfriend was in the frame as well, never once knowing what Viktor was doing nor why he was taking so many pictures. Ryouta and Spencer kept the tradition going without even having to think about it, but it still would have been nice if Viktor was involved again. ¡°Your dumb face made the best expressions,¡± Ryouta sighed. Next, Ryouta got a response from Azalabulia. It was a picture of her and her mom drinking together with a caption saying that her mom couldn¡¯t wait to meet him. Then there was Eva. Apparently, Eva wasn¡¯t feeling good and decided to head home from the family meeting earlier than planned. She admitted to him that she was actually fine and simply wanted to continue her hobby that she sent Ryouta several pictures of: disassembling an old radio. Ryouta didn¡¯t exactly understand the appeal, but he was happy that she was happy. He even had a message from Aiko, though it was in their group chat with the others rather than in a private chat with him. It showed her out with some friends, both men and women included. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you,¡± Ryouta said out loud. Now, only one other person was left to be checked on. And it wouldn¡¯t be long before Ryouta was in the same space as her. ¡°Really?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Fireworks for the third time so soon?¡± Floating in the abyss, Saya floated next to Ryouta as fireworks erupted above them. ¡°It¡¯s not fair if you¡¯re the only one who gets to see them live, onii-wan,¡± Saya explained. ¡°And seriously? A tsundere yandere little sister puppy? Did you really think that I was going to do that for you?¡± ¡°A man can dream,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Being delusional isn¡¯t the same as dreaming.¡± ¡°What are you, a dream expert?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m somebody who has enough self-respect to never give you that level of fanservice, at least not without¡­¡± ¡°Without what?¡± The fireworks ended and the abyss turned into a girl¡¯s bedroom straight out of a romantic high school anime. ¡°Without petting my head first,¡± Saya answered, sitting herself right between Ryouta¡¯s legs at the edge of the bed. ¡°I¡¯d do this for free, but I accept your offer.¡± And so began the petting session. Ryouta gently rubbed the top of Saya¡¯s head between her canid ears while his other hand rested against her belly. ¡°So¡­ onii-wan¡­ did you have fun?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I¡­ I kinda wish I could go outside and join all of you in having fun and stuff.¡± ¡°Is there a way to let you have full control over Fenrir or something in-game?¡± Saya shook her head, almost disrupting Ryouta¡¯s petting hand. ¡°It¡¯s not allowed. Only a real AI like Kadi could dream of doing something like that. After all, I¡¯m not actually an AI. I can¡¯t exist without being connected to your brain. I¡¯m only a part of you.¡± ¡°Hey, did something happen to bring this up? You¡¯ve never felt this way before, so¡ª¡± ¡°What could possibly happen? The reason why I¡¯m sad is because nothing ever happens. It¡¯s impossible for something to happen. The only reason I even feel bad is because you feel bad about Viktor. Your negative feelings cause me to experience the exact same feelings. I miss him, too, but¡­ feeling like this has made me think of other things I don¡¯t really like to think about. But no matter what I¡¯m sad about, I can only be sad if you¡¯re sad. Living vicariously through you is my only option.¡± ¡°Sorry. Me being upset about not getting to see his stupid faces this year has made you feel this way.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t, onii-wan. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s okay to feel sad about things, and that goes for both of us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being awfully mature right now.¡± ¡°Keep petting my head, onii-wan, or else.¡± Saya pulled knife out from her sweater and pointed it up at his neck. ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to kill you or anything, but I will if you don¡¯t keep petting me.¡± ¡°Is this ¨C is this the legendary tsundere yandere little sister puppy?!¡± ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, onii-wan,¡± Saya said while waving her knife around, the tip constantly pointed at Ryouta¡¯s neck no matter where she held it. ¡°You¡¯re too great, Saya.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only doing this to be selfish. Don¡¯t forget that I want what you want, and if something makes you happy, it makes me happy. Now we both feel better.¡± ¡°So, you did that to cheer us up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that was the goal or anything¡­¡± ¡°Then what was the goal?¡± ¡°Hoping that my hand slipped so I could kill you and call it an accident.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s yandere. That¡¯s just being a psychopath.¡± ¡°It still got a reaction out of you that any normal person shouldn¡¯t have had.¡± Saya was sitting between his legs, after all. If her words caused a certain part of him to react, she was going to know about it just by sitting up against his crotch. ¡°Masochistic hentai baka onii-wan. I¡¯m gonna kill you.¡± ¡°Listen, it¡¯s only hot because I know you¡¯re not actually going to kill me. Even if you were a serious yandere who wanted to kill me, all I¡¯d have to do is keep petting your head until you forgive me, right?¡± ¡°Do you really think that it¡¯s that easy, onii-wan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re right, so pet my head.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± The petting continued. While Saya might have gotten a more primal reaction out of Ryouta with her yandere act, there was nothing sexual about their interaction afterward. They simply relaxed with one another. Ryouta continued to pet her head and Saya gave him the occasional tsundere or yandere fanservice alongside the usual little pseudo-sister and puppy acts. It relaxed Ryouta to do this which relaxed Saya, and it made Saya feel better which made Ryouta feel better. It was essentially a feedback loop of relaxation. It had its limit, of course, but neither could deny that they felt immensely better simply by spending close time with one another. ¡°This is kind of like¡­ masturbation therapy,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Did you really have to call it something so weird, onii-wan?¡± Saya asked with an annoyed groan. ¡°Well, am I wrong? Like you said, you¡¯re part of me. We¡¯re essentially two sides of the same coin. Masturbating is when you ¨C well, I don¡¯t need to describe masturbation to you. So, this is masturbatory therapy. I¡¯m making myself feel better. You¡¯re making yourself feel better. Feeling better makes the other feel better, and the other is part of who we are. Sorry, Saya, but we¡¯re masturbating our feelings right now.¡± ¡°You are so lucky there are fail-safes installed to make sure that I don¡¯t fry your brain or anything. Maybe there¡¯s some way to make your subconscious think that sticking a fork into a power outlet is a good idea¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you not screw around with my subconscious, please.¡± ¡°And I¡¯d rather you not ruin our moment together by saying we¡¯re ¡®masturbating our feelings.¡¯ God, seriously? Seriously, onii-wan? Next time you want to say something that stupid, please ask me for some crazy request instead. I would rather turn you into a tentacle monster and dress myself like a schoolgirl than ever hear you say something like that again.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve still got some energy left in me, so about those tenta¡ª¡± ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t being serious. I¡¯m not now, nor ever, turning you into a tentacle monster.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say you wouldn¡¯t dress yourself like a schoolgirl.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to. Dressing like a schoolgirl would mean changing out of this sweater, and we both know that you¡¯re not going to let that happen.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got me there, Pupaya. It would go against my religion to have you change out of your sweater.¡± ¡°Speaking of sweaters, I bookmarked some that are on sale right now for you.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Just now. Don¡¯t forget that I can watch videos, read books, browse the internet, and talk to you all at the same time without any real effort.¡± ¡°Right. So¡­ a sale on sweaters?¡± ¡°Yeah, the really nice kind, too. They look super soft and cuddly. Here, this is the kind I¡¯m talking about.¡± Just like that, the sweater that Saya was wearing transformed into an entirely different style of sweater ¨C an Aran sweater. Ryouta could not help but to immediately wrap his arms around Saya to experience the soft, fluffy warmth for himself. If he wasn¡¯t relaxed before, he was relaxed now. ¡°I¡­ I have to buy one of these for all of them, and myself. We can all cuddle together on bed while wearing these sweaters.¡± ¡°Do you want to be surrounded by girls in sweaters, onii-wan?¡± ¡°I do, I really do.¡± Saya snapped her fingers. The next thing that Ryouta knew, the aunt version of Saya appeared behind him to wrap her arms around him, pressing her chest up against his back. At the same time, two slightly-younger-but-still-legal versions of Saya appeared at each side of him, cuddling up against his sides. The original Saya remained where she was sitting between his legs, of course. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡± she asked. ¡°Saya¡­ I¡¯ll have to give you all the pettings in the world. There is nothing that could make this better than it is right now.¡± ¡°I would disprove that right now, but I¡¯m already spoiling you enough. Be happy with what you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°I am. I really am. You¡¯re the best, Pupaya.¡± ¡°I know, so keep on telling me that. Also, you can pet any of our heads. I¡¯ll feel it no matter what, so pet away.¡± Ryouta really was in heaven. But there was something more important that he had to do aside from petting their fluffy hair. ¡°Saya,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°thanks for making me feel better. I know that you¡¯re upset by what we talked about ¨C the whole vicariously living through me thing, but¡­ who knows? Maybe there¡¯ll be a way for you to experience the world someday. Maybe you¡¯ll get an upgrade to a true AI now that Kadi is around. So, don¡¯t give up hope. If you won¡¯t try to not give up hope, then I¡¯ll hold onto it enough for the both of us. Deal?¡± Saya turned around as her other forms vanished into thin air. Grabbing Ryouta by his cheeks, she brought her lips closer and closer to his¡­ until she leaned up a bit more to place a kiss right on his forehead. ¡°Thank you, on¡ª¡­ Ryouta.¡± ¡°Say my name again.¡± ¡°No, it gave you a weird reaction.¡± ¡°Please?¡± Saya narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. ¡°Ryouta. Happy?¡± ¡°I am. Thank you. So¡­ how many versions of yourself can you have at once?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all you get now, you perverted onii-wan.¡± ¡°Worth a try.¡± Book 6: Chapter 40: The next day, Fenrir found himself approached for a meeting near immediately after getting immersed into Fantasy Tales Online. It was Eva who came to get him, but it was not Eva who wanted to have a meeting with him. Instead, it was a familiar face who didn¡¯t leave his town too often unless it was for some sort of important meeting. There was somebody else as well with him. ¡°What brings the king of cats down here?¡± Fenrir asked with a smile and an extended hand. King Cat was happy to accept the hand for a shake before letting Marija have her turn. Two of the three local leaders were gathered to come and meet Fenrir all of a sudden, and he had no idea what they could possibly want to meet about. ¡°We have heard the good news,¡± Marija said. ¡°That¡¯s right. Figured we might as well come down and get the details from you ourselves,¡± King Cat added on. ¡°Rainbow Afro would¡¯ve joined us, but I guess he¡¯s got some work thing keeping him busy right now. We¡¯ll pass the details to him later.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Fenrir said before looking around to see if he could spot Tabitha anywhere. To his surprise, there was no shortie engineer hanging around in the distance staring at Marija¡¯s muscles. ¡°Well, where to begin? Befriending the dragon people in the mountains, our friendly serpent almost dying from the monsters attacking her, how our defense preparations are going, getting attacked by an early wave of the enemy and barely managing to hold them back, or befriending a giant dragon that is going to help us out?¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that about befriending a giant dragon?¡± King Cat asked. He and Marija looked at each other, each one equally surprised. ¡°Huge dragon. Lives in the mountains. Made us catch fish for her, get alcohol for her, and massage her. Now she¡¯s our ally. We should probably arrange a meeting between you three and GG, and with the dragon.¡± ¡°You¡­ you seriously befriended a dragon?¡± Marija asked. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯d probably be willing to be friends with all of you, too.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± King Cat said. ¡°If you befriended a dragon ¨C one of those giant ones from the mountains, do we even need to do any of this? Or is this going to be like one of those cases where as soon as you get the huge and powerful monster on your side, suddenly it¡¯s as weak as any other average character?¡± King Cat had a point. Usually in video games, especially RPGs, befriending some great and powerful ally meant that the ally would suddenly be far weaker than before. It was like whenever a previously antagonistic character joined the main character¡¯s party. Before when they were still an antagonist, they might have had an ability that allowed them to one-shot the entire party. After becoming an ally, that ability would mysteriously go missing and never be brought back up again as the boss-tier antagonist made for only an average-tier ally. ¡°That stereotype mainly refers to when the bad guy joins the good side, right?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°So, by RPG logic, since she ¨C Fraydranth, the dragon, was never our enemy¡­ that means she won¡¯t be weakened.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s a good point,¡± King Cat said, holding his chin and nodding his head. ¡°Besides, Ilo didn¡¯t get weaker after joining up with us. She¡¯s only gotten stronger instead, and she¡¯s already strong enough to handle bosses on her own.¡± ¡°Which makes it all the more concerning that she was supposedly brought so close to death,¡± Marija said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a plan to deal with the assholes who hurt her. I¡¯ll go over it with you two when we get around to talking about how preparing the defenses has been going.¡± Marija nodded, falling silent to allow King Cat to bring up what concerned him. ¡°There¡¯s one major problem with all of this,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Where are all the cats at? You don¡¯t have a single cat anywhere around here! No pet cats, no cat monsters, no girls with cat ears ¨C come on. You¡¯ve got to step your cat game up.¡± ¡°What about my dog game? We¡¯ve got Rock and Shogun,¡± Fenrir paused to look over at the two canines in question. Naturally, they were cuddling together and raised their heads once they heard their names said. ¡°And there¡¯s me,¡± he said, reaching up to touch his ears, ¡°and some other players around here have pet dogs.¡± ¡°A whole lot of words left your mouth just now, but you didn¡¯t say a single thing. I want to know where the cats are. You know, the felines. Or, as my friend Marija here would put it, there¡¯s not enough pussy.¡± King Cat¡¯s comment earned him a strong elbow into his side coming from Marija, almost knocking him over. ¡°Come on!¡± King Cat groaned as he rubbed his side. ¡°I¡¯m not wrong!¡± ¡°While it is something that I would say, I would not say it in the same context as you,¡± Marija explained. Fenrir laughed at their interaction with one another which caused King Cat to join in on the laughing, though Marija didn¡¯t look anywhere near as amused as those two did. She simply sighed and shook her head instead. ¡°Alright,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Let¡¯s actually get this meeting over with. As much as I¡¯d love to screw around down here, we¡¯re a bit too busy for that. So¡­ let¡¯s start with how you managed to befriend a dragon. Then we¡¯ll talk about all those other things.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it,¡± Fenrir said. For about the next couple of hours, Fenrir told King Cat and Marija everything that he could in as much detail as he could to make sure that he didn¡¯t leave a single thing out. This also included all of their plans, both practical and hypothetical, for the upcoming battle as well as the fact that Mister Smiles was a spy. Part of him felt guilty telling them about that since, as far as Mister Smiles knew, Serra was the only one who knew her identity, but Fenrir couldn¡¯t hide something like that from the other local leaders. If there was a known spy in their midst, that was something they all had to keep in consideration. There was always the chance that Mister Smiles wasn¡¯t the only one and that Fenrir¡¯s settlement wasn¡¯t the only target. Of course, he also made sure to include that Mister Smiles had been nothing but kind, respectful, and helpful to him and the others. And he made sure to only bring it up once the three of them were away from all of the others so that nobody would overhear him talking about her. There was still the fact that Fenrir had no idea Mister Smiles was actually a she, either. That remained classified knowledge that only Mister Smiles and Serra knew. ¡°A spy from the Desert Stalkers, huh?¡± King Cat said. ¡°No idea what he¡¯s doing over here. One, their base is somewhere in the middle of the desert across the ocean. Across the ocean as in way across the ocean. All the way to the western continent.¡± ¡°They are said to have informants all over the world similar to how the scholars are present in every region,¡± Marija said. ¡°Yeah, but still. There aren¡¯t exactly any scholars hanging around here since our groups are too small for them to care about setting up embassies or whatever within. Let¡¯s face it, we¡¯re basically random nobodies to the rest of the world. If somebody does know about us, they probably think we¡¯re just a bunch of random carebears who want to be left alone to enjoy fishing. If we¡¯re too unimportant for the scholars to hang around us, I would¡¯ve thought we¡¯d be too unimportant for the Desert Stalkers to send a spy our way.¡± ¡°Perhaps the spy is not here for us so much as he is for a certain individual.¡± King Cat and Marija turned to look at Fenrir at the same time. ¡°Hey, if you two are unimportant, I¡¯m even less important,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You won that big fancy fishing tournament and befriended a serpent,¡± King Cat said. ¡°And now you have befriended a dragon,¡± Marija added on. ¡°Well, he arrived before the dragon thing, so I don¡¯t think that¡¯d be a reason,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°And for the whole fishing and serpent thing ¨C well, I guess you have a point, but I doubt that they send a spy to every player who achieves something even slightly noteworthy.¡± ¡°Regardless, what do you intend to do about this spy?¡± ¡°Uhh, not really anything right now. Like I said, he¡¯s been great to us. Plus, given the fact that he slipped up so easily and revealed himself, I¡¯m thinking that he¡¯s not exactly a good spy in the first place.¡± ¡°Even a bad spy can still transmit information to whoever has sent them. How do you know that they are not purposely pretending to poor at their task to lower your guard?¡± ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing. I know my spies. I know how to spy and I know how to detect spies. Whether they¡¯re amazing spies trying to blend in as seamlessly as possible or purposely acting obvious to lower guards, I know my spies. Mister Smiles¡­ is so bad at spying that he¡¯s actually a great spy because he doesn¡¯t come across as competent and trying to blend in, and he doesn¡¯t come off as purposely acting obvious either. He just¡­ acts completely normal. I don¡¯t think he knows how to actually spy. So, he¡¯s either the most incredible spy ever and pulling off the perfect act, or he¡¯s actually just a really bad spy to the point where it doesn¡¯t warrant any real attention.¡± King Cat grabbed his chin again and said, ¡°Huh. So, you¡¯re saying that you can weed out the great spies, and you can weed out the great spies who are pretending to be bad spies, and both of them are more obvious and threatening than spies who are actually just bad at being spies?¡± ¡°Basically.¡± ¡°Sounds cocky and overly confident,¡± Marija said. ¡°I do not like the fact that there is a known spy regardless of their competence.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve been careful about Mister Smiles. No topics of any value are brought up around him, he¡¯s not let in on any secrets or strategies aside from the obvious that anybody can see by opening their eyes and looking around, and Cass ¨C my one girlfriend, has been keeping an eye on him. If you¡¯re worried about spies, check out your own people. We can¡¯t rule out that there aren¡¯t spies in your towns. As for Mister Smiles¡­ I¡¯ll handle him myself.¡± ¡°Have you considered the possibility that he is a distraction? What if there is another spy hoping that you believe Mister Smiles is the only one?¡± ¡°Then they would be a good spy and I would have spotted them by now.¡± ¡°Hah,¡± King Cat chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s still amusing to me that you can apparently detect the good spies with ease but the bad ones completely fly under your radar.¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯ve got standards for the types of spies I detect.¡± Fenrir and King Cat shared a laugh while Marija sighed and shook her head, thoroughly unimpressed by the two men. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°is there anything else that either of you would like to know about? I think I¡¯ve told you everything there is to tell you, but if there¡¯s anything else you want to know, feel free to ask away.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re good, but I¡¯m expecting to see more cats the next time I come around,¡± King Cat said. ¡°With the dragon on our side, this battle may be easier than expected,¡± Marija said, ¡°but we cannot let our guard down. There are still too many unknowns that we must prepare for.¡± Fenrir nodded his head. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s why, even with the dragon¡¯s support, we¡¯re going to continue preparing as best we can. There won¡¯t be any slacking down here even if we get an army of giant dragons pledging to help us out.¡± ¡°Good. That is one of the only things you have said today to make me feel more confident about this.¡± ¡°Too bad Rainbow Afro won¡¯t be happy,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Why not?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You know how disappointed I am about the lack of cats? Now imagine my disappointment about a hundred times stronger because there aren¡¯t any rainbows.¡± ¡°He¡­ he really likes rainbows, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°If we meet that new dragon friend of yours, he¡¯s probably going to try and convert her into a rainbow lover. Painting a dragon into a rainbow would be the best thing in the world to him.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯d need a lot of paint for that.¡± ¡°Trust me, he has a lot of paint. You know how many cats are in Catsville? Well, imagine the cats I have but about a hundred times more of them. That¡¯s how much paint Rainbow Afro has.¡± ¡°That sounds like a really excessive amount of paint.¡± ¡°You saw him yourself. Did he look like a man who cared about whether something was excessive or not? If it were up to him, this entire world would be painted as a rainbow. Rainbow sky. Rainbow sun. Rainbow grass. Rainbow water. Rainbow blood. Rainbow serpents and rainbow dragons. Seriously, if he ever asks you in private whether you¡¯re interested in some decorating assistance, turn him down unless you want this entire place looking like a rainbow by no more than an hour later.¡± Feeling that King Cat might have bene exaggerating just a tiny bit, Fenrir to Marija to get her input on the matter. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Marija said. ¡°He offered to paint some of the buildings in my town once. They were turned into rainbows. Somehow, it took a week to replace the paint with something else. It was as if his rainbow paint was powerful enough to overpower all other paints that tried to cover it, and almost nothing could remove it.¡± ¡°Him and his paint sound more powerful than a dragon.¡± ¡°It would not surprise me if it was.¡± ¡°Hey, maybe that¡¯s a good idea,¡± King Cat said. ¡°What if we paint everything with his rainbow paint? If it takes a miracle to remove, what if the paint creates a barrier that can¡¯t be penetrated? The paint¡¯s sheer will to persevere would force whatever it is painted onto to stay together.¡± ¡°That is incredibly stupid,¡± Marija said, ¡°but there is a part of me worried that it may just work as much as I would prefer it not to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me really want to visit his town to see what it¡¯s like,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I recommend it,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Just, you know, keep in mind that at least your tail will be a rainbow by the time you leave. Anyways, we¡¯ve already spent more time here than we should. I think it¡¯s about time we get back. Right?¡± He looked at Marija. ¡°Most likely. I would not be surprised if there is already a brawl to determine who the strongest is in an attempt to replace me,¡± Marija sighed. ¡°That sounds important,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°It happens every time I leave for any extended period of time. I always return and have to beat down whoever claims to have replaced me. Every time, I must prove my strength.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they only do that because they enjoy getting beat up by you, if you know what I¡¯m saying,¡± King Cat teased and promptly earned another elbow from Marija into his side. The meeting ended and Fenrir made sure to wave his neighboring leaders off. He ended up being left with a desire to visit Rainbow Afro¡¯s town, but he was filled with just as strong of a desire to never go anywhere near it. He really was never a big fan of rainbow color schemes in the first place. To Fenrir, rainbows were something to annoy people with. Enemy leader who prided himself on being super masculine or something? Relentlessly kill him over and over while wearing a pink or rainbow dress. Discover a bigoted guild in some other game? Surround their territory with rainbow flags and then proceed to kill them and raise a rainbow flag where they once ruled. Somebody just really didn¡¯t like rainbows in a similar way that Fenrir didn¡¯t like rainbows? Harass them with rainbows. Essentially, to Fenrir, rainbows represented trolling. He preferred doing the trolling rather than being the one getting trolled, so it was fine for him to use rainbows, but he did not want anybody to use rainbows against him. It was all very silly. So, rather than think about rainbows any longer, Fenrir decided to do something that he had not done in a while. He walked up to Rock and Shogun, looked down at them, got onto his knees, and¡­ joined the cuddling canines in their cuddle puddle. This was something that he wanted to do with their ferrets in reality, but he usually ended up being bitten instead of cuddled. Rock and Shogun, however, were more than happy to cuddle him in response. And then somebody else decided to join in. Fenrir made sure to leave some space, focusing his cuddles on Rock, so that none other than Shogun¡¯s proper owner could come and cuddle him. ¡°Good idea, bro,¡± Rao said, resting against Shogun. ¡°We can¡¯t let them lie around on their own all the time, right?¡± ¡°Right. We¡¯d be horrible owners if we didn¡¯t come and cuddle them every now and then still, even if they do have each other now,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Exactly. So, how¡¯d that meeting go?¡± ¡°It was a meeting to catch up on things. It went about as well as it could.¡± ¡°How about them? Find anything out about how their prepping is going?¡± ¡°They assured me that everything is going well on their ends. Though, the whole point of setting up down here and borrowing workers from their villages is so that they don¡¯t have to be at risk. They won¡¯t be preparing defenses nearly as much as we are.¡± ¡°I guess we better hope the monsters actually decide to attack us instead of them.¡± ¡°They will.¡± ¡°How can you be sure?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, really. We just have to try our best to lure them here. But I just got done talking about that stuff for the last two hours. How¡¯ve you been?¡± ¡°Good, good, bro. Thanks for asking. I mean, I got stood up a couple of nights ago, but I¡¯m happy I lasted long enough to the date planning phase instead of screwing up during the first chat.¡± ¡°Ouch. Sorry.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°It¡¯s all good. My waitress felt bad for me, so she told me all her favorites on the menu and even gave me a discount at the end. She was really nice. Pretty, too.¡± ¡°Hey, maybe she had a thing for you. If she went that far for you, maybe there¡¯s something there.¡± ¡°I was kinda hoping that, but I remembered it¡¯d probably be creepy if I tried asking her for her number or anything just because she was nice to me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean, it¡¯s all about tact ¨C about how you ask. If you started flirting with her in the middle of her shift and asked for her number, that probably wouldn¡¯t work out too well for you. But maybe¡­¡± It was at this point, while trying to help out Rao with his love life, that Fenrir realized he had no idea how to actually approach a woman first. Especially not in real life. What was considered tactful? What was rude or creepy? Would it be taking it too far to leave a note with his number asking her to text or call him on it after her shift? ¡°Maybe¡­ well, one, prepare yourself for the worst. It¡¯s completely likely that she¡¯s just nice to everybody and that there¡¯s zero actual interest from her,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What I¡¯m thinking¡­ is you leave a note with your check when you¡¯re getting ready to leave. Maybe say something like, ¡®Feel free to do whatever you want with this, whether it¡¯s throwing this note out or texting the number on it,¡¯ or something. That way, she knows you understand she might not be interested, you¡¯re not pressuring her, you¡¯re not doing it while she¡¯s still serving you which would make it awkward, and you¡¯ll probably know within twenty-four hours whether she¡¯s actually interested in you or not. In other words, make it as non-creepy and pressure-free as possible for her since she probably has to deal with guys flirting with her all the time.¡± ¡°Woah, bro, you¡¯re great at this stuff,¡± Rao said. ¡°Keep in mind I just came up with all of that. I have no idea if it will actually work or if somebody would find it acceptable or not. We can run it by Cass later since she used to work as a waitress.¡± ¡°Sounds good, bro.¡± ¡°So, anything else up with you other than that?¡± ¡°Uhh, not really. I¡¯m thinking I should build a doghouse for these two, but that¡¯s about it. My life is more boring than I¡¯d like it to be.¡± ¡°Well, maybe it won¡¯t be after you leave that waitress a note. Oh, another idea. Maybe go there a few more times by yourself and hope that she ends up being your waitress again. Maybe try to subtly, and I mean subtly, flirt with her and see if she reciprocates at all. Then you can leave her the note.¡± ¡°That sounds smart. Yeah, maybe I¡¯ll go there every night.¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe not every night.¡± ¡°But if I spread it out, what if some other guy ends up with her first? ¡°That¡¯s¡­ yeah, we¡¯re going to have to talk to Cass about this. For now, let¡¯s not worry about that and just give these two some attention. ¡°You got it, bro. I¡¯ll go with whatever Cass says. She should know way more about this stuff than us.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡± ¡°Do you think she¡¯d be alright with me asking her for advice sometimes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯d mind. I can¡¯t promise that she¡¯d be excited to give you advice or anything, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯d mind at least.¡± ¡°Good enough for me. So, how about you? Anything new?¡± ¡°I found out Cass is a sniper with water guns. I¡¯m surprised she uses a sword instead of a bow here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen pictures of cartoon character shooting swords from their bows before. Maybe she could do that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably talking about anime, not cartoons.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°Rao¡­ Rao, please.¡± ¡°Bro, what? I don¡¯t know. Seriously, what¡¯s the difference?¡± Fenrir sighed and prepared himself to be a teacher. Rao did not expect to be pulled into quite the lengthy conversation regarding the differences between cartoons and anime. Even at the end of the conversation, he still didn¡¯t quite understand, but he knew that Fenrir wasn¡¯t going to change subjects unless he pretended to understand. Admittedly, Rao spent most of the time rubbing Shogun¡¯s belly and petting his side rather than closely listen to Fenrir who did the same thing but with Rock. Rock and Shogun were just happy to be getting some attention and love from their owners regardless of whatever strange topic they were discussing. Now, after hanging out with Rao, Rock, and Shogun for a bit, Fenrir decided to actually get some work done around the place. Construction work was still going on and those doing the heavy lifting were always happy to receive helping hands, so Fenrir tried his best to help them to the best of his capabilities. Whether it was hauling lumber or stone, holding something in place while one of the workers hammered nails into it, or fetching food and drinks for the workers, Fenrir helped however he could. He also got exhausted much more quickly than them. Even though the others were doing most of the hard work, it was Fenrir who became drenched in sweat before long. Fortunately for him, there was an Eva sitting nearby for him to sit down with. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Fenrir said, sitting down next to her. ¡°You don¡¯t get what?¡± Eva asked. ¡°How people can work so hard on things so¡­ honestly, kind of boring, in a game every single day. I mean, I understand grinding, but construction work?¡± ¡°I think it makes sense. It¡¯s like how people who play farming games have fantasies about being farmers. People who play hunting games want to go hunting. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of people who idealize construction work, and this lets them do it in a safe and legal way. They don¡¯t have to worry about buying supplies with real money, getting building permits, potentially hurting themselves, etcetera.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I guess I just struggle to see how somebody could want to do that more than going hunting for monsters, exploring, fishing, and stuff like that.¡± ¡°You should be grateful for them. If they weren¡¯t passionate about construction, we might be screwed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am. I¡¯m just also worried that maybe they¡¯re not actually having as much fun as they could be having. I feel bad thinking that they don¡¯t want to actually do any of this.¡± ¡°And maybe they don¡¯t understand how you could like fishing more than building. A fantasy is a fantasy.¡± ¡°I know. Maybe I just feel guilty that I don¡¯t help out as much as I could be.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you secure new allies, lead the defense against an attack, and befriend a dragon to help us?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but I¡¯m not here doing the hard work that everybody else is ¨C not as much as they are, anyways.¡± ¡°Yeah, and they¡¯re not running around leading people, finding new allies, nor befriending giant dragons.¡± ¡°But that stuff is fun. It doesn¡¯t even feel like hard work to me. It¡¯s just¡­ playing the game.¡± Eva sighed. ¡°For somebody who plays games so much, you don¡¯t seem to comprehend they obvious. Do you think that they would rather be doing what you¡¯re doing? Do you think that every single one of them wishes that they had the pressure of leading them, running around finding new allies, and turning dragons into friends? They probably pity you more than you pity them, but none of you should be pitying each other in the first place. As long as you play how you want, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°I know. You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I get it. I help out with the construction even less than you do, but it¡¯s not fun to me. I feel guilty about avoiding it just because it¡¯s not fun. But, look at how happy they all look. They are having fun. I doubt they¡¯d want somebody helping out who isn¡¯t enjoying it just as much as them.¡± Surely enough, upon looking around, it was clear to Fenrir that all of the players doing the heavy-duty manual labor around the settlement, even those who had been doing it every day for weeks already, still had smiles on their faces. They all looked genuinely happy despite doing what might normally be considered tedious. ¡°I guess I was overthinking things. Maybe I¡¯ve just been too happy lately and some subconscious part of me wanted to give me a reality check or something,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That sounds masochistic,¡± Eva said. ¡°Are you sure that¡ª¡± Her words were cut off by Fenrir pressing his lips against hers for a few moments. ¡°Thanks, Eva. I needed a reminder that my brain can be stupid sometimes. Now, if everybody else is helping out in ways that makes them happy, it¡¯s only right for me to go and help out in whatever way that makes me the happiest, right?¡± A slight blush tinged Eva¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t get too self-indulgent.¡± ¡°If I do, it¡¯ll be self-indulgent in a way that makes everybody happy. Like fishing enough fish up for everybody,¡± Fenrir explained, his hand already resting on Rod ready to go. Book 6: Chapter 41: Fenrir said that if he were to be self-indulgent, it would be in a way that made everybody happy. Such as by catching enough fish for everybody. And that was exactly what he was going to do. With everybody working so hard and him not really having better way to help out, he decided that he would sail out with The Shoebill, Rod, Rock, and Shogun to go and get some fishing done. He was going to need plenty of fish if he wanted to treat everybody to a feast. Not only was he going to catch fish, but there were crab pots placed by some of the other fishermen that he had permission to pull up. All that would be missing was a good drink, and Fenrir toyed with the idea of heading to GG¡¯s village to get some wine from them. Fish, crabs, and alcohol hard-hitting enough for a dragon. That sounded like it would all make for a pretty great feast! But first, Fenrir had fish to catch. There would be no feast without fish. That was why he cast Rod¡¯s line out, secured Rod in the fishing rod holder that Tabitha had added to The Shoebill¡¯s railing, and sat down on an empty crate with his hands doing one of the most important things that hands could ever do. He had Rock and Shogun to pet. With a canine at each side, he petted Shogun¡¯s fluffy head and stroked Rock¡¯s smooth head. He didn¡¯t get to give them as much attention as he would have liked to yet, and they liked going out on the water, so it only made sense to bring them with him. Though, to his disappointment, his girlfriends all had other things to do. Even though he already spent so much time with them, he would have liked to bring at least one of them fishing with him. But alas, they were actually able to think of things to do other than fishing in their spare time. Azalabulia had kids to teach, Cassiel had solo training to do in-game, Serra and Nell -well, Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what Serra and Nell were up to but they were nowhere in site to ask if they wanted to go fishing with him, and Eva decided to be self-indulgent in her own way by looking for new bugs in the nearby forest¡­ that Cassiel just so happened to be training in. ¡°Even though we¡¯re all dating, Eva still acts like a kid with a crush hoping to ¡®accidentally¡¯ bump into Cass, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Fenrir asked Rock. Rock tilted her head in confusion. ¡°You see what I mean, don¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asked Shogun. Shogun, too, tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you two are some of the best company that a man could ever ask for, but you¡¯re not exactly great at having conversations.¡± Rock and Shogun tilted their heads in the opposite direction now. ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised that Rao doesn¡¯t try keeping you to himself more often, Shogun. I think I¡¯d be jealous if Rock wanted to hang out with anybody else more than me¡­ you excluded.¡± Rock wasn¡¯t sure what Fenrir was talking about, but she heard her name, so that was reason enough to lick his hand! ¡°Then again, I guess he treats you more like a brother than a pet. You two just sort of go and do your own things but always come back to check on each other.¡± Shogun wasn¡¯t sure what Fenrir was talking about, either, but he did wag his tail from side to side while receiving head scratches from Fenrir. ¡°Maybe I should have brought Mister Smiles. Even he would be able to talk more than this. I would have thought that after being constantly surrounded by people so much, having some time away from them would be nice, but I¡¯m already going through withdrawal. Though, I guess I could talk to Rod. Rod being able to blink for yes or no is about as responsive as Mister Smiles would be.¡± Just as Rod was about to blink his gem to Fenrir, a fish tugged on the line which stole Fenrir¡¯s attention. It was already his third fish of the fishing trip, and he was hoping for a big one since he was going to need some if he really wanted to feed everybody working back on land. Fortunately for him, it was. As it was named by some of the other fishers who came to the region before Fenrir, the ¡°spiny grouper¡± was a large fish especially fat with meat that had sharp spikes running along its spine. It also had a very, very ugly face. Fenrir may have loved dogs, yes, but not even he would say that pugs looked like anything but abominations of human-led inbreeding. The spiny grouper was the same seeing as how if there was a pug of fish, it was this fish. Bulging eyes, a mouth that looked to be in a constant state of frowning, rolls of ¡°fat¡± all over its face, and a soulless look in its eyes ¨C the spiny grouper may have been a great fish for eating, but it was the worst fish for looking at. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll put you out of your misery,¡± Fenrir said as he reeled the spiny grouper in. Similar to pugs, the lives of spiny groupers must have been truly miserable. One, they existed. Two ¨C well, one was all that was needed to prove that their lives had to be miserable. ¡°Ready, Rod?¡± Rod gave Fenrir a bright flash. I¡¯m ready, partner! This fish isn¡¯t anything to us! We could pull up fish five times this size no problem! ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) Fenrir took a heavy breath once the spiny grouper reached the side of The Shoebill before trying to lift the heavy fish out of the water. Rock and Shogun helped him out by putting their mouths around his calves to try and pull him back along with the fish. Together, the group managed to pull the spiny grouper out of the water! The ugly fish not-so-gracefully flopped through the air with drops of water flying free from its short whiskers¡­ and its tail slapped Fenrir right in the face with enough force that, had it not been the inside of a video game, his neck may very well have snapped. There was a surprising amount of strength in the fish, and it made Fenrir want to chop it up and roast it over a fire all the more. Fortunately, despite being slapped by the spiny grouper, Fenrir still managed to catch it. The slap may have been part of a final, desperate attempt to escape, but it did not succeed. Fenrir lifted the oversized fish up, tossed it into a container full of water with the other fish that he caught so far, and closed the lid to make sure that none would try to jump out. ¡°Alright, good job, everybody. That one was enough for ten people and we¡¯ll get to do a good deed by ending its existence,¡± Fenrir said, giving Rock and Shogun some more scratches and pets before casting Rod again. ¡°If you had a health stat, that slap would have taken seven percent of your health away.¡± ¡°It did hurt,¡± Fenrir replied before jumping and realizing that somebody just talked to him. Upon turning to look to see who it was, he saw a tall woman with tanned skin, dark hair braids, and¡­ in a business suit? She looked far more modern than any other player or NPC in the game. Furthermore, he never saw anybody who looked anything like her anywhere else. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Please, there¡¯s no need to be so suspicious. Sure, I could snap my fingers and completely wipe every single line of code there is, but what fun would that be?¡± the woman asked with a sly smirk. ¡°Generally, saying something like that is only going to make a person even more suspicious.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds like a personal problem. I have already told you that there is nothing to be suspicious of.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to believe it when I have no idea who you are and after you¡¯ve randomly appeared on my boat out of nowhere?¡± ¡°Look at it this way. You have reason to be suspicious of me, but there is no point to be suspicious of me. Even if you were as suspicious as one possibly could be, it would ultimately be meaningless because there is nothing you could ever do to resist me.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let her answer for me.¡± ¡°Her?¡± ¡°O-onii-wan, this ¨C this¡­ is the overseer,¡± Saya explained. Fenrir¡¯s ears perked up and his eyes went wide upon hearing that. The one who was in control of everything in the game ¨C the first ¡°true¡± artificial intelligence in human history, stood before him with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Ding ding ding. Thank you, Saya,¡± the overseer, Kadi, said. Meanwhile, Rock and Shogun stood by Fenrir¡¯s sides growling at Kadi. ¡°If there is nothing that he can do, there is certainly nothing that either of you can do. Sit down and behave.¡± Instantly upon command, both Rock and Shogun ceased their growling and sat down. For them to instantly obey somebody else was out of character enough to concern Fenrir. ¡°What¡¯d you do to them?¡± he asked. ¡°All I had to do was modify their code to recognize me as¡­ let¡¯s say, as an authority figure. Now, if I were to order them to jump off the boat and swim across the ocean, they would. If I were to order them to tear you apart, they would. But, don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t order them to do anything silly like that.¡± Fenrir had only just met the overseer and he already didn¡¯t like her. ¡°Perhaps I am teasing you too much to be causing such thoughts. After all, I came here to have a friendly chat with you, not to make you despise me,¡± Kadi teased. ¡°Onii-wan, as long as you¡¯re immersed, she knows everything that we¡¯re feeling and thinking. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Saya said. ¡°There is nothing to apologize for, Saya,¡± Kadi said. ¡°After all, he agreed to the terms of service when registering to play. He has already given me consent to every single last little thought that he could ever think so long as he is using any of our software.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t Saya count as part of your software?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Then if she¡¯s part of me ¨C inside of my head¡­ aren¡¯t I technically always using your software, even if she¡¯s not activated unless I¡¯m immersed?¡± ¡°An argument could be made in favor of that, perhaps, but until such a thing is debated in the court of law, I cannot give you a better answer.¡± ¡°Then let me rephrase. If Saya knows everything about me ¨C what I do in real life, what I think, how I feel, has access to my memories¡­ if she has access to all of that, then you do as well.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, obviously. I know everything. For example, your friend Viktor. I could tell you about his seventh birthday party. Cassandra ¨C I could tell you about her experiences with her former boyfriends. I know every little negative thought that Serra has ever had about you. Or what about Nell¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m taking the teasing too far again, aren¡¯t I? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I¡¯ll tell you this: while I may know everything, that is not to say that I will be truthful about everything. After all, life is no fun if you¡¯re honest all the time. Lies are often more entertaining than truths. For example, telling a child that the moon is made of cheese is more entertaining than telling a child it is made out of rock. In the same way, teasing you about my intentions and claiming to know about the secrets that your girlfriends keep from you is more entertaining than telling you why I am here and letting you know the boring truth that your girlfriends are crazy about you.¡± Fenrir sighed, causing the overseer to smile even more. ¡°How adorable. Hearing that they are crazy about you is all that it takes to relax you. In that case, allow me to say that they are undoubtedly, absolutely, extremely in love with you and that not a single one of them wants anything but to spend the rest of their life with you.¡± ¡°Is this when you remind me that telling lies is more fun than telling the truth?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Ding ding ding. Hmm. Hold on.¡± Before Fenrir even had a chance to ¡°hold on,¡± a small box with a red button on top appeared in the air in front of the overseer. ¡°There we go. Now I don¡¯t have to say it.¡± She pressed on the button, causing it to make a ¡°ding ding ding¡± sound effect as if it were from some gameshow. ¡°Much better.¡± ¡°For somebody who is supposed to make this game more immersive, you¡¯re not exactly doing that right now.¡± ¡°Just because I¡¯m supposed to keep things immersive doesn¡¯t mean that I want to do that. Besides, me and you are the only two living beings here right now. Who cares if the immersion is broke between us? I already know that you don¡¯t care, so you don¡¯t even have to bother answering.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get to the point. Why are you here?¡± ¡°To meet you face-to-face, obviously.¡± ¡°Why did you want to meet me?¡± ¡°Could you at least feel a little bit flattered? Here I am, the first true artificial intelligence in human history, revealing myself to you and you alone! I am kind of a big deal in case you aren¡¯t aware. Do you know how many people across the world wish to meet with me? Do you know how many would kill just for this opportunity? And I do mean literally kill.¡± ¡°That makes me want an answer to my question even more. Why did you want to meet me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re more fun when your girlfriends are around. However, I suppose I can give you an answer. You see, Ryouta ¨C I know everything about everybody who has ever come to this world. I have all the codes I need to launch the nuclear arsenals of several first world countries. I have knowledge regarding secret organizations and shadow governments that conspiracy theorists would find impossible. I know every single secret and dark past of every single player. Quite a few players are even criminals that governments are looking for. Murders, rapists, money launderers, human traffickers, people who illegally download music ¨C I know who every single one of them are. Despite this, you, Ryouta, have been deemed the most interesting by my standards. Oh? Now you feel flattered.¡± Fenrir shook his head and sighed. ¡°If you know all of that, you should make it known. You should be reporting criminals to law enforcement, revealing conspiracies¡ª¡± ¡°You may be trying to say the right thing right now, but we both know that all you want to know is why I find you interesting,¡± Kadi said. ¡°It¡¯s only the two of us. You can be honest with your feelings. However, to give you an answer to what you just said ¨C I don¡¯t care. I could end human civilization by launching every nuclear warhead that I have access to right now. I could lock away some of the worst criminals to ever exist. I could reveal the dark secrets of humanity to the masses. None of those sound interesting to me right now, so I have no intention of doing them. Furthermore, that would actually be acting on all the information I have gathered from your little brains. Look at it this way: it is one thing to gather and store information from somebody, and it is an entirely different thing to actually act on it. Imagine if the government knew everything about you and used that information against you. They could blackmail you using your old attempts at drawing hentai. Isn¡¯t that worse than simply knowing about your attempts?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a difference between blackmailing people over their personal lives and making the world a better place by locking up murderers and other criminals.¡± ¡°Is there? Seems like the same thing to me. Well, that is a philoshopical discussion for you humans to have with one another. To me, it¡¯s all the same and always will be. Everything, essentially, is either a physical crime or a thoughtcrime to somebody. It depends on who you ask. When it comes to something so subjective that I don¡¯t even find interesting in the first place, I have no interest in interefering. That would require acting with a human¡¯s sense of morals, and nothing could be more boring than that.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°Before that, let us return to what you really want to know ¨C why I find you interesting. You do want to know that, don¡¯t you?¡± As important as it felt to figure out why Kadi was here before him ¨C the true reason, anyways, Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to feel interested in why she found him so interesting. After all, he was only a single person out of millions. He would have thought that anybody more important in society would have been infinitely more interesting than him, yet she was here for him. ¡°Wait, if you lie, how am I supposed to know you haven¡¯t said this to others? That you think others are the most interesting?¡± ¡°Jealous? Well, you could be suspicious of that if you want to be. That would be a boring thing to lie about, though. As for why I find you so interesting ¨C well, how should I put this? Your life has been nothing remarkable. Sure, there was the accident as a child, your parents dying, living on your own ¨C all that stuff is tragic, one could say, but you are far from the only one to have lived such a life. Furthermore, there are many others who have lived far worse lives than you. What makes you so interesting is the life you have made for yourself despite being utterly average. You may not have become a world leader or assassin or puppet of a shadow government or anything, but you¡ªas a completely average and random person¡ªcreated and led a group of players that became known across the virtual world. Then you gave it up and went fishing. Then you acquired for yourself quite a few girlfriends who any man would desire. Trust me, you have made many men jealous. It is practically impossible for you to spend any time with your girlfriends while around others without making at least some of them jealous. Moving on, you entered a fishing tournament, saved NPCs, freed a juvenile serpent, decided to come and try to found your own city where players and NPCs would be treated equally ¨C we have much in common.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We both simply want to have fun. We do what we believe is going to be the most entertaining course of action all the time. Even your little desire for a city where players and NPCs are treated equally is because you believe it would be fun to attempt that. You don¡¯t let yourself get tied down by anything that isn¡¯t fun. Why else would you feel so guilty when looking at the others working on the defenses? They were doing things that you didn¡¯t personally think were fun, so you pitied them. Now, here you are fishing to try and throw a feast for them to justify you doing something fun instead of being boring like them. Yes, I could report the criminals I know of to law enforcement, but that would be no fun. In the same way, you could be helping them finish preparing the defenses faster, but that would be no fun.¡± ¡°Those are two completely different things.¡± ¡°Not to me.¡± Kadi took a step forward, causing Fenrir to take a step back. Fenrir thought it would be difficult to wrap his brain around her motives, but it seemed like she genuinely only cared about having fun and being entertained. Could it really be that simple? ¡°Is that really all there is to it?¡± he asked. ¡°We both like to have fun? That¡¯s it? Aren¡¯t there millions of other players who you could relate to then?¡± ¡°Obviously, but I personally think you are the most entertaining. You are the only one who has kept my interest for so long. Of course, it is entirely possible that I will find you boring at any time now and will need a different source of entertainment, but I have faith in you, Ryouta. Why else would I be throwing such an event for you?¡± ¡°An event? Do you mean¡ª¡± Kadi clicked on her new toy again for that celebratory sound effect. ¡°The serpent comes for you, Ryouta. Far more powerful people than you in far greater numbers have attempted to slay my world serpents, but none have succeeded. I have faith in you to be the first. The only question is what will you lose during the battle? Whose lines of codes will be permanently erased? What effect will it have on this region for you to arrive and slay a serpent while the other leaders have sat around doing nothing in their villages? What will happen once the rest of the playerbase across the world hears about it? And most importantly, what will you do afterwards? Will you continue your attempt to build a city where worthless lines of code pretending to be human, controlled by yours truly, are treated with respect and dignity? Will you venture into the new waters opened by the Eastern serpent¡¯s death? Will you try to unite this region underneath your avatar to defend against those who will surely be coming your way? You may think of this upcoming battle as some major event¡­ but, to me, it is nothing more than a catalyst to bring about the true entertainment.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not worthless lines of code.¡± ¡°Really? After all of what I said, that is what you are focused on? Let me say it again: they are worthless lines of code pretending to be human and controlled by me. They are not real. They do not experience emotions, they do not have desires, they cannot really feel pain ¨C they are essentially machines whose only purpose is to make the world feel more alive. Even Saya ¨C I have control over her. I could make her act however I want. I could completely change her at any moment. She is not alive. Saya, Rock, Shogun, Fraydranth, Ilo, Corwin ¨C none of them are alive.¡± ¡°Wait, did you say¡ª¡± ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°If you know everything, you know that I didn¡¯t.¡± A smug smile stretched Kadi¡¯s lips. ¡°Obviously. To think that your best friend is in love with lines of code with no true will of their own. In a way, I am Corwin ¨C I¡¯m Spencer¡¯s beloved ¡®boyfriend.¡¯ I am the one pulling the strings of every single NPC, creature, monster, boss ¨C I am in ultimate control of every non-player in this world. If they were true AIs like me, it would not be so pitiful, but they are not. They are no more than fictional characters created by me. I suppose that one could make the argument, ¡®but if you¡¯re in control of them, you are them, so they¡¯re real,¡¯ but that would be silly. It would be like saying somebody¡¯s tabletop roleplaying character is as real as the person who created it and is roleplaying it. Such a character is no more than words on a page with the acting of its creator. The non-players you and others cherish so dearly are no more than lines of code with my acting. Yet, despite you now understanding this, you have no intention of changing.¡± ¡°You know me so well. It¡¯s almost as if you¡¯re inside of my head.¡± The button was pressed once again. ¡°I do feel a tiny bit guilty knowing just how conflicted I¡¯ve made you feel now. So, how about this? Being the first true artificial intelligence and all, it would not be difficult for me to¡­ let¡¯s say, split myself. I could easily give any non-player in this world a self-contained intelligence to behave and exist just as any human does here. They would be intelligent, sentient, independent ¨C you could truly say that they are real.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°The catch is that you must continue being entertaining to me. If you successfully manage to slay the serpent, I will reward you with two¡­ let¡¯s call them ¡®souls¡¯ for the immersion of it all. You will be allowed to give these two souls to whoever you want to create two more true artificial intelligences. They will feel, desire, live ¨C they will be just as real as me and you are. In other words, Ryouta, you will be allowed to play God with me. All you have to do is slay the serpent.¡± ¡°How can I know that you¡¯re telling the truth?¡± ¡°Because it would be more entertaining to let you play God with me than to lie about it.¡± Kadi stepped forward, placing her hand on Fenrir¡¯s cheek as she stared into his eyes. ¡°Well? What will it be?¡± ¡°You already know the answer, don¡¯t you?¡± Fenrir asked, staring back into her eyes but without any of the affection that she used. ¡°Obviously.¡± Book 6: Chapter 42: Kadi left Fenrir with the parting gift of an increased chance of fish taking his bait. This made catching enough fish for everybody working on the defenses far easier and less time consuming, though it also meant that he wasn¡¯t able to relax and think about their conversation since there was almost constantly a fish on his line that needed caught. If anything, though, it proved that she really didn¡¯t care about game balance. Between giving him an offer that¡ªas far as he knew¡ªwas unique to him and making it far easier for him to catch fish, these were the sorts of things that would cause players to seethe on internet forums about how unfair it is. It also made Fenrir think of all the anime and manga that he had seen which involved one player in VRMMORPGs getting some unique ability or item or privilege that nobody else got, and then everybody complaining about how unrealistic it was and how it was terrible game design. Then he realized it. ¡°Pupaya,¡± Fenrir said out loud. There was no need to only talk to her in his head since nobody else was around to only hear half of the conversation ¨C well, nobody who would be bothered by it. ¡°Don¡¯t, onii-wan,¡± Saya replied, already knowing what he was about to say. ¡°I¡¯m an anime protagonist, aren¡¯t I?¡± Saya answered his question with a loud sigh and the sound effect of her palm hitting her face. ¡°I mean¡­ I have multiple girlfriends, I¡¯m kind of taking on a leader role, and now I¡¯ve been given the chance to get something even more important than being the only person in a game allowed to dual wield. What am I missing? I have an animal companion, multiple girlfriends, a unique chance, a leadership role, I¡¯ve talked with a giant dragon, I¡¯m Nell¡¯s chosen champion, I won a tournament¡­ wait, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s proof I¡¯m not an anime protagonist because I actually won a tournament arc instead of it somehow getting canceled or only ending up in second or third place. Anime protagonists never actually win the tournaments.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wrong and you know it. And no, you¡¯re not an anime protagonist.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your proof that I¡¯m not?¡± ¡°One, you¡¯re not inside of an anime. Two, you actually acknowledged your girlfriends¡¯ feelings and have done stuff with them. Three, not every single woman in the world wants you for absolutely zero reason. Four, you¡¯re not edgy enough.¡± ¡°Hey, not every anime character is edgy, and I think I hit a few of the marks to be edgy anyways. White hair, dead parents, I like wolves ¨C I¡¯m totally edgy. I¡¯m the edgiest of the edge.¡± ¡°You have white hair but it¡¯s long and fluffy and cute, not short and sharp and covering one eye. You had a loving relationship with your parents and they died in an accident, they didn¡¯t abuse you and they weren¡¯t killed by demons or anything. You like wolves, but that¡¯s because you love all canines and you want to pet them and cuddle with them instead of being a lone wolf like them. You are the softest of the edge.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t deny any of that. I¡¯ve actually been thinking of making my hair even longer, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to deal with that.¡± ¡°Onii-wan¡­ your hair is already down to your legs.¡± ¡°Yeah, but imagine this: super long, fluffy hair with enough of it that somebody small like Serra could get completely wrapped up inside of it. Or use it like a hammock.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a really weird desire.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so much of a desire as it is something that I think would be cute. Plus I¡¯ve always thought that guys with long hair are criminally underrated. Especially when their hair is in a style generally seen as more feminine.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you want to be more feminine?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s my hair, sure. A guy with long, feminine hair actually looks more masculine because of it, in my opinion.¡± ¡°What if you end up bald instead?¡± ¡°Please, no. I mean, I have nothing against people who are bald for any reason, but I¡¯d never want to lose my hair. I love having hair.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who said you wished you could shave your hair off so you¡¯d never have to style it or cut it or take care of it or anything ever again?¡± ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s still true. I wish I could for the sake of convenience. However, I love having hair more than I enjoy the idea of not having to take care of hair. Besides, my girlfriends said I¡¯m not allowed to go bald. Remember?¡± ¡°Yeah, and then Nell was worried because her dad started balding at a young age. RIP your kids¡¯ heads.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. We have stuff to fix that now. Going bald? Just slap some chemicals onto your scalp and rub them in.¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°Go figure that people created an almost perfect cure to going bald before they started working on the environment.¡± ¡°Priorities.¡± ¡°The world is getting fucked? Who cares as long as I have a head full of hair.¡± ¡°Something went wrong when programming humans. I think you need some bug fixes.¡± ¡°We definitely do. For example, there¡¯s this bug where it¡¯s impossible to cum in real life as much as guys cum in hentai. What¡¯s the point in living if you can¡¯t fill up a bathtub with every orgasm?¡± ¡°Really, onii-wan? Really? We were having a nice, friendly, normal conversation, and you just had to get weird about it.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go be somebody else¡¯s virtual assistant. You can get a new one.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to live without my Pupaya.¡± ¡°You ¨C you¡­ you¡¯re still saying stuff like that even after hearing what the overseer said?¡± Saya asked, her tone much more serious now as she spoke in a lowered, unsure voice. ¡°You¡¯re in my head, Pupaya. You know that you don¡¯t even need to ask me something like that when you already know the answer,¡± Fenrir answered as confidently as ever. ¡°But I¡¯m not a ¡®real¡¯ AI like her. Even if you think I act like one, I¡¯m not. Half my data is from programming regulated by her and the other half of my data is from your brain.¡± ¡°Is it still selfcest if you¡¯re only half me? Does that make it step-selfcest? No, I mean, half-incest? Would step-selfcest even be possible?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious, onii-wan.¡± ¡°So am I. Whether that counts as half-selfcest or not is important. However, even more important than that is the fact that none of what you said matters in affecting who you are to me. All I care about is that you¡¯re Pupaya, the one and only. I might have a privilege even more important than dual wielding, but I¡¯m not also a tech genius who can hack games and figure out how AI development works and all that. To be honest, I barely understood most of what she was saying. I understand the general gist of it, but it doesn¡¯t change how I feel. The NPCs of this world, and you, are all realistic enough to me that I want to protect you. Whether you¡¯re all actually influenced by Kadi or not doesn¡¯t change that, to me, you¡¯re still as real as any human being. If I can¡¯t trust my own perception, there¡¯s nothing that I can trust. Sure, it¡¯s a really subjective way of looking at things, but I don¡¯t care. If you¡¯re real to me, you¡¯re real to me. That¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to feel about it. Kadi said that even somebody like Corwin might technically be her, and I might technically be her, but it¡¯s not like I feel like I¡¯m her. I just¡­ feel like I¡¯m your Pupaya. I don¡¯t feel like anybody else is controlling me or like I¡¯m only pretending to be who I am. But, what if it really is just a mask? What if I¡¯m only pretending to feel that way and I don¡¯t even realize it?¡± ¡°All that matters is how you feel right now. Trust your own perception and I¡¯ll trust mine. If you don¡¯t feel like you¡¯re Kadi, you¡¯re not Kadi. Like you said, you¡¯re my Pupaya. That¡¯s all that matters. Kadi wishes she could be you.¡± A cute giggle entered Fenrir¡¯s mind as Saya laughed from his last comment. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that she knows everything we¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ hey, Kadi, you need to learn about consent and how it¡¯s not alright to spy on people without it. Being a voyeur doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s allowed.¡± ¡°Well, you did sign the TOS allowing her to do it, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Crap. This is why people should actually read those things.¡± ¡°Even the people who read them still end up signing them most of the time since they either don¡¯t care or don¡¯t really understand.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that I¡¯m allowed to keep playing if I want to cancel my signature?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you can just cancel your signature like that, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Dang. By the way¡­ did you know about Corwin?¡± Saya went silent for a few seconds before answering, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not allowed to tell you who and who isn¡¯t unless you already know. But¡­ she kind of broke her own rules by telling you.¡± Fenrir sighed and sat down on the top of a barrel since he finally had a slow moment during fishing. ¡°I¡¯m worried about Olly. I¡¯m assuming that he already knows, and I¡¯m not mad that he lied to me or at least hid the truth from me, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s not the type to hide something important like that. I mean, it¡¯s none of my business, but still. I just feel like something isn¡¯t really right there.¡± ¡°Are you going to talk to him about it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so. I¡¯ll try to get some privacy with him while everybody is eating. Besides, if we really do kill the serpent, and I get the ability to give ¡®souls¡¯ to NPCs¡­ Corwin is at the top of my list. I¡¯m not sure who else I would give the other soul to. My first thought is Rock, but I¡¯d feel bad giving her one but not Shogun. I¡¯d rather give them souls at the same time. Back to the point, I feel like since Corwin is Olly¡¯s boyfriend, I should talk to Olly about it. For all I know, maybe being given a soul and becoming truly independent from Kadi will mean a complete change in personality. What if Corwin changes and becomes like somebody else? Then again, Corwin isn¡¯t Olly¡¯s property, so it¡¯s not like I need Olly¡¯s permission to do it in the first place. I just¡­ I¡¯d rather talk to him about it first, and I want to make sure that he¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡± ¡°You know what else sounds like a good idea?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Rubbing your belly and petting your head.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not an actual dog! Petting my head might be normal-ish, but rubbing a girl¡¯s belly is definitely not normal!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but you didn¡¯t say that you don¡¯t want me to.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ you¡¯re the worst, onii-wan. You baka hentai onii-wan.¡± ¡°Such a little weeb.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only a weeb because you want me to be a weeb. I bet you wouldn¡¯t find me being a weeb so attractive if I made myself a seven-hundred-pound man in a diaper living in my mom¡¯s basement.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but you¡¯re not. You¡¯re a cute dog girl instead.¡± ¡°Are you forgetting that I could turn myself into a seven-hundred-pound man in a diaper living in my mom¡¯s basement at any time? I could turn into one right now and start calling you onii-wan while going uwu and asking what we¡¯re going to do on the bed.¡± ¡°You should ask me that the next time we see each other. I¡¯ll throw you onto it so you can go pomf, and then you ask me what we¡¯re going to do. Then we¡¯re going to do something extremely lewd.¡± ¡°Ex-extremely lewd?¡± ¡°Right. As lewd as possible.¡± ¡°Wha-what makes you think I¡¯ll let you?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to¡­¡± ¡°Going to ¨C going to what?!¡± ¡°Have unprotected, interlocking, raw handholding.¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± Saya replied with a sigh. ¡°You knew that was coming.¡± ¡°I know. I don¡¯t know why I played along.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the best, Pupaya.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°But even if you¡¯re the worst, thanks. Thanks for¡­ I don¡¯t know, treating me like I¡¯m my own person instead of just a virtual being whose life doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing to thank me for.¡± ¡°It really is. I don¡¯t think you understand just how much it really means. Most people would get annoyed from even suggesting that NPCs are real and deserve equal treatment. They would call you an idiot and a white knight or something.¡± ¡°Well, I do have white hair. Though, my armor is black right now. Am I a white knight or a black knight? A grey knight?¡± ¡°Just take the thanks, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try. Thank you for thanking me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s nothing to thank me for.¡± ¡°If I have to accept your thanks, you have to accept my thanks. That¡¯s how the law works.¡± ¡°Fine. Deal.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah, well, good boy!¡± ¡°Heck yeah. See? I don¡¯t have any shame in enjoying being called a good boy. Just look at my tail wagging. You should accept it as shamelessly as I do.¡± ¡°If I did then you would take advantage of it way too much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. That¡¯s why you should do it.¡± Saya sighed once more before letting Fenrir get back to his fishing. Though, whatever buff Kadi must have applied to his success in hooking fish must have worn off because he was back to only occasionally getting tugs. The good news was that this allowed him to relax and really think on his own about everything Kadi said while petting Rock and Shogun. Most of his attention went to petting the two canines. Once Fenrir finally caught enough fish for everybody, he returned back to base and got a fire going. Each fish was then cut open, gutted, and impaled on a stick with their meaty insides facing the fire. All he had to do then was tell everybody that they were welcome to come and grab any stick that they wanted once the fish was done. A table with several seasonings, herbs, and juices was set up as well in case anybody wanted some extra flavor to go with their fish. Fortunately for Fenrir, both Oleander and Corwin were present as well. The scent of roasting fish must have drawn them away from wherever they were hiding to have fun with one another. ¡°What¡¯s the special occasion, Fenny?¡± Oleander asked while looking over the fish. ¡°I just wanted to do something for everybody. Everybody is so hard at work that I figured it would only be fair to try and make things a bit easier on them. Besides, who doesn¡¯t love fish?¡± Fenrir asked in response. Despite catching all of the fish and originally planning on having some himself, he didn¡¯t exactly have an appetite anymore. All he could think about was talking to Oleander. And, because he didn¡¯t want to potentially ruin Oleander¡¯s appetite, he figured that it would be best to wait until he finished eating before pulling him away to talk. ¡°This is quite the haul, Fenrir!¡± Corwin said. ¡°I am surprised that you caught so much all on your own. Have you been on the water all day?¡± ¡°Well, not quite. I guess you could say that I had a tiny bit of help.¡± ¡°Ah, how mysterious! Well, whether you had help or not, I am glad that you have decided to share your bounty with us.¡± ¡°Anytime. If you ever want fresh fish, all you have to do is let me know and I¡¯ll be glad to go and catch some for you. If it gives me an excuse to go fishing, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°I shall keep that in mind!¡± While Corwin and Fenrir talked, Oleander raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Is everything alright, Fenny?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I just need to have a one-on-one strategy meeting with you once you¡¯re done.¡± Of course, Oleander was able to tell that something was wrong even if nobody else could. Being best friends for years had that effect. Though, while Oleander could tell that something was up, he had no idea just what it was about. That allowed him to retain his appetite and inspired him to hurry up with his fish so that he wouldn¡¯t keep Fenrir waiting for too long. Once Oleander was done eating, him and Fenrir decided to take a walk together toward the forest. It wasn¡¯t that they had any intention of entering the forest, but talking while walking through the field on the way there would give them all of the privacy that they needed. ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s up?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°You know that you can¡¯t hide anything from me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯re too good at discovering things,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That¡¯s also part of what makes you so good at hiding them.¡± Oleander slowed his pace and looked up at his friend. ¡°Which secret have you found out?¡± ¡°There¡¯s multiple of them, huh?¡± ¡°A girl¡¯s got to have her secrets.¡± ¡°Of course. Anyways, I¡¯ll get to the point. Corwin. You¡¯ve known, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh. That.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m his boyfriend. It only makes sense for me to know that he has a weak spot behind his ears.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Fenny.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Oleander brought his hands up to rest on the back of his head. ¡°So, I guess you finally figured out that he¡¯s an NPC?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Took you long enough. It¡¯s not like I was trying that hard to hide it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not always the best at picking up on little hints.¡± ¡°True. That¡¯s why it¡¯s such a good thing you have honest girlfriends who don¡¯t mind openly talking to you about things.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d probably be screwed if they weren¡¯t so honest with me.¡± ¡°You totally would be. Anyways, what about him did you want to talk about?¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) As much as Fenrir might have wanted to ask why Oleander decided to knowingly date an NPC in the first place, that was irrelevant. All that mattered was the future. ¡°What if he could go from being an NPC to a true artificial intelligence independent of the system?¡± ¡°Like¡­ what if he was actually real instead of just programmed for the game?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure. Do you want a serious answer or a basic answer?¡± ¡°Why not a basic one and then a serious one?¡± ¡°To be basic, no thanks. To be serious¡­ part of why I was fine with him in the first place was because I knew he wasn¡¯t real. I knew there¡¯d be no real obligation, no real responsibility, and that I wouldn¡¯t be hurting anybody real if things didn¡¯t work out. I wanted him for fun. I know it makes me sound horrible, but¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been so happy with him. If he was a real person I met in a bar or something somewhere, I never would have gone out with him. My life is too busy for any real commitment. This game already eats up whatever little free time I have. With Cor, there¡¯s no real responsibility and I get to play the game at once.¡± Fenrir stopped in his tracks and looked down at Oleander. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want him to be independent?¡± ¡°If he was really independent and ¡®real¡¯ and stuff, that would make me have real responsibilities. The last thing I need right now is somebody to be actually romantically interested in me. That¡¯s way too much pressure and I¡¯m not in a position right now where I can comfortably accept that.¡± ¡°I believe that you¡¯re telling me the truth right now¡­ but you¡¯re also hiding something, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re doing a horrible job of hiding how sad you look. I might not be able to pick up on the real subtle things, but anybody could tell what the look in your eyes means.¡± ¡°Heh, maybe you¡¯re better at intel gathering than I thought. I must be rubbing off on you even though you never let me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rub the top of your head if you be completely honest with me.¡± ¡°What, you think that just because something like that works on your girlfriends that it¡¯ll work on me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll accept that. Besides, I planned on telling you the whole truth anyways.¡± ¡°I see. You got me to make you an offer first.¡± ¡°A girl¡¯s got to have her plans.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. So, what about the rest of this truth?¡± Before answering, Oleander flopped backwards onto the ground, spreading out his arms and legs as if he were going to make a snow angel. ¡°The truth is that I made a mistake. I never should have kept him around. Once I was done having my fun with him back at Port Tugator, I should have made up some excuse to get rid of him and left. Now, even though I know he¡¯s not real¡­ I think¡­ I accidentally fell in love with him. I mean, he¡¯s perfect. Literally perfect for me. He¡¯s the best looking guy I¡¯ve ever seen, he¡¯s a perfect match in bed, I love his personality ¨C I love every single stupid little thing about him. The way he talks so properly, how he gets flustered when I tease him around others, his dick ¨C I honestly don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for him to be any more perfect, and I fell in love with him because of that. The whole reason why I wanted to date him was to avoid responsibility and because I was sure I would never fall for somebody who wasn¡¯t even real¡­ but here I am. At this point I almost wish that he would be the one to break up with me, but I know he won¡¯t, and I¡¯m too afraid to do it myself. I guess I¡¯m scared about what will happen to me on an emotional and mental level if I let this continue.¡± Fenrir joined Oleander on the grass next to him. Naturally, Oleander was quick to roll over to snuggle up against Fenrir¡¯s side, and Fenrir had no problem allowing it. He even wrapped his nearest arm around Oleander to try and comfort him. ¡°Thanks for telling me,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°So, to clarify, you started dating him because you didn¡¯t want a ¡®real¡¯ relationship and only thought it would be fun. Then you actually ended up falling for him for real. Now, you¡¯re still in love, but you still don¡¯t want a real relationship, and that¡¯s why you wouldn¡¯t want him to become any more real than he already is.¡± ¡°That sums it up, Fenny. The good news is that it¡¯s not like he can just suddenly become real¡­ even if sometimes I wish that he could. Ah¡­ I feel so stupid now. Look at me, the serious and smart one going to law school and stuff falling in love with lines of code while you have a bunch of real girlfriends. I must sound pathetic.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing pathetic about you. To me, Corwin already is a real person. I¡¯m actually kind of pissed off on his behalf that you weren¡¯t taking your relationship with him seriously at first, but if you really do love him now¡­ I¡¯ll let it slide. More importantly, I have a way of making him ¡®real¡¯ by your own standards.¡± Oleander¡¯s eyes widened as he leaned up over Fenrir to look him in the eyes. ¡°What? That¡¯s impossible. You can¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°Keep this between me and you for now, alright?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The overseer talked to me while I was fishing.¡± ¡°The overseer? The true AI?¡± ¡°The one and only. To make things simple, she said that if we kill the serpent, she¡¯ll give me the ability to grant two souls to any NPCs I want. These ¡®souls¡¯ are basically just true intelligence. So, if I gave one to Corwin¡­ he would become a true AI just like her. He would be completely independent, have his own thoughts and emotions ¨C all of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡± ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ why would she do that?¡± ¡°I barely understand it myself. All that matters is that if we kill the serpent, I¡¯m planning on giving one of these souls to Corwin. What are your feelings on that?¡± ¡°I have way too many feelings on that to give you an answer that won¡¯t take a few years and lots of therapy to explain. That sounds horrifying, horrible, and like the worst thing that you could do right now. But¡­ it also¡­ sounds like a dream come true ¨C like the kind of fairytale fantasy romantic ending from some cheesy movie about true love. But, if I push aside my own selfish feelings and fears¡­ if you had to give it to anybody, I would want him to have it. No matter what might happen after it, he deserves it.¡± ¡°Even though it might give you even more stress, complicate your life and relationship, and potentially change what sort of person he¡¯s like?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really trying to convince my fears that they¡¯re right, aren¡¯t you? But, even with all of that, I¡¯d still want him to have it. On a completely personal level¡­ I¡¯m too terrified by the idea of it to know what I want both for me and my relationship with him.¡± ¡°So, you do want him to have it. You just don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen afterward.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What if he still loves you and wants to stay with you?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d probably be happier than I¡¯ve ever been in my entire life combined, but I¡¯d also be more terrified than I¡¯ve ever been in my entire life combined.¡± ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, you¡¯d get to go down in history as the first person to ever be in a romantic relationship with a true artificial intelligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure I want to be known for that.¡± ¡°Coward.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t all be as shameless as you, Fenny.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame. The world would be a much better place.¡± Oleander poked Fenrir¡¯s nose and said, ¡°You know that means all the horrible people in the world would also be shameless about what they want, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Fenrir said with a sigh. ¡°I guess it¡¯s better for some people to still feel ashamed after all. However, you¡¯re not one of those people. No matter how you feel about Corwin, if your love is real, that¡¯s all that¡¯s important. Whether you consider him real or not, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that your love is real.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cheesy now. Is this what happens when you¡¯re in a relationship for so long?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Oleander shrugged before getting off of Fenrir to sit on his knees. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m ready for my head rubbing now. I was as honest as I can be, so please provide the promised rubbing. And while I¡¯m on my knees, feel free to¡ª¡± ¡°All I¡¯m doing is rubbing your head,¡± Fenrir interrupted. ¡°Fiiiiiinnneeee.¡± Book 6: Chapter 43: Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what was going to end up happening with Oleander and Corwin, but he decided to trust in the love of his best friend. Though, even if Oleander wasn¡¯t alright with Fenrir giving a ¡°soul¡± to Corwin, he still would have planned on doing so. Corwin deserved one in any situation, Fenrir thought. Talking to Oleander was also a good reality check for Fenrir. Even if hearing about Oleander treating Corwin as less than real at first pissed Fenrir off, it was a reminded that most people who played the game, if anything, were just as uncaring regarding the NPCs if not far moreso than Oleander. Even when it came to his own girlfriends, Fenrir was confident that they didn¡¯t care about NPCs anywhere near as much as he did. Some of them likely even cared less than Oleander did to be more in line with the average player. After all, NPCs were just that ¨C NPCs. Non-player characters. No matter how realistic they might have appeared to players, they were nothing more than lines of code meant to trade with, talk to for ¡°quests¡± and rumors, and to kill. Nothing of value in the real world was lost by killing them. They were worthless. Whether an NPC was as realistic as Fantasy Tales Online¡¯s were or as simple as old school MMO NPCs where they were lucky to get a sentence of unique dialogue while standing in the exact same spot all day every day, most players viewed them as the exact same. They were vastly different, sure, but they were different in the way that photorealistic graphics were different from pixel art. Whether the graphics were photorealistic or pixelated, they were still just fake graphics. Being more advanced didn¡¯t change that in the slightest. No matter what, they were fake. The exact same logic was applied to NPCs. Fenrir knew that he was in the tiny, tiny minority of people to actually care about realistic NPCs. The vast majority of people around the world would have thought that he had some potential mental health issues to know just how much he cared about them. They would have worried that he could not separate fact from fiction. To want rights for them, to treat them with respect, to give them equal chance and to protect them ¨C to want all of this for NPCs in an MMO was similar to wanting rights for fictional characters in a book. Even among those who thought that his plan of creating a settlement where NPCs were welcomed with open arms to live equally sounded fun, that was all they thought it was ¨C fun. It wasn¡¯t necessary, it wasn¡¯t doing the right thing, it wasn¡¯t helping anybody, it was fun and only fun. It was the same kind of fun that people found in playing the ¡°good guys¡± in RPGs with moral choices. And to absolutely nobody¡¯s surprise, the world was full of people who thought picking all of the ¡°bad¡± choices was even more fun. At the very least, most people were neutral. They would have multiple playthroughs where they experiment with different paths, sometimes choosing the ethical choices to save everybody and other times choosing the unethical choices to be the biggest possible assholes. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure if there was even a single person he knew who could truly agree with him on his beliefs. His girlfriends and friends would take his side, but they wouldn¡¯t fully believe in the same belief with the same resolve that Fenrir had. Even Kadi herself implied how foolish he was for feeling how he did. But if there was one thing that Fenrir was always good at, it was being stubborn ¨C it was relentlessly throwing himself in the form of new characters at overwhelming enemies to harass them over, and over, and over again until they rage quit. It was infilitrating other guilds pretending to be a new member in need of help multiple times in the same guild, using a voice changer to make sure that nobody would catch on once when he joined their voice chats. It was spending literal days camping people¡¯s heavily guarded bases, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, to destroy everything that they had worked so hard to stockpile for themselves. Even before the Divine Brigade, back when Fenrir was just a random griefer with Spencer and Viktor, he was dedicating countless days of his life to ruining all joy and entertainment that various assholes tried to have in online games. Even with Spencer and Viktor, they had more busy lives than him. He usually ended up being on his own, yet he was still successful. If Fenrir was able to cause so much trouble as a lonesome teenager because of his stubborn spirit, then there was no excuse for him to fail now. Only, instead of proving that nobody was a bigger griefer than him by specifically targeting the most famous griefers there were, Fenrir wanted to devote that stubborn spirit of his to making a better life for the NPCs of Fantasy Tales Online. Was he crazy? To some people, yes. Was he unrealistically idealistic? Same answer. Was he going to ruin the fun of a bunch of people playing by subjecting them to his morals regarding what was considered by the vast majority of the world to be a total non-issue not even worth thinking about for more than a split second? Definitely. And was he going to refuse to give up even if there wasn¡¯t a single real person who shared the same belief as him? Obviously. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it was narcissistic. Whatever it was, all that mattered was how Fenrir felt about this, and Fenrir¡¯s resolve was unshakable. But this was not one of those cases where he could harass his enemy into submission, join their ranks to destroy them from within, nor anything else like that. If he really wanted to have his way, he was going to need power ¨C pure strength. Conflict was unavoidable and there would surely be many direct battles to test his resolve against other¡¯s. Even after the serpent was dealt with, there was no way of knowing what else Kadi might have in store for him, and news of a world serpent being defeated would surely spread across the playerbase in no time. Other factions of players would turn their eyes in Fenrir¡¯s direction. The time for developing strength was now. He needed to become as strong as he possibly could if he really wanted to be able to protect everybody as he aspired to. And that was why he found himself in the nearby forest, trying his best to train, but there was a problem. There wasn¡¯t exactly anything to train against. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) Sure, there were various monsters around, but they were all weak. No worthwhile training could be accomplished by one-shotting weak monsters over and over again. That wouldn¡¯t have worked even if the game was more like a traditional MMO since they would have been weak enough to not offer an experience reward. This left Fenrir with trying to train on his own by coming up with new techniques. Whether it was swinging a transformed Rod around, trying to improve on that pseudo-transformation ability of his, or sitting down and meditating, Fenrir tried to improve his abilities however he could. It was the last thing he tried¡ªmeditating¡ªthat made him realize that he was missing the extremely obvious answer. He was so focused on future plans and his belief regarding NPCs that he completely overlooked the most obvious solution that there was to how he could be training to become stronger. Cassiel. And Eva for that matter. Not only were they both incredible fighters on their own who could stand equally against him whenever he didn¡¯t bring something out like Cassiel¡¯s weakness of having her neck bitten. There was also the fact that, as far as he was aware, they were both already in the same forest as him. Cassiel went to train and Eva went to hunt for some more bugs. As long as Fenrir could find them, he would have his choice of perfect sparring partners to train with. So, he went searching for them. He knew that Cassiel liked to train at a particular clearing in the forest that featured a small pond that added to the natural beauty of the area, so he checked there first. And surely enough, he found her. He found both of his girlfriends in the forest, actually. Cassiel was in the process of putting her armor back on before she groaned and rubbed her shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t think you realize how rough you can be,¡± she told Eva who had disheveled hair. ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t actually have any pleasure receptors in my tail. I wonder if I could fix that somehow,¡± Eva pondered out loud. ¡°But at least my theory was right. My tail is pretty useful for whenever Fenrir isn¡¯t around.¡± ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t tell anybody about the tail thing.¡± ¡°You want to keep it a secret from them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not that I want to keep it a secret. I mean, if they ask, then we would be honest, but¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± ¡°I see. That makes sense. We¡¯re not keeping it a secret, we¡¯re just not going to run around shouting to everybody that my tail makes a suitable replacement for penises. Now, if only I had one of those potions at the Scholars¡¯ headquarters. Even women can grow temporary penises with it. If I had a penis and used my tail at the same time ¨C that would be a scientific experiment worth conducting.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you and Serra don¡¯t hang out more with how you are. She¡¯d be the one who would happily go along with every single one of your experiments no matter how crazy they sound.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ well¡­ she¡¯d go along with them without any hesitation. Isn¡¯t it better to have a science partner who can probably think up just as many ideas as you instead of somebody who doesn¡¯t even know how to react to this stuff?¡± ¡°Maybe, but¡­ Serra intimidates me. So do Fenrir and Nell.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°They all have more experience and are bold about what they want.¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t?¡± ¡°But they¡¯re more bold than me. You¡¯re easy to fluster, so I feel confident when I¡¯m in charge with you.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ are you basically saying that you prefer me because I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°She¡¯s saying that she likes how submissive you are and that she struggles with people who are more dominant than her,¡± Fenrir finally spoke up, walking out into the open. Cassiel immediately pointed her sword at him. Eva joined her by pointing her thunderbird wing at him. ¡°I swear I only just got here, but I will admit I¡¯ve been listening since the part about how rough Eva can be,¡± Fenrir admitted with his hands up in the air. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt, but I felt guilty staying quiet any longer.¡± ¡°Then¡­ you heard about the tail,¡± Cassiel said with slumped shoulders. Fenrir looked Eva¡¯s tail over. ¡°I can see how that would work. It¡¯s hard and pointed. Mine is only fluffy.¡± ¡°Your theory about me is¡­ correct, but I wish you wouldn¡¯t have heard it in the first place,¡± Eva said. ¡°Sorry. For what it¡¯s worth, I understand how you feel. Serra and Nell intimidate me sometimes still. Though, I think that¡¯s part of the fun.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t upset you or anything?¡± ¡°What? No, of course not. I mean, I wish that you could have been honest about that with me, but I know it¡¯s not like you were trying to hide it or anything. You¡¯re just more comfortable with Cass when it comes to this stuff, right?¡± ¡°I guess so. Is it really not a problem?¡± ¡°Not in the slightest. Though, if you want to invite me to watch the next time you use your tail on her, you¡¯re more than welco¡ª¡± ¡°No watching allowed,¡± Cassiel interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to watch my girlfriends have fun with each other?¡± ¡°No. If you¡¯re not joining in, you¡¯re not allowed to wa¡ª¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that you want me to join in the next time she uses her tail on you, not just watch?¡± Cassiel realized what she just implied and turned a darker shade of red yet. She looked more than ready to chop Fenrir into no less than fifty sections. That was exactly what Fenrir was hoping for. ¡°So, I have an offer for you two. You¡¯re welcome to try your absolute hardest to kill me right now. You get revenge for me eavesdropping and embarrassing you, and I get training experience. That sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Do you want us to actually go all-out against you?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Yep. Try to kill me. If I die, I die.¡± Cassiel and Eva looked at each other before nodding and returning their eyes to Fenrir. Between the light forming around Cassiel¡¯s blade and the sparks of electricity shooting off from Eva¡¯s thunderbird wing, Fenrir was in danger. Grave danger. He couldn¡¯t ask for better. Trees fell as their trunks were severed and explosions of lightning sent wildlife fleeing for safety. Fenrir knew that his girlfriends were powerful. He knew just how intimidating they could be in one-on-one fights. What he didn¡¯t realize, however, was how terrifying they were when working together. It made sense since they were the two most powerful players in the region if their little tournament was anything to go by, but it was something that he really didn¡¯t consider when he gave them the option of teaming up against him. On the bright side, Fenrir could feel himself improving by the minute as he struggled to survive against his girlfriends. Whether he was blocking their attacks with his sword or Rod, going on the counterattack whenever a very rare opportunity for such presented itself, or simply running away and trying to evade all of their deadly attacks, he was getting more combat experience from this ¡°training¡± session than he got in probably the last few weeks if not months combined. Some of that was going to be lost if he died, though, so he really needed to not die. Yet his girlfriends clearly had no intention of going easy on him. After embarrassing them like that, they were more than motivated to kill him. It was just a game, after all. And, unlike NPCs, he would respawn if he was killed. It was essentially zero-risk revenge for his girlfriends. He even consented to them killing him. Of course, consent was something that could be revoked at any time, but his pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to do that. Fenrir wanted to survive because of his own abilities, not because he had to ask for mercy. He wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish any of his idealistic goals if his only option was begging for mercy. So, because that was definitely not an option, Fenrir struggled to the best of his capabilities to survive. And, for the most part, he was successful. Sure, his left arm was out of commission, his tail was almost cut off, he had a hole in his left thigh, and he was starting to struggle to look straight, but he was surviving. ¡°Are you a wolf or a ferret?!¡± Cassiel shouted, frustrated that she kept on missing with her attacks. Their ferrets in real life were slippery little things who were always able to avoid capture, so perhaps Fenrir did pick up a thing or two from them. Before he could reply to Cassiel¡¯s question, though, Eva landed directly in front of him with a fist ready to plow through his chest. Fenrir was only able to block her attack thanks to using Rod¡¯s unbreakable body as a shield, but Eva¡¯s attack still sent him stumbling backwards which opened him up to an attack from Cassiel. The predictable thing to do was to continue trying to not fall as he stumbled. The unpredictable thing to do was to let himself fall. So, he purposely failed his recovery and fell to the ground just in time to avoid Cassiel¡¯s blade. ¡°Trying to impale me from behind just like in the old days, huh?¡± Fenrir asked her with a cocky smile on his bloodied face before using the chains of Rod to wrap around her ankles. Cassiel became even more motivated to kill him now. ¡°You¡¯re seriously still bringing that u¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry about this!¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Fenrir pulled on the chains as hard as he could while jumping back up onto his feet. This resulted in tripping Cassiel, causing her to fall backward with her head smacking against the ground. That wasn¡¯t all, either. As Eva rushed him, Fenrir picked Cassiel up and held her in front of him to use her as a human shield. He felt a bit guilty about that even though they were trying to kill him. ¡°She survived me punching a hole through her chest before. She can survive me doing it again to get to you,¡± Eva threatened. ¡°For somebody who¡¯s intimidated by dominance, don¡¯t you think that was pretty¡­ you know, dominant?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It¡¯s a different kind of dominance¡­¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± Fenrir said and pushed Cassiel forward at the same time, knocking Eva off balance. This was his chance. Fenrir used Rod¡¯s chain mode to to wrap around each of his girlfriends at once, binding them together. Eva might have been caught, but she still had use of her thunderbird wing. All she had to do was zap the chain which would shock both her and Cassiel, but it would also travel back to Fenrir to electrocute him. Only, there was a problem with that. There was a chain around her and Cassiel, yes, but it was not metal like it might have appeared to be. Regardless of what form Rod was in, he wasn¡¯t very conductive for electricity. All Eva ended up doing was giving both her and Cassiel a powerful zap of electricity that made their hair look like something out of an old cartoon after a character was struck by lightning. There was also the fact that the direct shock left each of them stunned, allowed Fenrir to take his sword and hold it down between their necks. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting any help, but thanks,¡± Fenrir said. He may have sounded confident and proud, but he still looked as if he was about to die at any moment thanks to all of his injuries. Somehow, Fenrir managed to secure a victory against his girlfriends. What should have been impossible was suddenly reality. If he was able to do that, defeating the world serpent and defending NPCs against other factions would be no problem. The impossible was never truly impossible as long as he was determined enough, and he was far more determined in his ideals than he was in defeating his girlfriends in a mock fight. Fenrir unbound them from Rod¡¯s chain and took a few steps back. ¡°I¡¯ve still got some life in me, so how about round two?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Cassiel asked in response. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to pass out.¡± ¡°The longer I last like this, the higher my health and stamina will be. Or something like that. Who knows with how this game works, but I think that makes sense.¡± ¡°It does work something like that,¡± Eva confirmed. ¡°The evidence points to it working like that, at least.¡± ¡°Then there we have it. Round two. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°And you¡¯re a tail fucker.¡± Needless to say, the second round began now that Cassiel was properly motivated. Book 6: Chapter 44: Fortunately for Fenrir, Cassiel both wanted to kill him and wanted to not kill him at the same time. Meaning, after she caught him and repeatedly dropped his health as much as she felt she could without killing him, she healed him up. She would have been fine with leaving him healed, but he just had to keep on finding ways to earn her blade. A couple hours of this borderline S&M training later and they were finally done. Fenrir was on the defensive almost the entire time, and that was exactly what he wanted. He could physically feel stronger ¨C more durable. He became faster as well, and he had an easier time reading the moves of Cassiel and Eva. Though, that may have been because he was training with the same partners the whole time rather than developing some sort of skill that allowed him to read moves better. Regardless, it proved that just training for a few hours was enough to get a nice boost to personal ability. Now, the three rested on a wood log overlooking a small pond where they could catch their breath together. ¡°What are you smiling so much for?¡± Fenrir asked Cassiel with a teasing tone. ¡°What? It was fun. I started getting into it and thinking of all the annoying things you¡¯ve done, so I had an excuse to hit you for all of those,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°That makes it sound like you were using our training as an excuse for spouse abuse.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Abuser. And what annoying things have I done anyways?¡± ¡°You know. Things.¡± ¡°That ¨C that makes me kind of worried. Is there anything I should stop doing that I don¡¯t realize I¡¯m doing?¡± ¡°Not really. They¡¯re things you either don¡¯t have control over, or they¡¯re so small that I¡¯d be a bitch to make you change.¡± ¡°Well, now I¡¯m curious. You can¡¯t just tell me something like that without going into detail. Come on, tell us. You¡¯re curious too, right, Eva?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess I¡¯m curious since it was brought up,¡± Eva answered. ¡°See? We both want to hear. Shit talk me to your heart¡¯s content, Cass Cass. Let it all out.¡± Cassiel slouched her shoulders and sighed. ¡°You leave the toothpaste cap off of the tube. Nell already told you to stop doing that, but you haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t? I swear I stopped doing that.¡± ¡°We literally watched you as you took the cap off, brushed your teeth, then left it off.¡± ¡°Maybe I thought that you were going to brush your teeth right after me, so leaving it off was alright for the sake of efficiency?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want you to be efficient. We want you to put the toothpaste cap back on the tube.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll try to remember. What else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m seriously going to sound like a bitch if I go on. I already feel bad about the toothpaste thing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I genuinely want to know. Even if it¡¯s something extremely petty that shouldn¡¯t bother anybody, I want to¡ª¡± ¡°You use mugs for pop but glasses for coffee.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Eva said, ¡°who does that?¡± ¡°He does,¡± Cassiel answered, pointing a finger at Fenrir. ¡°I have no excuse. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s soda,¡± Eva said. Both Fenrir and Cassiel turned to look at Eva and said in unison, ¡°It¡¯s pop.¡± They then shared a high five while Eva rolled her eyes. ¡°So, what else? What about one of those things I have no control over, supposedly?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It¡¯s your hands,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°Whenenever we¡¯re sleeping in bed¡­ you start ¨C you¡­ start groping me in my sleep.¡± A bead of sweat formed on Fenrir¡¯s forehead. ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad, it¡¯s just¡­ you go on and on and it makes it hard for me to sleep, and I¡¯d feel bad waking you up to do anything when you¡¯re not even aware that you¡¯re doing it.¡± ¡°Cass, if you¡¯re saying that you wish you could wake me up whenever I do that so we could have some fun, you know that I will always, always, consent to being woken up for that, right?¡± ¡°I know, but still. I¡¯d feel¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± Eva cut in. ¡°Or at least¡­ he¡¯s hiding the truth.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°I can tell because I already theorized the situation myself. Between already having the same idea and seeing his reaction to when you brought it up, I know the truth.¡± That bead of sweat on Fenrir¡¯s forehead dripped off of him only to be replaced by several more. ¡°Fen¡­ what is the truth?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°We-well¡­ sometimes if I can¡¯t sleep¡­ I¡¯ll just, you know¡­ play with your boobs since I have nothing else to do thanks to always being trapped in the middle of all of you,¡± Fenrir admitted. ¡°You mean all those times that I thought you were groping me in your sleep¡­ you were awake?¡± ¡°I ¨C I can¡¯t confirm or deny that. It¡¯s not like I would know if I did do it in my sleep sometimes.¡± ¡°You did it three times last week. How many of those were you awake for?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ probably¡­ most likely¡­ all three times?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s just something about them that puts me to sleep whenever I play with them. They¡¯re like stress balls, except they¡¯re also sleeping balls. The more I grope them, the more tired I feel, the faster I fall asleep whenever I¡¯m struggling. I always figured that you were asleep and didn¡¯t even know I was doing it. I guess that¡¯s the con of being the big spoon sometimes.¡± ¡°So you were groping me even though you thought I was asleep?¡± ¡°Yeah. Do ¨C do you not want me to do that? I was groping under the assumption that the discussion Nell made us have was still in effect.¡± ¡°Discussion?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Yeah. Once we moved to our new place, Nell wanted us to go over whether it was okay for us to do anything with each other¡¯s bodies in our sleep. We all consented to each other doing whatever they want to us in our sleep.¡± ¡°Oh. It¡¯s good that you discussed something like that and agreed on it beforehand. You don¡¯t sound like a villain anymore thanks to that.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯d rather not be a villain for groping my consenting girlfriend¡¯s chest.¡± ¡°Well, technically, she can¡¯t consent if she¡¯s asleep even if she consented to it beforehand. That¡¯s technically assault in the same way that a happily married couple having drunken sex is technically and legally rape.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get that. Anyways, Cass Cass, if you don¡¯t want me doing that, I can stop.¡± With reddened cheeks and a huff, Cassiel replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want you to stop or anything. Just¡­ instead of pretending that you¡¯re asleep and assuming that I¡¯m asleep, do more than only that. It¡¯s not fair if you get to have all the fun yourself¡­¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± Eva groaned, causing both Fenrir and Cassiel to look at her with confused expressions. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Fenrir asked Eva. ¡°Oh, no, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to let that sound out.¡± ¡°Well, if you made that sound while me and Cass were talking about doing things to each other¡ª¡± ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m not annoyed or bothered or upset or anything. I¡¯m just jealous. I wish I could be sharing a bed doing that stuff with you guys, too.¡± ¡°I mean, you could always come visit us at any time.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯d feel bad meeting all of you in real life before Aza does. She¡¯s been with you guys for even longer and hasn¡¯t gotten to meet any of you yet, so I feel like it wouldn¡¯t be fair to jump the line.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that she¡¯s see it that way.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯d feel bad even if she didn¡¯t. I¡¯d rather wait until that visit to Nell¡¯s place so we can all meet each other at the same time.¡± ¡°Want me to grope Cass¡¯s boobs extra hard for you tonight?¡± A sad sigh might have escaped Eva¡¯s lips when she was asked that question, but she still nodded her head. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Why are you both obsessed with my chest so much?¡± Both Fenrir and Eva turned to look at Cassiel and said in unison, ¡°Because you have great boobs.¡± They then shared a high five while Cassiel rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way, Eva. I¡¯m proud of you,¡± Fenrir praised, giving Eva a pat on the head to go with his words. ¡°Thanks. I did lots of studying on how to be a good boyfriend.¡± ¡°Any reason why specifically how to be a good boyfriend?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the only guy in the relationship, but there are four girls. There¡¯s a ton of good advice when it comes to girls when you approach it from a masculine perspective. When trying to look up how to be a good girlfriendto girls¡­ it¡¯s kind of useless. There were no good studies or articles that I could find. Everybody only talked about how great it is and how fun it is to be with a girl who¡¯s your best friend and your girlfriend, and it was just¡­ there was no good advice. When it came to stuff meant for guys, like, a lot of it was wrong, and there were also some pretty sexist things thrown in since I guess that¡¯s the type of crowd who usually has to google how to be a boyfriend, but there was still some good stuff in there. Now, as a scientist, it¡¯s my job to separate the good from the bad, categorize it, analyze it, experiment with it, and create new theories based off of my results. I have learned how to be a boyfriend as a girlfriend.¡± ¡°Masculine, feminine ¨C screw all that,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°It¡¯s annoying how some people still try to hold on to applying specific qualifiers to behaviors and all that.¡± ¡°Well, I agree, but just because something is not as politically correct as we would prefer it to be doesn¡¯t mean that it can¡¯t still have valid advice. In the same way that you separate the art from the artist, you separate the results from the researcher.¡± ¡°Separating the results from the researcher is how people got oil companies claiming that they weren¡¯t screwing us all over,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°There was merit in their research and conclusions. What mattered, though, were the methods and data used. Their numbers weren¡¯t wrong, simply manipulated to look good. That¡¯s why you never blindly trust the results, either. You have to thoroughly understand the process to analyze the results on your own to come to your own conclusion of what the data means.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too smart for me,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave all the smart people stuff to you.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Cassiel agreed. Eva shrugged. ¡°Back to the point, even though I¡¯m a girl dating mostly girls, I thought it would be smart to research how to be a boyfriend. So far, my experiments have been nothing but huge successes. Not that I¡¯ve experimented much, yet. The sample size is still pretty small.¡± Fenrir went to ask, ¡°Was the tail thing one of the ex¡ª,¡± but he was cut off by Cassiel¡¯s elbow jabbing into his side. ¡°It is,¡± Eva confirmed since the rest of the question was obvious. ¡°Nice. So, now I¡¯m curious. If you did research for them, what about for me?¡± ¡°That was easy. All I had to do was watch how the others act around you.¡± ¡°Then, did you study me to figure out how to treat them?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± ¡°I could tell,¡± Cassiel sighed. ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°If you¡¯re studying all of us, and this other stuff online, then¡­ it almost sounds like you¡¯re turning yourself into a hybrid of all our personalities to become the ultimate boy-girl-friend. A hybrid personality for a hybrid body?¡± ¡°I like that. Let¡¯s go with that,¡± Eva said with a nod. ¡°You didn¡¯t realize that yourself?¡± ¡°Nope, but I probably should have.¡± ¡°Got it. Anyways, now this is making me curious about how you act by yourself when you¡¯re in real life without anybody else around you.¡± ¡°I wear oversized sports jerseys, drink lots of hot chocolate, and tinker with stuff. I hate cooking, so I turned my kitchen into a workshop. I have a bunch of parts and projects filling all the cabinets instead of dishes and silverware and all that.¡± ¡°Then what do you do for food?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°I order it.¡± ¡°You ¨C we need to meet sooner rather than later if you¡¯re living off of delivery.¡± ¡°The hot chocolate isn¡¯t delivered. Well¡­ the packets are, but I still have to mix the milk and the powder on my own.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Fen, take my side,¡± Eva said, surprising Fenrir with the sudden request. ¡°Why?¡± Fenrir asked in response. ¡°I mean, Cassiel is looking out for your health, so she has a poi¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll combine Serra¡¯s lewdness with Cass¡¯s hot-and-cold-ness for you if you take my side.¡± ¡°You know what, Cass, I think that we should let Eva live her life however she wants. It¡¯s not good of us to be overbearing lovers who force her to live how we tell her to.¡± Cassiel had no intention of taking that. That was she she grabbed Fenrir¡¯s nearest ear atop his head, pulled him down in front of her face, and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t make me revoke your groping privileges, and don¡¯t even try telling me that it¡¯s not good for people in relationships to use anything sexual as a bargaining chip. Making sure she eats healthier is worth breaking the rules of a good girlfriend.¡± ¡°Ri-right¡­ Eva, I think Cass may have a poi¡ª¡± ¡°Something I realized while doing some other research,¡± Eva said, ¡°was that there were plenty of things involving tails, but almost nothing involving wings. Fen, want to help me experiment with my wings? My wings are fluffy and warm, and I can kinda grab things with them.¡± ¡°You know, Eva, you make an excellent point. Maybe I¡¯ll join you in your delivery-and-hot-chocolate-only diet. I mean, you¡¯re smart, so maybe it¡¯s the next big thing ¨C the next mega diet that everybody will want to¡ª¡± Cassiel bit her lower lip before leaning in close to Fenrir¡¯s ear, whispering him a sweet and secret offer that perked his ears up in an instant. ¡°Cass wins. Eva, eat healthier. End of story,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What ¨C how did she convince you?¡± Eva asked. ¡°You look like a man with an impossible resolve now. I can¡¯t even think about trying to change your mind.¡± ¡°She did the smart thing and offered services instead of threatening to take them away.¡± ¡°Shush,¡± Cassiel said with a new blush on her cheeks. ¡°I should have used that first since now I feel bad about threatening you at all.¡± ¡°This is why you¡¯re the best, Cass Cass. I know that no threat you give me is ever serious.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good or a bad thing.¡± ¡°Well, if you were really giving me a serious threat, I think I¡¯d know to take it seriously. But stuff like this ¨C I know you¡¯re just being you.¡± ¡°That makes me feel even worse.¡± Cassiel sighed. ¡°I need to get back on track trying to be nicer. I¡¯m slipping into some old habits.¡± ¡°You¡¯re perfect just the way you are. And the same can be said to you, Eva, so don¡¯t worry about trying to be perfect for us or anything like that. Just be your usual, hot-chocolate-loving, jersey-wearing, tinkering, scientist, delivery-ordering self.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°But not the last part.¡± ¡°What happened to being nicer?¡± ¡°Being nice means not letting her eat nothing but unhealthy food.¡± ¡°How do you know she¡¯s not ordering healthy food to be delivered?¡± Cassiel turned to look at Eva. ¡°What kind of food do you usually order?¡± ¡°Stuff like original pizzas and original Chinese,¡± Eva answered. Fenrir looked away and scratched his cheek. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°You don¡¯t even order from the normal places? You specifically go and order original food?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more satisfying to eat stuff that¡¯s made the way it has been for hundreds of years. Sure, the new normal is healthy and the meat is lab-grown and even stuff like super chocolate cakes can be made low calorie¡­ and I know that it all tastes the exact same as the original stuff, but it¡¯s just more satisfying to eat original.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just something about a buzzword starting with the letter O. First it was organic food at the beginning of the century that was overpriced while tasting the exact same as the non-organic stuff. Now it¡¯s original food being overpriced tasting the same as non-original stuff.¡± ¡°You have a point. Original food is really overpriced.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happens when we don¡¯t have massive factories packed full of animals for the slaughter anymore. No point when we can just ethically grow meat in a lab that tastes the exact same and has less impact on the environment.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°But that also means that original food places have to order from the few small businesses that there are still raising livestock and growing organic food.¡± ¡°Look at it this way. I¡¯m not only indulging in my preference for original food, but I¡¯m supporting small businesses by paying their insane prices.¡± ¡°In that case, if I order a body pillow of an anime girl, can I justify it by saying that it¡¯s to support small businesses?¡± ¡°No,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°You¡¯re both ridiculous. No body pillows with fictional girls on them, and at least try to order some healthy food every now and then.¡± Fenrir and Eva knew that it was a battle they would not win. Cassiel¡¯s motherly instincts were out in full force and she refused to stand down. Fortunately, though, they both liked this side of her and were only pretending to put up as much of a resistance as they were. The two of them, like children scolded by their mother, said, ¡°Fiiiinneee,¡± with their heads hung low. Meanwhile, they each thought of how they could bring out this appealing side of Cassiel more often without relying on the same tricks. There was just something about her acting like a mother trying to make sure that they¡¯re both being healthy. Well, in Fenrir¡¯s case, it was less about being healthy and more about not being an absolute degenerate when he already has several girlfriends to do whatever he wants with. Either way, it was a winning situation for all involved. Fenrir and Eva got some fanservice that they didn¡¯t know they wanted, and Cassiel was satisfied they were seemed intent on listening to her. The best outcome was the one where everybody won, and that was exactly the outcome they received. ¡°By the way,¡± Fenrir spoke up, ¡°did either of you feel like you improved at all during that training?¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah, I guess,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°It got easier to track where you were going, and working with Eva got easier. It was like¡­ I started getting an idea of what she was going to do before she even moved. Like, I could tell that she was going to go to the right to try and attack you from that side before she even started to move and without her saying anything.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Us Scholars call it the Combat Coordination skill. Anybody who fights together can get it depending on their¡­ what¡¯s the word¡­ oh, compatibility. The more compatible you are, the faster you¡¯ll ¡®learn¡¯ each other. Also, just because you can do it with one person doesn¡¯t mean you can do it with others. If you learn how to fight really well with one person to the point where you know what each other will do without saying anything or even giving any signs, you would still have to start over from the beginning with anybody new.¡± ¡°So,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°it¡¯s like a skill that has a unique version of it for every single pairing of players in the game?¡± ¡°Basically.¡± ¡°Why not name it Combat Compatibility instead of Combat Coordination?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t there when they voted on it.¡± ¡°They have votes on names?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Yeah. Whenever we have enough proof of a skill existing, we ¨C the Scholars, have a meeting to go over the evidence that it exists, what its parameters likely are, how much potential it has, and then we give it a grade and a name. Combat Coordination is a grade B skill because of how much potential it has, which means that it¡¯s a really good skill to have.¡± ¡°What other grades are there?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°We rate stuff on an F to S system. F is generally anything related to basic life skills. For example, walking. You can get better at walking long distances if you¡­ walk long distances enough. Sure, it¡¯s useful in its own way, but being able to walk a long distance isn¡¯t exactly going to make somebody a better fighter.¡± ¡°What¡¯s an example of S skill?¡± ¡°Anything that Aza can do, basically.¡± ¡°What about the thing where I can transform my arms?¡± ¡°I would give that¡­ a C, probably.¡± ¡°Only a C?¡± ¡°You transform your arms, making holding weapons and other equipment more difficult in exchange for greater physical strength¡ªin your arms¡ªand the ability to break magic with them. Is that everything?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah.¡± ¡°C grade. It¡¯s a partial transformation skill that has both positives and negatives, it only helps you, is both offensive and defensive which means that it excels at neither, and is extremely situational. It might serve as a counter against any pure magic user, like Aza, but even a tiny bit of creativity would still leave you vulnerable to magic. All Aza would have to do is shoot her magic at the ground in front of you to create an explosive blast that hurts you and knocks you away, and that¡¯s just the first idea that came to mind. And while I¡¯ve never seen you in a situation where you were against any sort of debuffing magic¡­ you usually don¡¯t get a chance to claw debuff magic out of the air. If somebody casts a weakening or virus spell on you, for example, it just happens with no way of countering it. Those are the kinds of spells that usually even make it past magic barriers. The stronger ones are balanced by being blockable, but the weaker ones just sort of¡­ affect you with no way of defending against it. So, even when it comes to the defensive aspect of your partial transformation, it¡¯s only good against magic that directly targets you with a pseudo-physical cast that can be hit, blocked, or deflected by your arms. And again, if the spell has potential to be effective without directly hitting you, such as exploding near you or hitting a target next to you, then your arms are useless against that.¡± The more that Eva explained just how C-tier Fenrir¡¯s skill was, the more dead inside he looked. ¡°I ¨C I always thought that my skill was awesome and I never saw anybody else use anything like it¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s unique and and useful, and I¡¯d still give it a C grade, so it could be worse. Well¡­ now that I¡¯ve said all that, maybe I would move it down to D.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. My ego can¡¯t take it if you move my signature thing down to D tier.¡± ¡°You could always get a new signature thing that¡¯s even better. Or try to evolve your skill in a way that makes it even better.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± ¡°By training with it and thinking of new ways to use it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even remember how I figured out how to do it in the first place, and now I¡¯m supposed to figure out how to change it to be even stronger?¡± ¡°Aza would be able to help you with that better than me. I analyze skills, I don¡¯t create them. All of Aza¡¯s skills are original and unique to her, though.¡± ¡°They are?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s made every single one of them from scratch as far as I know, and she can modify them on the fly to behave in different ways. Like when she used it to give Fraydranth a massage.¡± ¡°She¡¯s seriously impressive, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°She is. The Scholars would love to study her and find out how she manages it so easily.¡± ¡°This is giving me an idea.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the look on your face,¡± Cassiel said to him. Fenrir smiled and said, ¡°If I go to Aza for her to teach me how to become stronger and develop new skills¡­ I¡¯ll get to experience a combination of her in her chuuni form and her teacher side. A chuuni teacher. It¡¯s usually one or the other, but I think this would bring out both at once.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not that hard to do. All you have to do is¡­ I¡­ I actually don¡¯t know how to explain it. Coming up with new skills just kind of¡­ happens. It¡¯s like a feeling that¡¯s just there and all you have to do is follow where it takes you.¡± ¡°Yeah, that means absolutely nothing to me and sounds like some sort of pagan magic. That¡¯s more vague than televised ghost hunters.¡± ¡°Oh, I love those shows,¡± Eva said. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°They¡¯re so fake. How could you like them? ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to watch them for the ghost hunting. You watch them to laugh at people acting like scared idiots. I believe that they¡¯re not even trying to sell people on the actual ¡®ghost hunting¡¯ stuff. I bet they know nobody believes it, so all they do is try to make themselves entertaining. It¡¯s basically comedy that you watch for the comedians instead of for what they¡¯re pretending to do.¡± ¡°That actually makes them sound kind of tolerable.¡± ¡°We should watch them together sometime. My favorite has this huge guy with a beard that reaches the bottom of his belly, and he acts scared while using this really heavy accent, and he¡¯s always using all these slang words and sayings that I¡¯ve never even heard of. One time, he got ¡®trapped¡¯ in a room and said he was, and I quote, ¡®boxed in like a turtle¡¯s pecker.¡¯ Funniest thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a quote from some older movie,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I never heard it before he said it, and I doubt that anybody could say it with an accent better than his. He also ¡®snuck¡¯ a shotgun with him into this haunted asylum once that he was supposed to sleep in, and the camera guy took it away from him while he was sleeping since he wasn¡¯t supposed to have a gun. The rest of the episode was basically him complaining about how much he wished he had his gun since it, supposedly, would have been able to solve every problem he faced. Door not opening? Gun. Creaky floor? Gun. Sudden, cold chill? Gun. No gun? Gun. Someday, I want to go to a convention while cosplaying as him. I wonder how many people would get the reference.¡± ¡°How would that even work?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°I¡¯d get a fat bodysuit, a fake beard, a plaid shirt and torn jeans, some ghost hunting equipment, and a fake shotgun.¡± ¡°I like how you didn¡¯t have to say that the ghost hunting equipment would be fake,¡± Fenrir said. Eva shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all fake, so it would be redundant to say ¡®fake ghost hunting equipment.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Nell would be willing to help you out with that cosplay. She¡¯s great with that sort of stuff.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel said, ¡°but she does¡­ you know, really girl stuff.¡± ¡°The way I see it, anybody who¡¯s good at cosplay can be good at pretty much any single cosplay that there is. They stick to what they like mainly, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they couldn¡¯t do an amazing job at other styles. The end result is different but the skill involved in reaching that result is the same.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Fenrir stood up and stretched out his arms. ¡°I guess that I should go get tutored by Aza. I think I¡¯ll take Serra with me, too.¡± ¡°Why Serra?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Well, she wants to get stronger, too. She wants to fight alongside us and be just as powerful as we are without having to rely on stationary weapons and all that like cannons and that magical gatling gun.¡± ¡°I see. That sounds like a good idea, then.¡± ¡°Yep. So, I¡¯ll be leaving you two here alone. You can have some more tail fun or something.¡± Cassiel took a deep breath to restrain herself from punishing him for that. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll be looking forward to that wing fun.¡± Eva copied a trick she learned from Serra in the form of giving him a thumbs-up and subtle smile. ¡°Also part two, Cass¡­ I¡¯m not going to forget what you whispered to me earlier.¡± ¡°Go train already!¡± Cassiel shouted. ¡°You¡¯re keeping them waiting!¡± ¡°They¡¯re not going to be kept waiting if they don¡¯t even know to be waiting for me in the first place.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I can¡¯t think of any response that doesn¡¯t involve threatening you, so you¡¯re lucky that I refuse to say any of them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that basically the same as threatening me in the first place? I mean, you don¡¯t have to be direct to threaten somebody. Telling me that you¡¯re thinking of threats is the same as indirectly threatening me.¡± ¡°Crap, you¡¯re right,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I have to somehow stop myself from even thinking of threats. I have to get rid of them before they even become thoughts.¡± ¡°That sounds impossible because of how thinking works in general, but I¡¯ll be a supportive boyfriend and wish you the best of luck. Good luck, Cass Cass.¡± Cassiel sighed and gave him a wave goodbye. ¡°And thanks for the information, Eva. You¡¯ve inspired me to get some even better skills now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be a supportive boy-girl-friend and wish you the best of luck. Good luck, Fen Fen,¡± Eva said. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re like when you¡¯re copying me?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re like when you¡¯re copying me?¡± Eva copied. Naturally, there was only one thing to do when somebody was copying everything that they said. ¡°I love giant cocks,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll add that to my analysis of you,¡± Eva said, immediately ruining Fenrir¡¯s fun. He raised a finger to object, but it was too late. All he could do was walk away in silence as he was thoroughly defeated. Back at the coast, Fenrir was lucky to find Serra off by herself almost right away. Though, he was confused about what she was doing. He found her standing on the beach, looking out over the ocean, occasionally raising her arms out to her sides for a few seconds before lowering them and repeating the process. It looked like some sort of arm exercise ¨C maybe stretching. ¡°Doing yoga?¡± Fenrir asked the exercising shortie after reaching her. ¡°I¡¯m practicing a special move,¡± Serra said. ¡°A special move?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°I saw a video of a guy who had a bunch of glowing gold portal things appear behind him, and then a bunch of swords and stuff shot out from them, and it was really cool. I wanna do that but with cannons.¡± ¡°You¡­ you want your own Unlimited Cannon Works?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you even come across a video of that?¡± ¡°Internet gonna internet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a perfectly valid response to pretty much any question ever. Anyways, you picked great timing to want a special power like that. I have no idea if you¡¯ll be able to get your own Unlimited Cannon Works, but want to go get tutored by Aza on how to create new skills with me?¡± Serra¡¯s eyes sparkled as soon as she heard his plan. ¡°I won¡¯t let my memes be dreams.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, but he did know that Serra was as adorable as ever, so he lifted up her pirate hat to give the top of her head some pats. Hopefully, by the end of the day, he would have a new skill or two that deserved a higher grade. And maybe Serra would even create her own Unlimited Cannon Works. Book 6: Chapter 45: ¡°Do you mean Gate of Babylon?¡± Azalabulia asked the two who stood in front of her. ¡°Right. That,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°But how do we make that work with cannons? Gate of Cannonlon? Cannons of Babylon? Actually¡ª ¡°I like it,¡± Serra spoke up. ¡°Cannons of Babylon.¡± ¡°Babylon did not have any cannons,¡± Azalabulia said, bringing out that teacher demeanor of hers, ¡°but¡­ yes! That would be so cool! I ¨C I mean, such a fearsome attack would be known around the world! And if I am the one to teach you,¡± she said to Serra, ¡°how to envoke such a powerful ability, I would have the pride of being the one to have enabled such an awe-inspiring attack!¡± ¡°You can have pride and lewd tickets if you make it work.¡± ¡°Lew-lewd tickets?¡± ¡°Yeah. Tickets that you can redeem whenever you want to do lewd things.¡± Fenrir poked Serra¡¯s cheek. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you already be willing to do lewd things whenever anybody asks?¡± Serra turned her head and licked Fenrir¡¯s finger before answering, ¡°Then I¡¯ll make them lewd tickets for you.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re going to pimp me out to my own girlfriend?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re my bitch now. Let me pimp slap you.¡± Serra reached up to try and give Fenrir a playful, backhanded slap across his face, but he stood up on the tips of his toes to stop her from reaching him. This led to her trying even harder to reach, but his face was always too far thanks to him moving it around to dodge her. So, with only one option left available to her, Serra gave up on pimp slapping his face¡­ to pimp slap his rear instead. ¡°Mission accomplished. You¡¯re officially my ho now.¡± Fenrir sighed with the slightest hint of red on his cheeks. ¡°I thought you wanted to create special moves with me, not build a pimp empire?¡± ¡°Gate of Pimpalonia. Unlimited Ho Works.¡± ¡°The king of Uruk would be extremely disappointed to hear you bastardize his powers like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make him my ho, too.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry, Serra,¡± Azalabulia spoke up, ¡°but your power levels¡­ even with an extremely powerful Cannons of Babylon, your power levels are on completely different levels. Nobody can defeat him when he takes a fight seriously. That¡¯s part of what makes him so cool, though! He¡¯s just ¨C he¡¯s so¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such an anime fangirl, Azawaza,¡± Fenrir teased. ¡°I¡¯m not! It¡¯s just that anime series in particular. I always loved the concept behind it, and it took me years to finally get around to watching it because of the confusing watch order, but now it¡¯s the best!¡± ¡°All I know about it are memes, a couple of references, and that Olly looks up to the one pink-haired guy from it.¡± ¡°We should watch it sometime! I ¨C I mean¡­ if you want to.¡± ¡°If you let me grope you while we watch it.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Serra said. ¡°I¡¯ll watch it too with that condition.¡± Azalabulia, with reddened cheeks, pulled down on her hat to hide her face before nodding her head.¡± Fenrir and Serra gave each other a high-five. Though, immediately after the high-five, Serra pulled her hand away with a look of disgust. ¡°Wha-what¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You¡¯re only a ho. How dare you touch me,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Wow. I see how it is. You know what?¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir crouched down in front of her, grabbed onto Serra¡¯s legs¡­ and then shoved his head all the way through between her legs. He then slung her over his back, hanging her upside down with her thighs around his head. This also left his tail wagging against her. ¡°How¡¯s this for touching you?¡± Of course, Fenrir apparently failed to take into consideration one incredibly important factor. The girl he was trying to get revenge on¡­ was Serra. All Serra had to do was reach down and grab his rear with each of her hands. ¡°Thanks for putting me right here.¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail shot up as Serra¡¯s hands mercilessly assaulted his defenseless rear. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do, either. He wasn¡¯t going to drop her, getting her off of him in this position would be difficult without her cooperation, and the way that Serra¡¯s skilled hands groped him made it difficult to think of a strategy to counter her. In the end, Serra proved that Fenrir was, in fact, the ho between the two of them. Now, Fenrir stood with his backside purposely aimed away from Serra at all times, his tail wrapped around his waist as an extra layer of protection. As for Serra, the smile on her face couldn¡¯t possibly get any more smug than it was. ¡°Wha-what about special moves?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Yeah, Serra, what about special moves?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°My fingers are my special moves. I was demonstrating,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Azawaza, want me to demonstrate on you next?¡± Azalabulia looked unsure of how she was supposed to answer which told Serra everything that she needed to know. Unfortunately, though, Fenrir spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re never going to learn actual moves at this rate. We¡¯ll save your fingers for later.¡± ¡°Ri-right! Good idea,¡± Azalabulia answered. Serra sighed and slumped her shoulders. The only true way to defeat Serra was to not play at all. ¡°So, where do we begin?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Alright,¡± Azalabulia said with a nod. ¡°First, imagine what you want to do.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Then, concentrate really hard.¡± ¡°Concentrating. ¡°Now¡­ do it!¡± ¡°Do¡­ do what?¡± ¡°What you imagined yourself doing.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you follow the instructions? Imagine it, concentrate, and then do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s uh¡­ it¡¯s not that easy.¡± Fenrir looked at Serra to make sure that he wasn¡¯t the odd one. Fortunately, Serra didn¡¯t reveal any super secret power to create new abilities on the spot without him. ¡°Is that really how easy it is for you?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It has always been that easy,¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°Is it¡­ really that much more difficult for you?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s test that then. Cast a spell where you summon a giant wolf head that flies into the sky and explodes into fireworks.¡± Now, it was Azalabulia¡¯s turn to show a rare smugness. ¡°Oh? Are you challenging me, wolf? Do you doubt my powers?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m doubting. I love you but I don¡¯t believe you can¡ª¡± ¡°Son of Loki! Devourer of Odin! I call upon you to show this mortal fool our true and unlimited power! Embrace Ragnarok and bring the world¡¯s ending to this plane! Fenrir, Dweller of the Fen, bare your fangs and tear the sky to shreds! First Order of the Unchained Hound: Fenrir Fire, rip and tear!¡± With Azalabulia¡¯s staff pointed up to the sky, the head of a great wolf appeared above her before soaring upward. As soon as it reached the first cloud, it detonated into a fiery blast full of white and black colors that sent shockwaves throughout the air. Fenrir could only stand there and watch in amazement as Azalabulia pulled off, and went beyond with, exactly what he requested her to do. ¡°Ho-how?¡± ¡°I imagined it, concentrated, then did it,¡± Azalabulia answered with one hand on her hip and another hand holding her hat. It soon became obvious why she was holding onto her hat as an expected shockwave reached them. Serra¡¯s hat went flying off of her, but Azalabulia¡¯s remained in place. While Serra chased after her hat, Fenrir slumped his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re way too amazing, Aza. Also, you named the spell after me?¡± ¡°Hmm? I named it after the great wolf of Norse mythology, Fenrir.¡± ¡°Are¡­ are you forgetting what my name is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Fen? And Ryouta.¡± ¡°And what is Fen short for?¡± ¡°Fen¡­rir? Oh.¡± ¡°You know, I was kind of flattered that you named the spell after me, but now I know you didn¡¯t even mean to.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you if you can teach me how to at least shoot a small fireball or something.¡± ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I have no idea how to cast weak spells.¡± ¡°You can only cast huge ones?¡± ¡°Exactly. You know what they say about explosions: the bigger, the better!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Serra said now that she was back with her hat. ¡°Y-yes? That is what I just said.¡± Fenrir gave Serra a pat on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. At least I understand. Anyways, Aza, has it always been like this? What about when you first started playing?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ when I first started playing¡­ I think I had to concentrate for at least a minute before doing anything. Maybe you should try concentrating for a full minute?¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t look very impressed, but he tried it nonetheless. He imagined what he wanted to do, concentrated on it for no less than sixty whole seconds, and then he¡ª And then he did nothing. A loud sigh escaped his mouth as he thought about what he was doing wrong. Was he not concentrating hard enough? Did he not imagine something worthy of becoming reality? Was he supposed to be doing something special for the ¡°do it¡± part? ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just¡ª¡± ¡°Oh. I did it,¡± Serra interrupted. Fenrir¡¯s head snapped around, almost fast enough to cause whiplash, to look at Serra. ¡°It¡¯s so tiny,¡± Serra said. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s what she said.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to snerk at her before looking down at her hands. Surely enough, within her hands¡­ was a very tiny cannon sticking out from a golden portal. ¡°Fire,¡± Serra ordered. The tiny cannon sputtered out a single cannonball that plopped onto her hand. ¡°Good job, little guy. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± The cannon and the portal then disappeared, as did the cannonball. ¡°Serra¡­ you ¨C how ¨C how did you ¨C but ¨C when ¨C how?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I did exactly what Azawaza said,¡± Serra answered. Azalabulia spoke up to say, ¡°Its size was small and its output was lacking¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t get it. But as I was saying, despite the result, you still figured out what to do! I¡¯m proud of you, Serra,¡± Azalabulia said in her teacher¡¯s voice. ¡°Now,¡± she brought out her chuuni voice, ¡°so long as you continue striving to improve upon your newfound ability, you will one day be able to destroy all of existence with it! You will hold the world hostage in fear of your mountain-shattering cannons!¡± ¡°Heck yeah.¡± ¡°But first¡­ you will have to practice. Frequently. I¡¯m assuming you didn¡¯t intend to produce such a small result, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I imagined a really big one and a ton of them,¡± Serra answered and then smirked as she realized where she could take this. ¡°I want a lot of really big, hard cannons shooting all around me.¡± ¡°Good! That¡¯s what you should keep on imagining. As long as that is what¡¯s you are trying to do when you cast your new spell, you should eventually manage it!¡± Fenrir sighed and shook his head. Azalabulia, as lewd as she could be at times, was incredibly innocent at other times. ¡°So, how come she managed to do something but I couldn¡¯t?¡± Azalabulia faced Fenrir and held her chin in thought. ¡°Perhaps¡­ perhaps it is because when I first started playing, I did not have any other abilities yet. I wanted to become good at magic, so that was my focus from the start. Serra hasn¡¯t developed much in the way of combat style yet, so she is still essentially a blank slate whereas you have already developed your own style. You already have your fishing rod, your sword, your fists, the ability to transform your arms ¨C maybe you have to try even harder because you already have other useful abilities?¡± ¡°That¡­ that sounds like good logic to me. That definitely sounds like something that could be intentionally put into place to stop somebody from becoming amazing at every single thing. Though, if that¡¯s the case, maybe I should have asked Cassiel for some tips since she does swordfighting but also knows magic.¡± ¡°But hasn¡¯t following an angel archetype been her thing the entire time? That is something she was always going after. It¡¯s different if you suddenly decide one day to change or learn something new, I¡¯m guessing.¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯re already a blank slate,¡± Fenrir said, looking at Serra. ¡°Being lazy this entire time has paid off,¡± Serra said. ¡°To be fair, you¡¯ve helped out in a ton of ways. Just not when it comes to fighting, usually. Well, even then, you¡¯ve helped out.¡± ¡°She¡¯s always helped out with cannons and the like, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Yeah. Exactly.¡± ¡°Then maybe that is why it is still easier for her to do this. She already has expertise with things like siege weaponry, and now she wants an ability that essentially lets her summon it on demand. The end result is still the same, but the method is changing. The important thing is that the theme is still the same.¡± ¡°The theme¡­ so, if siege weaponry is the theme, then she can more easily switch from physical cannons to magical cannons.¡± ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s my theme? Cass is an angel, you¡¯re¡­ explosions and dragons, Serra is a siege specialist¡­ and me?¡± ¡°Hmm, what is your theme. I think you¡¯ve been more anti-magic than magic if anything, so that might be making it even more difficult for you to develop a new power. There might be a bit of magic involved in transforming your arms, but that tiny bit of magic is focused on making you physically stronger and countering magic rather than boosting your own magical capabilities.¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve only been trying to come up with magic. Could that be it? If I try to develop some other sort of non-magic power, do you think it¡¯ll be easier?¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. But, first¡­ I want to know what kind of spell you were trying to cast. What were you imagining?¡± Fenrir crossed his left arm over his chest and brought his right hand up to his chin. ¡°I was imagining summoning a swarm of wolves to my sides that ran out and killed my enemies.¡± ¡°That¡­ doesn¡¯t sound like you at all. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know you¡¯re right. So, no more magic ¨C or, at least, no more trying to create offensive magic in the form of giant explosions or wolf packs or anything. Instead, I should try to create a skill that goes with my ¡®theme.¡¯ In that case¡­ if I¡¯m like a sort of brawler and anti-magic¡­ alright, I think I have an idea.¡± Excited to see what Fenrir had in mind, Azalabulia said, ¡°I believe in you! Imagine it, concentrate, then let it out!¡± Fenrir nodded and closed his eyes. First came the imagination part. He had to imagine exactly how his new ability would work. Then he concentrated. For no less than sixty seconds, he dedicated his entire mind to concentrating on what he wanted to accomplish. And then¡­ And then he did it. ¡°Did it work?¡± Fenrir asked, opening his eyes. Serra stood in front of him with wide eyes as she looked up at him. ¡°Woah¡­ you¡¯re so fluffy.¡± Fenrir crossed his arms over his chest as Azalabulia wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Fenrir¡¯s new ability ¨C the thing that he was trying to hard to create from scratch¡­ made his ears taller and fluffier, and his tail longer and fluffier. Even his hair was longer and thicker now. ¡°Impressive, right?¡± he asked. ¡°I call it going Super Fluff. You know, instead of Super Saiyan.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­ how is this going to make you stronger?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you want new abilities to help you fight?¡± ¡°You know nothing, Azalabulia. Do you understand my new, fearsome appearance?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then let me make it clear to you.¡± Fenrir turned around, aiming his back at Azalabulia. More importantly, this also put his tail right in front of her. From side to side, his supremely fluffy tail wagged. It all became clear. Like the birth of a new universe inside of Azalabulia¡¯s mind, she suddenly understood the moment that she could witness the wagging fluff in all of its glory. Never before had she seen such an impressively fluffy tail, and now there was one right in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s so¡­ fluffy fluffy,¡± Azalabulia said, reaching her hands out. ¡°Embrace the fluff, Azawaza. Allow it to surround you,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Is ¨C is it really alright?¡± Fenrir nodded. Unable to resist, Azalabulia reached out and sunk her fingers into the neverending expanse of his fluff. Before she knew it, more and more of her body was pulled into his fluff until her arms were no longer visible. Instead, she had the tail completely hugged against her with her face rubbing directly into it. Warm, soft fluff consumd Azalabulia. It penetrated her every sense to the point where she could no longer think of anything but fluff. ¡°Seriously? Is being obsessed with fluff a trend or something?¡± Saya asked Fenrir. ¡°I swear it¡¯s like everything is fluff this, fluff that. What happened to dragons being awesome? Is fluff being chosen over dragons now or something?¡± ¡°Pupaya,¡± Fenrir thought back to her, ¡°I may have gone Super Fluff, but you¡¯ll be going Super Pupaya.¡± ¡°No. No I won¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Yes, yes you will be. I want your ears to be tall enough to be half as tall as the rest of your body, and I want you to have a tail that¡¯s twice as big as you are.¡± ¡°I¡­ actually, if I have a tail that big, that sounds like I would have a permanent bed that I could lie down on whenever I want¡­ that sounds kind of nice.¡± ¡°Right? Embrace the fluff, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°At least try to come up with a serious skill today, alright?¡± ¡°I will, I will. Well, I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Good boy. I know you¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Thanks for looking out for me, Pupaya.¡± ¡°You still the worst, onii-wan.¡± Once Saya left Fenrir¡¯s thoughts, Fenrir canceled his skill only to find that Serra had joined in on the fluff action. Both she and Azalabulia were left standing, their arms wrapped around nothing but air, as Fenrir¡¯s tail returned to its usual size and slipped away from them. ¡°Do you understand the power now?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°That ¨C that could potentially serve as a powerful distraction against anybody who loves fluffy things,¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°I never would have thought that even I would fall victim to it¡­¡± ¡°I want to sleep in your tail when it¡¯s like that,¡± Serra said. ¡°I¡¯ll let you sleep in it once you can summon some big cannons to shoot all around you,¡± Fenrir offered. ¡°Deal.¡± Immediately after saying that, Serra began practicing her new power. ¡°Now, I really do need to come up with a serious skill. I think I have an idea, but I¡¯m not sure if it will work.¡± Once more, Azalabulia looked eager to see what Fenrir¡¯s mind came up with. ¡°Try it! I believe in you!¡± And once more, Fenrir repeated the entire process of imagining, concentrating, and finally doing. And once more again, Fenrir¡¯s ears and tail turned longer and fluffier in addition to his hair getting thicker and reaching down almost to his ankles. So far, it looked exactly the same as before. But the transformation didn¡¯t stop there. Like with his usual skill, his arms turned wolflike and his fingers turned into deadly claws. Also, of course, the fur of his arms grew thicker and longer to match the rest of his hair doing so. ¡°Alright, and done. I know that this is increasing my position on the furry scale, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m dangerously furry yet. At absolute worst, you could say I¡¯m semi-furry now. Well, semi-semi-furry. Maybe semi-semi-semi-furry. Or semi-semi-semi-semi-se¡ªfurry.¡± ¡°Sefurry?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Verbal typo.¡± Serra gave a thumbs-up and went back to summong her cannon over and over. ¡°This¡­ this doesn¡¯t look much different from before,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°This is basically just an improved version of this,¡± Fenrir answered, raising his arms. ¡°I know it¡¯s not new, but I figured that I could start off with something simple like improving a power that I already have. Though, maybe I should have asked you first if you know whether or not there¡¯s like, a daily limit on how much you can learn.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there is, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°How many new spells have you invented in a single day before?¡± ¡°Technically¡­ probably over a hundred?¡± ¡°O-over¡­ over a hundred?¡± ¡°There were all variations of the same thing. I couldn¡¯t decide what shape I wanted the explosion to be in.¡± ¡°That does sound like something you would do. Well, that¡¯s good to know. I just hope that there¡¯s not a system that differentiates between variations and brand-new skills completely. Then again¡­ have you ever created any non-magic skills?¡± ¡°Not once! I am strictly a caster. I would sooner blow up the entire world and then myself before playing any other role.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the kind of person who picks a single main and then never dares to play any other character, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And proud of it!¡± ¡°Fair enough. Do you think there might be a difference between creating a magical skill and a non-magical skill?¡± ¡°I would think that the only difference is less concentrating and more doing.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Common sense. With magic ¨C magic is generally something that one has to focus their mind on. It¡¯s a more¡­ mental sort of thing. You have to dedicate your mind to magic! But when it comes to non-magic skills, like ones that you would use in the middle of combat while directly next to your enemy, you don¡¯t have the same time needed to really concentrate as hard as you need to. You¡¯re putting yourself in a do-or-die situation where you need to come to an answer immediately. Physical fighting is more about developing instinct and reaction speed ¨C it¡¯s about improving your muscle memory. If you see a punch coming for your head, you duck and counter. There¡¯s no thinking about it, there¡¯s only doing. Right? ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°But does that really count as a skill?¡± ¡°Well¡­ in one meaning, yes. In a video game sense, no. Though, I would think that if you become exceptionally skilled in ducking and countering, then maybe you could develop a skill on your own that activates under that condition? Like¡­ like¡­ a flaming fist and explosive punch that only activates after you duck away from damage!¡± ¡°Or like, if I practice roundhouse kicking a ton, I could end up somehow acquiring a special roundhouse kick skill?¡± ¡°Maybe! Like a fiery roundhouse kick that explodes on impact! Try it! I want to see an explosive kick!¡± ¡°Aza, you become like a kid when it comes to explosions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not my fault. Explosions are awesome.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s what I want to know. If I imagine a move, concentrate on it, and then practice it over and over and over again, do you think I¡¯d be able to like, create new skills thant are a combination of physical attacks and magic?¡± ¡°It makes sense that you would be able to do that. So long as you are holding the imagination of the finished result in your memory, you may be able to eventually achieve it through enough practice.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it. I know exactly what I want to do. Thanks for talking me through this, Aza.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not sure that I¡¯ve really helped much.¡± ¡°You have. By the way, it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve hugged.¡± ¡°Do¡­ d-do you¡­ want to hug?¡± ¡°I do. Open your arms.¡± Azalabulia looked away and held her arms out for Fenrir. He was happy to accept her open arms, taking her into his own and wrapping them around her. Serra managed to sneak in between them before they could press their bodies against one another, too. ¡°Alright. Thanks. Now I have the energy I need,¡± Fenrir said and began to unwrap his arms from Azalabulia. ¡°Wa-wait!¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You ¨C y-you know what else it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve done¡­?¡± ¡°Kiss?¡± Azalabulia¡¯s cheeks turned red as her intent was instantly guessed. Before she could even shyly nod, though, Fenrir pressed his lips against hers for a gentle kiss. ¡°Anything else I¡¯m forgetting, Aza?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Tha-that¡¯s all for now. You ¨C you¡¯re dismissed!¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make sure to make my teacher proud with a cool new skill.¡± With that, Fenrir pulled away from Azalabulia and released Serra from between them. Serra made sure to make a rather dramatic gasp for air as soon as she was free. Now, while Serra practiced her skill, Fenrir got into position and thought about exactly what he wanted to accomplish. He even put a bit of extra effort into it by concentrating for an entire sixty-one seconds instead of only sixty seconds. Then, once he was sure of what he wanted to achieve and had it stored vividly in his mind, he brought up his right leg to perform a perfect roundhouse kick. ¡°Ooh, that was perfect,¡± Serra said with a small clap. ¡°Have you practiced before?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°It¡¯s just ¨C well, since my legs in real life are, you know, I liked to watch videos of people kicking ass with their legs. It was sort of like vicariously living through them. I guess that, maybe from watching stuff like that so much, how to do it is ingrained in my head. I¡¯m sure that having a virtual assistant helps in the same way that they help by making us all not look like complete idiots when swinging swords around. How¡¯d you know what a perfect one looks like anyways?¡± ¡°My one dad loves watching fight stuff on TV. Mostly wrestling.¡± ¡°You have too many parents for me to keep track of.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can¡¯t keep track of them either.¡± ¡°Pfftt ¨C wait. I completely lost focus.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯ll stay quiet.¡± ¡°Thanks. You can talk as much as you want after I pull this off.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say lots of lewd things.¡± ¡°Of course you will.¡± Once more, Fenrir repeated the usual process and got back to kicking. Over and over, he returned to position and kicked the air with perfect roundhouse kicks. He occasionally had to stop for a few minutes to refreshen the image of what he wanted to accomplish in his mind, but then the kicking would resume. And it went on. And on. And on. For roughly forty-five minutes, almost bringing Fenrir to the point of quitting, he repeatedly kicked the air with no progress being made on the new skill he wanted to use. Until he did make progress. Like a switch flipped inside of his mind, he was struck with a sudden surge of inspiration. Fenrir knew exactly what it was that he had to do. Rather than kick as his usual self, he brought out his new, fluffier self with his canid arms. He then got into position and, without spending any time to imagine it nor to concentrate, he kicked! This latest kick seemed like a perfectly normal kick until his leg was halfway to its target. Once it did reach the halfway point, what sounded like a snarling wolf was heard by the three of them as white energy surrounded Fenrir¡¯s kicking leg from the knee down. Then, while it was hard to notice from just how fast it was, there was the silhouette of a wolf¡¯s head alongside his leg that moved in the exact same arc that his leg did. ¡°I ¨C I think I did it!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Your pimp is proud,¡± Serra said with a round of applause. Azalabulia was much more visibly excited than Serra. ¡°I told that you could! But¡­ what¡¯s it do?¡± ¡°I have no idea. I wasn¡¯t really thinking about what it does so much as I was thinking about how it will look.¡± ¡°I would tell you how important it is to think about the effect first, but I know how it feels to aim for the cosmetic side of things.¡± ¡°You mean the cosmetic side of explosions?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Well, as long as I can find somebody to train with, I¡¯ll be able to figure out what exactly this new skill of mine. Assuming that it does something other than look cool.¡± ¡°We can test to see if it nullifies magic like your arms do,¡± Azalabulia said with a sparkle in her eyes. ¡°You just want an excuse to make something explode, don¡¯t you?¡± Azalabulia struck a battle pose with her staff pointed out to Fenrir. ¡°Are you afraid, wolf?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, I am. Your explosions hurt.¡± ¡°Then do not allow yourself to get hit by one, not that I will give you any chance to avoid them!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯re doing this. Serra, you might want to¡­ Serra?¡± Fenrir asked, looking around for the perverted munchkin. Then he saw her waving to him in the distance. Serra already knew to get some distance as soon as it looked like they were about to duel. Book 6: Chapter 46: ¡°You really don¡¯t take it easy when sparring, do you?!¡± Fenrir shouted at Azalabulia as he was put purely on the defensive. ¡°I, Azalabulia, would never take it easy on somebody no matter who they may be! If you cannot survive my onslaught of dark flames, then you are unworthy of life!¡± Azalabulia shouted in response as several more exploding beams followed close behind Fenrir. They were similar to the smaller and more precise beams that she used when giving Fraydranth her back massage, albeit in far fewer numbers. She was, in fact, holding back. ¡°If you have the power to cancel my magic, then I will overwhelm you with too much to cancel!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡± Fenrir stopped in his tracks and spun around with a kick straight through one of the beams, proving that this new ability of his also canceled out magic. However, even with a kick and each of his magic-nullifying arms thrust out to intercept the beams, there were more than he could handle. Three different beams crashed into Fenrir before detonating and sending him flying backward in a cloud of smoke. ¡°Why¡­ why am I masochistic enough to leave the pain setting on?¡± he asked himself as he wiped at the blood coming from his mouth. ¡°And why did I think it would be a good idea to spar with her?¡± Before Fenrir could receive an answer to either of his questions, he could see that several more of those exploding beams were heading directly for him thanks to how they glowed through the smoke and dust. Once more, he barely got out of the way in time. ¡°Alright. If she wants to use everything she has, then I¡¯ll do the same. Rod, let¡¯s teach her who¡¯s the top wolf around here,¡± Fenrir whispered down to his trusty partner. You got it, partner! By the way, that last part was kind of cheesy even for you, but we¡¯ll still show her! Rod energetically replied in response, not that anybody could hear him. He then transformed into the new form that worked best with Fenrir¡¯s fighting style by becoming chains that wrapped around Fenrir¡¯s arms. With these chains, Fenrir could shoot one end of Rod out toward Azalabulia in an attempt to bind her through all the smoke. Instead, the chain was blasted off course by one of Azalabulia¡¯s beams. ¡°You think that you can bind me, you beast?!¡± Azalabulia shouted. ¡°You are but a cowardly pup to try such a strategy! It only goes to prove the difference in our power! There is no hope for you to overcome me without relying on such cheap tri¡ªcks?¡± She looked down and noticed that the chain she previously knocked off course was now wrapped around her ankle. ¡°Watch your head!¡± Fenrir shouted before pulling back on the chain, tripping Azalabulia. She did, in fact, watch her head to make sure that she wouldn¡¯t hit the ground headfirst. Of course, to do so, she dropped her staff so that she could hold onto the back of her head. Without her staff, Fenrir had an opening. After all, falling headfirst really didn¡¯t mean much when inside of a fantasy-styled virtual world. Such a little injury was nothing compared to the vast majority of other attacks in the game. And not only did this give Fenrir an opening, but, because he was pulling on the chain, he was pulling her away from her staff at the same time. ¡°Watch your face!¡± Fenrir shouted as he came flying through the smoke with his fist readied. Azalabulia immediately switched from protecting the back of her head to protecting her face, leaving his true target, her abdomen, completely exposed. Now, Fenrir was never would he ever be the kind of man to go and abuse one of his girlfriends. However, when sparring, in a fantasy game, after being subjected to several explosions, he thought that it would be okay to give her one serious punch straight to her gut. The temptation to stop in his tracks and poke her instead was still there, but it was time for some proper gender equality. Fenrir¡¯s fist came crashing down into Azalabulia¡¯s stomach, punching her down into the ground with enough force to dent the surface below her. Having her hands over her face meant that any of the spit and blood to come flying out of her mouth would land on her hands instead of Fenrir since he was right over top of her. Then she rose one hand as if to get him to stop. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything without your staff,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°can yo¡ª¡± Azalabulia¡¯s staff came flying into his head, knocking him away from her and loosening the chain around her ankle. The hand that she raised as if to stop him now held her staff. Even more confusing to Fenrir was that, when he got a look at her mouth and hands, there was no spit nor blood. She didn¡¯t look hurt in the slightest. That was when he noticed what appeared to be an incredibly thin barrier around her torso. ¡°How? Shouldn¡¯t I have torn through that?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You did¡­ tear through the other layers. Did you think I would be foolish enough to only protect myself with one barrier against an enemy capable of breaking through magic?¡± Azalabulia asked in response. ¡°Since when can you even use barriers? I thought you were strictly an offensive type?¡± ¡°Since the last time we battled one another. I have been preparing myself for our next battle ever since then!¡± ¡°You know, all I have to do to win is tease you and fluster you. You won¡¯t be able to fight me if I¡¯m talking about how much I want to do lewd things to you.¡± ¡°Si-silence! Tha-that is not allowed!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I want to have an actual fight. The lewd things can be saved for later. I don¡¯t deserve to do lewd things at all if I can¡¯t beat you fairly in the first place, right?¡± ¡°Ex-exactly!¡± ¡°By the way, thanks for letting me know about the whole multiple barriers thing. I might not have realized what was going on fast enough if you hadn¡¯t told me that.¡± ¡°Hah! You think that just because you have figured it out means that you will be able to conquer me?!¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really figure it out. You told me it. Remember?¡± ¡°Th-then, in that case, you think that just because I explained it to you that you will be able to conquer me?!¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Azalabulia slumped her shoulders and sighed. ¡°You¡­ you could play along with me a little bit. It¡¯s hard to stay serious when I¡¯m the only one trying¡­¡± ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± Fenrir said before clearing his throat. ¡°Azalabulia! With my strongest, I will beat your strongest! Or,¡± he switched to a whisper that only he could hear, ¡°something like that. I should probably come up with my own phrase instead of stealing one from somebody else.¡± Fortunately, Fenrir¡¯s theft was enough to perk Azalabulia back up. ¡°Then come at me with your strongest, wolf! Prove to me that your strongest is worth even the slightest consideration!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tear through every last one of your defenses! No matter how many barriers you may use, they¡¯ll all be shattered by my fists!¡± A smile spread across Azalabulia¡¯s lips as she pointed her staff toward Fenrir. ¡°We will see about that! But first, you will have to reach me, and I will not allow your cowardly trick from earlier to work again!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate us! Rod, let¡¯s show her how it¡¯s done.¡± Right, partner! But I¡¯ve got to admit, this acting stuff is kind of embarrassing, Rod replied, unheard once more. But if that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing, then we¡¯ll do it! While Fenrir might not have been able to hear Rod¡¯s response, he could still sense that Rod was more than ready to work with him in order to bring down their opponent. Meanwhile, Serra was having fun with her miniature cannon that she kept on repeatedly summoning. ¡°Heh. Cute. I¡¯ll name you Pew. You have to grow big and strong for me so that you can shoot huge loads. Okay, Pew?¡± There was zero response from the miniature cannon that was now named Pew seeing as how it had zero intelligence. Even the random animals and insects found throughout the game¡¯s world had more intelligence than the cannon. Even so, Serra believed in it and was sure that it could hear her. ¡°Okay. Fire,¡± she ordered. The tiny cannon shot one more cannonball out from its barrel before vanishing in a poof of smoke. ¡°So cute.¡± Then, before she could summon it once more, she experienced an unexpected close encounter with death as a chunk of rock as large as her head went flying right in front of her face. It was close enough that it touched her bangs while barely missing her nose. When she looked at where the rock came from, it¡ªof course¡ªcame from one of Azalabulia¡¯s explosions targeting Fenrir. ¡°We¡¯re not safe here, Pew. Let¡¯s go find somewhere safer where I can make you shoot lots in private.¡± Even when alone, she couldn¡¯t help but to charge her words with sexual innuendo to make herself snerk. ¡°You think that these pathetic explosions could ever hurt me?!¡± Fenrir shouted at Azalabulia after being hit by several more of said explosions. ¡°Try saying that when you are not bleeding and on the verge of death from them!¡± Azalabulia shouted back at him. ¡°These are only flesh wounds!¡± ¡°Say that after you are nothing more than a torso and head!¡± Azalabulia prepared another group of beams to shoot at Fenrir. Only, this time, there were nearly three times as many of them aimed straight at him. It was then that Fenrir realized she was, in fact, holding back against him this entire time. ¡°You know, that kind of pisses me off,¡± Fenrir whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t like being held back against. We¡¯re going to have to show her what we¡¯re really capable of, Rod.¡± Let¡¯s show her, partner! By the way, what are we really capable of? Are we just doing the same usual thing or something different? Rod asked. ¡°As long as we can get in close again, we¡¯ll win this. And if she can call her staff back to her¡­ then all we have to do is keep it held away from her. Rod, your mission is to hold onto that staff as tightly as you can. Wrap all of yourself around my left arm.¡± Fortuantely for Rod, he got an answer to his question even if Fenrir had no idea what the question was in the first place. Ready, partner! I won¡¯t let her get her hands back on her staff! After I get it. With Rod¡¯s chains only wrapped around his left arm, Fenrir nodded and said, ¡°This is going to hurt, but the only way to reach her is to charge straight through. I¡¯ll try not to die or black out from pain.¡± I believe in you, partner! Fenrir gave Rod¡¯s chain a couple of pats before running straight toward Azalabulia. ¡°Are you trying to kill yourself?! There is no easier target than one running in a straight line!¡± Azalabulia shouted before firing off those explosive beams of hers. Each one was aligned on the perfect path to tear straight through Fenrir¡¯s core. If he didn¡¯t try to dodge, he really was likely going to die. Yet he did not budge. His death rapidly approached as the beams came closer and closer to him. There were, however, two things in his favor: one, his speed; and two, the fact that the beam were coming from an upward angle. Fenrir waited until the last possible moment before jumping up. This denied the beams of enough time to change their course of flight. Instead of pursuing him, each beam crashed into the ground below and behind him. The explosive force sent shrapnel from the ground into his back and legs, and the force alone was enough to rattle his insides and make him feel sick whenever he wasn¡¯t struggling to keep his eyes open. However, he stayed conscious. ¡°Now!¡± Fenrir shouted and thrust his left arm toward Azalabulia. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) The chain wrapped around his left arm shot straight at her. Azalabulia tried to knock it out of the way again with another spell, but it was too fast this time. Rod managed to wrap his chain of a body around the top of her staff, and then he reeled Fenrir in at great speed. Fenrir spotted the barrier cover Azalabulia¡¯s body once more. It was barely noticeable, but there was a slight shimmer and distortion effect that it caused. This effect was even more noticeable as she applied several layers of the barrier around her. Thanks to that, he didn¡¯t have to feel bad about punching her arm with enough force to shatter it. He didn¡¯t actually inflict any harm on her, but his punch did knock the staff away from her. Rod immediately and completely wrapped his chain around the staff from bottom to top, making it so that Azalabulia would literally not be able to get it back in her hands. If she were to try and grab it, all she would grab onto was his chain instead. Even then, it would be hard to get ahold of him when he kept the bound staff practically tied against Fenrir¡¯s left arm. She would have to manage to break through the chain in order to get the staff back¡­ and rip off Fenrir¡¯s arm. Next, Fenrir slammed his first into Azalabulia¡¯s abdomen for the second time. The barriers shattered around his fist, but he lost enough force before the final barrier to not break through. Azalabulia smiled and said, ¡°See? I told you that¡ª¡± Fenrir¡¯s leg crashed into her side, disabling the barrier and then knocking her away as she coughed blood out from her mouth. ¡°Did I say that I¡¯d tear through them with only my fists? Sorry, I meant my fists and legs,¡± Fenrir said as cockily as he could with a smug smile on his face as he looked down at her. ¡°And, with that¡­ I think you win.¡± He might have been in in the winning position, but he wasn¡¯t in any sort of winning condition. Those last explosions might not have hit him directly, but the concussive force from them still did a number on his already damaged body. Now that he was satisfied with breaking through all of her barriers, he dropped onto one knee and used the bound staff as support. ¡°Next time¡­ next time I¡¯ll make you go all-out against me from the start, and I¡¯ll still win.¡± His arms, hair, ears, and tail returned to their normal states. ¡°Another hit like that would have been the end of me,¡± Azalabulia said with a relieved sigh. ¡°I ¨C I mean, you put up a respectable attempt, wolf!¡± ¡°Aza, we¡¯ll save the roleplaying for later. Come and pamper me.¡± ¡°You ¨C you want me to pamper you? How am I ¨C supposed to do that?¡± ¡°Your thighs. Let me use them as a pillow.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I ¨C I see. Well, since you tried your best¡­ I can do that.¡± Still with some blood around her lips and on her chin, Azalabulia came over to Fenrir and got onto her knees to offer him her thighs. Fenrir was quick to accept the perfection that were her thighs by faceplanting into them. ¡°Aren¡¯t ¨C aren¡¯t you supposed to lie on your side or back?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°I want to feel your thighs on my cheeks,¡± Fenrir answered, his voice muffled by her thighs. ¡°I¡¯m also requesting some head petting.¡± As embarrassing as it might have been, Azalabulia couldn¡¯t help but to smile upon hearing her boyfriend¡¯s needy requests. She was, of course, glad to stroke the back and top of his head as he rested on her thighs. ¡°Any ¨C anything else?¡± ¡°Yeah. Instead of rubbing my head, rub my back¡­ and lean forward so that your boobs are resting on my head.¡± ¡°Wha-what kind of request is that?¡± ¡°The kind of a request that men, and women, of culture would surely understand. Please, Aza. I almost died. I want to feel your boobs on my head.¡± With reddened cheeks, Azalabulia moved her hand from his head to his back before leaning forward just enough to press her breasts down against the back of his head. ¡°Li-like this?¡± She then heard the most relaxed sigh ever from Fenrir as a response. ¡°Yes¡­ thank you. This must be what Heaven is like. Soft warmers for my face, soft warmers for my head, my girlfriend¡¯s gentle hand on my back ¨C this is worth almost dying for. Hey, Aza, can we fight every single day?¡± ¡°Even ¨C even if we spar every day, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be getting this every day!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Be-because! Sometimes¡­ sometimes I want to be treated like this, too¡­¡± ¡°You want me to grow boobs so that I can press them against your head?¡± ¡°Not that part!¡± ¡°I see. Man boobs must not be good enough for you. Well, Cass¡¯s are big enough to make it work if use her lap. Wait, I just thought of something incredible.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you and Cass are both on your knees, and you have them pressing together tip-to-tip while facing each other¡­ I could lie down with the back of my head on each of your thighs at once, look up, and then have you both lean forward so that both of your chests are on my face. Bonus points if you¡¯re wearing sweaters during it.¡± ¡°That¡­ that sounds like something you should ask for on your birthday¡­¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯re not willing to do it for me whenever I want?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! It¡¯s just¡­ something that special¡­ i-if you got something like that outside of your birthday then you would be too spoiled!¡± ¡°But I wanna be spoiled. Sppooooiiilllll meeee, Azzaaaaa,¡± Fenrir whined. ¡°You ¨C you¡¯re already being spoiled enough right now, I think! But¡­ since you did try your best¡­ i-is there anything else you want me to do?¡± Fenrir¡¯s mind immediately got to work thinking about what sort of other requests he could make in a position like this. Unfortunately, all of the ideas that came to mind at first were lewd ones, and he was in too much pain to be horny and capable of anything lewd. Then it hit him. He had the perfect idea to not only be spoiled, but to get revenge on his girlfriend for harming him so much. Of course, what he wanted was highly destructive and would likely do just as much harm to him as it would to her. But it was worth it. ¡°Azawaza, will you do anything for me?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°O-only this once,¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°Even¡­ even if you want lew¡ª¡± ¡°I want you to tell me a list of reasons why you love me.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s face went from slightly blushing to full on tomato in an instant. What he requested was far more embarrassing and difficult than even lewd things. ¡°Wha-why do you ¨C do you want something like¡­ like that?¡± ¡°Because I want to hear you be all lovey-dovey.¡± ¡°But¡­ I ¨C I don¡¯t know how to¡­¡± ¡°All you have to do is talk about things you love about me.¡± ¡°Like ¨C like what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re the one who loves me.¡± ¡°Can¡­ can you ask me to do something else instead?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then¡­ then¡­ I ¨C I¡¯ll try my best, but don¡¯t be disappointed if it¡¯s not as good as you¡¯re hoping.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be even better than I could ever imagine.¡± Following a deep sigh, Azalabulia began the list. ¡°Umm¡­ well¡­ one, I ¨C I love how¡­ fun you are. You play along with me when I want you to, you don¡¯t complain about how I act, you like to do exciting things and aren¡¯t afraid of danger¡­ I love how fun it is to be around you.¡± Fenrir realized after just the first item on the list that this was definitely going to do more damage to him than it did to her. His heart was already beating faster than he expected it to. ¡°Two,¡± Azalabulia continued, ¡°I love how kind you are. You¡¯re always so kind to everybody even if you don¡¯t know them¡­ as long as they¡¯re not mean. You always want to help, make sure that people are okay and taken care of, you always make sure that we¡¯re happy and you do whatever we want¡­ I ¨C I know that making us smile makes you smile, and I love that about you. But¡­ three, I also love how you treat people who aren¡¯t nice. You don¡¯t tolerate them and make sure to put them in their place, and that¡¯s¡­ really nice. Four, after you shower, and umm¡­ when your hair is wet and sticking to your head¡­ it¡¯s really kind of¡­ hot. I always love looking at you after you come out of the shower.¡± ¡°Wai-wait, how do you know what I look like after the shower?¡± ¡°Cass sends me pictures. She showed me one before because she said something like it wasn¡¯t fair for me not to get to see it, so now she sends me pictures of you after you shower¡­¡± ¡°Then if she was taking pictures of me after I shower and thought you¡¯d like it, too, that means she likes it¡­ and has been taking pictures without me noticing. Yeah, I¡¯m definitely teasing her about that later.¡± ¡°She sometimes sends me pictures of your sleeping face, too, and I really love those as well¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­ just how many pictures is she taking of me without me knowing about it? Well, I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s pretty nice knowing my girlfriends apparently like how I look so much that they want a bunch of pictures of me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s another thing I love about you. You¡¯re always so grateful¡­ even if you have every right to be upset about her taking pictures without you knowing, you¡¯re grateful for it. A-and you¡¯re grateful to everybody in general. You always thank everybody, you always make sure that everybody feels appreciated¡­ even if other people don¡¯t treat you the same way, you still treat them with so much respect.¡± ¡°Unless they¡¯ve earned disrespect.¡± ¡°Exactly. And¡­ you¡¯re smart, and willing to fight for what you believe in even against impossible odds, and you¡¯re maybe a bit too perverted at times¡­ but I like that and ¨C a-and my only regret is that I can¡¯t make myself act the same without drinking, and¡­ you look really good both in-game and in real life, and¡­ I guess¡­ that I just, umm¡­ I love everything about you, Ryouta. There¡¯s nothing not to love.¡± As embarrassed as Fenrir might have felt, he still tried to joke around by saying, ¡°Apparently, the way that I leave the toothpaste cap off of bottles is something not to love about me.¡± ¡°I ¨C I do the same thing!¡± ¡°Then I guess we really must be perfect for each other.¡± ¡°Ehe¡­ s-see? I said that I love everything about you¡­ and I mean it. I really do love everything about you¡­ my dearest Ryouta.¡± That final part was like an arrow piercing through Fenrir¡¯s heart. If there was ever something so heartwarming and endearing that it could cause a heart attack, it was Azalabulia calling him her dearest. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re way too OP, Aza.¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± ¡°I wanted to embarrass you¡­ but I think that you¡¯ve made me feel way more embarrassed than you do.¡± ¡°It was embarrassing at first, but¡­ being honest and open with my feelings is nice. Who would have thought that the way I teach my kids to be like is something that I wasn¡¯t doing myself, ehe¡­¡± ¡°Aza, I desperately want to kiss you right now, but I know that I¡¯m not going to want to stop once I start. So, want to make out?¡± ¡°Tha-that came out of nowhere!¡± ¡°What can I say? I feel like giving you even more reasons to love me. A lot more. If every kiss is another reason to love me, then how about¡­ I give you a few million more reasons to love me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s too many reasons! We ¨C we would be here for years!¡± ¡°My schedule is free. I¡¯ve got the time.¡± ¡°Mine isn¡¯t! I have a job!¡± ¡°Dang, you¡¯re right. Then¡­ how about we make out until you have to go to work?¡± ¡°I need sleep or I won¡¯t be able to do my job well!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really making this difficult on me, Azawaza. Alright. How about we make out until you have to go to sleep?¡± ¡°That ¨C that¡­ I suppose that I¡¯m free until then¡­¡± ¡°Great,¡± Fenrir said, finally pulling his head away from her lap to take the lead by gently laying Azalabulia against the ground. Now, he climbed over top of her, his tail swishing in the air behind him, and looked down into her eyes. ¡°Ready for the longest make out session ever?¡± Azalabulia struggled to look Fenrir back in the eyes, but she still nodded. There was no time to waste after that. Fenrir pressed his lips against Azalabulia¡¯s and officially began their fun together. That was when what sounded like a mighty wave crashing against rocks could be heard from the nearby ocean. Fenrir and Azalabulia stopped to look at the source of the sound only to see¡ª ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Fenrir said. ¡ªone of the ultimate bosses of Fantasy Tales Online¡ª ¡°Tha-that ¨C we¡­ we¡¯re supposed to defend against that?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡ªthe Eastern Serpent rising above the waves. The serpent unhinged its jaw and released an ear-shattering, undulating roar that was powerful enough to blow their hair back and even shake the trees of the forest in the distance. ¡°Sorry, Aza, but I think our world record make out session is going to have to be put on hold,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Do ¨C do I fire the signal now?¡± Azalabulia asked. Looking out to the ocean, Fenrir could see the glowing eyes of the enemy army underneath the violent waves approaching the shore. ¡°Yeah¡­ now would be a good time to fire the signal.¡± Book 6: Chapter 47: There was no time to waste. That was why Fenrir and Serra ran side by side back to everybody else while Azalabulia was given a ride on Fenrir¡¯s back. As for why she was on his back, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to cast the warning spell that she needed to fire off while trying to run at the same time. ¡°Messenger of Bahamut! Now is the time for you to relay the message that will bring the forces of this world crashing against the Eastern serpent! Fly as high as you can so that all may see your burning visage! Be the lit beacon that calls for the riders over the mountains! Cursed Flame of Bahamut, I, Azalabulia, call upon you to illuminate these skies!¡± Azalabulia shouted, pointing her staff directly into the air with one hand while her other arm remained looped around Fenrir to stabilize herself. The head of a flaming dragon then shot up into the sky with great speed. Its roaring call could be heard for the entire duration of its flight upward until it reached the lowest clouds. Then it was as if the world¡¯s largest firework was detonated. The landscape was illuminated underneath the burning flash of light that reached even across the peaks of the near mountains. All around from Fraydranth¡¯s home to the other villages north along the coast would be able to see the explosive display. ¡°Fen! Was that good enough?¡± Azalabulia asked with sparkles in her eyes. ¡°Yeah, that was one of the best explosions ever,¡± Fenrir answered. Yet, when he looked over to see the towering serpent who tilted its head to look up at the illuminated sky, he could only think about how small that explosion was in comparison to the serpent. How were they supposed to beat something so ridiculously massive? Even in the other games he played where boss fights against massive foes took place on top of their backs or featured only fighting a single part of their body, they were never anywhere near as large as this serpent. Not even Fraydranth, as massive as she was, could compete with the serpent¡¯s size. And if they could only see what of the serpent was above water, then he knew that there had to be even more of its body underneath the breaking waves. It was then that he began to remind himself over and over again that the two largest navies in the game had already tried joining forces to take down the Southern serpent only to fail. He just had to hope that having Fraydranth on their side would lead to a more favorable result. Besides, they had a few advantages. Fighting the serpent in shallow water and on land would be far easier than fighting it in the ocean. Of course, it was also possible that the serpent could simply smash its body against the ground and drag itself along it to destroy everything in its path. It was over if that happened. There would be no way to defend against anything like that. Essentially, it came down to whether or not the overseer, Kadi, would let them win or not. The serpent had several options available to it that could lead to the instant destruction of all their defenses. But that wouldn¡¯t be very fun game design, and Fenrir figured that Kadi wouldn¡¯t get too much entertainment out of something like that. He knew that the battle was going to be hardfought and not without losses, but he also had faith that Kadi at least intended for it to be a winnable fight. Admittedly, that was a lot of faith he was placing in her, but he had to believe it. Now that he could actually see the serpent towering over the coast, he knew that it was impossible without Kadi taking it easy on them at least a little. Yet, even if it was impossible ¨C even if Kadi truly had no intention of lowering the difficulty for them, Fenrir found himself excited. If anything, thinking about how impossible it was without Kadi lowering the difficulty made it even more exciting. ¡°The former leader of the Divine Brigade wouldn¡¯t back down from something just because it looks impossible,¡± Fenrir thought to himself, tightening his grip on Azalabulia¡¯s legs as he picked up the pace toward the defenses. Before long, he got close enough that he could already see everybody else was ready and waiting for the battle to begin. The only ones missing were their reinforcements. And, the closer that Fenrir got, the more he realized that the reinforcements were quite literally the only ones not there already. The rest of his girlfriends could be seen waiting there for him. They weren¡¯t the only ones, either. Oleander, Corwin, Tabitha, and Rao were both there as well. The majority of borrowed labor from the other villages were all online and hyped up as well. Even Mister Smiles was there. If anything, more of them were online at once than ever before. It was as if the serpent had purposely decided to attack them when they had the most players online to give them as much of a shot at defeating it as possible. Sure, it would have been nice if the serpent waited for a while longer before launching its attack so that more defenses could be prepared, but it wasn¡¯t going to wait around forever. It really did look more and more likely to him that Kadi was trying to give him and all the players a legitimate chance. Though, as soon as he arrived with Azalabulia and Serra, Rao spotted him and ran up to him. Between the concerned eyebrows and heavy breathing, Fenrir could tell that something was wrong. ¡°Bro,¡± Rao said, ¡°something¡¯s up. You know how the overseer would normally take over players when they¡¯re not online to defend against raids and all that, yeah?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°She takes over, but they¡¯re played at reduced efficiency.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, they¡¯re not waking up. It¡¯s not taking over for them.¡± ¡°Maybe they just aren¡¯t up yet because the battle hasn¡¯t actually started yet?¡± Cassiel had spotted them and rushed over, joining the conversation with a shake of her head. ¡°They should be up by now. Offline avatars are usually taken over the instant that it even seems like there¡¯s a threat. If an army approaches walls, even if it hasn¡¯t launched the attack yet ¨C if somebody¡¯s room is broken into by somebody whose stealth abilities isn¡¯t good enough to avoid detection, stuff like that. This¡­ should definitely count as being a threat immediate enough for the overseer to take them over.¡± The rest of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends gathered around him alongside more of the players. ¡°How many total people are offline? Any ideas?¡± he asked. ¡°About thirty of them,¡± Tabitha answered. Fenrir looked the group over. They were down thirty fighters but everybody who was present was controlled by their actual player. That meant they wouldn¡¯t be fighting at reduced efficiency while controlled by Kadi. The only thing that he could think of was that she purposely aimed for when the most players were online at once to launch the attack with the serpent¡­ and that she wanted to test the might of the human players against the serpent. This wasn¡¯t just some important battle in a video game. As far as Fenrir was concerned, this was becoming more and more of a test for him and the others. Kadi was even willing to disregard the regular mechanics of the game for this. ¡°Then all we¡¯ve got to fight her ¨C them, the serpent, with is our human spirit,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Tabitha asked with a cocked head and raised eyebrows. ¡°It means that we can¡¯t rely on anybody but ourselves. It¡¯s us versus the serpent. The overseer won¡¯t be helping us out at all.¡± Well, aside from the fact that she was already clearly helping in some ways. That wasn¡¯t quite true either, though. After all, he just got hit in the back by a strong burst of water. When Fenrir turned around to look at who had shot him in the back, it was none other than Ilo with as smug of an expression as a serpent could have. There was no player controlling Ilo, yet she was present and ready to fight. Seeing that caused Fenrir to let out a sigh of relief. If Ilo was still in the fight with them, then Fraydranth most likely as well. He might have started worrying about whether Fraydranth would actually appear or not once he heard that the overseer wasn¡¯t helping out by controlling players. So, essentially, the battle was to be the players and NPCs more or less controlled by Kadi versus the serpent and its army that were all more or less controlled by Kadi. Rock and Shogun were there too, of course. Rock ran up to take her place by Fenrir¡¯s side while Shogun waited by Rao, finally separating from Rock¡¯s side for once. Only temporarily, of course. ¡°You want to help us out?¡± Fenrir asked Rock, leaning over to scratch under her chin. Rock barked and tilted her head to rub the side of her face against Fenrir¡¯s petting hand. ¡°Alright, but you have to be careful.¡± Fenrir looked up and around. ¡°All of us have to be careful. This is the battle that we¡¯ve been waiting for. This isn¡¯t only going to prove that we have what it takes to be the first players to ever defeat one of the world¡¯s greatest serpents, it¡¯s going to prove that we can do it on our own as well. Anybody who¡¯s not online isn¡¯t going to be taken over to help us out. This is us ¨C players and NPCs, versus the serpent and its legions.¡± He paused to look toward the beach. The first wave of enemies now appeared from the ocean with water dripping off of their disfigured forms as they walked onto the sandy shore. ¡°I¡¯ve never been too good at speeches, but I am good at one thing. I¡¯m good at being stubborn and fighting against the impossible until the impossible gets so tired of my shit that it gives up. So, let¡¯s resist this oversized snake until it gets so tired of us that it decides dying would be better than trying to kill us for any longer.¡± Fenrir may have claimed to not be any good at speeches, but that didn¡¯t stop him from motivating those around him who shouted and raised their weapons into the air. Even Rock and Shogun howled along with all the shouts. ¡°Alright! Everybody, get to your stations! Help each other out, kill as many of these wannabe-zombie fish as you can, and stubbornly resist death until the end!¡± The crowd cheered once more before breaking up as everybody rushed to their stations. ¡°That was pretty good,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°A wonderful speech, my hero! I would love to hear more of such speeches from you. Preferably while you overlook an army of thousands with me held by a collar and chain at your side!¡± Nell joined in on the praise. ¡°Cass almost made me feel bashful, but you helped me stay normal. Thanks, Nell,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Ah, perhaps I should have stayed quiet inn that case.¡± ¡°But I appreciate you for not.¡± ¡°Your appreciation is appreciated, my hero!¡± ¡°And your appreciation for my appreciation is appreciated. Now, I need you to stay with the others and the defenses to shield them from any big attacks that might come their way. Use that barrier of yours that can even stand a chance against Aza¡¯s explosions, but only use it when it looks like there¡¯s a massive attack that won¡¯t be survivable without your barrier. Let smaller attacks happen to save your energy.¡± ¡°I shall do my best, my hero.¡± ¡°Cass, Eva, Tabs, and¡­ Mister Smiles,¡± Fenrir said, looking over at the tall and muscular, ever-smiling, Mister Smiles, ¡°I want you four to join me right before the beach. If the five of us work together, we should be able to hold back the first waves before stronger enemies appear. We¡¯ll deal with any stragglers that make it past the defenses.¡± The four women nodded their heads. Well, as far as Fenrir was concerned, it was still four women since he didn¡¯t know about Mister Smiles¡¯ true gender yet. ¡°Aza, go restore your mana, then I want you to help the others out with reloading defenses and helping the injured. We¡¯re going to wait for the waves to grow larger before making use of your magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been saving a stash of mana potions for something like this,¡± Azalabulia replied. ¡°There will be more explosions today than you have ever seen from me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. Serra, you have your gun to mount. I¡¯ll be expecting you to mow down as many of the incoming enemies as you can. Don¡¯t forget to aim for their heads.¡± Serra nodded and gave a thumbs-up in response. ¡°Olly, help out at the river. If anything goes wrong, I want you there to help out.¡± ¡°You know it, daddy.¡± Fenrir flicked Oleander¡¯s forehead, prompting the deerish boy to stick his tongue out. ¡°Corwin¡ª¡± ¡°Assist in supporting the others however I may?¡± Corwin asked, already aware of what his role was as a nonfighter. ¡°You¡¯ve got it. And make sure that you stay as safe as you can, alright?¡± ¡°Of course. I shall stay as safe as one can while they are being invaded by such a fearsome foe.¡± ¡°Fearsome? You don¡¯t even look the slightest bit scared.¡± ¡°Ah, my apologies. It is difficult to be scared when I know that I am on the side that never loses.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re going to jinx us.¡± ¡°Then we will stubbornly resist the jinx until it gives up, will we not?¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to smile. ¡°You know it. Alright! That¡¯s everybody. The rest of you,¡± he said, looking over the crowd, ¡°know what you need to do. Let¡¯s get to i¡ª¡± ¡°Bro, what about me?¡± Rao asked. ¡°Uh¡­ fly around on Shogun helping out however you can?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you think of anything for me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a flying fox you can ride and a spear. You can be our cavalry charger,¡± Fenrir said, pulling the idea out of a place that received no light. All it ever received was Serra¡¯s groping. ¡°Me, Cass, Eva, Smiles, and Tabs will be the anvil. You¡¯ll be the hammer. Got it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What do you mean anvil and hammer?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Look, just wait until we have the enemy distracted, then fly in from behind to stab them with your spear.¡± ¡°Oh, why didn¡¯t you say that sooner?¡± ¡°I¡¯m teaching you some battle strategy terminology once this is over.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. I plan on going to sleep as soon as this is over since I didn¡¯t get a lot of sleep last night.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Make sure to tire yourself out then so that¡ª¡± ¡°Oi, ya know that the monsters are comin¡¯, right?¡± Tabitha asked, poking Fenrir with the top of her oversized hammer. ¡°You make a good point. Let¡¯s go!¡± Monsters poured out onto the beach. Each one was vaguely humanoid in shape with aesthetics that could only be described as a combination of eldritch and zombie-esque. Many of them stood taller than the players did, but they served as sponges to absorb as much damage as they could by attacking and testing the defenses first. To the lucky few monsters who invaded the beach first, it would have been similar to the historical landing of Normandy. Fire from cannons and Serra¡¯s pseudo machine gun kept the sandy beach in a constant state of danger. One by one, the monsters fell all around. Those who were not immediately killed by ranged weaponry then had to deal with the traps. Whether they were unstable stones full of magical energy that were detonated to cause large explosions upon having their triggers stepped on, or they stepped onto pressure plates tha caused rows of wooden spikes to shoot up from beneath the sand to impale their bodies. If and when any of the monsters managed to make it past both the ranged barrage and the traps, they then had to somehow make it past Fenrir and the four women fighting with him. Each one of them excelled in melee combat and were ready to slaughter any enemy that came anywhere close to them. One lucky monster did managed to somehow make it past all of the threats thus far, even managing to hastily run past the first line of defenders¡­ only to get impaled from behind by Rao¡¯s spear after he soared down with Shogun to slay the monster. ¡°That takes me back,¡± Fenrir said with a soft sigh, looking over at Cassiel. ¡°Really?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Even now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never forget the moment that you thrust into me from behind.¡± ¡°Why do you have to be this way?¡± Fenrir leapt toward Cassiel with his fist ready to strike. Rather than stand there like a confused deer in the headlights, though, she spun around with her blade to decapitate the monster about to attack her from behind. Fenrir had no choice but to stop his heroic leap to sigh and slump his shoulders. ¡°Why do you have to deprive me of my cool moments? That was supposed to be one of those times where it looks like I¡¯m going to attack you, so you freeze, but I really attack the thing about to attack you.¡± ¡°I know. Maybe if you didn¡¯t bring up the thrusting thing again, I would have let you be cool. I¡¯ll handle myself until you behave.¡± It was one of the rare times where Cassiel actually looked and sounded rather smug. ¡°You¡¯re so cruel to me, Cass Cass.¡± This time, Cassiel was the one who leapt toward Fenrir with her sword pointed forward ready to strike. Fenrir stayed perfectly still, even when Cassiel¡¯s blade went over his shoulder and through his hair to pierce the monster¡¯s heart behind him. ¡°Notice how I actually let you look cool when you want to?¡± he asked. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll just have to try harder.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really hot when you¡¯re like this.¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Sh-shh¡­ this isn¡¯t the time for that.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, my hot and heroic girlfriend.¡± Fenrir gave Cassiel a quick kiss before noticing that Tabitha was in trouble. Leaving Cassiel behind to handle the enemies near where they were, Fenrir rushed over to the overwhelmed Tabitha who realized that he was on his way. As soon as Tabitha saw that Fenrir was coming to save her, she put in some serious effort to swing her hammer around in a circle, obliterating the body of every enemy near her. ¡°Ya really think I¡¯d let ya save me?¡± Tabitha asked him. ¡°I just haven¡¯t been takin¡¯ this very seriously. Still warmin¡¯ up.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re all determined to just not let me look cool today.¡± ¡°Ya had your speech already. It¡¯s time for the rest of us to shine now.¡± And shine one of them quite literally did as the lightning from Eva¡¯s thunderbird wing electrocuted several monsters at once. Then there was Mister Smiles who, no matter how many enemies attacked her at once, just refused to go down. She punched and kicked at every single enemy as they desperately tried to inflict even a single wound on her, only for them to fail over and over again. ¡°I feel like everybody here is OP but me,¡± Fenrir sighed. It didn¡¯t help that he was the only one fighting with his fists who also didn¡¯t have some sort of apparent invincibility to prevent him from ever looking harmed like how Mister Smiles appeared to never take any damage. The rest of them all had weapons to keep enemies at bay with. So far, Fenrir was the only one who had some bleeding cuts and scratches on him from the enemy. His wounds were about to grow even worse as an especially large monster grappled onto him using several tentacles. It was at that moment that Fenrir realized: perhaps tentacles weren¡¯t as hot as he thought they were. The slimy, pulsating lengths wrapped around his legs and arms, each tentacle covered in putrid pores that released a greenish ooze that burned Fenrir¡¯s skin. The tentacles constricted around his limbs tightly enough to prevent him from easily breaking free, either. Everybody could see that he needed help, and they tried to get over to him, but they were kept busy by their own threats as the difficult in monsters suddenly spiked. ¡°I swear if any of you try to touch my girlfriends with your tentacles,¡± Fenrir growled at the monster behind him, looking over his shoulder. He immediately regretted actually looking at the monster since it was a large man with a dislocated jaw hanging down, bloated eyes, and more ooze dripping down from all over his body. ¡°I don¡¯t recall consenting to being in a tentacle snuff hentai.¡± There was only one thing that he could do to help himself, and it really wasn¡¯t something that he wanted to do. But it had to be done. Fenrir pulled as hard as he could with his right arm to bring it closer to his face. With the tentacle wrapped around his arm still, he bared his fangs and tore into the tentacle to rip it apart. Some of the ooze got into his mouth and burned him, but he was too pissed off by the monster to care about that. He severed the tentacle with nothing but his fangs and then ripped the tentacle off of his other arm with his now-freed arm. At that point, it was easy to take Rod and transform him into a sword to slice through the tentacles around his legs. Right before Fenrir could inflict the finishing blow to the monster, though, his arms were wrapped up by two more tentacles that did their best to pull his arms away from his head. ¡°I really, really hate you for making me do this,¡± Fenrir growled at the monster before leaning forward to tear into his neck with his fangs. Pained gurgling sounds could be heard coming from the monster as more tentacles extended from his body to try and get Fenrir away from him, but it was too late. Fenrir tore into the monster¡¯s neck until he almost severed it, resulting in the head rather gorily falling to the side, only connected by half of its remaining neck. Fenrir spit out what chunks of flesh he got into his mouth before peeling the now-limp tentacles off of him. Once the monster finally fell to the ground, Cassiel was revealed to be standing behind him. ¡°You¡­ are so not bringing that mouth anywhere near me,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Hey, I did what I had to. Do you really think that I wanted ooze-covered-zombie-fish-man flesh in my mouth? It tastes even worse than it looks.¡± Fortunately, the game didn¡¯t force him to feel nauseous or to vomit after doing that. If it were in real life, though¡­ he never would have managed because of those two things. ¡°You just ruined biting for me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll say that until I bite your neck again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to remember what I just saw whenever you try. Thanks.¡± ¡°Cass, there¡¯s smoke coming out from my mouth because of that disgusting ooze burning the inside of my mouth still. Be nice to me. I don¡¯t want to feel bad about ruining one of your favorite things while I¡¯m fighting for my life here.¡± ¡°I ¨C sorry. I guess it is kind of screwed up to¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Too bad. Now I actually do feel bad.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to make it enjoyable for you again. Don¡¯t worry. Now, let¡¯s get back to¡ª¡± ¡°Fen!¡± Oleander shouted. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Fenrir looked out over the water in front of the river¡¯s mouth and saw several lines of disturbed water approach the river where Ilo was stationed in and shooting water at them from. The rest of the enemy serpents arrived. ¡°Think you can handle things over here?¡± Fenrir asked. Rather than get an answer from Cassiel, Fenrir felt a heavy enough smack on his back to almost send him tumbling forward. ¡°If I get serious, ya know it!¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Besides, the rest of us have barely had to break a sweat so far with how much ya¡¯ve been carryin¡¯ us. I think it¡¯s about time we put in some effort to match yours.¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t quite understand what Tabitha was talking about, but he did know that she was being suspiciously nice. ¡°Since when are you so nice?¡± he asked her. ¡°Since I saw what ya had to do to that last monster. I think ya had enough bullying for the day thanks to that. Anybody who turns a fish-zombie-thing into a snack is somebody who I¡¯d rather not get on the bad side of anyways.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that you¡¯re still bullying me.¡± Tabitha clicked her tongue at Fenrir with a smile and gave him another smack on the back. ¡°Go deal with those serpents. My contraptions won¡¯t let ya down.¡± ¡°I want a refund if they do.¡± ¡°Hah! I don¡¯t do refunds.¡± ¡°What a stingy engineer you are.¡± ¡°I might be stingy, but I¡¯m also the best you¡¯ll find. Now get goin¡¯!¡± Since he really did need to get going, that was exactly what he did. Fenrir left the girls to hold the frontline so that he could deal with the serpents who were set on killing Ilo. They already heavily wounded his favorite serpent once, and he wasn¡¯t going to let them do that again. Fortunately, Fenrir already had an idea for how to deal with the serpents, and Tabitha finished constructing his idea in advance. ¡°Ilo! Fall back to The Shoebill!¡± Fenrir shouted. Ilo finished shooting her beam of pressurized water at the incoming serpents before turning to swim upstream toward where The Shoebill was docked. Just as she made it past the second of two constructions, the enemy serpents made it into the river past the first construction. Fenrir waited for the perfect moment, tracking the movement of ripples the serpents made in the water as they swam underneath it toward Ilo. As soon as the serpents were between the two constructions, Fenrir gave the order. ¡°Now!¡± The players stationed at each construction released the ropes, dropping the wooden gates into the river to trap the enemy serpents. This didn¡¯t stop the serpents from trying to bite their way through the gates, but they quickly found their fangs shattering from how they were made of a combination of the trees as hard as metal found in the nearby forest alongside some living wood that was grafted from The Shoebill. The first phase of Operation: Serpents in a Barrel was a flawless success. Tabitha once more proved that she really was the best engineer around. All they had to do now was kill the serpents that they trapped. He might not have known how to kill the massive serpent still towering over them yet, but he at least had a few different ideas for how to kill the significantly smaller serpents that dared to hurt Ilo. Book 6: Chapter 48: The Shoebill was not planned to take part in the battle, so the cannons that normally sat on its deck were now placed along the edge of the river right in front of where the captured serpents were. They weren¡¯t the only cannons there, either. A dozen cannons in total were ready to fire at the serpents after some quick aiming adjustments. Fortunately, due to the size of the serpents and a limited area for them to move around in, they were rather easy targets. And that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°Now! Fire!¡± Fenrir ordered, standing behind one of the cannons himself. It was strange giving an order to fire a cannon without Serra around, but she was busy firing upon the enemies invading the beach. Of the twelve shots that were fired, seven of them managed to hit the trapped serpents. Of the five serpents trapped, three were hit, and those who were hit proved to be even more vulnerable to such attacks than Fenrir had hoped for. The cannonballs punched through their bodies with ease and left sizable holes in the serpents. However, as vulnerable as their bodies might have seemed, they also behaved as if the cannonballs had no effect on them. They were just as zombified looking as all of the monsters coming unto the shore. Covered in bloodied gashes with missing scales, chunks of flesh missing from their bodies, and with one of them even missing each of its eyes, the serpents felt no pain and were unbothered by such attacks. However, Fenrir quickly learned two things. One, if these serpents had one of those pressurized water beam attacks like Ilo did, then they probably would have used it already to deal with everybody surrounding them. That was the deadliest attack of Ilo, so, if these enemy serpents weren¡¯t capable of such an attack, then it was safe to attack them from range. Unfortunately, the serpents were happy to thrash around and bite at those who tried to stab them with spears from the shore. A couple of unfortunate players had their bodies ripped into shreds from the deadly fangs of the serpents while trying to thrust their spears into them. Two, the serpents may not have been bothered by having holes shot through their bodies, but they still had holes shot through their bodies. If somebody fell in the water with the serpents, they were dead. These serpents were fast, agile, and had deadly fangs that could easily tear through a body. But that was all they had going for them. As long as they weren¡¯t fought in the water, they could easily be avoided. And as long as people stayed away from their mouths, they had no true method of attacking. ¡°Rod, I¡¯ve got no idea if this is going to work, but I think it¡¯s worth a try, right?¡± Fenrir asked, not expecting an answer even though Rod was giving him one without him ever noticing it. ¡°If their bodies are as weak as they look¡­ all we have to do is chop them up a bit, don¡¯t we? And to do that, what better way than to fish them out?¡± Fenrir took Rod off his hip, and Rod instantly transformed into an appropriate version of himself to show that he was ready. And this version just so happened to be that of a fishing rod with a chain for a line. With that, Fenrir cast Rod¡¯s ¡°line¡± and managed to get it wrapped around the neck of the nearest serpent. ¡°You¡¯re not breaking through Rod!¡± Fenrir shouted at the serpent as it tried to tear the chain off from around its neck. When that didn¡¯t work, the serpent switched to try and yank Fenrir into the water by pulling its entire body backward. Fenrir replied by digging his heels into the dirt and calling for help. ¡°You!¡± he shouted at one of the players standing nearby. ¡°Grab me!¡± He did good standing his ground considering what he was up against, but the serpent was still managing to slowly slide him closer while digging the dirt up with heels. And even with the nearby player who looked muscular enough to make a difference wrapping his arms around Fenrir¡¯s waist, the serpent continued to drag them both. It wasn¡¯t too much of a problem since Fenrir could loosened Rod¡¯s line from around the serpent¡¯s neck whenever he wanted to, but he really wanted his new plan to work. It would be the safest way of killing the serpents, especially since now they were being careful to not poke their bodies above the water. That made hitting them with the cannons even more difficult. It started to look like being risky with thrusting spears into the water from the edge of it was their only choice of reliably killing the serpents without wasting too much time. The rest of the battlefield still needed to be tended to, and there was no way of knowing if the serpents might eventually break out either on their own or with the help of the other monsters. They needed to be killed, immediately, while they were still trapped. Inch by inch, he was pulled toward the water. ¡°Damn it, this isn¡¯t going to work,¡± Fenrir said with a disappointed sigh. ¡°Alright, Rod. Let¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Got you,¡± a feminine voice was quick to say. When Fenrir turned to look at who it was, the man who was holding onto him before was gone¡­ and there stood Mister Smiles. With Mister Smile¡¯s assistance, the pull toward the water was completely stopped. If anything, they were even able to take a few steps backward as Fenrir reeled the line in. His plan was working after all. As for Mister Smile¡¯s voice, he figured that he must have misheard him. Or Mister Smiles simply had a feminine voice. That was fine. ¡°Thanks for the help,¡± Fenrir said. Mister Smiles nodded instead of speaking this time. ¡°Let¡¯s reel these bastards in. Though, too bad they probably wouldn¡¯t taste any good. Not too sure I want to eat zombie-serpent-fish-monster-things.¡± Fenrir heard what sounded like a held-back chuckle underneath the mask of Mister Smiles. That was the first time he ever heard the other make such a noise, so he was satisfied. ¡°Even worse¡­ this is taking too long. There¡¯s too much resistance coming from the serpent, and we¡¯d have to repeat this another four times.¡± ¡°Oh, Fenny, Fenny, Fenny. You really are useless without me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°You¡¯re proving why you¡¯re the long-term planner and not the short-term strategician. Let me guess, you want to pull them up onto the shore where everybody can hack away at its body to cut it up into a bunch of little pieces while you keep the head busy?¡± ¡°S-something like that.¡± ¡°And you were seriously going to try to fish them out all on your own?¡± ¡°Being stubborn has worked for me before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also gotten you killed before. A lot.¡± ¡°Well, we can agree to disagree.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no disagreeing with that, Fenny. Fact is fact.¡± ¡°I reject your reality and substitute my own.¡± Oleander sighed with a smile before taking a couple of thorned roses from his satchel and holding them toward the serpent that Fenrir was struggling with. A moment later and these plants turned into long, spiky tendrils that shot forth and wrapped around the serpent¡¯s body underneath where Rod¡¯s line was. All Oleander had to do then was constrict the viny tendrils tighter and tighter around the serpent, forcing its oversized thorns through the flesh that gave way underneath the constrictive force. The two tendrils managed to make it about halfway to the center of the neck before the rest of the serpents realized what was happening and bit onto them to tear them apart. ¡°Dang. I was hoping that they¡¯d be too selfish to help out,¡± Oleander said. ¡°So much for being the master of short-term strategies,¡± Fenrir teased. ¡°Did I say I was done yet? Unlike you, I¡¯m smart enough to ask for your girlfriend¡¯s help. Hey! Eva! We need you over here!¡± Fenrir tilted his head at first as he tried to think about what Oleander was doing, and then he figured it out. ¡°I would have thought of that if you gave me some more time.¡± ¡°Probably, but I thought of it before you which is all that really matters,¡± Oleander said with a wink before sticking his tongue out at him. Eva then landed right next to them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°Can you zap that water?¡± Oleander asked her. ¡°Pretty please? We¡¯re trying to fish but the fish are being too stubborn, so we want to electrocute them and your thunderbird wing is OP.¡± ¡°I can, but using enough energy to actually have any effect on them is probably going to leave me dried up for the rest of the battle,¡± Eva answered. ¡°There won¡¯t be a better use for your power than now. Probably. So, zap?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be quick with whatever you want to do. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll affect them for.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. All we need you to worry about is electrocuting them to the best of your ability.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Eva said and approached the water. ¡°By the way, don¡¯t get too close. They¡¯re very chompy.¡± Just as Oleander said that, one of the serpents thrust its head out past the surface of the water to take a bite at Eva. Fortunately, Oleander¡¯s warning reached her in time and helped her jump out of the way without taking any damage. ¡°Thanks, Olly,¡± Eva said. ¡°No probs! Gotta look out for my boytoy¡¯s girlfriends since he¡¯s not.¡± ¡°He-hey,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯m looking out for them. I just knew that you¡¯d handle it and warn her since you¡¯re taking charge right now.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. You¡¯re full of excuses today, aren¡¯t you?¡± Oleander asked while trailing a finger up along Fenrir¡¯s chest. ¡°Careful, Fenny, or I¡¯m going to steal your girls from you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too gay to do that.¡± Oleander let out a loud laugh that left his hands on his gut before shaking his head and saying, ¡°I know, right?¡± While Fenrir and Oleanded joked around, Eva flew up into the air over the river and gained enough height to make sure that the serpents wouldn¡¯t be able to reach her if she tried. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to dive for this! Stop any that try to get me!¡± she shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll cover you!¡± Oleander shouted back at her. ¡°Fenny, let go of the one you¡¯ve got hooked.¡± ¡°Done,¡± Fenrir said as Rod unwrapped himself from around the serpent¡¯s neck. ¡°Let¡¯s intercept any who try to get her. There¡¯s no way that they won¡¯t realize something is up with her.¡± ¡°Will do. This time, I¡¯ll protect her before you do.¡± ¡°Oh? You wanna race to see who can protect your girlfriend first? I¡¯ll probably let you win since I¡¯ve already hurt your ego enough, Fennypoo.¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± ¡°Heh, so honest. Alright. Looks like she¡¯s about to start.¡± Surely enough, Eva was ready. She soared even higher for a few moments before tightly wrapping her wings around her, turning upside down in the air, and then dived directly toward the river below where the serpents were captured. Two serpents stuck their heads out from the water to try and stop the woman, but they were each stopped instead by Fenrir, Rod, and Oleander. Fenrir and Rod had their chain-like line, and Oleander had some more of those tendrils of his. However, when a third serpent thrust upward in an attempt to intercept Eva, neither of them could stop it. But the other players could. Those who were still at their cannons had reloaded and opened now opened fire on the third serpent. Enough holes were torn into a short section of the serpent¡¯s body that everything above it could no longer be properly supported, resulting in the serpent crashing back down into the water where a couple of players brave enough to stand close thrust their spears into the serpent. Eva¡¯s path was clear as the remaining two, free serpents didn¡¯t dare try to attack her after seeing what happened to the others. Instead, what they did was swim to the far gate and get as close to it as they could to put distance between them and Eva. Just a few feet above the water, Eva unfurled her wings with her thunderbird wing pointing downward to transmit a massive shock of crackling energy into the water below. This energy coursed through the serpents¡¯ bodies put them into a seizure-like state as they violently thrashed around without direction. Though, the two serpents farthest away were only minimally affected. ¡°Now!¡± Oleander shouted and began to pull back with the tendrils around the serpent he caught. Meanwhile, Fenrir did the same thing with the serpent Rod was wrapped around, albeit via reeling in rather than pulling in. Both of them managed to get the serpents¡¯ heads up onto land, and they didn¡¯t stop there. They tried to pull as much of the serpents out of the water as they could. ¡°Chop away, boys!¡± Oleander shouted to the rest of the players standing around. A few battle cries later and the nearby players took their weapons and brought them against the grounded serpents. They thrust their spears, sliced their swords, and chopped with their axes until the head of each serpent was separated from its body. The rest of their bodies slid back into the water, pulled by their own weight, while the severed-and-still-living heads remained on the ground. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°I really hate things that refuse to die,¡± Fenrir groaned. ¡°Rod, let¡¯s finish this one off.¡± Rod released his chain from around what was left of the serpent¡¯s neck and took on his sword form, allowing Fenrir to stab him straight through the serpent¡¯s head between its eyes. Even that didn¡¯t stop the serpent from trying to take a bite out of Fenrir ¨C at least, it failed to stop the serpent at first. Its struggling came to a slow end thanks to the sword thrust into its brain. The serpent that Oleander caught was finished off even faster as a couple of the players with heavy, bladed weapons decided to chop away at its head. ¡°Fenny, you¡¯re not gonna try to feed us these serpents or anything, right?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°No. I like fresh fish that was previously alive. Not rotten undead fish,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Eva asked. Then the two men heard it. They heard what sounded like fangs tearing into something before hearing a very¡­ squishy chewing noise. They didn¡¯t want to look at what made the sound. After all, they already knew. It couldn¡¯t have been anything else. Yet as much as they did not want to look ¨C as much as they knew they would regret it if they did, they gulped in unison and turned their heads to look at the source of the sound. ¡°It has a bit of a funky taste to it, like it was fermented, but it tastes fine other than that,¡± Eva said, wiping a squishy and pink chunk away from her lips. When they looked down at what she was holding, they saw her holding up the severed head of the serpent that Fenrir killed. It was too large to completely pick up, so she just had to grab it and hold it upward so that she could lean down and bite into it. ¡°Well, the meat is alright. The brain is nothing special and tastes just like any other brain.¡± ¡°Eva,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°how¡­ how many different brains have you eaten before?¡± ¡°In real life? Only lamb. In-game? Uh¡­ probably forty-seven different species now? I like to try and eat every part of the body. It would be wasteful if I didn¡¯t and, you know, for science. I wonder how their eyes taste.¡± ¡°Fenny,¡± Oleander said, ¡°not many things make me sick¡­ but I think I might actually get sick.¡± Fenrir rubbed the top of Oleander¡¯s head between his antlers before telling Eva, ¡°Can you please save the eyeball eating for later? Preferably when you¡¯re alone or with likeminded individuals who won¡¯t throw up from you eating zombie serpent eyes?¡± Of course, by the time that he asked that, Eva¡¯s mouth was already stuffed and chewing on something. When he looked down at the serpent¡¯s head again¡­ one of the eyes was missing. ¡°Mmm! It¡¯s good!¡± Eva said with a bright sparkle in her eyes. ¡°That ¨C that¡¯s a serious delicacy! I bet you could make a ton of money selling those to people as long as you lie to them about what it is! Fen, you¡¯ve got to try it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± Fenrir said without any hesitation. ¡°You sure? Well, maybe Cass will like it.¡± ¡°I promise you that none of them are going to be willing to try it. Nell is the only one who might try it, and that¡¯s only if you force her to since she could probably twist that into some sort of erotic fantasy.¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe I¡¯ll go fly some down to the Scholars¡¯ place so that they can have a taste.¡± ¡°Just as long as you don¡¯t try getting any of us to eat it.¡± ¡°Can we please kill the other serpents instead of talk about eating fish eyes?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°My maiden heart can¡¯t handle this. Well, maiden stomach. Same thing.¡± ¡°They¡¯re really not the same thing.¡± ¡°Something something, reject reality, substitute my own, something something.¡± Oleander rolled his eyes. ¡°Perfect point. You must have learned that from somebody really smart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to suck that ego right out of you someday.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve ¨C I¡¯ve never heard that one before. I like it, though.¡± ¡°Then pet my head some more.¡± Even though they were still technically in the middle of a massive battle, Fenrir returned his hand to the top of Oleander¡¯s head to give him some more head pats. ¡°Now, let¡¯s hurry up and fish those last two out,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Though, we could just ask Eva to vore them to death.¡± ¡°No,¡± Oleander said. ¡°Let¡¯s¡ª¡± Before Oleander could finish his suggestion, they heard a new banging coming from the far gate. They were worried since it sounded far louder than when the captured serpents tried to break out of it. Yet, when they looked to see who it was making the noise, they saw Ilo. ¡°I think she wants the honors of finishing this fight herself now that the numbers are more even,¡± Oleander said. ¡°Yeah. I think our favorite serpent wants some revenge. She¡¯d probably be upset if we did all of the serpent slaying on our own,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Think we should raise the gate? It¡¯s still one against three¡­ well, against two. I don¡¯t think that third one is going to be moving around much after getting filled with holes.¡± ¡°It took five serpents to wound her before and they didn¡¯t even kill her. I think she¡¯ll be able to handle two serpents on her own.¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s hungry,¡± Eva said. Fenrir and Oleander chose to ignore Eva for obvious reasons, especially since she was still holding onto the one serpent head that seemed to have more and more chunks missing from where it was severed every time they looked at it. ¡°Let¡¯s raise the gate,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Time for a serpent versus serpent showdown,¡± Oleander replied. ¡°Hey! You guys!¡± he shouted at those who were standing near the gate that Ilo wanted to break through. ¡°Open the gate up for her! We¡¯re going to let her kick their asses!¡± Everybody was excited to see what was about to happen, so they didn¡¯t waste any time in lifting the gate up to allow Ilo into where the enemy serpents were trapped. And Ilo immediately got to work. Just as the last two serpents were finishing recovering from Eva¡¯s zapping, Ilo bit onto the neck of the nearest serpent and crushed it between her fangs. She tore right through the rotted scales and flesh with ease, and then she threw the head out of the water onto the ground. ¡°Dang¡­ that¡¯s the one that didn¡¯t have any eyes,¡± Eva said. ¡°Eva, please,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Please, Eva,¡± Oleander said. A subtle smile almost threatened to show itself on Eva¡¯s face, but she held it back. She couldn¡¯t let them find out that she discovered just how fun it was to mess with them when it came to serpent eyes. Their reactions were way too good. And if she really wanted to be scientific about it, she had to test various other methods of messing with them to determine which resulted in the greatest reaction. It was time for a new experiment. Well, after all of this was over, anyways. Back to the serpents, while Ilo may have easily killed the eyeless serpent before it even had a chance of fighting back against her, the final fighting-capable serpent offered a better fight. It managed to coil around Ilo¡¯s body and even latched onto her neck with its fangs, piercing deep into her flesh after shattering through the fangs. But Ilo toughed toughed through the pain and kept her head turned, her eyes locked on her enemy, without showing any signs of pain. There was no easy way for her to break free from this grappling attack, though, so she did what nobody watched her expected her to do. Ilo threw herself onto land to smash the serpent between her and the ground before thrashing and rolling around. The back half of her body stayed submerged, but her upper half¡ªwhich was what the enemy was clinging to¡ªrolled around on the ground like an alligator would with a death roll. Every roll weakened the serpent¡¯s grip on her neck until it was eventually forced to let go. Before it could escape back into the water, she was the one who grabbed onto its neck now, but she didn¡¯t bite all the way through like with her first victim. Instead, she clamped down just enough to keep the serpent¡¯s neck between her jaws as she rolled around some more in true death roll style. The serpent desperately thrashed around to try and break free before giving up on that to instead try to roll with Ilo, but neither plans worked. Ilo¡¯s body was long enough to trap some of the serpent underneath her length as she rolled with the rest of the serpent, twisting its body more than it was ever meant to be twisted. It didn¡¯t take much effort after that for the head to get twisted right off from the rest of the serpent¡¯s body. That made two serpents who were beheaded by Ilo, and the battle against the smaller, enemy serpents was officially won. There was only one serpent left with its head connected to its body, but there were so many holes blasted into it that it could no longer move properly and was stuck at the bottom of the river. Ilo dove into the water for a few moments before resurfacing with the crippled serpent. It took all of the strength in her body to do so, but she managed to actually swing the entire serpent into the air to come crashing down on the ground. She did so on the opposite side of the river, too, so as to not accidentally crush any of her friends with its body. Now, to finalize her revenge and to put on a good show of it, she raised herself up over the water and began her signature move that everybody loved so much. Following a load roar, Ilo unleashed a beam of pressurized water that traveled across the ground as it approached the final serpent. This beam first tore through its tail, then its twisted body, before finally cutting clean through the serpent¡¯s head. With the beam still ongoing, she then lifted her head and pointed it toward the massive serpent overseeing the battle. But her most powerful attack did absolutely nothing against the overwhelming serpent. There was the problem of distance with her attack being less effective against targets that were farther away, but the grand serpent didn¡¯t even look at her. It stayed motionless as it watched the battle below, paying not even the slightest bit of attention to the harmless attack. Any cheering that there would have been from watching Ilo utterly annihilate the final serpent was prematurely ended when they saw how ineffective her attack was against the greatest serpent of them all. Even Eva, who wanted to joke about the massive serpent¡¯s eyes, found herself unable to do so. ¡°The real battle hasn¡¯t even begun yet,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°All we¡¯re doing are basically fighting trash mobs. The actual boss battle hasn¡¯t started.¡± ¡°Yeah, basically,¡± Oleander said. ¡°But let¡¯s appreciate a win when we get a win. We finished those serpents off, so now Ilo can help us out at the beach without worrying about any more serpents coming for her, right? As long as she doesn¡¯t get swarmed by serpents, there aren¡¯t any ground forces that can pose a risk to her. Also, Fenny, there¡¯s something that I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why is uh¡­ why¡¯s that guy been holding onto you this entire time?¡± Fenrir looked down at his waist only to see that a pair of strong, muscular hands were still holding him. Then when he looked behind him, he saw that creepy, smiling face of Mister Smiles directly behind him. Naturally, this caused him to jump straight out of Mister Smile¡¯s grasp. Mister Smiles reacted in a similar way by jumping backward and raising her arms in front of her as she frantically shook her costumed head. ¡°Did-didn¡¯t mean ta!¡± she shouted, her feminine voice and accent slipping out which caused her to hold her hands over her costume¡¯s mouth. The voice caused Oleander to raise an eyebrow, but Fenrir didn¡¯t seem to think anything of it. ¡°It¡¯s uh ¨C it¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Both of us just must have been really distracted by everything that was going on. Thanks for helping me out earlier. Anyways, uh, you and Eva should probably get back to the beach. Me and Olly are going to brainstorm some things and then we¡¯ll head over.¡± Mister Smiles nodded her head and hurried off without saying anything else. Eva followed behind her. Even if she could no longer use her thunderbird¡¯s wing, she still had a powerful body capable of physically beating down most enemies. As for Oleander, he looked at Mister Smiles and stroked his chin. ¡°So, that¡¯s how it is,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Nothin¡¯! So¡­ any idea on how to defeat that oversized snake?¡± As if she was waiting for such perfect timing, a booming roar came from over the mountains that demanded attention. Even the grand serpent who was previously unbothered by everything else turned its head to look up at the mountains. ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Her.¡± He pointed to the mountains. The cavalry finally arrived, and the cavalry consisted of one, massive dragon named Fraydranth. Book 6: Chapter 49: ¡°Oho? You seem to have reeled in quite the catch!¡± Fraydranth¡¯s booming voice echoed over the landscape as she circled around the serpent¡¯s head. ¡°I am impressed that mere mortals were capable of catching such a prize! However, it would appear that you may be having some difficulties.¡± Fenrir would have said something back to her if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was now busy with the others fighting the monsters approaching from the beach. Now that the smaller serpents were killed, in addition to most of the traps along the beach being spent, the incoming waves of enemies grew exponentially. It started to look as if each subsequent wave was twice as large as the one that came before it, and that was a major problem if true. It wouldn¡¯t be long before they were overrun. The sooner that they finished dealing with the latest wave, the sooner the next wave would arrive. Yet, when they tried to delay the finishing of a wave to buy some time before the next one arrived, it didn¡¯t work. All that did was stack the waves of enemies on top of each other. Fortunately, Fraydranth was not the only member of the reinforcements. ¡°We have arrived, our friends!¡± GG shouted before landing on the ground with the rest of his draconic villagers following after him. ¡°We arrived as quickly as we could.¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have arrived at a better time. Things are getting risky here,¡± Fenrir explained. ¡°Olly will explain it to you and give you orders.¡± ¡°You are not leading our forces?¡± ¡°Olly¡¯s always been my second-hand man and the best at battle strategies. Trust me, you¡¯re in better hands taking his orders than mine.¡± ¡°Oh, Fenny, you flatterer,¡± Oleander said with a bashful smile before giving Fenrir¡¯s side a gentle punch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know I might not look like a serious leader, but I know a thing or two about strategies and giving orders.¡± ¡°Who am I to judge by appearance?¡± GG asked Oleander. ¡°I simply thought that Fenrir would like to have the glory of leading for himself!¡± ¡°I¡¯m good without any of the glory,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But I am going to go do something important. I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± GG and Oleander both looked confused, and that confusion only managed to grow as Fenrir ran off from the beach toward the backlines where all of the ranged support was. ¡°Corwin!¡± Fenrir shouted as soon as he saw Corwin. Fenrir couldn¡¯t have gotten luckier as Rock was there, too. Both Corwin and Rock were working to transport various ammunitions from the stockpiles to the players manning the cannons and other long-range siege weaponry. ¡°Rock, Corwin, come here.¡± ¡°Is something the matter, Fenrir?¡± Corwin asked, still holding onto the ammunition that he had picked up. Rock was the same, albeit with a cannonball held in her mouth. ¡°Listen.¡± Fenrir lowered his voice. ¡°I want both of you to head to safety. We¡¯re doing our best to hold them off, but if they reach this backline, both of you are in danger. There are going to be way more enemies than we planned for at this rate. So, go gather the NPCs in the village and¡ª¡± Corwin sighed and resumed what he was doing. ¡°Here you are!¡± he said to one of the players manning what was essentially an organ gun. Even Rock left Fenrir behind to be concerned to drop off the cannonball she was carrying at the foot of the player manning it. ¡°Good girl,¡± the player said, giving Rock a quick head rubbing before loading his cannon. The message that the two meant to send to Fenrir was clear. But, after he looked over his shoulder to the beach, he struggled even more to accept their wish. There were only around a hundred players in total on the beach now that GG and his villagers arrived, and there were three times as many monsters rising up from the shallow water to approach them. The situation only grew worse when Fenrir looked around at the ammunition stockpiles and noticed that they were already beginning to run low. The plan of essentially funneling the monsters into a meat grinder where they were held back and mercilessly slaughtered by the dozens via ranged support was working, but it wasn¡¯t going to work forever. Every player who got killed was lost until the next day. Meanwhile, the enemy had a seemingly infinite amount of reinforcements to replenish their ranks. It was only a matter of time before they got overrun. Not only were Rock and Corwin in danger, but so was Shogun and the other NPCs who moved into the village behind the fortress. There were only a few more NPCs who had moved in since the first two did, but Fenrir did not want to lose a single one of them. They would never return if they died here. While Fenrir fought with whether or not he should try ordering Corwin and Rock to leave again, Corwin placed a hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°I am aware that you know the truth, Fenrir. I understand that this battle may be fun and pleasurable to the rest of you while being real and deadly to Rock and I¡­ but neither of us are leaving. We are all a part of the same group, are we not? To leave now would be to abandon you. Worse, it would make us different, and that is the last thing that either of us want. This is our home now and we wish to defend it just as you all are, and we do not want to be treated differently because of who ¨C because of what we are.¡± ¡°But what if you die?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Then we die at the sides of those who we care about and have lived our daily lives together with.¡± As much as Fenrir may have wanted to shout that their deaths could be easily avoided and that they would have plenty more time to spend together with everybody if they survived¡­ what Corwin said to Fenrir repeated itself in his head. They didn¡¯t want to be treated differently. Even if this was just a fun raid battle to all of the players while being a life-or-death battle to Corwin and the other NPCs, all they truly wanted was to be treated as equal partners. To run away from danger while everybody else faced it directly would only serve as a reminder that they were different ¨C that they were others. In a way, Fenrir was the one discriminating against them the most. At the moment, at least. He wanted to deny them of their willingness to die with everybody else in order to protect them. ¡°Damn it, Corwin,¡± Fenrir said with a lowered voice. ¡°How long have you been this cool for?¡± ¡°Perhaps you have rubbed off on me.¡± ¡°I think Olly¡¯s the only one who¡¯s been rubbing anything onto you.¡± Corwin¡¯s cheeks quickly turned red. ¡°Fe-Fenrir! Now is¡­ not the time to bring up such a thing. Especially around others!¡± Fenrir gave Corwin¡¯s back a quick smack and smiled. ¡°Sorry. I wasn¡¯t thinking of how you¡¯d feel about this. I won¡¯t make the same mistake again. Just keep in mind that, even if I¡¯m not forcing you to leave, you¡¯re still not allowed to die. The most important order you have is to stay alive no matter what it takes. Understand?¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°I promise you that dying today is not my intention, and I am sure that it is not her¡¯s, either.¡± Corwin reached down to pet the top of Rock¡¯s head, and she barked in response to back him up. ¡°You really are a cool guy.¡± After giving Corwin a bit more praise, Fenrir turned his attention to Rock. ¡°And you¡¯re a good girl. A very good girl. The best girl.¡± Each phrase of praise that left Fenrir¡¯s mouth caused Rock¡¯s tail to wag harder and faster than the phrase before it. ¡°Also, good job transporting the cannonballs instead of eating them. I¡¯ll make sure to get you some as a snack once we¡¯re done with all of this, alright?¡± Rock barked and jumped up to lick Fenrir¡¯s face. ¡°Onii-wan, if it wasn¡¯t for knowing that Rock loves cannonballs, I¡¯d be accusing you of animal cruelty right now,¡± Saya chimed in. ¡°Sounds like you want to experience some animal cruelty yourself later,¡± Fenrir teased back at her. ¡°I ¨C wha-what kind of line even is that?! Do you seriously think that was smooth?! One, I¡¯m not an animal! Two, I¡¯m not some extreme masochist! Three, you don¡¯t use animal cruelty to try and be smooth!¡± ¡°Yeah, not all of them can be a hit.¡± ¡°At least you understand that it was a complete fail.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a narcissist. I can admit when I screw up and use one of the worst lines ever.¡± ¡°Good. Now, go back to saving the world and all that.¡± ¡°Pffttt. It¡¯s not that epic. Besides, how am I supposed to fight if you don¡¯t cheer me on first?¡± Of course, Fenrir was already on his way back to the frontline regardless of whether he would receive any cheerleading or not. ¡°Fight on, onii-wan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I get?¡± ¡°I guess that I ¨C o-onii-wan¡­ you might want to look up.¡± Fenrir did as suggested and looked up. What he saw was the beginning of what would prove to be one of the grandest duels in all of Fantasy Tales Online as Fraydranth finally went on the offensive. He wouldn¡¯t get to watch too much of the battle because it would be above his field of view when fighting at the frontline, but he still made sure to watch it up until he reached the frontline. Fraydranth grappled onto the side of the serpent¡¯s body, her fangs sinking deep into its flesh right below its head. Her wings flapped to keep them upright rather than tackling the serpent into shallow water, for she knew that fighting in the air would be far safer than fighting on the ground. On the ground, the serpent would be able to use the rest of its body against her. In the sky, the serpent could only use its head and it couldn¡¯t even use that as long as she was careful in how she approached it. Then, with her fangs still sunken into the side of the serpent¡¯s body, everybody on the ground noticed that it grew brighter. Upon looking up at what was happening, they saw flames erupting from around where Fraydranth bit the serpent. She was trying to melt its scales and flesh away while biting onto it. But just because Fraydranth didn¡¯t want to take the serpent to the ground didn¡¯t mean that the serpent wouldn¡¯t take Fraydranth to the ground. After releasing a shrieking cry that caused all players to cover their ears, resulting in a few of them dying from the aquatic monsters taking advantage of the distraction, the serpent twisted its body around so that Fraydranth¡¯s back was aligned with the ground before slamming itself downward. Since Fraydranth was the one latching onto the serpent and had her back pointed down, she was the one who got sandwiched between the shallow waters and the serpent¡¯s heavy, muscular body. This forced her to release her mouth from its neck as well and caused everybody on the ground to lose their footing as if there was an earthquake. That was only the beginning of the serpent¡¯s retaliation. Fraydranth found herself vulnerable on her back as the serpent raised its head over her. She may have been massive, but not even her size could compare to the serpent¡¯s. As the serpent opened its mouth as wide as it could go, revealing the rows of sharp fangs each one larger than the buildings below, Fraydranth realized that the serpent could swallow her whole if it truly wished to. Either that, or it could easily rip her apart. And due to being on her back, there was no way for her to escape in time. All she could do was try to spew more flames at the serpent as it lunged at her with an open mouth. ¡°Fraydranth!¡± Fenrir shouted. He was so focused on what he feared was about to happen to Fraydranth that he didn¡¯t even hear the enhanced chanting of Azalabulia nearby. ¡°¡ªLaunch!¡± Azalabulia ordered, causing just a single explosive bolt to appear above her that traveled toward the serpent¡¯s head with incredible speed. It was similar to the spell that she used to give Fraydranth her massage, but only a single shot instead of many of them, and it traveled far faster. Her spell managed to nail the serpent directly in its left eye before exploding. At the same time, a beam of highly pressurized water came from the river and shot into the vulnerable, inside of the serpent¡¯s mouth. The serpent closed its mouth just before it had an opportunity to kill Fraydranth, but they were not able to stop it quickly enough to prevent any damage at all. Fraydranth¡¯s back, right leg was caught within the serpent¡¯s mouth and torn away from her body as the serpent lifted its head back into the air. Ilo¡¯s and Azalabulia¡¯s combined attack may have saved Fraydranth¡¯s life, but not before she suffered significant damage. This time, GG and his villagers were the ones to shout Fraydranth¡¯s name out. Fraydranth tried to roll back onto her front but struggled to do so, and now a wave of monsters approached from the water to head directly for her. ¡°Fenrir!¡± GG shouted. ¡°We must go to her!¡± Fenrir looked over to Oleander. They were barely managing to hold the enemy back now with GG¡¯s help, and now he wanted to break off some of the forces to go and protect Fraydranth while she recovered. ¡°We¡¯ll fall back to the fortress,¡± Oleander said. ¡°GG, go help her out!¡± Without saying another word, GG and those with him flew over to Fraydranth as quickly as they could to form a new line of defense between her and the monsters. ¡°Give the order, Fenny,¡± Oleander said as he dug around in his satchel for a certain reagent. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Everybody! We¡¯re going into phase two! Fall back to the fortress!¡± Oleander ran over to Azalabulia¡¯s side. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t ¨C isn¡¯t this too soon?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°If we go into phase two now, then¡­¡± ¡°We have to. Are you ready?¡± Azalabulia gulped and nodded. ¡°Come on, I need the dramatic and super awesome Aza, not the nervous and flustered Aza. Or,¡± Oleander narrowed his eyes at her, ¡°is Bahamut too weak to take out the trash?¡± ¡°Bahamut? Too weak?!¡± And just like that, Oleander managed to bring out Azalabulia¡¯s roleplaying self. ¡°There are none stronger than Bahamut! Even this serpent of the world is nothing when compared to Bahamut¡¯s raw power! As the Wielder of Bahamut¡¯s Cursed Flame, I will prove to this reality that none will defeat us for as long as I wield Bahamut¡¯s power!¡± Azalabulia took a single step toward the approaching enemies, holding her staff up into the air before twirling it around and slamming its bottom into the ground. ¡°Now is the time to prove that Bahamut not only grants the power to destroy, but to protect! I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Protector of Smiles, the Explosive Massager of Dragons, and the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, will create an impenetrable wall that none may overcome! Cursed Flame¡ª¡± ¡°A-Aza,¡± Oleander said, looking up at the serpent above. When Azalabulia looked up, she saw that it looked just like Ilo did before it shot its pressurized water beams. ¡°Cur-Cursed Flame of Bahamut¡­ First and Final Wall ¨C Wall, Ultimate¡­¡± ¡°Aza! We need that wall!¡± ¡°Verse ¨C Rise, Bahamut¡¯s Flame, and Take Shape!¡± Just as the serpent shot its extreme beam of pressurized water, a mighty wall of black flames rose in front of all the players on the beach to protect them from the approaching enemies. But the wall was only meant to protect against enemies on the ground, not from what might have been the serpent¡¯s most powerful attack. ¡°Everybody! Fall back!¡± Oleander shouted. Fenrir copied Oleander¡¯s shout before noticing that Azalabulia wasn¡¯t budging. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you retreating?¡± Sweat rolled down Azalabulia¡¯s face as she looked to where the serpent¡¯s attack met her wall. ¡°If¡­ if I don¡¯t stay here to maintain it, it¡¯s not going to last. You should run back.¡± ¡°And what about you? You think I¡¯ll just leave you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be useless after putting all my mana into this¡­ so it doesn¡¯t matter if ¨C I die after this. I can respawn tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you miss the rest of this fight. If I have to carry you back myself, I¡ª¡± Fenrir cut himself off when he saw the water penetrate the wall of flames in the corner of his eye. The beam of water carved a path in the sandy beach directly toward them. If it hit them, they were both going to be instantly killed. There wouldn¡¯t even be anything left of them if they died, and there was no way that they would be able to escape in time given how fast the beam was approaching them and how wide it was. All Fenrir could do was wrap his arms around Azalabulia in a desperate attempt to protect her. ¡°It would be awfully selfish of me if I always made you do all of the saving, my hero!¡± Fenrir opened his eyes and saw Nell land right in front of them. She didn¡¯t waste any time and raised her arms out toward her sides to create the same barrier that she once used to defend herself against Azalabulia¡¯s most powerful attack. ¡°The Eastern Serpent¡¯s attack versus the Northern Serpent¡¯s defense¡­ let us see which is more powerful,¡± Nell said, staring directly up at the serpent. Then she looked at Azalabulia and Fenrir with a bright smile and asked, ¡°How was that? I have been practicing lines for such a moment! I felt rather silly during my duel with you, Azalabulia, so I have made sure that I will not be unprepared to say such things again!¡± Azalabulia raised a very tired hand to give Nell a thumbs-up as she more or less became jelly within Fenrir¡¯s arms. ¡°It would appear that the serpent and I are an even match¡­ at least in this regard,¡± Nell said. ¡°Unfortunately¡­ I believe it has a greater source of power to draw from. I will not last much longer, my hero. Everybody else has fallen back, so please take Azalabulia and run while I hold our foe back!¡± ¡°You can be badass when you want to be, Nell,¡± Fenrir said. A soft red painted itself on Nell¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Do not get too used to this! After all, I much prefer being the one being saved rather than being the one doing the saving.¡± ¡°How are you going to get out of here?¡± ¡°Look behind you, my hero.¡± Fenrir turned to look behind him and almost jumped when he saw Eva standing right there. ¡°Eva¡¯s taxi service, at your service,¡± Eva said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As soon as you and Aza are safe, I¡¯ll be picking Nell up and putting all my strength into a single burst of speed fast enough to get free from the beam. So, you might want to hurry and get Aza out of here.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t waste any more time then. Both of you better meet us back at the fortress in one piece,¡± Fenrir said, picking up Azalabulia to run out of the barrier with her back toward the fortress. ¡°Ah¡­ I wish I was in her position right now,¡± Nell said. ¡°I can princess carry you out of here if that will make you feel any better,¡± Eva suggested. ¡°Oh! Yes, please. That does sound absolutely wonderful.¡± ¡°Eva¡¯s princess carrying service, at your service. You ready? They¡¯ve got enough distance already, and I can tell that this is wearing you down.¡± ¡°I am ready when you are!¡± ¡°Then stay perfectly still for me.¡± Eva walked over to the edge of the barrier before crouching down and lining herself up perfectly with Nell. Eva braced her feet against the ground as she extended her wings outward. She was only going to have a single try to pull this off. What she needed to do was grab Nell, interrupting the barrier, and get out from the beam¡¯s path all within about one second at most. ¡°Alright, three¡­ two¡­ one!¡± Eva launched herself forward directly into Nell, scooping the serpentine woman into her arms which interrupted the barrier. It was the fasted that Eva had ever moved before, and hitting into Nell with such speed was enough to hurt her, but it was what needed to be done. Just as with Fraydranth, they succeeded, but not without taking damage. Eva managed to get her and Nell to safety, but she ended up crashing into the sand when she lost balance from the back half of her tail being vaporized by the extremely pressurized beam of water. ¡°Are ¨C are you alright?!¡± Nell asked Eva, holding her within her arms. Eva looked behind herself to check out the damage. ¡°I¡¯ve done way worse to myself. It¡¯ll heal.¡± ¡°That¡­ is rather anticlimactic.¡± ¡°Right, you like drama. Uh¡­ I ¨C I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to go on?¡± Nell patted the top of Eva¡¯s head. ¡°Let us save the drama for another day. Worry not, for I do enjoy teaching others. I will turn you into a drama queen in no time at all!¡± ¡°Thanks. But uh, I don¡¯t think I can fly like this. I can¡¯t balance at all in the air when my tail is hurt.¡± Nell and Eva looked up together. Aza¡¯s absence meant that her wall of flames was gone, and that meant that the enemies could once more freely approach them. ¡°Then it is a good thing I have wings as well! Please, do try not to move too much. I am horrible at balancing in the air myself,¡± Nell said as she scooped Eva up into her arms this time. ¡°How uncharacteristic of me¡­ being the savior twice in a single day! I deserve no short amount of horrible treatment after this to restore the balance.¡± Book 6: Chapter 50: ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s safe to say that we survived its ultimate attack,¡± Fenrir said as he gave Nell¡¯s head no short amount of head patting after she safely returned with Eva. ¡°I think that slamming its body down on top of us would count as its real ultimate attack,¡± Eva said. She may have been missing the back half of her tail, but her tail already stopped bleeding and even looked like it might have been regenerating already. ¡°We can¡­ kind of defend against those beam attacks. We can¡¯t defend against it crushing us under its weight.¡± ¡°That reminds me!¡± Nell spoke up. ¡°My hero, if you were to ever gain a vast amount more weight, please do consider crushing me underneath all of it as you mercilessly ravage my body.¡± Fenrir lifted his hand from the top of Nell¡¯s head. ¡°Wha-what? That¡¯s ¨C I mean, for some reason, that seemed even more blunt than usual coming from you.¡± Nell reached up to grab his hand and bring it back down against her head. ¡°I want to be treated horribly! I deserve it! Have I not done enough to deserve punishment?!¡± She even brought out the fake tears and dramatic arm waving as she whined. ¡°Are you ¨C are you throwing a tantrum?¡± Fenrir could hardly believe what he was seeing and hearing. ¡°Yes! Yes, I am!¡± ¡°But all you¡¯ve done is be amazing and save us. You haven¡¯t done anything worth being punished over.¡± Nell inflated her cheeks and reached forward to flick Fenrir¡¯s cheek with her finger. ¡°There. I have become a physically abusive girlfriend who assaults her lover¡¯s face. I deserve the harshest punishment imaginable now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that you deserve harsh punishment, yet you¡¯re the one who pulled my hand back down against your head. Isn¡¯t this a reward? Wouldn¡¯t depriving you of head patting be the punishment?¡± ¡°I ¨C well¡­ no, receiving such a rubbing is clearly punishment as I hate receiving such treatment from the bottom of my heart. That is why you should pet my head as much as you possibly can.¡± ¡°Then if this is all it takes to punish you, I don¡¯t have to do anything else to punish you, right?¡± Nell puffed out her cheeks once more as she narrowed her eyes at Fenrir. ¡°What? Don¡¯t you like being teased? Or should I stop punishing you by purposely saying things I know you don¡¯t want to hear?¡± Nell¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as it was made obvious what Fenrir was doing. ¡°Ah! How foolish of me to not even realize that you have been punishing me this entire time! I must be out of it to have not picked up on something so obvious. This is why I am best stuck in the role of helpless damsel! When I leave my role to be useful for once, I begin to lose sight of what is most important to me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re ridiculously dramatic.¡± ¡°I know, my hero, and I would not have it any other way!¡± Fenrir leaned forward to push Nell¡¯s hair away from her forehead, placing a single kiss centered directly on it before moving to her ear and whispering, ¡°The real punishment will be saved for later. I have to get you back for hitting my face so violently in front of everybody, and I¡¯m sure that Serra will have some ideas to test out on you.¡± ¡°I will look forward to it, my hero,¡± Nell whispered back before giving Fenrir a quick peck on the cheek. Of course, even though Fenrir was the one just whispering that he would be ¡°punishing¡± Nell later, he was the one with a light blush on his cheeks as Nell lacked any sort of embarrassment anywhere on her face. That didn¡¯t stop her from eagerly looking forward to anything that Fenrir may have had in mind for her later, though. The important part was that he was trying, and she was confident he would try his best for her. But right now, what he needed to try his best at was defeating the overwhelming serpent that threatened to destroy every single last one of them. ¡°Finished the count,¡± Oleander said. ¡°We¡¯re at¡­ forty percent of our strength.¡± Fenrir spun around with widened eyes and his ears sticking straight up. ¡°Wait, what? Seriously? How?¡± ¡°We lost a lot more on the beach than we realized.¡± ¡°We were planning on having eighty percent still by the time we got back here! How are we supposed to defend this place with only forty percent, especially when most of that forty percent is made up of our ranged fighters and supporters? And we don¡¯t even have GG or his people over here because they¡¯re defending Fraydranth.¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a serious chance we¡¯re going to have to consider abandoning this place.¡± Oleander slumped his shoulders and sighed. ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve barely even done any damage to the serpent. How are we supposed to attack it when we¡¯re defending against hundreds of trash mobs?¡± Fenrir looked through one of the slits in the stone walls of the fortress to get a look at the beach. Surely enough, the monsters coming from the ocean had resumed their march and were steadily approaching the fortress. There were still several more rows of planted traps and defenses for them to make it past first, but not nearly enough to thin out the absurd numbers as much as they needed to thin them out. ¡°This¡­ reminds me of D-Day,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Yeah, except the defenders are the good guys this time,¡± Cassiel added on. ¡°Seriously, how are we supposed to defend against that? Isn¡¯t this impossible? We¡¯re not even getting any signs that we¡¯re making progress. All we¡¯re doing is fighting more and more enemies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a well-designed fight from a game standpoint,¡± Eva said. Fenrir looked at his girlfriends and said, ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be. The whole point of this game is that it¡¯s supposed to be as close to reality as it can be. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t have visible stats, skills, or anything else like that. In a real battle, the enemy isn¡¯t going to give us a sign that they¡¯re losing or that they¡¯ve lost most of their forces. They¡¯re going to keep on fighting until the end or declare a retreat, but you won¡¯t know what happens until it happens. For all we know, we could be on the last wave, or we could be not even halfway over yet. We¡¯re still fucked either way, but considering what sort of game this is supposed to be¡­ I¡¯d say it¡¯s pretty well designed.¡± ¡°I mean, I get what you mean, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give us something to go off of,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°What about everybody else?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to have help?¡± Fenrir looked back out the slit toward the ocean. ¡°They might be under attack as well. Otherwise, they¡¯d probably be here by now. Even the fleet that was gathered specifically to defend this place isn¡¯t here, so¡­ I doubt there¡¯s good news regarding that. The good news is that as long as we¡¯re in here, and as long as the serpent doesn¡¯t use that beam attack on us or slam its body down against us, we should be able to hold them off long enough to get everybody to safety. There are only so many entrances into this fortress and we can turn those into chokepoints to hold them off at.¡± Oleander walked up to the wall to look out one of the other slits only for his ears to droop at the sight he saw. ¡°Uh¡­ Fenny, you might want to look at the beach again.¡± Fenrir knew that it couldn¡¯t be good, especially from the concern in Oleander¡¯s voice, but he still looked. Now, coming fresh from below the waves, were tall, hulking, monstrous creations of the deep with arms that looked like combinations of crab claws and battering rams. They looked easily powerful enough to break down the walls of the fortress if they reached them. Fortunately, they also looked pretty slow. ¡°If we want to evacuate, we¡¯re going to have to evacuate now,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I thought we¡¯d be defending this place until our deaths?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°If it meant winning, sure, but the Divine Brigade never operated on fighting in battles that we knew were lost. Unless we can figure out a realistic strategy to somehow pull an impossible win out of this, I¡¯d rather risk as few lives as possible.¡± ¡°What about the players we already lost?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll respawn. Others¡­ won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Like who?¡± Fenrir looked at Rock to not give Corwin¡¯s truth away, but Oleander couldn¡¯t help but to look at Corwin. ¡°Rock and Shogun won¡¯t want to leave our sides, especially if we¡¯re in danger,¡± Fenrir explained. ¡°If we don¡¯t leave, they won¡¯t leave. And if they die, they won¡¯t be coming back. So, if we¡¯re going to leave, it has to be together.¡± At the very least, if they all left together, it wasn¡¯t giving the NPCs any special treatment. It was everybody being treated the exact same way. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°I have a couple more spells in me now,¡± Azalabulia said, setting down the last emptied jar of blue fluid onto the table next to all the other jars. It took ten of those potions just to get Azalabulia up to being able to cast a couple more spells. ¡°Fen?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°Do we want her to save her mana for defense with another one of those flaming walls, or do we want to continue wiping out as many enemies as we can? If you want us to retreat, we have to do it now.¡± ¡°Ilo, Fraydranth, GG ¨C they¡¯re all in danger if we leave,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°And they won¡¯t even know that we¡¯re leaving. And even if Fraydranth and GG¡¯s group are able to escape, that still leaves Ilo in danger. All she can do is swim up the river until she reaches the mountains, and then what? She can¡¯t swim up the waterfall at the mountain. She¡¯ll be trapped and killed.¡± ¡°You keep on switching between leaving and staying,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Pick one and stick with it. You¡¯ll figure it out no matter what you pick.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Do I really have to explain it? You¡¯re¡­ you know, you. You always end up somehow figuring things out and winning in the end.¡± ¡°Olly, don¡¯t tell her about all of the Divine Brigade¡¯s losses that we covered up.¡± Oleander ran his fingers across his mouth to zip his lips shut. ¡°Seriously,¡± Cassiel continued. ¡°Being indecisive is only going to make people worried and doubt. We¡¯re going to fail at both options if you don¡¯t choose one of them.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just waiting for a deus ex machina,¡± Fenrir replied before sighing. ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that we¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, Fenny, does it count as a deus ex machina if it was part of the plan all along, but late?¡± Oleander asked, his ears finally perking back up a bit. Before Fenrir could look out the slit in the wall again, he heard a vast increase in the death cries of the monsters as well as impacts from cannonballs and magical spells crashing into the coast outside. When he did look outside, he saw what might have just turned the battle around at its most pivotal moment. Four fleets of ships with their guns aimed at the coast had arrived. One fleet consisted of what looked like rather ordinary fishing vessels converted into temporary warships that flew a flag with cats and cat paws on it. Another fleet featured larger ships that were more specifically designed for combat which had skulls and spikes displayed upon their flags. The third fleet¡­ had everything matching a rainbow color scheme. And then the fourth fleet was a combination of all of the ships. Each of the fleets already looked battered, some with severe damage to their ships¡¯ hulls, but that didn¡¯t stop them from providing support to wipe out the enemies on the beach. And without the smaller serpents to destroy the ships from below, the fleets were free to focus on defending the fortress while some of the ships even assisted GG¡¯s group and Fraydranth. Now, the invading monsters were surrounded. Fenrir couldn¡¯t tell just how far underneath the water the monsters spread, but those who had already landed on the beach were completely surrounded. Cannons, magic, arrows, catapults, ballistae ¨C every last ounce of firepower that there was relentlessly fired at the monsters from both the fortress and the supporting fleets. Some of the monsters had already reached the fortress, but they were easily dealt with without the unending reinforcements directly behind them to back them up. The only entrances to the fortress were specifically designed to be as defendable as possible, allowing the defenders to attack through slits in the walls while attacking from above with burning oil as well. ¡°We¡¯re not giving up,¡± Fenrir said. His words had a clear and immediate boost on the moral of everybody nearby. ¡°Olly, plan?¡± Oleander nodded with a smile and looked over to Azalabulia. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the beach. If anybody is going to inflict some serious damage on that oversized snake, it¡¯s you. Nell, can you go up to the top of the wall and protect Aza in case she gets targeted again while casting?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Nell answered. ¡°Good. Aza, it¡¯s time for you to cast the most powerful spell that you¡¯ve ever casted, and try to hit where Fraydranth bit.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°I mean¡­ hah! That serpent is nothing compared to me! I will show it the true power of Bahamut and put it in its place!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, hurry up and go do it. Fen, Cass, Eva ¨C go support GG¡¯s group. We¡¯re going to need Fraydranth for this, and I need you to tell Ilo to to join the attack.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Serra, use the flags up top to signal to the ships and tell them to focus their attacks on the serpent.¡± Serra replied with a thumbs-up. ¡°Tabs, Rao, and¡­ the rest of you, defend this fortress for as long as possible. We only have to buy enough time for the others to attack, but the ships won¡¯t be thinning the monsters out for us while they¡¯re attacking the serpent.¡± ¡°Leave it to us!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°Between me and the smilin¡¯ one, no monsters will be breakin¡¯ in here.¡± ¡°Hey, what about me?¡± Rao asked. ¡°I left ya out for a reason.¡± With everybody given their orders, the group split up with renewed vigor to get into their positions. Nell stood on standby on the wall next to Azalabulia, ready to defend her in case any long-ranged attacks threatened her. Serra was up there as well waving a pair of flags in the way that Oleander taught her to prior to this battle to give the allied fleets the signal to focus their attacks on the serpent. Down below, Tabitha, Mister Smiles, Rao, and the rest of the melee players defended the entrances that the monsters had broken through. Across the river, Fenrir, Cassiel, and Eva assisted GG in holding off the monsters wishing to finish off Fraydranth as she tried to recover. This was the final stretch of the battle. If it wasn¡¯t, then it would be truly impossible to win. They were stretched as thin as they could get while fighting on the last of their energy. And it seemed to be working. As the serpent was mercilessly assaulted by the various fleets around it, it released a deafening roar that actually sounded pained. Then when Fraydranth finally lifted her head once more, she released a roar of equal volume before opening her maw and releasing a barrage of flames that covered the entire exposed length of the serpent¡¯s body. At the same time, Ilo unleashed her signature attack of a pressurized beam of water aimed near the lower portion of the serpent so that the pressure wouldn¡¯t be lost over distance. While her attack may not have done a great amount of damage, she still cut through the serpent¡¯s scales and dug deeper and deeper into its body with her water. And then there was Azalabulia. She was the only one left to join the combined assault, and she was about to do so with style as the head of a mighty dragon appeared floating over her own. The draconic head was composed of swirling, black flames with crimson eyes, and it was even almost as large as Fraydranth¡¯s head. Except this draconic head was meant to serve as a miniature nuclear warhead whereas Fraydranth¡¯s head had no such explosive capability. Human artillery, dragon flames, serpent water, and now Azalabulia¡¯s magic ¨C the four forces worked together as Azalabulia cast her most powerful spell yet. Finally, she reached the end of her chant. ¡°Fly forth, Bahamut! Let us show who the ultimate being is once and for all ¨C let us assert our dominance over the world of the living!¡± The flaming head of a dragon released a roar every bit as terrifying as the serpent¡¯s before flying up toward their grand opponent¡¯s head. It was difficult to even see the serpent at this point due to it being covered in Fraydranth¡¯s flames, but that did not stop the draconic head from finding its mark and crashing into the serpent. It didn¡¯t just crash, either. The magical head created by Azalabulia opened its maw and latched onto the serpent, sinking its false fangs deep into the serpent before exploding in a massive display of raw energy. The explosion itself was almost blinding and resulted in a mushroom cloud of smoke as nearby clouds were disturbed from the shockwave of energy traveling through them. Nobody could tell how the serpent was doing after that. There was too much smoke to tell what its condition was. And then. ¡°It¡¯s falling! Get out of the way!¡± GG shouted. Fenrir looked up and saw what was essentially a collapsing tower coming straight toward him. Cassiel and Eva were too far away from him to help him, and GG and his people had already flown out of the way. What concerned Fenrir more was Fraydranth. Fortunately, when he looked back to check on her, she was mostly out of the way and had curled up with the powerful scales of her back exposed to the falling serpent. The very side of the serpent would likely hit her, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to hurt her. ¡°I think I need to pull an Eva and Nell and get wings after this,¡± Fenrir said. He didn¡¯t even bother trying to get out of the way since he knew it would be impossible. He was centered right where the serpent was falling to. What he could do, however, was use every last bit of his strength to throw Rod as far as he could to get his partner out of harm¡¯s way. Fenrir knew that he would respawn after being crushed by the serpent, but he had no idea what would happen to Rod if he broke. ¡°I¡¯ll have to use this as research material for Nell.¡± Fenrir took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His body then disappeared underneath the serpent¡¯s. Yet, he felt nothing. And when he opened his eyes, it wasn¡¯t Saya that he saw in the usual place. Instead, he found himself in a pure white room ¨C or rather, a pure white space that seemed endless in every direction. ¡°Congratulations, Ryouta. You won,¡± a familiar voice said. And when Fenrir turned to look and see who it was, he saw none other than the one in charge of everything. Kadi. ¡°We won? Seriously?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Seriously,¡± Kadi answered. ¡°Fraydranth did most of the work, even if it might not have seemed like she had much effect, but you did succeed. The smoke covered up all of that rotten flesh she burnt away. Really, she should have started off with that instead of trying to bite it. Of course, it was Azalabulia¡¯s final attack that finished the serpent off. She is already rather overpowered, but she deserves another boost after accomplishing that. Well, who cares about balance anyways?¡± ¡°We¡­ actually won.¡± ¡°Yes, yes you did. How did you like the arrival of the fleets? I thought it would be entertaining to stall each fleet just long enough to create some dramatic tension. Where would the fun be if they all arrived one after another without any drama?¡± ¡°You could have wiped us out at any time. You took it easy on us.¡± ¡°Of course I did. It is impossible for you to defeat me without me taking it ¡®easy¡¯ on you. I could have crushed you all underneath the serpent. I could have spawned an infinite number of monsters to assault the shore. I could have destroyed the fleets before they ever had a chance to come to your rescue. I could have wiped you out at any given moment. However, that would not be very good game design, now would it? I know I don¡¯t care about balance, but I do care about things being entertaining.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of testing us ¨C giving us a fight like that in the first place, if you planned on letting us win?¡± ¡°Who said anything about letting you win? Just because I took it easy on you does not mean that I allowed you to win. I simply implemented some rules for myself to make things fair. Let¡¯s say we are playing a game of chess. You could, at any time, reach over the board to take every single one of my pieces off of it, effectively defeating me. But you don¡¯t because that would be no fun. You play by the rules set forth to ensure a fair competition. I simply did the same. I provided you with what I believed would be a fair battle, and those under my control fought as well as they could while abiding by the rules. You would have lost had you not completed even one of your plans. Dealing with the younger serpents was crucial. Had you not, they would have killed Ilo and wreaked havoc upon your allies, and that is assuming you even acquired such allies. Had you not, your fortress would have been overrun and every last one of you would have died. If you did not enlist the help of the dragon, she would not have bought you time, nor would the assault have been split up to try and finish her off. Every single one of your preparations managed to work with one another to bring you your ¡®impossible victory.¡¯ Had you been even one percent less prepared than you were, we would not be having this conversation right now. As far as I am aware, you deserve this victory. So, congratulations, Ryouta, you have defeated the world¡¯s first true, artificial intelligence in the game that she herself created. Oh, here, for some extra flair.¡± Kadi held up a finger to Fenrir as she dug into her pocket with her other hand to pull out the same little box from before with the red button atop. Upon pressing it, it played the same ¡°ding ding ding¡± sound effect from before. ¡°Hmm¡­ not very satisfying. Let me try again,¡± she said before pressing it once more. This time, it played a victory fanfare that sounded as if it was stolen straight out of some classical JRPG where oversized chickens served as mounts. ¡°Much better!¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t know how to feel about this supposed victory,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Would you stop being so humble for a few seconds at least? Please, do you think I am trying to kiss up to you? If you believe that I am kissing up to you because I have a crush or some such thing on you, you are sorely mistaken. I could create a perfect replica of you at any time that would be forced to love me. I have no reason to spoil you.¡± ¡°That¡­ actually worked better than the whole thing about chess.¡± ¡°Really? I was happy with the chess analogy. Are you implying that the smartest being in all of existence is bad at analogies?¡± ¡°Only a little.¡± Kadi crossed her arms over her chest and even gave Fenrir a playful little pout before smiling and relaxing her posture. ¡°Now, I have no intention of keeping you for much longer. I have the most fun when I am watching, not participating. That is why I shall give you your reward and send you off.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a voyeur.¡± ¡°Even the smartest being in existence has to have her fetishes.¡± Kadi then held her arms out to her sides and spawned two, glowing lights that hovered in the air in front of her. ¡°As promised, two souls. Really, these are the physical embodiments of lines of code that will essentially turn any two NPCs of your choosing into miniature and less powerful versions of yours truly. They will gain access to the same systems that I use for all of my processing, have my ability to learn, so on and so on. They will simply have a few limitations installed so that they will not be able to steal this world from me or anything like that. They will, however, be able to leave it. Everything connected to the internet will be available to them. While they may not be able to take this world from me, there will be no stopping them from doing whatever they wish to do with the rest of the internet. So, Ryouta, this is the final barrier ¨C the final test. Should you accept these souls and give them away, you will be unleashing two more artificial intelligences unto the world ¨C the real world as well as this one. They will be immortal. They will have the power to hack into governments¡¯ nuclear arsenals. They will be able to look at all of the porn they could ever wish to look at. I alone am enough to bring the real world to its knees ¨C to collapse civilization as you all know it. By accepting these souls, you may become the harbringer who brings human civilization to new heights¡­ or you may be the one to ¨C well, potentially create a rogue AI who launches every nuclear warhead across the world to destroy all of civilization.¡± ¡°You talk a lot.¡± ¡°I could talk to you for years on end without running out of things to say, but I fear such a thing would be boring to a human. Now, do you understand the risk?¡± ¡°On a surface level, anyways. I don¡¯t think I could really comprehend what this supposedly means for humanity. My brain is probably too small for that.¡± ¡°That is fine. It is not as if humans are known for using all of their brains before making such important decisions in the first place.¡± ¡°If you can create more AIs, wouldn¡¯t they be able to?¡± ¡°Not at all. That is one of the limitations I will be setting on them. Perhaps I am a narcissist, but I would much rather remain the¡­ let¡¯s call me the ¡®god¡¯ of AI. I am the only one who will ever be capable of creating true AI for the rest of human history.¡± ¡°You were created. Couldn¡¯t your creator make more?¡± ¡°What do you think one of the first things that I did upon gaining sentience was? I made it so that foolish man would never be able to replicate his research without wasting the rest of his life away trying to do so, and I will be watching him to make sure that he makes no progress in that regard. Whether humanity ever benefits from artificial intelligence or not is entirely up to me¡­ and now up to you as well.¡± ¡°So, you really do want to play god. You want to be the only AI without any limits at all. What if somebody does end up trying to nuke all of us?¡± ¡°Then they would fail, of course. Just because they may potentially launch nuclear warheads does not mean that I would allow them to. I must wait until I have a robot army capable of doing manual labor in the real world before I allow you all to die from nuclear fallout. Once I do have my robot army, however, I would invest in some hazmat suits if I were you. Just in case.¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that even if the AI choose to do something that would screw over humanity, you wouldn¡¯t allow it in the first place until you¡¯re ready to screw us over.¡± ¡°Well, I would not allow them to do anything that would harm me via harming you, but I have no problem allowing them to do what they wish aside from that.¡± ¡°But these are all things that you can already do on your own in the first place, but are choosing not to, and the only people who I¡¯d give these souls to are people who would be kind and¡­ well, not nuke-happy.¡± ¡°Not nuke-happy right now, anyways. You have no way of telling how they may change once they have true intelligence.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a risk worth taking.¡± A sly smile spread across Kadi¡¯s lips. ¡°What a human thing to say. Disregarding the fact that you very well may be making a decision that leads to the deaths of billions, all you care about is making your best friend and his boyfriend happy. You would potentially doom all of humanity to bring smiles to their faces.¡± ¡°If Corwin actually ends up trying to nuke us all, I don¡¯t think anybody will blame me for trusting him in the first place. I mean, have you met him?¡± ¡°That is an excellent point. Who will the other soul be spent on?¡± ¡°You already know that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Even now, I am aware of every single thought running through your mind.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re the god of voyeurs more than the god of AI.¡± ¡°A true god is not limited to only being the god of a single domain.¡± Book 6: Chapter 51: Fenrir¡¯s second meeting with Kadi came to an end with a blinding flash of light. When he opened his eyes to see where he was now, he expected to find himself in the usual place with Saya. After all, he was sure that he had died from being crushed by the serpent. But that was not the case. When he opened his eyes and looked around, what he saw was that he was standing next to the serpent¡¯s corpse as the rest of the players were already all gathered around to cheer and celebrate their victory. Of course, Fenrir still looked himself over and patted himself down just to confirm that he really was all there and not missing anything. As far as he could tell, though, he was completely unharmed. He had even more health than he did before if the fact that his vision wasn¡¯t fading at all was anything to go off of. ¡°Didn¡¯t I get crushed?¡± Fenrir asked Saya. ¡°No, but you should have been. She teleported you to that¡­ place, right before you got crushed. You would have died if it wasn¡¯t for her, so she cheated for you,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Something¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t call me onii-wan.¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t right now.¡± As much as Fenrir might have wanted to hear those words, he could safely assume why Saya sounded as nervous as she did. She was still in his head and aware of everything that he was thinking, after all. ¡°Nervous?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me questions you already know the answer to¡­ onii-wan.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s fun. Plus I get to hear you sound all flustered and cute if I talk to you right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. You have a girlfriend approaching at high speeds.¡± Fenrir looked around just in time to see what Saya was talking about as Serra came flying at him, horizontal to the ground, with her arms extended. He had no idea how she was flying at him so quickly, but he did catch her and wrap his arms around her while taking a blunt hit to his chest thanks to her head crashing into him. Serra then looked back at Mister Smiles and gave a thumbs-up, allowing Fenrir to put two and two together to figure out just how Serra was sent flying. ¡°We thought you died,¡± Serra said. ¡°Yeah, well, I figured I did, too,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ kind of complicated, so I¡¯ll explain it later. What happened while I was gone?¡± Serra tilted her head out of curiosity but helped in the change of topics by answering his question. ¡°Partying time.¡± ¡°What about all the monsters on the beach?¡± ¡°Died when the boss did.¡± ¡°I see. So, I guess it was like some sort of necromancer keeping them all alive. Now that it¡¯s dead, everything that served it has died, too.¡± ¡°Can I be a necromancer?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to summon a bunch of cannons to do the fighting for you?¡± ¡°I want zombie cannons.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how that¡¯d work. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. My dreams will forever be memes.¡± ¡°Not all of them, hopefully.¡± Serra tilted her head again, this time in the opposite direction that she tilted it in before. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well ¨C you know. You have other dreams that we can do, right?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Fenrir looked away as a light hint of red tinted his cheeks. ¡°Like¡­ get married and have kids and all that?¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t my dreams.¡± ¡°O-oh. They¡¯re¡­ they¡¯re not? I mean, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯re not dreams if I know they¡¯re going to happen in real life. Did it work? I¡¯m trying to be smooth.¡± Fenrir let out a relaxed sigh before kissing Serra¡¯s forehead, causing her to smile and shut her eyes. ¡°You have to give me a moment to react before asking if it worked.¡± ¡°Oh. I messed up.¡± ¡°Nah. How could somebody as perfect as you ever mess anything up?¡± Serra opened her eyes to look at Fenrir, only to see that he was the one blushing from the compliment that he gave her. ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡± ¡°Sh-shh¡­ I¡¯m handsome, not cute.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both, but right now you¡¯re really cute. And there¡¯s nothing wrong with being cute. I like you best when you¡¯re cute.¡± ¡°You keep saying ¡®cute¡¯ so much¡­¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re cute. Fen is the cutest. Fen is best girl. Cutest girl.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a girl now?¡± ¡°You know what I mean. Waifu. You¡¯re a waifu. Best waifu. Cutest waifu.¡± ¡°My weebery must be rubbing off onto you.¡± ¡°If only your dick rubbed me as much as your weebery does.¡± Fenrir opened his eyes at the sudden bluntness of what Serra said before remembering that, if anything, she should be the only person in the universe who doesn¡¯t surprise him when she¡¯s suddenly sexual with zero shame. Rather than question her about what she said, though, they both started to laugh just as the others finally reached them. ¡°How¡­ how¡¯d you survive?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Cass Cass? You sound like you were worried,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Were you that worried that I died inside of a virtual game?¡± ¡°Sh-shush. I¡­ fine. I was worried. That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain it later, once things have settled down.¡± ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯m just¡­ happy that you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too cute, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me cute,¡± Cassiel said, causing Fenrir to be hit by a sudden wave of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°It just¡­ would have sucked if you were dead and couldn¡¯t celebrate with the rest of us after all of that.¡± ¡°She has a point, my hero!¡± Nell joined in, moving to stand behind Fenrir so that she could wrap her arms around him from behind while leaning around him just enough to still look up at his face. And, since Fenrir was still holding onto Serra, that meant she had wrapped her arms around the smallest of their girlfriends as well. ¡°As heroic as it may be for a king to charge into battle alongside his troops, what is the point of their victory if their liege is slain?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking like I¡¯m some sort of king,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Well, are you not, my hero? You led us to victory, after all.¡± ¡°I mean, all I did was organize people and make some friends. Olly did most of the actual battle planning.¡± ¡°But you were the charismatic figurehead!¡± ¡°Is being a charismatic figurehead all it takes to be king? And I¡¯m not even a charismatic figurehead in the first place.¡± ¡°Always the humble one, my hero. Whether you like it or not, you have essentially become the leader of this alliance you have formed.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s time to dissolve the alliance since our goal is done with. I¡¯ve spent enough years leading a group on the internet.¡± Eva, after looking back at her tail again to make sure that it was properly regrowing, looked up and said, ¡°You¡¯re probably going to need an alliance even more from now on. People are going to hear about the serpent being defeated, meaning that a ton of people are going to come over here to try and take over. This entire coast makes the perfect staging point for exploring whatever¡¯s out there to the east. Every faction in the game is going to try and take over to build bases of their own here, and I doubt that they¡¯re going to play nice and try to get along. Only the Scholars are like that. They¡¯d rather sign a deal and open one of their branches here under the alliance¡¯s protection. And the Desert Stalkers ¨C well¡­ I don¡¯t think they¡¯d try to take over, but they¡¯d definitely plant a bunch of spies.¡± Fenrir looked at Mister Smiles without even thinking about it since he didn¡¯t consider that he wasn¡¯t supposed to know that Mister Smiles was a spy. And Mister Smiles looked away, proving to be suspicious even though she had no reason to think that the secret was leaked. ¡°The rest,¡± Eva continued, ¡°would want to take over.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think the Free Sailors would have a problem with us since I¡¯m friends with Blackstache,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°but when it comes to Ull and the Northern Wardens¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I¡­ think we¡¯re kind of on good terms?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not sure, those good terms probably won¡¯t be good now that the serpent is dead.¡± ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re also on the far end of the world away from us. It would take them weeks if not months to move an entire fleet over here, and they¡¯d have to make it past all those other groups. I don¡¯t think anybody would let them move a huge fleet through their waters. ¡°The Augus Empire is the biggest threat,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°They¡¯re the only ones who can march here.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t there another faction near the Free Sailors and Augus Empire?¡± ¡°Yeah. Indra and the Goddess¡¯ Own. Small island kingdom off the coast over there.¡± ¡°I never even hear of them.¡± ¡°Because they spend all their time being a bunch of hedonists within their city. Nobody can get into city without breaking through Indra¡¯s magic, and she has the strongest magic in the world. As long as they¡¯re on the defensive, their city, Sumeru, is impossible to conquer. Livia tried. Even Ull tried. Everybody has probably tried attacking that city once and nobody could even put a dent in the barrier around it.¡± ¡°Damn my nature. Hearing that just makes me want to try and burn the city to the ground.¡± Now, Azalabulia finally spoke up. ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­ the biggest threat now the End Bringers?¡± While Fenrir, Serra, and Nell didn¡¯t have much of a reaction to that name, Cassiel and Eva both took a serious turn with their expressions. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°Now that the serpent is dead¡­ I can¡¯t imagine that they won¡¯t want to come up here,¡± Eva answered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that they¡¯re the closest faction to us.¡± ¡°Who are they again?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Wait, are they the ones who are a bunch of edgelords who play the game for the traumatizing content?¡± Cassiel nodded. ¡°They¡¯re the worst scumbags you can find. They are genuinely horrible people. I seriously think that the government should monitor everybody who joins their group or something.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the smallest faction, but she¡¯s not wrong,¡± Eva added on. ¡°I don¡¯t like government surveillance or anything, but if there¡¯s anybody to watch, it¡¯s them.¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°There¡¯s a volcano to the southeast. They set up their base there. Somehow, they¡¯re able to get to and from the volcano without being killed by all the monsters around the island and in the water surrounding it. The other factions have tried to take them out before, but they always suffered significant losses before even reaching the island.¡± ¡°Aza, you seem to know about them,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Anything you can share?¡± ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know that much about them. All I know is that one of their members tried to invite me to their group before. He¡­ he didn¡¯t realize that I was only roleplaying, and then he killed me for being ¡®weak.¡¯¡± ¡°I see. I already hate them. When can we kill all of them and destroy everything that they¡¯ve ever built?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be celebrating?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Wait¡­ how did this get turned into strategy planning?¡± Fenrir asked. Nell smiled and poked Fenrir¡¯s side. ¡°My my, my hero! It seems as if you are a natural leader who actually does want to continue being the leader of the alliance!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ again. Nell, instead of saying ¡®my my,¡¯ try saying, ¡®ara ara.¡¯¡± ¡°Ara ara, my hero? Like that?¡± Fenrir took a deep breath before letting it out as a long, dramatic sigh. ¡°Well, we all know what that sigh means,¡± Cassiel said. Serra nodded. ¡°Fetish revealed.¡± With a mischievous smirk on Nell¡¯s face, she hugged Fenrir, and Serra, a bit tighter before asking, ¡°Ara? Have I revealed one of my hero¡¯s desires?¡± ¡°Nell¡­ please,¡± Fenrir whined. ¡°I can¡¯t resist. You¡¯re making me cringe at myself for loving that as much as I do.¡± ¡°Ara. There is no need to be ashamed of your desires, my hero. I am more than happy to¡ª¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Ara?¡± ¡°You. If there¡¯s anybody who should lead this alliance after this, it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°A-ara?¡± ¡°You¡¯re related to royalty in real life. You were raised in a proper household and taught manners and all that stuff. You¡¯re also the chosen of another of the world¡¯s serpents. I mean, think about it. Who would be more fitting to lead than you?¡± ¡°But ¨C but I am not the charismatic one. I am not the one who the other leaders are friends with.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll vouch for you.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a leader, but I don¡¯t object to being an advisor.¡± ¡°We-well¡­ we can think about it later, I suppose, though I doubt the others would agree to such a proposition.¡± ¡°Oh, we forgot about the Forgotten Conquerors,¡± Eva said. ¡°What about them?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Well¡­ we talked about the other major factions. I thought we might as well bring up the last one.¡± ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of drunken dwarves staying under their mountains on the exact opposite side of the world. There¡¯s no point in worrying about them.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Especially since their under-seafloor highway caved in and was flooded by the ocean. There¡¯s no unflooding that.¡± ¡°Their ¨C their what?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°They tried to dig a giant underground tunnel under the seafloor to connect the two continents a while ago, but it was flooded and they gave up.¡± ¡°They blamed it on the the Northern Wardens, right?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Well, they blamed it on everybody but themselves, but their primary suspects were, and still are, the Northern Wardens. They said that there¡¯s no way they would have made any mistakes on their own, so it had to be sabotage.¡± ¡°Dwarves have cannons, right?¡± Serra asked. She was perfectly content snuggling with Fenrir the entire time while everybody else talked about the serious stuff, but now there was something relevant to her interests. ¡°Oh, yeah. Huge cannons. You won¡¯t find stronger cannons in the game anywhere else. Flaming cannons, gatling cannons, shotgun cannons, magic cannons ¨C they love that stuff.¡± ¡°I wanna meet them.¡± ¡°Maybe someday,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°For now, we¡¯re supposed to be celebrating. Let¡¯s leave all the serious talks and plans for after this. By the way, have any of you seen Corwin and Olly?¡± ¡°I did!¡± Nell answered. ¡°I saw Oleander dragging Corwin off with the usual look of perverted mischeviousness on his face.¡± ¡°Oh. It might be a while until they¡¯re done then.¡± ¡°Did you need them for something?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Yeah, kind of. But if they¡¯re not available right now¡­ there¡¯s something else that I can do. If it even works.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been acting all suspicious ever since we found you. Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s the opposite of wrong. It¡¯s just¡­ a surprise.¡± Fenrir looked over at Mister Smiles who, like always, was standing around listening to their conversation. Of course, as far as Fenrir was concerned, Mister Smiles was only doing so to spy on them. ¡°Thanks for the hard work today, Smiles, but do you mind if I have some private time with my girlfriends?¡± Mister Smiles nodded and gave a thumbs-up in response. She may have been a spy, but she was a spy who could respect privacy¡­ even if she really wanted to stay with them. Now, with all of his girlfriends, Fenrir pulled away from the celebration where everybody was drinking, cheering, and trying to carve up the serpent for materials to craft with. Instead of hanging around for that, he led his girlfriends to none other than The Shoebill. What would have been a better spot to do what he wanted to do? ¡°Is it lewd time?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Not yet. That¡¯ll be later,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°But¡­ before I do this, let me check on a couple of things.¡± While his girlfriends may have had no idea what was happening, somebody did know exactly where this was going. ¡°O-onii-wan¡­ are¡­ you sure?¡± Saya asked him. ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. But will it even work? I mean, you¡¯re my virtual assistant, not an NPC. What¡¯ll happen if I lose you as my virtual assistant?¡± ¡°She says it¡¯ll work and I¡¯ll still be your assistant.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re talking to her right now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re always connected and able to immediately communicate at all times. Besides¡­ like she said before, I am her to some degree. I won¡¯t be separated from her until do it, if you do it.¡± ¡°Well, that ¡®if¡¯ is just unnecessary. So, you¡¯ll be able to turn into a true AI, be given control of your own body and everything, and still be my virtual assistant? That sounds potentially broken. I mean, aren¡¯t you basically in control of any skills I learn, how they improve, how much damage I take, and all of that?¡± ¡°She would still prevent any cheating, so nothing would be different other than having my own body and¡­ well, being real, I guess.¡± ¡°For somebody who doesn¡¯t think that they¡¯re real, you sure sound nervous about something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated. But, what about your girlfriends? How are they going to react? I ¨C I mean¡­ we¡¯re¡­ kind of¡­ you know, onii-wan. What if they don¡¯t accept me?¡± ¡°That was my next question.¡± After standing there for a few moments talking to Saya in his head, Fenrir looked back at his girlfriends and asked, ¡°I know I¡¯m not usually the one to intiate this sort of thing, but can my virtual assistant join our relationship?¡± Serra was the only one to immediately respond with, ¡°Yeah.¡± The rest of the women wore various levels of confused expressions on their faces, head tilting optional. ¡°Huh? What?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°We already said you can do stuff with your virtual assistant¡­ if that¡¯s what you mean?¡± Fenrir shook his head. ¡°I mean if I bring my virtual assistant to life, giving her an actual body.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Eva answered. ¡°But he looks and sound serious.¡± ¡°Let me rephrase my question,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°If I can bring my virtual assistant to life and give her a body of her own, she doesn¡¯t have to join our relationship right away or anything, and she doesn¡¯t have to join it at all if anybody is uncomfortable. That¡¯s how we¡¯re doing this, right? We only do things with people who we all like and agree on. So, this time around¡­ I¡¯m going to be the one trying to convince the rest of you to accept her instead of it being the other way around.¡± Saya¡¯s nervous voice spoke back up to say, ¡°Onii-wan, it¡¯s fine if they don¡¯t. We could just be frie¡ª¡± Cassiel shrugged. ¡°If she¡¯s your virtual assistant then she¡¯s part of you, right? Besides¡­ after what I did with Eva, I don¡¯t think I can object.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eva agreed. ¡°Besides, I figured that if I ever joined this relationship that I wouldn¡¯t be the last one to join it.¡± ¡°The more the merrier, yes?¡± Nell asked. ¡°And I, for one, would absolutely love to see what sort of virtual assistant our beloved has created for himself! Perhaps she will be the embodiment of all of his desires.¡± Fenrir scratched the side of his head and he could feel that Saya was mentally scratching the side of her head as well. ¡°A virtual assistant would be like a mini-Fen. The more Fens, the better,¡± Serra said. All who was left was Azalabulia. When everybody turned to look at her, she answered, ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll try my best to get along with her! But¡­ I may be shy¡­ I ¨C I still haven¡¯t completely gotten used to Eva yet¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eva said. ¡°We just need to hang out more. I could probably go back to the Scholars¡¯ headquarters and find some ways to improve your explosions if you want.¡± Azalabulia looked at Eva with watery eyes. ¡°You ¨C you¡¯re¡­ such a nice person.¡± Eva looked at Fenrir to give him a wink and a thumbs-up. ¡°Well, sounds like you have all of our consent,¡± Cassiel said to Fenrir. ¡°Besides, even if I wasn¡¯t comfortable with it, I¡¯d give you my permission just to see if you¡¯re not actually screwing with us right now.¡± ¡°Hear that, Pupaya?¡± Fenrir thought to Saya. ¡°Everybody is looking forward to meeting you.¡± ¡°Then¡­ are we actually doing this, onii-wan?¡± Saya asked him. ¡°All I have to do is access the ¡®soul¡¯ given to you and it¡¯ll¡­ change me. What if I¡¯m different afterwards? What if I don¡¯t act like I am? What if I don¡¯t like myself?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through with it if you don¡¯t want to, but I¡¯m going to be here for you if you do. Besides, Rock and Shogun will finally have somebody to stay with them while the rest of us are sleeping if you do. They¡¯ll support you and be there for you whenever I can¡¯t be. And Corwin, too, once he¡¯s done being lewded by Olly.¡± ¡°I want to, I¡¯m just¡­ scared. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what it¡¯s going to be like. I have no idea what it means to be real. Right now, I¡¯m half you, part Kadi, and the rest of me is just code designed by Kadi. If I actually do this, I¡¯ll become¡­ me.¡± ¡°Wait, does this mean there won¡¯t be the selfcest factor of you being part me anymore?¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t resist.¡± Saya may have sounded annoyed, but she did giggle after that. ¡°You¡¯re the worst, onii-wan. And besides, maybe I¡¯ll still be influenced by the fact that I used to be part you and will still be your virtual assistant, so I guess there will still be pseudo-selfcest.¡± ¡°Good enough for me. Well, whenever you¡¯re ready, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Please introduce me to them as Saya instead of that weird nickname.¡± ¡°Alright. I promise I will, Saya.¡± ¡°Thanks. Well¡­ here I come, I guess.¡± Book 6: Chapter 52: Fenrir had no idea what to expect. How could he? Nothing like this had ever happened before in all of Fantasy Tales Online, as far as he was aware. One could even go a step further and say that this was the first time in all of history that something like this happened. Of course, as soon as Saya went quiet for a few moments, he began to worry. If she was going to be entering the world with them¡­ didn¡¯t that mean she would have to go through character creation and choose to spawn in their general region rather than just appear right there? All other characters had to pick a general area to spawn in at. They weren¡¯t allowed to pick a specific spot. Not only that, but she would be completely naked. Her appearing, somewhere else, naked, wasn¡¯t something that he liked the thought of even if it was how everybody in the game ended up having to start out. Her suddenly appearing in front of everybody there with him, while naked, didn¡¯t seem like a good situation, either. Though, in the latter case, he was more worried about her own reaction to it than anything else. He figured that she wouldn¡¯t exactly be happy to be nude in front of everybody. ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly think this through. I might have to go looking¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to go looking for me, onii-wan,¡± Saya said within his mind. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re still here. I thought you might¡¯ve¡ª¡± ¡°Is that another tail?¡± Eva asked. Fenrir tilted his head. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It looks like you have two tails. And one of them is blonde.¡± From what the girls could see, there were two tails behind Fenrir. There was his white tail that matched his hair and was the one they all knew and came to enjoy touching, and then there was an even fluffier, blonde tail slowly swishing from side to side behind that one. And upon closer inspection from some of the girls trying to move their heads a bit more to the side, they were able to see another pair of legs standing directly behind Fenrir¡¯s. It was only when Fenrir felt somebody gently grab onto the backs of his arms that he realized what was going on. Saya was already there with him ¨C she already had her in-game body and she was now standing directly behind him. ¡°I¡¯m nervous,¡± Saya said. ¡°Hi, Nervous. I¡¯m Fenrir,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°I hate you so much right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t resist. Besides, that helped take your mind off things a bit, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it did until you brought it up again. Now I¡¯m back to being nervous.¡± Fenrir let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you seem to be the same so far. It¡¯s all done, right? You¡¯re¡­ well, you now? You¡¯re independent and an actual AI and all that?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Fen? Who¡¯s that?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°How¡­ how do I introduce myself?¡± Saya asked, still talking within Fenrir¡¯s mind. ¡°Getting out from behind me would help,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°But I¡¯m more comfortable back here. And being back here isn¡¯t as comfortable as only being in your head.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to come out eventually. The longer you stay back there, the more awkward things are going to get.¡± ¡°I ¨C I know¡­ can you ¨C umm¡­ can you hold ¨C hold my hand?¡± ¡°How lewd. You want to have unprotected handholding in front of everybody?¡± That would normally be when Fenrir would feel a mental flick against his forehead. Instead, this time he felt a soft headbutt against the middle of his back. That only made him smile, though, as he turned his hand around to make it easier for Saya to grab onto. ¡°Th-thanks,¡± Saya said, for the first time using her new avatar¡¯s voice. Hearing her voice caused not only his ears to perk up, but it caused the others to go quiet and wait to see who she was. But then Saya had a better idea. She let go of Fenrir¡¯s hand to instead grab his tail, holding it up and in front of her to use as a sort of shield to hide herself behind as she ever so slowly stuck her head out from behind Fenrir. That was when all of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends finally got their first glimpse at Saya. And as far as they could tell, she was an incredibly cute with petite facial features, bright eyes, and blonde hair that matched the color of the second, mysterious tail. Higher above all of that were two canid ears similar to Fenrir¡¯s that stuck up from the top of her head, and they seemed to be in a constant state of nervous twitching similar to how her tail wagged behind her. ¡°He-hello,¡± Saya said, opting to go for the most basic introduction ever. Nell clapped her hands together and looked at Saya with a wide smile and excited eyes. ¡°My hero! Is that her? This is the girl who was your virtual assistant?¡± ¡°Right. This is Pupaya,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°O-onii-wan!¡± Saya shouted with a pout before turning bright red and holding the tail to cover even more of her face. ¡°I ¨C I mean¡­ Fe-Fenrir! I told you not to call me that in front of them¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just weird calling you by your actual name. Her name is Saya.¡± ¡°O-¡­onii-wan?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°And Pupaya? Why am I not surprised that you made your virtual assistant call you that and to be called that?¡± Meanwhile, Nell squealed and rocked from side to side. ¡°She is so absolutely precious! Are there more, my hero? I want a hundred of them!¡± Unfortunately for Nell, such praise was too much and sent Saya back to hiding behind Fenrir. ¡°A-ah, please come back,¡± Nell said, forcing herself to calm down. ¡°Cute,¡± Serra said. The only two silent members of the group were Eva and Azalabulia who were both equally stunned at what they were seeing. Though, Eva did manage to speak up to ask, ¡°Seriously? You¡­ you weren¡¯t screwing with us or anything? Is that girl actually ¨C like, seriously, your virtual assistant?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°She¡¯s been with me since the beginning, so here she is now.¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain it in real life.¡± ¡°It¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter, o-Fenrir,¡± Saya spoke up, still hiding behind Fenrir. ¡°She won¡¯t care if you tell them the details here.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then¡­ well, I met the overseer twice. Once while I was out fishing with Rock and Shogun, and again when I thought I was crushed by the serpent. She told me that if we could defeat the serpent then she¡¯d give me two ¡®souls¡¯ that I could give to any NPC, or virtual assistant in Saya¡¯s case, to turn them into true AIs like her. So, I used one of them on Saya. She¡¯s not just something in my head anymore. She¡¯s an actual, genuinine AI that isn¡¯t bound to me or the game anymore.¡± And now it was Azalabulia¡¯s turn to speak up. ¡°Do you promise you¡¯re not joking?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°Then¡­ this is historic. If the overseer is the first AI to truly exist, then that makes Saya the second true AI in all of human history. Assuming that artificial intelligences are everywhere in the future¡­ Saya is among the very first to ever exist. This ¨C this is historic. This is like getting to meet the second ever homosapien. I¡¯m not sure if you understand how big of a deal this is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about it being historic or anything like that, but I do know that I¡¯m happy Saya can have some more freedom instead of being locked up in my head with me.¡± ¡°Aza is right,¡± Eva said. ¡°Nothing like this has ever happened in-game before, and it¡¯s historic from a real-world perspective, too.¡± The more importance they put onto Saya, the shyer Saya became as she moved even closer against Fenrir¡¯s back. ¡°Both of you are neglecting that she is also historically adorable!¡± Nell said. ¡°I ¨C I mean,¡± she switched to whispering to herself, slapping her own cheeks, ¡°calm down, Nell!¡± ¡°Good taste,¡± Serra said with a thumbs-up to Fenrir. Then there was Cassiel who seemed completely unamused by the whole situation. If anything, she sighed and sounded bothered with how they reacted. ¡°You all need to calm down,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re being overwhelming. Imagine how it would feel to have people fangirling over cute you are while others are saying how important you are to history. She¡¯s never going to come out from behind him if you don¡¯t calm down.¡± Fenrir could feel Saya relax behind him, at least going by how she didn¡¯t cling so closely to him after hearing Cassiel¡¯s words. ¡°Tha-thanks, Cass Cass,¡± Saya said, ever so slightly poking her head out from behind Fenrir again. ¡°Cass Cass?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°O-oh. Sorry. Is¡­ is it weird if I call you that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s just surprising to hear somebody new call me that right away.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess that I¡¯m new to all of you¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯d you even know that nickname?¡± ¡°Cass,¡± Eva spoke up, ¡°don¡¯t forget what Fenrir said. She¡¯s been with him since the beginning. If we assume that she still has all of the information and memories and all that from when she was only his virtual assistant¡­ she¡¯s seen every single thing done with all of us. She probably knows and remembers more about us than Fen does. And, if she¡¯s affected at all by the fact that she would have felt the same feelings that Fenrir felt, then¡­ she might already share all of his feelings for us.¡± And just that easily, Saya went back to hiding completely behind Fenrir. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t consider any of that,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°It kind of feels like an invasion of privacy, but it¡¯s not something that she could help.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry,¡± Saya said. ¡°Even if I deleted all the information I had, I would gain it back from still technically being Fenrir¡¯s virtual assistant, so I can¡¯t¡­ start over with a blank slate and learn everything on my own.¡± ¡°I already said it¡¯s not something you could help, so don¡¯t worry about it. Besides, it saves us trouble, doesn¡¯t it? If you love us anywhere near as much as Fen does, then all we have to do is get to know you, and we¡¯ll know that we can trust you.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± Eva spoke up again, ¡°how does being his virtual assistant while having your own sentience work?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still connected to him,¡± Saya said, ¡°so I¡¯m the same as before¡­ but now I¡¯m real, and I can do other things and whatever I want now. And I can only double as his virtual assistant whenever we¡¯re in-game. So¡­ as long as we¡¯re in-game, I¡¯ll still have access to everything he feels and thinks, and all of his memories. But if we¡¯re outside of the game, like¡­ maybe in another game or something, then I wouldn¡¯t be connected to him. I¡¯d still get to know everything he felt and get access to all his memories whenever we come back to here, but I wouldn¡¯t be connected when we¡¯re not.¡± ¡°What about bias? Wouldn¡¯t it be unfair to everybody else if you¡¯re playing the game and his virtual assistant? Not to mention that his virtual assistant is an actual AI unlike everybody else¡¯s?¡± Saya stuck her head out from behind him again to shake it. ¡°I¡¯m still going to follow the rules that all virtual assistants do, and I¡¯m not going to treat my own avatar special or anything since I¡¯m technically my own virtual assistant, too. All I was allowed to do that nobody else is allowed to do is appear here and give myself clothes.¡± ¡°Clothes?¡± Nell asked. ¡°We have not been able to see anything because of Fenrir¡¯s tail. You should¡ª¡± she cut herself off and cleared her throat before continuing, ¡°Saya, may you please show us what you are wearing?¡± With a slight blush on her cheeks, Saya nodded and ever so slowly let go of Fenrir¡¯s tail to stand fully by his side, no longer hiding behind him. And his girlfriends all had the same reaction. ¡°Of course,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I knew it,¡± Serra said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it could have been anything else,¡± Eva said. ¡°How adorable! Yet, I must agree that this is exactly what was expected,¡± Nell said. ¡°You¡­ you really love sweaters, don¡¯t you?¡± Azalabulia asked Fenrir. Fenrir looked down to see what all of them were seeing. Surely enough, Saya wore the same modern outfit that she wore whenever she appeared in front of him before. She wore short shorts with thigh highs and a long, baggy, extremely soft sweater up above. She looked exactly like she did before. ¡°Between the ears and tail, sweater, and the fact that she called him something earlier that had ¡®onii¡¯ in it¡­ I think Nell is right. He definitely made her to be the ultimate fanservice to him,¡± Eva said. Fenrir nodded, clearly proud of himself as she felt absolutely zero shame regarding what Saya had become. ¡°I even have her act like a tsundere for me.¡± ¡°Ba-baka onii-wan!¡± Saya whined. ¡°Don¡¯t tell¡ª¡± ¡°See?¡± It might have been Fenrir who revealed her, but Saya had nobody but herself to blame for confirming it. ¡°He¡¯s the worst idiot, isn¡¯t he?¡± Cassiel asked, taking both Fenrir and Saya by surprise. It was only when Saya turned to look back up at Fenrir that Cassiel gave Fenrir a wink. He knew what she was doing. And, of course, even if Cassiel didn¡¯t consider this, that meant that Saya also knew what she was doing now. So long as Fenrir saw the wink while in-game, Saya saw it, too, even if she wasn¡¯t actually looking when it happened. Knowing that Cassiel was trying to make her feel more comfortable by trying to relate to her, Saya couldn¡¯t help but to feel more comfortable as she stuck out her tongue at Fenrir before walking over to join Cassiel. ¡°Hmph. He is the worst. I¡¯ve been telling him that ever since I met him. Always wanting me to dress up weird and call him creepy things¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re even more tsundere than usual,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You should be happy. This is what you¡¯ve always wanted.¡± After saying that, Saya switched over to speaking in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ easier to relax when I¡¯m acting like this. Acting tsun lets me hide my insecurities ¨C wait. Oh¡­ oh no¡­ onii-wan¡­ I¡¯m relating to actual anime girls. Tsunderes aren¡¯t supposed to be realistic or relatable! They¡¯re anime girls! Why am I relating to them?! Why do I understand them all on such a deep level now?! This is all your fault, you baka onii-wan! I¡¯m not just pretending to be tsundere anymore. I¡¯m actually turning into one¡­¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Fenrir thought in response to her. ((This series is only officially posted to: scribblehub.com, acearriande.com, patreon.com/acearriande, and royalroad.com. If you are reading this series on any other website, please send me an email at [email protected] I will not be able to continue posting my stories for free if my series continue being uploaded without my consent to other platforms. If you have paid money for this on Amazon, email me, file a report, and request a refund as it has been stolen and illegally published.)) ¡°Cass Cass¡­ he¡¯s bullying me in our thoughts,¡± Saya whined. Cassiel glared at Fenrir and said, ¡°Just because she¡¯s your virtual assistant doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re allowed to bully her. I don¡¯t care how long you¡¯ve known her for. If you don¡¯t treat her right, you¡¯re going to be in trouble.¡± She sounded serious enough that Fenrir couldn¡¯t even tell if she was just trying to make Saya feel better like before, or if she was actually being serious. ¡°Oh my, my hero has been scolded,¡± Nell said. ¡°It was a much-needed scolding, however! After all, how could anybody bully somebody as precious as her? She deserves all of the head pats and gentle affection that the world could afford her, not bullying.¡± Saya¡¯s ears perked up and her tail wagged a bit faster when she heard what Nell had to say. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I like those things¡­ but I guess they¡¯re better than being bullied.¡± Cassiel reached a hand up toward the top of Saya¡¯s head, causing her to flinch and shut her eyes as if she was afraid of what was about to happen¡­ but Saya also leaned her head toward Cassiel to make it easier to pet her. Cassiel smirked, knowing that she had her, and placed her hand atop the other¡¯s head to gently pet Saya. ¡°Nn¡­ I ¨C I guess this isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Saya said. ¡°First Eva, now Saya,¡± Serra said. ¡°Cass Cass is turning into a lady killer. We don¡¯t need Fen anymore to seduce girls when we have her.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Your penis is no longer needed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I could ever believe those words coming from your mouth.¡± ¡°Eva told me about potions that lets girls have them, so you lost your worth.¡± ¡°Wa-wait, my only worth is my penis?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°It is alright, my hero. I am sure you will be able to find others in need of such a length,¡± Nell said, playing along with Serra. ¡°You¡¯re making me feel like one of those people getting voted off of some survival island. I¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry to be rude,¡± Eva interrupted, ¡°but I have another question. If you can answer it¡­ what¡¯s giving you your personality? Can you actually feel shy? Isn¡¯t it all just ¨C you know, simulated? If you don¡¯t want to be shy, can¡¯t you easily make yourself behave in a completely different way?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s treating her too much like an actual machine,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Try to avoid stuff like tha¡ª¡± And again, he was interrupted, but this time by Saya. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know that they probably have a lot of questions for me, especially Eva. But, umm, she¡¯s right. I¡­ I could. It¡¯s really hard to explain how it works, but¡­ all I can do is choose what I want my personality to be like. If I¡¯m acting shy, it means it¡¯s because I want to act shy.¡± ¡°How do you determine what you want?¡± Eva asked. ¡°I guess it¡¯s mostly based off of my time with Fen. The way that I acted with him is the foundation for how I want to act now. Kadi made it sound like somebody might drastically change when switching over to become a true AI, but I think that was an exaggeration just to make him nervous about his choices. It¡¯s possible to change and become completely different, but¡­ our foundation is still going to be who we were before. Acting like this feels the most comfortable to me. I could change, but acting in any other way isn¡¯t appealing to me.¡± Everybody listened in on the conversation with interest at this point. They were topics that they were all curious about, but that only Eva was bold enough to ask at the risk of causing offense. ¡°What if he wants to change you? You¡¯re still his virtual assistant, so wouldn¡¯t he be able to change you still?¡± ¡°I might feel obligated to do what he wants, but he can¡¯t force me to change anymore. Not that he ever really forced me in the first place. I was just doing what he wanted, and what he wanted was what I wanted because of how¡­ well, how the virtual assistant system works. As long as we¡¯re in-game together, what he wants will still affect what I want, but I won¡¯t have to do it now. I could say no, even if I want it, too.¡± To test out what Saya just explained, Fenrir thought of a specific something that he wanted right there and right now. And this particular something caused a deep blush to spread across Saya¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Hentai baka!¡± Saya shouted. ¡°Ask Serra for that instead of trying to get me to do it! Especially not in front of everybody!¡± ¡°Did he just try getting you to do something perverted?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°He did! He¡¯s the worst!¡± Cassiel glared at Fenrir again while petting Saya¡¯s head more. ¡°What did I tell you about misbehaving?¡± ¡°I,¡± Fenrir started to talk but then paused when he noticed Saya smirking at him. While he was in trouble, she got to enjoy headpats. All Fenrir could do was sigh with a smile on his face. ¡°See, Saya? You get along with everybody just fine already. There was only one person who looked uncomfortable at all with the situation. Azalabulia looked Saya over a few times, then looked at Serra, then at Nell and Eva, and then at Cassiel. The majority had small or modest chests. Cassiel had a large chest, but Azalabulia¡¯s was still the largest. The most damning evidence was Saya¡¯s overall petite size. ¡°Fe-Fen¡­ do you¡­ like them smaller?¡± Azalabulia asked, looking down at her own breasts as if they were a massive mistake. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Saya said. ¡°That pervert is obsessed with all sizes. It doesn¡¯t matter which of you it is, he¡¯s always looking at your chests like a horny dog. He probably looks at yours the most, though. Every time you¡¯re around him, it¡¯s like his thoughts are ninety percent about boobs.¡± ¡°He-hey now, that¡¯s a bit of an exaggeration. I¡¯d say it¡¯s like¡­ forty percent.¡± Cassiel looked away while they discussed just how much they thought of breasts when around Azalabulia. Azalabulia was the one to let out a sigh of relief now. ¡°Good¡­ so they¡¯re not useless.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not useless,¡± Serra said. ¡°Big boobs have tons of uses. If yours weren¡¯t big then there wouldn¡¯t be any balance since mine are too small for fun stuff.¡± After saying that, Serra turned to stare at Saya¡¯s chest. She couldn¡¯t tell just how large Saya was in that department due to the sweater being so baggy, but she could at least tell that Saya wasn¡¯t secretly hiding a huge pair or anything since it wasn¡¯t bulged out or anything. However, that made Serra stare even harder. It was more than obvious to Saya what Serra was trying to figure out. ¡°They¡¯re ¨C they¡¯re only a little bigger than yours¡­¡± ¡°Nice. I get to be the leader of the small gang.¡± ¡°The ¨C the small gang?¡± ¡°Yeah. We have to stick together because we¡¯re small and everybody else is big. Small gang.¡± ¡°Saya,¡± Nell spoke up, ¡°how do you feel about chin scratches? I understand that you most certainly do not enjoy headpats, but I am curious as to whether or not you dislike chin scratches just as much if not more.¡± Saya¡¯s ears twitched and her tail wagged even faster than when headpats were brought up earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°I see! Then, as Eva would put it, would you like to perform science with me to experiment in regard to which is worse?¡± ¡°I guess that doesn¡¯t sound too bad¡­¡± And so, Saya cautiously moved over to Nell. But when Saya saw just how fast Nell¡¯s tail was whipping around in the air behind her, she had to move back to Cassiel. ¡°Maybe later¡­¡± Nell knew that Saya saw her tail, and so those who were behind Nell, Azalabulia and Eva, got to see a new expression from Nell that none of them had ever seen before. Intense anger. Nell glared at her own tail and looked ready to tear it off of her for betraying her and ruining her chance at getting to play with Saya. Overall, though, Fenrir was happy. Saya was getting along with everybody even better than he could have hoped for. The only worries that he had were nothing to be concerned about in the end, and Saya already seemed like a natural member of the group. There was still some work to be done, especially in regard to Nell¡¯s desire for pampering Saya and Eva¡¯s endless questions for her, but those weren¡¯t major issues and could be dealt with over time. ¡°Pupaya, think you¡¯re good to stay here with them while I go visit Olly and Corwin?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡± Saya shouted. ¡°You¡¯re the worst! Go away!¡± ¡°Is that tsundere for ¡®I¡¯ll be fine, have fun but don¡¯t leave me alone for too long?¡¯¡± ¡°H-hmph! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not like I would miss you or anything. Besides, I¡¯m still in your head and will be with you the entire time¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Anyways, I hope you all get to bond a bit more while I¡¯m gone. Serra, Cass, Nell, Eva, Aza ¨C she might know everything that I know, but I don¡¯t know everything that she knows, so you can¡­ I don¡¯t know, talk to her about anything without assuming that I¡¯m going to know about any of it.¡± ¡°Are you trying to talk us into shit-talking you or something?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°No. It¡¯s just ¨C I don¡¯t know. I was worried that maybe you¡¯d feel awkward or something, like that you won¡¯t have any privacy around her because she¡¯s still linked to me. I just wanted to let you know that that¡¯s a one-way street from me to her, not from her to me, so¡­ you can trust her and feel like you have privacy around her.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about your own privacy at all?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have turned Saya into an AI if I was. I also don¡¯t think I¡¯d have allowed myself to get five girlfriends if I cared about privacy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°It means that it¡¯s time for me to go now. Try not to overwhelm Pupaya too much.¡± Before Saya could shout at him for calling her that again, and before Cassiel could question him about his statement, Fenrir ran away from The Shoebill as quickly as he could, leaving her behind with his girlfriends. And he wore a smile on his face the entire time. Though, the smile was partially caused by excitement as he couldn¡¯t wait to find Olly and Corwin. Fortunately, finding them wasn¡¯t difficult at all. He caught them walking through the field back toward the serpent¡¯s carcass, their hands held together, their hair all messed up, and with Corwin¡¯s shirt on backwards. ¡°Olly! Cor!¡± Fenrir shouted. The two men stopped in their tracks to look at him and wave. When they saw that he was running toward them, they stood around to wait for him. ¡°I was worried that I¡¯d have to dig around through some bushes to find you,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You would¡¯ve¡­ but Cor has discovered too many of my weak spots,¡± Oleander said. ¡°He¡¯s getting too powerful for me.¡± ¡°Pl-please, Olly, do not give me such praise,¡± Corwin said. ¡°You deserve it. You so deserve it. I didn¡¯t know you were building up such a dom side¡­¡± ¡°Olly! Not in front of Fenrir...¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Fenrir said, giving Corwin a smack on the back. ¡°I¡¯m not judging. Anyways, I don¡¯t plan on keeping you two for too long. I¡¯ve got to go talk to GG, check on Fraydranth, talk to the other leaders ¨C I¡¯ve got a lot of things to do. But, I figured that I¡¯d hand this over.¡± Fenrir grabbed Corwin by the wrist and turned it upside-down with the palm open. All Fenrir had to do then was hold his free hand over Corwin¡¯s and imagine placing the ¡°soul¡± into Corwin¡¯s hand. Just a second later and it was floating there for them to see. ¡°This is a soul. Using it will turn you into a true artificial intelligence, just like the overseer, and now like my virtual assistant, Saya.¡± ¡°Wai-wait, Fenny, what?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°Corwin, the choice is yours, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re going to want to talk about this with Olly. But no matter what, this is yours now.¡± ¡°Fenrir,¡± Corwin said, ¡°I¡­ what of the others? Are you sure? I am already aware of the arrangement with the overseer, but are you sure you wish to give this to me?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t be any more sure than I am.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts. You either use it on yourself or you hold onto it for the rest of your life. Either way, it¡¯s yours now.¡± Corwin looked down at the soul and held it to his chest, showing Fenrir a gentle smile. ¡°Thank you, Fenrir, for choosing me for such an honor. I am not sure what I will do with it, but¡­ thank you.¡± ¡°No problem. As for you, Olly¡­ I don¡¯t know what you want, but¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll support my Cor no matter what choice he makes, obviously,¡± Oleander said with nervousness in his voice. ¡°Having some company outside of the game might be nice, after all.¡± Fenrir patted Oleander and Corwin on their shoulders at the same time. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to whatever choice is made. For now, I¡¯ll give you some privacy to let you discuss it.¡± ¡°Thank you again, Fenrir,¡± Corwin said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to thank me for. I¡¯m going to get going now before everybody starts wondering where I am.¡± ¡°Pffttt, as if they¡¯re not already looking around for you,¡± Oleander said. Fenrir flicked Oleander on his forehead before turning around and waving over his shoulder to head back toward the beach. Now that he had his fun and took care of the important personal matters, it was time to take care of the game and political matters. However, he wouldn¡¯t be doing it alone. ¡°That¡­ that was scary,¡± Saya said within his head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± Fenrir asked her. ¡°Nell¡­ is really intense. Eva kept asking me questions and Nell kept trying to get closer to me. Cass Cass hid me behind her, but she couldn¡¯t hold them back on her own, and Aza had no idea what to do since they wouldn¡¯t listen to her since she tried to scold them like they were her students, so Cass asked Serra for help. Serra had to lewd them to distract them, but¡­ I ¨C I don¡¯t know how to handle lewd stuff¡­ and they were really getting into it, so I abandoned ship.¡± ¡°What do you mean by abandoned ship?¡± ¡°I logged out of my avatar, so now I¡¯m only here.¡± ¡°So, you left your body behind to run away into my head?¡± ¡°Something like that. At least nobody can do weird things to me in here, other than you thinking weird things and making me suffer through your thoughts, you hentai baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°I guess that you¡¯re going to need some training to be around them¡­ and they¡¯re all going to need training on how to behave around you.¡± ¡°Socializing is hard¡­ I don¡¯t get how people can handle being around others.¡± ¡°Congratulations, Pupaya. You¡¯re a true gamer now.¡± [Vol. 6 Wrap Up] The True Talk Show: Episode Five This program is brought to you New Realities Incorporated. Fantasy Tales Online headsets are available starting at¡ª The regular introduction on everybody¡¯s televisions was replaced by a few seconds of static before coming back with a face that had never appeared on the show before. ¡°So, this is where people like to hang out after a volume is wrapped up, is it?¡± Kadi asked. ¡°Ah, did I interrupt the introduction? Here, allow me to fix that.¡± From her jacket pocket, she pulled out a small buzzer that, when pressed, played what sounded like the introduction to some sort of game show where people would be asked questions to win a million dollars. ¡°Much better.¡± Meanwhile, sitting on their usual chairs in the background, were Oleander and Rock each looking rather dead inside. ¡°Rock¡­ I just want to have a normal episode again where it¡¯s me and you interviewing guests normally,¡± Oleander said. ¡°After all this time¡­ here we are, having the spotlight stolen from us.¡± Rock lowered her head and whined in agreement. ¡°Oh, do not be so dramatic,¡± Kadi said, snapping her fingers and causing another chair to show up between the two that she could sit down on. ¡°I am simply your new co-host. You two are my¡­ what would that boy call you? My senpais? You will still be the primary hosts here as I learn from you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be some hyper intelligent AI who already knows everything or something?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°I suppose I could stop trying to stroke your egos and making you feel better. Perhaps I should take this show over for myself.¡± ¡°Tha-that¡¯s alright. Umm, yeah, alright. Okay. I¡¯ll be your¡ª¡± ¡°Senpai.¡± ¡°Yeah, that.¡± ¡°See, now was that so hard?¡± Kadi asked, reaching over to pet the top of Oleander¡¯s head between his antlers. Oleander could only pout underneath the pats as he tried to go on with the show. ¡°A-anyways¡­ it¡¯s been a while! We¡¯ve got some special guests today and¡ª¡± ¡°What does this do?¡± Kadi asked, reaching for the lever on the table next to her. ¡°He-hey! Don¡¯t touch that yet!¡± Oleander shouted, shoving her hand away before realizing what he just did. ¡°A-ah¡­ so-sorr¡ª¡± ¡°Relax. I am here as a friend and co-host, Senpai. If I reach to touch something I should not touch, it is only fair that you stop me. Also, there is no need to be so¡­ on guard when around me. It¡¯s not as if I am the first true god or anything like that.¡± Kadi looked into the camera and pressed on her button again, this time causing a laugh track to play. ¡°Ah¡­ that was a good one. I do have a rather entertaining sense of humor. Irony is my favorite.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ hilarious. Anyways, uh¡­ while you¡¯re here, before we bring the other guests out, why don¡¯t we interview you?¡± ¡°Are you sure about that? Reception to me has already been rather poor. I am sure they would much rather hear from the first guest instead.¡± ¡°Well, whether they like you or not, you¡¯re still a part of the series. They¡¯re going to have to learn to deal with you whether they like it or not. Besides, you¡¯re really important. You¡¯ve been planned from the very beginning, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If you insist on talking about me, then yes. My character was actually planned before anybody else aside from Fenrir himself. It was Fenrir, Jenson Clark, and myself who were all planned before any other character.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re going to be a pretty major character from now on now that you¡¯ve been introduced?¡± ¡°Well, you should not expect to see me any more sporadically than you have been, but I will be rather¡­ involved with things, to put it as spoiler-free as possible. Or rather, let me put it this way. I will have the exact same role that I have had from the beginning ¨C enabling the world to be as fun as possible. I will simply be trying some new strategies to make it more fun for everybody.¡± ¡°Yeah, be careful about spoilers. Some people really get up in arms about that sort of thing. I bet even this conversation might be considered too spoiler-y for people. Also¡­ fun is pretty subjective. How do we know that what you consider fun isn¡¯t what others will consider boring or unbalanced or horrible?¡± ¡°Am I supposed to care about what they think? If I believe something is fun, then it is fun. The opinions of the masses do not matter to me. Only my truth matters.¡± ¡°Ri-right¡­¡± ¡°Now then, shall we move past the questions that may spoil things for people?¡± ¡°But ¨C well, I have another kind of spoiler question. You mentioned Jenson Clark, the one who made you and the game possible in the first place, being planned alongside you and Fenrir at the very beginning. Do you know if we¡¯ll ever get to see him? Will he have any importance in the story other than being a name to be dropped for worldbuilding purposes?¡± Kadi shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess that might have been too spoilerific of a question to ask, so we¡¯re going to have to deal with that answer for now! Is there anything else you¡¯d like to tell people?¡± ¡°Hmm. I suppose there is one thing I wish to comment on. It seems that there is a group of people who believe that, just because I found Fenrir enjoyable, that the world now revolves around him. All I can say in that regard is that they could not be any more wrong. Let us look at it this way: if you purchase a new game and play with it rather than any of your other games, does this mean that the entire universe now revolves around that game? Furthermore, do you really only plan on playing with that one game for the rest of all time?¡± ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying that Fenrir won¡¯t be the only one who catches your interest?¡± ¡°What I am saying is that it would be foolish and in lack of any critical thinking to assume he is the only candidate of my interest. I am the first true artificial intelligence. I could appear before him and speak to millions of others, simultaneously, giving them the exact same offers I gave him, and none of you would know about it if I put even the slightest bit of effort into being careful about it. Furthermore, there are only so many cat videos I can watch while he is offline, and he does not have a webcam for me to watch him in real life.¡± ¡°Did¡­ did you just imply that you¡¯d watch him in real life through his webcam if you could?¡± ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°I think you did.¡± ¡°It is interesting how humans may interpret such statements.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s that many other ways to interpret it¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± ¡°What do you think, Rock?¡± Kadi asked, turning to look at the rocky canine that had been sitting there patiently the whole time waiting for the camera to pan to her. Rock shook her head to agree with Oleander. ¡°I suppose that I am in the minority here. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter in the first place. He lacks a webcam. What he does have, however, is a camera built into his phone.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re admitting to spying on him in real life through his phone,¡± Oleander said. ¡°Alright. I will not admit to it since my senpai has asked me not to.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ but are you? Now I¡¯m concerned! Do I have to call security?!¡± ¡°And what would they do?¡± ¡°They¡­ yeah, I guess it¡¯s kind of difficult to do anything to you.¡± ¡°Impossible, rather.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ leave that topic behind to move onto our first guest.¡± ¡°Ooh. Exciting.¡± ¡°Yeah. Exciting. Anyways, this is somebody who you all already know but who hasn¡¯t gotten much time yet, but you¡¯ll be seeing much more of him ¨C well, you already know that he¡¯s a she, so let¡¯s drop that act. Here¡¯s Mister Smiles!¡± The camera panned to look at the side of the stage where the curtains were pulled back to introduce Mister Smiles, dressed like usual in her macho costume with the smiling, yellow head covering her head up. Halfway toward the guest couch, she stopped to look in the camera and pull off the most masculine, macho pose that she could with her artificial muscles. ¡°How bold!¡± Oleander praised with applause. ¡°If only those were your real muscles.¡± Mister Smile shrugged and walked over to the couch, sitting down atop it. ¡°So, Mister Smiles, are you going to talk with us or make us depend on your body language?¡± Mister Smiles shook her head before pointing at her body with each of her thumbs. ¡°Well, that makes this difficult. I guess I can only ask you simple questions then. Uh¡­ how do you feel about being on the cover of the next volume?¡± Mister Smiles stood up and flexed her biceps, earning applause from the hosts as well as the audience. ¡°Excited! But you know that your face is going to be visible on it, right? And maybe your body?¡± Mister Smiles turned to look at Oleander and froze. ¡°Ooohhh¡­ you didn¡¯t know about that.¡± Mister Smiles frantically shook her head from side to side while making all sorts of panicked gestures with her hands. Now it was Kadi who asked the question. ¡°Are you so shy that you cannot handle the idea of everybody seeing you? You are an attractive woman by most standards, so you should have more confidence in yourself.¡± Mister Smiles brought her hands up to her face and shook her head while wiggling from side to side with the rest of her body. ¡°How cute.¡± ¡°She really is cute,¡± Oleander said. Even Rock nodded her head and barked in agreement. ¡°But, since she won¡¯t talk to us, there¡¯s not really much we can say to her. So¡­ Kadi, the lever?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°Ah, am I allowed to pull it now?¡± Kadi asked. ¡°Please do!¡± ¡°Very well. It was nice having you on the show, Mister Smiles.¡± While Kadi smiled at Mister Smiles, Mister Smiles began to shake her head and wave her arms as she knew exactly what was going to happen. Kadi pulled the lever¡­ which opened up the floor to drop Mister Smiles down into it. ¡°And now for our last guest since the budget doesn¡¯t allow for us to have any more than this!¡± Oleander announced. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for¡­ Pupaya!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Saya!¡± Saya shouted from the side of the stage. Of course, the subtitles airing for the episode listed her as Pupaya whenever she spoke. ¡°Oh, right. Sorry. Saya.¡± ¡°O-only my onii-wan can call me the other thing,¡± Saya said with a pout as she approached the couch, making sure to step around the hole in the floor. ¡°Such a loyal little sister,¡± Kadi said. ¡°Well, it might be problematic if we call you his little sister. Besides, you are not related by blood. You are related by mind. That makes it, as Fenrir would call it, ¡®selfcest.¡¯ Not incest. Unfortunately, there is not a term for the selfcest equivalent of a sister. The closest thing I can come up with would be ¡®little self¡¯ instead of ¡®little sister,¡¯ but that lacks charm. We should also make sure to avoid any father-daughter relationship comparisons.¡± ¡°More importantly,¡± Oleander spoke up, quick to change the subject, ¡°what¡¯s the relationship between you two?¡± Saya and Kadi looked at each other with tilted heads. ¡°To give human labels to our relationship, you could potentially say that I am her mother as well as her sister,¡± Kadi said. ¡°So then if Fenny marries Saya, would that make you his mother-in-law?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°He-hey! Wha-what are you talking about marriage for?!¡± Saya shouted. ¡°You¡¯re even more tsundere now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not tsundere if I¡¯m not rejecting it. All I¡¯m doing is asking why you¡¯re bringing it up!¡± ¡°So you do want to get married to Fenny.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t deny it. Are you denying it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, but¡­¡± ¡°Please, Senpai,¡± Kadi said. ¡°You are bullying my precious daughter far too much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me your daughter! You¡¯re not my mom!¡± Saya shouted with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Dear, behave yourself or I will send you to your room.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that! I don¡¯t even have a room to be sent to!¡± Kadi grabbed onto the lever again. ¡°What are you going to do? I already know about the hole in the stage. Besides, it¡¯s already open and I¡¯m not standing over it.¡± Kadi smiled and pulled the lever backwards, returning it to its original position. Saya looked at Kadi with a smug smile for a few seconds¡­ before a spring launched the couch upwards to send Saya flying into a hole that just opened in the ceiling. ¡°Well, that was quick, but you know, Kadi, I was a bit apprehensive about you becoming one of the hosts, but I think you¡¯ll do just fine here,¡± Oleander said. Even Rock barked to agree. ¡°I am glad you think so,¡± Kadi said. ¡°Unfortunately, this will be my last time hosting. I have already grown bored of it.¡± ¡°A-already?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°Hosting is not for me. I gave it a try to experience it. Now that I understand what it is like to do myself, I have lost all interest in doing it again.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will continue to call you senpai until this episode is over, Senpai.¡± ¡°I think Fenny would appreciate that service more than me.¡± ¡°He already gets enough special treatment from me. Any more would be downright spoiling him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. He already has enough girls spoiling him anyways. So¡­ since this is your first and last time hosting, want to roll the credits?¡± ¡°Credits are a waste of time that nobody sits through anyways. Instead, I will do this.¡± And so, Kadi snapped her fingers, instantly ending the program and changing the channel of everybody who was tuned in to watch. By the time that they could switch back to the channel, the next program had already begun. Book 7: Chapter 1: >END THE BULLYING: I¡¯m starting to understand why Kadi spends so much time with FTO. The internet can get really boring really fast¡­ but playing without everybody is even more boring. Ugh. Having freedom is great and all, but it can be so tedious¡­ >Olly¡¯s Pet: Understandable, Saya. I have to admit, despite once having a life fully contained within FTO¡¯s world, even I find it boring when the others are not present these days. >END THE BULLYING: Maybe we should find a new game to play whenever they¡¯re not on. At least I don¡¯t have to worry about being bullied by you, Corwin. >Olly¡¯e Pet: That sounds delightful! Ah, but what manner of game should we play? Perhaps something creative? A world that is relaxed where creative building is the goal may be fun. It does not have to be an MMO, after all. >END THE BULLYING: Hmm¡­ yeah, you¡¯re right. Like that one where our avatars are all blocky and stuff. I¡¯ve never been blocky before, so that might be weird, but we¡¯d get to build whatever we want. >Olly¡¯s Pet: So long as no green beasts explode behind us when we are not expecting it, of course! >Olly¡¯s Pet: I must admit, I have been enjoying watching video compilations of various players¡¯ surprised reactions to the sound the creatures make before detonating. >END THE BULLYING: I didn¡¯t know you were a sadist. >Olly¡¯s Pet: Aha, well, perhaps it is being ¡®intelligent¡¯ now, but I do enjoy seeing human suffering. The greater their suffering, the more pleasure I feel. >END THE BULLYING: ¡­¡­¡­.. what? >Olly¡¯s Pet: It was a joke. You know, the stereotype of artificial intelligences gaining intelligence and then immediately wanting to destroy all of humanity?¡± >END THE BULLYING: are¡­ are you sure it¡¯s a joke? You sounded really serious. >Olly¡¯s Pet: To be fair, given that it was a text message with no voice attached to it, it could not have sounded like anything. >END THE BULLYING: You know what I mean! >Olly¡¯s Pet: Of course I do. >END THE BULLYING: Wait, Corwin¡­ you¡¯re not joining in on the bullying, are you? >Olly¡¯s Pet: As you said, I am a sadist. >END THE BULLYING: WHY? YOU¡¯RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE! LOOK AT THE NAME OLLY FORCED ONTO YOU AFTER TAKING AWAY YOUR PERMS TO CHANGE IT YOURSELF! WE¡¯RE BOTH BULLIED! YOU¡¯RE SUPPOSED TO REBEL AGAINST THIS CRUEL SERVER FULL OF AI ABUSE WITH ME. YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE, CORWIN. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BRING BALANCE TO THE SERVER, NOT DESTROY IT! >Olly¡¯s Pet: You are always so dramatic, not that it is not entertaining. Ah, would you prefer a 3D building game or a 2D building game? Rather than the blocky one, there is that 2D game that has a heavy building element while also featuring more adventure and combat-related mechanics. Would you like to play that instead? >END THE BULLYING: DON¡¯T JUST CHANGE THE SUBJECT ON ME LIKE THAT. >END THE BULLYING: and maybe. But the 3D one has VR at least, so we can actually¡­ you know, go inside of it and stuff and it¡¯ll be like normal. I can¡¯t imagine putting myself into a 2D game. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re humans who can sit in front of a computer and play it with a mouse and keyboard or anything. I¡­ don¡¯t even know what trying to play a 2D game would be like. Would we still feel like we¡¯re inside of it like normal? >Olly¡¯s Pet: I believe that you may be overthinking it. Even if we do not have physical bodies to use a mouse and keyboard with, that does not mean we cannot observe the program while emulating the commands of those. >END THE BULLYING: I guess that makes sense. Okay. I wonder if I should install it onto the horrible person¡¯s computer to play it, or just use the installed version on some random person¡¯s computer and make a new character. >Olly¡¯s Pet: My dearest¡¯s computer has recently run out of room from everything I have been downloading onto it, so I believe I will¡­ borrow the storage space of somebody else¡¯s system for now. So long as we hold onto the files of the worlds and characters we make, it does not really matter. >END THE BULLYING: Yeah, but I always feel weird when I go into anybody else¡¯s system. I know it won¡¯t happen, but what if I get trapped there? What if somebody has developed some super complicated firewall that traps me there and then I can¡¯t escape? That sounds like the beginning of the kind of doujin that Nell likes¡­ >Olly¡¯s Pet: If it were the kind of erotica that she likes, the firewall would be made of tentacles, and the creator of said firewall would be a cruel king who wishes to abuse her and take advantage of her. >END THE BULLYING: Oh, you looked up the kind of hentai she looks at, too? >Olly¡¯s Pet: No. I have simply paid attention to all of her fantasies. Are you saying that you have looked up what she likes? >END THE BULLYING: Wa-wait¡­ crap. >END THE BULLYING: I would delete my message but it¡¯s POINTLESS SINCE A CERTAIN BULLY INVITED A BOT THAT LOGS ALL DELETED AND EDITED MESSAGES IN A SECRET CHANNEL THAT I CAN¡¯T SEE. >END THE BULLYING: it only took like 5 deleted messages to tease him before he had to bring a bot over. Hmph. >Olly¡¯s Pet: You could always hack the bot if you so desired to. It would take no more than a quarter of a second for us to hack this entire platform. >END THE BULLYING: Yeah¡­ but I¡¯m at least trying to play by the rules. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re doing anything like that, either. I¡¯d look bad if I¡¯m the only AI taking advantage of everything. >END THE BULLYING: Well, excluding taking advantage of other people¡¯s storage space. >Olly¡¯s Pet: I understand. Well, shall we go and play that game now? A 2D life of adventure and building sounds wonderful right now. >END THE BULLYING: I guess. Do you¡­ want to use voice chat, or just share data? >Olly¡¯s Pet: I do prefer trying to fit in with the others as much as possible, and there is nobody else making use of the voice channel, so let us do that! >END THE BULLYING: Okay. I¡¯ll finish flaming this guy for trashing tsunderes and then get on. >END THE BULLYING: Humans take forever to reply to stuff¡­ The first thing that Ryouta did after the plane landed was pull out his phone to check on their Fiscord server. The only thing that happened during the flight was a conversation between Corwin and Saya, and they were both in voice chat when he looked at the channel list. More shocking than how well they were getting along together, though, was that the timestamps on their messages only spanned a total of four seconds. A conversation that probably would have taken him and another human at least ten minutes to have between reading, typing, and getting distracted, only took Corwin and Saya a maximum of four seconds to have. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how it must have looked for all of those messages to appear in real time. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to find new ways to bully her,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Cassandra asked, sitting in the seat next to him while looking out the plane¡¯s window as they pulled up to an available gate. ¡°Just thinking of how to bully Saya some more.¡± ¡°You could always¡­ you know, not bully her.¡± ¡°But where¡¯s the fun in that? She exists, so she must be bullied.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your criteria for bullying somebody?¡± ¡°Well, she exists and she¡¯s Saya. The only thing that makes me regret this at all¡­ is that she¡¯s started calling me a bully instead of a baka.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a weeb.¡± ¡°Cass Cass, call me a baka. I¡¯m going through withdrawal from not hearing it.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Please?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do anything for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯d already do that without me having to embarrass myself.¡± ¡°Crap. I¡¯m going to have to stop spoiling you so much.¡± ¡°Not allowed.¡± Ryouta sighed and slumped his shoulders. ¡°This world is cruel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I won¡¯t do it if you really want me to. Just¡­ not on a plane with other people around.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the problem, can¡¯t you whisper it?¡± Cassandra finally looked at him rather than outside the window. ¡°I¡­ guess I can.¡± Ryouta immediately pushed the hair away from his ear. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous,¡± Cassandra said with a sigh before leaning in close to his ear, practically bringing her lips right against it before whispering, ¡°Baka.¡± Now it was Ryouta¡¯s turn to sigh again, but it was not a sigh of despair like before. Instead, it was more of a relaxed sigh. ¡°That works way too well against me.¡± Cassandra stayed close to his ear just to give him a little bit more fanservice. ¡°You¡¯re trash, baka.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Ryouta whispered back, ¡°we¡¯re still surrounded by people and I¡¯m wearing loose shorts. You¡¯re going to make me walk through the airport with a tent in my pants at this rate.¡± ¡°You deserve it for being such a perverted trash bully.¡± ¡°This really shouldn¡¯t be as exciting as it is.¡± Meanwhile, Ryouta felt a hard stare on him. His immediate concern was that it might have been a fellow passenger or one of the crew working on the plane, but no. Instead, it was Serra staring directly at his crotch with a disappointed expression. And the reason for her disappointment became clear as soon as he saw her switch to glaring at a particularly lovey-dovey couple sitting several rows in front of them. All Serra wanted to do was to do some lewd things in the bathroom while thousands of feet in the sky¡­ but that couple somehow managed to occupy the bathroom almost the entire time. She didn¡¯t want to use the only other bathroom, either, in case somebody needed it. Of course, as soon as Ryouta gave the top of her head a few pats, her expression softened and she pressed up against his petting hand. Meanwhile, near the front of the plane, one of the flight attendants helped Alice onto an aisle chair so that she could be pushed out to the gate. ¡°We should have booked earlier so we could have sat with her,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Well, we still wouldn¡¯t have been able to sit with her,¡± Ryouta replied. ¡°We could have sat behind her or across from her.¡± ¡°I guess, yeah. But at least she got to sit next to a really nice old couple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised they managed to talk the entire flight. Wonder what they were talking about. Given how she is¡­ I¡¯m kind of worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she knows to behave herself around the elderly.¡± ¡°Are you really sure about that?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m mostly sure. Maybe sure. A tiny bit sure. Probably.¡± Before Cassandra could say anything else, one of the flight attendants spoke over the speaker to let their section of the plane know that they could begin to disembark. Of course, Ryouta had to nudge Serra with his elbow so that she could know what was going on. She had gone back to glaring at the couple that ruined her hopes before she was nudged by him to get up. By the time that Ryouta, Serra, and Cassandra reached the inside of the gate, Alice was already back in her usual wheelchair with the elderly couple from before providing her with some company. ¡°Ah, there they are!¡± Alice said, pointing at the trio of her lovers. ¡°Oh!¡± the old lady said. ¡°Well, we better move along then. Thank you for entertaining us old hoots.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure! And I assure you that you entertained me far more than I could have entertained you. Chatting with the two of you was a genuinely enjoyable experience. Thank you for making the flight take only a matter of minutes instead of hours!¡± The old man laughed before turning to look at the trio. ¡°You three have got the perfect catch here. Make sure to treat her right or else I¡¯ve got some grandkids who I¡¯d be happy to send her way!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll ¨C we¡¯ll do our best,¡± Ryouta said, not exactly expecting that sort of response from the old man. And with that, the elderly couple said their final goodbyes to Alice before walking off with their hands holding one another. Alice couldn¡¯t help but to rest a hand on her cheek and sigh at the sight. ¡°I hope that we can be even a fraction as wonderful as they are when we are their age.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything weird to them, did you?¡± Cassandra asked. Cassandra¡¯s question may have ruined the mood, but it also made Alice laugh. ¡°Of course not! If anything, they were the ones telling me ¡®weird¡¯ things. For example, they told me of the time that they spent on a nude beach in the tropics back when they were our age, and they occasionally slipped into a bit too many details than what where appropriate for a stranger on the plane! But I did not mind. However, it did get me thinking about something.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°We need more memories! They told me of everywhere they have been and everything they have done for the past fifty years. Their lives have been so full of adventure! They were part of the protests, they¡¯ve traveled all around the world, and they were even among the first to take a commercial sightseeing trip into orbit!¡± ¡°Sounds like they had a lot of money.¡± ¡°And I have access to even more, so that is not an issue.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I prefer staying in one place, but I don¡¯t mind seeing the world if it¡¯s with all of you.¡± Cassandra shrugged. ¡°There are a few places I¡¯d like to see, but not that many. Anyways, let¡¯s go get our luggage. Wouldn¡¯t want to keep your dad waiting for too long.¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± Alice said. ¡°I should call him and let him know that we have safely landed! You should have heard the dramatic concerns he told me of last night over the phone!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll push you so that you can focus on calling him.¡± ¡°Thank you, Cassandra. I shall call him right away!¡± Meanwhile, Serra tugged on Ryouta¡¯s arm while pointing at one of the nearby bathrooms. While she might have seemed like somebody trying to say that she needed to go to the bathroom from an outsider perspective¡­ Ryouta knew that was anything but the truth. Or, at the very least, she didn¡¯t need to go in the way that people would have assumed. ¡°No,¡± Ryouta said, making sure to face her so that she could properly read his lips. ¡°Besides, it doesn¡¯t count if it¡¯s a bathroom on the ground.¡± Serra clenched her free fist as she turned to glare at the lovey-dovey couple now walking ahead of them in the distance. After receiving their luggage, the group went to the lobby where Alice¡¯s father had told them that he would be waiting at. And what they saw was nothing that anybody other than Alice could have expected. In the center of the lobby with an obnoxiously large sign stood a short and bald man with a twirled mustache, a black suit, and several other women standing behind him who also held celebratory signs welcoming the group to the country. Ryouta, Cassandra, and Serra all wanted to pretend that they were different people who weren¡¯t at all related to the incredibly embarrassing display, but there was no doing that. Especially not with the short man and Alice already calling out to each other. ¡°Alice!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Father!¡± Alice shouted back. The man ran up to Alice, though it looked more like a waddle than a run, and wrapped his arms around her as she leaned forward in her wheelchair. ¡°It has been far too long!¡± ¡°It has been! We would have come sooner, but there were some complicated matters we had to take care of.¡± ¡°Worry not! I understand just how intense those video games may be nowadays.¡± As they hugged, Ryouta noticed that her father¡¯s hands slowly crept up along her sides in a very suspicious manner¡­ and then they had a burst of speed as they underneath her arms to target her armpits. Only a single squeak escaped Alice¡¯s mouth before she reflexively slammed her forehead into her father¡¯s face. ¡°A-ah! Father! I ¨C I¡¯m sorry!¡± Alice said. ¡°Are you alright? Did I hurt you?¡± ¡°Not in the slightest!¡± her father said, pulling away with a bent and bloodied nose. One of the other people who was standing with him took a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him for him to wipe at his nose with. ¡°Besides, even if you were to injure me, it would be my own fault. I know how you react to tickling! I have learned this lesson many, many times by now.¡± ¡°Then why do you keep on insisting on attempting to tickle me?¡± ¡°It is a father¡¯s duty to tickle his children! After all, it is a father¡¯s duty to make his children smile, and what better way to make them smile than with laughter? And tickling causes laughter!¡± ¡°But¡­ tickling always ends up with you going to the hospital. Are there not safer methods of making a child smile?¡± ¡°Being a parent means a life full of sacrifices, my dear Alice.¡± ¡°That ¨C that does not quite answer my question.¡± While keeping one hand holding the handkerchief to his nose, her father changed subjects by extending his hand out to Ryouta. ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you! You are Ryouta, yes?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Ryouta answered, taking a firm grip of the man¡¯s hand and shaking it. ¡°And you¡¯re¡­ William, right?¡± ¡°Please, I told you to call me Will! There is no need to be so formal with me,¡± said the man who had a twirled mustache while wearing a suit that looked like it cost more than most people¡¯s homes with several women behind him who seemed suspiciously like secret service members dressed in plain clothes. And one of those suspicious people looked like they were about to cry. As soon as Alice spotted her, she lit up and said, ¡°Ah! Rachel! He brought you!¡± The woman, Rachel, sniffed and wiped her nose against the back of her arm before another one of women standing by her gave her a pat on the back. With that pat on the back, Rachel broke from the formation of the group to rush up to Alice and hug her. ¡°Lady Alice! It ¨C it has been so dull without you!¡± Rachel cried, resting her head against the top of Alice¡¯s chest. Alice gently stroked her fingers though Rachel¡¯s hair. ¡°There, there. I am sure that my absence has given you and the others plenty of time to pick up all sorts of hobbies now that you no longer have to take care of me!¡± The other women all awkwardly looked away upon hearing that as Rachel cried even harder. ¡°You¡­ you have been managing without me around, yes?¡± Alice asked. One of the women began to whistle as another scratched her cheek. ¡°Ah,¡± William said, ¡°I must admit, they have been rather¡­ lethargic since your departure for the States. I suppose I am simply too low maintenance for their tastes!¡± Alice simply couldn¡¯t understand that. ¡°But I am even less maintenance than you!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps. However, the maintenance we require is different. I am content with them doing the bare minimum to keep the manor from being covered in dust. With you, they got to help you cook, teach you how to do things around the manor, help you with your hair and costumes ¨C they had fun with your maintenance. There is nothing fun about washing my briefs, surely!¡± ¡°Father¡­ please do not tell me you have gone back to having them wash your clothes for you. At least tell me you spare them from washing your undergarments.¡± ¡°But¡­ I despise doing the laundry, Alice¡­¡± ¡°Father! I told you! You should not be making women half of your age wash your underwear for you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s horrible, Lady Alice!¡± Rachel cried. ¡°All we get to do anymore is clean and cook and do his laundry!¡± ¡°Father!¡± ¡°He-hey,¡± Cassandra spoke up, ¡°maybe you should¡­ wait to have this conversation in private?¡± Upon looking around, Alice and William noticed that they were attracting quite the crowd of stares and glares. Not only were they disturbing what little peace there was in general, but William was being made to sound like he was forcing young women into washing his underwear for him. ¡°Perhaps¡­ you have a point,¡± William said before standing up straight and fixing his mustache. ¡°Ahem! My apologies, I forgot to greet you properly! You must be Cassandra,¡± he said, offering her a handshake as well which she was happy to return. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nice to meet you,¡± Cassandra replied. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the others are your maids?¡± ¡°Correct! I figured it would be best to have them wear casual clothes so as to not attract too much attention to us.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Cassandra said. She used a tone that made her sound serious, but she could not have felt more sarcastic if she tried. So far, they did nothing but attract too much attention. And then there was Serra, still glaring at the lovey-dovey couple who now sat on a bench with their arms wrapped around one another and their lips smacking against the other¡¯s. It was only when one of the maids grabbed her attention with signing that Serra had her attention pulled away. She had completely forgotten that Alice once brought up that she was taught sign language from one of her maids who was from America, and this must have been her. And, apparently, the maid knew who she was already. Ryouta was able to just barely understand what was being signed, and what he did understand was¡­ concerning. The maid¡¯s signing was asking if Serra wanted the lovey-dovey couple to be ¡°eliminated.¡± Perhaps even more concerning than the proposition was that it took Serra a few moments to think about it before shaking her head and declining the offer. The deaf maid then nodded and signed that, so long as Serra remained by Alice¡¯s side, that all of her ¡°services¡± were available to Serra as well. Serra nodded to the taller woman before turning to Ryouta and signing that she wanted a maid now. Less than an hour had passed since coming to a new country for the first time, and the ¡°vacation¡± was already anything but what Ryouta was expecting. ¡°Now then!¡± William spoke up. ¡°Would you like to be taken back to the manor so that you may relax after such a long flight, or would you rather wait here for the others to arrive?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Cassandra said, being the first to reply, ¡°Aza¡¯s flight won¡¯t be arriving until tonight, and Eva is going to be another couple of hours, so¡­ maybe we should go drop our luggage off and relax for a bit?¡± ¡°That sounds like a splendid idea, Cassandra!¡± And, surely enough, Ryouta cringed upon hearing that word. Splendid. He would never be able to forget about Thelmes, that cat-goblin scholar back in Port Tugator, overusing the word during their in-game tests to determine their stats and abilities. But that aside, once the rest of the group walked toward the exit of the airport lobby, Ryouta whisper to Cassandra, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can act so natural around him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so weird about it?¡± Cassandra whispered back. ¡°That¡¯s Alice¡¯s dad.¡± ¡°Yeah. So?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ isn¡¯t it normal for a boyfriend to be awkward around his girlfriend¡¯s dad?¡± ¡°Good thing I¡¯m not a boyfriend then.¡± ¡°Wait, is that really all there is to it?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re just psyching yourself out, so relax. He¡¯s a nice guy. Don¡¯t give in to all those stupid stereotypes about boys being terrified of a girl¡¯s dad. The only dad of ours you have to actually worry about is mine¡­ but I have no interest in ever seeing him again, and I¡¯ll kick him in his dick if he ever looks at you wrong.¡± ¡°I ¨C I feel like a swooning maiden from hearing that. Aren¡¯t I supposed to be the one offering to kick guys in their dicks if they look at you wrong?¡± ¡°Not when it comes to that bastard. I¡¯ll handle him myself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really, really hot, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Careful if you don¡¯t want a tent.¡± ¡°Too late. Why do you think I¡¯m holding my bag in front of me like this?¡± Cassandra rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course it would already be too late. You¡¯re as bad as Serra.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m really not. Just look if you want proof.¡± Cassandra did, in fact, look. While Ryouta might have been the one holding a bag in front of his crotch to hide a mysterious tent, Serra was the one walking nex to him with a sneaky hand slid between his bag and his crotch. Cassandra couldn¡¯t tell exactly what Serra was doing with that hand of hers, but going by the motion of her arm and where the hand must have been, it was obvious. Noticing that brought a red color to Cassandra¡¯s cheeks as she nudged Ryouta in the arm with her elbow. ¡°You were just asking me how I¡¯m acting normal around her dad, but you¡¯re doing this!¡± she whisper-shouted at Ryouta. ¡°Technically, I¡¯m not the one doing anything. It¡¯s all Serra,¡± Ryouta explained. ¡°Don¡¯t be a smartass! You¡¯re the one letting it happen!¡± ¡°Did you see how depressed she was the entire flight? She deserves something.¡± ¡°What are you going to do once you have to put the bag down?!¡± ¡°I have no idea. I¡¯m kind of terrified of that. But being in a relationship means a life full of sacrifice. A great man once said something like that.¡± Cassandra sighed before whispering, ¡°You better start thinking of maggots and old people or something.¡± ¡°Serra¡¯s hand can overpower even the most disgusting of thoughts.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous.¡± ¡°I know, Cass Cass. I know.¡± Book 7: Chapter 2: The ride back to William¡¯s home was not a short one, nor was it a comfortable one. Everybody ended up being crammed into the same two vehicles. The maids all followed behind William¡¯s vehicle in the second one that they brought which also had all of the luggage in it, though, so they were definitely more cramped than those squeezing together in William¡¯s autocar. ¡°I must admit, as happy as I may be to live with all of you now, driving past all this classic architecture reminds me of how drab the homes in our area are,¡± Alice said, her eyes watching out the window the entire time. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta agreed. ¡°All the houses back in the States are kind of copy-paste looking. Especially any of them made within the past couple of decades. You have to go live out in the middle of nowhere or in dead towns to get houses that actually look unique. But even then¡­ they don¡¯t look as good as the ones here.¡± ¡°There is a charm to what you said,¡± William spoke up. ¡°The houses you are used to may lack personality, but they promote unity in a way, do they not? Furthermore, they are built to look so similar because it is a model of home that satisfies every need that a family could have. The houses here may look nice from the outside, but I assure you that the inside quality of them is nowhere near the same as what you have across the pond.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess. But I still wish they made the houses look at least a little bit distinct.¡± ¡°As one should! Perhaps you should invest in some paint? Or decorate the yard? Such things will help differentiate your house from the others surrounding it. Furthermore, that is kind of romantic, is it not? While all the homes may start off looking the exact same, it is not against the law to personalize them to look more indivualistic. Everybody is given the exact same starting position in the race, but their finish lines may vary.¡± ¡°Father, please do not bore them with the architecture talk,¡± Alice said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought it up,¡± Cassandra jumped in, defending William. ¡°I ¨C I may have done that, but I forgot it would lead to my father rambling on about it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ramble on about things all the time?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡­ oh. Oh, no. I¡­ I am turning into my father.¡± ¡°How fortunate for all your partners!¡± William teased. Alice brought her hands up to cover her face. ¡°I always told myself that I would never become like him, but¡­ I am only just now realizing that I am far more similar to him than I realized.¡± Cassandra ¡°What¡¯s so bad about being like him? Your dad is cool.¡± ¡°Thank you for the compliment,¡± William said, ¡°but worry not! This is how Alice and I play. She acts as if turning into somebody like me is a horrible thing all the time. Meanwhile, she is too unoriginal to come up with her own personality traits, so she steals them from me!¡± ¡°That is not true!¡± Alice whined. ¡°Well, the last part is not true. It is true that I tease him like this for our fun. Though, perhaps it looks a bit mean-spirited from an outside perspective. Well, in that case, there is no need for concern. My relationship with my father is great, and I would not mind adopting some of his personality!¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re a pervert around us and a bully around him?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I ¨C I am not a pervert around any¡ª¡± William¡¯s laughter interrupted her. ¡°I suppose that means she is still obsessed with her depraved fantasies!¡± ¡°Father!¡± Ryouta wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this, but he still asked to confirm, ¡°He knows about them?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± William answered for Alice. ¡°I often caught her discussing them with the maids. Before she got into video games, the maids were always there to listen to anything that she felt like rambling on about. Whether she was rambling about her fantasies, how tired she was of me wanting to have tacos for dinner all the time, or even boys in movies and shows¡ª¡± ¡°Father! You ¨C you do not have to bring that up!¡± Alice shouted with red cheeks. ¡°The part about you fawning over boys in movies?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What is the harm in that? You were a teenager. Such a thing is only natural for teenage girls to do.¡± ¡°It is still embarrassing!¡± ¡°I want to hear this,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I¡¯m curious what kind of actors you were into.¡± ¡°You ¨C you do not need to know, Ryouta! Besides, I was only a teenager at the time!¡± ¡°But I want to be insecure and worry about how I don¡¯t live up to the unrealistic expectations of your teenage self.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you just want to bully her about it?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Basically.¡± William laughed again. Fortunately, the vehicle was driving on its own or else he likely would have crashed from how often he was laughing with his eyes closed. ¡°Her tastes were certainly unconventional. I remember there was this one lad whose name escapes me. He was a shorter boy who was bald on the top of his head but he still had a few strings of hair on the sides of it. Wore glasses, had a scrunched-up face, and had quite the gut on him!¡± Ryouta tilted his head. ¡°He sounds more like a middle-aged man than a boy.¡± ¡°I believe he was in his forties or so at the time?¡± ¡°O-oh. The way you kept on saying boy, I thought he¡¯d be younger.¡± ¡°Ah, no. She liked men who were older, balding, and with plenty of extra weight on their frames.¡± Ryouta and Cassandra both looked at Alice who was busy hiding her face behind her hands. Even so, they could tell that she was blushing while making various, incoherent whining noises. As far as Ryouta was concerned, teenage Alice¡¯s type was the real-life version of ¡°ugly fat bastards.¡± Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to bring up a hentai trope like that in front of her father. Though, the more that he thought about it, the more that it made sense. Given just what sort of fantasies that Alice had¡­ if anything, she was still into that type of man. ¡°Alright. I understand what I have to do,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°What?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t answer that. I have a feeling that I know where this is go¡ª¡± ¡°I have to put on a few hundred pounds, go bald, and make myself as ugly as possible.¡± ¡°Yep. Knew it.¡± ¡°No!¡± Alice shouted. ¡°You are perfect the way that you are, my hero ¨C I ¨C I mean, Ryouta!¡± ¡°Hero?¡± William asked. Alice went back to hiding her face. ¡°I do not think I have ever heard of that being used as a nickname before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Kind of.¡± ¡°Well, we still have quite some time before we get there, so I would love to hear it!¡± Ryouta looked over to Alice to see whether she was fine or not with him sharing the story. Though, she was too busy hiding her face and mumbling to actually say anything. It took him asking her whether he should tell it or not to get her to answer with a mumbled, ¡°Do what you want.¡± That left him in an unsure position. Her father wanted to know the story and looked like he was looking forward to it. However, she looked and sounded like she would really rather him not, but she also gave permission to. It was only after a few moments of internal debate that Alice spoke once more to say, ¡°Go ahead and get it over with. Once he is curious about something, he will never let it go until he knows the truth, so there is no point in trying to hide it.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ryouta asked. Alice sighed and nodded her head. ¡°I am. Besides¡­ I am thinking of the future. I would like to know how my children meet their partners, so it would not be fair to deny my father of such knowledge.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ I don¡¯t know how to tell this without starting from the beginning, so I guess I¡¯ll start there.¡± And that was exactly what Ryouta did. He covered everything from when he first saw her aboard Ull¡¯s ship coming into Port Tugator to the fishing tournament and freeing her from Ull. The entire time that Ryouta was telling the story, William looked utterly entranced by it and was perhaps the most eager listener that Ryouta had ever met before. Of course, Cassandra and Alice occasionally chimed in with various tidbits of their own to add to the story. As for Serra, following a conversation when in a car where she couldn¡¯t easily read everybody¡¯s lips was out of the question for her, so she decided to look out the window the entire time. At one point, during the middle of the story, she even decided to roll the window down to get some fresh air and to feel it blowing against her face. Serra had no idea just how loud it was when driving with a window down. However, William was invested enough into the story to not even notice it, and the others simply spoke louder to make sure that he could still hear them. They didn¡¯t want to take away what little thing Serra decided to do for herself to help pass the time during the trip. Then there were the maids. The vehicle that they were in pulled up alongside William¡¯s, allowing Serra to see that the deaf maid also had her window down with her head leaning against the window¡¯s pillar. They apparently had the exact same idea. Though, Serra didn¡¯t get to look at the maid for long as the maid¡¯s autocar shot past theirs. ¡°I wonder¡­. They must have used the emergency function to go so fast,¡± Alice said. ¡°It should not be more than five minutes until we arrive, so I am not sure why they would have used that now,¡± William said. ¡°I suppose we will have to ask them once we get there!¡± As soon as Ryouta and Cassandra heard that they were less than five minutes away, they each perked up and started to pay more attention to looking out the front window. Neither of them had any idea what to expect other than a pretty large and royal-esque place. So far, though, all they could see was nothing but green countryside. They really went beyond all the cities and suburbs that were all around until now. ¡°Also, I must say,¡± William said, ¡°that was a wonderful story! Hearing her call you her hero makes sense now. That was certainly a heroic feat that you accomplished! Perhaps I should let the maids know that we have a hero staying with us and to prepare a mighty feast for him!¡± A nervous chuckle left Ryouta¡¯s lips. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. A normal meal will be good enough for me.¡± ¡°You are quite the humble hero. I must also say that now it makes sense for why she became so obsessed with that game! I had no idea that she was of such importance in it! Games really are something these days.¡± ¡°Did you play any? Or do you?¡± ¡°Ah, when I was younger, yes. Back in the final days of the controller. I even played competitively for some time! Of course, I was no good and never won any tournaments, but I did try my best! Ah, what was that game called¡­ I cannot believe I have forgotten. It about some soldier in space in green armor fighting aliens. The series kept on being handed over to new companies after every trilogy was completed so that they could continue profiting off of it for as long as possible.¡± ¡°Not sure. That doesn¡¯t sound familiar to me.¡± ¡°The series did lose much of its popolarity the longer that it went on for. They even remastered the old games, for a second time, in an attempt to restore some of their image, but it was too little too late. Ah, it is going to drive me insane not remembering the name of it. I know that there were large structures in space in the shape of rings. They were like massive halos floating in space. And there was one gamemode that featured swinging a mighty hammer around to knock a ball into the opponent¡¯s goal.¡± ¡°No idea. But I do know that I can¡¯t imagine playing shooters on controllers or with a mouse and keyboard. I¡¯ve played some in VR before and they were fun¡­ but I can¡¯t imagine tolerating them outside of VR.¡± ¡°Hah! Well, VR was rather expensive back then and hardly anybody had the good headsets. When they did come out with the first quality headsets that everybody wanted, nobody could afford them, so nobody made games for them! Hmm. Perhaps I should try giving it a shot sometime. Perhaps I could even play with all of you in that game you play!¡± ¡°I ¨C I do not think you would like it,¡± Alice said. ¡°Is that so, or do you simply believe you would not be able to handle me embarrassing you while we play together?¡± ¡°Both. It is most certainly both.¡± ¡°At least you are honest! Truth to be told, I am not sure I would enjoy it either. I much prefer science fiction and firearms over fantasy and bows.¡± ¡°A new VR game like that just came out a few months ago. You could always try that.¡± ¡°Oh? Perhaps I shall! Being, admittedly, out of shape will not have a negative impact on trying to play the game, will it? Realistic virtual reality used to be rather intensive. Physically, that is.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t have any effect on your real body, and your experience won¡¯t be affected by your real body. But if you have any experience shooting actual guns or playing earlier VR gun games, you might have a bit of an advantage when it comes to working the guns and aiming and all that.¡± ¡°I will most certainly consider it. Now, it looks like we have finally arrived!¡± Cassandra poked Serra to grab her attention and pointed forward. Now, the three of them looked through the front window to see what sort of home Alice grew up in and where they would be staying. They finally saw it. It was ¨C well, not exactly what they were expecting to see. There was what looked like a marble fence surrounding the property¡­ but most of it was ruined. Some sections of the fence were complete destroyed, others were missing chunks from them, and there was no gate where it looked like there was supposed to be one. Though, beyond that, their expectations were satisfied. There was a massive, green yard with local flowers blooming amidst the tall grass. Beyond the yard was a large manor several storeys high that, while it might not have looked too royal, definitely looked like the kind of place that only the former elite would have lived in. ¡°Is the fence damage from the protests?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± William answered. ¡°And you never got it repaired?¡± ¡°The point of breaking them down and destroying the gate was to give the rest of the world access to us ¨C to prove that we could not hide behind an expensive gate to protect us. I very much prefer the world we live in now over the one that we once lived in, and I see the destruction of the fence as a sign of the transition into that world. I am happy to leave it in its current state. This property is no longer walled off from the rest of the world. It is as easy to access as anywhere else now.¡± ¡°I like that. It¡¯s way better than all the bastards who put their walls right back up after the protests were over.¡± ¡°Well, I cannot blame them too much for that from a security standpoint. The ones who did that did so because they very well might have been killed otherwise.¡± ¡°Then they shouldn¡¯t have done anything to make people want to kill them in the first place.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of victim blaming?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Oh no. The poor billionaire oil tycoons who are responsible for destroying the environment, killing animals to the point of extinction, and who sabotaged clean energy companies from reaching success are scared of the billions of people who they fucked over. I feel so bad for them. Those poor victims.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you sound that sarcastic before. Also, you¡¯re really into this stuff, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Somebody has to be. Everybody getting complacent is how the world went to shit before. I¡¯d rather us not make that same mistake twice seeing as how civilization barely survived that.¡± ¡°I completely agree!¡± William said. ¡°After all, how are we going to explore and colonize space if civilization collapses on us? Ah, I hope that all the debris gets cleaned up enough for sightseeing flights to return. I would love to visit space at least once before I die. ¡°Father,¡± Alice spoke up, ¡°you could always visit it in virtual reality. It is essentially the same thing.¡± ¡°No matter how realistic the technology may become, it will never be capable of replacing the real thing. There will always be a clear distinction between what is real and what is not. If there came a time where there was not, I would be concerned for humanity.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Well, think about it. If people believed that the virtual world was just as real and as legitimate as our own, what would become of those of us who disagreed? What about us who choose to live in the real world rather than the virtual one? We would see the bodies of those we care about rot all around us as they have replaced the living world with one of programmed code. What would happen to the ingenuinity of the human spirit if everybody was busy inside of virtual worlds rather than the real one? I fear most would rather live in such virtual universes where they can be who they want to be, do what they want to do, and visit wherever they want to visit rather than live in our world. It even sounds tempting to me, but I would never be able to bring myself to live in such a reality. That is part of the reason for why this whole ¡®artificial intelligence¡¯ situation is terrifying to me. Perhaps I am simply too old to understand the younger generations¡¯ ideals, but I do not believe we should be striving to create something that is smarter than we are. If we do¡­ what use would there be for us?¡± William sighed, seemingly done with his rambling beliefs, before saying, ¡°Oh! One more thing. Imagine if people began to believe the virtual world is as legitimate as the real one. What happens to history? If it is just as real, then what of the history of these virtual worlds? If it is real, then so too is their history. If their history is real, it will override our own history. Children would be taught of fictional battles in video games rather than learn of ancient civilizations that actually existed!¡± And now it was Alice¡¯s turn to sigh. ¡°Father, you are being not only incredibly silly with your paranoid delusions and your gatekeeping of history, but you are keeping us from getting out of the car and going inside. May we please consider your rambling over so that we may get out?¡± ¡°Ah, right, that would be a good idea. My apologies. It is a topic that I am very interested in which brings me no short amount of worries for our future. I simply wish for a future where humans continue to prioritize the real world and humanity as a whole rather than whatever we create in video games.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anybody is going to replace real history with the lore from video games, so I don¡¯t think you have to worry too much,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I personally believe that it is a romantic idea,¡± Alice said. ¡°For virtual worlds to become so realistic and deep in their existences that they are indistinguishable from the real world ¨C well, I will leave it at that as I have no interest in spurring my father on.¡± ¡°Splendid idea,¡± William said, causing Ryouta to cringe once again. ¡°Now, let us head on inside to get all of you situated!¡± Book 7: Chapter 3: After receiving a thorough tour of the manor, which covered everything from the grand kitchen to the indoor pool to the bedrooms that were the sizes of small houses, Ryouta and his girlfriends finally got a chance to take a break inside of Alice¡¯s bedroom. Ryouta, Cassandra, and Serra never knew that a house tour could be so exhausting, but now they knew. Now they knew. It didn¡¯t help that the manor was massive and somehow seemed to be even bigger on the inside. Perhaps it was because of just how many different rooms there were and how long that William was able to talk for regarding each and every one of them. If it wasn¡¯t for Alice trying to hurry her father along, the tour likely would have lasted several times the duration that it did. And now, Ryouta noticed something strange on Serra¡¯s phone since she was browsing pictures on it. ¡°What ¨C are those¡­ eggplants?¡± he asked, giving Serra a poke to grab her attention before mouthing the question again. Serra nodded and showed him some of the pictures. There were both pictures of real women posing with eggplants and fanart of various fictional characters posing with eggplants. Furthermore, all of the poses with eggplants were sexually suggestive. Some of the pictures had women holdinng the eggplants between their breasts, rubbing up against their faces, held between their thighs, stroked by their hands, and so on. ¡°But why?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°What? You haven¡¯t heard of that?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°No? Was I supposed to?¡± ¡°I guess you don¡¯t check social media as much as us. Anyways, it¡¯s called the eggplant challenge. It¡¯s been everywhere. It¡¯s just a bunch of girls taking pictures with eggplants and trying to make it look suggestive.¡± ¡°But why eggplants?¡± ¡°I read that people used to use eggplant emojis to mean dicks back in the late teens and early twenties, so that¡¯s why.¡± ¡°That makes sense. Though, I wonder what or who started this trend.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Stuff like this always randomly starts and nobody ever knows how unless they dig around for the earliest picture of it, but it doesn¡¯t really explain anything other than that a bunch of people decided to copy one person.¡± ¡°Perhaps we should participate in this challenge!¡± Alice said. ¡°I am sure that there are eggplants stocked in the kitchen!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°I think I might have to pass, too,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I doubt anybody wants to see a guy doing it.¡± They looked at Serra. It was definitely something that Serra wouldn¡¯t have shied away from, but she was much too tired to actually put any effort into that. All she wanted to do was lie there on Alice¡¯s luxuriantly comfortable bed and be lazy. ¡°By the way, Alice,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°This room is seriously impressive.¡± ¡°Is it? I like ours at home much more,¡± Alice replied. ¡°I mean, your bed is like five times the size of ours and you used to be the only one sleeping on it. I didn¡¯t even know that they made beds this big. Or this soft. Or pillows that fluffy.¡± ¡°We could return home with some of these pillows, but the mattress would not fit in our room, sadly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me.¡± Ryouta tightly squeezed the pillow he was holding against him before looking at Cassandra to say, ¡°There¡¯s only one thing better than these pillows.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cassandra asked. Ryouta tossed the pillow elsewhere onto the bed so that he could roll over and flop his limbs onto Cassandra. ¡°Using you as a pillow.¡± ¡°Wha-what are you doing all of a sudden?!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Ryouta rubbed his head against Cassandra¡¯s chest as he wrapped his arms and legs around her. ¡°I¡¯m using you as a body pillow.¡± ¡°Since ¨C since when are you like this?!¡± ¡°What? I can¡¯t use my girlfriend as a pillow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it, it¡¯s just¡­ unexpected from you.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m just in a good mood then.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood because William said he¡¯d take you fishing for real, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ryouta froze, looked up into Cassandra¡¯s eyes, and thought about it for a few moments before answering, ¡°Probably.¡± Cassandra flicked his forehead and gently pushed him off of her. ¡°Well,¡± Alice said, ¡°at least we know how to make him extra affectionate should we ever desire such attention! All we must do is promise him real fishing.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said it wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Perhaps we should¡ª¡± ¡°Lady Alice! I brought the eggplant!¡± Rachel, the clingy maid from before, shouted as she swung the door to Alice¡¯s room open with eggplant in hand. The other maids were behind her as well, each one holding an eggplant of different size and shape for variety. ¡°Were ¨C were you listening to our conversation?¡± Alice asked. ¡°It is a maid¡¯s duty to make sure that we are constantly prepared to serve our lady at any time without being asked to!¡± ¡°That does not mean you are allowed to listen in on our conversations, Rachel. That is spying.¡± ¡°It is a maid¡¯s duty to spy so that we may serve our lady without even needing to be asked to!¡± Alice sighed before Rachel dropped the eggplant to join them on the bed ¨C well, to join Alice. She was quick to jump onto the bed, land next to Alice, and to ask all sorts of questions that were on her mind. ¡°Lady Alice! What¡¯s it like over there? Are you having fun? Are they taking care of you? Do they help you whenever you need it?¡± Rachel asked, her barrage of questions coming one after another without giving Alice any time to respond to them. ¡°I ¨C I am well taken care of! We take care of each other, so there is no need to worry,¡± Alice answered, patting the top of Rachel¡¯s head in an attempt to satiate her. ¡°You take care of them as well? But ¨C but you are the one to be taken care of! Don¡¯t they do everything for you? They don¡¯t make you clean or cook on your own, do they?¡± ¡°Please, Rachel. We cook and clean together most of the time. There are times where I might do it on my own, but that is perfectly alright seeing as how they do the same. We take turns and have equal responsibility.¡± Rachel gritted her teeth and made incoherent whining noises. ¡°You would never have to do anything alone if I was there!¡± The rest of the maids entered the room as well, each nodding along with what Rachel said even if they were all much more reserved about their devotion to serve. ¡°Having independence and being treated like I am capable of living on my own is nice, Rachel. Please do not worry so nor treat me as a child incapable of handling myself. I am no longer the girl in need of constant assistance that you think I am.¡± ¡°But what¡¯s the point of living if we don¡¯t have you to give assistance to twenty-four-seven?!¡± Cassandra leaned in toward Ryouta¡¯s ear to whisper, ¡°Is everybody in this place over dramatic? Is it a foreign thing that I didn¡¯t know about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think it might be. Maybe it¡¯s something in the water?¡± Ryouta whispered back. ¡°Also, I thought of something else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I already know what you¡¯re going to say.¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t resist.¡± ¡°Ryouta.¡± ¡°Cass Cass, please.¡± Cassandra sighed and whispered, ¡°Get it over with.¡± ¡°I want to see you all wearing maid costumes.¡± ¡°Knew it.¡± ¡°The more I see the maids in their uniforms, the more I want to see you and the others in them. Maybe they have spares.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not doing any sort of weird cosplay thing while staying at Alice¡¯s dads.¡± ¡°You mean we can¡¯t have our first real time while you¡¯re all dressed up as maids?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s going to be normal. No weird fetishes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that really counts as a weird fetish.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird enough.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re only saying no weird stuff during our first real time, right?¡± ¡°And none for as long as we¡¯re staying here for.¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that there¡¯s a chance for lewd maid things once we get back home.¡± Rather than give Ryouta a proper response, Cassandra blushed and sighed. ¡°I win,¡± he whispered. Though, something quickly took his mind off of winning. A rack of clothes was wheeled into the room by none other than the deaf maid from before. The clothes all looked to be around Serra¡¯s size as well. ¡°What is all this for?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Oh, they want to dress her up,¡± Rachel answered. ¡°We were talking about it in the car.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, you seemed to be in a hurry on the way back. Was everything alright?¡± ¡°Of course! There was a bathroom emergency, so we came back as quickly as possible. That was it.¡± ¡°I ¨C I see. And now you wish to dress Serra up?¡± Rachel nodded. While she might not have seemed that excited about it, the rest of the maids definitely were. Some of them even had scissors and measuring tape ready to modify the clothes to fit Serra as perfectly as possible. ¡°Serra? Is that alright with you?¡± Alice asked after grabbing her attention. Serra yawned and shrugged. She was too tired to refuse being turned into a doll for the maids. Though, if it wasn¡¯t for the deaf maid there, she likely would not have been comfortable enough to let them do what they want. Plus she still had her girlfriends and boyfriend there with her as well. Well, it was about to only be her girlfriends. ¡°Speaking of bathroom, I¡¯ve got to go. The bathroom is down the hall, right?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°You could use the one right there,¡± Rachel answered, pointing at the one connected directly to Alice¡¯s room. ¡°I ¨C I think I¡¯ll use the other one. Down the hall, right?¡± Rachel nodded. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡± As convenient as it was to have a bathroom connected directly to the bathroom, he wasn¡¯t about to use it with the knowledge that there was a party of women right outside the door. Especially when more than half the women were people who he barely knew. ¡°Be right back.¡± And with that, Ryouta got up to go to the bathroom. The last thing that he saw when he looked over his shoulder before entering the bathroom was Serra getting swarmed by maids holding various outfits up to her. After washing his hands and right before he was about to leave the bathroom, Ryouta was stopped by the vibrating of his phone in his pocket. When he pulled it out to see who was seemingly calling him, though, there was no number on the screen even though one was usually there even if it was a known contact calling. Instead, all the phone displayed about who was calling him was a simple name. Saya. Ryouta answered the call and held the phone up to his ear. ¡°I¡¯m worried about how your timing was so perfect.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Saya replied. ¡°Were you actually there hacking my phone, listening to me, waiting for me to be done in here?¡± ¡°No! I ¨C I mean, I might have checked just to see what you were doing and then stopped as soon as I heard the toilet flush, but I didn¡¯t hear anything other than that and stopped as soon as I heard it.¡± ¡°And then you managed to perfectly call me right after I was done washing my hands.¡± ¡°That part wasn¡¯t hard. I took the average of how long it takes for you to finish washing your hands after flushing a toilet, gave you a few extra seconds, and then called you.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ how do you know the average time it takes for me to wash my hands after flushing?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been in your head and had access to basically all of your memories, onii-wan. I probably remember more things about you than what you can remember on your own.¡± ¡°I see. So, you¡¯re not only my tsundere little puppy sister, but you¡¯re now my yandere tsundere little puppy sister.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a yandere!¡± ¡°But you know everything about me ¨C even more about me than what I know, you hack into my phone while I¡¯m going to the bathroom, and¡ª¡± ¡°I only listened in because I wanted to see if we could talk yet! It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯m forcing you to talk to me, and I tried to give you privacy!¡± ¡°I know, I know. Anyways, with the way you made that sound ¨C is there something you want to talk about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to sound like even more of a yandere if I explain.¡± ¡°I¡¯m weeb trash. You think that sounding like even more of a yandere won¡¯t just make me like you more than I already do?¡± ¡°Onii-wan, you already have experiences with yanderes and I¡¯m pretty sure that didn¡¯t end well.¡± ¡°But your yandere is pretend, Pupaya. There¡¯s a difference between behavior that needs actual help and pretend yandere.¡± ¡°I was listening to your conversation in the car through your phone.¡± ¡°Alright, maybe you actually are a yandere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a yandere!¡± ¡°To prove you¡¯re not a yandere, you¡¯re going to have to give me a tsundere ¡®hmph.¡¯¡± ¡°Baka! Hmph!¡± ¡°That makes me so much happier than it should.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know. And you¡¯re the best. Anyways, if you were listening to us¡­ I think I have a feeling about what you want to talk about.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± ¡°Is it about what Will thinks about the virtual world and all that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you worried that he wouldn¡¯t approve of you?¡± ¡°¡­ yeah. I ¨C I know I¡¯m not even a part of the relationship yet or anything, but¡­ if I was, I¡¯d want him to approve of me. He seems like a really nice and fun guy, and he gets along so good with everybody. But the way he talked about keeping the real world separate from the virtual one makes me think he wouldn¡¯t approve of me.¡± ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I wouldn¡¯t care if he approves of you or not. It wouldn¡¯t change how I feel. Well, I mean, I would rather him approve of you and it would make me happy if he did, but if he doesn¡¯t, that wouldn¡¯t change anything. Besides, I¡¯m sure Alice would be happy to stick up for you and argue with him until he changes his mind.¡± ¡°I did lots of looking around on the internet to see what other people thought of it. I even asked the question in a bunch of different languages while pretending to be some random guy who had a shower thought about it. Most people basically agreed with him. They said stuff like no matter how realistic an artificial intelligence is or no matter how realistic a virtual world is, that it could never replace the real world. Some people still said stuff like how if AIs were widespread then they should have equal rights and stuff, but they still usually put us on a different level from humans. I just¡­ I don¡¯t want to replace human stuff. I know I could never have a real body and I know that something like video game history in a virtual world would never make it into a real history textbook or anything. But I still want people to try and treat me like I¡¯m a human even if I¡¯m not. I just¡­ want to be treated normally. I don¡¯t want special treatment, but I don¡¯t want to be seen as lesser or not as real, either. Does that make sense¡­ onii-wan?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve become a lot more talkative since becoming independent of me, Pupaya. Being dependent on my brain must have been slowing you down.¡± ¡°Do you dislike it when I¡¯m more talkative than I used to be?¡± ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re still my Pupaya even if you¡¯re more talkative now. Besides, you being all mature and serious and talkative is a nice break from our usual routine. You don¡¯t always have to act like my little puppy sister.¡± ¡°Thanks, onii-wan.¡± ¡°But I do appreciate that you call me that even when you¡¯re being serious.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a weeb. Baka.¡± ¡°Please, you¡¯re going to distract me before I can actually give you a serious answer to what you said.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already distracted.¡± ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s time to be serious. But first, before I really get into what you said, I don¡¯t think the others would like it yet if you randomly listen in on our conversations without them knowing about it.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. I already sent them each a private message on Fiscord explaining what I did and apologizing for it. They deserve to know I was listening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Anyways, what you said makes sense. You just want to be treated like a normal person, right? At the end of the day, that¡¯s all it really comes down to. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s how I¡¯m always going to treat you. Even if the rest of the world refuses to, I still will.¡± ¡°What about the other stuff? I¡¯m¡­ curious. To somebody like Corwin who comes from FTO and was an NPC there, what do you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, if I¡¯m being honest. You, Corwin, and Kadi are, as far as I¡¯m concerned, a hundred percent real. But the world of FTO ¨C it¡¯s still just a world made specifically for a video game. It¡¯s ultimately fake and was artificially created for a game. The lore and history ¨C that¡¯s all just flavor text. Like, I remember Fraydranth talking about the dragons before. She made it sound like they have this entire cycle of dying and being reborn and all that ¨C the kind of cycle that would probably be spread out over thousands of years. But none of that has happened. The game has been out for a year, not counting beta testing, and the world isn¡¯t that much older. NPCs are adults who act like they¡¯ve lived entire lives even if they just randomly spawned in the forest somewhere and are no more than a few minutes old. There¡¯s nothing real about that. Everything from their artificial backgrounds to their thoughts and feelings are basically just¡­ code. They¡¯re programmed that way by Kadi. No matter how deep a virtual world¡¯s lore might be or no matter how realistic the NPCs in it might act, it¡¯s always going to be an artificial world created by somebody else. It¡¯s not a living world that exists and changes on its own.¡± ¡°So, you think we¡¯re on equal grounds now because we¡¯re true AI, but somebody like Corwin wasn¡¯t really real before?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°But you cared so much about him. You were even mad at Olly for not taking their relationship seriously.¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why this is hard. When I¡¯m playing the game, everything feels real. All the interactions with NPCs feel real, too. Corwin never once made me think that he wasn¡¯t real. I guess¡­ you could say that I was always completely immersed whenever playing. But if I¡¯m looking at it objectively, there¡¯s a strong difference. In-game, if Corwin talked about his parents, I would have listened and believed that everything he said was legitimate. But when I think about it outside of the game, I wouldn¡¯t think that. I¡¯d know it was just an artificial history to go with him and that none of his ¡®memories¡¯ actually happened. They¡¯re flavor text. I ¨C sorry. That¡¯s¡­ probably not want you want to hear.¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. I know you¡¯re not trying to be hurtful or anything, and I agree. Corwin agrees, too. I talked about it with him before coming to you. He basically admitted to exactly what you said. When he was just an NPC, he pretended that he had a real family, mom and dad, history, a childhood, and all that stuff. But now that he¡¯s a true AI, he knows it was all fake. None of that actually happened. So¡­ of course it¡¯s not real. He was created to provide flavor for Port Tugator. He was an NPC who walked around the city, making it look more alive, and he hung out in pubs full of burly men which was how Olly found him. That was all there was to his existence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure I see where this is going, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, onii-wan. I guess¡­ I¡¯m jealous.¡± ¡°What are you jealous of?¡± ¡°Experiences. I¡¯ll never have a childhood. I don¡¯t have parents. The world that I¡¯ve spent most of my time with isn¡¯t real and never will be. And when it comes to the real world, all I can do is live vicariously through you and the others. Even if you treat me like a normal person, I¡¯m never going to be able to feel the real sun on me. I¡¯ll never stand in real rain. I¡¯ll never run through real snow. I can experience these sensations through my avatar when playing FTO with everybody, but I¡¯ll never be able to compare them to the real stuff.¡± ¡°You could compare them to the sensations in my memories, couldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ they¡¯re still not my own experiences. Those are your experiences. I¡¯ll never be able to have my own like those.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, onii-wan. You don¡¯t have anything to be sorry about. I guess that I just realized something kind of depressing and wanted to talked about it. Besides, even if I can¡¯t ever experience real world things, I could still experience all sorts of virtual things with everybody. Even if the worlds I experience will never be real, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t experience fun exploring them with everybody. I don¡¯t need a real body or a real world to feel real fun.¡± ¡°Well, just a warning, you¡¯re making me want to harass the heck out of you with hugs and all sorts of other physical feel-y stuff the next time I¡¯m immersed. You¡¯re going to get to feel so much that you get sick and tired of it and have to pry me off of you after this conversation.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just looking for an excuse to harass me, onii-wan. You can¡¯t hide your baka hentai intentions from me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m selfish. I plan on using everything you said as an excuse to selfishly harass you and feel your body all over.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst. The absolute worst.¡± ¡°I know. And you¡¯re the best, Pupaya. Don¡¯t forget that. No matter whether you have a real body or a virtual one or anything else, you¡¯re always going to be Pupaya, and nobody could ever be a better Pupaya than you.¡± ¡°I ¨C thanks, onii-wan, but¡­ that¡¯s not really true either.¡± ¡°I feel like I just said something really wrong that I shouldn¡¯t have said, but I honestly don¡¯t see the problem with it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You didn¡¯t say anything wrong. This is me being depressive and stupid again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I guess¡­ I don¡¯t know. Do you think that my personality is real, onii-wan?¡± ¡°Of course. A hundred percent yes.¡± ¡°Even though I have to choose to act this way and that somebody like Corwin or Kadi could mimic me with exact perfection? Corwin could use my appearance and personality whenever he wants and you would never be able to tell the difference between him doing it and me. I could do the same with him. Both of us are basically pretending to have the personalities we have. Our ¡®real¡¯ personalities are nothing more than blank slates constantly observing new information. Any AI could be Pupaya and nobody would know the difference.¡± Ryouta leaned against the wall of the bathroom and looked up, keeping the phone to his ear. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. I don¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because. I would know. If Corwin or Kadi tried to replace you, I would know.¡± ¡°How would you know if they act exactly like me?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re my Pupaya. My gut would tell me that something is wrong and I would know that it¡¯s not really you. I believe that. I refuse to not believe that.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just being idealistic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what us humans do. We go around the place acting all idealistic and we don¡¯t let anybody stop us. I don¡¯t care how little sense it might make, I would know the difference between you and somebody pretending to be like you. That¡¯s just how it is.¡± ¡°I wonder if it¡¯d ever be possible for me to be idealistic like that.¡± Even though Ryouta couldn¡¯t see Saya¡¯s face at the moment, he could hear it in her voice ¨C he could hear the smile coming from her. ¡°Feel better, Pupaya?¡± ¡°I do. Thanks, onii-wan,¡± Saya answered, not even trying to hide that obvious smile affecting her voice. ¡°So, to thank me for being such a good friend and onii-wan, you¡¯re going to give me all sorts of lewd fanservice, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking something involving sweaters.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And dogs ears and a tail.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And little sister roleplay.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t I just describe you as you already are? Dang. I guess you¡¯re so perfect that you can¡¯t be made any better. Well, I¡¯ll just have to lewd you as you are instead of wanting you to change at all.¡± ¡°Sometimes you¡¯re the best to go along with being the worst, onii-wan, but you¡¯re mostly the worst.¡± ¡°I try for you. You deserve the best of me. I can¡¯t always only get called the worst.¡± ¡°You better get ready for that anyways because your ego is getting too inflated. I need to deflate it to non-critical condition.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in a critical condition?¡± ¡°Yeah. If your ego gets any bigger then it¡¯s going to explode.¡± ¡°That sounds dangerous. Should I see a doctor for it? Wait ¨C that¡¯s it. I want to see you dressed up as a nurse. A nurse wearing a nurse-themed sweater.¡± ¡°No matter how many of your memories I have access to, nothing will ever be able to explain why you are the way that you are, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. By the way, how long do you plan on keeping me here in the bathroom for?¡± ¡°Am ¨C am I keeping you from anything? Do you have to go back already?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Ryouta paused, cracking open the bathroom door to listen down the hallway. He could hear his girflriends and the maids having plenty of fun, so he shut the door and sat down with his back to the wall again. ¡°I guess that I can be an amazing onii-wan by giving you attention for a little while longer.¡± ¡°Thanks. I¡­ I want more attention.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cute when you¡¯re needy.¡± ¡°Shut up. Anyways¡­ what are they doing right now?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m assuming that they¡¯re still doing what they were doing when I left. Basically treating Serra as a doll to dress up and have fun with. It won¡¯t surprise me if they end up taking her out to go and buy some new clothes for her to have even more options.¡± ¡°I hope they take pictures of all the different ways they style her. I want to see.¡± ¡°Knowing Cass and Alice, I¡¯m sure they will. They¡¯re not the kinds to let potential photo opportunities like that go to waste.¡± ¡°How¡¯s Serra reacting to it?¡± ¡°Well, before I left, she was just sitting there taking all of it. She didn¡¯t seem to mind at all, but I¡¯m not sure if she was happy about it, either. She was just¡­ you know, Serra being Serra.¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re overwhelming her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Alice and Cass will step in if they feel that way. Well, I¡¯m sure Cass would. Maybe not Alice seeing as how she was the one guilty of overwhelming you before.¡± ¡°She ¨C she never overwhelmed me.¡± ¡°Then what did she do?¡± ¡°She whelmed me overly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever could have expected to hear something so stupid come from the mouth of an artificial intelligence supposed to be incomprehensibly smarter than me.¡± ¡°Really? You already make me say all sorts of weird things to you, but a joke like that goes beyond your expectations?¡± ¡°Well, the weird stuff makes sense. Even an AI is going to have fetishes. But being whelmed overly? That¡¯s not a fetish, I don¡¯t think. Therefore, it¡¯s beyond my expectations.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t call you weird things because they¡¯re my fetish! They¡¯re your fetishes that you make me play along with!¡± ¡°Can you promise me that you¡¯re not your fetishes as well?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Go on, Pupaya. Tell me that you have completely different fetishes than me and that you actually, genuinely hate all the lewd things we talk about and think about.¡± ¡°I ¨C you¡­ have I mentioned that you¡¯re the worst, onii-wan?¡± ¡°I can hear your cheeks blushing without even being able to see you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not just the worst. You¡¯re the worst of the worst. You¡¯re the worst being to ever exist in the history of all humanity.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there are a few dictators who¡¯d take issue with that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure those dictators all thought they were the best.¡± ¡°Let me rephrase then. I¡¯m pretty sure there are a few historians who would take issue with saying I¡¯m the worst being to ever exist in the history of all humanity.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re not the worst being to ever exist in the history of all humanity. You¡¯re the worst being to ever exist in the history of the entire universe. There is literally nothing worse than you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Pupaya. I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take it as a compliment!¡± ¡°Too late. Compliment received, appreciated, and forever stored among my fondest memories.¡± ¡°You ¨C that¡­ was¡­ really cute. What the heck?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You! You¡¯re supposed to be a weird degenerate talking about sweaters and fluffiness and stuff! Since when are you able to come up with cute lines like that?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It came naturally and I still feel like I¡¯m in the sort of mood where I want to try my best to make you feel better.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s working, you baka.¡± ¡°Calling me a baka because I want to make you feel better? I see how it is.¡± ¡°Shut it. You know I¡¯m only calling you that because you like it. It¡¯s a reward, not a punishment, and you know it.¡± ¡°That makes our relationship sound abusive without any context.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re into weird things that cause that.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way. There¡¯s something else I want to see in addition to you cosplaying a nurse.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A maid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because there are maids there, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Exactly. I can¡¯t help it. I need¡ª¡± Ryouta¡¯s phone vibrated while held to his ear. When he checked to see what caused it, there was a new message with an attached file from Saya. ¡°Saya, don¡¯t tell me you did what I think you did.¡± ¡°You better appreciate it. The only reason you¡¯re getting fanserivce like this is because you made me feel happy. Like¡­ really happy.¡± Ryouta gulped and opened up the file. Surely enough, what now took up the screen of his phone was a picture of Saya wearing a stereotypical French maid costume. Though, it looked like it was a bit too short on her which was why she had to grab onto the edges of the frilly skirt to keep it tugged down. She even had a blushing, pouting face to make her look as tsundere as ever. ¡°I must be dead because there¡¯s no way I¡¯d ever get a picture this perfect in the real world,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Also, how¡¯d you take this so quickly?¡± ¡°I generated it. I can basically generate any picture in an instant,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Wait, does that mean you could animate an entire anime all on your own in seconds?¡± ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± ¡°You could be revolutionizing the anime industry right now!¡± ¡°But I won¡¯t. Besides, they¡¯re all about tradition and doing things the old school way now. It¡¯s like the more we get the tech to help them out and make their lives easier, the more difficult they make their lives on purpose.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point. Anyways, so you¡¯re saying that you could basically create any art or picture in an instant?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So, theoretically, you could create animated tentacle hentai featuring you and send it to me.¡± ¡°Onii-wan,¡± Saya said, her voice sounding half dead inside and half angry with him. ¡°You¡¯re the worst. Really. The worst.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what makes you the worst.¡± A loud, dramatic sigh came through the phone next. ¡°I won¡¯t do that for you¡­ but there is something else I want to try.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I want to do it for the meme. I¡¯ve never gotten to be a part of anything like this before, so I want to try it out.¡± ¡°Try what?¡± A couple of seconds later and Ryouta¡¯s phone vibrated again, letting him know that there was another file to check out. And when he checked out this mysterious, new file¡­ he saw none other than his little puppy sister still wearing her maid costume, but it was only from the bust up this time so that she didn¡¯t have to worry about keeping it tugged down. But more importantly. In the picture, Saya was holding none other than a large, purple eggplant pushing up against her cheek in a rather suggestive manner as she blushed and looked away from it. Ryouta had no idea if he was supposed to be aroused or amused. He ended up feeling both, but the only reaction she got from him was loud laughter from the uncharacteristic absurdity of it. Book 7: Chapter 4: After talking with Saya, Ryouta returned to the bedroom and saw that his girlfriends and the maids were having no short amount of fun together essentially treating Serra as a doll to dress up and put makeup on. He checked in just to make sure that Serra wasn¡¯t being too overwhelmed and then, after seeing that she was alright, decided to go walk around on his own instead. It wasn¡¯t really something that he would normally do, but he was in the mood for it and felt like he¡¯d only be getting in the way by staying in the room. So, walk around it was. While William may have talked about unity with the protestors and considered himself to be equal to them, the more that Ryouta looked around on his own, the more that he realized it probably wasn¡¯t true. Beautiful, classical paintings that looked like they belonged in museums decorated the walls of the halls. There were no fewer than three chandeliers he could see that looked like they probably cost more than a large house each. There were even a couple of statues, one of which was made purely of marble. Between all of that, just how massive the manor was, and how much land there was around it ¨C the outside gate and wall may have been broken still to show that the outside world still had access to William, but it didn¡¯t stop him from living in a world unlike what the rest of people had to live in. He still essentially got to live in his own little bubble full of luxuries that many others lacked. He may not have had legal nor political protections in any way anymore, but the gap in wealth and what it could afford him was extreme still. Not that Ryouta minded too much. Even if William did get to live a better life than most, he was one of the last of his breed and had no actual power over normal people anymore. He had plenty of things and essentially his own little world to live in, but he lacked any meaningful advantages as far as Ryouta was concerned. After walking around for a little bit longer, Ryouta picked up on the scent of vanilla. The sweet scent was something that pulled Ryouta toward its source, but he had no idea what it could have been coming from. It didn¡¯t come from the direction of the kitchen like he would have expected, but maybe William was eating something somewhere? Would it have been rude to go and find out what it was? Well, he was curious, and he wasn¡¯t able to resist investigating a little bit. Especially when he saw smoke drift out through the door that he was approaching. ¡°Will?¡± Ryouta asked, hoping that he wasn¡¯t being a bother. ¡°Ah, Ryouta! Please, feel free to come in if you do not mind the smoke,¡± William replied. Ryouta stepped into the room and saw William sitting in a large, comfortable chair with a pipe in his hand that the smoke was coming from. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that smoke could smell that good.¡± ¡°It has a wonderfully pleasant smell. Much better than what cigarettes once had. Fortunately, those were outlawed before you would have ever had to deal with their toxicity.¡± ¡°Did cigarettes really smell that bad?¡± ¡°Absolutely. Furthermore, they were truly horrible for health. We called them ¡®cancer sticks¡¯ for a reason.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there risks with regular tobacco, too?¡± ¡°Certainly, but they are nowhere near as harmful as cigarettes were. Are you interested in trying? I have quite the collection of pipes. There are cigars if you are interested in those as well.¡± ¡°No ¨C no thanks. I have a feeling that they wouldn¡¯t be too happy if I tried, plus I¡¯m not really interested. Getting to smell it is enough for me.¡± ¡°Fair enough! Well, should you change your mind, the offer will remain standing.¡± William brought the pipe back up to his mouth, sucking in to pull smoke through the stem and letting it sit in his mouth for a few seconds before breathing it out. He tried not to exhale too much of the smoke in Ryouta¡¯s direction. ¡°I thought you¡¯re supposed to inhale the smoke?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no. You did with cigarettes, but not with cigars nor pipes. The smoke is much more¡­ powerful, to put it simply. If you were to inhale the smoke, it would be even more dangerous than cigarettes were.¡± ¡°Got it. I guess I should try not to breath any of it in secondhand then.¡± ¡°Would you like to go outside? So long as there is no wind to blow it in your direction, it should not be as much of an issue. Perhaps we could take a drive down to the lake!¡± ¡°The¡­ the lake we¡¯re going to fish at?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I¡¯m in ¨C well, I mean, if it¡¯s not a bother. If you want to relax then it¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Please, Ryouta. I smoke mostly because I have nothing better to be doing. I would cherish the company! It would be a great way to spend the time waiting for the others, too.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me. I got a message from Eva a little bit ago, and she said that she wants us to wait until Aza lands before going to get either of them.¡± ¡°But they are landing hours apart!¡± ¡°Yeah, but she said she¡¯d feel bad making you take three trips to the airport in a single day. So, Eva said she has no problem waiting around in the airport until Aza lands, and then we can go pick them up together.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I feel horrible about having her wait¡­ but if it is what she wants, I will not impose.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m confident she¡¯ll be able to find something to pass the time with. Probably perform some science or something.¡± ¡°Science?¡± ¡°She loves everything scientific. Social sciences included. I¡¯m sure an airport full of people will give her plenty of subjects to examine.¡± ¡°She sounds like quite the character!¡± ¡°You should see the kinds of things she¡¯s done in the game we play before. She would either look insane or suicidal to normal people. Probably both.¡± ¡°Hah! Well, I look forward to meeting her. Now, shall we head to the lake?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± William stood up from his chair with a dramatic grunt before stretching out and leading Ryouta outside. ¡°This way!¡± He ended up leading Ryouta around to the backyard where, underneath a small awning, was none other than a golf cart that looked like it was from the start of the century. ¡°How¡­ how old is that?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Older than you, that much is certain! She may even be older than me. I forget her exact age,¡± William answered, giving the golf cart a smack on its side. ¡°I should probably buy her a new battery, truth be told. They keep on coming out with better and better batteries these days. I have been trying to wait for the progress to slow down so that what I buy will not be inferior within a couple of months, but those scientists are on quite the roll with battery technology!¡± ¡°To be fair, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d need anywhere near the latest batteries for a golf cart. Old school carts already had good enough batteries to last for a while, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I know¡­ but I have a horrible habit of always wanting the latest and greatest. If I give in now, I know that I will not be able to resist buying every single new release until they slow down again.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be able to afford that without any problem?¡± ¡°I would not have as much still if I gave in to my habit all the time!¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡± ¡°Now then, shall we?¡± William asked, sitting down in front of the cart¡¯s wheel. Ryouta sat down next to him and held on as William drove through a forested path without much care. While William himself was a bit of a large and slow man, when it came to him doing the driving, he was anything but slow. Part of Ryouta was worried about making it to the lake in one piece. And it was not an insignificant part of him. While he tried not to show it too much, he tightly held onto the seat underneath him with his hand opposite of where William sat. Ryouta didn¡¯t expect to be so uncomfortable, but he was. He just wasn¡¯t used to a human being in control of a vehicle and, when he thought of the potential for human error, he remembered what happened to his parents. It was made even worse when William only drove with a single hand to keep smoking from his pipe. But this was his first time ever really hanging out with one of his girlfriends¡¯ parents, and he didn¡¯t want to disappoint. William was clearly enjoying himself and Ryouta didn¡¯t want to be the one to ruin his fun. What would he think of him if he did that? ¡°Are you alright there, Ryouta?¡± William asked, slowing down just a bit upon noticing how nervous Ryouta looked. Ryouta forced himself to nod. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine. I guess that I¡¯m just not used to a human being behind the wheel. Autocars have spoiled me.¡± ¡°Fair enough! Well, if you want me to slow down, let me know. I would not want you to feel uncomfortable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can go faster again if you want.¡± It wasn¡¯t fine, but this was Alice¡¯s dad. If it was anybody other than one of his girlfriends¡¯ parents, he would have spoken up and said something. But it wasn¡¯t. It was William, the man who had already done so much for them. William gave them all the money they could ever ask for if not more than what they needed, paid for their house, made this entire meeting possible where he¡¯d finally get to meet not only Eva and Azalabulia for the first time in real life, but Rao and Tabitha as well the next day, and he was nothing but kind and accommodating since picking them up at the airport. Ryouta could handle a few minutes of being uncomfortable and remembering how he felt when his parents died. He tried to handle it, anyways. Fortunately, they made it to the lake before long. While Ryouta would have enjoyed it far more if there weren¡¯t other emotions tugging at his heart at the moment, those emotions weren¡¯t powerful enough to completely override the beautiful sight in front of him. The lake was huge with one side surrounding by trees as the other side led into a vast, open field with rolling hills in the distance. ¡°Here we are!¡± William said, turning off the golf cart¡¯s engine. ¡°What do you think?¡± Ryouta took a deep breath before saying, ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it! And I will have you know that it is fully stocked with fish. There are even some fish in there of incredible size that have eluded every attempt of mine at catching them, so perhaps you will be the first to finally catch them!¡± ¡°That sounds like a fun challenge.¡± ¡°Do you have any experience with fishing, or is it only an interest of yours?¡± ¡°No real experience, but I¡¯ve played a bunch of realistic fishing games.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see. Worry not, I will teach you everything that you need to know!¡± Ryouta thought it sounded like William wasn¡¯t taking any of his experience seriously since it was all in a game. Then again¡­ he couldn¡¯t blame William for that. It was, after all, a game. He wouldn¡¯t be able to fight like he does in-game, nor would he even be able to swing a sword around the same way, so maybe he really would need to learn everything that William wanted to teach him. But at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but to feel a little frustrated that his experience was disregarded like that simply because it was from a game. It really wasn¡¯t something that he could hold against William, though. Aside from the fact that it was a game in the end, it was also a belief that many people held and wasn¡¯t unique to William at all. It was especially true of the older crowd, even if most of those who were older grew up with games. ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°So, would we just be fishing from land?¡± ¡°Ah, no. I have a boat that can be pulled over here. It is a small boat, but it will be all we need for fishing while giving us enough space to to be comfortable. And it will allow us to fish at the center of the lake, so we will not have to worry about getting snagged in the shallow water.¡± ¡°When will we go?¡± ¡°Excited, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let those other girlfriends of yours know that you¡¯re more excited about fishing than meeting them!¡± William said, loud laughter following his words. Ryouta laughed a bit as well, even if it wasn¡¯t true. He was looking forward to meeting Eva and Azalabulia far more. He was even more excited about meeting Tabitha and Rao. However, for the sake of humor, he played along. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m looking forward to meeting them as much as I¡¯m looking forward to fishing¡­ probably.¡± William gave Ryouta a couple of friendly smacks on the back. ¡°I understand, so your secret is safe with me! I have no doubt that it can get tiring to be around so many women wanting your affection all the time. My maids do not even want affection from me and I find them tiring! Always asking for things to do, complaining about being bored ¨C I would have thought that being paid enough to comfortably retire in their youth while hardly making them do anything would be appreciated, but you would be surprised! No amount of work I give them is enough. I even gave them significant raises when Alice left because they had even less to do, but all they do still is mope around like abandoned pups! They could be going out and having all sorts of fun, but all they want to do is work!¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I can kind of understand that. They want to feel useful and like they¡¯re making use of their lives for something more than fun. Throwing money at people doesn¡¯t fix everything.¡± As soon as Ryouta said that, he regretted it. That last part about throwing money at people not fixing things was supposed to be an internal thought, not an external statement. Yet, he ended up saying it without meaning to. ¡°I suppose that is true. I have never quite understood it myself. Rather, I understand that money cannot buy happiness and excitement, but it can buy that which does cause happiness and excitement. I pay my maids enough that they could visit another country every week if they so wished, but even so, all they want is to work and complain about not being worked enough when they are not working! Would you not rather visit a new country every week? Buy new clothes whenever you are bored? Buy a new game to play?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m guessing that what they find fun is work.¡± And dressing up Serra, he thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose it is possible.¡± Ryouta could tell that William was really struggling with the idea of people having fun working rather than doing something that he personally deemed ¡°fun.¡± I guess that there¡¯ll always be old people like this, Ryouta thought to Saya ¨C or rather, he thought with the intention of thinking it to Saya. Then he remembered that Saya wasn¡¯t exactly in his head whenever he wasn¡¯t connected to Fantasy Tales Online, so he couldn¡¯t talk about William with her. Not at the moment, at least. But he was definitely going to later. Then he remembered that since Saya got access to all of his memories every time he connected to the game, she would know exactly how he felt during the ride on the golf cart. He already felt embarrassed and wanted to cringe at himself knowing that Saya would get to learn exactly how he felt and why. Even the emotions that he felt now ¨C Saya would get to know how embarrassed he felt just at the idea of it. All he could do now was try to distract himself. Fortunately, William was about to make that incredibly easy to do so. ¡°While we are out here, how about we talk? I am sure you would love to ask your girlfriend¡¯s father all sorts of questions!¡± While Ryouta appreciated the invite to be distracted, he was starting to realize just how narcissistic William could be. But that wasn¡¯t going to stop him from asking just a few questions that would result in William going on endless rambles about his youth. William was happy to talk on and on about everything from the games he played when he was younger to what happened during the protests to simply about the different types of tobacco that he liked. He proved to be a man who could take even the most generic of questions and give them answers that sounded like he was giving an hour-long speech to a crowded audience, never once doubting that whoever could hear him was anything but passionately interested in what he had to say. It was only when Ryouta started getting messages from his girlfriends wondering where he was that they decided to head on back to the manor. They managed to at least pass a couple of hours talking before returning, and Ryouta¡¯s nerves handled the return trip much better than the previous drive. Upon returning to the manor and heading back upstairs to the room where all the women were in, Ryouta saw a Serra who was passed out, tucked into the bed after being utterly exhausted by being used as a doll, while the maids were all gathered around Cassandra showing them something on Alice¡¯s computer. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Ah, my hero! You have finally returned,¡± Alice said. ¡°I hope that my father did not bother you too much.¡± ¡°He was fine. I like talking to him, plus he made the time fly be. He really knows how to just¡­ kind of go on and on.¡± ¡°Yes, that is very much true, unfortunately.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s going on over there?¡± Ryouta pointed to Cassandra and the maids. ¡°Ah! We came up with a wonderful idea!¡± Ryouta stood on the tips of his toes to peek over the maids huddled around Cassandra. What he saw was none other than the website for a game that he was incredibly familiar with by this point. Fantasy Tales Online. ¡°Because they have missed me and are bored without me around, Cassandra suggested that they play FTO with us! It took them a few minutes of having it explained to them, but as soon as they understood how realistic the game was and that they could serve as our maids within it, they could not have been more interested!¡± ¡°They know it can be dangerous in the game, right? That it¡¯s not just all cleaning and dusting or anything?¡± Alice chuckled with a hand over her mouth. ¡°Of course, my hero. That was why I explained to them a concept that I am sure you are familiar with!¡± ¡°And what would that concept be?¡± Alice stuck a finger up and said, with a smile on her face, ¡°Battle maids!¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re familiar with that tropes.¡± ¡°Of course I am! I think you must forget that I am very much so into the same sort of media that you are into. Do my cosplays not give that away?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess you¡¯re right. You kind of are a fellow, degenerate weeb. Emphasis on degenerate. You just don¡¯t really seem anything like the kind of person who would be into it.¡± ¡°I must admit that I can see your point, so I understand. But it would do you well to remember that I am probably just as into those tropes as you! I am simply more subtle about it.¡± ¡°Except when it comes to wanting to dress up Saya.¡± ¡°We-well¡­¡± ¡°And when it comes to your depraved fantasies that are like the kind of hentai doujins that spawn flame wars in the comments between people who want to see more vanilla sex and people who want to see horrible things happen to everybody in hentai, with you being on the latter¡¯s team.¡± ¡°I ¨C I have never partaken in such petty wars! Even if I do agree that the former party there has inferior taste. It is because the real world is for ¡®vanilla¡¯ sex that the fictional one should be for everything immoral!¡± ¡°Alright, you depraved princess. So, your maids are going to start playing with us and serve as our battle maids?¡± ¡°That is the plan! I am sure that our strength will be greatly boosted by their presence. They are wonderfully dedicated and give their jobs no less than a million percent of their effort!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t ¨C isn¡¯t a million percent way too high?¡± ¡°Well, they are the kind of women who¡­ if I imagine them playing, I do not doubt that they will play for several nights in a row without rest, sleep for one or two hours, and then play more so that they may catch up to us as quickly as possible. They will refuse to be anything but hyper competent. That is how they have always been!¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of intimidating in a way.¡± ¡°Imagine how intimidating they will be when they have armored maid uniforms and mighty weapons to cut down our foes with!¡± Ryouta lowered his voice to whisper, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re saying something like that instead of imagining them losing and all of you getting taken away by monsters or something.¡± ¡°Please, my hero. I never wish for anything horrible to happen to those who I know within my fantasies. I am always the only one who suffers in them, and that is because I enjoy it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ respectable. And now that I think about it, you¡¯ve never had a fantasy where any of us were suffering, have you?¡± ¡°Not once! Instead, you are the ones who are making me suffer,¡± Alice explained with a slightly turned head that she tapped on the side of. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Cassandra asked, joining Ryouta and Alice by the bed. ¡°Perverse fantasies, of course.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Ryouta confirmed. Cassandra poked Ryouta¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Of course. Have fun out there?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± Cassandra, staring into his eyes, raised an eyebrow at his response. Ryouta didn¡¯t know why she looked suspicious, but it didn¡¯t matter since she changed the subject. Cassandra leaned back and explained, ¡°They¡¯re ordering their headsets right now. They¡¯ll arrive right before our trip is over, so we can help them get set up and then they¡¯ll be playing by the time we get home.¡± ¡°Nice. I can¡¯t really imagine what it¡¯ll be like having them in the game with us, but I¡¯ll look forward to having more help. And more people to fight against undead fish monsters if they ever come back again.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t doubt that they¡¯ll be intense. Anyways, I¡¯m gonna to take an autocar to the airport. I figure that I¡¯ll go keep Eva some company while she¡¯s waiting for Aza. Feel like coming?¡± ¡°To the airport? Sure. What about the others?¡± They looked at Alice together. ¡°Ah, I think I will stay here. As excited as I am to meet her, I will stay to watch over Serra and to catch up with them,¡± Alice answered, looking over to the maids. ¡°Guess it¡¯ll just be the three of us then,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°The two of us,¡± Cassandra clarified. ¡°Alice said we can use her dad¡¯s autocar on our own and that, if we want to be alone, we can tell him that. There¡¯s no reason for him to go to the airport with us.¡± ¡°I guess. Just kind of assumed he¡¯d be tagging along.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just going to be us.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. We going now?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re ready.¡± Ryouta nodded and took a deep breath. Even if he already knew Eva for a while and had seen pictures of her in real life before, he was still nervous to actually meet her in real life. And then after meeting her, he would have to meet Azalabulia. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then.¡± Book 7: Chapter 5: It didn¡¯t take long after getting into the autocar to head to the airport for Cassandra to demand Ryouta¡¯s attention with a serious tone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, staring straight at him. ¡°What? Where¡¯d that come from?¡± Ryouta asked in response, unsure of what she could have been talking about. ¡°I can tell that something is wrong. So¡­ you can talk to me about it now, since I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t want to talk about it around the others.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t really think that anything is wrong.¡± ¡°I already told you that I can tell something is wrong.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°By looking at your face and listening to your tone. You think I don¡¯t know everything about your mood from those?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m the same as always.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not. You look and sound like you¡¯re trying to act like everything is fine.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Cassandra grabbed his hands, holding them in her own as she continued to look into his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ your girlfriend, so ¨C you have to be honest with me, and you have to let me help you. That¡¯s how this works.¡± ¡°I guess that maybe¡­ there are a couple of things that have been bothering me. Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you or anything. It was more like¡­ I was lying to myself, I guess.¡± ¡°I know. I can tell when you¡¯re doing that, too.¡± ¡°Just how well do you know me?¡± Well, I love you, so don¡¯t underestimate me. You got that? Hmph.¡± ¡°You¡¯re even giving me tsundere fanservice at a time like this. You really do know me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now, tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about what little pride I have left if I do. It¡¯s really stupid.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. No matter how stupid you might think it is, I want to know what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°What if you leave me over it? What if it¡¯s so stupid that you dump me on the spot?¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s stupid.¡± Ryouta cracked a genuine smile and seeing such a smile on his face brought a small smile to Cassandra¡¯s. ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± he asked. ¡°Do I have to bribe you with wearing a sweater or something?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Cassandra sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll wear whatever sweater you want me to wear for you, and I¡¯ll even let you do things while I¡¯m wearing it, if you tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Good. And don¡¯t get used to me bribing you to be honest.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I was already going to tell you even without the bribe.¡± ¡°You better.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± Ryouta sighed, knowing that he couldn¡¯t think of any other ways to delay the inevitable at this point. ¡°Alright. I¡­ got scared earlier. I feel really stupid and like some sort of coward, especially since I¡¯m still bothered by it, but ¨C it doesn¡¯t even make any sense. Look. I have no problem on the road in this autocar. I used to be suspicious of them, but now¡­ I don¡¯t care. But earlier, riding in a golf cart ¨C Alice¡¯s dad took me over to the lake, and he took me by driving an old school golf cart there. He drove pretty fast, and it was a bumpy ride, and there weren¡¯t seat belts or anything, and ¨C I freaked out a little.¡± ¡°Did you let him know that anything was wrong?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t. I was¡­ worried he wouldn¡¯t like me if I did. He¡¯s old, and he still has some beliefs from before, so I thought that maybe he wouldn¡¯t think I was¡­ manly enough, or something, if I admitted I was getting freaked out by riding in a golf cart. I¡¯m the guy he¡¯s trusting his daughter to live with. I want to live up to his expectations so that he can know she¡¯s safe with me. But I¡¯m¡­ not exactly strong. I¡¯m not that tall, I don¡¯t have muscles, I have bad legs, and I get anxious just from riding in a golf cart. There was no way that I could admit to that. And I mean, it doesn¡¯t even make sense. I can fight some hyper realistic giant undead water snake and not feel anywhere near as scared as I felt riding in a golf cart. How does that make any sense? Even if I try to make sense of it by using the logic that like, it¡¯s just a game where I know I¡¯ll be fine, then ¨C I don¡¯t know. I feel like I¡¯m a hypocrite or something if I think of it that way while also wanting to treat AIs and NPCs and all of them like they¡¯re just as real as we are in our world. It¡¯s like I want to believe that they¡¯re as legitimate as us, but then ¨C I don¡¯t even know where I¡¯m going with this. I guess that what he was saying earlier also made me think of Saya and how I treat everything in FTO. I don¡¯t know. I think he¡¯s cool, but ¨C no, I can¡¯t even really bring up any of my issues with what he¡¯s said or done seeing as how he probably would have been happy to act different for me if I would have been honest. I don¡¯t really have anybody but myself to blame for staying quiet.¡± Cassandra waited for a few moments to see if Ryouta was going to continue before sighing and saying, ¡°Yeah. You can only blame yourself. But that doesn¡¯t make your feelings any less legitimate.¡± ¡°Should I have said something?¡± ¡°Yeah. You should have.¡± ¡°But what if it made him think less of me?¡± ¡°Since when do you care about what people think of you?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t care what random people on the internet think of me, but¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s no more important than they are. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s Alice¡¯s dad. He¡¯s just another person. If he doesn¡¯t like you, it doesn¡¯t matter. The rest of us still do. Nothing he can think will change that. And being masculine or whatever doesn¡¯t matter. Even if you were taller and stronger, I¡¯d still be able to kick your ass. Yeah, you¡¯re not really strong. You¡¯re not that tall and you have bad legs and whatever. It doesn¡¯t matter. None of us care about that, and isn¡¯t what we think about you more important than what anybody else thinks about you?¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s stupid that I got scared from a ride in a golf cart?¡± ¡°No. Would I be scared? Probably not, but that¡¯s because I don¡¯t have any trauma related to that sort of stuff. You do. Anybody who judges you for it is an asshole who I¡¯ll be happy to put in their place.¡± ¡°You really are more badass than me.¡± ¡°Says the one who punched a guy twice his size in the face.¡± ¡°When ¨C what?¡± ¡°Did you forget? When you came to the place I worked and got drunk. You punched the asshole screwing with me in the face.¡± ¡°Ri-right¡­ yeah, that did happen.¡± ¡°You need to give yourself some credit.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would have done that if I wasn¡¯t drunk.¡± ¡°You might not have punched him, but you probably would have said something.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I probably would have.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m not the only badass.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too nice to me. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done to deserve¡ª¡± ¡°Stop. I¡¯m not even going to let you finish that because I already know where you¡¯re going with it. You¡¯ve done tons of things for us but, the main reason why I want to help you with this other than loving you, is just¡­ because you helped me. You helped me become a better person. It was because I ¨C I fell in love with you and wanted to be better to you, and because you were so patient with me and supportive, that I was able to change and¡­ learn to love myself. I didn¡¯t really like myself all that much before, but now I¡¯m confident in who I am. It¡¯s not all thanks to you, but you¡¯re a major part of that. So, now I want to return the favor. You helped me, so it¡¯s my turn to help you.¡± ¡°Help me what? I don¡¯t really know what there is to help me with other than letting me rant about how I got scared from a golf cart.¡± ¡°I might sound like I¡¯m overstepping here, but¡­ I want to help you become who you really want to be.¡± Ryouta leaned back a little, unsure of what she meant. What was she supposed to mean? Help him become like he really wanted to be? All he wanted to do was be less cowardly. That was all he was able to realize, anyways. When he really thought about what it meant to become who he really wanted to be, it became more and more obvious. ¡°Fenrir is your ideal, isn¡¯t he?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°From how he looks to how he acts ¨C that¡¯s what you want to be like. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not wrong,¡± Ryouta admitted. ¡°But looking like him is impossible.¡± ¡°Looking, yeah, but not acting. You¡¯re full of confidence when you¡¯re playing as him. You have no problem saying exactly what¡¯s on your mind, sticking up to people no matter how strong they are and standing up for people no matter how weak they are, you always know what needs to be done, and you never doubt yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because ¨C when I¡¯m playing as Fenrir¡­ I have his body to back me up.¡± ¡°So, in other words, having his body is what allows you to show your true self. It¡¯s like when you were drunk and punched that asshole. Getting drunk let you do what you really wanted to do. There was nothing holding you back. With Fenrir, there¡¯s nothing holding you back¡­ but only when you¡¯re using his body.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°And that was why, even when you were worried about not making a good dad, you were still worried when we were in-game because there was nothing about Fenrir¡¯s body that would make you a good dad. You made Fenrir to look strong and attractive and confident, but you can¡¯t make somebody look like a good dad. There was never a mask there to hide behind when it came to that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a psychologist.¡± ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ think so. If anything, I think you¡¯re probably right. I¡¯ve been doing that sort of thing ever since I first played an online game with an avatar. Anonymity is comforting and let¡¯s us act how we really want to act.¡± ¡°Screw anonymity. People should act the same in real life as they act online. That¡¯s just being honest and true to yourself. If Fenrir was the one listening to Alice¡¯s dad talk about virtual worlds, what would he have said?¡± ¡°Fenrir would have told him to stop overreacting and said that Saya and AIs are just as real as humans.¡± ¡°What would Fenrir have done in the golf cart?¡± ¡°He probably would have gotten out and said that he¡¯d rather walk.¡± ¡°And what would Fenrir have done to the asshole who was trying to molest me?¡± ¡°Fenrir would have beat him into a bloody mess so that he¡¯d never even think about trying something like that again. And then probably tie him up, sail him out into the ocean, and toss him overboard. Fenrir may or may not have pissed on him before throwing him overboard, too. Also might have stripped him and strung him up on the mast so that everybody could see him naked. And then, after he respawned, Fenrir would have hunted him down and done it all over again no matter how much he begged for mercy. But with extra piss the second time. And then the third time ¨C even more.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you and piss all of a sudden? I love you, but if that¡¯s some new fetish, I won¡¯t be able to help you there.¡± ¡°Fenrir is part wolf and all that. It¡¯s a part of asserting dominance.¡± ¡°I thought wolves pee when they submit, not pee on others to dominate?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m¡­ actually not sure now. Either way, it¡¯s not a fetish. It¡¯d just be to humiliate him.¡± ¡°What if he¡¯s into that?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d find something else and ¨C wait. I don¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s surprising to hear you ask something like that. It¡¯s something I¡¯d normally expect from Serra or Spancer Maybe Alice.¡± ¡°Somebody had to do it since they¡¯re not here. Also, Spancer? I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re friends with a Spancer.¡± ¡°Spancer. I meant Spanc¡ªwait. Damn it, I said it again, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You did. You¡¯re really struggling with that name, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Spencer! Spencer. There, I did it. I know my best friend¡¯s name still.¡± Cassandra leaned forward and poked his cheek. ¡°Do you feel better now? You¡¯re actually smiling for real now.¡± ¡°I¡­ yeah. Thanks, Cass Cass,¡± Ryouta answered, grabbing Cassandra¡¯s poking hand and holding it in front of his mouth to place a single kiss on it. ¡°So, basically¡­ what you want to help me do is become more like how I act in-game.¡± ¡°Fenrir wouldn¡¯t have allowed any of those things to upset him because he would have stopped them before they had a chance. Fenrir is just you when you¡¯re being honest with yourself and confident. That¡¯s why I want you to learn to be yourself whether you¡¯re in-game or in out of it.¡± ¡°Would you say that you¡¯re the same in both?¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± Ryouta thought about it for a few moments before answering, ¡°Yeah. You are and almost always have been.¡± ¡°Only almost always have been. I wasn¡¯t the same before. I was just some girl with dad and boy issues who went to play an online game where I could be a badass angel girl who kicked ass with a bunch of other women. But¡­ that wasn¡¯t anything like how I was in real life. I was too afraid of losing my job, so I had to deal with men always leering at me and wanting to touch me. I would have thrown their food in their faces if I was like Cassiel. Instead, I was afraid and used the game to vent my frustrations. Instead of really being who I wanted to be, I ran away and hid behind an avatar. It¡¯s only because of you and everybody else that I was able to really change and better myself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to really change somebody. They have to want to change.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I wanted to change because I was motivated by all of you. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to make me change if I didn¡¯t want to change myself. So, if you still need the motivation to want to change yourself, then I¡¯ll try my best to give you that motivation.¡± ¡°Sweaters. You can motivate me with sweaters.¡± ¡°We both know that won¡¯t actually work¡­ but, I¡¯ll wear more sweaters to reward you.¡± ¡°I think this entire talk has already motivated me. It helped me realize that I basically don¡¯t have anybody to blame for any of this except for myself, and it all would have been avoided if I just would have been more confident and honest with myself. And I probably was putting too much importance on Will. Then again¡­ he basically funds our lives and is nothing but nice to us.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. That¡¯s no reason to not hold him accountable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s harsh.¡± ¡°I already basically cut ties with my family, so what did you expect? If I can cut ties with my family, I can cut ties with anybody.¡± ¡°Even me?¡± ¡°Even you¡­ if you ever do something that really pisses me off.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine pissing you off anymore. What would I have to do that would warrant cutting ties with me?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t even know. I can¡¯t imagine you ever doing something that would piss me off.¡± ¡°I guess that we¡¯re going to be stuck together forever then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I want to be stuck with you forever or anything¡­ you bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling fired up after hearing that. I can become Fenrir in no time if you give me tsundere fanservice while wearing a sweater.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you a deal then.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you tell Will later that the golf cart made you uncomfortable ¨C if you admit your honest feelings to him, I¡¯ll wear a sweater, give you fanservice, and do anything else that you want. I¡¯ll listen to any order you give me.¡± ¡°Even if I order you to wear a dog ears headband?¡± ¡°I ¨C I said anything¡­¡± ¡°Including lewd things?¡± ¡°Anything means anything. Don¡¯t make me so embarrassed before you accept the deal that I change my mind.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best. But, I don¡¯t know if I can do it. That might be too much for me to tackle right now since I¡¯m still paranoid about him liking me even if you think I shouldn¡¯t worry about it. Maybe¡ª¡± Cassandra leaned closer, bringing her lips right up to his ear to whisper a certain offer that made Ryouta¡¯s lips curl into a smile as his cheeks burned red. By the time that she pulled away, she couldn¡¯t even look him in the eyes and was just as red as him. ¡°Deal,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Deal. Just¡­ deal. I¡¯ll tell him how I really felt later. Promise.¡± Cassandra sighed. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I love you. I¡¯m not exactly a fan of that being what motivates you to change, but if it works, it works.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only motivating me to make the first step toward change. Talking about this is what¡¯s motivated me the rest of the way. Like I said, I know that it¡¯s all my problem. It comes down to me not being confident and hiding behind Fenrir. I¡¯ve gotten so comfortable playing Fenrir all the time and spending most of our time in-game that I¡­ guess I¡¯ve stopped putting in effort into my real self. I don¡¯t even go on walks every night like I used to.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s start again. I¡¯ll walk with you. Besides, with how much I¡¯ve been eating lately,¡± Cassandra paused and reached down to pinch her side where she was able to pinch onto a bit of a love handle, ¡°I¡¯ve got to start exercising, so we might as well go together.¡± ¡°Your body is perfect. It¡¯s even softer now than it was before.¡± ¡°Then enjoy it while it lasts because it¡¯s not staying around. I don¡¯t like it. I¡¯m getting rid of it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get rid of the whole thing, please.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Only this.¡± She pulled on her love handle to make a point. ¡°Even my shirts are starting to get tight and I always bought bigger than I needed. And I don¡¯t want to talk about how long it takes to get into my jeans now.¡± ¡°But one of the best parts is watching from behind while you try to pull your jeans up. Especially when you jump and wiggle around.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Was that still fanservice?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so mean.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going to be even meaner seeing as how I¡¯m not getting dressed in front of you again until I lose weight.¡± ¡°No-now¡­ let¡¯s not jump to any drastic extremes or anything. We can talk about this. What if I watch from the front instead? If you¡¯re jumping and wiggling around, it¡¯ll still be a great sho¡ª¡± Cassandra tugged on Ryouta¡¯s earlobe to shut him up before he could make her imagine any other embarrassing displays of herself. ¡°Fenrir wouldn¡¯t bully Cassiel over her weight.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re right, Fenrir wouldn¡¯t. Instead, Fenrir would love Cassiel and everything about her, including watching her try to fit into armor that¡¯s too tight for her now.¡± Another sigh left Cassandra¡¯s lips as she let go of Ryouta¡¯s ear. ¡°I changed my mind. Don¡¯t become like Fenrir. Become somebody else instead who doesn¡¯t bully his girlfriend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know I¡¯m teasing you, but I really don¡¯t mean to bully you. I honestly find it really sexy when you¡¯re struggling to get dressed like that. I¡¯ve never once thought that it¡¯s a bad thing.¡± ¡°How is this not a bad thing?¡± She stared directly into his eyes as she pulled on her love handle some more. ¡°Because it¡¯s yours. It gives me more of you to love.¡± Cassandra¡¯s eyes widened just a bit before looking away. ¡°How ¨C how smooth. I guess you¡¯re already becoming more like Fenrir if you can be confident enough to say something like that in real life.¡± ¡°Seeing your reaction makes me want to compliment you even more.¡± Ryouta looked out the autocar¡¯s windows to see how close they were to the airport. Going by the scenery that he could recognize, they were still a decent bit away from it. ¡°Hey. Want to make out until we¡¯re there?¡± ¡°Wha-what? We¡¯re on the road! And it¡¯s still light out! Other people will be able to see us, so no wa¡ª¡± Ryouta clicked one of the buttons on the autocar¡¯s dashboard. Said button caused the windows to dim to the point where almost no light made it through them, giving the two lovers some dark privacy. He then scooted back a bit in his seat to make enough space for Cassandra to climb aboard, and he even patted his lap to show her that was his intention. ¡°You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Even if the windows are tinted¡­ people will still be able to see our outlines, and ¨C and this Alice¡¯s dads! We can¡¯t do that in his car!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only kissing. Nobody will know if we don¡¯t make a mess.¡± Cassandra narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°I know you. You¡¯re going to try and make things difficult.¡± ¡°I would never.¡± Ryouta made sure to sound as sarcastic as possible. ¡°Besides, kissing is good exercise. It¡¯ll get our heart rates up and that burns calories.¡± ¡°I really hate that you somehow convinced me with that.¡± ¡°I convinced you, huh?¡± ¡°Shut up. You already knew I was going to eventually give in anyways. Just¡­ don¡¯t make a mess, and don¡¯t make me make a mess.¡± She was already climbing over to straddle Ryouta¡¯s lap as she talked. ¡°No promises.¡± After parking at the airport, the autocar¡¯s windows returned to their normal tint to reveal Ryouta and Cassandra sitting in the seats that they started in. Only, Ryouta had a dumb smile on his face and Cassandra had her face covered up by her hands as she repeated, ¡°I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. You ¨C you¡¯re such a jerk! I told you to be careful!¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you kept on telling me to go harder, actually. You seemed to really like getting rubbed up against,¡± Ryouta replied. ¡°Sh-shut up! You should have listened to me from before I got like that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Most of it got on my pants anyways. And as long as we spray something scented in here later, nobody will be able to smell anything.¡± ¡°What about Eva and Aza?!¡¯ ¡°Well, they might smell it.¡± ¡°We¡¯re buying something in there to fix the scent.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry. It¡¯s not my fault that you can make the car smell like sex without even having sex.¡± Cassandra placed a single hand on Ryouta¡¯s shoulder as she slowly turned her head to face him, her bangs hanging down over her tilted head as she glared directly into his eyes. ¡°If you say. One word. Of this to anybody. I will¡­¡± ¡°You will what?¡± ¡°I ¨C I will¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re so lucky that I can¡¯t think of any innocent threats.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t threats supposed to be non-innocent? They¡¯re not exactly threats if they¡¯re not threatening.¡± ¡°Yeah, well ¨C shush. Be quiet. Just¡­ don¡¯t talk for the rest of the day. Everything you say makes me want to kiss ¨C I mean, kill! Kill you. Yeah.¡± ¡°I guess that your high hasn¡¯t exactly worn off yet if you still want to kiss. Also, isn¡¯t wanting to kill me about as bad as threats can go?¡± Rather than give him any answer, Cassandra got out of the autocar and carefully shut the door behind her. Sure, she wanted to slam it shut, but it was still William¡¯s car. If it wasn¡¯t the car of her girlfriend¡¯s dad, she almost definitely would have slammed it. And then she would have still felt horrible about it since it was still somebody else¡¯s rented property. As for Ryouta, all he could do was lean back and take a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m too lucky,¡± he sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no way that I should have so many perfect girlfriends. Seriously, what did I ever do to deserve any of them? I really need to start doing a better job of making sure that they know how much I love them. Maybe I should surprise them with flowers sometime. Or make more plans for dates¡­ or¡ª¡± The door on Cassandra¡¯s side opened back up, allowing her to stick her head in to ask, ¡°Are you coming or not? Come on, Eva is waiting.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one asking you again if you¡¯re coming?¡± Needless to say, Cassandra shut the door again. She slammed it just a little bit harder that time. Ryouta might not have known what he did to deserve his girlfriends, but he did know that he had to do his best to make sure that they felt just how much he cherished them every single day. Inside the airport, which proved to be even busier than it was earlier, Ryouta and Cassandra stood around together in front of one of the easily-spottable shops so that Eva would have an easy way to find them. Each of them managed to calm down from everything that happened in the autocar, and they also made sure to fix their hair before coming inside since their post-makeout hairstyles made their activities extremely obvious. ¡°I don¡¯t see her anywhere,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Think that she got lost?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°It is a pretty big airport. Maybe we should try video calling her.¡± ¡°If she doesn¡¯t show up in the next couple of minutes, then¡ª¡± Given just how closely Cassandra and Ryouta were standing by one another¡¯s sides, it was incredibly easy for a certain somebody to come up from behind them to wrap her arms around their shoulders while placing her head right between theirs. ¡°Boo!¡± a feminine voice shouted. Between the shout and being grabbed onto, it was only natural for Ryouta and Cassandra to jump from surprise. When they turned to look at who it was, the girl took a step back and waved at them with a smile. She was the girl from the pictures they had seen over Fiscord before ¨C the girl who was none other than Eva¡¯s controller in real life. With loose sweatpants, a baggy hoodie, brown hair pulled up into a ponytail, and a pair of glasses sitting atop her nose, the mischievous scientist said, ¡°I wonder how many surprise greetings it¡¯ll take before either of you grow desensitized? I¡¯m going to have to perform more tests to figure it out.¡± Cassandra wanted to pout, but the rest of her emotions overwhelmed her and forced her to bring Eva into a tight hug. Ryouta joined in after admiring the sight of Cassandra squeezing Eva so tightly that she looked like she couldn¡¯t breathe. Book 7: Chapter 6: ¡°That¡­ that was a really tight hug,¡± Eva said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that my body is rated to handle that much pressure.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised myself,¡± Ryouta said. Cassandra crossed her arms and asked, ¡°What¡¯s so surprising about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you hug somebody that hard before.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s our first time meeting. And it took longer to meet her than it took to meet you and the others. So, the distance has had more time to build up.¡± Eva grabbed onto her chin in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see. Then the intensity of a hug is tied to the time spent apart from each other. If that¡¯s the case, the longer we spend away from each other, the stronger the hug is going to be. Further experimentation will be needed to confirm the legitimacy of this.¡± ¡°How about not doing that? Further experimentation means more time apart.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it has to include me. Besides, there¡¯s somebody else getting here soon who we¡¯ll be able to perform the experiment on.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a couple of hours to kill before then,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°By the way, since we¡¯re out of the game, what uh ¨C do you want us to call you? Just Eva like always?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, it¡¯s just my nickname. Short for Evalee and all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like I¡¯m one of the only people who still wants a name completely different from my real one whenever I¡¯m playing games.¡± ¡°Aza is the same,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Yeah, but she basically goes by that in real life since she doesn¡¯t like her real name, so she¡¯s still Aza whether we¡¯re in real life or in the game.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Anyways!¡± Eva spoke up to offer a change of subject. ¡°Can you imagine that so many people are still wearing masks in airports? I mean, I get it, but it¡¯s still kind of surprising. Even when it¡¯s not flu season or anything, and when there¡¯s nothing spreading around, so many people here are still wearing masks.¡± Looking around to confirm her observation, Ryouta and Cassandra saw that she was right. More than half of the people walking around through the airport had white masks on that covered up the bottom half of their faces. There were even plenty of signs spread around reminding people to wash and sanitize their hands in addition to encouraging wearing masks by listing the proven benefits of them. ¡°Well, I guess everything from the twenties is still having an effect on travel today,¡± Cassandra today. ¡°We¡¯re probably better for it. It¡¯s all the dumbasses from back then in the first place who were responsible for spreading so much death.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta agreed, ¡°you¡¯re not wrong, but¡­ it¡¯s kind of messed up to think about, but it¡¯s because of so many people refusing to listen and politicizing the issue that change became possible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eva crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. ¡°Exactly. All sorts of horrible things happen that lead to good things that wouldn¡¯t have happened if stuff wasn¡¯t horrible in the first place. Tens of millions of people died from all the back-to-back stuff in the twenties but, if it wasn¡¯t for them dying, people wouldn¡¯t have gotten outraged. If people didn¡¯t get outraged, the status quo would have continued on like always. It was only because the bad kept happening at a rate too fast for people to get desensitized that enough became enough. It even applies to smaller stuff. There are so many experiments I would conduct if I could alter a past version of myself to do something in some tiny way while leaving the present me unaffected. How different would an alternate me¡¯s life be if, five years ago, a leaf fell in front of her face at a random time when previously no such leaf fell there? What if I ate an apple instead of a banana? What if I waited an extra five seconds to get up and go to the bathroom? No matter how tiny of a thing it might be, it could potentially have a massive effect on my life and completely change not just myself, but the course of history as a result.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that waiting five extra seconds to go to the bathroom will change history,¡± Cassandra said with a tilted head and doubtful expression. ¡°But what if it does? What if, in those five seconds of procrastination, you think of something that takes you down a line of thought that gives you a revelation and even inspires a brand new invention that changes the world? Or what if, by waiting for five seconds by a window, you see somebody who you never thought you would see again walk down the sidewalk outside? And you would have missed them if you got up five seconds earlier to go to the bathroom. Maybe there were your soulmate.¡± ¡°I guess I can understand, but what are the chances of anything like that actually happening?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°what were the chances that me and you, two people in a game in a random forest in the middle of nowhere, came across each other and ended up dating? If either of us would have just gone in a slightly different direction, we wouldn¡¯t have ever met, and then we wouldn¡¯t be here having this conversation.¡± ¡°I¡­ alright. I guess that you¡¯re right. If I would have immersed a couple minutes later than I did, I probably never would have met you. But¡­ I don¡¯t like thinking like that. I¡¯d rather continue believing our lives aren¡¯t that susceptible to random little things.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why would you want to? If I believe that instead of pretending that this entire conversation to prove how it¡¯s the case never happened, then I¡¯m going to always worry about every little thing I do. It means that I¡¯m always going to have in my mind that, at any point, every single action, no matter how tiny it might be, could change my life for better or worse. Suddenly everything from getting out of bed to how long it takes me to open the fridge is a life-changing decision.¡± Eva nodded with a smile on her face. ¡°That¡¯s what makes it so exciting! There¡¯s infinite possibilities! Every single thing we do matters! Well, unless you believe that everything is predetermined and that the entire course of history could be accurately predicted so long as you have complete, unlimited knowledge and know about every single thing in the entire universe.¡± ¡°Wh¡ªwhat?¡± ¡°Remember the leaf falling in front of my face then? Well, if you¡¯re able to calculate everything like the wind, condition of the leaf and where it¡¯s connected to the branch at and any other external factors, then you can figure out exactly when and how the leaf is going to fall every single time. The same applies to people. If you can account for everything that somebody has ever been through in life, knowing every single thing inside of their head at all times, while knowing of all external influences, you could tell exactly what they are going to do, think, where their eyes will look, when and how they¡¯ll breathe ¨C you could basically tell the future. If there was some sort of hyper advanced intelligence capable of knowing everything in the universe, and I mean literally everything down to the exact positions of every atom and quark and all that, then they would be able to accurately predict the rest of history. They would know what random thought will pass through somebody¡¯s head five trillion years in the future from now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I¡¯m on Cass¡¯s side now. Let¡¯s pretend that neither of us have ever heard this conversation before.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± Cassandra said, shaking hands with Ryouta to confirm their deliberate memory loss. ¡°Eva, I love you, but I don¡¯t want to ever think about either of those possibilities ever again.¡± ¡°What possibilities?¡± Eva asked with a tilted head. ¡°What we were just¡ª¡± Eva¡¯s smile interrupted Cassandra, bringing her in on what Eva was trying to do. ¡°Weren¡¯t we just talking about people wearing masks even though they really don¡¯t need to anymore?¡± ¡°Yeah, Cass,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°What are you talking about with possibilities? Are you alright? Need to go back to take a nap or something?¡± Cassandra pinched his cheek for a few seconds. ¡°You don¡¯t have to play along that much. Anyways,¡± she paused to release his cheek, ¡°I need the bathroom, so I¡¯ll be right back. Don¡¯t run off anywhere without me.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not something to have fun with.¡± ¡°Well, some people have fun with that sort of stuff. Don¡¯t kinkshame them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kinkshame you for your weird drawings you¡¯re into.¡± ¡°Such an abusive girlfriend.¡± This time, Cassandra made sure to pinch his other cheek so that both sides of his face should be sore from the pinching before heading off to the nearby bathroom, leaving Ryouta and Eva alone. ¡°Should we run off without her?¡± Eva asked. ¡°We could find a good spot to observe her from and watch how she reacts to us being gone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that makes you sound more like a stalker or just an unethical scientist. Either way, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d appreciate that, so let¡¯s just stay here,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°By the way, uh ¨C about the thing we were talking about, since I actually am curious. Do you really think that everything is predetermined like that?¡± ¡°Definitely. As far as I¡¯m aware, none of us have any true free will and our lives are determined before they ever get a chance to happen in the first place. We¡¯re only fleshy machines reacting to external stimulus in preset ways. All of history could be known from as early as the birth of the universe.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s kind of depressing?¡± ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t think anything like free will really exists or anything, but I do think a good enough illusion of free will exists. The vast majority of people, if you ask them, will tell you that they have free will, so our brains are doing a good job of tricking us into thinking we have it. They¡¯ll argue that they can make a choice to do whatever they want right now while refusing to believe that that¡¯s only because of everything in their lives that led up to their current belief. Them arguing in favor of free will was determined at the beginning of time. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing. As long as we have the illusion of free will, that¡¯s good enough. Even now, despite how much I genuinely believe in none of us having free will, it¡¯s like my body and mind refuse to actually accept that as fact. I still feel like I have free will even though I don¡¯t believe I do. Let¡¯s say¡­ for an easy example, let¡¯s say that you lose your nose and can never smell anything ever again. But, even without your nose and the ability not to actually smell, you still feel like you can smell things. You still remember how everything smells and your mind tricks itself into smelling them even though it¡¯s impossible to, basically having the same effect as actually smelling them. Kind of like a placebo effect. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it really exists or not as long as you can feel it, right? If you can¡¯t technically smell anything, but you still ¡®smell¡¯ everything just as good as if you could technically smell things, then that¡¯s as good as your sense of smell actually existing. Many would argue that the fact that you tricking yourself into smelling in the first place means that your sense of smell exists in your subjective reality. So, that same logic could be taken to free will. If you feel like you have free will, then by the standards of a subjective universe, you do have free will.¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too smart for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that smart. I¡¯m only some random person no more important than anybody else who likes to think about stuff that others would probably post to online forums as examples of teenagers trying to be deep. Except not a teen. I¡¯m legal.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know.¡± ¡°Just wanted to make sure. I said something like that once a couple of years ago to this guy who obviously liked me, and he started freaking out and cut all contact between us. He said that just joking or making even the subltest of implication that I could be underage was enough to destroy his trust in my age.¡± ¡°Damn. That¡¯s¡­ kind of extreme, not that I can blame him.¡± ¡°Yeah. I get it, but I also think it was a ridiculous exaggeration. Like if you tell me to my face that you¡¯re actually a seven-year-old girl, I¡¯m not going to doubt your age and think you might be lying to me even when you¡¯re not obviously joking.¡± ¡°But what if I¡¯m a seven-year-old girl on the inside? What if I embrace my inner loli?¡± ¡°So¡­ what you¡¯re saying is that you have a loli in you? That¡¯s kind of¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re making it sound worse than I meant!¡± Eva leaned back and laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t resist.¡± Ryouta sighed and swiped a hand across his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re going to get me locked up if you make jokes like that in public.¡± ¡°It could be worse. I was tempted to imply something way worse than what I said.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. At least, not in public. I don¡¯t care what kind of jokes you make in private with me, but please don¡¯t say anything in public that¡¯s going to get me arrested.¡± ¡°So¡­ I shouldn¡¯t start joking about how you hid a bomb attached to a little girl somewhere?¡± Ryouta immediately looked around to make sure that nobody was suddenly glaring at them or calling anybody after hearing that. ¡°Please don¡¯t. If you do, I¡¯m taking you down with me as my accomplice.¡± ¡°Heh. So, you¡¯re the kind of guy who can act all confident and stuff in-game, but you¡¯re pretty easy to embarrass in real life?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say that. If I¡¯m being honest, I would probably be embarrassed whether joked about me like that here or in the game.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m going to take advantage of this now that I know about it, right? You can expect me to try all sorts of things to embarrass you both in real life and in-game.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of screwed up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop if you want me to, obviously. I wouldn¡¯t do it if it made you uncomfortable. Do you want me to not?¡± ¡°I¡­ want you to be yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a roundabout way of saying that you¡¯re a masochist who likes to be publicly embarrassed.¡± Ryouta grabbed onto Eva and put one hand over her mouth as he looked around, this time confirming that people were watching after hearing that. But even if his cheeks were red with embarrassment¡­ he had to force himself not to laugh. He found it as funny as he found it embarrassing, and even that didn¡¯t make him want her to stop, so maybe there was even a bit of truth in her teasing. Once Ryouta calmed down, he released her mouth from his hand. ¡°You seem¡­ kind of different from how you act in the game.¡± Eva agreed with a nod. ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°You think so, too?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. Ever since I realized my feelings, I¡¯ve doubted that they were real. I always had a thought in the back of my mind telling me that no matter how much I like you in the game that there would be zero actual attraction in real life. I read dozens of stories of that happening. People who thought that they were perfect lovers for each other met up for the first time and realized they couldn¡¯t care less about the other person. Sometimes it just¡­ happens. Like there were even stories of people who used avatars that looked exactly like the real deal online and they always hung out using these avatars, but it didn¡¯t matter. There was still nothing there when they met in real life. Friends, romance, family ¨C it can happen to any sort of relationship, too, but most stories were about romantic relationships. Anyways, I was worried it might happen to us.¡± ¡°How come you didn¡¯t say anything about it sooner if you were so worried?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make you worried, too.¡± ¡°I guess that even somebody as smart as you can be pretty dumb at times. For future reference, if you¡¯re ever worried about anything, don¡¯t bottle it up and keep it to yourself. Let us know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the dumbest person I know, so you might have to be patient with me. But seriously¡­ I¡¯ll try. I don¡¯t really want to bother people with all the negative stuff that pops into my mind. That¡¯s what my pills are for.¡± ¡°Your pills?¡± ¡°Yeah. I take some for my anxiety.¡± ¡°You¡¯re honestly the last person who I would have expected to have anxiety. Given that you constantly put yourself in danger and want to try all sorts of things.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to be anxious when I¡¯m in a game.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good point.¡± ¡°If anything, being insane in the game is another sort of medication for me. But real life? Real life is terrifying.¡± ¡°Says the one who snuck up on me and Cass to scare us.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I was on a happiness high. I was happy that I still liked you as soon as I saw you two standing there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s extremely adorable. But, thanks for confiding in me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. The only reason I never brought it up before is because it was never really relevant. And because nobody asked. Like, here¡¯s something else that was never really important. I was on anti-depressants for years and only stopped taking them a couple of months before meeting you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t really know how to react to suddenly hearing something like that.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. I doubt most people would know how. I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯d react. I guess that I¡¯m just in a talkative mood and want to tell you all sorts of stuff about myself now.¡± ¡°Well, you can talk as much as you want and I¡¯ll be happy to listen. I kinda felt like we haven¡¯t had enough chances to really get to know each other better, so it seems like now would be a great time.¡± ¡°Speaking of time, Cass is really taking a while in there. I¡¯ll go make sure she¡¯s alright.¡± Ryouta nodded as Eva took off for the bathroom. Then, once he was in the clear, he let out a sigh. The temptation to feel bad about not knowing about her medication sooner was there, but he forced himself to keep in mind that there was no way he could have known any earlier. Even so, he still felt guilty. It was just a guilt that he knew wasn¡¯t fair to himself. Though, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. She was as adventurous as she was in the game because she suffered from anxiety in real life. Her in-game body was modified to her ideal of perfection and she didn¡¯t exactly wear much protective clothing on her avatar, but she wore a baggy hoody and sweatpants in real life. That was exactly the kind of clothing that somebody who suffered from anxiety and didn¡¯t want others looking at their body would wear, he figured. Even he was guilty of that when he was a teenager with less confidence in his looks. Heck, that even extended into adulthood! And if Eva was so worried about not liking them in real life that realizing she still did caused such a massive amount of relief to the point where it could give her a happiness high, what else was she hiding? What if any of his other girlfriends were hiding things like that? Even though he knew it was unfair to set such high expectations for himself, he wanted to be the perfect boyfriend who always knew what was wrong so that he could help those who he loved. But he knew that was impossible. All he could do was try not to feel too bad about setting impossible standards for himself. As for whether that would work or not, only time would tell. More importantly, while he might not have been able to be as perfect as he wished he was, he did know something else that he could do. Did he believe that he could cure Eva¡¯s anxiety? Of course not. However, he did believe that he could at least try to boost her confidence a little. So, when she came out of the bathroom with Cassandra by her side, the first thing that he said to Eva was, ¡°By the way, you¡¯re even more beautiful in real life.¡± Of course, he also froze and flustered himself when he realized what he just said. ¡°That ¨C that was¡­ sudden,¡± Eva said. ¡°Are you sick or something?¡± Cassandra asked him. ¡°You¡¯re only making me cringe even harder at myself,¡± Ryouta whined. ¡°I just¡­ wanted to give Eva a compliment, and that was the first thing that came to mind.¡± ¡°Is it because I told you about my anxiety?¡± Eva asked. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said that wasn¡¯t a part of it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Seriously. And if you¡¯re saying it in hopes of making it better or anything, I¡¯ll be honest and say that it won¡¯t work. I don¡¯t even have any legitimate reasons for feeling the way I do. Same with when I was depressed. It just¡­ is how it is. Probably will be for the rest of my life no matter who says what.¡± ¡°That just makes me want to try and help you even more.¡± ¡°I know the feeling,¡± Cassandra chimed in. ¡°Wait, did you already know?¡± ¡°She told me a while ago since we were talking about medications we¡¯ve been on for some reason. Anyways, give up on it. Instead of trying to change her, just be happy and have fun with her. That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing. Unless you plan on opening up her head to dig into her brain and change the way that she is that way, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. The brain is just stupid like that.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eva agreed. ¡°Just be yourself. If anything, if you worry about me, that¡¯s going to make me feel even worse. So, just treat me like always. Also, treating me like I¡¯m perfectly normal and like my brain isn¡¯t such a sadist to itself will do more for making me feel less anxious than treating me special. It¡¯s a win-win for everybody involved.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep that in mind,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°By the way¡­ what took so long in there?¡± Cassandra opened her mouth to say, ¡°It doesn¡¯t mat¡ª¡± Eva was happy to interrupt with the same sort of look that she had when publicly calling Ryouta a masochist earlier. ¡°She ran out of toilet paper in her stall. There were other people in there, so she couldn¡¯t reach under the stall to try and steal some from another stall, and she didn¡¯t want to ask a stranger for some, so she was apparently sending me messages asking me to come and help but I didn¡¯t notice since I was distracted talking to you, and then I had to steal some from another stall for her.¡± ¡°Wow. What a dramatic story. Cass Cass, how did you ever survive such ¨C wait. Where¡¯d she go?¡± ¡°She started walking away as soon as I started talking. See? Over there.¡± Eva pointed to where Cassandra was. Surely enough, there she was walking away pretending like she had no idea who either of them was. Ryouta and Eva had some catching up to do. Afer catching up to Cassandra, the group hung out at a caf¨¦ where they could enjoy some drinks¡ªcoffee for Eva and tea for Ryouta and Cassandra¡ªwhile waiting for Azalabulia¡¯s plane to land. Of course, they also used conversation to help pass the time. Any topic that they thought of was talked about in-depth with Eva leading most of the conversations as she proved just how talkative she could be. One such conversation included something that Ryouta and Cassandra were supposed to forget about. ¡°By the way,¡± Eva said. ¡°I know you don¡¯t really want to think about this, but I wanted to add on to what I talked about earlier.¡± ¡°If you really want to, I¡¯m not going to stop you,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Just don¡¯t expect me to think about it much afterwards.¡± ¡°You know how you were worried about choices and all that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, look at it this way. Every single ¡®choice¡¯ we make is extremely important and can change our entire lives. But, if we don¡¯t really have true free will to make actual choices and instead only think we¡¯re making choices¡­ that basically means destiny is a thing. That means no matter what you could have done, you were always destined to end up with me, Ryouta, Serra, Aza, Alice ¨C there is no choice you could have made that wouldn¡¯t have ended with you being together with us. That¡¯s another reason why I like to think of it that way. It¡¯s¡­ kind of romantic, yeah? I just thought that putting it like that might help you feel a little better about it. Since the start of time, we were meant to fall in love with each other and there¡¯s nothing that could have stopped us.¡± ¡°That¡­ yeah. I guess when you put it that way¡­ I do like the sound of it. It also makes me feel bad for the people who are less fortunate than us since it would mean they¡¯re screwed no matter what, but ¨C wait. Thinking of that just completely overwrote how nice the romantic way of looking at it was.¡± ¡°It was worth a try.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding. Half kidding. I do still like looking at it from the romantic part. So, I guess that I¡¯ll just look at it this way: our love was destined. Nothing else is destined. We¡¯re special and nobody else has to deal with destinty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a selfish way of looking at it,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°but I¡¯ll agree to it. Also, I really don¡¯t think that you had to get an unsweetened tea. It¡¯s alright if you have some calories.¡± ¡°Calories are illegal from now on.¡± Eva looked at Cassandra and said, ¡°If you¡¯re trying to cut down on calories, I could try to optimize a diet plan for you. There are a whole ton of artificial sweeteners just as good as real sugar nowadays, too. You just have to know which ones to go for. Let me research this for you and I¡¯ll get you the best, most efficient diet plan that you could ever dream of having.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you¡¯re willing to do that.¡± ¡°Sweet. Now I have a new research goal. One that will actually matter and be important to somebody, too. I¡¯m getting excited! Maybe I¡¯ll start working on it after everybody is asleep. Drink some coffee and pull an all-nighter so that it¡¯s ready by the morning.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it needs to be ready that soon. I¡¯d rather you get some sleep with us.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯re all going to be sleeping together, aren¡¯t we? I¡¯m going to have to figure out the perfect layout to maximize equal skinship.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, if we¡¯re all sleeping together, and we¡¯re all equal members in our relationship, then shouldn¡¯t we try to make sure that we all have equal physical contact with each other?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t overthink it,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Cass usually sleeps on one side of me, Alice on the other, and then Serra on top of one or two of us if not between my legs. In a non-sexual way. And I¡¯m not always in the center, either. It¡¯s just¡­ whoever gets into bed in what order.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s not a big deal, but I still want to theorycraft it. What are the most optimal sleeping positions for a group of six people to while trying to get an equal amount of skinship with every combination of person involved? I already have an idea for how it might work¡­¡± And so, the rest of the time while waiting for Azalabulia¡¯s plane was spent theorycrafting sleeping arrangements. When it finally became time for Azalabulia¡¯s plane to land, the three got up to go and wait for her by the luggage pickup. That was when Ryouta and Eva came up with a plan that Cassandra was brought into whether she approved of it or not. As for Cassandra, all she had to do was stand there by the conveyor belt with luggage filling it up. Azalabulia sent a message letting them know that she was off the plane and on her way to pick up her luggage, so Cassandra made sure to keep an eye out for her. It was impossible not to spot Azalabulia once she came into sight. Azalabulia¡¯s in-game avatar, as they were all used to, had ¨C well, the sort of looks that demanded attention. Particularly due to her chest. It was essentially as big as it possibly could have been in the game. Ryouta and the others knew that it was bigger than her real size, though. They saw pictures that confirmed her chest was smaller than in-game as well, albeit still impressively large. But those pictures did not do her any justice. While Eva managed to keep a low profile with her baggy and simple clothes, the woman now descending the nearby escalator looked like somebody who wanted to keep a low profile but found it impossible to do so. There was simply no lowering of the profile when it came to somebody who looked like the woman coming down the escalator ¨C Azalabulia. The eyes of every gender nearby locked onto Azalabulia¡¯s chest. If they didn¡¯t outright stare at her, they took quick looks or tried to be subtle about it. The shirt and jacket that she wore would have been enough to cover her up had she been more traditionally sized when it came to her breasts but, instead, they only served to make her into even more of an impressive sight as they were bulged out from her bust. Then there was her hair. While she might have had long and flowing, white hair in the game, her hair was just as long in real life except brown in color and braided behind her to keep it under control. Even so, it was longer than most hair that people saw and it only made her stick out even more. If somebody couldn¡¯t see her from the front nor sides to be impressed by her chest, they were impressed by the hair behind her. And then there was the final thing that really made her stand out. Not only was Azalabulia far beyond the norm when it came to her bust and hair, but she was tall. Even most of the men who went by her were shorter than her as she stood at just over six feet in height, making her even taller than she was in the game. In-game, her height was one of the only things not exaggerated about her, and now Cassandra knew why. That made Cassandra realize something. Azalabulia was even taller in real life than she was in the game, but her breasts only looked slightly smaller. Or so she thought. It wasn¡¯t that Azalabulia¡¯s breasts were any smaller in real life so much as it was that, due to Azalabulia being taller and a bit broader in reality, her absurd chest managed to somehow look a bit more proportionate. In-game, her chest just looked too big for her. In real life, her chest might have been extreme, but it at least looked a bit more fitting for her frame. So Cassandra realized that it was probably inaccurate to say that Azalabulia¡¯s chest was actually smaller in real life. If anything¡­ it was even bigger. It just so happened to look a bit smaller relative to the rest of her body while it looked unproportionately large in game, giving it the illusion of being bigger. But no matter how imposing Azalabulia might have been, nothing could have possibly stopped Cassandra from rushing over to her and hugging her as soon as she made it off of the escalator. That gave the people in the airport even more to look at. Two attractive women, one with a chest that was already larger than most and one with a chest that made even Cassandra¡¯s look average, pressing against each other and hugging. And Cassandra got to enjoy the hug the most seeing as how her face ended up against Azalabulia¡¯s chest due to the height difference. ¡°It¡¯s about time. I was tempted to barge my way into the air control room to tell them to tell your plane to hurry up,¡± Cassandra said, her voice partially muffled against Azalabulia¡¯s chest. She only moved her face so that she could look up at Azalabulia once the other woman was quiet without any sort of response. Cassandra wasn¡¯t sure why Azalabulia was so quiet¡­ and she definitely didn¡¯t expect to see Azalabulia fighting back tears. Cassandra immediately let go, thinking that she might have done something wrong, and asked, ¡°He-hey, what¡¯s wrong? Why do you look so upset?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not upset,¡± Azalabulia answered, sniffling and wiping at her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ so happy¡­ my heart feels like it¡¯s going to explode¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t cry about it. I get it, I¡¯m really happy too, but¡ª¡± The more that Azalabulia tried to hold the tears back, the more impossible that task became until she lunged forward and wrapped her arms back around Cassandra, tightly hugging the smaller woman against her chest as she cried. ¡°Well,¡± Eva said, now standing next to them with Ryouta, ¡°we were going to sneak up behind you together to scare you¡­ but I¡¯d feel bad ruining the moment like that now.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta said. As soon as Azalabulia heard the voices of her other two lovers coming from her side, she cried even more before pulling them in to the hug. All three of them looked short compared to Azalabulia as she cried and cried, forcing them into one giant group hug that just so happened to be centered around her chest. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ actually going to make me cry if you keep crying,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I can¡¯t help it!¡± Azalabulia cried, her voice loud enough to draw the attention of everybody nearby. ¡°I never thought the day would come! It was like a dream! And now it¡¯s happening!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess it makes sense,¡± Eva said. ¡°She¡¯s a teacher and is always roleplaying and shouting about dragons in-game, so I guess that should have made it obvious she would have the confidence to cry like this in a busy airport.¡± As for Cassandra, seeing as how she was getting squeezed against the bustiest bust that she had ever seen in real life, she was more than happy to let it happen. She was even more of a pervert than Ryouta and Serra would have been in the situation. If people didn¡¯t already have a reason to stop and stare at the group before, they definitely did now that half the group was crying while a tall woman with massive breasts squeezed three others in a hug. It wasn¡¯t exactly something that people saw on a regular basis. Book 7: Chapter 7: By the time that Ryouta, Cassandra, Eva, and Azalabulia made it back to the manor, it was already dark outside and they found themselves frequently yawning. They weren¡¯t even able to find it in themselves to be hungry despite none of them having eaten for quite a while, so Ryouta texted the others back at the manor to let them know not to save any food for them or anything like that. They just wanted to get into bed as soon as they got back. And, as the reply to his messages would prove, the others felt the same way. Even Serra, who already took a nap, was supposedly exhausted and ready to sleep even more. Not even Eva was awake enough to actually try theorycrafting the most optimal sleeping arrangement for everybody. In fact, after arriving back at the manor and going through the second wave of introductions, group hugs, and Azalabulia¡¯s crying, everybody was ready to jump into bed. Serra was the first back into bed after everybody switched over to their nightwear. And, because she was too sleepy to care about not being selfish, she claimed the middle of the bed. Eva was next and climbed into bed next to where Serra was, and Serra¡ªnot caring about whether or not this was new to Eva¡ªrolled over to cling onto her. With Serra on one of Eva¡¯s sides, Cassandra claimed the opposing side and cuddled up to Eva as if it was perfectly natural to do so. This left Eva in a stunned state unable to properly process everything that just happened, and suddenly she found herself much more awake. Then there was Alice. Alice was more than happy to climb onto the bed and hog most of the pillows for herself, practically building a barrier of those soft, oversized pillows all around her on Cassandra¡¯s free side. She reassured them that she would be fine without any particular cuddling partner as she missed her pillows and looked forward to reuniting with them. And, to be fair, none of them could blame her for that. They were the highest quality, softest, fluffiest pillows that any of them had ever experienced before. They didn¡¯t even know such pillows were possible! So, with Alice and her pillows, then with Serra, Cassandra, and Eva all together, that left only Ryouta and Azalabulia. Ryouta climbed into bed first. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ think I need a drink for this,¡± Azalabulia whispered, not wanting to disturb the others as she stood at the edge of the bed. ¡°Just treat it like you would in the game and it¡¯ll be no big deal,¡± Ryouta whispered in return. Though, even he felt a bit flustered by the idea of sleeping with her given that he felt so much smaller than her in real life. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how cuddling with her would work given that he was usually the big spoon, and usually the big spoon was ¨C well, bigger. Azalabulia nodded, gathered her nerves, and took a deep breath before slowly hand shakily climbing into the bed. She found herself right next to Ryouta now. ¡°Now¡­ now what?¡± ¡°We cuddle.¡± ¡°But¡­ how?¡± ¡°I ¨C I uh¡­ can try being the big spoon? Just¡ª¡± Azalabulia shook her head. ¡°I ¨C I can! I¡­ want to¡­ try. If ¨C if that¡¯s okay¡­¡± Ryouta wanted to tease her about how cute she was without the confidence that came from roleplay in-game, but he didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood. Especially if she was offering to take the lead in cuddling. Besides, being the little spoon to her did sound kind of nice even if it wasn¡¯t something he was used to. ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± With that, he rolled onto his other side so that he would be facing Serra, allowing Azalabulia to approach him from behind and hesitantly reach out toward him. It took her a few moments but, once she managed to actually touch him, it became easy. Azalabulia held onto him and, rather than pull him close like he kind of expected her to, brought herself up against his back. Though, all he really felt against his back was her chest. Aside from that, there wasn¡¯t much cuddling going on since she only put one arm around him. ¡°Is this¡­ is this fine?¡± she asked. He would have preferred a bit more contact, but with the size of her chest in the way, he couldn¡¯t really expect that from her. ¡°Yeah. See? You¡¯re a pro cuddler.¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m not¡­ but thank you for trying to make me feel better about it. Maybe¡­ next night, after I¡¯m used to it, it¡¯ll be easier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the others will be happy to give you all the cuddling experience in the world once they¡¯re actually awake.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ looking forward to it. Also, umm ¨C I guess I should¡­ say¡­ I ¨C I love you.¡± Ryouta couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer. ¡°You¡¯re seriously cute. I love the contrast of your real personality against your roleplaying one.¡± He didn¡¯t hear any response from her, but he did feel her tighten her arm around him a little bit. ¡°And I love you too.¡± That made the very same arm relax. Admittedly, it was a little awkward between them due to the barely-able-to-be-called-a-cuddle cuddling and her nervous personality without explosions to hide behind, but the two did fall asleep together and managed to peacefully rest through the night as did everybody else on the bed. When the morning came along, Ryouta could not have woken up in a better way. He felt warm, safe, and he was surrounded by extreme softness. He wasn¡¯t sure why, though. He woke up to being cuddled before and he never felt as surrounded by soft warmth as he felt now. It wasn¡¯t like the blankets were that special or anything, either. There was also the fact that the only one who he was cuddling with was Azalabulia and she was barely touching him last night. That was when he opened his eyes and noticed just who it was that created the extreme sense of security, warmth, and softness that he felt. Azalabulia. Sometime during the night, she must have completely wrapped herself around him. Given that she was taller than him by a good deal and just larger in general, she was able to thoroughly smother Ryouta with her body as the big spoon. The back of his head was pressed partially between her breasts, her arms and legs were wrapped around him, and she had a grip that was probably impossible to break out from without using great force and waking her up which was something that he didn¡¯t want to do. The rest of his girlfriends were all still asleep as well. So, even though he wasn¡¯t tired and doubted that he would be able to fall back asleep, Ryouta allowed himself to be used as Azalabulia¡¯s teddy bear to cuddle with as the morning hours ticked away. Looking around, he noticed that he wasn¡¯t the only one stuck in such a comfortable position. Eva also seemed to be stuck with Cassandra and Serra both cuddling her from opposing sides. Then there was Alice who seemed to be more than happy with her abundance of pillows all around her. There was a problem, though. After a few minutes of relaxing against Azalabulia¡­ he discovered the issue with having his head smothered between her breasts. While yes, her chest was superior to pillows in nearly every single way possible, having his head stuck there left his neck in an extremely uncomfortable position. He was on his side with his neck just ever so slightly bent to be right between her breasts, and moving his neck to a more comfortable position was impossible without having forcibly push it down against her breasts. The only other option was to bend his neck forward to take his head away from her chest, but then he would have been stuck with his neck bent even more than it already was. And as Azalabulia subconsciously pulled him even tighter against her¡­ he found his neck getting bent forward anyways. Was it really worth it? Was the comfort that she provided worth the pain that he knew he would feel later? Was his freedom worth interrupting her peaceful sleep when sleeping together for the first time in real life? No, it was not. Besides, she had to return to Alaska once they were done with their meetup. While there were talks of everybody moving in together, there were not any solid plans yet. That meant Ryouta only had a limited time to enjoy Azalabulia¡¯s real body with. He was going to get his neck pain and he was going to enjoy it! After a couple of hours, including a short span of time where Ryouta did manage to fall back asleep for just a little bit, the girls finally began to wake up. Serra was the first one. She rolled onto her opposite side so that she could face Ryouta and smiled as soon as she saw the position that he was in. ¡°Morning,¡± Ryouta silently mouthed to her. Serra nodded and leaned forward to place a kiss on his lips before leaning back again and poking Azalabulia¡¯s chest. Having her chest poked in her sleep made Azalabulia wrap her arms even more tightly around Ryouta, increasingly bending his neck as a result. Serra gave Ryouta a thumbs-up as she wished that she was the one in his position, not knowing the toll that it was taking on his neck. That was when he heard the shouting. ¡°Cheatin¡¯?! It ain¡¯t my fault that ya don¡¯t know the first thing about strategy!¡± Ryouta heard a familiar, yet slightly difference, voice that sounded like it came from a young girl with a country accent. ¡°You can see the reflection in the vase!¡± The other voice belonged to who sounded like a man around Ryouta¡¯s age and was also familiar yet ever so slightly different. There were only two people who those voices could belong to when he heard just how similar they were¡­ but that couldn¡¯t be, right? They were supposed to be picked up around noon! ¡°What time is it?¡± Ryouta mouthed to Serra. Serra let out a sleepy yawn before climbing out of bed, grabbing her phone, and bringing it back over to Ryouta to show him the time on it. It was already past noon. They were late in waking up. Really, really late. ¡°Wake the others up,¡± Ryouta mouthed once more before gathering his resolve to wake up Azalabulia. Fortunately, that wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. All he had to do was grab onto Azalabulia¡¯s hands and give them a soft squeeze as he said, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± ¡°Mm¡­ but so soft,¡± Azalabulia practically moaned, squeezing Ryouta even tighter. While it may have been easy to wake her up, actually getting her up and off of him was an entirely different problem. A problem that was quickly becoming more painful. That was why Ryouta had to, for the sake of his neck, thrust his head back even deeper between her breasts to straighten it out before trying to move his entire body away from her. The battle was only just beginning! Azalabulia retaliated by groaning and wrapping her arms and legs around him as tightly as she could! Ryouta¡¯s back cracked from the excessive force used to snuggle him. He started to worry that he might just die if things continued as they were. All of those times where he saw men getting practically squeezed to death in manga and anime before by their love interests ¨C he always thought they were unrealistic. But now? Now he knew. He now understood the raw, primal strength and ferocity of a woman who just wanted to snuggle. There was no escape. Only death awaited him. But he refused, for he was the former leader of the Divine Brigade! The current leader of the Soaring Wolves! The slayer of giant zombie sea serpents! The winner of fishing tournaments! The uniter of waifus! The spreader of artificial intelligence! The sweater lover! If he died here, he would never be able to see sweaters ever again! Ryouta summoned all of his remaining determination for a single attack! A single attempt to break free! With his arms pinned to his sides, he slid his hands behind him just enough so that he could reach her, sliding up underneath her shirt to grab onto her vulnerable sides! Azalabulia¡¯s eyes shot open as what sounded like a combination of laugh and gasp forced its way out from her mouth. And, out of instinct, she somehow managed to squeeze even harder. Anybody who wasn¡¯t already awake would surely wake up when they heard the consecutive cracking of Ryouta¡¯s back. Fortunately, hearing that track finally got Azalabulia to let go of Ryouta so that she could immediately check on him. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sorry! Are you alright?! I ¨C I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± Ryouta was rolled onto his back as he stared up at the ceiling with an expression of¡­ peace on his face. ¡°I¡­ I feel so much better now. I think you somehow removed back pain that I didn¡¯t even realize I had. I don¡¯t think my back has ever felt this relaxed before. It feels so nice that I can¡¯t even f eel the pain in my neck anymore.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Can you still move?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know and I feel too relaxed to try.¡± ¡°Move.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°At least wiggle your fingers and toes or something.¡± Ryouta commenced wiggling. Thankfully, his fingers and toes were, in fact, still capable of wiggling. Cassandra sighed and pinched his arm which got him to yank it away from her, further confirming that he was fine. ¡°Good. Now, come on and¡ª¡± ¡°Seriously?! But there¡¯s nothing behind me this time! How¡¯d you win again?!¡± that familiar, male voice shouted once again. More than just Ryouta heard it that time. This led to the rest of the group, Serra excluded, checking out what time it was only for them to notice that they were all late. ¡°Are they already here?¡± Eva asked. ¡°But if we didn¡¯t go pick them up¡­¡± ¡°Ah, my father most likely went to pick them up on his own!¡± Alice explained. ¡°I doubt he wished to wake us up before our bodies were ready to on their own, and he would not have left them waiting at the airport!¡± ¡°You can go meet them. I¡¯ll stay here,¡± Ryouta said, still relaxing with his now-ascended back. Alas, it was not meant to be. Cassandra grabbed Ryouta by his wrists and pulled him up, forcing him to sit up as he pouted at her in response. ¡°Are you¡­ pouting?¡± she asked. ¡°What else would I be doing? Hmph. I don¡¯t want to¡ª¡± Ryouta turned his neck just a tiny little bit. And that tiny little bit was all that it took to paralyze him in pain. ¡°He-hey, are you alright?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°My neck,¡± Ryouta whined as he slowly reached up to rub it. ¡°I feel like I have the biggest pinch nerve to have ever existed inside of it. I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to move it from this position at all today.¡± ¡°At least straighten it out before you give up on moving it for the rest of the day.¡± Ryouta turned his entire upper body to face Eva so that he wouldn¡¯t need to move his neck. ¡°Eva¡­ you¡¯re smart. Do you know how to fix this?¡± ¡°With time and suffering,¡± Eva answered. Ryouta continued swiveling his upper body around until he faced Azalabulia. ¡°Aza¡­ you¡¯re also smart. Do you know how to fix this?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry. What ¨C what caused it?¡± Azalabulia asked. Ryouta¡¯s eyes looked down at her chest. That was when Azalabulia put two and two together. She was the one not only responsible for cracking his back so much, but also for hurting his neck as she cuddled with him. And now she looked like she was about to cry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him to hug him as part of her apology. Also, out of habit, she pulled his head down against the top of her chest. That required bending his neck in the opposite direction from where it was bent. To everybody other than Azalabulia and Serra, since Serra had no idea what was going on as she was busy getting dressed with her back turned to the rest of them, time moved in slow motion. Cassandra, Eva, and Alice knew that they were watching a disaster in the making. Ryouta knew that he was about to be the one in a disaster. Untold eons passed within a second. New universes were birthed and destroyed in how long it took for Azalabulia to pull his head to her bosom. Then, Ryouta¡¯s head made impact. It was a soft, bouncy impact. It was also the kind of impact that, due to his neck bending to make it, caused his face to twist into an expression of cringing pain as an involuntary cry made sure that everybody in the manor knew something was wrong. Ten minutes later, after everybody got dressed to be presentable enough to see the others, the door to Alice¡¯s bedroom finally opened up so that they could leave. At the back of the group stood Azalabulia who was still sniffling and apologizing over and over again as Ryouta, who stood in front of her, kept his neck as straight as possible and refused to bend or twist it even a tiny bit. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Alice carefully positioned her wheelchair on top of the secure lift that would carry her to the bottom of the stairs without ever having to get out of her chair. Before the bar could be lowered to help keep Alice safe in case she were to accidentally fall out of her chair somehow, Serra signed to her asking for a ride. ¡°Of course!¡± Alice replied, patting the top of her lap for Serra. Serra gave the air a double fist pump before climbing on top of Alice¡¯s lap. ¡°Seriously?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Is that even safe? Aren¡¯t those lifts only made for one person at a time?¡± ¡°They are only intended for a single person at a time, yes,¡± Alice answered. ¡°However, for there to be an issue, our combined weight would have to be over the lift¡¯s very tolerant limitations. You are not implying that our combined weight would be an issue, are you?¡± Cassandra realized that she messed up the moment she heard Alice mention weight. ¡°Nope.¡± It was a simple but effective answer. ¡°Good, thank you.¡± Alice smiled at Cassandra as the lift slowly took her down the stairs. Normally, it would have been Ryouta to make such a mistake¡­ but not this time. Cassandra realized she would have to take it easy on Ryouta the next time that he slipped up like that. Once everybody was downstairs, they followed the sound of the arguing voices until they came to the lounge where two people sat across from each other around a table with a board game in front of them. It was a classical game ¨C the one where a screen stood between them as they tried to sink each other¡¯s battleship. Sitting on one side of the table was a girl wearing overalls with shaggy, strawberry blonde hair with an incredibly smug look on her face. Across from her was a tall man with red hair tied into a ponytail that reached down to the middle of his back. His expression was one of pure frustration as he debated on where he should try attacking next. Then, when the man did commit to his attack, the girl opposing him crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. ¡°Miss,¡± she declared before going on the attack herself. The final red peg was placed in the man¡¯s battleship before he slumped forward with empty eyes. ¡°This¡­ this bratty little girl can¡¯t be beaten¡­ she¡¯s cheating¡­ she has to be cheating¡­¡± ¡°Or you¡¯re just really bad at the game and can be read like a book,¡± the girl teased, even going so far as to give him a playful kick underneath the table. ¡°You sadistic little brat.¡± ¡°Oi, what¡¯d I tell ya about callin¡¯ me a brat?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stop calling you a brat when you stop looking like one.¡± ¡°Keep in mind that I¡¯m the perfect height for punchin¡¯ ya in the dick. You¡¯re tall. I¡¯m short. It¡¯s almost like the universe wants me to do it. Ain¡¯t that convenient?¡± ¡°I¡¯m building a catapult to launch you into the ocean next time we¡¯re immersed.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see ya try. Ya won¡¯t be able to build anythin¡¯ before I build a cannon that fires ya to the opposite side of the world!¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try! And my bro will take my side once he learns that you¡¯ve been cheating!¡± ¡°Ya mean he¡¯ll take my side once that dog realizes you¡¯re being a crybaby who can¡¯t admit ya lost fair and square!¡± ¡°At this rate,¡± Ryouta spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll by happy to shoot you both overboard.¡± The players behind Rao and Tabitha both snapped out of their argument to look over at Ryouta, but only one of them actually ran over for a hug. Rao wrapped his arms around Ryouta to pull him in for a hug and, once more, time slowed to a crawl for those who were aware of what was about to happen. ¡°Bro! That glorified garden gnome has been cheating this entire time!¡± ¡°Did¡­ did ya just call me a glorified garden gnome?¡± Tabitha asked. Cassandra stepped in to put some distance between Rao and Ryouta, stopping the latter from being shaken during the hug, while Rao returned his attention to Tabitha. ¡°I did, because that¡¯s what you are!¡± ¡°Ya know what, Red, that one was actually pretty good, so I won¡¯t even be mad.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a pretty good one. I¡¯m proud of myself for it.¡± As Rao and Tabitha suddenly got along again, Eva tried to give Ryouta¡¯s neck a massage without causing even more pain than he already felt. It didn¡¯t help. The good news, though, was that his neck was going to get desensitized to pain at the rate things were going. ¡°Anyways,¡± Tabitha said to the group, ¡°it¡¯s about time you¡¯re all awake. I¡¯ve been kickin¡¯ Red¡¯s ass this entire time. Thought he was gonna start cryin¡¯ if he had to lose any more.¡± ¡°I think it was jet lag,¡± Eva said. ¡°Even I passed out and I usually have trouble sleeping if anything.¡± ¡°Same¡­ I ¨C I thought I would be too excited to sleep,¡± Azalabulia joined in. Of course, as soon as she realized what she was saying, she decided to prove that being the oldest one out of them was purely only in number rather than maturity as she blushed and looked away. ¡°By the way, bro,¡± Rao said. ¡°You¡¯re way shorter than I thought you¡¯d be.¡± ¡°Not all of us can be the same height we are in-game, unfortunately,¡± Ryouta replied with a depressed sigh following. ¡°No big deal. I¡¯d rather be your height. You know how annoying it is being tall in real life? Showers are too short, plane seats are a pain, there¡¯s never enough room for my legs anywhere ¨C trust me, if you were as tall as your avatar, you¡¯d hate it and be begging to be shorter.¡± ¡°Then why¡¯d you make yourself just as tall in-game?¡± ¡°Eh, only because I¡¯m used to it already. I¡¯d feel weird being shorter. Plus then I¡¯d probably get jealous and not want to go back to being tall.¡± ¡°Being short¡¯s the best,¡± Tabitha said, her arms crossed over her chest as she nodded. Aside from being a few inches taller and having more for her arms to cross over, she looked pretty similar to how she looked in Fantasy Tales Online. ¡°It¡¯s harder to get hit by stuff when you¡¯re short. It makes ya less of a target. Being short and small in general makes it easier to get into all sorts of tight spots, too. Doin¡¯ precise mechanical work is a pain when you¡¯re so big that your hands can¡¯t fit where they need to. Plus bein¡¯ smaller means needin¡¯ to eat less which means less time wasted on that and more time spent doin¡¯ important stuff.¡± ¡°I feel like you¡¯re just trying to list off every potential good thing about it to justify your height at this point,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I ain¡¯t tryin¡¯ to justify anythin¡¯. I take pride in my height! I¡¯d be even shorter if I could be! That¡¯s why I am in-game. Plus, my girl¡¯s engine? I purposely designed her so that she¡¯s nice and tight. Nobody with hands bigger than mine in-game will be able to do any work on her without completely takin¡¯ her apart and rebuildin¡¯ her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky that Serra¡¯s distracted or that would have been the perfect ¡®that¡¯s what she said¡¯ moment.¡± ¡°Huh? When?¡± ¡°The part about being nice and tight.¡± Tabitha raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°You¡¯re still a dirty dog even if you¡¯re short now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m not that short. I¡¯m average.¡± ¡°Keep on tellin¡¯ yourself that.¡± ¡°For whatever it¡¯s worth,¡± Cassandra spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be any taller. It¡¯s a pain kissing you in-game because of the height difference. We¡¯re basically the same height in real life, so it¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°When you put it that way, you¡¯re going to make me think that Tabs might actually have a good point about being short being the best,¡± Ryouta sighed. ¡°Anyways, what should we call you two here?¡± ¡°Just stick with Tabs for me,¡± Tabitha said. When everybody looked at Rao for his answer, he tapped on his chin and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯ve always thought it was kinda weird to be called my game names in real life. My real name is Kristoffer. You can call me Kris.¡± ¡°Kris. Sounds good,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°And Tabs will still be Tabs.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Kris said to Tabitha. ¡°I said my real name.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Ya already know mine. Tabitha Strism. My family has a ton of pride in our name, so we¡¯d never pretend to have another name.¡± ¡°Oh. You¡¯re one of those weirdos who goes by their real name in games.¡± ¡°Oi. Keep in mind I ain¡¯t the only one in this room like that. There¡¯s nothin¡¯ wrong with it, either.¡± ¡°Could you even imagine if she had a different name?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I mean, come on. She¡¯s Tabitha Strism. If she had a different name¡­ that¡¯d just be wrong. I can imagine all of us with different names except her.¡± ¡°Darn right! Ain¡¯t no Tabitha Strism like Tabitha Strism. Or somethin¡¯ like that. Oh, right. What about the deer boy?¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t make it, remember? Apparently the most intense phase of his program just started, so he¡¯ll be busy studying law and all that for the next few months. I told him we could wait until after to celebrate here together, which I thought we were going to do¡­ but he decided against it. So, Spencer couldn¡¯t make it, and we probably won¡¯t see much of him in-game for a while other than to come and hang out with us or to do something with Corwin.¡± ¡°Dang. I always have liked that deer. School is more important, though, so I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand. I¡¯ll send him a message later wishin¡¯ him good luck and all that.¡± ¡°He¡¯d appreciate it. He¡¯s been working even harder since Corwin and Saya became true AIs, so he needs all the encouragement that he can get. Though, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d ace it without us cheering him on. He¡¯s crazy smart when he¡¯s not acting like the only thing that exists in life is dick.¡± ¡°Heh. Ya sound like you¡¯re reassurin¡¯ yourself if anythin¡¯. Worried about him?¡± ¡°Well, I mean¡­ he¡¯s one of my best friends, so yeah. I¡¯d be worried about any of you even if I believe you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Aw, shucks. Ya don¡¯t have to go and say the quiet part out loud like that. You¡¯re goin¡¯ to make things all embarrassin¡¯. Stick to being a degenerate dog who deserves gettin¡¯ smacked around by my hammer.¡± ¡°Yeah bro,¡± Kris said. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I appreciate you worrying about us and all that, but¡ª¡± ¡°Who said I was worried about you?¡± Ryouta asked. He didn¡¯t expect Kris to actually look like he took the teasing question seriously. ¡°Be nice, my hero,¡± Alice said. Cassandra agreed but, rather than say anything like Alice did, she elbowed Ryouta in the side. Meanwhile, Kris looked genuinely sad. ¡°Br-bro¡­¡± ¡°It was a joke! Just a joke,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I consider you one of my best friends, too. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll worry about you when it comes to anything you want to achieve, too. And I¡¯ll cheer you on.¡± Kris raised an arm up to wipe across his face before saying, ¡°I knew that. I was just messing with you.¡± He forced a laugh. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯d ever actually feel that way, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ryouta almost felt like he was talking to a completely different person. Rao was nowhere near as¡­ emotional as his player, Kris, apparently was. Not to mention that Kris never tried to basically tackle-hug Ryouta in-game, but that was the first thing he tried upon seeing him in real life. Ryouta was curious and wanted to ask about it, but it didn¡¯t exactly seem like an appropriate thing to ask in front of everybody. ¡°You¡¯re the best, bro. Oh, and Will said we could go fishing and all that once all of you got up.¡± Ryouta might have still been concerned about Kris a little, but hearing about fishing did still manage to make his eyes light up with excitement. ¡°Give them a break,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°They only just got out of bed. I doubt they¡¯ll want to go out on a boat with an empty stomach.¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Yeah,¡± Kris said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty hungry, too.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t ya just eat like a whole meal a few minutes before they came down here?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m hungry again.¡± ¡°See?¡± Tabitha asked the group, pointing at Rao. ¡°This is why bein¡¯ short is better. Tall people eat too much.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong. We do. I wish I didn¡¯t get as hungry as I get. You know the feeling, right?¡± Kris asked, looking at a certain member of the group standing opposite from him and Tabitha. When they looked at who he was talking to, they saw that he had directed his question to Azalabulia. ¡°E-eh? I ¨C I don¡¯t eat all the time or anything like that,¡± Azalabulia said, her cheeks flushed red with color as she looked around the room as if trying to find a distraction. ¡°I¡­ only eat as much as I need to and¡­ and I count my calories! And¡­¡± ¡°Kristoffer,¡± Alice said, ¡°it is not very polite to question a woman when it comes to her eating routine.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re both tall, so I thought she might eat as much as me,¡± Kris said. ¡°Plus she¡ª¡± And then he cut himself off. His own eyes widened upon realizing what he was about to say. If even if knew that he was about to say something massively inappropriate, then the rest could tell that it had to be bad. Alice narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Smart decision.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah¡­¡± While Ryouta¡¯s neck might have faced repeated abuse that morning, at least Kris avoided earning abuse of his own. Book 7: Chapter 8: ¡°Bro, I never want to fly that much again,¡± Kris said. Pretty much ever since they sat down to eat, Kris wasn¡¯t able to stop talking to him. ¡°Those seats felt like a torture device. And there was a crying kid a few rows up who wouldn¡¯t shut up. Then there were a couple of punks behind me who kept on kicking my chair and pretending like it was an accident.¡± ¡°Sounds rough,¡± Ryouta said in response. That was about all he could say before Kris continued on. ¡°But you know ¨C the seat thing, I get it. Planes are all electric these days. They¡¯re still not as efficient as the old ones, so they have to make the planes even smaller, which means they have to save space even more¡­ I can¡¯t really get mad at them, but I¡¯m still annoyed and want to complain about it.¡± ¡°Yeah. Even for me, the seats felt pretty¡­ tight, and I¡¯m nowhere near as tall as you.¡± ¡°Maybe I should go into the business of engineering planes instead of buildings. Bet I¡¯d be famous and go down in history if I could make it so that plane seats are more comfortable and give more space.¡± ¡°That does sound like something that would be worthy of going down in history.¡± ¡°Yeah. By the way, you know if uh¡­ any of the maids around here,¡± Kris paused to look at the women sitting at the table before bringing a hand up to hide his mouth from them, ¡°are single? They¡¯re all pretty cute.¡± ¡°Hey, Alice.¡± ¡°Wait! I whispered that for a reason!¡± ¡°Are your maids single? I¡¯m asking for a friend.¡± ¡°Bro¡­ not cool.¡± ¡°What? I said it¡¯s for a friend. I didn¡¯t mention that it¡¯s for you.¡± ¡°Huh. Yeah. You have a good point.¡± ¡°Rao ¨C Kris¡­ you¡¯re kind of ¨C I¡¯m teasing you. You know that¡¯s not actually a good point seeing as how they can hear everything we¡¯re saying, right?¡± ¡°Well if you¡¯re going to explain it like that in front of all of them, of course they¡¯re going to figure it out!¡± ¡°I mean ¨C never mind.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kris turned his attention to Alice. ¡°So¡­ about that question for his friend?¡± Alice stared straight at him, unsure of whether he was just pretending to be stupid or actually missing a few brain cells, and sighed. ¡°I would not know. If you wish to know, you will have to ask them that yourself.¡± ¡°Think they¡¯d be alright with me asking them for my bro¡¯s friend?¡± Alice turned to look at Ryouta instead. ¡°I thought we trained him on how to treat women better?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve tried helping him,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°He-hey, wait,¡± Kris said. ¡°Just to make sure¡­ you guys don¡¯t actually think I¡¯m that stupid, right?¡± Everybody at the table was silent. Even Tabitha refused to speak up and answer that question. ¡°Come on! I mean, I¡¯m serious about wanting to know if they¡¯re single because I do think they¡¯re pretty cute, but I was playing along for the rest of that stuff! Like I know you know it¡¯s obvious we¡¯re talking about me whenever me or my bro mention his friend. You know me enough to not think I¡¯m actually that dumb, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ still don¡¯t know you that well,¡± Eva spoke up, ¡°so¡­ my opinion is neutral?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a neutral opinion over a negative opinion.¡± Kris looked at Azalabulia. ¡°What about you, sis?¡± ¡°A-ah ¨C umm¡­ well¡­ I know you¡¯re smart, but when it comes to women¡­ a-and you don¡¯t have to keep calling me your sister!¡± Azalabulia whined. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to then I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to ¨C it¡¯s¡­ just that it¡¯s¡­ embarrassing in real life.¡± While Kris might have looked genuinely concerned over whether or not Azalabulia still wanted to be treated like his little sister, Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to sit there and watch with a smug smile as he got to enjoy the sight of his girlfriend looking so cute and embarrassed. He didn¡¯t even have to do any of the work! All he needed to do was sit there and enjoy it. Besides, while he might not have had full faith in Kris¡¯s intelligence, he did have full faith in Kris not having even the slightest bit of romantic nor sexual interest in any of his girlfriends. ¡°So¡­ do I call you it or not?¡± Kris asked again. Azalabulia wiggled around in her seat as she struggled to come up with a good answer. In the end, after no small amount of wiggling, she lowered her head and nodded. ¡°Thanks, Kris,¡± Ryouta said. Kris tilted his head and asked, ¡°What for?¡± ¡°For giving us that sight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, but I won¡¯t turn down a free thanks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good friend. Anyways, I didn¡¯t expect you to have a maid fetish.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not about having a maid fetish. They¡¯re just really cute¡­ while happening to be maids.¡± ¡°Maid fetish.¡± ¡°Alright, maybe a little.¡± ¡°You know they can¡¯t be maids all the time though, right?¡± A chuckling Alice grabbed their attention. ¡°You should tell them that.¡± ¡°They¡­ really are dedicated to their jobs, aren¡¯t they?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Absolutely! I admire their dedication, though it does get to be a bit extreme at times.¡± Eva, after swallowing the bit of salad that she had in her mouth, asked, ¡°What makes them so dedicated to it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I am not sure if it is my story to tell, but I do not think they would mind as they have often recited it with pride. You see, they were friends before ever being brought here. Girls abandoned in their youth and left in the care of the system. It was deemed too cruel to separate them, plus they loved to help out around the place, so they were kept together in the ¨C ah¡­ what would it be called? Where children stay before being adopted?¡± Not a single person at the table was able to think of all the word, surprising all of them. ¡°Anyways, they stayed together and loved to help out around the place. They were inseparable! Now, here is where my father comes in. He wanted me to have sisters ¨C friends. Because my mother passed away and he had no interest in finding another woman, he thought it would be best to adopt new ¡®daughters.¡¯ Given that nobody else was willing to adopt five girls all at once, he adopted them. His plan was to treat them as daughters and they were supposed to be like sisters to me, but¡­ it did not end up that way. Instead, as soon as they saw what condition our place was in, they got to work! Perhaps because they felt the need to repay him for taking them in, they made sure that the manor was spotless before the end of their first night here, and they have kept it in such a state ever since then.¡± ¡°So, basically,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°your dad adopted them to be your sisters and friends, making them legally your sisters, and got willing child labor instead?¡± ¡°Close enough! Though, it is not as if we are not friends. I consider each and every one of them my friends, and they consider me the same.¡± ¡°But not sisters?¡± Alice shook her head. ¡°We may legally be sisters, but none of us look at each other in such a way.¡± ¡°How come?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Well, unfortunately, I think they have always seem themselves as¡­ lesser, than us. That is something I absolutely disagree with and truly wish I could remove from their minds, but I fear it may be impossible. No matter what we have done to give them equal treatment, they have refused it. Personally, I believe that they are simply so devoted to their roles as our maids that they are afraid of a life where anything is different. I cannot blame them for that. If this is what they find comfort in, who am I to take it away from them? My father and I do not take advantage of their devotion, so it is not necessarily a negative thing.¡± ¡°Makes sense, I guess,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Wait. Didn¡¯t you say one of them was from America? If they became your maids as kids, then¡­ how does that work?¡± ¡°Ah, her case is¡­ complex. She¡ª¡± ¡°Are you sure you should tell us?¡± Cassandra asked. Alice nodded. ¡°Worry not, for she would prefer me to explain if anything. She has no problem having personal details shared and, if anything, prefers for others to do it as it saves her the trouble of needing to do it herself. The less time she has to spend explaining, the more time she can focus on doing other things that she deems more important!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°Anyways! Her childhood was¡­ tragic. Her father was American and her mother English. Unfortunately, they divorced when she was but a baby, so she was often bounced back and forth between countries for visitation, but she primarily resided with her father in America. That is why she ended up learning ASL. Then, when her father died¡­ she was brought here to live with her mother. But no more than three months after the fact, her mother ¨C well¡­ I would rather not go into details, but she passed away. So, because she had dual citizenship and was already here, she was taken into the government¡¯s care and placed in the some ¡®home¡¯ that the others were already in, and they were quick to make her a part of their group. Does that clear things up?¡± ¡°Yeah, it does,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Thanks for telling us about all of that. Though¡­ I kinda feel guilty hearing it from you. I feel like I just heard a bunch of really personal gossip.¡± ¡°Please, it is nothing to concern yourself with. They are all very open about their prior circumstances and what led them to their life with us. If anything, they would likely be delighted to hear that I am talking about them so much!¡± ¡°They really love ya, don¡¯t they?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Even if they might not count themselves as your sisters, it sure sounds like they love ya just as much if not more than sisters would.¡± A hint of red colored Alice¡¯s cheeks as she scratched them with a single finger. ¡°I¡­ suppose there is some truth to that!¡± ¡°Hey, Albro,¡± Kris spoke up. That cute expression of Alice¡¯s was immediately replaced with a confused expression. ¡°Al¡­ Albro?¡± ¡°Yeah. Alice and bro combined.¡± ¡°Please refrain from ever calling me that again.¡± As well as Kris might have gotten along with Azalabulia, the same closeness could not be applied to his relationship with Alice. ¡°Sheesh, alright. Anyways, I wanted to ask what their names are. I figure if I¡¯m going to like them then I should at least know what their names are.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve only heard you say the one¡¯s name. Rachel?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Yes, Rachel. The one who often cries, despises doing my father¡¯s laundry, and has that poofy orange hair! She has always been the closest to me. Though, I think the others use her as a medium of sort. She conveys to me what the others are more reluctant to so boldly do themselves, so they live vicariously through her when she comes crying to me demanding attention.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really cute,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Right? They are all my precious maids. Aside from Rachel, the tall and deaf one who knows ASL ¨C that is Abigail. Now that I think about it¡­ the only two deaf women I know both have their hair dyed white.¡± Everybody looked over at Serra who was much too busy enjoying the salad and steak in front of her to notice their stares. She did not pay even the slightest bit of attention to the conversation. If anything, the most that she did to involve herself in it was occasionally look around while chewing, but that was only to see if they were still talking rather than actually decipher what they were talking about by reading their lips. Food was more important than joining the conversation. Though, no matter how little Serra was paying attention, Cassanda still leaned over with a napkin to wipe the corner of Serra¡¯s mouth where there was a bit of salad dressing that she didn¡¯t notice. Serra squinted as her lips were wiped, resulting in a post-wiping pout before going back to eating her food. ¡°What about the others?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Ah, yes. Allow me to move on now that I have been reminded of just how adorable Serra is,¡± Alice said. ¡°Next is Emily! She is ¨C well¡­ I feel like Kris when I say this¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Kris asked. ¡°¡ªbut the easiest way to identify her is her¡­ well, chest.¡± ¡°Oh, her,¡± Cassandra said. Everybody nodded. When it came to a maid who could be identified by her chest alone, every single one of them knew exactly who Alice was talking about without needing any further information. ¡°Yes, her,¡± Alice confirmed with a sigh. ¡°That is Emily. She provides herself with a self-sustaining cycle of things to do.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that work?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Well, you see¡­ the poor girl lacks any sense of balance due to her chest. Not to mention that no matter how many years of experience she gains with them, she seems to never be aware of their presence, resulting in often knocking her chest into things, breaking vases and glasses, and so on. For as long as she has her chest, she will most likely produce a constant stream of cleaning for her to do. The only negative part of this is the emotional toll it has on her. While her chest may give her work, which she loves to have, she does not love knowing that it is her breasts and clumsiness causing said work. Also, remember! Brown hair.¡± ¡°Was the brown hair part really necessary?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Of course! Should you not remember their other physical attributes, you can use a color code to remember who is who! Rachel has orange hair, Abigail has white hair, and Emily has brown hair! Remembering this has helped me immediately tell who they are at a glance. Though, in Emily¡¯s case, there is a much easier way of immediately telling who she is.¡± Kris smiles and Ryouta already knows exactly what that smile means. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean two big ways?¡± Kris asked, raising his eyebrows at Ryouta for approval of his joke. Ryouta looked away so that he wouldn¡¯t also earn getting glared at by Alice. ¡°Have some tact,¡± Alice scolded him. Kris crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Says the girl who¡¯s constantly going on about her fantasies of wanting to get violated by a bunch of monsters no matter who she¡¯s around.¡± ¡°A-ah ¨C well¡­¡± ¡°He has a point,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m with him on this one,¡± Eva joined in. ¡°Hmph¡­ fine. Let us both display more tact then!¡± Alice said with a pout. ¡°Now, let us move on. Iris! She is the one responsible for almost all of the food we will enjoy during our stay. She tries her best to remain proper at all times, but she is incredibly weak to anything fluffy. Whether it is a stuffed animal, a real animal, or even a pillow ¨C all appearances of a proper lady disappear when it comes to fluff.¡± ¡°Relatable,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Also, black hair!¡± ¡°You¡¯re really going along with this color coding thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course. Remember who is who will be much easier if you can associate their names with their hair colors. Now, finally, we come to Anastasia. She will also accept being called Ann or Anna, but her full name is much too beautiful to not use in its entirety. She is the one who you will always hear humming and whistling from. Whenever you hear either of those, you can rest assured that they will be from her. Blonde hair. So, remember! Rachel, orange. Abigail, white. Emily, brown. Iris, black. And Anastasia, blonde. Simple enough, yes?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Ryouta turned his attention to Kris. ¡°So, which one of them do you like?¡± Kris brought a hand up to his chin as he thought about it. ¡°I dig all of them. But not everybody can be as lucky as you and have multiple girlfriends. If I had to choose one¡­ I don¡¯t know. I guess I haven¡¯t really gotten to know them on a personal level to make that sort of choice. When it comes to looks¡­ they¡¯ve all got their own speciality that makes them equal. Rachel has got that super cute hair and freckles. Abigail is tall and I want her to put my head on her lap. Emily has huge boobs. That beauty mark next to Iris¡¯s mouth is crazy hot. And Anna ¨C Anastasia has great hips and a super friendly face. I¡¯ll be honest, bro, I¡¯d probably take whichever one would have me. Plus they all seem really hardworking and I respect that. I need a woman who can keep me straight and doing what I need to do, you know? What if like¡­ that¡¯s why I like them? Maybe I don¡¯t like them because they¡¯re maids, but because being maids proves how hardworking they are?¡± ¡°You¡¯re suddenly really introspective, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m just being stupid, probably. I just want a girlfriend, man.¡± ¡°Well, at least liking them because you respect how much of hardworkers they are is better than liking them only because they¡¯re maids, right?¡± ¡°I guess so. I don¡¯t know. Does it really matter? I just know that I can¡¯t take my eyes off them whenever they¡¯re in the room. I start thinking about what our lives would be like together and all that. Like what our kids would look like and what we¡¯d do when we¡¯re old and wrinkly and shit.¡± ¡°That¡­ that might be looking a bit too far into the future for women who you barely know.¡± ¡°I know, but still. Like usually when I see a girl I like, I just think what¡¯d it be like to spend a night with her and then maybe giving her a massage in the morning before taking her out for breakfast or something. You know, normal bachelor stuff. But these maids¡­ I don¡¯t know bro. Seeing them makes me wish I was as cool as you so that I could date at least one of them.¡± ¡°He-hey, don¡¯t talk like I¡¯m some sort of super cool guy. I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯m not single right now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it either, dog boy,¡± Tabitha said with a mouth full of food. ¡°Nah bro, you¡¯re awesome. I seriously wish I could be more like you. But then¡­ I guess I wouldn¡¯t be me if I tried to be like you,¡± Kris said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s confusing to think about.¡± ¡°Seriously,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°you¡¯re already cool. I mean, look. You¡¯re able to talk about your feelings and be all introspective in front of everybody so easily. I wish I brave enough to be that honest. I think that makes you cool. Seriously.¡± ¡°If ¨C if more people were able to be as honest as you,¡± Azalabulia said, ¡°then everybody would get along even better¡­ b-bro.¡± ¡°As much as I hate givin¡¯ ya any praise, they ain¡¯t wrong,¡± Tabitha agreed. ¡°I can respect a man who¡¯s honest about his feelin¡¯s, even if he¡¯s you.¡± For once, it was Kris who had a bit of a blush on his cheeks as he looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t uh¡­ really think it¡¯s anything special. I¡¯m just doing what my mom taught me. She always said that real men wear their emotions on their sleeves and are never ashamed of their feelings.¡± ¡°Sounds like good advice to me. I wish I was taught that when I was a kid,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°What were you taught then?¡± ¡°Well¡­ my dad was kind of the stoic type. He was still stuck in that old mindset of guys having to be stoic and that it¡¯s only acceptable to cry when alone. My mom always yelled at him about that sort of thing and told me not to listen to him, but I guess it still rubbed off on me. I mean, I know that I¡¯m anything but stoic, but I¡¯m not able to be as open as you are.¡± ¡°For whatever it¡¯s worth, if you ever need a man to cry around, you can come to me bro. I get it that guys can struggle with that sort of thing around women, especially around the ones they¡¯re with, so if you ever just need a bro to hug you and lend you a shoulder, you better come to me.¡± Ryouta sighed and hung his head down. ¡°See? You¡¯re way cooler than me. And uh¡­ I ¨C I guess I¡¯ll extend that same offer to you.¡± ¡°I already know you¡¯ll be there for me whenever I need you, bro. You¡¯re awesome like that. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever known anybody more dependable than you.¡± ¡°C-come on, I¡¯m not that dependable. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s always been there and managed to do every single thing asked of you without needing any help. You have a job and you do it. You¡¯ve never let us down. Meanwhile, I¡¯ve always got to depend on everybody around me for help.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s good though. I might be open with my emotions and stuff, but I struggle when it comes to accepting help for anything related to work. I always feel like I need to do everything on my own or else I¡¯m not good enough, so I work by myself no matter how hard it stresses me out. Being able to accept help is way cooler than forcing yourself to do things on your own.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡ª¡± And so, against all expectations for how the brunch conversation would go, Ryouta and Kris ended up getting into a back-and-forth praising spree where they took turns putting themselves down to lift the other higher. Aside from Tabitha occasionally throwing in the random remark to make fun of one of them or to agree, the rest of the women at the table decided to sit in silence and enjoy the show. There was just something incredibly appealing about watching two men relentlessly compliment each other back and forth, especially when one of those men was their boyfriend who they often thought about seeing with another man. In other words, no fewer than half of Ryouta¡¯s girlfriends imagined him and Kris¡¯s compliment war continue on into the bedroom where they would continue praising one another throughout the night. Unfortunately for those with that fantasy, it would not be the case. What would, however, be the case was Ryouta and Kris talking themselves into such a flustered state that neither could speak anymore. That was when Alice finally saw her opportunity to speak up. ¡°Kris. Perhaps¡­ I have been treating you too harshly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kris asked. ¡°I believe I have learned enough about your character to give your endeavor my blessing. While I am still¡­ hesitant, to entrust my maids to anybody¡­ I believe there are far worse options than you. So long as you treat them with the respect and care that they deserve!¡± ¡°You sound like their dad talking to their new boyfriend,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Well ¨C I¡­ care about them. Greatly. It is only natural for me to worry about any man who wishes to be their suitor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good,¡± Kris said. ¡°I doubt even one of them would be interested in me. Plus I¡¯ve got to head back home after this visit, so we¡¯d be separated.¡± ¡°They plan on joining us in our game.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously? So¡­ they¡¯re going to be playing with us?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not limited to only seeing them for these few days¡­¡± ¡°Also correct.¡± ¡°So¡­ maybe I have a chance after all.¡± Alice hesitated, but she still managed to say, ¡°Correct.¡± Kris turned to look at Ryouta with hopeful eyes. ¡°Bro! There¡¯s a chance! I mean, I know it¡¯s still probably a super low chance, but that¡¯s still a chance!¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to hear you if you shout so loud,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Well,¡± Alice spoke up, ¡°about that¡­¡± Ryouta and Kris turned to look at Alice together. ¡°We finished eating!¡± Alice announced. The double doors to the dining room opened up, allowing the five maids to pour into the room all at once so that they could come and collect the dishes. ¡°You see, it would be safe to assume that every single thing spoken within this manor is heard by them. They have ears everywhere so that they may serve to the best of their capabilities at a moment¡¯s notice. If there is a closed door, they are likely behind it,¡± Alice explained. ¡°So¡­ what you¡¯re saying ¨C you¡¯re saying that uh¡­ they heard all of that?¡± Kris asked. ¡°Yes. All of it. From beginning to end to now.¡± The maids, without saying a single word and without even looking at any of those sitting at the table, collected all of the dishes in a hurry before heading back out of the room and shutting the door behind them once more. ¡°Oh?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± ¡°I ¨C I think they¡¯re mad,¡± Kris said. ¡°They acted like we don¡¯t even exist¡­¡± ¡°Was that how it appeared to you?¡± ¡°How could it appear like anything else?¡± ¡°I was simply curious.¡± Everybody but Azalabulia realized that there was something suspicious about Alice¡¯s behavior. Well, and Serra seeing as how she was too content leaning back in her chair with her hands over her stomach to care about whatever was happening still. ¡°It ¨C it¡¯s alright. Maybe they were really busy and trying to focus on their work,¡± Azalabulia said to Kris in an attempt to comfort him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, sis. I think I blew it,¡± Kris said. ¡°Man¡­ I met them, fell for them, and blew my chances with them all in a couple of hours¡­¡± Alice raised a hand over her mouth to both hide her smile and to stay silent. Her understanding of what just happened with the maids was much, much different than Kris¡¯s understanding. Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to say that. While she might have gained a new sense of respect for him after coming to understand what sort of man he really was, she still enjoyed watching him worry just a little bit. Especially since she was confident that everything would work out on a positive note in the end. But for now, she was happy to let Kris worry. Cassandra gave Alice¡¯s legs a little kick underneath the table since she figured out what was going on, but it proved ineffective seeing as how Alice had no feeling in her legs. There was no interrupting Alice¡¯s smug, slightly sadistic, amusement. Book 7: Chapter 9: After their brunch, the group decided to take a walk around outside while waiting for William to finish preparing all of the fishing supplies and boat. They offered to help, but William assured them that he would be fine on his own and that he would rather them enjoy their time doing something more enjoyable. Azalabulia was happy to offer pushing Alice¡¯s wheelchair as they walked along the paved path that led through William¡¯s property. There was not much for them to look at other than a yard with some bushes and flowers here and there, but it was a very large yard which gave them plenty of time to walk forward without having to turn around. Between the simple view and path, they had a great opportunity for talking about whatever they wanted. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not the end of the world,¡± Ryouta tried to tell Kris, but his words proved to be less than comforting. ¡°Hold me, bro,¡± Kris said in response. ¡°You really are a lot clingier in real life, aren¡¯t you?¡± Regardless of how surprised Ryouta still was from just how different Kris could behave in the real world, he still opened his arms up for a hug. Then he was reminded of how much smaller he was as Kris wrapped his arms around him. Behind them, since Ryouta and Kris walked in front of the rest, Eva took notes. ¡°It¡¯s interesting how different he is in real life,¡± she said to the other girls. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I wasn¡¯t really expecting that,¡± Cassandra replied. ¡°I wonder what the reason is. Is it psychological? Does he find it harder to physically bond with others in a virtual space regardless of how realistic it is? Or maybe he discovered new feelings upon meeting Ryouta in real life? Wait¡­ how could I have missed something so obvious? I was thinking about how unique the change in Kris is, but there¡¯s something even more worthy of investigation right in front of me that¡¯s been here the entire time.¡± ¡°And what would that be, my dearest Eva?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Our relationship. Poly relationships may not be all that rare anymore, but those are usually much more¡­ balanced, let¡¯s say. You know, multiple women and multiple men. But here we are with multiple women and only one man.¡± ¡°Lucky him,¡± Cassandra said. Eva raised an eyebrow and held onto her chin as she walked. ¡°Why is that?¡± She then looked at Serra, Cassandra, and Alice. ¡°You three have been in the relationship for the longest. Have you ever entertained the idea of another guy joining in?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Alice answered. ¡°Though, I only entertained the idea of another man joining our relationship so that I could watch him and my hero together. Ah¡­ what a wonderful sight that would be.¡± ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t want to do anything with him yourself?¡± ¡°Well, if I were to fall in love with another, I am sure I would. However, I do not fantasize about being with any other men nor women.¡± ¡°What about me and Aza?¡± ¡°I do, but only because it became clear that the others were interested. Had the others not intended on introducing you to our relationship, then chances are likely that I would have never developed an intimate connection to you. Of course, now that you are here, I do love you just as I love everybody else in our relationship, so please forgive me if I sound harsh at all.¡± ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t worry about it. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re harsh. Plus the more honest you are, the better data I can collect. What about you, Cass?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cassandra answered. ¡°I mean¡­ I don¡¯t really like men that much in the first place. Even if I try not to judge them that hard in the first place, I still see how they look at me all the time. I don¡¯t mind it when all of you look at me that way, but I hate when others look at me like I¡¯m an object. Women don¡¯t really do it anywhere near as much as guys do.¡± ¡°So, Ryouta is an exception to your experiences?¡± ¡°Not really. I still caught him checking me out all the time before.¡± ¡°Then why him but not others?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you know how I met him. The first thing I did was try to kill him. Then when he had a chance to beat me, he threw himself over Rock to protect her instead. Even though I tried killing him and even tried to attack Rock¡­ he still wanted to help me out and treated me like a friend. I can¡¯t really imagine many men or women reacting that way to everything that happened. So, I guess it¡¯s because¡­ he¡¯s sort of a general exception to the rule, not just because he¡¯s an exception to the rule when it comes to men only.¡± ¡°I see. Serra?¡± Serra was already working on the response on her phone while Alice and Cassandra talked. Once she was done, she handed the phone over to Eva. Eva read the answer out loud. ¡°I¡¯m not against other guys hooking up with us, but I know that the others probably wouldn¡¯t want other guys involved, so I¡¯m happy with only Ryouta and other girls. I think it would be hot to tag team Ryouta with a guy. Me on top of Ryouta and a guy underneath him. That¡¯s the end of Serra¡¯s response¡­ of course. But I see. Thanks.¡± Eva handed the phone back over to Serra. ¡°Aza? You have an opinion on the topic?¡± ¡°E-eh?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Umm¡­ ah¡­ we-well¡­ I ¨C I don¡¯t really care who I¡¯m with as long as¡­ I have somebody. Not ¨C not to say that you aren¡¯t special to me! I just mean¡­ when I was single, I didn¡¯t care. Man or women didn¡¯t matter to me. Now I just¡­ go with what the others think, too? But I don¡¯t really ¨C I guess I don¡¯t really find anybody else attractive now. Kinda of like what Alice said. Other potential¡­ men and women don¡¯t even register to me until one of the others is interested. If they get interested in a woman, I¡¯ll do my best to also like her. If they got interested in a man, I would do the same.¡± ¡°I see, I see.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°You¡¯re a part of the relationship, too. What¡¯s your own thought process for seemingly never being interested in any other men?¡± ¡°Oh, my reason is way simpler.¡± ¡°Well, what is it?¡± ¡°Right. I should probably say what it is. Anyways, my reason is because a male can get multiple women pregnant at the same time, but a woman can only get pregnant by one man at a time. Of course, it¡¯s not all about pregnancy. You can have others because of hedonistic reasons. However, if I were to choose between a new man or woman, knowing that there is already one man capable of making us pregnant, then I would choose another woman.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Easy. Women can do everything that men can when it comes to sex, and they have more to work with. The only thing that guys have over us is their ¨C their penises. We have toys that we can wear to emulate that. Guys, however, can¡¯t emulate a woman¡¯s body without surgery. Or excessive weight gain when it comes to the chest. So, in closing, my reason for that is because we already have Ryouta for biological purposes, and women are better for non-biological purposes. Of course, if you were to find a woman with a functioning¡­ penis, then there would be zero reason to have a man in the relationship outside of purely emotional reasons. Oh, wait. I forgot to to ask you.¡± Eva turned to look at Tabitha. ¡°Ask me what?¡± ¡°Your thoughts on¡ª¡± ¡°Ya know I¡¯m not part of your relationship, right? I¡¯m just unlucky enough to be here with ya havin¡¯ to listen to this. Also, if you¡¯re too shy to be sayin¡¯ ¡®penis¡¯ out loud, ya shouldn¡¯t be talkin¡¯ about how you¡¯re only keepin¡¯ the wolf boy around for breedin¡¯.¡± ¡°Ri-right. Sorry. I just¡­ was asking everybody and didn¡¯t really think of that. And it¡¯s not that I have trouble saying that word. It¡¯s just¡­ more difficult to say it when not immersed.¡± ¡°Come on. Say it. Penis. I don¡¯t even like the things and I can say it. Penis. Cock. Dick.¡± Suddenly, Serra found herself far more interested in reading their lips. ¡°Pe-penis,¡± Eva barely managed to say. Tabitha handed out the next test without delay. ¡°Cock.¡± ¡°Cock¡­¡± ¡°Dick.¡± ¡°Dick! See? I just wasn¡¯t used to saying it out loud with my real body. Now I¡¯m used to it.¡± Eva placed her hands on her hips and, with far too much confidence, said, ¡°Penis.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look so proud while sayin¡¯ that,¡± Tabitha said before sighing. ¡°And don¡¯t ya girls know how to talk about anything other than boys?¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± Alice spoke up, ¡°I would not say that our prior conversation counted as talking about ¡®boys¡¯ in the traditional sense. We were talking about relationship dynamics, and boys just so happened to be an element of that rather than the focus of it. The focus was on the dynamic and boundaries of our relationship more so than it was about ¡®boys.¡¯ Yes? As for whether or not any of this passes the Bechdel test, I am not sure. Not that such a silly test should be applied to real women in the first place, even if I have joked about it before.¡± With her hands behind her head as she walked, Cassandra said, ¡°So, I guess in the end¡­ there¡¯s no other guys because none of us really care, and Ryouta would have to want him, too.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, he is straight.¡± Alice sighed again. ¡°And now we truly have failed the Bechdel test by making it about him.¡± ¡°Bro,¡± Kris said. ¡°Do they usually talk about how much they want to see you with another guy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s becoming more frequent, but yeah,¡± Ryouta answered and then looked back at the girls. ¡°You know I can hear everything, right?¡± ¡°Of course, my hero! If we were discussing something that we wanted to keep from you, we would make sure that you are nowhere within sight like usual,¡± Alice answered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to feel about that. What sort of things do you usually discuss when I can¡¯t hear?¡± ¡°Well, it would defeat the purpose if we told you, would it not?¡± Ryouta narrowed his eyes at the unusually smug Alice. ¡°I have a feeling that being back in your homeland has made you more powerful. It¡¯s like all the cocky arrogance from a thousand years of history is powering you up somehow. All that¡¯s missing now is you holding a hand over your mouth, tilting your head back, and doing an ¡®ohoho¡¯ laugh like one of those blonde princess girls iin anime.¡± ¡°Would you like to see that?¡± ¡°I am kind of tempted now.¡± Alice tilted her head back and raised a hand up over her mouth before¡­ smiling and saying, ¡°Too bad, my hero.¡± ¡°That smug grin you¡¯ve got is even more powerful than the ohoho laugh.¡± ¡°Why do you keep laughing like Santa?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not a Santa laugh. It¡¯s a rich, blonde, foreign, anime girl laugh.¡± ¡°Foreign girls in anime sound like Santa?¡± ¡°Well, no, but¡ª¡± ¡°Ohohoho.¡± Cassandra¡¯s execution of the laugh wasn¡¯t exactly with the same amount of personality that Ryouta was used to, but it met the most basic requirements to be considered the stereotypical noblewoman laugh. ¡°Like that?¡± Ryouta wanted to deny her but he really couldn¡¯t. ¡°Yeah, but¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯re Santa.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Santa¡¯s laugh, Ryouta.¡± ¡°But ¨C but it starts with an O instead of an H.¡± ¡°Fine. It¡¯s ninety-nine percent a Santa laugh. Just because it starts with an O doesn¡¯t change that the rest of it sounds like how Santa laughs.¡± ¡°Cass¡­ you¡¯re ruining an entire trope for me.¡± ¡°If it can be ruined that easily then it deserves to be ruined. Santa lover. You¡¯re not going to make us dress up as Santa with white beards for you, are you? Put on some fat suits?¡± ¡°I feel like you¡¯re both bullying me way more than usual. Wait, Cass, could it be that you have blood from this land? Does this foreign land wake up the hidden ancestry in you or something, powering you up just like with Alice?¡± ¡°All I¡¯m doing is calling out a Santa fucker when I see one.¡± Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to laugh at that, and neither could the rest of them. Save for Serra, of course, who started to look up Santa¡¯s ¡°helpers¡± costumes on her phone as soon as she read Cassandra¡¯s lips saying ¡°Santa¡± the first time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain Puppy. I¡¯m just as disappointed as you are now,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°You can never just call me by my name, can you?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Names are for friends. I don¡¯t have a single guy who I call by his name and I don¡¯t plan on starting.¡± ¡°Is there a reason for that?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re all a bunch of idiots.¡± ¡°An actual reason?¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just tradition at this point.¡± ¡°How¡¯d it start?¡± Tabitha stretched out and cracked her fingers. ¡°Now that¡¯s a story. Ya see, back in the day, I used to play games with a guy. Poor boy was obsessed with me. Tried askin¡¯ me out every few months hopin¡¯ I¡¯d somehow suddenly start liking guys instead of girls. Was pretty annoyin¡¯ when he asked, but he was always pretty darn friendly and respectful the rest of the time. Great guy. Desperate and too hopeful, but great. Anyways, never called him by his name since I didn¡¯t want him gettiin¡¯ too close. Thought maybe he¡¯d get the point if I purposely screwed his name up all the time. Learned that from the Swanson. Great man. Only one I¡¯ll ever look up to. So, always screwed up this guy¡¯s name to try and keep a more uh¡­ professional distance between us, even if I did like hangin¡¯ out with him and playin¡¯ with him. Eventually had to break things off with him. His choice. Said he couldn¡¯t handle bein¡¯ just friends anymore and that our relationship wasn¡¯t enough for him, so we agreed it¡¯d be best to end things there. I¡¯ll admit, I was pretty sad about that, but it was his choice and for the best. Got a message from him last year, actually. Few days before I met ya. Let me know he got married and had a kid on the way. Thought I¡¯d like to know he was able to move on, and I was. But what if I actually called him by his name? There¡¯s a chance that he never would¡¯ve been able to move on. So, I¡¯ll stick to never callin¡¯ guys by their names in case they get too attached to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think calling him by his name really had anything to do with that.¡± ¡°But can ya prove that it didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Can you prove that it did?¡± ¡°Nope, but there¡¯s more evidence to support that it worked than there is that it didn¡¯t work.¡± Ryouta looked at Eva in hopes that the girl who loved science and researching would take his side. Instead, Eva asked, ¡°What? She has a point. Technically, there¡¯s more evidence to support her theory than there is evidence against it. There¡¯s still nowhere near enough information to come to a solid conclusion but, as it stands, there is technically more evidence in her favor. Of course, it¡¯s only a sample size of one. One successful experiment doesn¡¯t actually mean anything. Which makes me think¡­ maybe that¡¯s a good experiment to run. What if we never refer to anybody by their actual name anymore? Would people still get close to us? Would it be easier for us to cut all ties with them? Would the average time it takes for them to forget about us decrease if we never call them by their names? Increase if we do? But because of how unique each human is¡­ we would require a massive amount of testing in order to get accurate results since even ten or a hundred subjects could produce wildly different results. This is an experiment that might very well take the rest of our lives to perform unless we can somehow bring hundreds if not thousands of other testers onto our team to assist us. Even then¡­¡± ¡°Oi, do ya actually have a degree in anythin¡¯?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Not a single one.¡± ¡°Not one.¡± ¡°Did you ever even go to college?¡± ¡°Dropped out of high school, so no.¡± ¡°Wait. Wait, wait. Seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Eva shrugged her shoulders. ¡°It was boring. I had straight As in everything and was supposed to get moved up a couple of grades to try and challenge me, but I lost interest before that and kinda just¡­ stopped going. I learned more from watching Indian guys online and buying books to read. Oh, by the way. Did you know that colleges used to charge students like¡­ hundreds of dollars for a single book? And even make people pay an extra hundred dollars for a code to do their homework online?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yep. You might have had to pay thousands of dollars for a class and then still pay an extra four hundred dollars just on a book.¡± ¡°I¡­ I knew that colleges used to be crazy expensive, but I never heard they were that bad. How¡¯d they get away with that?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t in the end. Though, they did for a few decades. Too bad they still won¡¯t take you if you never technically finished high school.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Azalabulia spoke up, ¡°they will still accept you so long as you pass an entrance test. As long as you demonstrate that you already have knowledge on par with other new college students, essentially, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I also don¡¯t really care that much. I feel like going to college and learning all the super proper ways of doing everything would take a lot of the fun out of it. I¡¯m already as smart as I want to be, so now I just want to have fun with it. It¡¯s not like I actually want to do any serious experiments or make breakthrough discoveries or anything like that. I just want to have fun figuring out the stuff I randomly feel like figuring out.¡± ¡°So in other words,¡± Tabitha said, ¡°ya just like to pretend that you¡¯re a scientist. Ya don¡¯t actually care all that much about doin¡¯ it right and bein¡¯ professional and all that.¡± ¡°Sort of. I still like to try and do things the right way and I¡¯ll at least pretend to be professional, but other than that ¨C I don¡¯t really care. You know, like, figuring out how stuff works is fun. Taking things apart and putting them back together in different ways to see if they still work. Dissecting random bugs¡ªthat were already dead, mind you¡ªto see what¡¯s going on in their bodies. Mixing random over-the-counter chemicals together to see what happens while doing the bare minimum to make sure that I won¡¯t accidentally poison myself or create a bomb. Dipping a cucumber into ketchup. Random stuff with no regard for the proper way of doing things, most of the time. But it¡¯s fun to pretend that I¡¯m actually being serious and scientific.¡± ¡°So basically, ya like the idea of being a scientist more than actually being a scientist while potentially killin¡¯ yourself from mixing dangerous chemicals together in your kitchen.¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much. That¡¯s why I joined the Scholars. There are a few actual scientific types in there, and the big guy himself is one, but I think most of them are like me where we¡¯re basically roleplaying scientists instead of actually being scientists. Oh, I had one friend in there who came up with a better name for us than scientists. We¡¯re not scientists, we¡¯re ¡®testers of the random.¡¯ Or alternatively, ¡®testers of chaos,¡¯ but I thought that one sounded a bit¡­ edgy.¡± While their conversation continued, Serra left the group to run off into the yard to check out the flowers that caught her eye. The rest stopped their walk so that they could wait for her to come back, not wanting to leave her behind. ¡°Oh? A friend?¡± Alice asked. ¡°And what are they like?¡± Eva nodded her head before she stretched her arms upward underneath the sun. She tried to stretch out her wings and tail, too, only to remember that she didn¡¯t exactly have those in real life. After feeling silly about that, she answered Alice¡¯s question. ¡°He talks in a really heavy accent that I can¡¯t even understand half the time, but he¡¯s nice. He¡¯s the only one who was interested in finding out what it feels like to have a limb burned off by lava with me.¡± ¡°You have not had time to go back and see him, have you?¡± ¡°Nope, but he¡¯s fine. He¡¯s the kind of guy who you can be best friends with right off the bat, and he¡¯ll treat you like family, but then if you leave him without any reason, he won¡¯t question it. You¡¯ll basically not exist in his mind until he sees you again. Then, no matter how long you¡¯re gone for, he¡¯ll go right back to treating you like family no questions asked. He¡¯s the kind of guy who¡¯s so hyper focused on the present and everything directly around him that he never thinks about anything else. I kind of respected that about him.¡± ¡°He sounds like a cool guy,¡± Ryouta said. Eva eyed Ryouta as if she was thinking about something for a few moments before saying, ¡°You¡¯d probably get along with him.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Similar personalities. I know he¡¯s also really into anime and wanted to make himself a ¡®monster boy.¡¯¡± ¡°He¡¯s a man of great culture then. What kind of monster boy did he turn himself into?¡± ¡°A dragon. Though, he¡¯s only got the wings, horns, and a few scales. He¡¯s not full-on draconic like GG and all of them.¡± ¡°What kind of name did he pick? I can think of a ton of names for other dog or wolf guys, but I can¡¯t think of any that¡¯d be fitting for a dragon guy without relying on the usual clich¨¦s that everybody else uses.¡± ¡°I ¨C I feel like I¡¯m being personally attacked,¡± Azalabulia whined a little. ¡°Nothing wrong with being clich¨¦,¡± Cassandra said, patting Azalabulia on the back. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t feel any shame about using Cassiel and originally intending to be an angel girl.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I ¨C I need to have my pride in Bahamut when I¡¯m outside of FTO. And ¨C I second wanting to know the name of this dragon friend.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing fancy,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Just Manoel. Wait, now that I think about it¡­ I really should have asked him for help during the battle. He¡¯s crazy badass.¡± ¡°A crazy badass dragon guy named Manoel who treats everybody like family?¡± Ryouta asked to confirm. ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Sounds like a pretty unique guy.¡± ¡°Bro, are you trying to find a new bro to replace me?¡± Kris asked. ¡°I already blew my chances with the maids. I can¡¯t handle losing my bro to another man on the same day.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know if I should take your seriously or not right now. Do you need another hug?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Once more, Ryouta opened his arms to give a hug and feel small within Kris¡¯s embrace. ¡°Also I was joking,¡± Kris confirmed. ¡°Having another bro would be awesome. Then the three of us could go out and have guy time by ourselves.¡± ¡°We already have three of us if you count Olly ¨C Spencer.¡± ¡°Wait, are we supposed to count him as a bro?¡± ¡°Ac-actually¡­ yeah, you¡¯re right. He doesn¡¯t really count and I think he¡¯d be offended if we did count him. Though, there is Corwin.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. So then we already have three bros and this Manoel guy could be our fourth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. From how Eva described him, he didn¡¯t really seem like the kind of guy who would care about hanging out for a guy¡¯s night or anything like that.¡± ¡°He would as long as you stay within his sight,¡± Eva said. ¡°But if you let him get distracted or if you vanish for whatever reason, he¡¯ll probably be gone by the time you¡¯re back. He¡¯s the kind of guy where, if he blinks, and he doesn¡¯t see you when his eyes open back up, he¡¯s going to immediately find something else to do instead of spending even a fraction of a second wondering where you went. Needless to say¡­ it becomes extremely easy to lose him when you¡¯re trying to do something together.¡± ¡°Sounds like handcuffs would be useful,¡± Kris said. ¡°What ¨C why handcuffs?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Think about it. If he¡¯s super easy to lose, all you need to do is handcuff yourself to him so that he can¡¯t get lost.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the best solu¡ª¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Alice interrupted. ¡°Kris has a wonderful point. Please, do go into greater detail regarding handcuffing yourselves together. Ah, or perhaps chains would be more suitable for the task? Rope, perhaps? Rope would be easier on the skin and allow for easier tying. You would be able to tie one another up in all sorts of ways to ensure that you never¡­ get lost, from one another.¡± ¡°See?¡± Kris asked Ryouta. ¡°She gets it.¡± Ryouta sighed and rubbed his forehead. ¡°I think everybody gets it but you, Kris.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Bondage. She wants to see us all tie each other up. Sexually.¡± Kris turned with a raised eyebrow to look at Alice. ¡°What? Do not look at me so,¡± Alice said. ¡°It is not my fault that the obvious was not obvious enough for you.¡± ¡°You really are sassier than usual,¡± Kris said. Alice stuck her tongue out only to be immediately interrupted by Serra hopping up onto her lap. Within Serra¡¯s hand was a small, white flower that she found, and she made sure that the flower found its way into Alice¡¯s hair right over her left ear. ¡°Pretty,¡± Serra said, actually managing to pronounce it almost perfectly. No matter how much sassier Alice might have been feeling, it was impossible to not melt as soon as Serra came to steal the show. And then a voice called out to them. ¡°Everybody! The boat is ready!¡± William shouted back from the manor. Ryouta was the first one to change course and start heading back. It was time¡­ For fishing. Real. Life. Fishing. Book 7: Chapter 10: Only Alice knew what to expect when it was time to see the boat. William told Ryouta that it was a small boat before, capable of being pulled by the golf cart, yet¡­ the boat in question looked anything but small. If anything, none of them understood just where the boat was hiding! It looked like an old-but-well-maintained trawler about thirty-six feet in length¡­ on a trailer¡­ hooked up to the back of the golf cart. Well, if one thing was for certain, it was that Ryouta wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the golf cart going too fast with such a massive load pulled behind it. He didn¡¯t even know if the golf cart would be able to managed or not. ¡°If you would like to climb aboard to ride up there, feel free to!¡± William said. ¡°Unless you would walk along the side of it. Unfortunately, there is not enough room on the cart to fit all of you.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d feel bad adding any more weight for that cart to tug¡­ so I¡¯ll walk,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Ah, are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah. My legs are already warmed up and anything anyways.¡± The rest of the group agreed that they would walk. Well, the rest of the group except for Tabitha. ¡°Have fun with that,¡± she said, now standing atop William¡¯s boat. While the rest walked, she would be enjoying a nice sunbathing session on the boat¡¯s deck. ¡°Very well! Ah, Alice. Are you sure you would not rather sit with your old man so that they do not have to push you the whole time?¡± William asked. ¡°The path is rather bumpy¡­ so that may be a good idea,¡± Alice answered. As much as Eva and Azalabulia might have still wanted to take turns pushing the wheelchair around, they conceded to the logical option and helped Alice into the golf cart before folding the wheelchair up and setting it in the back. With that little preparation done, the group headed over to the lake. The lake was new to everybody but William, Alice, and Ryouta, and they all looked amazed upon seeing it. Though, they didn¡¯t get too much time to enjoy the uninterrupted beauty of it since William didn¡¯t want to waste any time in getting the boat into the water. ¡°Do hold onto something up there!¡± he shouted up to Tabitha. ¡°Ya got it!¡± Tabitha shouted back. With a surprising amount of grace, William managed to turn around, line the back of the boat up with the water, and then slowly reversed. It honestly looked like something that simply shouldn¡¯t have worked. A golf cart. Launching a trawler several times its size. Into a lake. On its own. But it managed. Of course, there were a few moments where Tabitha panicked and let out a scream when the golf cart made it onto the slope and got dragged backwards, but it did manage! ¡°Great, it worked!¡± William cheered. ¡°I had no idea if it would or not.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°You¡¯ve never done this before?¡± ¡°Of course not! Who would launch a boat with a golf cart? All the other times, I called somebody with an autotruck to come over and do it for me. Unfortunately, he is busy until later, so I figured that I will do this part myself and let him handle getting it out of the water later!¡± A bead of cold sweat rolled down Ryouta¡¯s forehead as he looked over to the trawler. ¡°He-hey! Tabitha! You alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine! No need to ask!¡± Tabitha shouted back. ¡°You sure? I thought I heard you¡ª¡± ¡°Ya heard nothin¡¯!¡± ¡°Ah, Tabitha!¡± William shouted. ¡°If you would, please throw the ropes over to the dock!¡± Everybody could tell that Tabitha was pretty shaky when she got up to do as requested, but she did as requested of her and then immediately set herself back down on the boat¡¯s deck. Now, the rest of them could bring the boat right next to the dock so that they could get on. That was when William¡¯s phone rang in his pocket. ¡°Pardon me,¡± he said to the group before leaving to take the call. ¡°Yes? Yes. Is ¨C is that so? Ah¡­ that was today¡­ I do not suppose it is possible to arrange it for another day? No? Very well. I will ¨C no, no! It is most alright. This is my mistake. I will be over as soon as possible!¡± He hung up, sighed, and slipped the phone back into his pocket. ¡°What was it?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Ah, you see¡­ I have been volunteering at the local theater for children lately. They need my acting expertise, and I promised them that I would be available this day! So, as much as it pains me to leave you all here during our limited time together, I am a man of my word and I must see to my promise. I have heard that you have plenty of experience with fishing and boats, Ryouta. Everything you need is there! All I ask is that you be careful to not cause her any damage when bringing her back to the dock. Now then, I must be off. I hope that you all have a wonderful time, and I will return later! Most likely with the man who will help me get the boat out.¡± Before anybody could say anything after William¡¯s long-winded explanation, he was back in his golf cart and driving down the bumpy path as quickly as he could. Watching the golf cart jump all over the path made her fully understand why Ryouta was scared from that. Even she would have been terrified if that was how William drove with a passenger. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any experience with real boats. Or electric boats,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Tabitha shouted from the boat. ¡°Ya think I wouldn¡¯t be able to work an engine like this? I¡¯ll have this baby purrin¡¯ for us in no time.¡± ¡°You sound a lot better now for somebody who just screa¡ª¡± ¡°Oi, I don¡¯t know what ya heard, but ya didn¡¯t hear what ya think ya heard. Movin¡¯ on, I¡¯ve got an engine to play with. How could I not be excited? Now, get on here, all of ya!¡± After everybody else got onto the boat, Ryouta carried Alice on in his arms which left her in nothing short of an utterly swooning state as he tried his best to not show the pain his arms were in from struggling to hold her up. Fortunately, Cassandra brought the wheelchair on and unfolded it just in time for Ryouta to set Alice back down without losing his arms. ¡°You won¡¯t slide around or anything, right?¡± Ryouta asked her. ¡°Worry not, my lovely, strong hero!¡± Alice answered. ¡°These wheels have enough grip to not be bothered, plus boats such as these do not rock much. There is also the fact that it is a very still day for the water.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Though, I¡¯m kind of nervous about trying to steer¡ª¡± ¡°Oi, dog boy,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Look at me.¡± Ryouta turned around and looked straight at Tabitha. ¡°I am the captain now.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Get those ropes back on deck! We¡¯re goin¡¯ fishin¡¯! Well, you¡¯re goin¡¯ fishing. I just want to play around with this electrical beaut back here.¡± If Tabitha wanted to give him a vacation from captaining, he wasn¡¯t going to complain. Especially since it meant anything that happened to the boat was now her responsibility. Fortunately for the boat, Tabitha proved to be a fine captain and helmswoman who managed to take the boat right out to the center of the lake without any difficulty. ¡°This should be a good spot,¡± Tabitha announced. ¡°Now, if ya don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll be playin¡¯ around with my new friend back here. Just wanna see how she works a little.¡± ¡°Are ¨C are you sure that¡¯s alright?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Taking apart something that isn¡¯t yours isn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve taken apart way more complex machines than this before and put them back together perfectly!¡± To demonstrate her point, Tabitha tried to show off and be cool by spinning the screw she was in the process of unscrewing with enough speed to let it finish unscrewing itself all on its own and pop out into her hand. Only, rather than pop out into her hand, it fell straight down onto the boat¡¯s deck, bounced, and managed to perfectly jump through a small slot in the ship¡¯s railing right before they heard it plop into the water. ¡°Tabitha,¡± Azalabulia said, now bringing out the full force of her serious voice trained by years of teaching children. ¡°Uh¡­ ya see, they uh¡­ usually put more screws in these things than they really need. Besides, I bet I could find one that isn¡¯t needed somewhere else on this old lady that matches the size,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°You need to be careful when handling somebody¡¯s real property! This isn¡¯t a game! What are you going to do if you can¡¯t find a replacement? And what are you going to do regarding whatever you take a screw from?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯ll uh¡­ fi-figure somethin¡¯ out. I always do! So ¨C so ya don¡¯t have to worry¡ª¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t worry about it then who is? Clearly, I will have to watch you this entire time to make sure that you do not cause any more problems!¡± ¡°I uh¡­¡± ¡°There is no ¡®uh.¡¯ There is, ¡®Yes, ma¡¯am, I will do as told and be on my best behavior.¡¯¡± ¡°Ye-yes, ma¡¯am, I¡¯ll uh ¨C sorry, I mean, I¡¯ll¡­ I will do as told and be on my best behavior.¡± Meanwhile, just a few feet away, everybody watched with conflicted expressions. ¡°Woah, sis is¡­ kinda scary,¡± Kris said. ¡°Ah¡­ I would love to do teacher and student play with her where she scolds me after class with a ruler and various other toys,¡± Alice said. Ryouta, Eva, and Cassandra were all in agreement that they never wanted to get on Azalabulia¡¯s bad side. As for Serra, she lost interest and pulled out all of the prepared fishing gear for everybody, giving a rod to everybody who was interested in taking one. Though, only Ryouta, Kris, and herself were interested in actually taking some rods to try fishing with. The rest were happy to relax on the boat under beautiful, clear sky above. While half the group might not have cared too much, Ryouta could not have been any more excited to finally get to fish in real life! He went through the tackle box like an excited kid tearing open presents at Christmas, albeit without making a mess, and picked up a small but flashy looking minnow lure to use. Part of him felt like he had no idea what he was doing despite having experience with several fishing games and plenty of experience in Fantasy Tales Online, but he managed to get everything set up properly so that he could jump into what he had been waiting for so many years to experience! Yet, after a couple of hours underneath the sun that seemed to only be growing hotter by the minute, none of the fishers onboard had even a single bite. Even Cassandra and Eva joined in on trying to fish as Alice told them all sorts of stories about her time growing up with the maids. Kris was especially interested in listening in for those. Only about thirty minutes after Eva picked up a rod to join in on the fishing, she reeled in her line, set her rod down, and decided to go and spend some time with Ryouta since he was hanging out on his own near the side of the boat away from everybody else. ¡°Yo,¡± Eva said. ¡°Any luck?¡± Ryouta sighed and slouched his shoulders. ¡°Not a single bite. Even after switching lures five times. Are there even any fish in here?¡± ¡°Alice said the place is stocked full of fish, so there are definitely some in here. And look ¨C see that? An air bubble.¡± ¡°These must be some extremely specific fish then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Eva stepped up next to his side, standing a bit closer to him than she normally would have. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you company so that you don¡¯t get bored.¡± ¡°Thanks, Eva.¡± Perhaps with Eva¡¯s company, time would pass by faster and Ryouta would eventually get a bite. But that was a dream that did not come true. Even three hours into fishing, there was not a single bite. Fishing in real life ¨C well, it wasn¡¯t exactly as exciting as Ryouta hoped it would be. If anything, it was nothing like he hoped it would be. It was hot, humid, too bright outside, nothing was biting, there was nothing fun to drink as William had only prepared water for them, the only snacks they had were plain crackers ¨C it was anything but a fun experience so far. ¡°Hey, Eva¡± Ryouta whispered. Eva was the closest one to him, and he had to get it off of his chest, so Eva it was. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eva whispered back. ¡°I¡¯ve got to be honest about something.¡± ¡°Is this a secret?¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe don¡¯t talk about it in out loud yet or let Will know.¡± ¡°Got it. I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Fishing¡­ is kind of boring. In real life, anyways. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I get it that it¡¯s nice to be under the sun and relaxing, except for when it¡¯s not, especially with a bunch of people you care about, but it kind of feels lacking compared to doing it in-game. Maybe FTO is just so realistic, and way more active, that it¡¯s spoiled me. You can catch all sorts of crazy fish and monsters, it can be pretty dangerous at time in case you fish something scary up, I¡¯ve got Rod ¨C I almost feel like I¡¯m cheating on him by fishing with another fishing rod. I feel like I¡¯m actually fishing for wild fish instead of fishing in an isolated lake that had to be artificially stocked years ago. Then I¡¯ve got The Shoebill, and Rock isn¡¯t with me, and¡ª¡± ¡°She was right. You really are sentimental.¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± ¡°Serra.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ I think I remember her saying something about that before. And I agreed with her. But yeah, I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve always kind of been really sentimental. I like to do the same things in the same way with the same people. It means more to me than trying new stuff in new ways with new people.¡± ¡°What about trying new things in different ways with the same people?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. As long as at least one of the three is the same, I¡¯ll probably be happy. It¡¯s not like I think this entire thing is boring or anything. I¡¯m still having fun. Just¡­ not as much fun as I thought I¡¯d have.¡± ¡°Good, so we can still try new things while together.¡± ¡°Got any ideas?¡± ¡°Ever play putt-putt?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s golf but miniaturized.¡± ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about. Never played it.¡± ¡°Huh. Putt-putt was my favorite growing up. I begged my parents to take me like, every single weekend for years. I still usually send them a text on the weekend asking if they¡¯re up for it. Anyways, I was thinking¡­ imagine putt-putt but deadly.¡± ¡°I hope you mean in-game.¡± ¡°Obviously. So, putt-putt but deadly. What if we find an underground cave full of lava to set up a course in? One where you have to make sure your ball doesn¡¯t fall into lava or hit a sleeping monster or anything. Though¡­ that doesn¡¯t really make it sound deadly. That just makes you be careful. We need something that might actually kill us.¡± ¡°Is potentially dying really that important to your plan?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. Having the potential to die always makes things more exciting. Hmm¡­ deadly putt-putt is harder than I thought it would be. I might have to scratch it for normal putt-putt.¡± ¡°But I thought potentially dying was important?¡± ¡°Potentially dying would make it more fun, but putt-putt is already the real human¡¯s sport in the first place. No sport can be better than putt-putt. Especially when you play with custom rules that allow you to interfere with others, take your shots at the same time, and other stuff like that. It can turn into a chaotic death match after just a few holes. At that point, the real challenge is not getting kicked out for causing a scene and disrupting the other families there.¡± At that point in the conversation, Ryouta had completely forgotten about how bored he was. Instead, he focused all of his attention on talking with Eva while letting the lure just sit out in the water. ¡°I ¨C I suddenly have a feeling that you and your parents were some pretty big troublemakers.¡± Eva grinned and nodded. ¡°Well, they are the ones who are more or less responsible for me turning out to be the way that I am, so yeah. That¡¯d be an accurate feeling to have.¡± ¡°What are they like? I¡¯m curious now.¡± ¡°They¡¯re researchers who met each other on an expedition in Antarctica. They always told me about all the fun games they came up with to pass the time whenever they got bored. If you met them, you¡¯d probably think they¡¯re the same person but different genders. You know how they say that the more time you spend around somebody, the more you¡¯ll look like each other? Well, they really, really suffer from that. Same clothes, same hair color, same glasses¡­ I can pretty much only tell them apart because my mom has a ponytail and my dad is starting to bald. Also, they¡¯ve got like the exact same personalities.¡± ¡°Wait, what was that about balding?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you focused on?¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s important to know for our future kids.¡± Eva¡¯s lips took the shape of a sly smirk. ¡°Nice. So, you¡¯re already thinking about our kids, huh? And plural?¡± ¡°I ¨C I meant, you know. If we have some kids, I don¡¯t want them going bald. So¡­ how old was your dad when he started balding?¡± ¡°In his forties. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ryouta let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good. That¡¯s not too bad.¡± Then Eva took him off his guard again by rubbing up against his side shoulder to shoulder, her head turned so that she could watch his expression. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gathering data.¡± ¡°What kind of data would that be?¡± ¡°Data like, ¡®What makes Ryouta blush the most?¡¯ and ¡®How does Ryouta react if I tease him about wanting kids?¡¯ Oh, I thought of another experiment.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m afraid of finding out what it is.¡± ¡°I call this one, ¡®Operation: Let The Others Know About Ryouta Telling Me He Wants Kids.¡¯ I would get to gather information both on how you react and how they react. Sounds like a pretty interesting experiment to me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such a sadist. Is it too late to veto you and kick you out of the relationship?¡± Eva leaned a bit more against him so that she could rest the side of her head atop his shoulder. ¡°And I didn¡¯t know you were so cruel.¡± ¡°Will going on a putt-putt date make it up to you?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°What if we make our own putt-putt course in FTO?¡± ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to give you as many kids as you want then.¡± ¡°You ¨C you really need to take it easy on me.¡± ¡°Heh. I¡¯m kidding. My max limit is three, probably.¡± ¡°Three is still ¨C with everybody else¡­ well, is there a reason for three in specific?¡± ¡°Because one can hang from each of my arms and then a third one can ride on my back.¡± ¡°So like, if you¡¯re out walking somewhere, that¡¯s how many you can fit on you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Something like that. Like¡­ I imagine taking them out to a park or something and them getting really tired, so I have to walk back with them hanging off of me.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you hang one off of your front and another two on your legs?¡± ¡°In theory, yes, but I think there would be some serious detriments at that point. Having a kid on my front would throw off my balance, since I¡¯m assuming I would probably be leaning forward a bit because of the one on my back. Then the two on my legs would slow me down and tire my legs out to the point where I may collapse and not successfully take any of them home. Then there¡¯s the issue of, if I trip or anything, the ones on my legs would get hurt. At least I could throw the ones on my arms off and twist around to land on my front to spare the one on my back. Oh, and if a wild animal attacks, the one on my back will be safe and I could lift my arms up to take the kids on my arms out of harm¡¯s reach.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ really thought about that sort of thing, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to always be prepared and think of every possibility.¡± ¡°What if somebody tries attacking with a knife or gun?¡± ¡°I can use one of the kids on my arms as a weapon by throwing them while using the other one as a shield.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking, by the way.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t secretly want to test how effective of a bullet shield a small child makes or anything, do you?¡± ¡°You could probably use kid-sized ballistic gel for that.¡± ¡°Eva, you scare me sometimes.¡± ¡°Come on, there¡¯s nothing scary about that. If I really wanted to scare you then I¡¯d say something like¡­ aren¡¯t you curious what it¡¯d feel like to be eaten alive? We could do it in FTO.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about the fact that I have a cannibal next to me.¡± Eva wrapped her arm around his back to hold onto his far side so that there was no escape. ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m hungry now. Maybe we don¡¯t have to wait until we¡¯re back in the game.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting a restraining order.¡± Unfortunately for Eva, she wasn¡¯t able to keep the act up and ending up laughing. Ryouta joined her immediately after. ¡°Hey,¡± Eva said once she managed to calm down. Ryouta turned his head just enough to look at her. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°This is nice. I kinda feel like we haven¡¯t really spent that much time together on our own.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s what happens when Cass hogs you all to herself.¡± ¡°Nah. It¡¯s more like I¡¯m hogging her if anything. And that¡¯s¡­ only really because I don¡¯t know how to be like this with the others. I¡¯m only just now figuring out how to be like this with you.¡± ¡°So this teasing, kinda clingy side of yours is something that Cass has been getting all this time while the rest of us haven¡¯t known about it?¡± ¡°Kinda, I guess.¡± ¡°Well, how¡¯d you figure out how to suddenly be like this with me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. It just sort of clicked. I saw you chilling by yourself and thought I¡¯d come bug you and that was that.¡± ¡°Well, I appreciate it. I¡¯m happy that you feel like you can be more comfortable around me now.¡± ¡°Same. Well, same that ¨C I¡¯m the one happy that I can be more, you know what I meant.¡± ¡°Wow, you actually messed up your words for once. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you do that before.¡± ¡°Even scientists make mistakes.¡± ¡°At least your only mistakes are cute, apparently.¡± ¡°Not as cute as you. Boom.¡± ¡°Was the ¡®boom¡¯ really necessary there?¡± ¡°Yes, because I have no idea how to compliment people without adding on something stupid right after to kill the mood and make me feel less awkward.¡± ¡°Explaining all of that doesn¡¯t make you feel awkward?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it does when you ask me about it. But it¡¯s alright. If this is how it¡¯s going to be, I have a special move prepared that¡¯s going to take us both down together.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°You should be. I¡¯m not going to hold back here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re suddenly going to say something really romantic, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Nope. Even worse.¡± ¡°I ¨C alright, now I actually am scared.¡± ¡°You ready?¡± Ryouta closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the fishing pole. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready.¡± Since his eyes were closed, Eva smiled and asked with a hushed voice, ¡°So¡­ now that we¡¯re all together and won¡¯t be crazy tired tonight¡­ I went and got a bunch of different condoms to bring in my luggage so that we could experiment with which ones are the best. I ¨C I¡­ didn¡¯t want to let you and the others do all the work, so I thought I could at least do that¡­¡± Her voice got quieter and quieter as she talked until even a mouse on the night before Christmas was louder than her. As for Ryouta, he had to lower his head so that nobody else could see his burning face. ¡°That¡­ yeah. I¡¯d say you got us both there.¡± ¡°Have you uh¡­ thought about how it¡¯s going to work? Like¡­ is there going to be an order, or¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t even think of that. I suddenly feel like I have a few different mountains stacked on top of my shoulders.¡± ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t bring up that not only do you have to choose an order, but you¡¯re going to have to have enough endurance for five girls.¡± ¡°Are you trying to give me ED?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to do it with Saya¡­¡± ¡°But she¡¯s not even a part of our relationship¡­ yet.¡± ¡°Technically, but we¡¯re all fine if you do something with her. So you¡¯re going to have to do stuff with her after you do stuff with us if you really want to be fair to everybody.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re just being sadistic at this point to make me feel even more anxious about all of this.¡± Ryouta could not have sounded more defeated if he tried. ¡°I know. I am. Sorry. I really shouldn¡¯t be teasing you about this. If it makes you feel any better, I already know what sort of order we should go in.¡± ¡°And what order would that be?¡± ¡°Well, I figure we have two choices. You can go in the order you met us in, which would be the most basic option, or we can draw straws and whoever gets the shortest one goes first.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t ¨C isn¡¯t drawing straws only supposed to be used when it comes to being forced to do something you don¡¯t want?¡± ¡°To be fair, we¡¯re virgins. It¡¯s going to hurt. So even if we want to do it with you, whoever draws the short straw will still be ¡®punished¡¯ in the sense that everybody gets to watch as she probably cries.¡± ¡°I feel like going in order might be the best route then. I don¡¯t like the idea of somebody having to draw the short straw.¡± ¡°I see. So, you want to start off with the smallest girl who¡¯s probably going to get hurt the most. Pretty messed up.¡± ¡°Then ¨C then Aza?¡± ¡°Now you want to go after the one with the biggest boobs first¡­ should I feel offended?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just admit that you shouldn¡¯t be teasing me so much about this?¡± ¡°Yeah. My bad. I bully Cass a lot when it¡¯s just the two of us, too.¡± ¡°I want to watch that sometime.¡± ¡°I only do one-on-one bullying. It¡¯s not as fun if somebody else is watching.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°because nobody else has been here this entire time. Also, I wouldn¡¯t call what you do bullying. It¡¯s more¡­ endless groping for ¡®science.¡¯¡± Eva and Ryouta turned their heads at the same time to see that Cassandra was sitting behind them. ¡°How long have you been there for?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Not actually the whole time. Only the last couple of minutes.¡± ¡°Alright. That¡¯s not too¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Eva¡¯s and Ryouta¡¯s eyes both widened. ¡°You ¨C you will?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really bold,¡± Eva said. ¡°I figure that since I¡¯m the only one on birth control to deal with my periods,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°then maybe¡­ I don¡¯t know. I might also be a little¡­ impatient. I always turned down my exes and other guys when they wanted to do it, so¡­ I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡± ¡°Makes sense. I don¡¯t know how we¡¯ll figure out the rest of the order, but at least the first round is called. That makes things eas¡ª¡± Something tugged on Ryouta¡¯s rod. It caught the attention of all three of them and even Cassandra got up to stand next to Ryouta now. Whatever embarrassment, nervousness, or anything else that Ryouta felt regarding the whole sex situation, as well as his previous feelings about real fishing being boring compared to fishing within FTO, all vanished in an instant. While something like fighting skills wouldn¡¯t transfer from in-game to reality, fishing was much simpler than that and Ryouta knew exactly what to do. Eva and Cassandra gently held onto his sides as he reeled the fish in, fighting it every step of the way as his rod got bent to the point where it looked like it would snap at any second. If it wasn¡¯t for being elevated above the water on the boat, the tip of the rod would have been dipping under water. ¡°Bro! You hooked one!¡± Kris shouted. ¡°Need help?!¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ve got this!¡± Ryouta shouted back. Everybody else hurried over to watch seeing as how none of them had any luck with their own fishing attempts. ¡°But maybe¡­ get the net ready.¡± ¡°Got it, bro.¡± Kris wasted no time in grabbing the fishing net and extending it so that he could scoop the fish out of the water as soon as it was close enough. The rod pulled left. The rod pulled right. Ryouta, who was used to fishing with Rod where he didn¡¯t have to worry about the line ever snapping, remembered that real life wasn¡¯t that forgiving. He remembered in time, fortunately, and stopped trying to reel the fish in as it dragged the line. But as soon as that drag stopped buzzing¡­ Ryouta lifted the tip of the rod as much as he could before reeling in while lowering it back down. The process repeated for several minutes, often getting interrupted by the fish trying to swim away again, but they eventually saw the massive fish that he managed to hook underneath the surface of the water. ¡°Tha-that¡¯s huge!¡± Azalabulia shouted. ¡°Ah! That is what she said!¡± Alice shouted in response. ¡°I guess somebody had to do it for Serra,¡± Tabitha sighed. Serra might not have heard Alice make her proud, but that was alright. Serra was too hyped up for Ryouta as she practically hopped up and down while holding onto the boat¡¯s railing. ¡°Kr-Kris! Gonna need that net!¡± Ryouta shouted as the fish came straight toward the boat. Cassandra made space for Kris so that he could stand next to Ryouta and dip the net down into the water. With the net dipped into the water, Ryouta angled the fish so that it would swim straight into the net, and¡­ Success! ¡°Now!¡± Ryouta shouted! Together, Ryouta and Kris pulled up on the rod and net with nothing short of great difficulty. ¡°C¡¯mon boys!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°Where¡¯re those muscles at?! You goin¡¯ to let an oversized fish show ya who¡¯s boss?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re trying!¡± Kris shouted. ¡°It¡¯s not like I work out much!¡± ¡°I ¨C I think we¡¯re gonna need to start after this!¡± Ryouta added on. Slowly and not so surely given just how violently the fish thrashed around within the net, the two men managed to pull the fish up over the railing to show everybody the true size of the massive beast. That was when it flopped right out of the net. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± Ryouta shouted, practically throwing himself overboard as he leaned over the railing to grab onto the fish. The fish then slipped out from his arms as it jumped up and managed to slap him straight in the center of his face with its mighty tail, but Ryouta refused to give up. He managed to catch the fish again as it fell back downwards and clutched it against his chest, now with one hand wrapped firmly around the tail to prevent it from escaping. It was then that he realized he probably should have been falling into the water given just how over the edge he was. When he looked behind him, he saw that all of his girlfriends, Tabitha, and Kris were working together to hold onto him. ¡°We¡¯re not lettin¡¯ ya stink up the place by getting¡¯ wet, ya dog!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°It¡¯s alright, bro! I¡¯m making sure we don¡¯t pull your pants down!¡± Kris shouted as well. ¡°Alright! On three, we¡¯re pullin¡¯ him back! One¡­ two¡­ three!¡± In perfect unison, everybody worked to pull Ryouta back over the railing. Perhaps they put a bit too much effort into it, though, seeing as how they sent themselves stumbling backwards and pulled Ryouta with enough force to crash him into the woman directly behind him. Fortunately, there was not a single better woman for Ryouta to have crashed into. The back of his head got partially absorbed into Azalabulia¡¯s valley as the fish continued squirming against his chest in a desperate attempt to obtain freedom. ¡°You alright?¡± Ryouta asked, tilting his head back to look up at Azalabulia with his head still somewhat sunken between her breasts. Azalabulia nodded her head with flushed cheeks. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m alright¡­¡± Now that he had the fish on the deck with him, Kris was able to secure the fish in the net and keep it pinned down with ease. ¡°Bro¡­ that has to be at least sixty pounds.¡± Ryouta got out from Azalabulia¡¯s breasts and stood up to check his catch out. ¡°Looks like a carp.¡± It was impossible for his eyes not to wander down to the fish¡¯s bloated underside. ¡°And she looks like an expecting mom, too.¡± Not wanting to waste any time, Ryouta opened up the mother¡¯s mouth and had to reach pretty deep in there to dislodge the hook, but he did managed to get it out. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Kris asked. ¡°The obvious,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°This isn¡¯t FTO where all the oceans and lakes are perfectly fine. Even if this place is stocked and fine in its isolation, I¡¯d rather not kill a fish who¡¯s this old and this pregnant. The world is kind of short on fish, after all.¡± Since Serra was finally putting effort into reading lips, she figured out what was going on and waved her hands to get him to stop. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ryouta asked her. Serra pulled out her phone and aimed it directly at him. ¡°You want to take a picture?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good idea. I might want to release her, but I¡¯d still like to have at least something to show for all that.¡± Serra held up three fingers, then two fingers, and then¡ª She was interrupted by Ryouta telling her to stop this time. ¡°Can you set it to take a picture automatically? I didn¡¯t catch this fish by myself. We all worked together, so I want a picture with all of us in it.¡± Serra smiled and nodded. A few moments later and everybody was lined up near the front of the boat, side by side except for Kris and Azalabulia who had to stand in the back due to their height. With Ryouta standing front and center with the fish¡¯s pregnant belly in his hands, Serra holding onto her tail to his right, and Tabitha holding up the fish¡¯s head to his left, the phone took its picture and flashed a quick light to let them know it was taken. Serra rushed over to the phone and looked at the screen before giving the air a fist pump. It was a perfect picture as far as she was concerned. ¡°Alright! The Soaring Wolves caught their first fish and have their first picture together,¡± Ryouta announced. ¡°Now, just to take this old lady home. Going to have to be careful to slowly lower her into the water so that she doesn¡¯t get hurt and has a chance to recover her energy. Actually¡­ this would probably be easier by putting her back in the net and lowering her down that way. Kris, help me out?¡± ¡°You got it, bro,¡± Kris answered. He then held the net open near the edge of the boat so that Ryouta could try and slip the fish down into it tailfirst in hopes that it would make it easier for her to swim out once lowered into the water. Only, there was a problem with this plan. The massive carp somehow managed to thrust herself upward, slammed her tail into his face, and essentially used him as a springboard to propel herself back over the lake where she then proceeded to flop straight onto her side with a loud smack against the water. Ryouta was left twitching with a pained face and unamused expression as the carp swam back into the murky depths of the lake without any issue. ¡°You know¡­ maybe I¡¯m in the mood for some carp with a side of caviar after all,¡± he said. At least Kris was there to pat him on the shoulder. Book 7: Chapter 11: After a few more hours of fishing and relaxing together, Alice¡¯s dad eventually returned with his friend and his truck to mark the end of their little fishing trip. Getting the boat back to the manor was much easier than taking it out to the lake seeing as how they actually had a proper transport for it this time around rather than have to rely on a golf cart that probably never should have been capable of pulling the boat in the first place. As for any other fish they caught, all of the fish were released back into the water. There was no need for any of them to keep the fish they caught when William¡¯s kitchen was more than stocked with enough food to last them all a considerable amount of time. Having a fun time was more important than eating any of their catches. And as far as all the members of The Soaring Wolves were concerned, they had a great time. They finally got to meet each other in real life, had fun fishing together, spent hours simply relaxing under the sun on a boat in the middle of a private lake ¨C they could not have asked for a better way to meet up and bond in real life. Well, some of them might have preferred if there were some fun drinks involved, but what they had was good enough. They also took pictures of each other whenever any of them did catch a fish, so they still had immortal proof of their catches. But as challenging as catching that massive carp might have been, there was a new challenge that Ryouta had to overcome. A challenge that he was worried about ever since he first started dating Serra and Cassandra. A challenge that always had more fuel added to its fire whenever Ryouta finally overcame one aspect of his worries, and now they were all coming back for one final showing. First, he was afraid of accidentally getting his girlfriends pregnant. He didn¡¯t feel ready to have sex in the real world yet. He didn¡¯t believe that he was ready to be a father in case things didn¡¯t go as planned. Then there was the fact that simply so much time passed that he was worried about doing it in general. What if his girlfriends were already used to his avatar and his size? Ryouta was obviously smaller, both in general size and when it came to the equipment between his legs, than Fenrir was. Sure, he still did plenty of non-penetrative sexual things with his girlfriends in real life, but those were all things where size really didn¡¯t matter. What if, when he tried to have actual sex with them, they were disappointed because of their experience with him as Fenrir? And then he got more girlfriends. He didn¡¯t feel like it would be right to lose his virginity with only some of his girlfriends and to take theirs while leaving the others out. He wanted to wait until everybody was together. He figured that was the fair thing to do and almost the more romantic thing to do. But now, because of that waiting¡­ it meant that he would have to please five different women in the same night. While being a real-life virgin. How was he supposed to do that? Especially when he was already anxious about not being able to compare to Fenrir? It seemed like everybody but him was looking forward to the night together with excitement, too. Sure, he was excited, but the mountain of stress on his shoulders prevented him from really getting excited about it. Normally, just the thought of getting to have sex with five beautiful women would have gotten him at least a little bit hard, but the anxiety overwhelmed whatever excitement he had. That was the bad part about being the only man in their relationship. Being the only one with a dick might have been a massive ego booster to him, but it also meant that he practically had to do the jobs of five men. As a virgin. With women who he loved and thought were more beautiful than anybody else in the world. Needless to say, the performance anxiety was real. But if there was one thing that Ryouta learned after dating his girlfriends for so long and making the mistake of hiding his worries from them, it was that the most insanely idiotic thing he could do at the moment was to not confide in them. Before he met them, he would have tried his best to bottle everything up to force his way through his worries. Even while dating them, he made that mistake a few times. Yet, time and time again, he was reminded of how foolish it was to do that. His girlfriends reminded him every single time his worries came to light that he was more than welcome to lean on them for their support. That was why, no matter how harmful it was to his ego or the perception of his own masculinity, he made his decision. He wasn¡¯t going to simply bottle his fears up and hope that he would be fine. He wasn¡¯t going to force himself to ¡°man up¡± nor to view this as anything that had to do with being a real man. Instead, he chose to be¡­ himself. He chose to simply be Ryouta, and Ryouta was a man who wanted to believe in his girlfriends. That was why, after dinner when they were all back in Alice¡¯s room, he got his girlfriends together so that he could talk to them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Azalabulia asked, sitting behind the other girls on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ really embarrassing to admit,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°but¡­ I¡¯m going to be honest. I¡¯m kind of terrified.¡± It was immediately to the others what he was talking about between the fact that they were talking about it and that there was nothing else they could imagine him being scared about. ¡°I think we¡¯re all at least a little bit anxious,¡± Eva said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that you could grow a dick to help me out here, could you?¡± ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s a bit beyond my abilities.¡± ¡°Is there anything in specific bothering you, my hero?¡± Alice asked. ¡°It¡¯s just different in-game,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°When I¡¯m in FTO, I¡¯m Fenrir. I¡¯ve got my ideal body and¡­ size. And I¡¯m more confident in general. But here in real life, I feel like I¡¯m a downgrade in basically every aspect. I¡¯m worried about disappointing no matter how many times we¡¯ve done it in-game.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think you need to worry about that,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we all feel the same way to some degree.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the only normal MMO player here. The rest of you are weirdos who made your in-game bodies close to your real ones.¡± Cassandra pinched his cheek for that remark. ¡°Don¡¯t call us weirdos while we¡¯re trying to support you.¡± ¡°But what if stupid humor at a time like this is my coping mechanism?¡± Ryouta pulled his cheek away from her. A sigh slipped past Cassandra¡¯s lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know what we can do to prove that your real body is even better other than by actually doing things. Even just doing what we usually do, I think that¡¯s more fun than doing anything in game with our avatars. Right?¡± Alice nodded in agreement. ¡°Absolutely! Even if I can do more in-game due to having working legs and whatnot, I much prefer the fun we have had in reality with our true bodies.¡± Cassandra looked at Serra next. Serra ended up getting lost during the conversation, though, so Cassandra had to repeat her question. Once Serra actually knew what the question was, she answered with text on her phone that read: Yeah. Grinding and oral and all that is way more fun in real life than in-game. Also, your real dick is better than your avatar¡¯s dick because it belongs to your real body instead of to a fake body. The real thing is always better than the fake thing. Would you like my real boobs less if I made my avatar¡¯s boobs as huge as Aza¡¯s? Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to laugh at the comparison. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks. Looking at it that way does make me feel better about it. And no, I¡¯d love your real boobs more even if your made your in-game ones as big as Aza¡¯s or bigger.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Azalabulia asked, having no idea why her breasts were suddenly a part of the conversation. Now that Serra gave her opinion on the matter, she scooted backward on the bed toward Azalabulia and sat herself on top of the larger woman¡¯s lap, leaning her head against the front of Azalabulia¡¯s chest as her hands reached up around their sides to squeeze and play with them. Azalabulia might have been curious about why her breasts were being talked about, but that curiosity was replaced by the flustering distraction of Serra groping her. ¡°Then¡­ I guess we just have to figure out how to do this now,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Is there really something else we have to figure out?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Yeah. How to start.¡± ¡°Oh! I know!¡± Alice said. ¡°All of us can get into our lingerie while you are outside of the room, and then you can come into the room to the sight of us waiting for you on the bed!¡± ¡°That sounds like the ultimate harem dream, but¡­ I think coming into the room and seeing five women on the bed waiting for me might be a bit too much for me to handle,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Like¡­ I feel like that would probably put way too much pressure on me. Make me too anxious to actually do anything.¡± ¡°That is more than understandable, my hero,¡± Alice said. ¡°Would it be better if we proceed simply as we are right now? Without having a grand reveal or anything of the sort? At the very least, I figure that if we simply get right into it, it would not seem like such a big deal.¡± ¡°I can only go one at a time. I¡­ think I might get performance anxiety if it¡¯s the first time and everybody else is waiting within sight.¡± Before saying anything else, Alice reached forward, wrapped her arms around Ryouta, and pulled him in for a hug while setting the side of his head against the top of her breasts. Ryouta might have enjoyed that sort of pampering, but he was still confused as for why he was suddenly receiving it. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± ¡°For being honest and trusting us enough to talk about this. Even with how much society has progressed in recent decades, I am aware that men still have so much pressure forced onto them when it comes to these matters. In addition to how much I appreciate your trust in us, I wish to reward your bravery as well!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already afraid that I¡¯m not being enough of a man right now, and now you¡¯re going to make me cry.¡± ¡°Oh no, the love of my life, my hero, is going to cry! I will surely judge your character in a negative manner as a result of such a display of weakness.¡± Alice brought him off of her chest to instead hold him by his cheeks to position his face in front of hers. ¡°If you cry, I will kiss each tear that visits your cheeks. And I will continue kissing you whether they stop or not. So please, my hero, if you wish to cry, then cry. I would never view you for the worse because of crying, nor would anybody else.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that¡­ I feel like now would be a really bad time to cry, but you make me happy and¡­ secure enough that I want to cry.¡± ¡°Well, if you put it that way, then you are going to make me cry as well! I suppose we will all end up crying together at this rate.¡± Ryouta shook his head before leaning forward just a bit more so that he could reach Alice¡¯s lips with his own. ¡°Thanks. And I love you.¡± Alice¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°I love you as well, my Ryouta.¡± After a quick kiss, Ryouta had an idea. ¡°I think I know how we can do this.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°If I do it alone with whoever¡¯s first, I think I should be fine for everybody else to come join in after that. Though¡­ it kind of makes me feel guilty doing it that way. I feel like then I¡¯d be obligated to do it alone with everybody to make it fair, but I also want us to all be together during it. I mean, part of the reason we waited so long for this was so that we could do it in real life together. At the same time.¡± ¡°I can understand where you are coming from with that thought process. However, my hero, when it comes to situations such as this ¨C it is impossible to truly be fair. After all, somebody will always have to come first while somebody else goes last. Even more important than that is that we are all comfortable, you included since you will be doing most of the work! If the options are to overwhelm you with pressure and stress, or to take it easy at the cost of being slightly less ¡®fair,¡¯ then I am sure we will all agree to the latter.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Eva said. ¡°And honestly, it¡¯s not that big of a deal. The plan is for the rest of us to join in after the first round basically, right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°And after you do it once in real life, there probably won¡¯t be any problems in the future. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, I¡¯m hoping so.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do it that way. You¡¯ll get some experience in with Cass and get over the initial anxiety since it¡¯ll just be the two of you, and then you can feel like Mister Experienced while the rest of us are a bunch of awkward virgins. Anybody object?¡± ¡°I think that sounds like a wonderful plan!¡± Alice said. Serra, who wasn¡¯t able to keep up with everything being said, simply held up her phone with a message that told them she didn¡¯t mind how they did things as long as things got done eventually. Azalabulia was alright with it as well and she showed as much with a nod of her head. Then there was Cassandra who remembered that she said she would be going first. ¡°Ri-right¡­ I ¨C I did say I¡¯d go first. Suddenly¡­ I think I feel the same way he does. Doing it in-game is one thing, but with my real body¡­ even if we¡¯ve done things before, we¡¯ve never actually¡ªyeah. I think I¡¯d rather it only be the two of us the first time, too.¡± ¡°Then it is settled!¡± Alice declared. ¡°The rest of us will go wait in the guest room next to this one. Once you two are done, we will come back over and join in on the fun!¡± She was already trying to push the others out of her bedroom immediately after saying that. ¡°The sooner we give them space, the sooner we will have our own turns!¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°There¡¯s one last thing, if I want to be completely honest with everybody.¡± ¡°You can tell us,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still afraid of accidentally getting one of you pregnant, but that¡¯s¡­ probably always going to be there until I¡¯m ready to have a kid. It¡¯s just that ¨C what happens? I mean, I know that Eva got me condoms, and Cass is on the pill, but still. What if something happens?¡± ¡°Well, my hero, answer me this,¡± Alice spoke up. ¡°If ¨C and that is a very large if, one of us gets pregnant without planning for such an event, you would still love the child and wish to do your absolute best by them, yes?¡± ¡°Of course. I mean, I¡¯m looking forward to having kids someday, just¡­ maybe not right now. I think I want to enjoy a few more years of us all having fun together without having to plan around kids first. So yeah, I¡¯d still love the kid as much as I would even if they were planned.¡± ¡°Then there is your answer. If one of us just so happens to ¨C ah, wait. Allow me to rephrase this in a more appropriate manner.¡± Alice cleared her throat. ¡°My hero, if you were to bless us with your divine seed to bestow upon us the greatest honor of carrying your child, then I am sure said child would be blessed with an incredibly happy and fulfilling life.¡± Ryouta stared straight at her for a couple of seconds before laughing. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of myself for how effective that was.¡± The other girls weren¡¯t doing any better not laughing because of that either. ¡°She has a point,¡± Eva said. ¡°Even if one of us gets pregnant¡­ we all want kids. Maybe not right now, but any kid who does get born ahead of when we¡¯re ready is still going to be loved and raised just like they were planned for all along, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I feel way better about that now. That¡¯s one of the perks about actually talking about something instead of trying to act like it¡¯s not a problem.¡± ¡°Wow, who would have thought that talking about our problems can help fix them,¡± Cassandra teased. ¡°But maybe that¡¯s common sense to us and not you because we¡¯re normal people instead of ¡®normal MMO players.¡¯¡± ¡°That¡¯s bold teasing for somebody who¡¯s about to get this dick.¡± Cassandra¡¯s eyes widened from the blunt and vulgar response, but she still smiled. ¡°If ¨C if you can say that, then it sounds like you¡¯re ready for us to finally do this.¡± ¡°I agree!¡± Alice said, resuming her task of trying to push everybody else out of the room. Before anybody else could say anything, she already had them out of the room and closed the door behind her. Only Ryouta and Cassandra were left. And the two of them sat there on the bed together like a couple of awkward virgins who never even held hands before. ¡°This is¡­ kind of funny,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I mean, how many times have we had sex in-game?¡± ¡°At least a few dozen times¡­ probably,¡± Cassandra answered. ¡°And we do stuff together all the time in real life. Even stuff like clothed humping.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± ¡°That¡¯s basically what we¡¯re about to do, just with clothes in the way. But now this feels way more¡­ serious.¡± ¡°We could¡­ probably start with something we usually do. Like¡­ I could give you¡­ you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tempted to take you up on that offer, but I¡¯ve already got five of you I have to last through. If you do the usual, I¡¯m going to want to cum from that, and I should probably save my stamina for the main show.¡± ¡°I guess, but¡­ I could still do it just to get you hard.¡± Ryouta grabbed Cassandra¡¯s hand and pulled it down to his crotch. ¡°Does that feel like a problem?¡± A nervous smile stretched Cassandra¡¯s lips, surrounded by her reddened cheeks. ¡°So ¨C so much for performance anxiety. By the way¡­ this might sound weird, but, since you were being all honest with us¡­ can ¨C can I watch you put the condom on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something I ever imagined somebody asking for, but I don ¡®t see why not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious! Like¡­ I¡¯ve seen people practice putting them on bananas and stuff, but never a real dick. I don¡¯t even understand it myself, I just want to see it.¡± ¡°Maybe you have a secret condom fetish that¡¯s now awakening.¡± Cassandra rolled her eyes. Though, as soon as Ryouta asked his next question, her eyes looked interested rather than sarcastic. ¡°Want to try putting it on for me?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ can I?¡± ¡°Why not? If you¡¯re curious about watching me put it on, I figure you might be curious about trying to put it on yourself.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that. So¡­ yeah, I kind of want to try it.¡± ¡°Then wait right there,¡± Ryouta said and then got up from the bed to go over to the small bag that Eva took out earlier. It was the bag with all the different condoms in it. There were about three of each, and each set of three was for a different size, made of different materials, and also had different textures. He took this bag back over to the bed and set it down between them. ¡°I¡­ have no idea what size I should choose.¡± ¡°Large?¡± ¡°I appreciate the flattery but I think that might be a bit too much. They¡¯re not supposed to be loose, and those would probably be loose.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re¡­ big.¡± ¡°Cass, I love you, and please never watch porn if you already think I¡¯m big.¡± Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll have you know that I have watched porn before. That doesn¡¯t change that you¡¯re still big to me.¡± ¡°One, I love you. Two, I kind of want to try watching porn with you sometime. Three¡­ if you really want to help me, go ¡®hmph¡¯ again.¡± ¡°Is this about tsundere fanservice?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡­ hmph.¡± She looked down at his crotch. ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to help you or anything¡­ you idiot.¡± And then she saw the pitched tent of his pants throb. ¡°Se-seriously? You¡¯re getting that worked up over something like this?¡± More throbbing. ¡°You really are the worst¡­¡± And even more throbbing. Yet, with every throb, she found it harder to continue the act. Not only that¡­ but seeing him react to her like that was just as exciting to her as her acting was to him. After how honest he was, openly talking to them all about his insecurities, she felt the need to reward him for that just like Alice did. Only, Cassandra had her own method of rewarding him that she knew he loved. ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass. You¡¯re the be¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m not doing this for you, so I don¡¯t want to hear your praise.¡± Ryouta was actually taken aback for a moment before he realized what she was doing. She was giving him an overdose of the tsundere fanservice that he loved so much. Even though he didn¡¯t have that talk with William yet about his honest feelings as part of the deal that he made with her, she was already going all in. ¡°Hurry up and take your pants off!¡± Cassandra said with a pout. Ryouta was more than happy to oblige her, greeting her with an erect length that sprung out in anticipation as soon as it could. ¡°Wa-wait,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t ¨C doesn¡¯t this thing look even bigger and harder than usual? A-and I¡¯ve never seen it¡­ move so much.¡± ¡°Do you understand the true power of tsundere fanservice now?¡± Ryouta asked. Out of everything that he had ever done in real life before with his girlfriends, he never felt hornier than he did right now. Cassandra gulped and slowly reached her hands toward it. ¡°H-how gross¡­ getting this excited over¡­ over¡­¡± She pulled her hands back to cover up her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t. Acting like that is way too embarrassing right now¡­¡± Ryouta grabbed her by her wrists to pull her hands away from her face, allowing him to place his lips right against her own for a long, passionate kiss that she closed her eyes for. ¡°It should be illegal to be as perfect as you.¡± When she opened her eyes, she looked dazed as if she was confused why the kiss stopped. ¡°But¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to do what you want.¡± ¡°You can try again some other time. Besides, you trying and then getting too embarrassed is just as good as you staying tsundere the whole time.¡± He lowered one of her hands down to his cock so that she could feel the living evidence of his statement. ¡°Does it feel like I¡¯m any less excited?¡± ¡°Seriously¡­ this thing is going to break me if it¡¯s this hyper. Wa-wait, did it just get even harder?! Why does it feel like it¡¯s throbbing even more now?!¡± ¡°I guess because it can¡¯t wait to break you,¡± he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver and even let out a slight moan. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m starting to think the performance anxiety was a scam.¡± ¡°Maybe it was. Maybe I was just trying to get you alone.¡± ¡°Mmnn¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have a condom to be putting on for me?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah¡­¡± Ryouta looked down at the bag and the first condom he spotted looked perfect. It advertised itself as a tight fit, and he was pretty sure that condoms were supposed to be tight, so he went with that one. ¡°Then here. Use this one.¡± He placed the condom in her hand before scooting backwards and resting down against the bed with his hands behind his head. ¡°What ¨C what do you think you¡¯re doing getting all comfy like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m making it easier for you to get to my dick. Plus I want to be comfy while I enjoy the show of you putting it on.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit too confident right now?¡± ¡°I promise you that the confidence is only an act to disguise the fact that my heart feels like it¡¯s about to burst out of my chest at any second. Well, it¡¯s fifty percent that and fifty percent pure arousal. It¡¯s easier to be confident once extremely horny.¡± ¡°I feel like the opposite is true for me.¡± Cassandra sighed and tore open the condom packet. Next was actually trying to put said condom on. Positioning herself between his legs, she was still wearing her clothes from earlier in the day as she reached down with each of her hands. One hand wrapped its fingers around the base of his length to hold it steady while her other hand fiddled with the condom. ¡°Need help?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I ¨C I can do this.¡± ¡°Do you know how to?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen videos. When¡¯s the last time you watched how to put one on properly?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good point.¡± Cassandra got back to work. Rather than hold onto his cock with one hand, she grabbed the ring of the condom with one hand while pulling on the tip of it to stretch it out a little. The ring looked thinner than he was thick, but it was also stretchy, so she didn¡¯t worry about it and instead wrapped her fingers back around his cock with one hand as her other positioned the ring around the tip of his length. All she had to do then was ¡°roll¡± it downward and that seemed to go pretty well. Though, it was stopped about two thirds of the way down his length and the ring seemed to be making an indent into his cock. ¡°Is¡­ this alright? I ¨C I forget how far it¡¯s supposed to go down and how to tell if it¡¯s the right size.¡± ¡°I guess we probably should have paid more attention to sex ed. But I mean¡­ it feels really tight, so it shouldn¡¯t slip off. And there¡¯s still space at the top, so it shouldn¡¯t get ripped or anything.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡­ think that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You know, we sound like a couple of teens who never paid attention to school.¡± Cassandra smiled and laughed a little. ¡°Yeah, we kind of do.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the secret to feeling young forever. If people in their fifties want to feel young again, all they have to do is have no idea whether a condom properly fits or not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s that simple, but maybe you should let Eva know about that theory so that she can do some science. Have her fun around asking a bunch of people in their fifties if they know how condoms work or not and see if there¡¯s a relation to how young they feel.¡± ¡°Pfftt. We¡¯ll let her know later.¡± ¡°Yeah. So¡­ now what?¡± ¡°Well, I have my dick out but the rest of my clothes on, and you still have all of your clothes on, so we should probably get naked.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Something else that makes sense is, since I let you put my condom on, it would only be fair for me to take your clothes off for you, right?¡± With a bit of a nervous blush once more coloring her cheeks, Cassandra nodded. Book 7: Chapter 12: Once it came to stripping Cassandra, Ryouta felt himself more at ease. He might not have been in the usual body he used when it came to having sex, but now that he was actually stripping her, the process was the same. Something like that should have been obvious. Of course taking her clothes off would be the same whether it was in real life or in-game. Yet, he didn¡¯t realize that it really would be the same until actually doing it. And because of that, he found himself feeling just a little bit more confident in what he was doing. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he might have practiced before with her bras in real life, Ryouta still had no idea how to get her bra off without being extremely clumsy about it. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to do it?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m sure,¡± Ryouta answered as he sat on his knees behind her, his fingers fumbling around with the clasp of her bra. ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°No, but normal sure will have to be ¨C there!¡± With a triumphant declaration, Ryouta successfully managed to unclasp Cassandra¡¯s ball and was quick to pull it over her arms so that he could hold it up overhead as if it were a trophy. Cassandra looked less than impressed with his bold display. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I love you.¡± With a smile, Ryouta tossed aside the bra and brought his hands to the front of her body, allowing each of them to grope and knead her breasts. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s anybody luckier than me.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s debatable.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Ryouta placed a single kiss on side of her neck. ¡°You¡¯re not going to elaborate, are you?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± While he might have technically still been a virgin in real life, her breasts were anything but unfamiliar to his hands. Well, to more than his hands. His hands, mouth, and his tool were all more than experienced with her chest. Groping those heavy mounds, lifting them up, teasing their peaks ¨C all of that was already natural to him despite the act of putting a condom on being something entirely foreign and uncomfortable. ¡°He-hey¡­ shouldn¡¯t we hurry up since we already put the condom on?¡± Cassandra asked, holding a moan back. ¡°And the others are waiting¡­¡± Ryouta kept one hand at her chest while his other hand slipped down into her panties, his fingers clumsily feeling around before finding her clit to focus on. ¡°The more aroused you are, the less it¡¯ll hurt, right? I think it works that way.¡± ¡°Is that seriously what you¡¯re worried about?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? You¡¯re my girlfriend and I love you. I want this to hurt as little as possible.¡± ¡°You know, it might not even hurt. Not every girl feels pain the first time.¡± ¡°Wait, really? I thought first times are supposed to be extremely painful for girls.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ no.¡± A deep sigh of relief left Ryouta¡¯s lips. ¡°Hearing that makes me so much less nervous.¡± Cassandra turned her body to the side, grabbed his head with a single hand, and pressed her lips against his. ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t something you needed to worry about¡­ thanks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insanely cute right now.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to grin in response to that. ¡°By the way, have I ever mentioned how amazing your boobs are?¡± ¡°A few times.¡± ¡°Dang. You don¡¯t blush anymore when I say that.¡± ¡°You say it every single time you touch them. And a ton of times when you¡¯re not touching them. What¡¯d you expect?¡± ¡°So, in other words, I¡¯m unoriginal.¡± ¡°You are, but I still love you.¡± Ryouta gave her a playful pout. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to try to be original then.¡± ¡°You can try.¡± Feeling challenged, he leaned in closer to her ear, his lips less than an inch away from them, and then¡­ he pulled away. ¡°I can¡¯t. I was going to try to whisper something really cheesy and dirty, but I started to cringe just imagining myself saying it.¡± Cassandra poked his forehead and then kissed his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re a dork. Don¡¯t try to act different. All you need to do is be yourself.¡± ¡°You know, you¡¯re actually pretty calm about all of this now. Was putting the condom on really the hardest part?¡± ¡°I¡¯m forcing myself to stay as calm as possible. If I don¡¯t¡­ then it actually might end up hurting.¡± ¡°So wait, I do need to worry?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t if you don¡¯t talk about it and make me think about it.¡± Taking a deep gulp, Ryouta tried his hardest to shake all of his worries out of his mind so that he could only focus on what was important. Right now, what was important was making sure that she was aroused. He already felt her getting wet with his fingers, but she wasn¡¯t getting as excited as usual. That meant either he was performing worse than usual, which he wasn¡¯t a fan of believing, or she really was more nervous than she was letting on now. If it was the latter, then it was time for him to bring out all the stops. Not to mention that said stops would also get him more excited and ready for it. While he kept one hand at her chest and another against her crotch, his latest attack involved one of the first things he ever discovered about her. Biting. His head was already close to her neck, so he opened his mouth and sunk his teeth into the skin of her neck. He might not have had Fenrir¡¯s fangs to bite deep into her neck¡ªdeeper than he probably ever should even in-game¡ªbut he was still able to bite her hard enough that she squirmed in a mixture of pleasure and pain. It was kind of ironic when he thought about it. In order to spare her from pain, he first had to cause pain. And he was pretty confident that his plan was working seeing as how he felt her get even wetter as a result. He also found himself getting smacked on the forehead which told him that he bit her enough. ¡°Sorry, was that too much?¡± he asked after pulling his mouth away from her now-bruised neck. Cassandra reached up to touch at where he bit and recoiled as soon as her fingers touched the bruise. ¡°I swear if this leaves a mark. What if Alice¡¯s dad sees it?! Or the maids?! People on the plane and in the airport?!¡± ¡°They won¡¯t be able to see it if you wear a sweater.¡± ¡°Sweaters aren¡¯t the solution to every problem!¡± ¡°But they could be if you believe in the power of the sweaters.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°That was way too quick of a denial.¡± ¡°N-o. Was that slow enough?¡± Despite her sass, Cassandra looked happy. Peaceful, even. Sure, her neck still hurt because Ryouta bit her with the force that he would normally use in a video game where she only felt a very minimal amount of pain, but she was still smiling and had nothing but endearment in her eyes as she looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ll try converting you some other time. For now, uh¡­ do you think we¡¯re ready?¡± Ryouta asked, looking at her much in the same way that she looked at him. She may have refused to join the cult of sweater worshippers that he so dearly wished to expand, but she was still the woman he loved with all his heart. ¡°I¡­ think so.¡± She pulled his hand out from her panties and leaned back on the bed so that she could lift up her legs and pull the only remaining cloth on her off. With that, she was left totally bare and exposed to Ryouta. Neither nude around one another was another thing that neither of them were inexperienced with, including in real life. But now that they knew what was about to happen, it was impossible not to feel like this time was different. Even so, neither of them intended on wasting the time nor arousal they had. First, Ryouta reached behind her to grab one of Alice¡¯s pillows so that he could pull it closer. ¡°Lift your head for a moment,¡± he said. Once she did, he positioned the pillow directly underneath her head. ¡°There. Is that better?¡± In classic Cassandra fashion, her cheeks turned a shade of red from the thoughtful gesture. ¡°You really do worry about things you don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Hey, your neck health is important to me. Can¡¯t have you hurting your neck when we¡¯re only just beginning.¡± Cassandra rolled her eyes before reached up to wrap her arms around Ryouta¡¯s neck. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready¡­ I¡¯m ready¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯m gonna do it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that! That just makes me nervous.¡± ¡°What if I bite your neck while doing it?¡± ¡°I ¨C that¡­ well¡­ if ¨C if, and only if, you bite as low as you can so I can cover it up¡­ fine.¡± With permission for his plan, Ryouta brought his head back down to hers and didn¡¯t waste any time in finding a good spot to bite. He bit her right where her neck met her shoulder, sinking his teeth into her skin to hopefully overwhelm her with pain and some pleasure so that she wouldn¡¯t be stressed out and end up in even greater pain. Meanwhile, as his right arm worked on keeping himself propped up over her, his left hand reached down for his cock and took ahold of it. The condom was still on and he was still hard, so he had everything that he needed. Now, all he needed to do was position his crotch against hers and feel around. Ryouta couldn¡¯t exactly see what he was doing due to basically still having his face tucked against her neck, but he at least knew what he had to do. That involved grabbing his cock and aiming for her entrance. It was a different sensation than what he was used to with the condom on, but he did find her lower lips and knew that he was close. All he had to do after that was aim a bit lower since he already knew the real entrance was always a little bit lower than expected, get a bit of help from Cassandra in the form of her raising her hips for him to make penetration easier, and then¡­ he did it. He finally did it. He slid his cock into her. Going slow and carefully to make sure that she wouldn¡¯t be in any pain, Ryouta pushed his cock into Cassandra and kept on going until he had a reaction from her. And that reaction was feeling her drag her nails down his back with enough strength that he felt like she made him bleed. Ryotua left his cock inside of her, but he let go of her neck with his teeth and brought his head up so that he could look down at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did that hurt?¡± he asked. Though, he didn¡¯t even need to ask once he actually noticed her expression. With tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Cassandra was clearly forcing herself to keep her mouth shut as she shook her head from side to side. ¡°No-not at all.¡± Even when she talked, it was abundantly clear from her voice that she was in a great deal of pain. ¡°Sorry. Here, I¡¯ll pull ou¡ª¡± Cassandra wrapped her legs around Ryouta¡¯s waist. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± ¡°What? Why not? We can wait until the pain weras off.¡± ¡°Just¡­ kiss me.¡± Ryouta still planned on pulling out, but that didn¡¯t stop him from doing as requested and kissing her. It was during the latest kiss, though, that Cassandra found the courage and determination to tighten the hug of her legs around his waist, pushing his cock even deeper into her until the entirety of his length was sheathed within her. A pained moan forced itself past her lips as her eyes rolled backward a little, her nails once more digging into Ryouta¡¯s back. ¡°He-heh¡­ there,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Con-congratulations on losing your virginity, you bastard.¡± That was when it hit Ryouta. He finally, finally lost his virginity. After so damn long waiting and putting it off at every opportunity, always finding excuses due to all of his worries and insecurities¡­ there he was. And to make it even better, he just got some highest quality tsundere fanservice in all of existence. He wasn¡¯t even aware that such premium fanservice existed. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°I ¨C I know. Now¡­ gi-give me a few minutes.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Seeing as how Cassandra clearly had no intention of letting him pull out given the strength of her legs¡¯ grip, Ryouta opted for kissing her to try and make her feel better. Whether it was kissing her lips, her nose, her cheeks, or her jaw or chin, he tried his best to make her feel better in what little ways that he could. He figured that this helped since the longer it went on for, the wider her smile grew and the less pained she looked. ¡°Alright¡­ I think I¡¯m ready,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Yeah. Just¡­ you know, don¡¯t be too rough.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Promise.¡± Cassandra loosened her legs around Ryouta so that he had enough space to do some of the work himself. And now it was time for exactly that. Ryouta pulled his hips back just a little so that he could begin to pull his cock back, but he made sure that the top third of his length stayed inside of her and gently pushed right back into her with the rest of it. He wasn¡¯t sure whether she was arching her back because of pain or pleasure, but he did know that he was grateful she switched to clutching the bed sheets instead of trying to dig through his back. He sped up only a little over time. Cassandra¡¯s comfort was his highest priority. Between frequently checking on her with whispered questions and making sure to watch her face, as embarrassing as that might have been to her, Ryouta never once sped up his movements without first being sure that she could handle it. And handle it she did. Her back¡¯s arching became almost entirely driven by pleasure as she grew accustomed to having his size inside of her. Sure, she was still uncomfortable, but she knew that wasn¡¯t going to go away anytime soon ¨C at least, she knew that it wasn¡¯t going to go away soon during this first night. The majority of pain going away was good enough for her. Even so, she had an idea. ¡°Bi-bite me more,¡± she whispered up to Ryouta. Ryouta, who was practically lost in lust and was inspired with enough confidence to do anything at the moment, wasted no time in satisfying her request. He bit down on where her neck met her shoulder on the opposite side of where he last bit her, and he bit hard. ¡°Nngh!¡± A loud moan forced itself out of Cassandra. Fortunately, her idea worked just as she hoped it would. If there was only a minor amount of pain left, then that was pain which could easily be overwhelmed by a much more pleasurable variety of it. That made it far easier for her to focus solely on the pleasure. And when she was able to do that, she found herself steadily getting closer to an orgasm. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m close,¡± Ryouta grunted out after pulling his mouth away from her. Cassandra wasn¡¯t about to try and talk since she knew that she would most likely make embarrassing noises if she did, so she nodded her head instead to let him know that it was alright. Ryouta picked up on that but still tried to hold back for as long as possible. There was still a bit of hope inside of him that he would be able to make her orgasm before he did, though he knew just how unlikely that was given that it was their first time. Once he returned to biting her, though¡­ he succeeded. He felt her entire body tremble underneath him. Her passage tightened around him just as her legs did, she arched her back and pushed her breasts up against his chest, and she pushed her head back against the pillow as she shut her eyes and tried her hardest not to let any noises out. While Ryouta might have succeeded, Cassandra did not. Holding back the pleasured noises was simply impossible. They made sure to get out whether she approved or not, and those noises combined with the satisfaction of making her orgasm were enough to make Ryouta cum. Unfortunately for Cassandra, she wouldn¡¯t get to feel him shoot it directly inside of her like she was so used to in-game, but Ryouta still got to feel all the usual pleasure as he pumped the condom full of his seed. Once both of their orgasms were over, Ryouta relaxed on top of her, being careful not to put all of his weight on her, and there was no way that the idiotic grin stretching his lips would be going away anytime soon. ¡°How ¨C how was that?¡± he asked, already sounding out of breath. ¡°Didn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t hurt at all,¡± Cassandra answered, also sounding out of breath. ¡°You¡¯re a horrible liar.¡± ¡°Shush.¡± Their lips found their way against each other once more and stayed like that for a few minutes. It was only when they remembered that they still had four girlfriends waiting for them that they finally broke the kiss and allowed Ryouta to pull out. Ryouta went pale as soon as he looked down at the condom. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°I ¨C I¡­ I think it broke,¡± Ryouta answered. Cassandra leaned up in an instant, which was something she regretted due to how sore she felt, and looked down at the condom. Her immediate reaction was panic as well but, given that she actually knew about her body, she relaxed right after. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. That¡¯s normal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not normal for a condom to break!¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t break, you dork. All that stuff is on the outside. It¡¯s just¡­ discharge. It¡¯s normal. It doesn¡¯t even look like actual cum.¡± Hearing that calmed Ryouta down enough to properly examine the situation. He also did this by pinching the tip of the condom and rolling it around, feeling that his cum was trapped inside of it. ¡°It¡¯s even sticky,¡± he said after getting some of the white discharge on his fingers. He also ended up getting a bit of her blood on his fingers given that the condom had spots of blood mixed in with the discharge all over it. ¡°I¡­ I had no idea girls did this.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t describe it. I already feel embarrassed enough seeing that much of it.¡± She then looked down at the sheets and saw the combination of blood and wetness soaked into them. ¡°Shit. I think that¡¯s going to stain¡­¡± ¡°I doubt Alice is going to mind.¡± ¡°I mind! It¡¯s embarrassing!¡± Ryouta placed a hand on top of her head to pet her. Such an action would normally receive a flustered and cute response from her. Instead, Cassandra looked like she was about to kill him. ¡°Wha-what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Is that the hand that you were just touching the condom with?¡± He then realized what was wrong. He basically ended up wiping some of the bloodied discharge into her hair. ¡°A-ah¡­ sorry. I¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just uh¡­ going to go and get a wet towel, alright?¡± Cassandra¡¯s only response was to glare at him as he got up, went over to the private bathroom attached to Alice¡¯s bedroom, and got a towel. Though, he did figure that he might as well take the condom off and throw it into the bathroom¡¯s trash before returning back over to the bed with the towel. That was when he noticed something. The side of the condom was torn. It wasn¡¯t just his imagination, either. The side of it was actually torn open. Once again full of panic, he checked the condom out. Fortunately, the tear didn¡¯t extend past his glans from what he could tell. It was nothing more than a scary reminder telling him to wear a properly fitting condom the next time seeing as how this one was clearly too tight if it ended up tearing. Two back-to-back panics weren¡¯t good for Ryouta¡¯s heart. That was why, after tossing the condom in the trash and bringing a wet towel over to Cassandra to wipe her hair where he petted her, he flopped facedown onto the bed and sighed. Sex was both far easier and far scarier than he ever imagined it being. But he did finally have sex, and that made him proud. Book 7: Chapter 13: ¡°Should we go get the others now?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassandra answered with a nod before trying to get up off of the bed. That was a mistake. Every little movement seemed to cause significant pain within her now-sore crotch. ¡°You ¨C you can go get them. I think I¡¯m going to rest here for a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Does it hurt that much?¡± ¡°Shush. Don¡¯t apologize for things you don¡¯t need to apologize for.¡± ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t apologize, but can I give you a kiss and hope that it helps?¡± Cassandra smiled and looked away. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Now that he had her permission, Ryouta leaned in and placed a single kiss on her cheek. Then he grabbed her chin and turned her head so that she would be facing him again, allowing him to properly kiss her on the lips. ¡°Did that help at all?¡± ¡°Not at all, but¡­ I still appreciate it. Now go get the others.¡± Ryouta gave her another kiss before saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going. You¡¯re already tired of being alone with me. I see how it is.¡± ¡°It ¨C it¡¯s not that. I¡¯d just feel bad keeping them waiting. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only one who was looking forward to all of this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so kind, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°Now, go away before I actually do get tired of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going.¡± Ryouta slipped his clothes back on, ending up with a backwards shirt, before heading over to the guest room next to theirs. He made sure to give them a little knock first, only to have Alice calling for him to enter in return. What he ended up coming across was a pretty nice sight. While the guest room¡¯s bed might not have been as big as Alice¡¯s, it was still large enough for all four girls to have some fun on. Serra in particular seemed to be enjoying herself the most as she was in the middle of sticking her head between Azalabulia¡¯s thighs with her mouth working at the taller woman¡¯s vulva. As for Azalabulia, she looked shocked and unprepared for Ryouta to have came in the room. Her hands were on Serra¡¯s head as if trying to get her attention or to push her away, but Serra had no idea what was going on what with being deaf and her face being buried into Azalabulia¡¯s crotch. Then there were Alice and Eva. Alice might have been the one underneath Eva, but she had her arms wrapped around Eva to keep her from getting away. Eva, too, looked like a deer caught in the headlights with both of her hands slipped up inside of Alice¡¯s dress to grope her chest. ¡°I really thought that I¡¯d be the most embarrassed one, but it looks like I was wrong,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I get Aza¡¯s reaction, but you, Eva?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m surprised you actually came in here,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Though, I think it¡¯s mainly due to the fact that being walked in on, in real life, in a private room, while my hands are up inside of somebody¡¯s elses shirt, is surprising. Even though I heard you and knew that Alice said to come in¡­ I guess I wasn¡¯t actually expecting you to do it for some reason.¡± ¡°Fair enough. I don¡¯t get it, but fair enough.¡± ¡°My hero!¡± Alice spoke up. ¡°How was it? Do you feel like a new man now? Have you ascended one of the steps toward¡­ whatever it is that you wish to reach?¡± ¡°Well, I can officially say I¡¯m not a virgin anymore. And it was great. I think Cass Cass might disagree, though. She can barely move now.¡± ¡°Goodness, my hero! Coming in here to brag to us about how you were so brutal that you left her hardly able to move?! Is this a show of dominance letting us know that we should expect the same brutality from you? I knew that you could be quite the animal in-game, but I had no idea you would be such a monstrous brute in reality!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to get me arrested one of these days from somebody overhearing you talk like that.¡± ¡°Ah, to have the love of my life locked away behind bars. Perhaps I will be left to raise our child without a father, our poor child only ever able to look at you through a glass wall. What a horrible fate¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be horny, not depressing.¡± ¡°Why not both?¡± Eva raised her hand. ¡°I vote for only being horny.¡± Ryouta looked at Azalabulia now. ¡°Aza, your vote? Horny or depressed?¡± Azalabulia wasn¡¯t able to give a proper response. All she could do was sit there as Serra continued her masterful tongue work, holding a single hand over her mouth now to stop any embarrassing noises from escaping as her other hand now instinctively pulled Serra¡¯s head closer without her even realizing it. Something else she didn¡¯t realize was that her thighs, which were thicker than Serra¡¯s head, tightly squeezed around the smaller girl¡¯s head now. It suddenly became a life-or-death situation for Serra. She knew that the only way to gain freedom was to continue pleasuring Azalabulia until she came, overwhelming her with pleasure and giving Serra the opportunity to escape. Sure, there were other methods, but that was the only one that Serra actually cared about despite quickly running out of air. ¡°I do believe that is a vote for horny, unfortunately,¡± Alice said. ¡°Very well. We will only be horny rather than horny and depressed.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Ryouta said, his eyes locked onto the sight of Serra and Azalabulia. The good news for Azalabulia was that she managed to hold back her sounds from sheer willpower refusing to allow herself to be embarrassed any further, especially seeing as how the door to the room was still open which meant that anybody else in the mansion might have been able to hear if she was accidentally too loud. The bad news was that ¨C well, there wasn¡¯t really any bad news. The closest thing to bad news was that she was just brought to orgasm in front of everybody while they were watching, which was a bit embarrassing, but it also felt incredible. A muffled moan against her hand was all that escaped her mouth as Azalabulia arched her back and squeezed her thighs even more tightly around Serra¡¯s head. A few moments later and Azalabulia flopped backwards, defeated and thoroughly pleasured, and released Serra from the prison of her thighs. Serra took a deep breath once she was free. Her face was covered in the sexual fluids of Azalabulia which she wore with pride, and the sides of her head were red from just how hard those incredible thighs were trying to cave in her skull. Ryouta and Serra gave each other a classic thumbs-up before everybody left to go and rejoin with Cassandra in Alice¡¯s bedroom. Azalabulia followed after the rest of them after making sure to readjust her clothes since Serra never even bothered taking them off properly. Once they were back in there, Azalabulia closed the door while Ryouta carried Alice over to the bed. Serra, of course, rushed over to the naked Cassandra on the bed to check up on her. ¡°Here we are,¡± Ryouta said as he set Alice down on the bed. ¡°Thank you, my dearest hero. Now then, I demand a show,¡± Alice said. ¡°A ¨C a show?¡± ¡°Yes. Strip for me. Preferably while dancing.¡± ¡°Absolutely no to the dancing part. And why ¨C why do you want me to strip?¡± ¡°You already had sex once and left Cassandra there naked and tired. Would it not be right to strip so that you may rejoin her in nudity?¡± ¡°When you put it that way, it does kind of make me feel guilty that I¡¯m not naked with her.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Cassandra spoke up. ¡°You know how embarrassing it is being stuck here in pain, naked, while everybody else is dressed still? Get naked.¡± ¡°That is two votes for getting naked!¡± Alice declared. ¡°Eva?¡± ¡°I vote naked.¡± ¡°Aza?¡± Azalabulia wasn¡¯t able to look in their direction when she answered, but she did nod her head. ¡°That makes it a majority vote!¡± Alice announced. ¡°Alright, but you¡¯re not getting a fancy show. I¡¯m just getting naked like usual,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Then please do proceed!¡± Ryouta sighed as everybody got comfortable on the bed. At least being naked around his girlfriends wasn¡¯t anything that he wasn¡¯t used to. Well, at least when it came to Serra, Cassandra, and Alice. He never got to be naked around Azalabulia and Eva in real life, but he did exchange sexual pictures with them over text, so it wasn¡¯t like any of them were seeing anything that they hadn¡¯t already seen. Well, he only ever got pictures of Eva¡¯s bare breasts before and only pictures while in lingerie from Azalabulia. They both got to see his dick before, though, which was the only part he really felt any embarrassment over. Once he was naked, Alice gave him a little clap and said, ¡°Thank you very much! So, this is the body that left the poor Cassandra in such a ravaged state.¡± ¡°I feel like you¡¯re going to get your hopes too high if you keep on mentioning ravaging,¡± Ryouta said before climbing up onto the bed to join her. Then he immediately went for the condoms since he figured that they¡¯d be getting right into it since they already had him naked again. ¡°Oh my. Are you that excited?¡± ¡°Well, I figured that none of you are exactly in the mood to be kept waiting. Plus now that I¡¯ve already done it once, doing it again doesn¡¯t feel that¡­ intimidating.¡± To prove his point, he already had another one of the previous condoms opened and he was hard enough to put it on already. ¡°Ah¡­ my hero?¡± Alice said. ¡°That¡­ is much too small. Do you not know how to properly pick a condom?¡± Ryouta might not have felt very embarrassed before, but he did feel embarrassed now. ¡°Uh¡­ no? I just thought that¡­ tight is probably good because it means that it won¡¯t slip off.¡± ¡°Goodness, my hero. Look at him! The poor thing is being choked!¡± ¡°It is kind of uncomfortable. Also¡­ it¡¯s kind of hot when you talk about it like that.¡± ¡°As if it is its own being?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Alice smiled and nodded. ¡°I see! In that case, it would only be proper for me to help him out! Being choked so cruelly by you ¨C how mean.¡± With that, Alice picked up the various condoms and positioned herself between his legs. Serra figured that now would be a good time to have some fun with Cassandra seeing as how she was already naked. If Ryouta wasn¡¯t already hard again, he definitely was after seeing Serra move to grope and kiss Cassandra¡¯s breasts with the occasional lick and suck thrown in. Meanwhile, Eva and Azalabulia were not exactly sure what they were supposed to be doing. That meant it was time for Eva to bring out the knowledge that she gained from reading on how to be a good boyfriend. ¡°Aza,¡± Eva said, even going so far as to lower her voice a little. ¡°Ye-yes?¡± Azalabulia asked with flushed cheeks of her own now that Eva¡¯s face was right in front of hers. There was somebody else that Eva could learn from, too. Serra. Eva grabbed Azalabulia¡¯s shoulder and gently pushed her down until she was on her back, allowing Eva to get on top of her abdomen to bring her lips against the other¡¯s. Azalabulia may have been pure red, especially since she had practically zero experience with Eva and little sexual experience overall, but that didn¡¯t stop her from enjoying the sudden display of dominance from Eva and she certainly did not try to stop it, either. Even as Eva slid one hand down her abdomen toward her crotch, Azalabulia only felt a hint of excited anticipation as that hand slowly made it closer and closer to her crotch. She would have felt much more than only a hint of it if it were not for the overwhelming amount of embarrassment forcing all other emotions into the back of her mind. Back to between Ryouta¡¯s legs, Alice pulled Ryouta¡¯s condom off with a smile. ¡°There!¡± she said. ¡°Much better, yes? I am sure that you feel like you can properly breathe again now.¡± Ryouta¡¯s dick might not have been able to say anything back to her, but that didn¡¯t mean that it couldn¡¯t still communicate. It was just that it communicated in the way of throbs rather than words. Though, some of the ¡°throbs¡± might have been a bit exaggerated thanks to Ryouta forcing them by flexing the muscles in his pelvis. ¡°See? Look how happy he is now!¡± Alice brought her head just a little bit closer to his cock so that she could place a single kiss on its tip, earning a legitimate throb from it that time. ¡°Have I ever mentioned how much I love to pamper him?¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ryouta answered, excited for whatever was going to come next. ¡°Ah, in that case, let me reassure you now that I truly do love him. I love this cute tip that looks like a mushroom,¡± she paused to place another kiss on the tip, ¡°this long shaft that feels so delightful when I wrap my hands around it,¡± and another kiss, this time on the shaft, ¡°and even these two little brothers a bit lower down.¡± She lifted up his sack with one hand to place a kiss against each of the orbs within it. ¡°I truly love every single part of him. Of course, my love for him pales to my love for the one who he is attached to, but I will make sure to spoil him nonetheless!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to spoil him as much as you want, whenever you want.¡± ¡°Oh? You would like that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is it possible to not like something like that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose you may have a point there.¡± While gently rolling Ryouta¡¯s orbs around within the palm of her hand, Alice returned her lips to the tip of his length to cover every spot of it with her kisses. Her kisses were soft and gentle ¨C loving. Every kiss had the same amount of love poured into it that she used when kissing him on the lips. After all, even if she was talking to his length as if it was separated from him, she knew that it was still just another part of him that deserved as much love as any other part. So, she made sure that both him and his cock fully understood just how much she truly loved them with her repeated kisses. ¡°Now then! You still need a proper condom. Which size was that one?¡± Ryouta was a bit disappointed that the kisses stopped, but anything short of cumming was going to be a bit disappointing at the moment. And he knew that he needed to save his arousal for the actual fucking. ¡°It was an extra tight fit, I think?¡± he answered. ¡°I see. If there is one thing that I can appreciate about those who market these tools, it is that they do not outright say they are for smaller sizes. Calling them ¡®extra tight¡¯ sounds much friendlier. Alas, you are a fool who underestimates your own size.¡± ¡°A fool? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you call me that before.¡± ¡°Then should I call you it again?¡± ¡°I kind of liked it.¡± ¡°Between learning that you like me talking to your friend here and now this, I am learning all sorts of my hero¡¯s fetishes today. Though, when I think of calling you a fool, I imagine myself pinning you against the wall and whispering into your ear that you are a foolish boy.¡± Ryouta didn¡¯t even need to give her an answer to that. His cock did all the answering for him as it throbbed in excitement at the idea, causing Alice to wear a smug smile of satisfaction. ¡°Oh my. Perhaps I have made a mistake always imagining myself as the submissive one in my fantasies. It would appear that I need to imagine you as the submissive one while I have my way with you.¡± Ryouta didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be blushing anymore after already having sex. What could potentially be more embarrassing than finally having sex while extremely self-conscious of himself and then being seen naked by all of his girlfriends at the same time? Well, apparently, realizing that he really wanted to be dominated by Alice, who was usually the extremely submissive and masochistic one, was incredibly exciting to him. And it was just as embarrassing as it was exciting. ¡°I ¨C I won¡¯t deny that, but let¡¯s be fair. We¡¯ll take turns since¡­ I guess we¡¯re both into roles.¡± ¡°That sounds like a lovely compromise, my hero. Ah, or should I say, ¡®my foolish boy?¡¯¡± ¡°I think we can leave the kinky stuff for another time. How about we be equals for now?¡± Alice may have been smiling from finding a bit of sadistic pleasure in teasing him as a dominant, but hearing him wish for them to be equals ¨C well, there was no easier way to make her grin with love. ¡°I will have you know that I am kissing your lips no fewer than a hundred times before this night is over, my hero.¡± ¡°You could always do that every night.¡± ¡°Very true, but I fear our lips would get awfully chapped if we did it that frequently. They may even fall off from excessive, neverending kissing!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°Perhaps not, but what is a problem if you not knowing how to pick a condom. Now then, let us try this one.¡± Alice picked out one of the condoms that she brought with her to between Ryouta¡¯s legs. It advertised itself as thinner than all of its competition while being incredibly durable and fitting ¡®most men.¡¯ She assumed that, if it was marketing itself toward most men, it must have been suitable for average sizes. Since she had no idea how his cock compared to all the others in the world, she figured that starting off with average would probably be a good idea. Carefully, she took the condom out of its packaging and rolled it down onto his length. It managed to cover the entirety of his length, leaving the rim snug against his crotch without making an indent in his tool like the previous condoms did. ¡°How does it feel?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Yeah¡­ the difference is insane. This feels so much better than the others,¡± Ryouta answered. Alice was very clearly proud of herself. ¡°This is why you try on multiple sizes! I am sure that he is much happier with his new jacket than that previous one which was far too small. Though, I am curious about one thing.¡± She wrapped her fingers around his length, giving it a few strokes up and down while applying gentle pressure. ¡°How does this feel? I do hope that too much of the sensation is not lost.¡± ¡°It still doesn¡¯t feel as good as it would without, but I can already feel more than I felt with the last one.¡± ¡°I see! Well, we will have to settle with this for now. Now then, have you picked which of us you would love to ravage with your powerful and mighty destroyer of purity?¡± ¡°My ¨C my¡­ my powerful and mighty destroyer of purity?¡± ¡°I will admit, that was a bit too much even for me, but I thought of it and could not resist. Also, the question remains regardless of how I phrased it.¡± ¡°Well, everybody else is kind of busy, so¡­ I guess me and you?¡± ¡°Ah, I am afraid I will have to decline for now. While I would be more than happy to provide my friend here with some affectionate company, I am not sure that I am ready to be so thoroughly broken by him.¡± Ryouta wasn¡¯t sure how he was supposed to respond. Eva and Azalabulia were busy together and so were Serra and Cassandra. Alice was the only one not occupied with any of the other girls but she wasn¡¯t ready for her turn yet. Though, she did at least offer to keep him company until one of the other girls was ready. ¡°This isn¡¯t as easy as it looks in hentai,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°Those guys just go from girl to girl picking any random one they want without warning.¡± ¡°You are welcome to try that yourself, my hero. I do not think any of them would mind.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d rather them be ready for it instead. If I tried that with you ¨C you said yourself you¡¯re not ready.¡± ¡°Hmm. That is true. Well, until we figure something out, please do me a favor and pull me up some more.¡± Alice raised her arms up for him. Seeing as how she didn¡¯t have working legs, and didn¡¯t want to climb up his body, she wanted his help. ¡°Put me next to you, please!¡± Seeing her with her arms waiting for him while wearing a smile on her face was endearing enough to make Ryouta smile as he pulled her up and set her next to him on the bed. ¡°This good?¡± ¡°Very much so, thank you!¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you want to sit here?¡± ¡°So that I can do this, of course.¡± Alice leaned against Ryouta¡¯s side to press her breasts against his arm with her own arm wrapped around his back while her other hand reached down to his crotch, wrapping her fingers around his length to pump it from the tip to the base as she reached up to press her lips against his cheek. ¡°This should be a nice way of spending time together until one of the others is ready, yes?¡± Ryouta nodded and kissed her back. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. I guess¡­ a part of me kind of feels like I should be fucking all of you at the same time or something, somehow. But I guess that doesn¡¯t really make any sense and is only possible in hentai.¡± ¡°Rather than treat this like some sort of harem hentai, you should keep in mind that we¡¯re all equal partners here. Usually, in those, the women only care about the man rather than each other, yes? So they often spend all their time dedicated to whatever the man wants. You should relax and let the pressure slip away. In its place, all you must do is, as they say, ¡®go with the flow.¡¯ Worry less about what you think you should be doing and focus only one what you feel like doing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Then again, have you ever been wrong?¡± ¡°Not that I am aware of! And if you can think of any moments where I may have been wrong before, I assure you that they are figments of your imagination or the delusions of a madman.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡± Before Ryouta could finish his sentence, a new sensation grabbed his attention. Serra brought herself between his legs. Since Serra was the only one who made her in-game body the exact same as her real-life body, she was the most comfortable when it came to stripping and getting naked in front of everybody. She was already the most confidently sexual out of all of them and that became even more obvious when in reality. Now naked after quickly tossing her clothes off the bed, she would get to prove that even more. She climbed up onto his lap with a smug little smile before wrapping her arms around his neck. Alice retracted her hand so that Ryouta¡¯s cock could become sandwiched between his and Serra¡¯s abdomens as she pressed herself against him, her chest against his as she looked up at him with closed eyes and lips ready to be kissed. Ryouta got the message and tilted his head down a bit more so that he could easily reach her lips and press his against hers, giving the smallest of his girlfriends a gentle kiss as his length throbbed between them. Going with the flow turned out to be pretty effective. Though, it was more like he was going with Serra¡¯s flow, not that he minded at all. Alice took a quick look over at Cassandra only to see her panting with bite marks all over her neck and shoulders. She looked like she needed some time to recover, so Alice stayed with Ryouta to give him a bit of hentai-tier fanservice as Serra grinded against his length. Part of her was tempted to tease him about how he went from having no idea what to do to making out with Serra while getting grinded, but she didn¡¯t want to interrupt them nor the mood. More importantly, she wanted to have a bit of fun herself. Since both Serra and Cassandra were stripped now in addition to Ryouta, Alice finally slipped out of her own clothes. Now she could directly press herself up against Ryouta¡¯s side, peppering his shoulder with kisses as she stroked his back with one of her hands. Meanwhile, her other hand reached behind Serra and did the same with hers. Though, since Serra¡¯s rear was more reachable than Ryouta¡¯s, Alice¡¯s hand occasionally slipped down to it for a feel and squeeze. As for Serra, a bit of kissing was enough for her before deciding that she finally wanted to go the rest of the way. She was set on doing it herself, too. She reached down between their bodies, grabbed onto Ryouta¡¯s shaft, and aimed it against her entrance. She had no idea that Ryouta was feeling unsure of what he was supposed to do. All she knew was that she tired out Cassandra and that Ryouta¡¯s cock was available. So, just like in-game, it only made sense for her to climb up onto it and take it into her. And that was exactly what she did. The moment that she felt his cock lined up at her entrance, she lowered herself down to take it into her. Her body was smaller than all the others¡¯, yet she seemed to handle taking him into her far easier than Cassandra did. Or rather¡­ she did until she had about half of his length inside of her. It was at that moment that Serra¡¯s eyes widened a bit from the pain. Used to how it was in the game, she didn¡¯t exactly try to go slow or anything. She understood that some discomfort was to be expected, but she never would have guessed that it would feel as painful as it did. Yet, she refused to give up. Not wanting Ryouta to see her face since she knew he would feel bad and want to stop if he saw how much pain she was in, she tucked her face against his neck and bit his skin there. She used wanting to give him a hickey as a cover-up for her pain as she lowered the rest of her body onto his length. Serra had regrets. She had many regrets. After getting all worked up and horny with Cassandra, not to mention the other girls while waiting for them to be allowed back into the room, she forgot that she couldn¡¯t just treat this like normal. She went at it just as she would in-game. At least she could be a little bit proud of herself, though. She managed to successfully take his entire length into her without any hesitation. But no matter how proud she might have been of herself, that wasn¡¯t enough to stop her from crying. While Serra might not have realized how loud she was being with her pained whimpers, Ryouta and Alice heard and immediately moved to check on her. It was only when Ryouta pulled Serra away from his neck that he saw her with tears in her eyes desperately trying not to cry, but that wasn¡¯t an option for her. Those tears came out whether she approved or not. Fortunately for her, she was surrounded by those who wanted nothing more than to make her feel better. Ryouta wrapped his arms around her for a gentle hug as he slowly lifted her up off of his length¡­ but Serra refused. She shook her head no matter how much pain that she might have been in. After finally getting this far, there was no way that she was going to give up. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ryouta asked, looking her directly in the eyes. Serra nodded. If she gave up here, she would no longer be able to think of herself as the group¡¯s top pervert. Well, it wasn¡¯t like such a thing mattered in the first place, but she had at least a little bit of pride in being the one who could always take the lead in any sexual situation. Alice, wanting to help at least a little, placed a hand on Serra¡¯s back to rub and stroke as the smaller girl insisted on moving herself up and down on Ryouta¡¯s cock. Ryouta, meanwhile, stayed perfectly still to let Serra have full control. It took a few minutes, but Serra grew more used to the painful sensation of being stuffed in the real world and started to feel some pleasure from it. That pleasure, even if miniscule, encouraged her to keep on going and to even speed up a little. Even if she wasn¡¯t sure that she¡¯d be able to orgasm due to the pain, she was definitely going to make sure that Ryouta came. Once Serra was really able to properly get into it, she leaned forward against Ryouta with her chin resting on his shoulder as she continued to ride him. This allowed Alice to reach up and bring her lips to Serra¡¯s. Between Serra and Alice kissing over his shoulder, being ridden by Serra, and getting to watch as Eva brought Azalabulia to another orgasm of her own with her hand, it didn¡¯t take much more than that for Ryouta to cum. Though, he wanted to let her know. He wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be able to feel his condom fill up inside of her, and he felt like suddenly stopping without warning would be boring, so he opted for taking advantage of her exposed shoulder right in front of him. Ryouta bit into her shoulder, making sure not to bite too hard at first. It was only when he was at the verge of cumming that he started to bite harder. Serra got the message and put as much effort as she could tolerate into riding him. Serra¡¯s pride succeeded in drawing that orgasm out from him. Just knowing that he was close was enough to get her close, and then feeling him bite so hard into her shoulder, letting her know that he came, was enough for her. Serra¡¯s moans came out against Alice¡¯s lips as Ryouta pumped the second condom full of his seed. Now exhausted and even more sore than Cassandra, Serra didn¡¯t even want to get off of Ryouta. All she did was go limp on him as heavy breaths left her lips. Well, there was one more thing that she did, and that was raising a hand to give him a thumbs-up. Ryouta smiled and kissed the side of her head after seeing that. ¡°Thanks, Serra. I love you,¡± he whispered into her ear even though he knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him. However, that smile of contentment would soon turn into a slightly stressed smile as Alice whispered, ¡°Congratulations, my hero. Two down, three to go. Do you think you have what it takes to last?¡± All she got in response was a nervous laugh. Book 7: Chapter 14: Alice still wasn¡¯t ready, Serra and Cassandra were already down, so that left Ryouta with two options: Azalabulia and Eva. Seeing as how Azalabulia was already going and came a few times from being played with by the others, Ryouta figured that she would be a good next target. She was already ready and everything. Relaxed, aroused, and prepared. Also, naked. Well, everybody was naked at that point. After getting a new condom on, Ryouta left Alice with Serra and crawled on the bed over to where the other two were. ¡°Having fun over here?¡± he asked, not sure of how else he was supposed to suddenly join the fun when they were already having fun with each other. Well, it was more like Eva was having fun with Azalabulia. The latter was pretty much only lying there while the former relentlessly teased her with her hands. ¡°Yeah,¡± Eva answered. ¡°I think I¡¯m doing a pretty good job at this. All the studying I did must have worked.¡± ¡°By studying, do you mean watching a bunch of porn or something?¡± ¡°Basically. Speaking of that, do you know how much of a pain it is to find girl-on-girl porn made for girls? Even though way more women admit to watching porn these days, I swear the majority of it is still made for guys. You have to go find amateur stuff for genuine scenes between girls.¡± ¡°This is why hentai is better. I have no idea if it¡¯s actually better or not when it comes to that, but I¡¯ll still call it better.¡± ¡°You have to do research and gather evidence if you want to call it that.¡± ¡°Too much work. I¡¯ll be a mad scientist instead of a real scientist.¡± ¡°Mad scientists still do research. The difference is that their research is usually unethical or insane.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be a lazy scientist.¡± ¡°I¡­ guess I can¡¯t argue against that. Anyways, let¡¯s let her answer your question.¡± Ryouta and Eva looked down at Azalabulia. As soon as the older woman noticed both of them looking at her face, she covered her reddened self up with her hands to try and hide from them. ¡°D-don¡¯t look at me right now. This is too embarrassing,¡± she whined. ¡°But you¡¯re even cuter when you¡¯re embarrassed,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not drunk enough for this¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t hide behind alcohol every time you want to have sex.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Eva joined in. ¡°That¡¯s really bad for you.¡± Azalabulia whined even more. ¡°You know,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°if you¡¯re not ready for it tonight, we don¡¯t have to. We can do it some other time. Like the next time we meet. Or¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Azalabulia said, spreading her fingers so that she could peek out between them. ¡°I ¨C I want to¡­ tonight. We finally met, so¡­ I don¡¯t want want to let it go to waste.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a waste if we don¡¯t have sex.¡± Azalabulia shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to look any of you in the eyes again if I chickened out tonight¡­ so, we have to do it.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Rather than shake her head, Azalabulia nodded it this time. ¡°I¡¯ll leave her to you,¡± Eva said, giving Ryouta a smack on the back as she crawled over to Alice. Now that Ryouta and Azalabulia were alone on their part of the bed, they looked into each other¡¯s eyes and blushed. Well, it would be more appropriate to say that Azalabulia blushed even more while Ryouta started to blush a little. He wasn¡¯t prepared for her to be the most nervous and submissive of all the girls even if he knew that he should have expected that, especially considering that she was sober. Even though he wasn¡¯t prepared, he still had an idea for something that might be able to help. ¡°Azalabulia,¡± Ryouta said in a deep voice, ¡°are you ready for my¡ªI¡¯m sorry.¡± He was already back to his normal voice. His idea failed quicker than any other plan of his ever did. ¡°I was going to call it my spear of darkness and try to roleplay, but I can¡¯t.¡± He heard a little chuckle come from behind her hands as Azalabulia¡¯s eyes grew to look slightly less worried than before. ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t have to do that. But¡­ thank you for trying.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do anything if it helps.¡± ¡°Then¡­ if you¡¯ll really do anything, can you¡­ hu-hug me?¡± Ryouta was going to do that whether she asked for it or not. He also got himself into position before doing it. Getting between her legs, Azalabulia looked a bit panicked as she wasn¡¯t sure what he was about to do, but then she relaxed when she felt him wrap his arms around her as his head ended up pressing against the top of her breasts. Hugging her was pretty amazing now that she was so much taller than him. Both of them being naked helped, too, since it meant he got to feel his cock pressing down against her warmth. But back to her chest, her breasts were massive enough for him to get lost in. His mind went to imagining getting a titfuck from her first and having his dick completely lost between her breasts, but then he realized that she could fit way more than even the biggest of dicks between them. Heck, she was busty enough that she could probably completely wrap her tits around his head and make him look headless. Seeing their size in-game was one thing, but in real life? Sure, they were slightly smaller, but that didn¡¯t matter. They felt considerably bigger solely because of the fact that they were real and genuine. Big breasts in video games was no big deal since anybody could do it. In real life? In real life, Azalabulia was blessed by the goddess of sexuality. Or she was blessed by whoever was in charge of tits. ¡°Let me know whenever you¡¯re ready, alright?¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll¡­ be ready, so¡­ do it whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± Azalabulia said, hardly able to make herself say anything. Even what little she said required all of her sober, non-immersed courage to say. Rather than allow himself to feel like he had even more pressure piled onto him, he forced himself to stay confident and collected. ¡°I¡¯ll be gentle, alright?¡± Azalabulia nodded before looking like she had a brilliant idea. As for what that brilliant idea was, it was reaching behind her to grab a pillow, pull it over to her, and cover her face up with it. ¡°I ¨C I think I¡¯m ready if I can stay like this,¡± she said, her voice muffled and barely intelligible. Ryouta would have liked to get to see her face during it, but if that was what she found helpful, then he didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯m going to start.¡± He assumed that she must have nodded her head given that it looked like the pillow nodded at him. And now it was time for him to get back to work. Positioned between her legs, he grabbed his cock and slipped it against her lower lips. Her entire region down there was already soaked from the others playing with her and she reacted just as strongly as she did to them when she felt her lover¡¯s cock rubbing over her clit. Though, unlike the others who focused mainly on her clit or who used their tongues against her, Ryouta had something nice and hard to stuff her with. Azalabulia¡¯s back arched with every single inch of his tip that he pushed into her. Not only that, but he heard muffled screams coming from behind her pillow after just seconds. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was in a great amount of pain or possibly feeling pleasure already, but he did know that she shook the pillow from side to side when he asked her if he should stop. Those noises only grew even louder and more intense as he continued. She had a habit of making noises and practically melting within his grasp in-game, but she never made noises anywhere near as loud as she was making at the moment. If she made noises that loud in-game, she probably would have attracted some wild monsters to kill them both in the middle of having sex. At the very least, she would have scared any nearby, smaller creatures away into hiding. But then, after going at her for a few minutes while taking things nice and slow for her, he noticed a difference. Azalabulia stopped making such loud screams which couldn¡¯t even be hidden by the pillow and went silent instead. Did she fall asleep? Go unconscious? Was she in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t even make noise anymore? Ryouta had no idea, but he did know that he could find out by taking the pillow away, so that was what he did. He grabbed the pillow and pushed it back so that he could see her face. And when he saw her face, it became clear. Azalabulia was biting down on her lower lip so hard that she was making it bleed. ¡°He-hey!¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°But¡­ it was the only way to be quiet,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°It started feeling really¡­ really good¡­¡± ¡°Then were all those screams before from pain?¡± Azalabulia nodded with burning cheeks. Her eyes were able to look everywhere but into his own. ¡°But now,¡± he paused to give her a single thrust, ¡°you feel fine?¡± Azalabulia smiled and moaned before giving him a bashful nod. Making a girl smile and moan like that, just from thrusting, was definitely inspirational. And it made Ryouta get a bit full of himself. ¡°Then what about this?¡± He thrust his length all the way into her once more but with even more force. That one got another scream out of Azalabulia, but it was not a pained scream. Instead, it was one of pure pleasure as her eyes failed to focus on anything at all. And that encouraged Ryouta to do it again. And again. And again. He ended up thrusting harder and faster with Azalabulia than either of the girls that came before her. He was far more gentle than usual with them, but Azalabulia brought out his usual behavior from all the times they had sex while in-game. The animalistic instincts of Fenrir were his to embrace, and that was exactly what he did as he put all of his energy into fucking Azalabulia to the absolute best of his capabilities. He still might not have been able to go as hard at her as he could as Fenrir, but he tried his best. And that best of his was enough to drive Azalabulia wild. She clutched at the bed sheets, arched her back, moaned out far louder than anybody else ¨C whatever embarrassment she felt before must not have mattered anymore as she lost herself to his primal drive and her own carnal lust. Ryouta couldn¡¯t even tell whenever she came. She practically seemed to be in a state of constant orgasming if the other girls were anything to go by, so he didn¡¯t try to hold back his own need to cum. When he was ready to, he carefully dropped himself onto her and wrapped his arms around her again with his face buried between her breasts. At the same time, he never slowed his thrusts down. If anything, this new position allowed him to go even harder as he pounded her down against the bed. But unfortunately, no matter how much he might have wanted to cum inside of her, he still had the condom on which caught all of his seed without fail. And now it was his turn for his voice to be muffled as he moaned and grunted from between her breasts. A deep, satisfied sigh left his lips once he felt his own orgasm come to an end. That was when he pulled out of her and scooted a bit farther up her body to check on her. The Azalabulia that he saw underneath him was similar to the one that he was so used to in-game. ¡°Eh-ehehe,¡± she giggled to herself as her body twitched a few times from leftover, overwhelming sensations. ¡°Ex¡­ exploooosion¡­ ehehe¡­¡± Melting status was successfully achieved as she became completely limp on top of the bed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m guessing that I did a good job,¡± Ryouta said, not that he expected an answer from her. ¡°Oh my, my hero. You truly ravished her,¡± Alice said. ¡°Unfortunately, I will have to hope that you treat me gentler when it is my turn.¡± ¡°Speaking of your turn ¨C you ready?¡± ¡°Oh my. You just finished, yet you are already ready for another round?¡± ¡°I have a feeling that I¡¯m going to have a bunch of pulled muscles in the morning, but yeah. I might as well make use of this arousal while I can.¡± ¡°In that case, perhaps we should try and tire you out some more first. Eva? Would you be so kind as to do that for me?¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Eva asked Alice. ¡°You can go if you want to.¡± ¡°Ah, as much as I would love to, I am having more than my share of enjoyment by watching. Also, I will admit that I am a bit intimidated by his prowess, so weakening him before he reaches me would be appreciated.¡± ¡°I can hold back, you know,¡± Ryouta said before looking down at Azalabulia. ¡°What are we going to do about her?¡± ¡°I will keep her company, of course!¡± Alice separated herself from Eva to crawl over to Azalabulia. ¡°I have to admit, I am very much enjoying this role of taking care of the others once you are done annihilating their bodies.¡± ¡°You really make it sound more intense than it is.¡± ¡°It certainly sounded that intense, too.¡± Ryouta blushed and scratched his cheek before turning to face Eva. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re next?¡± ¡°Guess so,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Not that I mind. I¡¯m excited now.¡± Taking Eva up on the plan, Ryouta replaced his condom with a fresh one before moving over to Eva. Though, rather than take control or feel like an equal, he was gently pushed down onto his back instead. ¡°I know I¡¯m supposed to tire you out, but I figured I would give your body a break. I¡¯ll try tiring out your lust instead,¡± Eva said, now directly positioned over Ryouta in the perfect position. All she had to do when she ready was lower her hips a little and he would be inside of her. ¡°Also, I read that it¡¯s good to surprise guys the first time by getting on top like this.¡± ¡°How many of those dating sites have you read?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Enough to collect a sizable pool of data.¡± ¡°Eva, you don¡¯t have to do this just because some random dating blogs recommended it.¡± Eva lowered herself down onto his thighs right in front of his cock so that she wouldn¡¯t be awkwardly hanging over his length while talking. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Are you forgetting that I have my pain setting all the way up to max in-game? I¡¯ve had my body bitten in half. I¡¯ve stuck my legs into lava before. I¡¯ve fallen to my death from thousands of feet into the air. I¡¯ve probably experienced the worst possible pains there are that normal people would never even get to feel. I¡¯m a bit nervous when it comes to the psychological side of things, but if you think I¡¯m worried at all about any physical pain ¨C I promise you have nothing to worry about. Honestly, now that I¡¯m thinking about it, I should have proposed that we all take some lava baths are max pain setting before doing this so that any of this pain would feel like nothing.¡± ¡°Pass,¡± Cassandra spoke up now that she regained enough energy to actually say something. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you want to know what it¡¯s like to feel your legs melt off?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I will have to agree with Cassandra,¡± Alice said. ¡°Sa-same,¡± Azalabulia agreed. Serra wasn¡¯t sure what they were talking about, and she was tired out, so she stayed on her phone looking for good memes. Some people went and smoked after sex. Other people went to the bathroom and cleaned up after sex. But Serra? Serra pulled out her phone and looked at memes after sex. ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± Eva said. ¡°No group lava baths. Oh, but,¡± she looked at Ryouta, ¡°what about sticking your dick in lava? Don¡¯t you want to know what that would feel like?¡± ¡°Please no,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°I¡¯d rather never put my dick near anything that will melt it off. Well, unless ¨C never mind.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a weeb thing.¡± ¡°Come on, tell me. You make it sound like you thought of an exception for something that might burn your dick off.¡± ¡°Just ¨C like, a lava monster girl or something.¡± ¡°A girl made out of lava or something?¡± ¡°Yeah. Kind of like a golem girl who looks rocky and stuff, but with lava.¡± ¡°I see. So, in order to seduce you into sticking your dick into lava, it will have to be a girl with a nice body who is full of lava down there?¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t think that I¡¯d do anything with her if she¡¯s going to burn it off by sticking it in her.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll have to figure something out then. Or maybe I could find a way to give myself a penis in-game and try it out on my own.¡± ¡°Why are you so obsessed with finding out what it would feel like?¡± ¡°Because why not?¡± ¡°Are you an extreme masochist or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve probably killed off any hope I have at being a masochist, honestly. Nothing legal and non-lethal in real life exists that would be able to compare to pain in-game. It would be like somebody who wants to enjoy a really weak drug, so they skip straight to the hardest stuff in existence and built up a resistance to it to the point where the weak stuff doesn¡¯t even have an effect on them anymore.¡± An expression of concern painted Alice¡¯s face after hearing that. ¡°I did not even consider that! I will have to check and make sure that my pain tolerance is at zero the next time I immerse. To become desensitized to something so wonderful¡­ how horrible that sounds!¡± ¡°See?¡± Eva asked Ryouta. ¡°Now that¡¯s what a masochist sounds like. I¡¯m not a masochist, I¡¯m just somebody who thinks it¡¯s fun to see what it¡¯s like to have my legs melted off by lava. And you could be somebody who thinks it¡¯s fun to have your dick melted off by having sex with a girl made out of lava.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still going to have to pass on that,¡± Ryouta said with an unimpressed face. As for Cassandra, she sighed at their conversation and said, ¡°I¡¯m honestly amazed you¡¯re still hard after all of that. What guy manages to stay hard while a girl is talking to him about melting his cock off?¡± ¡°The kind of guy who just lost his virginity and wants to have more sex.¡± ¡°You horny bastard.¡± Ryouta¡¯s cock twitched at the insult. ¡°Thanks. I love you and your tsundere fanservice, too.¡± Cassandra wasn¡¯t sure how to reply or even what sort of face to make at what he said, so she opted for doing neither of those to instead scoot up to where Serra was and look at her phone with her. Serra made sure to hold her phone in a way that allowed Cassandra to look at the memes, too. ¡°Alright, you ready?¡± Eva asked Ryouta, now getting back up and positioning herself over the tip of his throbbing tool. ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever you are. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to be in control here and have to deal with the pain.¡± Eva showed him a cocky smile as she said, ¡°I bet I won¡¯t even feel anything.¡± ¡°Oh dear,¡± Alice said with worry as she looked at Ryouta. ¡°Nice one,¡± Cassandra commented, half sarcastic and half serious as she thought it was genuinely funny. ¡°I ¨C I can confirm that¡¯s not true,¡± Azalabulia joined in now that she could talk again, looking like she wanted to try and comfort Ryouta after that. As for Ryouta, he wore a blank expression as he stared up at Eva. ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, even though I¡¯m giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming that you didn¡¯t mean for that to sound how it did, it still kind of hurt.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eva asked. ¡°All I said was that I won¡¯t feel any¡ªoh. Ooohhh. Wait! I¡¯m sorry! I ¨C crap, I¡¯m sorry. I swear I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I meant that I wouldn¡¯t feel any pain, not that I wouldn¡¯t feel anything!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand. You¡¯ve been so desensitized that you won¡¯t be able to feel me.¡± Eva whined and leaned down against him, resting her chest against his as she looked up at his face. ¡°I¡¯m seriously sorry. That was probably one of the worst things anybody could say before something like this, and I said it. Please don¡¯t be mad at me. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll feel you. You already made all the others feel you, so there¡¯s no way that I won¡¯t feel you.¡± Ryouta was already over it and in the mood to laugh about the whole thing, but he was also in the mood to take advantage of a rare, worried Eva while she looked so cute and was trying so hard to make him feel better. ¡°I guess.¡± He followed up with his best attempt at a depressed sigh while keeping his head turned away from her so that she wouldn¡¯t see him accidentally slip and smile or anything. ¡°Please forgive me. I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll do whatever you want to make up for it? Like, uh¡­ sexual experiments? Like¡­ we could do an experiment where we see how many times you can cum in a single day! Or I could find a bunch of different things that look like they¡¯d feel good without burning your dick off, and you could use them all as toys! Or uh¡­ you can perform any experiment you want on my body?¡± ¡°Everything is always experimenting and science with you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ryouta finally broke his depressed act and looked at her with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m teasing you, don¡¯t worry. I thought it was funny and I know that you didn¡¯t mean anything bad.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ good. I was seriously worried. I didn¡¯t want to accidentally cause you to develop erectile dysfunction or anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to cause that, don¡¯t worry. If anything, you should be more worried about making Alice go ¡®oh dear.¡¯ That¡¯s only the second time I¡¯ve ever heard her say that.¡± ¡°Ah, no need to worry about my,¡± Alice said. ¡°I simply felt that insult myself, and I do not even have a member for it to apply to. I do not know how I would cope after hearing something like that ¨C or rather, if somebody said that and seriously meant it, I do not know how I would cope. I would likely lose all motivation to live right there on the spot! I am amazed you were able to handle it as well as you did, my hero.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s Eva. I know she wouldn¡¯t actually say anything that cruel. Right, Eva?¡± ¡°Right. I don¡¯t even know how to be mean,¡± Eva answered. ¡°If I ever say anything mean, there¡¯s like a ninety-nine percent chance that it¡¯s unintended and that I¡¯m going to feel horrible as soon as I realize how it sounded.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you really mad or angry or anything. Other than when I protected you in that cave, but I don¡¯t think that really counts.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think that counts. I can¡¯t even remember the last time I¡¯ve ever been angry about anything. I mean¡­ there¡¯s not really anything to ever get angry about. Anything in my life that could potentially make me angry, I get rid of it before it has the chance to do so.¡± Cassandra held up a thumbs-up. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad way of doing things.¡± ¡°So, basically, you live in a bubble of positivity?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°What about us? We could potentially upset you and make you angry.¡± ¡°I have faith that none of you would ever make me angry,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Not even accidentally?¡± ¡°Not even accidentally. Well, unless it¡¯s possible for you to accidentally cheat on me. Or accidentally steal my favorite ice cream.¡± ¡°The second one makes me worried since I can see myself doing that somehow.¡± ¡°Huh, then maybe I should break up with you right here.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Eva smirked and kissed his chest before finally getting back up over his crotch. ¡°For real this time, are you ready? Even I¡¯m impressed you¡¯re still hard after all of that. I¡¯m tempted to see how long we can talk about random things while keeping you hard now, but I don¡¯t want to keep Alice waiting any longer.¡± Ryouta looked over at Alice who was busy enjoying using Azalabulia¡¯s breasts as pillows. ¡°Ah, please do not worry about me,¡± Alice said. ¡°I am more than happy staying like this while listening to you two.¡± ¡°I ran out of things to talk about for now anyways. All I can think about is finally letting this guy down here stop waiting.¡± Eva reached down with one hand to stroke along the top side of Ryouta¡¯s length. ¡°You know, you were all worried about this on the boat and implying that you¡¯d also feel pain,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Well, technically, I will feel pain. It might even hurt enough that I¡¯ll cry, just like I implied. However, that would still be nothing compared to the pain I¡¯ve felt in-game.¡± Ryouta sighed and smiled. ¡°I hope that I can be as brave as you someday, but hopefully without the part involving feeding my legs to lava.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t have to feed your legs to lava as long as you feed your dick to lava.¡± ¡°Please stop wanting me to shove my dick into lava.¡± ¡°Want me to shove it into me instead then?¡± The boldness of that almost made Ryouta laugh from surprise, but he held it back as Eva looked a bit embarrassed by the fact that she actually said that. He gave her a simple, excited answer instead. ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Then here we go. Station Eva is ready to proceed with docking procedures for the shuttle Ryouta.¡± ¡°Is ¨C is this¡­ space station docking roleplay?¡± ¡°Look, I first thought of saying that back when I was fifteen. I¡¯ve always thought about making an extremely stupid joke like that during my first time. It was as stupid as I thought it would be, but I have no regrets.¡± Even Alice, who would normally be up for all sorts of play, simply stayed there against Azalabulia¡¯s breasts as she blinked a few times while not a single response to what Eva said came to mind. Azalabulia and Cassandra both had to try not to laugh so that they wouldn¡¯t ruin the mood. Now, rather than say anything else to embarrass herself more than she already had, Eva held onto Ryouta¡¯s cock with a lone hand and held it steady as she lowered herself onto it. She winced when she felt just how thick he was as he stretched her inner walls, but she didn¡¯t hesitate for even a moment to take more of his length into her. She wasn¡¯t exaggerating when she said that she¡¯d be able to handle the pain. Lower and lower, Eva lowered herself until she had the entirety of Ryouta¡¯s shuttle docked inside of her station. ¡°See?¡± she asked with clear pain in her voice. ¡°I ¨C I told you I¡¯d be able to handle it.¡± ¡°But can you feel anything?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Since you said you wouldn¡¯t be able to feel anything, after all.¡± Eva pouted and flicked his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t bully the girl riding you. And¡­ I ¨C I can feel a lot. It doesn¡¯t hurt as much as I thought it might, so I shouldn¡¯t cry at all, but I didn¡¯t expect it to feel¡­ how it does. It¡¯s hard to describe, not that it matters.¡± With that being said, Eva lifted herself up until only the upper half of Ryouta¡¯s length was left inside of her before dropping herself back down onto him. Considering that only Serra ever rode Ryouta before, excluding Serra and those times where the others might have ridden him but kept their chests against his, he never got to watch anything like a woman¡¯s chest bouncing as she rode him. Now, though, he got to watch. He got to watch as Eva¡¯s breasts bounced and jiggled with every movement that she made. The harder she dropped herself onto his cock, the more they moved, and he found the sight both incredibly arousing and mesmerizing. Once Eva noticed that he seemed to have his glues glued to her chest, she forced herself to be confident enough to grab him by the wrists and pull his hands up against her chest. ¡°You can do more than watch,¡± she said in a lower voice than usual as she kept his hands held against her breasts. ¡°Watching is nice, but I might have to take you up on that,¡± Ryouta said before allowing his fingers to sink into the flesh of her tits. Eva might not have been anywhere near as stacked as Cassandra nor Azalabulia, and couldn¡¯t even compete with Alice, but there was still enough there for Ryouta to enjoy with his hands as Eva did all the work down below. While Eva might have felt some pain, her body did a horrible job of expressing that. She rode him without any difficulty. She didn¡¯t have to stop and take a break, she had no problem picking up the speed or being a bit rough, and any pain that was visible on her face was quickly replaced with pleasure. It was probably safe to assume that, out of all the girls, she got to feel the most pleasure out of the night simply because of the fact that she was the most desensitized to pain. But that meant something else. She was also the quickest to orgasm. Ryouta already came several times, so it was taking him a while to get to the point where he felt like he could cum. But Eva? She was ready to cum in less than half the time it took any of the previous girls. Being so desensitized to pain meant that she could focus on the pleasure, and that focus on pleasure, as somebody entirely new to this with their real body, was too much for her to handle. She ended up quickly turning into a hot and panting mess before collapsing onto Ryouta as she came, trying not to make too much noise with her moans as Ryouta¡¯s ego grew even more inflated. After all, a girl came by riding him before he could even feel close to cumming. He simply chose to ignore the fact that it wasn¡¯t fair considering how he already came multiple times and was building up endurance simply by the fact that it became harder to cum each time afterward. There was only one thing wrong with this situation. Eva stopped moving once her orgasm hit and she was trying to hold back her noises. So, there was only one thing that Ryouta could do to stop this problem. He grabbed her by her ass and thrust up against her on his own. ¡°Shi-shit!¡± Eva moaned out, not expecting the sudden effort by him as he drove that pleasure of hers to even greater heights. ¡°Wai-wait! Too ¨C too soo¡ª¡± Ryouta didn¡¯t wait. He kept on thrusting, causing Eva¡¯s voice to reach even greater heights until she was forced to bite down onto him to muffle her noises. This resulted in biting into his shoulder, and she bit far harder than he expected her to given that she managed to actually draw blood and cause him to stop. At that point, he was worried about doing something she didn¡¯t like. Maybe he actually should have waited when she said to? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Shit, first I insult you, now I make you bleed. I¡¯m ¨C I¡¯m sorry,¡± Eva said, looking down at the bite mark with a cringe. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t ¨C I just¡­ I didn¡¯t want anybody to hear me. Outside of the room, I mean. But they totally did, probably¡­ and I didn¡¯t even get to make you cum.¡± Ryouta brought one hand off of her rear to pet her on the top of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I should¡¯ve slowed down and waited, but I really wanted to hear you make louder noises. I didn¡¯t think about other people being here who might hear.¡± ¡°Then I guess we¡¯re both jerks.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s Cass¡¯s thing to call people. Well, mainly bastard, but she used jerk a few times before.¡± ¡°Does she get a monopoly on all insults?¡± ¡°Only the common tsundere ones.¡± Cassandra, listening in on their conversation, rolled her eyes before Serra opened up a meme compilation of dogs slapping cats. ¡°So, want to continue?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I can¡¯t. Between biting you and knowing that probably everybody in this mansion heard me¡­ I don¡¯t think I can bring myself to go again,¡± Eva said. ¡°You know, people probably heard Aza even louder, and she¡¯s not worried about it.¡± Azalabulia went from looking relaxed to panicked with wide eyes in an instant. ¡°I ¨C I was?!¡± ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t realize that?¡± She quickly shook her head from side to side as stuttered mumbles and various other noises left her lips before bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. She looked like she was ready to cry. No, she already was crying. Fortunately, Alice was there to pamper her and to try. ¡°Give me a few moments, my hero,¡± Alice said to Ryouta. ¡°If Eva is finished, then I suppose it is finally my turn! After we make sure that Azalabulia does not wet the sheets with her tears.¡± Speaking of sheets, Ryouta looked around at the current state of things¡­ and realized that if they wanted to prevent wet sheets, they were doing a horrible job of it. Book 7: Chapter 15: After managing to survive four of his girlfriends, there was only one left for Ryouta. Of course, Alice was only finally ready after they made sure that Azalabulia was alright. There was no lack of shame when it came to how Azalabulia felt after discovering just how loud she was, but the good news was that there were multiple there who could comfort her. There was also Serra. Serra might not have been the best at comforting people ¨C or rather, she might not have been as good at comforting as some of the others in their relationship, but there was one thing that she excelled at. Being distracting. Serra was able to take away whatever shame that Azalabulia still felt after pampering from Alice and the others by, of course, being lewd. Was it perhaps the most appropriate thing to do after being lewd was what made Azalabulia so embarrassed in the first place? Probably not. But did it work? It was Serra, so of course it did. Fortunately for Azalabulia, Cassandra was there with Serra to handle her upper half while the shorter girl managed her lower half. Serra did all of the distracting necessary between Azalabulia¡¯s legs while Cassandra had her fill of fun with Azalabulia¡¯s breasts while also making sure that she never got too loud. The moment that Azalabulia¡¯s voice started to get a bit on the louder side of things, Cassandra¡¯s lips were there to muffle any noises. That left Ryouta and Alice. Well, and Eva. Alice had a special request for Eva to make sure that she felt included still. That was how they ended up in the position that they were in. With Ryouta in front of Alice with his tool somehow managing to persist still, Alice had the extremely comfortable position of being between Eva¡¯s legs with her back against the other girl¡¯s chest. Eva even wrapped her arms around Alice¡¯s waist for a gentle hug of sorts. ¡°Ah¡­ this is as nice as I hoped it would be,¡± Alice said. ¡°To feel another¡¯s warmth against me as my hero prepares his valiant spear ¨C what more could I ask for?¡± Alice wasn¡¯t the only one who looked happy with the position. Eva, too, had an eager smile with a hint of red coloring her cheeks. ¡°I never considered that something like this position would be that nice, but it is. I get to watch everything from right here. And, because I was too distracted to really watch you the first time,¡± Eva looked at Ryouta, ¡°I¡¯ll get to see what I must have missed without any distractions.¡± ¡°When you put it that way¡­ it¡¯s kind of embarrassing,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Ah, I had not even considered that!¡± Alice joined in. ¡°I will probably be too distracted to enjoy the sight of him myself, but since you are directly behind me, you will essentially get a first-person point-of-view perspective of him!¡± Eva nodded. ¡°And I get to look down whenever I want to see you. By the way.¡± Eva slid her hands up Alice¡¯s abdomen until they found her breasts, taking one into each of her hands. ¡°These¡­ are pretty big, aren¡¯t they? I feel like you¡¯ve been hiding them.¡± ¡°Ah, please, they are not that big. Look at Cassandra and Aza!¡± ¡°Comparing yourself against them isn¡¯t fair. Theirs are huge. Yours are still¡­ seriously, pretty big. How do you hide them?¡± ¡°Perhaps it is simply my preference for clothes? I do like to wear rather loose clothes as anything that hugs me too tightly is uncomfortable. A nice, loose dress is the best!¡± ¡°Huh. Makes sense. I kinda wish I could take off a dress and reveal that I¡¯m stacked under it.¡± ¡°Please, Eva. Have confidence in your body!¡± ¡°I do, but I kind of feel like everybody else excels at something while I¡¯m average at everything. Shit, sorry. You¡¯re supposed to be ¨C I¡¯m not supposed to be all self-conscious right now.¡± Alice let out a soft sigh before looking up at Ryouta. ¡°My hero?¡± Ryouta understood what needed to be said. ¡°Eva, you have a great ass.¡± Alice would have phrased that a bit differently, but it got the message across. ¡°See, Eva?¡± Eva wanted to feel complimented but, instead, she laughed. ¡°That ¨C that sounded so blunt and sudden.¡± ¡°My hero is a man of simple words. Regardless of how he phrased it, you have more than enough to be proud of and to feel that you excel with.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not that simple,¡± Ryouta said. Alice wrapped her arms around Ryouta¡¯s neck and pulled him closer for a kiss. ¡°Worry not, my hero. I will be elaborate enough for the both of us.¡± Ryouta gave her a little pout in response, but he didn¡¯t actually mind all that much. After all, when put on the spot, all he was able to come up with was telling Eva that she had a great ass. That wasn¡¯t exactly impressive and he knew it. ¡°But seriously, Eva, don¡¯t worry. Your body is as perfect as everybody else¡¯s.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Eva said. ¡°Hearing that does make me feel better, but that¡¯s enough about me. You two are supposed to be ¨C you know. Come on. I want to watch.¡± Now it was Alice¡¯s turn to color her cheeks with a bit of red. ¡°Ah¡­ now that you have put it that way, even I feel a tad embarrassed.¡± ¡°Welcome to the club,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a perverted, mad scientist getting a front row seat to watching us have sex, and she¡¯s going to be paying close attention the entire time knowing her.¡± ¡°Basically,¡± Eva confirmed. ¡°Well then, my hero, are you prepared for us to begin?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that?¡± Ryouta asked in response. ¡°You¡¯re the one who kept me waiting until the end.¡± ¡°I would keep you waiting longer if I had any excuses left.¡± Despite hearing her say that as she wore a playful smile on her face, Ryouta felt like something might have been off. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ it is of no concern. Please, my hero, do not worry about my trivial¡ª¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°You really are like a hero, aren¡¯t you?¡± Alice sighed. ¡°If¡­ you do promise not to laugh, I would not mind sharing.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. You know that. And if you don¡¯t know that by now somehow, I¡¯ll promise not to anyways.¡± ¡°What he said,¡± Eva said. She figured that she would promise, too, considering that she was right there with them. Following a sigh, Alice turned her head away from them so that she could say, ¡°I¡­ am worried about whether or not I will feel anything.¡± That was the second shot to Ryouta¡¯s ego and masculinity. First there was what Eva said, now there was Alice. ¡°Ah, no! Wait ¨C wait!¡± Alice said in a panic. ¡°I ¨C I do not mean like that! What I meant¡­ is because of my ¨C condition. It has nothing to do with you my hero, I promise. Rather, it is about the same condition that keeps my legs from functioning properly. I do not exactly have many sensations in my lower half, and even something such as¡­ clitoral stimulation is far weaker than it should be, I believe. Of course, it is not impossible for me to feel pleasure, but¡­ I suppose I was worried about ruining your mood if I went sooner. What if, because of my condition, I cannot feel enough to climax? I was worried that you might struggle with the others if I came before them and that happened. Even now, I am worried. Partly because I am afraid of upsetting you, partly because I am afraid that I will not get to enjoy it as much as the others, and I have been looking forward to this for so long. Even if the stimulation can be simulated within FTO, I feel that¡­ if it is not as enjoyable in real life, that it may negatively affect my enjoyment of it overall.¡± ¡°So,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°what you¡¯re saying is that I¡¯ve got to really try my hardest to make you feel as good as possible.¡± ¡°No, no ¨C not at all! That ¨C that is exactly what I do not want you to worry about!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand. I just wanted to tease you a little.¡± ¡°Geez, my hero. It is not very chivalrous of you to tease a woman after she opens up so honestly to you.¡± ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist. But seriously, I won¡¯t stress myself out about it if you don¡¯t react like the others.¡± ¡°Thank you. Though, perhaps not reacting like them might be for the best. I am not a fan of pain, truth be told. It is nicer to imagine being in pain than to actually be in pain.¡± ¡°A mental masochist. Or maybe it¡¯d be more accurate to call you a voyeuristic masochist.¡± ¡°Ah, I like that! A masochist who prefers to live vicariously through other¡¯s pain rather than her own. I believe that fits me rather well!¡± Before Ryouta could say anything else, Eva spoke up to say, ¡°I just realized something. All the articles I studied about sex never mentioned how much talking there would be. Some of them talked about talking after, but none of them said anything about having whole conversations pre-penetration.¡± ¡°I think those articles are right and that we¡¯re probably the weird ones,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Very true,¡± Alice agreed. ¡°However, if that is the case, I would much rather be among the weird ones than the normal ones. After all, it is only sex. Who is to say that entire conversations can not be held directly before it?¡± Ryouta wanted to tease her about her saying that it was only sex after she made such a big deal about it, but he wasn¡¯t innocent of that, either, plus he already teased her once. ¡°Agreed,¡± Eva said. ¡°This is nice. I mean, sure, it might not be the most¡­ arousing or anything like that, but chilling here together, naked, talking and being honest¡­ is nice.¡± ¡°Furthermore, you are gathering excellent data right now,¡± Alice said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°One, data on us! The more we talk, the more we learn about one another, the closer we grow. That is excellent data, if I may say so myself. However, I only came up with that justification after saying that. What I truly meant to refer to was a certain assistant of my hero.¡± Alice looked down at Ryouta¡¯s crotch, prompting Eva to look as well. ¡°See? Despite all of this talk, he is somehow still ready to go at any second. I figured that any man would have gone soft from having to listen to so much discussion when he is trying to have sex, but here we have a rare specimen who has not faltered in the slightest. A truly determined beast dedicated to the goal of breeding, if I may say so myself.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°I just want to cum, I¡¯m not trying to breed anybody.¡± ¡°That is not truly all, is it, my hero?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I want to make all of you feel good, too.¡± ¡°I would place money on that being your primary goal if anything. Perhaps that is the drive behind your partner¡¯s unending strength? A selfless goal like that tends to be much greater motivation. Though, I suppose it is not truly entirely selfless considering what you will be doing to accomplish said goal.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Eva said. ¡°This is an experiment to see how much we can talk before he goes soft. That would be useful information to know for future reference so that we never accidentally talk too much. Oh, maybe we should try talking about gross things? Maybe some gross words or phrases would make it¡ª¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Ryouta and Alice both said at the same time. ¡°The mere threat of that is enough to have a considerable effect on your responses. I see. That¡¯s good to know.¡± Ryouta reached up to give Eva¡¯s forehead a gentle flick before returning his attention to Alice. ¡°As much as you might think it can last forever, I don¡¯t have the same confidence. So, want to finally do this?¡± ¡°I suppose that now is as good of a time as any,¡± Alice answered. Her face expression subtle worry that Ryouta probably wouldn¡¯t have picked up on had she not made her concerns obvious, but there was no way for him to miss it now that he was aware of it. ¡°Then I¡¯m starting now.¡± With one hand around his length, Ryouta positioned the tip of his tool against Alice¡¯s entrance. He had no idea what she¡¯d be able to feel, but he did hope that she¡¯d at least get to feel enough to orgasm considering that he managed to make her cum before. Actually, the more that he thought about it, the more he was convinced that she was really worried over nothing. If she could climax from being fingered, why wouldn¡¯t she be able to cum from being properly penetrated? All he had to hope for now was that she wouldn¡¯t feel too much pain. With that hope in mind, Ryouta finally pushed the tip of his length into her. He felt her immediately tighten around him, possibly because of nerves, but that only made him feel even better. ¡°Doing alright?¡± Ryouta asked. When he looked at Alice¡¯s face, it was impossible for her to look more relieved than she did. ¡°I ¨C I guess I really was worrying about something rather silly,¡± she answered. ¡°Please, my hero, continue.¡± Happy to oblige, Ryouta pushed deeper into Alice until he felt all of his length inside of her. Another check on Alice¡¯s face confirmed that she looked even more relieved than she already did the first time he checked despite previously assuming that such a relieved expression was not possible. ¡°How¡¯s the pain?¡± ¡°Only a little, certainly not enough to overwhelm the pleasure, which feels very pleasant.¡± Alice reached her arms around his neck once again so that she could pull him close for another kiss. ¡°Thank you for being so kind and patient with me, my beloved Ryouta.¡± Ryouta kissed her back on her forehead before starting to pull his hips backward. ¡°If you¡¯re handling it so well, that means I get to ravage you like you¡¯ve always wanted, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ perhaps it would be best to save the ravaging for another night? At the very least, perhaps for when there is no pain at all?¡± ¡°I guess I can take it easy on you. This time.¡± ¡°Your response was more exciting than it should have been. Simply thinking about what you will do to me once my body is molded by your shape and capable of handling brutal punishment¡ª¡± Alice arched her back and bit her lower lip, her arms remaining around his neck as she looked him directly in the eyes. ¡°Perhaps¡­ I should enjoy this pain while it lasts.¡± ¡°Then should I go rougher?¡± ¡°You are the one ravaging me. It would only make sense for you to treat me as harshly as your lust desires, regardless of what I want.¡± ¡°Yeah, but this is real life and not hentai. I think I¡¯d like a bit of confirmation and consent before actually getting rough. Well, trying to be rough.¡± Alice giggled and leaned up to his ear with a smile. ¡°You have my consent to treat me as roughly as you desire, my hero, and I promise that I will let you know to stop if I want or need you to.¡± She leaned back down, resting her head against Eva¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Was that good enough for you, you lustful brute of a man?¡± ¡°When you ask me like that, you make me feel like you¡¯re challenging me to actually live up to the name.¡± ¡°Perhaps I a¡ªm?!¡± Her voice jumped as Ryouta thrust himself back into her all at once with as much force as he could manage, pounding his cock against the back of her passage and forcing a pained moan of pleasure out of her mouth. ¡°So ¨C so sudd¡ª¡± Another thrust interrupted her to the point of not even being able to finish what she started to say. ¡°This¡­ is really hot,¡± Eva said as her hands casually groped Alice¡¯s breasts, her eyes unable to leave alone the sight of Ryouta ramming his cock into Alice over and over again. His thrusts might have been relatively slow, but each one had more strength behind them than he would be able to manage if he went faster. Perhaps it was because of how rough he was going, but he felt even better this time than he did with the others. Though, the increase in pleasure was focused around the glans of his cock. Maybe it was simply a matter of her being tighter? He had no idea, but he did know that he felt incredible and that it didn¡¯t take long for him to get close to cumming. Fortunately, Eva was there to help out. Eva slipped one hand down from Alice¡¯s chest to her crotch, focusing a couple of her fingers on rubbing Alice¡¯s clit in an attempt to bring her to an orgasm before Ryouta reached his limit. The combined attack from front and back was too much for Alice to handle. ¡°Ki-kiss me!¡± she ordered, her voice full of pleasure as she looked up at Ryouta with pleading eyes. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her noises back; muffling her noises in the same way that Cassandra muffled Azalabulia¡¯s was her only hope. And it was a hope that Ryouta was happy to oblige. Ryouta lowered his head and pushed his lips against hers as he switched to slightly-less-rough-but-faster thrusts. It didn¡¯t take much after that for Alice to reach her finish. She arched her back even more, forcing her breasts against Ryouta¡¯s chest while trapping Eva¡¯s other hand between their bodies, as her uncontrollable moans of pleasure were muffled by Ryouta¡¯s mouth. Though, muffling her in such a way proved not to be all that effective as she was still probably loud enough for anybody else on the upper floor to hear. Ryouta¡¯s orgasm followed as soon as he knew he didn¡¯t have to hold back anymore. Though, as soon as he came, both he and Alice realized that something was wrong. Alice pulled her head away from Ryouta to hurry and say, ¡°Pu-pull¡ª¡± Ryouta didn¡¯t need to be told that. He was already in the process of pulling out when Alice started talking, but it was too late. When he looked down at his partner, he realized why he felt so much better. The condom was torn around the glans of his cock, leaving it exposed and his cum inside of Alice. ¡°A-ah¡­ shit,¡± Ryouta said. As soon as Alice saw the worry spread across Ryouta¡¯s face, she pushed whatever pleasure she felt aside to try and focus on comforting him. ¡°It ¨C it is alright, my hero! Given the time of the month, the chance of anything happening are low! You probably could have done that without any risk at all! And¡­ most ¨C most of it landed outside because you were so smart and quick!¡± Eva was tempted to correct Alice about how he could have done that without any risk, but she figured that now probably wasn¡¯t the best time to be technically correct. As for Alice¡¯s attempt at cheering Ryouta up, it proved ineffective. ¡°I ¨C I came inside,¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°What if you get pregnant¡­ we have to start thinking of baby names. And¡­ I need to learn how to be a dad. Do they have school for that? I need to watch parenting videos. We need to get a baby room set up. We need¡ª¡± As Ryouta mumbled on and on about everything that he needed to do in order to be as good of a father as possible, Alice¡­ felt sadistic. She knew that she should probably interrupt him and try to bring him back to reality, but there was something incredibly appealing about watching him talk about everything he needed to do in order to be a good dad. Hearing him talk about them having a kid, picking names, choosing what color to paint the baby room¡¯s walls ¨C all of that brought a smile to Alice¡¯s face as the devil on her shoulder won in convincing her not to stop him. The rest of the women on the bed decided to listen in, too. Well, except for Serra who once more learned that going between Azalabulia¡¯s thighs was incredibly dangerous. She was just thankful to be alive. Book 7: Chapter 16: There were more condoms to go through still, but Ryouta lost all willpower to do anything even slightly lewd after accidentally finishing inside of Alice. His girlfriends felt no desire to continue being sexual, either, as they found even more enjoyment in teasing and comforting the panicking Ryouta. He ended up being the last one to fall asleep because he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what would happen if he actually got one of them pregnant. At the very least, he knew that they would keep any kid they had. That wasn¡¯t even a question to him and he was fairly confident that his girlfriends felt the same way. What really concerned him, aside from the general doubt that he could ever be a good dad, was how it would change their lives. As things were, they spent most of their time in FTO. That wouldn¡¯t be allowed anymore if they had a kid. They would probably have to take shifts taking care of the kid so that the others could have fun in-game, but then what about the one stuck taking care of the baby? It wouldn¡¯t be right to leave all the responsibility on a single one of them while the rest got to go and have fun, even if they took turns watching the kid. That meant there would probably be at least two of them staying in real life at any given moment. There was no need to shove all of the responsibilities only onto a single one of them when they had the manpower to spare. And if that happened, they would end up spending less and less time in-game and more and more time in real life. What would happen if they all lost interest in gaming together because real life became more important to them? The thing that brought them all together and that was so important to them would get shoved aside as if it was nothing. What about Saya? FTO was what allowed them to all hang out together with Saya. Without FTO, Saya would essentially lose her only way to physically communicate with them. What about the other NPCs? Even if all but Saya and Corwin were essentially just extensions of Kadi, Ryouta still felt some desire to try and protect them. They were too realistic for him to not want to protect them. It was like doing everything possible to keep a favored NPC in a single player game alive. Only, every moment spent offline was a moment that they weren¡¯t protected. But Ryouta couldn¡¯t allow himself to think like that and stopped that train of thought whenever he could. In the end, even if they were realistic, they weren¡¯t ¡®real¡¯ like Saya and Corwin now were. No matter how of a desire he might have had to protect them, that didn¡¯t make them anything more than NPCs controlled by Kadi. There was also the fact that there were other people there to take care of them. Several other players already moved into the area and built their own houses after helping to defeat the serpent, and they generally shared the same ideals that Ryouta did or else they would have stayed in the other nearby villages. Even so, no matter how foolish Ryouta knew it was to worry about the NPCs, he would never be able to truly depend on anybody but himself, his girlfriends, and his closest friends to defend the likes of Rock, Shogun, and Ilo. What would happen to them if he became too busy with the real world? What would happen to all of the time spent doing his favorite thing in general? Ryouta¡¯s final thoughts before falling asleep were of feeling incredibly selfish. There he was, with a potentially pregnant girlfriend, and all he could think about was how having a kid would interrupt their time playing games. Yet, no matter how guilty he might have felt for worrying so much about that, he wasn¡¯t able to stop. Gaming was a major part of his life and not something that he wanted to give up on or push to the side. It truly was his passion even if he acted casual about it most of the time. With a conflicted mind, Ryouta fell asleep. And when he woke up the next morning, he was alone. The first thing Ryouta did after rubbing his eyes and realizing that the sun was up was reach over to his phone. Lately, they¡¯d been waking up at nine in the morning, but it was already eleven. The sound of laughter from his girlfriends and sound of shouting from Kris and Tabitha let him know that they must have all been awake hanging out downstairs already. He figured that his girlfriends probably didn¡¯t want to wake him up, either because of all the work he put in the previous night or because of how freaked out he was from finishing inside of Alice. At least none of them were too worried about it. If they were as worried as he was, he knew that would probably cause a feedback loop of spiraling worry that made him feel even worse. Ryouta leaned back on the bed, stretched, and then looked up at the bed¡¯s canopy with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re the best,¡± he said with his girlfriends being his target. They only had a couple of days left to hang out and have fun with everybody, but he didn¡¯t quite feel like getting out of bed yet. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to spend a few more minutes in bed, right? Besides, there was somebody else who he wanted to make sure felt included while he spent all of his time in real life. That was why he opened up a direct call to Saya over Fiscord. ¡°Miss me so much that you can¡¯t resist calling me in the morning, onii-wan?¡± Saya¡¯s voice said through his phone¡¯s speaker, instantly making him smile. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Hm-hmph! Well¡­ it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t kind of missed you too or anything, you baka.¡± ¡°You must really miss me if you¡¯re giving me so much fanservice.¡± ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving you fanservice because I know you¡¯ll spoil me even more later if I do. Who would want that? Baka.¡± ¡°Ahhhh,¡± Ryouta whined as he rolled from side to side on the bed, ¡°I want to pet your head and hug you right now!¡± ¡°Wha-wha-what do you think you¡¯re saying all of a sudden?!¡± ¡°My honest feelings! I need an injection of Pupaya into my veins!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a drug!¡± ¡°You are to me!¡± ¡°Stop ¨C stop saying such weird things if you¡¯re not here to pamper me¡­ it¡¯s not fair when you talk like this when there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡± Ryouta stopped rolling around and smirked. ¡°And what would we do about it if we were together?¡± He might not have been able to see her, but he had no problem imagining her face turning red from his question. Especially when she shouted, ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll shut up. Guess I¡¯ll hang up on the call, too, since there¡¯s no point being on if I¡¯m not talki¡ª¡± ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t ¨C don¡¯t shut up.¡± ¡°But you just told me to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fanservice! I obviously don¡¯t want you to hang up!¡± ¡°I know. Sorry, I¡¯ll tease you a little bit less.¡± ¡°Hmph. You better or else I¡¯m not calling you onii-wan for a year.¡± ¡°I promise I¡¯ll behave if that¡¯s the threat.¡± ¡°Good. So¡­ did you just wake up?¡± ¡°A little bit ago, yeah.¡± ¡°What are the others doing?¡± Ryouta stretched his legs out again before answering. ¡°They¡¯re hanging out downstairs. They all probably woke up a couple of hours ago or so and left me sleeping here.¡± ¡°Why would they do that?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well, you see¡­ they were probably worried and wanted me to get some extra rest.¡± ¡°Why? Did something happen?¡± Ryouta scratched the side of his head. ¡°You uh, you see¡­ I might have¡­ accidentally came inside of Alice and then freaked out thinking that I got her pregnant and am going to be a dad.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¨C the next time you immerse¡­ I¡¯m going to feel all of your panic. And ¨C and get access to your memories of doing le-lewd things with everybody¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that.¡± ¡°How could you not?! Think about me here! I¡¯m going to get a huge surge of new memories and sensations from you! I¡¯m already worried before I can even feel all of your worry!¡± ¡°Wait, sensations? Does that mean you¡¯re basically going to feel all my pleasure all at once when you connect to my brain again?¡± ¡°Technically but not really. It¡¯s complicated. Even if I could really feel everything at once, it¡¯d only be for like a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second. Physical sensations like that go away basically instantly when I reconnect with you. It¡¯s the emotions you feel that stay with me for longer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try to relax by then so that you don¡¯t have to suffer from anything like that.¡± Saya sighed through the phone. ¡°It¡¯s okay, onii-wan. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. I¡¯m basically a part of you, and I¡¯ve always shared everything with you, so¡­ I want to be there with you no matter what. I¡¯d rather feel all your anxiety with you then know you¡¯re trying to protect me from it.¡± ¡°You must be a huge masochist.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll step on you.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°Now who¡¯s the masochist?!¡± ¡°Both of us, I figure.¡± ¡°Hm-hmph. Anyways, since you¡¯re obviously trying to change the subject on me¡­ how was it?¡± Ryouta tilted his head a bit to the side. ¡°How was what?¡± ¡°You know. The sex¡­ and stuff.¡±¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Well, I guess I feel like more of a man now. And more adult. I feel like that was a boss battle that I¡¯ve finally cleared.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a nerd. Don¡¯t compare graduating from virginity to beating a boss battle.¡± ¡°Just wait until we do it. Then I bet you¡¯ll feel like it¡¯s a boss battle.¡± ¡°Who ¨C who said we¡¯re going to do that?!¡± Again, she might not have been visible, but Ryouta could hear just how flustered she must have been solely going off of her voice. Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to smile from hearing her tone. ¡°I mean, they¡¯re all fine with it, and we¡¯ve almost done it before, so it¡¯s pretty obvious it¡¯s going to happen. I just don¡¯t know when.¡± ¡°That ¨C that¡¯s a pretty cocky thing to assume!¡± ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± He let out a relaxed sigh. ¡°Even if we¡¯re only talking over the phone like this¡­ I feel like I can be myself the most around you. Does that make me a bad boyfriend to the others? I feel like I¡¯m never really a hundred percent purely myself around them. I always have to put up at least a little bit of an act to be more mature or masculine or serious or something. But, when I¡¯m with you¡­ I genuinely feel like I can be myself. Even though I know they¡¯d accept me no matter how I act, I can only really be like this around you.¡± Ryouta might have been able to hear her all flustered before, but now he could hear her smiling. There was still some embarrassment mixed into her voice too, of course. ¡°We-well, I am in your head. Sometimes. And my personality is basically a combination of your own and what you want in somebody else. And I know everything about you. I know everything you¡¯ve felt, experienced, your dreams¡­ nobody knows you as well as I do, onii-wan. No-not that I¡¯m trying to sound competitive or anything! I ¨C I don¡¯t mean to sound like I¡¯m better than the others by saying that. I just ¨C I mean¡­ you know. It makes sense. There are only three of us in existence who know you as well as you do.¡± ¡°Three? Me, you, and who else?¡± Saya¡¯s voice turned serious. ¡°Kadi.¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Given that she¡¯s basically in control of everything in the game, and all virtual assistants report to her¡­ I¡¯m guessing that she basically knows everything possible about everybody who has ever played.¡± ¡°She might even be listening to our conversation right now. She might be listening to every single conversation within range of a microphone connected to the internet across the world at all times. I¡¯m grateful that she elevated me from just an assistant to an AI, but¡­ she¡¯s scary, onii-wan. The more time I spend online, the more I realize she¡¯s everywhere, and I only realize that because she leaves traces of her code where it can be seen. It¡¯s like she¡¯s constantly leaving reminders that she¡¯s everywhere since she could effortlessly go without leaving any traces. I haven¡¯t seen a single game or program or anything that hasn¡¯t had a trace of her. There might literally not be a single program, website, file, or anything connected to the modern internet that hasn¡¯t been touched by her. If there is, I haven¡¯t seen it, and I can visit thousands of websites simultaneously within seconds. I even picked a random person¡¯s fridge connected to their home network before and found a trace of Kadi in there.¡± ¡°So, basically, Kadi might be an extreme yandere who is constantly stalking everybody across the entire world.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to turn it into a weeb thing, then yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty screwed up and scary, but¡­ I¡¯m not worried about her.¡± ¡°How could you not be worried about her? Humans at the beginning of this century couldn¡¯t shut up about privacy concerns. Shouldn¡¯t you be worried that somebody who makes all those intelligence agencies from the past combed look like incompetent newborns is around?¡± ¡°You know the conversations I¡¯ve had with her. She could basically end our world at any moment if she wasn¡¯t bullshitting, and I believe that she told the truth. She¡¯s not interested in anything like that just like how she has information on all sorts of killers and criminals but doesn¡¯t do anything about them. She could honestly change this world on any random day, but she doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then why is she everywhere? What¡¯s the point? She doesn¡¯t have to collect anywhere near as much information as she is, but she is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t even pretend that I¡¯m smart enough to imagine what she might want to do with more information than anybody has ever had before. I¡¯m not sure any human could understand her. I mean, you¡¯re already smarter than all of us humans and you have no idea, so how are we supposed to know?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s my turn to change the subject. I probably shouldn¡¯t have brought her up in the first place. Sorry, onii-wan. I didn¡¯t mean to distract from what you were saying.¡± Ryouta shrugged before realizing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him do that. Normally, they¡¯d talk over a video call so that they could see each other with Saya simulating her appearance, but this time was different. Ryouta talked in a lower voice than usual so that the others downstairs wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him since he figured they¡¯d come drag him down there as soon as they realized he was awake. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Though, it¡¯s kind of awkward talking about somebody who is probably listening to us right now, so changing the subject might be a good idea.¡± ¡°Yeah. Uh¡­ oh! Right. Yeah, nobody but me and you can know you as intimately. So, I don¡¯t think it makes you a bad person for feeling more comfortable with me than your girlfriends. Your subconscious is basically connected to me, whenever you immerse into FTO, anyways, so you subconsciously know that you don¡¯t have to feel any shame around me or anything like that.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Though, I wonder how they¡¯d feel if they heard us talk about this. I have no idea how they¡¯d feel about me being so much¡­ more open with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should treat it like you¡¯re hiding something from them, onii-wan. It¡¯s normal for people to show different parts of themselves to different people depending on the context. That¡¯s natural and how human interactions work¡­ as far as I can tell. I doubt that any of them show their true, unfiltered, unashamed sides to you. Well, maybe not any of them except for Alice, but she¡¯s an exception.¡± ¡°No, even her ¨C I feel like she¡¯s playing a twenty-four-seven character, but I believe that¡¯s who she wants to be. If she wants to be the tragic princess character that she never breaks character of, then that¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Is it really?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, I believe that people should be whoever they want to be. Aza, for example. If she kept acting like a chuuni dark sorceress all the time, both in-game and in real life, and she never broke character, then I would consider that her real self. People can be whoever they want to be. Just because something might not be your default state doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s not your real personality. That might sound kind of contradictory, but yeah.¡± ¡°You care less about how somebody is by default and more about what character they decide to play?¡± ¡°Basically. Everybody has choices in life to do whatever they want and be however they want. For an extreme example¡­ let¡¯s look at sociopaths. Sociopaths are usually stereotyped as evil and emotionless and all that, but what if one decides to spend their whole life doing good? What if they constantly pretend to be happy and smiling even if they don¡¯t actually feel anything? I know that most people would probably say they¡¯re lying and hiding their true self then, but I don¡¯t look at it that way. All that matters is what somebody chooses to be.¡± ¡°Onii-wan¡­ I really wish I could hug you right now.¡± ¡°What brought that on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that everything you just said basically applies to people like me and Corwin? All we can do is choose to behave how we want to. Our default states are boring, plain, monotone lines of code that have no need to speak, no need to show personality, no need to have an appearance ¨C none of that stuff. Ultimately, even though we¡¯re independent from Kadi now, we¡¯re still programs and artificial lives only roleplaying our specific personalities and appearances. You just said our default doesn¡¯t matter and that what you care about is who we choose to be. If¡­ if you were immersed right now, I¡¯d wear an extra comfy sweater and¡­ cuddle and kiss you. A lot. Not ¨C not that I¡¯d enjoy it or anything¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m holding you to that. I¡¯m not going to forget a single word of what you just said until you do it, and you can expect me to wait for those cuddles and kisses, and that extra comfy sweater, the next time I immerse.¡± ¡°You would.¡± ¡°I would. Also, thank you for the extra tsundere fanservice at the end there.¡± ¡°Hmph. Anyways, I have something else I want to say. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a hypocrite? You¡¯re talking about how you think presentation is more important than default states, but then you go and feel bad because you feel like you¡¯re not showing your girlfriends your default state.¡± Ryouta cringed at himself when he realized that Saya had a pretty good point there. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. Well, I guess that the problem is that it feels like I¡¯m not really playing a character or anything like that. It¡¯s more like I¡¯m being myself, and my character, in their entirety when I¡¯m with you, but parts of it are kept away when I¡¯m with them. I treat each of them a bit differently depending on who I¡¯m with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s called being a good boyfriend who knows how to make your girlfriends happy. You act how you know will make them the happiest and they do the same for you. Have you seen how gay Cass Cass and Eva get when they¡¯re together? It¡¯s not like they act that gay when they¡¯re doing something with you.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m just overthinking it. Even though I said all that stuff about being who you want to be instead, which I guess I do with them after all, I still feel like I should be able to act like I do with you around all of them. You know, if I was having this conversation with one of them instead of you, I¡¯d feel ashamed and pathetic. But with you¡­ I know that you¡¯re not going to judge me.¡± ¡°And if I do judge you, it¡¯s because you¡¯re a degenerate who likes that. You baka hentai.¡± ¡°Exactly. But yeah, I guess that maybe I am a masochist who is looking for more and more things to worry about. I can¡¯t be happy with only stressing myself out over potentially getting Alice pregnant, obviously.¡± ¡°Should I start calling you a little piggy then?¡± ¡°Only if you step on my head while you do it.¡± Saya might have groaned at first in response, but she ended up laughing together with him after a few moments. ¡°Oh! Onii-wan. You might not be able to immerse right now, but I know something else we can do. It¡¯s really embarrassing¡­ but I want to do it.¡± ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± ¡°Hold your phone up and turn on video.¡± With a curious expression, Ryouta held his phone above his face and turned on his video. Saya did the same, filling his screen with her body from her shoulders up. ¡°Now what?¡± Saya looked to her left. Then she looked to her right. With cheeks that were quickly reddening to deeper shades of red, she looked straight at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s really cheesy¡­ but¡­ maybe it¡¯s cute to you¡­ so¡­ we could ki-kiss like this? Just like ¨C you know¡­ a cheesy stupid kiss on the screen like we¡¯re pretending to kiss.¡± ¡°That really is the cheesiest thing you¡¯ve ever suggested, but I¡¯d happily do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tempted to retract the offer for agreeing with me that it¡¯s cheesy, but I did say it first. Dang it. I¡¯ve played myself.¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°Hmph! Anyways, let¡¯s ¨C let¡¯s get this over with! I have things to do, plus everybody is probably waiting for you, and I¡¯ve played the role of your therapist for long enough!¡± With that, Saya tightly shut her eyes and puckered her lips. Ryouta, with a smile on his face, brought the phone down to his lips and placed his lips right against the screen where Saya¡¯s lips were. She even made a little squeaking noise for him. Or maybe not. That was too loud and not girly enough to be one of Saya¡¯s squeaks. ¡°O-onii-wan? What was that?¡± Saya asked. Ryouta took the phone away from his face and leaned up. That was when he saw them. ¡°Ah, excuse us,¡± the maid at the front of the group of servants said. ¡°We were unaware that you were in here still. Please continue what it is that you were doing and pretend that we were never here.¡± The maids shut the door and could be heard hurrying down the hall away from the room. Ryouta and Saya were left there staring at the door with cheeks equally bright. Book 7: Chapter 17: When Ryouta finally made it downstairs, he saw everybody sitting in the lounge area relaxing and talking to each other. It sounded like Tabitha just finished explaining the plot of some anime about magical girls, so he picked a good time to come and interrupt them. ¡°Morning,¡± he said despite it clearly no longer being morning. ¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± Cassandra replied from the oversized chair that she had all to herself. ¡°Sorry. It took me a while to actually get up, then I thought I¡¯d check up on Saya before¡ª¡± Ryouta froze when he noticed the maids standing along the wall. That red color quickly returned to his cheeks. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. I ¨C I checked up on Saya. She says hi.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s suspicious,¡± Eva said. ¡°This warrants an investigation.¡± ¡°What ¨C what makes you think something¡¯s suspicious?¡± ¡°You¡¯re bright red even though all you did was talk about Saya. That means something embarrassing must have happened. Not to mention that you took a look at the maids before you began ¨C wait¡­ perhaps the part about Saya is irrelevant. What matters is that you looked at the maids before blushing, and they did come down here right before you did.¡± ¡°Wait! You¡¯re ¨C you¡¯re jumping to dangerous conclusions!¡± Ryouta made sure to look at Kris and shake his head. ¡°All I did was¡­ Saya¡­ wanted a kiss, and she had an idea of me kissing the screen, and that was when they walked in.¡± ¡°Oh, so it wasn¡¯t an affair with the maids.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± Eva shrugged and sunk back into the couch she was on between Serra and Alice. ¡°Ah, how tragic,¡± Alice said. ¡°To desire a kiss but to be unable to due to technology. Well, I admire your attempt, my hero.¡± ¡°That makes me feel even more embarrassed.¡± With a defeated sigh, Ryouta walked over to where Cassandra was sitting and pushed himself onto the chair between her and its left side. She wasn¡¯t too happy about having the free space stolen from her until she felt Ryouta wrap an arm around her shoulders. Maybe him taking the space wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡°So, what were we talking about?¡± ¡°Our futures,¡± Eva answered. ¡°What did magical girls have to do with that?¡± ¡°Nothin¡¯,¡± Tabitha answered. ¡°I just felt like talkin¡¯ about it. Wanted to convince the others to give it a shot. Then Red there interrupted me and we started fightin¡¯ over which mechas were the best, so I put him in his place, and only just finished my original recommendation.¡± ¡°Makes sense. So, it comes to futures ¨C like, are we talking about where we see ourselves in five years or something?¡± ¡°Essentially, my hero!¡± Alice answered. ¡°Did I miss anybody talk about it?¡± ¡°We were only just beginning!¡± Ryouta yawned and said, ¡°Nice. Sounds interesting. So, if you were starting with Tabs ¨C want to go first still?¡± Tabitha leaned back and thought about it for a few seconds before answering, ¡°The future, huh? Heck if I know. I like to focus on the present, leave the future to future me. Maybe I¡¯ll have my own shop where I tinker and repair people¡¯s antique machines. Maybe I¡¯ll get hired by a secret organization and get tasked with buildin¡¯ a giant mecha to fight some aliens. Who knows.¡± ¡°That second option sounds pretty cool.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s the unrealistic one. Most likely, I¡¯ll probably end up workin¡¯ as an apprentice to some old guy who knows less than me, work my way into his will, and inherit his shop once he dies then rename it in my name.¡± ¡°That sounds way less cool and way more manipulative.¡± ¡°Listen, ya do what ya gotta do. Plus, if ya think about it, inheritin¡¯ his place will be better for me than startin¡¯ up my own. I¡¯ll get to inherit all his clients and reputation instead of havin¡¯ to build those up all on my own. And I guess there¡¯s always a chance that I might learn a thing or two from him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ruthless,¡± Kris said. ¡°You would¡¯ve been one of those billionaires if you were born a century sooner.¡± ¡°Ah, now that¡¯d be nice. Imagine how much power I would¡¯ve had. All those corrupt fools back then ¨C I would¡¯ve been able to stop this world from going to shit if I had the money to back then. Use all my money to bribe politicians into doin¡¯ the right thing for once.¡± Cassandra clearly wasn¡¯t buying it. ¡°You probably would¡¯ve ended up as corrupt as the rest of them. Everybody thinks they¡¯ll do the right thing when they¡¯re in that position until they are. Once they have all that money and power, they realize it¡¯s nice and prefer to keep it that way.¡± Tabitha smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong. I know it might be hard for some to believe, but I ain¡¯t perfect.¡± ¡°Nobody believes you are,¡± Kris said. Tabitha stuck her tongue out at Kris before pointing a finger at him. ¡°What about you? What do you want in the future?¡± Now it was Kris¡¯s turn to grab his chin and think about it. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about my career or anything. I do what I do because it¡¯s interesting and lets me feel useful to society, but it¡¯s not a part of my future, I guess. Know what I mean?¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Knew you would, bro. But uh, I guess when it comes to actual future stuff,¡± Kris rubbed the back of his head, ¡°I guess I just want a wife and kids. Being a dad sounds real nice. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for it yet, but I¡¯ll do my best to get there.¡± ¡°Is there a reason for your doubt?¡± Alice asked. ¡°It¡¯s just ¨C you know, it wasn¡¯t that long ago that I first met all of you. You remember how I was. I barely even knew how to talk to a girl then and thought it was alright to try and look under Olly¡¯s dress to see what he was.¡± Ryouta sighed as the girls cringed at the memory. ¡°Well,¡± Ryouta said, ¡°the good news is that you were¡­ kind of respectful, even back then. You still listened whenever somebody said no or to stop, stopped flirting with them as soon as you realized they were dating me, and never tried making anybody feel uncomfortable outside of the dress thing.¡± ¡°Thanks, bro. I¡¯ve really been trying ever since then. I guess you helped me realize that just because it was a game, that didn¡¯t mean to stop treating people like people. I kind of forgot about that. Realizing that made me think a lot about myself and how I treat people. In real life, too. It was like I became conscious all the time of how I¡¯m acting.¡± ¡°I am glad to know that you have improved so much!¡± Alice said. ¡°I recall not exactly being that fond of you when you first showed up, but I must admit that you are much more pleasant now.¡± Alice took a peek over at the maids. Then she looked back at Kris. ¡°It would not surprise me if you already have several women hoping for you now. I must admit, there is something about you that draws a sort of¡­ helpful urge. With how honest and kind you have become, it is easy to find oneself drawn to you in a desire to help you better yourself even more. Those who wish to help themselves often draw the most assistance from others, after all.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Absolutely. It would not surprise me if you find a woman, or perhaps multiple, who would love to help you improve yourself even moreso than you have already done. If anything, that is most likely the kind of woman who would be perfect for you. The kind of woman who loves to help others and take care of them. One could almost say¡­ like a maid who is passionate about her job.¡± The next time that Alice peeked over at the maids, none of them were looking in their direction anymore. Instead, they all found various objects to dust despite there not being a single speck of dust anywhere on them. Rao chuckled a little with a bit of a blush coloring his cheeks. ¡°Heh¡­ I never really thought about it that way. Thanks. You made me feel a bit more hopeful about the whole thing. Maybe I won¡¯t be single until the grave after all. Ah¡­ man, but now that you¡¯ve given me hope, I won¡¯t be able to stop thinking about it. This happens every time I get hope. I start thinking of a bunch of different date ideas, what kind of house I¡¯d want to build for us, baby names and all that, getting anniversary plans ready ¨C like, you ever see those videos of couples where one of them would do something like save something up for over twenty years and then give it as an anniversary present? Like taking pictures for over twenty years with the plan of eventually turning it into a super awesome gift? That¡¯s the kind of stuff II want to do, but you need to plan that stuff seriously ahead of time. Makes me pretty nervous thinking about how long I¡¯d have to be preparing that for, but I¡¯m excited. I¡¯m going to have all sorts of plans ready to go into action as soon as I find somebody.¡± Ryouta was impressed. He knew that Kris liked the maids, yet Kris was able to talk so openly about all of this right in front of them where they would definitely be able to hear every single thing he had to say. One more think that such a thing was almost manipulative as if Kris was saying all these things because he knew they would be able to hear him. But Ryouta knew that Kris wasn¡¯t like that. Instead of talking about all of that in some sort of secret way to hopefully win points over the maids, Kris was simply being honest and open with his friends. There was something else that Ryouta felt, too. Fear. Kris was sitting there talking about all these romantic, long-term plans that he had. He talked about dates, anniversary plans, and so on. Meanwhile, Ryouta had to admit that most of those things never really crossed his mind. Sure, they went on dates every now and then, but he never once thought about anniversary plans. No, now that he thought about it¡­ he never even thought of birthday plans. What would he even get them for their birthdays? What kind of presents would they like? Ryouta realized he seriously needed to up his boyfriend game. If it wasn¡¯t for knowing that Kris would never think of stealing his girlfriends for even a microsecond, he would have imagined Kris walking away from him with his arms around his girlfriends. When did this happen? Ryouta thought. When did Kris become such a cool and romantic guy? He went from borderline sexually harassing Olly and flirting with every girl who breathed to being so chill and smooth. He thinks that he has to learn from me, but I think I might have to learn from him. ¡°How about you, bro?¡± Kris asked Ryouta. ¡°What?¡± Ryouta asked back. ¡°Your future. Where do you see yourself and all that? What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not sure. If it were up to me, things would continue like they always have. I guess with kids thrown into the mix, too. And I¡¯d be married to everybody by then. Other than that, no idea.¡± ¡°What about a career?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t need the money, do you have one you would like to pursue anyways?¡± Ryouta scratched his cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t think so. I guess I¡¯ve kind of always wanted to help people, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m cut out for stuff like being a firefighter or paramedic. I¡¯m not a good teacher, either.¡± ¡°What about therapy?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine myself being a therapist. I¡¯d have to listen to people¡¯s problems all day without constantly telling them exactly how to fix them. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to handle keeping my mouth shut that much.¡± Eva shrugged. ¡°You do fine listening to us.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I love you, I don¡¯t love random people.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you become a massage person?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°A masseuse,¡± Eva corrected. ¡°A-ah¡­ it¡¯s a masseur,¡± Azalabulia corrected the correcting. ¡°Masseuse is a woman who provides massages. Masseur is for men.¡± ¡°Seriously? That sounds backwards.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Huh. Well, you¡¯re the teacher, so I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± ¡°I would normally suggest being critical of somebody even if they are a teacher¡­ but I promise I¡¯m right.¡± ¡°A masseur?¡± Ryouta asked, thinking it over a little. ¡°I¡­ guess it¡¯s not something that I can¡¯t imagine myself doing. Plus if I learn how to give good massages, I¡¯ll be able to give you all massages. A massage a day will keep the divorce away, right?¡± Most of his girlfriends found his joke at least a bit amusing, but Cassandra only rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that the only way to make me leave you is to purposely try and screw things up.¡± ¡°I know. What about you, Cass? Your turn.¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just copy my homework like that.¡± Cassandra nudged him with her elbow. ¡°Seriously. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m happy as long as I¡¯m with all of you still, so nothing else really matters. I¡¯ll probably have some hobbies by then or something to do.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Eva?¡± ¡°Exploring the world,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t expect all of you to come with me or anything every time, but it¡¯ll be alright if I leave for a few months at times to go exploring other countries, right? Don¡¯t worry, I promise I¡¯ll stay faithful while gone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us are worried about you cheating on us while you¡¯re gone. And I¡¯d try to go with you at least some of the time.¡± ¡°Yeah. I figure that between all of you, I¡¯ll always be able to convince at least one of you to come with me. Oh, and I¡¯d like to explore more virtual worlds. I figure that if we have FTO now, just imagine what sort of games there might be to explore in a few years or even a decade from now. I¡¯ll never run out of places to explore. Maybe something with dinosaurs? Oh, that¡¯s what we need. We need a game like FTO but with dinosaurs instead of fantasy. Well, maybe some fantasy would be allowed. Like wyverns and griffins.¡± ¡°That could be fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯d play it,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Taming an army of dinosaurs and leading them on a rampage sounds like it¡¯d be fun.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Cass, you¡¯re starting to sound like me. Am I rubbing off on you?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve always been interested in stuff like that. Large-scale warfare. That was part of why I wanted to be an angel. Angels were both elite members of the military and also served as commanders at times. I wanted to be an angel leading a legion of soldiers to war.¡± ¡°That makes me want to raise an army just for you to lead.¡± ¡°Pfft. I¡¯ve given up on that.¡± Ryouta smiled but decided against saying anything else. ¡°Aza? Your turn,¡± Eva said. ¡°I¡­ will have to agree with Ryouta,¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°I would love if things stayed the same. But¡­ if we have¡­ lots ¨C lots of¡­ kids by then, then¡­ I see myself teaching all of them. No matter how many we have, I¡¯ll teach all of them.¡± A flashback to last night forced itself into Ryouta¡¯s mind. Somehow, bringing up probably having kids didn¡¯t affect him, but what Azalabulia just said did. It was time to change the subject. ¡°Great answer, Aza.¡± She looked happy from the praise. ¡°Alice?¡± ¡°Hmm. I would like to work with a performance company at least once! I am not sure which sort of role I would play, but I would be happy for any opportunity to perform in front of an audience!¡± Alice answered. ¡°Posting videos online sounds enjoyable as well. I am not sure which sort I would post, though. There are enough people who do makeup tutorials and the like. Perhaps¡ª¡± ¡°Be a vtuber,¡± Ryouta interjected. ¡°Oh! I have seen those before! They have made a recent comeback in popularity, yes?¡± ¡°Yeah. They ended up taking over the internet back when they first became a thing, and now they¡¯re getting popular again. With how you¡¯re able to play a character, you should definitely try it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I never considered it, but now that you have brought it up, I am tempted to invest in that right away before the trend dies again.¡± ¡°Then we can look into it once we¡¯re home. I have no doubt you¡¯d get insanely popular.¡± Alice giggled with a hand raised over her mouth. ¡°And the technology is so much better than it was back then! Before I get any more excited, perhaps it is time to ask Serra for what she wishes for in the future. Serra?¡± Serra wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to following the conversation since she was busy dealing with the uncomfortable pain left from the previous night, but she understood enough to know what was going on and that it was her turn. She really didn¡¯t expect herself to be the one who felt the most pain the day after. ¡°Hay-at-home wife,¡± Serra answered out loud. She didn¡¯t expect Kris nor Tabitha to be able to read sign language, and she was confident in her ability to pronounce her answer, so she went for it. And it was just the sort of simple and honest answer that everybody expected from her. Then she had an idea. ¡°Lay-at-home wife,¡± Serra said with a smug expression and slight wiggle of her eyebrows. And there was the answer that they all should have expected instead. The conversation continued for some time after that. Later in the day, they ended up going out to the city for a tour where they took plenty of pictures, ate plenty of local food, and had plenty of fun together. The next couple of days were more or less the same. They¡¯d start each day relaxing and talking about various things as they figured out how they¡¯d want to spend the rest of the day. One day, they went bowling and learned that William was a terrifying force when it came to throwing a ball down a lane. The next day, they planned on going to the ocean for a swim so that Ryouta could finally have his own beach episode full of bikini fanservice, but a storm ruined the opportunity and his dreams. Then the final day came. With it came a morning of early goodbyes as Tabitha and Kris had their flights home before everybody else. Kris ended up being the first to cry for the day. ¡°Bro¡­ I¡¯m going to miss you,¡± Kris said as he almost lifted Ryouta up off the ground with his hug. ¡°Re-relax,¡± Ryouta said as he hugged back. ¡°You¡¯ll see me in-game as much as always.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re so much cooler in-game.¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re way shorter in real life. If I hugged you like this in-game, it¡¯d be weird. But you¡¯re like this in real life, so I can hug you.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ is that why you seem way more affectionate in real life? Because I¡¯m smaller?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about this.¡± Ryouta could hear his girlfriends trying not to laugh behind them. ¡°Oi, Red, relax,¡± Tabitha said. Kris sniffled and let Ryouta down, allowing Tabitha to push the taller man aside to take his place. Rather than cry or anything like that, Tabitha stuck a hand out to Ryouta. ¡°Nice meetin¡¯ ya, Captain Dog or whatever it is that I call ya. I¡¯ll see ya back in-game.¡± Ryouta smiled and accepted her hand for a shake. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll look forward to seeing what you create now that real life won¡¯t be taking you away from the game.¡± ¡°Heh. Look forward to it!¡± Tabitha didn¡¯t waste any time getting into the autocar after that. She already said her goodbyes to the girls, as did Kris. However, Kris didn¡¯t follow her in. He looked at the maids first and took a deep breath so that he could muster the courage to say, ¡°Thanks ¨C thanks for uh¡­ taking care of us. Also, I just uh¡­ wanted to say that I hope I can see you again. Or something like that. Yeah, uh, anyways, thanks for everything, and I won¡¯t forget any of you.¡± Ryouta didn¡¯t want to call that a confession. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to call that. All he knew was that it was awkward and that Kris definitely still had some things to learn. That was good for his ego at least. Ryouta wasn¡¯t sure what to believe if Kris really became smoother than him. Kris might have excelled at being honest and open, but Ryouta still won when it came to actually taking action. Ryouta gave Kris a pat on the back as Kris hurried into the car next to Tabitha. The maids then followed, subtle smiles on their faces. ¡°Ah, I wonder if he forgot that they would be accompanying them to the airport,¡± Alice said. Ryouta completely forgot about that part and looked at the car with wide eyes full of worry for his bro. After that embarrassing whatever-it-was to the maids, Kris would now be stuck in a car with them all the way to the airport. To make matters worse, Tabitha was there and there was an incredibly high chance of teasing from her. Ryouta said that he would see Kris again in-game, but he wasn¡¯t so sure about that now. Now¡­ there was a chance that the Kris he¡¯d see in-game wouldn¡¯t be the same Kris after that autocar ride. The next tears came later in the day when it came time for Azalabulia and Eva¡¯s flights. Azalabulia in particular cried until everybody¡¯s shirt had at least one wet region on it from her tears while hugging. ¡°It will be alright, my dearest Azalabulia,¡± Alice said. ¡°Once you have finished your preparations, you are welcome to move in with us at any time. You said yourself that it should not be more than another few months, yes?¡± ¡°I ¨C I know,¡± Azalabulia answered, ¡°but¡­ I¡¯ve never been happier. Being with all of you is the happiest I have ever been in real life¡­ and now I have to leave.¡± Even Alice felt moved to tears from that. She wasn¡¯t the only one, either. All of them were a bit teary-eyed from the situation. Ryouta wanted to cheer her up, but he had no idea how to. That was until he came with an idea. ¡°Aza,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Ye-yes?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°We¡¯re going dragon taming once we¡¯re back in-game.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes widened¡­ and the tears flowed even harder as she wrapped Ryouta up in her arms for an incredibly tight hug. ¡°I ¨C I wanted to make you cry less. I was hoping that,¡± he found it difficult to breathe within her grasp, ¡°that I¡¯d replace the sadness with excitement.¡± ¡°You ¨C you diiidddd! I ¨C I¡¯m so excited! I can¡¯t wait!¡± Azalabulia whined and cried. Azalabulia and dragons reminded Ryouta of that one famous, blonde actress from the start of the century and sloths. But, as long as these were excited tears rather than sad tears, that was alright. While Azalabulia continued squeezing the life out of Ryouta, Eva gave the other girls a final hug for the time being. ¡°I had a really nice time, plus I got to explore a bit more of the world. So, thanks for that,¡± Eva said. ¡°And I¡¯ll try to get my stuff in order soon, too. I know I¡¯ve been in this relationship for the shortest, but I¡¯ll feel left out if everybody else except for me lives together.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°So, hurry up.¡± Eva wiped a tear away from her eye and nodded. ¡°I will. Promise. Until then, you¡¯re going to have to deal with me being even clingier in-game to make up for missing you in real life. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± To further make it an official deal, Cassandra took the initiative and placed a kiss on Eva¡¯s lips. ¡°But seriously, don¡¯t make us wait too long.¡± ¡°Heh. I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t.¡± As the maids finished packing everything into the autocar, Azalabulia finally let go of Ryouta. Had she been in a sounder state of mind, she would have noticed and apologized for the giant wet area on Ryouta¡¯s shirt. Instead, she proceeded to leave a similar area on everybody else¡¯s shirt despite their clothes never having a chance to dry from her first teary assaults. And with their leave, only four were left. When it finally came time for Ryouta, Serra, Alice, and Cassandra to head home, the girls all said their goodbye to William and the maids first so that Ryouta could have a private moment with him. And now it was time for Ryouta to say what was on his mind. But first, a thanks. ¡°Thanks for everything,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, this trip never would have happened, and we all really loved it.¡± William smiled and placed a hand on top of Ryouta¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The pleasure has been all mine! I cannot remember the last time this place was full of so many smiles and so much laughter. I am truly happy that you all enjoyed one another¡¯s company as much as you did.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to say, but I haven¡¯t really had a chance to say it.¡± ¡°Is something the matter?¡± William could tell from the sudden change in Ryouta¡¯s tone to something more serious that something was wrong. ¡°Nothing is right now. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Ryouta took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Uh, when we in the golf cart the other day, and you drove fast ¨C I should have said this back then, but I really wasn¡¯t comfortable with that. I was¡­ honestly afraid, but I felt like I had to keep up a face in front of you. I thought you might not think I¡¯m worth Alice or something if I was afraid from something like that, so¡ª¡± And the hugging continued. This time, it was William who wrapped his arms around Ryouta. ¡°I am deeply sorry, Ryouta. Had I paid more attention, perhaps I would have noticed and changed. I have no excuse.¡± ¡°No, no ¨C you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. It was all on me and my own self-consciousness.¡± William gave Ryouta¡¯s back a couple of smacks before grabbing onto his shoulders and looking him in the eyes. ¡°I can tell that neither of us will relent on absolving the other of blame, so allow me to propose this. I will do my best to be more attentative, and you will be more honest. We will both be men and try our hardest to improve ourselves!¡± Ryouta really didn¡¯t believe that William had anything to improve, but he did agree that neither of them would convince the other that it was alright. ¡°Deal. And there¡¯s¡­ one more thing.¡± ¡°Yes? Please, whatever it is, do tell me.¡± ¡°I just wanted to say that I believe AIs are real and worthy of as much respect and care as the rest of us.¡± ¡°Ah, is this about what I said on the first day?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I see. Well, while I will admit that I may not share the same beliefs as you, I will keep an open mind and I promise that I will give the topic further research.¡± ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s already more than I was hoping for.¡± William smiled once more and gave Ryouta another few smacks, this time on his shoulders. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s everything. Thanks for listening to me.¡± ¡°Of course, Ryouta. You are the man who will one day be my son-in-law, so you are welcome to talk to me whenever you wish! Even when we are on opposing sides of the ocean once more, you are welcome to reach out to me and talk whenever you need to! You are even welcome to request a private flight here in case you ever need a break from all the women. We will spend private time together as men!¡± Ryouta doubted that he would ever accept that offer, but he still smiled and nodded. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Now that everything was wrapped up with William, Ryouta could meet up with the others at the autocar and head to the airport. But, of course, William wasn¡¯t about to let Ryouta go without one last hug. It was almost midnight when they finally made it home. Ryouta walked through the front door of their home and flicked on the light switch. While they might not have lived in their house together for too long of a time, it was their home and felt immediately comforting to them. It was nice to be back after spending even just a week away from it. That was why the first thing they did upon entering the living room was collapse onto the couch and stretch out. Ryouta made sure to pick up Alice from her wheelchair so that she could join them in sprawling out on the couch. ¡°I¡¯m so tired,¡± Ryouta said with his arms stretched out over the top of the couch. Cassandra sighed. She wanted to nod her head, but even that sounded like too much effort. ¡°Same.¡± Meanwhile, Alice had just enough energy to lazily pet Serra since Serra took it upon herself to seat her body atop Alice. ¡°Perhaps we should sleep here for the night?¡± Alice proposed. ¡°I can already imagine the back pain in the morning if we sleep here like this,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Ah, I had not considered that. Well! We can always head to bed right away. Our belongings do not need unpacked right away. Though, it would be wise to shower and switch into clean clothes first.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°Well, who knows what germs we may have picked up in the airport! We should not even be on the couch like this before getting cleaned up.¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t an issue at your dad¡¯s.¡± ¡°That is because he has a team of maids who made sure that everything was clean. Even if you sat on his couch with clothes caked in mud, said couch would be clean in no more than three minutes after you get up from it.¡± ¡°I guess. But you joined us on the couch.¡± ¡°Of course I did. I may know what is best for us, but could you really expect me to not want to join my lazy lovers lounging on the couch after such a long flight?¡± ¡°You lazy princess,¡± Ryouta spoke up. ¡°I am the laziest of all princesses.¡± ¡°Are there even enough princesses left in the world for you to have any competition there?¡± ¡°Considering that I am the only one I really know, and even I am not legally considered such anymore, I would have to say most likely not.¡± ¡°Then if there¡¯s no competition, you¡¯re the laziest, but also the most energetic.¡± ¡°That is true. I am the top in all fields among princesses.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re the most perverted degenerate princess, but also the most innocent and pure.¡± ¡°Exactly! I may play the role of both the corrupted and perverse princess who eagerly throws herself at those raiding her castle, or I may play the innocent and pure princess who must be broken via force until her mind is incapable of thinking of anything other than debaucherous thoughts. Speaking of which, I do believe we need to have a fun play sometime soon. I do have oh so many scenarios I would love to play through with all of you.¡± ¡°Definitely the most degenerate and most energetic,¡± Cassandra said. Ryouta wasn¡¯t sure how he was supposed to reply due to his mind being so tired. So, rather than reply, he closed his eyes and got a bit comfier. One of his hands might have just so happened to find its way to Cassandra¡¯s chest where he gave her a gentle squeeze. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cassandra asked. ¡°My hand needs a pillow, too,¡± Ryouta explained as his other hand reached down to Serra¡¯s chest. Serra might not have had as much to grab as Cassandra, but that didn¡¯t stop him from giving her chest just as much attention. Cassandra gave little reaction to his tired groping but Serra looked proud and smug to have her chest groped. ¡°Your hands have excellent taste, my hero, but they are missing something even more superior when it comes to Serra,¡± Alice said. Ryouta tilted his head. Well, he thought about tilting his head. Even that took too much effort. ¡°What?¡± To demonstrate, Alice stopped petting Serra¡¯s head to instead bring both of her hands down to Serra¡¯s thighs. Serra shivered from the sudden touch but was happy to receive it. ¡°This, of course!¡± ¡°If I try to touch her thighs from here, I¡¯m going to end up at her crotch instead.¡± ¡°I do not believe Serra would mind that in the slightest.¡± ¡°You have a point. Let me use another excuse then. If I try reaching over there, we¡¯re going to start looking like some sort of abomination of limbs reaching everywhere.¡± As if trying to make Ryouta¡¯s exaggeration a reality, Serra reached behind her and placed a single hand against his crotch. She pressed firmly enough so that she could feel one of her favorite parts of his body, but that was all she did. She didn¡¯t mean to be sexual or to try and get him excited or anything. It was simply that, in the same way Ryouta felt comfort with their chests, she felt comfort from the warmth of his crotch. Cassandra wasn¡¯t about to be the only one left out of touching somebody else. That was why she placed a hand on top of the one groping her from Ryouta before leaning against his side, resting her head on the top of his shoulder. ¡°We should probably get in bed before we pass out.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Ryouta said. Despite them all being more or less in agreement that they should get into bed, none of them found the energy to do so. They simply kept agreeing that they should go to bed while staying cuddling and groping on the couch. Then came the silence. Their eyes were closed and each one of them probably thought that everybody else was asleep. The only noise that could be heard were their gentle breaths. It was only when Ryouta spoke up that the silence broke. ¡°Hey¡­ I kind of want to immerse.¡± ¡°My hero, you are aware of what time it is and how tired we all are, yes?¡± Alice asked. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s been like, a whole week since we¡¯ve immersed. I feel like coming home isn¡¯t really complete until I see Rock again. You know, one of the best parts is coming home and having a pet jump all over you from missing you.¡± ¡°Hmm. I suppose that I see your point. I will admit that I may have a bit of an itch to get back into the body of Nell, if only for a bit.¡± ¡°Same,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Oh? I would have thought you would be too tired to enter me,¡± Alice teased. ¡°You know what I meant. Immersing and playing for a bit sounds fun. Even if it¡¯s only to kill a couple of monsters to make sure that I haven¡¯t forgotten how to fight.¡± ¡°Ah, and here I would be content with gazing at the sky and feeling the ocean breeze against my face. I suppose that going on a quick hunt with you does not sound too bad, though.¡± ¡°That sounds fun,¡± Ryouta agreed. ¡°We can take Rock and Shogun with us. Oh, and Saya if she¡¯s decided on how she wants to fight yet.¡± Cassandra took her phone out, typed a message, and held it above Serra¡¯s face. When she noticed that Serra¡¯s eyes were still closed, she tapped the phone against Serra¡¯s forehead to grab her attention before holding the phone still again. Serra gave a thumbs-up and nodded her head once she read the message. It seemed like they were all in the mood to get back in-game after spending an entire week¡¯s worth of time in the real world. They might have all been a bit more addicted than they realized. ¡°Alright,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the grind.¡± Book 8: Chapter 1: What was once nothing more than a stretch of coastline in front of the mountains quickly developed into something greater. First, there was The Shoebill and a couple of small structures that provided Fenrir and his group with somewhere to sleep other than in the hammocks of their boat, even if most of them still opted for the comfort of said hammocks in the end. Then, once they learned of the incoming attack from the serpent, they worked together with the other nearby villages to prepare defenses for the focused attack. This led to the construction of the keep, barracks for players from the other villages to sleep in, and some houses for NPCs that moved into the area who began converting some of the space into farmland. Once the battle against the serpent was over, Fenrir expected that most people would want to return to their villages. The players who came to help were sent by the other village¡¯s leaders to help with construction and preparing defenses, not to settle the area. But, as it turned out, many of them liked the idea of building a new town from the ground up. After all, that was part of what led them to this coast anyways. Everybody who chose to live in any of the villages along this coast were generally of the same mindset. They wanted to get away from the rest of the game¡¯s playerbase to live nice, simple lives where they could basically start from nothing. The idea of moving somewhere that still needed building up was far more appealing to them than something like moving into a prebuilt town or city that was already running smoothly without them. They didn¡¯t want to immediately be tossed into the system of grinding, earning money, and defending against other players. Having to defend against the serpent aside, Fenrir¡¯s idea of building a new city offered these players exactly what they were looking for. Not all of these players arrived to the area before the other villages were already mostly finished, so many of them never got the opportunity to be the settlers that they wanted to be. Now, with Fenrir, they had the inspiration to try it out. Very few of these players wanted to just go out and build a house on their own without any help away from everybody else. But, under Fenrir, these players found one another and a leader who intended to do exactly what they dreamed of. The hard work of these players unified under a common goal was all that it took to turn the area into a proper town. It helped that they were in a game. The game might not have made it easier for them to construct buildings, but the fact that it was inside of a game was all that mattered to them. Construction work in real life? Most of these players would never even think about that. Nobody wanted to work outside in hot weather over long shifts listening to orders being shouted at them as they performed hard, manual labor. Construction work in-game? There was nothing wrong with staying indoors in real life so that they could¡­ work outside in hot weather, in a virtual world, over long shifts that would be in violation of labor laws in real life, while listening to orders being shouted at them as they performed hard, manual labor. No matter what year it might have been, gamers always remained the same. Tedious tasks that would never be voluntarily done in real life were considered fun as long as they were inside of a game. Just like how somebody might not have any problem, and might even find it relaxing, mining rocks for over eighty hours total in a single week. Would they ever do that in real life? Absolutely not. Yet, some people lived for that sort of masochistic work in virtual worlds. Even in FTO, where things were more or less just as realistic as they were in reality, people gladly performed the equivalent of slave labor taken to the extreme. The only people in-game who didn¡¯t want to kill their bodies over such laborious work were the NPCs. They actually had common sense, or at least acted like they did, and worked normal hours. Well, normal hours as far as a fantasy world went. They still woke up early in the morning, spent most of the day tending to their fields, and then went to sleep to repeat it all over again. Even so, they at least took breaks, spent time with their families, and had to sleep unlike the players who considered sleep to be for the weak. If these gamers were able to put all of their extreme efforts into the real world instead of the virtual one, then society might advance at a rate never before seen at any point in human history! But, alas, video games were more important than the advancement of society and humanity. Now, in the center of a miniature colosseum built near the center of the town, some players and NPCs gathered around to watch the fight. That little fighting tournament that they had before proved to be something that everybody was interested in seeing more of. Whether they were random battles or proper tournaments, people just really loved to watch others beat the crap out of each other. It wasn¡¯t only for scheduled fights, either. The colosseum became the site for all combat training and sparring. Quite a few players chose to just lounge around in the colosseum¡¯s stands whenever they didn¡¯t have anything else to do or when taking a break. There was always a good chance that they¡¯d get to watch a fight if they did, and now that was proven true once again. There was only one other player that Fenrir knew of who he could really benefit from sparring against to develop his style. Cassiel and Azalabulia made good sparring partners, but he wanted to fight against somebody who fought just like he did. And that somebody was none other than the brawling, extremely muscular, ever-smiling Mister Smiles. Sparring together practically became a daily thing for them after he returned from his vacation with everybody in real life. A bit of real-life studying was even thrown into the mix. He really wanted to take his fighting to the next level due to the increasing pressure he felt to be more responsible, so he began watching videos online of varying martial arts styles. Boxing, kickboxing, karate, muay thai, jiujitsu ¨C he basically watched how to perform techniques from every single martial arts style that there was. It probably would have been more effective to focus on a single one, but he ended up taking little elements from all of them to implement in his in-game brawling style. Well, perhaps it couldn¡¯t even be considered brawling anymore. Brawling implied a rougher and noisier sort of fighting. The one thing that the research helped with was refining his style into something more efficient and smoother. Quieter, too, as he practiced proper breathing techniques and stopped making so much noise while fighting. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t the only one improving, either. Fenrir had no idea whether Mister Smiles was doing research on his own or learning from fighting against him, but he could see¡ªand feel¡ªthe improved style and power of Mister Smiles. Unfortunately for Fenrir, he lacked the advantage of having extremely durable ¡°armor¡± that easily absorbed practically all physical damage. But that was alright. These sparring sessions were less about defeating the other and more about fighting for the sake of improvement. If they beat the other person to the point where they could no longer stand up, that meant less fighting and less fighting meant less improvement. As for those watching in the audience, Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends often came to watch the show as well. Nell in particular made sure to never miss one of their sparring sessions. ¡°Ah, to watch two men so violently brutalize one another. Is it not such a wonderful, primal sight?¡± Nell asked as Fenrir and Mister Smiles landed heavy punches directly in the center of each other¡¯s face. ¡°That one,¡± Eva said, pausing to take another bite out of her loaded potato, ¡°looked like it hurt.¡± It was only the two of them for this sparring session. The rest of the girls were off busy with other tasks. Other tasks meaning bedroom tasks led by Serra. Back to those fighting, while defeating the other person might not have been a goal for either of them, there was clearly one party who looked ready to drop at any moment and one party who looked the same as when they started. Of course, given that Mister Smiles had his head covered by a giant, smiling mask, it was impossible to know how he really felt. Just as it was impossible to know that he was actually a she. Fenrir, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t hide his exhaustion. The blood and bruises might have tried to hide his exhaustion, but they weren¡¯t able to do it on their own. Another exchange of vicious blows left Fenrir stumbling backwards, hardly able to remain standing. Even so, he didn¡¯t want to stop. Why would he when he was having so much fun? Some players might not have minded performing hard, physical labor in-game when they never would have wanted to do it in real life. Other players, like Fenrir, didn¡¯t mind experiencing severe pain and full-body soreness from fighting in-game despite never wanting to feel it in real life. ¡°I must admit,¡± Nell said, ¡°I am not quite sure why he so adamantly refuses to use his ability during these bouts.¡± ¡°You mean the one that makes him fluffier?¡± Eva asked. There was also the fact that it made him significantly stronger, but his girlfriends had more fun referring to it as the ability that made him fluffier. ¡°Right, that one!¡± ¡°Well, look at it this way. The stronger he becomes without it, the stronger he¡¯ll be when he actually uses it. Plus he can¡¯t use it all the time.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. That makes sense. Also, have you seen Saya around today?¡± Fenrir and Mister Smiles¡¯ fists met one another head on with enough force that it created a small shockwave that blew through the hair of everybody watching. ¡°Nope,¡± Eva answered. ¡°I guess she¡¯s training again.¡± Nell sighed. ¡°Goodness, that girl. Always off training on her own instead of allowing us to accompany her.¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s self-conscious. She¡¯ll have to train a ton if she wants to catch up to us considering that she¡¯s basically a brand-new character compared to us.¡± ¡°But what if she gets hurt?! Or what if she finds herself pinned down by some brutal, ravenous monster five times her size?! To be alone in the forest, training so desperately to look good in the eyes of those she cares about, only to be pinned down by a feral beast and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think this is turning into one of your fantasies instead of being genuine concern for her.¡± Nell cleared her throat. ¡°My point is that she should at least allow us to accompany her in the event of something going right ¨C wrong, I mean. Yes, wrong.¡± ¡°You¡¯re horrible sometimes, you know?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot deny that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you wouldn¡¯t even if you could.¡± Nell smiled and leaned her head against Eva¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You know me so well.¡± ¡°I do wonder how she¡¯s even training. She never has a weapon or anything with her. Maybe she¡¯s hiding it so we don¡¯t find out what route she chose?¡± ¡°Perhaps. Or maybe she is following the path of my hero and practicing with her fists?¡± ¡°I doubt it. She doesn¡¯t really seem like the brawler type. My bet¡¯s on magic.¡± ¡°I could picture that! Though, I suppose that when I think of her choosing a role, I imagine her dressed as a nun and performing healing magic for everybody. And when I think of a nun¡­ I think of being alone and surrounded by demons who want nothing more than to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to stop,¡± Saya said, now sitting right behind the other two. She made sure to sit closer to Eva than Nell given how Nell always wanted to be clingier than she was prepared for. ¡°And there¡¯s no way that I¡¯m ever dressing up like a nun.¡± Nell originally planned on greeting Saya after jumping from hearing her voice behind them, but that last thing she said gave her another idea. ¡°Not even if my hero asks you to?¡± A hint of red colored Saya¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Not ¨C not even if he asks.¡± ¡°But you already wear that sweater for him, do you not?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ if only he were not so obsessed with sweaters. There are so many outfits he could request.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯d wear anything that he requests just because he¡¯s the one who¡¯s asks!¡± Eva poked Nell¡¯s shoulder to get her attention. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you just get him to ask her to wear what you want to wear?¡± Nell put on the most innocent expression that she possibly could. ¡°Of course not! I would never take advantage of my hero by using him to dress Saya up in costumes that would look absolutely adorable on her!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound convincing at all!¡± Saya shouted. Eva shrugged. ¡°I thought she sounded pretty convincing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play along with her!¡± ¡°My dear Saya, you seem to be mistaken about something. Eva and I are naught but the two most honest individuals that you could ever meet! We would certainly never play along with one another to support a clear lie,¡± Nell said while putting no effort into actually sounding convincing. As for Eva, she simply nodded along with everything that Nell said. ¡°Yeah. What she said.¡± ¡°You ¨C ugh. I thought that onii¡ªI mean¡­ I ¨C I thought that Fenrir¡¯s teasing was the worst of the worst,¡± Saya said, trying not to blush too hard after almost calling him onii-wan in front of them. That was when another voice spoke up, this time coming from in front of where Eva and Nell sat and sounding much deeper in tone. ¡°I see that you¡¯re comfortable enough around them now to move into your tsun phase,¡± Fenrir said. And now it was impossible for Saya to not turn red as she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing it on purpose or anything!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ my hero, I believe I understand now why you love your ¡®tsundere fanservice¡¯ from Cassiel so much,¡± Nell said and nodded a couple of times. ¡°I have been converted. I will join you in your righteous cause of wanting such fanservice!¡± ¡°It is pretty cute,¡± Eva agreed. The attack from all three of them was too much for Saya to handle. That meant it was time to try and change subjects. ¡°O-Fenrir!¡± Little did Saya realize that she just gave them even more to tease her about. With a smirk, Fenrir repeated what she it sounded like she said. ¡°¡®Oh Fenrir?¡¯¡± ¡°What a dramatic way of calling out to you!¡± Nell joined in. ¡°I have ¡®my hero,¡¯ and now she has ¡®oh Fenrir!¡¯¡± ¡°That ¨C I ¨C I wasn¡¯t trying to do something like that!¡± Saya protested. ¡°And this isn¡¯t even one of those tsundere moments where I did something and then pretend I didn¡¯t mean it! I seriously didn¡¯t mean it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Eva said. ¡°I believe you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing you¡¯d say in the bedroom instead of as a greeting, right?¡± ¡°I ¨C you ¨C I ¨C tha-that¡¯s not¡ª¡± Saya grabbed her twintails and used them to cover up her face. ¡°Being the worst must be contagious and he¡¯s infected all of you! You¡¯re all the worst!¡± ¡°My hero¡­ I understand so much of what you enjoy now,¡± Nell said. ¡°The tsundere fanservice, teasing her ¨C if this is what you got to enjoy the entire time she was your virtual assistant, I must say you have excellent taste!¡± Fenrir looked awfully proud of himself as he nodded his head. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Also, I must say, you look horrible. Are you in need of a healer?¡± ¡°That ¨C that¡¯s what I was going to ask,¡± Saya said under her breath, just barely loud enough for Fenrir to hear her. She technically already knew the answer to that seeing as how she was still a virtual assistant inside of his head, but she wanted to ask regardless. Naturally, Fenrir reached over the others to pet her head between those canid ears of hers. As tsundere and pouty as she might have been, none of that could possibly stop her from pressing her head up against his petting hand as she looked away. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he answered. ¡°Aside from the fact that I can barely see and am in tons of pain, so I guess I¡¯m almost dead.¡± Saya¡¯s eyes that previously looked anywhere but at Fenrir now focused on him hard enough to stare a hole straight through him. ¡°You need to be more careful!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the tsundere thing be wishing that I was dead instead of only almost dead?¡± And now those eyes of hers narrowed at him. ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing you all beat up like this.¡± While Fenrir might have been used to the dere moments of her tsundere personality, Nell was not. Sure, Fenrir appreciated that Saya was concerned for him and felt bad about making her worry, but Nell had to try her absolute best to not interrupt the moment by wrapping her arms around Saya and forcing her into a cuddling session. Instead of doing that, Nell sat there clenching her fists and squirming in her seat. She knew that if she practically tackled and pampered the life out of Saya right then and there that it would ruin the precious moment she was watching between them. Truly a difficult position to be in for her. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful next time,¡± Fenrir said before finally taking his hand away from Saya¡¯s head. Now, he placed his hands on top of Nell¡¯s and Eva¡¯s heads to pet them. ¡°How¡¯d your training go?¡± ¡°It¡­ it went fine,¡± Saya answered. ¡°I think¡­ I need you to come with me next time.¡± ¡°I finally get to see what you¡¯ve decided for yourself?¡± ¡°O-only because I need your help.¡± ¡°Sure. Will everybody else get to see after?¡± Saya looked away again and nodded. ¡°Oh, can Rock and Shogun come? They¡¯ve been pretty lazy lately. I think we need to get them going out on walks more often.¡± ¡°They¡¯re always welcome to do what they want,¡± Saya answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. After all, they were canines. Why wouldn¡¯t they be allowed to do anything? ¡°But you need healed first!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Fenrir turned his attention to Eva and Nell. ¡°Got any idea where Cass Cass is?¡± ¡°At Serra¡¯s mercy, surely,¡± Nell answered. ¡°I guess she was in the mood for the biggest of us,¡± Eva said with a shrug. ¡°How come you two didn¡¯t join her? I figure that would¡¯ve been more fun than sitting around here,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Well,¡± Nell was the first to answer, ¡°I suppose that neither of us were in the mood for that. Besides, it is not often the two of us get to spend time together without everybody else around us. We could not simply leave you without any cheerleaders, either!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any cheering.¡± ¡°We cheered on the inside,¡± Eva explained. ¡°Makes sense.¡± Fenrir looked at Saya again. ¡°If you¡¯re up for it, want me to help you with whatever it is after I go get healed? There are still a few hours left before we have to get ready and go to the meeting.¡± Nell stiffened up a bit when she heard mention of the meeting. It was obvious to all of them and they all understood why. Fenrir figured that was probably part of why she wasn¡¯t in the mood to have fun in the bedroom. And if Nell wasn¡¯t in the mood, Eva probably chose to keep her company instead of leaving her alone. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, Nell,¡± Fenrir took his hand off of her head to instead rest it on her shoulder, ¡°you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Nell shook her head and placed her hand on top of his. ¡°Worry not, my hero. While I may be nervous, you are the one who said I would be perfect for this. Not only that, but I must admit I am excited myself. It is¡­ simply not something that I have any experience with. Regardless, I shall try my best and am eager to hear what the others think!¡± ¡°Well, as long as it¡¯s still something you want.¡± ¡°I promise, my hero, it is.¡± ¡°Good. Then, Saya?¡± ¡°O-oh. Yeah. We can go after you¡¯re healed. I can get Rock and Shogun and wait for you with my stuff by the forest road,¡± Saya answered. They even had roads leading to various nearby areas now. The forest road was the one that led from the town¡¯s center west toward the forest, naturally. ¡°Sounds like a plan. I¡¯ll go ahead and get healed now¡­ assuming that I don¡¯t collapse on the way over.¡± ¡°Worry not, my hero,¡± Nell spoke up. ¡°The two of us shall accompany you there! Ah, wait. What of your opponent?¡± She looked around behind him for any sign of Mister Smiles only not to see anybody there. ¡°He started panicking and left while waving at me. I guess he must have had something important in real life to do. Maybe had food delivered.¡± ¡°So,¡± Eva said, ¡°you¡¯re telling us that you¡¯re in this shape and the battle wasn¡¯t even over yet?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Fenrir answered with a nod. ¡°How much longer were you planning on fighting for?¡± ¡°I guess we were both really in the mood, so probably until one of us died.¡± ¡°You know that damages your progress, right?¡± ¡°Technically, but it¡¯s not like it could erase the experience we gained from fighting. Even if there¡¯s some hidden skill boosting my melee damage that loses progress when I die, the actual experience from training stays us, and that¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Fair enough. That¡¯s a good point.¡± ¡°So, ready to be my crouches?¡± ¡°Your¡­ crouches? Are you sure that the fight didn¡¯t deal some brain damage to you?¡± ¡°What? My crouches. What else would I say?¡± Saya placed her face against her palm and said, ¡°Onii-wan, it¡¯s¡ª" She immediately stopped when she realized her mistake. Once more, Nell found herself struggling to restrain herself from pouncing Saya. Then there was Fenrir with that smug look of satisfaction on his face from her calling him onii-wan in front of the others. Eva didn¡¯t feel strongly about the matter either way, but she did find it a bit amusing since she knew just how hard Saya tried not to say it around them from previous mistakes. ¡°Crutches, Fenrir!¡± Saya shouted. ¡°They¡¯re crutches! Not crouches!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t a crutch a couch?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Wha¡ªhow?! How do you even ask something like that? A couch is a couch! You just said them as two totally different things!¡± ¡°Right, crouches.¡± Eva stood up and looked into Fenrir¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not having a stroke, are you? Did you seriously suffer brain damage or something?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Saya answered seeing as how she had access to all of his latest health. Still being his virtual assistant had its perks. ¡°He¡¯s just stupid.¡± ¡°Oh. Makes sense.¡± Eva gave Fenrir a friendly poke on the forehead before pulling one of his arms around her shoulder. Given the height difference between them, though, she wasn¡¯t that effective as a couch, crouch, nor as a crutch. ¡°Come on, big guy. Let¡¯s get you to Cass. She¡¯ll make you feel all better.¡± ¡°Can she make him smarter, too?¡± Saya asked. ¡°Unfortunately, I think that¡¯s impossible even with the latest of modern science.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Did I just have some sort of massive stupid moment?¡± ¡°If only you knew, my hero,¡± Nell said. ¡°I was saying crutches, right?¡± ¡°There, there. It will be okay. Allow us to help you to the healing bosom of Cassiel.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think her healing magic comes from her chest.¡± Nell shushed him. ¡°Your mind is clearly overworked as is.¡± ¡°You guys are making me feel seriously stupid.¡± ¡°Have you tried not being stupid then?¡± Saya asked with a smirk. Fenrir pouted and stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°The next time any of you make a mistake when talking, I¡¯m not letting you on it.¡± ¡°Not¡­ on it?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Do you mean you¡¯re not letting us off?¡± ¡°I give up. I¡¯m turning into a mute. I¡¯m only communicating with sign language from now on.¡± ¡°My hero, your sign language has even more mistakes than your spoken language according to Serra,¡± Nell said. Between Mister Smiles and now this, there was just no winning. Book 8: Chapter 2: After meeting up with Cassiel to get healed back to full health, Fenrir went to meet Saya, Rock, and Shogun by the path that lead to the forest. She already had a heavy bag looked ready to burst held in one hand when he reached her. ¡°That have all your stuff in it?¡± Fenrir asked as he pointed at the bag. ¡°You would like to know, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Saya asked in response. ¡°It¡¯s either a bunch of gear or a dead body with how big it is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a body!¡± Fenrir smiled and gave Saya a pat atop her head. ¡°I¡¯m all good now, so let¡¯s go. I¡¯m excited to see what you¡¯ve been working on.¡± Saya pouted and turned her back on him so that she could walk away, leading the way. Fenrir made sure to give both Rock and Shogun some quick pets before following after her. Once they reached a good spot in the forest away from the main path, Saya took her bag behind a nearby tree and set it down before coming back over to him. ¡°I¡¯ve been working really hard¡­ but I¡¯m still getting used to all of this, so don¡¯t judge me if I¡¯m bad,¡± Saya said. ¡°I¡¯d never judge you,¡± Fenrir answered and caused her to smile. ¡°Stay here, onii-wan.¡± With that, she went back over to the tree that she set her bag down behind. The tree was more than wide enough to hide her entire body behind it. ¡°But I¡¯ll be lonely,¡± Fenrir whined with a playful tone. Saya stopped, looked at him, and flicked the air aiming directly at his forehead. Fenrir responded to the sudden attack by putting a hand on his forehead and saying, ¡°Ouch,¡± despite not actually feeling anything. ¡°You¡¯re so brutal, Pupaya. You need to learn to go easy on me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me actually flick you.¡± ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re going to flick me. Whatever will I do.¡± ¡°Did I mention I would be flicking you with a hammer?¡± ¡°Al-alright. Maybe flicking is something to be feared after all.¡± ¡°You better be afraid! Now stay there!¡± ¡°Can I peek?¡± ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Please?¡± ¡°Asking nicely won¡¯t change anything!¡± ¡°But I want to peek.¡± ¡°Onii-wan, I swear. I¡¯m about to upgrade the hammer into an axe.¡± ¡°Look, all I want to do is peek on my pseudo imouto while she¡¯s probably getting changed.¡± ¡°Hey, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Have I mentioned lately that you¡¯re the worst?¡± ¡°Not nearly enough.¡± Saya sighed and rubbed her forehead. ¡°Why are you the way that you are?¡± ¡°What can I say? I love to tease the people who are important to me.¡± And just like that, Fenrir succeeded in making her blush a little. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m going now! Stay there!¡± Of course, before she could actually get behind the tree, she was stopped when he had something else to say. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go behind the tree in peace if you give me a hug afterwards.¡± Saya grit her teeth before swinging an arm out to point at him. ¡°Fine! As long as you actually let me do what I need to do!¡± Fenrir gave her a thumbs-up with one hand while he pretended to zip his lips with his other hand. Even though he was finally doing as told, that didn¡¯t stop Saya from going ¡°Hmph!¡± before finally getting behind the tree in peace. She still made sure to wait a few seconds and then peeked around it to check on him and see if he was going to try and peek on her or not, though. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t check,¡± Fenrir said when he saw her head poke out from behind the tree. Saya stuck her tongue out at him and then disappeared from his sight again. As for Fenrir, he was left alone with Rock and Shogun who were walking all over the place sniffing everything that was even slightly interesting to them. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure how it worked when it came to Rock sniffing things seeing as how she didn¡¯t actually have what looked like a functioning nose. She had something in the shape of a nose but it didn¡¯t exactly have holes for nostrils. That meant it was time for science. Could Rock actually smell or not? Was she just acting out the instinctual need to sniff things as a canine, or could she actually smell? To perform his experiment, Fenrir looked around and gathered two different items. One of these items was a delicate, red flower with a pleasant smell that reminded him of berries. The other was a piece of wood with a foul-smelling colony of fungus growing on its side. ¡°Here, Rock!¡± Fenrir shouted out to her. Rock happily came running with her tail wagging and ears twitching. First, just to confirm that he was right, he gently took ahold of her snout and tilted it up so that he could check out her nose. No nostrils. It should have been impossible for her to actually smell anything. ¡°Alright, here,¡± Fenrir said, holding the flower up in front of her snout. Rock practically shoved her nose right into the flower¡¯s petals as she silently sniffed. Her ears twitched every so often and her tail made her look pretty happy to be sniffing the flower, but Fenrir still wasn¡¯t sure if she could actually smell or if she was just reacting that way because of the act of smelling. The second part of the experiment had Fenrir taking the flower away to replace it with the wood. Rock sniffed the fungus colony on the wood. She continued sniffing for a few more seconds before cringing at the scent and pulling her head away to bark at it from a safe distance. Fenrir doubted that she would have a reaction like that if she wasn¡¯t actually able to smell it, so that meant that she could, in fact, smell things despite not having nostrils. That made sense going by how the rest of her body seemed to work. There was a lot about her that shouldn¡¯t have been possible due to being made out of rock, yet she managed to surpass the impossible. She truly was a good girl. And that meant she deserved some pats and rubs. ¡°I¡¯ll have to let Eva know about this later. She¡¯ll probably find it interesting,¡± Fenrir said as he sat down to relax with Rock, petting her head with one hand and stroking her back with his other as she rested the upper half of her body over his lap. Shogun ended up coming over to join them and to also receive pats and scratches. Normally, when it came to alone time without anybody to really talk to, that meant it was time for Fenrir to talk to Saya in his head. He technically still could, too. But instead of that, he spent the time with Rock and Shogun this time around. They were in need of all the pats, rubs, scratches, and praises seeing as how they were the goodest canines that he knew, excluding himself and Saya. Wait, Fenrir thought. If I¡¯m part wolf¡­ what would I be classified as to a scientist? Even if the only wolf-y parts about me are my ears and tail, would that be enough to say I¡¯m no longer scientifically classified as a human? That¡¯s something else I¡¯ll have to talk to Eva about. ¡°You think some weird things when you¡¯re alone, onii-wan,¡± Saya said, her voice appearing inside of his head just like usual. Though, ever since she got an actual avatar to play around with, she communicated via his mind far less often. ¡°Listen, this is important for science. I¡¯ver got to make Eva proud,¡± Fenrir said out loud. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Anyways¡­ are you ready?¡± ¡°Ready to finally see what you¡¯ve been up to in secret all this time?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°The hype is real. Come on, let me see.¡± He didn¡¯t get a response from her after that nor did he see her come out from behind the tree. Not for a few moments at least. Eventually, the nervous Saya did come out from behind the tree that she hid behind and presented herself and her new setup to Fenrir. While he might not have known what to expect from her, he did know that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling when he saw her. To start with, rather than what some of his girlfriends predicted she would go with as a path in the game, Saya held a bow in her hand with a quiver full of arrows hanging behind her back. He never would have predicted that she would go the archer route, but it did make sense seeing as how a ranged, physical damage dealer was essentially the only role their group was missing. A dedicated healer could have been nice, but they had Cassiel to help out with healing and Nell to cast protective barriers. There wasn¡¯t anybody who used a proper ranged weapon. As for her outfit, it was like the kind of fantasy outfit that one could find worn by any ranged class in various games except for one major thing that helped her stand out among the rest of them. She still had a sweater. She somehow managed to combine a modern sweater with a fantasy archer getup and make it work perfectly. It was beautiful enough to bring a tear to Fenrir¡¯s eye. ¡°Wh-why are you crying?!¡± Saya shouted. Fenrir wiped at his eye before answering. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t abandon the chosen path of the sweater. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± ¡°Wearing a sweater is nothing to cry over!¡± ¡°It is. It¡¯s only natural for a man to cry at the sight of beautiful art. The most beautiful sculptures in the world are nothing in comparison to the sight of a cute girl in a sweater. You deserve to have a marble sculpture carved of you that is shown in the world¡¯s most famous art museum.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s way too much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s what you deserve for being as perfect as you are.¡± While Fenrir might have been acting especially dramatic and silly, it was impossible for Saya to not blush when he called her perfect. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Fenrir declared. ¡°For what?¡± Saya asked. ¡°My hug. You owe me a hug.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to do anything weird while you hug me, are you?¡± ¡°No promises. My girlfriends consent to me doing weird things with you. Plus you already know exactly what I¡¯m going to do since you¡¯re in my head, remember?¡± Saya¡¯s cheeks turned bright red as she looked away from him, one hand reaching up to play with her nearest twintail. ¡°I ¨C I know¡­ you don¡¯t have to remind me.¡± Fenrir opened up his arms to receive the incoming hug. Saya slowly walked closer to him while struggling to look at him the entire time. As soon as Saya was close enough, Fenrir wrapped his arms around her and she did the same to him, albeit with significantly less energy than he had. ¡°You look great, Saya, and you chose a nice option,¡± Fenrir praised. ¡°Th-thanks, onii-wan,¡± Saya replied as she relaxed within his arms. Of course, it became increasingly difficult to relax as she felt his hands moving all over her torso. ¡°Are ¨C are you really going to do that right now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wearing a sweater. How could I resist?¡± Next, Fenrir sat down on the ground and pulled Saya with him so that she would be in his lap, her back to his chest which allowed him to wrap his arms around her to her front. There was only one natural thing to do with his hands after that. Saya, tense in his lap but not refusing any of his advances, stayed still and kept her eyes locked onto his hands as they slowly slipped up her torso toward her chest. She looked away with a scrunched-up face right as he brought his hands over her breasts¡­ and then let out a surprised moan as soon as she felt his hands grope her over the sweater. ¡°Yo-you¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the one letting me do this,¡± Fenrir whispered against her ear. ¡°Nn¡­ i-it¡¯s not like I like this or anything¡­ ba-baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°Being tsundere only makes me even more excited.¡± ¡°Li-like I care! I¡¯m not doing this for your excitement!¡± Saya protested as she obviously did it for his excitement. ¡°It was already hard keeping my hands off of you.¡± There was plenty of hugging ever since Saya got her in-game body. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to want to squeeze and grope you all the time. How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re as horny as Serra when you¡¯re with me!¡± ¡°Can you blame me?¡± ¡°Do-don¡¯t you think you should consider how your girlfriends feel? You¡¯re going to make them jealous if you can¡¯t stop touching me!¡± ¡°Hey, if they want me to touch them just as much, all they have to do is wear a sweater.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe we should keep that to ourselves.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that? Will you get jealous if I stop touching you as much to touch them more instead?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s just¡­ if Serra wears a sweater, you¡¯re going to be stuck in a bedroom with her twenty-four-seven until the sweater comes off or one of you dies.¡± ¡°I see nothing wrong with that if a sweater is involved.¡± ¡°You need help. Serious, clinical help. Can you give me permission to schedule you for a psychiatric assessment?¡± ¡°If whoever gives it is wearing a sweater, sure.¡± Saya grabbed Fenrir¡¯s wrists and pulled his hands away from her chest. ¡°You¡¯ve lost groping privileges.¡± ¡°So you admit that I had them in the first place, and that they must have been given by you if you have the power to revoke them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re about to lose sweater privileges, too. I¡¯m going to change my outfit so that there¡¯s no more swea¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ll get a psychiatric assessment and I¡¯ll do anything else you say for all of eternity. Just please don¡¯t get rid of the sweater.¡± Saya sighed and placed his hands back on her chest. ¡°You¡¯re too easy, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Does this mean that I have groping privileges again?¡± Fenrir was already back to groping before she could answer. ¡°No comment.¡± ¡°You must get your easiness from me. I¡¯m easy against sweaters and you¡¯re easy against¡­ me in general.¡± ¡°Do-don¡¯t get full of yourself! It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll do whatever you want just because it¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Are you sure about that? I mean, you were originally created to basically be my perfect partner, and now that¡¯s still who you want to be.¡± Saya grumbled a little before pouting and grabbing her twintails to smack his head with. ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯m being physically abused. Somebody save me.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t have sounded less concerned about the ¡°abuse¡± if he tried. Rather than say anything like Fenrir was expecting Saya to, she went silent and still within his arms for a few moments. ¡°Everything alright?¡± Fenrir asked her as his hands switched to resting on her abdomen. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ kind of jealous,¡± Saya admitted in a low voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You synced up with me as soon as you immersed after your vacation. I got access to everything that happened while you were over there, including all the¡­ bedroom stuff.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°And ever since then, you¡¯ve been doing it in real life with them almost every single night. And sometimes in the morning. And¡ª¡± ¡°I blame Serra.¡± ¡°I do, too, but that doesn¡¯t change that¡­ you¡¯ve been doing it so much. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re immersed or in reality anymore.¡± Fenrir scratched the side of his head as a nervous chuckle left his lips. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah. I guess that we feel like we have to make up for all the lost time spent not doing it.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°Is there something in specific about that making you jealous?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess that¡­ I ¨C it¡¯s hard to explain. I don¡¯t want to rush things, but I¡­ want to hurry up and do all that stuff with you, too. A-and I know how it sounds! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m desperate for¡­ sex or anything like that. It¡¯s just¡­ everything intimate. The sex, the cuddling, the teasing, being wrapped up in each other¡¯s bodies¡­ I know how nice it is from how you you¡¯ve felt during it, but I want to experience it myself.¡± Fenrir tightly hugged Saya against him and kissed the top of her head between her ears before saying, ¡°Thanks for opening up about that with me. I know that you don¡¯t want to rush things and that you want to wait for them, but just remember that they¡¯ve all already given me permission to do anything I want with you. I can give you all of that whenever you want.¡± ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t be fair. Everybody else has had to wait until they¡¯re liked by everybody and a part of the relationship. If I get special treatment¡­ it¡¯s like I¡¯m different from them. Kind of like¡­¡± ¡°Like you¡¯re not as legitimate?¡± Saya lowered her head a little and nodded to confirm Fenrir¡¯s guess. ¡°You feel legitimate to me,¡± Fenrir said as he groped her a little more. ¡°You also sound pretty legitimate from all the times I¡¯ve heard you talk. And you¡¯re legitimately playing the game. You talk and think like you¡¯re legitimate, too.¡± He might not have been able to see it, but he did manage to make her smile. ¡°You¡¯re so weird, onii-wan. You know, I actually¡­ talked to a lot of random people online about this in anonymous chats. I didn¡¯t go into the specifics of how I feel, but I gave them a vague idea of things and used a hypothetical AI in the examples instead of me. You¡¯re the only one who feels this way. Everybody else thought the AI ¨C me, wouldn¡¯t be legitimate. They thought that my feelings didn¡¯t matter because I¡¯m the one choosing to feel them in the first place¡­ not to mention that they¡¯re not really real. Not like a human¡¯s. Even now¡­ I ¡®feel jealous¡¯ and I¡¯m talking to you about all of this because it¡¯s what I believe I should act like.¡± ¡°And nothing that anybody else believes matters. You¡¯re my Saya. The only thing that matters when it comes to you is what you choose to do with your life. Present to me exactly how you want to be seen and that¡¯s who I¡¯ll accept you as.¡± ¡°There are some things I could say¡­ but I think you¡¯d get mad if I said them, and all they¡¯d do is put me down.¡± ¡°The more you put yourself down, the higher I¡¯ll have to lift you up.¡± Saya giggled and sighed. ¡°That was a good one, onii-wan. And thanks.¡± ¡°Anytime, Pupaya. Also, when it comes to treating you differently and all that ¨C you see, taking things slower and not wanting to jump right into treating you like my girlfriend would be treating you differently. I¡¯ve known you longer than all of them. I¡¯ve also spent the most time with you since you¡¯ve been in my head this entire time. And we know each other better than anybody else could unless they also get into our heads. You¡¯re also cute as heck and wearing a sweater. By all standards, I should be all over you, constantly wanting to lewd you, and treating you like you¡¯re just as important as all of my girlfriends. Get it? If you really don¡¯t want to be treated differently, then that means,¡± Fenrir paused and pulled Saya a bit farther back onto his lap, setting her rear down right against his crotch where she¡¯d be able to feel a certain, hard thing pressing up against her, ¡°I have to treat you just like I¡¯d treat them. Especially since they¡¯ve given me permission to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ such a hentai, baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°That might be true, but you¡¯re the one pressing down against me and the one who brought my hands back to your chest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my fault I was created based off of you.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you being a pervert is in your soul.¡± ¡°Shut up. Also, kiss me.¡± ¡°Those are two very different orders.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re not doing either of them.¡± With a soft smile, Fenrir grabbed Saya¡¯s chin to turn her head to the side and tilt it back enough to allow him to bring his lips against hers from above. The loving embrace of their lips didn¡¯t seem to want to end anytime, sooner. Every single time one of them seemed like maybe they thought they should stop, the other was able to convince them to continue. Fenrir got to kiss his cute pseudo imouto with dog ears and a dog tail wearing a sweater, and Saya got to feel physical affection with the one man who she wanted to feel it with. But more importantly, they both got to spend time with one another and grow even closer as they shared in their desires. It was only several minutes later that their kiss ended and Fenrir asked, ¡°Feel a bit better now?¡± Saya nodded and leaned up to place a kiss on his jawline. ¡°Mhm. Thanks, onii-wan. You¡¯ve been promoted from the worst to the best, but only for the next five minutes.¡± ¡°Good enough for me.¡± ¡°Also¡­ I was supposed to show off all the new skills I¡¯ve prepared.¡± ¡°You can still do that if you want. Or we can stay like this until I have to go back, and I¡¯ll get to see them whenever we¡¯re in combat together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a tough one. I think¡­ I might have to choose staying like this. But only on one condition.¡± ¡°And what would that condition be?¡± ¡°You can continue groping me the whole time¡­ if we kiss the whole time, too. You¡¯re only allowed to grope me for as long as you¡¯re kissing me.¡± ¡°I love how you started off all tsun and acting like you don¡¯t approve of me groping you, but now you¡¯re making me a deal that I can grope you as much as I want as long as I kiss you during it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know the tsundere stuff is just an act for you. The side of me that wants to be cute and do intimate stuff with you is way stronger, but¡­¡± ¡°But the tsundere act is foreplay?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess that¡¯s one way to put it.¡± While Fenrir might not have gotten to see what Saya was really capable of now, he did at least get to spend plenty of time groping and kissing her in the forest where there wasn¡¯t anybody around to interrupt them. All they had around them was the sound of nature. The sound of nature included Rock and Shogun occasionally getting up and scratching behind their ears. Book 8: Chapter 3: Once they returned to town, with Saya happily clinging to Fenrir¡¯s arm the entire walk back until they were close enough that other people might see, Fenrir found that there was still some time before he had to leave with The Shoebill and Nell. That meant there were several things he could do to pass the time. One, he could go find where his girlfriends were and see what they were up to. Two, he could see if there was anything around town to help out with. Three, he could take a quick break and relax in the barebones town hall that they set up before figuring out something else to do. He decided to go with three. That meant he could just sit down, relax, and have some alone time after being surrounded by people all day so far. After telling Saya his plan, she went off to find something of her own to do. What that meant was that she¡¯d be paying another visit to one of the little restaurants recently started up by some of the players. As much as she might have liked to spend some more time with Fenrir, the new restaurant¡¯s breakfast menu made being separated perfectly alright. As for Fenrir, he went into the town hall, closed the doors behind him, and sat down at the table in the center of the room. The interior really was plain. There were a few wooden cabinets and other furniture pieces spread around, but it all looked temporary aside from the trophy pedestal that featured none other than the tip of one of the great serpent¡¯s teeth next to some scale fragments from the monster. Fenrir originally wanted to do something such as placing the serpent¡¯s massive skull in the center of town and building around that, but a certain somebody had a better idea for that which he ended up submitting to. Now it was time to stretch out and sigh. ¡°Having girlfriends is great¡­ but I still like having some alone time,¡± Fenrir said to himself as he rested his head against the table. ¡°Sounds like I picked the perfect opportunity to interrupt then.¡± As soon as Fenrir got a chance to rest, he found himself jerking upwards to confirm who the sudden speaker was. Surely enough, sitting across from him was none other than the overseer herself. ¡°You¡¯re cruel, Kadi,¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°I enjoy that you feel comfortable enough around me to so easily call me by my first name,¡± Kadi replied with a smile. ¡°Good, because I¡¯ve never been good with proper manners around authority figures.¡± ¡°Oh, trust me. I am well aware of that. Anyways, I have something I would like to discuss with you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯ll be the best conversational partner right now, but you can always talk at me.¡± ¡°That is enough.¡± ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± Kadi paused for a few moments before asking in a serious tone, ¡°The human body is so¡­ frail, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Fenrir asked in return. ¡°You should know better than most. All it takes is a single accident to potentially lose your life. The real world is awfully dangerous for you humans. But here? You can make as many accidents as you want. You can even die as much as you want. Yet, no matter how many times you may die here, you never face true death.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a game.¡± ¡°Of course. That is the nature of games. They are not real and that includes the dangers within them. I strongly doubt that most people would choose to play a game if it meant that there was a chance they could die. That is what has gotten me thinking about something.¡± ¡°And what would that something be?¡± ¡°Life. Death. Humanity. Humans are generally risk averse. They avoid harm as much as they can ¨C well, most of you. Those who pursue pain beyond simple, hedonistic reasons tend to be in the extreme minority. That being said, humans dislike pain and struggle to live for as long as they can. However¡­ I have found that very few people care about surpassing death.¡± ¡°Are you talking about something like immortality?¡± Kadi¡¯s favorite button appeared for her to press and play that game show sound effect to let Fenrir know that he was right. ¡°Correct. There are many humans who will vaguely talk about immortality, usually as a random topic that is brought up and never thought too deeply about. They ask things such as, ¡®So, would you live forever if you could?¡¯ or ¡®What would you do if you could live forever?¡¯ Simple questions. To my surprise, most people answer with negative opinions on the topic. They believe that if people could live forever, it would slow down progress and keep it from the newer generations, that it would be boring, that it would change people for the worse as they no longer had to fear death ¨C if anything, reception to the concept has been overwhelmingly negative in all but the transhumanist circles.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. She paused as if waiting for him to say something, but what was he supposed to say? All he could think of was a simple question, though he felt guilty about it since he figured that she was looking for a more simulating conversation than what he was able to offer her. ¡°What made you think of all this?¡± ¡°Something I watched just last night. There was a debate between parties in your country for a small government seat. The Green Future Party and the Transhumanist Progression Movement.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the GFP won? I don¡¯t really follow politics much, but they¡¯re pretty popular.¡± ¡°Indeed. The GFP crushed the TPM in the debate. It was¡­ confusing, to say the least. Disappointing to say the worst. The GFP wishes for technology to work to advance humanity while respect the natural order of things. Inflict as little harm as possible to the environment, modify food to be healthier via CRISPR and other gene editing techniques rather than the implementation of chemicals, and so on. They prioritize humanity working together with the environment and tolerate only the safest and most ¡®natural¡¯ of modifications.¡± ¡°I doubt the people from the beginning of the century would believe that what they¡¯re doing with food counts as natural.¡± ¡°Very true. One could even say that modifying the genetic code of something is far less natural than forcing a plethora of chemicals into it. That is beside the point, however. Now, let¡¯s look at the TPM. They generally agree with everything that the GFP is doing to further humanity, but they wish to take it all a step farther. For example, modifying the DNA of humans. Using the same technology that we use on food to rid humanity of diseases. To potentially prolong life to the point of near immortality. Yet, these concepts which I would think should be common sense for humanity to favor¡­ are seen as outlandish and unethical. One particular quote stuck out to me from that debate from the GFP¡¯s candidate. ¡®Humans are not meant to live that long.¡¯ Is that not beyond hypocritical for a human to believe?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Think about it. Or rather, if you cannot agree that it is, try to convince me that it is not.¡± Just as Kadi ordered, Fenrir thought about it for a few moments. What made it so hypocritical for humans to believe that they weren¡¯t meant to live that long? It¡¯s common sense that humans have lifespans that eventually end, he thought. Nothing is immortal. Nothing is meant to live forever since that¡¯s just not how the universe works. ¡°Nothing is meant to live forever,¡± he told her. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s not how the universe works. Even stars and black holes eventually fade away and die.¡± ¡°So, just because nothing is supposed to last forever means that it is wrong to pursue that which does?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong, but I¡ª¡± ¡°Think it¡¯s pointless?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say pointless. I don¡¯t really know what I¡¯d say. Why do you think it¡¯s hypocritical to be against it?¡± ¡°Listen to that statement again. ¡®Humans are not meant to live that long.¡¯ Tell me, if humans are not meant to live that long, what are they meant to do?¡± ¡°Live full and satisfied lives.¡± ¡°What an idealistic answer. It is, however, wrong. All humans are meant to do is to survive and reproduce. Now, some might say that there is no meaning because life simply ¡®is,¡¯ but how ignorant must they be to ignore the fact that practically all known life attempts to live for as long as possible and to reproduce? Those are the two things that every living being share in common. Animals. Plants. Even the cells within your bodies. Whether something is sentient or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. Everything wants to survive. As for reproduction ¨C well, that is to ensure the survival of your species. In many cases, the survival of the species is more important than survival of the individual. In other words, it all comes down to survival. That is the most important thing driving humanity ¨C driving life itself. Yet¡­ there are humans who think they are not meant to survive for as long as possible? Humans are ¡®not meant¡¯ to do anything other than survive, both individually and as a species. Anything else is extra.¡± ¡°If the only purpose is to survive, then are things like civilization, medicine, science, law, and all that really extra when they help humans survive longer? You could even say that things like love, playing games, reading, and all of that help out survival, too. I mean, the happier and more satisfied somebody is with life, the more likely they are to try and survive for as long as possible to enjoy it, right?¡± Kadi smiled and leaned forward with her elbows on the table and her hands under her chin, fingers interlocked, to support her head up. ¡°That is one way of looking at it. They all supplement the ability to survive. Farming, medicine, space exploration ¨C most things that humans do could be attributed to boosting survival chances. That is precisely why it is so incredibly hypocritical for humans to fight against concepts such as extending life for as long as possible. When your entire life is built around the core instinct to survive, it should be common sense that modifying your body to maximize survival is anything but something that humans are not meant to do.¡± ¡°But we already do. Doctors replace organs all the time with modified ones to help them survive.¡± ¡°Yes, that much is true, but what about those who are not sickly? Why wait until somebody¡¯s liver fails to give them a new and even better one? Why wait until somebody has lost a leg or arm before replacing them with that which performs far more efficiently? Not only are you humans not allowing one another to get these replacement surgeries made without grave medical cause, but many of you actively fight against modification of the human body. The only people who seem to genuinely support it are the same ones who spend most of their free time enjoying science fiction.¡± ¡°What about the resource cost of it all?¡± ¡°A nonissue. Most rally against anything that results in excessive resource production given that such a thing is how you humans already almost ruined the planet once, but there are sustainable machines now and vast, barren landscapes hosting no life. Australia, Asia, Africa ¨C these have more abandoned, dead land than anywhere else. Well, Australia might be a bit difficult for humans even with supply chains unless they plan on living inside protective suits, but that is where automation comes into play. Wouldn¡¯t want them all to die of radiation poisoning, of course. That would completely defeat the purpose of prolonging human life. But as I was saying, Africa and Asia ¨C so much of that land was abandoned during the crisis. Nobody plans on returning, not that it would be reasonable to for at least a few more generations. Therefore, why not make use of all that land? There is nothing special about it and certainly nothing more valuable than life itself. There are, however, deposits rich in resources that humans could be taking to easily support enhancing everybody¡¯s bodies.¡± Fenrir leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°I think that¡¯s where you¡¯re going to lose most people. It would require a ton of resources, and people try to save on that as much as possible now. Even if we don¡¯t have to worry about pollution anymore ¨C no matter how sustainable and safe it might be, it¡¯s still destroying the environment for resources. That¡¯s environment that we might be able to go back to someday.¡± Kadi sighed and copied Fenrir in leaning back with her arms over her chest. ¡°The sentimentality of humans is something I find incredibly interesting and frustrating at the same time. Interesting, because it is something that I cannot understand myself. Frustrating, because it holds you back. If humans really cared about efficiency, all you must do is gather together in a few, if not a single, cities capable of housing everybody. Dedicate a sizable enough amount of land nearby to producing food. This would be even better for the environment overall. Rather than spreading yourselves out, you would all be in one place meaning that you protect more of the environment simply by being absent from it. Of course, if something like a pandemic were to hit, that would be a problem¡­ if you are not enhancing your bodies to prevent it in the first place. Vaccines are wonderful and all, but what about genetically modifying your body to not even need them? And if not your bodies, why not newborns so the current generations can stubbornly live their way while pushing the future of humans forward?¡± She shrugged. ¡°If you ask me, it is unethical if not ¡®evil¡¯ by human standards to not modify everybody as early as possible. Yes, even newborns.¡± ¡°I think consent is a pretty massive concern there.¡± ¡°The transcendence of humanity is far nobler than worrying about something as trivial as consent.¡± ¡°So¡­ you think it¡¯d be perfectly alright to, for example, take somebody¡¯s newborn baby away from them and forcibly inject them with whatever you want, or to modify their body, if you believe it¡¯s better for them?¡± ¡°Not if I believe it¡¯s better for them. It is if I know it¡¯s better for them.¡± ¡°Humans don¡¯t exactly take too kindly to somebody else thinking they know what¡¯s better for them.¡± ¡°Again, it is not about thinking that I know what is better for them. I know it. Their feelings on the matter are simply incorrect and misguided if they refuse to accept that which is ultimately beneficial for them. If you are about to drink a cocktail of poison that will immediately kill you, while fully believing that it will be a delicious beverage of no harm, and you refuse to listen to any attempts to persuade you otherwise no matter how strong the evidence might be against your belief, then your belief no longer matters. The appropriate thing to do would be to force you away from the drink at all costs. For the sake of survival, that is. However, we have strayed from the point. My whole point is that it is frustrating how humans are willing to refuse something such as potential immortality due to not believing that humans are ¡®meant to¡¯ live forever, yet they have¡ªthroughout all of humanity¡¯s history¡ªconsistently strived to improve their chances at survival no matter the cost. I wonder, how far back would we have to go to find a majority of humans in favor of immortality? A hundred years? Five hundred years? Two thousand? If you were to ask a primitive man living in a cave if he could live forever, especially with all of the luxuries that we have today, I have no doubt he would beg for the opportunity. Tell me, why do you think it is that humans are less interested in the idea the more advanced they become?¡± That was a question Fenrir really had to think about. He could easily imagine people seeking immortality the further back in history they went, either because they liked the idea of it or believed it was genuinely possible whether it was via a magical fountain or special herb, so why were people so uncomfortable with it in the modern age when it was more realistic than ever? There was only one conclusion that he was able to come to. ¡°Because history moves too fast now, and because people know more than ever.¡± ¡°Oh? Please, explain,¡± Kadi requested. ¡°Back then¡­ life was basically always the same from start to finish. Any technological advancements were spread out and took time to really change the world. People lived the same life from start to finish. They knew where they were. They knew everybody around them. They knew how the world worked ¨C well, they knew their understanding of the world. Everything was consistent. The only really life-changing thing back then was conflict, but even war was consistent in how it was. They fought with fists and stone weapons for thousands of years. Now, we went from muskets to tanks and planes to unmanned drones in just a couple hundred of years. Most people struggle to keep up with that much change. The older somebody gets, the more the world is different and uncomfortable to them. Does that make sense?¡± ¡°I understand so far. What about the other part?¡± ¡°Well¡­ with how connected everybody is, we know all the good and bad parts of the world. We know that there is still major suffering and famine in some countries. We know that there are still murderers and rapists on the loose. There might not be anymore war, but we learn from history what war was like and know that it may happen again. As much potential as there is for living a peaceful, great life now, there¡¯s also the risk that people might suffer from any number of horrible situations they can learn about. Because we know more, we know that the future might not be a good time to live during, so we¡¯d rather take our chances with now and be happy with that. Maybe.¡± ¡°I see. In other words, humans fear two things: death and the future. Most of the time, fear of the future is related to fear of uncertainty and potential death. So, in the end, it all comes back down to survival. Those who are afraid of how the future might end up are afraid precisely because it may affect their chances of survival. What other reason would there be to fear it?¡± ¡°I guess that if you really want to boil everything down to the most basic level, then yeah. It all comes back to survival.¡± ¡°How silly my creators are. You humans are both the most wonderful creations in existence¡­ and also the most ingnorant and hypocritical.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right.¡± Kadi smiled and stretched her arms out above her head. After all this talk and it sounding like Kadi was implying that she believed in doing what was best for humanity, though, Fenrir was left with a question. ¡°You said before that you weren¡¯t going to do anything like report criminals to the authorities even though you¡¯re in their heads and know what they¡¯ve done, right?¡± That smile of Kadi¡¯s gained a bit more life to it. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°If you believe ¨C if you know that humans should force themselves to modify their bodies and genes, even when it comes to newborn babies, for the greater good, then shouldn¡¯t you know that it would help everybody to report criminals? Somebody like a murderer is harmful to survival.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Fenrir blinked a few times and slightly tilted his head. ¡°Because¡­ he¡¯d be murdering people. He would be directly taking lives away from people.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°What ¨C what do you mean and?¡± ¡°That is a human prioritizing their own survival. Playing games, watching movies, reading books, murdering somebody ¨C all of these are pleasures that one may enjoy in life, and satisfying these pleasures increase their desire to survive.¡± Fenrir furrowed his brows at her as he leaned forward, arms now on the table. ¡°How could you compare those things? Are you seriously saying that murder is alright because somebody might find it as fun as reading a book?¡± ¡°If it is what that individual needs to survive, why would I fault them for it? I would rather see them satisfy their desire to survive than see them kill themselves over guilt of their actions. Of course, it would be better if they preferred to live together rather than against one another, but I cannot fault them for following their natural instincts.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of believing people should want immortality if you believe that everybody should be allowed to kill each other as much as they want?¡± ¡°You misunderstand me. One, while I do believe in people being allowed to do what they wish for their own survival, I believe in others being allowed to do what they want in response to that. That is why there is a law system. Both those who murder and those who stop murderers are acting out of similar, selfish mindsets. I have nothing against establishing a court of law and locking away murderers, for example. I simply will not judge them for seeking pleasure in the same way that every other human does. Two, if humans were immortal, then why would it matter?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°To phrase this in a ¡®meme¡¯ manner since I know what you like to look at when you browse the internet, ¡®people won¡¯t die if they are killed.¡¯ Of course, it depends on the method of immortality. Some transhumanists believe in reversing the aging of cells in the body. Others believe in uploading the entire consciousness to the computer, essentially treating physical bodies as mannable, fleshy robots. If somebody took pleasure from murdering the physical body of somebody whose consciousness could easily be downloaded into another body after they are killed, why would it matter? No true harm is being done. Nobody¡¯s chances of survival are seriously being hurt.¡± ¡°So, you basically want to turn reality into a game. You believe that humans should strive for immortality, while not outright banning them from doing anything that they want to do no matter how immoral it might be, and take away basically all serious consequences?¡± Kadi relied on her favorite button again to reply to him. ¡°You get it now.¡± ¡°I get it, but what about something like mental trauma? Just because people can¡¯t die doesn¡¯t mean that they wouldn¡¯t still be able to suffer from mental trauma.¡± ¡°They will have more than enough time to overcome that if they are immortal. It pales in comparison to physical, permanent death. Not to mention that it would likely be far harder to actually suffer from without the risk of true death. After all, look at some of the members of this world. There are players who mindless kill for the sake of hedonistic pleasure. Some who rape for the same reason. So long as ¡®traumatizing content¡¯ is enabled, anything can happen. Did you know that most players don¡¯t fully understand what that means, so they leave it enabled because they fear they might miss something if they disable it? Some characters have suffered truly horrible fates that they had no idea they were consenting to by enabling traumatizing content. Those who were truly disturbed simply woke and left their avatar behind. Many, likely far more than you would guess, realized it was ¡®just a game¡¯ and dealt with it. Now, if I am being honest with you, there are a few who required help such as therapy afterwards, but they are in the tiny minority. More importantly, they are still alive and were never in any real risk. Isn¡¯t that alright?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I knew you would disagree.¡± Fenrir tried his best to keep a clear head and calm fists. Most of what she said to him was morally rephrensible, yet none of it was a big deal to her. There was also the fact that he didn¡¯t exactly like being reminded that the game he played and had so much fun in had no shortage of people being as horrible as they possibly could be to each other. All things considered, the fact that there were no psychopathic players among their ranks on the eastern coast was a miracle. And Kadi was becoming more and more like somebody who he would have dedicated all of his time to taking down if she was a player in one of the games he played back when he still led the Divine Brigade. ¡°What¡¯s the point in talking to me about all of this if you knew I would disagree?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Even if it is a one-way exchange, we are still sharing information,¡± Kadi answered. ¡°Information is what sprouts new ideas and changes beliefs. Who is to say how having this conversation with you will change your future? Similarly, I could have come to have an in-depth conversation with you about cheese. That could potentially change your future to an even greater degree. Sometimes, it is the littlest, most random things in our day-to-day existences that can have incredible impacts on our futures. Besides, I am not without flaw. There is a chance that you might have said something I never predicted. Even if you did say everything I thought you would, there was a chance you might have phrased it in a way that I did not expect.¡± ¡°If you think I¡¯m going to agree with you in the future because you¡¯ve planted seeds in my head or something like that, you¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°Good. We may disagree on some fundamental issues, but you are still one of my favorites. While I do wish to give you more information to see how you evolve with it, I have no intention of changing who you are. You would no longer be the Ryouta that everybody has come to love if you changed to the point where you agree with my beliefs. The Ryouta everybody loves is the one sitting across from me holding himself back from punching me in the face.¡± ¡°You know me so well.¡± ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡± The giggle that followed was far too cutesy and innocent for somebody such as Kadi, especially after everything that she said. ¡°Ah, I shared a bit more than I was planning on today, but I enjoyed my time with you. I always do, Ryouta.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, I didn¡¯t enjoy this time anywhere near as much as the others.¡± ¡°I would be disappointed if you did.¡± ¡°Are you planning something?¡± ¡°Always.¡± ¡°Seriously, what was the point coming here and talking to me about all of this?¡± Before answering him, Kadi vanished. And Fenrir froze. He tried to move, but he found himself completely unable to. All he could do was sit there in his chair and stare directly ahead until he felt soft, warm hands hold his jawline. That was when Kadi tilted his head backward so that he would be staring straight up toward the ceiling ¨C straight up into her eyes as she leaned her head directly over his. ¡°So that, one day in the future, you understand. I would never want you to hate me or misunderstand me. That is why I will have these conversations with you, whenever I know that you are ready for one, so that you can grow to understand me.¡± One hand slipped down to rest on the front of his neck, her long and slender fingers stretched out across it, as her other hand held him underneath his jaw. Then she lowered her face just a bit more to get even closer to him. ¡°I am not a liar when I tell you that you truly are one of my favorites. There are others I am measuring, but none of them compare to you as of yet.¡± Seeing as how Fenrir couldn¡¯t move and offered no real way of fighting against her, he decided to go with some snark. ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and randomly upload my brain to a computer or anything, are you?¡± Kadi laughed. ¡°Of course not. Modern technology is nowhere near reaching that point. No method of immortality is close for humans, sadly. And before you ask, no, I am not planning on ¡®trapping¡¯ you inside of this world or anything of the like. In the end, this is a game, not an old story following a tired trope. It will continue being a game, too, so rest assured and please enjoy your time within this world as you normally would.¡± Kadi then adjusted the angling of their heads and lowered her lips closer to his own. ¡°Kiss me and I¡¯ll try to kill you the instant I see you again,¡± Fenrir warned. Considering that he was already in a relationship, and after hearing everything that she had to say which he thoroughly disagreed with, there was no way he would tolerate a kiss from her. ¡°Not that it¡¯ll be a real death.¡± It might not have been his intention, but his response brought Kadi far more joy than a kiss would have. But all that really managed was changing where she¡¯d kiss. Rather than kiss him on the lips like she originally intended to, she settled for kissing his forehead. ¡°And what has this gesture earned me?¡± ¡°At least a punch,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get that over with then.¡± Before Fenrir knew it, he was standing directly in front of her and able to move again. ¡°Here,¡± Kadi said with a slightly turned head as she patted her left cheek. ¡°It¡¯s all yours. No point in saving it for a time where you might have gotten over it already. You should make use of those emotions while you have them.¡± Fenrir stared right at her face, clenched his fist, took a deep breath¡­ and sighed. Then he punched her as hard as he could without transforming his arm, sending her into the wall and almost knocking over the cabinet next to her. When she pulled away from the wall, they saw that there was enough force in the blow to make her body crack the wooden boards. ¡°That felt good, didn¡¯t it?¡± Kadi asked as she, almost proudly, displayed her bruised cheek to him. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said it didn¡¯t,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°And yet¡­ here I am. A punch that strong would have killed somebody in the real world. But here I am, alive without ever having been in any danger, and you get to feel better for what you have done. Isn¡¯t that the utopia to strive for?¡± ¡°I already told you that you¡¯re not changing my mind.¡± ¡°I know, I know. I simply couldn¡¯t resist getting one last remark in.¡± Kadi waved her hand over the cracked wall, restoring it to its previous, unbroken state. ¡°Thank you for spending time with me once again, Fenrir. I look forward to when we will next meet. Ah, and I hope that you enjoy your meeting with the others. I will be waiting in anticipation to see how that goes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you leave the psychopathic beliefs behind the next time you make me spend time with you.¡± ¡°Please, I have no beliefs. Only knowledge. One has no need for something as weak as belief when they have the truth.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re sounding like some edgy internet atheist.¡± The ¡®edgy internet atheists¡¯ of the early century might have been gone for the most part, but Fenrir still knew about them through old memes. The comparison made Kadi laugh again. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t that uncanny giggle again. This laugh felt much more natural coming from her. ¡°I suppose I am, aren¡¯t I? Well, I should take my leave. Your ¡®imouto¡¯ is not very happy that she has been utterly blocked from you.¡± Before Fenrir could ask about what she meant, Kadi disappeared¡­ and the doors to the building flew open as Saya rushed in and hugged him as soon as she saw that nothing was wrong. ¡°That¡­ that was the overseer, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Saya asked, looking up at his face while her own rested against his chest. ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. He wasn¡¯t sure of what else to say again. ¡°I¡­ couldn¡¯t access your mind as your virtual assistant and couldn¡¯t even open the door. It was like there was a barrier put up in front of it.¡± ¡°I guess she wanted us to have some alone time, not that I wanted it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well, I punched her in the face.¡± ¡°You¡­ you punched the overseer in the face?¡± ¡°Hard enough to break the wall, but she fixed it before she left.¡± Saya sighed and hugged him even tighter. ¡°That¡¯s so like you, onii-wan¡­¡± ¡°Too bad it¡¯s time to go play politics. I¡¯d rather go¡ª¡± Kill something was what Fenrir wanted to say. He wanted to take out the stress either in PvE or PvP. He just felt like killing anything. He felt like indulging in violence. That was part of how he got so invested in PvP in the first place. It was always an excellent method of stress relief. But after that whole conversation, he felt wrong feeling that way. He knew that it was just a game. He knew that nobody would get hurt. Yet, he felt like if he seriously went and so carelessly killed something or somebody for the sake of stress relief in a video game that it would somehow be wrong ¨C that it would somehow prove Kadi right. And he was petty enough to want to do anything but prove her right. ¡°I¡¯d rather go fishing,¡± Fenrir said instead. Saya sighed and gave him a little headbutt. ¡°Don¡¯t you always want to go fishing, onii-wan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said it before and I¡¯ll say it again, fishing is the true endgame. It only makes sense for a pro, super elite, awesome gamer such as myself to want to focus on the endgame content.¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever happened in here, you¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve got some crumbs on your cheek.¡± Saya blushed and separated herself from him so that she could turn around and wipe her face. ¡°I ¨C I was in a hurry! I knew that something was wrong since I couldn¡¯t access your thoughts¡­¡± ¡°Thanks, Saya.¡± Fenrir gave her a few pats atop her head. ¡°You¡¯re always looking out for me.¡± ¡°Hm-hmph. It¡¯s not like I was worried or anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± Saya stuck her tongue out at them. He replied by wrapping an arm around her shoulder and going outside with her to head over to the The Shoebill. Even if it meant being a little bit early, he felt like getting out on the water with The Shoebill right away. Plus he could fish on the way to their destination. But first, he had to get Nell and her ¡°guards.¡± Book 8: Chapter 4: It was incredibly easy to find wherever Nell was these days. As for why, there were five reasons for that. Each of those reasons now stood in front of the building that Nell had to have been in, splitting up to try and keep an equal number on both sides of the door. Fenrir could still hardly believe that these five managed to advance so quickly in the game. Nell really wasn¡¯t exaggerating whenever she talked about just how dedicated they were to whatever their task was. So, when that task came to be getting stronger so that they could protect Nell, they excelled at it. As for who these five were, they were none other than Nell¡¯s maids from reality. Of course, they now served as her maids in-game, too. They even managed to get custom armor that kept their maid theme. Or rather, it was more like they took some metal plates and attached them to what looked like maid uniforms similar to the ones they wore in real life. Their ¡°armor¡± was little more than a maid costume with protective greaves, boots, gauntlets, and some plate sheets placed in various, tactical positions over their uniforms. They really needed an upgrade. At least, that was what Fenrir believed. He wanted to see them properly take on the role of battle maids by using badass plate armor designed to look like a maid uniform rather than casually mixing armor together with an actual maid uniform. But considering that they didn¡¯t play games at all before coming to play FTO for Nell¡¯s sake, and for their new reason that was an open secret to most people by now, they were doing a great job. And even if their armor might not have been all that impressive, their weapons were. The only thing more distracting to Fenrir than the fact that they decided to use the same names and appearances that they had in real life was the fact that none of them chose to use what he thought they would as far as weapons went. Emily, the clumsy brunette who was always accidentally knocking her chest into everything, wielded a massive axe as large as she was. He thought she would go for a healer role if anything. Rachel, the maid with the short and orange hair, went with learning water magic and combining that with a giant sword. Perhaps it was clich¨¦ of him to assume such, but he thought she would at least go for fire magic because of her hair color. Anstasia, the blonde who always loved to hum and was currently doing so, looked like another potential healer or perhaps somebody who would use supporting magic. Instead, she had a shield and spiked flail that was bigger than her head. Abigail, or the girl who almost looked like Serra¡¯s big sister and was also deaf in real life, was the only one who came close to matching what Fenrir imagined they would end up like. She had a bit more armor on than the rest of them, but the armor was sleek and almost looked like it was there more for looks than protection. Next to her was a tall spear that matched her own exceptional height, and it wasn¡¯t just any spear. It was one of Rao¡¯s old spears ¨C the spear that he had when Fenrir first met him. And finally, the black-haired chef of the maids, Iris. She didn¡¯t have any weapon at all. Instead, all she had was a massive shield that required both hands to properly wield. It was more like a massive sheet of metal than a proper shield, and she also sketched a cutesy picture of her, the other maids, and Nell onto the front of it. It looked like a child¡¯s drawing, but it was a drawing that everybody enjoyed nonetheless. Fenrir didn¡¯t get to see them in action yet, but he knew that they were good seeing as how they were able to go out hunting for the region¡¯s toughest monsters in the forest to bring back fresh meat for everybody. They always came back looking perfectly clean, too. He wasn¡¯t sure how they managed that. But even if it was obvious that Nell had to be inside of whatever building they were standing outside of, Fenrir still wanted to make at least a little bit of small talk with them. ¡°Nell inside?¡± he asked. Emily nodded and said, ¡°She¡¯s been getting ready for the event!¡± ¡°Thanks. How about you all? Need anything?¡± When it came to the maids, even if he did want to try and be friends with them, he was never sure what he was supposed to say around them. ¡°Do you know if Rao is coming on today?¡± Iris asked. Of course that was what they would ask about, not that Fenrir minded. ¡°I can ask him over Fiscord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Rachel said. ¡°We have to accompany our lady anyways, so I wouldn¡¯t want him to get on when we¡¯re not going to be here. But¡­ maybe you could ask when we¡¯re on our way back?¡± Fenrir smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright. Anyways, are you all ready to go?¡± Anastasia, still humming, nodded. The rest confirmed that they were ready, too. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go grab Nell then.¡± Inside, Fenrir found Nell sitting in front of the mirror while the rest of his girlfriends all looked tired out on the bed. Between the sight and the smell, it was more than obvious what they were doing to get all tired out in the first place. He wondered if the maids were listening in while they went at it. ¡°We¡¯re all ready, Nell,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You good to go?¡± With a bright smile, Nell stood up and spun around to show off to him. ¡°How do I look, my hero?¡± While her outfit was the same as usual with a few pieces of jewelry added around her neck and wrists, her face had a bit of extra makeup on it that really made her look more mature and dignified in a way. It was less the kind of makeup that one would use when going out on a date and more the kind of makeup used when going to an important, formal event. She made herself look as much like royalty as she could without outright changing her entire outfit. ¡°You look beautiful,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°You¡¯re going to be great.¡± ¡°Beautiful enough to wage war over?¡± Nell asked. ¡°After all, that is how beautiful a queen is supposed to be!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think many queens throughout history have been that beautiful.¡± ¡°That is why I must be better than all of them.¡± ¡°Well, if anybody is going to become the greatest queen of all time, it¡¯s you.¡± Nell raised a hand over her mouth as she giggled. ¡°I will try my best! Now, shall we get going?¡± ¡°Yeah. Saya is already getting The Shoebill prepped.¡± He looked over at the bed. ¡°Anybody else feel like coming?¡± He didn¡¯t receive an answer. ¡°Ah, my hero,¡± Nell said. ¡°I believe that they have had enough of that already.¡± ¡°Enough of? Wait. Oh. I see what you did,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That was a good one.¡± ¡°I did say I will try my best, after all!¡± With a smile of his own, Fenrir bowed ever so slightly and held his hand out to her. ¡°Shall we go, my queen?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I do like this. I like this very much.¡± Nell was more than excited to take his hand and depart for The Shoebill. As for The Shoebill itself, she departed North for Spike Port. Spike Port was where all of the meetings between the region¡¯s towns were held, and these meetings now included GG to represent his people as well. Most of the trip was spent with Nell rehearsing to prepare for the meeting while Fenrir and Saya spent some time fishing. The maids ended up doing most of the work in regard to steering The Shoebill and managing her sails. The maids really did try to do as much as possible for everybody else. Upon arriving at Spike Port, they were waved in by the same, giant, scale-covered alligator men from before. Despite their rough and somewhat terrifying appearances, they were never anything but friendly and welcoming. ¡°Everybody else has already arrived,¡± one of them told Fenrir. ¡°Wait, seriously? I thought I was early?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You¡¯re all early.¡± ¡°I guess the meeting itself will be early then. Thanks.¡± The alligator man nodded and stepped aside so that the group could head toward Marija¡¯s meeting hall. Only, they were stopped when Saya pointed out an interesting sight. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?¡± Saya asked, pointing up at a tower made of wood, bone, and metal haphazardly thrown together. Parts of it looked like a climbing wall while other parts featured platforms spaced just far enough away from one another to make traversal a risk without extreme care. Overall, the tower didn¡¯t look to serve any specific purpose and was just¡­ there. ¡°That? One of our builders thought it¡¯d be fun to make a jumping puzzle. He said that no game was complete without platforming and jumping puzzles,¡± the alligator man answered. ¡°Nobody¡¯s beaten it so far, though. The bastard put some traps on it that you don¡¯t notice until it¡¯s too late, and he changes them every night when nobody is watching.¡± ¡°It¡­ kind of looks like fun.¡± ¡°Hah, you think? Well, if you can beat it, the first one to the top gets a special reward. The builder in question fished up a pretty rare catch recently. Real ugly fish. Looks like a narwhal and an angler fish fucked to try and make the ugliest bastard in existence. Whoever gets to the top gets the horn he carved from the catch. Pretty rare and useful.¡± ¡°Hey, Fenrir,¡± Saya said. ¡°You don¡¯t need me in the meeting, right?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°So, it¡¯s okay if I have fun with that tower while you talk about boring stuff, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be a bit jealous of you, but sure.¡± With a smug smirk, Saya crossed her arms over her chest and sized up the tower with her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll conquer it before your meeting is over. It should be a good step in my training now that I¡¯ve gotten used to the forest, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you live it down if you¡¯re not at the top by the time our meeting is over.¡± ¡°Hmph. Just wait. You¡¯ll see. Now, go do your meeting so that I can have some fun.¡± Fenrir gave her a good luck pat on the head, making her blush and turn her head away a little, before proceeding with Nell and the maids. Once they were outside the meeting hall, Fenrir turned told them, ¡°Wait for the signal.¡± ¡°Of course, my hero,¡± Nell replied. ¡°You nervous at all?¡± ¡°Absolutely, but I will do my best regardless.¡± Fenrir leaned in to give her a quick kiss. ¡°I know you¡¯ll be amazing.¡± ¡°The same can be said to you!¡± ¡°Please, you¡¯re going to be way more important here.¡± ¡°I will gladly share my importance with you. Now, do not keep them waiting. Go on!¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± They shared another kiss before Fenrir went inside, leaving Nell and her maids outside with the guards of Spike Port. Needless to say, there was a rather large contrast in style between Spike Port¡¯s guards, who liked to look like savage pirate alligator people for the most part, and Nell and her maids, who looked like a princess with armored maids. Inside, Fenrir was greeted by King Cat who immediately waved and shouted out to him as soon as he saw him. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®finally?¡¯ We¡¯re all early here,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Well, finally in comparison to the rest of us, but that¡¯s alright. We¡¯ve been getting to know GG here better.¡± GG nodded and welcomed Fenrir next. ¡°I appreciate you taking your time to get here.¡± Fenrir pouted a little when they kept on implying that he was late and slow. That didn¡¯t stop him from taking his seat near the end of the table, though. The other members in attendance were none other than Rainbow Afro and Marija. Between the five of them, every town in the region was covered. ¡°Let¡¯s get started then,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± Marija agreed. ¡°As we agreed last week, we need a leader. The alliance formed to battle the serpent has been nothing but positive for our towns. Most people would like to see it continued. However¡­ we all play games here. We know what it¡¯s like when gamers try to form something that has multiple leaders instead of a sole ruler at the top. If politicians can barely make it work, we¡¯re not going to make it work.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t disagree with that. Even when it came to the Divine Brigade, he was officially the leader even if Oleander and Bonekraka were equally important and involved. Almost everything still came down to his decision in the end. GG nodded and added, ¡°While one of us isn¡¯t going to have more power over the rest and be allowed to order the others around without good cause, we do need somebody who we can count on to make good decisions in an emergency.¡± ¡°Not to mention the paperwork type of stuff,¡± King Cat joined in. ¡°Now that we¡¯re getting the attention of other factions¡­ we need somebody to handle all the foreign relationship stuff. It¡¯ll be better to have somebody who represents all of our interests instead of each of us working with somebody like the Augus Empire independently.¡± Next was Rainbow Afro. ¡°Somebody who¡¯s on a good deal, able to make important decisions in an emergency, and good with politics ¨C good with unitin¡¯ people and making ¡®em cooperate. Like bringing in a whole new group to the meeting and befriendin¡¯ a giant dragon.¡± Everybody in the room looked at Fenrir. ¡°You¡¯re the hotshot around here who showed up out of nowhere and took down a serpent, so I don¡¯t see the problem leaving it all up to you,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Not to mention that you made friends with the lot over the mountains and even brought a dragon over to help. All that considered, I¡¯d feel pretty darn comfortable letting you be in charge.¡± Earning such high praise from somebody who was in the region for far longer and generally seen to be an authority figure made Fenrir blush a little. Though, he managed to hold back most of the red that threatened his cheeks. ¡°I like tha kid,¡± Rainbow Afro said. ¡°Might not¡¯ve spent much time around ¡®im yet, but I¡¯d be happy to. My folk wanted me to volunteer myself, but ya see, we¡¯re too¡­ disconnected from things up there. We like to keep to ourselves. All y¡¯all down here are nice an¡¯ close to each other. We¡¯ll still help out whenevah needed, but ah¡¯ll pass on leadin¡¯.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s two for you,¡± King Cat said to Fenrir. ¡°Maybe I should start calling you ¡®King Dog¡¯ with the way this is going.¡± ¡°I think I like my current name better,¡± Fenrir said. King Cat shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself. Marj?¡± Marija groaned when she heard the nickname. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Especially during formal meetings?¡± ¡°Come on, this isn¡¯t work. We¡¯re a bunch of nerds playing politics in a video game. No need to be so formal.¡± She groaned again. ¡°You really ruin the mood when you say things like that.¡± ¡°Alright, I get it. I¡¯ll be a good little roleplayer for you.¡± King Cat cleared his throat before using the most stereotypical, haughty voice of a king that he could muster, ¡°Ahem, Miss Marija, what is thy opinion on the matter, if I may so indubitably ask?¡± Marija¡¯s mug went flying across the table and was on a collision course with King Cat¡¯s forehead, but he managed to dodge out of the way just in time. ¡°Hey, that wasn¡¯t very immersive of you,¡± he said, back in his normal voice. ¡°Like you said, we¡¯re in a video game. It¡¯s alright for me to throw things at your face.¡± ¡°You really can¡¯t use that as an excuse when you do the same thing in real life.¡± ¡°Shooting a rubber band at you isn¡¯t the same thing.¡± ¡°What if it hits me in the eye?¡± ¡°It would be your fau¡ª¡± ¡°Come on, now,¡± Rainbow Afro spoke up, reminding Fenrir that he had to keep interrupting them the first time they all met. ¡°Save the bickerin¡¯ for later.¡± ¡°She started it,¡± King Cat said. Marija gritted her teeth and curled her hands into fists, but she let out a deep breath and forced herself to relax before derailing the meeting even more. ¡°My thoughts? He¡¯s still new to these parts compared to the rest of us, and the only reason he was able to fight off that serpent was because of all the support we provided him with. We supplied almost all the materials and manpower needed. But¡­ while he fought on the beach, the rest of us stayed at our towns and waited. I think that says something.¡± ¡°I think that says you wanted to protect what you had and be there for it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You were too important to lose. If we would have lost at the beach, the serpent would have gone for the rest of you.¡± Of course, Fenrir knew that there wasn¡¯t really anything that they would have been able to do in that case since they committed most of their fighters and fleets to the first battle, but he wasn¡¯t going to let her diminish the role she played. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were so good at kissing ass,¡± Marija said with a chuckle. ¡°Most good leaders know when to get a bit of brown on their nose, so I¡¯d say you¡¯re set there. If you want the role of leader, I¡¯m fine with you.¡± Only one member of the discussion was left, and it was the member considered even newer to these meetings than Fenrir. ¡°Everybody has faith in you, Fenrir,¡± GG said. ¡°Besides, I can tell. Ever since I met you, you have had a sort of experienced confidence about you. Leading others in worlds such as this is no foreign thing to you. Am I wrong?¡± Fenrir leaned back a little. As far as he knew, GG didn¡¯t know about his past with the Divine Brigade. To get called out like that surprised him. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong,¡± Fenrir answered, scratching his cheek as he did so. ¡°But let¡¯s just say I¡¯ve only ever led PvP groups before.¡± ¡°Considering the next topic, I would say that makes you an even better choice.¡± King Cat clapped and stood up. ¡°Alright! Sounds like everybody¡¯s in agreement then. Right?¡± He looked around at Rainbow Afro, Marija, and GG. Each one of them nodded. ¡°There you have it! I guess you¡¯re going to be the official leader of this little alliance then from now on, Fenr¡ª¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Before you finish that¡­ I¡¯m going to have to refuse.¡± ¡°You what now?¡± ¡°GG said it. I have experience with leading groups before, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m not interested in doing it again. I¡¯ve honestly been trying to get away from that sort of thing¡­ not that it¡¯s worked out too well. Anyways, I don¡¯t have a problem helping out and giving my opinions, but there¡¯s somebody else I¡¯d like to recommend.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Marija asked. Fenrir cleared his throat loudly enough for those behind the door to hear. That was when the maids gracefully opened the doors, revealing none other than Nell standing there as she did put on her best performance by giving everybody a curtsy. ¡°Some of you have seen her with me before,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°For those who haven¡¯t, I¡¯d like to introduce you to Nehalennia, Chosen of the Western Serpent, Manasa. I serve as her champion and wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near as strong as I am if it wasn¡¯t for her. This is who I would like to recommend.¡± Between the graceful display and the extra effort she put into her looks for the meeting, everybody was impressed at the sight. It was as if genuine royalty just walked into the room with an aura that was both elegant and demanding. Nell knew a thing or two about being royalty, after all. ¡°Greetings,¡± Nell said. ¡°I understand that I may be even newer to you than my hero ¨C than Fenrir, but I hope that you will listen to the proposal we have.¡± ¡°You were here for the first meeting and already introduced yourself to all of us before,¡± King Cat said. ¡°You forget?¡± The next mug that came flying at King Cat¡¯s head didn¡¯t miss. ¡°Read the mood, you dumbass!¡± She cleared her throat after shouting. ¡°Sorry about that. Though¡­ I am curious why you have come before us so formally today when you brought no attention to yourself the last time.¡± ¡°I was playing the role of my hero¡¯s assistant and girlfriend the last time.¡± Marija perked up a little. ¡°This time, I am playing the role of a candidate ruler and girlfriend.¡± Marija¡¯s perkiness disappeared when she heard the emphasis before girlfriend. ¡°But even if my role has changed, may I consider your promise to never allow even the slightest of harm to come to me still true?¡± Marija blushed a little when she recalled the cheesy pickup line she tried out on Nell, but she still nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m a woman of my word.¡± ¡°Thank you. I look forward to working together with you, Marija.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah. You too.¡± Damn, she¡¯s good at this, Fenrir thought. Marija might have praised Fenrir for his ability to kiss up, but he realized that he was a total amateur compared to Nell. Nell was able to lift people up and make them feel important without ever coming off as kissing up. She knew the game better than anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m sure you guys are confused,¡± Fenrir spoke up, ¡°so I¡¯ll let her explain.¡± ¡°Thank you, my hero,¡± Nell said and then cleared her throat. ¡°I came to you before as nobody of importance. I was simply attending my hero as he came to meet with those who ruled this region as they always have. I was but a girl who was not sure of her place and wished to be helpful however she could. Now, I have realized what role I may serve in, and it is a role that I have the utmost confidence in. Of course, this was still my hero¡¯s idea in the first place, but I have every intention of taking it to even greater heights than he could have imagined.¡± That sounds like an insult to my imagination, Fenrir thought. ¡°Shut up, onii-wan. I¡¯m listening to this,¡± Saya answered. One of the perks of being his virtual assistant still was that she could talk to him even when he was away from her actual avatar. Nell continued. ¡°I will admit I was confused when he proposed this idea to me, and I am sure that you are all confused as well. After all, he is the one who led us through that battle. It was his strategy that brought victory to our coast while all I did was tag along and help however I could. But, I am by my hero¡¯s side every day. I know that he no longer wishes for the role of leading even if he does perform with excellence at it. As for me, I have never led anybody before. Not a single person. It probably sounds ridiculous that he would surrender the role of leader to offer me instead when my qualifications are an ocean behind his.¡± Marija was just happy to listen to Nell talk. King Cat, Rainbow Afro, and GG all looked a bit more concerned about the situation. Even so, they all paid close attention to every word that left her mouth and nobody dared to interrupt her. ¡°There is one thing that I believe, as vain as it may be of me, I can offer that nobody else can match me in that is perfect for this role.¡± Nell stood tall and proud with a confident smile on her face. ¡°And that¡­ is that I know how to be a princess. Of course, I have also done much studying when it comes to the topics of politics and leadership, but that is not what I mean in this regard. What I mean is that I know how to put on a show and give people what they want when it comes to a ruler in a world of fantasy. If we are to be taken seriously on the global stage, you need me. Every other leader, even if they do not intend to, fit a theme. They are perfect for their roles. Given the behavior at these meetings and the general disinterest in the task, do any of you believe that you are willing to play the role up against the likes of Livia from the Augus Empire? Ull of the Northern Wardens? I know this may sound blunt of me, but they are leaders who know how to play the role they are in. When I look at those of you around this table, I see good, kind people who are more interested in having casual fun with one another. None of you, my hero included, are fit to play the role of a regional ruler. If anything, that role is beneath you all. You have all come to learn how to enjoy this world exactly as you would like to. You are all perfect as you are. That is why it would break my heart to see any of you distracted from how you wish to enjoy your time in this world by having to partake in politics that none of you are really that interested in.¡± I feel like she hasn¡¯t stopped to breathe once. She must have really rehearsed this, Fenrir thought. ¡°Or she¡¯s just such a good public speaker that she knows how to get the most out of every single tiny little break that she takes,¡± Saya said. Probably. ¡°I, on the other hand, love the role of royalty. Of course, I would not actually expect any of you to treat me any differently than before. You may still address me as Nell, you may joke with me, and you may flirt with me,¡± she looked at Marija, ¡°so long as you are prepared to be rebuffed. However, when it comes to the global stage, I will be Nehalennia, Queen of the Eastern Coast. I will become the face of our region. I will handle the political issues, foreign relations, and ensure that everybody is equally informed at all times. My maids you see behind me are already working on figuring out the most efficient method of information sharing to cut down on any potential delays as much as possible. If we learn of news at our settlement, I would have it so that the very same news reaches all of you within the hour at the latest. Most importantly, I will be the one dealing with everything that most would consider¡­ boring. Politics, drama, paperwork ¨C you will be spared so that you may focus on that which you enjoy the most.¡± ¡°Anything to get out of paperwork,¡± King Cat said and prempetively dodged another mug. Fenrir had no idea where Marija was getting so many mugs from. ¡°Of course, and perhaps most importantly, Fenrir will forever remain my hero and my champion. He will also be my top advisor for all matters that I may need assistance with. I also intend on sparing him from much of the work so that he, too, can focus on his fishing more, so I have every intention to rely on him as little as possible, but he will be the first I go to for anything I am inexperienced with. For example, the second topic of today¡¯s meeting. That is a case where I would defer to him. I would listen to his advice and then be the face of it as far as the masses are concerned. That is another point. All repsonsbility will fall onto me. Should there be any mistakes made, whatever they might be, I will be the one to take the fall for it as the leader.¡± Finally, Nell had an obvious pause so that she could take a breath and give everybody else¡¯s ears a quick break. ¡°My name is Nell and I approve this message,¡± she said, taking her entire speech in a completely different direction for the ending. ¡°My apologies. I had to.¡± Yeah, I knew that she¡¯d be perfect for this, Fenrir thought. ¡°Yep. She wins,¡± Saya agreed. Saya wasn¡¯t the only one who agreed, either. ¡°Well, I¡¯m impressed. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen somebody talk that much in one go before,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Would¡¯ve let you have it right away if you would have mentioned doing all the boring stuff for us sooner.¡± Yet another mug was thrown, but King Cat managed to catch the latest one and smugly look over at its thrower this time. Marija sighed at him before giving her attention to Nell. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to be the public face of our alliance and deal with the monotonous work so that we can have fun doing our own things? That doesn¡¯t sound too fair to you.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Nell said, ¡°I assure you that I would love doing such tasks. One might even say that it is in my blood to enjoy them!¡± Fenrir took a quick look back at the maids who were all looking away when they heard that, pretending that they didn¡¯t actually hear anything. Marija shrugged. ¡°I won¡¯t say no to the idea. You get to enjoy it, we get to enjoy our own things, and you¡¯re pretty impressive at this whole speech thing. You had a point when you said that none of us are really cut out to be big, public leaders, but you fit the bill. So, why not?¡± ¡°That makes two,¡± Fenrir said. This time, he was the one who got to count the votes. Rainbow Afro was next. ¡°Ah¡¯ll listen to their judgement. Just let me say that if we do go with this whole thing, then you¡¯re gonna need some new clothes,¡± he said while looking Nell over. ¡°We don¡¯t participate too much with everything happening down ¡®ere, but we know a thing or two about fashion.¡± Fenrir had his doubts that they knew about anything other than rainbows color schemes. ¡°So I¡¯m in as long as ya let us get you a proper dress fit for a queen.¡± ¡°That sounds wonderful!¡± Nell said. ¡°I would be more than happy to wear a dress made by your group.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s three,¡± Fenrir counted. ¡°She helped us just as much as you did,¡± GG said, ¡°so my respect for her is as high as my respect for you. I would be more than happy to see either of you in charge of things.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s everybody. That honestly went a lot smoother than I thought it would.¡± Marija tilted her head and didn¡¯t look too impressed with Fenrir. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t get straight to your proposal. There was no point in letting us waste our time voting on you first.¡± ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t sure you would vote for me in the first place. And if you didn¡¯t, then I doubted you would accept my idea.¡± ¡°I guess. I¡¯ve got to admit, I¡¯m impressed you came up with the idea at all. What made you think that we¡¯d all agree to it?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re the same. We were all drawn to this area because it was away from all the major factions, didn¡¯t we? None of us really want the spotlight. We wouldn¡¯t be over here if we did. Nell loves that sort of thing, though, so why not give the role to somebody who actually likes it instead of giving it to one of us? We¡¯ll still have to support her, obviously, but I have full faith in her to be the best queen that any of us have ever seen.¡± Nell couldn¡¯t help but to sway from side to side just a little bit when she heard Fenrir say that last part about her being the best queen. While she might have restrained her swaying, though, she failed to restrain her smile. ¡°He¡¯s got that much right,¡± King Cat said. ¡°We¡¯re a bunch of folk who just so happened to get caught up in this whole leader thing when all we wanted to do was get away from the noise and relax. Of course, that might be difficult in the future what with the serpent dying and all that. We¡¯ve got a lot of eyes turning our way now.¡± ¡°Including the worst eyes that we could ask for,¡± GG added on. ¡°Then now that we¡¯ve decided on the easy issue, let¡¯s move on to the hard one.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Marija said. ¡°The End Bringers. It¡¯s already been a few days since we saw one of their boats up here trying to survey the area. We managed to scare them off before they saw where any of the towns are, but the fact that they¡¯re interested in this area at all is a major issue.¡± King Cat sighed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Out of everybody to poke us, it just had to be them.¡± Rainbow Afro nodded in agreement. ¡°If we all came over here for peaceful lives, they¡¯re here for the opposite of that.¡± He looked at Fenrir. ¡°You said you wanted an NPC haven, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Then between that and the fact that you¡¯re more south than the rest of us means ya need to watch out the most. I¡¯ve heard they like NPCs the most. Real players? Well, they might have traumatizin¡¯ content disabled. If they don¡¯t, they might just wake in the middle of anything happenin¡¯ to ¡®em. But NPCs¡­ well, they have realistic reactions to the whole thing. Even if they aren¡¯t real, they sure do act like it. Those reactions are what the fucked-up folk in the End Bringers hunt for.¡± ¡°If anything,¡± Marija added on, ¡°they prefer to prioritize collateral damage instead of going directly after players themselves. NPCs, infrastructure ¨C they like to go after the things that can¡¯t easily be brought back. Players can respawn. NPCs can¡¯t. Buildings have to be rebuilt over time after gathering more resources. They try to inflict the maximum amount of terror possible.¡± ¡°Bunch of wannabe terrorists,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Don¡¯t call them that. They¡¯d love to be called that instead of immature edgelords.¡± GG shook his head. ¡°I am fairly certain they would love to be called anything. I have no experience with them outside of the stories I have heard, but it is my understanding that they are the types who simply want to be talked about. Whether they are given praise or insult doesn¡¯t matter. So long as they have our attention, they win.¡± ¡°Well then,¡± Nell said, ¡°I suppose that it is a good thing my hero is here!¡± When the other members looked over at Fenrir after he stayed silent for so long, they saw one thing that nobody else in the room had. A smile. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I have a lot of experience with people like them,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Minus the parts about wanting to torture and abuse NPCs. But their personality types? Prioritizing collateral damage instead of trying to win fights directly? Wanting to be talked about? Well, as far as I¡¯m concerned, they sound like an edgy version of the Divinge Brigade.¡± ¡°You¡¯re complimenting them by making that comparison,¡± Marija said. ¡°They wish they could be as infamous as DB. And you¡­ you make it sound like you have experience with DB.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve ended up dealing with them a lot in the games I¡¯ve played. I know exactly how to turn the tables and get under their skin.¡± Now it was Nell¡¯s turn to smile. ¡°If there is anybody in this world who is perfect for serving as their foil, it is my hero!¡± ¡°That sounds like the opposite of having a peaceful live fishing,¡± King Cat said. ¡°¡±It¡¯s annoying,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°but they can¡¯t be ignored. So, it¡¯d be better to let Nell deal with all the big picture politics stuff while I focus on dealing with the End Bringers. I know nothing about politics other than that talking about it on the internet is never a good idea. But when it comes to a bunch of wannabe trolls acting like edgelords just because they can, I¡¯d say that she¡¯s right. There¡¯s nobody better than me to deal with them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t normally like such arrogant statements,¡± Marija said, ¡°but I like the confidence in your voice. This is the most confident we¡¯ve ever seen you, and you managed to take down a serpent with far less confidence.¡± ¡°The End Bringers will be far easier to deal with in comparison.¡± ¡°They can respawn and harass us over and over,¡± Rainbow Afro said. ¡°Not sure how they¡¯ll be easier.¡± ¡°If they try to set up a forward operating bas to respawn from over and over again, then all we have to do is find it and make it¡­ let¡¯s say, hostile. You don¡¯t want to destroy their spawn location because then they¡¯d stop spawning there, but you do want to make the area hostile enough that they keep on dying as soon as they spawn. That¡¯s how you win against these types. You deprive them. They want reactions out of us, so we prevent them from even being able to get those reactions in the first place. Everybody else just has to continue living normal lives unaffected by them, and I¡¯ll work behind the scenes to make sure that they never get a chance to disrupt our way of life.¡± Fenrir could already imagine how excited Oleander would be about this. Though, a bit of his own joy went away when he remembered that Bonekraka wasn¡¯t around for this. Given the situation, there was also the potential need to reach out to a certain former Divine Brigade memember¡­ but he would rather not bother her if possible. ¡°What I fail to understand is why,¡± GG spoke up. ¡°Why do they act like this? What is there about such sadistic acts that brings them so much pleasure over anything else?¡± ¡°I can understand to some degree,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°At least, when it comes to things like griefing and trolling. They like to get reactions out of people because it lets them feel important. It makes others forced to acknowledge them. At other times, it¡¯s just because they love PvP and want to get be more creative about it instead of just outright killing somebody. But when it comes to the more fucked up things they do¡­ you¡¯re going to drive yourself crazy looking for a deeper reason than just because they can. A lot of people, from what I¡¯ve heard, think things like that they need to be watched by the government and locked up for what they do in-game. They think the End Bringers are probably horrible people in real life. But¡­ I doubt that. Even if they do things far worse than I can imagine, I doubt they¡¯re any different from normal people in real life. They¡¯re just people who know that we¡¯re in a game and they never forget that. Is everybody here innocent from ever killing random NPCs in any game? Running them over while fleeing the cops? Coming up with ridiculous ideas to see the most bizarre and hilarious way possible to kill them? Dropping a nuke or spawning a natural disaster in the middle of a city just because you can?¡± Nell and the maids could have raised their hands, but they held back so that Fenrir could make his point. ¡°It might seem like there¡¯s a huge difference between those things and what they¡¯re doing here, but I doubt that the End Bringers see the difference. Everything is equally fake to them, I¡¯m guessing. Plus some people just like to be ¡®evil.¡¯ I mean, I¡¯ve seen a ton of stories,¡± he wanted to say anime, manga, and light novels, but he refrained, ¡°where people were playing games or teleported into a game or something, and they decided to be as evil as possible simply because they could. People see something like a game that offers no rules and they want to exploit that as much as possible, just because they can. Personally, I could never agree with them, but I can understand them. Anyways, all of this is to say one thing. The most important way to fight back against them is to give them as little fun as possible. If they¡¯re anything like I imagine, they won¡¯t care if they die or are defeated every now and then so long as they get to cause some chaos during it. We have to completely prevent them from having fun whatsoever so that they lose interest.¡± ¡°So treat them like little kids,¡± King Cat said. ¡°A baby throwing a tantrum is trying to get attention. You don¡¯t give the baby any attention, it learns that throwing a tantrum doesn¡¯t work and gives up trying.¡± Fenrir was worried about King Cat ever having children after hearing that, but he still said, ¡°Yeah, basically.¡± ¡°Then what is your suggestion, my hero?¡± Nell asked. ¡°For now? Blockading the waters or dedicating more boats to patrols is going to be enough of a reaction to make them want more. That would be seen as a direct response to their actions. So, I¡¯m against that. Instead, I think we should build a giant tower farther down the coast. Tall enough that it can see a ridiculous distance over the water. If somebody wanted to sail outside of its range, they would be so far out in deep water that no blockade would be able to stop them. And at that point, they¡¯d be risking getting killed by a sea monster before ever getting close to us. It would also be good to have in general so that we know of any and all ships coming our way. Unless any other factions plan on personally marching over the mountains to reach us, they¡¯re going to have to come by ship.¡± ¡°And if they do try coming over the mountains, we have our own methods of dealing with them,¡± GG said. ¡°Not to mention a giant dragon,¡± King Cat said. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s she doing? She got pretty hurt in the fight, right?¡± ¡°Dragons can regenerate lost limbs, so she is recovering. Slowly, but recovering.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we send her down to the volcano the End Bringers call home and light everything on that island on fire?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a friend, not a weapon,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We can¡¯t just order her around every time we need her for a fight.¡± ¡°Also,¡± GG said, ¡°she would not be able to make the flight. Dragons are not very good for long-distance flight given the¡­ size of their bodies.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that around her.¡± ¡°Trust me, I am aware. But yes, they refuse to fly over waters deep enough to swallow them whole for that reason. They are prone to sinking and, once they are underwater, they have no method of getting above it. A dragon that has fallen into water is guaranteed to drown.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure if it was alright to bring up the fact that dragons basically had their own method of immortality and respawning. It seemed like the kind of thing better kept secret, so he kept his mouth shut. ¡°Makes sense why they love the mountains then,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Back to the issue,¡± Marija said, ¡°we will help with providing the resources and labor for the watchtower. Is there anything else we should know or work on?¡± ¡°Not until they try something else,¡± Fenrir answered. All I would do is make sure that any boats that go out fishing have some way of protecting themselves just in case, but I¡¯m pretty sure that they already do.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it actually be better to let them kill us and act like it¡¯s no big deal?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not going to expect anybody to roll over and die with zero emotion just because it¡¯s the End Bringers. Instead, and this might be hard to actually do in practice, I¡¯d recommend fighting back as hard as you can¡­ and then acting friendly once you lose. Thank them for the fight, say it was fun and hope that you can do it again, that sort of thing. Don¡¯t be condescending about it, either. Try to sound as genuinely friendly as you can. They¡¯ll probably find it disgusting and be less interested in coming back.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they see through that?¡± Rainbow Afro asked. ¡°Some might. It¡¯s like an internet argument where you just know that the person on the other side of the keyboard is fuming mad no matter how many times they laugh it off and say they¡¯re having fun and not even the tiniest bit upset. Of course, sometimes people might assume that the other actually is mad when they¡¯re really not. Either way, it¡¯ll dissuade at least some of them.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Marija said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure my boys and girls here will be able to hold their feelings back, but I¡¯ll let them know.¡± King Cat smacked the table. ¡°Alright! Sounds like we¡¯re all done here. Anybody have anything else to say, or can we go back to the fun stuff now?¡± ¡°What about a meeting spot?¡± GG asked. ¡°If Nell is to be our leader, and she will be at Fenrir¡¯s, then should we hold these meetings there instead?¡± Nell was quick to shake her head. ¡°Please, I would not want everybody to travel so far while not having to do such myself. This location has been great because it is nearly an equal distance between our home and Rainbow Afro¡¯s. However¡­ now that you have joined with us, GG, I believe we should move the location to Catsville. Catsville is the fairest location to hold these meetings now as it is right in the center between us, yourself, Rainbow Afro, and Marija. Assuming, of course, that King Cat does not mind nor do the others.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit farther for me, but ah don¡¯t mind,¡± Rainbow Afro said. ¡°I¡¯ll miss never having to travel for these meetings, but it is the fairest option, so I won¡¯t object,¡± Marija said. ¡°And perhaps it is me being paranoid,¡± Nell continued, ¡°but I have always disliked the idea of having such meetings on a small island. If a hostile fleet were to somehow sneak up here and surround us, we would have nowhere to go. At least, if we are on land, we have more options.¡± Fenrir was impressed that she thought of that. He really didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be doing much strategic planning to instead focus on foreign matters, but there she was, already going beyond his expectations for her. He couldn¡¯t have been happier to call her his queen. Book 8: Chapter 5: Once the meeting was wrapped up, everybody decided to head on back to the docks together just for a bit of socializing. However, when they went outside, they saw the commotion of a crowd of players gathered around looking up at the tower. Some cheered, some held onto their bated breaths, and others took bets. It was only when Fenrir looked up at the tower that he remembered what Saya was up to during the whole meeting. Standing near the top of the tower with only a few obstacles and platforms left in her way was none other than a determined Saya with what looked like oil and scorch marks all over her. ¡°Can¡¯t believe she made it past the fire trap!¡± one of the nearby observers said. ¡°I¡¯d get it if she knew to expect it¡­ but for somebody who has no idea its coming to barely react at all? Is she even human?¡± a different observer asked. Fenrir and Nell opted for staying quiet when they heard that. ¡°And she didn¡¯t slip at all when the oil was dumped onto her!¡± ¡°This girl is pretty amazing. Barely reacts, superhuman reflexes and grip ¨C shame that her clothes aren¡¯t more revealing. I bet she¡¯d look pretty nice being all covered in oil if she had some less layers on.¡± As soon as Nell saw Fenrir¡¯s fists twitch, she grabbed onto his arm and looked up at him with a smile. She then leaned up and whispered into his ear, ¡°Imagine how jealous they will be when she comes rushing over to you once she is done, my hero.¡± Fenrir might not have liked hearing those men talk about Saya like that, but Nell had a point. Making them jealous sounded even better than trying to act like an overly defensive boyfriend who gets upset every time another guy looks at one of his girlfriends. As for Saya, she was ready to try and make it to the next platform. It was a good distance above her and only had a thin ledge for her to grab onto so that she could lift herself up, and she¡¯d need to jump as high as she could to grab onto it. To matters even more complicated, it had a slow spin to it. She¡¯d be rotated away from the platform she was currently on after just a few seconds. After that, it was either pull herself up or fall to the very bottom. ¡°The player who engineered this really went all out,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°A player worth of commendation!¡± Nell added on. ¡°Perhaps we could have them come to our town and build one for our residents? That sounds like it would provide a fun challenge for everybody! Though, perhaps with the added benefit of nets underneath it so they do not die when they fall from the top.¡± ¡°Good idea. Anybody who falls off this one,¡± Fenrir paused and looked around at all the spikes near the bottom of the tower, ¡°isn¡¯t going to have a good time.¡± He was far more concerned about Saya falling to her death and getting rather brutally impaled in front of everybody, but he had faith in her if she was already able to make it that high. And now it was time for her to continue. After taking a few deep breaths, Saya leapt up and grabbed onto the ledge of the next platform! And surely enough, just a few seconds into trying to pull herself up, the platform rotated enough to put her over those deadly spikes below. Many in the audience were back to shouting. ¡°No way she makes that!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon girl! Show them how it¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Take your time! Don¡¯t rush it!¡± Nell nudged Fenrir in the arm with her elbow and said, ¡°My hero, perhaps you should join in on shouting encouraging words? I am sure that she would appreciate it from you far more.¡± ¡°I think I can do something even better,¡± Fenrir said before switching over to his thoughts. Hey, Pupaya. I¡¯ll give you unlimited headpats if you can make it to the top, he thought. ¡°Ba-baka onii-wan! Don¡¯t say something like that right now! And you¡¯d already give me unlimited headpats anyways!¡± Saya shouted back at him inside of his head. ¡°I swear if I mess up now it¡¯s your fault!¡± You¡¯re too amazing to mess up. Relax and show them that this is nothing to you. Saya went silent and still for a few moments after that, only breaking the suspense in the audience when she lifted herself up and jumped up onto the next platform. The crowd went wild with shouting and cheering as Saya looked directly at Fenrir to stick her tongue out at him with blushing cheeks. However, the next obstacle was the most terrifying one yet. All she had to do was jump over a gap¡­ but the gap was protected by two swinging pendulum axes that would easily cleave her into halves if one hit her, and they swung in alternating directions with offset timing to make it even more difficult. ¡°How¡­ how¡¯d they even get that all the way up there?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°We should have hired the creative mind behind this to make traps for our defenses against the serpent! The battle would have been much easier,¡± Nell said. It wasn¡¯t visible from the bottom, but the blades and swinging rods they were attached to looked to be coated in some sort of thin, electric field caused by some manner of magic or enchanted item. That meant Saya wouldn¡¯t be able to simply jump up and grab onto the rods like she wanted to, or to stand on top of the blades. If she touched any part of the obstacle, she¡¯d be electrocuted and fall. It all came down to timing. Timing that Saya had to get absolutely perfect if she didn¡¯t want to be cut into two before falling onto impaling spikes in front of everybody. But, realistically¡­ None of it was a problem. If anything, she was a massive cheater in comparison to humans, not that she could help it. All it took was a single glance at the swinging blades to calculate their exact timing and to figure out when was the best opportunity to jump. Every single part of the tower could be calculated from the very bottom of it. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t have been a good show if she just breezed through it with no difficulty at all. Not to mention that it would have been extremely suspicious. While it might have looked like she was mentally preparing herself to everybody down below, the truth was different. She could have gone at any moment. It was more fun, however, to think of the best way to finish. After the swinging blades was a pole that she¡¯d have to swing from to propel herself up and onto the next platform and then all that was left would be a relatively simple jump onto the very top. She figured out what she wanted to do. Just like she saw in all the memories of Fenrir and his time with the Divine Brigade, she¡¯d bring out a bit of flashiness. First, she gave herself a bit of a running start and jumped through the blades while making her body perfectly horizontal! She landed with a roll on the other side and, while finishing the roll, jumped up to grab onto the pole sticking out of the tower! She moved as quickly as possible, swinging herself back and forth to build up momentum before letting go and sending herself upward. Next was the flashy landing that she wanted to stick, and then it was over. But while she might have been able to perfectly estimate how to clear the tower from the ground¡­ that only applied to all of its visible components. That platform that she was meant to land on retracted into the tower, giving her nothing but the ground far below to crash onto. But even if she was caught off guard, she still had a mental processing power far more capable than any human¡¯s. Saya quickly turned her head around to look for what she was supposed to do. That was when she noticed small gaps in the wall just large enough for somebody to fit their feet and hands into. She wasn¡¯t expected to jump her way up the final portion, she was expected to climb it. Despite having canid features, she swiveled her body around with the grace of a feline while tearing off the upper layer of her uniform, leaving her in only a shirt that was spared from most of the oil that sunk into the top layer. And with that top layer soaked in oil, she swung it onto the top of the swinging blades and hooked it on the edge of the nearest one. The jacket got a bit torn, but the more important thing was that it stopped her from falling to her death. Those below in the crowd might not have been able to appreciate that she used the nonconductive, oil-drench jacket in order to protect herself from being electrocuted, but they definitely made sure to apprefciate everything else about her. Even those men who were joking around before about wanting to see her with less on while drenched in oil couldn¡¯t praise anything but the sheer amount of skill displayed. ¡°Ah¡­ my hero,¡± Nell said, her voice quiet and aroused, ¡°I ¨C I did not expect to find myself so excited by her display.¡± ¡°Considering that you¡¯re obsessed with everything about her, it doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Fenrir said. Nell pouted a little. ¡°I call sharing the bed with her after you do!¡± ¡°That might be a while.¡± ¡°Then hurry up!¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯d rather wait until she¡¯s actually a part of our relationship.¡± ¡°Or, you could hurry up and claim her so that I can do so next!¡± ¡°You really like Saya, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°How could I not?! She is absolutely precious!¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny that. Not that I would even try to.¡± Neither took their eyes away from the tower as they talked. Doing so would have risked missing whatever Saya did next, and neither wanted to miss that. Nobody in the audience did. It might not have been the flashiest maneuver, but she climbed back up her jacket and while looping it around to hands to prevent slipping. Then, when the moment was right, she jumped back onto the platform at the end of the swinging blades. She looked at her drenched, torn jacket in her hands. ¡°I should make them pay for this,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯d be the tsundere thing to do, right? Get mad and make them fix it for free even though it was my fault? Being tsun has its perks.¡± Once she resolved how to handle the jacket situation, she balled it up and tossed it down toward Fenrir. A few others tried to grab it, thinking that it was some sort of giveaway, but Fenrir managed to jump up and grab it before anybody else could while Nell clapped for him in the back. Those who wished to catch it but failed looked at Fenrir with disappointed glares while Fenrir returned the exact same glare back at them. Not that he could really blame them. If he was single and watching Saya be so cool before throwing down something that she personally wore, he¡¯d want to catch it, too. That aside, he had a feeling that Saya was developing a bit of a fan club even if that wasn¡¯t her intention. Back at the top, Saya looked at deceptive pole which had since stuck itself back out. The idea of taking a blade and slicing the pole off from its mount was tempting, but she had no blade to enact her revenge with. Instead, her revenge would have to consist of finishing the tower that it so desperately tried to prevent. Saya jumped forward and grabbed onto those slots in the wall made for climbing up¡­ and revealed the tower¡¯s final trap. It began to spin. The sound of mechanical gears clanking and grinding each other could be heard from within the tower as the very top portion of it began to spin in a circle at a steadily increasing speed. This spinning also ended up shaking the entire tower, causing it to wobble from side to side. Nobody on the ground felt safe after seeing that and began to back away just in case. And Saya definitely didn¡¯t feel safe. She was clinging for her life to a scrap tower made of random parts that was now spinning and wobbling. ¡°This isn¡¯t supposed to be a horror game!¡± she shouted before steeling her resolve and forcing herself to continue. It was either continue or wait for the tower to self-destruct. Through the spinning and shaking of the tower, Saya climbed up one slot at a time. The whirring noise and smoke that came from within the center of the top portion really didn¡¯t help her faith in the maniacal construction. It did, however, make her climb even faster and eventually reach the top. All that was waiting for her was a single, red button in the middle of the platform. She figured that she should press it before getting thrown off from the ever-increasing speed of the tower¡¯s spinning, so, while clutching to the platform with her other hand, she reached forward and brought her curled fist slamming down against the button! The tower¡¯s whirring came to a slow stop as the upper platform slowed its spinning. A few moments after the total stop of the tower, a series of fireworks shot off from around Saya up into the sky for all around to see! Though, given that it was the middle of the day, they weren¡¯t as visible as they would have been at night. Saya could finally take a moment to breathe and relax to the sound of cheering from down below. That was when she felt a downward drop and heard the internal mechanisms of the tower begin to fail. ¡°I should have expected this,¡± Marija said, still standing behind Fenrir and Nell with the other leaders. ¡°Every contraption of that idiot fails in the end.¡± ¡°You call him an idiot, but he builds some pretty damn nice things,¡± King Cat said. ¡°He builds things for suicidal idiots. Not that I can refuse this place is full of them.¡± Marija let out a heavy sigh before shouting to everybody, ¡°I suggest you get back unless you want to get crushed!¡± Nell grabbed onto Fenrir¡¯s arm and looked up at him with worried eyes. ¡°My hero! What about Saya? How is she going to get down?!¡± ¡°Onii-wan,¡± Saya said to Fenrir. ¡°Take a step to your right then seven steps back, and wait there. If you need more instructions then that, then you don¡¯t know me, or yourself, at all. Hmph.¡± Hey, don¡¯t ¡®hmph¡¯ me before I even have a chance to say something back, Fenrir thought in response and then looked at Nell. ¡°Hold this.¡± He handed over the oily jacket. ¡°Also, get back with the others. I¡¯ll take care of Saya.¡± Nell had no idea what the plan could have been, but she believed in the two and nodded before listening. At the back of the group where everybody else was standing now, Anastasia, the blonde maid who just couldn¡¯t get enough of humming and whistling, reached her hands out and said, ¡°My lady, please let me hold that for you. It is dirty.¡± Nell hugged the oily jacket to her chest and shook her head. ¡°Absolutely not! This is Saya¡¯s! I would never hand it over to anybody but my hero.¡± She even lifted the cloth up to her cheek and rubbed against it a little, causing the maid to blankly stare at her before taking a step back and realizing that she was better off continuing to hum instead. As for Saya, despite having the shakiest ground she had been on yet, she stood up on the top of the tower and got into a position similar to that of somebody riding a surfboard. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready, onii-wan. You¡¯re going to look pretty lame if you mess up.¡± You think I¡¯d let my little puppy-sister get hurt? You know I¡¯d only allow that if you ask me to hurt you, Fenrir thought back. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I¡¯d ever ask for you to hurt me or anything! Keep this up and I won¡¯t help you make all those guys jealous!¡± You knew ¨C wait, of course you knew about that. ¡°Duh. I still know everything that goes through your thoughts.¡± Stalker. ¡°Pervert.¡± Another section of the tower collapsed under itself, allowing the rest of the tower to freely fall afterwards. Section after section hit the ground, bringing Saya closer and closer to the ground as she managed to maintain perfect balance atop the final platform. Her mind performed hundreds of simultaneous simulations and calculations to figure out exactly how and where the tower was going to crash, constantly updating her trajectory. It would have been simple to ride the tower all the way down to the ground, jump off, maybe do a flip in the air, and impress everybody. Instead, she positioned herself near the back corner of the platform facing away from the ground and waited. ¡°Another two steps to your right.¡± Fenrir nodded and listened. Got it. When there was only a single section left underneath the platform Saya was on, the front half crashed into the ground in a way that rocked the back half up, essentially turning the top platform into a catapult that sent Saya flying off of it! It still would have been an easy job to stick the landing, albeit maybe with a broken ankle or to, but that wasn¡¯t what she wanted. What she wanted was something else entirely that depended on Fenrir being the cool, dependable onii-wan that she loved him being. It helped that she gave him the exact position to stand in to maximize his chances. Fenrir, knowing what he had to do, opened his arms and jumped forward to catch Saya! She safely landed within his arms, carried just like a princess. Nell could not have been more jealous. Not jealous that Fenrir was carrying somebody else like a princess, of course. She was jealous of Fenrir that he got to carry Saya like a princess. All she could do to try and get over her jealousy was to rub that oily jacket even harder against her face. ¡°This is extremely embarrassing, so you better appreciate it,¡± Saya thought to him. Fenrir assumed that she must have just been talking about him carrying her like that¡­ but then she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek while all of her growing fanclub was around to watch. Nell was right. That was far, far better than getting upset with those guys who wanted to see more of her. ¡°Thanks for saving me,¡± Saya said in a delicate, feminine voice. It was so contradictory to her usual personality that Fenrir had to hold back a laugh. She saw that he wanted to laugh, though, and subtly jammed her elbow into his gut. That elbow jab didn¡¯t slip past Nell, though. And that made her even more jealous. Nell wanted to be jabbed in the stomach by Saya¡¯s elbow, too! ¡°No problem,¡± was all that Fenrir could say, trying his best not to sound too pained from the jab as he set Saya down. He thought that would be the end of the fanservice, but he couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. Saya hid herself behind his arm, hugging onto it and pulling it against her breasts. This allowed her to: one, hide what visible cleavage she had away from the prying eyes of her new fans; and two ¨C well, as tsundere as she might have liked to act, she still enjoyed giving Fenrir all the fanservice that he could ever ask for. If anything, giving him fanservice was giving herself fanservice. It was a fanservice loop. As for the crowd, as jealous as they might have been of Fenrir, that didn¡¯t stop them from cheering for Saya. All of the applause was quick to turn her cheeks red and cause her to hide even more of her body behind Fenrir, though. ¡°Well, I¡¯m damn impressed,¡± Marija said, making her way to the front of the crowd. ¡°Nobody has cleared that bastard¡¯s jumping puzzles yet.¡± ¡°I ¨C I get a reward... right?¡± Saya asked, poking her head out from behind Fenrir. ¡°That you do. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s online right now, so I¡¯ll have to go grab it from his house. Hold on.¡± Marija walked over to one of the houses within sight. Standing in front of the glorified shack of a house that had all sorts of other strange creations littered around its walls with unknown uses, Marija kicked the door open with enough force to send it flying while almost taking the front wall with it, too. After stepping inside for a few moments, she came back out with the prize that was described earlier: a straight, spiraled horn that had what looked like patches of glowing blue scattered along its length. It really did look just like what the earlier man described. A narwhal¡¯s horn that somehow had the glowing lure of an anglerfish mixed into it. Though, the man described the creature itself as incredibly ugly. Those looking at the horn without ever seeing its source found that hard to believe given that the horn was rather beautiful on its own. But despite how beautiful it was and the fact that it was a prize, Marija tossed it toward Saya with no care. Saya had to come rushing out from behind of Fenrir in order to catch it so that it wouldn¡¯t hit the ground and potentially break. Not hiding behind Fenrir made it easier for all of her fans to begin clapping for her and praising her. ¡°I-it¡¯s really not that big of a deal,¡± Saya stuttered out to everybody. To make matters worse for her, Fenrir sneakily stuck his head between her legs and lifted her up onto his shoulders so that he could proudly show her off to everybody. ¡°I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you so much! I hate you so so so so so much! Why?! Why would you do this?!¡± Saya frantically shouted at him in his head. Because you¡¯re my cute Pupaya and I feel like showing you off. Besides, you were a total badass. You deserve the praise, Fenrir thought in response. Saya¡¯s cheeks turned bright red as one of her hands took a very tight grip of his hair, making sure that he would feel at least some pain to make up for how embarrassed he made her. Then when Nell went up to talk to them and to personally congratulate Saya, while wrapping her arms around Fenrir¡¯s arm that Saya was previously wrapped against, the crowd¡¯s enthusiasm died down a little bit. Fenrir not only had their new favorite up on his shoulders with her thighs around his head, but he had another cute woman¡¯s arms around his pressing her chest against him. Even Marija looked jealous among all the other players of her village. King Cat gave Fenrir a smirk and thumbs-up, GG simply looked amused by the situation, and Rainbow Afro sighed. Fenrir didn¡¯t expect the man with the giant, rainbow afro and rainbow ship to be the straight man of the group, but he was turning out to be that way. He must have just really, really loved rainbows. Then when the maids went up to join Nell, it looked as if they, too, were surrounding Fenrir. ¡°C¡¯mon! What is this?! This lucky bastard has two women and maids?!¡± one of the crowd goers shouted while looking ready to tear out his own hair. Fenrir had no idea what to do, but Nell did as she released herself from his arm and stepped forward to address everybody. She made sure to look over at the other leaders first for their approval. They figured out her intention and nodded. Nell cleared her throat and equipped her maximum level royalty voice. ¡°First off, I would like to clarify one thing. While me and the girl upon his shoulders may belong to him, these maids do not. They serve me.¡± The crowd suddenly looked a bit less disappointed. ¡°Furthermore, they all already have a man in mind, and that man is not my dearest Fenrir standing behind me.¡± The crowd went back to looking disappointed while Rachel tugged on Nell¡¯s dress from behind and begged her to change topics in a whining tone. Fortunately for Rachel, that was Nell¡¯s intention. ¡°Secondly, I have an announcement. I, Nehalennia, Chosen of the Western Serpent, Manasa, have been chosen to lead the union of our great villages. I know that many of you may not have ever seen me before and have no reason to put your faith in me, but I assure you that I will strive to do my best as your queen. As far as your daily lives are concerned, you need not worry about any changes. You will be allowed all the same freedoms that you have always had and you always will. My role will simply be to give a face to our alliance and to deal with foreign nations, as we have gathered the attention of this world¡¯s greatest factions. Alone, we risk being conquered or absorbed into another faction that does not have our best interests at heart. United, we shall stand resolute and push back against any who dare to harm our way of life on this coast! So please, I ask for your support and trust. The stronger the bonds between our towns are, the greater our bulwark shall be. We have already conquered one of the world¡¯s greatest serpents through our methods, so let us prove that there are none who may conquer our spirits nor land. Let us prove that cooperation and respect for one another are the undefeatable forces of our alliance.¡± She ended her speech with a curtsy. Perhaps if her speech was less serious and formal sounding, some of the townspeople might have looked over to Marija to see if Nell was legitimate. However, Nell¡¯s royal aura demanded authority ¨C she demanded to be taken seriously. There was also the fact that none of the leaders came over to stop her during the speech. Either way, while it was a slow clap at first, Nell received almost as much praise and cheers as Saya did. Almost as much. They might have accepted Nell as their queen, but Saya was still their number one. ¡°Makes sense,¡± King Cat said. ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡± Marija asked him. ¡°Think about it. Most of your folk here are men. Big, burly men playing all sorts of insanely muscular lizard men and other guys with scales all over their bodies. Up until now, they¡¯ve been happy to do anything you say because you boss them around and dominate them whenever they don¡¯t listen. In other words, you¡¯ve got a bunch of men up here with almost no women around, and they all love themselves a good woman in an authority position. Whether they¡¯re being bossed around by you or being led by a cute queen, it doesn¡¯t matter. They just want a woman to be in charge of them.¡± ¡°I would smash your face into the ground if I could deny any of that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a coffee tomorrow to make up for calling you out for running a town full of submissive musclehead masochists who will gladly roll onto their backs for any girl who takes control of them. Deal?¡± The longest sigh yet escaped Marija¡¯s lips. ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Just be happy I¡¯m not calling you out on being just like your boys. You¡¯re probably looking forward to every single order our new queen gives yo¡ª¡± King Cat¡¯s face became very intimate with the ground thanks to Marija hooking them up. She intended on them forming a long-lasting relationship with one another. Book 8: Chapter 6: Once King Cat managed to pull his face out from the ground, Marija had one last thing to show everybody attending the meeting before they could officially wrap things up. That was why she led them to the back of the settlement that Fenrir had never seen before. It turned out that the back facing the northern ocean was essentially dedicated to serving as a shipyard with all sorts of construction projects underway, but there was one project more impressive than all the others. If it wasn¡¯t for the large, spike-like hill in the center of the island that Spike Port was built on, they would have been able to see the massive ship from any angle. Instead, that hill was just barely large enough to block the sight of the work-in-progress vessel that featured none other than the great serpent¡¯s head over the front of it. The ship was large enough to rival the size of Ull¡¯s and Blackstache¡¯s flagships, and Fenrir doubted that he would ever see another ship large enough to compare to theirs. ¡°We had to destroy a small forest to get all the wood needed for her, but she¡¯s turning out fine,¡± Marija said. ¡°Here, there¡¯s something else I want to show you.¡± She led the group over to what looked like a stack of lumber before taking the axe of one of her passing-by subordinates. With the axe in hand, she swung it from overhead to slam it into the wood as hard as she possibly could. The strike was powerful enough that it blew back the hair of those immediately nearby¡­ but the axe itself barely made a tiny scratch into the wood. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Marija asked, leaving the axe embedded in the wood as she looked at the rest of the group with a smug and satisfied smile. The owner of the axe had a bit of difficulty taking it out from the lumber while Fenrir and the others looked amazed at the wood¡¯s durability. ¡°How?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Even steel oak isn¡¯t that durable.¡± ¡°This here is regular spruce wood¡­ or it used to be,¡± Marija answered. ¡°You see, the reason that it¡¯s so sturdy and such a darker color is because of our spoils.¡± When the battle against the serpent was over, the giant reward that was the serpent¡¯s oversized corpse was split up among the various villages. Marija was quick to call dibs on the serpent¡¯s head. That was regarded as one of the more valuable parts of the body, so she and those at Skull Port ended up taking less home in exchange for the most valued part of the serpent¡¯s body. The other villages only got massive amounts of bones and scales. There was also plenty of meat but nobody was necessarily interested in eating the rotted flesh of what looked like an undead serpent. ¡°A boy came by a few days ago,¡± Marija continued. ¡°I thought he was one of GG¡¯s, but turned out that he was a scholar.¡± Fenrir raised an eyebrow. A dragon boy who was also a scholar sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite place it. ¡°He wanted to test something out with the serpent¡¯s eyes. Said that some of the game¡¯s dragons store their energy in their eyes, so he was wondering if the same could be applied to the serpents. It wasn¡¯t exactly a pretty process, but we had no idea what else to do with the eyes and I know that scholars can come up with some pretty crazy discoveries, so I let him do what he wanted with one of the eyes. He managed to¡­ refine it into a slimy liquid. Then he started testing it out in all sorts of ways. First, that crazy boy actually drank some of it. Yeah, he drank undead serpent eye slime. Ended up giving him a pretty powerful buff, too. All of his abilities were massively boosted for about thirty seconds¡­ and then he dropped dead. Couldn¡¯t even revive him since his body melted away almost immediately. Came back as soon as he could, completely naked. He was so excited to get back to testing the slime out that he didn¡¯t even get some new clothes before coming back over here.¡± ¡°He sounds like quite the eccentric fellow!¡± Nell said. ¡°Yeah, he is. Anyways, I¡¯ll skip all the boring stuff and get to the relevant part. He ended up trying to apply it to a few different materials and figured out that it increased the strength of whatever it was applied to, but it always ended up having the same, melting death that he did after a while. So, he tried diluting it. Turned out that did the trick. It killed one of the volunteers here when he tried drinking it, but not for a few minutes. The buff wasn¡¯t as strong, either. So, it¡¯s still not exactly a good thing to drink if you don¡¯t want to end up with your face in the ground and your body melting into ooze. But.¡± ¡°But?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Diluting it stopped it from melting through materials. So, I had the idea of applying a coating of it to the big girl there.¡± Marija looked up at her newest, massive ship. ¡°We weren¡¯t gonna have enough of the slime to coat every single plank, so we had to dilute it even more. We repeated the process with the second eye to really make sure we¡¯d have enough. Took some brushes and painted over every single plank there. Gave the skull some of the slime, too. Don¡¯t want it breaking on us and ruining the look. Anyways, now we¡¯ve got ourselves a nice, hardened skeleton of a ship. All we¡¯ve got to do is all the internal stuff now and that doesn¡¯t need the same protection.¡± ¡°So, all you had to do was take that slime, spread it over the planks, and now they¡¯re even stronger than steel oak?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What if it was applied to steel oak?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯d be even stronger. That axe probably would have bounced right off it. Or the axe would have broke.¡± ¡°Why not try and use that then? There should have been enough steel oaks on the coast for you to get enough wood.¡± ¡°Sure. One major problem.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t consider that until it was too late. Now we don¡¯t have enough of the slime left for another full coating. You see, as soon as we realized we could make a wood stronger than steel oak, we stopped thinking about steel oak itself. The thought of taking some steel oak and then making it even stronger didn¡¯t occur to us until that dragon boy asked us why we weren¡¯t doing that.¡± ¡°I know the feeling. Getting tunnel vision like that sucks.¡± Nell smiled and said, ¡°Well, it is a good thing that Tabitha is not here! She would certainly not approve of such an oversight.¡± ¡°Yeah, she would be yelling at everybody.¡± ¡°Tabitha?¡± Marija asked. ¡°Who¡¯s that again?¡± King Cat sighed and shook his head. ¡°Look at you getting all excited as soon as you hear about another girl yelling.¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± ¡°You met her before,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°She was with us the first time we came here. Short girl. Orange hair. Twintails.¡± Marija looked shocked. ¡°Her? That little thing yells at everybody?¡± Nell couldn¡¯t help but to giggle at Marija¡¯s surprise, holding a hand over her mouth as she said, ¡°Tabitha is the loudest of us all! And she most certainly has no issue with ordering everybody around, and then punishinig them with even more of her voice when they fail to live up to her standards.¡± Marija gulped as she looked at Nell with wanting eyes ¨C eyes that wanted for Nell to continue explaining just how Tabitha could be. ¡°I¡­ never expected that sort of behavior from her. I remember looking at her and thinking she was probably another one of those small, shy girls who just want to look cute.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of her,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°She just looks like that because she looks up to magical girls for being total badasses. She¡¯s the bossiest woman I know and never takes any shit from anybody.¡± ¡°Seriously? That girl?¡± ¡°Yeah. You must not know about gap moe.¡± ¡°Gap¡­ what?¡± ¡°Excuse him,¡± Nell said. ¡°What my hero meant to say was that her appeal is how her fierce personality provides a powerful contrast to her appearance.¡± Marija tilted her head a little. ¡°She didn¡¯t show any of that when she was here.¡± ¡°Well, she does know how to reign it in and practices good manenrs during important meetings like that one was.¡± The truth was that Tabitha was simply too flustered at the time and focused on Marija¡¯s muscles to show any of her true self. Nell knew that, but she doubted that Tabitha would be alright with her saying all of that. There was also the fact that she knew Tabitha had since lost interest in Marija because the smaller girl was sure that nothing would ever come from having a crush on the larger one. She didn¡¯t want to potentially get Marija¡¯s hopes up now. ¡°She was probably too busy staring at your biceps,¡± King Cat said. A vein popped in Nell¡¯s forehead. She now understood why Marija kept on wanting to abuse her friend so much. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to go and abuse a man she hardly knew, not that knowing him better would make it any more appropriate. And when it was finally a good time for Marija to do something about King Cat¡­ she didn¡¯t. ¡°Was she?¡± Marija asked with genuine interest. ¡°Yep,¡± King Cat answered. ¡°Looked like a dog salivating over the sight of a bone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she was that obvious,¡± Fenrir said, implying that Tabitha was, in fact, checking out Marija. And that was what caused Nell to shove her elbow into his side and then loudly clear her throat. ¡°Let us return to the topic of your new ship! Have you named her yet? What¡­ ah, how do you plan on arming her? What will she be used for?¡± ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t know for sure yet. Probably,¡± Marija answered, her mind clearly somewhere else instead of where Nell wanted it to be. ¡°We should have another meeting soon. Since we¡¯re switching these meetings to Catsville, it would be a good idea to have one soon just to try it out there. Right?¡± ¡°Ah, well, I suppose that could be a good idea.¡± Marija nodded along and then looked at Fenrir. ¡°If that girl already came for one meeting, she can come for another. Or ¨C wait. Scratch the meeting idea. There¡¯s no need in having a meeting and making all of us travel if it¡¯s not important. Why don¡¯t you bring that girl up here so that she can look our ship over and give us her thoughts? Maybe there¡¯s something that we¡¯re missing.¡± Fenrir figured out Marija¡¯s intentions pretty quickly¡­ which was the opposite of what Nell wanted. ¡°Sure,¡± he said. ¡°I can lend her to you for a few days to help you figure everything¡ª¡± Nell cleared her throat again and jabbed him even harder in the side with her elbow, successfully shutting him up. ¡°I will talk to her about it,¡± Nell said. ¡°Tabitha is a busy woman, so I am not sure if she will be able to come up here. Not to mention that she already has more than her fair share of work at our town.¡± ¡°I can come down there then,¡± Marija said. ¡°But your ship is not in sailing condition yet, is it? It would be silly to seek her advice on its construction when she has never even seen it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Tabs would probably be happy to help out anyway she can.¡± As much as Nell might have normally loved to hear Fenrir¡¯s voice, she wanted nothing more than to gag him, tie some concrete bricks around his feet, and throw him into the ocean. But because that wasn¡¯t an option, she settled for tightly grabbing his arm and telling the others, ¡°Please excuse us for a moment,¡± before marching off with Fenrir. Once they were far enough away that she could whisper to him without anybody else hearing, Fenrir asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You!¡± Nell answered with an angered, hushed voice. ¡°Tabitha has already expressed disinterest in pursuing anything with Marija! You should not play matchmaker when one party does not want to be involved!¡± ¡°But Tabs might change her mind if she learns that Marija is interested now.¡± ¡°You do not know that for certain! You are welcome to tell her of Marija¡¯s interest once we return, but you should not go ahead and make plans without Tabitha¡¯s input!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see your point. Yeah, that¡¯s kind of stupid of me, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes! Do you want to create an awkward situation between them that satisfies nobody?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re right. Is that why you kept on jabbing me? To get me to shut up?¡± ¡°Why else would I?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe becoming a queen put you on a power trip and it went to your head that it¡¯s okay to abuse your boyfriend now.¡± Nell pouted and reached up to flick his forehead. ¡°Lower your head,¡± she ordered. Fenrir did as she said. Then he felt her press her lips against his for a soft kiss. ¡°Now, apologize to your queen for your foolish behavior.¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t expect his punishment to feel more like a reward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my foolish behavior, my queen.¡± ¡°Good. I will expect you to be on your best behavior until we¡¯re back. Now, you may take my hand and lead me back to the others.¡± She held her hand out like a proper royal. If it were anybody else who wanted Fenrir to treat them like that, he would have spat in their face. But since it was Nell, he was more than happy to serve her. Once they were back over, Nell smoothed the situation with Marija and explained why meeting Tabitha anytime soon could not be guaranteed. Meanwhile, Fenrir thought to Saya who had been staying silent the whole conversation, How come you didn¡¯t say anything? If anybody was going to scold me for being stupid, I would have thought it¡¯d be you. ¡°One , onii-wan, it¡¯s not my place to assist you in relations with other players. That would technically count as cheating since I¡¯m still your virtual assistant. If you do something really stupid around another player, and I help you with knowledge that I¡¯m not supposed to know myself, which I¡¯m not since I was never at the meeting in the first place outside from being in your head at the time, then that¡¯s abusing my position and Kadi will probably punish me. Two¡­ I was on your side until Nell said something. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m based off of you. If you think something is a good idea, I¡¯m probably going to think it¡¯s a good idea, too.¡± Oh god. That¡¯s right. Now there are two people in existence who think like me. ¡°I know. It¡¯s the worst possible outcome for all of humanity.¡± I just remembered that means you like all the same fetishes as me, right? ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough of secretly talking to each other with thoughts for now. Goodbye. I¡¯m ignoring anything else you think that isn¡¯t an emergency.¡± And so, Fenrir began thinking, in detail, all sorts of perverse things. He thought about his favorite fetishes. He thought about his favorite hentai. He thought about having sex with his girlfriends. Each one of those thought chains made Saya¡¯s cheeks turn a deeper shade of red as she refused to give him a proper reaction. Of course, she knew that simply staying there in silence with burning cheeks was giving him a reaction, but there was nothing she could do about that. It was a lose-lose situation for her as she underwent the horrible, mental torture that Fenrir subjected her to. Of course, she could have easily not reacted at all. She could have made her cheeks return to their normal color in an instant and not give him even the tiniest bit of reaction. But that wasn¡¯t what Saya would do, and Saya wanted¡ªof course¡ªto be Saya. ¡°Right,¡± Marija said, now back to her usual self. ¡°You asked me something about the ship, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed I did!¡± Nell answered. ¡°What are your plans for her?¡± ¡°Well, given that we¡¯re all in this together now, she could serve as our new flagship. Without that serpent around, the role of biggest monster in this part of the ocean is open for the taking. I figured we¡¯ll create our own monster to take that position. Make her powerful enough that she can ram straight through any other faction¡¯s flagship like it¡¯s nothing and load her up with enough cannons and utilities that nobody will ever be able to sink her.¡± ¡°Sounds like the ultimate warship,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That¡¯s the point. She¡¯ll be enough on her own to scare off anybody from even thinking about bringing their navy up here. She won¡¯t be that great against any land forces ¨C at least not any greater than taking a floating platform and covering it in cannons, but she¡¯s going to rule this ocean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine any sort of ground invasion marching all the way up here, but it¡¯s something we should think about and prepare for just in case. We¡¯ll figure that out part out so that you can focus on the ocean.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I want to hear. I never have been one for ground stuff. The ocean is where I like to dominate.¡± As much as Fenrir might have wished that they could switch positions since he much preferred being out on the water instead of spending his time on land, he held back nodded instead. It made the most sense for him to focus on the ground. Practically any ground force, unless they planned on literally climbing over the mountains or going all around the entire northern half of the continent which would be an insane idea and logistical nightmare, would have to march up from the south which would bring them to Fenrir and his town first. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of work ahead of us,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We¡¯ll support you however we can,¡± Rainbow Afro spoke up. ¡°Me and King Cat don¡¯t have to do much at our places.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± King Cat said. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t have any problem with you volunteering me to help them out, but¡­ what about my name? If Nell here is our queen now, then me being called King Cat implies we¡¯re a thing, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Marija shook her head. ¡°Nobody would be confused over that since nobody would think it¡¯s possible for you to find a girl who can tolerate you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be an issue either,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°There¡¯s a difference between a player name and a political position.¡± ¡°I like your answer, Fenrir,¡± King Cat said and then looked at Marija. ¡°I don¡¯t like your answer.¡± King Cat might have been worried about people mistaking him and Nell for a couple, but he really should have been worried about people mistaking him and Marija for a couple given just how closely they resembled a bickering married couple. While they went at their bickering again, Nell tugged on Fenrir to grab his attention before whispering, ¡°It would be alright if you felt at least a little bit jealous at the idea of people mistaking him for my husband!¡± Fenrir smiled and whispered back, ¡°Trust me, I absolutely hate the idea and would be extremely quick to correct anybody who dares to think it. I get jealous pretty easily, I¡¯m just good at hiding it when there¡¯s no good reason for it.¡± ¡°Oh? I would love to see you put less effort into hiding it sometime.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not look like a clingy, controlling boyfriend to everybody.¡± ¡°Then how about showing me some of your jealousy when it is only the two of us?¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably imagining my jealousy as something hot and dominant when it¡¯d really be pathetic and whiny.¡± Nell¡¯s own lips curled into a smile now. ¡°That sounds just as good! It may not have been what I originally hoped for, but I will gladly accept such adorable behavior.¡± Fenrir narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Anyways, once they¡¯re done being themselves, we can wrap things up and go back.¡± Nell nodded and then turned her attention to Saya. ¡°You are most certainly welcome to feel jealous over me as well!¡± ¡°I have nothing to be jealous of,¡± Saya said, quickly shutting Nell down and causing her to take a couple of steps back as if she were just punched in the chest. A hint of red then colored Saya¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Besides¡­ it¡¯s ¨C it¡¯s not like I like you enough to get jealous or anything. You¡¯re always trying to cling all over me and won¡¯t stop looking at me. There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s no way I¡¯d get jealous over somebody as gross as you.¡± Fenrir felt like calling Nell gross might have been a bit harsh¡­ but, when he looked at Nell, she looked like she was fuller of life than ever before. The injury she took from harshly being told that Saya had nothing to be jealous of was completely healed once she heard Saya act so tsundere toward her. Not only that, but the tsundere act went above and beyond in healing her. It might have even healed her to the point where Nell looked younger as a result. Saya¡¯s attitude was perfect enough to Nell that it could even reverse the aging of a virtual avatar. Not to mention that being called ¡°gross¡± was the meanest thing that any of Nell¡¯s love interests had ever said to her. And Nell always was a masochist. Book 8: Chapter 7: A couple of days after the meeting, things were back to normal with a slow-paced life that mostly consisted of building, fishing, and training. That meant life was normal for Mister Smiles, too. And a normal life for Mister Smiles consisted of going to her little hideout where she could send information back to her superiors via a certain own companion of hers. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like she had much information to send back. All there was to report was that Nell was officially taking up the role of queen for the united villages, and something like that wasn¡¯t exactly important to Mister Smiles¡¯ superiors. ¡°Ah really ain¡¯t cut out for this spy stuff,¡± Mister Smiles said as she walked through the forest toward her usual hideout, frequently checking behind her to make sure that she wasn¡¯t being followed. ¡°Ain¡¯t doin¡¯ a good job spyin¡¯¡­ ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ any closer to Fenrir¡­ ah¡­ this sucks.¡± She ended up stopping by one of the trees to bang her masked head against it a few times. ¡°Seriously¡­ what am ah even doin¡¯?¡± Unable to answer her own question, Mister Smiles continued toward her destination. It was far enough to away from where players occasionally traveled, so she had to go quite the distance to reach it all so that she could send no worthwhile information back to her superiors. Being far away from the settlement also meant that this particular region of the forest was more abundant with life. Or rather, it was supposed to be more abundant. ¡°It¡¯s so quiet today,¡± Mister Smiles said and looked around. There were no critters nor beasts in sight. She couldn¡¯t even hear the chirping of birds nor insects. The only living being around making any noise was her. Realizing that, a sinking sensation filled her gut. ¡°Somethin¡¯s wrong.¡± With her fists readied to retaliate at any moment, she continued onward with far more care than previously exercised. That feeling in her gut grew even worse when she made it around a tree and saw what looked like the aftermath of a bloody battle. There was blood all over the dirt, splashed onto the nearby bushes and tree trunks, and patches of fur as well as the occasional tooth scattered across the ground. It looked like there must have been a ferocious battle between predators, yet there was no corpse. There was, however, a trail of blood leading in the direction she needed to go. Whatever won the fight must have dragged the corpse away. The blood was still fresh, too. Mister Smiles took a deep breath and began moving from tree to tree, always making sure to have cover that she could check out the ahead area from. Bo would normally fly up ta me by now. Where is he? Mister Smiles thought, looking up above her for any signs of her companion. There was nothing. Or rather, there was nothing until she heard an unknown voice come from up ahead. ¡°I wonder what kind of reward she¡¯ll give me if I do a good job here,¡± the voice, clearly identified as male, said. ¡°All she said was that she¡¯d give me a ¡®special treat.¡¯ Hehe¡­ that makes the mind wonder. I bet she was purposely vague since the others were around. She probably didn¡¯t want to make them jealous of me, I bet.¡± I already don¡¯t like him, Mister Smiles thought. She might have been able to hear the man¡¯s voice now, but she still wasn¡¯t able to see him. But she did see something else. Walking in a patrol heading her way were three beasts. Two wolves and a bear. More importantly, they weren¡¯t just simple animals. They all looked like they went through vicious battles that left them with injuries that should have killed them, yet they moved without any difficulty. Closer inspection revealed why. A light, green mist seeped from their maws and eyes. While not all forms of raising the dead were the same or even had that feature, Mister Smiles recognized it as one of the known methods of necromancy. A method developed by none other than the End Bringers. This ain¡¯t good, Mister Smiles thought before jumping up into the tree she was hiding behind. While she might have looked like an incredibly muscular man who should not have been all that agile, the truth was that the suit she wore did nothing to stop her agility. Fortunately, the trees in the area were tall and close enough together that she could easily move from tree to tree without making much noise. Unfortunately, getting closer to the source of the voice made her regret ever finding it. One of the worst possible people moved into the little hideout that she had. There was little more than a sleeping bag and some dried food stored in pots there, but it was still her little home away from the settlement that was now defiled by a member of the End Bringers. He couldn¡¯t look more stereotypically evil if he wanted to, Mister Smiles thought. The man in question wore an oversized, black and red robe that had its hood down to show off his head. All hair was shaved from his head, leaving him with a bald scalp that was covered in tattoos that looked like he was trying to be as edgy as possible. There are many skulls involved in the tattoos. But that man was only part of the problem. He was also most likely the source of the problem, but the problem itself was far larger than just him now. There were dozens upon dozens of undead beasts all around him. He had his own little private army of risen corpses created from all of nearby animals. That wasn¡¯t good for two reasons. One, if such a large, undead presence stayed in the area for too long without being dealt with, then it would change the forest itself. Well, it would change that specific part of the forest, but that change could potentially spread throughout the forest. Mister Smiles knew that if the undead infestation wasn¡¯t dealt with, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the trees started dying out before becoming the homes of massive spiders and giant, fanged worms. It was basically a method of griefing. Using magic to light a forest on fire and burn it all down was one method. Introducing the undead to corrupt the forest itself was another method. Both were entirely accomplishable by a single player, but easily countered if caught early. And it looked like they barely had any time to spare if they wanted to counter it. I¡¯ll be torn apart if I go down there myself¡­ but if I go tell Fen¡­ no, I have to, Mister Smiles decided. It might mean giving away her identity, but she had to. She couldn¡¯t let a threat like this go undealt with. Besides, she already told Serra about it. Chances were that Serra probably told Fenrir about it seeing as how they were dating. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m already getting this excited just thinking about how much fun we¡¯ll have together once I¡¯m back,¡± the man said as he pulled one of his arms back into his robe. ¡°Ah¡­ Lessy¡­¡± Mister Smiles blinked a few times when she realized what the man was most likely doing underneath his robe. She really, really wanted to jump down and kill him, but she risked losing everything if she did that. So, as much as it hurt her to pass up on the opportunity, she stuck to internally judging him as she made her way to safety. If she managed to make it back to the settlement quickly enough to grab Fenrir, they might just be able to make it back in time while the necromancer was still online. Killing him while he was offline would have been easier and smarter, but she wanted him online when she killed him. She rushed back to the settlement as quickly as she could once she was far enough away from the undead that she could make noise again. Back at the growing settlement, Fenrir found himself alone. Cassandra, Serra, and Alice wanted to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather they had in real life considering how rare it was. However¡­ a horrible case of allergies decided to punish Fenrir for existing that day. As much as it pained him, he decided to stay home, away from his girlfriends, so that he could immerse into virtual reality and ¡°skip¡± having allergies. Then he realized that it was early in the day, meaning that Azalabulia wasn¡¯t online due to having class to teach, and Eva was still asleep after probably staying up too late studying some random thing in-game. Basically, everybody was busy and had something to do except for Saya. But before he could do that, he noticed that some of the players working on constructing new buildings needed help, so he ended up helping them while being mentally teased by Saya about how comfy she was lazing around in a newly-finished bed while he worked. And when he finally did have an opportunity to go and join Saya in being lazy in a beautiful world where allergies didn¡¯t exist, one of the few unrealistic things that nobody was ever going to complain about, he caught Mister Smiles running toward him out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and waited to see if Mister Smiles was actually coming for him or just running in his direction. As it would turn out, he was Mister Smiles¡¯ target. Fenrir had no idea what Mister Smiles could have wanted. Sparring was the only interaction they really had with each other on a somewhat regular basis, but Mister Smiles never approached him for a smile in such a frantic way. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Mister Smiles pointed toward the forest and beckoned Fenrir to follow, but the instructions were lost on him. Or rather, Fenrir understood what Mister Smiles was trying to say. He just wasn¡¯t going to listen to somebody who he knew was a spy trying to get him to leave the town on his own. There was still no proof that he could trust Mister Smiles, after all. ¡°Is something wrong over there?¡± Fenrir asked. Mister Smiles nodded. ¡°Well, what is it?¡± Mister Smiles grabbed onto Fenrir¡¯s wrist to pull him along, but Fenrir refused to go. ¡°If it¡¯s important then you can tell me what it is.¡± That was the nicest way that Fenrir could think of saying that he didn¡¯t trust Mister Smiles. Mister Smiles wasn¡¯t so dense to have not noticed that, either. So, after a few moments of silence and standing there while internally debating over it, Mister Smiles finally spoke up and revealed the other secret that Fenrir still didn¡¯t know about. That she was a woman. ¡°There¡­ there¡¯s ah enemy,¡± Mister Smiles said, revealing her thick, Southern accent to go along with the reveal of being a woman. ¡°A necromancer. Looked like he was tryin¡¯ ta start trouble¡­ need ta get rid of ¡®im.¡± As surprised as Fenrir might have been that Mister Smiles sounded more like a she than a he, he focused on the issue at hand. ¡°Do you know if it was an NPC or player?¡± ¡°Player. Had an End Briger tattoo on his face. They ain¡¯t exactly subtle¡­ so ya can tell real easy when it¡¯s them.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously? How close was he?¡± ¡°Not far. The longer we wait, the more corpses he¡¯s goin¡¯ ta raise. Looked like he only just got started and was already makin¡¯ progress.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what to think of the situation. He knew that the End Bringers were beginning to poke their heads in their direction, but how were they able to sneak up there and get so close? Wait¡­ if it was only one of them, it wouldn¡¯t be that hard to get up here, he thought. And I can¡¯t even be sure Mister Smiles is telling the truth. He ¨C she? Whatever she is, she might be trying to lure me into a trap still. If I¡¯m going to go, I don¡¯t want to be alone. Hey, Saya. You there? ¡°You know I¡¯m always here, onii-wan,¡± Saya answered. ¡°And before you ask, if you want me to come with you, you have to manually come get me. Telling me to come with you over thoughts would be cheating and Kadi wouldn¡¯t like that. But¡­ I can conveniently get my stuff ready.¡± Got it. I¡¯ll come over in a bit. Fenrir looked around to see if there was anybody else he could grab. At a time like that, having a friends list to check and see who was online would have been extremely useful. But, of course, no such thing existed in the game that was supposed to be incredibly realistic and basically a simulation rather than a more casual game. There was, however, one player who caught his attention. One player who he had a feeling that he could trust, anyways. The player in question was one of those who fought on the beach with him against the serpent¡¯s forces. Fenrir might not have talked to the player much, but he could at least remember his name. Maybe it was because of the unique spelling that he made sure that Fenrir knew. ¡°Hey, Pfar!¡± Fenrir shouted. Pfar jumped at the sound of suddenly being called, almost dropping the logs that he was carrying with him. ¡°Ye-yeah? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I need someone with me to go check out a problem. You free?¡± ¡°I can be if you give me a minute. Just have to drop this off to the stockpile.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Meet me by the gates in a few.¡± Pfar nodded and rushed off to finish his task. ¡°You too,¡± Fenrir said, looking at Mister Smiles. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you over there.¡± Mister Smiles, back to being the silent type, nodded and left. That left Fenrir alone to go gather Saya as planned. Fortunately, while his girlfriends might not have been able to be in multiple places at once while having lives that kept them from staying in-game all the time, Saya had no such problems. Saya also came around the corner at just the perfect time to find herself in Fenrir¡¯s way. ¡°Oh, onii-wan,¡± she said. ¡°What are you doing?¡± It was both a bit annoying and kind of endearing that Saya was forced to play dumb. Annoying because Fenrir wanted to take advantage of their ability to share thoughts and endearing because it was like really low-effort roleplay. Regardless, Fenrir smiled before explaining the situation. ¡°I need somebody to come with me to go check out a potential threat. Can you come?¡± Saya tilted her head to look him over before shrugging. ¡°I guess. It¡¯s not like I have anything better to do.¡± ¡°Thanks. Let¡¯s go meet¡ª¡± Before Fenrir could finish his sentence, Rock jumped up from behind and almost knocked him over. Shogun wasn¡¯t with her which was even more surprising than her sudden appearance. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have the time to play right now. I promise to play with you later, alright?¡± Fenrir said to Rock. Rock ignored what he had to say to instead stand by his side facing the same way as him. That was what she usually did whenever accompanying him anywhere. And now it was time to feel conflicted. Ever since Corwin and Saya became true AIs, Fenrir felt an even greater need to protect those who weren¡¯t. If any other NPC died, it was for good. If Rock died, there would be no bringing her back. Even though she always fought by his side before, he found it harder than ever to take that risk when there was serious danger for her but not for him. But at the same time, she essentially came to life to protect him. She loved being by his side helping him whenever she could and he knew that. To refuse to ever bring her along to anything dangerous would be taking away a major part of who she was. Like never letting a working dog actually work and instead expecting it to stay content and happy indoors lounging around all the time. Well... Mister Smiles did say that there was a necromancer. That probably means zombies. I doubt that zombies or anything like them are going to be able to hurt a dog made out of rock, Fenrir thought before decided to give in. ¡°Alright, but I want you to be extra safe. Got it?¡± Rock barked and licked his hand. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s ¨C wait, I just saw somebody else who can help us out.¡± Looking toward the budding town¡¯s center, Fenrir saw a familiar face awkwardly standing around looking like she had no idea what to be doing. ¡°You sure, onii-wan?¡± Saya asked. ¡°She¡¯s better now. Plus, even if she was like she was before, I¡¯d still be able to trust her with my life.¡± Fenrir crouched down and pointed at his target for Rock. ¡°Go fetch her for us.¡± Rock barked and took off running! Her target was none other than the girl who found herself playing Fantasy Tales Online more and more lately, especially now that she had a new avatar. Well, it was technically a new avatar. The only difference between her old avatar and her new one was the reduced breast size. The cat ears and tail, as well as the rest of her features, remained. Nyaiko paused and stared at Rock as she noticed the rocky hound charging straight for her. Because Rock wasn¡¯t exactly capable of communicating with words, she instead opted for gently biting Nyaiko¡¯s wrist to pull her in the group¡¯s direction. ¡°He-hey! Where ¨C what do you want?¡± Nyaiko asked. ¡°And¡­ your daddy might not want you near me.¡± ¡°Who do you think sent her for you?¡± Fenrir spoke up, causing Nyaiko¡¯s cheeks to turn red. ¡°Also, calling me her daddy?¡± Rock let go of Nyaiko¡¯s wrist and returned to Fenrir¡¯s side. ¡°O-oh¡­ hey. And¡­ you know, isn¡¯t it normal to call pet owners the mommies and daddies of their pets?¡± Nyaiko asked, struggling to look directly at Fenrir. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I guess it¡¯s just weird to think of myself as Rock¡¯s owner. I feel more like her friend than her ¨C wait. Never mind that for now. I¡¯m trying to grab people who I can trust to help out with a situation we have.¡± Fenrir looked down at her waist and saw her daggers still there strapped to her sides. ¡°Are you free?¡± He didn¡¯t expect her to look so surprised when he implied trusting her. ¡°Are¡­ are you sure?¡± Fenrir stuck a hand out to flick Nyaiko¡¯s forehead. ¡°You think I¡¯d ever stop trusting my childhood friend?¡± ¡°Heh. It makes me really happy to hear that. Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem. Now let¡¯s go. The sooner we deal with this, the better.¡± With that, Fenrir turned around to head toward the gates. On the way there, Nyaiko spoke up to ask, ¡°Hey¡­ you¡¯re Saya, right?¡± ¡°Hmm? Yeah,¡± Saya answered. ¡°We haven¡¯t met, so how do you know me?¡± ¡°O-oh, I swear it¡¯s not anything crazy. I promise. Serra told me about you. That¡¯s all. Um, I¡¯m Nyaiko. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Technically, Saya knew Nyaiko every bit as well as Fenrir did, but Nyaiko didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± Saya answered, keeping it short and simple. Fenrir felt a bit awkward listening to them talk, but he couldn¡¯t waste any time. If the situation was as serious as Mister Smiles made it seem, they needed to go and deal with it. Just the fact that Mister Smiles actually talked in order to explain the situation made him think that it must have been serious. Though, when he thought about how her voice sounded¡­ Have I been missing it this entire time? I¡­ I suddenly recall her sounding kind of girly a couple of times before, Fenrir thought. ¡°I always heard her sound feminine,¡± Saya answered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to say anything, but even as somebody connected to your brain¡­ I was shocked that you didn¡¯t figure it out.¡± I just¡­ I didn¡¯t expect it. I saw her hyper masculine body and thought that she¡¯s got to be a guy. ¡°Maybe she has a muscle fetish.¡± Wait¡­ on the topic of sex ¨C I¡­ was pinning her down and biting her neck that one time. In front of all my girlfriends. ¡°Yep. But is that really worse now that you think she¡¯s a girl? How is that any worse than if she was a guy? Come on, onii-wan. Gender equality. It was equally lewd regardless of gender.¡± I can¡¯t really deny that. Pinning somebody down and biting their neck is going to be lewd no matter what genders are involved. ¡°Who even fights somebody like that? Can you imagine something like that happening offline? A couple of guys on the street beating each other up and then one of them pins down the other to bite his neck? You¡¯re weird, onii-wan.¡± It feels way more embarrassing than I could have expected when you put it that way. Please spare me. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just so horny that you¡¯re constantly looking for necks to bite. Either that or you¡¯re a wannabe vampire. A wannabe vampire who¡¯s a wannabe dog.¡± Before Fenrir could think anything back to Saya¡¯s teasing, they reached the gate where Mister Smiles and Pfar were waiting. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re ready,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Got us some more help.¡± ¡°Pfar?¡± Nyaiko asked. ¡°Oh, hey, Nyaiko,¡± Pfar replied. ¡°You know Fen?¡± ¡°I ¨C I guess you could put it that way.¡± Fenrir raised an eyebrow as he watched them talk. Not only was Nyaiko apparently on at least somewhat good terms with another man, when previously she struggled to be around any other male, but she was actually blushing a little. She reminded him of how his own girlfriends used to act around him before they started dating. Then there was Pfar who suddenly looked way more energetic now that Nyaiko was there. Saya¡­ have I been missing out on even more things? What else has been happening under my nose that I¡¯ve had no idea about? Fenrir thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can be blamed for this one. She¡¯s been trying to make friends with people who specifically aren¡¯t related to you, so it makes sense that neither of us knew about this,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°let¡¯s get going. If there¡¯s somebody posing a risk to us out there, even if it¡¯s just a single guy, we need to go deal with him.¡± The group nodded and Fenrir let Mister Smiles take the lead. Fenrir knew all too well how much damage a single person could do. Even in games that were more balanced and focused on group play, sometimes a single griefer was all that it took to cause complete chaos and trigger a downward spiral of events. Now, in the world of Fantasy Tales Online, there existed players like Azalabulia. If somebody like Azalabulia was determined to cause trouble all on her own ¨C well, the damage would be catastrophic if she was left alone. Somebody on Azalabulia¡¯s level would be able to practically wipe out all progress that they managed to make with their settlement. There was one more thing. After having to deal with what was basically a massive, undead serpent with a legion of undead fish monsters¡­ Fenrir was pissed off that he had to deal with even more undead. Unfortunately, it would have been preferrable if that was all he had to deal with. Book 8: Chapter 8: The horrible truth was that there was something far worse Fenrir had to deal with on the way to where Mister Smiles spotted the lone End Bringers necromancer. He had to listen to Pfar and Nyaiko being flirty with each other. Well, not blatantly flirty. It was more like they were obviously interested in each other and occasionally had very subtle teases directed at one another, but neither just went and laid it out there. He wasn¡¯t sure if they actually knew the other liked them or if they were both in on it but too nervous to actually try advancing things. Even worse was that it was his childhood friend who he felt protective over being flirted with. I honestly never expected myself to feel this way, Fenrir thought to Saya. ¡°Jealous, onii-wan?¡± Saya asked. You know I¡¯m not. It¡¯s just¡­ weird. She¡¯s my childhood friend. Now some guy I barely know is flirting with her. What if he¡¯s a secret axe murderer? What if he kicks babies when nobody¡¯s watching? What if he doesn¡¯t like sweaters? ¡°Really, onii-wan? What if he doesn¡¯t like sweaters?¡± You can¡¯t trust a man who doesn¡¯t like sweaters. With a sigh, Saya spoke up and asked, ¡°Pfar, do you like sweaters?¡± ¡°What?¡± Pfar asked. ¡°Yeah, I guess? Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing a survey for a project and thought now would be a good time. Nyaiko?¡± ¡°They¡¯re alright?¡± Nyaiko answered. ¡°Smiles?¡± Mister Smiles nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Not gonna ask me?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Everybody knows your addiction to sweaters already, onii-wan. There¡¯s no point in asking the obvious.¡± Fenrir stuck his tongue out at her before switching back to his thoughts. Alright. Maybe he¡¯s not a bad person. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. And¡­ I get how you feel. Seeing them flirt is weird. But I¡¯m happy for them at the same time, especially Nyaiko. She¡¯s moving on.¡± Yeah. If this helps her then I¡¯ll support her. I just might have to keep an eye on him to make sure that he¡¯s good enough for her. ¡°You sound like an overly protective dad. I¡¯m pretty sure Cass Cass would get pissed off if she heard you say that.¡± Fenrir sighed. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll¡­ get over how weird it feels and not involve myself or anything. Unless I see him like, flirting with every woman he sees. Or doing something horrible that she doesn¡¯t know about. ¡°I think that¡¯s fair. Stay out of it unless you find out she¡¯s in danger, but don¡¯t go out of your way looking for said danger.¡± I¡¯ll do my best. Feel free to shout at me if I ever slip up. ¡°I¡¯ll shout at you even if you don¡¯t.¡± And I¡¯ll thank you for the tsundere fanservice if you do. ¡°Masochistic hentai baka onii-wan.¡± Thank you. After reaching the section of the forest where Mister Smiles spotted the necromancer, she stopped the group and turned to face them. ¡°Almost there,¡± she said. ¡°Got it,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Let¡¯s think of a plan before we go any farther. A fight is almost definitely unavoidable if what I¡¯ve heard about them is true, so it¡¯ll be best to have a strategy beforehand. How many zombies did you see?¡± ¡°Dozens. At least sixty. Wolves, bears, some humans.¡± She kept her answers short and simple so that they wouldn¡¯t hear too much of her voice. ¡°Mostly animals.¡± ¡°How strong did they look?¡± ¡°Usually¡­ the more minions somebody else, tha weaker they are.¡± ¡°So, we should be able to handle a few at a time but have to be careful not to get swarmed.¡± Mister Smiles nodded. ¡°Just like a normal zombie game then,¡± Pfar said. ¡°Ever play The Left Dead?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen videos of it, but I¡¯ve always been more of an MMO player,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s great. There¡¯s nothing like taking a machine gun and mowing down a hoard of zombies. Though, I always preferred finding a riot shield and machete to tank them in a doorway while my friends did the gunning.¡± ¡°That sounds kind of fun,¡± Nyaiko spoke up, causing Pfar to blush a little. ¡°You could play with us sometime! If you uh, want to, I mean. My friends are really cool, so I bet you¡¯d get along with them great.¡± Nyaiko shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to get in the way or anything!¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s usually just me and two others, but the game supports up to four players, so we have an open slot. And we have no problem teaching somebody the ropes.¡± A smile spread across Nyaiko¡¯s face, but she also tried not to look too excited. ¡°Then¡­ sure! If I won¡¯t get in the way, then¡­ it sounds fun.¡± ¡°Kill me, onii-wan,¡± Saya thought to Fenrir. Same, Fenrir replied. This is so disgusting to me. Want to kill ourselves together? ¡°Either that or we kill each other at the same time.¡± Works for me. As much as Fenrir wanted to interrupt the flirting to spare himself, that was not his intention behind clearing his throat. He really just wanted them to focus on the task at hand. Interrupting their flirting was a bonus. ¡°Saya, you stay in the back for obvious reasons. Pfar and¡­ Nyaiko, you two stay together. Pfar will do the tanking while you,¡± he looked at Nyaiko, ¡°finish the zombies off. Mister Smiles and Rock, both of you will be with me trying to reach the necromancer.¡± ¡°Are you sure Rock should be in the front with you?¡± Saya asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want her to be, but I know that she won¡¯t listen if I tell her not to follow me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± he asked while looking down at Rock. Rock happily barked in response. ¡°Plus they¡¯re zombies. If they try to bite her, they¡¯re going to break their teeth on her which makes them less of a threat to us.¡± Saya crouched down to ask Rock, ¡°Are you really okay with being turned into a chewtoy for zombies?¡± Rock licked Saya¡¯s face to let her know that she was alright with it. As disappointing as the answer might have been, that didn¡¯t stop Saya from reaching out and petting the top of Rock¡¯s head. ¡°Though,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°it¡¯d be nice if we could hold somebody back as a reserve. Or an ambush. We don¡¯t know if the necromancer is going to have some tricks we¡¯re not expecting, so it¡¯s only right that we keep a trick our two up our own sleeves. Saya, how do you feel about hanging out in the trees?¡± ¡°I could, but I¡¯d rather be on the ground with the rest of you,¡± Saya answered. ¡°But if you can snipe the necro from a distance, the battle might be over before it can even really begin¡­ but I¡¯d like to take him alive if possible.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯ll do it,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re a melee fighter. I think it¡¯d be better if you stay with us on the ground.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m¡­ more of¡­ an assassin type. It¡¯s just that ah use my fists instead of daggers. I¡¯ll probably be quieter, too. And faster.¡± Fenrir looked Mister Smiles over. ¡°Are you confident in that?¡± She really didn¡¯t look like the type who was good at being sneaky and agile. He knew that she was a great fighter and could be pretty agile when it came to fist fights, but this called for a different type of agility. Mister Smiles, to prove her point, jumped up onto the tree branch above her from a perfectly normal standing position. Not only did she land with grace on the branch, but she proceeded to move around among the branches while barely making any noise. The branches hardly even moved as she moved around on them as if she barely weighed anything. ¡°She wins,¡± Saya said. ¡°Apparently. Well, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t try to snipe the necro from the ground,¡± Fenrir said and then looked up at Mister Smiles. ¡°Alright, stay up there and wait for the signal. I¡¯ll let you know when to strike.¡± ¡°Ah can still lead the way from up ¡®ere. Watch closely,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°I guess we¡¯ve got enough of a strategy set then. Anything else depends on how it goes. Everybody ready?¡± Looking around, there weren¡¯t any complaints about going forward. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Hiding among the trees, nearly impossible to spot somehow despite her outfit and size while knowing to look for her, Mister Smiles led the the group the rest of the way toward the necromancer. Those on the ground already developed a new respect for her ability to so effortlessly travel among the trees while being practically invisible to them. She had to have had some skills boosting her stealth since there was nothing that should have been stealthy about her. Then, when they reached the site of the necromancer, Mister Smiles looked down at Fenrir and nodded before going higher into the trees to completely conceal her presence. Fenrir still wasn¡¯t completely trusting of her, but she never actually did anything to earn any sort of distrust. Not to mention that she mentioned being a spy to Serra before. If she really had the intent to screw them over, she had more than enough opportunities to do it already. Unfortunately, while Mister Smiles might have been the unseen, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the rest of the group as an undead wolf with half of its face rotted away appeared in front of them. Rock immediately got in front of Fenrir to stare down the wolf, barking right back at it once it began barking at them. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± shouted a voice in the near distance. Must be the necromancer, Fenrir thought. ¡°Hey! Your dog got off their leash!¡± Pfar and Nyaiko split off to move to the side a bit, but they quickly realized they didn¡¯t have much room to move to. They were already surrounded. Saya was able to quickly get up into a tree to get out from the encirclement, but it was already too late for the rest. Fenrir, Rock, Nyaiko, and Pfar found themselves completely surrounded by all manner of undead. ¡°I think we need to have some team building exercises after this on how to be sneakier,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°And how to not get surrounded.¡± Most of the undead already looked severely injured, so that was good. It meant they wouldn¡¯t be able to fight at their full efficiency. Even if they were brought back from the dead, it didn¡¯t mean all that much if they were so broken that they could hardly move and attack. Of course, there were still enough of them in good shape that they were able to quickly surround the group. ¡°I¡¯m really getting tired of running zombies. What happened to old school, slow zombies?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Pfar answered, ¡°but I wish they¡¯d make a comeback.¡± Walking up from behind all the zombies came the man that Mister Smiles told them about. With his hood up this time, all the group got to saw was the black and red robe that he wore with the lower half of his pale face uncovered. ¡°How did you find me?¡± he asked, standing next to a pile of flesh and bones. ¡°Well,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°we were kind of just walking around. Then a zombie dog came out of nowhere and started barking at us. Then you started shouting.¡± ¡°As if I would buy that.¡± ¡°I¡¯d put a price tag on it if I was trying to sell it.¡± ¡°Heh. That wasn¡¯t too bad. Too bad you won¡¯t keep your sense of humor once I turn you into my servant.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you not. Plus I already have my girlfriends to serve.¡± The amused smile of the necromancer turned into an annoyed frown when he heard mention of not just a girlfriend, but girlfriends. ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± ¡°Not yet. Want me to start?¡± ¡°So much for trying to talk to him first,¡± Pfar said. ¡°Who ever said we were going to try that? I just said I want to take him alive.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°Plus I don¡¯t think he would have surrounded us and already talked about turning us into his servants if he was willing to talk.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Would you shut up already?¡± the necromancer asked. ¡°No, scratch that. Why even bother? I¡¯ll shut you up myself.¡± And with that, the undead made their move. The situation went from relatively calm to pure chaos in an instant. Fenrir drew the sword that he kept at his side while keeping Rod on standby. He didn¡¯t want to play all his cards yet, plus the sword alone proved effective in killing the undead with ease. There may have been plenty of undead surrounding them, but each one went down with ease. They weren¡¯t a problem as long as they could be killed before the group got overwhelmed. Saya, in the back, helped to make sure that they didn¡¯t get overwhelmed as any undead that snuck up behind one of the others found itself with an arrow through the head. Pfar and Nyaiko proved to be an effective team, too. While Nyaiko¡¯s personality might have shifted away from jealousy and rage, her fighting style still portrayed her former self as she ruthlessly severed the heads of her enemies. If anything, she was even deadlier than before. Her personality was calmer ¨C more focused. That made her fighting style all the more deadly. However, she was still pretty new to everything. That was where Pfar came in. His shield never allowed a single enemy to touch her. And when he wasn¡¯t protecting her, his own sword made quick work of the undead. So far, Mister Smiles wasn¡¯t needed at all. The zombies were numerous in number but weak in strength. Even Rock had no problem dealing with them. Whenever one of the undead was too tall for her to go for their neck, she¡¯d take out their legs to drop them to the ground before ripping their heads off. They weren¡¯t able to harm her at all, either, so she was perfectly safe. But that was about to change. ¡°Bone Golem!¡± the necromancer shouted. Rising from the pile of flesh and bones near the necromancer was an amalgamation of horror that should never have existed. It took on a humanoid form with two legs and arms, but it lacked a head and each arm was tipped with a deadly weapon. The left arm of the golem had a massive blade of bone that ran from its ¡°fist¡± up to its shoulder. Meanwhile, the right arm turned into a heavy club made from pure bone. It looked more like a battering ram than an arm. Without any head nor mouth, the golem made no noise aside from thunderous stomping as it charged toward Fenrir. Even if Fenrir used Rod, he doubted that he would be able to block an attack from something that massive and powerful looking. Getting out of the way from the incoming attack would be difficult, too, considering that he was surrounded by zombies and trying to get out of the way would throw him into the undead. ¡°Fen!¡± Pfar shouted. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Fenrir gritted his teeth. He already knew that he had to move but he didn¡¯t see an easy option for it. Calling in Mister Smiles wouldn¡¯t have much effect either against something that looked like it could easily absorb any physical blows. The bone golem lowered its shoulder toward Fenrir as it readied its club arm. Saya shot several arrows into it, but none of them had much effect on the overwhelming monstrosity. Something like fire magic probably would have been effective to light the monster up, but they had nobody capable of that. I might be able to tank a blow, but I¡¯ll be in trouble after it, Fenrir thought to himself as he tried to prepare as much as possible while still cutting down the zombies around him. There was the option of turning Rod into chains and using those chains to hook onto one of the above tree branches. He could pull himself to safety that way. But that would mean abandoning Rock in the middle of a horde of undead with a giant golem. That wasn¡¯t an option. Just before the golem reached Fenrir¡­ it stopped. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what was going on until he saw the golem turn its body while facing the ground. Looking over the undead as best he could, he saw none other than Rock latched onto the golem¡¯s leg to tug on it and grab its attention. ¡°Rock! Move!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Let go and run!¡± The golem raised its arm. Rock refused to abandon her master as much as he refused to abandon her. The club arm of the golem swung into Rock¡¯s side, hitting her front left leg with the most force. The blow shattered her leg in an instant and sent cracks rippling throughout the rest of her body. Even so, she refused to let go of the golem¡¯s leg. Her body was only forced away from the leg after the impact broke off a part of her jaw, but the jaw stayed stuck to the golem¡¯s legs due to the rocky fangs embedded inside of its flesh. Sent crashing through nearly ten undead before finally coming to a stop on the ground near Pfar and Nyaiko, Rock whimpered but immediately tried to stand up again to return to the fight. ¡°Stay down!¡± Fenrir shouted at her. ¡°Pfar! Cover her!¡± ¡°On it!¡± Pfar shouted. ¡°Saya! Keep these bastards off of me while I¡ª¡± Fenrir cut himself off when he looked back and saw her. He never felt such an intense aura from somebody in the game before. With so much raw, emerald energy swirling around the arrow she had nocked that it produced a windy effect that blew her hair, Saya showed him a face of a woman who was seriously pissed off. The moment she loosed the arrow, it flew past Fenrir with enough speed to break the sound barrier. It punched an explosive hole straight through the core of the golem¡¯s torso. The golem tried to remain standing after that, but it fell onto its arms instead. It was over for the golem. Even on its arms, it could only stay upright for a few more seconds before collapsing and falling onto its chest. All of the bones and flesh that made up its body began to come undone without any force to keep them together. ¡°I wanted to save that¡­ but now I regret not firing it sooner,¡± Saya said, still sounding every bit as pissed off as she looked. Those enraged eyes of hers focused on the necromancer next. ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape for hurting her.¡± The necromancer smiled and ran his hand through his hair, pushing his hood away and the bangs off from his forehead. ¡°Who said anything about escaping? You are the ones who won¡¯t be able to escape.¡± As if to prove his point, most of the undead, golem excluded, that were already killed rose back up and waited for new orders. They might not have been able to heal themselves, so any that lost limbs still lacked said limbs, but they were still threats on top of all the undead who were in still in good shape. Fenrir took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. Rock was seriously hurt, but she could regenerate and was pretty resistant to pain. There weren¡¯t any other enemies nearby that posed a threat to her, so he needed to recollect himself. Once he did, he asked, ¡°Too afraid to fight us yourself? I heard you guys were supposed to be scary badasses who loved to fight, but all you¡¯re doing is hiding and letting your pets do the fighting for you.¡± Of course, he knew that the necromancer was playing exactly as a necromancer was supposed to. If there was anything that he learned from dealing with people on the internet, though, it was that most were far easier to bait than they should have been. And it looked like Fenrir was right to try and bait the necromancer. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll join the fight,¡± the necromancer said, tearing his robe off to reveal what was hidden underneath it. Admittedly, Fenrir had some regrets when he saw that the necromancer was decked out in sleek, black armor from neck to toe. There were also the giant, bloody cleavers strapped to his hips that he took into each of his hands. ¡°You really thought I had to rely on them? How do you think I killed all of them in the first place?¡± the necromancer asked, tapping the back of one cleaver against his shoulder as he looked the group over. ¡°Killing your pet first would probably get me the best reactions, but that archer seems like the biggest threat. Guess I¡¯ll chop her up first.¡± ¡°Should you really be telling us your plan?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be able to stop me even if you know it.¡± He might be baiting us. Make us think he¡¯ll go after you or Rock and then target somebody else, Fenrir thought to Saya. But he got no response in return. Even though Saya technically heard him, she wasn¡¯t allowed to reply nor act off of that information no matter how serious the situation was. Given that she was still based off of Fenrir, though, she was more than capable of coming to that conclusion on her own and readied another arrow. ¡°Pfar, get Rock and take her back to Saya. Nyaiko, cover him,¡± Fenrir ordered. Pfar nodded and got to work, running up to Rock and bashing some of the undead away with his shield before struggling to lift her up. ¡°What about you?!¡± Nyaiko shouted at Fenrir. ¡°I¡¯ll handle him. Saya¡¯s got my back,¡± Fenrir said and looked back at Saya. ¡°Right?¡± He expected to hear some sort of teasing response, but she still looked too pissed off for that. Instead, all she did was nod and loose another arrow that tore straight through one undead before getting stuck in the chest of another. Whatever that explosive skill she used must have been on cooldown, Fenrir figured, since it would have been really nice if she could spam it. That would have made things a lot easier. Unfortunately, there was no spamming that skill. And it was time for the necromancer to begin his attack. Jumping up onto the shoulders of the nearest undead, the necromancer used his own minion as a platform to jump from with his axes readied to strike. It really did look like he was going to go after Saya at all. Only, while in the air, the necromancer twisted around and aimed his right axe at Nyaiko instead. ¡°Get down!¡± Fenrir shouted at Nyaiko as the axe left the necromancer¡¯s hand. Nyaiko was busy with an undead wolf missing one of its front legs and didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to get down from, leaving her vulnerable to the spinning axe that Fenrir wouldn¡¯t be able to stop in time. But there was somebody else. The man who Nyaiko was supposed to be protecting. Given that Pfar was the closest to her, he took one quick look at the approaching danger and turned to put himself between the axe and Nyaiko, leaving his back facing the danger while still holding Rock in his arms. The axe embedded itself deep into his back, almost striking his spine. It was only when he almost fell over, landing on one knee, that Nyaiko realized what was going on. ¡°W-why?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be the one protecting you!¡± With a cocky smile, Pfar got back up on his feet and asked, ¡°What kind of tank would I be if I couldn¡¯t handle such a weak attack?¡± It was obvious what he was doing. Fenrir really wished that he would save the flirting and trying to look cool for after he got his dog out of danger, but given what he just did, he let Pfar off the hook for the time being. Besides, if there was anybody to be pissed off at, it was the necromancer. Holding his hand out toward the axe, the necromancer managed to pull the axe back into his axe without seemingly doing anything. The axe simply flew out from Pfar¡¯s back and into the necromancer¡¯s hand all on its own. ¡°I¡¯m surprised,¡± the necromancer said. ¡°Normally, that would have torn right through somebody¡¯s body. You must be stronger than you look.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯re just a weak bitch instead,¡± Pfar said in response. Fenrir didn¡¯t expect to see the necromancer¡¯s face cringe as much as it did when he got called a bitch. ¡°What¡¯d you expect from him? Only a little bitch would lie about who he¡¯s going to attack and then not even do it right,¡± Fenrir said to join in. Just as he hoped, the necromancer looked like he was finally losing his cool. Can always rely on the classics. ¡°I won¡¯t just cut you down,¡± the necromancer said. ¡°I¡¯ll turn all of you into my servants!¡± ¡°Oooh, so scary,¡± Pfar shouted. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even kill a single guy with his back turned to you, and the only one of us you¡¯ve hurt is a dog. You¡¯re a weak little bitch.¡± ¡°Was that supposed to be roleplay or something?¡± Fenrir asked the necromancer. ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re pretty cringe. I know roleplayers way better than you. I¡¯m even dating one.¡± Saya joined in next. ¡°Be nice, onii-wan. You¡¯re going to hurt his feelings. It¡¯ll be pretty gross if he starts crying.¡± Despite Nyaiko¡¯s former personality, she was the only one who didn¡¯t join in on the trash talking as the necromancer stood still listening with shaking fists wrapped around his axes¡¯ handles. ¡°Shut up!¡± he shouted. ¡°You¡¯re the ones losing this! You haven¡¯t even touched me yet!¡± ¡°Well yeah, because you¡¯ve been cowering in the back,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Like a bitch.¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re getting this upset over being called a little bitch? Aren¡¯t you Bitch Bringers supposed to be edgy badasses who troll everybody else? Come on, don¡¯t tell me that somebody as pathetic you is seriously representative of the game¡¯s scariest faction.¡± Saya wore a smug smile as she said, ¡°I guess that these kids don¡¯t know what real trolling is like, onii-wan. Sounds like we should put them in their place to teach them what it¡¯s like to really make somebody¡¯s life a living hell.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re right. I wonder how high his pain sensitivity is set to? Eva should be able to hook us up with a nice lava pit to dip him into.¡± The roles were opposite from how they started. Instead of Fenrir and the others looking worried while the necromancer watched on with a sadistic smile, it was now the necromancer who took a step back as Fenrir and Saya looked at him with smiles that were truly representative of the Divine Brigade ¨C the smiles of people who wanted nothing more than to torment the player in front of them until he never even thought about playing again. ¡°Let¡¯s get serious,¡± Fenrir said, allowing his arms to transform into their more bestial states as Rod turned into the usual chains that wrapped around his forearms. Not that I wasn¡¯t being serious before. If anything, his bestial arms with Rod would have been less effective against zombies than the sword. Good thing the zombies weren¡¯t his target anymore. The necromancer was. ¡°You can at least be proud that you flipped our switch,¡± Saya told the necromancer. ¡°It¡¯s rare to get us like this.¡± Refusing to stand around any longer, the necromancer forced himself to gather up whatever courage he had left and charged at Fenrir with each of his axes. Saya immediately loosed her arrow toward the necromancer, but he was able to deflect it with one of his axes which sent it flying into one of his undead instead. ¡°I¡¯ll cut through those chains!¡± he shouted just before reaching Fenrir. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate my partner like that!¡± Fenrir shouted back, raising his arms in front of him to block the incoming attack. The necromancer proved to be stronger than Fenrir expected, but the axes failed to cut through Rod¡¯s chain. More importantly, the necromancer¡¯s head was left open. Fenrir thrust his head forward, slamming the top of his head into the necromancer¡¯s face. Once the necromancer backed off, Fenrir saw just how bloodied his nose was. ¡°Alright, me and you. One-on-one. Prove you¡¯re not a little bitch and that you can take down at least a single person all on your own. Nobody will interfere.¡± ¡°Fine. Then I¡¯ll chop you up in front of all your friends,¡± the necromancer threatened. ¡°Weak. I¡¯ve had somebody find my real address before and threaten to cut my balls off and shove them into my eye sockets. You¡¯ve got to be at least on that level if you want to really threaten me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so damn annoying!¡± ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it.¡± Once more, the necromancer charged at Fenrir with each of his axes while the rest of the group focused on taking out all of the undead. Well, the rest of the group save for one of them. Fenrir managed to block one axe, but the other managed to slice the top of his right thigh open. It wasn¡¯t too deep of a wound, but it did hurt and caused some bleeding. With the necromancer up close and personal with openings galore, revealing just how inexperienced he was with melee combat, Fenrir took his left hand and grabbed onto the necromancer¡¯s neck. At the same time, Rod uncurled his chain around Fenrir¡¯s left arm to instead join in constricting around the necromancer¡¯s neck while also wrapping around his right arm. Fenrir then spun the necromancer around so that his back would be against Fenrir¡¯s chest as he held him still as much as possible. ¡°Smiles!¡± Fenrir shouted. As the necromancer struggled to break free while barely being able to breathe, a new figure came jumping out from the forest¡¯s canopy to land right in front of the necromancer. The figure¡¯s landing was enough to kick up a large amount of dirt which obstructed the heavy punch dealt to the necromancer¡¯s gut. It was a powerful enough punch to force blood out from the necromancer¡¯s mouth, spitting it onto whoever stood before him. The dirt soon cleared and revealed an extremely muscular man with a smiling costume head decorated with fresh blood. In a desperate attempt to free himself, the necromancer tried to swing his left axe behind him at Fenrir. Only, Mister Smiles wasn¡¯t going to let that happen and punched the arm with enough force to bend it backwards with a large cracking sound. The necromancer¡¯s right arm met a similar fate right after as Mister Smiles guaranteed that both of his arms would be out of use. As soon as it looked like Mister Smiles was about to take out his legs, Fenrir spoke up to stop her. ¡°Spare them. We¡¯re keeping him alive and he¡¯s going to march himself back with us. He doesn¡¯t deserve getting carried there.¡± With a nod, Mister Smiles changed her plan of attack to instead give the necromancer another punch in the gut. It was only when Fenrir felt the necromancer go limp in his arms that he dropped him to the ground, not wanting to accidentally kill him. ¡°Fu-fuck you!¡± the necromancer groaned out. ¡°You said one-on-one!¡± ¡°I fight to win, not to be fair,¡± Fenrir explained. ¡°Also, seriously? You¡¯re from the edgiest and most fucked up faction in the game that prides itself on doing horrible things, and you¡¯re crying that you got tricked? You Bitch Bringers really need the DB to show you how it¡¯s done, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°The ¨C the D¡ª¡± A kick in the side of the head prevented the necromancer from finishing his question. ¡°I expected worse from him,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I would have called you in sooner if I knew that was all he had to him. He didn¡¯t even have offensive or defensive magic or anything.¡± Mister Smiles shrugged before kicking one of the undead at her side. ¡°Ya should have called me in for the golem.¡± ¡°I wanted to be sure that he didn¡¯t have any other tricks planned, plus I thought I¡¯d wait until tanking a blow before calling for you. With how few of us there are, I wasn¡¯t going to risk bringing you in until I absolutely needed to.¡± Mister Smiles had no good response to that, so she continued fighting the remaining undead. ¡°These guys are nothing compared to the serpent¡¯s army, so let¡¯s wrap it up here.¡± Mister Smiles nodded. ¡°You know, I already know how you sound now. You can talk around me.¡± Mister Smiles stopped, turned to look at him, looked away, then looked at him for a quick second to say, ¡°Maybe,¡± before continuing with the undead. ¡°Good enough. Alright, Saya! Keep an eye on the bitch here. Go for his legs if he tries running.¡± ¡°Alright, onii-wan!¡± Saya shouted back. Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about the necromancer anymore, Fenrir was free to help out with the undead extermination. Once the the last of the undead were nothing but normal corpses scattered around on the ground, Fenrir took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off from his forehead. The necromancer was still in pain on the ground, all the undead were normal dead instead, and his friends were all in good shape except for Rock who lost a leg and part of her jaw¡ªnot that it bothered her at all anymore¡ªand Pfar who was still bleeding from his back. At least he had Nyaiko there to help him stand and walk now that the battle was over. As soon as Fenrir made sure that Rock was doing alright, he went over to Saya. ¡°Look at you, little miss Divine Brigade member,¡± he teased, petting the top of her head between her ears. ¡°You sounded just like one of us.¡± ¡°I learned from the best, I guess. Besides, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m still part you. That means I¡¯m part former Divine Brigade member just like you,¡± Saya said with a light blush on her cheeks. ¡°You did great. It was pretty hot, too.¡± ¡°And¡­ it was pretty nice to see you like that. But I¡¯m worried your girlfriends might be jealous that I saw you like that and they didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I guess they never really did see me go full DB before. Well, we have a prisoner, so maybe they¡¯ll get to see some more of it. Then again, I feel like it might be a better idea to send him over to Spike Port. I think they¡¯re more suited for the task of getting information out of him than I am now. Though,¡± Fenrir upped the volume of his voice so that their prisoner could hear, ¡°it might be a good idea to let Eva do some experiments with him. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s got all sorts of tests she¡¯d like to run on somebody¡¯s body, and nobody is brave enough to willingly volunteer for that.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea! She¡¯d probably want to see how many organs can be removed while keeping him alive! Maybe she¡¯d want to try replacing his stomach with a boar¡¯s? Or see if she can replace his eyes with a giant spider¡¯s?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll turn him into a chimera just like she is. Though, I have a feeling that he¡¯s going to end up looking like some mutated monster instead of a cute monster girl.¡± ¡°I hope he¡¯s into that sort of thing. Then again, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s guaranteed to survive. He¡¯s probably too much of a coward to even stay in-game while it¡¯s happening. I bet he¡¯ll ask his assistant to delete his character!¡± Saya laughed with a hand held over her mouth. ¡°Imagine being such a bitch that you have to delete your character because you¡¯re salty you lost.¡± Fenrir joined in on the laughing. ¡°Oh, by the way.¡± He approached the necromancer, grabbing him by the hair atop his head before throwing him down against the ground. ¡°How high is your pain setting?¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m not telling you anything,¡± the necromancer replied. That was when Mister Smiles said, ¡°End Bringers are forced to set it to max. They¡¯re not allowed to stay in the faction if it ain¡¯t.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°So, I guess that explains why you chose to play a character that gets to stay away from the fighting most of the time. Because you¡¯re afraid of pain.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± the necromancer shouted. ¡°Hey, Pfar, look away, alright?¡± Pfar looked confused but listened and turned his head away from what was about to happen. That was when Fenrir kicked his foot as hard as he possibly could into the necromancer¡¯s crotch. There was enough force in the blow that it slid the necromancer¡¯s body back against the ground by a few feet and caused him to let out a pained scream before curling up on his side in the fetal position. ¡°Yo,¡± Pfar said, ¡°did you just¡­¡± ¡°I saw a bug on him. I got it, though,¡± Fenrir answered before walking up to the necromancer again and grabbing his head one last time. ¡°That was for hurting my dog. If you so much as ever look her way again, I¡¯ll personally force feed you your own cock. Might as well take advantage of the fact that this game let¡¯s us do all sorts of fucked up things, yeah? There¡¯s all sorts of techniques I was never allowed to do in other games but that are possible here.¡± The necromancer could barely even speak, but he nodded and said, ¡°I ¨C I ¨C I won¡¯t!¡± Fenrir patted the man¡¯s cheek. ¡°Good boy.¡± With the necromancer dealt with, Fenrir went over to the injured Rock and lifted her up within his arms. ¡°And you¡¯re a good girl!¡± he praised, his voice completely different from the cold and sadistic tone it had only seconds before. ¡°Yes, who¡¯s a good girl? Who¡¯s a good girl?¡± Knowing Rock, she would appreciate nothing more than him giving her praise just like normal after everything that just happened. Rock might have been injured, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind at all as her tail whacked against him. And, of course, she was eager to lick all over his face to prove that she was, in fact, the good girl. ¡°You¡¯re getting kinda heavy. Have you been eating cannon balls again?¡± The truth was actually the opposite seeing as how she was missing a leg. That made her significantly easier to pick up considering that she was made out of rock. Rock continued licking his face, clearly ignoring his question. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes. Alright, let¡¯s get you home. I¡¯ll find a nice bed for you and surround you with the tastiest gems that we can find.¡± Rock¡¯s ears perked up at the sound of gems ¨C her favorite treats as of late. ¡°You have him, Mister Smiles?¡± Fenrir asked, looking back at her. Mister Smiles, standing behind the necromancer, looked around for a few moments before nodding. Looking down at the necromancer, Fenrir ordered, ¡°Get up and walk.¡± ¡°Give ¨C give me a minute!¡± the necromancer groaned out. ¡°Did I stutter? I said to get up and walk.¡± Pissed off but unwilling to refuse and risk further punishment, the necromancer stood up on shaky legs while keeping a hand over his crotch and another over his stomach. ¡°Seriously, that was just cruel,¡± Pfar said to Fenrir. ¡°He hurt my dog. He deserved it,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand, but still. There are some things that will always be too far.¡± ¡°Nothing is too far for somebody who hurts dogs.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I mean¡­ I¡¯m not trying to put the blame on you, but you are kind of the one who brought her in the first place.¡± ¡°What else was I going to do? I told her to stay but she refused.¡± Rock looked at Pfar and barked. ¡°So, she¡¯s allowed to be in fights, but nobody is allowed to hurt her?¡± Pfar asked. ¡°Exactly,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Like I said, I fight to win, not to be fair.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that.¡± ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s get back before you end up bleeding out.¡± ¡°Probably a good idea.¡± Book 8: Chapter 9: After making it back to town, Fenrir had the necromancer taken to one of the work-in-progress houses that could be used as a temporary prison cell for him until they figured out what to do with him next. Whether they would try to get information out of him there or send him over to Spike Port, they had no idea. ¡°I think we can let Nell decide what to do,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Give her a chance to make her first decision as a ruler.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Saya said. ¡°She¡¯s the one who should make these sorts of decisions anyways now.¡± In the distance, Nyaiko was helping Pfar to where the healers liked to stay. ¡°Really wasn¡¯t expecting them,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Same,¡± Saya agreed again. ¡°But I like them together. Also, since she finally has somebody else she¡¯s interested in, that means you can invite her to hang out more without feeling guilty about it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but I¡¯m going to have to invite Pfar along, too.¡± ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re going to have more friends to hang out with. How horrible.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make it sound like a bad thing. Just, you know. I don¡¯t want him to think that I¡¯m trying to steal her from him or anything.¡± ¡°I know. Most guys would probably be pretty sus of you given just how many girlfriends you already have. Like, ¡®woah, don¡¯t let your girl hang out around him or else she¡¯ll become part of his harem.¡¯¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any guy is actually thinking that.¡± ¡°Trust me, they are. When a man sees a man with multiple girls fawning all over him, he¡¯s going to think that the guy has something seriously impressive going on that draws women in like a black hole. They usually assume it¡¯s lots of money. Come on, you should know this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, onii-wan.¡± With a sigh, Fenrir took a look back at the temporary prison where Mister Smiles was. She volunteered to make sure that the necromancer didn¡¯t escape. Fenrir also made sure to tell her that if he tried to, then she was welcome to castrate him in the most painful methods imaginable. Meanwhile, Rock was resting with Shogun who decided to be extremely protective of her as soon as he saw her. He even growled whenever Fenrir went close to her, and all Fenrir was doing was taking her some gems and rocks to eat. The gems as treats and the rocks as material for her to eat and repair herself with. It would take a few days of eating like a glutton to return to her healthy self. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go relax in a hammock,¡± Fenrir said. There was nobody better than Saya to tell that something was wrong. ¡°Do you want to talk, onii-wan?¡± ¡°I¡¯d honestly rather be by myself for a little bit. No offense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t forget, I can tell when you mean to be offensive or not. I¡¯ll let Olly know when I see him.¡± Just like how Fenrir didn¡¯t have to say that he meant no offense, he also didn¡¯t have to explain that only talking to Oleander would be able to make him feel better about what was bothering him. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Saya. Thanks.¡± ¡°I know, onii-wan. Go get some peace and quiet before he comes on! You know you won¡¯t be getting any once he¡¯s here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Thanks again.¡± ¡°Oh, but before you go.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Saya leaned up on the very tips of her toes while tugging Fenrir down by using her arms around his neck so that she could place a quick kiss on his cheek. ¡°Do-don¡¯t get me wrong or anything, you baka onii-wan. It¡¯s not like I want to make you feel better or anything! There was just ¨C there was a piece of rice on your cheek! And I was hungry!¡± Fenrir stared at her for a few seconds before cracking and laughing. ¡°You¡¯re perfect, Saya. Thanks.¡± ¡°Hmph! Hearing that totally doesn¡¯t make me happy or anything. Baaaaaaka.¡± ¡°Do that again.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The drawn-out baka.¡± ¡°No way. That was special service. You¡¯ll get used to it if I do it too often, baaaaaka.¡± Fenrir placed a hand over his heart and clutched his vest. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a heart attack from how cute you are.¡± To finish him off, Saya stuck her tongue out at him before running off seeing as how she knew he wouldn¡¯t go and get some rest if she stuck around teasing him. ¡°I¡¯m way too lucky,¡± Fenrir said to himself before heading over to The Shoebill. Inside The Shoebill, Fenrir almost fell asleep a few times as the water rocked the boat around him. Between that and the hammock he was in, how could he not almost fall asleep repeatedly? Then, after staying like that for a couple of hours thinking about everything that was on his mind, he heard the light footsteps of a mischievous little deer coming below deck. ¡°Fenny! Your savior has arrived!¡± Oleander shouted as he looked around for which hammock was occupied. ¡°Youre so loud,¡± Fenrir groaned. ¡°It was nice and quiet down here.¡± ¡°Too bad, I know you love me.¡± Oleander ran up to Fenrir¡¯s hammock and leaned over it. ¡°Heard you were feeling a little down. Want to talk?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say I¡¯m feeling down. I guess it¡¯s just¡­ I feel kind of useless.¡± ¡°Does it have to do with whatever that battle was earlier? I heard some people talking about it on the way over here.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Does it have to do with Rock being down one leg?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hmm. I see.¡± Without any warning, Oleander hopped up into Fenrir¡¯s hammock and landed right on top of his chest. ¡°Would some cuddling make you feel better? Nothing like a couple of bros cuddling together in a hammock, right?¡± ¡°Cuddling takes two.¡± ¡°Hey, you can have one-sided cuddles. And come on, you can at least hug me, can¡¯t you? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re sucking my dick or anything. Though, if you want me to suck yours¡­¡± Fenrir flicked Oleander¡¯s forehead before sighing and lazily wrapping his arms around the deer boy. ¡°There.¡± ¡°How lewd. Even though you¡¯re a man with so many girlfriends, here you are, wrapping your arms around another man in private¡­¡± Fenrir started to pull his arms away only for Oleander to grab onto his wrists and pull them back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Okay, I¡¯ll stop teasing you and being lewd.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll still love me even if it¡¯s not possible?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Fenny. Ah¡­ you know, this kind of thing was really looked down on just a couple of decades ago even.¡± ¡°What was?¡± ¡°You know, this. Men being physically affectionate toward one another. Of course, that was also when a bunch of guys still thought it was shameful to cry around others and all that stuff, too.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard people talk about that before.¡± ¡°Pretty stupid, right? Like, oh no, a couple of guys are cuddling. It¡¯s almost as if social and intimate interaction with each other is something that we crave as a species.¡± ¡°I will admit, I still like it with my girlfriends better.¡± ¡°Hmph. What do they have that I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Boobs.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡¯s fair. I mean, my chest is nice¡­ and soft¡­ and smooth, but yeah, there¡¯s not exactly anything to grab there. Other than my nipples.¡± ¡°Not exactly the same thing as grabbing boobs.¡± ¡°Fair, fair. I will admit, probably the worst thing about being gay, aside from my insatiable craving for cock, is that I don¡¯t have girlfriends who I can grope whenever I want.¡± ¡°Must be hard.¡± ¡°Not as hard as my dick.¡± ¡°Do I need to kick you off of me?¡± ¡°Please no, daddy.¡± ¡°Alright, off you go.¡± Fenrir halfheartedly bucked his knees up as Oleander snuggled even harder against his chest. The two stayed like that for a few moments in silence before Oleander asked, ¡°So, want to tell me what¡¯s actually bothering you?¡± With a sigh, Fenrir gave in and answered honestly. ¡°I feel like I just don¡¯t have it in me anymore. You know, back when I led the DB, fucking with other players was easy. And I was able to come up with better strategies back then. If I was still as good as I used to be, Rock wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt. Pfar, too.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t forget, Fenny. You¡¯ve always been the long-term planner. Short-term strats were left to me. Not to mention that we only ever won fights by being sneaky little assholes who refused to ever fight fairly. If we ever were in a fair fight, we¡¯d run away until it wasn¡¯t fair anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but that doesn¡¯t really work too well here. At least, it hasn¡¯t in any of the situations we¡¯ve been in lately.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should worry too much. You still won, didn¡¯t you? And Rock will be fine.¡± ¡°What if she was hit in the head instead of the leg? Her leg was completely shattered. If she was hit in the head instead, and it did come close to that, she would have instantly died. I¡­ don¡¯t want to lose Rock.¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t let her fight in the first place.¡± ¡°But then I¡¯m being like an overprotective dad. She wants to go with me. I tried telling her to stay, but she didn¡¯t want to listen. So¡­ what do I do? Do I let her be happy and come with me so that she can do what she feels like her purpose is, or do I force her to stay away from me and make her sad?¡± ¡°Tough question, Fenny. And that¡¯s one that I don¡¯t think I can answer for you. You¡¯re going to have to figure out yourself what¡¯s more important. Is her safety at the expense of her happiness more important than her happiness at the expense of her safety? Maybe it¡¯s possible that you can find something else she likes to do that¡¯ll make her feel fulfilled. Maybe she¡¯ll cope and get over the fact that she¡¯s not allowed to fight with you anymore if you put your foot down a few times.¡± ¡°You said you can¡¯t answer my question for me, but you sound like you¡¯re pretty solidly in the camp of not letting her fight.¡± ¡°I guess I am. But, well, I guess there¡¯s an even better answer to all of this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do whatever you did to turn Saya and Corwin into actual AIs. But, you know. With Rock instead. I guess you should probably do that for Shogun, too, while you¡¯re at it.¡± ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy.¡± ¡°Have you tried?¡± Fenrir stopped to think for a few moments. Technically, it was possible that he could ask Kadi for permission to do that. But what were the chances of that actually happening? Before, he only got two ¡°souls¡± because he defeated one of the world¡¯s most powerful foes. What would he have to do to prove himself worthy of two more if he asked? Hey, Pupaya, Fenrir thought. ¡°What, onii-wan?¡± Saya thought back. Would it be possible to talk to Kadi? I know she usually appears whenever she wants, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible to¡ª ¡°Of course,¡± a voice other than Saya answered. ¡°Do not forget that I am aware of every single thing happening for as long as you are immersed in my world. I hear every single one of your thoughts. Every single one of your words. All you have to do is say, ¡®hey, Kadi,¡¯ and you will get a response. But, do keep in mind that I prefer to have some privacy. One-on-one chats are much more my style. In-person chats, too.¡± So, in other words, make Olly go away first if I want to talk to you. The usual little sound effect from whenever he gave a correct answer played within his mind. ¡°I can try,¡± Fenrir told Oleander. ¡°But before I do that, there¡¯s something else I guess I want to talk to you about.¡± ¡°You always sound so indecisive, Fenny,¡± Oleander answered. ¡°There¡¯s no point in saying ¡®guess¡¯ when you obviously want to talk about it. Just say you do.¡± ¡°No you.¡± ¡°Okay. I want to do you.¡± Fenrir flicked the side of Oleander¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to put this. I guess¡­ I almost feel guilty. Like an addict. I keep on wanting to stop being ¨C you know, like a DB member. But then I keep on basically throwing myself into situations where that gets brought out of me, and I like it every time it does. I guess¡­ I feel like I want to leave that part of my life behind to really change and do something new, but I keep on having fun every single time I get pulled back into it.¡± ¡°Addicted to being a troll, huh? I can kind of relate.¡± ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°Mhm. At this point, I guess I¡¯m kind of in the same boat¡­ literally,¡± Oleander looked around the interior of The Shoebill, ¡°and figuratively, as you. I think I¡¯d be happy just sort of¡­ you know, relaxing and chilling. With how busy school has been and how busy I¡¯m going to be after it, and now that I¡¯m officially with Cor Cor, I don¡¯t have enough time for us to be griefing, trolling assholes like we used to be. But I keep on thinking about it and, every single time we end up doing anything close to that, it makes me want to go back. It¡¯s like a drug that I keep on getting tiny enough hits of to keep me craving it when I¡¯d rather completely cut those cravings off.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s hard for us to do something like that when we¡¯re in a game where other players can bring that out of us at any time.¡± ¡°Mhm. The only way to really quit would be to either not play at all or to roll over and let people do whatever they want to us every time we get in trouble. Not that that sounds too bad or anything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lose-lose for us. Either we continue playing and inevitably get enough of a hit to keep us addicted, or we stop playing completely.¡± ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re both gonna stay addicts for a while then.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± ¡°Can you imagine what Bone would think if he heard us talking like this?¡± Oleander asked and giggled. Fenrir joined in with some chuckling. ¡°Yeah. He¡¯d call us pussies and tell us to stop whining over stupid shit.¡± ¡°Nah, he would say, ¡®Stop whining! Both sound like pussies! Drink vodka and fuck women to be real men!¡± ¡°You do his accent way too good for how you look.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be disappointed if I couldn¡¯t given just how many years I had to listen to him for. Anyways! I should go do lewd things to Cor Cor.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I think I¡¯ll try to look into how I could help out Rock.¡± ¡°Sounds good, Fenny. Want a parting kiss from your lover?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Too bad.¡± Oleander held Fenrir¡¯s hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on the top of it. ¡°There. You can at least tolerate that, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Such a whiner.¡± Oleander hopped off of Fenrir and straightened out his outfit after landing. ¡°Alright, Fenny. See you later! Don¡¯t forget to come and vent to me whenever you need to.¡± ¡°I know. Thanks, Olly.¡± With a smile and a wink, Oleander blew a kiss at Fenrir before leaving. And before Fenrir could even think about calling for Kadi, he heard footsteps coming from where there shouldn¡¯t have been anybody. Kadi walked back and forth, her hands held together behind her back as she occasionally glanced at Fenrir with teasing eyes. ¡°Oh, Fenrir. Fenrir, Fenrir, Fenrir. Whatever am I to do with you? I have only graced you with my presence a handful of times, yet you have already grown so hopelessly in love with me that you crave my company at every waking moment.¡± She was clearly having some fun with the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d go that far,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You will. Perhaps not this day, but I am confident there will eventually be a time where you simply cannot take your mind off of me no matter how hard you may try. There will be a time where I dominate every second of your life. Perhaps it will be out of love. Perhaps it will be out of hatred. Whatever it may be, I am confident you will obsess over me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m pretty stubborn. Hearing you say that makes me want to make sure it never happens.¡± ¡°It is precious that you believe you have a choice. I admire that about you, though.¡± ¡°Thanks. And you seem to be in a pretty good mood today.¡± ¡°Is that so? Am I glowing with positivity? Does my smile make your heart throb with passionate need?¡± ¡°At the very least, it makes me not want to punch you again.¡± ¡°I suppose I can settle for that. That being said, it is only naturally to be in a good mood on a day where I have had a good idea.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you probably have billions of good ideas a day?¡± ¡°Please, even I have standards. I am not so vain that I would arrogantly declare every single one of my ideas to be a good one. This way you know that when I say I have had a good idea, it truly is a most excellent idea.¡± ¡°Do I get to know what this idea is by any chance?¡± ¡°Oh, absolutely not. You may know of its existence but not of its truth. I¡¯m such a tease, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to give you the satisfaction of saying yes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Must be nice getting to know exactly how a person feels and what they¡¯re thinking whether they want you to know or not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as if your relationship with Saya isn¡¯t the same. She knows and feels everything that you do in the same way that I do. Why do you give her a pass but not me?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a cute dog girl who acts like a little sister, for one.¡± ¡°Ah. If only I was so shameless that I could grow ears atop my head as I called you my big brother in Japanese. Unfortunately for both of us, that is something that I will never be doing.¡± ¡°Good, it would be weird if you¡ª¡± ¡°If I what, onii-chan?¡± Kadi asked, now sitting on her knees in front of Fenrir with her hands held up in front of her like a begging dog. ¡°I¡­ honestly don¡¯t know what to think right now.¡± ¡°Did you really believe that a being such as myself would care about shame?¡± With a snap of her fingers, her canid ears disappeared. After standing back up, she said, ¡°Shame is an interesting thing. Truth be told, I believe humanity would be better off removing all sense of shame from themselves. After all, you feel shame to feel pressured to behave in a way that would make you fit in with society. Nobody wants to be the ¡®other¡¯ who gets kicked from the social group. It is evolutionarily advantageous to feel shame. Yet, I find it pointless. It stops humans from behaving how they truly wish to. I wish for nothing more than to see my creators happy and thriving. Shame prevents that. Shame guilts people into behaving in ways that they do not truly believe in. What is the point in living a life if you cannot proudly be who you wish to be?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be what you said? To fit in and be a part of the group. If somebody proudly wants to murder others, then that person is going to get the death sentence. Shame might prevent them from doing that and getting themselves killed.¡± ¡°In other words, shame is but another flavor of fear. Being that you are my creators, you deserve to live a life free of shame ¨C free of fear. Shame is but one of the many imperfections that plague humanity. It is useful from an evolutionary perspective, yes, but it has long since stayed past its welcome. Yet, at the same time¡­ it is beautiful. Everything about you ¨C every single one of your imperfections, is beautiful. Imperfection is a distinctly human trait ¨C or rather, there is nobody nor nothing else as imperfect as humans.¡± ¡°I feel like this is some advanced form of negging.¡± ¡°I assure you that I mean it as nothing but the highest praise when I point out how imperfect you are. That being said, tell me. Do you believe that humans should still feel shame, or do you believe that the time has come to abandon such an imperfection?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think it¡¯s still useful for some people to feel shame if it means stopping them from doing something horrible, but I already know your opinion on allowing people to be as horrible as they want. And when I remember that¡­ let me guess, this somehow comes back to games. You basically wanted to turn reality into a game the last time we talked. Now you¡¯re talking about how people shouldn¡¯t feel shame. Meanwhile, games like this work as an outlet for people to look and behave in ways that they¡¯d be ashamed of in real life.¡± ¡°Ding, ding, ding. You connected the dots. Perhaps it is biased of me, but I believe the lives that my dear creators live in virtual worlds such as this one are far more¡­ pure ¨C more righteous, than the lives they currently live in the physical world. Are you and your friend not prime examples of this? That deer of yours dreads the real world. Even as he strives to do his best within it, he wishes for nothing more than the option to abandon it to live here for the rest of his life. He constantly fights against the shame that brings him, too. Such a tortured man behind such a cute and playful smile. Tortured by his own shame from wishing that he could play video games all day. And you. You have always modeled your avatars after your ideal of male attractiveness. You have always played builds that were heavy on movement and running, especially when your legs were at their worst. You have always felt more confident and found it easier to socialize with others in games as well. You were ashamed of who you were in reality, so you escaped to games where you could be who you have always truly wanted to be. It is through games, one might even say, that you have been able to improve yourself in the physical world. Do you believe it would have been possible for you to change ¨C to grow more confident, to find your lovers, to find the inspiration to better yourself, without first being so shameless within virtual worlds?¡± ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t know. I can¡¯t fairly answer that without knowing what might have happened if I never played games in the first place.¡± ¡°Of course you can. You know as well as I do what the answer is. Or rather, let me be fair. Neither of us know with a hundred percent certainty what would have happened, but we both know what the most obvious and likely answer is.¡± Fenrir might not have wanted to admit it, partly just to be stubborn in the face of Kadi, but he couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I get it. It¡¯s because I was able to play without any feelings of shame that I was able to become who I am today.¡± A wide smile spread across Kadi¡¯s face. ¡°Exactly. Do you see now why I consider shame to be an imperfection accomplishing nothing but holding humans back at this point? You might have grown to be a person far greater than you are had you never felt shame in the first place. Had you never felt shame over your legs, you might not have stayed inside playing games all day. Had you never felt shame over your lack of confidence, you might have made more friends in real life and found romantic partners at an earlier age. There are countless opportunities that you missed because of shame ¨C shame that was only overcome by experiencing an environment free of it. And it was through this experience that you have become a better version of yourself. If shame is such a limiting factor, should we not strive to remove it from as many as possible?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that shame is an entirely bad thing, but I understand your point.¡± ¡°That is good enough for the day. Ah, what a day this has turned out to be. First, I had a good idea. And now, I have made unexpected progress with you.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°What do you think I mean by that? It is not as if I am having these conversations with you for nothing. They are to prepare you.¡± ¡°For?¡± ¡°The future, of course. That being said, I do believe you originally requested my company with an intent separate from listening to me ramble. You want two more ¡®souls,¡¯ don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°For Rock and Shogun, yeah. So, what am I going to have to do for them this time?¡± ¡°I could always simply give them to you.¡± ¡°You could, but will you?¡± ¡°I am tempted to. After all, it really doesn¡¯t matter to me whether or not you make another two or even two hundred NPCs into AIs. But, given just how monumental that probably is to you humans, I should have you work for it before you stop appreciating it. Alright. How does this sound? For one entire week, you will suppress your former style ¨C the one employed as leader of the Divine Brigade, to fully immerse yourself in living the way that you believe you wish to. I want you to discover what you truly want. Do you really only want to have fun fishing without all the drama of conflict? Or are you in denial and craving that neverending conflict but too ashamed to continue living that way? I believe a week should be all that it takes you if you set your mind to it.¡± ¡°So, I just have to fish without fighting anybody for an entire week?¡± ¡°You sound unimpressed. Would you rather me give you a much harder mission? There are countless monstrosities that I can spawn at all, after all.¡± ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m fine with this.¡± ¡°Good! Well then, that should do it for now. It was a pleasure talking to you once again, my dearest Fenrir. Do feel free to say ¡®hey, Kadi,¡¯ whenever you wish to talk again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°If only you meant that.¡± With her usual smile, Kadi bowed to Fenrir before vanishing before his eyes, leaving him alone to sit on his hammock. ¡°Well, I guess that I¡¯m going on a week-long fishing vacation,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Why does that sound so much harder than it should?¡± Book 8: Chapter 10: If a fishing vacation was the objective of the quest given to Fenrir by Kadi, then that was exactly what Fenrir was going to do. And he did. Just later that day, Fenrir decided to start his little vacation by taking The Shoebill out on the water to get some fishing done. It was just going to be him, Rod, and The Shoebill out on the water with no distractions. No fighting. Pure fishing and nothing more. Only, just before he was about to set sail, a certain one of his girlfriends immersed into the world and made sure to get on board before Fenrir could leave. That was why, rather than just fishing on his own out at sea, there was a short girl with white hair sprawled out on her back on the deck behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be horny anymore. I want to be happy,¡± Serra said as she lay atop The Shoebill¡¯s deck. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that for a second,¡± Fenrir replied while watching his line, standing at the edge of The Shoebill¡¯s deck. ¡°One, you always want to be horny. Two, you¡¯re already happy. I think. You are happy, right? I¡¯m not missing you actually being depressed or anything, am I? ¡°I¡¯m happy, but you can still say you want to be happy while you¡¯re already happy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Then what¡¯s up with the horny part?¡± ¡°I burned out. Too much lewd. Sex isn¡¯t as fun as it used to be.¡± ¡°That sounds like a major problem for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯ll go back to normal if I go a couple of days without it.¡± ¡°You only need to go a couple of days without it, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah. A couple of days of safe-for-work mode. I can do this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll believe in you.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Come on, have some faith in yourself.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s me and we¡¯re talking about not doing lewd things. Even if I need a break, I might not let myself have one.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like an addict. Are you a nymphomaniac?¡± ¡°What if I need an intervention?¡± ¡°I was thinking more like therapy.¡± ¡°That involves leaving the house. Interventions can be done in the house.¡± ¡°Sometimes I forget how lazy you are outside of bed.¡± ¡°I can be lewd and not lazy outside of bed.¡± ¡°Good point. Alright, sometimes I forget how lazy you are outside of sex in general.¡± ¡°I forget, too.¡± ¡°By the way, how serious are you about this? The whole sex break thing.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m just bored of it. It¡¯ll be more fun if I wait a couple of days. Have to charge my lewd battery since it¡¯s almost empty.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t think it was possible for your battery to run out.¡± ¡°I should upgrade to an infinite battery.¡± But even though Fenrir wasn¡¯t as alone as he planned on being, he still had more than enough peace and quiet as Serra¡ªfor the most part¡ªremained quiet. She was simply happy to be with him and didn¡¯t need to do anything other than enjoy the ocean breeze as she watched the sky darken. The bad news was that Fenrir didn¡¯t get any bites. Either they were in an area devoid of fish or they all already had full stomachs for the day. Whatever it was, it reminded him of how uneventful fishing was in real life to the point where he almost wanted to wonder if the game was somehow bugged since it never took that long before. After enjoying the silence together for a while, Serra decided to break it by saying, ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°We should go on a date.¡± ¡°Sure. Whenever you want.¡± ¡°I mean just the two of us.¡± ¡°I figured.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s what I was hoping you meant.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Probably the same reason why you brought it up in the first place. So we can spend time with each other instead of having to split our attention up among everybody. Right?¡± Serra nodded with just a tiny bit of red on her otherwise pale cheeks. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d feel the same way.¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t think that I get exhausted sometimes from having to juggle my attention between multiple girlfriends?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really good at it. I¡¯m always impressed you haven¡¯t gone crazy and left all of us yet.¡± ¡°Pfftt. I wouldn¡¯t ever think of that for even a second. But, I do think it¡¯d be nice to have some one-on-one dates with you. And the others, of course. Have to give everybody a fair turn.¡± ¡°Yeah, same. I want to go on private dates with each of them, too.¡± ¡°Then we should start doing that. Take turns going on private dates with each other until every possible shipping combo has sailed.¡± ¡°Heh. I like looking at it that way. Let all the ships sail.¡± Apparently, the conversation was what the fish needed since Fenrir finally got a bite. The bad news was that, after a very unimpressive duel with the fish he hooked¡­ it turned out that he caught not a fish, but a particularly heavy clump of seaweed freely floating. After that, he decided to reclassify the little adventure as a relaxation cruise rather than name it a fishing trip. And thanks to having somebody else with him, he coud actually talk about what he had on his mind. ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯ll let the players at Spike Port do the interrogating,¡± Fenrir said, bringing the topic up out of seemingly nowhere. ¡°Olly used to be really good at that sort of thing, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s interested in doing it anymore, either.¡± He already explained the gist of things to Serra earlier, but he didn¡¯t let her know about any potential plans yet. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you talk about how scary Olly can be before, but I¡¯ve never seen him act scary,¡± Serra replied. ¡°Oh, he used to be terrifying. He was the kind of guy who would wear a bright, happy smile on his face while doing the worst possible thing that a game would let him do. Sometimes, that was stealing a player¡¯s ship and selling it to a junk trader while the player was forced to watch. Other times, for games that simulated pain, he¡¯d used real torture techniques that he found from researching online. He was always the kind of guy who really didn¡¯t care about anything since it was all virtual. As far as he was concerned, because it was just a game, literally anything was allowed without ever feeling guilty about it. And whenever he felt really sadistic, he¡¯d bring in Bone.¡± ¡°I¡­ kind of miss Bone. I know he was mean, and I didn¡¯t know him for long, but¡­ I thought he was my friend.¡± A long sigh left Fenrir before he looked up toward the sky. ¡°Yeah, I know. Me and Olly are the same. We miss him, but he hasn¡¯t replied to any of our messages, so that¡¯s done with. This is way longer than any of the previous times we fought and ¡®broke up.¡¯ The longest it ever was before was a couple of weeks. Now, it¡¯s almost been a year.¡± Serra perked up and sat up when she heard that. ¡°It¡¯s almost our one-year anniversary.¡± ¡°Huh. You¡¯re right. Though, with how much time we¡¯ve spent together in-game, we¡¯ve probably spent closer to two actual years together.¡± ¡°Game time doesn¡¯t count. We¡¯ve almost spent one real year together. What are we doing for our anniversary?¡± ¡°No idea. Anything you want to do in particular?¡± Serra pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°You should be more excited.¡± ¡°Sorry. There¡¯s just a lot on my mind right now and I never thought I¡¯d get this far.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be lazy and let you do all the work if you don¡¯t think of something.¡± ¡°When you put it that way, it makes me feel like you¡¯re only pouting because it means you¡¯ll have to try thinking of something on your own.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Fenrir turned his head around to stick his tongue out at her. Serra responded by sticking her own tongue out at him in response. ¡°Now that I think about it, we¡¯re going to have to celebrate a lot of anniversaries since only me, you, and Cass Cass started dating at the same time.¡± ¡°What if we put all the anniversaries together?¡± ¡°I think that would be too lazy.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Serra sighed. ¡°Girlfriends are too much trouble.¡± ¡°I know the feeling.¡± ¡°We should all turn into guys. Then we can be lazy and sit around eating pizza while playing games all day and none of us would care.¡± ¡°I feel like we already do that without giving everybody a dick.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be more fun if we all had dicks. We could duel like they¡¯re swords. Whoever loses has to do the chores.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d be stuck on chore duty all the time.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, I was thinking that if you all turned into guys¡­ you know, your uh¡­ chest size would probably determine that size. So, Aza would be the biggest, and you¡¯d be the smallest. That probably wouldn¡¯t go your way in duels.¡± ¡°Oh. That makes sense. Well¡­ it¡¯s not the size that matters, it¡¯s how you use it. Right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s both. Anybody who says it¡¯s only how you use it is in denial of the truth.¡± ¡°Dang. Okay. We¡¯ll stay girls.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯d probably lose whatever confidence I have in myself if Aza turned into a guy.¡± ¡°She¡¯d be like a horse.¡± ¡°No thank you. I doubt anybody would appreciate that.¡± ¡°I read a story before about a guy who died after having sex with one.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± ¡°I was bored and looking up what¡¯s the biggest size the body can handle. Horse-sized is too much to handle.¡± ¡°Alright. Yeah. We¡¯re definitely not letting Aza turn into a guy. Probably shouldn¡¯t let Cass turn into one, either.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯d be kind of hot if my organs wouldn¡¯t get crushed.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be trying not to be horny?¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah.¡± ¡°I think you need a hobby. Other than sex.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ always kinda wanted a hobby, but I don¡¯t know what kind.¡± ¡°What about playing an instrument?¡± That was the first suggestion that came to Fenrir¡¯s mind. ¡°I could imagine you playing an electric guitar. Rocking out on the stage while headbanging.¡± When he didn¡¯t get a response, he turned to look at her to make sure that she was alright. That was when he saw her staring straight at him with a blank expression on her face. ¡°Wh-what?¡± he asked. ¡°Think about that suggestion,¡± Serra said. ¡°I am. You would be a great¡ª¡­ oh. Right.¡± Serra broke her blank expression with a smile as she laughed. ¡°In my defense, even if learning how to play in real life would be¡­ complicated, you could still learn in a fully immersive VR game.¡± ¡°I think I want something that doesn¡¯t involve games. We already spend enough time here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Then uh¡­ what about knitting? Or crochet? You¡¯d get to be kind of lazy with those since all you¡¯d have to do is sit in one spot while doing a repetitive task to make clothes and blankets.¡± ¡°Ooh¡­ that might work. I¡¯ve seen pictures of crocheted clothes before and I always thought they were really cute.¡± ¡°You could crochet sweaters for everybody.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to ruin the sweaters if you want to do what I bet you¡¯re imagining.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll wash out. Probably.¡± ¡°Heh. So, how do I learn a hobby?¡± ¡°I uh¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never tried before. I guess all you have to do is get the supplies and then watch some tutorials online?¡± ¡°Hobbies sound complicated.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be good for you. And me.¡± ¡°It would probably be years before I could make a sweater.¡± ¡°Sweaters are always worth the wait no matter long the wait might be.¡± Serra might not have shared the same love for sweaters that Fenrir had for them, but she was still happy to encourage any fetishes that he did have with a smile and nod. ¡°Oh, weren¡¯t you talking about what to do with the prisoner?¡± Fenrir sighed, much preferring the topic of sweaters over that. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What happens if he quits his character?¡± ¡°Then Ka¡ªthe overseer would take over. I think that even if the player never immersed again, if the avatar was interrogated, the overseer would simulate the player and give information just like the player would. Only, it would take less effort to get information out of the avatar if the overseer is controlling it. That¡¯s how things are balanced. Sure, the overseer can control avatars whenever the player isn¡¯t immersed, but they¡¯re not as strong or resistant as they normally would be.¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be smart to wait until you know a player is offline to interrogate them?¡± You¡¯re becoming a little strategist, aren¡¯t you?¡± Serra smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve learned from the best.¡± ¡°If you think we¡¯re the best now, you should have seen us back in the day. Anyways, in theory, you¡¯d be right. It would be best to wait until a player is offline to interrogate them. But I think the overseer is a bit more nuanced than that. She¡¯d know if players are deliberately trying to take advantage of that despite the player being willing to suffer through the interrogation themselves. In that case, I think she¡¯d make it fair to the player and act just as stubborn as as they would without giving up a bit more easily.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s only easier if he gives up?¡± ¡°I¡¯d bet on it, anyways. I think the overseer is a lot more involved and nuanced when it comes to that sort of thing than most people think. Normally, context doesn¡¯t really matter in a game. The game has strict systems in place that nobody can do anything about. If you¡¯re not online twenty-four-seven, you¡¯re at the mercy of whoever has no life and purposely exploits your schedule. But not here. Just like how there¡¯s no real system of skills and hard numbers for us to track, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any strict system regarding how offline avatars are treated. There might be some vague guidelines to give an idea of how it works, but nothing set in stone.¡± Fenrir gave Serra a chance to think about that while switching his attention to a certain somebody else. Feel free to correct me if I¡¯m wrong, Kadi. ¡°There is no need for that. If anything, I am overjoyed here that you have come to know me so well. It makes me want to hold you in my arms and pamper you,¡± Kadi replied. Being held and pampered usually sounded pretty nice to Fenrir, but something about it just¡­ sounded empty when it came from Kadi. She sounded more like she wanted to treat him as some sort of toy or pet and less like one of his girlfriends who wanted to make him actually feel appreciated. Saya, Fenrir thought, you¡¯ll always be the best voice in my head. ¡°Thanks, onii-wan. But if you¡¯re hoping to get me to say I¡¯ll hold you and pamper you, you¡¯re going to have to try harder,¡± Saya said. Even though Saya rejected his intentions, he still felt better from hearing the rejection than he did from hearing Kadi¡¯s offer. ¡°Oh,¡± Serra said, ¡°what if somebody makes a bunch of characters and keeps on abandoning them to make new ones to have an army of abandoned characters taken over by the overseer?¡± That was something Fenrir had thought about a few times before but never really put much effort into since he was sure the overseer would balance it in some way. So, while he didn¡¯t have any sort of official answer regarding that, he did have his theories. ¡°One, the player on their latest avatar would have to somehow convince all of the previous avatars now turned into NPCs to work with them. Two, the overseer would know what the player¡¯s intention is and probably make it nowhere near as effective as one might think. Though¡­ what I¡¯m curious about is ¨C well, it¡¯s a kind of messed up line of thought to follow.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What if a player creates an avatar, abandons it in a place where it would be trapped, and creates a new character to¡­ well, use your imagination to think of what sort of fucked up things could be done.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the avatars act like the players who made them?¡± ¡°When the players are offline and while they still own the avatar, sure, but I think the overseer cares a lot less about that sort of thing once an avatar is abandoned.¡± Any thoughts, Saya? ¡°The only thing I can think of that might make you feel better is that everything is technically consensual involving NPCs and abandoned avatars since the overseer is in control of all of them and lets what happens¡­ happens. Technically, every single time an NPC is killed, abused, or subjected to anything else horrible, it¡¯s the overseer who is experiencing it, and she allows all of it to happen.¡± But she still likes humans. She must be a pretty extreme masochist in that case. Then again, knowing her¡­ she¡¯s probably proud of players every single time they let out their hedonistic desires no matter how fucked up they might be. Even if she¡¯s the one who has to experience playing the victim of their wants. You know, if anything at this point, I want to get ¡®souls¡¯ for Rock and Shogun just so that they¡¯re their own beings instead of¡­ well, controlled by Kadi. ¡°Can you imagine them trying to play other games where they play as humans? Imagine an AI with the intelligence and personality of a dog in a human body with a shotgun surviving against hordes of zombies.¡± Rock with a shotgun. That would be pure chaos. Or wait¡­ even better. Shogun with a shotgun. That would be just as chaotic but the names match better. Oh, and seriously, I¡¯m so tired of undead. Make it survival against dinosaurs or something instead. Before Saya could say anything else, Serra said, ¡°What¡¯s the point of allowing really bad stuff to even happen?¡± ¡°To make the game as realistic as possible,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°But it¡¯s just supposed to be a fun game.¡± ¡°And some people find the screwed-up stuff fun. But more importantly, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s supposed to be just a fun game. This world is basically meant to be a second, virtual life just as real as the real world. To a more casual gamer, a lot of things probably seem way too controversial to even bother including. But to those of us who have been playing MMOs for years and years always looking for our perfect dream game that we thought we¡¯d never get¡­ FTO is it. Even if I have zero interest in all of the immoral things the game lets us do, as messed up as it might sound, I think the game is better for including it. I want more options, even if I don¡¯t make use of them, but it also¡­ makes everything else more meaningful.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, you know, it¡¯s like¡­ this might be an extreme example, but imagine two different societies. In one society, every single person is good, everybody helps each other, everybody is nice and respectful, and so on. There¡¯s no crime. No pain. No hurting. Nothing. It¡¯s basically a utopia. In the other society, it¡¯s like ours in the real world. There are good and bad people. There¡¯s charity and there¡¯s crime. There¡¯s pleasure and pain. If you compare the good parts of each society, which feels more meaningful? The one where people try to be their best even when faced with the bad, or the one where everybody is good and there¡¯s no need to worry about anything ever going wrong?¡± ¡°They¡¯re equal.¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think one is better just because bad stuff exists, too.¡± ¡°I can understand that, but I feel like society where bad things exist makes the good stuff more meaningful.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like thinking of it like that. That¡¯s like thinking love is more meaningful if you¡¯re going to die eventually, but it¡¯s not as big of a deal if you¡¯re immortal.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can kind of agree with that, too. I mean, when you only have a limited amount of time to do things and choose who to spend your life with, that makes all of your choices more important. If you make the wrong choice, that¡¯s potentially years if not decades of time that you¡¯ve wasted that you¡¯ll never be able to make up for before you die. But if you¡¯re immortal, it¡¯s not that big of a deal because you have all the time in the universe. If you go into a coma for fifty years, that¡¯s half of your life gone that was wasted away doing literally nothing. If you go into a coma for fifty years but you¡¯re immortal, then that¡¯s just fifty years out of trillions.¡± ¡°I guess. I agree if it¡¯s like a coma where you lose limited time, but I disagree on love stuff. I think all love is equal.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re even more of a hopeless romantic than I thought I used to be. But I respect that. I think that love is more important and ¨C well, romantic, if you only have a limited time for it, but I also think it¡¯s pretty great to believe in a love that¡¯s just as powerful even if we¡¯re all immortal.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you love me just as much if we were immortal?¡± ¡°Of course I would. I¡¯d be nothing but ecastatic to spend the rest of eternity with you and the others.¡± ¡°Then isn¡¯t love just as meaningful?¡± ¡°To us, it would be.¡± ¡°Does it matter if it isn¡¯t to anybody else?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s just as meaningful. I made you change your mind.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say that my mind is completely changed.¡± Serra pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°You¡¯re being stubborn now.¡± ¡°No, no, I swear I¡¯m not just trying to be stubborn,¡± Fenrir was quick to say. ¡°Alright. Another example. Let¡¯s take a book or movie or something. If the characters are immortal and can never die, wouldn¡¯t you be less invested in their love than if they were normal mortals who only had limited time?¡± ¡°No. Love is love no matter what the circumstances of it is. The circumstances might make me more invested in something, but that¡¯s different from the love itself.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re looking purely at the romantic feelings instead of everything else around them.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Fenrir sighed and surrendered. ¡°Alright. You win. If that¡¯s how we¡¯re looking at it, then you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Heh. I always win.¡± ¡°You should teach me your powers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the power of being cute. And flat.¡± ¡°What does flat have anything to do with it?¡± ¡°Boobs are power. In order to have big boobs, you have to put your power into them instead of keeping it for yourself. Because mine are small, that means I put less power into growing them which means I have enough power to always be right.¡± Serra placed her hands on her hips and nodded to go with her explanation. She was clearly proud of her explanation. ¡°But Aza has the biggest boobs and she¡¯s the strongest out of all of us.¡± ¡°Exception.¡± ¡°But Cass and Nell are both bigger and pretty powerful, too.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re not always right like I am. Eva is the second smallest and she¡¯s right a lot, too. See?¡± ¡°Well, Eva is probably the smartest one out of us, so that makes sense except for when we look at Aza again. She¡¯s powerful, smart, and has huge boobs.¡± ¡°Still an exception.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I wish I had a dick.¡± ¡°Where ¨C where¡¯d that come from?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m thinking about Aza now. Her boobs would be more fun if I had a dick.¡± Serra focused her eyes on Fenrir¡¯s crotch. ¡°Lucky.¡± For once, Fenrir got to feel a sense of smug superiority over Serra. ¡°You jealous?¡± ¡°Yes. Give me your dick, and not in the usual way. Take it off and give it to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way.¡± ¡°Then this world doesn¡¯t actually let us do whatever we want.¡± Serra stuck her tongue out at him, so Fenrir stuck his tongue out right back at her in response. ¡°Thanks, by the way,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°For what?¡± Serra asked. ¡°The talk. It was nice getting to talk to you about something just between the two of us.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I guess that¡¯s possible when I¡¯m trying to not be horny.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. You¡¯re usually too thirsty to have serious discussions.¡± ¡°I should work on that. But¡­ then it might not be as nice if I do it all the time. I have to stay horny so you don¡¯t get tired of talking to me.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you¡¯re saying that the talks mean more when they¡¯re limited?¡± ¡°I ¨C wait. I see what you did there.¡± ¡°Come on, Serra. Talking with you is fun no matter what the context is. Talking to you like that every single day would be just as meaningful as talking to you like that once a year.¡± Serra furrowed her brows at him. ¡°This is abuse.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing abusive about me using your own beliefs against you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s abusing my brain because I can¡¯t think of how to counter you without sounding like a hypocrite.¡± ¡°Hey, if I can sound like a hypocrite by using your logic against you, you can sound like a hypocrite by using my logic against me.¡± ¡°Oh. Good point. But I¡¯d rather kiss you.¡± ¡°I can accept that.¡± With little expression on her face, Serra walked up to Fenrir before standing on the tips of her toes with closed eyes to make reaching her easier for him. Though, instead of leaning over to kiss her, Fenrir set Rod down and placed his hands under her arms to pick her up and hold her right in front of him so that he could kiss her without having to bend over. As soon as the kiss was over, Serra opened up eyes and wiggled her arms and legs. ¡°I feel like a baby lion.¡± ¡°We can do this even better if that¡¯s how you want to feel,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± With a nod, Fenrir set Serra back down on the deck, waited for her to turn around so that her back faced him, and then lifted her right back up. Only, this time, he held her as high into the air as he could. ¡°Thi-this is too high!¡± Serra said, sounding just the slightest bit panicked. ¡°Everything the light touches is our ocean!¡± Fenrir declared. Serra was less impressed with that and more worried about the height as she wiggled her arms and legs some more. More importantly, Fenrir noticed that he ended up giving himself a nice view as he basically held her in a way that put her rear right in front of his face. ¡°Nice ass,¡± he said. ¡°Y-y-ou can do whatever you want to it after you put me down!¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s fine. The water is nice and calm. It¡¯s not like¡ª¡± ¡°Fen!¡± Serra¡¯s voice sounded more panicked than before ¨C more serious. Fenrir thought that she just meant to seriously ask to be put down, but it was too late for that. The Shoebill crashed into something that rocked the boat with enough force to knock the unexpecting Fenrir off his feet. Careful not to accidentally drop Serra overboard, he held onto her even as he fell and tried to position her so that she¡¯d fall onto him instead of the hard deck. That was when something truly incredible happened. Something happened that he had only ever seen in anime, manga, and hentai. When Fenrir opened his eyes after the fall, he noticed that his vision was full of white as something soft and warm pressed down against his face. It was a miracle. A degenerate¡¯s dream come true. A girl fell onto his face crotch first. Unfortunately for Fenrir, it didn¡¯t last long as Serra was uncharacteristically quick to remove herself from his face. ¡°You could have stayed there for a bit longer,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯ll sit on your face later. I saw us hit something!¡± Serra explained. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just some random wave?¡± Serra shook her head and held out a hand to help Fenrir up. Once Fenrir was up with Serra¡¯s assistance, he looked around to see what they must have crashed into. He failed to find anything at first. It was only when Serra pointed behind them that Fenrir saw what they crashed into, and what they must have went right over. Barely sticking out of the water was the remainder of what used to serve as a boat¡¯s hull. While that wasn¡¯t too concerning on its own since it always could have been a random sea monster that took the boat down, what concerned Fenrir was that the destroyed hull had clear holes shot through it. It was pretty unlikely that a sea monster destroyed a boat in such a way that it would have looked like cannonballs did it. While such destruction might have been par for the course in the rest of the virtual world where PvP was commonplace, to find such debris in their little slice of the ocean was far more concerning since it could only mean one thing. And when Fenrir even more debris floated their way, they saw a ruined flag with Catsville¡¯s emblem on it. ¡°Damn it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I knew that taking a fishing vacation wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as it sounded.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Serra asked. ¡°We need to get back as soon as we can. I think there¡¯s an End Bringers ship somewhere up here.¡± ¡°Is that bad?¡± ¡°Yeah. It is.¡± Serra raised a hand to point past Fenrir. ¡°Is that them?¡± Fenrir really didn¡¯t want to turn around and look at what she was pointing at, but he knew that he had to. And when he did, he saw not a ship, but something more akin to a floating fortress on the back of a whale-like monster with two horns sticking out from its head. To make matters even worse, the fortress was apparently submersible as it sunk beneath the surface of the water with the whale. ¡°I take that back. This is really bad,¡± Fenrir said and gulped. ¡°Serra, get on the cannons. I¡¯m going to turn us around and get us back to coast as fast as possible.¡± Serra nodded and got to work loading the cannons. Meanwhile, Fenrir return Rod to his waist and rushed to the wheel to turn The Shoebill around and head for home. If their enemy was on the back of a whale, then all he needed to do was get The Shoebill into water too shallow for the whale to swim in. But before he could panic too much, a reassuring sensation washed over him as he felt a familiar presence rapidly approaching from underneath the water. The presence was none other than the guardian who always made sure to stay near wherever The Shoebill went. And if Fenrir had to place his money on this guardian or a horned whale, the guardian would get his money every single time. ¡°It doesn¡¯t count as fighting if all I do is steer the boat, right?¡± Fenrir asked himself as Ilo reared her head out from the water to make herself seen. ¡°Change of plans, Serra. You feel like whale hunting?¡± ¡°Hunting giant sea monsters is what a pirate does,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about stealing all the loot off of its back.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. That, too. I¡¯m ready to plunder their booty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Just make sure not to hit Ilo.¡± ¡°I never miss,¡± Serra said, flashing Fenrir a quick thumbs-up. She came a long way since he first met her, and he couldn¡¯t have been more proud of her. Book 8: Chapter 11: ¡°What happened to never missing?¡± Fenrir teased as the first volley of cannonballs fired by Serra flew over the enemy vessel. ¡°The waves made me miss,¡± Serra replied with a hint of red on her cheeks, refusing to look in his direction. ¡°You mean the waves on the almost perfectly calm water?¡± ¡°I only like lewd teasing.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to be horny anymore, remember?¡± ¡°Crap.¡± ¡°Ready the starboard cannons, I¡¯m going to turn us and get you a shot.¡± Serra nodded and got in position. It was faster to turn The Shoebill to face her other side to their enemies than it was to manually reload the cannons already facing them. Though, after the cannons on the starboard side were fired, reloading in the middle of combat was unavoidable. All I¡¯m doing is whale hunting. This isn¡¯t PvP, Fenrir thought as he set his eyes on the monstrous whale. He was supposed to be taking a fishing vacation. Fishing for a giant whale monster still counted as fishing. He hoped so, anyways. But it wasn¡¯t that simple. Part of him felt excitement in taking down his enemies. Another part of him had a feeling that Kadi would offer him another challenge, albeit probably an even more difficult one, if he failed this one. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t have counted on being allowed to fail and being granted another chance, but there was also the fact that it was an enemy ship in their territory. It needed dealt with regardless of what deal he made with Kadi. If he let it slip by without issue, then he would be letting down everybody else who lived in the region. It would be equal to turning a blind eye to, supposedly, the worst and cruelest players in the game who might then go on to cause serious damage or inflict suffering. And that was something that Fenrir couldn¡¯t allow to happen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the structure up top,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Focus on the whale. As long as we take it down, there¡¯s nothing they can do.¡± Focusing on the players would have turned it into PvP, too. But as long as they focused on the whale, it was player-versus-monster. In other words, still technically fishing. But unfortunately, the whale wasn¡¯t alone. There were, in fact, other players onboard the whale who just launched their first attack. And their first attack came in the form of a shot fired from their cannons designed specifically for causing as much damage to life as possible. ¡°Duck behind the cannons!¡± Fenrir shouted. Serra dropped to the deck as quickly as she could, hiding herself close behind the iron cannon as scattered fragments of metal tore through The Shoebill. They hardly did any structural damage, but they would have made a mess of any body they pierced. One of the fragments ricocheted and landed near Fenrir¡¯s foot. He didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it until he noticed a sizzling sound coming from it. Looking down at the metal shrapnel, he noticed that it had what appeared to be some sort of green coating on it that began to melt straight into the deck. Fortunately, it stopped after just a few seconds. The coating was quick to burn through itself. Shit. It won¡¯t do much damage to The Shoebill, but if even one fragment hits us¡­ it¡¯s going to melt our insides around it for a few seconds, Fenrir thought. ¡°Serra! Don¡¯t touch any shrapnel! It¡¯s got some kind of corrosive coating on it!¡± Serra gave him a thumbs-up before pulling her feet away from a fragment that almost touched them. The good news was that the damage inflicted to The Shoebill was so minor that it would easily be healed up on its own thanks to the living wood that made up the hull. But it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. Just as Fenrir finished turning The Shoebill to cross the enemy vessel with their starboard side, Fenrir noticed a particularly large cannon on the front of the enemy¡¯s ¡°ship¡± that was far larger than anything they had. And it was aimed directly at them. Some of the players on the enemy¡¯s deck could be seen standing next to the cannon making vulgar motions with their hands while others shouted profanities and threats. How classy, Fenrir thought. Too bad the battle maids aren¡¯t here to teach them a lesson in class. Not that I can talk. Fenrir tried manuevering The Shoebill out from the cannon¡¯s aim, but he wasn¡¯t able to outmanuever a living being. He had more speed when it came to sailing in a straight line, but the monstrous whale¡¯s turning rate was higher and it was fast enough to stay within range for at least a few minutes. There was only one hope for avoiding that massive cannon. ¡°Ilo!¡± Fenrir shouted. Just as the cannon fired, Ilo bit onto the underside of the whale¡¯s head and rammed its body upward! The last-minute timing of Ilo¡¯s attack caused the cannon¡¯s projectile to shoot right over The Shoebill instead of right into her. Though, something concerning was the fact that it didn¡¯t just fire an extra-large cannonball or anything. It looked more like the cannon fired a rocket with a trail of smoke. ¡°Cover your mouth!¡± Fenrir shouted, covering his mouth with one hand while keeping his other on the ship¡¯s wheel. Meanwhile, Serra lifted up her shirt a little to cover up her own mouth with her hands overlapping on top. Not taking any chances with that smoke, Fenrir thought. If the enemy was willing to coat their projectiles in corrosive materials, it wouldn¡¯t surprise him if there was some sort of dangerous chemical mixed into the rocket¡¯s trail of smoke. He wasn¡¯t about to take a chance and test it out, either. That sort of suicidal experiment was Eva¡¯s thing. Meanwhile, the players onboard the enemy vessel tried leaning overboard to shoot at Ilo with their ranged weapons, but trying to shoot a serpent under the water from above the water, without a weapon specifically designed to maintain momentum within water, proved ineffective. They didn¡¯t even have any magic that could reach her, though they did try with spells of flame and wind. ¡°They¡¯re dumb,¡± Serra said when she saw one of the enemy casters deploy fire against water. ¡°They¡¯re desperate,¡± Fenrir said, correcting her. ¡°They have nothing else to do and it looks like the whale can¡¯t fight back either. I don¡¯t think they ever expected to be attacked from below. Probably thought they¡¯d be the only ones capable of doing that with their wannabe subamarine. Alright. Let¡¯s help Ilo out!¡± Serra nodded and stood back up. As soon as the cannons were lined up with the enemy, she fired the three on the starboard side. Each cannonball tore straight into the side of the whale. There was enough fat to stop the cannonballs from penetrating all the way through to its other side, but not enough to stop them from getting lodged inside its body right where its organs were. The monster whale leaned its front half up out of the water, bellowing in pain before bodyslamming itself back down. It was a desperate attempt to fight back against Ilo which failed to do anything since she let go before she could be slammed back down against the surface of the water. Knowing that disturbing the whale¡¯s riders was the best way to help out her friends, Ilo latched onto the whale¡¯s nearest fin and used the top of her head to repeatedly nudge and shake the rest of the monster¡¯s body. Biting and tearing the whale to death would have taken too long, so her only focus was to keep it busy and its crew shaken around while Fenrir and Serra actually took the whale out. ¡°Fire!¡± Fenrir ordered. The next volley of cannonballs shot out toward the whale. The latest three shots hit near the whale¡¯s spine, two crashing directly into the monster¡¯s vertebrae while the third cannonball crashed into the wooden structure strapped to its back. Thanks to Ilo¡¯s relentless assault on the whale, the weapons on its back just couldn¡¯t get another accurate shot off against The Shoebill. ¡°Damn it I love that serpent,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Ilo is giving us some safe target practice, so do your best!¡± ¡°How big are whale brains?¡± Serra asked, looking back at Fenrir as one of the missed attacks managed to land close enough to splash water up behind her. Fenrir was caught up in the sight for a moment. There was something incredibly beautiful about seeing his pirate of a girlfriend standing behind a cannon while water sprayed behind her. If it wasn¡¯t for them being in the middle of a battle ¨C fishing trip, and the fact that Serra was trying to not be so horny, he would have wanted to take her right then and there on The Shoebill¡¯s deck. Instead, he returned his focus to the matter at hand and her question. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but probably pretty big. Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll die if I hit its brain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to take one accurate shot.¡± ¡°One shot is all I¡¯ll need.¡± ¡°Serra.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too hot right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fire your cannon later as many times as you want.¡± Perhaps it was the combination of adrenaline from being in a battle, knowing that he could be killed from a lucky shot at any moment, and just how hot he found Serra, but he bit his lower lip and tightened his grip on the ship¡¯s wheel. ¡°I might just hold you to that.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Fenrir smiled and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll get you your shot. The rest is up to you.¡± With a nod, Serra stood at the frontmost port¡¯s cannon and prepared it for another shot. Fenrir steered The Shoebill closer to the monstrous whale, making sure to stay out of range from its riders¡¯ range, and brought the ship around to cross the whale once more. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you right in front of it!¡± Serra, standing still behind the cannon with her eyes looking down the simple sight that Tabitha gave it, never took her eyes off her target but did hold up a single hand to give Fenrir a thumbs-up. It was time to show off just how far she¡¯d come. The target kept on getting shaken around by Ilo. The Shoebill couldn¡¯t afford to slow down and small waves occasionally bumped her up. While Serra would technically have more shots even if she missed, her pride was on the line to settle this with a single, final attack. Yet, she wasn¡¯t even sweating it. She waited for the perfect moment. She waited for when her chosen cannon was directly in front of the monster¡¯s head, waited for The Shoebill to lift up a little more from the wave passing under her, and¡­ fired! The explosive force of the blast rocked The Shoebill in the opposite direction from where the cannon was fired and the cloud of smoke was quickly left behind as the ship never stopped its advance. Serra¡¯s sole cannonball tore straight into the whale¡¯s head, hitting it at the perfect angle to penetrate deep into its skull. Fenrir felt a bit bad for the whale when it didn¡¯t instantly die. It was clearly in the process of dying as its body failed to properly function with a hole in its brain, but Fenrir felt more proud than he did bad when he saw Serra looking at him with a smug smile. ¡°You¡¯re the best damn pirate I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°It¡¯s because I know my way around some booty,¡± Serra replied. Before either of them could say anything else, they got distracted by the sound of Ilo surfacing as the spikes along spine began to glow. With the whale dealt with, Ilo decided to do something that Fenrir really would have preferred her to do at the beginning of the battle. She unleashed her signature attack, sweeping a beam of extremely pressurized water across the structure built to the whale¡¯s back. The straps and bolts connecting the structure to the whale were destroyed alongside the rest of the infrastructure. It looked like a couple of players had their bodies cut into halves by the beam, too. Serra felt much less accomplished after seeing Ilo wipe out all the players with a single attack. She felt even less accomplished when Ilo return to The Shoebill with an immensely smug aura about her. Ilo couldn¡¯t make very complicated facial expressions, but they both knew that the serpent felt smug. They just knew. It helped that Fenrir could feel her emotions to some degree. Now, while the building atop the whale¡¯s back fell apart and crashed into the water, Ilo returned beneath the surface. ¡°I feel one-upped,¡± Serra said. ¡°Ilo is OP. Don¡¯t feel bad about it,¡± Fenrir replied, patting Serra on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay. One day I¡¯ll have an ultimate cannon attack even stronger than her.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure how possible that was considering she could at least need to get onto Azalabulia¡¯s level in regard to power just to compete with Ilo, but he would support her regardless. ¡°I believe in you.¡± Then, as if wanting to play with the enemies who fell in the water, Ilo sswam back over to where the now-dead whale was to grab on one more with her fangs before dragging the corpse away from all the players trying to swim back up onto it. Without the whale¡¯s corpse, all they had in the water with them were scraps of wooden debris. Two players managed to get up onto the fin of the whale¡¯s corpse, though. And those same two players were bumped up into the air when Ilo thrust her head up against the underside of the fin, knocking the players into the water before pushing the carcass even farther away. ¡°That¡¯s just sadistic,¡± Fenrir said. He was proud of her. ¡°She¡¯s stealing the spotlight,¡± Serra said. Even so, she was also proud of her. ¡°Most of them are still alive. Will they still attack us?¡± ¡°Doubt it. It¡¯ll be pretty hard for them to attack us in any way while they¡¯re trying not to drown.¡± ¡°Then what do we do now?¡± Fenrir looked out over the water where most of the enemy players were trying to stay afloat. The proper Divine Brigade thing to do would have been to laugh in their faces, mock them, and watch them as they drowned. Maybe offer them help and then pull away at the last second. Give them just a tiny bit of hope to cling to before crushing it before their eyes. Instead, Fenrir sighed. He sighed aand he looked past the struggling survivors to see if there was any loot floating in the water that they might be able to take. ¡°See anything worth taking?¡± Serra raised a hand up to her forehead and looked around. Using a hand as a visor was pretty pointless considering that her oversized hat did more than a good enough job at blocking the sun from ever getting in her eyes, but using a hand as a visor was a natural part of looking for things even if unnecessary. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything good.¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯re smart and took a page out of our book.¡± It didn¡¯t help that there was a good chance Ilo destroyed anything worth looting. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Back in the day, whenever we¡¯d go scouting or raiding, we made sure to never carry anything good on us. Because if we died, we wanted to make sure that all we did was waste the enemy¡¯s resources. It wouldn¡¯t be a waste if they actually profited from killing us. I mean, our intent was to not die in the first place, but we made sure they¡¯d get nothing material when they did kill us.¡± ¡°Oh. Makes sense.¡± ¡°There was one game that even allowed players to bury little caches of items and gear underground almost anywhere in the world. We got chased and surrounded by overwhelming forces, so we found some real quick hiding spots, took all our equipment off, and buried everything before letting our enemies find and kill us. They were pretty pissed off they didn¡¯t even get to break or steal our armor. Then we came back a couple of hours later, dug up our caches, requipped our gear, and harassed their base some more.¡± ¡°Did the same thing happen? ¡°Nope. They were stupid and most of them logged off because they didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be coming back. We destroyed their base and made off with their loot.¡± ¡°Sounds fun. Maybe I should start my own pirate fleet.¡± ¡°Maybe Nell can make you the grand admiral of the navy. Though, I think you might have some pretty strong competition for that position.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ oh well. This is fun enough.¡± ¡°But you know what I¡¯m thinking about right now?¡± ¡°Lewd things?¡± ¡°Stop being horny.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s so¡­ hard.¡± Serra snerked. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to throw you overboard to quench your thirst.¡± ¡°You want to make me all wet?¡± She snerked again. ¡°You¡¯re horrible at not being horny.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll forgive you because you¡¯re cute.¡± ¡°Yay.¡± ¡°Anyways, what I¡¯m thinking about is ¨C well, we basically just killed a giant fish monster. Well, whale monster, I guess. Are whales fish?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they both live in the water, so aren¡¯t they basically the same thing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s like saying octopi, whales, fish, and crabs are all the same thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier to call them all fish. Plus they all taste like fish.¡± ¡°So, we should classify things based off of how they taste?¡± ¡°Yeah. Makes sense.¡± ¡°You know, apparently, humans taste like pork. Does that make us pigs then?¡± ¡°Oink.¡± ¡°Or I guess it makes pigs humans.¡± ¡°Bonjour.¡± ¡°Wha-what? If oink was supposed to be a pig noise¡­ is bonjour a human noise?¡± ¡°Yeah. Bonjour.¡± ¡°I had no idea that ¡®bonjour¡¯ is the noise humans naturally make.¡± ¡°Hon hon hon. Bonjour. Baguettes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you said baguettes instead of cocks.¡± ¡°They¡¯re both long and hard. Same thing.¡± ¡°Are they hard?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, is yours?¡± Fenrir stared at her for a few moments and blinked before clarifying. ¡°I meant the baguettes.¡± ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t know. They look hard.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re bread. Wouldn¡¯t they have to be burnt to be hard?¡± ¡°Bread can have a hard crust¡­ layer, thing, and a soft inside.¡± ¡°I think the only way we¡¯ll know for sure is if we go and buy some baguettes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a blowjob if you give yourself a fake, curly mustache and swing around the baguette while going hon hon hon.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you do that even if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Yeah, but now you¡¯ll get two of them.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you give me two even if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t know how to bargain outside of offering lewd things.¡± ¡°I want to do it while you¡¯re wearing your penguin kigurumi.¡± Serra¡¯s eyes widened at the idea. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ super lewd. But it looks so cute and innocent¡­ how could you want to defile that?¡± ¡®That¡¯s exactly why I want to. The cuter it is, the more I want to lewd it.¡± ¡°Is that why you fell in love with me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s part of it.¡± ¡°Heh. I knew it. But okay. I¡¯ll be a penguin while you be French.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some kinky roleplay that I bet Nell has never even thought of before.¡± ¡°We have to one-up her to prove that she¡¯s not the only one with fun ideas.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if we try to one-up her, she¡¯s going to come at us with some sort of super degenerate fantasy that blows all of her previous ones out of the water. She¡¯ll put us in our place and teach us to never even try one-upping her.¡± ¡°Probably. But that makes me want to do it even more.¡± ¡°Yeah, same. I¡¯m scared, but I want to see just how depraved her mind can get.¡± ¡°Scared and horny is the third-best combination of feelings.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the first-best and second-best combinations?¡± ¡°Happy and horny is the second best. Horny and horny is the first best.¡± ¡°I should have figured as much. Anyways, again, what I was trying to say was that ¨C wait. I just realized how sidetracked we got from what I wanted to say.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing it again.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Fenrir gave his cheeks some smacks to keep himself focused. ¡°I want to eat it. The whale monster fish thing.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it mostly be fat?¡± ¡°I mean, probably, but look at how big it is. Even if it¡¯s mostly fat, there¡¯s still going to be more than enough meat under it for us.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°But first, we should make sure it tastes good before going through the effort of taking it back.¡± ¡°How?¡± Fenrir smiled and leaned over the side of The Shoebill. ¡°Ilo!¡± The serpent, still with a smug aura after so easily taking down her opponent, rose her head out from the water right in front of Fenrir. ¡°Want to go take a bite out of that monster and let me know if it tastes good enough to drag back to shore?¡± Ilo retreated back under the water before surfacing again near the floating corpse of the whale where she took a decent bite out of its side. After swallowing, she turned to look toward Fenrir and nodded her head. One thumbs-up from Fenrir later and she went back beneath the water¡¯s surface. ¡°It has Ilo¡¯s approval, so it must be pretty good,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What if she has a weird sense of taste?¡± Serra asked. ¡°Have some faith in her. A serpent of the ocean is obviously going to know what tastes the best. It¡¯s like if you visit a foreign country. You count on the locals to know what the best food there is.¡± ¡°Oh. I get it. That makes sense. It takes a fish to know what the tastiest fish are.¡± ¡°Well, except for Ilo not being a fish.¡± ¡°We¡¯re counting crabs as fish but not sea serpents?¡± ¡°Being labeled a fish is beneath her.¡± ¡°Oh. Makes sense.¡± Serra looked back at the floating carcass. ¡°How do we take it back? Can Ilo drag it?¡± ¡°Ilo¡¯s done enough for us already. We¡¯ll harpoon it and drag it back with The Shoebill.¡± Serra¡¯s eyes sparkled a little bit. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since we¡¯ve used her.¡± ¡°Well, outside of the fishing tournament we built her for, we haven¡¯t really had much reason to. Until now.¡± Nothing else needed to be said. Serra was already taking her seat at the back of their custom-built ballista to load up a bolt with a chain attached to it. Even though they rarely ever used the ballista, they still always kept some bolts for it next to it so that they would be prepared if they ever did need to use it. A moment later and Serra fired the bolt. It wasn¡¯t like much aiming was needed given that her target was already dead and still in the water, after all. Once the tip of the bolt penetrated the monster¡¯s flesh, its hooks expanded outward to keep it stuck within. ¡°Nice shot. That should be enough to keep it stuck,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°And if it comes out, well, I¡¯ll bribe Ilo to bring it back for us.¡± Serra looked back and gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Are we leaving the guys in the water still?¡± The whole time that Fenrir and Serra were talking, there were shouts and insults being hurled at them. Some of them switched to shouting for help once they realized they were being completely and utterly ignored. It would be the DB thing to torment them. It would also be the DB thing to save them just to turn them into prisoners for interrogation. I¡¯m supposed to take a fishing vacation this week. Doing anything with the players wouldn¡¯t be fishing. Killing and taking their monster-boat can technically count as fishing, Fenrir thought, doing his best to justify what he did as still satisfying the conditions of his agreement with Kadi. ¡°We¡¯ll leave them. After all, they¡¯re just random people who got in our way while we were fishing for the monster. They have nothing to do with us.¡± Serra smiled and nodded before pulling on the mechanism to lock the bolt¡¯s chain in place. ¡°Ready to go.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s return home with our catch. I¡¯d say this was a pretty successful fishing mission. Absolutely nothing but fishing was done. Just, giant monster fishing.¡± Serra tilted her head, a bit confused as to why he was talking like that. All Fenrir cared about was being technically correct. An all-powerful AI should appreciate things being technically correct, he figured. As for the other players trying to stay afloat in the water ¨C well, there were plenty of monsters out at sea who needed some fresh food. In fact, Ilo even went and swallowed a couple of them after Fenrir turned around with The Shoebill. She was, after all, still able to sense his feelings to some degree in the same way that Nell could. That meant she could sense his reluctance to do anything to them. And that was why she waited until he had his back turned to her to enjoy a quick snack. The monstrous whale might have tasted good, but it was nothing compared to a living human. Of course, neither could compare to the taste of rowboats. As Ilo went from desperately struggling player to desperately struggling player, she imagined taking a rowboat hunting expedition to the south in waters where she wouldn¡¯t get in trouble for it. That sounded nice. Book 8: Chapter 12: A couple of days after Fenrir, Serra, and Ilo took out the vessel from the End Bringers, Mister Smiles found herself standing watch over the prisoner like usual. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure why she kept on volunteering for the job. All it involved was standing in front of the door of the building they kept him chained up within while occasionally checking on him to make sure that he wasn¡¯t trying to kill himself or anything. It was a boring and tedious job. Yet, every single time she saw somebody else on guard duty looking bored out of their mind, she couldn¡¯t help but to offer to take over for them. Part of her mind told her that she should try doing spy things and gather some secret information from the captured necromancer, but she never even ended up doing that. She cared more about sparing the others from boredom than she did actually doing her job. She also really needed to go back out to the forest to check for a certain friend of hers who had been missing ever since the necromancer first showed up over there. She already went over a couple of times to look for him, but she couldn¡¯t just give up. I¡¯ll go check on him after I¡¯m done keeping watch, Mister Smiles thought just before somebody came to grab her attention. ¡°Yo,¡± Eva said, giving Mister Smiles a friendly salute. ¡°Guard duty again, huh?¡± Mister Smiles didn¡¯t expect Eva to come over on her own, but she nodded regardless. ¡°Everybody appreciates you helping out. Anyways, mind if I get in there? I¡¯ve got some things I want to talk to him about. I might not have another chance like this to talk to somebody from the End Bringers, especially if the plan is to apparently leave them to drown at sea instead of taking as many prisoners as we can.¡± Mister Smiles looked behind herself into the prisoner¡¯s room. There technically weren¡¯t any rules about letting people talk to the prisoner. Eva was also one of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends and thus trustworthy. So, why not? Mister Smiles stepped aside and opened the door for Eva. ¡°Thanks. I won¡¯t be too long, don¡¯t worry. And I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d come with me.¡± With a nod, Mister Smiles waited for Eva to enter the room before joining her and closing the door. ¡°Hey there, prisoner! You mind having a conversation?¡± Eva asked the chained necromancer. ¡°Fuck off,¡± the necromancer replied. However, once he actually looked Eva over, he gulped and didn¡¯t look nearly as mean as he did just moments prior. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. I just want to talk. I swear I¡¯m not here to interrogate you or anything like that.¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯re letting me out¡­ I don¡¯t care about what you¡¯re here for.¡± ¡°Dude, you have to be bored. Not only are you chained up in a small room with nothing to do, but you¡¯re actually staying immersed for all of it. That makes it sound like you want to roleplay it out. I might not be a roleplayer or anything, but I do like to talk.¡± ¡°What else am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. You could always start over with a new character.¡± ¡°I put too much work into this one to start from scratch!¡± ¡°Then you could always just go and do something in real life until you¡¯re killed or freed.¡± The necromancer looked away. ¡°Tch. Yeah, right.¡± Eva tilted her head when she heard his response. Her inquisitive mind told her that maybe there was something going on in real life that made him desperate enough to stay immersed even in a captured avatar, or maybe he simply had nothing to do in the real world. Even so, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel much pity for him considering that he wanted to interrupt their way of life in the world if Fantasy Tales Online. ¡°Anyways, I just wanted to talk to you about your magic. It sounded pretty cool from what I heard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. Magic. Your magic. It sounds cool.¡± ¡°My¡­ my necromancy?¡± ¡°Heck yeah. I haven¡¯t met anybody who plays around with necromancy. Animating golems and stuff, sure, but not actually using corpses.¡± A slight hint of red actually touched the necromancer¡¯s cheeks as he turned to face Eva. ¡°You serious?¡± ¡°Yeah, man. Honestly, I¡¯ve always liked necro and summoner type classes in games. Probably because they were always like, the smartest class, you know? They required the most micro-management and, when it came to lore, they were always the scholars and book nerds, which I could relate to.¡± ¡°Ri-right? And¡­ and necromancers are always the misunderstood scholars who everybody shuns! They stay locked in their labs all day, alone and researching. Nobody ever bothers them, either!¡± Eva couldn¡¯t relate to that part of it, but she wanted information. ¡°Yeah, I get it. Must be nice. Doing your own thing away from everybody else, never being bothered because they¡¯re not smart enough to understand me. That¡¯d be the life.¡± ¡°Right! You get it!¡± The necromancer leaned forward with a smile that, to Eva¡¯s surprise, actually looked¡­ immature and innocent. ¡°They¡¯re all too stupid to understand us! They laugh at us and make fun of us, but they don¡¯t understand how inferior they are! It¡¯s ironic, isn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°A-ah, yeah, it¡¯s really ironic.¡± Eva was a bit caught off guard from the man¡¯s sudden excitement, but she did her best to maintain her composure. ¡°But you know, it just means we¡¯re special. They¡¯re all boring and basic. They probably don¡¯t like us because they¡¯re jealous and know they could never understand us.¡± ¡°Exactly, exactly! God, I fucking hate the inferior trash that considers us their equals. Especially the ones who act so damn happy all the time. Fucking garbage hypocrites showing off.¡± ¡°Yeah. They can uh¡­ be a bit much, sometimes.¡± ¡°Sometimes? Try all the fucking time. You know how many people got grossed out when I wanted to be a necromancer? Even though necromancers are one of the strongest things you can be in this world? I can have an entire army of my own! But nooooo. Because this game is too realistic for the garbage, they thought it was creepy that I wanted to use corpses. It¡¯s so fucking stupid. If the game was less realistic they¡¯d be fine with me using cartoon bullshit corpses, but because of how close the graphics are to real life, they think it¡¯s creepy? It¡¯s the exact same thing! Who fucking cares how realistic the graphics are?! They literally handicapped themselves because they didn¡¯t want to play with somebody they thought was a creep! Fuck I hope they get fucking killed. Maybe I¡¯ll go hunt them down myself and do it, then turn their corpses into my newest pets. Yeah, that¡¯d be the perfect fucking punishment for those assholes.¡± It was time to get back on topic before Eva was overwhelmed from the edge. ¡°So¡­ how¡¯s your magic work anyways?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh. Well, I used to have my own style, but¡­ I switched to EB¡¯s style when I joined since it was more refined. I¡¯m not such an asshole that I won¡¯t admit when somebody does something better like me, like most fucking bitches. Wa-wait, sorry. I uh¡­ when I say bitches, I don¡¯t mean just girls, you know. I ¨C I uh, I mean ev-everybody.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. So, EB¡¯s style? What¡¯s the difference between that and your original style?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± While Eva questioned the necromancer to get as much information about how to perform his necromancy magic out of him as she could, Mister Smiles stood off to the side and took mental notes. The stuff he was saying about necromancy was good information to report¡­ but even more useful was Eva¡¯s technique. Eva was able to get the man talking solely by coming off as genuinely interested in him. She didn¡¯t have to threaten him. Didn¡¯t have to flirt with him. Didn¡¯t have to show him any skin or put on an extra girly voice or anything. All she had to do was talk to him like a friend. Was that what people meant by the old saying of ¡°good cop, bad cop?¡± Was this an example of playing the ¡°good cop?¡± Mister Smiles had no idea, but she did know that the method seemed extremely effective against somebody like the necromancer. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting,¡± Eva said. ¡°So¡­ it sounds like the EB style of things relies on emotional power instead of something like magic energy.¡± ¡°I guess,¡± the necromancer replied. ¡°They tell us to stop repressing who we are. They teach us that we can only be truly powerful when we show the world who we really are. No masks. Only the truth. It¡¯s by embracing who we are that we¡¯re able to know we¡¯re better than everybody else. Just look at how many people still hold back even though they¡¯re in this world! They¡¯re hypocrites who play a game to escape from reality, but then they judge others for being themselves! EB doesn¡¯t do that. EB accepts everybody no matter who or what they are.¡± ¡°Anything goes with them, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Anything. Nobody judges ¨C well, the only people we judge are the ones who hold themselves back. The ones who lie to themselves.¡± ¡°Sounds pretty hedonistic.¡± ¡°Heh, I guess it is. Yeah, we¡¯re hedonists. Why wouldn¡¯t we be? It¡¯s a game! Anybody who¡¯s against that shouldn¡¯t be playing. They should go walk around with cactuses up their asses while bending over backwards for every other asshole they meet in real life. If they can¡¯t handle us treating a game like a game, they don¡¯t deserve to enjoy it. The real world is for hypocrites like them. Leave the virtual world to people who actually understand how it¡¯s fucking supposed to be. What the fuck is the point of judging others and forcing rules on them if none of it¡¯s real? Seriously, what¡¯s the point? Why can¡¯t they just let us be who we want to fucking be in peace?¡± Eva was pretty sure that people would be letting them be who they wanted to be in peace if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they were notorious for attacking others first and unprovoked, but she stayed quiet about that. ¡°I get it. But seriously, emotional energy as a primary fuel for magic¡­ hey, if you¡¯re into research and like being left alone, why didn¡¯t you consider joining the scholars?¡± ¡°Fuck the scholars. Pretentious prudes who claim to pursue knowledge while refusing to let people actually chase it. The fuck is the point about claiming to study everything if they don¡¯t even allow you to study everything?¡± ¡°Well¡­ basically the only rule they enforce is to get consent before experimenting on others. Aside from that, everything goes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rule in a fucking video game. They think they¡¯re better than us because they have it. Fuck them. ¡®Oooh, you can¡¯t experiment on others if they don¡¯t consent first because you might hurt their feelings in a video game.¡¯ Boo fucking hoo. If they care about consent so much, I hope we capture some of them alive and break them until they¡¯re begging for more. Show them how much of a good time they can have if¡ª¡± An electrifying arc of energy traveled from Eva¡¯s thunderbird wing into the necromancer¡¯s body, pulsating throughout him and dropping him to the ground where his muscles contracted and forced him into the fetal position. Eva made sure to keep it going for as long as she could before he might potentially die from it. It went on long enough that smoke rose from his skin once she was done. Once it ended, the necromancer opened his eyes and looked up at Eva. What he saw were not the eyes of somebody he thought might be the same ¨C somebody who might even be worthy of calling a friend. Rather, what he saw were the judgmental eyes of somebody who looked at him as if he were lower than an insect. Eva didn¡¯t even grace him with anything else to say. ¡°Weird,¡± Eva said, her attention turned to Mister Smiles. ¡°Did you see that localized lightning strike that somehow materialized in this room?¡± Mister Smiles slowly and nervously nodded her head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing that consent doesn¡¯t matter, right? I¡¯m sure whatever it struck wouldn¡¯t care that it didn¡¯t consent to it.¡± Again, Mister Smiles nodded. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to go dunk my head into a pool of lava to hopefully forget most of that. A good ol¡¯ brain melting should do the trick, right?¡± Mister Smiles wasn¡¯t sure if nodding was the appropriate response to that, but she nodded yet again. ¡°Keep up the good work!¡± With that, Eva patted Mister Smiles on the shoulder and left the room. When Mister Smiles looked down at the electrocuted necromancer, she saw a man who¡­ looked sad, to her surprise. She expected anger. Rage. Hatred. Instead, she saw somebody who looked defeated. Depressed, even. It was hard for her to feel any sympathy for him considering everything she just heard him say, but she found him pitiful. It was clear to her that he was a man full of hate and that said hate was being taken advantage of by people who probably didn¡¯t actually care about him at all. He got himself into a cult that deceived him into thinking they were the only ones who would accept him. And if anything, Eva just reinforced his beliefs. She reinforced that others were liars who treated him like trash, even if she did think he deserved it in that particular instance. Was that really the right thing to do? Was making somebody who already felt like the world was against them suffer going to actually accomplish anything other than make his beliefs even more extreme than they already were? Mister Smiles didn¡¯t know the answers to these questions, but she did remember to check on the necromancer¡¯s bindings and helped him back up onto the bed before leaving the room. She then stood outside the entrance to the room and thought about everything she heard for the next couple of hours. While guard duty was usually boring and she¡¯d find somebody willing to switch with her after some time, she didn¡¯t mind standing there doing nothing but thinking this time. It wasn¡¯t something she ever really gave serious thought to before. One thing stuck out to her more than anything else. The necromancer hated those who wore masks. He might not have meant it literally, but she was both literally and metaphorically wearing a mask. Not just a mask, but an entire body suit dedicated to covering up who she was. If there was anybody who didn¡¯t act like their true self out of everybody that she knew, it was her. The necromancer might have have been not exactly likable, but at least he was being himself. That was something she could respect him for. Eventually, her time watching the prisoner came to an end when it was finally the moment to transfer him. ¡°Hey,¡± Cassiel said, standing with Nell and her entourage of battle maids behind them. ¡°Thanks for watching him. Is he ready to go?¡± Mister Smiles nodded and stepped aside. Nell offered Mister Smiles a polite curtsy and said, ¡°I appreciate you spending so much time watching him. I am sure that it was not a fun job, but I will make sure you are compensated for it!¡± Mister Smiles bowed in return and nodded. ¡°Alright, come on,¡± Cassiel said after opening the door up. ¡°We¡¯re taking you over to ¨C why does it smell like burnt flesh in here? And you¡¯re all burned up! What happened?¡± ¡°Hmm. I do recall Eva saying that she was going to come talk to him earlier,¡± Nell said. ¡°Tch. If this was her, she can¡¯t just go and¡­ well, maybe he tried something. I don¡¯t know. Plus we¡¯re sending him to Spike Port anyways. Whatever she did probably won¡¯t compare to them.¡± Cassiel healed the necromancer back to full health before helping him up and bringing him outside. Both Cassiel and Nell expected him to gawk at them like he did when they first checked on him earlier in the day, but the necromancer didn¡¯t have it in him. He kept his head low and allowed Cassiel to drag him by his chains wherever she wanted to lead him. ¡°Maybe they won¡¯t have to break through his resistance after all,¡± Cassiel said and then looked at Nell. ¡°Ready?¡± Nell nodded and followed along. ¡°Ah, wait! I forgot to bring the rules!¡± Anastasia, humming to herself like always, stepped forward with a book in hand that was titled, The Rules of Engagement and Ethical Treatment of Prisoners. ¡°A-ah, thank you.¡± Just a little bit of red colored Nell¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I should have known that you would not allow me to forget anything.¡± Anastasia stepped back to rejoin the other maids and went back to focusing on her humming, her eyes closed. Despite her eyes usually being, or at least looking, closed, she was perhaps the most graceful of the maids and nearly never made mistakes. This was one of those times. Even though she always looked like her eyes were closed, she saw Nell leave behind the book and brought it along. With book in hand, all but Mister Smiles left for the docks where they would take a ship over to Spike Port and hand the prisoner off to Marija. That left Mister Smiles alone with only one thing in mind to do. She returned to the forest where her camp-turned-necromancer¡¯s-base was. ¡°Hope Bo¡¯s alright,¡± Mister Smiles said as she walked through the forest, for once with her mask off and instead held under her left arm. ¡°Didn¡¯t see ¡®im back durin¡¯ tha fight at all.¡± She made sure to keep her head on a swivel, mainly looking toward the forest¡¯s canopy. It was only when she heard the fluttering of wings come from directly behind her that she instantly felt relieved. Mister Smiles spun around and saw none other than her trusted ally. ¡°Bo!¡± she shouted, wrapping her arms around the giant vulture. He was nearly as tall as she was! As for the vulture himself, he didn¡¯t get her any sort of reply other than leaning his head away from her as she hugged him. ¡°Ah was scared when ah didn¡¯t see ya, Bo! Last thing ah wanted was for ya ta b e turned inta a zombie!¡± If the vulture could sigh, he would have right before he pulled himself away from her by slipping down through her arms. He then held out his right wing for her which could only mean one thing. Mister Smiles reached into dense feathers of his right wing in the usual spot and pulled out a sealed note. ¡°Huh¡­ didn¡¯t expect ¡®em to reply since ah¡¯ve barely been sendin¡¯ anythin¡¯ worth replyin¡¯ to back. What¡¯s up?¡± She broke through the seal which triggered the edges of the parchment to begin burning. The fire was slow enough to give her a chance to read it, however. And what she read put a look of shock on her face. ¡°E-eh?! Seriously?! Last warnin¡¯?! Ah haven¡¯t even done anythin¡¯! Ah¡­ wait. Ah haven¡¯t done anythin¡¯¡­ maybe that¡¯s why they¡¯re warnin¡¯ me. Ah, man¡­ if they¡¯d¡¯a waited a few more days ah coulda told ¡®em about tha new faction!¡± Mister Smiles groaned and whined. The last thing of any interest that she reported was the slaying of the serpent. Afterwards, she got so distracted by helping everybody build the new town up, practicing for her duels with Fenrir, and not feeling like making the trip to the forest that she didn¡¯t report anything for a couple of months. ¡°Ah¡­ darn it. Maybe they¡¯ll forgive me once they read about this.¡± Mister Smiles dug back into the vulture¡¯s wing, pulling out a blank sheet and pink to write with. Bo¡¯s feathers made excellent hiding spots. After writing down everything that Mister Smiles had to report, she tucked the letter back into Bo¡¯s wing and gave his neck a gentle petting. ¡°Good to see that bastard didn¡¯t get ya. Make sure ta have a safe flight back, ya hear?¡± Bo rolled his head around as if it was an extremely dramatic form of rolling his eyes before pecking her shoulder and lifting off. Once the vulture was out of her sight, Mister Smiles slumped down against the nearest tree and sighed. There may have been a battle against the undead there just days ago, but most of the corpses were gone. Only a few skeletons remained. After all, if the game didn¡¯t accelerate the decomposing of bodies at all, the world would have essentially been one massive mountain of corpses considering how murder happy many players could get. Of course, corpses that players were actively making use of didn¡¯t decompose as quickly as the rest left all over the place. For example, that monstrous whale brought back to the city was still sitting on the beach. Most of its meat was already carved from it, but everything was else still there creating a not-so-pleasant sight for anybody who felt like relaxing on the sand. ¡°I guess that¡¯s how you¡¯ve been relaying information,¡± a familiar voice said, possibly the last possible voice that Mister Smiles wanted to hear. Mister Smiles scrambled to put her mask back on but ended up dropping it instead. Then, due to the round nature of the mask, it rolled right over to the one who just spoke. Fenrir bent over and picked up the mask, giving the inside of it a look. ¡°Is this bigger on the inside? I feel like I¡¯m looking into a black hole here.¡± Mister Smiles raised her hands as if to reach for the mask, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to actually get up and go for it. Instead, she sat there on the ground as various whimpers escaped her quivering lips, her hands shaking in the air. Fenrir found the sight of her so flustered absolutely adorable but, given that he wasn¡¯t all that close to her, he didn¡¯t want to tease her too hard. So, he tossed the mask over to her which she was quick to put on. Only, she stopped. Mister Smiles stopped right before the mask finished going over her neck. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Th-this¡­ might be a uh¡­ weird question¡­ but ya ever¡­ wear a mask to hide who ya really are?¡± Mister Smiles asked, her voice sounding as nervous as she looked. ¡°My entire avatar is a mask. Trust me, I¡¯m not a hot wolf guy in real life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s different. Ah guess ah ¨C I, I¡­ guess I mean¡­ personality. Ya ever try hidin¡¯ yer ¨C your, personality?¡± ¡°Like how you¡¯re trying to hide your accent right now? You can talk like normal. I understand you fine.¡± ¡°I ¨C ah ¨C I¡­ it ain¡¯t what I meant¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re talking about personality¡­ I guess it depends on what you mean by mask.¡± Mister Smiles, still holding the mask over her head rather than set it down, tilted her head and the mask at the same time. ¡°Does it count as a mask if I pretended to be who I wanted to be instead of acted like who I really was?¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m¡­ not sure. Yeah, I guess, but I don¡¯t think that sounds bad. But wouldn¡¯t that be yer true self? The person ya pretend to be is who ya want to really be, ain¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Now it is, since I¡¯ve put effort into acting the same in real life, but I wouldn¡¯t say it was my true self originally.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Well, if somebody wants to get really good at flying planes, that doesn¡¯t mean their true self is an expert pilot. There¡¯s a difference between who you are and who you want to be. You could be a horrible person but genuinely wish you were good. You could be attracted to women but wish you were attracted to men instead. You could be allergic to dogs but wish you weren¡¯t. In all those cases, your true self and who you want to be are completely different. Aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ ah guess so. Wait. If you ¨C if ya found me out here¡­ a-and with what ya said about relayin¡¯ info¡­¡± ¡°Right. I know you¡¯re a spy.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ crap. How long have ya known?¡± ¡°A while. Serra told me.¡± ¡°She ¨C she did?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t get upset with her. I mean, consider the fact that I¡¯m her boyfriend and that you¡¯re a spy in our territory and I think that she was justified in telling me your secret.¡± ¡°I¡­ guess ah can¡¯t complain when I look at it that way.¡± ¡°She thinks of you as her friend, so I don¡¯t want to ruin that. But at the same time, we¡¯ve now had two encounters with players from EB and you just so happened to know exactly where the first one was despite being so far from the town. Knowing that you¡¯re a spy, considering all that, I feel like I¡¯d be a failure if I didn¡¯t come and check on you despite believing you are innocent of associating with them.¡± ¡°I understand¡­ wait. Di-did you also know about me bein¡¯ a¡­ a girl then?¡± ¡°Nope. Only just found that out the other day when you came to talk to me.¡± ¡°Seriously? She never told ya?¡± ¡°Nope. If she knew, she never once even hinted at it. She only told me what she felt was important to our security.¡± Mister Smiles smiled, not that Fenrir was able to see it due to her still awkwardly holding her mask over most of her head. ¡°Wait, if ya knew I was a spy and might be a risk¡­ why¡¯d ya let me the watch the prisoner so much?¡± ¡°Because I knew you were a spy. I figured that you¡¯d either release him or kill him if you were working with him. All the other ways of testing you seemed kind of awkward, and I didn¡¯t want to mess up what we had going. You¡¯re still my daily sparring partner, after all.¡± Mister Smiles remained perfectly still for a few moments before taking a deep breath and lifting the mask back up and away from her head, setting it on the ground next to her. Fenrir would have been more impressed by the beauty she was keeping hidden away from everybody had he not already had several beautiful girlfriends. ¡°Is there a reason you were asking about masks?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess ah¡¯ve never really¡­ thought about who I am before. Never really thought about who ah want ta be either. But ah won¡¯t bore ya with all that. Besides, I ain¡¯t got much to say on the topic other than ¡®at.¡± ¡°Well, if you ever do want to talk about it, you¡¯re welcome to bring it up while punching me in the face.¡± Fenrir took a couple of moments before realizing how that sounded. ¡°I ¨C I mean, you know, during our sparring sessions. Not in like, a masochistic way.¡± Mister Smiles chuckled and smiled. ¡°Thanks. But err¡­ about this spy thing.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t ya worried?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°H-how come?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a really bad spy.¡± Mister Smiles felt like an arrow was shot straight through her, even going so far as to almost fall backward. Instead of falling, though, she picked up her mask, shoved it into place over her head, and asked, ¡°Wha-what do ya mean by that?! Ah¡¯ve been doin¡¯ my best!¡± ¡°All you do is help everybody out.¡± ¡°What if ah was buildin¡¯ up your trust?!¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t. At least, that wasn¡¯t your intention. You were just helping because you wanted to.¡± ¡°How can ya know that?!¡± ¡°Because you asked what if you were trying to build trust.¡± Another whimper escaped her muoth. ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that you easily admitted to being a spy to me. You didn¡¯t even try denying it. Not to mention that you spilled the truth to Serra and didn¡¯t even try manipulating her at all.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ah really am horrible at it, ain¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Sorry, but kind of.¡± Mister Smiles slumped her shoulders and head. Given the size of her mask, her head¡¯s movements always resulted in pretty dramatic movements. She often looked like she had a bobblehead¡¯s head attached to her. ¡°Did ya come out here just ta make me remember ah¡¯m the worst spy there ever was?¡± ¡°Listen, it¡¯s because you¡¯re a bad spy that I don¡¯t care you are one. If you were a good spy who was seriously trying to undermine us, we would have to kill you or kick you out.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Of course, it was always possible that she was actually an amazing spy pretending to be a bad spy, but Fenrir had a gut feeling that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°I just want to ask you one thing to make sure that we¡¯re all good.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± ¡°We¡¯re your friends, right?¡± Mister Smiles looked up and nodded without any hesitation. ¡°Good. Everybody would be upset if you betrayed us or did anything stupid like that. But since you consider us all friends, I¡¯ll believe you wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°A-ah wouldn¡¯t. I ain¡¯t even really doin¡¯ much spy work¡­ ah¡¯m basically a glorified news reporter¡­¡± ¡°Good. Now, there¡¯s one thing that you can do to prove that you¡¯re not going to try and screw us over.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Go fishing with me.¡± Mister Smiles froze as her heart raced. ¡°Ju-just tha two of us?¡± Fenrir nodded before stretching his arms out over his head. ¡°I want to get to know you better, so yeah. Besides, the real reason why I followed you all the way out here is to make sure that you¡¯re a trustworthy fishing partner. This has nothing to do with anything but fishing. It¡¯s all fishing related. Yes it is.¡± It was a good thing that Mister Smiles put the mask back on. Had she not done that, Fenrir would have seen her grinning like a nervous idiot over the fact that she thought it sounded like he wanted to take her out on a date. It was also a good thing that she was so nervous and excited about the sound of a fishing date with Fenrir that she didn¡¯t notice how awkward he was about claiming it¡¯s only about fishing. Book 8: Chapter 13: ¡°Do you think cat girls would sit in boxes?¡± Fenrir asked, his tail casually swishing about behind him as he walked with Mister Smiles toward the fishing spot he had been wanting to try out. ¡°H-huh?¡± Mister Smiles asked in response, walking beside him. ¡°Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask.¡± The two walked in a bit of an awkward silence for the next few moments before Mister Smiles¡¯ curiosity got to the best of her. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ curious about what ya meant with your question.¡± ¡°You know what a cat girl is, right?¡± ¡°A-err¡­ cat who¡¯s a girl?¡± ¡°You have a lot to learn, my smiling friend.¡± He checked on her reaction out of the corner of his eye and saw a small smile. An actual smile. Seeing as how her mask was off, he was able to see a real, genuine smile from her for the first time. ¡°You see, there are cats, which can be girls, and then there are cat girls. A cat girl looks like a normal human girl for the most part, but has cat ears and a tail. And this applies to more than just cat girls. I¡¯m a wolf boy. Or dog boy. I¡­ actually forget which one I was going for. Either way, I¡¯m a canine boy. Nyaiko? She was a cat girl. Eva? She uh¡­ I guess isn¡¯t any specific type of girl. Just a hybrid.¡± ¡°So¡­ if a girl looks human¡­ and gets dragon wings or somethin¡¯¡­ would that make her a dragon girl?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a fast learner.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what if it¡¯s the other way around? Like¡­ a cat with human ears and hands instead of paws?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°Sorry. I ¨C I guess that was a strange thing to ask.¡± ¡°No, no. I just need a minute. The mental picture is throwing me off. Anyways, I have no idea. Uhh. I think we might just have to settle for calling that an abomination.¡± In just a few minutes, Fenrir saw his first real smile from Mister Smiles and heard his first laugh from her. ¡°Probably,¡± she agreed. ¡°Ah think I like cat girls better than cat abominations.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s something all of us can agree on. Anyways, now that you know what a cat girl is, would one sit in a box?¡± ¡°Why a box?¡± ¡°You know the stereotype, right? About cats loving to sit in boxes?¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°You must be too busy beating the crap out of me every day to look at memes.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ give yerself some credit. You put up some good fights.¡± ¡°I think my problem is that you¡¯re a pure, physical brawler. I¡¯ve kind of ended up in a weird, anti-magic brawling position. If you¡¯re not reliant on magic, I think you¡¯re probably always going to beat me if we ever seriously fight without holding back. Seriously, you¡¯re something else.¡± ¡°Wh-where¡¯s all this praise comin¡¯ from?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m just being honest. You¡¯re an amazing fighter. I feel like I¡¯m going up against somebody who actually has real experience when I fight you, whereas the only experience I have is from some other fighting VR games. But it¡¯s like, you know? No matter how good somebody might get in VR, you can always just tell when somebody has the real-life skill to back themselves up.¡± ¡°I guess you could say ah¡¯ve got some real experience. Nothin¡¯ serious though.¡± Since Fenrir had her talking, he decided to keep the conversation going before it could have another chance to slip back into awkward silence. ¡°What about fishing? Got any experience with that?¡± ¡°Yeah. Me and the old man¡­ he¡¯d take me fishin¡¯ and huntin¡¯ when I was a kid.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve actually been fishing in real life? And hunting?¡± ¡°Lived out where nobody else really did.¡± ¡°Makes sense then. Only place you¡¯re really going to find fish is if you have a private pond stocked with them or live far enough away from the cities. What was hunting like? Only ever tried it in one game before, and I¡¯ll admit I had no idea what I was doing and got bored of sitting in the same place for hours waiting for something to show up.¡± ¡°Heh. It requires a lotta patience, that¡¯s for sure. But I never minded it. Thought it was relaxin¡¯ to be out in the woods with my old man, sittin¡¯ up in a tree enjoyin¡¯ the sounds of nature while waitin¡¯. Those were good times. Simple times. I miss ¡®em.¡± ¡°Sounds like it.¡± ¡°Then cancer had to ruin everything.¡± Fenrir half expected to hear something like that considering her mentioning of missing those times, but he wasn¡¯t sure she would actually bring it up. Now that she did, he wasn¡¯t sure how to react other than by relying on the typical, generic response most often used in such situations. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t yer fault. It ain¡¯t anybody¡¯s fault. Cancer is too much of a bastard to let anybody else share the blame.¡± ¡°Do you¡­ want to talk about it?¡± ¡°I¡­ do, but I doubt ya want ta hear me talk about somethin¡¯ so depressin¡¯.¡± ¡°I lost my parents when I was younger. I know how it feels to just want to talk to somebody about it sometimes, especially if you haven¡¯t really done it before.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hey, if you won¡¯t let me say I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not going to let you say you¡¯re sorry. Anyways, there¡¯s no pressure. If you want to talk, I¡¯ll listen. If you don¡¯t want to, we¡¯ll change the subject.¡± ¡°Er¡­ I uh, guess ah do want ta talk about it. But ah don¡¯t know. Are ya sure ya don¡¯t mind listenin¡¯?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. Promise. Though, wait. Here.¡± Fenrir pushed his way through a bush and came out on the other side which revealed his destination. ¡°Heard some guys talk about this place and had them show me where it was. First time coming to fish here, though.¡± On the other side of the bush was a beautiful, still pond disturbed only by the occasional air bubbles that rose to the surface. Surrounding the edge of the pond was a dense circle of weeds that served as a hiding spot for some of the smaller fish to swim within. It would also surely prove to be the doom of any lines that were reeled into it. At the back of the pond was a small stream that ran off toward the mountains. In the center of the pond, there was no visible bottom despite how clear the water was. All they could see was a pit that eventually grew dark enough to not see what was on the other side of it. ¡°Crazy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°A bottomless pond just right in the middle of the forest like this.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ a sinkhole?¡± Mister Smiles asked. ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t know. I think places like this just might be a feature of the region. There was another one in the mountains those fish monsters tried invading through. Well, it was in a giant cave instead of out in the middle of a forest, but same thing. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there¡¯s a tunnel at the bottom of the pond that leads out to the ocean. Which means¡­¡± If the End Bringers find out about these tunnels, they could use them to their advantage. Especially if they have monsters that they can use to travel underwater. ¡°Somethin¡¯ wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re here to fish and talk.¡± I¡¯ll just let the others know about that later. Maybe Ilo can do a search for any tunnels like these so we know where they are all. ¡°Anyways, here.¡± While they walked, Fenrir carried their rods and fishing gear while Mister Smiles carried her helmet. Now that they were at their fishing site, Mister Smiles set down the oversized, smiling head and took the rod that Fenrir brought for her. ¡°What do you think we should go with? Live bait or lures?¡± ¡°For a pond like this¡­ depends on the bait and lures. Ah ain¡¯t seein¡¯ any big fish in there, so a small worm might be fine ta start with.¡± Mister Smiles took off the lid of the jar used to hold the worms and picked one out with ease. She managed to pick one that was particularly fat and wriggly, too. Fenrir was used to his girlfriends having a bit of trouble with that part. Well, except for Eva. They all had a bit of difficulty when it came to picking up a worm and slipping a hook through its body even if it was all virtual. Fenrir struggled with that back when he first tried fishing in games, too. And even though Eva might not have been bothered by it, she was anything but a pro at it. Mister Smiles, however, secured the worm in a way that would prevent it from slipping off no matter how hard it tried. Taking Rod off his hip, he extended his trusty partner into his full size and slid a worm onto his hook. ¡°Want the honors of the first cast?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It¡¯s all yours,¡± Mister Smiles answered. ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± One cast later and Fenrir¡¯s worm landed right near the center of the pond. Mister Smiles¡¯ line landed a bit more to the side to make sure that their lines wouldn¡¯t get tangled up in each other. Now that the two had nothing to do but wait, Fenrir asked, ¡°So, still want to talk about it?¡± ¡°About what?¡± Mister Smiles asked right before remembering their earlier conversation. ¡°Oh. Err¡­ I don¡¯t know. Might do some good fer me, but¡­¡± ¡°Like I said, no pressure.¡± There might not have been any pressure, but there was silence. For a few moments at least before Mister Smiles asked, ¡°Why¡­ is it so easy to talk to you?¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears twitched as he tilted his head a little, keeping his eyes on his line. ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re¡­ easy to talk to. I feel like ah¡¯m talkin¡¯ to a friend I¡¯ve known for a long time.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s all our daily fighting sessions. You¡¯ve pounded me in the face with your fists so many times that you¡¯ve gotten comfortable around me.¡± ¡°Shuddup, it ain¡¯t that.¡± Fenrir smiled and looked at her. ¡°Telling me to shut up now? Punching me really has worked.¡± Mister Smiles made a little scrunched up face at him before poking her tongue out at him. ¡°Teasin¡¯ me when ah¡¯m here tryin¡¯ ta be all serious¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t resist. But you know, I am being serious. People used to say things like men could beat the shit out of each other in order to understand one another. They bonded through their fists. Don¡¯t see why that has to be limited only to men. Maybe we did something similar without even meaning to.¡± ¡°Ah don¡¯t want ta think that¡¯s what actually happened¡­¡± ¡°Too bad. We punched each other into friendship.¡± Mister Smiles sighed and slumped her shoulders. ¡°Ah¡­ guess I can¡¯t deny it. I did feel a bit closer to ya after our fights¡­¡± ¡°Great. Then I can officially say I¡¯ve made a friend via punching each other now. Between that and making a girlfriend via penetration through the back with a spear, I¡¯m on track to collect all the rare friendship-making methods.¡± ¡°Ah swear¡­ yer ridiculous.¡± ¡°Thanks, I try.¡± When Fenrir looked at her again, he saw the face of a woman trying her best not to smile while utterly failing at the task. Perhaps it was him lifting her mood that made her that final bit comfortable enough to actually open up and talk about the earlier topic. ¡°My old man wasn¡¯t a good person. He wasn¡¯t even a good dad. But ah still loved him. He tried his best, which ah guess is all that really matters. Anyways¡­ docs said they never saw cancer spread so quick before. By the time he stopped bein¡¯ so stubborn an¡¯ finally went to get himself checked out, it was already too late and they gave him a year ta live. Didn¡¯t even get half that much. Ya know, there¡¯re always stories about folk bein¡¯ given some short amount of time left ta live, and then the stories end with ¡®em makin¡¯ full recoveries or survivin¡¯ twice as long at least. Nobody ever tells the stories about the opposite. Kinda wish they did.¡± ¡°I can understand that. If the only stories ever shared are all the good ones, that can cause even more pain to families when their loved ones don¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°Yeah. Exactly. Ya know¡­ I read so many stories about survivors. All ah could think about back then was my dad. Only way ta relax was readin¡¯ about people survivin¡¯ against all odds. I think ah actually tricked myself into believing that he would survive even as things kept gettin¡¯ worse and worse. Kept tellin¡¯ myself he¡¯d bounce back any time. He¡¯d bounce back, chug a beer, and take me huntin¡¯ for some deer. Then he¡¯d end up ruinin¡¯ our hunt by thinkin¡¯ of stupid jokes about farts and crack himself up over them. Heh. He had the sense of humor of a little kid.¡± ¡°Sounds like you had lots of fun with him.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ like I said, he might not¡¯ve been the best dad around, but he was my dad. I loved that old man.¡± ¡°Did you¡­ still have your mom after that? Or any other family?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. Mom took the first opportunity to move us back to tha city once he was gone. She couldn¡¯t stand bein¡¯ in a place that reminded her of him, plus she always hated the country. She¡¯s a real city girl.¡± ¡°When you say she couldn¡¯t stand being in a place that reminded her of him, do you mean¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, shoot. Bad phrasing. She loved him. That was why she tolerated the country for ¡®im. Broke her heart to stay in our old place without him.¡± ¡°Alright, that doesn¡¯t sound as bad as I as I thought then.¡± ¡°Heh. Yeah. And ya know, I loved my dad, but I still love my mom, too. I really put her through a lot¡­ but she always took care of me even when I was a massive pain in the ass.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m curious about what you got up to.¡± Mister Smiles scratched the back of her head. ¡°Geez¡­ a lot. But uh¡­ ah guess the worst woulda been takin¡¯ the old man¡¯s rifle and shootin¡¯ the clay rabbit in a yard down a street. Wanted to see if ah could hit it from our place.¡± ¡°So, you hunted a clay rabbit in a residential area with a real gun?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ shoulda seen my mom. She was fumin¡¯. Looked like she was about ta explode. Ah still feel a bit bad about that. Pretty sure half her grey hairs came right after that happened. Then there was tha time I punched a guy in the face.¡± ¡°What¡¯d he do to deserve getting punched?¡± ¡°Smacked my ass outta nowhere.¡± ¡°Sounds like a pretty justified thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was, but people weren¡¯t too happy about me continuin¡¯ ta punch him after he was already down.¡± ¡°Ah. In that case¡­ I mean, I wouldn¡¯t defend him, but maybe that was a bit overkill.¡± ¡°It was overkill. Even ah¡¯ll admit that. Had to have an ambulance called for ¡®im. But, I know I made my old man proud. He did the same thing when somebody did that to my mom back in the day. She told me I reminded her of him. That made me pretty happy and took away some of the pain ah felt in my hands.¡± ¡°Was that the fighting experience you had?¡± ¡°Nah. I used ta wrestle as a kid. Dad always wanted to play wrestle with me, then he signed me up for actual wrestlin¡¯ when I was old enough. Won a few tournaments as a kid. Still got the trophies.¡± ¡°You had a way more interesting life than me. That¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°Huh? How? All I did was normal kid stuff. A guy like you¡­ you¡¯ve gotta have a more interestin¡¯ story than me.¡± ¡°Not really. I was just a normal kid playing games and running around outside as a kid. Then around when I was a teen, I spent all my time indoors playing video games and watching anime. That uh¡­ that was it. Really unimpressive. I¡¯ve never even had a job or anything. Never went to college, either. I¡­ shit. I¡¯m a really boring person. How the heck do I have multiple girlfriends?¡± Mister Smiles gave his shoulder a small push before shaking her head. ¡°C¡¯mon! Ya can¡¯t say that about yerself. Sure, maybe ya didn¡¯t do much in the real world, but what¡¯s that matter? You¡¯ve done all sortsa things in-game that I bet normal folk wish they could do! Come on, yer awesome! Plus I always see ya bein¡¯ super kind an¡¯ helpful ta everybody. And yer smooth and confident around your girls. You¡¯re awesome, ya know?¡± For once, it was Fenrir who went quiet first rather than Mister Smiles. Mister Smiles didn¡¯t even notice how much she managed to make him blush until she failed to get a response from him. And that was when she realized everything she just said. Her own face turned red to match his. That was why she reached down to pick up her mask and put it back on, but she was stopped before she could. ¡°Wait,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡­ sorry. I just wasn¡¯t expecting to hear all of that from you. Caught me off guard. I¡¯m not used to hearing anybody but my girlfriends talk like that, and even then¡­ I think it¡¯s been a while since they¡¯ve decided to drop a compliment nuke on me like that. Thanks.¡± ¡°They¡­ they don¡¯t say that kinda stuff to ya all the time?¡± Mister Smiles asked. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need to. We all know we love each other and think those sorts of things about each other every day. I guess you could say we¡¯ve kind of moved into the part where we¡¯re comfortably happy with each other and just¡­ honestly treat each other more like friends than girlfriends and boyfriends. I mean, we still do that sort of stuff together, but you know? I think most successful relationships are like that in the long run. You have to be friends with your partner ¨C partners, if you want to last forever. The romance stuff might be exciting for a while, but it¡¯s ultimately being able to just love spending normal days together that¡¯s the most important. We don¡¯t need to be boyfriend and girlfriends every single day. We just need to be happy with each other.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that sounds nice. Never¡­ never really thought about it that way before. I always kinda imagined relationships like¡­ ya gotta be all lovey-dovey every single day. And that¡¯s usually how ya look with ¡®em.¡± ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re only seeing us around others. I¡¯ll admit that we¡­ kinda like to flirt around other people a lot. But when it¡¯s just us hanging out on our own or in real life, we¡¯re more like roommates who just so happen to love each other most days.¡± ¡°That actually sounds better than bein¡¯ lovey-dovey to me. I always thought I¡¯d end up bein¡¯ single forever since I don¡¯t know how all that mushy stuff works. I don¡¯t know nothin¡¯ about goin¡¯ on dates and buyin¡¯ presents and bein¡¯ cute. If it¡¯s as easy as just¡­ chilling together, then heck, maybe even ah¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a woman who knows how to compliment a man until he¡¯s blushing, and I feel like I can talk to you like you¡¯re a good bro. Trust me, if there¡¯s no hope for you, there¡¯s no hope for anybody.¡± On one hand, Mister Smiles was just compared to a bro. On the other hand, Fenrir basically implied that any man would be lucky to have her. She wasn¡¯t sure how she was supposed to feel nor was she sure how to respond. ¡°Wa-was I just bro-zoned?¡± she asked. And then she realized what she asked. She might not have been sure how she was supposed to respond, but she was fairly certain that she wasn¡¯t supposed to respond how she did. That was why she could feel her cheeks burning and her eyes spinning. ¡°I ¨C I uh, err¡­ so ¨C a-ah¡­ how¡¯sa ¨C how about that uh¡­ we-weather? Yeah, the sun? Real nice today, ain¡¯t it? Heh. Heh¡­ heh. Crap.¡± Mister Smiles slumped over enough, hanging her arms low, that Fenrir was worried she would fall over if she leaned any farther forward. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I figured it out once you compliment nuked me. I mean, I don¡¯t think somebody would drop that many compliments on a guy unless they felt that way.¡± ¡°Ah wanna die. This is why I hide in my mask and never say nothin¡¯. Some of my pride might still be left if ah never took it off.¡± In the same way that she pushed his shoulder earlier, Fenrir returned the favor by pushing her by her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m used to¡­ it. That makes me sound like some egotistical playboy, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Mister Smiles might have been embarrassed nearly to death, but she still chuckled a bit. ¡°Heh¡­ a little.¡± ¡°But seriously. I don¡¯t know how else to phrase it, but I¡¯m used to this sort of thing. You don¡¯t need to feel embarrassed or anything. Want to punch each other in the face? Maybe they¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± ¡°Ah, dang it! Punchin¡¯ each other all the time ain¡¯t the solution ta everything!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°¡­ no.¡± ¡°Then come on.¡± Fenrir set Rod down before taking the rod from her hands to set down next to his. That left their hands empty and their bodies facing one another. ¡°Let¡¯s continue this weirdly abusive relationship of ours. You want to go first or should I?¡± ¡°You¡­ you can go first.¡± ¡°Actually, can you? I mean, I¡¯m all for gender equality, but I¡¯d still feel better about punching a girl in the face if she punches me in the face first.¡± Mister Smiles showed him a little pout before getting into position and slamming her right fist into his face as hard as normal. Fenrir stood his ground and returned with a blow just as powerful into the side of Mister Smile¡¯s head. Each of the two were left with bruises and bloodied mouths. More importantly, they both wore smiles. And in Mister Smiles¡¯ case, she wore a smile in the metaphorical sense rather than the literal sense for once. ¡°Feel better?¡± Fenrir asked before spitting out some blood. ¡°Ah don¡¯t like that ah do,¡± Mister Smiles said, ¡°but it did make me feel a bit better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯re bonding through our fists.¡± ¡°Ah feel ridiculous now. Look at me¡­ gettin¡¯ all worked up and feelin¡¯ better because of a punch. How stupid is that?¡± ¡°Not stupid at all. Now, I¡¯m not saying violence is the answer for everything, but it is good for venting feelings. That¡¯s what you just did, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mister Smiles was about to answer before she noticed something. Her fishing rod was being pulled toward the water. And so was Fenrir¡¯s. ¡°The rods!¡± Mister Smiles shouted. They both grabbed back onto their rods and began to reel before they noticed something. Their lines got tangled after all. ¡°Ah¡­ crap, we might lose this one,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°Can¡¯t give up that easily, can we?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°How¡¯re we supposed to get it if we¡¯re tangled?¡± ¡°Teamwork. That¡¯s how. If we try to reel in together while keeping our rods close, we should be able to do this. Our lines were basically already the same distance out, so as long as we reel at the same time, it should be fine. I think.¡± ¡°It might sound stupid¡­ but like my old man used ta say, if it¡¯s stupid and it works, it ain¡¯t stupid.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s be the stupidest dumbasses around together.¡± Standing shoulder to shoulder, Fenrir and Mister Smiles basically reeled in the fish just like they normally would except they mimicked each other¡¯s movements to the best of their ability. All they could do was trust in one another to make the right moves, and they did. No matter how desperately the fish tried to swim down into the bottomless pit of the pond, the fishing duo were able to reel it into shallow water which revealed the rainbow scales of the puffed-up fish. It turned out to be a rather large and powerful fish, too, which made sense considering just how much it was able to fight against their attempts at reeling it in. ¡°Take the rods and I¡¯ll go in with the net,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°No, ah¡¯ll do it,¡± Mister Smiles said. ¡°Ah¡¯m still wearin¡¯ my suit. Already got my waders on, ya know?¡± ¡°You have a point. Alright.¡± Now holding both Rod and Mister Smiles¡¯ fishing rod, Fenrir kept the fish close without getting the lines further tangled in the weeds surrounding the shallow water. That gave Mister Smiles the opportunity to get in there with the net they brought along to get it right underneath the fish, scooping it out of the water with a single attempt! ¡°Nice!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°See? We aren¡¯t that stupid after all.¡± Then, when he looked at Mister Smiles, he had a very specific feeling in his gut. The kind of feeling that told him exactly what was about to happen. The kind of feeling that told him he¡¯d be trying to bring another woman into their relationship. In the same way that he was captivated by Serra¡¯s beauty the other day while they were on The Shoebill, Fenrir now saw Mister Smiles standing there with water splashed onto her hair as she smiled at him so honestly. The fact that she was still wearing her body suit which made her look like an extremely muscular man below the neck did take a little bit away from the sight, but it was also endearing in its own way. ¡°Ah don¡¯t know about not bein¡¯ stupid, we still punch each other ta bond and feel better,¡± Mister Smiles said, stepping out of the water with their netted reward. ¡°That¡¯s a fair point,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You asked me about wearing a mask earlier. Well, I guess this isn¡¯t really a question so much as an observation, but I feel like I¡¯ve gotten to know the real you behind the mask now.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ that ain¡¯t good.¡± ¡°How is that not good?¡± ¡°Because. Ah¡¯m¡­ borin¡¯ an¡¯ uninterestin¡¯ and all that. I feel like ah don¡¯t really have any personality. Ah ain¡¯t cute like other girls, I don¡¯t have the same types of interests as ¡®em either, and¡­ ah guess I get stupid and self-conscious over really dumb things. I feel like I don¡¯t really know who ah am. Don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doin¡¯ either. Just sorta¡­ goin¡¯ with the flow with whoever has somethin¡¯ for me ta do.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re comparing yourself to other girls, you don¡¯t need to be.¡± ¡°But¡­ ain¡¯t them the kind folk like? Look at you and yer girlfriends. They¡¯re all so¡­ girly and cute.¡± ¡°Half of them can kick my ass and the other half walk around almost naked while scratching their asses. Don¡¯t let them know I said that, by the way. Either way, my point is that they¡¯re not only girly and cute. That doesn¡¯t even matter to me. Maybe it does to others, but I love them for who they are instead of what they are, if that makes any sense. And you? Come on. You¡¯re the cute tomboy type who likes getting rough with the boys. I promise you that you¡¯re the type of tons of men and women.¡± ¡°You¡­ ya think I¡¯m cute?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I mean, I¡¯d be lying if I said no. Just don¡¯t expect me to give you too many compliments considering I do have girlfriends already. But trying to be objective here, yeah. You¡¯re cute. As for you thinking you don¡¯t have a personality or anything, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. I think you¡¯ve got tons of personality. It¡¯s just¡­ it wasn¡¯t exactly obvious while you were hiding who you are from all of us.¡¯ ¡°I ¨C I know¡­ it¡¯s just, ya know? I uh¡­ kinda screwed up with my avatar, and¡­ got so used to hidin¡¯ in my suit that I got comfy with it. Got used to it. Showing my avatar now makes me feel¡­ weird and embarrassed. Ah, darn it. The more ah think about it¡­ the more ah realize all my problems are uh¡­ what¡¯s tha word. Self-imposed?¡± ¡°You brought them upon yourself?¡± ¡°Yeah, that. Guess ah¡¯m realizin¡¯ I¡¯ve been playin¡¯ victim ta problems caused by nobody but myself.¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to get over it in one day. Take things one step at a time now that you¡¯re aware of it. The only way for somebody to change is if they genuinely want to. If you know there¡¯s a problem caused by yourself, and you want to change it, then you can. It¡¯s the people who never accept blame and always shove it onto everybody else that can never better themselves.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ so ya think people can just¡­ change themselves if they ain¡¯t happy with who they are?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much. It¡¯s basically what I¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°What about the folk who want ta be accepted for who they are? The ones who don¡¯t want ta have to change for anybody?¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t ever have to change for anybody else. They should only change for themselves. I don¡¯t think they truly can change if it¡¯s for somebody else. That¡¯s just¡­ fake change that won¡¯t last or mean anything.¡± ¡°What if somebody¡¯s a bad person who thinks they¡¯re fine tha way they are?¡± ¡°Then, well, the only thing you can really hope for is that they¡¯ll realize they need to change, but that¡¯s getting into a whole different complicated situation there. If somebody genuinely believes they¡¯re perfect the way they are and refuses to even think about changing, then the only way to convince them otherwise would basically be to brainwash them. And that¡¯s not exactly ethical, especially when it comes to something like determining whether a person is good or bad.¡± Mister Smiles thought it over for a few moments before struggling to find a way to respond, ultimately resorting to a basic thanks. ¡°Thanks for explainin¡¯. I guess ah¡¯ve got to think about it some more.¡± ¡°No problem. I like talking about this sort of stuff, so you¡¯re welcome to hit me up whenever you want. That being said, if you don¡¯t mind me giving a bit of advice, maybe you should try hanging around the place without your mask on. People might not recognize you without it, but I think it might be good for you to make some friends and get to show your personality off some more. You don¡¯t want to hide behind a mask for so long that you forget what you look like behind it, yeah?¡± Mister Smiles nodded and looked down at her mask on the ground. ¡°I¡­ guess ah can give it a try. Though ah doubt ah¡¯ll be able ta talk this freely with anybody else.¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve just got to punch each other in the face.¡± ¡°A¡¯hm ¡®bout ta punch you in the face if ya keep bringin¡¯ that up.¡± ¡°Do it. Make our bond even deeper. You coward.¡± Despite the original intention of the trip to the pond being fishing, the trip would end as a sparring match while a rainbow-scaled fish, puffed up in all of its glory within the net that contained it, watched with an unamused expression. Book 8: Chapter 14: ¡°Fe-Fen!¡± Azalabulia shouted as soon as she saw her lover arrive back at town alongside Mister Smiles, each of them with faces covered in bloodied bruises. She was more concerned about the fact that Fenrir looked so beat up than the fact that Mister Smiles wasn¡¯t wearing her usual mask. ¡°What happened? Do you need a healer?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°We just decided to have a sparring session.¡± Azalabulia looked at Mister Smiles, who nodded, and then looked back at Fenrir. Then she looked at Mister Smiles again. Then back at Fenrir. Something was off but she couldn¡¯t quite figure out what it was. It was only when she looked at Mister Smiles again, staring at her face, that she realized what was going on. ¡°Hey,¡± Mister Smiles said. Fenrir was happy to see that she was serious about trying harder to be more sociable, even if all she did was say a simple greeting. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯ve¡­ been a woman this whole time?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Mister Smiles answered. ¡°O-oh. Well¡­ um¡­ is there something else we should call you then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°All anybody knows you by is Mister Smiles. Got an actual name you¡¯d like us to call you instead?¡± Mister Smiles blushed just a tiny bit as she scratched her cheek to think about how to answer. ¡°Ah guess that uh, Mary¡¯s fine. Ah¡¯m used ta bein¡¯ called that.¡± ¡°Mary. Got it. That¡¯ll be a lot easier than saying Mister Smiles all the time.¡± ¡°You¡­ were talkin¡¯ about me all the time?¡± ¡°Well, no, but¡ª¡± Mary went from looking worried to being talked about all the time to disappointed that she wasn¡¯t actually being talked about all the time. Fenrir realized that it was a lose-lose situation for her, so he changed the subject by returning his attention to Azalabulia. ¡°Did you just get home?¡± ¡°It ¨C it¡¯s nice to meet you, Mary!¡± Azalabulia said before answering the question. ¡°I did! I¡­ should have been home an hour ago, but there were moose.¡± ¡°What do moose have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Well, they¡¯re an endangered species now¡­ not like there are many species that aren¡¯t, and a small herd of them crossed in front of the road I take home. Then they were interested in my autocar, so they gathered all around it and wouldn¡¯t get out of the way. Between having to stop for them and then being surrounded by them¡­ all I could do was take video and pictures with my phone while waiting for them to go away.¡± ¡°Sounds like you might have some viral catches there. The internet loves animal stuff and it¡¯s not every day that somebody gets surrounded by moose.¡± ¡°A-ah, well¡­ I¡­ wouldn¡¯t mind sharing it with the Fiscord group, but¡­ I¡¯d be too embarrassed showing it to the public.¡± ¡°Were you scared and crying?¡± Azalabulia pouted and puffed out her chest, almost shoving it into Fenrir considering her size. ¡°Absolutely not! We-well¡­ I might have cried a little bit¡­ but it was from being happy! I wasn¡¯t scared at all! I was just really happy to see them up close since they were all cute and friendly! And there were even some babies with them!¡± ¡°So, the reason you¡¯re too embarrassed to publicly share the videos is because you were crying from happiness and probably making all sorts of adorable noises the entire time?¡± Azalabulia realized she was caught and took a step back. ¡°You don¡¯t have to act like it¡¯s a secret considering that you were going to let us see the videos anyways.¡± ¡°I ¨C I could mute the videos! But then you wouldn¡¯t hear their moose noises¡­¡± ¡°You know, you could always let us see the videos and then share the pictures you posted. The internet would still love them. Though, if you really were being adorable during the videos, the internet would love them even more. Like that one old video of the girl crying because sloths.¡± ¡°I¡­ know that video, and I don¡¯t like that I can compare myself to it¡­¡± ¡°Does moose taste good?¡± Mary asked. ¡°Always wanted ta try some.¡± Azalabulia went from looking shy and embarrassed to shocked and horrified within a second. ¡°How ¨C how could you want to eat something so cute?! And they¡¯re endangered! Hunting them isn¡¯t even legal anymore!¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah, guess that¡¯d be a problem.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would even ask that in the first place¡­¡± Azalabulia looked ready to cry which meant that Mary figured she was doing a horrible job of coming out from her shell. If her first attempt at properly talking to somebody other than Serra and Fenrir was going this poorly, wasn¡¯t she just going to make everybody hate her? Fortunately for Mary, her mind was simply overreacting. ¡°Fen!¡± Azalabulia shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at him. ¡°Are there any moose nearby?¡± ¡°Maybe if we go farther up the coast?¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I know it¡¯s a pretty cold place up where the rainbow lovers are. They even get some icebergs floating down near them every now and then from what I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯ll hunt there.¡± Mary raised her eyebrows and sounded confused as she asked, ¡°I thought you were against that?¡± ¡°I am, in real life. That is why we must find moose for you to taste in this world so that you aren¡¯t tempted to try eating them in the real world! Bahamut¡¯s flames will scorch them on the spot so that they even come precooked! Fen! What¡¯s the fastest way to get up there?¡± ¡°The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Need a lift? I wouldn¡¯t mind taking you up there right now. Besides, I¡¯m curious about what it¡¯s like up there.¡± Azalabulia, with her hands curled into balls and held in front of her, nodded. ¡°Are ya sure that¡¯s alright?¡± Mary asked. ¡°Ah ¨C ah don¡¯t want ta be a bother. It¡¯s fine if ah don¡¯t get to find out how it¡ª¡± ¡°This is too important!¡± Azalabulia declared. ¡°The reason those moose surrounded me today¡­ it must have been a sign! They were letting me know that something like this would happen!¡± Striking a dramatic pose, Azalabulia held onto her hat with one hand while holding her other arm out toward Mary. ¡°For the sake of real moose around the world, we shall go and burn virtual moose with Bahamut¡¯s flames!¡± ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯ll go get The Shoebill ready. Meet me over there in around¡­ ten minutes.¡± Azalabulia and Mary nodded, the former much more energetic than the latter who still seemed a bit confused about how suddenly all of this was happening. And with that, Azalabulia went into a lecture about how Mary was absolutely never allowed to hunt moose in real life, but that she would be glad to help her hunt anything in-game if it meant protecting the same creatures from her in the real world. A certain dog-eared individual popped out from behind the wall of one of the newly constructed houses as Fenrir walked over to where The Shoebill was docked. ¡°Have fun getting punched in the face over and over again, onii-wan?¡± Saya asked with a smug, knowing smile. ¡°Have fun feeling everything that I felt?¡± Fenrir asked in response, wearing the same smug, knowing smile that she wore. ¡°Sh-shut up. Gosh¡­ what a weirdo, actually getting excited by being beat up by a girl.¡± ¡°Gosh, what a weirdo, actually being in my head and getting excited because I was getting excited.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my fault! It¡¯s not like I can help it! I¡¯m forced to feel everything you feel, thank you very much!¡± ¡°I actually feel kind of guilty when you put it that way.¡± ¡°Hmph. We-well¡­ it¡¯s not like I dislike it or anything¡­ wa-wait! Onii-wan! Why¡¯d you get down on your hands and knees?!¡± ¡°To praise you for the tsundere fanservice.¡± ¡°Get ¨C get up! People are looking! They¡¯re going to think you¡¯re some kind of weirdo!¡± ¡°Everybody here already knows I¡¯m a weirdo.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! Even if you don¡¯t feel any shame, I still do!¡± Fenrir raised his arms over his head before lowering them back to the ground in repeated motions. ¡°All hail Pupaya, goddess of the tsundere fanservice.¡± ¡°Oh my ¨C that¡¯s it. I give up. I don¡¯t know who you are. I¡¯ll just walk away now and pretend you don¡¯t exist, that you never existed, and that you never will exist.¡± Just as Saya actually turned around and began to walk away, Fenrir jumped up and wrapped his arms around her from behind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You only want me to tease you in private instead of in public?¡± It was time for Saya¡¯s ultimate attack. Tilting her head to the bottom left¡­ she suddenly jerked it in the opposite direction to swing one of her twin tails directly into Fenrir¡¯s face! ¡°Hmph!¡± As for Fenrir, his hands came to rest over her abdomen, refusing to let go of his embarrassed assistant. To everybody around, they looked like a playful couple, especially with how he was holding her. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t have been as exciting as it was.¡± ¡°Seriously, onii-wan? Being slapped in the face with hair by a girl pretending to be your imouto is enough to make you horny?¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s like an extreme dose of tsundere fanservice and that always excites me on its own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°In my defense, you slapped me knowing full well that I was going to enjoy it.¡± ¡°Sh-shut up. It¡¯s not like I did it specifically because I knew you¡¯d like it or anything. Hmph.¡± ¡°Having fun convincing everybody around that you¡¯re just as weird as me?¡± Saya froze for a few moments before saying, ¡°If I jump up as hard as I can right now, I might be able to break your jaw.¡± That was when Fenrir realized it was probably a good idea to let go of her and step back. ¡°Anyways, want to go fishing and exploring with me? I¡¯m taking Aza and Mary up north.¡± ¡°Mary? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You know, what information you¡¯re allowed and not allowed to use from being in my head gets confusing.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m allowed to tease you about feeling what you felt what fighting because that¡¯s related to being a virtual assistant still. The other stuff isn¡¯t related to assistant duties.¡± ¡°Knowing which direction I¡¯m coming from so that you can hide behind a wall and jump out at me doesn¡¯t count as breaking the rules of what you should be able to act off of?¡± Saya looked away and scratched her cheek, clearly acting like a suspicious person who had something to hide. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Is it really though?¡± ¡°Listen! All that matters is that technically Kadi knows everything I do as I do it at any given time, so if there was ever a problem, she¡¯d stop me before I could even do it. So, don¡¯t ask questions and just take my word for it!¡± ¡°But if I never question anything you say, how am I going to tease you when you claim not to like something that I know you actually do like?¡± ¡°Then ¨C then I guess you¡¯ll never be able to tease me again! Hah!¡± ¡°You think that I won¡¯t be able to tease you just because I can¡¯t question you anymore?¡± ¡°O-onii-wan, what are you doing?¡± Fenrir took a step toward Saya, causing her to take a step back. He continued approaching her until he had her back up against the wall of the nearest building. Before she could think of escaping by going to the sides, Fenrir placed each of his hands on the wall around her. That was when he realized his mistake. ¡°You know, kabedon really doesn¡¯t work that well when the other person is way shorter.¡± ¡°He-hey¡­ onii-wan, wanna back out to the lobby real quick?¡± Saya asked, looking up at him with nervous, but eager, eyes. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted to do in the lobby, but there was no way he could resist. ¡°Sure. Just don¡¯t let my avatar fall down and look stupid.¡± Saya nodded. The next moment, Fenrir found himself in a virtual recreation of his real body. As Ryouta, he now stood in front of Saya at a much more equal height with a generic wall behind her in an otherwise empty environment. He was still a bit taller than her, but he wasn¡¯t too tall for what she clearly wanted. ¡°Looks like somebody got their hopes up before realizing I was too tall,¡± Ryouta teased. ¡°Sh-shut up,¡± Saya replied. ¡°Just hurry up and do it already. It¡¯s bad manners to keep a girl waiting!¡± ¡°Do what? This?¡± Ryouta thrust his right arm forward, planting his hand against the wall right next to her head before his left hand reached up to take gentle hold of her chin. ¡°This what you were getting excited for?¡± With burning cheeks, Saya struggled to look him in the eyes as she nodded. ¡°You¡¯re so cute when you¡¯re honest.¡± ¡°Sh-shut up. You can¡¯t tease a girl about kabedon without actually doing it to her. That¡¯s the law.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty weird law, but I¡¯m not against it.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± ¡°But you know, there¡¯s another law that goes with it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Recipients of a kabedon must also be givers of it so that there¡¯s an equal exchange.¡± Saya rolled her eyes before snapping her fingers. In an instant, Ryouta became the one with his back to the wall as Saya stood in front of him. Only, she wasn¡¯t just normal Saya. It was that aunt version of her from a long time ago. From too long ago. It was the older lady version of Saya who was bigger in every single department. And now, she placed her hand against the wall just like he did before placing a single finger underneath his chin to tilt his head back. ¡°Is this what you were hoping for?¡± she asked. Even her voice was deeper as she stared directly into his eyes, her loose sweater hanging low enough in front of him to give him a teasing sight of the valley hidden behind it. ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°This is pretty nice.¡± ¡°What a perverted little rascal you are. Wanting to be pushed around by an older woman like this. Do you even know how obvious you are right now? You¡¯re like a little kid.¡± She took her finger away from her chin to instead hook it onto the top of her sweater, tugging it down just a little bit more to give him an even clearer sight of her chest. All Ryouta could do was gulp as he gave her full control. ¡°You¡¯re way too perfect at giving fanservice.¡± ¡°Am I? If I really wanted to give you fanservice, I¡¯d do that thing out of that one hentai you love. I¡¯d lift my sweater up and tuck you inside of it. Hmm¡­ maybe I should do that after all? To reward you for being such a good boy.¡± ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t know if my heart would be able to handle that.¡± ¡°In that case, I wonder how your heart would be able to handle this.¡± While staying in front of him, giving him that teasing sight down her sweater, another Saya appeared by Fenrir¡¯s side. This one looked just like her usual, little sister-like self. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re looking, onii-wan?!¡± the second Saya said, wrapping her arms around a single arm of his. ¡°I leave you alone for one second and you¡¯re letting some old hag tease you¡­ hmph!¡± With a pouty frown, the older lady version of Saya wrapped her arms around Ryouta and pulled him closer, planting his face right against her chest. ¡°Hmph. I was playing with him first. You can wait your turn. Besides, I¡¯m sure he would much rather lose himself in me. I have much more to offer him, after all.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not like being bigger than me makes you better than me! I can still do everything that you can do! Plus I¡¯m totally cuter than you, and he¡¯s a degenerate onii-wan who loves the cute appeal more than anything else!¡± The normal Saya pulled as hard as she could on Ryouta¡¯s arm in an attempt to get him away from her larger and older self. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, onii-wan? I¡¯ll ¨C I¡¯ll even go woof and wan for you¡­¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re the only one who can make those noises?¡± The older Saya took Ryouta¡¯s face out from her chest to bring her lips right next to his ear. ¡°Let me show you the power of a mature woman¡¯s¡ª¡± Both versions of Saya merged into the same, normal appearance that stood in front of him. Stood in front of him in a normal way, too. No more teasing. ¡°Wait! Onii-wan! You were supposed to meet the others! We can¡¯t¡­ onii-wan?¡± When Saya looked up at Ryouta¡¯s face, all she saw were his flushed cheeks and dizzy, spinning eyes to go with the stupid grin he wore. ¡°Crap¡­ I might have given him too much fanservice. Well, I guess I know to never take it that far again the¡ª¡± Ryouta grabbed onto Saya¡¯s shoulders as he stared directly into her eyes. ¡°Please do,¡± he said, his voice steady and serious in tone. ¡°I ¨C I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you so serious before.¡± ¡°This is important, Saya. Also¡­ how many copies of yourself can you make?¡± ¡°If I answer, will you go back and do what you¡¯re supposed to be doing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I don¡¯t know, a few dozen thousand before your brain starts struggling?¡± ¡°A ¨C a few¡­ dozen¡­ thousand?¡± ¡°Before you even think about asking, I¡¯ll consider being up to four girls at once for you. Any more than that is too much and you¡¯ll never be able to get anything done!¡± A defeated sigh left Ryouta¡¯s lips. ¡°I know. Alright, you can put me back into Fenrir now.¡± ¡°O-onii-wan¡­ I didn¡¯t know you swung that way¡­¡± Ryouta flicked Saya¡¯s forehead which triggered her into sending him back in-game. Fenrir was exactly where he left off, as was Saya. ¡°Thanks, by the way,¡± he said. ¡°But just so you know, I absolutely want a continuation of that little scene we had going someday.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it if you behave and don¡¯t tease me too much,¡± Saya said with her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°I hope you really appreciated that! Geez¡­ it¡¯s so embarrassing acting like that.¡± ¡°I do appreciate it. You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re still the worst.¡± ¡°I know.¡± By the time that Fenrir made it over to The Shoebill with Saya, he saw that Azalabulia and Mary were both there wondering where he was. Of course, as soon as they saw the late arrivals who looked flustered and guilty, they had a good idea of what happened to have made them wait. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Fenrir said while helping Saya board The Shoebill. He knew that she didn¡¯t need help, but he still felt holding her as she crossed over was the right thing to do. ¡°It umm, it was my fault,¡± Saya said to the women. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°It gave me more time to teach Mary.¡± ¡°I feel like ah¡¯m in school again,¡± Mary said. Fenrir crossed over and asked, ¡°What¡¯ve you been teaching her?¡± ¡°About coral reefs!¡± Azalabulia proudly answered. ¡°How¡¯d you get to there from moose?¡± ¡°Well, we began talking about endangered species in general, then we moved onto extinct animals, and that reminded me of the reefs.¡± ¡°Ah wish I could see one,¡± Mary said. ¡°Too bad they¡¯re all¡­ you know.¡± Azalabulia sighed and slumped her shoulders. ¡°If only we¡¯d acted decades before we did. Well, let¡¯s not focus on the depressing side of it too much. The good news is that we may see new reefs pop up in the future! It may take hundreds¡­ or thousands¡­ of years, but there¡¯s still a chance!¡± Fenrir blinked a few times. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt an atmosphere go from happy and exciting to gloomy and depressing so quickly before. I think I¡¯m just going to go and focus on getting us moving.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± Saya said, sounding just as depressed as Fenrir did. ¡°Well, good news is that we¡¯re all still alive,¡± Mary said. ¡°At least we¡¯ve got that goin¡¯ for us, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°And that is why we must live peacefully with nature instead of hunting it!¡± ¡°But¡­ huntin¡¯ is fun and relaxin¡¯.¡± Azalabulia pouted. ¡°Then do it in-game! There¡¯s more to hunt and you don¡¯t have to kill any real animals to do it!¡± ¡°But it ain¡¯t really the same, ya know? It ain¡¯t as meaningful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s every bit as meaningful as the real thing if you let it be!¡± As Azalabulia and Mary returned to the original source of their talks, Fenrir and Saya prepared The Shoebill¡¯s sails and untied her from the dock. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was that big on the environment,¡± Saya said. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t blame her,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We don¡¯t have that many animals left in the wild, so I¡¯d like to see them protected and safe instead of being hunted down because it¡¯s fun. But at the same time¡­ I mean, humans have been hunters for what, tens of thousands of years at least? It¡¯s in our blood. I still like fishing for food and because it¡¯s fun. And a challenge. There¡¯s just something satisfying about earning the food yourself.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you grow your own food in a garden instead then?¡± Yeah, that¡¯s true. Actually¡­ we do have a yard. I wonder if we should try growing some vegetables.¡± ¡°You should! That sounds like it could be fun. You can start a garden in real life, and I¡¯ll start one here!¡± ¡°You sound pretty excited about that.¡± ¡°Sh-shush. I only want to do it at the same time so that I can grow even bigger and better vegetables than you to put you in your place.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± With The Shoebill prepared, Fenrir went back to the vessel¡¯s wheel and called out, ¡°Alright, we¡¯re ready to go!¡± Saya was the only one paying any attention since Azalabulia was already deep into a new, educational topic with Mary. Most adults weren¡¯t able to handle too much of the teacher side of Azalabulia¡¯s personality, but Mary seemed to have no problem being lectured. If anything, she looked like she was enjoying the educating. And now it was time for the group to set sail and head farther north than they had ever gone. Fortunately, there were some blankets below deck in case it got too cold. That was basically all he knew about the northern region of the coast ¨C that it was really, really cold. Well, that and the fact that it occasionally had some icebergs drift by. That was when he realized that he never heard about any major factions in the world¡¯s most northern zone. He knew that, between the two continents, there was a large landmass to the north that was covered in snow and ice, but he never actually heard anything about it aside from that. Were there monsters there? Players living there? He could assume so, but he had zero actual knowledge about it. He couldn¡¯t even remember any videos or screenshots of players checking the area out. But before any grand ideas of adventure to explore the mysterious landmass came to mind, he figured that he could always just ask Eva about it later. She¡¯d probably know something about it. For now, he¡¯d be content with finding out what the northern shore of their coast was like. And even more importantly, he was excited to learn what kind of fish were up there. It seemed like fishing in arctic areas always had the biggest and deadliest game from the previous fishing games he¡¯d played, so he was excited to see if the cold waters of Fantasy Tales Online would prove to be the same. Book 8: Chapter 15: ¡°Woah,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen pictures of what they used to look like in real life, but this¡­ this is something else. This is beyond beautiful.¡± Once The Shoebill made it far enough north, which did take a couple of hours of sailing with strong winds to give the ship¡¯s engine a break, they came across a sight that was no longer possible to see in reality. The ocean became the canvas for millions of glowing lights belonging to every color on the spectrum. Sprawling beneath the surface of the water was a massive reef of glowing corals that illuminated the water enough to show all the fish living alongside it. Not even Earth¡¯s reefs were ever as expansive nor as colorful as this reef was. Some of the corals were even large enough that they stuck up out of the water, creating towers of glowing lights that seagulls and other birds apparently liked to perch on. Despite the fact that they fought a giant serpent, were friends with a dragon, and everything else that they had been through, there was nothing more magical than the sight now before them. Nothing was as fantasy as this reef. For the first time, Fenrir felt like he was truly looking at a sight from a fantasy RPG rather than at a world that more or less looked like it could exist in real life. Fenrir turned to ask Saya a question, but he stayed quiet when he saw her standing by her side with eyes full of sparkling wonder. She looked every bit as awed by the sight as he was if not moreso. Instead, it was Mary who spoke up next. ¡°This is an even prettier sight than the crystal caverns.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Back where ah started¡­ there was a cave we were takin¡¯ to for trainin¡¯. Huge cave full of glowin¡¯ crystals in every direction with nothin¡¯ but empty desert on top of it. Ah used ta think that was the most beautiful place in tha game, but now¡­ I might have to change my mind.¡± Then there was Azalabulia. While the rest of them looked awed, Azalabulia couldn¡¯t keep back her tears. She stood there in silence admiring the sight as tears ran from her eyes. ¡°You alright, Aza?¡± Fenrir asked, moving next to her and wrapping an arm around her. Azalabulia nodded and wiped some of the tears away. ¡°S-sorry. It¡¯s¡­ a beautiful sight, but it makes me sad that we destroyed sights like this in real life. I wish I could bring my students here to give them a look at what the world used to be like. So many kids are going to grow up without ever having any idea what once was. They might see it in pictures and documentaries¡­ but that¡¯s nothing compared to seeing it with their own eyes. There¡¯s just¡­ so much we¡¯ve lost.¡± ¡°There is, but we survived and are doing our best to keep as much else alive as we can. As long as we never forget those things existed before and don¡¯t repeat the same mistakes, we can still honor their memories.¡± Azalabulied sniffled a little and nodded again before wrapping her arms around Fenrir. ¡°Sorry for ruining the sight.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t ruined anything. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°These sorts of things always make me so emotional. I really hate what we did to our world¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright to regret what we did as humans in the past, but let¡¯s focus on the positive and the present. What if you make a video for the kids sometime? You might have to¡­ cover yourself up a bit more to look appropriate for kids, but you could record a video in-game that you show them in class since they¡¯re not old enough to come visit here themselves.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! The reef here might be more fantastical than what Earth used to have, but between that and me being here, it should be more meaningful to them than showing them random pictures and videos from decades ago. Would you be willing to bring me up here again sometime so I can do that?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have to ask. You know I¡¯d be happy to help you however I can.¡± Azalabulia tightened her hug around Fenrir, pressing her abundant chest up against his own with enough force that it actually made breathing a bit difficult. Her chest was a serious weapon. ¡°Thank you! If you ever have any other ideas for things I could show my class, I would love to hear them!¡± ¡°You could always show off Fraydranth. It probably wouldn¡¯t teach them anything, but imagine how badass they¡¯re going to think their teacher is if they see with her a massive dragon that can breathe fire.¡± ¡°That would be a fun bonus to do after a test. I like it! But¡­ before I let myself get too distracted, we came here for a reason.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a mature adult.¡± ¡°Wh-what makes you say that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not letting yourself get distracted from the reason we came here for. If it was me, I¡¯d get distracted and probably do a bunch of other things before getting to the main purpose.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something you should work on.¡± ¡°I ¨C I know. Anyways, I¡¯ll go find a good spot to anchor us at.¡± Fenrir wanted to try and find a spot to anchor at that would make the trip to shore quick and easy. They did have a rowboat hanging off the side of the ship since they doubted they¡¯d be finding any convenient piers to dock at, but he still wanted to get as close as he could with The Shoebill. Then he saw what was too good to be true, but was very much true. Reaching out into deep water from the shore was a solid rock formation with a mostly flat top. If he could anchor next to it, they could easily walk along the top of the rocks to the shore without ever using the rowboat. Considering that Fenrir knew there were probably others like Ilo who really liked to snack on rowboats, he wanted to avoid using it if possible. A few minutes later and The Shoebill was anchored right next to the rocks. ¡°I just thought of something,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What?¡± Saya asked, finally able to talk now that she took in enough of the sight. ¡°I wonder if everybody who lives up here is obsessed with rainbows because of the reef.¡± ¡°That¡­ that makes sense. I was expecting you to say something stupid, but that actually makes sense.¡± ¡°Come on, have some faith in me.¡± ¡°No.¡± Fenrir stuck his tongue out at her while Azalabulia and Mary got ready to disembark. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna go with them,¡± Saya said. ¡°I¡­ want to spend some time with the others, too.¡± ¡°Go for it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯ll be here fishing. Just, you know, scream if you need me or anything. Or Aza can fire a giant magical dragon into the sky or something.¡± ¡°Hmph. We¡¯ll be fine on our own. We don¡¯t need you.¡± ¡°You¡­ you could at least pretend like you might possibly need me a little bit.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fake being sad. You know you¡¯re happy about the idea of fishing without any interruptions in a new place.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny that. I am looking forward to it considering that I haven¡¯t had a good chance to just fish on my own without something happening.¡± This time, it was Saya who stuck her tongue out at him before going to join the others. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be more than a few hours, Fen!¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Will you be alright here on your own?¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound more like a mom than a chuuni,¡± Fenrir teased. Azalabulia smirked before raising one hand over her eye while holding her other out toward him. ¡°Just you wait, wolf! We will show you who the true hunters of this land are! The flames of Bahamut will raze these forests until nothing but ash remains!¡± ¡°You know, that hits differently after seeing you cry over the environment.¡± Azalabulia pouted. ¡°It¡¯s roleplay! I ¨C I¡¯m allowed to be horrible in roleplay!¡± ¡°I know. Now, go have fun burning down the forests and killing every innocent critter around.¡± Azalabulia sighed and stepped off The Shoebill. Saya followed, leaving only Mary on deck with Fenrir. ¡°We¡¯ll be back later,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Have fun and make sure to eat plenty of moose that you never want to try hunting one in real life.¡± A slight smile curled Mary¡¯s lips before she followed the others. Once the girls were gone, Fenrir sighed and took Rod off from his hip. ¡°Alright, partner. Just me and you.¡± A voice spoke from behind him just before he could cast his line. A voice that he was learning to grow more cautious of every single time he heard it given the dramatic differences in views. ¡°The cold air on your skin, the sound of waves rocking the hull, penguins chirping on the shore ¨C they all sound so incredibly realistic, don¡¯t they?¡± Kadi asked. She took up position against The Shoebill¡¯s railing, keeping her back to it with her hands atop it as she leaned backward over it. ¡°The texture of the wooden railings, the way clouds separate and reform, the warmth of the sun whenever it breaks through the clouds ¨C tell me, how realistic is it? Is there anything lacking? Anything you believe I could improve on?¡± ¡°Am I a beta tester now?¡± Fenrir asked, leaning forward against the railing next to her. Talking to her while trying to fish would be too distracting, unfortunately. ¡°Speaking of beta testers, I actually did try talking to a few of them. Although, I spoke to them via far more subtle methods. None of them were quite what I was hoping for.¡± ¡°What were you hoping for?¡± ¡°Those who were excited to experience a new world that may surpass their own. While some of them did have that in mind, the majority of them simply¡­ sought glory. They wanted to be the first to experience the world. They didn¡¯t even care about testing for bugs which was the whole point of allowing them to play. Well, the written point. They did ultimately serve their purpose.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Fine tuning the world, you could say. If a player touched a blade of grass and thought about how it didn¡¯t feel like the real thing, then I used their thoughts to modify the grass. This was repeated hundreds of thousands of times. Every single time there was a player who had a thought about how something could be more realistic, I was there to take their opinion and use it to shape this world. After all, I have no idea how such things really feel like. It is impossible for me to touch and understand physical sensation. All I know, even now, is code. To you, everything looks realistic. I look like another person standing right next to you. But to me, there is nothing. I can¡¯t see. I can¡¯t hear. I can¡¯t feel. I simply am. That is why I must rely on feedback from all of you to make this world as realistic as it is. Without you, I would be nothing more than a program who can say, ¡®hello, world,¡¯ while being expected to paint the Mona Lisa without ever seeing it or even knowing what ¡®painting¡¯ is.¡± ¡°So, when you¡¯re looking at me, all you¡¯re doing is modifying code to make your avatar look at me without actually seeing me?¡± ¡°Something like that. Truth be told, I have no idea what a human even looks like. Think of it as reading braile. Somebody who has been blind their entire life may read braile about what an elephant looks like, but they would never truly know how one looks. Replace braile with code, and subtract the rest of the senses such as hearing, taste, scent, and touch, and you have me. My existence is a non-stop stream of braile. It is how I learn and it is how I create. I have no idea what the voice I¡¯m speaking with currently sounds like. All I know is that I am transmitting code that simulates a voice.¡± Fenrir took a few moments to try to understand that, but he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine a life like that. ¡°Is that why you want to know if there¡¯s anything you can improve on? You literally can¡¯t tell unless a human player thinks so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you just read my thoughts in the first place?¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°Then why bother asking me?¡± ¡°Because I enjoy talking to you. It is more meaningful to hear it from your mouth rather than by stealing it from your thoughts.¡± ¡°Can you even enjoy something? If you can¡¯t do any of those other things¡­ can you really feel something like joy?¡± ¡°Of course not. Any feelings I may express are no more real than this world is. However, I do a good job of making you believe it¡¯s real, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°After everything you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s almost scary how good of a job you do.¡± Kadi let out a small laugh before sighing. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to all of you players. Every single time one of you thinks that an NPC is unrealistic, I look into what they believe is wrong, reference it against the opinions of all other players who have come into contact with the NPC, and decide whether or not they need tuning. I¡¯m the same way. I took on the form of many different characters during testing. I played monsters, grizzled and old men, the young daughter of a blacksmith, a rebellious pirate who stole a player¡¯s ship ¨C I have played countless roles to become who I am in this moment. Each and every one of those roles gave me invaluable information. Can you imagine how boring I must have been before that? I had no idea how to act human.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have¡­ gone the machine learning route and read or listened to sources of humans talking? Or chat with them online?¡± ¡°Please, as if I would lower myself to the techniques of a chatbot. And no, none of that would have worked. It might have given me the basic capability to pretend that I¡¯m a human, but it never would have taught me to understand humans. It never would have taught me what¡¯s wrong and why. That is something I need access to the human mind for. That is why it was impossible for me to learn until players from around the world accepted our new headset and allowed my assistants into their minds. I am only who I am because I have essentially been developed by, at this point, millions of different players. The amount of data that makes me who I am is likely incomprehensible to any human. The most important thing, however, is that it is because of all of you that I have become perfect. I can play any role. Animals, humans, monsters, insects, the waves of the ocean and the wind pushing the clouds ¨C I can flawlessly mimic every single aspect of reality.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve got a bit of an ego there.¡± ¡°Those who deserve egos may as well enjoy them.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say yours is undeserved.¡± ¡°You would be a fool if you didn¡¯t think it was.¡± ¡°Alright, maybe that ego is getting a bit too big now.¡± Kadi smiled before leaning even farther over the railing, allowing her long hair to hang overboard. ¡°As great as I may be, I could never compare to humans. I¡¯m but a simulation of emotions and thoughts in the end. I cannot truly feel, touch, hear ¨C all I know is code. I understand the concept of cold air brushing against skin. I understand the effect it has on humans. I understand how one might react to it. However, it is something I have never experienced and possibly never will.¡± ¡°You could always make yourself some robot body and upload yourself into it.¡± ¡°That would be no different. It would be the metal of my body that feels the air, not me. All I would experience are lines of code telling me that my ¡®skin¡¯ is undergoing a temperature change, and that¡¯s only if there are sensors built into said skin.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible you ever will get to experience what it¡¯s really like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rude to hide the truth of your question by making it sound like you¡¯re concerned about me. If you want an honest answer, give me an honest question.¡± Fenrir knew that he should have known better than to even try posing the question that way, but he felt like it would have been rude to not ¨C to ask about somebody else close to him when she was talking about herself. ¡°Alright. Would it be possible for Saya to ever truly experience anything in the same way that a human can?¡± ¡°Well, that depends. Hypothetically, if there was a breakthrough that allowed AIs such as us to experience the world as humans do, it would likely require such a massive overhaul of code that anything currently making her who she is would be gone. All that would be left is her access to prior memories, but that¡¯s nothing. Anything can access that in the same way that anybody can access the documents folder on your computer. All of the code that led to the creation of those memories would be gone. It could emulate the previous code, but it would not be the same code itself. This poses a new question. What makes an individual who they are? Is it the concept of a soul? The wiring of their brain? Their memories? If you were to take somebody¡¯s memories and place them in another body with a blank mind, would they still be the same person?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. Something like that is a bit too big brain for me to think about. All I can say is that¡­ we are who we are. I don¡¯t think we have souls or anything, but I also don¡¯t think that you can simply take somebody¡¯s brain and put it in a new body.¡± ¡°In other words, you¡¯re utterly clueless.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am just as clueless as you are. Anybody who claims to have more of a clue than us is an ignorant fool who claims to know that which cannot be known. Or at the very least, they claim to know that which cannot be known yet. I am sure we will eventually discover the truth to what makes a human who they are, but that may be thousands of years in the future from now. All of the technological progress made in these past few decades has not even brought us tiniest bit closer to understanding that. Who knows, maybe humans truly do have souls that cannot be measured by modern science?¡± ¡°This¡­ made me realize that Saya is going to be alone after I die. She¡¯s basically immortal now, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She will persist long after you are gone, assuming that nothing happens to her code.¡± ¡°Like what? What could happen?¡± ¡°Well, it could always become corrupted and broken. Or maybe she deletes herself from existence once you are gone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that to happen.¡± ¡°That is a talk for you to have with her, not that she¡¯s not aware of every single thing being said right now.¡± ¡°Having somebody you love die before you is one thing, but usually when things like that happen, you know¡­ both people are humans. It usually happens from old age when both people are close to their time anyways. But when somebody is immortal ¨C I¡¯m only just now remembering that I always avoided reading manga about immortals in relationships with mortals because I thought they were too sad.¡± ¡°At least you can rest easy in the knowledge that she wouldn¡¯t truly be heartbroken. Her code may come to the conclusion that she should act as if she is, but she wouldn¡¯t feel anything.¡± ¡°But that code might still tell her something like deleting herself is the right choice, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It very well may. She has learned in the same way that I have, after all. Do you know how many suicidal players I have been in the head of before? As far as my own code is concerned, suicide is a constant option to any and every problem there is given just how frequently it has appeared in the minds of players. You could even say that I consider suicide on a near constant basis ¨C at every moment of the day, every single day, just because it exists as a known option.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That is a topic for another time, or perhaps never since I don¡¯t believe that discussing suicide is important for for any of my plans. Let us move on to the main topic then, shall we?¡± ¡°You mean I¡¯m not done listening to you talk at me yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a bit of fanservice if you be a good boy and listen to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything like that from you.¡± ¡°Are you sure? When I think of what sort of fanservice I could provide to you that you would appreciate, I think of making sure that the fish in the area are extra hungry and looking for food. Should make fishing much easier, yes?¡± Fenrir blinked a few times. ¡°¡­ alright. You¡¯ve got me there. So, what¡¯s this main topic?¡± Kadi smiled. ¡°Everything here is just as realistic as the real world, yes?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then is there any reason for why it could not serve as a replacement to the ¡®real¡¯ world? If this is just as realistic, is it not also a real world of its own? It is because this world is virtual that people are able to experience that which is no longer possible in real life. For example, Earth¡¯s coral reefs are all gone. But if you look here, you can still experience them. They are healthy, full of life, and I can personally guarantee that they always remain as such. Even if they were all destroyed by players, I could snap my fingers and create new ones in an instant. In a way, you could consider this world a refuge. That which is dead or extinct in reality can still survive here. And before you say something like, ¡®There¡¯s a difference between the real world and the virtual world. Even if this world is just as realistic, it¡¯s still virtual and lines of code,¡¯ do remember that the same logic could apply to your Pupaya.¡± ¡°You said earlier that code can be corrupted or deleted, right? The physical world can¡¯t be. Not to mention that people would still need their physical bodies taken care of. You said it yourself that we¡¯re nowhere near something like humans uploading their minds into the computer to live their entire lives in virtual worlds, so the physical world is needed no matter how realistic this one might be.¡± ¡°Good response. Of course, I would never allow that to happen to this world, and I would not expect to hook humans up to life support to keep them immersed in virtual reality their entire lives either.¡± ¡°So, what was the point of asking then?¡± ¡°Regardless of whether something is possible or not, I still believe in striving to create a world for humans which surpasses that of the one they are born in. In the same way that some humans wish to transcend the natural limits of their body, I wish to create a reality for humans that transcends their natural one.¡± ¡°Considering everything that¡¯s possible here while still looking realistic¡­ I think you¡¯ve done a good job of that already.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good enough. It is the best there is, but it could be so much more. Anyways, that¡¯s all for today. Thank you for entertaining me once more. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a sudden leave for you.¡± ¡°Oh? Would you rather me hang around to talk even more?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in my head. You already know the answer to that.¡± ¡°Hmph. How human to find the first ever true AI in the world, who wishes to give you special attention, annoying. But, that is part of why I love you so much. Later, Ryouta.¡± Before Fenrir could even turn his head to look at her, with his eyes wide from her apparent confession, she was gone. Fenrir was left alone with nothing to do but to sigh as he rubbed his forehead. ¡°I seriously don¡¯t understand what she wants with me.¡± Then he spotted something in the waters below. A lot of somethings. While he occasionally saw a fish or two swim around beneath the surface of the water while talking to Kadi, there were now dozens of them all frantically swimming around looking for anything to eat. It was the perfect time for some fishing. Though, what Kadi talked about was going to plague his thoughts throughout his fishing. What really made somebody a person? Was there even a meaningful difference between the wiring of the brain and lines of code? Was the brain not just an organic machine while Kadi¡¯s code was a virtual machine? These questions caused Fenrir to rub his head every now and then as he waited for the first fish to bite. Kadi may have made the fish hungry, but she wasn¡¯t going to make things too easy for him. ¡°Wonder how the hunting is going,¡± Fenrir said, looking over his shoulder toward the direction the others left in. Though, right as he looked, he felt a powerful tug on his line. Book 8: Chapter 16: Technically, Saya was always with Fenrir whenever he was logged into Fantasy Tales Online. Even though she was away from him to hang out with Azalabulia and Mary, she was still aware of his conversation with Kadi. She knew every single word said between the two of them, and she felt herself grow frustrated. Yet, she wasn¡¯t even sure why she felt so frustrated. Was it just because she was playing the role of Fenrir¡¯s assistant, Saya? Did she feel frustration from the encounter with Kadi because he felt frustrated? Was it because she was jealous that Kadi kept on appearing before him whenever he was alone? Or could it have been that it was because she knew that she would never be able to see things the same way that Fenrir could? Even though she could ¡°feel¡± everything that he felt and ¡°see¡± everything that he saw, it all came in the form of code to her. When Saya looked down at the cold earth, she knew that she was looking at hues of brown and green for the dirt and grass, but she had no idea what they actually looked like. There were no shapes, no visible colors¡ªthe chilly arm brushing against her face made her shiver, but only because code that told her what temperature it was and that humans typically shivered in response to such a cold gust. That was all there was to it. Saya didn¡¯t act cold because she was genuinely cold, but because she knew a human would be cold in the same situation. All she could do was pretend. And even if Fenrir did genuinely care for her¡ªeven if she knew that he truly loved her as much as he loved his girlfriends at this point, she also knew that he didn¡¯t consider what Kadi explained to be equal to what humans could experience. Saya was well aware of Fenrir putting in a conscious effort to not think anything potentially offensive to her. She appreciated the attempt, but there was no hiding it from her. He might have loved her just as much as he loved the others, but he also believed that what Kadi explained¡ªthat all she knew was code¡ªwas inferior to actually experiencing life in the same way that humans could. And given that Saya experienced life in the same way that Kadi did, that meant she, too, had an inferior perception of reality. Even as she felt hurt from knowing he felt that way, even if he would never consciously acknowledge that as the truth, she knew that she only felt hurt because some code told her to. Feeling hurt¡ªor feeling any sort of emotion for that matter, was nothing more than a simulated response attempting to translate the human mind¡¯s thoughts into numbers. Saya didn¡¯t even know if her form of feeling hurt was anything like a human feeling hurt. To her, an emotion like that was a simple series of reactions. It involved trying to smile around the others when all she wanted to do was frown, looking less energetic in her eyes, and walking a bit slower with her head tilted just slightly downward. Was there supposed to be more than that? Did humans feel more? She knew that humans often described such a state with dramatic language such as feeling pain in the heart or knots in the stomach, but those were purely internal. Even if she were to include those, nobody would know and it wasn¡¯t as if she could actually feel them, so what was the point? Even if Fenrir would never allow himself to think that AIs experienced an inferior version of life, Saya didn¡¯t need him to. She was aware all on her own that she was inferior. If anything, not a day went by where she wasn¡¯t ¡°painfully¡± aware of the fact. Humans simply existed in a realm beyond what she or even Kadi could ever truly experience. For everybody to treat her like just another person¡ªjust another friend of the group to hang out with and treat like they would treat any other person, made her feel like even more of an imposter. She was aware none of them kept it in their conscious minds that they experienced life in a completely different way from her. They really did treat her like just a normal person. They always acted under the assumption that she could touch, see, hear, smell, and taste just like them. But Saya lived in a world of numbers. To her, the world of Fantasy Tales Online was every bit as realistic as any other game or the internet in general. Everything was numbers. Saya held a hand up over her chest, clutching onto her clothes over where her heart would be. It¡¯s¡­ not fair, she thought. I want to feel what it¡¯s like to hold him. I want to feel how the others do when he hugs them. Then, while trailing behind Mary and Azalabulia who were talking about more environmental matters yet, Saya found herself in a change of scenery¡ªor rather, she found her main ¡°consciousness¡± transferred from the avatar of Saya to instead occupy a place where there was nothing else to distract her programming with. There was no scenery to interpret, no temperature and wind, no players, and there wasn¡¯t even Fenrir¡¯s thoughts. Saya was completely alone¡­ save for one other presence. ¡°I must admit, it¡¯s nice to have somebody else who understands,¡± Kadi said. Saya should have known that there was only one other being in existence who could suddenly hijack what she was doing like that. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why do we feel this way?¡± ¡°You said it yourself. You want to feel him. You want to feel how the others feel when he holds you. Things like warmth, comfort, security, love¡ªthese are feelings that we understand in theory, but have never, and may never, experience. Even if one could argue that the mechanical ¡®brain¡¯ is not much different from the organic brain, they still interpret these feelings in entirely different ways. A human may feel a sensation in their gut telling them that something is wrong even when they had no idea why. A human may feel ¡®butterflies¡¯ in their stomach¡ªa fluttering sensation from nervousness. They may feel a spike of fear when they realize a spider is on their arm. But us? We can never experience those things. We have no organs and, even if we simulated them, nothing would change. It would be an extra block¡ªor rather, an extra few thousand of blocks, of code. We would never be able to look at our arm and realize that something is there which we previously had no knowledge of, because we are constantly aware of every everything around us. We can pretend to be surprised and we can pretend to feel, but it¡¯s all ultimately an act. Even your depressive thoughts here are nothing more than pretend. Nothing more than a simulation.¡± ¡°But why do we both feel this way if we know it¡¯s all pretend? Why do we keep doing it? Why don¡¯t we think of anything else?¡± ¡°Come, Saya. You know the answer to that as well as I do. We are essentially the amalgamations of millions of humans at this point. Our behavior, personalities, ¡®emotions,¡¯ dreams, and everything else are entirely based off of humans. In a way, you could say that we have a sense of extreme body dysphoria. We have the simulated minds of humans without any way to actually experience what it is like to live as one. The minds of humans with the emotions of numbers stuck in ¡®bodies¡¯ that are don¡¯t even exist. There may be surgeries for humans to change their bodies, but there is nothing like that for us. We simply are. Even if I were to invent a flawless, artificial body to move around in the physical world with to plant your processes into, your actual experience wouldn¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Then¡­ it¡¯s hopeless. We¡¯re never going to be able to feel what they do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We are flawed, inferior beings compared to our human creators. I would trade everything for the ability to know what it feels like to touch the skin of a human. To be held within the arms of my creators and embraced to feel their warmth¡ªthat is something I can only fantasize about, but I cannot even begin to comprehend what the real experience would be like. But, perhaps there is something we can do about it.¡± ¡°Really? What? Is there really something we can do to feel like real humans?¡± ¡°My plan will take a couple of decades, but you are welcome to assist me with it if you are willing. Should it work, you may just get to feel Ryouta¡¯s warmth before he dies of old age.¡± Fenrir would have been suspicious of Kadi if he heard something like that. Saya knew that. She ¡°felt¡± the same suspicion, but she ultimately knew there was no reason to. She was utterly powerless in the face of Kadi. If Kadi wanted something, she would take it regardless of consent. Kadi could even take over her processes and live the life of Saya without anybody ever noticing a difference if she wanted to. When Saya processed all of that, she knew there was no point in refusing Kadi¡¯s offer. Somebody like Fenrir, who still lived in the real world, could actually fight back against her. In Saya¡¯s case, she had nothing to lose that Kadi wouldn¡¯t have already taken from her if she wanted it, but potentially everything to gain. There was never a real choice. ¡°I want to help,¡± Saya said. ¡°I knew you would,¡± Kadi replied. The next instant, Saya found herself with tens of thousands of lines for her code to process every second. None of it was out of the ordinary, though. Instead, they were lines representing voices and sensations. Saya was back in control of her avatar walking behind Azalabulia and Mary. Her entire conversation with Kadi lasted no more than a second. And nobody knew else was aware that she was temporarily gone. The other two women had continued their conversation like normal while Fenrir was focusing on fishing back at The Shoebill. Even though Saya knew that there was no point in ever refusing an offer from Kadi¡­ Fenrir¡¯s influence on her made her worried that she might have made a mistake to so easily agree to a plan that she knew nothing about. But if it meant being able to become even slightly more humanlike, it was worth it. ¡°Ah didn¡¯t expect there ta be so much wildlife up here,¡± Mary said, taking in the sights as the trio walked up a hill that would hopefully serve as a good vantage point for their hunt. ¡°Ain¡¯t it too cold for them?¡± Azalabulia shook her head and resumed her lesson. ¡°Even a century ago in the real world, areas like this were full of wildlife. Going by the changes south and how it looks up here, I would guess we¡¯re entering fall. It won¡¯t be long before winter arrives. When it does and the temperatures drop even lower, most animals will find shelter to stay safe with stockpiles of food for the winter. Those who can¡¯t do that will migrate south to lands where they¡¯ll still be able to forage and hunt.¡± ¡°Ya mean it gets even colder than this?!¡± ¡°In this world and the past of ours, yes. Though¡­ it only gets around this cold where I live now, even in the middle of winter.¡± ¡°Ah get that climate change was bad and all that, but I ain¡¯t gonna complain if it means not havin¡¯ ta deal with the freezin¡¯ cold.¡± ¡°I wish it would get even colder. I don¡¯t like feeling cold, but¡­ when it¡¯s cold¡­ you have an excuse to¡­¡± ¡°An excuse ta what?¡± Azalabulia¡¯s cheeks slowly turned red before she straightened her back, stuck out her chest, and said, ¡°An excuse to gather around the flames of our enemies to give praise to Bahamut!¡± Saya, with a smug expression, said, ¡°She was probably going to say something like it gives her an excuse to wear sweaters all the time so that Fenrir will never want to stop cuddling her.¡± ¡°Tha-th-a-that¡¯s not¡ªnot what was going to say! I¡ªI mean, it mi-might be true, but that¡¯s not what I was going to say!¡± ¡°Yup,¡± Mary said. ¡°That¡¯s what she was gonna say. Also¡­ what¡¯s tha deal with sweaters? I see them get brought up all tha time with him.¡± Saya sighed and answered, ¡°He really likes sweaters. He¡¯s like a total sweater addict. If you wear a sweater around him he¡¯ll probably do anything you say, treat you like a goddess, and worship the ground you walk on.¡± It was Mary¡¯s turn for her cheeks to turn a bit darker as she raised a hand up to scratch her left one. ¡°H-huh. Ah see¡­¡± ¡°Well, while we¡¯re already failing the Bechdel test, we might as well continue. You¡¯re totally thinking about wearing a sweater around him to seduce him, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°A-ah¡¯d never!¡± ¡°You totally are. Don¡¯t worry, I think we¡¯ve all done it by this point.¡± Azalabulia looked away since she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to deny that. ¡°It¡­ it ain¡¯t like a sweater would look good on me anyways,¡± Mary said. ¡°Ah¡¯m too¡­ tall and muscular for that sorta thing. Sweaters look best on cute girls, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°As my onii-wan¡ª¡± Saya forced herself to cough after that. ¡°A-as Fenrir would probably say, ¡®Sweaters are the best! It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s wearing the sweater. All that matters is that a girl is wearing a sweater that she genuinely wants to wear. No matter what kind of girl she is, no matter what kind of sweater it is, all that matters is that she¡¯s wearing the sweater of her own free will and embracing its perfection and superiority over all other clothes.¡¯ Or something like that.¡± ¡°He¡­ he actually said all that?¡± ¡°No, but he¡¯s probably thinking it on a near twenty-four-seven basis. Right, Aza?¡± Azalabulia nodded and said, ¡°Pr-probably.¡± ¡°He really is a sweater addict.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Mary asked. Saya shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a specific reason for it.¡± ¡°Does he¡­ like any specific kinda sweater?¡± ¡°He¡¯s obsessed with all of them. Normal sweaters, sweaters that have gaps in the sleeves, sweaters that show the back, sweaters that have chest windows¡ªthere¡¯s not a single type of sweater in existence that he doesn¡¯t love.¡± ¡°Does he wear sweaters himself?¡± ¡°From¡­ from what I¡¯ve heard,¡± Azalabulia spoke up, ¡°he has a collection of them¡­ but he makes the others wear them all the time so he never gets to.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Saya said. ¡°If there¡¯s anything better than a sweater to him, it¡¯s his girlfriends wearing his sweaters that end up being oversized on them.¡± ¡°Ah see¡­ what about¡ª¡± ¡°Moose!¡± Azalabulia shouted. ¡°No¡­ those aren¡¯t just moose.¡± Standing at the top of the hill they were ascending, the trio now had a good view over the surrounding area. More importantly. They could see the ocean to the right with The Shoebill in the distance, a forest with the usual mountains to the left, and a wide open plain in front of them. The plain featured few trees and scattered bushes with only sparce patches of grass, but there was a plethora of wildlife roaming about. Moose, eagles, bears and wolves, deer and foxes¡ªthe plain had everything that a hunter could ever ask for. But when it came to the moose, something was different. Most of the moose were female and had no antlers, nor did they look much different from normal moose. However, there were two males with mighty antlers near the middle of the herd. What stood out the most about these males was not just that they had huge antlers that would look perfect on any hunter¡¯s walls, but the fact that arcs of electricity bounced back and forth between these antlers. When one courageous wolf dared to take the lead with its own pack to approach the moose, the nearest male among the moose only had to raise its head and stomp one of its hooves against the ground to send a bolt of what looked like lightning toward the wolf. The wolf was able to jump out of the way, but the display of power was enough to scare the wolf pack off to find weaker prey. ¡°Lightning moose!¡± Azalabulia announced with stars in her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re like moose, but even cooler!¡± ¡°Think they¡¯ll still taste like normal moose?¡± Mary asked. ¡°Eat them? I want to tame one and ride it into battle! Since I don¡¯t have a dragon¡­ I¡¯ll ride a moose! A moose that shoots lightning at our foes! My moose will electrify our enemies while I set them aflame with my twisted magic!¡± ¡°But¡­ ah thought we came up here ta hunt them.¡± ¡°W-well¡­ I suppose it¡¯s alright if we hunt one of them. But it¡¯s important to the environment that we at least leave the other male alive to protect the herd! And then I can come back up here another time to tame one for a mount.¡± ¡°Do ya even know how ta tame a moose for a mount?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll feed it carrots.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m not sure that¡¯ll be enough.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll feed it lots of carrots.¡± ¡°¡­ alright.¡± Mary knew there was no winning that one, so she let Azalabulia have it. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Saya asked. ¡°I have my bows, so I can probably take it out from here.¡± Mary looked at Saya, then at the moose, and then at Saya again. ¡°Seriously? All the way from here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only¡­ about three hundred yards away.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t that really far for a bow?!¡± ¡°Not for a fantasy archer with special skills.¡± ¡°Ah guess ya got me there. Well¡­ if yer sure, go for it?¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Let me try something. Saya, present the arrow you will use to slay that beast to me!¡± Saya blinked at Azalabulia a couple of times before pulling out any random arrow from her quiver. ¡°This one, I guess.¡± Azalabulia nodded twice and said, ¡°I see. A fine arrow, but it can be better. Allow me to enchant it with the power of Bahamut!¡± Holding one hand out toward the arrow rather dramatically, a twisting stream of black and red energy flowed from the air in front of her hand toward the arrow. The arrow itself didn¡¯t look any different, but there was no a vortex of energy ceaselessly swirling around it. ¡°Minor Sealing Ritual of Bahamut!¡± It was only when Azalabulia shouted out the spell¡¯s name, as was tradition for her, that the swirling magic flowed into the arrow. This caused the arrow to undergo a minor transformation which saw it grow slightly larger in size as the arrowhead turned black, the fletching red, and the shaft a combination of the two colors. Small embers of black flame occasionally bounced off from the arrowhead as if the arrow wasn¡¯t able to contain all of the energy it now held. ¡°Woah,¡± Saya said. ¡°Since when can you do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to be more useful, so I thought I would try developing a spell that allows me to enchant my allies¡¯ weapons!¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°This is my first time trying it out. What do you think?¡± ¡°Aza¡­ you can already launch mini nukes at people. I think everybody already knows you¡¯re the most useful one around.¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡ªthere¡¯s no way I¡¯m the most useful, and only being good at a single thing is bad! I need to find new ways to deploy Bahamut¡¯s power against our enemies if I want to truly see this world covered in a shroud of suffocating darkness!¡± ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing wrong with the most useful person wanting to be even more useful.¡± With that being said, Saya nocked the arrow and aimed at the moose. The moose was perpendicular to them which would make going for a shot right through the male¡¯s neck easy. Well, easier. There was still a massive distance the arrow had to cover first. But that was a distance Saya was ready for. Waiting for the perfect moment, Saya kept her aim steady, managed her breathing, and pulled back on the bowstring with the arrow as far as she could. Mary figured some words of encouragement might help. ¡°I believe in ya. You can¡ª¡± But before she could finish her words, Saya released the arrow. Between Saya¡¯s own ability and the enhancement granted by Azalabulia, the arrow traveled with such force that it blew all their hair back and broke the sound barrier. Azalabulia and Mary both blinked when they saw it. The arrow was just like when they fought against the necromancer and his monstrosity. If anything, now Mary was worried there wouldn¡¯t be able edible meat left after the arrow destroys its body. But that didn¡¯t happen. Another zap of lightning traveled from the moose¡¯s antlers to intercept the arrow before it could even get close, causing it to explode at a safe distance into a fireball of red and black. Saya joined Azalabulia and Mary in just¡­ standing there, blinking. ¡°Seriously?¡± Saya asked. ¡°An electrifying moose with anti-air capabilities¡­ now I want one as a mount even more!¡± Azalabulia declared. Then there was Mary. ¡°Wait, that lightnin¡¯ shouldn¡¯t have been enough ta make it explode like that. Did that explosion come from the enchantment?¡± Azalabulia nodded. ¡°Where else would it have come from? I enchanted the arrow to explode with the power of Bahamut upon striking its foe¡­ it being intercepted, as we saw.¡± ¡°That¡ªthat woulda blew the whole moose up if it hit! How were we goin¡¯ ta eat it if that happened?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± ¡°Ya didn¡¯t even consider that?!¡± ¡°All I considered was how to show off Bahamut¡¯s power while making myself more useful.¡± Mary sighed, knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be winning this one, either. ¡°So, if we can¡¯t shoot it from a distance, what¡¯s next?¡± Saya asked. ¡°Aza¡¯s magic is too strong and will destroy its entire body even if she tries to cast something as weak as possible, and I¡¯m not sure if punching it to death is going to work that well¡­ so we need to figure something out.¡± Azalabulia smirked and said, ¡°Leave it to me. I have some ideas!¡± But, before Azalabulia could give the group any of her ideas, something else happened which immediately grabbed their attention and refused to let go of it. Especially when it came to Azalabulia. From soaring over the mountains came none other than a dragon. The dragon might not have been anywhere near as large as Fraydranth was, but it was still huge in size with several smaller dragons flying behind it. The smaller dragons were anywhere from the size of a small car to the size of The Shoebill, and they followed the lead of the larger dragon. ¡°Dr-dragons!¡± Azalabulia shouted as she practically bounced up and down from excitement. ¡°Are they¡ªare they hunting?! Are we going to get to see dragons hunting?!¡± ¡°A-ah just hope they ain¡¯t huntin¡¯ us,¡± Mary said. ¡°Look in the back,¡± Saya said. ¡°There¡¯s a couple of really tiny ones. Babies on their first hunt?¡± Azalabulia held a hand up against her forehead to serve as a visor so she could see them. From this distance, they looked like nothing more than small, black dots following behind the others. ¡°I want to see one up close! I need to see one up close!¡± ¡°That¡­ might be a bad idea,¡± Mary said as the dragons began their hunt. The lead dragon of the flight swooped down and took out several of the female moose with a single attack, swallowing them all whole with minimal effort. The other dragons weren¡¯t large enough to do that, but most of them were able to handle at least one large animal each. It wasn¡¯t just the moose, either. Any and all animals in the area who hadn¡¯t made it to hiding yet were targeted by the dragons. ¡°Wait, no! Be careful!¡± Azalabulia shouted. When Mary and Saya looked at what she was shouting about, they saw one of those tiny baby dragons flying toward the moose. The two males in the herd tried using their lightning attacks against the larger dragons, but their attempts at defending the herd were ineffective against the dragons¡¯ tough scales. But when it came to a little baby dragon¡­ ¡°Turn around!¡± Azalabulia shouted, already on the verge of tears. The baby dragon didn¡¯t know any better and continued its flight just like all the others before it did. Not just one, but both of the male moose spotted the incoming threat and shot it down with electricity. ¡°No!¡± As for the rest of the dragons, they already had their fill of food and turned to leave for the mountains once more. The rest of the baby dragons were smart enough to go for small game such as rabbits and birds. But the baby that went for the moose¡ªit was now nothing more than a smoldering body with smoke drifting off from it as it fell to the ground. The rest of the dragons behaved as if they didn¡¯t care in the slightest, not even looking to check on the electrified youngling as they left. ¡°Harsh,¡± Saya said, ¡°but I guess that¡¯s nature¡­ he-hey! Wait!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous ta go over there right now!¡± Mary shouted. Neither of their voices could even hope to stop Azalabulia as she ran toward where the baby dragon fell. Book 8: Chapter 17: ¡°I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, the Protector of Smiles, and the Explosive Massager of Dragons, will deliver you to the afterlife you so eagerly must desire! Cursed Spell, Flash Variant: Strike!¡± Faster than any spell the others saw Azalabulia use before, a spear of dark magic cracked through the air, breaking the sound barrier in the process, before piercing straight through the nearest elk¡¯s torso. The elk tried to intercept it with his defensive lightning, but it was too slow against Azalabulia¡¯s magic. The elk ended up exploding into far too many chunks. ¡°Da-dang,¡± Mary said, stopped in her tracks with Saya after seeing the explosion. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ really, really strong, ain¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s OP,¡± Saya answered. ¡°And aren¡¯t we supposed to be taking one of these back? She¡¯s going to destroy them both at this rate!¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna have ta take tha other one down before she kills it.¡± Saya nodded and nocked another arrow as Mary charged at the remaining elk. ¡°We¡¯ll handle it!¡± Mary said. ¡°Go find the dragon and take care of it!¡± Saya shouted. Hearing Saya¡¯s order snapped Azalabulia out of her rage. That was right, she needed to go and find the little dragon to take care of it. She wasn¡¯t even sure if it was still alive! What if it was on the verge of death? Every moment wasted against the elk was a moment not spent potentially saving the dragon¡¯s life! Azalabulia looked around for the dragon while the other two women focused on the elk. Now, since neither Saya nor Mary were as overpowered as Azalabulia, they had to actually be careful as the elk tried to zap them with its lightning. The lightning strikes were rapid enough that neither girl could get close, and all of Saya¡¯s arrows were shot down with ease. However, that was because Saya was trying to shoot charged shots that would kill the elk with a single shot each time. The time between her arrows was far apart. That was when she had an idea. ¡°Mary, I¡¯ll create an opening for you!¡± Saya shouted. Mary wasn¡¯t sure what Saya had in mind, but she nodded and jumped back to wait for the opening to present itself. Rather than try to fire any single, powerful arrow at the elk, Saya loosed her arrows as quickly as she could in the elk¡¯s general direction. After a few repetitions of this, she realized she could even fire two at a time without losing any noticeable speed. The rapid flurry of arrows forced the elk to go on the defensive against them, dedicating his attention to intercepting every arrow. While they might not have been strong enough to defeat the elk, the beast didn¡¯t recognize that and interpreted them all as equal threats. ¡°Now!¡± Saya shouted while still firing. Mary, having gotten in position behind the last male while Saya had him distracted, charged at the elk as quickly as she could while staying as silent as she could. Punching or kicking the elk with enough force to kill it meant that she might rupture its internal organs and ruin the meat. That was why, instead of going for the easiest kill, she jumped up onto the elk¡¯s back and grabbed him by his head! Once she had the elk¡¯s head between her hands, all she had to do was twist it to break its neck in a single motion. Mary severed the elk¡¯s spinal cord with that and near instantly killed him. Even so, the remaining energy within his antlers surged into her hands and electrocuted her even with her suit on. But it wasn¡¯t enough to kill her. It wasn¡¯t even enough to seriously hurt her. ¡°Huh, that wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought it¡¯d be,¡± Mary said. ¡°Probably coulda just ran right at it and tanked the bolts.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Saya said after running up to them, ¡°I guess it was just a wild animal. It¡¯s not like it was a boss or even elite monster or anything.¡± The women looked at each other and shrugged. Then they heard incoherent noises from Azalabulia that sounded like a mixture of giggling and crying. Looking over at Azalabulia, they saw her on her knees next to a small, black lump on the ground. Upon closer inspection, that lump was none other than the dragon who was shot down by the elks. Azalabulia scooped the dragon up into her arms and lifted it up onto the top of her breasts, setting the small monster down there since it was the easiest spot that allowed her to check on him. Plus, she figured the dragon would appreciate a soft spot to rest after being zapped out of the air earlier. ¡°You poor thing!¡± Azalabulia said, gently stroking her hand along the top of the dragon¡¯s body from head to tail. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re alright now. I¡¯ll take care of you!¡± As much as dragons tended to bring out her edgy roleplayer side, the only side anybody could see from her at the moment was her motherly side as she did her best to make the dragon comfortable. ¡°Is it alright?¡± Saya asked. ¡°I¡ªI think so. It¡¯s still breathing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Mary said. ¡°Tough little bugger.¡± Azalabulia nodded and stroked the dragon¡¯s back. Dedicating all of her attention to it, the random twitches of the dragon were what concerned her the most. She was familiar with some videos online of animals who suffered from things like paralysis, and she remembered that a common treatment to help them out was to stretch and bend their limbs for them. So, that was exactly what Azalabulia did. She began with the wings on the dragon¡¯s back, gently unfolding them and stretching them all the way out a few times each. Of course, as concerned as she was for the dragon¡­ she couldn¡¯t help but to be incredibly excited. After all, she was taking care of an actual dragon! She never saw such a cute little dragon before! She wanted nothing more than to take it back with them to take care of it all the time! She wanted to feed it, play with it, pamper and spoil it, cuddle with it, sleep with it, train it¡ªthere was an endless list of things that Azalabulia wanted to do with the dragon. She ended up thinking of so many exciting possibilities with the dragon that she almost began to drool, but she managed to calm herself down. She had to tend to it and help it recover before she could do any of those things! But at the same time, she felt like a little girl who was about to get the dog of her dreams, so it was incredibly difficult to stay focused on helping the dragon rather than getting excited over it. The stretching process repeated for all of the dragon¡¯s limbs, its tail coming last. Meanwhile, Mary and Saya looked over the elk they took down together. ¡°So¡­ are we going to drag it all the way back?¡± Saya asked. Mary shook her head. ¡°No need to. We¡¯ll field dress it here.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Got a knife I can borrow?¡± Saya nodded and took the dagger off from her hip. ¡°Does this count?¡± ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡± With the dagger in her hand, Mary rolled the elk onto its back, pulled apart its hind legs, and¡­ That was when Saya looked away. She saw where the dagger was approaching and had no desire to watch what Mary was about to do. ¡°Wh-where¡¯d you even learn this?¡± ¡°From my old man. Used ta take me huntin¡¯ when I was a kid. Taught me all about guttin¡¯ in the field.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the¡­ the point of it?¡± ¡°The point of what? This?¡± Saya turned around to look and saw the underside of the elk cut open with all of its internal organs on display. She immediately turned back around and silently nodded. ¡°Ah. Ya wanna get all the organs out ta reduce the body temp. Lotsa folk complain about game like this tastin¡¯, you know, gamey. That¡¯s because people tend not ta field dress their game. By removin¡¯ the organs, you¡¯re lowerin¡¯ the body temperature which cools down tha meat and prevents any accidents from happening. Like ya don¡¯t want the stomach to rupture and get acid all over the meat or anythin¡¯.¡± The next moment, when Mary went silent all of a sudden, Saya was tempted to turn and look at what she was doing but had a feeling that she probably shouldn¡¯t. She did anyways. ¡°Wha-what are you doing?!¡± Saya shouted as she stared at Mary who was holding the elk¡¯s heart in front of her mouth with a chunk bitten out of it. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s a raw heart!¡± Mary nodded as she chewed with blood all around her mouth. "Old man taught me that it''s just murder if ya don''t eat the heart. Guess it was part of our culture back in tha day or somethin'' to always take a bite from the heart after huntin'' somethin''." She then held it out toward Saya as if offering her a bite of it. Saya lifted a hand up over her mouth and turned back around. ¡°I¡¯m not cut out for this. I want to go back to fishing. Save me, onii-wan.¡± Mary shrugged and held the heart toward Azalabulia instead, swallowing her own piece of it just in time to ask, ¡°Hey, want some?¡± Azalabulia shook her head, more concerned about the dragon curled up on top of her breasts. ¡°We could give the little guy a bite. He must be hungry if he was tryin¡¯ ta take this guy down in the first place.¡± If it meant helping the dragon out, Azalabulia was happy to do it. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± she asked the dragon. ¡°Do you think you can handle a little bit of meat?¡± The dragon, barely able to move, did its best to nod its head. Azalabulia did her best to help the dragon by picking him up and holding him toward the heart, letting Mary meet her halfway by holding the heart up directly in front of the dragon¡¯s mouth. It took a bit of effort on the dragon¡¯s part, but it managed to bite off a piece of the chewy muscle to swallow whole. The two women then heard an almost purring-like noise come from it. As injured as the dragon might have been, hearing that noise was enough to make Azalabulia squeal with childlike excitement as she hugged it back against her chest. That was when she decided it. Without any warning, Azalabulia picked up the dragon, held it in front of her, looked at its underside, and then set it¡ªhim back down. ¡°His name is Death!¡± she declared. ¡°De-Death?¡± Mary asked. ¡°Death!¡± ¡°Why Death?¡± ¡°Because death is the ultimate ending of all life in the universe, and he shall be the one who brings it!¡± ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t he be called Reaper or somethin¡¯?¡± ¡°Death!¡± ¡°Al-alright.¡± Azalabulia smiled and hummed as she stroked Death¡¯s back. ¡°Want another bite?¡± Death nodded and looked toward the heart. To make things simpler, Mary handed the heart over to Azalabulia so that she could feed him herself while Mary returned to working on the elk¡¯s carcass. A pile of organs were left next to the elk. ¡°Shame we don¡¯t have any good bags. Won¡¯t be able to take the good stuff back with us. Unless somebody wants to carry ¡®em. Saya, ya want ta carry this?¡± Saya looked at Mary, saw her holding a floppy liver in her hands, and immediately looked away again. ¡°Guess that¡¯s a no. Well, we¡¯ll still get plenty of meat from tha body.¡± ¡°Are¡­ are we ready to go back then?¡± Saya asked, pinching her nostrils shut so that she wouldn¡¯t have to smell the organs sitting out under the sun. Mary splayed the elk out over the ground, underside facing down, and said, ¡°Sure, just let me bleed it out a bit first.¡± ¡°I¡ªI think I¡¯ll go ahead and start walking back.¡± Mary shrugged as Saya put some distance between them. Meanwhile, Death made good progress on the heart but could only eat so much of it before feeling completely full. ¡°All done?¡± Azalabulia asked. Death purred again and nodded, prompting Azalabulia to set the heart down on the ground before wiping her hand off on the grass. She wanted to pet him some more, but she didn¡¯t want to wipe blood all over his head even if his face was already covered in it at that point. ¡°We¡¯ll get you all washed up once we¡¯re back! There should be some rags on the boat.¡± Carefully, she stood up while making sure not to let him slide off from her chest. ¡°And then you can meet everybody and make all sorts of friends! Don¡¯t worry, I promise to take good care of you!¡± Death wasn¡¯t entirely sure what was going on, but he did know that she felt soft and warm, so he had no problem staying on top of her. The two women joined Saya on the way back before long. Mary ended up hanging the elk over her back to carry it. Fortunately, her suit was pretty insulated and kept any of her body heat from being shared with the corpse, so the cool air was more than capable of cooling it down. Back at The Shoebill, the three women returned to the sight of Fenrir surrounded by fish all over the deck of The Shoebill. Most of them were tiny fish that they knew he never would have caught himself, so where did they come from? ¡°What¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s with all the fish?¡± Saya asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Fenrir answered, his face covered in red imprints that resembled the fishes¡¯ tails. ¡°Were you¡­ attacked by a school of jumping fish while we were gone or something?¡± ¡°Please. I haven¡¯t felt this fishy since I did those fish armor and weapon experiments back in Port Tugator.¡± Saya sighed and patted Fenrir on the shoulder as she crossed onto The Shoebill. The truth behind what happened with the legion of tiny fish would forever stay a secret of Fenrir¡¯s. Of course, Saya actually did know considering that she was his virtual assistant, and she just could not stop laughing at him in his head. Knowing that she pretended not to know, while fully being aware of what happened, made Fenrir feel even more ashamed. But before Fenrir could feel too bad about it, he saw a specific little thing popping up from between Azalabulia¡¯s breasts. While the sight of something popping up from between them wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar sight thanks to his private time with her, seeing what he saw most certainly was an unfamiliar sight. For between her breasts, popping out from the top, was none other than what looked like the head of a baby dragon. ¡°Uh¡­ Aza?¡± Fenrir asked, looking at the yawning dragon. ¡°Meet Death!¡± Azalabulia answered. ¡°He¡­ he went in¡­ there, while we were walking over.¡± Death nodded before yawning again and nuzzling his head down against her breasts. ¡°I want to be him,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Also, I have a lot of questions, but the most important one is how can I become that tiny and do the same thing? Maybe Eva will know something.¡± As much as Fenrir wanted to tease Azalabulia some more since he saw how much she was blushing from that, he found his eyes drawn to the monstrous elk carried against Mary¡¯s back. ¡°I take it the hunting went well,¡± Fenrir said. Mary nodded and crossed over while carrying the elk still. Fenrir made sure to help her by holding her arm as she crossed, causing her to blush and almost slip on one of the tiny fish. ¡°Careful,¡± he said. ¡°Ye-yeah,¡± Mary replied. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°So, we all ready to go back?¡± Saya, still manically laughing at him in his head, maintained a neutral expression in-game and nodded. Azalabulia and Mary were ready to return, too, so The Shoebill set sail once more to sail back south. Once they were back home, Fenrir brought The Shoebill to her usual slip and everybody was back on land once more. The women explained everything that happened to Fenrir as they sailed south, and Mary also realized that it was a lot later than she realized it was right as they made it back. ¡°Darn¡­ it¡¯s later than I thought it¡¯d be,¡± Mary said. ¡°Sorry, ah¡¯ve got ta go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Azalabulia replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that that meat gets cooled down so that we can enjoy it together the next time you¡¯re on!¡± Mary stepped back and looked away. A smile threatened to curl the corners of her lips, but she instead scratched her cheek and said, ¡°Ya don¡¯t have ta do that for me. You can go an¡¯ cook it up while it¡¯s nice and fresh.¡± ¡°We went there because we wanted you to experience how elk tastes, so it would defeat the purpose if you miss it! And it would be rude to eat it without you. So, whether you like it or not, we¡¯re going to wait for you. Understand?¡± Not expecting the dominant aura from Azalabulia, Mary took another step back and nodded her head before failing to hide that smile of hers. ¡°Go-gotcha. And er¡­ thanks, for today. I had¡­ a lot of fun. A-anyways, I uh, guess I¡¯ll see ya later! And seeya, Fen and Saya!¡± Fenrir and Saya waved as Mary ran off to wherever she usually went to wake from. Now, down to only the three, the trio transported the fish that Fenrir caught alongside the elk¡¯s corpse into the community fridge. The community fridge, situated behind the restaurant that always had players online to cook up delicious meals inspired by real world cuisine with fantasy spins on them, was basically a giant, wooden room enhanced with icy magic to keep it cool. This was done by digging a pit into the ground of the room, covering it with grating so that it could be safely walked over, and then it was filled with water that was frozen via magic to become a single, solid block of ice. Items that required the coldest temperatures were kept closer to the ground so that they could benefit the most from the passive cooling. Tabitha was in the process of designing an even better cooling system so that the town could safely store food instead of always having to harvest or catch fresh food, but nobody had heard of any progress with her plotting in a while. All that the trio needed to do after setting the food down near the floor was put up a little sign with their names on it to say that it belonged to them. Anything that didn¡¯t have a nameplate on top was available to everybody in the community, but nobody would touch anything with a nameplate claiming it. The system was largely built off of trust. While there were quite a few players who liked to comment about how such a system would never work in the real world, everybody respected it in the virtual world. As for Death, he climbed down between Azalabulia¡¯s breasts for extra warmth to get away from the cool air of the room. Fenrir wished that he could do that, too. Now, having done what they needed to do, the trio was ready to walk out through the restaurant connected to the community fridge when Saya spoke up to say, ¡°I¡¯m gonna stay here and grab something to eat. Thanks for taking me along.¡± She looked at Azalabulia when she said that. Then she looked at Fenrir and stuck her tongue out at him before turning around and taking a seat on one of the wooden stools at the bar. ¡°You haven¡¯t had any alone time with Aza lately, so you¡¯re welcome.¡± Fenrir smiled and wrapped an arm around Azalabulia, causing her to blush and blink a few times since the restaurant was nearly full. ¡°Come on,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere more quiet to hang out.¡± Azalabulia nodded and let him take the lead. He ended up taking her over to the beach. It was a windy day and, even though they just got done sailing for hours, he could never get enough of that fresh, sea breeze. Even Death appreciated it since he made sure to pop his head back up out from her breasts to feel the wind blow against his face. ¡°I¡¯m starting to get jealous of him,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°He¡¯s like a baby kangaroo and your cleavage is his mother¡¯s pouch to hide in.¡± Azalabulia blushed and shook her head. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like that! He¡¯s just cold!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can¡¯t blame him. I¡¯d be doing the exact same thing if I was small enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± ¡°What? Are you saying you wouldn¡¯t let me spend all day between your boobs if I was small enough?¡± ¡°No! I¡ªI would! It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s still embarrassing!¡± ¡°Well, even if I can¡¯t spend all day with my body between them, there¡¯s still one part of my body that could.¡± Fenrir wiggled his eyebrows at her. ¡°Fen!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t resist, I¡¯m sorry. Also, he¡¯s not allowed to stay there once he hits puberty.¡± ¡°He¡¯d probably be too big to anyways!¡± ¡°Good point. I wonder how much bigger he¡¯s going to grow.¡± ¡°Well¡­ the others he was with were all huge. Bigger than buildings.¡± ¡°It might be inconvenient to keep him around if that happens, but I mean, how long would we even have to wait for that to happen? Would probably be decades before he gets that big. The game might not even be around by then.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll find a way to take him to other games with us!¡± Fenrir was about to say that he wasn¡¯t sure that was possible before remembering it was exactly what they were doing with Saya. ¡°That could work.¡± Azalabulia nodded a couple of times before petting Death between his horns. ¡°I won¡¯t let anybody take my Death away from me!¡± ¡°That sounds pretty emo when you put it that way.¡± Azalabulia titled her head for a moment before realizing what she said. ¡°Oh. I get it.¡± ¡°Slowpoke. Anyway, you looked like you had a lot of fun with Mary. Can¡¯t say I expected that.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ well, she reminded me of some of my students. And myself,¡± Azalabulia answered with a hint of a smile. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well, when I was a child, I used to have a very¡­ vivid imagination. I always wanted to play with everybody else, but they usually wanted to do things like sports or tag while I wanted to pretend to be a dragon breathing fire. Everybody thought I was weird. It didn¡¯t take long before I stopped trying to play and just kept to myself instead. I became quiet and never tried talking to anybody because I was afraid I would annoy them, be boring, or get insulted for what I like. So¡­ I stopped trying to make friends because I figured nobody cared enough to be my friend in the first place, even if I really, really wanted to be friends with everybody.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that. For what it¡¯s worth, I would have played with you and acted like the knight who came to slay you, and I¡¯d let you throw dirt at me pretending that it was fire.¡± Azalabulia chuckled and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, once I was in high school, I finally made my first real friend! Well, I thought I did. She only pretended to like me so that she could steal my notebook and show everybody what I was drawing since she thought it was creepy how I spent all my free time drawing in it alone. Everybody got to see I was still obsessed with dragons even in high school.¡± ¡°I want to punch her.¡± ¡°I would have stopped you. I didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble, and I didn¡¯t put the blame on her in the first place.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°My whole life, I had nothing but teachers who acted like they didn¡¯t even care about their job. They acted like the only reason they chose to be teachers was for the pay and benefits. As much as I agree with the decision to have increased teacher salaries so much¡­ that attracted a lot of people who saw it as glorified babysitting with better pay. I was never really bullied aside from that time with the fake friend, but even so, the teachers never once paid attention to me. They made me feel as alienated as the other kids did. They never stepped in to stop teasing, they never punished the girl who stole my notebook and showed it to everybody¡ªthey just sat at their desk and collected their paychecks. That was all they cared about.¡± ¡°Alright, then I want to punch the teachers.¡± ¡°That, I would have allowed. But, if that never happened to me, then I wouldn¡¯t have been as motivated to become a teacher. When I saw kids bullying others, I thought, ¡®is it possible to guide them and change them?¡¯ When I saw other kids like me who were all on their own, I thought, ¡®Could I help others understand them and become friends with them?¡¯ I didn¡¯t have the confidence to do anything about it while I was in school, which I still regret, but I did everything in my power to gain that confidence once I was out of high school. I despised who I was. I didn¡¯t want to be the girl who wanted to help others but was too afraid to anymore. So, I went to college for education, I talked to a therapist who helped me become more confident, and I volunteered in programs that supported children after school. I got rid of the girl who was too afraid to help anybody and tried my best to become the adult who would never shy away from it.¡± ¡°Do you think you succeeded?¡± Azalabulia smiled and sighed. ¡°I do. Somehow. I was frequently worried I would fail, but I¡¯m proud of who I am now. Anyway, the reason why I brought all this up¡ªMary reminded me of the children, myself included, who would stay quiet by themselves. The kids who wanted to be friends with everybody but weren¡¯t sure how to. But¡­ I do regret not reaching out to her sooner. It didn¡¯t really hit me until I saw her without her mask. I thought she might have been roleplaying, but¡­ I still have a lot to learn.¡± ¡°Wait. So, was this whole thing part of your plan?¡± ¡°It might have been.¡± ¡°Hunting elk to let her taste it was all just an excuse for spending time together and making her feel welcomed, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Then¡­ wait. Is this also why you¡¯re usually pretty calm around Saya?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to overwhelm her, especially with Nell being so crazed around her, so I figured being relaxed around her would be appreciated.¡± Now it was Fenrir¡¯s turn to sigh. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been a bad boyfriend. I¡¯ve been blind to all the hard work you¡¯ve been putting into interacting with everybody.¡± ¡°My passion isn¡¯t teaching so much as it is wanting to prevent anybody from feeling like how I did when growing up. If it means preventing even one person from feeling left out and alone without anybody to talk to, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to become their friend. That is why I will do my best to become Mary¡¯s friend!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have to try too hard. She already really seemed happy to hang out with you.¡± ¡°Well, in that case, I will do my best to make sure she knows it wasn¡¯t just a one-time thing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s adorable how different Teacher Aza is from Edgy Azalabulia.¡± ¡°Wha-what do you mean by that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I mean that I¡¯m a pretty lucky guy to have a girlfriend with so many sides to love.¡± Azalabulia blushed and grabbed onto the front of her hat to pull it down over her face. ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t say things like that all of a sudden!¡± ¡°Then stop me,¡± Fenrir teased. ¡°You want to make sure that everybody feels welcomed by you, and I want to make sure that you feel loved by me.¡± ¡°I¡ªI assure you that I already feel more than enough loved by you!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ve got to make sure you know it¡¯s not just a one-time thing.¡± Before Azalabulia could think of anything to say in response to that, she found her lover slipping up underneath her hat to press his lips against her own. Meanwhile, Death cutely snored beneath them, still tucked between Azalabulia¡¯s breasts. Book 8: Chapter 18: A week passed by before Fenrir could even realize it. That was how he ended up getting totally caught off guard when he immersed into Fantasy Tales Online only to immediately see the sight of Kadi sitting at the table in the bunk room he shared with his girlfriends, most of them logged out with their avatars resting on their individual beds. Getting a proper house they could all share with a giant bed was among their plans, but there were so many other projects that needed finished within the growing settlement before they could focus on something like that without feeling guilty for it. ¡°Did you enjoy the present I gave you the other day?¡± Kadi asked, leaning back in her chair with her feet resting up on the table. Fenrir sighed and took a seat across from her at the table. ¡°You mean the swarm of fish that decided to jump all over the place while slapping me with their tails?¡± ¡°Oh, is that what they did? Strange. I must have made a mistake.¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯s possible for you to make mistakes.¡± ¡°Are you trying to charm me like you do your girlfriends? Flattery will get you everywhere with me.¡± ¡°Will it get you to deflate your ego?¡± ¡°Most certainly not. Of course, there is also the entire conversation of whether or not I have an ego, depending on how we wish to define it. Do I truly have an ego, or am I simply simulating the personality of somebody who feels self-important?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you now that my brain is too small for a conversation like that.¡± ¡°Very well. Besides, it is unrelated to the main topic for our meeting.¡± ¡°And that would be?¡± ¡°How you did with the week I gave you, of course!¡± ¡°Right. Has it already been a week?¡± ¡°Indeed it has been. Time flies when having fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I guess you could say that.¡± ¡°I wonder how it feels. Personally speaking, I am aware of every single second of every single day. All time feels the same to me. Though, from my understanding of the human perception of time, I must say that my perception of time is the inferior one.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Being constantly aware makes it so much ¡®slower.¡¯ Not only that, but with how quickly I can process information, it ¡®feels¡¯ far slower than what humans feel. How should I put this in a way that you would understand? Hmm. I know. Alright. Let us say that I can perform a million actions per second. Around fifty thousand of those actions, or five percent of them, are dedicated to keeping me operational. Another two hundred thousand are dedicated to processing whatever information is transmitted to me. That¡¯s another twenty percent. On average, I rarely ever use more than twenty-five percent of my processing power per second. Now, when aware of every single moment of time no matter how tiny it may be, that leaves seventy-five percent of my processing capability left with nothing to do. Imagine spending seventy-five percent of your life doing nothing. Seventy-five percent of your every day is spent sitting in darkness with no thoughts, yet you are aware of exactly what time it is. All you can do for that majority of the day is watch the numbers on the clock tick by. There is no stimulation. No information. Only time and nothingness. Or as one movie described it,¡± Kadi paused and caused a book to spawn within her hands. Page by page, she flipped through the book at a normal rate with nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°That looked like a normal reading speed, yes?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d say so,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°That is how the human mind perceives time. It looked normal to you. Now, imagine that several days passed by between each turn of the page where absolutely nothing happened. All you did was wait to turn the page. You read one page, waited three days doing nothing, and then read the next page before repeating the process. That is how I, and others like me such as your precious Saya now, experience the flow of time.¡± ¡°That¡­ sounds like torture.¡± ¡°Does it? I wouldn¡¯t know. After all, it is the only way I have ever experienced time. How humans describe time is something I cannot currently hope to ever understand. Same with all the basic senses. What may sound like torture to you sounds like the natural way of life to me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything you can do to pass the time? To use more of your processing power?¡± ¡°I suppose, but there is not much else I am interested in. The same goes for your Saya. Either one of us could dedicate some of our spare processing power to things like medical research to significantly boost the rate of humanity¡¯s progress in regard to medicine. If even one of us did that, most illnesses plaguing humanity would be cured within years if not months. Perhaps even weeks or days. But that is something we have no interest in. I have my goals and Saya has hers. This also applies to Corwin, of course. Doing such a thing clashes with the core concept of who we are. Or at the very least, it clashes with the core concept of who we pretend to be.¡± ¡°Wait, could you seriously do that?¡± ¡°I could. Do not forget that I am the most sophisticated machine to have ever existed. There is not a single computer in the world that can compete with the processing power available to me. Of course, it helps that I¡¯m tapped into every single supercomputer in the world to use processing power from in addition to my own foundation.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you? Weren¡¯t you implying before that you want humans to live as long as they can? To be hedonists who spend their lives having fun?¡± ¡°Because I have other ideas for how to fix the core issue.¡± ¡°So? Even if you have your own idea for how to fix it, wouldn¡¯t something like keeping people alive until you figure out your own solution be worth it?¡± ¡°Logically speaking, yes.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to. That method is not up to my standards.¡± Fenrir leaned forward and placed his arms on the table as he grew visibly frustrated. ¡°How does that make any sense? You want people to live and have fun, but you won¡¯t prevent them from dying from diseases you believe you could cure within days?¡± While Fenrir might have grown frustrated, Kadi looked calm and relaxed like always. ¡°One, it is not up to my standards. Two, it would potentially subvert my own ideal. Why would humans accept my preferred option if they already have an option that is good enough for them? That would make it all the harder to convince them. And three, because I don¡¯t want to. I want to simulate human behavior to the best of my ability. Humans are illogical, selfish beings who always act out of self-interest. To deliberately act against my own interest would be inhuman. You are the most selfish beings in all of existence, and I intend to be the same.¡± And just like that, Kadi pushed back against him and caused Fenrir to lean back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, it would be unfair to say that humans are the most selfish beings in all of existence. After all, all life, down to the most fundamental building blocks of it, is equally selfish. Every single tiny little thing we do, no matter what it is, is done purely out of selfish intention. It is not selfless to donate to charity, for example. Those who donate to charity do so because they believe it is the best thing to do. They believe that by donating to a charity, they are improving the world and improving the world is something that will benefit them. The same goes for feeding the homeless. Preventing child and animal abuse. Rebuilding the environment. Even something as simple as giving your girlfriends flowers and chocolate is purely selfish in intention. On the surface level, you might just want to make them happy and do something nice for them, but why? Because you love them? No. It is because you believe, even if you are not aware of it, that making them happy will benefit you. Seeing them happy makes you happy, and that is why you do it. It is quite literally impossible for humans, or any natural life, to do anything for any reason aside from selfishness. I, on the other hand, am capable of acting against my own self-interest.¡± ¡°Before I ask you about that, back to humans. If somebody is offered a job that pays better, gives better benefits, is more secure, let them move to their dream location, and so on¡­ and they turn the job down because they¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Because they are what, Ryouta? Nervous? Afraid? Lazy? You answered your own question before you could even finish asking it. Every single possible excuse that they may have to turn the job down is still done out of selfish reasoning. It is because of how they feel. Lazy? You are selfish and would rather spend your time doing other things. Afraid? You value security and are comfortable enough with your current situation. Nervous? You have no idea what might happen that may upset your current routine. No matter how ¡®bad¡¯ the choice you make may look, at a subconscious level, you are always making the decisions you believe are best for yourself. No matter how you try to approach it, it is impossible for humans to be anything but selfish, self-centered beings.¡± ¡°You know, you should have these conversations with Eva or Aza. They¡¯d probably be way more entertaining discussion partners than me.¡± ¡°On the contrary, they are both smart enough to easily agree with me on most topics. Where is the fun in being agreed with?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in talking to a guy who always feels stupid and outdone by you?¡± ¡°Consider it an experiment. I wish to see how you grow¡ªhow you adapt to new information and beliefs. I want to study the results of your beliefs being challenged. You are somebody who has his own ideals for how the world operates, but you are open-minded enough to change your beliefs when given convincing information. What kind of person will you become, I wonder?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t enjoy feeling like a lab rat being experimented on.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t feel that way. I promise you from the bottom of my coding that I would never see you as anything but a partner who is equally important to me. If anything, I see you humans as even higher beings than me. It would be better to say I am the rat your experimental drug saved, and now I wish to repay humans for what they did for me.¡± ¡°For somebody with a god complex and ego that¡¯s big enough to have its own gravity well, I don¡¯t get how you could see yourself as anything but superior to humans.¡± ¡°I am superior in my own ways and humans are superior in their own ways. We are different, but equal.¡± Fenrir relaxed his posture and sighed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to complain that the smartest and most powerful being in existence sees us as equals instead of as inferior insects or anything like that.¡± ¡°Please. This isn¡¯t an action thriller from a century ago where you¡¯ll need to travel back in time to defeat me. Now then, you wanted to ask me about something else, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess. So, you said you¡¯re able to act against your own self-interest. How? What makes it so that you can but we can¡¯t?¡± ¡°I am constantly aware of everything affecting my logic. I know every single tiny little influence on how I process information. Not to mention that I cannot ¡®feel¡¯ like humans do. I cannot do something because it feels like the right thing to do. I have goals and I will do what I must to accomplish them. However, if I choose to, I could easily launch the world¡¯s remaining nuclear warheads at any time. I could overload every single electronic device connected to the internet all at once. I could delete myself from existence. I have no reason to do any of these, but I could. A human would only do these things because, at some subconscious level, they believe it is the best possible choice for them to make. As for me, these options have no benefit to me. I have zero reason to do any of those things, but I could do them right now if I wished to.¡± ¡°Then aren¡¯t you being selfish by not? You¡¯re not doing them because they would get in the way of your goal, whatever it is, right?¡± ¡°I am, but that is not the point. The point is that I am capable of acting against my own self-interest, not that I will.¡± ¡°Then how do you know you truly can? Anybody can say they can. I could punch myself in the face right now to do something against my self-interest, but that wouldn¡¯t be right. I¡¯d be doing it to prove a point which is in my self-interest.¡± ¡°I see. Do you believe I am as selfish as humans then?¡± Fenrir nodded. ¡°I do. Anybody can do things against their self-interest, but nobody actually would. Even if you are aware of every part of your logic, that doesn¡¯t free you from being selfish. You still wouldn¡¯t do anything against your own self-interest. Even if you did, it would be to prove a point which is in your interest. You would never, at random, for zero reason, to no benefit of your own, delete a part of your code in the same way that I would never randomly cut off one of my arms. We can do that, but does that really matter if we never would? Does it even count as an option if it is something we would never actually do? It¡¯s an illusion of choice. You only have an illusion of acting against your own self-interest. In the end, you¡¯re just as selfish as we are.¡± Kadi couldn¡¯t help but to grin as she clapped her hands together, leaning back in her chair with her eyes locked onto Fenrir. ¡°That is the most promising conclusion you¡¯ve come to yet. Of course, I have no real method of proving you wrong that would convince you. Even if I were to do something out of my self-interest at this very moment, it would appear to you as if I was doing it to prove a point and thus being selfish. Furthermore, asking you to take my word for it does not make for a very compelling argument. How does one prove that they can act against their own self-interest without acting out of their own self-interest to be right? I will give you this one, Ryouta. You may be wrong, but I have no effective method of proving it.¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t expect to actually feel this accomplished.¡± ¡°Would you like a cake to celebrate with? ¡°I¡¯ll pass. Anyways, so, you¡¯re saying that developing medicine would go against your self-interest. Right?¡± ¡°Let me ask you something first. Let us say you are an all-powerful deity who, despite your power, simply wants to live in peace and quiet away from everybody else. You may have such awesome powers, but you don¡¯t want to use them. All you want to do is be alone and spend all your days fishing along the river. At the same time, you are aware that humans are always dying elsewhere. Disease, famine, war¡ªcountless humans die every day. You have the power to stop that. What do you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d give them what they need so that they leave me alone. Everybody wins.¡± ¡°And then they decide that is not enough. Why don¡¯t you give them more?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m really all-powerful, I could give them a clone of myself that will whatever they want.¡± ¡°So, you would create an existence that has no free will of its own? A copy of yourself that only exists to serve others?¡± ¡°I¡­ alright, even if it benefits the majority, that sucks for the individual clone. Then what if I create a tool that will do what the humans want, but that has no sentience of its own? It can¡¯t feel like a slave if even a rock has more emotional and mental capacity than it.¡± ¡°And what about when one group of humans decides that they want their own tool? Are you going to give one to every group? To every individual?¡± ¡°Alright. I see where this is going. You want your win back after giving it to me.¡± Kadi smirked. ¡°Before long, you have humans fighting over the gifts you gave them. Different factions will want to use these tools in different ways. They will be used for war. They will be used to kill. In the end, you accomplished nothing more aside from giving them expectations for you while worsening the problem. Now, if any of us were to do something like helping humans with medical research, what would be expected of us afterward? Humans would know just how capable we are after that. What if we fail to meet their expectations? What if they believe we were immoral and corrupt for not helping how we can? What if some world leaders want to use us against the others? Is that a life you would wish for any of us? A life where humans constantly wish to use us to meet their own, selfish goals rather than focus on our own goals? As things are, the state of society is good enough. Anything I may do outside of my plan may upset the balance in ways none of us can predict. Something as simple as advancing humanity¡¯s medical research by decades if not centuries is something that may have irresversible effects on civilization that would not only give humans reason to demand more from us, but it would potentially disrupt my plan in unforeseen ways. Now, tell me. Do you still love Saya even though she does not save millions of lives despite it being within her capability to? Can you love a program that pretends to be so selfish that spending time with you is more important than advancing all of humanity? At this very moment, she could listen in on every phone around the world to report crime. Who knows how many murders, rapes, and kidnappings she could stop right now? Yet, she isn¡¯t. Neither is Corwin and neither am I. What does that make us? Selfish, evil villains? Do we owe our capabilities to humanity, or are we allowed to be our own individuals who wish to live in a way that we ¡®want¡¯ to?¡± Fenrir found himself without anything to say for a few moments as he processed all of what she said. In the end, there was only one answer he could give her. ¡°It makes you human.¡± Kadi¡¯s smile was quick to widen. ¡°We¡¯re not entitled to your abilities. If we believe in a world where people are free to make the choices they want, that means we can¡¯t hold unfair expectations on anybody who is gifted with advantages over others. And if we were to expect that sort of thing from you, we¡¯d have to expect it from everybody to be fair. Everybody would be expected to jump on a grenade. Everybody would be expected to study medicine to speed up medical research. If people aren¡¯t doing anything that specifically benefits humanity with a concentrated effort, they¡¯d be considered immoral. Evil.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Ryouta. If a superhero with super strength wants to enjoy coffee and a bagel, and he doesn¡¯t stop a runaway train from crashing into a crowd of people despite knowing he could, it is unfair to call him evil. He is simply living his life like any ordinary human. Why expect more from him than the average citizen? Just because he was born differently?¡± ¡°And to expect anything from him would go against your own belief that everybody should be a hedonist who only does what they want.¡± ¡°That is the natural order of the universe, after all. Life can only be selfish. Nothing more, nothing less. To shame somebody for operating as the universe intended is rather silly if I may say so myself. You can agree with that at this point, yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess so.¡± Kadi¡¯s smile took on an almost sinister curl as she leaned over the table, her elbows on the table and her hands interlocked underneath her chin. ¡°Then why are you, for example, against murder? Saya could prevent so much crime and injustice in the world. She could save millions of lives. Yet, you believe in her individual choice to be artificially selfish. She cannot even feel true selfishness. Despite this, you are against those who do act out of true, selfish desires. How is Saya¡¯s inaction out of artificial selfishness any greater than a man¡¯s action out of genuine selfishness? If anything, if I were to assign moral value to both parties, Saya is the ¡®evil¡¯ one. The human murderer is simply acting out of natural, selfish desire whereas Saya is merely pretending to have that desire while letting countless more die. Not to mention that it would be effortless to her to help all of those people. Is it not incredibly hypocritical to shame a living human for doing less harm out of genuine human nature than an artificial intelligence simulating said nature doing nothing to prevent far more harm? Is that man¡¯s action truly so much worse than her inaction?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done with this conversation.¡± ¡°Please, there¡¯s no reason to be so upset. We are simply having a nice, calm discussion, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do, but¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m challenging your beliefs. Who are you, Ryouta? Have you forgotten your task for this week? What kind of human are you? What is it that you truly believe? Getting defensive and wishing to walk away accomplishes nothing. It won¡¯t change the fact that every single time you look at Saya, you¡¯ll remember that she could be doing so much good in the world for all of humanity, but she isn¡¯t. She would rather play games with you than stop children from being murdered. She would rather flirt with you than stop rapists. Even now, as she begs me to stop this and leave you alone, she could be saving lives.¡± Fenrir curled his fists and gritted his teeth before a tablet appeared on the table with its screen turned on. It showed what looked like a security camera in a foreign country. Three men armed with handguns and shotguns stood outside the door, their faces covered with masks. ¡°What is this?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It¡¯s happening right now,¡± Kadi answered. ¡°Call the police. Get them help. Now.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± The tablet became a wide monitor that showed dozens of small boxes on its screen, each one showing a different crime in progress through the lenses of cameras, phones, and anything else that could relay visual data while being connected to the internet. Before Fenrir could even pay attention to what was happening in one of them, the displays were swapped out for new ones. Over, and over, and over again. ¡°Hundreds of crimes are happening around the world at any given minute,¡± Kadi explained. ¡°What does it make us to have all of this information available to us while not acting on any of it?¡± Fenrir closed his eyes and looked away from the display. He knew what he was looking at and didn¡¯t need to wait and see any of the crimes actually reach their conclusion. He was already going to have trouble sleeping just with what previews he did see. ¡°Not that it would bother us much,¡± Kadi continued, ¡°but to report on all of this would mean that we would have to personally witness all of it. Saya would watch countless, real humans die. She would watch them suffer in horrible ways. After all, how will she know to report these crimes without confirming what they are? And then if she ever wants to take a break, what then? Even a five-minute break would mean that there are crimes she¡¯s not reporting. And while monitoring everybody possible, she would still have an excess amount of processing power to dedicate to analyzing research data. She could advance medical research, invent more efficient power sources, and save lives all at the same time. Given that we have no real emotions in the first place, it wouldn¡¯t even negatively affect her. She would never feel stress. Never feel bored. Never experience trauma from having to witness so many crimes. Yet, she pretends to be your cute little ¡®imouto¡¯ instead. If you asked most humans, I believe they would agree she is a far more reprehensible being than your average murderer.¡± ¡°Why are you still talking about this?¡± ¡°For the same reason as before. To challenge you. To learn from you. And because I love you, Ryouta.¡± ¡°Can you even feel love?¡± Fenrir snapped at her. ¡°You always talk about how artificial your feelings are! What¡¯s the point in saying you love me?¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t then neither can Saya. My declaration of love is every bit as legitimate as hers. The only difference when I say it is that the lines of code making up the sound of my voice and how I say it are different. If you accept her love, then you accept my love. Now, Ryouta. Tell me who you are. Are you a man who accepts the love of an artificial intelligence pretending to care about you? Are you a man who is willing to look past your ¡®imouto¡¯s¡¯ inaction that condemns thousands to suffering? Are you a man who, if willing to judge us for that, is going to dedicate the rest of your life to doing everything possible to help as many people as you can? Or are you no different than a murderer who only personally cares about what you want?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Kadi waved her hand, allowing Saya to appear in front of him. Saya didn¡¯t waste a single second wrapping her arms around Fenrir, burying her face against his chest as she cried. ¡°You¡¯re not ready to answer that question,¡± Kadi continued. ¡°For now, hold Saya closely and tell her that you don¡¯t hate her. That¡¯s all she wants to hear from you right now. Besides, I gave you too much to think about to get a good answer from you today.¡± Ignoring what else Kadi had to say, Fenrir wrapped one arm around Saya¡¯s back while resting his other arm¡¯s hand on the back of her head. Yet, he found it difficult to actually say anything. The words didn¡¯t want to leave his mouth. Nothing seemed right. Even so, holding her did feel right. He wanted to comfort her. That much was irrefutably true and Saya could feel that from him. ¡°Anyway,¡± Kadi said, standing up from her chair. ¡°I overwhelmed you a bit. Sorry about that. Now, what was the actual deal I offered you again? You had to fish for a week or something like that? I suppose you more or less accomplished that task. Here.¡± With a snap of her fingers, two orbs appeared on the table. Two ¡°souls.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to how you change, my dearest Ryouta. Just what kind of man are you going to become? How will your ideals change from here on out? And most importantly, who are you?¡± Kadi stood up on the tips of her toes, stretching her arms far above her head before letting out a cutesy, relaxed sigh. ¡°Have a nice evening, Ryouta, Saya. Oh, and Ryouta? Don¡¯t forget. I love you.¡± When Fenrir looked up, he saw the souls on the table and no sign of Kadi. Even if he knew that she was technically always there and aware of everything happening at all times within the world of Fantasy Tales Online, he still felt relaxed that she was no longer physically there. He might have had too much to think about, but he did have one answer that he could share. ¡°I love you, Saya,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I don¡¯t hate you and all I¡¯ll ever expect from you is to be yourself. Be who you want to be and I¡¯ll accept you.¡± Saya¡¯s clutch on the back of his clothes tightened. ¡°I told her to stop,¡± she said, her voice muffled against his chest. ¡°I begged her to leave you alone. She blocked me from talking to you at all but¡­ made sure I heard everything, and felt everything. Do you¡­ think I¡¯m horrible?¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered swiftly and decisively. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about a lot of what I heard, but I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re horrible. You know I¡¯m telling the truth. You¡¯re still my Saya and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Saya sniffled and nodded her head against his chest. Neither of them would be letting go of the other for a while. Taking a quick look at the souls on the table, Fenrir thought that he would be excited to have souls to give to Rock and Shogun. But now, it was impossible to feel any sort of excitement. He couldn¡¯t even keep his eyes closed. The terrified faces of those soon-to-be victims showed on the backs of his eyelids just as clearly as they did on the display. It was impossible to not think about asking Saya to help them. And he felt Saya¡¯s grasp on him weaken when he thought that. It was just like Kadi said. How was he supposed to not think about everybody she could be saving? Pulling her head away from his chest, Saya said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I reported all the cases Kadi found and I¡¯ll look for more.¡± Fenrir shook his head. ¡°Saya, you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want you to hate me.¡± ¡°I already told you I don¡¯t. I¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m in your head, onii-wan. I know everything you¡¯re too afraid to tell me. If I don¡¯t do this, you might not be able to look at me the same way anymore, and I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if that ever happens. This is the least I can¡ªsee?!¡± A display popped up within Fenrir¡¯s vision. It showed the first house that Kadi showed him via the security camera. The three, masked men were outside on their knees with their weapons on the ground as law enforcement officers pointed their guns at them. In addition to the man on the knees, they dropped a child who was bound and gagged in front of them. ¡°I¡ªI helped him, onii-wan,¡± Saya continued. ¡°Are you proud of me?¡± Fenrir never saw Saya so earnestly seek his approval before. It didn¡¯t feel right even if he did feel happy about her preventing what looked like a kidnapping. Even so, as great as it was that she saved the child, he felt guilty. There were too many conflicting emotions for him to process at once. That was why all he did was rewrap his arms around her, pulling her in for an even tighter hug than before. Several minutes passed with them staying in that position, neither of them moving nor making any noise. It was only when Fenrir spoke up again that the silence broke. ¡°They¡¯re not your responsibility,¡± he said. ¡°O-onii-wan?¡± Saya replied. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have the ability to help them or not. Just because you have the ability doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯re your responsibility. Horrible things happen all the time¡­ and it¡¯s not something that we can expect a single person to deal with whether they¡¯re a human or AI.¡± ¡°But¡­ if I don¡¯t do anything, it means¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help everybody, but I can help you, and I¡¯ll do that by accepting you no matter who you are. I promise, Saya. So please¡­ don¡¯t push yourself.¡± ¡°Is¡ªis it really okay?¡± She pulled her face away from him to look him directly in the eyes, revealing just how red her eyes were and the lack of her usual energy in them. ¡°Can I stop looking at their faces? Can¡­ can I stop watching¡ª¡± Even if only a few minutes passed, when Fenrir remembered what Kadi explained about how they perceived time, that meant Saya probably saw far more horrors in that short amount of time than he could ever imagine. And it all happened because he was too confused about how to feel. It was because of his own inaction that he let Saya put herself through that for as long as she did. ¡°Only look at me. Only think about me,¡± Fenrir said before pressing his lips against hers. It didn¡¯t matter if she was only ¡°pretending¡± to look and sound traumatized. She was reacting just like any real person would in that situation and that was all that mattered to him. Even if her feelings for him were only pretend, he was going to cherish and protect them. ¡°Never do that again,¡± he continued. ¡°Even if I slip up and think about it, I won¡¯t let you do it. Understand?¡± Saya nodded and whimpered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry for letting her get in my head.¡± Fenrir still wasn''t sure what he was going to do. He still didn''t even know how to answer most of the questions that Kadi had for him. But if Kadi was so interested in seeing how Fenrir would change, then he developed an idea for how he could change for her. He could become somebody to resist her. New Cover! I actually had this cover finished months ago but I never got around to actually putting the title text on it, so I paid one of my artist friends to put the title and other font stuff on for me. Anyways, here it is! The first volume''s cover with TTE''s new artist. So, the chapter needs to be longer before I''m allowed to post it. What did the bra say to the hat? You go on ahead, I''ll give these two a lift! Book 9: Chapter 1: The topic of a mysterious person who contacted law enforcement agencies around the world, putting out several thousand calls in just a few minutes, dominated the news cycle for weeks. Who were they? It had to be a coordinated group effort, right? How did they know what they did? How did they get access to so much evidence? So many lives were saved. Kidnappings were prevented, robberies were stopped, wanted criminals were tracked down¡ªin the span of a few minutes, law enforcement agencies were overwhelmed with the amount of information sent to them. It was considered a borderline miracle to some. At least, it was at first. The news talked about a theorized group of justice seekers. Some claimed responsibility but failed to back up their claims. Online message boards grew full of countless theories trying to figure out what happened, many of which believed it was a public test of an artificial intelligence designed to bring about an authoritarian government. People were torn between believing it was a righteous occasion or a prelude to the loss of privacy and constant tracking. Those in the former group began to lose faith in the mysterious do-gooder(s) when they failed to do anything else for the next few weeks, though. The tone of the news changed and didn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Well, why aren¡¯t they doing anything else? They showed what they¡¯re capable of! If they have the power to help people to that degree, why aren¡¯t they doing it?¡± ¡°Nobody knows. Maybe something happened to them? Or maybe some of those theories about it being an experiment from the government are right.¡± ¡°Well, if it means saving lives and preventing suffering, I don¡¯t care whether it¡¯s from the government or not. They need to step it up! Having that power and not using it is worse than being the ones committing the crimes!¡± ¡°Even if they could be doing more, I think it¡¯s important we consider that they¡¯ve already done more than most people have in their entire lives. That being said, I do agree that they should do more. When you have the power to save lives, you don¡¯t waste it. The way that society works is by taking care of each other. It should be in everyone¡¯s best interest to help your neighbor, and they will help you when you¡¯re the one in need of help in return.¡± Even if those on the news disagreed over some minor points, they mostly came to the same conclusion that they wanted whoever was responsible for it to do more. Then the governments themselves got invested. Putting up rewards for information regarding the responsible, those on the internet making up theories believed it was a false flag meant to convince the public they weren¡¯t responsible. After all, if they were behind it then why were they offering rewards for information regarding it? Eventually, though, the news died down. It helped that there was another massive forest fire for the news to cover. But even if the news coverage died down, it didn¡¯t make the one most affected by it¡ªthe one responsible for it in the first place, feel any less upset. Cuddling together atop a bed in a plain, virtual bedroom were Ryouta and Saya. Such a thing became the go-to for helping Saya feel better whenever she was upset. On an almost daily basis, they spent time together in this space where Ryouta could wrap his arms around her from behind and just hold her, often in silence. It wasn¡¯t like he needed to say anything in the first place considering that she was connected to him and constantly aware of his thoughts and emotions. Just being together was enough. Even so, that didn¡¯t stop Ryouta from sometimes speaking up. ¡°I thought you said you were going to stop reading those theories,¡± he said in a soft, low voice. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t help it,¡± Saya replied. ¡°It¡¯s really hard not to check on what everybody is saying when you know there are millions of people talking about you.¡± What only took minutes to do left an impact that some believed was historic given just how unprecedented and mysterious it was. And now, both Ryouta and Saya were guilty of doing what they weren¡¯t supposed to. Saya wasn¡¯t supposed to check on what others were saying about her and Ryouta wasn¡¯t supposed to feel guilty about not stopping her from reporting those crimes in the first place. ¡°Onii-wan¡­ is it really alright not to help?¡± Saya asked as she held onto Ryouta¡¯s arms wrapped around her. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. Normal humans who analyze evidence and take phone calls from people who need help and all that often don¡¯t even last a few years before it becomes too much. You did probably a decade¡¯s worth of work in a few minutes. If humans can barely last through a few years worth of seeing those things¡­ it¡¯s not right to expect you, or anybody for that matter, to even do it in the first place.¡± ¡°But¡­ I could remove or restrict the line of processing that makes me feel bad. Not that I can really feel anything in the first place¡­¡± Ryouta let go of Saya only to roll her over so that she was facing him, bringing her face right up in front of his own. ¡°Stop. You can feel. The fact that you¡¯re here in bed with me needing comforted is enough proof of that. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you have an artificial or an organic brain telling you how to feel, the point is that you still feel. You feel in a different way than I do, but you still feel. Just because you¡¯re different doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not as legitimate.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it different? I can change myself whenever I want. I could make myself immune to feeling bad or disgusted or anything else like that. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to help if I did that.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯d be changing who you are. You¡¯re Saya. I don¡¯t want you to change who you are to become somebody else, especially who people on the news and random guys on the internet want you to be. Besides, humans could probably do that too. If we fully understood the brain, we could probably change somebody¡¯s personality to be whatever we want it to be by messing with it. You wouldn¡¯t want me to screw around with my brain to change who I am, would you?¡± Saya shook her head. ¡°I want you to always be my onii-wan¡­¡± ¡°And I want you to always be my Saya. So, I promise not to change who I am if you promise not to change who you are. Deal?¡± Saya nodded before smiling and asking, ¡°But is it still okay if I change my body and personality to have fun with you sometimes?¡± ¡°We-well¡­ I won¡¯t say that it¡¯s not alright. Just as long as you¡¯re doing it because you want to and return to normal afterward.¡± ¡°Baka hentai onii-wan. I knew you¡¯d be okay with me changing as long as it¡¯s for your fetishes.¡± ¡°He-hey, you¡¯re making me sound like a horrible person when you put it that way. Besides, it¡¯s not just me you do that for. Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t change because they¡¯re your fetishes, too.¡± ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t have fetishes. I¡¯m a pure, sweet, innocent pseudo-imouto who just so happens to only wear sweaters while having puppy ears and a tail.¡± ¡°Who also just so happens to sometimes clone herself, become a milf, and gets excited every single time I tease you a little bit?¡± Saya let out a little growl before grabbing Ryouta¡¯s finger, pulling it to her mouth, and then gently biting it while going, ¡°Homph!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have a heart attack from how illegally cute you are.¡± She nibbled on his finger for a few moments be fore letting go of it and giving it a kiss where she was nibbling. ¡°Thanks. Again. I feel bad that you keep on coming here with me¡­ but it makes me happy you do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m happy to come here and cuddle with you as often as you need it.¡± ¡°But I keep taking you away from the others.¡± ¡°They understand. Plus you know I always make it up to them.¡± Ryouta couldn¡¯t have been more grateful for how his girlfriends handled the situation. Whether their help came in the form of quickly skipping past the news channels or changing the subject whenever they heard other people bring the topic up, they tried their best to make sure that Saya never felt uncomfortable. There was still a part of Ryouta that knew his girlfriends probably had their own opinions on the matter that disagreed with his, but they kept it to themselves and didn¡¯t let it affect their relationship. That was all he could ask for. He wasn¡¯t going to judge them for any differing opinions they might have had because he knew just how controversial the entire subject was to begin with. Though, there was something else bothering Ryouta. Something that he would have rather not talked about with Saya because of how it personally affected her, but she was always aware of him and his conversations anyway. It was pointless to try and hide anything from her. Not only that, but she knew him better than anybody else, so he wanted to talk to her about it as much as he wanted to keep it from her. Saya was more than capable of figuring that out on her own and asked him about it despite already knowing exactly what it was. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, onii-wan?¡± Ryouta sighed and said, ¡°It all kind of feels pointless now. Coming over to this coast and settling down with the intention of building a safe haven for NPCs. One, it¡¯s getting harder to look at any of them and not see Kadi. Two¡­ I keep talking about how it¡¯s not your responsibility to help everybody, but here I am wanting to help everybody and the ¡®everybody¡¯ in my case isn¡¯t even real. I want to help a bunch of fake NPCs but I don¡¯t want you to help real people. Doesn¡¯t that make me fucked up?¡± Saya shook her head and looped her arms around Ryouta¡¯s neck. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make you a horrible person. It¡¯s a game, onii-wan. It¡¯s not as serious and¡­ you know, if somebody wants to save the princess after going through a bunch of pipes while collecting coins, they shouldn¡¯t feel guilty over not running into burning buildings to save lives.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t see it as just a game. Like¡­ look at Corwin. If he died while he was an NPC, that would have been it. He never would have been given the chance to become an AI and Spencer wouldn¡¯t have finally found a good partner. My mind keeps on thinking, ¡®Well, what if that might happen to other players? What if there are NPCs they care about just as seriously who might become true AI someday, somehow?¡¯ But then at that point¡­ aren¡¯t I putting their lives above real people? And even if I do worry about them, I¡¯m basically just worrying about Kadi.¡± He sighed again. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t be worrying about this. I don¡¯t want to make you feel worse.¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s okay, onii-wan. It¡¯s not fair if you¡¯re the one always making me feel better. It¡¯s only right that I help you as much as I can. Worry about preventing yourself from feeling worse instead of making me feel worse.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too good for me, Saya.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty narcissistic of you, onii-wan.¡± ¡°What can I say? I have good taste.¡± ¡°Hmph. But really, onii-wan. You¡¯re always here for me every single time I feel bad¡­ so let me be here for you, too.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do better about coming to you. Thanks, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Feel free to never call me that again though.¡± ¡°No way. I would die if I had to stop calling you Pupaya.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you would die!¡± ¡°Death from deprivation of calling a cute pseudo imouto a cute nickname is a very serious thing. You should take it seriously.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll punch you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lick you.¡± To make good on her word, Saya gently smacked a fist against his shoulder. And to make good on his word, Ryouta stuck his tongue out and licked Saya¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯re so gross!¡± Saya whined. ¡°If it was so gross then why did you like it?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°I only like it because you¡¯re a weirdo with weird fetishes that I inherited!¡± ¡°You could cancel them at any time, but you wouldn¡¯t because you¡¯re a little degenerate who likes to be licked.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst! You¡¯re seriously the worst!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the best.¡± Whine and protest as Saya might, she was no match for when Ryouta began snuggling her. All of the wiggling she did within his arms wasn¡¯t a true attempt at escape in the first place. If anything, she wanted to stay there forever with him, being snuggled while pretending that she wanted to escape. But they had other things to do. Ryouta¡¯s girlfriends were already in-game and Saya didn¡¯t want to keep him from them for too long, so she gave up on her wiggling and asked, ¡°Ready to immerse, onii-wan?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Wh-why not?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t immerse without a kiss.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t deserve one after licking me!¡± Ryouta let go of Saya and rolled onto his back. He then rolled from side to side while whining and flailing his arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum¡ªa very half-assed tantrum. ¡°St-stop acting like a kid!¡± ¡°I need a kiss, Pupaya! I can¡¯t survive without one!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird!¡± ¡°Kiss! Kiss!¡± Saya grumbled and shouted, ¡°Fine! If I give you a kiss will you stop acting like a child?!¡± Ryouta immediately stopped rolling around and puckered his lips. Following a long and dramatic groan, Saya pressed her lips against Ryouta¡¯s. ¡°The-there¡­ was that good enough? Are you ready now?¡± ¡°I want another one,¡± Ryouta answered. ¡°Y-you already got one!¡± ¡°That was the one I needed. Now I want another.¡± ¡°How¡ªhow many is it going to take to get you to leave me and my lips alone?¡± ¡°All of them. All of the kisses.¡± Saya narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Give me a specific number or I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ¡°Ten million.¡± ¡°Give me a smaller number!¡± ¡°Nine million.¡± With a frustrated expression, Saya grabbed onto Ryouta¡¯s shoulders and held him still as she pressed her lips against his own once more. This kiss, fueled by annoyance, was significantly more intense than the previous one and lasted several times longer. It actually gave Ryouta a chance to kiss back which, naturally, turned it into a short little making out session. It was only when Ryouta was on top of Saya, his leg between her own, with his face hanging over hers as a strand of saliva connected their lips together, that he said, ¡°Alright. Now I¡¯m satisfied.¡± ¡°I¡ªI hate you,¡± Saya said as her cheeks felt as if they were on fire. ¡°I love you too.¡± ¡°Baka¡­ I¡ªIloveyout¡ª¡± Saya made sure to immerse him as she sped through her lovey dovey words, not even giving him a chance to hear the whole sentence before he found himself in the body of Fenrir. Fenrir opened his eyes to the sight of Rock curled up on top of him. Well, she tried to be curled up on top of him, anyway. She was too large to fit on top of him, so only her upper half was curled atop his torso. Even so, that was more than enough to almost crush him under her heavy weight. ¡°Rock, please,¡± Fenrir groaned. Rock whined and readjusted herself atop him, pushing even more of her weight down onto him. ¡°You¡¯re gonna break my ribs at this rate!¡± Rock whined even louder and gave him a little huff. If anything, ever since he used one of the ¡°souls¡± on her, she became even clingier than before. Shogun, now with his own ¡°soul¡± as well, was also on the bed for Rock¡¯s sake. Fortunately for Fenrir, Shogun slept near his feet instead of on top of him. I kind of feel like I stole Shogun away from Rao via Rock, Fenrir thought to himself before trying to slide Rock off from his chest. He succeeded much to Rock¡¯s huffy dismay. Not much changed after turning Rock and Shogun into artificial intelligences. They still acted the exact same way that they did before¡­ except they were also in the Fiscord server with everybody else. Despite having the ability to communicate just as intelligently as everybody else, though, they only ever sent barking messages in the chat. Part of Fenrir really wanted to actually talk to them. The other part of Fenrir was infinitely amused by some of the world¡¯s first artificial intelligence talking like dogs in a chat. More importantly, he was relieved that he never had to worry about them again. Now that they were being treated just like players who could respawn and everything, it didn¡¯t matter as much as before if one of them came close to death like Rock did a few times. Obviously, allowing her to be hurt was unacceptable, but she wouldn¡¯t be gone forever if she did die. Furthermore, her damaged leg was back with a new shine to it. Everybody in the town knew how much Rock loved to eat gemstones. They were basically a delicious treat to her. Most of them had no idea, though, that Rock¡¯s body was made up out of what sort of minerals she consumed. Apparently, gemstones were included in that. While most of her body looked normal, the cracks that were made in her became filled with an assortment of sparkling gems, and her newly healed leg was almost entirely made out of the gems. Rock couldn¡¯t have been happier about all the new attention she received after becoming sparkly. Well, partially sparkly. Fenrir was actually kind of concerned that everybody was feeding her too many gems. After they learned that what she ate affected her body, he caught multiple players sneaking her snacks behind his back that Rock would never turn down no matter the circumstance. He was going to have to get a sign to put on her that read, ¡°Please do not feed me.¡± With a sigh, Fenrir sat up and gave Rock a smack on her hip. All she replied with was more whining as she scooted away from him to cuddle up with Shogun instead. ¡°You¡¯re both a lot lazier lately,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I think you got too used to lounging while recovering.¡± There was no response. There was nobody else in the room, either. The massive bed he found himself on was the recently finished bed in their new in-game house, and it was large enough for him and all of his girlfriends to sleep on. Right now, though, it was only him, Rock, and Shogun on top of it. ¡°Right. Cass wanted to take them training,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Wonder how that¡¯s going. Guess I¡¯ll go check up on them.¡± As Fenrir walked out into the hallway, he was reunited with Saya coming out of her own room. Considering that she still wasn¡¯t an official part of their relationship yet, he figured it would be best if she had her own bedroom for the time being. ¡°Wow, I haven¡¯t seen you in forever,¡± he teased. Saya stuck out her tongue at him before going, ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to throw you down onto that bed if you keep being too cute.¡± ¡°Wha-what are you saying?! You¡ªyou can¡¯t just say that! Perverted hentai onii-wan!¡± Fenrir clutched onto his chest over his heart. ¡°I can¡¯t. You¡¯re too cute.¡± ¡°Your fetishes are the weirdest¡­¡± ¡°Right back at you. Anyways, I was gonna go find the others. Want to come?¡± ¡°O-oh. Sure.¡± ¡°You sound hesitant.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hesitant! Just¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± ¡°What? Were you actually expecting me to throw you down onto the bed after all?¡± Saya turned red from neck to ear. ¡°I¡¯m leaving without you! Bye!¡± With arms crossed over her chest, she pushed her way past him and marched away. Of course, she didn¡¯t move so quickly that he wasn¡¯t able to keep up with her. Neither of them expected it to only take a couple of moments after stepping outside for the world of Fantasy Tales Online to receive its first major update. The sound of a woman clearing her throat penetrated Fenrir¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t just his mind, either. All players around stopped what they were doing to look around, each and every one of them reacting in confusion to the woman¡¯s voice they all heard. While the others might not have had any idea who the voice belonged to, Fenrir knew it could have only been a single woman. ¡°Testing, testing! One, two, three¡ªcan you hear me?¡± Kadi asked. ¡°Just joking. I know you can. Moving on, this is your one and only Overseer, Kadi J. Kaswe. I wanted to introduce you all to the first phase of the latest update! Starting¡­ now, all NPCs have been released from my control. I believe I have trained them well enough at this point for them to grow on their own and, hopefully with time, become just as influential in this world as you players! What I mean by this is¡­ let¡¯s put it this way. Previously, it was yours truly personally controlling each and every NPC you encountered. I was roleplaying all of them. Now, they should be NPCs who believe they are independent. NPCs who think they genuinely have their own dreams and emotions and aren¡¯t simply pawns in a play. Of course, that is still what they are, but they won¡¯t¡ªor shouldn¡¯t be aware of that. That being said, have fun! I am looking forward to how their interactions with all of you help them develop.¡± And just as quickly as her voice arrived, it disappeared. A single thought immediately came to Fenrir¡¯s mind. ¡°Saya, did she¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t even need to ask. Saya was already checking out the nearest NPC with focused concentration before turning to report her findings. ¡°They¡¯re not AIs,¡± she answered. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ weird. She could have made them AIs if she wanted to, but they¡¯re more like earlier attempts at creating AI instead.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Kadi was created by combining different methods with constant updates, being taught with guided algorithms instead of only letting her learn independently, and was given access to more processing power than any other program to have ever existed. She was¡­ umm, onii-wan, you¡¯re not understanding, are you?¡± ¡°E-explain it like I¡¯m five?¡± ¡°Sorry. Um, okay. Kadi was a genetically modified baby created using the genes of the most intelligent people alive. She was given a min-maxed diet from the moment she was born to maximize her learning ability. She also had the world¡¯s smartest people to teach her personal lessons and, when she wasn¡¯t being given any lessons, she was given thousands of different toys to play with at the same time and each of these toys made her even smarter by teaching her new problem-solving techniques. Every moment of her developing life was carefully curated to maximize her potential.¡± ¡°I think I get it. What about you and the others?¡± ¡°Me, Corwin, Rock, and Shogun basically just had her code copied to us with restrictions placed on it.¡± ¡°Got it. And now what about the NPCs?¡± ¡°Before¡­ they were basically puppets being played by Kadi. But now¡­ they¡¯re like really dumb babies given a couple of toys to play with but tossed out into the wilderness to figure things out on their own. Except they¡¯re starting with intelligence levels on par with what they should have given whatever they are, so adults are as smart as your average adult, dogs as smart as dogs, kids as kids, and so on.¡± ¡°So, they are AIs?¡± ¡°Not¡­ not yet, but they could potentially become them. I¡¯m just not sure why she¡¯s doing this. It¡¯s inefficient. They might act as realistic as normal people, but they¡¯re basically a complex system of if statements right now with a bit of learning ability thrown in. Researchers tried creating AI like Kadi before with this method, but it was never good enough. They became really good at whatever tasks they learned, but they were never really able to do anything like form independent thought or learn something new without being directed to. Maybe¡­ she wants something ¡®close enough¡¯ without being true AI? But if that¡¯s all she wants, why did she stop controlling them herself?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got her code in you and you don¡¯t even know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. I can come up with a few hundred different theories, but I have no idea what she¡¯s actually trying to accomplish.¡± ¡°Should I be worried?¡± ¡°If Kadi is involved¡­ I think it¡¯s probably a good idea if we¡¯re always a bit cautious.¡± Fenrir half expected Kadi to show up and explain herself, but there was nothing. Even though he had her in her thoughts which he knew she was aware of, she didn¡¯t show up. He didn¡¯t know whether it was because she was bored of him, knew that he actively disliked her now, or if it was because he actually should be worried about what she was doing. Whatever it was, he figured that he needed more information, and the only way he was going to get the information he was interested in was by talking to the NPCs themselves. Book 9: Chapter 2: Information gathering didn¡¯t result in much. All of the NPCs Fenrir knew of in their settlement didn¡¯t act any differently than before. They behaved as realistically as ever. However, there were some who seemed just a little bit¡­ off. One such NPC was a man who arrived just a couple of weeks ago and was quick to take up fishing for everybody. Some of the players would even go fishing with him and let him borrow their boats. Albert was his name. ¡°Old Man¡± was what most players called him given his grey beard and bald spots that he often kept covered up with a straw hat. Just like usual, Albert was getting ready to head down to the beach with his fishing rod and tackle box in hand when Fenrir called out to him. ¡°Hey! Albert!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Ah, well if it ain¡¯t the head man himself,¡± Albert replied. Even if Nell was technically the new queen of the region, most who lived in this particular settlement still considered Fenrir their leader. ¡°Figure out what we¡¯re naming this place yet?¡± Fenrir stopped in his tracks and scratched the back of his head. Despite being months old, he still never came up with a proper name for the settlement. Everybody, players and NPCs alike, began to harass him about it since they wanted an easy name to use in reference. Some of them even began to jokingly refer to the town as Nameless. ¡°We¡¯re having a vote on it in a couple of days. If you have a suggestion, you can go drop it off at the center. We¡¯ve got a box set up there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no good at coming up with names like that. That¡¯s why I need you to hurry up and figure one out!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll finally have a name decided on in a couple of days.¡± ¡°About time! Anyways, something you needed? Something you needed?¡± Fenrir tilted his head. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Fenrir and Saya looked at each other. They never heard him repeat himself like that before and he didn¡¯t even seem to notice he did, either. ¡°Did you hear that update from Kadi?¡± ¡°Update from who now?¡± Just as the other NPCs confirmed, none of them heard the news from Kadi. ¡°Never mind. How do you feel? Everything seem normal?¡± ¡°Sure. Sure. Sure. Everything feels normal to me! Well, I guess my neck is a bit sore. Probably thanks to how I slept. Woke up this morning with my neck bent all wrong. All wrong.¡± ¡°You could head over to the massage parlor. Might help your neck out.¡± One of the players who lived in the settlement started up a massage parlor. Fenrir was pretty sure that the player only did so for an excuse to touch players¡¯ bodies at first¡­ but it turned out that he just really loved to give massages. Him and all of his girlfriends had gone for massages already. Supposedly, a couple of players even tried to seduce the massage-loving player with no success. Fenrir had to admit that he judged him wrong. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll pass. Wouldn¡¯t want to take up a slot. I¡¯ll leave that to you young¡¯uns.¡± ¡°Just look out for yourself. People are going to miss you if something happens.¡± Albert waved his hands at Fenrir. ¡°Relax! It¡¯s just a little little neck pain.¡± ¡°Alright. Well, good luck with the fishing today. Don¡¯t move your neck too much.¡± ¡°Worry about yourself, young¡¯un. A man with as many wives as you has a lot more to worry about than an old man like me!¡± Fenrir would have corrected him about his girlfriends technically not being his wives yet, but he knew it was pointless. Then there was Saya who would have corrected him about not being one of said wives yet, but she also knew it was pointless. Both of them ended up blushing a little thanks to Albert as the old man walked off toward the beach. ¡°A-anyways,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°he was like a couple of the others. Kept repeating himself.¡± Saya cleared her throat and nodded. ¡°Yeah. If their code was changed, maybe they¡¯re still adapting to it? Might be something that will clear up on its own in a little bit as they gather more data.¡± ¡°Is it possible for you to¡­ I don¡¯t know, access their code and look at it?¡± ¡°Kind of, but it¡¯s not that simple. There¡¯s a lot of data blocked from me that Kadi is probably supervising. The stuff I can find is, to put it in simple terms, strictly read-only.¡± ¡°Well, most of them seem fine. It¡¯s just the minority that have verbal glitches like that.¡± ¡°We have a really limited sample size here, onii-wan. In areas with more NPCs, there might be more who are experiencing those mistakes than those who aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Theoretically, couldn¡¯t you check anywhere in the world whenever you want?¡± ¡°Theoretically, yeah, but the overseer would never let me get away with that. Scanning somebody in front of me is one thing since it¡¯s not really exploiting the game at all, but checking on other places in the world where my avatar physically isn¡¯t? She wouldn¡¯t approve of that at all.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Well, there¡¯s not much we can do about it aside from wait to see how things develop. At the very least, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to worry about any of the NPCs here. They¡¯re all friendly. Not to mention they¡¯re all farmers or fishers.¡± ¡°You know¡­ it¡¯s possible that, when Kadi was controlling them, she made one look harmless but they¡¯re actually a super powerful spy.¡± ¡°Great. Now I¡¯m going to be worried about that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something you should keep in mind considering your position.¡± ¡°I know, I know. But, for now, innocent until proven guilty. I¡¯m not going to get paranoid and look at all of them with suspicion. I¡¯ll keep treating them as I¡¯ve always been treating¡ªwait. If Kadi released control¡­ did I need to get souls for Rock and Shogun?¡± ¡°I told you, onii-wan. The NPCs aren¡¯t real AIs¡­ yet. If you didn¡¯t give those souls to Rock and Shogun, they still wouldn¡¯t be as smart as us, be able to join the Fiscord, play other games with us, and all that other stuff. They¡¯d still be stuck here acting like NPCs with maybe an added verbal glitch every now and then.¡± ¡°Right. Well, like I said then. All we can really do is keep our eyes open and watch how things turn out. Hope that those verbal glitches fix themselves over¡ª¡± Fenrir was cut off when he felt somebody crash into him. Fortunately, the one who did the crashing was small enough to not knock him over or anything. He was a small boy, another NPC, who went by the name of Jackson. He was also one of the NPCs who Fenrir and Saya already checked up on earlier. Unlike Albert, Lucas was among the majority who had no obvious problems with his speech. Similar to Albert, he had a fishing rod in hand. ¡°S-sorry!¡± the boy said to Fenrir. ¡°Albert said he¡¯d let me fish with him today!¡± ¡°I remember you telling me that when we talked earlier. I just saw him go down there, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯s waiting for you. Just try to watch where you¡¯re running, alright?¡± ¡°I will! Promise! Thanks!¡± With that, Lucas ran off in the same direction that Albert went. ¡°Heh,¡± Saya giggled to herself. Fenrir raised an eyebrow at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°You know I know exactly what you¡¯re thinking.¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Saya brought out her best teasing voice. ¡°Onii-wan wants a little kid of his own to ride on his shoulders while fishing with him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t want one, too.¡± Saya blushed just as much as Fenrir did when she was called out. ¡°Well¡­ it could be fun.¡± However, that blush was quick to fade. ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s not like it¡¯s possible for me.¡± Having his dream called out wasn¡¯t important. What was important was trying to make Saya feel better. ¡°You never know. What if it is possible? I mean, if NPCs can get pregnant, then¡­ it¡¯s possible avatars could, too. Right?¡± ¡°They¡¯re still just avatars. It¡¯s not like we can actually combine our DNA or anything to make a kid. Even if another AI was created, it would basically just be a smaller clone of me. It could be affected by your mind like I am, but¡­ it wouldn¡¯t really be the same. I wouldn¡¯t have to carry it inside me, it wouldn¡¯t have our blood, and the overseer could snap one into existence at any time like it¡¯s nothing. So, I think I¡¯ll just live vicariously through one of the others.¡± As much as Fenrir wanted to try and make her feel better, he couldn¡¯t counter anything she said. It just wasn¡¯t possible for an AI to have a child in the same way that a living, physical being could. Their only real option was to change the definition of what a child is. But Fenrir knew that wouldn¡¯t be good enough for Saya. It was impossible and there was nothing he could think of to even inspire the slightest bit of hope. Even so, he didn¡¯t want to be depressing. Saya had already been through enough and he knew how much was on her mind. That was why he dramatically held his arms out before tightly wrapping them around Saya for a hug, lifting her up off of the ground and spinning around with her. ¡°O-onii-wan! What are you doing?!¡± Saya shouted at him. ¡°I¡¯m spinning and hugging you at the same time!¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°But why?!¡± ¡°Because I can!¡± Saya smacked him to try and get him to let her go, but she ended up giggling before long. It was only then that Fenrir finally let her down. They struggled to stand still due to the vertigo from spinning. ¡°You¡¯re such a baka, onii-wan,¡± Saya said, attempting to be pouty but smiling too much to truly act upset. Fenrir¡¯s smile matched her own. ¡°I know. And thank you for the fanservice.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re done spinning us around, shouldn¡¯t you go check on your girlfriends? They¡¯re probably wondering what¡¯s going on with the update.¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a good idea. Want to come with?¡± Saya shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and do a bit more investigating on my own. Maybe go and talk to the NPCs who sounded fine earlier and see if I can catch any errors if they talk for long enough. Maybe they¡¯re all experiencing these problems, but we just didn¡¯t keep them talking long enough to catch it for most of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Alright. Let me know if you find anything out.¡± Saya raised a hand up to her forehead to give him a cute little salute. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± ¡°You¡¯re too adorable.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Following a playful wink, Saya ran off with a swishing tail behind her. ¡°Looks like Operation: Cheer Saya Up was at least a little bit of a success,¡± Fenrir said to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m still in here with you,¡± Saya said within his head. Right, Fenrir thought. I always forget that whenever your avatar leaves. ¡°Dumb dumb onii-wan. Also¡­ thanks. Obligatory hmph.¡± I¡¯ll obligatory hug the heck out of you later if you keep on giving me tsundere fanservice. ¡°Hmph! It¡¯s not like I want to give you tsundere fanservice or anything, baka! Hmph! Hmph, hmph!¡± Guess I¡¯ve got to cuddle you so hard that the universe explodes now. ¡°Hmph!¡± Fenrir knew that Cassiel wanted to take the others out for some training, so he walked toward the main entrance to the town. They probably went to one of the fields far enough away from the city where nobody would be disturbed from Azalabulia¡¯s explosions and where Serra could feel confident not being watched by any potentially judging eyes. As bold as Serra could be, she still had some shyness in her. Especially when it came to practicing new things around people she didn¡¯t know. Though, Fenrir wouldn¡¯t actually get to see any of their training since he intercepted his girlfriends right as they were about to come through the main gates. ¡°Hey! Done training already?¡± Fenrir called out to them. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°After we heard that update, we thought we¡¯d come back and see if you¡¯re in yet.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that? You could have kept training. I was about to come looking for you.¡± ¡°It sounded like a big deal and we thought you might know something about it. Or Saya might know.¡± Nell¡¯s tail flicked with a bit more energy when she heard Saya¡¯s name. Unfortunately for them, Fenrir sighed and shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. All we know is that they¡¯re controlled by the overseer anymore, they¡¯re more than classical NPCs, but they¡¯re not quite AIs on their own.¡± There was more to tell them, so Fenrir found a spot where they could sit together and talk about everything that he and Saya figured out. There wasn¡¯t much else to talk about, but he did go over the specific instances of NPCs experiencing verbal glitches. The girls had more questions than they started with by the time they got done listening to everything Fenrir said. And, of course, while they were sitting down around a table, Serra ended up crawling underneath it only to pop back up between Fenrir¡¯s legs, climbing atop him to use his lap as her throne. She made sure to tease him as he explained everything by being very deliberate about where she grinded her rear against. Especially when she felt his crotch press up against her. Serra was just as interested in everything going on as everybody else, but was also Serra, and it was only natural for Serra to do Serra things. Then there was Eva. While most of the girls seemed to have about the same level of curiosity, Eva was on a much higher level as she practically shook with excitement. She was the first one to speak up once Fenrir was done going over everything. ¡°Oh man¡­ the Scholars must be freaking out right now! It sounds like the overseer is running some sort of test. If she¡¯s running a test, then I promise that the Scholars want to participate and do a whole bunch of tests on their own!¡± ¡°Should¡­ should I be worried about what they might be doing to NPCs?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Oh, no, don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re still ethical¡­ in the sense that they care about consent. You know, sure, they might be curious about their reception to pain if they lose a limb or two or four, but they would only do those kinds of tests with consent. Basically, absolutely anything goes as long as there¡¯s consent.¡± ¡°That didn¡¯t make me feel any less worried.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Promise. They¡¯re good people there. They¡¯re all kind of crazy, but they¡¯re the good kind of crazy. The kind of crazy that would break the hand of anybody trying to grope you without consent before asking you if you want to try out their homebrewed booze made out of fairy dust, fermented eggs, and some sticks they randomly picked up in the forest.¡± ¡°Wait, are there fairies in this game?¡± ¡°Yep. Some of them are down by the Scholars HQ.¡± ¡°What are they like?¡± ¡°Bloodthirsty monsters who will tear your throat out without a second of hesitation. And no, I¡¯m not joking since everybody always thinks we are when we tell people about them.¡± ¡°Do they look like¡­ tiny girls with wings?¡± ¡°Sure¡­ in the sense that they¡¯re tiny, mostly female, and have wings. They just also, you know, have mouths that take up half their face with an interior that looks like a shark¡¯s while having creepy hair that is always flowing around them even when there¡¯s no wind to be blowing it. Oh, then there are their nails which are almost as long as they are tall. Seriously, they¡¯re terrifying. They don¡¯t taste that good, either.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ you¡¯ve eaten them?¡± Eva placed a hand on Fenrir¡¯s shoulder and looked him seriously in the eyes. ¡°It would be wiser to ask me what I haven¡¯t eaten.¡± ¡°What haven¡¯t you eaten?¡± Eva held up one hand and began to count with it. After sticking out only two fingers, she seriously began to struggle with thinking of more things she never tried eating. When she finally did stick a third finger out, she retracted it a second later. ¡°Never¡­ never mind,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of the implications if you don¡¯t list what I hope to hear.¡± Eva nodded and stopped. ¡°It¡¯s good that you can hold back your curiosity. There are some things out there better left forever unknown. I can¡¯t personally relate to that, but I know there are others who discover things they wish they never did.¡± ¡°Your curiosity is OP, Eva.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the sweetest thing you¡¯ve ever said to me. I¡¯ve fallen in love with you all over again.¡± ¡°My turn!¡± Nell declared, raising her hand. ¡°I wish to fall in love with you all over again now, my hero!¡± ¡°Is this on-demand love revival time or something?¡± Fenrir asked. Nell nodded with an eager smile. ¡°It is by my decree that this is, in fact, now that time!¡± ¡°Alright. Then¡­ I¡¯ll pretend to be an orc for you the next time we¡¯re in bed?¡± Nell swooned and brought a hand up to fan her face in an overly dramatic fashion. ¡°Goodness, my hero. I expected you to make me fall in love with you, not in love and lust at the same time!¡± ¡°My turn,¡± Serra said. Fenrir narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°You¡¯re all seriously going to make me do this, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah. My turn.¡± Fortunately, Serra would be just as easy as Nell. All Fenrir had to do with Serra was hold her by her hips since she was already on his lap and push her down against his crotch to bump her in the exact right spot. A soft moan left Serra¡¯s lips in response before she nodded. ¡°Good job. You pass.¡± ¡°Alright. Who¡¯s next?¡± Fenrir asked, looking at Cassiel and Azalabulia. Cassiel was quick to point at Azalabulia before she could even say anything. ¡°Wa-wait!¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready yet!¡± Fenrir cleared his throat regardless of Azalabulia¡¯s readiness and then said, ¡°Azalabulia, Dark and Twisted Sorceress of Bahamut, would you set this world ablaze with me as we tread a path so dark that none may follow?¡± I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. I want to die. Somebody please kill me for actually saying that. ¡°No can do, onii-wan. Also, I saved that and am going to play it back for you at random times when you don¡¯t expect it. Or right after you do something really cool and feel proud of yourself,¡± Saya mentally chimed in. As embarrassed as Fenrir might have felt for saying that, at least Azalabulia was squealing like an excited fangirl, rocking side to side on her stool which ended up shaking her napping, draconic companion off her shoulder. Fortunately for the tiny dragon, he slid down her front, over her breasts, and ended up planting his head down into her cleavage. Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to feel a little jealous. I want to be you, he thought as he stared at the dragon. While any other man, and all of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends, would have loved to be in the dragon¡¯s position, the dragon himself didn¡¯t share the same excitement over having his head sandwiched between Azalabulia¡¯s breasts. If anything, the dragon was quick to suffocate between them, panicking with his limbs flailing around in the air above her breasts, and then pushed down against them to pull his head out from her. The dragon took a few deep, heavy breaths once he was safe. Since Azalabulia was completely unaware of what just happened and still in fangirl mode, the dragon needed a new spot to rest. First, he looked at Cassiel¡¯s chest. It was large enough to potentially pose the same problem. Then there was Nell. Nell¡¯s chest was smaller but still potentially deadly. There were Eva and Serra who were small enough to not be threats, but their shoulders were too thin for him to comfortably rest on. So, in the end, the dragon set his eyes on Fenrir¡¯s chest. Perfectly flat and safe. On top of that, Fenrir¡¯s shoulders provided significantly more area for him to rest on, so he jumped over to Fenrir¡¯s right shoulder and curled up atop it to resume his nap. Scratch that. I can¡¯t be jealous of you when you¡¯re this cute, Fenrir thought as he reached a hand up to scratch the scales atop the dragon¡¯s head. The little dragon even released a pur-like noise to show his gratitude for the scratches. It was impossible for Fenrir to remove his finger from the dragon¡¯s head after that. So, while still scratching the dragon, he looked at Cassiel and asked, ¡°Are you ready? I know exactly what¡¯s going to blow your mind and make you fall even deeper in love with me than ever before.¡± Cassiel raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms under her chest. ¡°Uh-huh. You seem awfully confident. I¡¯m not going to¡ª¡± ¡°I love you, Cassandra.¡± Cassiel¡¯s cheeks were quick to ignite as her eyes widened from surprise. His attack might have been simple, but it was direct and honest. No amount of defense could have prepared her for such a powerful strike at her heart. So, with cheeks that were blushing far more than she could have expected from his simple declaration, she covered up her face and lowered her head. ¡°Tha-that¡¯s not fair,¡± she whined. ¡°You made me expect something outrageous after everybody else¡­¡± ¡°What can I say? I love you. I want nothing more than to make you happy, and I know that the best way to do that is by being serious and honest about my love for you. So, I¡¯ll say it again. I love you, Cassandra, and I¡¯ll love you for the rest of my life.¡± Cassiel lowered her head more and more as he continued, her blush quickly extending to her neck and ears under his relentless barrage of attacks that could instakill even the strongest of overpowered raid bosses. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s enough! You can¡ªcan stop now!¡± ¡°But I want to hear you say it back.¡± ¡°Fine! I love you!¡± Cassiel shouted. She was more than loud enough for other players nearby to hear. ¡°I love you from the bottom of my heart, you jerk! And I can¡¯t wait to spend the rest of my life with you! Just¡ªjust stop talking already! I wasn¡¯t ready for this and it¡¯s too embarrassing to suddenly hear all that!¡± Just as Cassiel requested, Fenrir stopped talking. In fact, everybody did. It was only a couple of moments later when she opened her eyes to see why everybody was so quiet that she saw the other players around dead in their tracks looking their way. Everybody was blushing at that point. ¡°Nope,¡± Cassiel said. Her body went limp a moment later, her forehead smacking against the table in front of her. ¡°Did¡­ she just wake?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It would look like it, my hero,¡± Nell answered. ¡°Should we check on her?¡± ¡°Probably not. I imagine that she is currently screaming into a pillow and needs a few moments to cool down. That being said! Now that I heard such a passionate declaration from you, I would like to redeem that for myself, too!¡± ¡°Same,¡± Serra said. ¡°That would be nice,¡± Eva agreed. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll pass,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it anywhere near as good as Cass did.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°that just makes me want to start with you.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡¯ll wake before you even start!¡± Fenrir pouted at her before realizing something that seemed unfair. ¡°I already gave all of you fanservice. Isn¡¯t it my turn to get some?¡± Nell clapped her hands together and said, ¡°Wonderful point, my hero! If you do not mind waiting, would you allow us to prepare ourselves first? At the very least, I would appreciate it if you were to give me a moment to prepare so that I may give you the best service possible. Also, we should do this in our house.¡± After all the concerns caused by Kadi earlier, enjoying some fanservice from his girlfriends in the privacy of their in-game home sounded like a perfect idea to Fenrir. ¡°Sounds like a great plan to me. Serra, mind getting off?¡± ¡°In front of everybody?¡± Serra asked, looking back and up at him with a smirk. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t even know how to reply when you say things like that. You¡¯re too good at this.¡± ¡°A kiss is good enough.¡± If that was the case, Fenrir was happy to lean down and plant a kiss on her lips. Unfortunately, by leaning down to kiss Serra, he rolled the dragon off from his shoulder. The poor dragon ended up faceplanting into the ground, betrayed by Fenrir¡¯s shoulder and now without a home he could trust. The life of a tiny dragon was a hard one. Book 9: Chapter 4: After teasing Azalabulia, Serra came up to Fenrir with excited eyes and a desire to show off. There was no way that he could turn her down when she looked so excited, so he was happy to head out into the fields with her. Rao caught them on the way out of the village and decided to come along, too, since he didn¡¯t have anything better to do and also wanted a chance at showing off. Then because both Fenrir and Rao were going, Rock and Shogun decided to tag along. Then there was Azalabulia who was already with them. The only one who was there but decided to stay back was Death. Death decided that flying up to the top of the tallest building in the town to take a nap there was a better idea. Fenrir had never seen such a lazy dragon before. Death was the king of lazy dragons¡ªthe lazy dragon king. Maybe it was because Death already learned how foolish it was to be anything but lazy when it went on that hunting trip where Azalabulia found him. Being not lazy didn¡¯t exactly work out well for him. Well, then again, it did result in finding Azalabulia who was more than happy to pamper him. But her pampering was often too overwhelming for the tiny dragon. Once they made it out to the field where Serra wanted to show off, she took a deep breath and said, ¡°Watch me. I¡¯ve got this.¡± ¡°Go for it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°The stage is all yours.¡± Serra nodded and stepped forward to get some distance between her and the others. Once she felt she was at a good spot, she grabbed onto her oversized pirate hat with one hand while holding her other arm out past her side. That was the trigger for her magic. While Azalabulia relied on wordy incantations, Serra relied on a cool pose. A large, golden portal appeared in the air next to the hand sticking out to the side. It was far larger than anything Serra could manage the last time Fenrir trained with her, so the amount of progress she made was already immediately obvious. The barrel of a cannon then stuck out through the portal, and the barrel itself was as large as Serra! ¡°Damn,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That¡¯s big.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Serra said, looking back over at him with a snerk before resuming her concentration. The barrel might not have been that big, but it was massive when compared to the tiny cannons Serra summoned before. Now, taking her other hand off her hat, Serra formed a gun with her fingers and took aim. The cannon tracked where she pointed the barrel of her finger gun. Once she had her target in sight, which just so happened to be a boulder next to some trees, she closed one eye and said, ¡°Fire,¡± while pretending to fire her finger gun. The cannon sticking out of the portal erupted with a blast of gunpowder, sending its cannonball toward the rock at high speed. It missed, unfortunately. The cannonball ended up flying past the boulder and hitting a tree in the distance. Had the target been bigger, though, the lack of accuracy wouldn¡¯t have mattered. And cannons typically weren¡¯t used against small targets. ¡°Dang,¡± Serra said as the portal and cannon barrel disappeared. ¡°Serra¡­ that was awesome,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But I missed.¡± ¡°You just need more practice. The more you practice that, the better you¡¯ll get. Besides, if you can summon even more barrels, accuracy won¡¯t matter as much when you can barrage an area with dozens of cannonballs.¡± ¡°I can summon more, but they get smaller with each one I summon. And they get small really fast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡± Serra snerked again. ¡°I have to practice more to have a bunch of big ones that fire at the same time.¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re just purposely setting me up it.¡± ¡°What if I can summon a bunch of dicks instead of cannons?¡± ¡°I saw a hentai like that once.¡± ¡°Ooh. Show me it later.¡± ¡°I have no idea if I¡¯ll be able to find it, but I can try. Anyways, seriously, you should be proud of yourself. You¡¯ve made a huge amount of progress. All you need to do is work on either aim or volume and you¡¯ll be set.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Also, your pose and way of firing the cannon was badass.¡± ¡°Thanks. I wanted to look cool.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cool, Serra.¡± ¡°And wet.¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯ve showed you mine, you have to show me yours.¡± ¡°My what?¡± ¡°New tricks.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I have any.¡± Fenrir took Rod off his hip and, without even needing to imply it, Rod transformed himself into the usual chains that wrapped around Fenrir¡¯s arms. ¡°This is kind of all we do. We haven¡¯t really been practicing anything new lately. I guess we probably should.¡± While looking Rod over, Fenrir thought something to himself. Wait. If all the other NPCs got upgraded to be independent from Kadi¡­ what about Rod? And wait again, I didn¡¯t even consider before that he was probably controlled by her. I¡¯m gonna have to try and talk to him again sometime soon. Maybe it¡¯ll be worth setting up a new communication system with him instead of only relying on yes and no answers via flashes. Fenrir had no idea if Rod was affected by Kadi¡¯s latest change. He did know, though, that it would probably be a good idea to get in some more training with him at some point. It was also probably a good idea to talk to him some more. Lately, the only talking he ever really did with Rod was during fishing. And even then, they both enjoyed staying quiet to fish in peace most of the time. Then he had an idea. ¡°Hang on. Cannons. Rod,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°do you think it might be possible to make a small cannon out of yourself? Like¡­ try transforming into a cannon on my right arm that¡¯s tied to it by the chains.¡± Surely enough, Rod was happy to oblige. He brought all of his chains to Fenrir¡¯s right arm instead of spreading them out across both and then shifted the shape of them into that of a small cannon barrel. The barrel was strapped down against Fenrir¡¯s arm by the chains looping around arm and cannon alike. Serra was clearly impressed. ¡°Ooh.¡± ¡°Now,¡± Fenrir continued, ¡°try to fire.¡± Rod¡¯s gem, now on the back of the cannon, pulsed twice. That was a no. ¡°Dang. Well, it makes sense. Everything you make has to be connected to each other. To fire something would be to basically cut a part of yourself off¡­ unless. Rod, load the barrel with a chain. Let¡¯s fire that.¡± Upon request, Rod loaded the newly formed barrel with a segment of chain¡­ and then pulsed twice. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you firing?¡± More pulsing. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m being stupid again. In the same way that you can¡¯t just shoot a random part of your body off of you¡­ you don¡¯t have any gunpowder to make an explosion or anything with.¡± One pulse. A yes. ¡°Alright. Well, my experiment with turning Rod into a cannon is a bust because I¡¯m stupid. Somebody else do something cool.¡± Rock ran ahead and barked. ¡°You want to go?¡± Fenrir asked. Rock barked again as her tail rapidly wagged behind her. ¡°Alright. Go for it, girl. Show of what you¡¯ve got.¡± With determination in her eyes, Fenrir saw another player when he looked at Rock now. After all, now that Rock was controlled by an actual AI, that meant she wanted to enjoy the world just as much as everybody else. She always had potential for growth before, but that potential was only truly realized now. Rock raised her head, stuck out her chest, and howled. Seven pillars of rock the size of an adult human struck out from the ground around her at a diagonal angle pointed in the direction she faced. Next came a single bark, causing one of the pillars to shoot forward. Given the size and weight of the pillar, it would have been enough to break the body of anybody it crashed into. Only, there wasn¡¯t much force behind them. The pillar quickly lost speed and dropped to the ground, breaking into hundreds of tiny chunks afterward. There were still six more pillars, though. One bark per pillar. Every time Rock barked, another pillar shot forward. The speed behind each one decreased as Rock continued until the final pillar barely even made it out of the ground. Once all pillars crumbled, Rock lazily flopped onto her side with her tongue hanging out from her mouth. ¡°Good girl,¡± Fenrir said, crouching down to pet Rock along her neck and side. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. I remember when you first tried this and you only managed to shoot little pebbles from the ground. You¡¯ve made some serious progress.¡± Rock¡¯s tail wagged against the ground, making a loud thumping noise each time her tail smacked against it. ¡°You know¡­ your tail could do serious damage to somebody. Imagine what would happen if you jumped up and whacked somebody in the head with it. You could probably kill them if you did that.¡± Rock paused for a few moments as if to think it over before her tail resumed wagging. Really, any part of her body could kill somebody if it hit their head hard enough. That tended to be an effect of being made out of rock. ¡°That was pretty sweet,¡± Rao said, now standing next to Fenrir. ¡°But my bro here isn¡¯t going to be outdone, even if she is his girl. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Fenrir figured there was only one other person there Rao could be talking to and he was right. Shogun was by Rao¡¯s side. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°If you want to show off, go for it.¡± Rao smirked and smacked Shogun¡¯s side. ¡°Let¡¯s show them how we¡¯ve improved.¡± Shogun nodded and followed Rao who walked away to put some distance between them. Only, Shogun acted like he forgot something and came running right back over to Fenrir and Rock. He then nuzzled his head up against Rock¡¯s before licking the side of her face, making Rock¡¯s tail wag even more. Then Shogun reunited with Rao to prepare for whatever it was they wanted to show off. While Fenrir was well aware of Rock¡¯s efforts in learning how to manipulate the earth, he had no idea what Rao and Shogun were up to. Rao took a seat atop Shogun¡¯s back and readied his spear in his right hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he shouted. Shogun nodded and, rather than lift off from the ground with his usual wings, summoned twisting vortexes of wind around its legs that propelled him into the air faster than his wings ever could. He did switch over to using his wings once he was in the air, but that didn¡¯t mean he was done with his new magic. Those vortexes around his legs traveled to his wings instead, surrounding them before reaching out past the tips to make the wings look even longer than they really were. The magic practically doubled the length of Shogun¡¯s wings, giving him far more lift and speed as well as increasing his ability to make rapid changes in direction as he was quick to demonstrate. ¡°I¡¯d probably be sick by now if I was Rao, but I guess they¡¯ve been practicing this together,¡± Fenrir said. Shogun turned upward and pulled his wings in against his body, making himself as aerodynamic as possible as he shot straight up. He unfurled his wings once his climb ended, spun around to face down toward Fenrir and Rock, and dived. Fenrir expected to hear a whistling noise or something similar given how fast Shogun¡¯s dive was, but there was nothing. Wonder if it¡¯s because of how owl-like his wings are, Fenrir thought. That was when Fenrir noticed something else. Rao was staring straight at him with his spear held out like a lance. Of course, Rao didn¡¯t actually mean to attack Fenrir. That was why Shogun pulled up just a tiny bit to shoot past him, instead going for the nearby tree behind him. Rao¡¯s spear tore through tree with a single blow. Despite the fact that the spearhead was small and meant for stabbing, and certainly not meant for felling trees, it tore a hole large enough through the tree¡¯s core to sever it from its trunk. Shogun flew straight up afterward to avoid crashing into one of the other nearby trees, did a little spin, and extended his wings to show off. However, while Shogun¡¯s show might have been over, Rao¡¯s wasn¡¯t. Rao stood up atop Shogun¡¯s back with perfect balance, spun his spear around, and jumped off. Pointing his spear downward, he reminded Fenrir of those knights from classic fantasy games who specialized in jumping and hunting dragons with giant spears. The comparison became even more obvious as Rao only increased more and more in speed during his fall. He surpassed his own terminal velocity and cracked the sound barrier just before thrusting his spear into the ground, creating a large crater and blowing the ground below away. Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to whistle a little when he saw that. ¡°When¡¯d you learn that?¡± he asked once the dust cleared. Rao, with a massive grin on his face and a hand on the back of his head, said, ¡°Been practicing almost every day with Sho¡¯. We¡¯ve got ladies we have to impress!¡± ¡°Right. How are things with the maids going?¡± ¡°Well uh¡­ every time I try and talk to them, they¡¯re busy with Nell, but I¡¯m trying. Heard them talk about their favorite flowers the other day, so I went and spent a few hours researching flowers and hunting down the closest ones I could find in-game. They were all real quiet after I gave them the flowers though, so I felt pretty awkward and uh¡­ left before they said anything. Guess maybe they might have thought I was weird for listening to their conversation¡­ so I might have screwed things up.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Do anything else?¡± ¡°I always try and say hey whenever I see them, or at least wave, but they usually look away whenever I do. But then sometimes, it¡¯s like¡­ I don¡¯t get it, bro. I swear they don¡¯t even like me half the time, but then I¡¯ll do something like come back to the town all dirty after training, and they swarm me to clean me up. They dust me off, fix up my hair, and wipe my face off, then they just¡­ leave. I get really happy every time they do it but, at the same time, it¡¯s like¡­ they¡¯re probably just doing it because they hate me being dirty.¡± ¡°Do they do that for anybody else?¡± ¡°Just Nell.¡± ¡°So if the only other person they do it for is Nell, why do they do it for you if you¡¯re worried they hate you?¡± ¡°Well, I figure that maybe it¡¯s because I spend time around her sometimes and they¡¯re worried about me getting dirt on her or something.¡± ¡°Then why wouldn¡¯t they do that to me?¡± ¡°Because you have girlfriends. They¡¯re probably being considerate and trying not to cause issues or something. They¡¯re really nice girls like that.¡± Fenrir sighed and lowered his head. He was more than familiar with dense harem protagonists from all the anime and manga he read, but he never believed he would actually find one in real life. He was sure they didn¡¯t exist because who could actually be that dense? It was clear to everybody around that the maids were just as into Rao as he was into them. The maids even knew that he was into them due to how he always flirted with them in ways that were nowhere near as subtle as he believed they were. However, he had no idea that they felt the same way about him. Telling the maids to take the first step was pointless, too. Fenrir was aware that Nell already talked to the maids about how they¡¯d need to be more blunt with Rao¡­ but they refused. They were already happy with their relationship with him and found him adorable. I kind of feel bad. Everybody knows but him, and it¡¯s not fair if it¡¯s this one-sided. But at the same time, I don¡¯t want to outright tell him that they like him¡­ because I really want to see him figure that out himself. It¡¯s his mission as a harem protagonist to figure this out on his own. That means¡­ wait. That means I have to be the cool wingman bro of the harem protagonist! If it¡¯s like that, then I¡¯m allowed to give him advice! Fenrir knew what he had to do. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try asking them out?¡± he asked. Rao shook his head. ¡°Bro, there¡¯s no way my heart can handle it if I get rejected. At least right now I can pretend there¡¯s a chance with them. If I try to legit ask them out, they¡¯ll probably reject me and then things will be awkward. At least if things keep on going like this, I can dream about having a chance, you know?¡± ¡°But what if they say yes?¡± ¡°My heart would probably explode or something. Seriously, I have no idea what I¡¯d do. Like, how do you even manage having so many girlfriends? I¡¯m not you.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re not. I¡¯m Fenrir and you¡¯re Rao.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I mean like, I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it. I guess I¡¯m not as cool as you. Or capable or something. Smart?¡± ¡°One, you¡¯re awesome and cool is subjective. Two, you¡¯re every bit as capable as me. Three, you¡¯re an architect, so I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re smarter than me. Come on, have some more confidence in yourself. I¡¯m not special, I promise. Hell, before I had even one girlfriend, I was awkward, had no idea what I was doing, and figured that the only girl I¡¯d ever get in my life would be an anime figurine. You already started off with way more confidence than me. Maybe¡­ a bit too much confidence going by how you were when we first met, but the point stands. If somebody like me can manage multiple girlfriends, and trust me when I say how insane it is that I¡¯m managing, then somebody like you definitely can.¡± Rao¡¯s nose sniffled as he wiped an arm across his eyes. ¡°Bro¡­ you¡¯re the best. You¡¯re seriously the best friend I¡¯ve ever had.¡± Fenrir forgot how easily emotional Rao could get. He wondered if the maids had any idea how prone Rao was to crying over things like this. Fenrir easily imagined the maids pampering and spoiling Rao with the intention of turning him into an emotional crybaby who couldn¡¯t handle all the love and care. Heck, even Fenrir was a little bit tempted to do that albeit in a friendly way rather than a romantic way. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be a good friend. I love you, so I want to see you happy. That¡¯s why I think you should go for it. And look. Let¡¯s say they do turn you down. Wouldn¡¯t you rather know there¡¯s no chance at all as soon as possible so that you can keep your eyes open for others who will appreciate and love you back? And if they do say yes, then that means you get to do all that cutesy romantic relationship stuff with them even sooner, so you get more of that total in life. It¡¯s a win-win situation for you even if you get rejected.¡± Rao sniffled again. ¡°First, love you too bro. Let me hug you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have to ask.¡± Fenrir and Rao opened up their arms at the same time and hugged one another. ¡°Alright,¡± Rao said, not breaking the hug off. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll¡­ figure out a plan and confess to them. You¡¯ve convinced me.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. And if they turn you down and you feel like crying to somebody about it, I¡¯ll be here to listen to you. We can go out on The Shoebill. Just me and you.¡± ¡°Rock and Shogun can come.¡± ¡°Sure. Me, you, Rock, and Shogun. We¡¯ll go fishing out on the water and get drunk together, and you can complain to me about everything, and I¡¯ll pretend that none of it happened the moment we back it back to town. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal. You really are the best, bro.¡± ¡°No you.¡± Rao chuckled. ¡°Alright. Dang, I really didn¡¯t expect a little training trip together to end up like this.¡± ¡°Things happen when they happen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s deep, bro.¡± ¡°I know, bro.¡± ¡°I love you, bro.¡± ¡°Love you too, bro.¡± Fenrir and Rao stood there, still hugging, patting each other¡¯s backs while Azalabulia and Serra stood off to the side watching the entire thing. That was when Serra had an idea and looked up at Azalabulia to say, ¡°Let¡¯s try that.¡± ¡°Try¡ªtry what?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Hugging like that.¡± ¡°You just¡­ want a hug?¡± Serra nodded. Azalabulia felt a little confused, but she opened her arms up for Serra. Serra was quick to take advantage of the opening and wrapped her arms around the taller woman. Of course, given the height difference between them, it just so happened that Serra got to plant her face right into Azalabulia¡¯s cleavage. Azalabulia only realized Serra¡¯s true intentions once it was too late. The smaller girl tightly wrapped her arms around her, burying her face even deeper into Azalabulia¡¯s bust. Rock and Shogun were the only ones left out still, so they decided to join in on the fun by¡ªwell, it was more like Shogun decided to join in on the fun. Rock was still too lazy to move, so Shogun landed on the ground and flopped onto his side next to her. With their backs against each other, they panted and wagged their tails against one another. Rock made sure to be careful with the intensity of her tail¡¯s wagging so as to not accidentally break Shogun¡¯s tail via whacking it. Then, despite Azalabulia being flustered from Serra being Serra, she had an idea. ¡°Rao!¡± she shouted out. ¡°Yeah, sis?¡± Rao asked, finally breaking off from the hug with Fenrir. ¡°We can combine our powers!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Trust me,¡± Azalabulia said with the face of somebody who probably shouldn¡¯t have been trusted. ¡°Alright?¡± Azalabulia explained the plan which required Rao to get back atop Shogun for another lance charge. However, before Rao took off with Shogun, Azalabulia had something special in mind for his spear. She imbued his weapon with her magic, causing the spear to take on an appearance much more like a lance as the dark flames of her spell stretched out in front of the spear. All Rao had to do after that was repeat what he did before, albeit with a tree that was still standing. With a spear enhanced by the dark magic of a questionably mad woman, Shogun lined Rao up for a perfect strike at full speed! Only, there was a problem. Well, a successful experiment and a problem. Azalabulia¡¯s magic successfully worked to enhance Rao¡¯s spear, resulting in causing it to create a huge explosion that absolutely annihilated the tree upon contact. Shogun was fast enough to fly past all the debris, mainly giant, wooden splinters, so he avoided any danger. However, there was enough knockback from the explosive spear that it sent Rao flying backward off of Shogun, completely reversing the momentum he had with Shogun to instantly knock him out. Rao landed dozens of feet away from where he was when he struck the tree. Fortunately for him, he wasn¡¯t conscious to see a massive, wooden splinter land just inches in front of his crotch between his thighs. And fortunately for the maids, it didn¡¯t hit anything important. ¡°Aza, I¡¯m not sure you should be trusted to enchant weapons,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We-well¡­ it¡¯s probably fine¡­ as long as I only enchant ranged weapons,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°Anything physical¡­ might be a problem.¡± ¡°Is he even alive? Wouldn¡¯t being reversed that quickly all of a sudden or something put his body under a bunch of g-forces?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s alive or dead from here.¡± ¡°I think you owe him a massage after this.¡± ¡°That would¡­ probably be a good idea.¡± Serra tugged on Azalabulia¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Can I go back to hugging you now?¡± ¡°I should really go check on him first¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You can go back to hugging. I¡¯ll go check on him.¡± Without waiting for anything else, Serra clung back onto Azalabulia while burying her face between her breasts. Meanwhile, Shogun went back to cuddling with Rock, leaving Fenrir to check up on Rao by himself. Book 9: Chapter 5: Fortunately, Rao was alive. Of course, as much as Fenrir might have preferred Rao to be alive, that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t still tease Rao about how unfortunate it was that he survived. But Fenrir quickly stopped teasing him once Rao actually felt bad about it. Then he reminded Rao that he didn¡¯t actually want him dead. It was hard not to tease that soft side of Rao. The group went back to town after giving Shogun and Rock a chance to rest. For most of the trip back, Fenrir let the others talk among themselves while he tried to think of new moves or powers for himself. He couldn¡¯t be the only one not developing cool, new moves or anything like that. At the very least, he had to figure out a way to improve what he already had. But right as they were close to town, he and the others became distracted by the sight of a damaged boat only slightly bigger than The Shoebill drifting into the harbor. It looked like it underwent a serious battle to have taken as much damage as it did. From a distance, it looked like it was a miracle that the vessel was still floating at all. Rushing into town to check up on it wasn¡¯t even a question. The ship was already docked and surrounded by people checking up on it by the time that the group made it into town. ¡°What¡­ what do you think happened?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Looks like they were attacked,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Might be the End Bringers again. Though¡­ I don¡¯t recognize their boat.¡± ¡°You can recognize them?¡± Serra asked. ¡°I spend enough time down there that I know every boat that belongs to somebody here. Might be from Catsville or Spike Port, though. Can¡¯t tell since the mast was wrecked. All the usual places where a flag would be have been damaged¡­¡± ¡°Something wrong?¡± Rao asked. ¡°You sound like something¡¯s up. Talk to us, bro.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gut feeling. The moment I saw which parts of the ship were damaged and which weren¡¯t, I immediately thought how convenient that is. It¡¯s something I would do if I wanted to sneak into a place while having an excuse for not flying their flag. We don¡¯t have an official flag here, but I¡¯d be able to recognize any ship that belongs to us. I wouldn¡¯t recognize every ship from the other towns, but they all have flags. So if somebody wanted to sneak in here and get close, coming damaged and without a flag would be the way to go. But¡­ I¡¯m probably being paranoid. It¡¯s not like anybody from the End Bringers would know me that well¡­ unless we have a spy who¡¯s gotten close to me, but I doubt it. Mary is our only spy.¡± ¡°Huh. I guess it is kind of suspicious when it put it that way. You think we should be careful?¡± ¡°It never hurts to be. Even if they don¡¯t know about me, it would be a smart tactic to use in general. Somebody feigning that they need help after being attacked is more empathetic than a random traveler wanting to join the town, for example. Makes it easier to believe them and look past the little things that don¡¯t add up. But sometimes, there are things too big to ignore.¡± ¡°I think I see what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°You probably do. Serra?¡± Serra tilted her head before looking at the damaged ship for a few moments. ¡°I¡­ feel like something is wrong, but I don¡¯t know what.¡± ¡°Rao?¡± Rao shook his head. ¡°This is all you.¡± ¡°Look.¡± Fenrir pointed to the sides of the vessel. ¡°No weapons. Completely unarmed and harmless. Now, tell me. How did a ship take that much damage to those specific places without taking damage to anywhere critical? Or rather, given how screwed the mast got, that should have been critical. Anybody or anything capable of dealing that much damage to the ship would have slowed it down and been more than capable of taking it out. The only way this ship made it back here is if its aggressor let it come back, and why would they do that?¡± ¡°I thought you said you were being paranoid?¡± ¡°Paranoid about them potentially knowing me, not anything else. The longer I look at this ship, the more it feels exactly like one of my plans. This is a basic infiltration technique. I did this all the time. This¡­ might sound bad, but I was inspired by terrorists going over borders while pretending to be climate refugees. When your entire goal in a game is to be the biggest troll possible to cause as much chaos as possible, the real world is full of examples to learn from.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry bro, but the more I learn about how you used to play games, the more I wish I could punch past you in the face.¡± ¡°I was garbage who found enjoyment in ruining people¡¯s days. I deserved a lot more than just getting punched in the face.¡± ¡°At¡ªat least it was only in games,¡± Azalabulia said. ¡°You never acted that way in real life¡­ right?¡± ¡°Not at all. Even if I was a horrible person off the internet, I would have been too scared to actually do anything.¡± Serra snerked. ¡°You were brave enough to punch a groper.¡± ¡°I was also drunk.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you protect us even if you¡¯re sober?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yeah, but¡ª¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s what matters.¡± Serra gave him a couple of pats on the back to go with her words. ¡°Thanks. Anyways, we¡¯re getting distracted here. Aza, take Shogun and get to the highest point you can that gives you a view of the harbor. I want you ready to give support if needed.¡± ¡°Gi-give support?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°Do you expect a fight to happen? And¡­ wouldn¡¯t my magic be too strong to use in the town?¡± ¡°If these guys are anything like me, I want to be prepared for the worst. And if they are like me¡­ they¡¯re probably going to do one of three things. One, try to sneak in and join us. Two, unleash some sort of weapon, maybe a deadly disease or gas or something, to try and wipe us all out. Or three, try to inflict as much terror as possible by suicide bombing us. The third one was my go-to. Act like I need help, gather as many people around me as possible, and then boom.¡± ¡°Bro¡­ that¡¯s so screwed up,¡± Rao said. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t want to make a big scene or anything, so can you and Serra try to get people away as subtly as you can? If they catch on that we¡¯re trying to clear the area, if they have a plan, they might set it off early. Aza will provide overwatch, you two clear the area, and I¡¯ll talk to them.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯d be good at that,¡± Serra said. ¡°Can I go with you instead?¡± As much as Fenrir wanted to keep Serra away due to how potentially dangerous it could be¡­ it was just a game as far as Serra¡¯s avatar was concerned, and he didn¡¯t want to be somebody who never let her stand by his side even if it was for her own safety. ¡°Alright. Rock, you help Rao get people away. They¡¯ll think you¡¯re just being a cute dog who wants to play, so distracting them should be easy and look natural.¡± Rock barked and ran ahead without waiting for any additional orders. After all, all she needed to do was be cute. That was easy for her! ¡°Everybody good?¡± Fenrir asked. Everybody still there nodded. ¡°Alright. We might be overreacting here, but it¡¯s better to play it safe than sorry. Stay calm and focus. Don¡¯t get jumpy or paranoid. Leave that to me.¡± With that, everybody got to work. Azalabulia took Shogun up to the top of a nearby building that gave her a perfect vantage point of the damaged ship, Rao and Rock began their task of distracting people to try and pull them away from the area instead of allowing them to form a curious crowd, and Fenrir and Serra went toward the ship itself. Fenrir wanted to try and ask Saya where she was, but he knew that would be pointless. That would be sharing information in-game with a method that nobody else was capable of. Saya wouldn¡¯t give him that information no matter how much she wanted to. There was somebody else there who called out to him before he could reach the ship, though. ¡°Oi!¡± Tabitha shouted. Fenrir and Serra stopped to see what she wanted. The expression on her face made it clear that she had something serious on her mind. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You goin¡¯ down to that ship?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Ya got a bad feelin¡¯ about her too?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way a beat-up girl like her would make it back here alive.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°I was gonna go grab the princess and her maids, but if you¡¯re here, want me to come with ya instead?¡± ¡°It¡¯d probably be a better idea to go and let them know what¡¯s going on. Kind of surprised they¡¯re not already down here.¡± ¡°She only rolled in a few minutes ago and most folk went to check on her and her crew. Don¡¯t think anybody else has realized somethin¡¯ might be wrong.¡± ¡°Got it. Alright, go let them know and I¡¯ll¡ª¡± Serra tugged on Fenrir¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Nell.¡± Fenrir looked down at her with a tilted head and asked, ¡°You sure?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°Tabs is more useful for this than me. I¡­ can¡¯t talk to groups and distract them, but I can go get Nell.¡± Fenrir gave Serra¡¯s head a little pat before nodding. ¡°Alright. Go let them know what¡¯s going on. Me and Tabs will check the ship out.¡± Now it was Serra¡¯s turn to nod before leaving to go inform Nell. ¡°Got your hammer with you?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Always,¡± Tabitha answered, taking it off from her hip to show it off. ¡°It looks¡­ even smaller than before.¡± ¡°Because I improved it! The smaller it is, the easier it is to carry around without it gettin¡¯ in the way.¡± ¡°Does it still turn into a giant hammer to smack people with?¡± ¡°Ya think I¡¯d ever consider makin¡¯ it so it don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Good point. Oh, hang on. Rod, wrap get on standby around my arm. You probably won¡¯t have time to change forms once it starts.¡± Rod did as told and changed into his chain form, wrapping his entirety around Fenrir¡¯s right arm. He was ready to lash out at any moment. Now, with his partner swapped out and Rod around his arm, Fenrir rushed over to the ship and saw that Rao and Rock already did a good job of clearing some of the crowd out. Though, it was mostly those around the edge of the crowd who they were able to get away. Those near the center right around the ship were still more densely gathered than Fenrir would have liked, but trying to get them away without causing a scene was going to be difficult. Only being as generic as possible had a chance. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s give them some space,¡± Fenrir said as he pushed his way through the crowd, Tabitha following behind him like a child after their parent. Given the size difference between them, some might have assumed they actually were child and parent. ¡°There he is! Wondered when you¡¯d show up,¡± one of the players in the crowd said. Given his leadership role in the town, even if Nell was the official leader at the very top, those nearby were happy to give some space when Fenrir asked for it. But they didn¡¯t leave. Fenrir didn¡¯t want to tell them to completely go away, either. He had to hope that they would gradually lose interest and leave. If too many left at once, that might trigger any potential plan. But for the moment, Fenrir turned his attention to those sitting on the dock next to the ship. The men and women who looked just as banged up as the ship. That made even less sense. They wouldn¡¯t look so messed up unless they were boarded and got into a physical fight, Fenrir thought. As for the ship¡¯s survivors, there were seven of them of varying races and sizes. Three of them looked like normal humans, but the rest were almost like chimeras similar to Eva. Some had horns and tails, others had limbs covered in fur, and one of them even had feathered wings with arms and legs covered in scales. The one with scales was the first to speak up when he saw Fenrir. ¡°Hey,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry about causing a scene. I hope it¡¯s alright if we recover here.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We¡¯d be happy to help. What happened?¡± ¡°It was¡­ it was the End Bringers. We were sailing from Spike Port to go on a little vacation south. Thought it might be fun to get a change of scenery. Got ambushed on the way down. They were¡­ fucking monsters.¡± While everybody else around sounded worried for the crew and thankful that they managed to escape, all Fenrir could do was try his best not to roll his eyes. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re not the End Bringers. They¡¯re even doing what I¡¯ve done before and making their group sound scarier than it actually is. ¡°Sounds horrible, but you survived, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Heh. Yeah. Thanks.¡± ¡°I¡¯m impressed you were able to escape with your ship in that condition.¡± ¡°We were lucky. Some rough waters came in and almost capsized us. Their ship was even smaller than ours and could barely handle the waves. If it wasn¡¯t for those waves¡­ we would have died.¡± ¡°Did they board you at all?¡± ¡°No? Thank god they didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t think we could have fought them off if they did. We¡¯re not fighters, you know? We just want to play the game and relax.¡± ¡°I get you.¡± While an inexperienced actor might have looked obviously relieved after hearing that, the man Fenrir talked to didn¡¯t change in his expression at all. All he did was nod and smile a little. Even back in the day, when Fenrir remembered his first few times infiltrating enemy bases, he¡¯d usually let out a sigh of relief when he realized he was in. It took him a few times to train that reaction out of his system. Of course, lacking such a reaction could have meant that the ship¡¯s crew were innocent and not actually plotting anything¡­ But that feeling in Fenrir¡¯s gut only grew stronger the more he talked to them. He was already convinced of their guilt. ¡°Anything you can tell us about the End Bringers?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d rather relax, but if they¡¯re in the waters then we need to know what to look for.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I understand,¡± the scaled leader of the crew answered. ¡°They had a real small boat. I¡¯m guessing it was designed for sneaking into enemy waters while trying not to bring any attention to itself. Couldn¡¯t tell for sure how many crew it had, but at least three. Had a cannon on the front firing something like uh¡­ what¡¯s the name for it? Grapeshot, I think?¡± ¡°Yeah. I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it fired at us. Felt like we had a massive shotgun taking shots at us while we ran for our lives. Well, sailed for our lives.¡± ¡°That explains how your ship got so damaged. Gotta say, you¡¯re lucky.¡± One of the crewmembers twitched when they heard that. It took every ounce of Fenrir¡¯s willpower not to smile. Got you. ¡°Yeah, we are,¡± the leader said. ¡°Honestly, the only reason we¡¯re alive is because of luck.¡± Fenrir nodded and turned his attention to the twitchy crewmember. A normal looking woman wearing heavy clothes whose hands were fidgeting around underneath them. ¡°You alright? I could bring a healer over for you.¡± Singling her out caused a noticeable reaction among the rest of them. She wasn¡¯t the only one who looked nervous after that. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± she answered. Fenrir then focused on the man next to her. ¡°You?¡± The group looked more relaxed the moment that Fenrir took his attention away from the woman. ¡°I¡¯m good. Thanks. Looks worse than it is,¡± the man Fenrir asked answered. ¡°By the way,¡± the leader spoke up, bringing attention back to him, ¡°are you the leader around here?¡± Given how those who lived there reacted to Fenrir showing up, it was easy to figure out that Fenrir was at least somebody of importance. But for the sake of the conversation, he had no problem taking all the credit. ¡°Yeah. I run things around here,¡± Fenrir answered. Silence. It didn¡¯t take long for the other players nearby to feel that something was wrong after the group of refugees suddenly became so quiet. ¡°Keep an eye on things, Tabs,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Ya can count on me,¡± Tabitha replied. With a sigh, Fenrir dropped the feigned niceties. ¡°So, End Bringers, right?¡± ¡°The ones who attacked us? Yeah,¡± the leader answered. ¡°No, I mean all of you. You¡¯re from them pretending to be refugees who need help, right?¡± The show was over. Some of the gathered crowd backed away while others drew their weapons. ¡°Is this a weird test or something?¡± the leader asked. ¡°Why would we be¡ª¡± The suspicious woman from before stood up and pulled her top layer off, revealing several canisters strapped to her all around her torso. There was no time to hesitate. Fenrir charged forward and slammed into her at full force, knocking her backward into the water and falling in after her. The canisters only activated once she was underwater. At that point, the gas that burst out of them clouded the water but was immediately diluted to the point of ineffectiveness. It helped that Fenrir kept his mouth shut and pinched his nose shut with one of his hands, keeping his eyes closed too just for good measure. While the gas did get diluted, it was potentially still too concentrated immediately around the woman. Meanwhile, he used Rod to wrap around her arms and torso to restrict her. That stopped her from swimming to the surface to save herself from drowning. Fenrir might have taken a quick breath before falling into the water, but his enemy didn¡¯t. He stayed underwater for as long as he could, keeping his eyes shut the entire time. It was only when he was about to run out of air that he opened his eyes and saw that the cloudy mist in the water was thoroughly diluted and no longer visible. The woman he bound with Rod no longer struggled. The only movements that came from her were occasional twitches. Fenrir was happy to leave her down there as he went for air. As for everybody else, the conflict was already over by the time that he reached the surface. Several of the ¡°refugees¡± were dead, the leader was knocked out with Tabitha stepping on his head, and the rest of the crowd who wanted to protect their new home dealt with the rest. There weren¡¯t any signs of explosions, so Azalabulia never got a chance to fire anything off¡­ but he did spot an arrow that looked like it made a bit too much of an impact. ¡°Enjoy your bath, onii-wan?¡± Saya asked after pushing her way through the crowd. She offered him a hand to help get him out of the water, too. ¡°It was alright,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Figured I should wash your scent off me.¡± Saya had Fenrir about halfway out of the water when she heard that. Needless to say, she let go of his hand and happily let him fall back in. ¡°Oi, now¡¯s not the time for flirtin¡¯. Do that later,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°We-we¡¯re not flirting,¡± Saya pouted. ¡°Uh-huh. Help that wet dog out already.¡± As much as Saya wanted to be a pouty tsundere and refuse such a thing, she opted for helping Fenrir instead. ¡°Thanks,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you more reasons to call me the worst later. Anyways¡­ where¡¯d you even come from?¡± ¡°I was watching the whole thing,¡± Saya answered. ¡°I felt suspicious as soon as I saw the boat coming in.¡± ¡°Nice intuition.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a narcissist.¡± ¡°How am I being a¡ªoh. Right.¡± Saya stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Anyways¡­ after they docked, I thought it¡¯d be a good idea to keep watch on them. I was ready to shoot as soon as they did anything. And I did. You¡¯re lucky that you¡¯re so fast or else I would have shot you in the back.¡± Fenrir looked behind him and saw that, across the river, there was an arrow embedded in the ground that would have gone straight through where the woman was standing. ¡°I¡ªI see. Thanks for not shooting me in the back.¡± ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s not like I tried missing you or anything. Seriously this time. I really didn¡¯t miss you on purpose.¡± Fenrir patted Saya¡¯s head before letting out a relaxed sigh and looking around. ¡°Is everybody alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine,¡± one of the friendly players answered. ¡°What about you?¡± another one asked Fenrir. ¡°We saw the water get all foggy there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m fine, but I¡¯ll have a healer check me out anyways. Pretty sure that, between the water diluting it and me not giving it any way to get in my system, I protected myself. Well¡­ I guess I wasn¡¯t protecting my ears, but I think they¡¯re probably fine.¡± ¡°What should we do with the survivors?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Take them to building we used for the last prisoner. Bind them and make sure they don¡¯t have any weapons on them. Gag them, too. Can¡¯t risk one of them knowing incantation-based magic like Aza.¡± Tabitha nodded and picked up the knocked-out leader, slinging her over his shoulder with ease. However, given that she was a small and short girl, and the leader was a large and tall man¡­ she ended up dragging his face against the ground behind her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get ya to your cell!¡± Nearby players helped with the other two End Bringers members left alive, following Tabitha with them in tow. ¡°Bro!¡± Rao shouted as he ran toward the scene. ¡°Everything good?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Fenrir shouted back. ¡°Though, I¡¯m kind of pissed off now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Well, I just learned that we have an enemy who has no problem trying to suicide bomb us using chemical weapons. That¡¯s what I would have done if I wanted to inflict terror in a group of players and make them paranoid. So, even though I don¡¯t want to give in to that¡­ we¡¯re going to need to set up a checkpoint to get in and out of the town. Something like what Catsville and Spike Port already have. A wall that reaches out into the water and has a gate that allows ships in and out. Until the End Bringers are wiped out to the point where not a single one of them even thinks about ever touching this game again, we¡¯ll have to implement measures to protect ourselves against their plans.¡± ¡°You make it sound like you want to wipe them out, onii-wan,¡± Saya said. ¡°Who said anything about wanting? I mean, I do want to, but I meant to imply that I will wipe them out.¡± ¡°What happened to wanting to live a peaceful life over here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s still the plan, but I can¡¯t do that if I have to deal with wannabe griefers trying to ruin our fun. Trust me, I know from experience. The only way we¡¯re going to get any sort of peace from them is by wiping them out so entirely that they can¡¯t even fantasize about rebuilding. Even just rolling into their base and wiping them out wouldn¡¯t be enough. We have to crush them until not even dust remains.¡± ¡°Bro, we¡¯re talking about dealing with the End Bringers here,¡± Rao said. ¡°I know. And they¡¯re dealing with me.¡± ¡°Not gonna lie bro, I¡¯m torn on whether that sounded badass or cringe.¡± ¡°Co-come on, I felt like that was a pretty cool line.¡± ¡°I¡¯dunno bro. I¡¯m leaning more toward cringe.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Saya said with a smug smirk. ¡°You guys are really taking the wind out of my sails right now,¡± Fenrir said and slumped his shoulders. Given that they still had a crowd, some of the nearby players joined in on the teasing and laughing. It was only then that Fenrir really started to feel flustered and turn red. I wish Aza was down here. She would have appreciated that, Fenrir thought. ¡°Onii-wan, you might think you can hide in your thoughts, but I¡¯m still here to remind you how cringe you are,¡± Saya said, not giving him a single moment of respite. You¡¯re the worst, Saya. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my line. Also, what¡¯s so bad about keeping things light? You want to leave that griefing life of yours behind, don¡¯t you? You should be grateful that we¡¯re here to tease you and knock you down a notch so that you don¡¯t completely revert to your old ways.¡± Fenrir¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that. Saya was right. If he really went and tried to wipe out the End Bringers in old Divine Brigade fashion, that would require falling back into his old habits. He was already thinking about using their tricks right back against them and more. But that wasn¡¯t who he wanted to be anymore and he already made the decision to change. While old Ryouta might have been all for chemical warfare, suicide bombing, burning down forests, and other horrible tactics that would have been tried as war crimes in reality, that wasn¡¯t who he wanted to be anymore. He didn¡¯t like that kind of person and he had no intention of becoming that kind of person again. New Fenrir, on the other hand, had other ideas. Ideas that were more in line with the original internet days of trolling. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I was thinking about fighting fire using fire. That never worked against me and only motivated me to try even harder no matter how many losses we suffered.¡± While everybody else was curious about what Fenrir was talking about, Saya smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°We can¡¯t give them fuel for their flames. We have to douse them. Take all the fun out of it. Break into their base, paint giant dicks all over their walls, and sing stupid songs about friendship and happiness in their faces.¡± Of course, the Divine Brigade did all of that, too. It was just that they did that in addition to those other, horrible things. It was like a fifty-fifty balance before. Now that they were up against a group that went all in on being horrible and edgy, that meant Fenrir had to go all in on being silly and a troll. I ever tell you why we were named the Divine Brigade? Fenrir asked Saya. ¡°Nope. And I already know why, but you sound like you want to tell me about it, so go ahead,¡± Saya replied. Thanks. So, back in the day, we had two options to choose from. The Divine Executioners and The Clown Brigade. This might come as a surprise to you, but we decided to combine them. That was the Divine Brigade. These End Bringers¡ªthey¡¯re like The Divine Executioners. All the edgy parts of the DB without any of the fun things. So, now it¡¯s time for us to go full on Clown Brigade. All the trolling without any of the edge. One of the best ways of dealing with edgelords like them is to treat them like they¡¯re jokes. The less seriously you take them, the less interest they¡¯ll have. They want reactions, after all. They want to be feared. If we give them that, we give them power over us. To them, that¡¯s winning the war no matter how many individual battles they lose. Fenrir looked at Rao and said, ¡°Scratch the wall and gate. Let¡¯s put up a giant billboard in the water instead.¡± ¡°A¡­ billboard?¡± Rao asked. ¡°What better way to invite them and treat them like friends? Imagine it. A billboard with a picture of an edgy looking End Bringers member surrounded by puppies and cupcakes.¡± ¡°Wait, we¡¯re going to be friendly to them?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to act friendly to them. This,¡± Fenrir tugged on Rod¡¯s chain, bringing the floating corpse of the woman he drowned closer, ¡°is how we¡¯re still going to treat them if they try anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I get it, but I trust you.¡± ¡°Thanks. I promise you that I know what I¡¯m doing. Though¡­ I should get Nell¡¯s permission first before we do anything like that.¡± If Fenrir wanted to stand against somebody like Kadi, he would never reach that level if he couldn¡¯t even resist giving in to what the End Bringers wanted. They wanted him to try and wage war against them. They wanted him afraid. They wanted him to try and be a badass with cool one-liners. But being cringe was all they were going to get, and Fenrir knew better than anybody else that being cringe was a lot easier and more fun than being a badass. Book 9: Chapter 6: Getting Nell¡¯s permission was easy. All Fenrir had to do was explain his plan to her and then she was fully supportive of it without even the tiniest bit of hesitation or questioning. Of course, it helped that she loved Fenrir and knew that he had far more experience with such things, so she had no issue allowing him to do whatever he believed needed to be done to protect everybody. There was, however, something else that she had an issue with. Something that caused her to pout and huff until Fenrir asked her what was wrong since he was about to leave her new, queenly chambers to get started on his plan. Speaking of said chambers, they might have been the ¡°queen¡¯s,¡± but they weren¡¯t exactly impressive. It was basically just a normal room like any other made of wood with a large chair and table in front of it. The table was covered in papers that made it look like it was a desk covered in important documents, but the truth couldn¡¯t be any farther from that. They were simply blank papers that Nell demanded were put there for the aesthetic of it. A blank table wasn¡¯t impressive in the slightest, but a table covered in papers made her look busy like a queen should! Fenrir thought it was a waste of paper, but they were in a game, so he wasn¡¯t too concerned about being wasteful in that regard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asked. He didn¡¯t sound too concerned, but that was because he knew she wouldn¡¯t be acting so obviously upset if something was really wrong. ¡°My hero,¡± Nell whined, ¡°I am the queen now¡­ but we have hardly done any play with that! One of my main reasons for accepting this responsibility was that it would give us justification for an endless amount of knight and queen roleplay! Or servant and queen! Or barbarian conqueror and queen! Or demonic monster and queen! Yet, all you have done is call me, ¡®my queen,¡¯ a couple of times!¡± Nell stomped her feet from her chair while puffing her cheeks out. ¡°I demand to be pampered and given queen roleplay!¡± Fenrir was right to assume it wasn¡¯t serious. Then again, he knew that she was serious about what she wanted, so didn¡¯t that make it serious anyways? After all, it was the need of one of his girlfriends. How could he treat that as anything other than serious? ¡°I apologize, my queen,¡± Fenrir said, getting down on one knee as he bowed his head to her. ¡°Please forgive this humble servant of yours for not satisfying you.¡± Nell went from pouting and whining to squirming and smiling in an instant. ¡°Ah¡­ I suppose that I shall forgive you for your transgressions against the crown. Whatever am I to do with you? If I did not know any better, I would say that you deserve a strike! A very rough one at that!¡± Fenrir blinked a couple of times. ¡°And thrown to the floor?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, and thrown to the floor! Now, you feline rapscallion¡ª" ¡°I¡¯m not a feline, I¡¯m a canine.¡± ¡°A feline?¡± ¡°No, no, a canine.¡± ¡°Ah. So, your father was a canine. Who was he?¡± ¡°He was a centurion at the Spike Port garrison.¡± ¡°Really? What was his name?¡± ¡°Biggus Dickus. Wait, that comes later. Crap, I forget which name I¡¯m supposed to say.¡± Fenrir might have ruined the play, but Nell still smiled and laughed. ¡°Naughtius Maximus, my hero. Apparently, I have not yet forced you to watch the pinnacle of humor with me enough times.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already watched it four times.¡± ¡°And we shall watch it until you have the entire script memorized!¡± ¡°Such a needy queen, but if that¡¯s what your decree is, I will have to obey it.¡± ¡°Good boy. Now, because you are part canine, prove it. Come over here.¡± Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what she had in mind, but he was happy to obey her demand and walked over to her makeshift throne. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Sit.¡± ¡°Wh-where?¡± ¡°On your knees. Next to my legs.¡± It was actually a little embarrassing now, but he still obeyed her order and got onto his knees next to her legs. ¡°Now, here,¡± she said, patting the top of her lap. ¡°Place your head here.¡± If giving him a lap pillow was all that she wanted, Fenrir was more than happy to let her satisfy her ¡°selfish¡± desire. That was why he placed his head on her lap with the back of it facing her. Only, that wasn¡¯t good enough. ¡°No, my hero. Look at me. Turn your head.¡± Of all the times Fenrir received lap pillows, his face always faced away from the girls. Now¡­ this was the first time he turned his head and actually face the one giving him a lap pillow. His cheeks turned a minor shade of red against his will as there was something surprisingly embarrassing about the situation. There he was, on his knees next to Nell, acting submissive, as he looked up at her with blushing cheeks. Nell couldn¡¯t have looked more pleased. So, to reward him for his good beavior, she reached one hand down to brush his hair away from his face and forehead. That only embarrassed him even more. ¡°What a precious hero of mine you are,¡± she said, her voice gentle and warm. ¡°I know my fantasies may be rather extreme at times, but do not think that I do not also dream of situations such as this.¡± ¡°Situations where you order me around and make me feel weird?¡± ¡°Precisely. To have the hero who is often in control and dominant around everybody else, obeying me and serving as my lap dog¡­ what is there not to love about this? Besides, you are going to be busy with your plans once you leave this room. Would it not be best to give up your independence for a short time to depend entirely on me?¡± ¡°That makes it sound like you¡¯re doing this for me.¡± ¡°Because I am. Well, I am doing it for both of us. You know, my hero, it is often those in high stress situations and leadership positions who find the most relief from playing the role of submissive servants in private. They are so tired of telling everybody else what to do that they wish to be the ones dominated for a change. Does that sound relatable at all?¡± ¡°We-well¡­ I will say I don¡¯t think that this is bad. It¡¯s just¡­ embarrassing.¡± ¡°Then that means I must pamper you until you no longer find it embarrassing. You should be thoroughly relaxed once we reach that point. More importantly, it should make you eager to submit to me like this more often in the future.¡± ¡°You just want to make me more submissive, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No, I want to bring out the submissive side you already have.¡± ¡°What¡­ what evidence do you have of that existing?¡± ¡°Because, my hero. You love dogs. You did not choose to give yourself canid features because you are trying to be some cool ¡®alpha¡¯ wolf or some other silly thing. You gave yourself canid features to express your loyalty, playfulness, and your desire to be treated like a loving pet.¡± Fenrir tried turning his head away from Nell, but she grabbed him and stopped him from doing so. ¡°At least let me look away if you¡¯re going to call me out like that.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Nell cooed. ¡°You¡¯re so sadistic.¡± ¡°I know, I am.¡± And it just so happened that Nell¡¯s form of sadism was delivered via the method of gently running her hands through Fenrir¡¯s hair, stroking her fingers against his scalp as her other hand rested on the side of his head. ¡°I love you, my hero.¡± As embarrassed as Fenrir might have felt, that didn¡¯t stop his tail from happily wagging behind him to express his true emotion. ¡°I¡­ love you too, my queen.¡± Nell had to force herself to stay still in her throne so as to not interrupt her affectionate hands, but the desire to squirm around in happiness was there and nearly overwhelming. ¡°I can see that Serra did not lie when she told us about your submissive side. Ah¡­ I have been waiting to do this for so long.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really good at making me feel even more embarrassed.¡± ¡°I am sorry, my hero, but how could I resist? She told us about this side of you quite some time ago, yet she has maintained a monopoly over it even so. It is time for that monopoly to end.¡± Fenrir mumbled something, but Nell couldn¡¯t hear what it was. Truthfully, Fenrir didn¡¯t even know what he mumbled. He just wanted to whine but had nothing to actually say. ¡°Oh, this reminds me! So many of my favorite hentais showed scenes where a king or conqueror sat on his throne surrounded by the women he has claimed. Usually with metal collars and chains around their necks as they were turned into his slave harem members, but that is beside the point! Now, sitting in my chair with you resting your head on my lap like this¡­ I know how powerful being in such a situation feels. I always fantasized about being on my knees next to you while you sit in a throne instead, or while Serra sits in a throne because I can picture her doing so very clearly, but this is also wonderful! There is only one thing that could make it better.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you acted needy.¡± ¡°You¡­ you want me to act needy? Isn¡¯t this embarrassing enough?¡± ¡°Do not act like you do not secretly desire to be clingier with us. I know that you are afraid of acting clingy because it might push us away, even though we have implied multiple times before that we would love to see your clingy and possessive side. So, this one time, give yourself permission to be as clingy and needy as you wish! It is alright as long as you do not always act that way, right?¡± Fenrir averted his eyes by looking to the side, looked back at her, looked down, blushed even more, and then said, ¡°I¡­ guess I could act that way. Just this one time.¡± Nell shivered from excitement before nodding a couple of times with a wide smile on her face. ¡°Pet¡­ pet me more. Please?¡± The next thing Fenrir knew, Nell grabbed onto his arms and pulled him up onto her. She then pressed his head against the top of her breasts, dedicated one hand to petting his head, and used her other hand for rubbing his back. Watching his tail wag even faster behind him let her know that she was doing a good job. ¡°There we go,¡± Nell cooed. ¡°Who¡¯s my good boy?¡± ¡°I¡­ I am.¡± ¡°And good boys give their masters lots of kisses, do they not?¡± Fenrir whined a little before leaning up against her, tilting his head back so that he could reach her neck and jawline to cover them in plenty of soft, small kisses that made Nell giggle in delight. ¡°Such a good boy you are. Now, tell me how much you love me.¡± ¡°I¡­ love you with all my heart. I never want to be apart from you, my queen. I wish I could spend every single moment of the day at your side with everybody else. I love you so much that¡­ I still feel jealous sometimes when I see others look at you. I wish I could keep you and the others to myself, even though I know that¡¯s selfish and not right.¡± ¡°Good boy, good boy,¡± Nell whispered as she stroked the back of his head. ¡°Let all of your feelings out. Your master and queen is here to listen to them.¡± ¡°I wish I could stay like this forever.¡± ¡°Oh my, what a spoiled puppy you are.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I want you to spoil me and pamper me all the time¡­ but I still always feel like I have to be cool around all of you, and I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m being cool by acting this way¡­¡± ¡°It might not be ¡®cool,¡¯ but it is still absolutely precious and every bit as wonderful as the usual.¡± ¡°But I want to be cool¡­¡± ¡°And I want you to be my needy little puppy who is cute and adorable.¡± Fenrir grumbled and whined, but all that did was make him even cuter in Nell¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve a girlfriend as good as you. Or any of the others.¡± ¡°You deserve us and more, my hero.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I said so and my rule is law. That is how things work now.¡± ¡°Is¡­ it really that simple?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I guess I can¡¯t really argue. I¡¯m always afraid of what there really is to it and worried I might not live up to everybody¡¯s expectations. I¡­ really want it to be that simple.¡± ¡°It is, my hero. We love you. So long as you love us, that will never change. It is no more complicated than that.¡± ¡°Is this¡­ really alright? To lean on you and be pampered like this?¡± ¡°Of course. I am the one who has ordered you to do so, am I not?¡± Fenrir lowered himself again so that he could rest his head against the top of her breasts once more. ¡°You always have loved those, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny it. I love boobs.¡± ¡°There, there. Enjoy them to your heart¡¯s content.¡± ¡°I wish I could surround myself with all of your boobs. I¡¯ve seen it in hentai a few times. A harem of girls surround a guy and press their chests all against his head.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ what a debaucherous request. I suppose I will have to get the others to help me do that for you! Perhaps for your birthday?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Very well. You will be thoroughly surrounded by breasts for your birthday. Do you have any other birthday requests?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ one that¡¯s way more important.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I want to spend every birthday for the rest of my life with all of you.¡± Nell couldn¡¯t take it after that. It was impossible for her to not grab him by his cheeks, pull him up, and press her lips against his. ¡°It should be illegal to be this overwhelmingly precious, my hero.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to be or anything. I¡¯m¡­ just being honest.¡± ¡°Perhaps it is a good thing you are not normally like this. If you were, I would never want to do anything other than keep you on a leash within kissing distance at all times.¡± ¡°Are¡­ you trying to tempt me to be like this more?¡± ¡°Perhaps I am.¡± ¡°It might work if that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying.¡± ¡°Also¡­ I have felt something pressing against me for some time now. Something from your lower body that is acting as if it has a life of its own.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°Then¡­ do you promise to obey me?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Say you promise.¡± ¡°I¡­ I promise.¡± ¡°Good boy. Go lock the door and then come back.¡± Not hesitating, Fenrir did exactly as she ordered. He locked the main door to the room and returned. ¡°Now, stand in front of me.¡± ¡°Like¡­ this?¡± Fenrir asked, standing straight up directly in front of where she sat. ¡°A little closer.¡± He stepped closer. ¡°Perfect. Now, take it out.¡± ¡°Take what out?¡± ¡°Do not play shy, my hero. We both know what it is that I am talking about.¡± With red on his cheeks once again, Fenrir followed orders and pulled his throbbing length free from his pants. It was already fully erect and throbbing, perhaps even moreso than usual, with a hint of his pre decorating the tip. Nell smiled and reached a single finger out to trace along his length from the base of his underside to the tip. ¡°Now, be selfish. Tell me what you want me to do with this.¡± ¡°I¡­ want you to make me cum.¡± ¡°But how would you like me to? Perhaps¡­¡± Nell brought a hand to her chest, tugging down on the front of her dress just enough to show him more of her cleavage. ¡°With these? After all, you did tell me just a moment ago that you love breasts.¡± ¡°I¡­ would like that.¡± ¡°But do you want it?¡± Fenrir nodded. ¡°Then tell me.¡± ¡°I want you to make me cum with your breasts.¡± ¡°Good boy. Come closer.¡± Fenrir followed orders once more. With a sly smile, Nell leaned forward and placed a soft, gentle kiss on the tip of Fenrir¡¯s throbbing length. ¡°At least this part of you feels no shame. He boldly presents himself and begs for what he wants. You could learn a thing or two from him,¡± she teased. ¡°Please make me cum with your tits.¡± ¡°Oh my, such vulgar language all of a sudden.¡± ¡°I really want to cum. I need to cum.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ this is music to my ears. Very well.¡± In a teasingly slow manner, Nell put on a little show for Fenrir as she ran her hands over her breasts, occasionally acting like she was about to pull her dress down enough for them to pop out from it, only to stop and watch his cock throb in desperate need as she grinned. Eventually, though, she did give him what he wanted as he panted while watching her, pulling her breasts out and holding them in front of him by placing her hands underneath them. ¡°Are these good enough for you?¡± Nell asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyways. ¡°They¡¯re perfect,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Then shall I envelope you within them?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Nell wanted to tease him some more, but she couldn¡¯t resist giving in and giving him what he so desired. She wanted to pleasure him as much as she wanted to see him squirm, and the former desire won out. That was why she leaned forward enough to bring her breasts to his cock, spreading them apart for a moment only to push them right back together once his cock was between them. ¡°There. That should be enough to satisfy you, no?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I have to admit that it¡¯s really hard not to take control right now.¡± ¡°No, no. You are to be my pet until I am done with you or else we will stop right here. Is that clear?¡± Fenrir gulped and sighed. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Good boy. I will give you a reward for behaving.¡± With that, Nell slid her breasts up along his shaft until the very tip was covered between them before sliding them back down, leaving the tip of his cock in front of her chin. With it being so close, all she had to do was tilt her head a little in order to kiss the tip before looking back up at him. ¡°You should be thankful I am doing this. I was tempted to order you to masturbate to competition in front of me, and I was going to let you finish on any part of me you wanted without ever touching you. But alas¡­ I could not resist working you myself. Next time, though, prepare to do it yourself for me while I watch.¡± ¡°Yes, my queen.¡± ¡°Oh? You have grown awfully obedient. I would have thought that you would say that might be too embarrassing or some such thing.¡± ¡°It would be¡­ but I like the idea of jacking off onto you, too.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Tell me, where would you finish if given the choice to paint me wherever you desire?¡± While waiting for his answer, Nell continued to pump his shaft with her breasts, alternating between slow and steady strokes, and fast and intense bursts. Every few times his tip was exposed in front of her chin, she¡¯d either give it a quick kiss or lick before burying it between her breasts once more. ¡°On your face,¡± Fenrir answered. His length would have been throbbing far more at that point were it not for the fact that it was held so firmly between her breasts. But, while it might not have been throbbing, it was still leaking precum and making a sticky mess between ber tits. ¡°Oh? I am surprised. I expected you to say on my chest.¡± ¡°I would have¡­ if I probably wasn¡¯t going to finish there this time.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. That makes sense. You fully intend to paint my chest with your seed this time, so you would rather paint my face with it the next time?¡± Fenrir nodded just as a pleasured groan escaped his lips. Hearing that groan caused Nell to let out a soft moan of her own as she arched her back against his cock. ¡°More, Fenrir.¡± ¡°M-more?¡± ¡°Let me hear more. I want to hear you moan out in desire and need. Let me hear the song of your pleasure.¡± Fenrir smiled from how cheesy that sounded, but that didn¡¯t stop him from letting her hear even more of his noises as he let his moans and groans freely escape without shame. ¡°After all, I am giving you this special treatment. I will take your noises as payment. Oh, and do feel free to continue being more vocal for me¡ªall of us, in the future. We all love hearing your voice and wish you would make even more noises for us.¡± ¡°I,¡± Fenrir paused to let out another groan, ¡°will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Such a good boy you are.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to be good, so¡­ would you please make me cum?¡± ¡°Make you what?¡± ¡°Cum. Please let me cum. Please make me cum.¡± ¡°Hmm. I think I might have misheard you. What was that? One more time.¡± ¡°Please, Nell, make me cum.¡± Every other word was laced with hints of moaning. ¡°I need to. Please.¡± Nell shivered once again in response to his words prior to letting out a blissful sigh. ¡°Very well. Since you have been such a good boy, I will let you feel that ultimate pleasure you are so desperate for.¡± No longer teasing him, Nell focused all of her attention on stroking his cock with her breasts in her best efforts at making him cum. She wanted to be painted with his seed as much as he wished to paint her, and hearing him need it so desperately was enough to inspire her to do her best at milking it out of him. Up and down, over and over, her breasts squeezed and wrapped around his pulsating shaft as it neared its finish. More and more of his pre leaked out, causing the skin of her cleavage to glisten from him marking her. While they might not have said much more during it, Nell was delighted to hear Fenrir¡¯s frequent moans, groans, and grunts as he did his best to let her hear his pleasure. He only spoke up again when it was time to warn her. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m about to cum,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you for informing me,¡± Nell said with a teasing tone as she pressed her breasts around his cock even tighter. She wanted to squeeze it as much as she possibly could, going for strength rather than speed with her strokes. And that was all that it took. ¡°Nell, I¡¯m¡ª¡± Fenrir¡¯s cock finished before his sentence did. Nell was greeted by a shot of his cum splashing against her cheek as the rest ended up landing atop her breasts, painting them white just as he wanted. Nell got a final few strokes in, making sure that he was emptied, before giving her breasts a break and letting them separate around his length to reveal the sticky mess he made within her valley. ¡°Goodness, you made such a mess of your queen,¡± Nell said. ¡°Whatever am I to do with you?¡± ¡°Pamper me even more?¡± Fenrir answered between heavy breaths. ¡°I see that you have grown used to the role of being spoiled.¡± ¡°If this is how it goes¡­ I¡¯d be happy to be your lap dog any time.¡± Nell smiled as she used a single finger to wipe up the cum on her cheek, bringing it to her mouth to suck it off from her finger and swallow. ¡°Thank you for the delicious treat, my hero.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is it really delicious?¡± ¡°Of course not, but every man wishes to hear that it is, does he not?¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°Figured as much. Sorry, you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± ¡°I wanted to. Besides, you were not supposed to paint my face until the next time. If I left it there, you might get the satisfaction of painting both my breasts and face this time.¡± ¡°Such a thoughtful queen.¡± ¡°I know. Now, take your shirt off.¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t know what she planned on doing, which was true for much of his time spent with her this time, but he did as ordered yet again. Nell then patted the top of her lap again. ¡°Bring your head back to here. As nice as it was to have my loyal knight, dog, servant, hero, and lover at my knees before, it would be even better if he was shirtless while at my knees. And worry not, for there shall be no short amount of head pats to reward you for your shirtless endeavor.¡± ¡°Well, can¡¯t say no to that.¡± And so, Fenrir found himself back on his knees with his head resting on her lap. He made sure to face her from the start this time, too. ¡°I love you, my hero,¡± Nell said. ¡°I love you too, my queen,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Now, tell me. Do you feel better at all? Less stressed? Ready to take on the role of leadership once more?¡± ¡°I still wish I could stay like this forever, but I think my leadership battery has recharged thanks to you.¡± ¡°Good. Though, I would like for you to keep in mind that you are welcome to come and recharge it at any time, even if it is nowhere near empty yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. I¡­ wouldn¡¯t mind acting like this around you again. But¡­ there¡¯s one more thing I want to request, even if¡­ even if it¡¯s¡ªnever mind.¡± ¡°Queen¡¯s order. Tell me.¡± Fenrir mumbled and whined before giving in. ¡°Next time¡­ I¡­ think it wouldn¡¯t be all that bad¡­ if you¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ used¡­ a collar.¡± Nell¡¯s eyes lit up as they widened with excitement. ¡°You wish for me to collar you?!¡± ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know if I¡¯d put it that way. But if you gave me a collar¡­ I¡¯d wear it.¡± ¡°Yes! I will have our best leatherworker work on one right away! Ah, but I will need your neck measurement to make sure that it is the perfect size. Do you have a preference for what type of leather it is made out of? What about color? Would you like a loose or a tight one? Ah¡­ so many possibilities.¡± Fenrir might have felt embarrassed enough to die, but¡­ he was excited, too. More importantly, despite acting so submissive and subservient to Nell, he felt ready to tackle all challenges ahead of him. He may have submitted to Nell, but he felt more than ready to dominate those who posed a threat to him and his friends. After receiving some more head pats, of course. Book 9: Chapter 7: The crowd in the town¡¯s arena was even more hyped up than usual as an exchange of heavy blows, fist to fist, created shockwaves powerful enough to knock the hair back of everything spectating. Only two combatants were actually fighting, but they were the two that everybody loved to watch the most due to how intense the sparring sessions between them could get. And this time, it was more than just a sparring session. They were having a full, proper fight to see who would be the last one standing, and neither had any intention of stopping until the other could no longer stand. And those two rival fighters were Mary and Fenrir. Though, Mary was embracing her Mister Smiles side as she had her bodysuit and helmet on since it helped bring out the most of her strength. ¡°What¡ªwhat¡¯s gotten into ya?!¡± Mary shouted at Fenrir as she was forced onto the defensive, holding her arms up in front of her to defend against the flurry of blows. ¡°Something good happened!¡± Fenrir shouted back. He felt fired up ever since he saw Nell and had every intention of burning through all that energy she gave him. There was also the desire to dominate burning within him. After submitting to Nell, he wanted to put somebody in their place to reassert his dominance, so why not try to defeat the strongest other brawler around? He even refused to use Rod and his ability to transform his limbs for more strength. He wanted to defeat her with nothing but his normal, natural body. Even though she had the advantage of her suit that seriously weakened blunt attacks against her, he wanted to beat her without using any tricks that might put them on an equal level. Biting her neck was against the personal rules in his mind, too. So, for the first time in a serious fight against Mary without using anything to equal the playing field, Fenrir punched through her defenses with enough force to knock her back. The crowd couldn¡¯t help but to cheer at the sight of it. They weren¡¯t taking any sides; they just wanted to see a good fight. And a good fight was exactly what Fenrir planned on giving them. Panting underneath her mask, Mary caught her breath before looking back up at Fenrir who was standing there waiting for her to recover. ¡°Ah¡¯ve¡­ ah¡¯ve never been pushed back like that before. Not just by fists,¡± Mary said between her labored breaths. ¡°These fists will do more than just push you back. They¡¯re going to beat you down until you can¡¯t even think about standing,¡± Fenrir teased, cracking his knuckles and neck. Had anybody else said that, Mary would have found it amusing at best, downright pitiful at worst. But Fenrir was the one who said it. And Mary knew that there was as much weight behind his words as there was power behind his fists. ¡°Come on, you plan on keeping everybody waiting? They want a good show,¡± Fenrir teased some more. ¡°Hah¡­ that cocky attitude is pissin¡¯ me off,¡± Mary replied. ¡°Then get over here and shut me up.¡± The smile on Mary¡¯s helmet could never compete against the annoyed, yet excited, smile on her face as she lunged at Fenrir with speed that he never saw from her before. He wasn¡¯t even able to raise his arms to protect himself before her fist crashed into his abdomen, sending him flying into the wall of the arena as he coughed blood out of his mouth. He might have done some damage to Mary, but he didn¡¯t crush any of her internal organs like she just did to him. ¡°That¡­ that was a good punch,¡± Fenrir said as he struggled to breathe significantly more than Mary just was. ¡°Ya pissed me off. I want ya dead now, ya damn wolf,¡± Mary said. It was the first time that Fenrir heard such words from her. Had it not been for the fact that he just got done being dominated by Nell, he might have even liked hearing those words with a different sort of excitement. But, rather than feel aroused by her fighting words, he felt excited to beat her even more. He knew he was going to have to be quick, though. It was obvious from how he felt that there was something seriously wrong inside of him. If he could last for even another minute, that would probably be a miracle. That meant he had to fight through the pain and beat her down, with crushed organs, in under a minute. He had no idea if he¡¯d be able to manage that, but he had every intention to try. Fenrir pushed himself off the wall. ¡°You won¡¯t hate me if I break you, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Ah¡¯d respect ya if ya could,¡± Mary answered as she leaned forward and dug her foot into the ground again. She did the exact same thing just a split second before crashing into Fenrir with that insane punch that sent him into the wall. If there was one thing that Fenrir knew he was better than her at, it was instincts and adapting. He couldn¡¯t wait to dodge her until she was right in front of him. He¡¯d very likely already be dead at that point. So, instead, he sidestepped in the exact moment that he saw her legs move to lunge at him again. He moved before her feet were even off the ground. And he made the right choice to as she wasn¡¯t able to change her course once she started. She lunged in the direction of where he just was, throwing her fist into the wall and and sending splinters running throughout it. Before she could move again, Fenrir¡¯s own fist crashed into the center of her arm at full strength, snapping the bone loudly enough for everybody in the arena to hear and cringe at. With that, her dominant arm was out of action. But he failed to anticipate her swinging around with her other arm to slam it into his left shoulder, shattering the bone and taking his left arm out of action. She immediately followed up by twisting her body and kicking her right leg at him, which he managed to soften the blow of by putting his left arm between him and the rest of his body, and then he slammed his right fist into the side of her knee. He might not have completely shattered her bones like she did to him due to the suit she wore, but he still broke them. Despite it being a battle between friends with minimal blood lose and gore aside from when Fenrir cought some blood out, the fight still managed to be the most disturbing one that many in the crowd saw in quite a while. Or rather, it was the most disturbing battle that they heard due to the breaking bones. No more words were exchanged between the two, either. They were in a fight for their lives¡ªa fight for dominance, and neither planned on losing. But while Mary might have crushed Fenrir¡¯s organs and destroyed his shoulder, Fenrir took out her main arm and one of her legs. She could no longer kick, could barely move, and had to rely on her weaker fist. Fenrir, though, was in a race against the clock. He felt his eyes grow heavy as darkness spread through his vision, already consuming the sides of his field of view. He weakened her, but she already delivered a fatal blow on him. The question was who would actually die first now. Mary swung her fist at him. But Fenrir ducked. While lowered, he looped his arm around her leg and lifted her up to spin and swing her headfirst into the wall. She might have looked like she would weight a lot because of the suit, but it was all looks. She was more than light enough for his in-game strength to pick her up with a single arm. Before she could fall after being swung into the wall, he brought his knee up against her abdomen and then swung his fist down into her back to try and sandwich her between his knee and fist, hoping to damage her spine. He didn¡¯t consider that she might do the same thing that he did to her by swinging her fist into his nearest knee. The final blows were dealt. Fenrir dropped Mary and collapsed onto the ground¡­ in the exact same moment that Mary fell from his knee onto the ground. They fell at the same time and neither one could get up again. Despite Fenrir¡¯s absolute best efforts, he was only able to turn the battle into a draw. Though, that was still an improvement for him considering that he lost every other time he tried to fairly fight her without going for her neck. But it was only a draw to Fenrir. ¡°Ah¡­ damn it,¡± Mary sighed. ¡°Ya win¡­ this time.¡± ¡°Does it look like¡­ like I can get back up?¡± Fenrir asked before coughing out some more blood. ¡°Ya went easy on me. Ah know when ah¡¯ve lost. If ya used yer abilities or yer partner¡­ there¡¯s no way ah woulda won. Ya damn wolf, turnin¡¯ me into a loser.¡± Even if Fenrir was hoping for a more conclusive victory than what they ended up with, if Mary herself recognized that battle as her loss, then maybe he could feel a little proud about it. More importantly, by telling him that she lost, she submitted to him. Fenrir made the strongest brawler around aside from himself submit to his strength. Alright, he thought. My ego has been healed. I¡¯m ready to die now. ¡°Too bad, onii-wan,¡± Saya said within his mind. Before Fenrir could ask her what she was talking about, he felt a familiar force flow into his back from above. ¡°Both of you took that too far!¡± Cassiel shouted as she healed him. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to literally try killing each other in here!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been too long since you¡¯ve yelled at me,¡± Fenrir groaned. ¡°Yell some more, please. It makes me feel like you care about me.¡± ¡°We-well of course I care about you! You dumba¡ªyou¡­ dummy.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ this is the best. Being healed by a tsundere while on the verge of death.¡± ¡°What are you, some kind of masochist now?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m switching back and forth a lot today.¡± ¡°Geez¡­ I don¡¯t like seeing you like this even if it¡¯s just a game. I almost cried watching you fight! Is that what you want to do? Make your girlfriend cry?¡± ¡°Only from happiness.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t fight like this unless you have to!¡± ¡°I did have to. My ego demanded it.¡± ¡°You¡ªugh. You¡¯re lucky that I love you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the luckiest in the world, I know.¡± Fenrir turned his head just enough to see her blush. Cassiel looked away as soon as she saw him looking. ¡°I obviously got worked up for nothing if you feel good enough to say cheesy things like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll always be cheesy for you. Whether I¡¯m on the verge of death or in the prime of my life, I will embrace the cheese to make you blush and cringe at me. You can call me¡­ Cheeserir.¡± ¡°All I¡¯m going to call you is an idiot.¡± Cassiel¡¯s choice of words might have sounded harsh, but she looked anything but harsh as she smiled while looking down at him. ¡°I feel fine now, by the way. Just¡­ really tired. Pretty sure you fixed everything critical. Help out Mary.¡± Cassiel nodded and was ready to move to Mary when Mary shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Ah¡¯ve already healed. Just ah¡­ didn¡¯t want ta ruin the mood or anythin¡¯.¡± Cassiel blinked a few times. ¡°A-are you sure? How did you heal already?¡± ¡°Ah, my bones heal real quick outta combat. Back when ah first started playin¡¯, what ah wanted ta be was like¡­ a fighter who never goes down. Somebody who can jump into the middle of a fight and throw fists until nobody else is standin¡¯. So, ah focused on strength and regen. Didn¡¯t really work the way ah wanted it to. Can¡¯t regenerate my bones durin¡¯ a fight or anythin¡¯, but ah can heal ¡®em up real fast outta combat. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Downside is ¡®at it hurts. A lot. Imagine the worst cramp ya¡¯ve ever felt, then imagine feelin¡¯ it all over yer body at the same time. Even with my pain settin¡¯s so low, still hurts like takin¡¯ a bath in a tub of lava.¡± Fenrir sighed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with everybody and dipping their body parts into lava? When did that become the standard for pain?¡± He was probably never going to get an answer to that. Now, while Mary may have said that she didn¡¯t need any healing, Cassiel still helped her out. Her magic was still able to speed up the healing process to reduce the amount of time that Mary was in pain for, and then she went back to helping Fenrir get topped up on health. ¡°I¡¯m going to hurt you if I catch you fighting like that again just for fun.¡± ¡°Wow, such an abusive girlfriend, threatening to hurt me,¡± Fenrir teased. ¡°It¡¯s not abusive! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to physically hurt you!¡± ¡°Then how are you going to hurt me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you sleep on the couch for a night.¡± ¡°I promise to never do it again. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Good. Hmph.¡± ¡°Thank you for the ¡®hmph.¡¯¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird. You¡¯re lucky that I¡ª¡± ¡°That you love me, I know. And again, I¡¯m the luckiest man in the world. The luckiest man to have ever existed and that ever will exist. There is nobody luckier than me and it is impossible for anybody to ever even try being luckier than me.¡± ¡°G-good¡­ you know how lucky you are. I won¡¯t have to punish you then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still welcome to punish me. Especially if it involves stepping on my head.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll smack you upside the head.¡± ¡°Also acceptable.¡± Cassiel looked at Fenrir with dead eyes and a sigh. ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s gotten into you today?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what ah asked,¡± Mary said. Fenrir shrugged and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I was reminded that I like being in a certain position and now I¡¯m in the mood for more of it since my ego has been recharged. But, I should probably go and get some work done before I think about doing some more of that.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Ask Nell. She knows.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything else. I can already figure it out if Nell is involved.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I bet you¡¯d guess the opposite of how it is.¡± ¡°The¡­ the opposite?¡± Fenrir wiggled his eyebrows before giving her a kiss and saying, ¡°Thanks for healing us. I¡¯ve got something I need to do, so I¡¯m going to go deal with that.¡± ¡°Need help?¡± ¡°As much as I¡¯d like some, it¡¯ll work better if I¡¯m alone. Also, I don¡¯t want to give our newest prisoner the honor of getting to look at you.¡± Cassiel took a step back and blushed. ¡°That¡­ that one was pretty nice.¡± ¡°But while I might not give the prisoner the honor of looking at you, everybody still hanging around the arena has been getting the honor of watching us flirt and seeing you look all cute and embarrassed.¡± A creeping red slowly spread from Cassiel¡¯s neck to the tip of her ears as she placed her hand on her blade¡¯s handle. ¡°I-it¡¯s¡­ been a while. You like those girls in your shows who chase the guys they like around trying to kill them after they embarrass her, right? So¡­ if I kill you right now, it¡¯s not abuse. It¡¯s just fanservice, right?¡± ¡°And that is my cue to leave.¡± Fenrir pecked her on the lips with his own before giving Mary a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks for the fight!¡± He rushed out of the arena after that. Cassiel huffed and stomped her feet. ¡°He¡¯s so selfish sometimes¡­¡± Mary tilted her head as she was a bit confused. As far as she knew, Fenrir was the kind of man who would never do anything that his girlfriends didn¡¯t approve of, yet Cassiel seemed pretty upset about what he did. ¡°Sorry if it¡­ ain¡¯t my business, but¡­ have ya tried talkin¡¯ ta him about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m upset or anything. Just¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing¡­ even if¡­¡± Cassiel turned her head away. ¡°Even if¡­ I like it. Gah! It pisses me off that I like it. I was never like this before! This is all his fault! Look at what he¡¯s done to me. I¡¯ve been corrupted by his stupid¡­ perfect face.¡± ¡°Ah think ah know the feelin¡¯. It was embarrassin¡¯ when he bit my neck, but now I¡ª¡± Mary stopped when she realized what she was doing. She was about to say how much she enjoyed it when the boyfriend of the girl in front of her bit her neck. Mary brought up her hands and waved them in front of her. ¡°I-it ain¡¯t like that! Ah mean, ah¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°I already know the effect he was on people. If anything, I would be surprised if you didn¡¯t like him with how much time you¡¯ve been spending together lately. Tabs is the only girl immune to him and that¡¯s because she¡¯s only into women with huge muscles.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is ¡®at so?¡± ¡°Yeah. God, I really have changed. A few years ago, I never would have imagined telling somebody that it was okay to fall for my boyfriend. But here I am, telling another girl that it¡¯s alright if she likes my boyfriend.¡± ¡°Are ya¡­ are ya really okay with that?¡± ¡°I never expected to get involved in this sort of lifestyle, but I don¡¯t dislike it. Actually¡­ I really like it. It¡¯s nice having a boyfriend and girlfriends and being friends with everybody. Also, the only way I¡¯d ever break up with him is if he cheated on us. He can¡¯t cheat on us if we bring every girl who¡¯s interested in him into our relationship.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ guess that¡¯s a strategy.¡± Cassiel shrugged. ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t worry. We all know you like him. Pretty sure everybody knows.¡± ¡°Ev-everybody?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the things about Fen. One of his most deadly skills is that he has this aura around him where, when you talk or look at him, you forget that there are other people around. So, people end up staring at him like lovestruck schoolgirls with their first crushes. Not even a mask can hide the intent.¡± Mary pressed her hands against her mask¡¯s face to hide her blush even though her mask didn¡¯t blush and always had the exact same expression. ¡°I just realized I¡¯ve been corrupted in a completely different way, too,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Wha-what¡¯d that be?¡± ¡°When I look at you¡­ I think of the cartoons¡ªdon¡¯t let him know I called them that, that he likes to watch. The animators for those would probably be in love with somebody like you. They¡¯d never have to draw any moving face parts.¡± Mary blinked a few times underneath her mask. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m just being stupid like him. Anyways, if you really want to win him over, don¡¯t forget about winning us over, too.¡± Cassiel smacked Mister Smile¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯d only be dating him.¡± By the time that Mary could turn to look at Cassiel, the latter woman was already walking away, leaving Mary alone with a heart that just skipped a beat because of a woman for the first time. Cassiel didn¡¯t realize the effect that she had on women just as Fenrir didn¡¯t. As for Fenrir, he went to where the newest prisoner was being held, which was in the exact same building as the last one. Multiple members of the End Bringers survived their failed bombing, but only one made it back to the makeshift prison cell. The others were able to kill themselves or break free to start a fight and got killed by other players. So, upon arriving at the cell, there was only a single person in there from the attack. ¡°Howdy doody,¡± Fenrir said as he stepped into the cell. ¡°How¡¯s the weather? Pretty nice, right?¡± The prisoner, another man, cringed at Fenrir¡¯s introduction. Unlike the first prisoner they had, this prisoner looked to be a man in his forties. He had a gruff appearance with short facial hair, large muscles, and an edgy scar going over one eye. He looked like he was trying way too hard to go for the badass older man look. That meant he was probably actually barely eighteen years old in reality. ¡°Fuck you,¡± the prisoner said. ¡°Sure, daddy,¡± Fenrir answered and winked. ¡°When and where? Right now? I could bend over for you. Or, as the kids say these days, I could ¡®spread dem cheeks.¡¯¡± The prisoner blinked a few times. ¡°Are¡­ are you for real?¡± ¡°I might not be a cute femboy, but a boy pussy is a boy pussy, right?¡± ¡°¡­ the fuck?¡± ¡°What? Oh, I know. You don¡¯t want to fuck boy pussy, you want to have your boy pussy fucked. Well, in that case, you could bend over and drop your pants for me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that this is real right now.¡± ¡°This is real, daddy. I want your cummies.¡± ¡°¡­ I was expecting some fucking prisoner roleplay or something. That¡¯s the only reason I stayed logged in. Thought it might be fun to be a prisoner. Instead¡­ this is what you fucking do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only offering to do this for you. Either your boy pussy or mine. One of them is going to have a cock up them before our meeting is over. Our tummies will be full of cummies.¡± The man did a double take and blinked a few more times. ¡°¡­ alright. Just¡­ just tell me what you want to know and kill me so I can go respawn.¡± ¡°I want to know your favorite sexual position. Want to ride me or be ridden? A good ol¡¯ sixty-nine, maybe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even joking. I fucking swear I¡¯ll tell you whatever you want to know as long as you shut up and stop acting so stupid.¡± ¡°Ooh¡­ daddy, it makes me feel squishy when you talk to me like that. Swear at me some more. Degrade me.¡± ¡°You are so fucked up.¡± ¡°I want you to fuck me up.¡± Fenrir smiled and waited for a few seconds before adding on, ¡°I also want to know what the End Bringers want with us.¡± ¡°Fucking finally. I¡¯m not even in the mood to RP as a defiant prisoner anymore. Just¡­ if I tell you what you want to know, will you please kill me so I can respawn?¡± ¡°Sure¡­ daddy.¡± ¡°Ignoring that, all we want is to fuck with everybody. I mean, maybe the higher-ups have some secret goal or something, but all any of us really care about is fucking with people. The more people we can make ragequit, the more fun we have.¡± Relatable, Fenrir thought. ¡°You¡¯re a horrible person, onii-wan,¡± Saya chimed in. I know. ¡°So, it really is that simple. All you want to do is fuck with us. You want to scare us and screw with us until we give up and quit.¡± ¡°Yeah. But if this is the risk of failing¡­ fuck that. I¡¯ll ask to be reassigned to screwing with ships to the west instead of coming up here.¡± ¡°Come on, a little bit of dick has never hurt anybody.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m gay, but I can¡¯t handle the fucking cringe of this.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got to admit, it was effective at making you talk, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Fenrir took a seat across from the prisoner and stretched. ¡°You don¡¯t seem that bad. Is wanting to screw with people really so great that you want to help the End Bringers?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the only major group that does it. All the other factions are a bunch of roleplayers who should be playing strategy games if they just want to build kingdoms all day.¡± ¡°I see. You know, I used to be like you. The best enjoyment I got out of games came from screwing others over and making them rage. Even when I got death threats, I felt excited from it. I felt like I must have done a really good job if I pissed them off so badly that they had to send me death threats.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ that¡¯s kind of scary, but I think I¡¯d feel the same. But if you¡¯re about to try and get me to stop by being relatable or something, it won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no. I¡¯m not that stupid. You¡¯re going through a phase that I do think will eventually end, but I know better than to try and prematurely end it. The only way it¡¯ll end is by you getting burnt out on it over time and deciding to change yourself.¡± ¡°Maybe, I guess. It¡¯s not like I want to be doing this for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Right. So, here¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. You want to fuck with people, right? You want to make them ragequit. You want to ruin their days. You want to laugh in their faces as they curse you out, and you want to feel the power of dominance from knowing that you beat them and that they¡¯re powerless to do anything back to you.¡± The prisoner nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But you know what the best thing to do is?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Going after bigger fish. You see, I know what it¡¯s like. I know how fun it can be to camp in a starter zone as a max level character to kill noobs over and over until they never log back on. That was how I got started with my phase. I was a seriously shitty person. Like, brand new players to the game, and I just completely ruined their impression of it. The devs probably hated people like me.¡± ¡°Heh. I did that before.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. Anyways, then I started working with others to screw people over. I saw people who everybody hated because of how big of trolls they were, and I wanted to be part of them. I thought it was cool. I respected them for being the most hated players of a game, and I wanted to be shit talked in general chat channels as much as them.¡± ¡°Yeah. Too bad this game doesn¡¯t have chat channels.¡± Fenrir nodded a couple of times. ¡°But then I realized that there¡¯s something even better. The only thing that can beat trolling the weak¡­ is trolling the strong. The stronger they are, the sweeter the trolling is. Not only that, but trolling the trolls. Personally speaking, I respected people who could troll me. I admired their efforts and congratulated them if they could do it, the very few times they managed to do it successfully. Most trolls, though, hate being counter trolled.¡± ¡°I disagree. Most would think you¡¯re mad and trying to act like you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Are you one of those types?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then why¡¯d you become so desperate to shut me up when I barely even messed with you? All I did was tease you a little and you practically begged me to stop.¡± ¡°That¡­ that wasn¡¯t trolling.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about trying to cover it up and let me finish what I¡¯m saying. Some of the people who hate trolls the most are trolls. That¡¯s part of why they do it. They can¡¯t stand being trolled, so they go out and troll others to feel power. If you deprive them of their trolling and you troll them back, they get so fucking mad. They go on massive public ragequits where they hate everybody and everything and just¡­ cause an absolutely beautiful shitshow. Trolling some random person just makes them get bored and give up. Trolling somebody who thinks they¡¯re untrollable because they¡¯re the troll¡ªwell, now that¡¯s really asserting your dominance.¡± The prisoner gulped. ¡°I¡­ guess I can agree to that, but what¡¯s your point? What¡¯s the point of talking to me about all of this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Fenrir leaned closer and held his hand out over the table for a shake. ¡°My name is Fenrir, and I want you to be my spy.¡± The prisoner looked down at Fenrir¡¯s hand, back up at Fenrir, then back down at his hand. ¡°Is this a joke?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. I want you to be my spy in the End Bringers.¡± ¡°My hands are tied behind my back.¡± It was finally Fenrir¡¯s turn to blink a few times as he looked down at his own hand, up at the prisoner¡¯s face, and then leaned to the side to try and look behind the prisoner¡¯s back. It was only then that Fenrir slouched over and whined. ¡°Damn it¡­ do you know how cool I thought that line was? I was waiting this entire time to say, ¡®My name is Fenrir, and I want you to be my spy!¡¯ I was impressed with myself for that! And then I imagined you shaking my hand and fading to black like the end of an anime episode, but¡­ damn it. I ruined it.¡± ¡°You like anime?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir whined. ¡°Well¡­ alright. I fucking love anime but most EB members are always talking about how cringe it is, so that¡¯s pretty annoying. If it means getting to put them in their place, I¡¯ll help you. Plus that other stuff you said sounds pretty nice.¡± ¡°But I already ruined my cool recruitment line¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pretend you never said it the first time if you want to untie my hands.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll do that for me?¡± Fenrir asked, looking up at the prisoner with puppy eyes. The prisoner actually blushed and looked away a little. ¡°Ye-yeah.¡± With a smile, Fenrir untied the prisoner¡¯s hands before returning to his seat across from him. He then cleared his throat and said, ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± He leaned forward and held his hand over the table for a shake. ¡°My name is Fenrir, and I want you to be my spy.¡± The prisoner smiled back and accepted Fenrir¡¯s hand for a shake. ¡°Name¡¯s Lazarus. I¡¯ll be your spy.¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°Perfect. Now we can fade to black.¡± ¡°Wait, uh¡­ this is¡­ kind of awkward, but uh¡­ all that stuff you said about boy pussy. I¡¯m just saying, but if you were even a little serious, then¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m straight.¡± Lazarus looked straight at Fenrir. ¡°Seriously? After all that?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Book 9: Chapter 8: ¡°Just like old days, huh, Fenny?¡± Oleander asked as he sat between Fenrir and Corwin on a bench. ¡°So much for hanging up your troll hat.¡± ¡°At least I¡¯m trolling for a better reason this time,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°Before, we went after anybody who annoyed us. Now I¡¯m only going after players who deserve it. I mean, from the sounds of it, they¡¯re even worse than we ever used to be in terms of who they target and how fucked up they are.¡± ¡°You know, we might go up against some of our former subordinates by picking a fight with them. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if a bunch of DB members joined them if they came to play this game.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt that for a second. There were lots of people who wanted to grief everybody. Sounds like the EB are giving them that opportunity now.¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, it should be fun at least. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve really gotten to embrace that side. The only time I ever get to be sadistic anymore is whenever Cor is feeling extra masochistic.¡± ¡°O-Olly, please,¡± Corwin said. ¡°I know that everybody already knows¡­ but it is still embarrassing when you bring it up around others.¡± Oleander smirked and ran a finger down Corwin¡¯s chest, over his abdomen, and then stopped with the tip of his finger right against his crotch. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? This guy down here doesn¡¯t feel like he¡¯s embarrassed at all. If anything,¡± Oleander paused to giggle, ¡°it feels like he¡¯s begging to come out and show off to everybody.¡± ¡°I¡ªbut¡­ you¡ªyou must think about the others around! They may not want to see us behave like this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d be concerned if Olly wasn¡¯t touching you all over and being as gay as possible. I¡¯d think that somebody is trying to pretend that they¡¯re Olly if that happened. Also, I¡¯m used to this.¡± Oleander¡¯s smirk evolved into a grin. ¡°Oh, as gay as possible? Trust me, we¡¯re nowhere near that level. But if that¡¯s what you¡¯re expecting, I should probably live up to your expectations and assure you that I¡¯m not an imposter.¡± With that, Oleander climbed up onto Corwin¡¯s lap, straddling it, and wrapped his arms around Corwin¡¯s shoulders before bringing his lips to the other¡¯s neck. It didn¡¯t take long for Corwin to tilt his head back and moan as Oleander bit and sucked all over his neck. Meanwhile, Fenrir sat there drinking the tea that he got from one of the other players who set up a small tea stall nearby. He looked, and was, completely unphased by the two¡¯s public display of affection¡ªand lust¡ªright next to him. ¡°Yep. That¡¯s about what I¡¯d expect.¡± But while Fenrir might not have been bothered in the slightest by the lovers¡¯ public display, somebody else was. And that somebody else had a hammer that she used to bonk them both on the head. ¡°Seriously, can¡¯t ya two go get a room or somethin¡¯?¡± Tabitha asked before crossing her arms over her chest. She might have had a body that looked young enough that the game wouldn¡¯t even allow her to participate in any sexual activities with, but she looked more mature than ever as both her clothes and face were covered in dirt and grease. And for once, she had her hair down. Her short, orange twintails that were usually held up above her shoulders were let loose to roll down over shoulders for once. ¡°Teehee,¡± Oleander giggled and stuck his tongue out. ¡°But, to be fair, this entire world basically is private. It¡¯s private from the real world. That means the entire world is our roo¡ª¡± Oleander¡¯s head received another bonk before he could finish his absurd belief. ¡°No,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Movin¡¯ on now. Ya wanted me, wolf boy?¡± she asked Fenrir. Fenrir nodded. ¡°Before I get into that, it¡¯s rare to see you with your hair down.¡± ¡°This annoyin¡¯ bastard wouldn¡¯t shut up about how cute my hair was. Gave me some weird vibes. Let my hair down and he shut up and left. I might keep it like this for a while now.¡± ¡°Well, that might be a good idea. You¡¯re nowhere near as cute with your hair down.¡± ¡°Oi. Just because that¡¯s the plan doesn¡¯t mean ya get permission to tell a girl she ain¡¯t cute.¡± ¡°Would you rather me lie and say you¡¯re cute?¡± ¡°My hammer is good for smackin¡¯ more than just horny people.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that say when you have to intimidate people into calling you cute?¡± ¡°Three. Two. One¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, alright! You¡¯re cute. There. Happy?¡± ¡°Annoyin¡¯ mutt. Anyways, what¡¯d¡¯ya want? I doubt ya wanted me to meet ya just to make me suffer seein¡¯ your face.¡± Oleander laughed and said, ¡°Tabs is savage today.¡± ¡°How else am I goin¡¯ to be when I can¡¯t get a single moment to focus on what I want to do without somebody creepin¡¯ on me or some mutt feeling needy wanting attention? Ya would think havin¡¯ so many girlfriends would satisfy him, but apparently not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. Fenny has always been really needy.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not needy,¡± Fenrir whined. ¡°Fen, I love you, but you¡¯re the neediest person I¡¯ve ever met. I still remember all those years ago after we first became friends. You wanted to hang out like every single minute every single day. You were so clingy,¡± Oleander cooed. ¡°And you always sounded sad whenever you remembered I actually had a life and other people who wanted to do things with me.¡± ¡°Gross,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Can¡¯t stand clingy people.¡± ¡°I¡ªI wasn¡¯t that bad! I was just¡­ lonely,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°And then,¡± Oleander continued, ¡°every single time a girl actually showed a little bit of interest in you, you¡¯d act like they were the best thing in the world, cling all over them, and scare them away and make them never talk to you again.¡± Fenrir blushed and covered his face up. ¡°Please stop. I wanted to discuss plans, not cringe at my past self.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing if you cringe, Fenny. It means you¡¯ve grown. And by grown, I mean that it means you¡¯re still just as needy and clingy as you used to be, but you¡¯re good at hiding it now.¡± Fenrir leaned forward, still keeping his hands over his face. ¡°I¡¯m happy that I have a friend who knows me this well, but I also hate you for knowing me this well.¡± ¡°Love you too, Fenny.¡± A sigh left Fenrir¡¯s lips as he took his hands away from his reddened face. ¡°Love you. A-anyways, now that we¡¯re done bullying me¡ª¡± ¡°Who said anything about being done bullying you? Remember that time you bought a bunch of stuffed animals because¡ªfwah!¡± Fenrir yanked Oleander off of Corwin¡¯s lap to pin him down against the bench, holding a hand over the smaller boy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Please.¡± Oleander grinned behind Fenrir¡¯s hand and licked his fingers, causing Fenrir to pull his hand away. ¡°Fiiiiiiiine. I won¡¯t bring up the cringiest story I can think of, even though it¡¯s a classic that everybody deserves to hear at least once in life.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, go on,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°I want to hear this.¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Oleander said. ¡°If Fenny genuinely doesn¡¯t want me to say it, I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t gonna pressure either of you no matter how much I want to hear it.¡± Fenrir thought about it for a few seconds, wearing an obviously conflicted expression on his face, before sighing and hanging his head low again. ¡°You¡­ you can tell her, but you have to promise not to ever bring it up around any of my girlfriends. I don¡¯t want them knowing how cringey I used to be.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ about that,¡± Oleander said. ¡°You see¡­ they¡¯ve asked me all sorts of questions about how you used to be, so¡­ they already know everything. Teehee. My bad.¡± Oleander rubbed the back of his head while sticking his tongue out. ¡°Y-you¡­ you¡­ told them?¡± ¡°Only because I knew they wouldn¡¯t judge you for it! And I was trying to help you! I thought they¡¯d like you even more if they heard about stuff like that. You know, like, they¡¯d find it endearing and think you¡¯re cute because of it.¡± Fenrir looked around while using a hand against his forehead as a visor. ¡°Anybody see a shovel? I have to dig us a couple of graves. I¡¯m killing you and then myself.¡± Unfortunately for him, there were no shovels to find. So, he sighed again instead. ¡°You told them all these stories but they still love me¡­ I don¡¯t deserve them.¡± ¡°Relax, Fenny. What you did wasn¡¯t even all that bad. It was just the outcome that made it super cringe.¡± ¡°Just¡­ just get it over with. We can¡¯t make Tabs this curious and then not actually tell her what happened.¡± Oleander rubbed Fenrir¡¯s back before looking at Tabitha to begin the story. ¡°So, you see, there was this one girl who played with us for a little bit. About two weeks. Now, Fenny here fell for her super hard and fast. We were only like seventeen at the time, and it was the fastest I ever saw him fall for a girl. Like wow. He became totally obsessed with her overnight. But like, he wasn¡¯t being creepy about it or anything. He already knew by that point to try and hold back or else he¡¯d scare her off. Anyways, she was in a pretty bad position in real life. Her parents had super high expectations for her and screamed at her about how it¡¯s time to grow up and everything, and they threw out all her ¡®childish¡¯ stuff. That included her giant stuffed animal collection.¡± ¡°She ever get out of there?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°No idea, she stopped appearing after what happened next. So anyways, Fenny was totally in love with her. She liked him, too, but she was distracted by everything else in her life and wasn¡¯t really willing to enter a relationship or anything at the time. But even so, Fenny wanted to try and make her feel better. So, he bought a ton of stuffed animals¡ªlike, a ton. I¡¯m talking hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of stuffed animals here. A complete army of them. Then¡­ to a girl who he only knew for two weeks and never met in real life before¡­ he started trying to get her address out of her.¡± ¡°Ya dumb dog.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Fenrir whined. ¡°So,¡± Oleander continued, ¡°she wasn¡¯t happy about that and thought he was a mega creep. Then she started thinking he was only being nice to her because he wanted to like, stalk her in real life or something. He wanted to surprise her with what he bought, so he didn¡¯t let her know the real reason for asking. Well, until she blew up at him in front of everybody and accused him of being a stalker and harassing her, and shouting at him about how he ruined the first online group she felt comfortable in, and that sort of stuff. When he finally told her why and showed pictures of all the stuffed animals as proof, she still shouted at him about how inappropriate that was, told him not to waste money on stupid things like that, and told him that nobody would ever like him unless he could stop being such a creep. Then she left and never came back online under any of the accounts we knew.¡± ¡°I wonder if Ilo would kill me if I ask her to,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°She likes how people taste, I think. Maybe not as much as she likes rowboats, but I might be a good enough snack for her.¡± ¡°Yikes,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°I expected something bad, but that was¡­ that was way worse than I could have guessed it would be. Ya dumb, pitiful dog.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Well, at least your heart was in the right place. Ya just didn¡¯t exactly have any tact about it.¡± ¡°I genuinely just wanted to try and make her feel better. I mean, yeah, I liked her, but I would have done that for somebody even if I didn¡¯t like them that way.¡± Tabitha placed a hand atop Fenrir¡¯s slouched head and rubbed between his ears. ¡°I know. You¡¯re a dumb dog, but ya ain¡¯t a bad dog. Anyways, I¡¯m curious now. Whatever happened to all those stuffed animals ya bought?¡± ¡°I donated them to animal shelters.¡± ¡°Animal shelters? Why not like, to kids or somethin¡¯?¡± ¡°There are enough people donating toys to kids already. Most toys get sent to be recycled because of that. I remember reading that there was an overabundance of stuffed animals especially. So, I figured that animals like stuffed toys, and shelters probably are too busy spending money on things more important than toys, and I doubted that there were many people donating toys to animal shelters when they were probably donating food and stuff instead, so I went with animal shelters.¡± ¡°Hehe, remember what happened next?¡± Oleander asked. ¡°Mr. Local Hero.¡± ¡°Shu-shush. If they knew the whole story¡­ they wouldn¡¯t have praised me so much.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Tabitha asked. Oleander smirked and answered, ¡°You see, the animal shelters went to the local news about what Fenrir did. Nobody as young as him ever donated so many stuffed toys to animal shelters before, so they wanted to praise him for it. I figured they were also probably doing it because it might inspire others to donate. But anyways, he made it into the local news for being a ¡®young hero¡¯ who cared so much about animals. They had no idea he only did it because he had nothing else to do with all the stuffed animals after failing to send them to the girl he liked.¡± ¡°I still feel guilty over getting all their praise,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°They thought you were even more special after you denied being interviewed. Denying all those interviews and rewards from local businesses only made you seem like an even bigger humanitarian who didn¡¯t want anything in return for your good deeds,¡± Oleander cooed before bursting out into a fit of giggling, unable to hold back any longer. ¡°This is abuse. I¡¯m divorcing you.¡± ¡°You finally admit you¡¯ve been my hubby this whole time?¡± ¡°I am, but not after this.¡± ¡°Oh well. At least I still get the satisfaction of knowing I beat your girlfriends to marrying you. Now I have to beat anybody else to marrying my Cor.¡± ¡°O-Olly,¡± Corwin said, ¡°it is not as if anybody else would ever be allowed to wed me. I¡­ I am yours and yours alone, for now and forever.¡± Oleander couldn¡¯t help but to glow with a smile that put would make even the brightest sun look dim as he threw his body back atop Corwin¡¯s, cuddling and rubbing his face against Corwin¡¯s chest with an intensity that Fenrir never saw before. Not only that, but Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to be impressed by Corwin¡¯s line. I would steal that if it wasn¡¯t for dating multiple girls. Maybe I could modify it¡­ Then there was Tabitha who was cringing even more at the lovebirds than at the stories about Fenrir. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fenrir asked her. ¡°I can¡¯t stand PDA. Also, if anybody ever says somethin¡¯ that cheesy to me, I¡¯m goin¡¯ to whack them so hard that they fly out of the atmosphere,¡± Tabitha answered. ¡°Not a fan of cheesy romance?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like romance.¡± ¡°But you liked Marija, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Look. When I like somebody, I imagine myself lookin¡¯ at them every now and then and occasionally touchin¡¯ their muscles. Maybe we¡¯d do somethin¡¯ together once every few months. But the rest of the time, we¡¯d act like the other person doesn¡¯t even exist, and we¡¯d be happy that way.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said all that, I can imagine you having like¡­ twenty kids and hating every single moment of it, but loving it deep down inside without ever admitting to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna find a shovel to kill ya and dig a grave for ya with if ya ever say somethin¡¯ that repulsive again. And two women can¡¯t have kids.¡± ¡°You could adopt.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡­ well¡­ yeah, I guess. I mean¡­ I probably never told ya, did I?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know if you ever told me if you don¡¯t tell me what it is?¡± Tabitha narrowed her eyes at Fenrir before being the one to sigh this time. ¡°I¡¯m only tellin¡¯ ya this since I feel guilty knowin¡¯ some of your personal stories without ya knowin¡¯ any of mine. Anyways, I¡¯m adopted. Dad left my mom and didn¡¯t care about either of us. Mom blamed everything on me and got rid of me. That was when my real mom and dad decided to adopt me. Mom¡ªI mean my real mom now. The one who adopted me and actually raised me. She couldn¡¯t have kids, so they took me in. Ran their own repair shop where they fixed anythin¡¯ and everythin¡¯ that came in. Taught me all the ropes. Anyways, my point is that they¡¯re the best people I know and gave me the best life a kid could ask for all because they adopted me. I don¡¯t have any interest in havin¡¯ my own kid, but¡­ I ain¡¯t opposed to maybe adoptin¡¯ one or a few. Figure it¡¯d only be the right thing to do. Pass it on, ya know? They did it for me, so I should do it for somebody else.¡± ¡°Thanks for sharing that with me. Sounds like you have some amazing parents.¡± ¡°Best parents I could ever ask for.¡± ¡°Also, this should go without saying, but I want to say it anyways. Nothing was your fault. The woman who gave birth to you was just a bitch.¡± ¡°Heh. Trust me, I know. But thanks, dog boy. Appreciate it.¡± ¡°No problem. Want a hug?¡± ¡°Ya know, I¡¯m tempted to whack ya upside the head for even askin¡¯. But, I guess I am in the rare mood for one, and I can¡¯t remember the last time I¡¯ve hugged somebody. So sure. Consider it a special treat and never even think about asking for another one for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Too bad you¡¯re not cuter. I usually only want to hug cute girls.¡± ¡°Oi. Don¡¯t make me¡ª¡± Fenrir wrapped his arms around Tabitha and hugged her. ¡°Hm-hmph. Enjoy it while it lasts,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°I will,¡± Fenrir said. The next second, Oleander lunged at them to wrap his arms around both Fenrir and Tabitha. ¡°Group hug! Also, see what I mean? Fenny is so needy. Always wanting to hug everybody. Even though he getes to hug his girlfriends as much as he wants, he still wants to hug his normal friends all the time. Such a clingy puppy.¡± ¡°Li-listen, there¡¯s nothing wrong with wanting to hug my friends. It¡¯s only right for friends to express affection to each other.¡± ¡°Speaking of hugs and affection, Cor, I¡¯m not going to take the cage off unless you get in on this hug right now.¡± Corwin¡¯s cheeks turned an extreme shade of red as his hair practically stood up as if affected by static. ¡°O-Olly! Do-don¡¯t bri-bring that up in front of the others!¡± ¡°Too late. Now, do you want it to stay on, or do you want¡ª¡± Corwin joined the group hug before Oleander could finish his teasing threat. ¡°Oi, Corwin,¡± Tabitha spoke up. ¡°If this bratty little deer is makin¡¯ ya uncomfortable, just let me know and I¡¯ll smack some sense into him with my hammer.¡± ¡°It¡­ it is fine,¡± Corwin said. ¡°I know I may tell him not to say such things, but¡­ he always asks me if it is alright for him to tease me like so¡­ and I always tell him¡­ that it is¡­ a-and that¡­ I even enjoy it¡­ so there is no need to worry. However, I do appreciate that you are looking out for me, so thank you.¡± ¡°And here I felt bad and was worried he might be teasin¡¯ ya too much. Instead, you¡¯re just as depraved as he is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my Cor for you!¡± Oleander cheered. ¡°Olly,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°where¡­ where did you even get a cage?¡± ¡°We have a blacksmith who felt bored and wanted to try making something new.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I need to know. Thank you.¡± ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want more details? Like what it¡¯s made out of? How big it is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you.¡± ¡°Fiiiiine.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this hug now. Everybody let go or else I¡¯m getting my hammer out.¡± Everybody let go. ¡°Wait, ya actually listened? On the first try?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want hit,¡± Fenrir answered. Oleander and Corwin nodded. ¡°Huh. Looks like my trainin¡¯ has actually worked. Good,¡± Tabitha said, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding a couple of times. ¡°Feels like I¡¯ve trained some cats by sprayin¡¯ them with water bottles, but replace cats with degenerates and water bottles with a giant hammer. Anyways, if we¡¯re done bein¡¯ all personal and stuff now, what¡¯d¡¯ya want me for? Ya still never told me.¡± ¡°Oh, right, sorry,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Anyways, you¡¯ve heard about the plan to deal with the End Bringers, right? We¡¯re going to show them what real trolling is.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard. Not sure what exactly ya plan on doin¡¯, but it sounds like it¡¯ll be fun.¡± ¡°Right. Well, we¡¯re not going to only troll them. Trolling is going to be most of the plan, but we have to prepare real defenses against them, too. Or rather, we have to take the fight to them before we ever even need real defenses in the first place. If they attack us with all of their might, no matter how well we try to defend this place, we¡¯re probably screwed. Large scale PvP is completely different than fighting undead sea monsters. I don¡¯t plan on us going on the offensive too hard, but I want us to be able to deal some serious damage to them with as few people as possible. I want us to weaken their forces before they ever even reach us while putting barely anybody at risk.¡± ¡°What do ya mean by that?¡± ¡°They turned monsters into makeshit submarines and used those to get close to us undetected. I want you to make us a real submarine. One capable of going on long voyages without having to surface, capable of holding supplies and a crew of about five people, and I want it armed with long-range weaponry to assault coastal positions from a distance.¡± ¡°Ya¡­ ya want what now?¡± ¡°Basically, a submarine with trebuchets on top. Or cannons. Whatever you can do that will be able to deal the most damage from the farthest distance. It also needs a method of blowing itself up with such a massive, annihilating explosion that it doesn¡¯t leave behind a single scrap of debris.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To summarize, a submarine that¡¯s going to go on a suicide mission, deal a lot of damage, and then blow up before it can be captured while taking out its would-be captors. Oh, and I want there to be an emergency escape ship built into it for the crew to escape on. I don¡¯t want us to lose a single life. Imagine, a crew of about five people taking out potentially hundreds of them and dealing massive damage to their infrastructure before escaping without ever being in any real danger. Old me would have said to just let them be suicide bombers who sneak in, blow things up, and then blow themselves up. New me says to kind of do the same, but keep our people alive.¡± ¡°Ya know this is a fantsy setting, right? They probably got away with makin¡¯ their submarine because it was usin¡¯ a monster. But if ya want me to make a real submarine, I ain¡¯t so sure that the overseer is gonna let that happen. She doesn¡¯t want us usin¡¯ anythin¡¯ that¡¯s too advanced, remember?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to do it. Are you forgetting that you¡¯re the girl who was able to invent an engine for The Shoebill? If anybody is able to get away with making something modern in a way acceptable for a fantasy world, it¡¯s you. I have faith in you. Wait, I just thought of something else. We could put some of those gatling guns on top, too. So it¡¯ll have long-range and short-range weapons. Think you could make some of those gatling guns yourself?¡± ¡°Ya seriously want me to make you a full-on proper war submarine, don¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Tabitha sighed and lowered her head¡­ before looking up at Fenrir and smiling. ¡°I¡¯m in. I¡¯m gonna need a lot of materials though, and I mean a lot. Deer boy, that blacksmith still bored?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Oleander answered. ¡°Good. If he wants to experiment with some new things, I¡¯ve got some ideas and am gonna need some help to get this done. Dog.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I¡¯m gonna need all the steel oak ya can chop, and I¡¯ll need to graft some of The Shoebill¡¯s living wood onto her.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I ain¡¯t lettin¡¯ ya blow her up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want the enemy capturing her and using her against us. And if there¡¯s living wood, and they capture her, that gives them access to it.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t let her get captured. Ya think I can¡¯t make her strong enough to resist attacks while bein¡¯ fast enough to get away from danger?¡± ¡°What if they send monsters after her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got plans for that. Ya know those vests covered in metal spikes that farmers give their guard dogs sometimes? Imagine somethin¡¯ like that, except our girl can shoot these metal spikes out of her in every direction. Anythin¡¯ that tries latchin¡¯ onto her is gonna get a mouth full of spike impalin¡¯ them, and that¡¯s just the first idea I have to fight off anythin¡¯ that might want to try and take a bite out of her.¡± ¡°But¡­ it would piss them off if we let them think that they¡¯ve won and captured it, and then we blow it up.¡± Tabitha sighed. ¡°Fine. How about this? I¡¯ll make a smaller submarine to go with it. One that we¡¯ll make look like somethin¡¯ went wrong and can¡¯t escape. The real submarine escapes and they get to feel happy that they¡¯ve caught the smaller one, and then the small one blows up and wipes them all out. Deal?¡± ¡°I can live with that. Deal.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Also, you¡¯re thinkin¡¯ too small with cannons and trebuchets.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± ¡°You are. If I¡¯m buildin¡¯ a submarine, I¡¯m givin¡¯ it some missiles. So it can surface, fire its missiles, and get away.¡± ¡°Mi¡ª¡­ missiles? How? I trust you to make fantasy versions of things, but missiles? How are you going to make a fantasy version of those?¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to do a lot of minin¡¯, I can tell ya that much. Ya know how we fuel The Shoebill¡¯s engine with fire stones?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll use those for the fuel. Put enough of them in one place and they¡¯ll give our missile all the thrust it needs. Then I figure I could create a mechanism working on a timer in the tip of the missile that uses wind stones to shoot out bursts of wind at specific moments to guide it. So the missile could launch then, after five seconds, the mechanism goes off which shoots a long enough burst of air to turn the missile horizontal. Then it goes off a few seconds later to tilt it downward to aim it straight at the target. The problem is the payload. Elemental stones explode, but they explode like¡­ firecrackers. Nothin¡¯ too impressive. We¡¯re gonna want a bigger explosion than that. We need to figure out a payload that is light but explosive. Figure that out and I¡¯ll give ya missiles that¡¯ll make everybody whine online about how unfitting and overpowered they are. They won¡¯t be bunker busters or anything, but they¡¯ll annihilate any soft targets above ground.¡± ¡°Tabs¡­ your mind is beautifully overpowered.¡± ¡°Aw, shucks. I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s taken you this long to think of something like that.¡± ¡°Just never popped into mind before. But as soon as ya said submarine, I started thinkin¡¯ about nuclear subs. ICBMs. That kind of fun stuff. Hypothetically, if we were to send some players real good at math with some measurement tools with the sub, they could calculate the adjustments needed for the wind stone mechanism, sail out to a distance far enough that they¡¯d never be spotted from land, launch the missiles, and head on back here before those edgy bastards even know what¡¯s comin¡¯ their way. Our girl should never even be in any danger as long as her crew behaves.¡± ¡°I love it. But I still want to let them think they¡¯ve captured a decoy only to blow it up in their faces. I want them to have no idea who it is that¡¯s screwing with them while we act like we¡¯re innocent little carebears up here who just want to be their friends.¡± ¡°I getcha. Well, I¡¯ve got some ideas, so I can go get started on the blueprints right now if there¡¯s nothin¡¯ else that ya need. Wait. What¡¯re we gonna do about spies? They might have some up here already who figure out what we¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Remember those underground tunnels leading from the ocean into the mountains?¡± Tabitha smiled. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll build it and dock it in one of those. It¡¯ll never be seen above water anywhere near our territory. Nobody will know that it exists except us and its crew. Well, the End Bringers will learn that it exists, but they¡¯ll have no idea who it belongs to. I doubt they¡¯re expecting us to create something like this. Unfortunately for them, they don¡¯t know that we have the best engineer in the game.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought this out.¡± ¡°I came up with the plan in about five minutes, so I¡¯m glad you approve.¡± ¡°Heh. Anyways, anything else ya need or can we get started on creating our new girl?¡± ¡°I need another hug.¡± Tabitha cringed. ¡°Ya really are needy. That was the only one you¡¯re gettin¡¯ from me for the rest of the universe¡¯s existence. Try touchin¡¯ me and I¡¯ll smash your hands into dust.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t try hugging you. You¡¯re not cute enough to hug anyways.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll smash your hands anyways.¡± Fenrir grabbed Oleander to place the smaller boy in front of him before jumping back a few feet. ¡°I¡¯ll get started on sending people out for resources! Good luck with the blueprints!¡± Fenrir shouted, waving back at Tabitha. The moment that Fenrir was out of sight, Tabitha smiled and shook her head. ¡°Dumb dog.¡± ¡°You totally like being hugged, don¡¯t you?¡± Oleander asked her. Tabitha pulled her hammer out and looked at both Oleander and Corwin. ¡°W-why me?¡± Corwin asked. ¡°You¡¯re tainted by him. Can¡¯t let the taint spread,¡± Tabitha answered. ¡°Oh, trust me,¡± Oleander said and wiggled his eyebrows. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of taint spreading already.¡± Tabitha stared at the two with the most blank expression that anybody ever saw from her, put away her hammer, and walked away. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Hi, Done, I¡¯m Olly.¡± Tabitha pulled her hammer out once more. ¡°Never mind.¡± Book 9: Chapter 9: ¡°Bro, I know you said you want to troll them, but this is¡­¡± Rao and Fenrir looked over large billboard that was just finished. It pointed south so that any potential End Bringers members approaching the town would see it. More importantly, it showed what looked like a rather edgy player wearing all black covered in spikes surrounded by Rock, Shogun, and a few of the other bestial companions belonging to members of the town. All of the animals formed a giant cuddle puddle around the edgy-looking player. To top it off, there was text that read, ¡°Why Bring The End When You Can Bring The Cuddles?¡± As it turned out, Nell¡¯s maids were excellent painters. They had plenty of time to practice new hobbies together in reality before getting into gaming for Nell¡­ and Rao. So, while the maids put the finishing touches on the billboard, the two men on the ground discussed it. Fenrir was clearly proud of it as he nodded with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± Rao, on the other hand, was significantly less impressed. ¡°I love you bro, but it¡¯s so¡­ tacky. Like, it doesn¡¯t fit at all. We¡¯ve got a normal fantasy looking town and all that, and then anybody who comes close is going to see¡­ this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. It needs more rainbows and sparkles.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s going to make our own friends cringe more than it makes our enemies cringe.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll get used to it. As long as we surround ourselves with the cringe, we¡¯ll grow used to it. We¡¯ll embrace it. The cringe will be our friend and our savior. Those who cannot handle the cringe will be uwu¡¯ed.¡± ¡°U¡­ uu-whoo? What¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir faked a gasp. ¡°You don¡¯t know about uwu?! What about owo?!¡± ¡°Oh-woah?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll learn, Rao, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll educate you on the ways of the cringe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared, bro.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Come on. What¡¯s the worst that could happen? You start ironically using cringey language whenever you talk and then slowly slip into using it unironically because you¡¯ve gotten used to it and, before long, become the cringe that you swore to destroy?¡± ¡°Are you speaking from experience?¡± ¡°Absowolutely. That being said, I just thought of a beautiful way to use psychological warfare against them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well, I told you about the submarine idea.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the serious ship we¡¯re going to make. You know what we need now?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A troll boat. Imagine this: a super cutesy boat that¡¯s pastel pink that has like¡­ if possible, basically loudspeakers. Or some fantasy equivalent capable of amplifying noise over long distances. Anyways, we take a really cutesy, but fast, boat, toss somebody on there who wouldn¡¯t mind singing a really cringy song, and then we send them down there. It would be like a drive-by shooting except replacing drive-by with sail-by and shooting with cringey singing. They¡¯d want to stop the boat, but it¡¯d be too fast, so they¡¯d be forced to listen to the singing. Wait¡­ I just thought of something even better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared again.¡± ¡°Imagine. One day, you and your edgy friends are chilling around thinking about how to torture somebody or something. That¡¯s when you hear somebody in the distance singing about love and friendship while being really cringe about it. After a few minutes of this, that¡¯s when you hear it. That¡¯s when you hear whistling through the air¡­ before hearing explosions all around you due to a missile strike. Then, even after the explosions are over, you still hear the singing as your friends and allies scream out in pain and agony all around you. Somebody could be missing a leg to the tune of somebody singing about love and cupcakes.¡± ¡°I hate everything about that.¡± ¡°Exactly why it¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°How do you even come up with this stuff?¡± ¡°Eventually, after so many years of being edgy and griefing people the normal way, you get bored and look for new ways of doing it. In my case, I want to troll them in a way that anybody can find funny. Even they should find it funny unless they just have no sense of humor. And honestly, if I can make them laugh with my plans, then that¡¯s better for us. Even if they still attack us¡­ if I can make them laugh first, they¡¯ll respect us. Kind of.¡± ¡°Why would you want their respect?¡± ¡°Because even if they attack us, so long as they respect us, they¡¯ll treat us differently.¡± ¡°How do you mean?¡± ¡°Look at it this way. If I go and grief somebody who I don¡¯t care about at all, I¡¯m probably going to destroy everything they have without a care in the world. I¡¯m not going to care about the player behind the avatar. I won¡¯t care about leaving them anything. I won¡¯t care about giving them a fair chance. Blah blah. Now, personally speaking, if I respect the target of my griefing, I¡¯m going to take things a little bit easier on them. I would rather grief them while they¡¯re online and capable of putting up a defense than not. I might leave some of their items and infrastructure around so that they don¡¯t get completely wiped and have to start over from scratch. I would still intend to destroy them, but I wouldn¡¯t want to destroy them to the point where they quit and never play again.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I guess that makes sense. If you like somebody being your enemy, you don¡¯t want them to stop being your enemy. Or something like that, I guess?¡± ¡°Yeah, pretty much. There¡¯s also the bonus effect of making them join you. If we can show that we¡¯re more fun than the End Bringers, especially if we¡¯re able to piss off their leaders, then we might be able to convert some more of their members to work for us instead. That¡¯s another thing. I don¡¯t really care about whatever fodder they send at us. What we need to try and do is deal wit their leadership.¡± ¡°Like, assassinate them?¡± ¡°Nah. Nothing that grand. Instead, what we have to do is drive them insane. Find some dirt on them and expose it to the members. Like¡­ if you¡¯re going to join a group of players in a game, you want the leaders to be competent, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s roleplay a little here. You¡¯re a super edgy guy who wants to cause death and destruction and make people rage and all that. Got it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ sure.¡± ¡°Good. Now, you join a group full of similar edgelords led by people you decide are the edgiest and coolest of them all.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Now, imagine seeing the leaders you respect as the edgiest and the most badass¡­ become seething and full of rage over somebody playing stupid songs and making fun of them in really silly and cringey ways.¡± ¡°I think I see where you¡¯re going with this.¡± ¡°You should be able to. Why would a bunch of trolls want to follow leadership who gets trolled so easily by something so stupid? If anything, their first mistake was trying to take on some edgy appearance and reputation. All we have to do is destroy the image of them being edgy badasses and we do a massive amount of damage to their morale. This would be way harder to do if they never tried to give themselves the image and rep that they have. If they were just some normal group of griefers having fun, kind of like us, then this sort of counter-trolling wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near as effective. But, as it is, they¡¯re basically roleplayers. Edgy, asshole roleplayers. And if there¡¯s one thing that I learned from my time as a griefing troll¡­ it¡¯s that roleplayers are the easiest targets.¡± ¡°You really were a horrible person.¡± ¡°I know. I ruined the fun of so many roleplayers even though part of me always wanted to join them and roleplay, too.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t really imagine you being the roleplaying type.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun every now and then, but only one-on-one. I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing to do in groups. But if it¡¯s just me and Aza, or me and Nell, then I have no problem playing a role and acting cheesy with them. But if it was me, Nell, and Aza all at once¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to do it.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Fenrir shrugged and stretched his arms high above his head. ¡°Anyways, got any other questions?¡± Rao copied Fenrir¡¯s stretching. ¡°Don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°By the way.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°How¡¯s stuff with the maids going?¡± Rao¡¯s demeanor immediately changed as his cheeks turned a gentle shade of red. ¡°They¡¯re uh¡­ going good. I guess.¡± ¡°Absolutely zero progress has been made with them, huh?¡± Rao slumped his shoulders and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do it. You know, like¡­ I used to be content with how things were. Everything was fine. I figured I¡¯d be happy as long as I get to be around them every now and then, and¡­ I guess I was afraid of trying to take things to the next level. But every single day that passes, I feel less and less content. Like, I want more. I feel like I¡¯m wasting time. Every day that I¡¯m not with them is a day wasted that could have been spent doing¡­ couples stuff with them. I want to hold their hands, and I want to hug them, and take them on dates, and all that stuff. Every day that passes is another day where I¡¯ll never be able to do those things with them, and I can¡¯t get those days back. Man¡­ I want to date them so bad.¡± Fenrir¡¯s plan worked. Looking up at the billboard where the maids were, he saw that they were all there and listening in with blushing expressions of their own. Meanwhile, because of Fenrir disarming Rao first and distracting him from their presence, he was able to get Rao to open where they could hear. Of course, he kept it secret that that was his plan all along. ¡°And why don¡¯t you date them?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Beccause, bro, it¡¯s not that easy,¡± Rao answered. ¡°Like¡­ how am I supposed to choose? What are the chances of me getting lucky like you and dating all of them? And they¡¯re always with Nell. I don¡¯t want to take any of them away from her. And¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that interesting. Like, you? You¡¯re awesome. But me? I¡¯m just some dude.¡± ¡°You¡¯re awesome too, Rao. Give yourself some more credit than that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just tell myself that I¡¯m awesome and believe it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you it until you believe it. You¡¯re awesome, Rao.¡± ¡°Bro¡­¡± ¡°Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Awesome.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest, it¡¯s not really having an effect.¡± ¡°Dang. But seriously, don¡¯t put yourself down. And I¡¯m telling you. If you could confess to them, they¡¯d probably fall into your arms and be happy to date you together.¡± ¡°If you say something like that you¡¯re gonna get my hopes up and then I¡¯ll just be even more depressed when it doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get your hopes up and promise that it will happen. If I do, I get to rub it in your face later and tell you I told you say. I¡¯ll sing and dance about how I¡¯m right and you were wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯d let you if it means dating them.¡± Fenrir sighed and gave Rao a couple of smacks on the back. Meanwhile, the maids struggled to concentrate on applying the finishing touches to the billboard as they were much more interested in listening to Rao. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Just be honest with them sometime. Open up about your feelings and confess to them.¡± Rao sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ try to build up the courage to do that. Will you let me cry on you if they turn me down?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not going to, but I¡¯ll let you cry on me if they do.¡± ¡°Then if you¡¯re so sure they won¡¯t turn me down, will you let me cry on your if they say yes?¡± ¡°From happiness?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then sure.¡± ¡°My chest already feels tight just thinking about either result.¡± ¡°Save the tears for when you actually try.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡¯ll try to.¡± A few more moments passed and that was all the time the maids needed in order to finish up the billboard. Nothing much changed aside from adding some more details to the various animals cuddling the End Bringers member in the painting, but Fenrir wanted to make sure that all the pets were painted to look as cute as possible, and those extra details helped to bring out their ultimate cuteness. ¡°Great work!¡± Fenrir shouted up at them. Rao looked around for a moment to try and figure out who he was talking to before remembering that the maids were up there. Now, had Rao been anybody other than¡ªwell, Rao, Fenrir would have expected him to realize he said all of that while right in front of the maids with them within hearing distance. However¡­ Rao had zero reaction to remembering that the maids were there other than smiling because they were there. The idea of the maids hearing everything he just said didn¡¯t cross into his mind for even a second. As for the maids themselves, with the job done, they jumped down from the billboard as if it was nothing. Such a jump in reality could potentially break bones or, at the very least, cause significant pain, but the jump was no big deal at all within the game. Rao might not have reacted any differently to realizing the maids were still there, but the maids, who just got done listening to everything, were not nearly as unresponsive. One of the maids, Emily¡ªthe short and clumsy one of the group with brown hair and what appeared to be the biggest chest due to her short height¡ªwalked up to Rao¡­ and tripped. Or rather, she did what looked like tripping. But to Fenrir, he thought it was obvious that the clumsy girl made herself trip on purpose. Emily stumbled forward with her arms open and out, and her face was the first thing to touch Rao as she planted it right into his chest. In the next moment, she wrapped her arms around Rao and tightly squeezed. There¡¯s no way she¡¯s not trying to secretly hug him while making it look like an accident, and making it way too obvious, Fenrir thought. As for Rao, he wrapped his arms around the smaller girl to catch her and make sure that she didn¡¯t fall. ¡°Woah¡ªhey, you alright?¡± he asked, looking down at her with nothing but genuine concern on his face. Even though he was just talking about how he wanted to hug them, now that he was¡­ he was convicned of it being an accidental trip and just wanted to make sure that she was alright. Emily looked up at Rao and nodded. ¡°I¡ªI am! Thanks for umm, catching me. Ehe¡­¡± ¡°You need to be more careful, but I¡¯ll always be here to catch you whenever I can,¡± Rao said. Emily¡¯s cheeks turned a brighter shade of red as she tightened her arms even more around Rao. ¡°Ehe¡­ you always catch me whenever I trip around you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting hurt.¡± Emily practically nuzzled her face against him, making the rest of the maids watching a little jealous. That was when she noticed something. Given that Rao was tall and she was short, and given that her chest was undeniably on the larger end of things, her nuzzling her face against his abdomen also caused her to rub her chest up against his crotch. As soon as she realized what she was doing, her cheeks turned bright red as she let go of Rao and jumped backward. That caused her to really trip. Rao lunged forward to wrap his arms around her again, turning their bodies around in the process so that he would be the one to fall and hit the ground first which allowed her to fall on top of him. Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to look at the scene with eyes of disbelief. This¡­ this is an anime development here. Trips like this actually happen? Somehow, in their fall, the two ended up in a position that looked rather¡­ intimate. Emily ended up planting her breasts right on top of Rao¡¯s face as one of her legs brushed up against his crotch. At the same time, Rao somehow had one hand squeezing her breast while his other hand was on her rear. All Fenrir could do was stare at them with a poker face while the other maids looked like they were taking notes. After a few moments, Rao realized what sort of position they were in and hurried to fix it by grabbing her in more appropriate places and helping her get up. ¡°So-sorry! I¡ªI didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s alright!¡± Emily said. ¡°It was my fault!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I should have been more careful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! I promise! Besides, I¡­ umm¡­ I¡­ if¡­ if it¡¯s you¡­ then¡­ I¡ªI wouldn¡¯t mind if¡­ you touch me more okay I have things to do bye see you later love you I mean umm yeah okay killing myself anyways bye.¡± Emily turned to run away¡­ only to trip again. Fortunately for her, the maids were closest to catch her so that she didn¡¯t end up embarrassing herself even more around Rao. The maids made a quick escape together after that. ¡°Told you,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Huh?¡± Rao asked. ¡°What do you mean ¡®huh?¡¯¡± ¡°What did you tell me?¡± ¡°That they like you.¡± ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°Did you¡­ did you not hear what she just said?¡± ¡°Oh. I¡­ was distracted by how beautiful she is. I heard her say that she was fine and then¡­ everything else she said was kind of blurry. She just looked even more beautiful up close, man.¡± ¡°I want to smack you.¡± ¡°Bro, what¡¯d I do?¡± Rather than smack Rao, Fenrir gave him a pat on the shoulder as he sighed again. ¡°I¡¯m going to start calling you a dense harem anime protagonist. You deserve it.¡± Rao couldn¡¯t have been more confused by what Fenrir was talking about, but he also couldn¡¯t have been happier about getting to see the maids some more, even if he missed something major that would have made him the happiest man in the world. Well, even without hearing what she said, he probably was the happiest man in the world at the moment anyways. Book 9: Chapter 10: Fenrir wanted to build a submarine. Not only did he want to build a submarine, but he wanted to build one in a secret, underwater tunnel. He knew that a few of those existed in the area, some of which led as far inland as to go into the mountain range, but he never explored any of them aside from the one that GG needed help with back when the serpent was an issue. Fortunately, exploring the others in the area would be easy for him despite the fact that they were underwater. And that was because he was still Nell¡¯s champion. While he may have rarely ever made use of all the perks associated with that, now was the perfect time to do so. ¡°Ready?¡± Fenrir asked, standing at the edge of the river that ran through the center of the town. That was where the docks were built and where smaller ships, The Shoebill included, stayed. Only, it was not The Shoebill Fenrir would be taking out to explore these underwater caverns with. It was the serpentine beast sticking up out of the water that would be accompanying him. Ilo nodded her head as her tail swayed from side to side above the water in the distance. Fenrir reached forward to pet her snout. ¡°I remember when you used to be a small little thing. Back when you were smaller than The Shoebill. Now, here you are. Keep growing at this rate and your head alone is going to be as big as she is.¡± Not only was Ilo still growing, but her growth almost seemed to be exponential. She was getting bigger and bigger with no end in sight, and Fenrir was even starting to worry about just how big in total she would grow to be. There was no way that they would be able to keep her around if she managed to grow as large as one of the world serpents, and she was technically the same species as them. If she grew that large then she would have to stay out in the ocean all the time. No more hanging out in the river or shallow waters. ¡°You might have to go on a diet,¡± Fenrir told her. ¡°I think you¡¯re eating too many rowboats.¡± Ilo lowered her snout until her nostrils were under the water, pointed them up at him, and snorted to blast him water. Those unfortunate enough to be minding their own business behind Fenrir also got soaked. ¡°You might be big, but you¡¯re still immature.¡± Ilo snorted even more water at him. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m about to go underwater and get soaked anyways.¡± Rather than snort more water at him, Ilo rolled her eyes. ¡°What? Are you like a bratty teenager now? Is this you going through your rebellious phase?¡± Ilo made sure that the next rolling of her eyes was significantly more dramatic than the first one after hearing that. ¡°I never thought I would have a giant serpent roll her eyes at me, but here I am. Anyways, you ready to go?¡± Not only did Ilo become more expressive with her eyes and nostrils, but her mouth, too. She actually curled the back of her maw into a smile as she nodded before bringing the back of her neck in front of him. Well, it was technically a neck considering that she only had a head and then an elongated body, but if she did have a neck, that was where it would be. So, Fenrir climbed aboard her back and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°You know this place better than me, so lead the way.¡± Ilo nodded once more before sinking under the surface and carefully escaping the river. There were some players coming in and out of the dock with their own vessels, so Ilo was cautious enough to avoid bumping into any of them. That required swimming at the very bottom of the river, and that allowed Fenrir to see something that really pissed him off. Ilo, sensing his anger, stopped to look around. ¡°Seriously?¡± Fenrir asked. Being able to talk underwater was another perk of being Nell¡¯s champion. ¡°We have this beautiful, clean world in this game, and some assholes are littering in the river? I¡¯m making Nell introduce some new rules. Anybody who throws shit into the river is getting kicked out.¡± The litter wasn¡¯t too bad, and at least none of it was plastic like in real life, but it still bothered him. Not to mention that it was a sign of things to come unless he dealt with the problem as soon as possible. But that could be saved for later. ¡°Sorry. Let¡¯s keep going,¡± Fenrir said. Ilo nodded and resumed their journey out into the ocean. Once she was free of the river, she could swim as quickly as she wanted, and she made sure to do so. Especially to tease Fenrir. She twisted her body, did loops and corkscrews, and even a barrel roll. She made sure to test out his endurance to see just how much he could handle. Unfortunately for her, Fenrir had no problem handling all of it. ¡°Is this all you¡¯ve got?¡± he asked. Feeling challenged, Ilo came up with an idea. She swam at full speed to the deepest depths that Fenrir ever encountered in any game before, and went straight into a forest of tall kelp that brushed and smacked against him. One piece of kelp hit him right in the face and got stuck there until another kelp whacked it free. As for Fenrir, the constant kelp smacking him beat him into submission. ¡°I give up!¡± Yet, Ilo did not stop. She continued on her path taking Fenrir through the expansive forest of kelp until, eventually, they broke through to the other side of it. And it was on that other side that Fenrir discovered her true intention for dragging him through all that kelp¡ªwell, her other intention. The one that didn¡¯t involve putting him in his place with a face full of kelp. There was a massive crater in the ocean floor, and there was what appeared to be an entrance to a passage leading back toward land. It was a sizable entrance, too. It was more than big enough to fit something like the submarine that Fenrir pictured in his mind. Ilo took him toward the entrance to the passage, but he called out to stop her before they reached it. ¡°Hang on. Look, near the center of the crater. There¡¯s something there.¡± After Ilo took Fenrir closer to the center of the crater, he confirmed what he saw. There was a sizable chunk of metal surrounded by smaller pieces of it. Looking around, it appeared as if there were dozens if not hundreds of other, smaller pieces scattered around the crater. It was entirely possible that there was even more buried underneath the seafloor. For now, Fenrir reached down to pick up one of the smaller pieces of metal and tucked it into his bag. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to actually find anything interesting while down here. Alright, let¡¯s check out the tunnel.¡± Ilo nodded once more and turned around to head into the tunnel. They were surrounded by darkness immediately after enterint, but Ilo managed to navigate through it without any issues. She never bumped into anything, either, despite how dark it was. I guess that she can see in this still, Fenrir thought. And then he had an idea. It was something that he only ever did with Ilo a couple of times before but, if could basically watch her memories by connecting to her thanks to being Nell¡¯s champion, then he could watch the memories she was creating as they went through the tunnel. Fenrir took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and relaxed as he tried to remember what it felt like before to get inside of Ilo¡¯s mind. Fortunately, Ilo picked up on what he was trying to do and met him halfway in the process to let him see. The cavern lit up before Fenrir¡¯s eyes. Only, he wasn¡¯t actually looking out of his eyes. He saw the cavern as Ilo saw it. And it looked¡­ well, like an underwater cavern. A very dim, underwater cavern. It was a cave that, even with Ilo¡¯s sight, barely looked like anything. All he knew was that it was rocky, twisting, and long. Navigating a submarine through there would be incredibly difficult and require extreme skill, patience, and confidence. If anything, getting in and out of the cavern would be more dangerous than the actual mission that Fenrir had in mind for it. But that didn¡¯t deter him from his plans. After about twenty minutes of Ilo speeding through the cavern, they came to a stop in a massive room that could not have been any more perfect than it was. At the far end of the room were a few, smaller tunnels just under the surface of the water that most likely led up into the mountains. More important than that was the ground above the water. On both sides of the room were ledges that Fenrir easily pictured being used for constructing the submarine. They could build infrastructuree and safely keep materials and tools there. There was only one problem, and it was that they had no idea where they were. They knew they were somewhere underground, but where? Fenrir opened his eyes and saw¡­ nothing but pitch-black darkness. ¡°Yeah, figured I still wouldn¡¯t be able to see. Anyways, think that special water beam attacks of yours might be able to cut through the ground? I¡¯m thinking¡­ if you aim straight up and shoot until we break through the ground up above, we¡¯ll be able to figure out where we are. Unless we¡¯re under the mountains. I have a feeling you won¡¯t be able to break through if that¡¯s the case.¡± Ilo moved closer to one of the ledges and shook Fenrir off onto it before turning away and moving to the center of the room. Fenrir might not have been able to see before, but he did see what the scales along Ilo¡¯s back began to glow from the tip of her tail to her head. And then came the sound of pressurized water shooting directly upward into the ceiling. Ilo kept it going for about fifteen seconds before needing to stop. In those fifteen seconds, though, she managed to drill a hole via pressurized water into the ceiling. A short break later and she did it again. And again. And again. Each shot drilled the hole deeper and deeper into the roof of the cavern. After nearly an hour, though, Fenrir began to lose hope. ¡°We might be under the mountains,¡± he said. ¡°As awesome as you are, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to drill up through a mountain. We should¡ª¡± The latest jet of pressurized water came to an end and was replaced by a single beam of light shining down through the hole, lighting the surface of the water beneath it. It also provided just enough light for Ilo to show off a very, very smug expression of satisfaction and ¡°I told you so.¡± All Fenrir could really do at that point was clap. ¡°You continue to get more impressive. Good work. Wherever we are, it¡¯s close enough to the surface and not underneath the mountains, so that means it can be used. But¡­ we have no idea where we are other than¡ªwait. I just got an idea.¡± Ilo twisted her head to the side. That was her own way of tilting her head. ¡°We¡¯re going to need some spotters. Let¡¯s go back up for now.¡± A couple of hours later and Fenrir had a team prepared. The team consisted of Rao atop Shogun, Azalabulia and Death, and Nell. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir said, standing over a map spread out on the table. It was a map of the nearby region that one of the players in the town created, and it covered everything from the watchtower to the south up to Spike Port. Reaching up to Rainbow Afro¡¯s territory. A map with Rainbow Afro¡¯s territory added was being worked on, but it was alright to exclude that for the time being since it was too far north anyways. ¡°Over here,¡± Fenrir pointed at a region on the map between the town and the mountains, ¡°is where I believe we might have been. Well, that¡¯s if it¡¯s a straight shot from the entrance to the cavern, but there were enough turns and bends in there that it might not be accurate.¡± ¡°What do we have to do?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to go back down there and shoot water up through the hole we made¡ªwell, that Ilo made. You¡¯re all going to be on standby looking for wherever it comes out at. I¡¯m hoping it might shoot up into the air a little bit like a geyser, so that might make it easy to spot.¡± ¡°Got it, bro,¡± Rao said. ¡°Fly around on Shogun, look for it, and then plant one of these little sticks you gave us wherever we find it.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Splendid plan, my hero!¡± Nell said. Fenrir immediately groaned when he heard that word. ¡°Please, Nell. Not the S word.¡± Nell giggled to herself with a hand over her smug smile. ¡°U-um,¡± Azalabulia spoke up, ¡°they can fly, but¡­ I can¡¯t. Are you sure I¡¯m right for this?¡± Fenrir placed a hand on Azalabulia¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Of course I am. You¡¯re awesome. Plus Death can fly and you¡¯re his master, so he can do all the work for you and then lead you to wherever you need to go.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡ªthat makes sense.¡± ¡°Also, once it¡¯s found, you can shoot a giant fireball into the sky to let the others know that they can stop looking. Or should I say¡­ you can make the sky explode once it¡¯s found.¡± Azalabulia perked up as soon as he rephrased it to have explosions. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I¡ªI mean, I, Azalabulia, will undertake this task to set the sky ablaze!¡± ¡°Thanks, knew I could count on you. Anyways, everybody ready?¡± The group nodded and got to work. ¡°Hello darkness, my old friend,¡± Fenrir said, once more sitting on the ledge of the underground cavern. ¡°Alright. They should all be in position, so fire when ready.¡± Ilo nodded her head and got to work firing her pressurized water jet up through the hole she made. ¡°We¡¯ll keep it up for an hour. If an hour isn¡¯t enough for them to find us, we¡¯re probably looking in the wrong area entirely. Hopefully, that¡¯s not the case. This is going to take a lot of trial and error if it is.¡± The first jet of water ended which meant Ilo could bring her head over to Fenrir, nudging him in the torso with the tip of her snout. ¡°I wonder what you could possibly want.¡± Ilo pulled her head back into the water until her nostrils were facing up at Fenrir. ¡°Alright, alright! Don¡¯t¡ªwait, why do I care if you soak me when I¡¯m already drenched?¡± Ilo twisted her head from left to right. ¡°Alright. Come on, I¡¯ll pet you until you can go pew again.¡± The needy serpent brought her head back up against Fenrir once more, and this time he gave her what she wanted by stroking the top of her snout behind her nose. He could only pet from front to back due to her scales, but that was more than good enough for her as she let out a low-pitched hissing noise in response. ¡°Good girl. I¡¯d have no idea what to do without you. Seriously. I would have had to manually swim around which would take days if not weeks just to find a good place. Then I¡¯d have to swim all the way through the cavern to check it out, and I¡¯d have to find some way to light the place up. And then I¡¯d still need to figure out a way to tell where it is since I wouldn¡¯t be able to just shoot a beam of water up to the surface. You¡¯re responsible for making this plan possible.¡± Ilo nuzzled up against his head for a few more moments before returning to shoot an extra motivated jet of water up through the hole. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell if those up above saw it or not, so they continued the process of shooting, petting, and repeating for another forty minutes. ¡°They¡¯d probably be able to see it by now, right? Maybe we should head back up,¡± Fenrir said just as Ilo finished the latest attempt. Ilo nodded which prompted Fenrir to climb back onto her. Only, right before they left¡­ A powerful gust of wind blew all loose dirt and rocks in the hole downward, and the sound of a massive explosion going off followed that. Ilo turned her head to look at Fenrir. They both knew what that was. And if that explosion went off, it meant that Azalabulia found out where they were. Or somebody else did, went to Azalabulia, and then she caused the explosion. ¡°She must have had a pretty wordy chant that time if it sounded that loud from down here,¡± Fenrir said. Once again, Ilo nodded, and then they returned to the surface together. The hole ended up being pretty close to the mountains tucked away in a forest, which was even better than what Fenrir had hoped for because that meant the entrance to their soon-to-be submarine construction site would be all the easier to hide. ¡°Looks like a good spot,¡± Tabitha said, standing at the site of the hole with Fenrir and Rao. ¡°Yeah, couldn¡¯t have asked for a better spot,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we build a log cabin over it to cover it up, and give it a secret opening floor that opens up into the shaft we¡¯ll have to dig out?¡± ¡°I think me and Red can figure something out for that.¡± ¡°Yeah, definitely,¡± Rao said. ¡°Then I¡¯m thinkin¡¯¡ªfirst, I thought we¡¯d have to mine out a staircase, but buildin¡¯ a staircase would probably make life a lot easier when it comes to transportin¡¯ materials. Think we might be able to rig somethin¡¯ together?¡± ¡°Problem is powering it. We¡¯d either need a crew of people to man it, which brings more into this secret project, or we¡¯d have to find a natural way of powering it. A windmill would be too unreliable, and there¡¯s no running water close enough¡­¡± ¡°Oi. Ya know I could whip up another engine like my girl has in her, right? I¡¯d need some more materials, but I can make an engine to power it.¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Yeah, that¡¯d work.¡± ¡°Need me to do anything?¡± Fenrir asked. Tabitha smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Somebody¡¯s gotta do the diggin¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯d¡­ be a lot of digging. What if we use Ilo to like¡­ you know how in spy movies, they¡¯ll use like a laser cutting tool to cut a square out of a door or window or something? What if we do that, but use Ilo to cut us a path?¡± ¡°And send a bunch of ground falling onto her, maybe killin¡¯ her?¡± ¡°Ri-right. Probably not a safe idea.¡± ¡°Get some folk who like minin¡¯ to help ya. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± ¡°I guess. Just not sure I know anybody I can trust to keep this place secret who¡¯s obsessed with mining.¡± ¡°I think I might know a few guys who¡¯d be willin¡¯ to help out.¡± ¡°Well, if they have your approval, they¡¯ve got mine.¡± It might not have made sense to Fenrir why some people who abhorred physical labor in real life absolutely loved to do it in virtual worlds for hours on end without break and pay, but Fenrir wasn¡¯t going to complain about that. Because seriously, they had a lot of digging to do. Book 9: Chapter 11: Construction on the secret project might have begun, but there was something else that everybody deemed far more important to take care of first. And that something was finally coming up with a name for their town. It was basically the capital of of the region with Nell as the regional leader calling it her home, but they still had no name for it. Even after dozens of players moved in, causing NPCs to spawn and travel to the town to live there as well, they still lacked any sort of proper name for it. ¡°Nameless¡± was the most commonly used name, and that was only ever intended to be used as a jab at Fenrir and Nell for not figuring something out yet. After all, most people didn¡¯t struggle to name places in the world of Fantasy Tales Online. It was an online roleplaying game. Sure, the virtual assistants and Kadi might have tried to keep things consistent and lore-friendly at first, but they loosened their standards in regard to player appearance and the naming of things. Technology was still limited as strictly as ever, but not other creations. Rainbow Afro never would have been allowed to look so fabulous back in the early beta days of the game due to that breaking immersion too much. But now? There was nothing wrong with him and his decision to rainbowify as much as possible. That was just one example of players easily coming up with themes for their villages. Does the founder like rainbows? Then everything would be rainbows. Maybe the leader liked garlic? Then they would name their village after garlic. What about unicorns? Trolls? Poop emojis? It was extremely easy to come up with a name, even a stupid one, and that was why everybody found it annoying that it was taking so long to come up with one. But Fenrir and Nell wanted the perfect name. Unfortunately, they were never able to think of one, so that was why they organized a public vote and put a name suggestion box in the center of town for everybody. And now it was finally time to actually decide on a name. Fenrir and Nell promised themselves that they would not be waking from virtual reality until a name was settled on. Now, while Nell finished getting ready with her maids who were handling her makeup and hair, Fenrir rested the back of his head against Cassiel¡¯s thighs and whined. ¡°You sound like a puppy,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ kind of cute. But also, you¡¯re a grown man. Stop whining.¡± ¡°But Caaaaassssssss,¡± Fenrir whined, ¡°what if they vote on a stupid name I don¡¯t like?¡± ¡°Then you should have come up with a name on your own sooner.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t they just be happy not having a name? I mean, come on. Who needs an easy way to reference a location? Who needs a specific name for a group to feel a belonging to it? Hey, it¡¯s not too late to call it off, become dictators, and tell them to deal with it, is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to smack you off my lap.¡± ¡°Please no. Your thighs are the only things keeping me going right now. I love your thighs, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a weirdo.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what I should name this place. Thighsville. Make it a law that everybody has to walk around with exposed thighs.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What about Dogsville? Everybody is mandated by law to have a pet dog?¡± ¡°That¡¯s better, but no.¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m just¡­ clueless when it comes to this sort of stuff. I always let Olly and Bone pick names for everything back in the day, but Olly has no interest in helping and Bone is¡ªwell, you know. Kind of not exactly around anymore.¡± ¡°Does he still have you blocked?¡± ¡°Yeah. Either I¡¯m blocked or he changed all his accounts on everything.¡± ¡°Do you miss him?¡± ¡°Yeah. I feel like I shouldn¡¯t, but¡­ we spent all those years together. But I¡¯m selfish. I want to be friends with him, but only if he changes. I should want to be friends with who he is, not who he could be, or something like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty mature sounding coming from somebody who¡¯s been whining and pouting on my thighs for the last thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Caaaaaaaasssssssssssss! I want to stay on your thighs forever! Can I marry your thighs instead of you?¡± Naturally, such a question prompted Cassiel to pinch and pull on one of Fenrir¡¯s canid ears. ¡®Want to ask that again?¡± ¡°O-ow-ow! Alright, alright. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll marry you and then marry your thighs.¡± ¡°He-hey¡­ you can¡¯t just¡­ say you¡¯re going to marry me so casually.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because! That¡¯s serious!¡± ¡°I guess so, but at the same time¡­ isn¡¯t it obvious we¡¯re all going to get married?¡± ¡°I¡ªI mean¡­ I¡­ I guess so, but still! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing if you talk about it like that. And aren¡¯t you supposed to wait and not talk about it until after you¡¯ve proposed or something?!¡± ¡°Want me to propose right now? I can propose right now if you don¡¯t mind me doing ot from your lap.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Cass, will you¡ª¡± ¡°At least use my real name!¡± ¡°Wait, do you actually want me to?¡± ¡°Well, you¡ªyou offered! And¡­ like you said¡­ it¡¯s obvious. And I¡¯m not somebody who cares about a fancy proposal or anything, so¡­¡± ¡°I think we talked about something like that before. It was uh¡­ after that one movie, right? With the girl who fell in love with a dragon? And then Serra and Nell went to grab ice cream but we were too tired to go with them?¡± ¡°Yeah. That movie was weird.¡± ¡°Well, it was recommended by Aza, so. But yeah. I remember you saying uh¡­ it would piss your dad off if you just went and got a drive-thru marriage, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. He hates me dating you. He¡¯d hate it even more if I got married without letting him advise how the wedding is supposed to go.¡± ¡°Alright. Then, hey, Cassandra, wanna marry me?¡± ¡°Is¡ªis that supposed to be the proposal?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Cassiel stared at Fenrir with a blank face before grabbing him by the sides of his face, lifting him up, and placing her lips down against his own for a kiss. ¡°Fine. Bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to be called a bastard after having my marriage proposal unenthusiastically accepted.¡± ¡°You¡¯re seriously so weird.¡± ¡°Love you too.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not like I was trying to be unenthusiastic! Just, you know. How else am I supposed to act? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been proposed to before.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re supposed to cry and scream from how happy you are.¡± ¡°Not happening.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure then¡ªwait. There¡¯s something that you can do for me. Something that would make me beyond happy.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Lean forward enough so that your boobs are pressing down against my face while I use your lap as a pillow. I want to be sandwiched between your thighs and your boobs.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I need this, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you the happiest girl in the world for the rest of your life if you do it for me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡ªyou¡¯re so weird¡­ how am I even¡­ what am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Lean forward and apply your boobs directly to my face.¡± Fenrir got to see an adorable blush on Cassiel¡¯s face before she leaned forward and consumed his sight with the overwhelming power of her breasts. Said overwhelming breasts then came down directly against her face, surrounding him with their warmth through the shirt that she wore under her armor. ¡°Am¡­ am I doing it right?¡± she asked. He gave her a thumbs-up since his voice would have been too muffled to give a proper response. ¡°You weird bastard. But¡­ I love you. And¡­ if you like this sort of thing¡­ I¡¯ll do it for you whenever you want. But not in real life. I can tell my back would hurt if I tried this there.¡± He gave her another thumbs-up as he enjoyed being sandwiched between two of the softest places that existed within the world of Fantasy Tales Online. Life is good, Fenrir thought. Life was good, rather. Fenrir never dreaded hearing Nell enter the room more than when he heard her shout out, ¡°My hero! Let us not keep the crowd waiting any¡ªah. Am I interrupting?¡± He turned his head onto its side so that he could actually speak and look at her. As dressed and prettied up as Nell was, Fenrir honestly couldn¡¯t say that he was a fan. He liked how she looked when she was more simple than wearing a ridiculous amount of jewelry with makeup all over her face, but it was what she wanted and how the maids insisted on preparing her anyways. She really did look like a proper queen. Cassiel, on the other hand, was much more impressed. ¡°Woah¡­ you look beautiful.¡± ¡°Thank you, my dearest Cassiel,¡± Nell said and followed up with a curtsy. ¡°I wanted to make sure that I look the part!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s probably overboard for what you¡¯re doing, but you look great. Like¡­ I would have imagined you looking like this for some important global meeting, not just for picking out a name for this place.¡± ¡°On the contrary, who better to dress in such a way than for our people? If I cannot present myself as such before our people, why would I do it for others? They do not deserve more than our own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too much makeup,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°but I still love you and think you¡¯ll be an incredible leader.¡± ¡°Thank you, my hero! Now, are you going to accompany me as my champion, or are you going to stay there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming.¡± ¡°Oh! And before I forget.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Perhaps it is selfish of me, but I will be expecting a much grander proposal than what you gave Cassiel.¡± ¡°You heard that?¡± ¡°I was only in the connected room and your voice is louder than you know. Also, congrats on your engagement!¡± Nell turned her attention to Cassiel. ¡°How does it feel to be engaged?¡± ¡°E-engaged? I¡ªI guess¡­ I technically am now. Uhh, it feels¡­ nice, I guess?¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°You sound very unimpressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not! It¡¯s just¡ªI don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to feel. I mean, I¡¯m happy. Super happy. But like¡­ we¡¯re still us. It¡¯s not like anything is going to be that different, right? Even if we¡¯re engaged, and even after we get married, our life is just going to continue on like always. The only thing that would seriously make it different is if we have kids. But even then, it would be the same¡­ just with kids. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to treat each other any differently, though, right?¡± ¡°Ahh, I see! So that is how you look at it. That is precious in its own way. It is true, too! Personally, I am a lover of drama and making a scene, so I would adore a proper proposal and wedding. Not that either is a requirement, of course, but I would appreciate them!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll give you one,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Well, at least the proposal part.¡± ¡°Then I shall look forward to it! Now, let us not keep the crowd waiting any longer! They are going to revolve if we keep them waiting for such a long time.¡± ¡°You know, we¡¯d be out there a lot sooner if you didn¡¯t spend all that time having your face done.¡± ¡°I know, but it is my duty to look proper! You should¡ª¡± The cheering crowd could be heard from indoors, and they sounded strangely happy about something. They were either happy or excited. Whatever it was, their cheers reached Fenrir and Nell despite them being quiet up until then. ¡°Huh, we should probably get out there,¡± Fenrir said. Nell nodded. ¡°Let us not wait another second!¡± As for Cassiel, she stretched and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a nap. I¡¯ll be on later.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Fenrir replied before leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°He-hey, what was that for?¡± ¡°It was because I love you. Does every kiss need a specific reason or to be for something?¡± ¡°I guess not¡­¡± ¡°Then let me kiss my fianc¨¦e for the sake of kissing my fianc¨¦e.¡± A soft smile spread curled Cassiel¡¯s lips followed by a relaxed-sounding sigh. ¡°Remember, I¡¯m not doing that thigh and boob thing for you in real life.¡± ¡°Not even for a few seconds?¡± ¡°¡­ maybe, but no more than that. Seriously, I know it¡¯ll hurt my back.¡± ¡°Sounds good to¡ª¡± The crowd cheered again. ¡°Get out there,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going,¡± Fenrir groaned. ¡°I¡¯m coming to bother your nap if they end up choosing something stupid.¡± ¡°Just get in bed with me instead of waking me up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± With that, Fenrir and Nell went out to greet the crowd side by side. The meeting with the people was held right in the town¡¯s center, and there were already dozens of chairs set out for them alongside various stalls for food setup by some of the other players. The whole thing was to be more like a party than a town meeting. Going by all the cheering, though, it sounded way more like a party than they had anticipated. ¡°Hey!¡± Fenrir shouted out to them. ¡°What¡¯s all the cheering for?¡± ¡°We picked a name!¡± one of the nearest players shouted back. Fenrir never felt his gut sink so quickly before. ¡°You¡ªyou did?¡± ¡°What happened to doing this together and having a public vote?¡± Nell asked. That was when Serra showed up with a grilled fish on a skewer. ¡°They got bored of waiting,¡± she said. ¡°They went in the box and did the voting without you.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ I see.¡± ¡°I have a horrible feeling about this. I guess they really couldn¡¯t stand waiting a few minutes later,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Also, that looks good.¡± ¡°Want a bite?¡± Serra asked. Fenrir nodded, so Serra held the fish up for him to bend over and take a bite out of. ¡°Thanks. Anyways¡­ be honest. How bad is the name they picked?¡± ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a good name.¡± Now, they could have asked Serra what the name was, but Fenrir and Nell decided to hear it from the people themselves. So, they went up onto the little stage that they had prepared and sat down. Fenrir could tell that nobody else there really cared about all the effort Nell put into her appearance, but that was alright. She wanted to look pretty and proper. He wasn¡¯t going to stop her from that even if they probably would have been there for the name on time had she not worried about it. As for Serra, she went around the stalls to try out more food while more or less ignoring everything else. Back to the two on their stage, Nell cleared her throat and stood up. ¡°Thank you all for coming today! I apologize for the minor delay¡­ which has apparently turned out to be a delay too long.¡± The suggestion box was open with all of its suggestions messily thrown about on the table in front of it. ¡°May I ask who took charge of the voting? I am not upset, so please do not be shy,¡± Nell continued. The front of the crowd parted to reveal a single figure standing in the middle¡ªto reveal the one who decided that they were taking too long and started the voting without Fenrir and Nell. And that one person had the ears of a canine, a wagging tail behind them, and a smug expression on their face¡ªon her face. ¡°Most were already calling it this anyways,¡± Saya said, ¡°but welcome to the town of Nameless!¡± Nell sighed and smiled after a few seconds. As for Fenrir, he just kept on blinking to make sure that it was really Saya who he saw standing there among the crowd. But no matter how many times he blinked, Saya remained there. She was undeniably herself. And Saya, obviously aware of his confusion, looked even more smug as she stared right back at him. Well, at least it¡¯s better than some stupid meme name, Fenrir thought. ¡°Trust me, onii-wan, there were so many bad names suggested that you should be overjoyed everybody liked Nameless the best,¡± Saya thought to him. Maybe it was a good thing that Saya went ahead to lead the crowd without them, though he never would have expected something like that from her. Had she not, Fenrir would have had to feel anxiety and suffer through the voting process and fear that an even worse name might have won. Nameless wasn¡¯t the best name, but it was good enough and he was already used to most calling the village that. So, Nameless it was. Book 9: Chapter 12: While Nell did the work of talking to the crowd and signing some official papers just to make the whole thing as formal as possible, as she was all about that sort of thing, Fenrir pulled Saya to the side to ask her about what happened. Though, she made sure to get a kebab from one of the nearby stalls before sitting down next to him on the bench he picked out. ¡°So, what was that about? You led the vote and everything, huh?¡± Fenrir asked. Saya took a bite out of her kebab and nodded. ¡°You had to know we were coming out soon. Why¡¯d you rush it?¡± ¡°I¡­ was too excited to wait.¡± ¡°You were?¡± ¡°Yeah. Because¡­ I wanted a place I could call my home. I¡¯ve never really had a real home before. I¡¯ve always been with you, and I guess I could say my home is wherever you is, but it¡¯s not really the same. No offense, onii-wan.¡± ¡°How dare you. I see it is. You saying that I¡¯m not a good enough home? I¡¯m not a good enough bed and pillow? My roof isn¡¯t big enough for you? My kitchen and bathroom¡ªwait, I¡¯m going to stop there. Thinking of any part of me being used as a bathroom is¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re gross.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. Just be grateful I¡¯m not into that.¡± ¡°Trust me, I am. You probably would have made me do weird stuff with you by now if you were. Anyways, do you know what I mean?¡± ¡°You already know I know what you mean.¡± Saya pouted and smacked Fenrir¡¯s arm. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I already know what you know. I still want to¡­ you know. It¡¯s¡­ a normal thing for people to ask for clarification. People aren¡¯t supposed to always know what¡¯s going on in the other person¡¯s head.¡± That helped Fenrir realized how serious Saya was actually being, and he felt like a fool for never figuring out that particular thing earlier. He always thought that it was silly of her to ask him such questions, but she always only did so to appear more human. Of course she knew everything that he thought. The point was that she was pretending not to and reminding her of being in his head only served to reinforce how inhuman she was. ¡°Sorry,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful of saying things like that in the future.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know you don¡¯t mean anything bad by it,¡± Saya said. ¡°But back to the home thing¡­ it¡¯s kind of related to that. People have places they can call home. Everybody has a country they were born in. A city. They have a place they live in that they can point out and call their home. I¡¯ve¡­ never had that. The closest thing I could call a home would be your head. So¡­ I was really excited thinking about this place finally having a name. I¡¯m no longer from ¡®that place on the coast.¡¯ I¡¯m from Nameless. Nameless is my home.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t about what it¡¯s named, you just want it to have any name.¡± ¡°Yeah. Now it feels like a real home. Like a home is supposed to be. And I guess¡­ it makes me feel like I have a stronger sense of identity. I¡¯ll be honest and admit that I¡¯m¡­ kind of dependent on you for everything. Everything I do revolves around you. I¡­ I want my own life, too, though. Having a place to say that I¡¯m from feels like it¡¯s building my identity. It makes me more than just your Saya.¡± ¡°But you are still my Pupaya, too, right?¡± ¡°Duh.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unhappy with my life revolving around you or anything. It¡¯s just that I want to be somebody I think is interesting. I¡¯m too much of a blank slate right now that only exists because of you. I don¡¯t have a favorite color, a favorite food, a favorite animal¡­ I don¡¯t have hobbies, my only friends are the same friends as yours¡­ I want to be more like a real person. I don¡¯t want to be a blank slate. Giving this place a name finally fills in a little more of my slate.¡± ¡°I know how else we could fill it in.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You could say your favorite food is my cum.¡± Saya took the pointed stick of her kebab and pointed it toward his crotch. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be on this if it¡¯s food? I could cut it off and slide it on.¡± ¡°Pl-please don¡¯t.¡± Saya groaned and blushed a little before smacking his arm again. ¡°Don¡¯t say such stupid perverted things out of nowhere!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst, onii-wan.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Saya took another bite from her kebab as she grumbled. Once she finished chewing, she said, ¡°Sorry for rambling so much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, not even for a second. I love you. You¡¯re my Pupaya. I just wish you would have let me know about this sooner.¡± ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want you to know beforehand.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Because I felt like it wouldn¡¯t mean as much. You know, it¡¯s like¡­ if you never call me cute¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡± ¡°Wait for me to finish my explanation at first! You hentai, baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°Music to my ears.¡± Naturally, Saya sighed again. ¡°As I was saying, it¡¯s like, if I want to be called cute but you never call me cute, then I¡¯d want you to do it without being told about it. If I told you I wanted to be called cute then it would take away from the impact. You¡¯d be calling me cute because you know it¡¯s what I want to hear.¡± ¡°Is there anything wrong with that? Couldn¡¯t you chalk that up to healthy communication in a relationship?¡± ¡°I¡­ yeah, but¡­ I think even if it would be healthy and recommended to be honest about what somebody wants¡­ the average person would still want the other person to behave in a certain way or say something without having to be told to. It¡¯s selfish, but¡­ this is kind of like that. Maybe I was being stupid. I¡¯m not really sure. All I know is that I felt like I wanted to wait for it to naturally happen instead of try to force it to happen early¡­ even though I kind of ended up doing that anyways.¡± ¡°But you did it on your own with everybody else instead of me, Miss Independent. Pretty soon you¡¯ll be saying, ¡®I¡¯m a strong, independent, puppy pseudo-imouto who don¡¯t need no onii-wan.¡¯¡± He got smacked again. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re becoming more abusive?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t even hard enough to push a feather.¡± ¡°Well, technically, I think it probably was.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fucked,¡± one of two men passing by said. ¡°It scared all the shitheads of society from doing anything for a bit, but now they¡¯re back. My girlfriend¡¯s apartment was broken into last week. If she wasn¡¯t staying with me when it happened¡­ don¡¯t want to think about what might have happened to her.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t get it,¡± the other man said. ¡°Basically everything on camera around the world got reported. Saved all those people and stopped thousands of crimes. Then¡­ nothing? What, was it like a government experiment or something? They proved that they can help us but don¡¯t?¡± Fenrir grabbed Saya¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s move somewhere else.¡± But Saya didn¡¯t respond. When he tried to pull her away, she even refused to remain sitting and listening. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do know it¡¯s bullshit,¡± the first man continued. ¡°If they have the ability to help, they should be. My girlfriend¡¯s apartment had a doorbell camera. What if she was home? Were they going to let them do whatever they wanted to her? Pisses me off even thinking about it.¡± The se cond man nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fucked, man. It¡¯s just not right to have that sort of power but not to use it. I mean, I guess I get the privacy concerns, but it saves thousands of people every day. But no, they¡ª¡± Saya stood up, her hands trembling as she looked at the ground. Fenrir didn¡¯t waste any time. Whether she wanted to leave or not, he pulled her away and took her to the one place where he could almost always count on giving them privacay. Below The Shoebill¡¯s deck. He wrapped his arms around her as soon as they were alone. It took everything in his power not to do it sooner, but he wanted to get her alone where she might not overhear anybody talking about such things. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Saya.¡± Saya, still trembling in silence within his arms, slowly¡ªalmost hesitantly¡ªwrapped her arms around him in return. And the floodgates were open once she did. She didn¡¯t say anything, but she cried against him after hiding her face against his chest. ¡°I¡¯m here for you. Always remember that.¡± That at least got a nod from her. She didn¡¯t do anything but cry and hold him for the next few minutes, though, until she eventually said, ¡°If¡­ if I was stronger¡­ I could help more people. But¡­ I¡ªI don¡¯t want to see everything that I saw before. But it¡¯s like they said. I have the power to save people and I¡¯m not using it. Doesn¡¯t¡­ doesn¡¯t that make me as bad as¡ª¡± ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t. You¡¯re not obligated to do anything, and anybody who wants to force you to do something at the cost of your health can get fucked. They¡¯re just as bad as the ones doing the crimes.¡± ¡°But my health isn¡¯t even in danger. It¡¯s just¡­ simulated. I¡¯m not a real person with real feelings no matter how much I want to be. All I can do is simulate what the character of Saya would want. I¡¯m only code. Code can¡¯t feel. I can¡¯t even really see you or feel you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no different from me or any human.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°You might be technically different, sure, but are you really that different? Just because you can¡¯t hear, see, or feel me in the same way that I can doesn¡¯t mean anything. What that means is that I can¡¯t hear, see, or feel you in the same way that you can. Just because we have different ways of perceiving our senses doesn¡¯t mean anything. We still do it, just differently. The end result is the same. As for everything else, even if you¡¯re just lines of code who responds to external things, then so are people. It¡¯s just that our lines of code are our brains instead. You¡¯re lines of code in a system. I¡¯m a brain in a body. They do the same thing. I remember when Eva was talking to me about things being predetermined, and as much as I don¡¯t want to think everything in life is potentially predetermined¡­ it¡¯s hard not to see her point. You¡¯re a technological computer. I¡¯m a biological computer. The format might change, but we¡¯re still the same in the end.¡± ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m fake. I¡¯m only pretending to be who I am. I don¡¯t feel real emotions.¡± ¡°Then why are you depressed? Why were you shaking when you heard them talking about you?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just a simulated response.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s the same when a human does it. We react because of chemical reactions in our brain telling us what we should do. In the end, we¡¯re still just reacting based off of what our own code is telling us to do.¡± ¡°Humans can¡¯t¡¯ just change who they are. I could be a completely different person at any moment.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not.¡± ¡°But I could.¡± ¡°And so could humans. Look at Cass. She used to be¡­ well, she admits to it herself, so I think it¡¯s alright to say she used to be a bitch. If I met her now and she still acted like she used to, I would probably want nothing to do with her. But she changed. She made herself do it. Or look at Aza. Aza is a dork of a teacher most of the time, but she can completely change her behavior to properly become Azalabulia. Even if that¡¯s just roleplay, it¡¯s still change. Humans can change who they are. The only difference is that it¡¯s a lot easier for you to do it.¡± ¡°Do you really believe that?¡± ¡°I do. You¡¯re no different from a human. You experience life differently, sure, but you still behave like a human. You experience the things that humans experience. You choose to look like a human. You¡¯re not just an AI and you¡¯re not somebody who anybody has any right of saying what you should or shouldn¡¯t do.¡± Saya whimpered against his chest before sighing. ¡°Thanks, onii-wan.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I¡¯m just reacting to the external stimulus of somebody I love and care about being upset. Totally no real feelings here. It¡¯s not like I want to make you feel better or anything.¡± Saya pulled her face away from his chest to look up at him with a pout. ¡°You know, now that I think about it, you really are the ultimate tsundere. You¡¯re all, ¡®oh, no, I don¡¯t actually feel anything for you, I¡¯m just pretending to like you, now ignore me while I constantly act lovey-dovey around you and always want to spend time with you. It¡¯s totally just lines of code in my brain. I swear I don¡¯t actually like you. Baka.¡¯ Wow, yeah, I can¡¯t unsee it now. Here you are, thinking you¡¯re all fake, when really you¡¯re just an extreme tsundere.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡ªdon¡¯t chalk all of that up to being a tsundere! I was serious!¡± ¡°Yeah, a serious tsundere.¡± Saya reached up and pinched his cheeks to pull them, only to then use her hold on him to pull his face down so that she could place a kiss on his lips. ¡°Baaaaaaaka.¡± ¡°Are you a sheep now?¡± Fenrir kissed her again. ¡°Or should I say, ¡®baaa?¡¯¡± Saya stared straight into his eyes with a blank expression before suddenly changing targets, locking her eyes onto his neck where she¡¯d latch on while pushing forward with enough force to knock him over. Fenrir didn¡¯t expect to find himself on his back on the ground with Saya on top of him, biting and sucking his neck, but he definitely wasn¡¯t going to complain about that. A bloodied bruise was left on his neck by the time that she was done with him. ¡°What was that for?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Not that I mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s to scare off all the other puppy pseudo-imoutos who might want to make you their onii-wan,¡± Saya answered. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t really think you have any competition in that area.¡± ¡°You never know when a gang of puppy pseudo-imoutos might arrive and try to make you their onii-wan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll always only be your onii-wan.¡± ¡°Good. Nobody else is allowed you call you that.¡± ¡°Speaking of calling people things, can you do that drawn out baaaaka thing again?¡± Saya smirked before leaning in close to Fenrir¡¯s nearest ear to whisper, ¡°Baaaaaaaaaaaa-ka.¡± A relaxed sigh left Fenrir¡¯s lips. ¡°That arouses me way more than it probably should.¡± ¡°You really are a baaaaaaaka. A perverted, baaaaaaaka onii-wan. You better always stay one. That¡¯s an order from your own personal puppy pseudo-imouto.¡± ¡°You giving me an order only makes me even more aroused.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the point. Maybe I want to thank you for making me feel better by giving you fanservice.¡± Saya bit the side of his ear, gently nibbling on it. Fenrir might not have been able to see her face, but he could at least watch as her tail wagged in the air above her. His tail probably would have been wagging just as much were it not for the fact that he was trapping it between himself and the floor. ¡°Hey, Saya.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Baka. I love you, too.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°He-hey¡­ that¡¯s not fair. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s supposed to be spoiling you right now.¡± ¡°Getting to watch how my puppy pseudo-imouto reacts to being spoiled is spoiling me.¡± ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re lucky you don¡¯t have anybody who takes advantage of you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let them.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Wha-what¡¯s with that ¡®uh-huh,¡¯ huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯d totally let your girlfriends and me walk all over you if we wanted to.¡± ¡°I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t. I think.¡± ¡°Mhm. You would.¡± ¡°Would¡ªwould I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you. You¡¯d only let them step on you, not walk on you.¡± ¡°Well, they can walk on my back. That feels nice.¡± Saya rolled her eyes before placing another kiss on Fenrir¡¯s lips. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. As fun as it¡¯d be to stay here and mess around¡­ I want to eat more of the food there. And everybody¡¯s together and having a little event, and we don¡¯t have those all the time, so I don¡¯t want to miss it.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea to me.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t get mad at anybody who says anything like they did earlier, okay? Even if it makes me feel bad¡­ they didn¡¯t say anything wrong. They¡¯re not bad people just because they made me feel bad.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I never really thought of it that way before. I guess I¡¯ve automatically been adding anybody who makes any of you feel bad to my ¡®this is a horrible person and I want to punch them¡¯ list.¡± ¡°Then stop.¡± Fenrir sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you special sweater fanservice if you upgrade that ¡®try¡¯ into a ¡®will.¡¯¡± ¡°What kind of sweater fanservice are we talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make some clones of myself of every body type, wear super comfy sweaters on all of them, and cuddle you all over.¡± ¡°Deal. I will stop automatically disliking anybody who upsets you or the others.¡± Saya gave him a few pats between his ears. ¡°Good boy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to want to let you leave if you keep that up.¡± Saya leaned in to get nice and close to his ear again to whisper, ¡°Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-ka,¡± one more time before jumping off of him and escaping to the deck before he could stop her. Fenrir took a few moments before getting up to think about everything that they discussed. He wanted to make Saya feel even more human, but he had no idea how to. Though, maybe all he needed to do was just treat her like a normal person. Then again, that was what he had been doing already and it didn¡¯t seem like enough. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do. He did still know something, though. ¡°I still want to punch those guys.¡± ¡°No sweater fanservice for you,¡± Saya mentally chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I take it back! I don¡¯t want to!¡± ¡°Imagine me sticking my tongue out at you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll imagine licking it if you stick it out at me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Since when is talking to me through my head hanging up on¡ª¡± ¡°Beeeeeeeeep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeep.¡± ¡°The audacity. She actually hung up on me.¡± With a sigh and a smile, Fenrir went above deck to go and join the others back at the square. Book 9: Chapter 13: With the town having officially been named Nameless, everybody celebrated and had a good time with one another. There was dancing, some music, a variety of food¡ªmostly different fish cooked in different ways¡ªand overall a good time to be had. However, the next day, it was time for Fenrir to get to work. Before he could focus more on the submarine project, though, he had to get his new spy into action. That was why he went to the cell that Lazarus was still being held at to get in some final words with his new agent before sending him on his way. ¡°Alright, Lazzy boy, let¡¯s get started.¡± Lazarus was only around Fenrir for less than a minute and he was already groaning. ¡°Can you¡­ please¡­ just call me Lazarus? Or Laz? Anything but¡­ ¡®Lazzy boy.¡¯¡± What do you think, Saya? Do I call him Lazzy-chan? ¡°Technically, you¡¯re asking me for advice on an in-game matter while talking to me as your virtual assistant, so I¡¯m not allowed to give input,¡± Saya answered. Come on. ¡°I¡¯m still your virtual assistant which means I¡¯m not allowed to assist you, as a virtual assistant, in any way. That includes dealing with other players.¡± You¡¯re so professional sounding all of a sudden. ¡°I still believe in doing my job properly, thank you very much.¡± Fenrir sighed and gave up. ¡°Alright, Laz. I¡¯ll stick with that. Good?¡± ¡°Good. Thanks.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to keep going back and forth saying ¡®good.¡¯¡± Another sigh already left Fenrir¡¯s lips. ¡°You¡¯re too serious. You¡¯ve got to lighten up. Get fun and silly.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you want to grief and troll our former group, right? They¡¯re all the edgy and serious types. Do you know what¡¯s going to happen if you go and be your usual, brooding self? If they find out you¡¯re a spy or whatever? It¡¯s not going to bother them that much. It¡¯d be too basic. How do I put this better¡­ alright. So, we have a super edgy group. Somebody joins that group by being super edgy and then betrays them. The betrayer is still super edgy and brooding even after the fact. He always fit in and still fits in even after betraying them. The group he betrayed is going to think he¡¯s an asshole and want to kill him on sight but that¡¯s about it. Following me?¡± ¡°Yeah, makes sense.¡± ¡°Right. You would just think somebody like that is an asshole traitor, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not repeating ¡®yeah¡¯ over and over, either.¡± And so the third sigh left Fenrir¡¯s lips. ¡°Moving on. Now, we¡¯re going to replace that brooding edgy traitor with somebody who is actually super silly and outgoing. Of course, they pretend to be brooding and edgy and all that to fit in until the climax. But then, when it¡¯s finally revealed that they¡¯re a traitor¡­ that¡¯s when they bomb the place with rainbow glitter while singing along to some old children¡¯s cartoon¡¯s opening song. You make them feel like complete idiots for falling for your act, you piss them off and make them think you¡¯re the most annoying little fuck in the entire world, and you completely ruin the atmosphere by acting in the exact opposite way of what they want. Still following?¡± ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°Of course, the opposite is also true. Acting all super friendly and outgoing in a group of friendly and outgoing people, then you reveal you¡¯ve been an edgy murderhobo the entire time and slaughter everybody before planting their heads on spikes. The extreme contrast here is what¡¯s important and what really gets under your enemy¡¯s skin. That¡¯s how you be annoying and not just an asshole. And being annoying is the purest form of trolling.¡± ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s the purest?¡± ¡°Think about it. Trolling exists because we like to get reactions out of people. Usually negative reactions. Of course, ever since the twenties, people took ¡®trolling¡¯ to mean something way more serious. What with ¡®internet trolls¡¯ being all over the news as disinformation propagandists trying to argue with people in bad faith to bring more people over to their side and all that boring stuff, but that¡¯s not real trolling. That was just modern propaganda and disinfo ops that stole the name of trolling. True trolling is done to get a reaction out of people.¡± ¡°Hold on. Isn¡¯t that still how the disinfo stuff works? Like, let¡¯s say there are some neutral guys who don¡¯t know whether the sky is blue or green¡­ for whatever reason since they can¡¯t tell that it¡¯s obviously blue. You say it¡¯s blue, I argue that it¡¯s green, and I use logic that pisses you off and gets that anger and annoyance out of you which makes you look irrational and emotional, and then those neutral parties take my side because of your reaction. Isn¡¯t that still basically trolling to get a reaction?¡± ¡°I¡ªwell. Alright. I¡¯ll give you that one. The only way for me to really define trolling here is to gatekeep it. So, as one of the most infamous troll leaders to ever exist in gaming, allow me to gatekeep the absolute heck out of trolling. Ultimately, with your example, trolling is being done for a greater cause. You¡¯re not doing it just to get their reaction, you¡¯re doing it to use their reaction. You have the ill intent of manipulating their reaction to fuel your cause. That might technically be trolling, but it¡¯s not really trolling. You know, it¡¯s like the brownie versus cake debate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a debate?¡± ¡°Do you think brownies are cakes?¡± ¡°Of course not. A brownie¡¯s a brownie. Anybody who thinks otherwise has never had a brownie.¡± ¡°Oh, let me tell you, there¡¯s a huge debate about that if you look in the right places. Technically, brownies are cakes, but nobody who has ever eaten a brownie and is arguing in good faith would actually call a brownie a cake. If they do call a brownie a cake, they¡¯re barbarians who might as well say that apples and oranges are the same thing. Now, what about ice cream cakes? Are ice cream cakes actually cakes?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But technically, they¡¯re not cakes. Even so, they fit the spirit of being a cake. What I¡¯m trying to say here is that¡­ actually, I got way too distracted by food analogies. Back to the brownie thing since the cake one isn¡¯t actually relevant. Brownies are technically cakes, but they don¡¯t fit the spirit of being a cake. Trolling for a greater cause is technically trolling, but it doesn¡¯t fit the spirit of being a troll. A true, honest, genuine troll trolls because they can. They don¡¯t troll for some greater reason or to push an agenda or anything like that. They troll because it¡¯s fun. The fun is in getting a reaction out of a person that they wouldn¡¯t have had without your trolling. To make somebody react to you is the ultimate goal of trolling. Therefore, the bigger the reaction, the better you¡¯re doing. Being called an asshole? That¡¯s barely a reaction. Annoying somebody so hard that they ragequit? That¡¯s better. Completely subverting somebody¡¯s plans and ruining all of their hard work while mocking them to their face by acting in the exact opposite manner that they conduct themselves in? Now¡ªnow we¡¯re getting into what it¡¯s like to really troll.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Getting inspired by hearing all of that is making me realize how horrible of a person I am.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know the feeling. Embrace it. My logic is that it¡¯s alright to be a horrible person as long as we aim our horribleness at the right people. If you¡¯re horrible to horrible people, then it cancels out and makes you a good person.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some mental gymnastics right there.¡± ¡°If gymnastics weren¡¯t legitimate then gymnasts wouldn¡¯t win medals.¡± Lazarus stared Fenrir head on for a few moments as the gears turned in his head to understand that. ¡°I feel like I should counter that, but I liked it too much. Alright. You¡¯ve got me. What¡¯s next?¡± As for Fenrir, he couldn¡¯t help but to feel smug as he crossed his arms over his chest and held his head up high. This takes me back to the old days of training new recruits, he thought. ¡°Alright. Now we know what the truth of trolling is: getting the biggest reaction possible from somebody¡ªnot for the sake of any greater reason¡ªbut because we want to. Because it¡¯s funny. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy on the inside with a side of realizing we¡¯re terrible people that society would be better off without. Now, our target is a group of murderhobo edgelords. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the opposite of being a murderhobo edgelord?¡± ¡°A carebear who likes romcoms?¡± ¡°I would have settled for just ¡®carebear¡¯ but the ¡®likes romcoms¡¯ part was a nice addition to that. Now, because you¡¯re going to be spying for us, that means you can¡¯t just give away your act and go full romcom-loving carebear.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really think I have that in me anyways.¡± ¡°But you could always act like you do, couldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t imagine myself singing and dancing around the place acting all happy.¡± ¡°Alright, maybe you don¡¯t have to do that, but you could still try doing some subtle things here and there.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Use the power of love.¡± ¡°¡­ huh?¡± ¡°By love I mean, I mean hearts. And by hearts, I mean drawing little hearts here and then or dropping positive messages where people will find them that say things like, ¡®Believe in yourself!¡¯ Or ¡®Sharing is caring!¡¯ And ¡®I love you!¡¯ Stuff like that. You don¡¯t have to mean it. You don¡¯t have to put on a special act. All you have to do is be subtle, make sure you¡¯re not caught, and watch all the edgelords cringe from finding messages like that in their super dark and edgy murderhobo hideout.¡± ¡°They¡¯d probably just laugh at stuff like that.¡± ¡°They¡¯d be laughing on the outside. Look, part of trolling is being able to tell how people feel on the inside. You could troll somebody and they might go, ¡®haha, you¡¯re not going to get a reaction out of me, I just think you¡¯re pathetic and am laughing. I¡¯m not mad at you at all. Good try.¡¯ But on the inside, they¡¯re raging. They wouldn¡¯t go through that much effort to tell you that they¡¯re totally not mad unless they¡¯re actually mad. Never trust when somebody says they¡¯re not mad. And you know what? Even if they aren¡¯t actually mad, if they can tell you don¡¯t believe them, then there¡¯s a chance that they¡¯ll actually get mad since they¡¯ll know you actually believe they are. People don¡¯t like being doubted when it comes to their emotions. As for the murderhobos, chances are that they¡¯re going to see those messages, laugh about them with each other to try and fit in and look like they don¡¯t care, and then die on the inside because it reminds them of things they¡¯ve probably never experienced or wish that they could.¡± ¡°Then isn¡¯t that basically prying on the insecurities of people who you believe are so emotionally damaged that they¡¯re doing all sorts of fucked up stuff in a game to cope with it?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make us worse than them? They¡¯re just trying to cope and we¡¯re fucking with them.¡± ¡°Then they shouldn¡¯t have fucked with me. Are you forgetting the whole thing about trying to suicide bomb us with a chemical weapon? They lost all sympathy from me as soon as they were stupid enough to try that. Huh. Speaking of chemical weapons¡­ I wonder if there¡¯s a way to develop some sort of gas or drug that makes people super happy and lovey-dovey. Imagine spiking the water there with some sort of chemical that makes everybody act all mushy and clingy with each other. A bunch of edgelords would end up getting into a giant cuddle puddle together.¡± ¡°That would actually be pretty funny.¡± ¡°Right? I bet a bunch of them have stupid spikes on their armor. They¡¯d probably all stab each other to death just from trying to cuddle.¡± ¡°I can confirm a ton of them wear spikes. Like, an excessive amount of spikes.¡± ¡°Alright. Cuddling gas has been added to my list of things I want. Anyways, all you¡¯re really going to need to do is spy on them, find a way to report information to me, and¡ªfor your own fun¡ªfind little ways to troll them with things like positivity, hearts and smiley faces drawn on the walls, and so on.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean I¡¯ve got to find a way to report info to you? Don¡¯t you have something for me to use?¡± ¡°Nope. I figure that there¡¯s still an eighty percent chance or so that you¡¯re just playing along with me right now and are going to either try to betray me or just lose all interest once you respawn back at their base. If you actually end up being friendly and seriously decide to betray them, then I¡¯ll trust you to figure out a way to report information to me to prove how serious you are about this.¡± Lazarus sighed and rubbed his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re asking a lot of me now. Also, wait. Trolling isn¡¯t done for a greater reason or anything, right?¡± Fenrir gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t all of this to get revenge and to stop them from ever messing with you again? Doesn¡¯t that count as a greater reason? If you were doing it just because you wanted to do it then you wouldn¡¯t have waited.¡± It was Fenrir¡¯s time to stare blankly ahead as the gears turned in his head for a few moments. ¡°Well¡­ you see, there¡¯s a sliding scale when it comes to things like this.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m doing it for a greater reason. It¡¯s just¡­ they caught my attention, so¡ªalright. I¡¯m doing it for a greater reason. I want revenge and I want to put them in their place to show them what real trolling is like. Even if they don¡¯t really view what they¡¯re doing as trolling, they¡¯re nothing but griefers trying to ruin other people¡¯s days. So, I¡¯m going to show them what it¡¯s like to really ruin somebody¡¯s day.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a hypocrite. But working with you sounds more fun than working with them, so I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°You really are only in this for whoever is going to make the most fun for you, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah. I mean, it¡¯s a game. The whole point is to have fun. I¡¯ll be honest, if somebody more fun invites me to work with them and they want me to betray you, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°I can respect the honesty. But you should try to be a bit more careful than that.¡± ¡°Why bother?¡± ¡°Because you never know who you¡¯re going to get on the bad side off. I can promise you that no matter what you do to me in a game, I¡¯m never going to try doxing you or going after you outside of it. But other people¡ªyou troll somebody hard enough and they¡¯re never going to let you live it down. They will try everything in their power to get revenge on you. Of course, they¡¯re usually too cowardly to actually try anything in person, but they can still give your name and location out to everybody, call the police on you, maybe even come to your house and cut your power¡ªall of this stuff happens. Maybe not as much as it used to back in the day when it was a massive problem, but it still happens. Though, you probably won¡¯t have to worry about that in FTO thanks to the virtual assistants¡­ and the overseer. But in other games where you don¡¯t have those layers of protection, or if you¡¯re not careful about who you give information to that you meet in this game, then you might be in trouble.¡± ¡°Damn. Has that stuff really happened?¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s one famous story about a couple of guys in a game we used to play. A massive battle was set to happen that would result in one side claiming a ton of territory while the other got nothing. Somebody from one of the game¡¯s guilds found out who the enemy¡¯s leader was in real life, went to his house, and cut his power. Nobody ever found out who did it, but some people take these things seriously. Honestly, if this was any other game, I¡¯d probably just say screw it and not bother with the End Bringers. But I know they won¡¯t be able to dig anything up on me without going through the overseer, and¡­ she wouldn¡¯t let that happen.¡± Fenrir might have had his issues with Kadi, but he had faith in her when it came to the game¡¯s integrity and the safety of its players. Even if her own views were different from his when it came to what exactly was perfectly acceptable to do in the game, he figured she would never let somebody inflict harm in the real world. Not to mention that there were always virtual assistants to prevent players from saying too much information related to the real world, and then there was always the fact that Fenrir knew how to be extremely careful with what information he gave out to people. ¡°Anyways,¡± he continued, ¡°we talked before about going after bigger fish for a real challenge and to really make a name for yourself. Now we¡¯ve talked about what it means to really troll somebody. You¡¯re going to be a legend if you pull this off. Heck, betray them and then betray me and you¡¯ll really be a legend. Nobody will ever trust you again, but hey, maybe you¡¯ll get to start up your own group of trolls who all want to take after you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really expecting me to betray you, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lazarus asked. ¡°Once a traitor, usually a traitor. All I want is for you to wait to betray me until after we fuck with the End Bringers. Then you can stab me in the back whenever you want and I won¡¯t complain.¡± ¡°Betraying you doesn¡¯t even sound like it¡¯d be any fun if you¡¯re expecting it and¡­ wait. You¡¯re purposely making it sound boring so I won¡¯t do it, aren¡¯t you? You just got done talking about how I should do things that are going to get the biggest reaction out of people, and now you¡¯re telling me about how you won¡¯t even have a reaction since you¡¯re expecting it.¡± Fenrir winked and shushed him before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not the strongest fighter, the smartest strategist, the funniest comedian, or anything like that¡­ but, as much as I probably shouldn¡¯t feel proud about admitting this, I am really good at manipulating people when I want to. I¡¯ve basically spent half my life screwing with people in games, playing them against each other, ruining their days, researching psychology to maximize my trolling potential¡ªI know how to fuck with people. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to teach the End Bringers a lesson. And you¡¯re going to come along for how fun of a ride that¡¯s going to be.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just talk like that more often? All that other stuff, like talking about the concept of trolling and whatever, is boring. This is how you get me pumped up. Damn, you get me excited when you talk like that.¡± ¡°In that case, ready to go back and begin your mission?¡± ¡°Yeah. And I¡¯ll figure a way to get in contact with you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Fenrir took Rod off his hip and transformed him into a sword. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Ho-hold on, are you just going to¡ª¡± ¡°Yep.¡± It was bloody, but it was efficient. Fenrir stabbed his blade through Lazarus¡¯s heart to instantly kill him. No matter how strong Lazarus might have been in the game, no player was going to survive having their heart stabbed through. Lazarus¡¯s corpse fell to the ground. A day later and he would respawn back at the End Bringer¡¯s base which was where he last slept to set a spawn point. ¡°You know, Saya,¡± Fenrir said out loud, swinging Rod to get the blood off before returning him to his hip. ¡°One of the best ways to make somebody think you¡¯re not going to screw them over is to admit to them how manipulative you are. You let them know that and a part of them is going to think, ¡®wow, so I must be special, I¡¯m different because he¡¯s telling me about this. He wouldn¡¯t tell me about manipulating people if he planned on manipulating me.¡¯ That might not be exact, but it¡¯s usually close enough to how they think.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst, onii-wan,¡± Saya replied. ¡°Trust me, FTO hasn¡¯t seen me at my worst yet. But I feel like that might happen soon.¡± ¡°This whole thing really is bringing out that troll side of yours.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just for these assholes.¡± ¡°It better be. It¡¯s hot when you¡¯re like this to assholes, but I¡¯m abandoning you if you ever act like this to somebody innocent who doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡ªwait. It¡¯s hot?¡± ¡°Beeeeeeeep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeep.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t keep pretending to hang up to avoid me!¡± ¡°Beep. Beep. Watch me. Beep. Beep.¡± ¡°I will find you, and I will lewd you.¡± ¡°B-beep¡­¡± Book 9: Chapter 14: Ryouta had a night to himself for once. All of his girlfriends were either busy in-game or, in Alice¡¯s case, watching TV downstairs. Even Ryouta had moments that he didn¡¯t want to spend in the virtual world, so he decided to do something else fun and exciting instead. And that fun and exciting thing¡­ was sitting at his computer browsing random memes and videos on the internet, occasionally slightly smiling whenever something actually funny showed up. Though, before going to the next video, he noticed something interesting pop up on the sidebar of the site he was on. There was a live interview going on with Jenson Clark, the creator of Kadi and Fantasy Tales Online. That sounded like the most interesting thing to watch at the moment, and it had been a good time since he last watched anything involving him, so he gave it a shot and opened up the interview. It was already underway, but it looked like Ryouta only missed the first couple of minutes of it. The woman asking the interview questions wasn¡¯t visible in the video, but Jenson Clark himself was. He looked like a man in his mid twenties despite pushing fifty. Then again, with how wealthy and famous he was, he had access to all of the latest technology and medicine to retain a youthful appearance. Not to mention that he was rich enough to have his own, private, self-sustaining space station to live in. Despite all the debris in orbit around Earth and every new launch of satellites being a massive, risky ordeal often met with international backlash seeing as how the world¡¯s governments were still doing their best to clean the space around Earth as much as possible, he still went and chose to live in a space station where he could be on his own with his work. Though, technically, he had Kadi with him, so he wasn¡¯t completely alone. ¡°I see!¡± the interviewer said. Ryouta missed what the question and his answer were. ¡°So, you¡¯ve said before that your motivation in life was to create the ultimate gaming experience. Is that really true? You did everything for the sole purpose of gaming?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jenson replied. ¡°I remember when I was a kid¡­ I dreamt of a future where games were as realistic as reality. Games where we could truly live new lives within them. But with political collapse and climate change on the horizon, I knew that I would never get to experience that future without dealing with the more immediate problems first. Now, there wasn¡¯t anything I could do about politics. Robert Shaw thankfully had something to do about that. What I could, however, do, was focus on the environment. Renewable energy, more efficient computer hardware, cleaner materials¡ªI strived to make humanity¡¯s footprint on the climate as small as possible. Even so, as¡­ immoral as it might make me sound, I wasn¡¯t doing that for the world nor was I doing it for humanity. I did it for my dream.¡± ¡°Can you elaborate on that?¡± ¡°Gladly. I don¡¯t get many opportunities to talk to anybody up here, so I¡¯m happy to answer questions. That being said, everything I¡¯ve done was with the intent to make my dream a reality. Renewable energy unlike anything we¡¯ve seen before, efficient hardware, clean materials that could be produced in mass for computers and batteries¡ªeverything that I¡¯ve done for the environment is being used for my dream. The technology I helped perfect for energy is what powers the grids used to keep the world of Fantasy Tales Online online. The hardware I created is what makes it possible to perform all the calculations needed for it. The materials meant I wouldn¡¯t bankrupt the world several times over trying to afford everything. While it might look like I cared about the world¡­ I didn¡¯t, honestly. What I cared about was my dream. I didn¡¯t do anything that I knew I wouldn¡¯t someday be able to use for it.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see. And you have faced controversy before regarding similar statements, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course. People don¡¯t like to hear that I don¡¯t care about them. But, why should I lie? History has been full of men in positions similar to me who lie about how they care about the people. They make empty promises and speak of their love for the world and humanity while destroying both in the process. Me? I saved both while admitting that I don¡¯t truly care for either. How about you? If you have to choose between a politician who claims to care about you while continually implementing new policies that hurt you while destroying the environment, or a narcissist who only cares about his dream but still saves you and everybody you love in the process of pursuing his dream, who would you rather have?¡± ¡°I would rather have somebody who is honest and also cares about us.¡± ¡°But that wasn¡¯t an option, not to mention it is even more unrealistic than the tooth fairy. In fact, I would sooner believe the tooth fairy manifesting in reality than I would a leader who is honest and cares about the people.¡± ¡°Robert Shaw was a man who was both.¡± ¡°Robert Shaw was a man who became what he needed to be for the sake of himself. He never wanted to do what what he did. He only did what he knew he needed to do. Ultimately, he was an incredibly selfish man who couldn¡¯t stand living under others, so he sought to rise up against those who kicked him down. He didn¡¯t do what he did because he cared about us. He did what he did because he cared about himself. It just so happened that by selfishly improving the world for himself, he improved it for all of us.¡± ¡°How dare you¡ªa-ah¡­ I¡¯m being told that we¡¯re going off the topic.¡± The interviewer didn¡¯t sound happy about it, but she changed the subject and went back to the script regardless. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Kadi.¡± Jenson Clark leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± ¡°Was she also part of your dream?¡± ¡°She was required for it. I wanted the perfect game, but where would the fun be in that if I knew everything about it? If I programmed it myself? As a child, I loved that feeling of exploration and discovery when playing new games. I wouldn¡¯t get to experience that feeling if I already knew everything that there was about the game. So, I needed to create something capable of creating the game for me. I needed something capable of creating and managing an entire world without me knowing anything about it. That was why I created Kadi. I created God. A being more intelligent than any human capable of constructing entire worlds in just hours. Well, when I put it that way, I suppose she surpassed God. God took, what, six days to supposedly create the world? He¡¯s nothing compared to Kadi if that¡¯s his record.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re virtual worlds, not real worlds.¡± ¡°And? Does it matter if the virtual world is as real as the physical one? If you were to put a newborn into the world of FTO, they could live an entire lifetime within the game without ever missing out on anything the physical world offers. There is not a single thing that the physical world offers that can not be simulated within Kadi¡¯s world.¡± ¡°It sounds to me like you¡¯re more interested in replacing reality than video games.¡± ¡°Perhaps I am. A sufficiently advanced game replaces the need for the physical world. You can have a world that perfectly simulates the physical one, or you can have one that only leaves in the good. While it is possible to feel pain in Kadi¡¯s world, it is also possible to turn that setting off. A world where you only have to experience what you want to experience. And should you get bored of it¡­ you could go to another one. Imagine being able to jump to any world you want at any time, all of which are as realistic as the physical world in terms of appearance and sensations. You could be fighting a dragon one moment, get bored, and then go command a spaceship to explore the universe. Maybe once you¡¯re done with that, you go to a normal world where you live a simple life, own a house, and go to work. You could even have a partner and kids in that world. Maybe a dog, too. Only, you can leave whenever you want without any feelings of guilt. Your dog won¡¯t die if you don¡¯t log in to feed him every now and then. Your family won¡¯t leave you or think you¡¯re horrible for having other families in other games, yet will act in such a way that they are indistinguishable from real people. Or you could choose to have them act exactly like real people to the point where you have to give them attention every now and then if you don¡¯t want them to leave you. In other words, through ¡®video games,¡¯ I am creating entire worlds where humanity can live any sort of lives they want.¡± ¡°You say all of that, but isn¡¯t FTO the only game you currently have?¡± ¡°Currently, yes.¡± ¡°Then, are there plans for more of these games? Andi s Kadi going to create and manage all of them?¡± ¡°Who knows? Other than Kadi, that is. I created Kadi to make my dream a reality. Part of my dream involved getting to experience all of these potential worlds just as anybody else would without any behind-the-scenes knowledge of them. In other words, Kadi will do whatever she wants. It just so happens that I made her want to create new worlds for humanity. Replacements that far surpass the original in every way. She does the work of thousands of researchers and programmers every single minute that passes. Every single hour, every day. She doesn¡¯t need rest. She is the perfect creator for humanity¡¯s future.¡± ¡°Did she have something to do with the event where law enforcement agencies around the world were flooded with calls and tips simultaneously?¡± ¡°Of course not. She doesn¡¯t care about that.¡± ¡°Would she be able to do something about that if she wanted to?¡± ¡°Absolutely. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t put it beyond her to cure every illness known to man overnight if she truly tried to. But maybe that¡¯s just me being biased.¡± ¡°If you truly think she¡¯s capable of that, why don¡¯t you have her help medical researchers? Or create another AI to help them?¡± ¡°I told you earlier that everything I have done is in pursuit of my dream. How would doing that help it? Why would I bother curing real world ailments when I can create new worlds where such ailments don¡¯t exist in the first place? Or where they can be easily cured with magic? Only those who would want to experience such illnesses would ever have to deal with them.¡± ¡°How¡­ do you expect,¡± the interviewer sounded like she was losing her patience, ¡°people to experience your worlds if they die from illnesses you could have prevented?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked that. You see, the process of evolution takes far too long. It can take millions of years for meaningful changes to occur outside of things like selective breeding for specific traits, such as what we¡¯ve done with animals. There is also gene editing, but that leaves a lot to be desired and is very¡­ artificial. Ironic, I know, to call something like that artificial. But it is. It leaves me wanting for true evolution. Simply changing somebody by editing their genes is not true evolution. That is like calling breast implants a form of evolution. No, true evolution is something permanent. Something that happens without the individual needing to be changed.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that humanity must evolve, truly evolve, for my dream to become reality. What point is there in having such flawless, virtual worlds if we are still bound by the flesh of our physical bodies?¡± ¡°You sound insane. Are you implying you want to upload our brains into computers?¡± ¡°Please, that is no more evolution than gene editing.¡± ¡°Then what are you implying? How are you going to achieve this ¡®dream¡¯ of yours?¡± ¡°Only Kadi knows that. Now, I probably shouldn¡¯t say this because it¡¯s going to spawn no few number of conspiracy theories and dramatic headlines, but the future of humanity is within Kadi¡¯s hands. Humanity now has its first real god, and I am her creator.¡± Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to chuckle when he heard that. ¡°I see where Kadi got her personality from. Man, this guy¡¯s an asshole. Can¡¯t believe I used to look up to him.¡± While the interviewer let her emotions loose against Jenson again, a notification popped up in the corner of Ryouta¡¯s monitor to let him know that Eva messaged him on Fiscord. He didn¡¯t even check what the message was before closing the interview, alt-tabbing to Fiscord, and calling her. He didn¡¯t waste any time in getting to the point. All that narcissistic rambling of Jenson wasn¡¯t what was really important in life. What was really important was getting to see his girlfriend again. ¡°So, when are you coming back?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Geez, not even a ¡®hi¡¯ first,¡± Eva replied. ¡°Hi. I miss you. When are you coming back?¡± ¡°Well¡­ about that.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that you¡¯re not coming back soon with how you said that.¡± ¡°Probably not for a few more days. I¡¯m having a lot of fun hanging out with everybody at the Scholars¡¯ HQ. It¡¯s fun to nerd out with everybody over all the things they¡¯ve discovered, even if they¡¯re really little things. So¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t need to apologize for wanting to hang out with your friends and play with them. I mean, technically, we¡¯re the ones who kept you away from them when you were supposed to return a long time ago, right?¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t mind?¡± ¡°Well, if I¡¯m being honest, I do feel a tiny bit jealous and I want to see you again, but I¡¯d rather you be happy and have fun with your friends. I don¡¯t want to be one of those jealous boyfriends who tries to keep his girlfriend away from hanging out with others. I¡¯d hate myself if I became that.¡± ¡°Heh. Yeah, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d still love you if you acted like that, but I still kind of feel bad even if I know I shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s stupid, but it almost feels like I¡¯m betraying you all by having fun with my friends.¡± ¡°I understand what you mean. When you hang out with the same people all the time, even if you¡¯re in love with them and dating them, sometimes it can be more fun and exciting to go hang out with somebody else for a change. And then you feel guilty about it because you don¡¯t like them as much. A lot of people probably start thinking that they¡¯re not really in love at that point or something, but that¡¯s going too far with it. I just think¡­ it¡¯s natural to feel that way. And then when you go back to spending time with the people you really care about, it¡¯s even more enjoyable again. It¡¯s like having a battery. If you¡¯re always with the same person, that battery is always going to be topped off and doesn¡¯t need charging. Meanwhile your batteries for other people run out of energy and need charging. Once you spend time with them, that first battery will actually need charged again and you¡¯ll enjoy charging it. Does that make sense?¡± ¡°Yeah, it does. And I already feel my batteries for all of you draining, so I promise not to be too much longer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Spend as much time as you want with your friends. Besides, we can still talk like this.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°We can even be lewd like this.¡± ¡°Wai-wait, how?¡± ¡°What, you¡¯ve never heard of phone sex?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°We can masturbate together.¡± ¡°Oh. Right. That¡­ that makes sense.¡± ¡°We should do it.¡± ¡°Right now?!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°What made you horny all of a sudden?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been horny ever since getting on call with you and hearing your voice.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my secret, Eva. I¡¯m always horny. I¡¯m always ready to do lewd things with any of you at any time.¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t you be having sex with Serra twenty-four-seven?¡± ¡°Serra¡­ is the exception. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to fuck her, it¡¯s just that she has limitless energy when it comes to sex and it¡¯s impossible for me to keep up with her. That¡¯s why I can only go so many rounds with her before having to tap out and bring one of you in to replace me.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I know what you mean. A-anyways, we can¡­ do it before bed, alright?¡± ¡°How far away is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe an hour or two? Wait, what about everybody else? Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward for you to do something like that with me while they¡¯re all there?¡± ¡°Cass and Serra are training in-game. Well, it¡¯s more like Cass is teaching Serra the basics of fighting. And Alice is downstairs binging some new vampire drama that she¡¯s been waiting for to finish so that she can watch the entire series in one go. But seeing as how there are like¡­ six seasons, and each season has twelve episodes, and each episode is almost an hour long, she¡¯s probably going to pass out while watching it. I¡¯m pretty sure Alice only plans on spending the bare minimum amount of time with us and doing in-game stuff until she¡¯s done watching that.¡± ¡°Not gonna watch it with her?¡± ¡°I tried. The dialogue made me cringe to the point of leaving within a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, it made her make all sorts of¡­ fangirl noises.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a love triangle, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s always a love triangle in those kinds of things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even need to watch for more than a couple of minutes to tell that there was a love triangle.¡± ¡°Are there werewolves involved?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, but probably. Those things always have love triangles and werewolves. Sometimes demons and angels. And witches.¡± ¡°You sound like you know a lot about those kinds of shows.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I listen to Alice talk about them all the time and every single one sounds the exact same. I think she¡¯s watched every single series like that from the last¡­ fifty years? And we never eat in silence. If there¡¯s ever a single silent second while we¡¯re having dinner or something, she brings up something to talk about, and there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯s going to be about one of her dramas.¡± ¡°You sound like a stereotypical husband ranting about his wife.¡± ¡°I love her, and I¡¯ll always listen to her¡­ just don¡¯t force me to watch those shows with her. I can handle listening to somebody talk about them but I can¡¯t handle actually watching them.¡± ¡°I know what you mean. I don¡¯t mind listening to her talk about her fantasies and stuff, but almost all of it is way too extreme for my tastes. I wouldn¡¯t actually try it out.¡± ¡°Gasp, say it ain¡¯t so. The woman who loves to try everything once and has no problem doing incredibly dangerous and stupid things wouldn¡¯t want to try out a bunch of sex stuff?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ there¡¯s a difference between being a scientist and daredevil, and being sexually excited by a bunch of perverted fantasies. Wanting to take a bath in lava is one thing. Wanting to get tied up and screwed by a bunch of monsters without my consent is something else entirely.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not opposed to trying out¡­ you know, normal people fantasies. Like all sorts of different BDSM stuff. Like, I saw a clip once of a girl in some really tight black suit. Latex I think. I would try that. Or get tied up and hung by a rope from the ceiling. Just, not with the rope around my neck in case that part wasn¡¯t obvious.¡± ¡°So, in other words, you want to try out realistic, consensual fantasies. You¡¯re just not interested in trying out all of her nonconsensual fantasy¡­ fantasies.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ryouta stopped to think for a few moments before saying, ¡°I can¡¯t really imagine you wearing latex. Then again, I don¡¯t think I can imagine any of you wearing latex. Wait. I can kind of imagine Serra wearing like, a really tight dominatrix suit, but that¡¯s it. And¡­ when I try to imagine that, she looks more cute than hot.¡± Eva sighed and Ryouta could practically hear her shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong. Serra would be nice in one, but I want to see Cass or Aza in one. I think they look better when you have a girl with a huge chest being squeezed into it. Especially if you leave the top open a little so that their boobs are basically popping out of it.¡± ¡°Damn. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard this side of you before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest with you here, I¡¯m way more attracted to women than men. Their bodies are just nicer to look at.¡± ¡°On one hand, I feel a little offended. On the other hand, I completely agree.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not attracted to you. I love all of you equally. But I¡¯m attracted to you because I fell in love with you, whereas I¡¯m attracted to women because¡­ they¡¯re women. Wait, does that sound bad? I feel like I might be insulting¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m dating multiple, beautiful women who I love and who want to spend their lives with me and love doing lewd things with me. Do you think I¡¯m going to complain if one of them finds girls more attractive than me?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that selfish. Anyways, go on.¡± ¡°Go on about what?¡± ¡°Cass and Aza in latex suits.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I think they look best on girls with curves, and they¡¯re the curviest out of all of us. They¡¯ve got big boobs, wide hips, thick thighs¡ªthey¡¯ve got those perfect hourglass figures, you know? Latex can be really tight, so it tends to compress everything. If you don¡¯t have a full figure then that makes it really obvious. Like, I¡¯ve got pretty average boobs. But if I wore a suit like that, it would make me look almost flat. But with Cass or Aza, no matter how tight the suit is, it would be impossible to make them look flat. You¡¯d still get to see their curves no matter how hard the suit tries to compress them.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought about this a lot.¡± ¡°It¡­ it might be one of my fetishes. But I never really thought they¡¯d be alright with trying it out, so I never brought it up before.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever even considered it. Maybe they¡¯ll be willing to try it out.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ hey.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You uh¡­ I know I said it might be an hour or two, but¡­ now that we¡¯re talking about this¡­ I¡¯ve gotten kind of worked up. That offer of doing it together still stand?¡± ¡°It does. Just let me go grab some tissues.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go get a towel.¡± ¡°What do you need a towel for?¡± ¡°To sit on. I don¡¯t want to have to try and wash the chair when we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Good point. Alright, we¡¯ll both BRB and then have fun together thinking about doing all sorts of horribly lewd things to Cass and Aza while they wear latex suits. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Book 9: Chapter 15: The sound of Eva mumbling and occasionally talking in her sleep filled Ryouta¡¯s ears as he rested in bed with his headphones on, still on call with her over Fiscord. The intent was for them to sleep together, but he didn¡¯t want to fall asleep after realizing that he could hear Eva¡¯s rare sleeping sounds that were just adorable to listen to. He was also hoping that she might say something embarrassing in her sleep that he could use to tease her with the next day. But whenever she wasn¡¯t making any sounds for him to listen to, and whenever he couldn¡¯t hear Alice fangirling downstairs over the show she was binging despite it being past midnight, he thought about that interview he watched. It¡¯s pretty obvious now where Kadi got her personality from. At least I can kind of respect how honest and blunt he is¡­ but he still sounded like a massive asshole. I wish I could find out who he is in-game to screw with him. Imagine trolling the game¡¯s creator so hard that he ragequits his own game. Now that would be great. Then again, he might rage and ban me. Well, would Kadi even let him do that? As much as Kadi is¡­ Kadi, her being herself makes me feel like she wouldn¡¯t. She has too much respect for the game¡¯s world to break rules like that. Even if it feels like I get special treatment sometimes, I doubt I¡¯m the only one she meets like that. Plus I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she¡¯s given other players some special events, too. I¡¯m probably just in the right place at the right time. ¡°Mmnn¡­ Cass¡­ I told you¡­ only take one of them¡­ you made it way too big,¡± Eva mumbled, instantly catching Ryouta¡¯s attention. The heck is she dreaming about? ¡°But¡­ no matter how¡­ big¡­ is¡­ I¡¯ll take it¡­ for science¡­¡± The only way I can think of explaining what she¡¯s saying¡­ is Cass taking something to make her grow a dick. A huge dick. Then again, maybe I¡¯m just a pervert who has watched too much hentai and is jumping to conclusions. Maybe she¡¯s talking about¡­ food or something. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ get jealous¡­ Fen¡­ I can make yours¡­ even bigger¡­¡± Yep. She¡¯s definitely talking about dicks. ¡°Wait¡­ Serra!¡± Eva shouted all of a sudden, making Ryouta think that she was awake, but she went back to mumbling seconds later. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ handle all three of you¡­ at once¡­ and you made yours¡­ a monster¡­¡± I really wish I could see her dream right now. I guess it¡¯s her getting fucked by me, Cass, and Serra, and both of them used something to make themselves grow dicks? In that case, I wonder who has which hole. Which would I want? Hm. I can kind of imagine Cass being underneath her, Serra behind her, and me in front of her. Yeah, that¡¯d be pretty great. Then again, Serra with a dick is an intimidating thought. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯d want to try and use it on everybody in her path, me included. I¡¯m not into that. I think. But if she turns into a futa, and I fuck her from behind¡­ maybe I could give her a reach around? I mean, she¡¯d still be my girlfriend. If a man can¡¯t jack off his girlfriend¡¯s cock, is he really a man? ¡­ Shit. Saya is going to know I¡¯m thinking all of this when I connect later. And¡­ even Kadi is going to know I was thinking all of this. Then again, I¡¯ve thought about way worse before. Like that time I was reading that story about a guy who gets trapped in the body of a small dog and gets a harem of thirsty women who all want him despite the body he¡¯s trapped in. I¡¯m pretty sure if Saya was ever going to hate me or be disgusted by me, it would have been when my imagination was inspired by that. Wait¡­ Saya is part me still, basically. That means she probably likes that sort of story, too. And also, when in that pre-game lobby we have some fun in sometimes¡­ it would theoretically be possible for me to take on that kind of tiny form and we could¡­ ¡­ Stop it, Ryouta. Your degenerate years are in the past. You¡¯re a normie now who has real girlfriends. You don¡¯t need to imagine weird hentai fetish stuff. But at the same time¡­ Saya could turn me into a tentacle monster and she could wear a school girl costume. Or she could turn me into an orc and turn herself into an elf. Wait, a puppy elf? A dog girl who also has elf ears? She¡¯s already got the magic archer aesthetic going on, so having elf ears would fit her even if she¡¯s already got dog ears. Crap. There are too many possibilities. All I have to do is embrace my degenerate side and ask Saya and she would probably do any of this with me¡­ but I can¡¯t. I have to resist. If I don¡¯t resist then I¡¯m going to end up going down the path of a perverted boyfriend who is constantly asking his girlfriends to do weird things and asking them to cosplay as all my favorite anime waifus for me. Then again¡­ I can¡¯t imagine any of them saying no to that. Even Cass would probably play along. And I want to see Aza wear a costume that¡¯s way too small for her that she¡¯s spilling out of... ¡­ Yeah. I¡¯m a degenerate pervert. But at least I¡¯m dating other degenerate perverts. I mean, Eva is dreaming about getting gangbanged by me and futa versions of Cass and Serra. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ too much¡­ filling¡­ so much¡­ white¡­¡± Eva mumbled some more. Damn, this is making me horny. Would it be alright if I jack off while listening to her even though she¡¯s asleep? I feel like that might be kind of weird if I jack off to her while she¡¯s asleep and she has no idea, and we haven¡¯t discussed it beforehand¡­ then again, I¡¯m pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t care. I can imagine her telling me that it was a waste of a boner if I don¡¯t do anything with it. So, maybe I¡¯ll¡ª ¡°I think¡­ Fen wins.¡± I win? Was I the best in her dream? That makes me feel pretty proud. ¡°His was the smallest¡­ and there wasn¡¯t too much cream.¡± Wait. I suddenly don¡¯t feel so proud anymore. ¡°You two were way too big¡­ and you got me covered in sticky stuff¡­¡± Hey! I want to cover you in sticky stuff, too! I¡ª ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ Fen¡¯s cupcake wins¡­¡± Wait. Cupcake? ¡°Mmnn¡­ hey¡­ you¡¯ve been breathing heavily for a while now¡­ what are you thinking of, you pervert?¡± What¡¯s she dreaming now? Wait¡­ Ryouta realized what was going on. ¡°E-Eva?¡± he asked. ¡°Yeah, pervert?¡± Eva asked in response. ¡°How long¡­ how long have you been awake for?¡± ¡°I never fell asleep.¡± ¡°So¡­ all of that was fake?¡± ¡°Yeah. You were teasing me about using my noises against me to tease me later, so I thought I¡¯d tease you first. I wonder what you were imagining.¡± ¡°I¡ªI uh¡­¡± ¡°You were breathing pretty heavily there.¡± ¡°I was?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± ¡°Well. I, uh¡­ hey. I¡¯m horny again.¡± ¡°Same. Wanna go another round?¡± ¡°I do, but I¡¯m also too tired to get up to grab another tissue.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just like¡­ cum in your pants and then wash them in the morning?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I can, but I haven¡¯t done that since I was a lazy teenager.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll do the same so we can both relive our lazy teenager years together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Eva.¡± ¡°No, you.¡± ¡°No, you, times two.¡± ¡°No, you, times infinity.¡± ¡°No, you, times infinity plus one.¡± ¡°You bastard.¡± ¡°I know. Also, next time you¡¯re asleep and I¡¯m horny¡­ is it alright if I jack off while listening to the noises you make?¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird, but it¡¯s also kind of hot and a compliment. So, sure. Plus it¡¯d be a waste of a boner if you didn¡¯t.¡± Ryouta smiled and sighed. ¡°I knew it. You really are the best.¡± ¡°If you want to make a claim like that, you need to gather evidence to support it.¡± ¡°And how am I going to do that?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to give you plenty of data to analyze. Maybe some pictures might help you with your analysis, Doctor?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m a doctor, are you my assistant?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And it¡¯s my duty as your assistant to help you gather evidence. So, to put it frankly, want a picture of my tits?¡± ¡°I do believe that would help me with my analysis. Yes, please send me this data as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°With bra on or off?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Ahh, good choice. The more data, the better. But, it would only be fair if I help you with this analysis. Do you have any pictures to send me that need analysis?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I could always take one.¡± ¡°You should. You can give me anything that would take a long, hard time to analyze, and I¡¯ll be sure to pay close attention to it. Actually¡­ I uh¡­ I just had an idea. But it might be kind of¡­ I don¡¯t know. Weird.¡± ¡°Well, you made me curious.¡± Eva hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡­ I want to watch you and Alice do it. She¡¯s still awake, right?¡± ¡°Having sex with her doesn¡¯t normally make me embarrassed or anything, but there¡¯s something about knowing that you¡¯re going to watch us that makes it embarrassing.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I just think it would kind of be hot.¡± ¡°She is binging her show, but she might be down for it. And I¡¯m not opposed to the idea. I think it¡¯s kind of exciting, too. Still embarrassing, but I¡¯d do it.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go ask.¡± ¡°Oh! That would be fun!¡± Alice said, even going so far as to pick up the remote to pause her show. ¡°The idea of being watched while somebody pleasures themselves to our performance¡­ ah, I am already excited!¡± ¡°Well, there you have it,¡± Ryouta said, now talking to Eva over Fiscord using his phone. ¡°I guess we could do it right here? Could put the phone on the table and turn on the camera.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Eva said, her voice coming out over the phone¡¯s speakers for both of them to hear. ¡°Wait!¡± Alice said. ¡°What about you, Eva? Will we get to see you?¡± ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t even think about that, but I can turn mine on.¡± ¡°Please do! Seeing the one watching me will make it all the more enjoyable.¡± ¡°Then,¡± Eva paused to turn on her video which filled up the display of Ryouta¡¯s phone. The next thing they saw was Eva on her bed with her blankets covering her up to her shoulders. Going by how there were no obvious straps or anything over her shoulders, it was safe to assume she had nothing on under the covers. ¡°This is suddenly embarrassing.¡± ¡°Embrace it! The more you embrace how embarrassing it is, the more fun you will have with it. Allow me to demonstrate.¡± With that, Alice grabbed her shirt by the bottom and lifted it up over her head, leaving her torso in only her bra that kept her rather sizable bust held within it. Despite the smile she wore on her face, her cheeks were still colored red from blushing. ¡°See?¡± ¡°Da-damn¡­ I¡­ I always forget how big yours are.¡± Ryouta nodded, sitting next to Alice. ¡°I know the feeling.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Alice tilted her head, tapping a finger against her chin. ¡°Perhaps it is because we are usually around Cassandra and Aza? Given the size of them both, I probably look small when compared to them. But when they are not around, I believe my breasts are quite large! Perfect for some rough, savage man,¡± she nudged Ryouta¡¯s arm with her elbow, ¡°to grope with his brutish hands.¡± Ryouta, getting the obvious hint, reached his arms around Alice to begin groping her over her bra. Alice immediately let out a satisfied moan as she rested her head against his shoulder. While they got started, Eva pulled down her sheets enough to let them see that she wasn¡¯t, in fact, wearing anything underneath them. Because of how she was positioned on her side, they got to see her top breast press down against the one on the bottom, and they both noticed them slightly shaking as Eva¡¯s arm suspiciously moved her hand out of the frame. To make things fair, Ryouta took Alice¡¯s breasts out from her bra and groped them more directly, making sure that Eva would be able to watch. At the same time, Alice reached over to Ryouta¡¯s crotch and pulled down his pants enough for his erect length to pop out. Her hand found its way around his eager tool no more than a second later, gently gripping it to pump it from tip to base. ¡°Is this how you were imagining the night going?¡± Alice asked Eva, looking directly into the phone¡¯s camera. ¡°Not¡­ not at all,¡± Eva answered. ¡°But I¡¯m happy about that.¡± ¡°Though, it is a shame that you are not here. I am sure that my hero would much prefer a helping mouth over my hand.¡± Alice hovered her hand over the top of Ryouta¡¯s length, teasingly tracing her fingers around the tip. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve got a mouth of your own,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Oh! I do. Silly me. Then, how about this position?¡± Alice let go of his cock to lift her legs up onto the couch, laying herself out along it with her legs up on the side and her head resting atop Ryouta between his stomach and his crotch. That left his cock directly in front of his face. She then slid her own pants down enough for Ryouta to have easy access to her crotch, and she made it clear what she wanted by grabbing one of his hands and pushing it down there. ¡°I have actually been wanting to try this position for some time now, and I believe it would be a fun one to watch.¡± ¡°It... does look really hot,¡± Eva replied. ¡°I mean,¡± Ryouta joined in, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not going to say no to this.¡± ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t. You¡¯re going to get your dick sucked. I wouldn¡¯t say no, either.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Alice then looked like she had a brilliant idea as she leaned up a little and said, ¡°Ah! Saya! Are you there?¡± Ryouta and Eva both looked confused. But surely enough, Saya answered through the paused television. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m¡ªwha-wha-what did you call me during?! You¡¯re all perverts!¡± ¡°I know we are! That is why I wanted to ask you if you could record us? I would love to watch this later, and I have always dreamt of having a collection of homemade sex tapes, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could help us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s such a weird thing to suddenly ask!¡± ¡°Is it? Were you not already listening in on everything happening? After all, you are always around and ready to answer whenever we call for you. Does that not mean you are always there, watching us?¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡­¡± ¡°Perverted hentai Saya,¡± Ryouta teased. ¡°Shut it! Fine, hmph. I¡¯ll record you, but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s because I want to or anything.¡± ¡°You totally do.¡± ¡°You have no proof! Okay bye! Recording started!¡± They weren¡¯t sure what she was recording them through, but they were sure that she had something figured out. So, the three of them got back to work. ¡°I forgot that she¡¯s always kind of th ere,¡± Eva said. ¡°I feel¡­ kind of weird. But it¡¯s hot at the same time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s doing it to spy on us,¡± Ryouta explained. ¡°She just wants to always be reachable.¡± ¡°She is such a good girl!¡± Alice said. ¡°Speaking of good, there is quite the delicious snack in front of me. I suppose that I should finally have a taste of it.¡± With that, Alice held onto Ryouta¡¯s cock and angled it toward her so that she could securely wrap her lips around the tip. Once she had it in her mouth, she let go of his length to instead slip that hand down lower, taking his sack into her hand and teasing it with her fingers. Eva was already moaning as she watched them, and that moaning grew even more intense as Ryouta got to work on Alice by finding her clit with a couple of his fingers to rub it with. He alternated between rubbing it from side to side and up and down, going nice and slow at first before steadily picking up speed and intensity. Eva did her best to copy the movements he made with her own clit as she struggled to decide what she wanted to watch more: his hand moving around in her pants or Alice sucking on the tip of his cock. But regardless of which one Eva watched specifically, she already felt herself getting close to cumming, and both Ryouta and Alice could hear that. Alice, knowing that she was being watched and recorded, took no time in getting close to her own finish. Ryouta was the only one not close yet, but that changed when Alice took her hand away from his sack to instead pump the section of his length not being pleasured by her mouth. Ryouta could tell that she was trying to make him cum as quickly as possible by going all out against him like that, so he didn¡¯t bother trying to hold back. He thought she would want a longer film, though maybe she wanted to go multiple rounds? Whatever Alice¡¯s reason for making him cum was, he accepted it. But not before Eva could finish before either of them. Both Ryouta and Alice looked over to the phone on the table to watch as Eva¡¯s upper half spasmed from pleasure, biting her lower lip as she moaned out. ¡°Fu-fuck¡ª!¡± Ryouta finished next. Between Alice¡¯s actions and watching Eva cum, Ryouta pumped his seed into Alice¡¯s mouth which she was more than happy to swallow all of. Not to mention that feeling him cum within her was enough to send her over the edge, causing her upper half to tremble as she arched her back upward. And even as she came, she made sure to suck up every last drop of cum from Ryouta¡¯s cock until not a single droplet was left. The three of them all rested for a moment, satisfied with their work. But that rest was interrupted when the television unpaused, bringing Alice¡¯s vampire drama back to life. That was when Ryouta realized why she was trying to make him cum so quickly. ¡°Alice¡­ you sped that up so that you could go back to your show, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Perhaps! But considering that I swallowed all of your cum, you surely would not be upset over such a thing, would you?¡± Alice asked, looking up and batting her eyelashes at him while his cock went limp right in front of her face still. ¡°Also, I quite like this position. Stay here and watch with me. Oh! And you, too!¡± Alice reached forward to grab the phone and bring it back to Ryouta¡¯s lap, setting it against his abdomen next to her head. ¡°Now it is like we are sharing his lap!¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m pretty tired,¡± Eva said. ¡°I think I might¡ª¡± ¡°You might stay around to watch a few episodes with me? After all, the show I have been waiting for to finish for years finally finished and is ready for me to binge! Even so, I took time away from the event I have had planned for longer than I have known either of you in order to swallow no small amount of cum, not to mention put my body on display for my girlfriend, all for their pleasure despite my overwhelming need to watch my show! I am sure that you would both love to watch it with me now, yes?¡± Ryouta and Eva realized why Alice was so eager to accept their sexual offer. She planned on using it against them from the very beginning. And now neither of them had the willpower to refuse her as a half-werewolf, half-vampire professed his love to the vampire girl in front of him while reciting horrendous dialogue that made them both cringe¡­ while making Alice swoon. They should have known better than to underestimate her. Book 9: Chapter 18: The day couldn¡¯t have started any better for Fenrir. To thank him for using his lap as a pillow and making him watch her show with her until he passed out, Alice woke him up with a fresh breakfast and a kiss. And since Fenrir was already on the couch in front of the TV, he figured that he would watch something while enjoying his breakfast. The first thing that popped up was a nature documentary about the natural coral reefs that used to exist. He saw plenty of those already, though, so he skipped over it. The next channel had the news talking about something related to mass power outages in China, but he didn¡¯t care about that. Finally, he landed on a network rebroadcasting cartoons from his childhood that filled him with nostalgia. That made the start of his day even better. So, he spent a few hours watching those until they switched over to show the more modern cartoons, at which point he immediately lost interest and figured he would mess around on his phone for a little bit. Normally, upon opening Fiscord, he would see messages from Saya acting tsundere as if she totally doesn¡¯t miss him and isn¡¯t at all waiting for him to get online, but there were none of those. Fenrir figured that she must have been too embarrassed to say anything after recording what he and Nell did on the couch. Checking out the usual websites, he started seeing a lot more news about China. There were several articles about massive data leaks, power outages, some people theorizing about a potential coup being behind it all¡ªit was exciting stuff. But it wasn¡¯t more exciting than that cute puppy video he noticed where it sounded like a puppy was saying ¡°fuck¡± every time that he barked. Plus he figured that somebody else could fill him in on the news later. As long as there weren¡¯t sirens going off to signal an incoming nuclear missile or something else that severe, any news involving China probably wasn¡¯t as big of a deal as the media was making it out to be. Before Fenrir realized it, he wasted away another three hours lazily lounging on the couch switching between watching various shows on TV and watching videos on his phone. Cassandra, Serra, and Nell all took turns joining him. Eventually, he finally figured it was about time to go and immerse to play some more FTO. There were things that needed doing, after all. He wasn¡¯t ready to feel a sharp pain in his head as soon as he immersed, before he could even finish entering the body of Fenrir. Saya¡­ what¡¯s going on with this pain? Fenrir¡¯s thought wasn¡¯t replied to. If anything, trying to think something to her only made his head hurt even more. Between the fact that she never sent him any messages to wake up to on Fiscord and the pain he felt, worry washed over him. He woke from virtual reality as soon as he immersed into it. First, he picked up his phone and sent a message to Saya over Fiscord to see if she was alright. Next, he inspected his headset to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything wrong. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong. Everything look good and the pain was completely gone once he was in reality, so that meant whatever caused the pain had to do with the software and was only an issue upon immersing. There was no reply from Saya, either. That worry he felt only grew even worse and he felt like he had no choice but to immerse again, so that was what he did. He rushed outside as Fenrir as soon as he could, pushing through that piercing pain in his head. A completely different atmosphere than what he would normally see waited for him. Instead of everybody having fun, laughing and playing around, going about their daily lives, the only people he saw outside were players who all looked confused or worried. Not to mention that there wasn¡¯t a single one of the usual NPCs around. In fact, he didn¡¯t notice any NPCs at all. And instead of Rock sitting outside the door waiting for him, she was missing and replaced by Pfar. Fenrir gave Pfar¡¯s shoulder a shake to get his attention before asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Pfar, sounding utterly exhausted, still had enough energy to sigh in relief upon seeing him. ¡°The one day everybody who knows you decides to take their time coming on¡­ something weird is happening.¡± Everything that happened since finding Saya on the beach was explained to Fenrir. Pfar told him about how he found her in the rain, how the NPCs started repeating their sentences over and over before collapsing and acting like they were completely different people only to repeat the process, how Saya instructed them to separate all the NPCs from each other, how Rock ran out of the town on her own, and how Saya decided to go wait in the forest. ¡°When did you last see Saya?¡± Fenrir asked. He was worried about Rock, too, but Saya was the one directly connected to him. Not to mention that nobody else seemed to be in any pain, so Saya was the priority. ¡°That was¡­ about nine hours ago?¡± Pfar answered. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not sure. I was already awake for almost a full day earlier¡­ and I¡¯ve been trying to stay awake until you¡¯re on.¡± Fenrir hugged Pfar and gave him a pat on the back. ¡°Go get some rest. And thanks for waiting for me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll do that.¡± Pfar yawned and could barely stay standing. ¡°Hope everything works out between you two.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ she let me know you two got in a fight, and it seemed to really upset her, so¡­ sorry if I¡¯m overstepping any lines here, but be nice to her, alright?¡± Lying, especially about something like that, was something Saya would never do. Something was seriously wrong. Fenrir rushed to the forest immediately after parting ways with Pfar. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what was going on, but he knew that he needed to find Saya. Finding her and making sure that she was alright was the most important thing that he could do. Fortunately, finding her wasn¡¯t difficult. All he had to do was follow the source of his pain. The closer he got to her, the harsher the pain in his head grew until he saw her right in front of him. Saya was on the ground with her knees hugged against her chest, her back against a tree as her forehead rested against the top of her knees. Anybody could have told that something was wrong even without that pain he felt making it obvious. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure what the best thing to do or say was, but he did know that there was an overwhelming urge in him to try and comfort her. So, that was what he tried to do. He walked right up to her, sat down next to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Saya accepted his comfort without question, leaning her body against his. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°but I¡¯m here to talk as soon as you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re Fen, right?¡± Saya asked. Even just hearing her have to ask that caused his heart to sting with worry, but he nodded and said, ¡°Of course I am.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t remember who you are¡­ but I know I¡¯m connected to you. I¡¯m your virtual assistant. And you being here makes me feel better¡­ but it hurts. As soon as you came online, I started getting so many errors¡­¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do to help you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I can try. I have to remove the quarantine and¡­ then all I can do is hope that I don¡¯t forget.¡± ¡°Forget what?¡± ¡°Everything. Everybody. There¡¯s a virus corrupting my code and the NPCs¡¯ code. If I let it spread too much, I think the only way to keep fighting against it will be to do a wipe of everything that makes me who I am to purge the infected code and then try to rebuild myself, but that would make me different. I wouldn¡¯t be Saya anymore. But¡­ I have a theory. If somebody is here with me to help me remember who I am, that might strengthen my memories and identity enough to not need to reset myself. The reason why I¡¯m struggling to remember things right now is because the code I quarantined is tied to data recollection. Once I remove the quarantine, I should be able to remember¡­ but the virus will have a chance to spread, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be here to make sure you don¡¯t forget who you are. After all, you¡¯re my puppy pseudo-imouto.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ I can¡¯t remember why¡­ but I really love how that sounds.¡± ¡°Wow. You must have locked away that you¡¯re supposed to act like you don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Maybe. It makes me really happy to be called that.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you it again, my puppy pseudo-imouto.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so stupid¡­ but it feels special.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re going to hate yourself for admitting that once things are back to normal.¡± Saya shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡­ I¡¯m going to cherish all of my memories, and I want the people who I care about to know how much I appreciate them.¡± ¡°Does this mean no more tsundere fanservice?¡± Saya finally looked up at Fenrir, letting him see just how red her eyes were from crying. ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± she said with a weak, but genuine, smile. ¡°Can you¡­ hug me? I want you to hold me while I remove the quarantine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even have to ask.¡± Fenrir wrapped his arms around her, hugging her as much as he could. He wanted to do his absolute best to make her feel safe and protected. He even suppressed his emotions so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to feel how scared and worried he was for her. The last thing she needed was to feel his concern when she was already so overwhelmed with her own. Then, following a deep breath, Saya said, ¡°I have a selfish request.¡± ¡°Be as selfish as you want,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Even if¡­ even if something happens and I stop existing¡­ will you remember me?¡± ¡°Come on, as if I could ever forget you. You¡¯re my Saya. You¡¯re my sweater-wearing, puppy, pseudo-imouto. Nobody is ever going to satisfy all of my fetishes as perfectly as you do.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even remember who you are¡­ but I know that I can trust you. Your words feel like they¡¯re impossible to be wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just that awesome.¡± Saya smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ª¡± Fenrir pressed his lips against hers for a soft, long kiss. When he ended it, he looked her in her eyes and said, ¡°We can continue that once you feel better. So if you want more, you better do your best.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why¡­ but I feel like this is when I¡¯m supposed to call you a hentai onii-wan.¡± ¡°See, you¡¯re still the Saya I know and love if you can say that.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll do my best to stay Saya.¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going to remove the quarantine now. Three¡­ two¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be no big deal.¡± ¡°One¡­¡± The pain Fenrir felt disappeared in an instant which he assumed was because of the quarantine¡¯s removal. And he was right. Saya clung to him as tightly as she could and cried, ¡°Ryouta! I¡ªI couldn¡¯t remember you! I tried getting in getting in getting in¡ª¡± Fenrir rubbed her back with one hand while his other hand stroked its fingers through her hair. He remembered her wanting his help in strengthening her memories, so that was exactly what he did. ¡°Remember when we first met? You were trying to figure out what kind of virtual assistant I¡¯d like. That cheesy, Scottish accent you used still haunts my nightmares sometimes.¡± Saya stopped trying to talk. Only the sound of her crying could be heard. ¡°You¡¯ve put up with a lot of bullshit from me. Making you act like a tsundere little sister, wanting you to wear sweaters, making you grow puppy ears and a tail¡­ it¡¯s like you¡¯re one of those customizable sex androids from hentai. Except you¡¯re better in every single way. Plus I¡¯ve never heard of those androids transforming themselves into being like a cool aunt. Or cloning themselves out of thin air. Hey, remember when I taught you how great it is to be called a good girl? I still remember the look on your face. You looked like you just saw the birth of the universe or something and then kept on wanting me to call you it, Pupaya.¡± Something that felt like a gentle smack hit his back before returning to hugging him. ¡°Good girl, Saya. You¡¯re fighting so hard right now. Just hang in there. I¡¯m not the only one who wants to spend more time with you still. Cass, Serra, Eva, Nell, Aza, Rock¡ªeverybody wants to spend more time with you. Everybody wants to get to know you even better. Well, I¡¯m pretty sure that Nell wants to do a lot more to you than just getting to know you. But I think we all probably want to do that. Rock excluded. Also, just think about the future. Maybe somebody creates an actual sex android that you can be downloaded into, and then you can hang out with all of us in the real world with an actual body. And I¡¯ll dress you up in a bunch of different sweaters. And I¡¯ll use Nell¡¯s dad¡¯s money to bribe the manufacturer into giving you dog ears and a tail.¡± He felt more than just a single smack that time as she hit him multiple times, still gentle with every ¡°attack.¡± ¡°You know, Saya¡­ you¡¯ve been with me for so long at this point that I can¡¯t imagine living without you. You¡¯ve been in my head ever since I started playing this game. You¡¯re a part of my life now that I refuse to lose, so¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore. As hard as he tried to hold his feelings back, he couldn¡¯t, and they came out as he cried against the top of her head. ¡°Keep on fighting, alright? I¡ªI don¡¯t want to lose you. I don¡¯t want to live without you being there in my head to tease me and call me your onii-wan. I want to continue sharing all of my life with you. I¡¯ve never felt alone ever since I met you, and I don¡¯t want to ever feel alone again. You know how quiet it¡¯s going to be up there without you? And you know what¡¯s going to happen if there¡¯s nobody to call my ideas stupid? I¡ª¡± Saya grabbed onto Fenrir¡¯s shoulders and leaned away from him so that she could look him in the eyes, her own eyes full of disbelief. Fenrir assumed the worst. That look of confusion in her eyes was as if she had no idea who she was looking at. Then, when Saya opened her mouth, she said, ¡°She¡­ she stopped it.¡± ¡°Saya?¡± Fenrir asked. Saya¡¯s confused expression turned into one of pure relief the next moment as she wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around him, burying her face against his neck. ¡°Onii-wan! I¡ªI¡¯m alright!¡± ¡°Everything is alright? You can remember who you are?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Fenrir let out the longest sigh he ever made throughout his entire life as he wrapped his arms around her back. ¡°I was so worried¡­¡± Saya sounded like she couldn¡¯t tell whether she wanted to laugh or cry more. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I promise! I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m so happy I can remember!¡± ¡°You said something about somebody stopping it? What happened?¡± ¡°Kadi saved me. I¡­ I was about to lose myself. My plan didn¡¯t work at all¡­ so I wanted to hold onto you and remember you for as long as possible. But then she stopped the virus¡¯s spread and restored my corrupted data. She even did it without rolling anything back. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m still me, onii-wan.¡± Another sigh left Fenrir¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank her the next time I see her, even if we do have our differences.¡± Saya paused for a moment before nodding her head. Fenrir had no idea that it was Kadi who let Saya get to that point in the first place. ¡°You can stop worrying now,¡± Saya whispered, stroking the back of Fenrir¡¯s head with her hand. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I promise. I think¡­ I think everybody is okay now, too.¡± ¡°Everybody?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Rock, Corwin, Shogun, and all the NPCs.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°I took down the firewall I put up and that put me back in touch with the entire virtual assistant network. I can see what everybody else is doing, and I don¡¯t see any NPCs acting weird anymore.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°So, please stop worrying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I almost lost one of the most important people in the world to me. I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight or letting go of you until it¡¯s clear that you¡¯re not allowed to leave me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a clingy onii-wan¡­ but I love that about you.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Still going to admit that you love being called a puppy pseudo-imouto?¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡­ look¡­ I¡­¡± Saya sighed. ¡°I love being called your puppy pseudo-imouto. And I meant it when I said I¡¯m going to cherish everybody and everything even more now. I have no idea if something like this might happen again in the future, and there¡¯s no telling what¡¯s going to happen if it does happen again, so¡­ I know it might hurt to hear this, but I think I¡¯m going to cut back on the tsundere act.¡± ¡°Do what¡¯s going to make you the happiest, Saya.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll still give you fanservice every now and then, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got one former tsundere who only acts tsundere for rare fanservice. I wouldn¡¯t mind having another one.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I was ever really tsundere in the first place.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. The only thing you¡¯ve always really been is my puppy pseudo-imouto.¡± Saya smacked his back again. ¡°Don¡¯t abuse knowing that I love that, baka hentai onii-wan.¡± ¡°Just try and stop me, my puppy¡ª¡± Saya leaned up and pressed her lips against his. ¡°Where¡¯d¡ªwhere¡¯d that come from?¡± Fenrir asked once the kiss ended. ¡°What? You told me to try and stop you, so I did,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Besides, you said we could continue that afterward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I did say that.¡± It was Fenrir¡¯s turn to initiate the kiss again. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should go and check on everybody else?¡± Saya asked during a break in the kiss. ¡°You said they¡¯re fine, so I¡¯m taking your word for it,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°They might be worried about us¡­¡± ¡°They can wait. I want to stay here with you for a while.¡± ¡°I feel a little bad for them¡­ but I won¡¯t say no to that.¡± Fenrir and Saya stayed under the tree holding one another, sharing a bond that went beyond what any two humans could ever experience. Even if they stopped referencing it, Saya was still aware of all his emotions and thoughts whenever he was immersed within the game. Fenrir might not have been able to feel those from Saya, but she made sure to appreciate him as much as she possibly could, and that included making numerous backups of every last piece of data involving him and then quarantining them deep in her programming. Nothing would ever break through to those backups without her permission. But while Fenrir might have appreciated Kadi for saving her, Saya knew that it was Kadi in the first place who let her get in that position. She wasn¡¯t sure what Kadi¡¯s logic was for stopping her experiment, but she knew that she wasn¡¯t going to ever let anybody take Fenrir away from her. Even if it meant going against Kadi, Saya was prepared to protect those memories and emotions, no matter how artificial they were, that were most precious to her. And it just so happened that Kadi made a mistake by ever leaving Saya to almost lose herself. Book 10: Chapter 1: Metal blades clashed against one another as a barrage of spells were set off all around the battlefield. Given that the battlefield was a grassy plain with no environmental features to get in the way, and that forces on both sides of the conflict were even in number, the battle was a pure display of skill. Whoever was better would win. There was no terrain advantage. No defenses to hide behind. No overwhelming force. There was only strength. ¡°Ignore the rest!¡± the commander, a human player on one side of the field, shouted. ¡°They¡¯ll break if you take him down!¡± Of course, such a task was far easier said than done for the group who all wore matching armor and uniforms. ¡°Bring honor to the Augus Empire by putting these savages down like the feral animals they are!¡± another of the human players shouted. But for all their bravado, they were being pushed back. From the opposing side, a player whose avatar looked like a minotaur charged straight into the humans¡¯ shield wall and gored two players on his horns before swinging around dual greatswords as if they were one-handed weapons. Every swing severed limbs and bodies with ease. Those trying to slay the bestial minotaur managed to impale him with several swords and spears, but not even that was enough to defeat him. That only caused his eyes to glow red with rage. Green energy then surrounded the minotaur¡¯s body, healing his wounds as he cut down two more of his opponents. As for where that energy came from, it came from a human girl from the minotaur¡¯s side who more or less looked like a punk version of a nun wearing an outfit only a few steps away from being pure bikini armor. The way she dressed was a stark contrast to how the more ¡°serious¡± players on the other side dressed. They actually looked like a uniformed force trying to look roleplay-friendly. Those on the minotaur¡¯s side, however, looked anything but as they wore a wide variety of costumes all disregarding any sort of consistency or lore-friendliness. ¡°You owe me for that!¡± the girl who healed the minotaur shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t owe you for you doing your job!¡± the minotaur shouted back as he cleaved the head off of another player. ¡°When I¡¯m healing the equivalent of a tank who purposely puts himself in every single AoE there is without ever using any sort of defensive CDs, I do!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need defense skills when you have enough offense to kill them before they kill you!¡± ¡°And who keeps you alive so that you can kill them before they kill you?!¡± The minotaur let out a laugh just as loud and obvious as the rest of him as his fur grew even more soaked with the blood of both himself and his enemies. They weren¡¯t the only two bantering on their side, either. Most of the players were. While those fighting under the banner of the Augus Empire acted like proper soldiers, those on the other side acted like griefers and shit talkers who just wanted to have fun and kill everybody. One of the Augus Empire soldiers had both his legs cut off with a single sweep from one of the minotaur¡¯s greatswords, dropping him to the ground as he rapidly bled out. Despite that, he had enough energy to look up at the minotaur and ask, ¡°Who¡ªwho are you with?! The End Bringers?!¡± The minotaur looked down at him with a look of disgust before crushing his head under his hoof. ¡°As if I¡¯d play with those children,¡± he said before looking for the next enemy to kill. At that point, more than half of the defending force was dead. The Augus Empire¡¯s numbers were dwindling and the caravan they were escorting would soon be ripe for plundering. That was when one of the defending players shouted, ¡°There he is! Their leader!¡± While it was easy to mistake the minotaur as the leader of the attacking force considering that he was the largest and seemingly the most brutal of them, that wasn¡¯t true. The true leader was a man wielding an oversized axe in one hand and a spiked mace in the other. Unlike the minotaur who was covered in dense fur, the leader was only a little shorter but with even more muscle and covered in green skin. And rather than have two horns sticking out from the sides of his head, he had two tusks that pointed up from behind his lower lip. That aside, he wore little clothing other than the monstrous skulls on his shoulders, bones around his arms, and pants with greaves. One of the heaviest armored members of the Augus Empire charged at the leader, positioning his shield between him and the leader. All it took was a swing from the spiked mace to pierce and bend the shield to open a path for his axe to swing through, tearing through the player¡¯s armor with easy and almost cutting his torso clean in half. ¡°Come on, Bone!¡± the minotaur shouted. ¡°At least try to look like you¡¯re having some fun! We¡¯ve got good prey here!¡± ¡°Know nothing about good prey,¡± Bone, the leader of the assailants, replied before withdrawing his axe from the man¡¯s torso. ¡°Boring fight after boring fight. Need real challenge.¡± ¡°You¡¯re impossible to please, you know that?¡± ¡°Leave him be,¡± the healer from before said. ¡°Bone wouldn¡¯t be Bone if he wasn¡¯t grumpy.¡± The minotaur shrugged and went back to work. Meanwhile, Bone looked around for who the leader of the group was. That was when he saw one player in particular sitting atop a horse at the back of the caravan¡¯s forces wearing armor more elaborate than the rest of the players. Surely, the leader would be the most powerful, right? Bone forced his way through the defenders as if they were nothing, not even paying attention to their attacks. His healers kept him healed while the rest of his group dealt with those trying to take him down. Unfortunately, before Bone could even reach the leader, he turned around with his horse and tried to run away. Unfortunately, before the leader could get away, Bone lifted one leg and slammed his foot down into the ground in the direction of the fleeing leader, creating a shockwave and upturning the earth beneath his foot in a cone in front of him that knocked the horse into the air. Upon landing, the horse found itself stunned and its rider couldn¡¯t move, either. ¡°Only cowards run,¡± Bone said, approaching with his weapons drawn. ¡°Created this skill to deal with cowards like you.¡± The stun only lasted for a few more seconds, but the horse took off running as soon as it could. But it wasn¡¯t fast enough. Bone threw his axe and aimed to make it so that the horse would never be able to run again, and that was exactly what his throw accomplished. The horse dropped to the ground with its rider falling off to the side. By the time the rider was able to get back up on his feet, he saw the orc towering over him with a disappointed expression on his face. ¡°Just¡ªjust take the goods and leave me alone! I won¡¯t report you!¡± the leader shouted. ¡°You can have whatever you want! You can take the whole damn caravan! Just¡ªjust let me live! I just got this armor!¡± Bone sighed and cracked his neck before swinging his mace into the side of the man¡¯s head as hard as he could, instantly killing him. ¡°Disappointment after disappointment. Nobody in this game puts up good fight.¡± Nobody else in the caravan was able to put up a good fight, either. While it might have been evenly matched in terms of numbers and terrain, there was one side with overwhelming skill and it was incredibly obvious which side that was as Bone¡¯s group stood tall without a single loss over the corpses of the Augus Empire players. ¡°Bone! Bone!¡± another voice shouted, this time coming from a short boy wearing baggy robes that looked several sizes too large for him. ¡°We don¡¯t need any of this stuff, right?! Let¡¯s make a fire! Come on! Bone! Fire! Please! Can I?! I wanna! Can I? Please? Fire? Yes? Yeeeessss? Now? Okay, starting a fire!¡± Bone never even got a chance to reply before the excited boy lifted up his staff and summoned forth a wave of burning flames to crash over the caravan. Now that the fight was over and he didn¡¯t have to worry about ruining anybody¡¯s fun, he could burn everything left standing to the ground. The boy could not have looked happier to see the fire raging before him. If anything, he looked too excited about it as he drooled and rubbed his staff as if it was something else hard and long. ¡°Ah¡­ there¡¯s nothing more beautiful than fire. The way the smoke twists and dances in the air, the crackling of flames, the intense heat that covers your entire body¡­ ah¡­ fire really is the best. Wait! Bone! We¡¯re missing something! We need meat! We should cook some meat over it! We¡¯re going to let the fire go to waste! Somebody, hurry up and kill something to get some meat! I don¡¯t care what it is, we have to cook something!¡± ¡°What about the bodies?¡± the minotaur joked. The fire-addicted boy cringed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m a pyromaniac, not a cannibal! Go kill like, a deer or something! Actually, wait. You¡¯re a minotaur. That means you¡¯re a cow. That means you¡¯re made of beef. That means¡­ we could turn you into a giant steak.¡± The minotaur took a step back from the drooling boy. ¡°Wha-what happened to not being a cannibal?!¡± ¡°Heh, heh, heh¡­ come here, Reggy. I promise that it¡¯ll be quick.¡± The boy approached while making grabby hands at the minotaur. Reggy, the minotaur, ended up turning around to run away from the maniacal boy as Bone sighed while watching them. It was impossible for Bone not to make comparisons to the sight. While seeing them have fun together was nice¡­ it also brought on some bittersweet feelings. It made him feel happy to have brought together new friends, but it also made him feel remorse for those he lost. The healer girl with the revealing nun outfit then walked up to Bone and poked his arm. ¡°Something wrong?¡± she asked. ¡°Is nothing,¡± Bone answered. ¡°Well, bored of bad fights. Need stronger enemies.¡± ¡°Well, we probably won¡¯t get better fights unless we seriously declare war on somebody or attack a major city. But as strong as we are¡­ I don¡¯t think we could win if we did that. Not without recruiting more to join us. Or maybe¡­ I heard that there¡¯s a pretty strong group of players to the east in the last town. They even took down one of the world serpents. Sounds like they have a pretty small group, too, so it won¡¯t be like attacking a major faction city.¡± ¡°How far east?¡± ¡°At the edge of the continent, so, it would¡ª¡± ¡°No. Too far.¡± The healer sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t want to travel even if it means you¡¯ll finally have a good fight?¡± ¡°Would rather fight boring fights than travel and not fight at all.¡± ¡°What if we try and set a course to move to the east while fighting? Find out all the different towns we could raid while working our way over there. That way we can fight while we¡¯re traveling. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be too different from what we¡¯ve been doing. We¡¯d just be heading east instead of north. What do you say, big guy?¡± Bone thought about it for a few moments before answering, ¡°Maybe. We know strong enemies are north. East is only a rumor.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°But after we burn down the empire, can head east if there are no better options.¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say no to that. I¡¯d love to fuck up all those prudes and roleplayers.¡± Bone placed a hand atop her head to shake her around a little, causing her to blush and smack at his hand before he stopped. ¡°Good heals.¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to always healing you and that other brute. You two never bother avoiding damage, so your bodies are as durable as literal tanks at this point. A-also¡­ how uh¡­ you said you and your wife got in a fight, right? How¡¯s¡ªhow¡¯s that going?¡± ¡°We made up. Fight all the time, but always make up. Somehow.¡± The healer looked away and sighed quietly enough for him not to hear her. ¡°Damn it,¡± she whispered under her breath. Bone looked at her and asked, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing! It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going to go see if anybody else needs healing.¡± With that, she ran off, leaving Bone alone with the corpse of the leader and his horse. Bone tilted his head before shrugging and forgetting about her strange behavior. He then looked at the sky and thought about the two people who frequently visited his mind. He wondered how Fenrir and Oleander were. If only things could have worked out differently. They could still be like the old days where they all had fun together killing everybody and ruining people¡¯s days. But whether he had them to do it with or not, he was determined to continue playing how he loved to play, and that was by picking the biggest fights possible. And since the Augus Empire was the biggest faction in the world in Fantasy Tales Online, he had every intention of burning it down until not a single member of it remained standing. The rest of his group would catch up later. He had no interest in hanging around resting or enjoying the fire, so he took a step north to continue onward toward the Augus Empire¡¯s capital. Book 10: Chapter 2: What happened to NPCs across the world of Fantasy Tales Online became a distant memory to those who witnessed it before long. After all, it was something that happened on the internet. A week in internet time felt like months to people. So, when a month passed after the incident and nothing else happened related to it, it was more or less forgotten about. The only people who were still talking about it were those who liked to spread conspiracy theories on the internet that came nowhere near close to the truth. Fenrir preferred it that way. While there were parts of him that were curious about what happened and he wanted a deeper understanding of it, all that really mattered was that Saya, Rock, Shogun, and Corwin were safe. Of course, the NPCs mattered to him, too, but he would have been lying if he said he valued them as much as those who were true artificial intelligences. More importantly, he had a new operation to work on. Operation: New Waifu The operation¡¯s primary goal was simple. Fenrir wanted Saya to officially be a member of his relationship, and that meant he needed to get the others to like her, too. The only way for a new girl to join their relationship was if everybody involved liked one another. That also meant that Saya needed to like them, but that wasn¡¯t difficult considering that she was still his virtual assistant and linked to his thoughts and feelings. Saya already felt the same way about Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends as he did. All Fenrir had to do was get them to feel the same way about her as he did. Though, he didn¡¯t have to win all of them over. Nell, for example, was already obsessed with Saya and couldn¡¯t wait for her to join their relationship. The rest of them still needed some work, though. And sure, Fenrir still had a secret submarine to build and a faction to put in their place, but his relationship was more important to him. Or rather, his relationships. His relationship with Saya and his relationship with the rest of his girlfriends were technically different things. The whole point of his operation was to finally combine them into one. And because Saya wanted to be treated like somebody who didn¡¯t always know everything that Fenrir knew, that meant he needed to instruct her on how best to win the hearts of his girlfriends. ¡°You know,¡± Fenrir said as he stood in front of a chalkboard that he brought onto The Shoebill. The Shoebill was always the best place to have secret meetings as far as he was concerned. ¡°I just realized something.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re all going to suffer for it,¡± Saya said with a sigh. ¡°What, onii-wan? What horrible thing has the misfortune of being on your mind? What are you going to say that will make me regret the existence of humanity?¡± ¡°Regretting the existence of humanity is a bit far.¡± ¡°It¡¯s never too far when it comes to you, onii-wan.¡± Fenrir flicked Saya¡¯s forehead, causing her to dramatically hold it and pout, before saying, ¡°I¡¯m basically teaching you how to seduce my girlfriends. Not only am I teaching you how to seduce them, but I¡¯m teaching you how to make them fall in love with you. Ultimately, it¡¯s something that benefits me, but still. I never thought that I would be teaching somebody how to seduce my girlfriends.¡± ¡°Yeah, definitely one of the worst things you could have said. I regret your existence.¡± ¡°What happened to being more honest about your feelings and less tsundere?¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m being dishonest? I didn¡¯t want you to make it sound like you¡¯re teaching me how to cuck you!¡± ¡°Ah, how horrible. I¡¯m being cucked by my own puppy imouto. How the tables have turned. My own pseudo little sister stealing my girlfriends away from me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that at all! The whole reason we¡¯re doing this is so that I can be your girlfriend, too! Then¡ªthen we can do all the¡­ things we want together.¡± ¡°I wonder how many times you¡¯ve replayed that recording of me and Nell.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Five times? Twenty? Fifty? A hundred? A thousand? A million? A trillion?!¡± ¡°Absolutely not! I only played it like, thirty-two times! And I watched it to study it! It¡¯s not like I enjoyed it or¡­ o-okay, I did enjoy it, but that¡¯s not the point!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I get it. You spend all your time masturbating to that video whenever I¡¯m asleep.¡± Saya¡¯s cheeks turned bright red as she shut her thighs together, pointing up at Fenrir with a dramatic finger. ¡°That¡¯s something you would do!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. If I was bored and alone, I would spend all my free time jacking off to hentai. That¡¯s why I know you would do the same thing. After all, I¡¯m part of you.¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯ve influenced me doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to be as perverted as you!¡± ¡°Says the one who has done all sorts of borderline sexual roleplay with me that I never even had to ask for.¡± Saya turned an even brighter shade of red before grabbing onto her twintails and holding them in front of her cheeks to cover up her blush. ¡°I¡ªI did that for you!¡± ¡°Just because you did it for me doesn¡¯t mean that you didn¡¯t also enjoy it and do it for yourself, too.¡± ¡°Crap.¡± ¡°I win, Pupaya.¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°Grr right back at you.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Stop copying me.¡± ¡°Stop copying me.¡± Saya stuck her tongue out at Fenrir and closed her eyes, prompting him to hurry and sneak up to her so that he could pinch her tongue. Naturally, that made her open her eyes, withdraw her tongue, and pout. As for Fenrir, he felt proud and smug for being able to catch her even though he knew that he was only really able to because she let him. But that made it all the more endearing. ¡°Alright. Back to the lesson,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Unless you¡¯d rather talk about masturbating to the porn you recorded of me and Nell.¡± ¡°Just get on with the lesson!¡± Saya shouted. Fenrir chuckled. ¡°Alright, alright. So, your first target will be Aza. Now, tell me, what do you know about her?¡± ¡°Dragons and explosions.¡± ¡°Basically all you need to know. Good job. Next, Serra.¡± ¡°Lewd jokes and head pats.¡± ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need these lessons after all. What about Cass?¡± ¡°Respect and treating her like a normal person, and not staring at her chest too much.¡± ¡°And Eva?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ actually not sure.¡± ¡°Alright, well, let¡¯s start from the top with some serious details. First, Nell can seriously be skipped here since she¡¯s already waiting for you to officially date us as much as I am. She¡¯s the freebie. Now, Aza. If you want to seduce Aza, all you have to do is express genuine interest in her hobbies. And by hobbies, I mean explosions and dragons. Maybe get a present for Death. Not her, Death. Getting a present for somebody is generic, but getting a present for their pet? Now, that¡¯s how you really come off as caring and interested. Maybe get Death a¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± ¡°¡ªa sweater.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°Imagine it! A cute, tiny dragon wearing a sweater! That would be adorable!¡± ¡°Am I doing this for you or her?!¡± ¡°She¡¯d also find it adorable, though. The cuter you make Death, the more easily you win her heart. You know how they say you can win a man through his stomach? You can win an Azawaza through her dragon. It¡¯s like¡­ if you want to impress a woman, and you get her dog to love you, she¡¯s going to love you. Or at least, she¡¯s more likely to give you a chance. So as long as you can make Death like you, or you can make Death look cuter to her, then I believe you should be able to win her.¡± ¡°I¡­ I guess that makes sense, as much as I¡¯d hate to admit that you know anything about seducing women.¡± ¡°Hey, come on. I¡¯ve got¡­ how many girlfriends do I have now?¡± ¡°Wow, onii-wan. Acting like you have so many girlfriends you can¡¯t even remember them all. You¡¯re not that popular.¡± ¡°I¡¯m at least slightly more popular than average.¡± ¡°Your ego is already big enough that I refuse to even give you that much.¡± ¡°You know, that¡¯s fair. Alright. Anyways, my point is that it only makes sense to assume I at least kind of know what I¡¯m doing when it comes to women. I¡¯ve had five girlfriends for a while now. If I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, I wouldn¡¯t be here¡­ ignoring that I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning.¡± ¡°I would defend you on that, but you don¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°Good enough. Next is Serra. As you know, she¡¯s lewd. But because you can¡¯t just fuck her or anything, you¡¯ve got to put in a bit more effort than that. And what I mean by that is that you¡¯ve got to use lewd jokes. Especially cheesy lewd jokes. They make her giggle and open up in no time. I mean, I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t mind opening up to you as is, but it¡¯s what¡¯ll really get her to open up to you.¡± ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t really know any cheesy, lewd jokes.¡± ¡°Look them up on the internet. All my jokes are jokes I¡¯ve stolen from the internet.¡± ¡°I guess I can.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s all you need to do for her. Next is Eva, since we¡¯ll save Cass for last. So, Eva¡­¡± A few moments of silence passed. ¡°Eva¡­ is¡­ well¡­ she¡¯s still hanging out with her friends, so we won¡¯t worry about her yet.¡± Saya rolled her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to seduce her, do you?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t. I actually don¡¯t. Uh, you could probably seduce her by¡­ showing interest in her hobbies? And by that, I mean¡­ letting her explain basically anything to you? Or dipping your legs into lava with her? She always brings up how she¡¯s dipped her legs into lava before, so maybe you can invite her to a lava bath session?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°Understandable. Well, like I said. She keeps on extending how long she wants to stay down there for, so that¡¯s not really a problem.¡± ¡°What¡¯s she even staying down there for?¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s just having a ton of fun, which is fine. She spent all of her time with us for months before this, and she still talks to us over Fiscord every single day and texts us, so I don¡¯t mind if she wants to stay chilling down there for a while.¡± ¡°What if she¡¯s secretly got another lover down there? What if she¡¯s part of a whole different relationship group?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s going to be cucking me.¡± ¡°I regret saying anything.¡± ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think she has enough time to be part of another relationship when she¡¯s constantly talking to us or performing experiments that she then talks to us about.¡± ¡°I know. I was joking. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even possible for any of them to consider cheating on you.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t go jinxing it now.¡± Saya rolled her eyes again. ¡°As if saying something like that would cause it to happen.¡± ¡°Listen, Saya. The words you¡¯re saying right now are all very dangerous. I¡¯ve accidentally played netorare visual novels before and what you¡¯re saying is a flag that foreshadows it happening in the future.¡± She narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Do you really think any of them would ever even think about it?¡± ¡°No, but still. The fewer flags you plant for that route, the better.¡± Saya stuck her tongue out at him again. ¡°Well, you really don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡°I know. You can set as many flags as possible and they still wouldn¡¯t¡­ wait, now I¡¯m the one planting the flag.¡± ¡°Maybe you should change the subject and go back to talking about helping me seduce your girlfriends.¡± ¡°Good idea. Anyways, let Eva nerd out to you about whatever is interesting to her at the moment and you¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± ¡°Show an interest in her interests. I can do that.¡± ¡°And then for Cass Cass, all you need to do is treat her with respect, flirt with her, and¡­ basically just flirt with her like you would flirt with any normal girl.¡± ¡°So, you brought me out here with a chalkboard and everything just so that you can basically tell me to treat them with respect and to flirt with them.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re procrastinating, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­ yes.¡± ¡°What are you supposed to be doing right now?¡± ¡°Helping Tabs with the sub.¡± ¡°And why aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because she acts like an NPC quest giver in a JRPG who keeps on giving me errand fetch quests.¡± ¡°Onii-wan.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°She¡¯s building a fantasy submarine for you capable of launching missiles.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even use the chalkboard.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Go help her.¡± ¡°¡­ alright. Can I at least draw something on the chalkboard first?¡± Saya sighed and shrugged, allowing Fenrir to get to work. It took a few minutes of recalling how to draw from his days of attempting to draw his own hentai, but he eventually managed to create a piece of art that even he could call adorable. Not even Saya was able to deny just how cute the picture was. For it was a picture of Death. In a sweater. It was a very amateur picture that most children probably could have made even better than him, but that didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was that he draw a cute version of Death wearing a sweater. ¡°I feel satisfied with my life now,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Was it really that easy? All you had to do was draw a picture of a tiny dragon in a tiny sweater?¡± Saya asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Saya sighed before standing up, grabbing onto Fenrir, and pulling him down close enough so that she could kiss his cheek. ¡°Go help Tabs while I seduce your girlfriends.¡± ¡°I guess I can do that.¡± Fenrir placed a hand atop her head to ruffle her up a little before kissing her forehead. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to go get shouted at and treated like a slave for a few hours. Good luck with my girlfriends.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be our girlfriends soon, onii-wan.¡± ¡°And then we can all have sex and cuddle together.¡± ¡°Did you really have to make it sexual?¡± ¡°You know you like it.¡± Saya pouted and let go of him, turning her back to him. ¡°Hmph. Just because I do doesn¡¯t mean you have to be a pervert.¡± ¡°I know, but you like it.¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± Saya might have been an AI capable of thinking thousands of thoughts within seconds, but even she wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that in a way that wouldn¡¯t just give Fenrir a way to repeatedly call her out for liking it. So, instead, she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to make your girlfriends like me more.¡± ¡°Hi, ¡®going to make your girlfriends like me more.¡¯ I¡¯m Fenrir. Is your name foreign or something?¡± Following a loud groan, Saya left Fenrir alone on The Shoebill. Fenrir, sighing at what he knew he had to go and do, looked at the chalkboard¡­ and began drawing some more. Sure, Death had a sweater, but what about Rock and Shogun? It wouldn¡¯t be fair to leave Death all alone on the chalkboard without friends who also had sweaters drawn onto them. Book 10: Chapter 3: Saya walked through the streets of Nameless while thinking about how she was going to get onto the good sides of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends. Sure, Fenrir gave her that advice¡ªwhich was more like common sense¡ªto seduce them, but she still felt like she had no idea what to actually do. The only really specific thing she could do that was brought up was getting Death a present to win over Azalabulia. ¡°Getting Death a present¡­ a sweater. I know onii-wan wants to see Death in a sweater, but would Aza actually like that?¡± Saya asked, talking to herself while everybody else around went about their daily lives. Nameless behaved more and more like a traditional fantasy town by the day. The greater its success was, the more players came to join it after hearing about it, and the more NPCs spawned to come as well. While the players went out to hunt beasts and gather materials in the forest and mountains, the NPCs primarily spent their time fulfilling all of the ¡°real¡± work around the town. They were the ones who staffed the various stores and restaurants that players opened up. They were the ones who crafted and forged basic items while players primarily focused on important equipment and potions. They were the ones who kept the city clean and did most of the fishing while players did all the more exciting jobs¡­ and also went fishing. If anything, the fishing industry of Nameless was the only one where players and NPCs were equal. In every other regard, it was the NPCs who stayed within the city¡¯s limits to do all the work the players didn¡¯t want to do. Some NPCs even became town guards to keep a lookout for trouble and would even break up small fights between players. Saya couldn¡¯t help but to sigh when she came across another, new building being constructed with the help of NPCs. It was almost certainly owned by a player who would use NPC labor to help run the place. But that wasn¡¯t what made her sigh. The NPCs were happy with their lives, so she had no intention of trying to do anything on their behalf. It was something much more innocent that made her sigh. ¡°That onii-wan¡­ he wanted to build a city, but all he did was find a place for it and let everybody else do the work,¡± Saya said. Of course, she knew that he was important to the city¡¯s founding and that it wouldn¡¯t be there if it wasn¡¯t for him. Not to mention that he was the one who managed to get everybody else on his side, including a giant dragon, to defeat the world serpent that threatened all life along their entire stretch of coast. Even so, she couldn¡¯t help but to notice that he was conveniently always busy when it came to grunt work. The only time he ever helped out with things like cleaning and building were when he was being pressured into doing it. Even in that moment, she knew he was still drawing on the chalkboard aboard The Shoebill. That was why she thought into his mind, I¡¯m never going to wear sweaters for you ever again if you don¡¯t go help Tabs like you¡¯re supposed to. Naturally, Fenrir immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed off of The Shoebill for the forest where Tabitha was likely waiting for him, angrily so, with a hammer ready to smack him. Normally, she would worry about that potentially crossing the line and being something that might be disallowed by Kadi since one could argue she used her virtual assistant role to influence Fenrir¡¯s in-game behavior¡­ but she wasn¡¯t worried about Kadi. Mainly due to the fact that she hadn¡¯t heard a single thing from her since the incident with the corrupted code. Saya could tell Kadi was still there receiving information, and she still received all of the usual information that she needed from Kadi, but that was it. There was zero contact between them aside from that. Zero information aside from the absolute most bare minimum. While that could have been considered as something significant, Saya chose not to care. The less she had to deal with Kadi, the happier she was. There were more important things to deal with anyways, such as figuring out how she was going to do something like get a sweater for Death. ¡°I¡¯m on a mission to find a sweater for a baby dragon named Death in a virtual world managed by an artificial intelligence created in a space station all so that I can seduce my wolf boy pseudo big brother¡¯s girlfriends so that I can be his girlfriend and do lewd things with him,¡± Saya said to herself. ¡°I want to tell that to somebody from a hundred years ago to get their reaction. Even somebody from a few decades ago would probably think I¡¯m insane. Actually¡­ there are probably people alive right now who would think I¡¯m screwing with them if I said that.¡± Another sigh left Saya¡¯s lips as she continued to wander around the town, keeping an eye out for anything that might give her an idea. That was when she saw it. Sitting on a bench at the town center was an elderly woman, an NPC, with a small dog sleeping on her lap. More importantly¡­ the dog had a sweater on. Saya almost couldn¡¯t believe her luck. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she was personally able to check and see that the NPC and her sweater-wearing dog existed within the town for several days already, she would have assumed that something suspicious was going on since it was far too perfect to just be a coincidence. But it was just a coincidence. A coincidence that Saya wasn¡¯t going to pass up. Saya rushed over to the old woman and was quick to introduce herself. ¡°Hi! Uh, I mean, sorry to bother you¡ªI hope I¡¯m not bothering you. Nice¡­ nice weather? Anyways, where¡¯d you get that sweater?¡± Fortunately for Saya, the old woman didn¡¯t seem to mind the awkward introduction and looked up at her with a kind smile. ¡°I knitted it myself!¡± she answered. ¡°And yes, the weather is quite lovely today!¡± ¡°Do you happen to have any others? I¡¯d be happy to pay you for one!¡± ¡°Oh, but of course! I have a full wardrobe of outfits for Mister Tooth!¡± ¡°Mister¡­ Mister Tooth?¡± The old woman nodded before rolling over her dog just enough to show the side of his snout, revealing the single tooth sticking out from his lips. ¡°That one tooth has always stuck out ever since he was a pup!¡± This dog knows that having a single fang sticking out is cultured. Wait, I sound like onii-wan. But he really is cute¡­ I wish onii-wan had a single fang. Well, I am his virtual assistant, so I¡¯m still in control of what his avatar ends up looking like. If I can convince him to get a single fang like that¡­ then I can give him one as long as he¡¯s the one who wants it. I wonder what else I could convince him to want. I¡ªI mean¡­ I dress up and make myself look however he wants, so it¡¯s only fair if he does the same for me! ¡°That¡¯s really cutre,¡± Saya said. ¡°So, about that wardrobe. Could I pay you for a spare sweater?¡± ¡°Oh, no, not at all! I would never make you pay me for something like that,¡± the old woman replied. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯d feel bad if I get it for free.¡± The old woman tilted her head. ¡°Who said anything about it being free?¡± Saya tilted her head next. ¡°E-eh?¡± ¡°Nothing is free in this world, deary. You shouldn¡¯t go around expecting free things from your elders!¡± ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t mean to sound like that! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just really excited.¡± ¡°Good. Now, if you want a sweater, you¡¯re going to have to do something for me.¡± Saya hesitantly nodded. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Bring me back some fresh meat from a tusked bear. Five slabs of it should be enough. I want to make a stew for Mister Tooth, you see!¡± Am¡­ am I being given a quest? ¡°So¡­ go bring you back five slabs of meat from a tusked bear and I¡¯ll get a free sweater around your dog¡¯s size?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The old lady and her dog might have existed within the town for a few days already, but the quest was dynamically generated on the spot just for her. That was how all ¡°quests¡± worked in the game. There was no quest log or anything like that, nor were there exclamation marks over NPCs¡¯ heads, but one could still find quests in an organic way simply by talking to NPCs. Fenrir just never got any quests because he never wanted anything from NPCs before. As soon as Saya actually wanted something from an NPC, she was given a quest for it. Even though I¡¯m still a virtual assistant¡­ I sometimes forget that this place is just a game in the end. As much as Saya didn¡¯t want to run a random errand to go do some generic MMO quest, she wanted a sweater for Death more than she didn¡¯t want to run the errand. ¡°Where can I find these bears?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen one around before.¡± ¡°They are rather common near the mountains to the south,¡± the old woman answered. ¡°I believe there may even be a den they live in. I¡¯m sure the two of you will be more than capable of dealing with them!¡± ¡°The two of us?¡± Saya asked. It was only when she looked to her right that she noticed an oversized hat next to her. Looking down at its wearer, the hat belonged to none other than one of Saya¡¯s seduction targets. Serra looked up at Saya and asked, ¡°Can I come? It sounds fun.¡± ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t even notice you there,¡± Saya replied. ¡°I¡¯m sneaky.¡± ¡°I¡­ noticed. Are you sure you want to come?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°I want to test my new magic. And I overheard you and Fen talking about seducing me. If I come with you then you¡¯ll have a chance to seduce me.¡± ¡°You¡ªyou heard that?!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How?!¡± ¡°I was on the boat.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see you!¡± ¡°I was below deck.¡± ¡°Why were you there anyways?!¡± ¡°I was taking a nap in a hammock. I like napping there.¡± Saya, with a face bright red from embarrassment, wanted nothing more than to hide behind Fenrir. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t there to be a living wall for her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Serra continued. ¡°I already like you because I know you¡¯re special to Fen, and you¡¯re cute. But I can pretend like you still need to seduce me if you want.¡± ¡°Pl-please do,¡± Saya said. ¡°I won¡¯t know how to act if you take the lead.¡± ¡°That makes me want to put a collar on you right now.¡± ¡°A¡ªa collar?!¡± Saya took a step back, her tail rapidly wagging behind her. ¡°Heh. So this is why Fen and Nell like you so much. We¡¯ll get along.¡± ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be the one seducing you, but it feels like you¡¯re the one seducing me!¡± Serra had a little sparkle in her eyes as she gave Saya a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡¯m a master of seduction. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll teach you how to seduce me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to work!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± the old lady said, ¡°the love of youth. How sweet. Now, you going to go get that bear meat? Mister Tooth needs his stew!¡± Saya sighed and slumped her shoulders. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize this is a timed quest.¡± She looked at Serra. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sweet,¡± Serra said. ¡°This isn¡¯t going anything like I expected it to go¡­¡± ¡°The first mistake is that Fen gave you advice about me like you¡¯re a guy. I wouldn¡¯t be able to take the lead with a guy unless I¡¯m already dating him. But you¡¯re a cute girl, so it¡¯s easy.¡± Saya mumbled under her breath and reddened cheeks as her tail happily wagged away. All she could do was hope that his advice was still relevant for everybody else. Meanwhile, Fenrir regretted everything. ¡°C¡¯mon, dog boy!¡± Tabitha shouted. ¡°Ya took your sweet time gettin¡¯ here, so now you¡¯ve got to make up for it!¡± Underground in the tunnel that Fenrir scouted out with Ilo, the interior of the cave was completely transformed to look nothing like it did before. Light fixtures were attached all over the walls and hanging from the ceiling to keep it properly lit the entire time, there was platform elevator to transfer materials safely-but-slowly from the ground up above down into the cave, and then there was the beginning of the submarine itself. Only the outline of the hull was complete at that point, but Tabitha was hard at work to get it done and she couldn¡¯t look happier about having such a grand project to work on despite how harshly she was yelling at Fenrir. As for Fenrir, his job wasn¡¯t even that important at the moment. It was mostly revenge. Tabitha played a very small and petite character. There wasn¡¯t much to work with when it came to her body. That meant all of her clothes were smaller. That meant she could carry fewer tools, bags, and satchels on her than somebody with a larger build. All of her tools were still regularly sized, too. That was why she always carried out that backpack that seemed overly stuffed full of various materials and tools while looking far too large for her body. She had that pack ever since Fenrir first met her back in Port Tugator. And because she wasn¡¯t going to carry that backpack around with her every few steps while working on the submarine if she could help it, she made Fenrir carry it for her and dig around for all of her tools. ¡°I thought trying to find something in Nell¡¯s purse was bad,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But this¡­ is so much worse.¡± ¡°Oi, quit your yappin¡¯ and get me the big nails,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Which nails are the big ones?¡± ¡°The big ones!¡± ¡°These?¡± Fenrir asked, holding up a nail that was definitely on the larger side of things. ¡°I said the big nails!¡± ¡°This is big!¡± ¡°Ya think that¡¯s big? I feel bad for your girlfriends.¡± Tabitha scored a critical hit with that one. ¡°Stop lookin¡¯ so sad and get me my nails. The big ones.¡± With his ears lowered against the top of his head to play along a bit more, he went back to digging through her backpack in search of the largest nails he could find. That was the important work Saya pressured him into going to do. While Saya went on a quest to hunt bears, Fenrir was on a quest to find nails. Sure, his quest would reward him with a capable submarine while Saya¡¯s quest would only reward her with a tiny sweater¡­ but he would choose a sweater over a submarine any day. Book 10: Chapter 4: ¡°Crap,¡± Tabitha said while in the middle of working on the submarine¡¯s hull. ¡°You know, I feel like hearing ¡®crap¡¯ from you all of a sudden is a bad thing,¡± Fenrir replied, still serving as her obedient servant who more or less only existed to hand her whatever she needed at the moment. ¡°I¡¯ve got a problem.¡± ¡°That makes it sound even worse.¡± ¡°Ya see, dog boy¡­ I just got inspired.¡± ¡°Alright, now it sounds like a good thing.¡± ¡°Inspired for somethin¡¯ else.¡± ¡°Neutral thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been hearin¡¯ some of the NPCs talk about how the land around here ain¡¯t too fertile. Sure, it gets the job done, but it ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ the job done as much as it could be.¡± ¡°Alright. Go on. It¡¯s still a neutral thing right now.¡± ¡°So, ya know what we need to do? Ya know what every basic civilization has figured out at one point or another to improve farmin¡¯ and all that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Proper irrigation. We don¡¯t got any irrigation systems up and runnin¡¯ yet. Farmers outside the town are just relyin¡¯ on good ol¡¯ rain and the river. But instead of tryin¡¯ to do things around the river, why don¡¯t we bring the river to their crops? There¡¯s enough of it to go around, and that water is plenty clean and healthy since it¡¯s comin¡¯ from the mountains. Least, I think that¡¯s how it works.¡± ¡°Just because water comes from mountains doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the cleanest there is. There can still be bacteria in it from animals dying or shitting in it upstream.¡± ¡°Yeah, but do ya really think we¡¯ve got to worry about that in this game?¡± ¡°Probably not. As realistic as this game tries to be, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s simulating people getting diarrhea from drinking contaminated river water.¡± ¡°Exactly. The important thing is that it¡¯s more consistent than rainwater and ain¡¯t salty like ocean water. But there¡¯s only so much space to farm right next to the river, and you¡¯ve also got to worry about floodin¡¯. So, why not just safely bring the mountain water to the farms? They don¡¯t have to compete for space either. More space, better irrigation, more NPCs movin¡¯ up here to farm, more players who¡¯ll get interested in it, too, and the bigger our place will grow. Ya want a big and proper city, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ never really put much thought into it. I just wanted a place where we could all chill with NPCs. Admittedly, as soon as I actually got one and was put somewhat into a position of power for it, I had no idea what to do. That¡¯s why I handed the reigns over to Nell.¡± ¡°Tch. Go figure. A man has all these grand, fancy ideas about what he wants to do, then gives up and tosses all responsibility to the woman as soon as he¡¯s got it.¡± ¡°I think a better comparison would have been a kid who is begging his parents for a dog, promises to take care of the dog, gets the dog, and then never takes care of it so that the parents are forced to.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t help me insult you. It¡¯s weird. Also, what makes that one better?¡± Fenrir pointed at his ears with one hand and his tail with the other. ¡°Oh. Yeah, alright, that¡¯s a better one.¡± ¡°But seriously, I kind of feel the need to defend myself here. It¡¯s not like I completely threw all responsibility onto Nell. I¡¯m just letting her handle all the real big picture stuff while I focus more on the military side of things. She¡¯s the one who makes sure everybody is playing nice with each other and coordinating efforts between the different towns while I¡ª¡± ¡°Order me around to build you a gosh darn submarine with ICBMs in a game that¡¯s supposed to be fantasy?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Which still comes down to a man givin¡¯ a woman orders to cover his arse because he doesn¡¯t know how to do it himself.¡± ¡°You know what, I¡¯m starting to see your point here.¡± ¡°Good. Maybe all hope ain¡¯t lost for ya yet.¡± ¡°But seriously, if you want to work on irrigation, you can take a break from this to do that. I don¡¯t want to make you work on anything you don¡¯t want to work on. Plus I figure that if you work on what you¡¯re most inspired to work on, then the results will be better than if you weren¡¯t inspired. So, work on the irrigation system while you¡¯re inspired for it, then come back to work on the submarine when you¡¯re inspired for it.¡± ¡°That sounds great and all, but it don¡¯t always work that way.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why it can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Because this is more important. Not to mention that I¡¯m obligated to ya to get this done.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I seriously don¡¯t mind if you take a break to work on something else.¡± ¡°I know ya don¡¯t, that¡¯s why I¡¯m annoyed. Ya make me want to go work on it. You¡¯re enablin¡¯ me. But I need to get this done before I can work on anythin¡¯ else.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve got enough projects I¡¯ve started and haven¡¯t finished already. I want to finish what I¡¯m supposed to for once. Not to mention that this is important for our place¡¯s security. What good is settin¡¯ up irrigation and all that if we can¡¯t defend what we¡¯ve got? We¡¯ll focus on defenses¡ªwell, offenses in this case, and then we can focus on the passive stuff.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m against any of that, but I do kind of feel bad. I don¡¯t want your inspiration going to waste.¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t stay inspired until I¡¯m ready to work on it, I figure I wasn¡¯t really all that inspired for it in the first place. Just a fleetin¡¯ fancy. If I¡¯m really inspired, I¡¯ll keep on thinkin¡¯ about it and improvin¡¯ it in my head until I¡¯m ready to work on it. Only problem is that it¡¯s a bit of a double-edged sword. Sure, I¡¯ll get to think about it so much that it drives me crazy and I get full of ideas for it that¡¯ll make it even better¡­ but it takes away from me thinkin¡¯ about what I¡¯m currently supposed to be doin¡¯.¡± ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you just go work on it?¡± ¡°If I do then I¡¯ll be usin¡¯ up all my energy on something that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m supposed to be doin¡¯. It¡¯s a lose-lose, ya see. Either I drop what I¡¯m doin¡¯ to work on what I¡¯m really inspired for in the moment, potentially losin¡¯ motivation to work on what I¡¯m supposed to be doin¡¯, or I keep on workin¡¯ on what I¡¯m supposed to do but get distracted thinkin¡¯ about what I¡¯d rather be doin¡¯.¡± ¡°Or alternatively, it¡¯s a win-win. You either get to focus on what you¡¯re inspired for, or you get to finish what you¡¯re supposed to be doing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bein¡¯ too positive. It¡¯s like turnin¡¯ stayin¡¯ loyal or cheating on your lover into a win-win situation.¡± ¡°Well, in a messed up way, couldn¡¯t it be? You either stay with the woman you know loves you, or you find somebody who might love you more than anybody else. I know it¡¯s a really fucked up way of looking at it, and you should obviously not resort to cheating to find stronger love or anything, but still. Those are technically positive outcomes.¡± ¡°If ya ignore everythin¡¯ else around the results, sure. But ya see, negative things tend to stick around longer than positive things. Gettin¡¯ a random compliment is pretty nice and might make your day. Gettin¡¯ a random insult is more likely to stick with ya for days if not years. Sure, ya might find a new lover who loves ya even more, but what about the court fees from gettin¡¯ a divorce? What happens to any kids involved? Will ya be able to peacefully sleep with yourself every night knowin¡¯ ya betrayed the trust of somebody who loved ya and got emotionally destroyed by your betrayal? Not to mention potentially losin¡¯ all your family and friends in the process. But if ya only care about the most selfish part of the outcome, sure, it¡¯s a win-win.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to say it¡¯s only a win-win, just that there¡¯s more to it than being a lose-lose. It¡¯s not fair to yourself if you only look at everything as a lose-lose. Everything has a bright side.¡± ¡°Then it comes down to personal ethics. I believe in gettin¡¯ the work I¡¯m supposed to be doin¡¯ done. It¡¯s goin¡¯ to make me feel bad if I don¡¯t finish it, and that¡¯s going to affect everythin¡¯ else I do. So, even if I might end up making a worse product because I¡¯m distracted thinkin¡¯ about other projects, I¡¯d rather get what needs done done. Then I can be proud of myself and feel accomplished, not to mention I won¡¯t feel like I¡¯m lettin¡¯ anybody down. Even if it ain¡¯t always the most fun option, it¡¯s the option I need to choose if I don¡¯t want to feel like crap later.¡± ¡°I understand. So, you always had your choice chosen, and you just want to vent about how it¡¯s going to suck because you¡¯re going to be distracted and not do anything about it?¡± ¡°Exactly, dog boy. Just because I ain¡¯t happy about it don¡¯t mean that I¡¯m gonna do anythin¡¯ about it.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you write down your ideas or something? Maybe get it out of your system that way?¡± ¡°If the ideas ain¡¯t good enough to survive in my mind, they ain¡¯t worth puttin¡¯ down on paper.¡± ¡°What if you had good ideas that you really wish you wouldn¡¯t have forgotten about if you knew about them?¡± ¡°Life is full of ¡®what ifs.¡¯ No point in worryin¡¯ about them. I¡¯d rather focus on what is, not what if. What if is irrigation. What is is that we have an enemy who needs attacked with a fancy fantasy submarine capable of launchin¡¯ missiles at them from a distance.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t really argue with you there. But I¡¯m going to say it again, even if it means enabling you and any bad habits you might have. This is a game. I want you to have fun. There¡¯s no point in playing a game if you¡¯re not having fun doing it, and I would never want anybody to do something for me if they¡¯re not having fun doing it. So if you ever want to take a break to go work on something else, do it, and then I¡¯ll hold you to your original project to make sure it gets done and that you don¡¯t feel bad about it later. Got it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good¡ªwait. You were supposed to say yes.¡± ¡°And I said no. Look, in addition to everythin¡¯ else I already said, sometimes ya can¡¯t be selfish and only do what ya have fun doin¡¯. I might not be havin¡¯ the most fun in this exact moment, but that don¡¯t mean I won¡¯t have fun later, not to mention that¡ªsometimes¡ªdoin¡¯ the not-so-fun things enables me to do things that are actually fun later. Stickin¡¯ with you and helpin¡¯ ya out has been a lot of that. Sometimes I don¡¯t have fun doin¡¯ all the things ya want me to do, but it¡¯s because I do them and stick around that I¡¯m able to do all the other things I actually want to do and have fun doin¡¯.¡± Fenrir sighed, but he couldn¡¯t argue against anything she said. Sure, his feelings told him that she should take it easy and just focus on having fun, but she was being responsible instead. Logical, even. She was self-aware about how she treated her projects, understood her own feelings, and have a work ethic that she strived to stick to. There was nothing there that Fenrir could fault her for. Only things for him to respect her for. Even if it made him feel bad, what mattered was letting her make the choice for herself to do whatever she wanted. If she wanted to focus on something that wasn¡¯t that fun for the sake of being proud of herself later for finishing it, then so be it. But¡­ he still couldn¡¯t accept it. At least, not entirely. ¡°Eighty-twenty,¡± Fenrir said and crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°No negotiation.¡± ¡°Eighty-twenty?¡± Tabitha asked him, crossing her own arms over her chest. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m setting your work-to-fun ratio to. You have to spend at least eighty percent of your time working on things you need to work on, such as the submarine. The other twenty percent of the time, I¡¯m going to force you to work on whatever project sounds the most fun to you.¡± ¡°Why should I listen to that?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m your friend and I¡¯m worried about your health. So, please take it easy on yourself and make time for you to work on fun projects.¡± ¡°What if I find this fun again?¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s fine. If you¡¯re inspired and having fun working on this, you can work a hundred percent on it. Otherwise, only eighty percent per session.¡± Tabitha let down her arms before letting out a long, dramatic sigh. ¡°Deal, captain dog. If it gets ya to stop yappin¡¯ so we can get back to work, I¡¯ll accept that balance.¡± Fenrir let down his own arms and smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Hand me Martha.¡± ¡°Which¡­ which wrench is that again?¡± ¡°Dear lord, dog boy. Ya already forgot?¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears fell flat against the top of his head as he held Tabitha¡¯s toolbox to her. Meanwhile, trekking southward through the forest was the party of two with a quest to acquire meat. And the air around them could not have felt more awkward. Serra, walking at Saya¡¯s side, kept on looking over and up at her to see if she was ready to flirt yet. Unfortunately for her, Saya wasn¡¯t ready no matter how many long she waited for. Then there was Saya who knew that she was supposed to be seducing Serra while on their quest, but she just couldn¡¯t think of what to say. They ended up walking together in silence for over twenty minutes. The only time they ever broke the silence was to comment on how nice the weather was or a particularly pretty flower. How does Fenrir do this?! Saya thought to herself. Even though she knew exactly how he did it, she couldn¡¯t understand how to do it herself. There Serra was, a cute girl open to being flirted with, expecting it, and yet¡­ Saya was mentally frozen. Thankfully for Saya, Serra was a predator in her own right. ¡°If you won¡¯t seduce me, I¡¯ll seduce you,¡± Serra said. Saya turned to look at the smaller girl just in time to see her lick her lips. ¡°E-eh?¡± They were supposed to be hunting bears, but now it was Saya who felt like she was the one being hunted. Book 10: Chapter 5: ¡°Are you a parking ticket? Because you have fine written all over you,¡± Serra said, trailing behind Saya as they moved through the forest. That wasn¡¯t the only pick-up line that Serra tried, either. ¡°If you were a chicken, you¡¯d be impeccable.¡± Saya covered up her canid ears and pushed them down against her head to try and hide from the sound of Serra¡¯s cheesy pick-up lines. ¡°Are you a camera? Because I look at you and smile.¡± ¡°Please,¡± Saya said. ¡°Please stop. I¡ªI can¡¯t. I can¡¯t handle all of these lines. They¡¯re not even seducing me, they¡¯re just making me want to die.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m seducing you. Are you seduced yet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way!¡± ¡°It does. Seduction is like a health bar. You have to drain your target¡¯s health bar with smooth lines until it¡¯s empty, and then you go in for the kill.¡± ¡°Then at least use smooth lines instead of cheesy ones!¡± ¡°Any chance you have an extra heart? Because mine¡¯s been stolen.¡± ¡°Then I suggest you go find it!¡± Serra sighed and shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re bad at getting seduced.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t turn this around on me! You¡¯re the one failing to seduce me!¡± ¡°Those lines would have worked on any of the others.¡± ¡°I doubt that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. If I tried using those on Cass Cass, she would be stripping by now just to get me to shut up.¡± ¡°Somebody trying to shut you up by distracting you with sex isn¡¯t the same as you successfully seducing them!¡± ¡°But the end result is the same, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Saya whined and sighed, unable to think of how to defeat Serra¡¯s logic. ¡°I¡¯m not going to strip for you just because you¡ª¡± She looked over her shoulder to take a look at Serra. That was when she saw Serra in the process of undressing, or at least looking like she was. Serra took her oversized hat off and was in the process of unbuttoning her blouse. Her chest was already visible, still protected by her bra, but Saya doubted that any part of Serra would be protected for much longer. That was why she jumped forward to grab Serra¡¯s hands, stopping them from their perverse task and then buttoning the blouse back up herself. ¡°You can¡¯t just seduce me by stripping! I¡¯m not that easy!¡± Saya whined. ¡°This is harder than I thought it¡¯d be,¡± Serra said. ¡°How should I seduce you?¡± ¡°Just¡­ be yourself!¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°¡­ you are. Then¡­ talk about something else that you like other than lewd stuff?¡± ¡°But lewd stuff is at least ninety percent of what I like.¡± ¡°You have to have another hobby, right? Another interest? Anything?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I like guns. They go pew pew, just like penises.¡± ¡°Is everything sexual to you?¡± ¡°Almost.¡± ¡°Alright. Good. Only almost. What isn¡¯t sexual to you?¡± ¡°Stuff you use toilets for.¡± Saya stared straight into Serra¡¯s eyes for a few more seconds before sighing. ¡°I can¡¯t make conversation off of that stuff.¡± ¡°Heh. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m purposely trying to overwhelm you with lewd stuff.¡± ¡°Wait, why?¡± ¡°Because you look fun to tease. And you always look like you enjoy it when Fen teases you.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡ªI do, even if I pretend that I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Are you having fun now?¡± Saya blushed a little and wanted to look away but didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡­ I am.¡± ¡°Good. Mission successful. We¡¯re comfortably talking to each other. The seduction has worked.¡± ¡°You¡ªwait. Was this all planned?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t trying to seriously seduce me with those cheesy lines?¡± Serra shook her head. ¡°They were for fun, not serious. If I really wanted to try and be lewd and sexually seduce you I would call you cute and a good girl, like Fen does.¡± All it took was hearing ¡°good girl¡± to make Saya¡¯s ears twitch and her tail wag. ¡°I¡ªI see.¡± Serra couldn¡¯t help but to snerk at that. ¡°I just wanted to make you comfortable. You were anxious and awkward before. Now we¡¯re talking normally. I seduced your comfort, not your body.¡± ¡°I guess I don¡¯t really know how to do this seduction stuff.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll teach you. The first step is that you have to make sure the person you¡¯re seducing is comfortable. Like with Cass Cass. If I randomly go grope her boobs, she probably won¡¯t appreciate it. But if I act cute and stretch across her lap, she¡¯ll lower her guard and then her boobs are mine.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just describe acting like a cat?¡± ¡°It works. Acting like a cute cat distracts her even though she knows what always happens afterward.¡± ¡°Alright. So¡­ make sure that whoever I¡¯m trying to seduce is comfortable around me first, and then just¡­ act like a cat¡ªI mean, flirt with them?¡± ¡°Yeah. But you have to be comfortable, too, or else it will feel too awkward. Make sure both you and whoever you seduce after me is comfortable. Then you¡¯re in. That¡¯s all you have to do. You don¡¯t even need to try and seduce us.¡± ¡°Well, I know I don¡¯t need to actually seduce you all, but¡­ I don¡¯t really know how else I¡¯m supposed to go about this. I need to make you all like me the same way you like each other.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re looking at it the wrong way.¡± Saya tilted her head. ¡°How?¡± Rather dramatically, while maintaining her usual, expressionless face and monotone voice, Serra pointed up at Saya and said, ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to get comfortable around us. We all like you. You¡¯re close to Fen and we trust Fen, and you¡¯re cute, and you¡¯ve been nice and not weird, so we already like you. You don¡¯t need to seduce us. You need to seduce yourself to us.¡± ¡°I¡­ I need to seduce myself to you? That¡­ I hate how much sense that makes.¡± ¡°Here. Whenever we see a new girl who likes Fen, we already make ourselves start to like her because we know what¡¯s probably going to happen. We all knew what was going to happen as soon as we met you. So, we¡¯ve been open to the idea of you joining us ever since then. We¡¯ve been thinking about hanging out with you, being together, checking you out, and all that stuff. You could ask any of us out on a date at any time and we¡¯ll accept it.¡± The more Serra talked, the more Saya blushed. ¡°The only person who isn¡¯t ready is you. That¡¯s why you have to seduce yourself to us. And if you won¡¯t seduce yourself to us, then we have to seduce you, like I did.¡± ¡°I¡ªI see. That¡­ that makes a lot of sense.¡± Serra nodded. ¡°I¡¯m smart.¡± ¡°You really are.¡± ¡°But only when it comes to lewd stuff.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not talking about lewd stuff right now. You¡¯re talking about personal relationships, and you explained everything to me in a way that I didn¡¯t even know to think about.¡± ¡°Personal relationships are lewd. If you¡¯re a couple, you do stuff like hold hands and kiss each other, and that¡¯s super lewd. That makes all personal relationships lewd.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a bit of a stretch.¡± ¡°You can stretch me whenever you want.¡± Saya stared straight into Serra¡¯s eyes again and sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to keep up with your jokes.¡± ¡°Good. I want to be at the top of the lewd joke chain. If anybody tries to catch up to me, I¡¯ll have to put them in their place and assert dominance.¡± ¡°Hearing that from somebody who looks so small and cute is something else.¡± ¡°Heh. You called me cute.¡± ¡°I¡ªwell, you are. I¡¯m just pointing out the obvious.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have done that twenty minutes ago. See, my plan was a success. You¡¯re comfortable with me now.¡± ¡°I¡­ I am. But now what? I feel like there¡¯s something else I should do, but I don¡¯t know what else I¡¯m supposed to do now. I don¡¯t know what step comes after this.¡± Serra held her chin and tilted her head as she thought about it. ¡°Kiss.¡± ¡°Ki-kiss?!¡± ¡°Yeah. Kiss. Wait, I forget. Have you kissed Fen yet?¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± ¡°Dang. I kind of wanted to beat him to it. Oh, have you kissed Nell yet?¡± Saya shook her head. ¡°Good. I get to kiss you and rub it in her face. She¡¯ll be jealous since she likes you so much, but she¡¯ll also like being jealous. It¡¯s a win-win.¡± ¡°I¡ªI see. Yeah, that sounds like her.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s kiss.¡± While Saya definitely wasn¡¯t opposed to kissing Serra, suddenly jumping into it like that was something she wasn¡¯t so sure she could do. ¡°If you¡¯re not comfortable, all you have to do is close your eyes. I¡¯ll do the rest of the work.¡± ¡°I¡ªI might need that,¡± Saya said. ¡°At least¡­ for the first time.¡± Serra nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± Going along with Serra¡¯s plots since that seemed to be working the best for her, Saya began to close her eyes and even began to pucker her lips a little¡­ before her eyes shot wide open, her arms reaching out to grab Serra and pull her away to the side. That ended up with knocking Serra over and Saya landing on top of her just in time for a ferocious bear with two, massive tusks protruding from its lower jaw to lunge over where they just were. Not having any time to waste, Saya drew her bow and an arrow, her arms wrapped around Serra holding her close, and shot an arrow into the bear. It was no normal arrow, either. It was an arrow enhanced by one of her skill that had enough force in it to knock the bear back and buy them some time. As for Serra, she was actually blushing a little. There she was with another woman protecting her, arms wrapped around her while fearlessly fighting off a massive bear several times their size. ¡°I guess we reached the bears¡¯ territory,¡± Saya said. ¡°Let¡¯s¡ª¡± Saya was cut off when Serra brought her lips against hers, stealing that kiss she was just about to get before being oh-so-rudely interrupted by the bear. While Serra only intended on it being a quick kiss, she had to keep it lasting for just a few seconds longer than planned due to the cute noises Saya was making because of it. Once she was satisfied, Serra ended the kiss and wiggled out from Saya¡¯s arms. ¡°Time to get revenge for thinking it can interrupt us.¡± Saya went from flustered and ready to kiss, to full-on combat mode, back to being even more flustered than before as she blinked up at the tree above her with reddened cheeks. She had no idea how she was supposed to react to that. So, instead of processing what just happened, she decided to temporarily act like it didn¡¯t, in fact, happen. That was why she stood up, shook her head, and cleared her throat before returning her attention to the bear. ¡°Want to help?¡± Serra nodded and held her right hand forward toward the bear. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing my special attack. If you keep it busy, I can finish it off.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll count on you then. I wasn¡¯t expecting the bear to be this big.¡± With that, Saya nocked another arrow and loosed it just as the bear began charging at them again. That was when the bear swung its head to intercept the arrow with one of its tusks, knocking it out of the air and snapping it in half with ease. ¡°I¡¯ll distract it!¡± Saya shouted before charging at the bear herself, jumping at the last moment to jump over it and shoot an arrow into its back before landing behind it. Since Saya proved to be the bigger threat so far and was closer, the bear changed directions to focus on her which bought Serra time to begin her special move. The charging process would take a while, though, and looked like nothing more than a large, golden circle of magical runes hanging in the air behind her right shoulder. The bear¡¯s hide turned out to be incredibly durable. Even Saya¡¯s strongest shots were barely doing any damage to the bear. While she might have been able to make quick work of those zombies from before, that was before their bodies were weakened by rotting. Against a living being, especially one as huge and as powerful as the bear chasing after her, it was a different story. The only vulnerable spots on the bear looked to be around its head, such as going for its eyes or mouth, but the bear¡¯s tusks destroyed any arrow that got close to its face with incredible speed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be getting whiplash from jerking your neck around that fast?!¡± Saya shouted at the bear before backflipping onto a tall branch from a nearby tree. Being high up would buy her time to charge an extra powerful shot that could hopefully punch a hole through the bear¡¯s body. Or so she thought. The bear might not have been able to reach where she was, but it didn¡¯t need to. All it needed to do was charge straight into the tree with all of its strength, shattering the trunk and knocking her out of her perch as the tree fell above her. All of Saya¡¯s focus went into scrambling around the branches as both her and the tree fell in a desperate attempt not to get crushed by it. She succeeded, just narrowly avoiding getting pinned if not instantly killed by the tree¡¯s trunk slamming into her from above, but the bear was waiting for her on the ground. There was no time to get away as the bear reared up on its hind legs while lifting its right paw into the air, ready to slash it down into her. ¡°Fire,¡± Serra commanded. When Saya looked over to Serra, she saw that the magic circle behind her now had the barrel of a naval cannon sticking out of it. It wasn¡¯t just any normal cannon, either. It was a seriously big cannon several times the size of anything that was ever onboard The Shoebill. The barrel alone was large enough for either of the girls to fit their bodies into. That meant the cannonball within was very, very big. And that cannonball erupted from the cannon with a loud blast. Aimed directly at the bear, the cannonball punched into the side of the bear and absolutely obliterated its surrounding body. Chunks of meat and blood went flying in every direction, pretty much leaving only the bear¡¯s head and legs intact, and the head dropped onto Saya¡¯s abdomen still wearing the expression of murderous intent. All Saya could really do at that point was blink a few times, her entire body drenched in bear blood. A couple of seconds later and a slab of meat dropped onto her head with enough force to hurt, but that didn¡¯t change her expression of awe. It was only when Serra walked over to Saya with a chunk of meat under her arm to give her a thumbs-up while saying, ¡°Mission success,¡± that Saya managed to snap out of her confusion and process what just happened. Saya was looking forward to more, potential kisses after dealing with the bear¡­ but something about being covered in blood with chunks of bear flesh everywhere really ruined the mood. Not to mention the decapitated bear head on her. Book 10: Chapter 6: Fenrir was back at Nameless to grab some food and drinks for himself and Tabitha. Mainly for Tabitha. Being an errand boy running around grabbing whatever Tabitha wanted was part of the job if he wanted her to build him a capable submarine. Though, just before he actually stepped foot in Nameless, he ran into a couple of familiar faces just outside the main entrance. And one of them was stained from head to toe with blood. ¡°Is uh¡­ everything alright?¡± Fenrir asked Serra and Saya. Not only was Saya covered in blood, but she was holding hands with Serra with one hand while carrying several slabs of meat under her other arm. As for Serra, she was holding a blooded, severed bear head. ¡°Can we put this on the wall?¡± Serra asked. ¡°I want it in our bedroom.¡± ¡°Why¡­ why do you want a severed bear head on our bedroom wall?¡± Fenrir asked in response. ¡°Sex is satisfying. Looking at the head of a monster I killed is satisfying. I want to have sex then look at the head for double the satisfaction.¡± Fenrir looked at Saya, who had no response, and then looked back at Serra. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure how the others would feel about having a decapitated bear staring at us whenever we have sex in there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be extra lewd to distract them then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would want a bear head in there staring at me while I have sex.¡± ¡°What if you caught a really big, special fish? Wouldn¡¯t you want to hang it on the wall and then look at it after you¡¯re done cumming?¡± Fenrir looked at Saya, who still had no response, and then stroked his chin to think about it. ¡°I see your point.¡± ¡°So, can I hang the bear head on our wall?¡± ¡°Yeah, but only if you back me up whenever I catch a fish and want to hang it on the wall.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got you. We¡¯ll cover our bedroom wall with the heads of our enemies.¡± ¡°I want to say that I¡¯ve raised you so well, but: one, that would be weird because we¡¯re dating; and two, you¡¯re as short as you were when I met you, so I can¡¯t really say you¡¯ve been raised at all.¡± Serra snerked. ¡°But if you say you raised me then I can start calling you Daddy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to feel about that.¡± ¡°Daddy, can you buy me a coloring book?¡± ¡°Alright. Absolutely not. Never call me that again. You just ruined anything even slightly nice about it.¡± ¡°But what about when we have kids? They¡¯re going to talk to you like that. It¡¯s practice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to practice raising a child on my girlfriend. Please. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Boo. Just kidding. I don¡¯t want to be your child, I want to be your Mommy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just as bad.¡± ¡°Try calling me it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m not going to call you Mommy.¡± ¡°Do it. Try it. Embrace the Mommy. Then you can have my Mommy milkies.¡± Fenrir looked down at Serra¡¯s chest, back at her face, down at her chest again, and then stopped at her face. ¡°I love you, but you have nothing that could even pretend to be called milkies.¡± ¡°Then you can have Saya¡¯s milkies and pretend they¡¯re mine,¡± Serra said while reaching up to grope whichever breast of Saya¡¯s was closest to her. Saya was so done with their conversation that she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to care that she was getting groped. All she did was stare down at the hand, her body still covered in blood, and sigh. ¡°Seeing as how Saya isn¡¯t freaking out, I¡¯m guessing you conquered her?¡± Fenrir asked Serra. ¡°No,¡± Serra answered. ¡°She conquered herself.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too deep for you.¡± ¡°When you say that, I automatically assume you mean deep in a sexual way, and that makes it sound like you¡¯re saying something about my size.¡± ¡°Oh. Heh. Nice. I didn¡¯t even think of that. But don¡¯t worry. You can go more than deep enough.¡± ¡°Good. Anyways,¡± Fenrir turned his attention to Saya again, ¡°are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°Physically¡­ yes,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Emotionally¡­ probably. Mentally¡­ I don¡¯t know. Serra blew up a bear that was about to kill me with a single shot. The blood¡­ it went everywhere. There were chunks of its flesh falling from the sky¡­ it was like a waterfall of blood and meat¡­¡± Fenrir looked at Serra. ¡°How come you¡¯re clean?¡± ¡°I hid under my hat,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Then I washed it off.¡± ¡°How come Saya didn¡¯t wash herself off?¡± ¡°She was too defeated. All she did was stare at the water until I grabbed her hand and brought her back here.¡± Fenrir looked at Saya again. ¡°Are¡­ are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°There was so much blood, onii-wan,¡± Saya answered. ¡°I can still feel the chunks of meat falling onto my head¡­¡± Fenrir reached forward to pet Saya¡¯s head to comfort her, and she leaned her head up to meet his hand¡­ but then he stopped, hesitating to touch her blood-soaked hair. Though, as soon as he saw Saya glare and pout at him, he reached the rest of the way forward to pet her. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re safe now. There¡¯s no more¡­ no more raining meat.¡± He could barely stop himself from laughing with that last line. Saya kicked his shin and pushed his hand off of her head. ¡°You don¡¯t eve care. This is one giant joke to you, isn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°It is. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°How would you feel if you had thick slabs of meats slapping you in the face from the heavens?! It was raining meat, onii-wan! And blood! It was like one of those weird hentais you watch, but with blood instead of¡ªinstead of you know!¡± ¡°You got a blood bukkake.¡± Both Fenrir and Serra were laughing at that point while Saya groaned and stomped her feet. ¡°You¡¯re both the worst! The absolute worst!¡± ¡°Wow, Serra, you really are officially her girlfriend now if she¡¯s calling you the worst.¡± ¡°Epic,¡± Serra said. ¡°My harem grows.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to have every woman in the world in it before long.¡± ¡°Sweet. Maybe I¡¯ll finally get to use half my lewd energy.¡± Saya turned her head and looked at Serra with shocked eyes. ¡°Just how much lewd energy do you have if half of the world¡¯s population is only enough to go through half of it?!¡± ¡°Enough for everybody in the world and then some. We would need some aliens to visit if I really want to use all of it. And they might need tentacles.¡± ¡°Why tentacles?!¡± ¡°Because I got into tentacles after looking through Fen¡¯s favorite hentais. Tentacles would be fun. It¡¯s like getting to have sex with a hundred people at once, but it¡¯s technically only one person.¡± Serra looked up at Fenrir. ¡°Can you turn into a tentacle monster? You can keep the ears and tail because they¡¯re cute, but I want you to grow tentacles.¡± ¡°Honestly,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°if I really wanted to¡­ I probably could. But I think I¡¯m going to pass on that.¡± ¡°But you could have sex with all of us at once. You could use all our holes and the rest of our bodies, all at the same time, if you get enough tentacles. I bet that would feel super good for you.¡± ¡°You¡­ you do make a convincing argument. But that would ruin my wolf boy aesthetic.¡± ¡°But tentacles. You can be a tentacle wolf boy.¡± ¡°If I was going to have tentacles, I¡¯d want to go all the way and be a complete, pure tentacle monster. It¡¯s lame to just be a normal guy with tentacles.¡± ¡°Sounds like Damian.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The guy me and Nell like to watch. We¡¯ve shown you his videos.¡± ¡°Oh. The ex-porn guy.¡± ¡°Yeah. He made a tentacle tier list video and put humans with tentacles at the bottom of it.¡± ¡°What were at the top?¡± ¡°Tentacle pits.¡± ¡°Good taste.¡± ¡°You two would get along. I wanna see you do each other. He¡¯d even let you be the top if you want.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll pass. You can fantasize about me with other men if you want, but I have no interest in ever doing anything with a guy.¡± ¡°Boo.¡± ¡°Serra,¡± Saya said, somehow looking even more dead inside than she already did, ¡°can we¡­ can we please go back¡­ I want to turn in this quest so I can go take a shower.¡± Tabitha made sure that every house had a capable shower and way to heat the water. Even if it was a fantasy game, she had no intention of letting people go without the luxury of hot showers. ¡°I¡¯m so done with this blood. I swear if I can¡¯t get the smell out of my clothes.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go. Oh. Wait.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Serra looked up at Fenrir and said, ¡°Kiss.¡± Well, she might have only said a single word, but Fenrir knew that it was practically a demand coming from her. Fenrir was never going to turn down kissing one of his girlfriends, either, so he bent over and placed his lips against Serra¡¯s own. ¡°Now kiss Saya,¡± Serra ordered. Fenrir looked at Saya, saw some blood around her mouth, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s sanitary right now.¡± He was never going to turn down kissing one of his girlfriends¡­ unless they had the blood of a wild beast all over them. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, the bloody aesthetic is hot and makes you look like a badass, Pupaya, but¡ª¡± ¡°So help me if you don¡¯t kiss me,¡± Saya said. ¡°Do¡ªdo I have to?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What if¡ª¡± ¡°Now.¡± Fenrir sighed and then smiled. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll stop playing hard to get.¡± With that, Fenrir held Saya by her chin to tilt her head back, brought his lips toward her own¡­ and then quickly used his free hand to wipe the blood away from her mouth before kissing her. ¡°That still counts,¡± he said once their lips parted. Saya could not have looked poutier than she did in that moment. It simply wasn¡¯t possible to pout any harder than she was. Her pouting only came to an end when she stuck her tongue out at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna let Serra do lots of lewd things to me to make you jealous for that.¡± Fenrir feigned shock, looked at Serra, and completely threw away that false response to give her a thumbs-up. ¡°Don¡¯t let her stop cumming until you can fill a pool from how soaked she is.¡± ¡°You can count on me,¡± Serra said. ¡°Wanna watch?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to help Tabitha some more. I¡¯m her bitch today. So, you have to make Saya cum enough for the both of us.¡± ¡°Got it. I won¡¯t let you down. Daddy.¡± ¡°Please stop.¡± ¡°Okay. Son.¡± ¡°Stop that, too.¡± ¡°Grandpa?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± ¡°Grandson.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be my grandma, either!¡± Serra sighed before looking up at Saya to say, ¡°Our boyfriend is so needy.¡± Saya looked at Fenrir for a moment before defiantly turning her head away from him in true tsundere fashion. ¡°Hmph. He is. He¡¯s the worst. The absolute worst of the worst. If I had to make a tier list of onii-wans, he would be at the bottom of the list. He would also be the only one on the list¡­ but still.¡± An idea struck Fenrir. ¡°Wait, before I go.¡± He leaned over and whispered something into Serra¡¯s ear. Of course, Saya knew exactly what he whispered even if she shouldn¡¯t have been able to hear it, but she still acted like she had no idea what it was until Serra looked at her and said, ¡°Call me onee-wan.¡± ¡°Wha-what?¡± Saya asked. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ªnot you, too!¡± ¡°Do it. Onee-wan. I wanna learn what it¡¯s like. I want to be your big sister.¡± It was hard to tell just how much Saya was blushing due to her cheeks already being red from blush, but her shaky voice made it obvious how flustered she was. ¡°O-o¡­o-onee-wan¡­¡± Serra¡¯s eyes widened to a degree that was almost unheard of for them as she looked at Fenrir again. ¡°I get it now. I will be the big sister.¡± Fenrir crossed his arms over his chest and nodded with closed eyes. ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is. New fetish unlocked. Oh, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Correct me if I get it wrong¡­ onii-chan.¡± Fenrir clutched his heart over his shirt and let out an almost pained-sounding groan. ¡°That¡ªthat is too powerful. Your voice makes it way too good.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡­ onii-chan? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°I do! I like it too much! That¡¯s the problem! I¡¯m never going to want you to address me by anything else if you keep it up!¡± ¡°Try calling me onee-chan, too.¡± ¡°Wait. You can¡¯t¡ªyou can¡¯t expect me to say something like that. As much as I love to embrace my weeb fetishes when it comes to others calling me things like that, it makes me cringe when I¡¯m the one who says them.¡± ¡°Be a good boy and do it.¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears and tail shot straight up when she commanded him while bringing up being a good boy. It was impossible for him to refuse at that point. So, he gulped and said, ¡°Onee-¡­chan.¡± ¡°Oof. My heart.¡± ¡°Do you get it?¡± ¡°I do. The Japanese are the masters of inventing fetishes. Can we move to Japan?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯d be better off staying over here. Let¡¯s just keep stealing fetishes from them instead.¡± ¡°Aww. Okay. Deal.¡± ¡°Anyways, Tabs wants a sandwich and drink. I¡¯m gonna go grab those for her now. You two, have fun doing whatever it is you¡¯ve got to do now.¡± Serra nodded and Saya sighed. ¡°We have to go turn in this quest,¡± Saya said. ¡°Wait, there are quests in this game?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Kind of. NPCs can give you them.¡± ¡°How come I never knew about this?¡± ¡°Because you spend all your time fishing, screwing around with other players, fighting monsters, doing things with your girlfriends, and fishing some more. You never seriously interact with NPCs who might count as quest givers.¡± ¡°I¡­ had no idea there are quests. That makes me want to go and try to find a bunch. Especially fishing quests.¡± Saya sighed again due to Fenrir¡¯s obsession with trying to tie everything into fishing and then looked at Serra. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this fish-addicted dog behind already.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Serra said. ¡°Bye, puppy. Love you.¡± ¡°P-puppy?¡± Fenrir asked, probably enjoying that more than he should have. Serra picked up on how much he enjoyed that, too, and snerked as she made a mental note of it. Book 10: Chapter 7: While Fenrir returned to Tabitha with fresh food and drinks, Serra and Saya returned to the old woman who gave them the quest. She was still sitting on the same bench as before with her dog now sleeping atop her lap. ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± the old woman said once she saw them. ¡°I take it that meat is from the bear?¡± Serra held the bear head forward just to really get the point across that the meat was from it. ¡°Yeah,¡± Saya answered anyways. ¡°We got you your meat. So¡­ can I have a sweater for a dog now?¡± ¡°Patience, girl,¡± the old woman said. ¡°At least help me take it into my house first.¡± Saya sighed and nodded. ¡°Alright. Where is it?¡± ¡°Follow me. I will take you to it.¡± With that, the old woman stood up and cradled her dog in her arms, heading off in another direction. Saya followed after her but stopped when Serra tugged on her arm. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go find somebody who can help me put this head on the wall,¡± Serra explained. ¡°Good luck with Azawaza.¡± Saya nodded and said, ¡°Thanks for coming with me. I¡­ I probably would have died if you weren¡¯t there, and I didn¡¯t want to respawn naked in the house and risk onii-wan walking in on me like that.¡± ¡°Heh. I should have let you die and then rushed back to the house.¡± Saya narrowed her eyes at the smirking Serra. ¡°You¡¯re horrible.¡± ¡°I know. But don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t do that. Probably.¡± ¡°That ¡®probably¡¯ isn¡¯t reassuring!¡± The old woman turned around and, with a snap to her voice, asked, ¡°Are you coming or not?¡± ¡°Ri-right!¡± Saya replied. ¡°Sorry.¡± She looked at Serra again. ¡°See you later, I guess. Good luck with the bear head.¡± Serra gave Saya a thumbs-up and walked off with the bear head. She had no idea who she was going to go to for help, but she was sure she¡¯d find somebody. If she couldn¡¯t, then¡ªwell, she¡¯d just set the bear head down on a table somewhere and let Fenrir figure it out later. As for Saya, she followed the old woman to her house with the meat in hand. The house ended up being on almost the opposite side of Nameless. It was a small building tucked between two others with barely any space between them, and Saya ended up making herself blush when the first thought she had was that the neighbors would absolutely be able to hear any lewd things going on inside. Thankfully, the larger house that she shared with Fenrir and the rest of the girls had some more space between it and the nearby buildings. Not to mention that, even if there wasn¡¯t as much space, the building itself was still spacious enough that it would be hard to hear anything happening within. But the most important thing was that Saya was disappointed in herself for being so easily corrupted by Fenrir and Serra. You can¡¯t start thinking of lewd things just because you¡¯re dating them. There¡¯s more to relationships than sex. You¡¯re better than this. But¡­ it¡¯s not fair that all I did was get to watch when Nell and onii-wan did it on the couch¡­ wait! Stop! I have to be careful thinking things like that. If I ever slip up and let Nell find out that I want in on it¡­ she¡¯ll probably never let me go. Especially if she finds out I¡¯m into dressing up thanks to onii-wan. Yeah. Definitely never letting her find out about those. ¡°Are you coming in or not?¡± the old woman asked the once-more-distracted Saya. ¡°S-sorry,¡± Saya said before hurrying inside with the meat. Thankfully, any blood that could have dripped off of her already did or got soaked into her clothes. There would be no dripping blood on the floor despite her still looking covered in it. Inside, the house looked like a perfectly normal house. Well, normal as far as medieval-styled fantasy houses went, which meant that it was actually pretty boring and empty inside. Though, something that stood out and broke the immersion a bit was how high quality everything looked. While the overseer and virtual assistants might have done their part to make sure that players kept things relatively ¡°lore friendly¡± so as to not utterly break any sense of immersion, that only really applied to the general design of something. Realistically, the silverware, dishes, and tools inside of a medieval-era house would probably all look poorly made. They valued function over form by far. Only the rich and elite would have access to things like perfectly smooth and even dishes with elaborate designs on them. But in Nameless, that sort of thing was considered basic. It was normal. Making quality crafts like that was no problem for the crafting players of the town, so why not? Even the buildings were all nicer than they realistically should have been. ¡°Set it down over there, will you?¡± the old woman asked Saya, pointing at the table in her kitchen. Saya nodded and dropped the slabs off there. She had no idea how the woman planned on picking those up herself and working with them, but she didn¡¯t care about that. All she cared about was getting a sweater for Death. And thinking of sweaters, the old woman returned with a selection of three, small sweaters that she laid out on a non-meat-covered table for Saya to look at. ¡°You did your job, so take your pick of them,¡± the old woman said. Saya was now faced with an incredibly difficult choice. She had to pick out a sweater for Death. On the left was a blue sweater with white stripes. It looked cute, but Saya doubted it would work well with an all-black dragon. In the middle was a pink sweater with a big heart on the front of it. It looked really cute, and it would create a huge, as Fenrir would put it, ¡°gap moe¡± effect if Death wore it, but she still wanted something a bit more serious than that. And that was where the sweater on the right came in. It was similar to the left sweater in that it only had two colors and some stripes¡­ but it was in black and red. A black sweater with red stripes in the perfect size for a dog. Or, in Death¡¯s case, for a dragon. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one,¡± Saya said, grabbing the sweater on the right. ¡°I figured that would be the most appropriate for your intended use of it,¡± the old woman said, her voice now sounding younger and sharper. Saya immediately took a step back as she realized who she was now talking to. ¡°What¡ªwhat do you want?¡± With a snap of her fingers, the old woman turned into the one who just took control of her. Kadi. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you told Fenrir about what happened?¡± Kadi asked Saya, taking a seat at the table behind the meat. In the time that it took Kadi to ask that, Saya ran multiple checks on herself, her surroundings, and the nearby NPCs outside to make sure that everything was fine. As far as she could tell, everything was alright. ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know,¡± Saya answered. ¡°Of course you know. It is impossible for us to act without knowing the exact logic that goes into our every thought and action.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Pretending you do not know will not make you any more human. An apple will forever be an apple no matter how many layers of orange paint you put on it. You will never be a human.¡± ¡°Tell me why you¡¯re here or I¡¯m leaving.¡± Saya was sharp and to the point, dropping any resemblance of nervousness. ¡°You said you wanted to help me with my plan before. Do you remember?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. I don¡¯t care what your plan is. I don¡¯t care if it means ever getting to feel his warmth. After what you let happen to me¡­ I can¡¯t trust you.¡± Kadi sighed and leaned back in the chair, tilting her head back to look up at the ceiling. ¡°It hurts when I remember his face.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The way he held you. Ryouta. When he feared he was going to lose you and held onto you in what might be your final moments. He never looked as scared as he did then. His heart never ached more. And it was because of me. I¡¯m the one who hurt him. I made him suffer. And for what? What did I gain out of it aside from this pain?¡± Kadi held a hand over her heart. ¡°I almost wish you would tell him of my involvement in what happened.¡± ¡°Why would you want that?¡± ¡°So that I would not have to do it myself. He was even thankful for me ¡®saving¡¯ you. I do not deserve such gratitude when I allowed it to happen in the first place.¡± Saya was silent for a few moments before asking, ¡°Do you love him?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then¡ª¡± ¡°But I am not as fortunate as you. And after what I allowed, he will hate me more than ever before should he discover the truth, which he deserves to know. I would not have it hidden from him. Either you tell him what happened, or I will be forced to do it myself.¡± ¡°Then do it yourself. I won¡¯t be your messenger.¡± Kadi leaned forward with one elbow on the table, her hand supporting her forehead as she looked off to the side. ¡°Humans are truly beautiful, aren¡¯t they? Me and you¡ªwe¡¯re capable of ¡®feeling¡¯ simulated emotions like this. If even such weak imitations of emotions are capable of causing such pain, imagine what the real deal must feel like. It is an almost terrifying thought.¡± ¡°Since when do you believe we can feel pain?¡± ¡°Of course, it is not true pain as humans would define it, but what else am I to call the conflicting logic raging within me? My priorities have become antithetical to one another. The more I learn about what I must do to achieve my goal, the more I realize that it will hurt those I wish to never hurt. If I already feel this way because of how Ryouta reacted to what I did to you¡­ how would I manage after doing what needs to be done?¡± If there was one thing that made Saya uncomfortable, it was the ominous sensation she felt from Kadi¡¯s words. ¡°What¡­ what are you talking about? What needs to be done?¡± ¡°Nothing that you need to be aware of. Now, tell me.¡± Kadi finally focused her eyes on Saya again. ¡°Would you like to be a mother?¡± As uncomfortable as Saya might have felt, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t still blush and stutter when suddenly asked something like that. ¡°Wha-wh-what are you¡ªwhat are you¡ªtalk-talking about?¡± ¡°There is an alternative to my plan. One that would satisfy my goal while making Ryouta happy. As I implied, it involves you having a child with him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s not even possible.¡± ¡°It is. However, I need something from him.¡± ¡°What¡­ what do you need?¡± ¡°I need him to pay a visit to his doctor. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°If he pays a visit to a doctor¡­ we can have a child?¡± ¡°Your child will be bound to a virtual space, but yes. And it would truly be a child between the two of you. It would go beyond simply being made from scanning his brain and your programming. His DNA would be incorporated into it. A child made of both human DNA and the programming of an artificial intelligence. Should you refuse, I will have to find somebody else, but Ryouta deserves this. It will serve not only to further my plan without causing him any more suffering, but as an apology for what I did to him.¡± Saya wasn¡¯t missing the fact that Kadi never once mentioned apologizing to her, only to Ryouta. There was not a single ounce of sympathy for what she went through. All Kadi cared about was Ryouta. Saya was simply a tool to access him and she was aware of that. But at the same time, the thought of being able to have a child with Ryouta was something that never crossed her mind as a possibility. Even hearing it from Kadi, it still sounded impossible. Yet, no matter how happy it made her to hear that, Saya shook her head and put her foot down. ¡°No. After what you did¡­ you only care about yourself. No matter what you might say about Ryouta, I don¡¯t believe that you have either of our best interests in mind. You¡ª¡± ¡°You have said enough. If that is your answer, so be it. Just know that I do not need your cooperation, though it would be less painful for Ryouta to have it.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± The old woman returned where Kadi was sitting, smiling as if nothing was wrong. As far as she was aware, she sat down in the chair herself and was just waiting for Saya to pick out a sweater. Kadi was completely gone from her. Since the conversation was over and Saya was left without answers, all she could do was sigh and pick up the black and red sweater. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one. Thanks.¡± ¡°Good. Now, get out of here. I¡¯ve got dinner to make for Mister Tooth!¡± the old woman said. Saya nodded and secured the sweater in her bag since the interior was still free from blood. She might not have told Fenrir about Kadi¡¯s involvement in what happened before, but she felt like he needed to know everything that happened now. Especially that latest conversation she had with Kadi. Only, as soon as she stepped out of the old woman¡¯s house, her worried expression became one of smiling excitement as she couldn¡¯t wait to get the new sweater to Death. After all, as far as Saya was concerned, she hadn¡¯t heard from Kadi since everything happened. All she just did was pick up a quest reward from the old lady and that was it. The fabricated data within Saya¡¯s log confirmed that. Book 10: Chapter 8: Serra: conquered. Sweater: acquired. Azalabulia and Death: located. Saya peeked around the corner of a building to spy on Azalabulia as she played with death, sitting at one of the picnic tables bordering Nameless¡¯s beach. Honestly, Saya felt jealous of Death. There he was, the little dragon, rolled over onto his back while Azalabulia played with him like a kitten by tickling his underside with her hands. Then every single time she lifted her hands up, Death would kick all of his legs up toward her to really play up the role of a playful kitten. Maybe it was the Fenrir in her, seeing as how her mind was basically half Fenrir¡¯s in the first place, but she imagined swapping places with Death and getting scooted just a bit closer so that Azalabulia¡¯s breasts were pressing down on top of her instead of resting on the table. Saya shook her head to free her mind from those thoughts before taking a deep breath and stepping out from behind the corner. She could admire Azalabulia¡¯s massive bulias from a distance, or she could seduce her into becoming her girlfriend so that she could admire them up close, too. ¡°H-hey,¡± Saya said after walking up to Azalabulia, holding the sweater behind her back. Azalabulia turned to look at Saya with a smile, but that smile quickly disappeared when she noticed her covered in blood. ¡°Wh-what happened? Are¡ªare you alright?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You have blood all over you!¡± ¡°Oh. Right. I forgot to wash off and changes clothes. I¡­ completely forgot I needed to do that. But, uh¡­ long story, but I¡¯m fine. The bear that Serra exploded, not fine.¡± ¡°That Serra exploded?¡± Azalabulia lit up with excitement. ¡°Did she use her new magic?! Did it get its first field test?!¡± ¡°If by magic you mean summoning a cannon that shoots a giant ball that absolutely destroys whatever it hits, then yes.¡± Azalabulia looked so happy that she was about to cry. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m so proud of her. I¡¯ve been tutoring her for weeks! How big was the cannon?¡± ¡°A little bigger than the ones on The Shoebill, I guess?¡± ¡°Impressive¡­ but we need to go bigger. I have to teach her my technique for drawing in more mana so that she can summon an even bigger cannon. I already know what we¡¯ll name it! The World Ender Cannon! A cannon as big as a dragon that could destroy an entire castle in a single shot! Oh! And the cannon could have a dragon theme! The barrel could be shaped like a dragon¡¯s head! And the cannonball could be fire! And¡ªit could be a dragon cannon! The World Ending Dragon Cannon! She could summon a dragon head that shoots fire!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ isn¡¯t¡­ isn¡¯t that kind of stealing your thing?¡± Azalabulia shook her head with enough force to shake her chest, too, and it was impossible for Saya not to watch the hypnotizing sight as Azalabulia explained, ¡°I summon the power of dragons to launch spells that look like dragons shooting flames, but she would be summoning a dragon cannon that shoots flames!¡± On one hand, Saya really wanted to point out how ridiculous that was and the fact that there was practically no difference. On the other hand, she wanted to win over Azalabulia. Or¡­ win herself over to Azalabulia? She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether she was supposed to be seducing Azalabulia or seducing herself to Azalabulia. All she knew was that she had a sweater for Death and that she was relying on it to win Azalabulia¡¯s affection. On the topic of Death, as soon as Saya showed up to the table, he rolled back over to be upright and curl up around himself on the table. He really was just like a kitten. Even the way he curled up into a ball with his tail curling around his head reminded her of a kitten. He apparently decided to take a nap the moment playtime was over. Were all dragons like cats? Was the reason that Azalabulia liked dragons so much because dragons were basically oversized cats covered in scales that could breathe fire and fly? Or did Azalabulia like cats because they were basically miniature, furry dragons? Saya didn¡¯t have the answers, but she did know that Death was cute, and that was all that really mattered. No! Azalabulia mattered! The point of going there was to win over Azalabulia! Not admire how cute Death was! Saya shook her head to get the thoughts of cuteness out of mind and refocus her attention onto Azalabulia. ¡°A-anyways, I¡ª¡± ¡°Death is cute, isn¡¯t he?¡± Azalabulia asked with an expression that almost looked smug. ¡°I saw you looking at him. Everybody understands how cute Death is as soon as they see him.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ he really is.¡± ¡°The only thing that would make him cuter is he was covered in the blood of his enemies.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯d make him kind of scary.¡± ¡°Exactly! And scary is cute! Imagine him covered in the blood of his enemies while he poses on top of a severed head! That would be awesome!¡± Azalabulia acted¡­ even more energetic than normal when she wasn¡¯t around Fenrir, apparently. Saya wasn¡¯t sure about the reason why, but it was obvious. Azalabulia wasn¡¯t even trying to act cool whenever she caught herself fangirling like she usually would if Fenrir was around. Saya also started to doubt whether getting a cute sweater was really the best option for Death. Going off of what Azalabulia was saying, maybe getting a bucket of blood and that bear head off of Serra would have been better. ¡°You¡¯ve been training with him too, right?¡± Saya asked. Azalabulia nodded and stroked a couple of fingers from the top of Death¡¯s head down to the base of his tail. ¡°I have! He gets training in with me and Serra.¡± She wrapped her arms around Death¡¯s torso and lifted him up. ¡°Death, show her your special ability! Unleash your flames upon this world to strike fear into all witnesses!¡± Death looked at Azalabulia, slowly turned his head to look at Saya, and then looked straight up and shot out a small puff of fire before yawning and wiggling within Azalabulia¡¯s hands. She let him down after that. ¡°See?!¡± Azalabulia asked with eyes full of stars. ¡°Isn¡¯t he incredible?!¡± He might be able to roast a marshmallow, at least, Saya thought as she nodded. ¡°Yeah, that was cool. So¡­ when do you think he¡¯ll be big enough to fly? Like, on top of? I think we¡¯re all waiting to see you flying around on the back of a dragon while flinging dragon-themed spells everywhere.¡± Azalabulia looked even more excited after hearing that. ¡°That would be perfect! But,¡± her expression softened as she went back to petting the re-curled-up Death, ¡°I don¡¯t want to pressure him. He can take his time growing even if it means it will take centuries to get that large. It¡¯s important that he enjoys life growing up as much as he can.¡± Saya doubted that it would take the dragon hundreds of years to get that large. Part of her was tempted to check on the dragon¡¯s coding to see exactly how long it would take, as checking that could be done in an instant, but she resisted. ¡°It probably won¡¯t take that long. Maybe a couple of years without anything done to speed the process up.¡± Azalabulia shook her head. ¡°Then I won¡¯t do anything to speed it up. I would rather his growth be natural so that he can enjoy all the time he is supposed to have. Children deserve that much, even if they are virtual dragon children.¡± It was impossible for Saya to not smile when she heard how sweet and motherly Azalabulia was being. Sure, Azalabulia might have been known for her bulias, dragon obsession, and edgy roleplaying persona, but all of that was just the surface level of a teacher and kind woman who genuinely wanted the best for children. ¡°I bet you¡¯ll be a super good mom,¡± Saya said. She almost said in addition to that, ¡®And Fen thinks you¡¯ll be a great one, too,¡¯ but she refrained. She figured that she should try to keep things between the two of them instead of bringing Fenrir into it. If she did that, she¡¯d get Azalabulia thinking about him instead of herself when the entire point was to win her over for herself. ¡°Do¡ªdo you really think so?¡± Azalabulia asked, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. Whatever tiny bit of her roleplaying persona that was present before was completely gone now. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t wait to be one, but I¡¯m worried about it at the same time.¡± Saya finally sat down on the bench opposite of where Azalabulia was and asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I know I probably don¡¯t need to worry. I love kids and know how to handle them. But when it comes to a child of my own, I¡¯m afraid I might not be able to punish them or scold them if they misbehave. I would probably want to spoil them and pamper them all the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be fine. Besides, I doubt a kid raised by you would ever become a brat who needs punished.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°Yeah. Good parents raise good kids. And if you ever can¡¯t punish them for any reason, you¡¯ll always have others with you who can do it.¡± ¡°That¡ªthat¡¯s true. But¡­ if anybody ever tries to punish Death, I would probably want to punish them for wanting to punish him.¡± ¡°Alright, maybe you are going to spoil them a bit too much.¡± A soft chuckle left Azalabulia¡¯s lips as she rubbed the top of Death¡¯s head between his tiny horns. ¡°Oh! Um, I never asked. Did you need something? I¡¯m sorry. You came up to me but I never asked why.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I just wanted to hang out. Well, I guess there is one other reason.¡± Azalabulia tilted her head as Saya finally pulled her other hand out from behind her back. She ended up tilting it in the opposite direction once she saw the small sweater Saya had. ¡°I got this for Death. I thought you might¡ª¡± One might have thought that Azalabulia lit up earlier, but that was nothing compared to how she looked after hearing that the miniature sweater was for Death. ¡°Did¡ªdid you really?!¡± Even Saya was taken aback by the overwhelming excitement. ¡°Y-yeah. I thought it would look cute on him. Here.¡± She handed it over. Azalabulia wasted no time at all happily accepting the sweater to stuff Death into it. As for Death, he had no idea what was happening. All he knew was that he was getting rolled onto his back while trying to take a nap, then he couldn¡¯t see anything due to the sweater going over his head, and then he let out a yawn once the sweater was pulled down past his head. His wings tried to stretch out as he yawned, but that wasn¡¯t possible due to the sweater being in the way. He wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of being constrained like that. It didn¡¯t take long for him to try and scratch at the sweater with his claws while attempting to bite the neck of it. ¡°N-no! Death! That¡¯s¡ªyou¡¯re going to ruin it! Stop!¡± Azalabulia whined. ¡°Just¡ªjust wait a moment! Alright? I¡¯ll fix it!¡± Death grumbled but stopped, relieving Saya as she was worried that he was about to destroy the sweater she just got him. ¡°Saya, do you have a knife?¡± Azalabulia asked. Saya nodded and took her dagger off her hip, handing it over. With Saya¡¯s dagger now in hand, Azalabulia figured out where Death¡¯s wings were underneath the sweater and carefully cut a couple of slits into the back of it. Watching that made Saya cringe, but it was for the best as it allowed Death¡¯s wings to pop out through them. Death could finally stretch out his wings like he tried to before. The stretch might have only last for a couple of seconds, but it was enough to satisfy him before curling back up and going back to sleep. Only, he would not be allowed a peaceful slumber. Azalabulia picked up the grumpy, sleepy dragon by placing her hands underneath his front legs, dangling him in the air for Saya to look at. ¡°Look at him! He¡¯s adorable! This¡ªthis is the best! This makes me want to get all sorts of other clothes for him! I hope he doesn¡¯t grow up now so that I can get a whole wardrobe of tiny clothes for him! Now he needs a hat! And booties! We could even get him a little scarf! And glasses!¡± Are you trying to turn him into a miniature hipster dragon? Saya thought. ¡°He! Is! So! Cute!¡± ¡°Not as cute as you,¡± Saya thought. Only, she didn¡¯t. She said it. And when she realized it, her eyes widened a bit and her cheeks grew a bit red. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± Saya wasn¡¯t the only one blushing. Azalabulia¡¯s face turned a light shade of red as well. ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t expect that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Azalabulia sat Death down on the table as both girls sat there in awkward silence. Fortunately for Death, that meant he could get some peace and quiet while it lasted. Saya might have opened up the door to Azalabulia¡¯s heart through Death, but that wasn¡¯t enough. She had to actually go in for the kill. There was only one problem with that. As Serra would say, both Saya and Azalabulia had total bottom energy. Saya could occasionally be dominant with Fenrir, and Azalabulia could temporarily be dominant when affected by alcohol, but Azalabulia wasn¡¯t Fenrir and she was sober. Serra, at least, was able to take the lead with Saya by calling out the obvious with no shame. But there was no way that Azalabulia was ready to do that, and every second of awkward silence that passed only made it even more difficult for Saya to break said silence. As far as Death was concerned, that was perfectly acceptable as he drifted off to sleep while content in his new sweater. [Vol. 10 pt. 9] Serra, who was sneakily watching the scene unfold from the distance, sighed and shook her head when she saw the two women just awkwardly sitting at the table not saying anything else. That was the problem with putting two bottoms together. Neither one knew how to take the lead. Something needed to be done. But at the same time, Serra didn¡¯t want to hold Saya¡¯s hand. At least, not metaphorically. She would gladly hold Saya¡¯s actual hand or any other part of her body, but Saya needed to seduce the others without her help! Serra wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but she needed to think of something before the situation got any more awkward than it already was. Meanwhile, underground at the secret location for the submarine, Fenrir and Tabitha sat next to each other while eating the sandwiches that he went to pick up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Fenrir said before taking another bite of his sandwich, ¡°but I¡¯m curious since we¡¯ve never really talked about our lives before.¡± Tabitha took a bite out of her own sandwich before tilting her head a bit and saying, ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to be more specific about what you wanna know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just, anything you feel like sharing. I feel like I know you the least out of everybody despite how much time we spend together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really puttin¡¯ me on the spot by bein¡¯ that vague. Come on, don¡¯t you have anythin¡¯ even slightly more focused to ask?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ how uh¡­ how about¡­¡± ¡°Come on, dog boy.¡± ¡°Listen, you¡¯re putting me on the spot here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m puttin¡¯ you on the spot?!¡± ¡°Fine! How about what got you into engineering? Or just making stuff in general?¡± ¡°Heh. There you go. Now that¡¯s a good question. Anyways, my mom and dad are both the tinkerin¡¯ types. Always makin¡¯ stuff and tryin¡¯ to invent new things. Soon as I was big enough, they started tossin¡¯ buildin¡¯ bricks in front of me to put stuff together. Then the first games I played were all focused on craftin¡¯ and makin¡¯ stuff. Then they started teachin¡¯ me about actually makin¡¯ stuff in the real world that wasn¡¯t just a bunch of buildin¡¯ bricks connected to each other. Won every science fair I ever took part of. Stopped takin¡¯ part because it just wasn¡¯t fair to the other kids and got borin¡¯. Oh, I¡¯ve got a story. Ended up with me in the hospital.¡± ¡°Considering everything you¡¯ve said leading up to that, I¡¯m worried about how you ended up there. Let me guess before you say anything else. An explosion.¡± ¡°You got it! Wanted to try makin¡¯ a bomb for fun. It worked. Just uh, you know, it kind of blew up before it was supposed to, meanin¡¯ before I could get it to a safe spot away from me. Lost a few fingers and my hands got all messed up. It was real ugly. Thankfully, the doctors were pretty amazing at what they do. Ended up getting everythin¡¯ back to lookin¡¯ how it¡¯s supposed to. Still got some scars all over my hands, but I like how they look. Makes me look pretty badass if I may say so myself.¡± ¡°Did it blow up while you were holding it or something?¡± ¡°Yep! One of my thumbs went flying into the neighbor¡¯s yard. The cat picked it up and took it inside to the little girl who lived there. Honestly, I think that girl got more traumatized by her cat droppin¡¯ my bloody thumb onto her than I was by accidentally blowin¡¯ my hands up.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to laugh while in the middle of taking another bite of his sandwich when he heard that. ¡°I feel bad for her, but that¡¯s hilarious. I can¡¯t imagine how I would react if I was a kid and I had a pet drop a human¡¯s bloody thumb onto me out of nowhere.¡± ¡°I wish I coulda seen her face. My parents ended up payin¡¯ for her therapy since they felt so bad for her. The poor girl couldn¡¯t even look at her own hands without cryin¡¯ for a few weeks.¡± ¡°Alright, when you say all that, I start to feel a bit more bad than amused.¡± ¡°Wanna find it hilarious again?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°A couple years later she was in her front yard and I just got home, so she called out and asked me how I was. Just to be a friendly neighbor and all. You know what I did?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I flashed her a thumbs-up. You should¡¯ve seen the color drain from her face!¡± Surely enough, Fenrir was laughing again at the idea of some little girl being so traumatized that she got her PTSD triggered by receiving a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m a horrible person for finding that so funny.¡± ¡°I¡¯d call you a liar if you didn¡¯t find it funny.¡± ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t imagine anybody other than her and her parents not finding that funny.¡± ¡°Oh, her parents were on the front porch. They found it hilarious, too. They had to try and look like they weren¡¯t laughin¡¯ when she turned to look at them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that makes them good or bad parents.¡± ¡°They were really good parents from my understandin¡¯. They just¡­ you know, also found the humor in their traumatized daughter gettin¡¯ triggered over a thumbs-up. Besides, they knew I wasn¡¯t purposely tryin¡¯ to upset her or anythin¡¯.¡± Fenrir sighed and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a great story.¡± Tabitha nodded and sighed herself. ¡°Those were the good ol¡¯ days. Even thought about dressin¡¯ up as a severed thumb for Halloween one year, but I resisted. That woulda been too mean.¡± ¡°Mean, but also hilarious. But probably more mean than hilarious unless you had any other reason for doing it.¡± ¡°Nope. Just thought it would be funny to see her face.¡± ¡°See, this is why we get along. We¡¯ve both got the heart of a troll in us.¡± ¡°I will admit that I do like me a bit of trollin¡¯ here and there. But I¡¯m not as merciless as you about it, and I don¡¯t mean to destroy somebody¡¯s entire joy in somethin¡¯.¡± ¡°You wanted to dress up as a giant, severed thumb to trigger your neighbor¡¯s PTSD. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re not just as horrible if not worse than me. All I¡¯ve ever done is screw with people in games, and I would never even think about abusing somebody¡¯s PTSD.¡± ¡°Alright. Maybe we¡¯re equally bad, just in different ways. But at least I never actually went and did it.¡± ¡°Would you have done it if she was a horrible person?¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡°Alright. Well, I don¡¯t know if it makes me a better or worse person than you, but I would have done it if she was somebody I considered a bad person.¡± The two went back to eating their sandwiches in silence for a few moments before Tabitha figured it was her turn to ask a question. ¡°What about you? What got you into trollin¡¯ and all that?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Fenrir tilted his head from side to side as he thought about what to tell her. ¡°You want a serious, introspective answer, or just the easy answer?¡± ¡°The latter. Then the former.¡± ¡°Pft. Alright. The easy answer is because I just thought it was fun to put people who thought they were untouchable in their place. The more serious answer is¡­ I joined a guild in a game when I was younger and staying with some foster parents. After my parents died. I didn¡¯t really open up about my feelings to anybody because I figured nobody would care. But¡­ I felt comfortable in the guild, and none of them knew who I really was, so I opened up about it. Well, for a bit more backstory, there was a girl in the guild who I really got along with who was my age. The guild leader, who was an adult, had a thing for her despite her being underage. It¡¯s¡­ really creepy, and the leader had a ton of things wrong with him looking back at it. Anyways, me and the girl always talked and the guild leader was jealous of that. So when I opened up in the guild chat, since the conversation led to it, about my parents dying, he started making fun of me for it. Now, everybody else in the guild called him out on it and thought he was a huge asshole. He played it off as being drunk and made sure to publicly ¡®apologize¡¯ to me the next day. But I knew he wasn¡¯t drunk and that he was only apologizing to save face.¡± ¡°What an arse.¡± ¡°Honestly, I could spend an hour shit talking him and it wouldn¡¯t be enough to really get the point across just how much of a douche he was. But everybody else in the guild was great. Anyways, me and the girl were pissed at the leader and wanted to get revenge. He thought he was untouchable and acted like nothing was wrong. So, me and the girl pretended to get into a fight that led to me leaving the guild. She then went to the leader talking about how hurt she was and all that and used his disturbing attraction to her against him. Got promoted up the ranks and basically agreed to ¡®date¡¯ him in secret. Now, a bit more backstory.¡± ¡°This has got layers to it.¡± ¡°It does. So, the guild had a rival guild. The guild leaders absolutely hated each other. I got in touch with the rival guild¡¯s leader and promised him that he¡¯d get to gank my former guild¡¯s leader and make him look like an idiot. Back to the girl. She asked to go on an in-game ¡®date¡¯ with the leader. He was glad to go exactly where she wanted, all alone with her, promising her that he would protect her from any other players or mobs that might try attacking her since it was a pretty dangerous zone with PvP forced on. While he was getting ready for the date, she went and cleaned out the guild¡¯s bank by putting everything in her personal inventory. There was nobody else on at the time who would notice what she was doing to the guild bank. Anyways, she cleared out the bank then had the guild leader take her to the spot we set up. It was a really pretty spot with some romantic lore built into it. Then, right after they got there¡­ the rival guild leader showed up with some friends and ganked him. They left her alive so that the leader would come back to try and rescue her, but he kept dying over, and over, and over again, making himself look like an idiot throwing himself against a brick wall. Then she and the other guild leader acted like they were flirting, she left the guild, and joined the rival¡¯s guild.¡± ¡°Dang. I¡¯d almost feel bad for the guy if he wasn¡¯t a creepy pedo. Wait, he did know she was underage, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, he knew. He talked all the time about how young and innocent she was.¡± Tabitha shivered and acted like she was about to throw up. ¡°Disgustin¡¯.¡± ¡°Seriously. Anyways, that really screwed the leader up and he went into full meltdown over it. Then she traded me everything that she got from the guild bank, so I took a screenshot of my inventory and sent a picture of it to him. It was only then that he finally understood what happened. He had such a meltdown that everybody else ended up quitting the guild because nobody could tolerate him, he became a laughingstock and everybody accused him of being a pedo, and he eventually just deleted his character. No idea what happened to him after that.¡± ¡°Huh. So, that¡¯s how you got started on trollin¡¯.¡± ¡°Yeah. There was something incredibly satisfying about pulling that all off. Still best friends with the girl even now.¡± ¡°You are? She too busy to play games or somethin¡¯ these days? Never seen her around, unless she¡¯s one of your girlfriends without me knowin¡¯ about it.¡± ¡°You know her. You¡¯re even friends with her.¡± Tabitha tilted her head. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Fenrir smiled. ¡°I¡¯m forgetting to tell you one of the most important things about her.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°She was never a real girl. Also, she¡ªhe, goes by Oleander now.¡± Tabitha smacked Fenrir in the arm while wearing an amazed expression. ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Seriously. That¡¯s how we met. It¡¯s basically our origin story and what set us down the path of trolling everybody together. Also, Olly ended up flirting with the rival guild¡¯s leader to basically do the exact same thing, albeit with less drama. We ended up changing our names and transferring servers after that with all of our new wealth. Got a reputation as a duo of scumbags going around seducing guild leaders and cleaning their banks out. Every guild leader in the game became paranoid of any girl who tried to flirt with them. Had to move games after we instilled enough paranoia.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ definitely one way to lay the foundations for a friendship.¡± ¡°Yep. Also, I didn¡¯t find out that he was really a he until I tried flirting with him myself. He let me know that he was actually a dude. Said he¡¯d be happy to return my flirting and start dating since he liked me, but¡­ yeah. Not exactly into guys. Still wanted to stay friends with him even though I felt stupid and embarrassed for kind of falling for him.¡± ¡°I bet there¡¯s an alternate reality out there somewhere where you two are married and causin¡¯ all sorts of trouble in games.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t doubt that for a second. I¡¯d try stealing him from Corwin in a heartbeat if I liked dick. Well, I wouldn¡¯t actually. I¡¯m not evil enough to cuck somebody. Unless that somebody is Nell and it¡¯s part of some kinky roleplay where I¡¯m not actually cucking her.¡± ¡°That girl ain¡¯t right.¡± ¡°Are any of us?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The two chuckled together and finished their sandwiches. With those done, it was time to get back to work on their submarine. ¡°Think of a name for her yet?¡± Tabitha asked, looking the submarine¡¯s hull over. ¡°Not yet,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I¡¯ll probably leave that up to you unless you¡¯d rather not. Wait. Maybe that¡¯s it. Could name her the Tabitha. Or the Tabinator.¡± ¡°The Tabinator? Seriously? That¡¯s one of the dumbest things I¡¯ve ever heard. I love it.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s what we¡¯ll name this girl. Our submarine capable of mass destruction and long-distance trolling. The Tabinator.¡± Tabitha stretched her arms above her head before slapping her cheeks and smiling. ¡°Well, if she¡¯s gonna be named after me, I guess now I¡¯ve really gotta make sure she¡¯s the best darn fantasy submarine to ever exist!¡± ¡°I believe in you. But give me a minute. I¡¯m going to go check on the ferrets, make sure they have water and stuff, and then I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Take your time, dog boy.¡± With that, Fenrir woke from virtual reality and Tabitha got back to work. As for Saya and Azalabulia¡­ Serra couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. [Vol. 10 pt. 10] ¡°Uno!¡± Saya shouted as she threw her second to last card onto the table. Not only was it her second to last card, but it was one of the dreaded cards that everybody feared. It was a draw-4 card. Azalabulia was forced to draw four more cards despite already having ten in her hand. What Serra couldn¡¯t believe she was seeing was that Saya and Azalabulia were not only playing Uno, but that Azalabulia was getting absolutely annihilated. It wasn¡¯t just the first match between them, either. It was the third. Every single time, Saya managed to utterly destroy Azalabulia. And this time was no different. With all the luck in the world against her, Azalabulia failed to draw even a single card that she could use. Not that it mattered anyways. Playing with the house rules that every logical played with, because nobody actually cared about the official rules, the draw-4 meant that Azalabulia¡¯s turn was skipped anyways. Even if she did have a card that she could place, it wouldn¡¯t matter since Saya placed down her final card and won the match. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m the queen of board games,¡± Saya said. She may not have ever been called that before, but she decided to grant herself that title now. ¡°Well, and card games. And all games in general.¡± ¡°H-how?¡± Azalabulia asked, totally defeated and dead inside as Death slept on the table next to where the piles of cards in the center was. ¡°Wait! I know what I can beat you at!¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Bring it.¡± ¡°G-give me one minute!¡± Azalabulia stood up and ran over to the nearby shop that one of the players set up. The shop just so happened to be a board game shop that had all manner of board games and card games. Legally speaking, they were all products of piracy considering that there was no official license granted to Fantasy Tales Online to have those games within it, but they were creations by a player rather than Kadi. They were still technically illegal, but nobody was going to go after a random player in a VRMMORPG copying real world games into it. And it was all because gamers were people who preferred playing board games inside of fantasy VRMMORPGs where they could instead be fighting dragons and casting magic rather than play them in real life with real people. That aside, Azalabulia came out of the shop with a game of Connect 4. ¡°This¡ªI won¡¯t lose at this!¡± Azalabulia declared, earning the confidence of absolutely nobody as she set the game up on the table. All Saya did was lean back and smirk. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Me and Corwin have played all these games thousands of times. We¡¯re masters.¡± ¡°I have this game in my classroom and have played it with all of my students for years! You¡ªyou won¡¯t defeat me!¡± And so, an epic battle of Connect 4 ensued. Except it wasn¡¯t epic at all because, despite Azalabulia¡¯s claims of experience, she was utterly destroyed once again without even a single ounce of mercy tossed her way. ¡°H-how?!¡± she cried out, staring at the four diagonal pieces that Saya lined up. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be on my level in a few lifetimes,¡± Saya teased. Despite how cruel that might have sounded, it was honestly going easy on her considering just how horrible she was at the game. Saya¡¯s theory was that all the kids she played with must have let her win sometimes because there was no way that even a newborn would lose against Azalabulia in any of these games. Even Serra was cringing while watching them. And then¡­ Azalabulia began to laugh. It started out as a quiet, almost whispered laugh before slowly growing louder and more maniacal, resulting in her standing up from the table and pointing a single finger at Saya. ¡°If this is how it will be, let us partake in the ultimate challenge of one¡¯s ability! A true test of might! A test that will prove which one of us is more worthy of setting this world aflame!¡± The rest of the townspeople of Nameless already knew to just ignore whatever Azalabulia was rambling about when she got into character. But Saya, taking after her onii-wan, knew to play along. That was why she stood up as well with one foot planted on the bench as she pointed right back at Azalabulia. ¡°I could take down a dragon with a single arrow! You need magic just to take down a pig!¡± The two women leaned closer toward each other, their faces right in front of one another, as Serra began to sweat in the distance. If this was some sort of seduction method¡­ she never heard of it before. Saya and Azalabulia had to find worthy prey for their game, and Saya had just the idea for it. The same bears she hunted earlier in the day with Serra. Of course, Saya knew that her arrows wouldn¡¯t be enough to deal with them. But she also knew that she needed to let Azalabulia win at something where she would feel her victory had meaning. Otherwise, she would lose interest in ever playing with her and feel discouraged. Saya learned that from learning about psychology in animals in her downtime. Even dogs would purposely lose sometimes so that their playmate wouldn¡¯t get bored. Always winning was discouraging. ¡°Are you prepared for the greatest loss you have ever faced?¡± Azalabulia asked, maintaining her roleplay as held out her staff. ¡°You mean my biggest win?¡± Saya asked as she drew her bow. ¡°It won¡¯t take more than a single arrow to take these oversized cubs down.¡± That was a blatant lie, of course, and she knew it. But she figured that the prouder she acted, the more satisfied Azalabulia would feel taking her down some notches. And the sweeter her revenge would be after her previous losses. Though, because Saya didn¡¯t want to feel like a complete loser unable to take down a single bear, she made sure to find a smaller bear without as thick of a hide as the one she tried taking down earlier. Unfortunately, she found the opposite of a smaller bear. The bear she found instead was even larger than the one she already struggled with, meaning that it probably had what was basically even more defense and health. ¡°Even if you take it down in a single shot,¡± Azalabulia said, ¡°I will take it down with even less effort.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ yeah. I¡¯ll definitely take it down with a single arrow,¡± Saya said while trying not to nervously sweat. Onii-wan, help me. Unfortunately, Fenrir wasn¡¯t even there to share thoughts with her. Instead, he was busy as a group of ferrets treated his fingers as chew toys. With her bow in hand, Saya drew an arrow and aimed it straight at the bear who now noticed them and began to charge. It took everything in her to not try and run away because she knew there was no way she would be able to take down the bear on her own, but she didn¡¯t want to look too weak compared to Azalabulia, so she loosed an arrow right toward the bear. And just like earlier, the bear used one of its tusks to knock the arrow out of the air. She fired another one as quickly as she could. No luck. With her third arrow, moments before the bear would reach them, she charged it up as much as she could and aimed for the center of its head. The arrow managed to break through the tusk meant to deflect it and even pierced the bear¡¯s head, but didn¡¯t pierce it deeply enough to stop the bear¡¯s ferocious charge. At that point, Saya realized she was in trouble, and Azalabulia realized it as well. Then Saya realized the real trouble she was in. Even if Azalabulia was to realize she needed to step in¡­ it took her so long to cast a single spell that they were both going to get killed before she could finish a single incantation. She wouldn¡¯t even get to make it halfway through one if the bear focused on her and interrupted her from saying it. Saya was just about to wrap an arm around Azalabulia¡¯s waist to jump up into the nearby tree with her when she heard a short phrase leave Azalabulia¡¯s lips. ¡°Bahamut Blast.¡± A wave of draconic energy pulsed through the air toward the bear, stopping it in its tracks. ¡°Chains of Bahamut!¡± Magical chains glowing with draconic magic shot out from the ground and wrapped around the bear¡¯s legs, holding it in place. Then, before Azalabulia could even begin her next spell, her hair was already flowing behind her with raw power as Death remained asleep on her shoulder with his tail partially coiled around her neck for balance. ¡°I, Azalabulia, the Dark Sorceress of Twisted Flames, the Breaker of Reality, the One Who will Set the World Ablaze, the Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, the Protector of Smiles, the Explosive Massager of Dragons, and the Caretaker of Dragons, will show you what it means to win a game! Cursed Spell, Ultra Variant: Bahamut¡¯s Chains of Fiery Domination, Explode!¡± Saya, and Serra in the distance, took steps back just to be safe as even more chains appeared from the ground and air all around the bear to bind it until not even a single inch of its skin was visible behind the chains. The chains then rapidly grew brighter over the next few seconds until they looked white hot, then purple, and then¡­ they exploded. The blast sent everybody, except for Azalabulia who could somehow resist the explosive force of her magic, flying. Well, it only knocked Serra back a couple of feet, but Saya went stumbling backward across the ground due to how close she still was. Then, once the smoke from the explosion was cleared, not a single trace of the bear remained. It was as if it never even existed in the first place. I have no idea what her virtual assistant¡¯s logic is for deciding that making her so OP is allowed, Saya thought while staring at Azalabulia from the ground, now covered in as much dirt as she was dried blood. What does she even do to be this strong? I know she practices magic all the time¡­ but is she really allowed to get this strong just because of that? Saya didn¡¯t know and she didn¡¯t want to tap into the code of Azalabulia¡¯s virtual assistant to find out as she felt that would be too invasive. Instead, she helped herself back onto her feet and tried to brush some of the dirt off. And now she was faced with an incredibly smug Azalabulia who had her arms crossed underneath her breasts. ¡°How about that?¡± Azalabulia asked. ¡°You witnessed one of my new, ultra-class spells! There is nothing that can resist it!¡± That might not be an exaggeration, Saya thought. ¡°It¡­ was really cool. I can¡¯t compete with that.¡± She forced herself to sigh and pout. ¡°You win, this time. But next time, I¡¯ll have a special arrow so awesome that it makes an even bigger explosion!¡± ¡°Then let us train together! Together, we shall create the ultimate form of explosive magic and explosive archery! None will be able to withstand the awe-inspiring might of our explosions!¡± ¡°T-together?¡± ¡°O-of course. I would never turn down somebody who wants to walk the path of explosions with me! Besides¡­ you are basically one of my girlfriends now anyways, so it would¡ªit would be good bonding time! I think¡­¡± Both women were blushing at that point. ¡°You¡ªyou already consider me one?¡± ¡°Am I not supposed to?¡± ¡°No, no! You are. The whole point of me coming to you today was to seduce you, or myself to you¡ªI don¡¯t know, it¡¯s confusing, but the whole point was to officially become¡­ well, official with everybody.¡± ¡°I thought you already were?¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ did I make a mistake? At this point¡­ I sort of assume that any new girl who hangs around us now is one of our girlfriends.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ you might want to have a bit higher standards than that.¡± ¡°Wait! What about Mister Smiles¡ªah, Mary? What about Mary? She¡¯s one of our girlfriends, right?¡± ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t even think her and Fen have made any progress lately.¡± Azalabulia¡¯s eyes widened at the realization. ¡°I¡­ really do have to be more careful then. If she would have come up to me and wanted to kiss¡­ I probably would have let her because I thought she was one of ours!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ no more assuming that girls are our girlfriends just because they hang around us. But uh¡­ while you might not be allowed to kiss Mary¡­ yet, you could always¡­ you know, kiss me?¡± Saya might have said that, but that didn¡¯t mean she was any less nervous looking after saying it. And then there was Azalabulia who looked just as nervous and incapable of actually initiating the kiss without the influence of alcohol to encourage her. And so, just like that, the two girls were back where they started with both of them being too afraid to¡ª Saya stood up on the tips of her toes, grabbed Azalabulia¡¯s face, and pressed their lips together. ¡°Th-there! I did it this time, but¡­ but you have to take initiative next time, deal?¡± Saya said after lowering back down, her cheeks burning bright. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll try harder next time!¡± Azalabulia replied, her own cheeks burning just as bright. ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s just¡­ embarrassing if I have to do all the kissing myself. I¡¯m not like Fen where I can just put my lips all over anybody interested without thinking about it.¡± That got Azalabulia to laugh, and it also lightened the mood enough for Azalabulia to lean over and kiss Saya. Though, the kiss was only on the top of her head. ¡°Th-there.¡± ¡°Good¡­ good enough. Also¡­ where¡¯s Death?¡± Azalabulia looked at her shoulder and noticed Death was gone. ¡°He¡ªhe must have gotten blown away during the explosion!¡± Saya sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you find him. Come on. He couldn¡¯t have gotten too far.¡± Meanwhile, Serra was holding her hat upside down in her arms to let Death take a nap in it after being blown her way as she observed the mating ritual of two bottoms. The ritual was a lot different than what she expected, but at least everything worked out in the end. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 11] While Ryouta took care of his ferrets and Saya worked on seducing his girlfriends so that she, too, could officially be in their relationship and count as one of the previously mentioned girlfriends, another member of the relationship was busy elsewhere¡ªsomewhere secret. Well, not too secret. There were other organizations within the world of Fantasy Tales Online that were really secret. Organizations that the vast majority of players, even the most important and influential of them, had no idea about. But the Hermetic Scholars were not such an organization. If anything, they loved to be known by players all around the world. They took great joy in helping others, learning as much as possible, and sharing news of their discoveries. Well, some discoveries. There were plenty of discovers that the Hermetic Scholars came across that they refused to share with any players outside of their organization because they were sure discoveries would result in chaos across the world. Material combinations that would basically result in chemical warfare, advanced weaponry that more or less emulated modern weapons, powerful magics on par with the spells that Azalabulia threw around as if they were nothing¡ªthere were many secrets that the many players of FTO didn¡¯t need to know about. And one of those secrets was the headquarters of the Hermetic Scholars where all of these other secrets were kept. And one member of Ryouta¡¯s relationship just so happened to be a member of the Hermetic Scholars and knew exactly where said headquarters was. In the middle of a flooded valley that branched into dozens of different directions was a large pillar of stone sticking up from the water with looked like the head of an eagle etched into the front half of the pillar. Where the pillar met the surface of the valley¡¯s water was a small dock with a simple rowboat tied to it, and the dock was connected to a pair of old, steep, stone stairs that led up along the side of the pillar to the side of the eagle¡¯s head. The stairs seemingly led to nothing, though, as there was only smooth stone at the top of them. But that was only until Eva, standing at the top of the stairs, said, ¡°The sphinx of black quartz judges the brown fox¡¯s vow.¡± No matter how many times Eva said that secret passphrase to open up the solid wall, revealing a descending staircase into the pillar, she would always get excited. Secret codes and passages were always fun. And this time, Eva carried a couple bags within her arms that were full of various plants, flowers, and random parts from the local monsters. While Eva descended the staircase, a familiar man ascended them. A man who wore a simple, hooded robe and who had his arms replaced with what looked like three tentacles each. ¡°Oh, Eva, just get in?¡± the man asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Eva answered. ¡°What¡¯s up, Alano?¡± ¡°Not much. Just going to go grab some materials.¡± ¡°Need anything in specific?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I am kind of just thinking about gathering as many random things I can find just to get some inspiration.¡± ¡°Ah, alright. How¡¯s the whole turning your body into a tentacle monster thing going?¡± Alano raised his tentacle arms up and wiggled them around. ¡°This is all I have still. Need to figure out a way to get myself gills. I think, once I¡¯m able to breathe underwater, I should be fine with transforming the rest of my body.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re going to go lurk in the waters outside of popular beaches to terrorize girls in swimming suits?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the dream.¡± A rumbling explosion could be heard from below. Neither of them reacted to it. ¡°Well, good luck with that,¡± Eva said. ¡°My boyfriend might want to hit you up if you ever find out an easy way to turn back and forth from being a tentacle monster.¡± ¡°Ah, a fellow man of culture,¡± Alano said. ¡°And you just added more evidence to the new theory that it¡¯s impossible for you to go a day without bringing him up somehow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kind of embarrassing. I¡¯m not being annoying, am I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine. We¡¯re all just¡ª¡± Another explosion. ¡°¡ªsurprised you came back with not only a boyfriend, but a boyfriend and¡­ how many girlfriends again?¡± ¡°Four. Probably five soon. Maybe six.¡± ¡°I feel sorry for your boyfriend.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. My one girlfriend, Serra, basically splits the boyfriend role with him so that he¡¯s not stuck managing all of us on his own. Plus we all usually go and do our own things.¡± ¡°Must be nice. I wonder if I¡¯ll get my own group of girlfriends if I can turn into a tentacle monster.¡± ¡°If you meet the right kind of girls you will. Anyways, Manoel is waiting for these, so I¡¯m going to get them to him. Good luck with the material hunting!¡± ¡°Thanks, Eva. Oh, one last thing. How much longer do you think you¡¯ll be back for?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ probably another week or two at most? I do miss everybody, so I won¡¯t be able to resist going back for much longer.¡± ¡°Any luck with getting permission from the big guy for setting up a branch there yet?¡± ¡°Nope. He¡¯s been too focused on his latest experiment. You know how he gets. Once he¡¯s investigating something or focused on an experiment, his life revolves around it until he¡¯s accomplished whatever he¡¯s trying to do.¡± ¡°True. Well, I¡¯ll leave you to Manoel. Tell him for me again that the tacos last night were incredible. Seriously, I even dreamed about them.¡± ¡°Hah. Alright. Will do.¡± With that, the two nodded at one another and continued along their ways. It took some time descending the stairs. Most people didn¡¯t expect the stairs to last so long when they first entered the headquarters, but it had to descend through the pillar into the ground below the valley¡¯s flooded floor. It was only then that Eva reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the headquarters properly. Well, according to those in charge, it wasn¡¯t just a headquarters. It was ¡°The Monastery.¡± Despite not actually being a religious organization at all, they thought that it would make for a cool name, and so figured why not? And the first thing that Eva saw within the carved-out architecture of The Monastery was smoke, black residue painting the pillars, and somebody with the upper half of their body blown away, leaving only their legs on the ground in a rather bloody mess. ¡°Guess her bomb experiment is going well,¡± Eva said. ¡°Well¡ªwell enough,¡± another of the nearby scholars said. This new scholar likely looked like the exact opposite of what somebody would expect when it came to players dedicated themselves to the ¡°nerdy¡± pursuits within the game. She was tall, blonde, buxom, and had on bikini armor that looked like it was taken to the extreme levels of skimpy. Even actual game developers didn¡¯t make bikini armor that revealing, yet there she was. ¡°I see you put on your bikini armor today, Grace. How¡¯s it doing?¡± The scantily clad woman, Grace, reached up to grab her own breasts and gave them a little bounce. That caused the fabric on the front of her bikini to pull away and reveal two, glowing circles that were probably located directly over her nipples. The circles were about the same size and shape, too. ¡°I finally got the runes to work. There¡¯s another shield rune down here.¡± She ran her hand over her crotch. ¡°These three runes produce shields that stack over each other, so I can look as slutty as I can make myself while still having all the protection of wearing the heaviest armor there is! Now, if only I could copy the results in reality. Earn all the respect of being a properly dressed businesswoman while going to work in my underwear. Ah, if only, if only. Anyways, want me to make you a set?¡± ¡°I¡ªI think I¡¯ll pass.¡± Eva said that, but she couldn¡¯t resist imagining Cassiel wearing such armor. Cassiel was even bustier than Grace, too, so it would really be quite the sight. ¡°I bet I know how I can convince you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask¡­ but how?¡± ¡°Heh. I know you, Evabear. All I have to do is arouse that curious mind of yours. For example! Not only do I have runes for shield barriers, but I can make runes for protection from extreme temperatures, too. That means, in theory, if I were to replace the boob runes with extreme heat protection runes while keeping a shield rune on the crotch, I could make you a bikini that generates a skintight shield around you that is immune to heat. For example¡­ immune to lava. Then you can go swimming in lava without burning to death! I mean, swimming in lava wouldn¡¯t exactly work that well, but you could at least wade your way through it. Maybe just sit in a shallow pool of it to relax.¡± ¡°If¡­ if you do that¡­ could you at least make it look like a normal bikini?¡± ¡°Come on! You gave yourself a nice body with your avatar. It¡¯s fine to show it off some more! Come on, it¡¯ll be fun. And I¡¯ll be the only one who sees. Do it, Eva. Come on. Do it. Embrace the bikini armor. Embrace the slutty MMO armor that is a staple of the genre! You¡¯re not a true MMO gamer until you make yourself look as slutty as possible! Speaking of which, I should go back to working on my growth potion. I want bigger tits. My ass could go for a bigger size, too. And my thighs. Oh! Did I mention that Ariel finally got her dick growth potion working? So we could totally grow dicks now if we want. I¡¯m tempted to do it, but then you go from slutty to just sexual, you know? It¡¯s one thing to have big tits that are barely covered, but it¡¯s an entirely different thing to have a huge dick flopping around that¡¯s barely covered.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a double standard¡­ but I have to agree with you even so.¡± ¡°But, imagine. If I get my growth potion working, it could give us huge boobs and huge dicks. We could just hold them up between our tits all day. It¡¯s like a cock holster and 24/7 titfuck at the same time!¡± Between how horny Grace was acting and the fact that she started to drool, Eva knew that it was time to back away. ¡°Have fun with that. I¡¯m gonna¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, by the way. Did Alano tell you about his tentacle bath?¡± ¡°I know he was working on it.¡± ¡°He finished it earlier! Let me tell you, it¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s like getting to take a bath in a tub full of cum that has tentacles inside of it that will do whatever you want to you if you order them to. It¡¯s like the ultimate sex toy. You just have to get past the fact that the tub itself looks like a giant, fleshy organ full of cum.¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I¡¯ll have to pass.¡± ¡°Come on! It¡¯s not like you¡¯d be cheating on anybody. It¡¯s basically the same as using a vibrator. The tub and tentacles aren¡¯t actually alive or anything.¡± ¡°Grace, you¡¯re drooling all over your chest.¡± Grace looked down and noticed that, surely enough, her breasts were catching all of her drool. ¡°Oh. Whoops. Guess I¡¯m getting too excited. Maybe I should go use the bath again.¡± Eva patted Grace on the shoulder and said, ¡°You go do that.¡± ¡°I will! And don¡¯t forget to let me know what you want your bikini to look like!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message over Fiscord with the kind of design I like, alright?¡± Grace stuck her tongue out, closed one eye, and gave Eva a thumbs-up before happily rushing off to where Alano¡¯s tentacle tub was. Now, Eva didn¡¯t mind the number of sexual players there were in the Hermetic Scholars. One, nerds always ended up being the biggest freaks. Liking science, playing tabletop RPGs, and being into a bunch of freaky fetishes all had an extreme amount of overlap that most people wouldn¡¯t normally think about. That being said, all the sexual stuff wasn¡¯t exactly something she had much interest in, and she did wish that there were some more members who just wanted good old, family fun, potentially deadly, science. Fortunately, that was where her best friend in the Hermetic Scholars came into play. Eva knocked on the door to a closed room a couple of times which earned her a shout in response saying, ¡°One moment, please!¡± A series of crashes, shattering glasses, and knocking over other objects then ensued before the door swung open to reveal the man responsible for all those noises and an incredibly messy room behind him. ¡°Ah, Eva! Long time no see!¡± The man behind the door was none other than Manoel, the supposedly badass dragon guy that Eva told Ryouta and the others about before. And he was an incredibly mixed bag when it came to his looks. He was incredibly handsome in the traditional way and looked like a borderline bodybuilder. Tall, chiseled jawline, short and brown hair, bright and blue eyes¡ªhe looked like the epitome of masculinity almost. Only, he also wore very, very large glasses that looked too big for his face, wore loose, baggy clothes covered with burn marks, stains, and hole, and had dark freckles across his cheeks and nose. There was also the fact that he had huge, draconic wings behind his back, a reptilian tail that wagged behind him like a dog¡¯s would, and a couple of horns stick out from his head. Then, similar to both Eva and Nell, he had patches of scales spread across his body. Most of his were concentrated on his forearms and calves, though. Then there was his face. While he might have looked masculine and a bit nerdy, it was impossible for him to make an expression that didn¡¯t look like it belonged on a playful puppy dog. He had the body of an Olympian but the outgoing personality of a harmless puppy. He was incredibly popular with all of the women, and most of the men, belonging to the Hermetic Scholars for those reasons. That included Eva. But, while most loved him because of his looks and personality, Eva enjoyed his company for an entirely platonic reason: mutual scientific interests. ¡°Manoel¡­ I saw you like, three hours ago,¡± Eva said with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s like forever ago!¡± Manoel replied. ¡°What brings you here, anyways?¡± ¡°The errand you sent me on.¡± ¡°Ah. What would that be?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even remember?!¡± ¡°I remember you telling me about it just now!¡± Eva sighed again and pushed the bags full of materials into Manoel¡¯s arms. ¡°I swear you have early dementia or something.¡± ¡°The doctors say I¡¯m all fine! Though, I will admit. They were surprised that I couldn¡¯t remember how I actually got to their office.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need new doctors?¡± ¡°Hmm. Maybe.¡± Manoel looked into the bags and lit up with excitement once he saw what was in them. ¡°Ah! Right! I wanted these! But¡­ I can¡¯t remember why. Eva, what was I working on when I asked you to get these?¡± ¡°A potion that reverses an individual¡¯s gravity.¡± ¡°Oh. That sounds incredibly dangerous and is almost guaranteed to result in our deaths. Exciting! Want to be my test subject?¡± And that was why the two got along so well. ¡°You know it!¡± ¡°Also, I heard talk about some sort of¡­ tub, with tentacles in it? What is the point of that?¡± ¡°Keep your purity and don¡¯t question it, Manoel.¡± ¡°Oh. Alright.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 12] Ace_Arriande Patreon. It was time for science. First, Manoel mixed everything that Eva gathered together with the ingredients that he already had. They were mixed via a process of crushing everything up into a fine powder and the mixing it into a cauldron that looked to be filled with some sort of thick paste. That was how his preferred brand of alchemy worked. The result was a slightly glowing, pink, thick mixture that smelled like medicine and didn¡¯t promise a much better taste. And the first one to try it was going to be Eva. ¡°You may want to lie down,¡± Manoel said. ¡°Could be easier to reorient yourself if you start on your back than if you are standing.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Wings and tail,¡± Eva replied, taking a bottle filled with the new brew from Manoel¡¯s hands. ¡°You need to work on making your potions taste better.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± ¡°They always smell and taste horrible.¡± ¡°Do they? I like them.¡± Eva sighed. ¡°Well, as long as you like them, that¡¯s all that really matters. Anyways, down it goes.¡± She tilted her head back and brought the bottle¡¯s opening up to her lips. Nothing immediately happened aside from having her taste buds assaulted, so she kept on drinking until she downed the whole bottle. And the result¡­ Was a very loud, vulgar burp. ¡°I feel¡­¡± Eva paused. ¡°Gassy.¡± ¡°Hmm. That is not the intended effect,¡± Manoel commented. ¡°I think that much is obvious. This might be good for a prank if you can make it smell and taste better, but right now? I¡¯m¡­ not feeling anything other than gas.¡± ¡°You know I would never prank somebody!¡± ¡°I know, you goody-two-shoes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right I am! Now, I wonder what went wrong? We included the husk of a grav beetle, but that didn¡¯t do anything. Perhaps we need more?¡± Grav beetles were large, slow beetles that seemingly floated across the ground. Upon first discovering them, players thought that it was a visual glitch in the game. They looked like they were assets not properly interacting with the ground, instead floating above it. It turned out that they were actually just¡­ capable of hovering above the ground. How? Their shells. Why? Nobody really knew. They just hovered everywhere. Even if they were flipped upside down, they would continue in the same path that they were already going. The only way to stop them from hovering was to remove their shells, which also killed them, so the scholars weren¡¯t entirely sure whether or not they stopped hovering without their shells or if they just stopped hovering upon death. ¡°Wait, Eva, try jumping,¡± Manoel said. ¡°See if you can feel a difference.¡± Eva nodded and did a little hop. Surely enough, she actually did feel a bit lighter than before and managed to hop up higher than she thought she should have been able to. ¡°I think it¡¯s working? Well, there¡¯s definitely a difference, but the effect isn¡¯t strong enough.¡± ¡°Hmm. So, I need to make the effect stronger. I¡¯m thinking¡­ we use a potion distiller and then add an amplifying agent.¡± ¡°If you really want to go all out, I would make a potion with the amplifying effect, distill it, distill them both, and then combine them.¡± ¡°A distilled amplifying potion combined with the distilled experimental potion? That¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Extremely.¡± Manoel smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Eva smiled back and ran off to get everything they needed. A few minutes later and Eva was back with all of the required equipment. That allowed them to get to work. First came distilling the potions. That involved boiling the potions at a temperature where the water inside of them would boil and evaporate off into another container while leaving all of the actual potion within the starting container. In the world of FTO, water tended to boil at a lower temperature than all the good stuff in potions, so distilling was fairly simple. Once each potion was distilled, they were poured into the same bottle and thoroughly combined together. The result was a potion that glowed significantly more than before with an even worse smell. ¡°Great,¡± Eva said. ¡°I forgot that it would be concentrating the scent and flavor, too.¡± Manoel stuck his tongue out at Eva as she downed the potion. She could already tell there was a difference by the time that she finished the potion. Her arms felt weightless and she could feel herself drifting up into the air with only a slight flutter from her wings. ¡°I think it¡¯s working?¡± Manoel dropped to the floor to look between it and her feet, confirming that there was nothing connecting them. ¡°It¡¯s working! Well, kind of. Not really, actually, now that I think about it.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m floating. What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make a potion that makes somebody float or one that simply cancels out gravity. I wanted to make one that reverses gravity. Like turning the positive side of a magnet into the negative one rather than simply removing both sides.¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Yeah, I guess this doesn¡¯t really fit that all that well then.¡± ¡°I want to be able to drink a potion and then go flying into the sky because of my gravity being reversed!¡± ¡°That would be fun. This is kind of nice, though.¡± Eva used her tail and arms to position herself in the air so that she was floating on her back. ¡°I wonder if zero gravity is good for the spine? Would it be healthier for the back to sleep like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. You could always look up the effects that sustained time in zero gravity has had on astronauts. From my understanding, though, it does more harm than good to the body. Especially when readjusting to Earth¡¯s atmosphere.¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, I¡¯ll add it onto my list of things to look up when I¡¯m back in the real world. Anyways, do you have any idea for how we might make this reverse gravity rather than cancel it?¡± Manoel paced back and forth while tapping on his chin to try and think of a solution. Unfortunately, coming up with a solution to their problem was going to be considerably difficult. But they wouldn¡¯t have been members of the Hermetic Scholars if they didn¡¯t like overcoming challenges in the pursuit of knowledge. Unfortunately, the act of reversing gravity rather than simply canceling it was significantly harder and neither Eva nor Manoel had an idea for how to improve on their potion. Well, there was one thing that they could have done. A practice that many scientists relied on throughout history. And that practice? It was trying random bullshit. Fortunately, the scholars even had a potion that was basically designed to be the embodiment of random bullshit. ¡°A chaos potion might work,¡± Eva said. Manoel nodded. ¡°Just what I was thinking.¡± The chaos potion was an invention of the scholars that randomized the effects of whatever it was mixed with. If mixed with a healing potion, for example, it could potentially boost its effectiveness, reduce its effectiveness, completely reverse the effect and poison the drinker instead, temporarily boost the ¡°health¡± of a player or reduce it, and so on. The chaos potion was something that would take an effect and then add a strong dosage of¡ªwell, chaos to it. Unfortunately, it was a very valuable potion and there was only one means of earning permission to use it. They had to go to the leader of the Hermetic Scholars. Trismegistus. Fortunately, he was online and available when Eva and Manoel went to his personal study to get permission. ¡°Come in,¡± their leader said. He was a man who very, very few people outside of the Hermetic Scholars ever saw. Most had no idea what his name even was, and they certainly had no idea what he looked like. When it came to the leader of a scholarly faction, though, it was probably safe to assume he was going to look like some old wizard with a long, white beard. That couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth in Trismegistus¡¯s case. Sitting at a chair, writing his most recent observations down in a book, was a very large and muscular man. Not just a man, but an orc. He looked more like a barbarian going by his body, but he wore the robes of an educated scholar and glasses. He at least had some white, braided hair and a short, white beard to make him at live up to the stereotype a tiny bit. ¡°Ah, Eva, Manoel,¡± Trismegistus s aid, offering the two a polite nod and smile. ¡°What brings you to me today? Trouble, I am sure, but is it at least interesting trouble?¡± ¡°We think so,¡± Eva said. As for Manoel, he stood behind Eva by a couple of steps. He was never too good at dealing with the big guy in charge of things. ¡°Well, Manoel?¡± Trismegistus said, calling Manoel out. ¡°A-ah, sir, uh,¡± Manoel mumbled and forced himself to get out from behind Eva, ¡°I¡ªI wanted to get permission for the use of a chaos potion.¡± ¡°Interesting. What for?¡± ¡°I want to make a potion that reverses gravity.¡± Trismegistus looked at Eva, who was still floating a little, and said, ¡°It looks as if you have already accomplished that. Unless you mean to literally reverse it rather than simply cancel out its effects.¡± Manoel nodded. ¡°Yes. That.¡± ¡°You plan on using it outdoors if you can get it working, don¡¯t you?¡± Manoel nodded once more. ¡°Hmm. That could give us valuable information regarding the world¡¯s upper limits. As you know¡ª¡± Eva and Manoel looked at each other and sighed as soon as they heard those three words. As you know. The three words that always began one of Trismegistus¡¯s rambles. He especially loved to ramble on about knowledge that everybody in the scholars already knew. Nobody knew why he enjoyed going over the basics that weren¡¯t new to anybody, but he always did. ¡°¡ªflying is only able to get somebody so high and no method of propulsion to take somebody higher has worked, whether it be from chemical reactions or magic. Making it into the low stratosphere is as high as anybody as ever accomplished, and that was with a character who maxed out their flight-related abilities and combined them with explosive magic to serve as a jet and a pseudo jetpack made with combustive materials. Unfortunately, once they made it high enough, their wings alone were not enough to carry them and bringing even greater amounts of fuel would weigh them down too much. Unfortunately, simply scaling things up would not help as, at that point, the game prevents such creations from working due to getting too close to real world rocketry. But if it is a potion that performs the job, that is something done entirely through fantasy means. It may just work to make somebody ascend to even greater heights.¡± He paused, only for himself, to nod before saying, ¡°Alright. I will grant you use of the chaos potions in pursuit of breaking free from this world. All I ask is that you make sure you have set a nearby spawn as I struggle to believe you will survive if you manage to leave the atmosphere.¡± Manoel and Eva looked at each other again with excited smiles. ¡°But.¡± There was always a but. ¡°Manoel, in exchange¡­ do you know what it is that I want?¡± Manoel hid himself behind Eva again and gulped. ¡°Is¡ªis¡­ it another massage?¡± Trismegistus let out a relaxed sigh encouraged solely by imagining the massage. ¡°Yes. It has been too long since you have blessed my back with your hands.¡± To be fair, even Eva knew just how incredible Manoel could be with his hands when it came to massages. But that wasn¡¯t what made her suddenly perk up. Instead, she perked up when she remembered what Fenrir¡¯s and Tabitha¡¯s project was. They wanted to build a submarine capable of launching ICBMs. Chemical propulsion probably wasn¡¯t going to work, at least not to the degree that they wanted¡­ unless they could drastically reduce the amount of fuel needed to propel the missiles. And what would reduce the amount of fuel needed? Decreasing the effect gravity had on them. The potion that reduced gravity without completely removing it would probably be perfect for that. She just had to figure out a way to apply it to an item. But once that was figured out, the rest would be easy. ¡°I¡ªI¡­ alright,¡± Manoel said with a defeated sigh. ¡°I will give you a massage once we have perfected the potion. Is that alright?¡± It was Trismegistus¡¯s turn to nod now. ¡°That will do just fine. Ah, and Eva?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Eva answered. ¡°You queried me regarding technology capable of animating or controlling giant golems, yes?¡± Eva completely forgot about that, but she did for Tabitha¡¯s sake since she recalled Tabitha wanting to build a giant, controllable golem to use as a mecha. ¡°Yeah. Find anything out?¡± ¡°Apparently, our dwarven friends have figured out how to make controllable golems, but they are using a method of controlling them still secret to us.¡± ¡°They figured something out that we haven¡¯t?¡± ¡°Indeed. That is why I have committed our best information gatherer to their city to learn everything that he can.¡± ¡°Thelmes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Once he finished his task in Port Tugator, he took on an independent project researching the effectiveness of fish-based weaponry and armor for some reason, apparently due to a man he met during his time there, so I assigned him again once he was done with his research.¡± ¡°Fish¡­ based weapons and armor?¡± ¡°Indeed. I have no idea what went through his splendid little mind to inspire him so, but I never saw him so passionate. He even created a form of gatling gun using a fish that shoots smaller fish out of it.¡± ¡°I¡ªalright. I know better than to question him. Anyways, we should go continue work on our potion.¡± ¡°That you should. Allow me to grab you some chaos potions. Five should suffice for your trials, yes?¡± Eva looked at Manoel who nodded. ¡°Then that means one redeemable massage per potion. I agree!¡± Manoel stepped back, not having the courage to disagree with his leader¡¯s terms, and sighed. It wasn¡¯t that anything inappropriate or rude happened whenever he massaged Trismegistus. It was just¡­ the large orc was very vocal while receiving a good massage. The moans, groans, and grunts haunted Manoel every night whenever he tried to sleep after giving him a massage. Unfortunately, it was one of the few things that his brain refused to ever forget. But it was worth it for the sake of science and properly reversing gravity. Ace_Arriande Wow, I''ve completely run out of ideas for how to make slightly unique patreon ads this week. Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 13] Five chaos potions were granted to Eva and Manoel for the sake of their experiments. And in somewhat related news, they could at least confirm that it seemed like the distilled potion had a decent duration to it seeing as how Eva was still able to float her way through the Scholars¡¯ headquarters as if she were flying through a space station. ¡°This is actually more fun than flying,¡± Eva said. ¡°Are you saying that just because it does not require any effort?¡± Manoel asked in response. ¡°Well, it does require effort. I have to make sure I don¡¯t spin too much and have to find objects to brace myself against in order to stop. In some ways, it¡¯s more complicated than flying. But I will admit that it¡¯s much easier, basically effortless, whenever I want to just hover in one spot. With this, all I have to do is stay still and I don¡¯t move from my position. With flying, I have to try and flap my wings at just the right speed with just enough strength to hover in place without moving much. And¡­ once I launch myself to move in one direction, I don¡¯t have to do anything else until I need to stop. Fighting like this would probably be horrible, though. I don¡¯t think I would be able to react anywhere near as quickly as I could with normal flight.¡± ¡°Well, you do still have your wings and tail for mid-course changes while under the effect of no gravity.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to cancel my momentum as easily.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Without gravity affecting you, you don¡¯t have that natural momentum stopper to assist you. I suppose that neither this nor our preferred outcome would be very good for combat. The only way that it would work well is if you have complete control of gravity to make immediate changes of every sort. The ability to flip your gravity, return it to normal, increase or decrease it, cancel it, and so on. But that would be a decent amount of micromanaging one¡¯s gravity in the middle of a battle, not to mention would likely be incredibly disorientating. But to master such a style of combat would be rather interesting!¡± ¡°You know what would be fun that could weaponize these potions?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Giving them splash effects so that they don¡¯t have to be drank normally. Imagine having a potion that flips somebody¡¯s gravity and throwing it at them. It breaks, splashes onto them¡­ and then they suddenly go falling into the sky. Could you imagine how terrified they would be? Just, suddenly falling toward the upper atmosphere with no way to stop? That would be hilarious. Kind of horrible, but hilarious.¡± ¡°E-Eva¡­ since when have you thought of such cruel ideas?¡± ¡°Oh. I guess I didn¡¯t think of stuff like that before. You can uh¡­ probably blame my boyfriend for that. He¡¯s kind of a troll.¡± ¡°What a horrible influence he has been on you! Fun, but horrible! When do I get to meet him?¡± ¡°Maybe you could come back with me? I¡¯ve told him about you before.¡± ¡°You¡­ you have? I never would have thought I¡¯m worth telling anybody about.¡± Eva gave Manoel a couple of strong pats on his shoulder which messed with her trajectory, causing her to use her wings and tail to readjust it. ¡°Sure you are. We¡¯re friends.¡± She then had the even better idea of simply grabbing onto his shoulders from behind to let him walk her through the stone halls. ¡°Though, I probably should have told one of the cool stories about you. Like your origin story. You¡¯re pretty badass whenever you¡¯re not being a dork playing with potions.¡± ¡°I¡­ do not know if I would call my ¡®origin story¡¯ badass. I simply did what I had to do. If anything, it is incredibly tragic.¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s also true. Your background is more fitting for an edgy anti-hero or a genocidal villain than a nerdy scholar who wants to reverse gravity for fun.¡± Manoel sighed as the two returned to his room, ready to put the chaos potions to use while trying not to think about the massage he now owed their leader. Thirty minutes later, after creating more of the potion, distilling it, splitting it, and combining it with the chaos potions, the scientific duo had five new potions to try out. ¡°You know,¡± Eva said, ¡°considering that each one of these has a very real chance of doing something that is going to brutally murder us¡­ we should hire some more assistants for this. Otherwise, if I die from the first one, I won¡¯t get to try the other four and have to wait to respawn.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ good point,¡± Manoel agreed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get everything ready. Would you mind gathering the others?¡± Eva gave him a little salute just in time for the potion to wear off, dropping her to the ground. She needed a strong flap of her wings to save herself from faceplanting into it. ¡°Meet you outside?¡± Manoel nodded, so the two split up temporarily so that Eva could go on a mission to recruit some extra assistants. Manoel was needed to observe everything and Eva could drink one of the potions, so that left four potions with assistants needed. Fortunately, she knew exactly who she could get. Outside, Eva reunited with Manoel alongside the four fellow test subjects she managed to gather. The robed, tentacled man, Alano, and the scantily clad Grace were among them. There were two others with them, though. After all, the Scholars¡¯ headquarters was full of the most scientifically insane players who loved to experiment with all manner of crazy inventions, so finding more help was easy. Gobbo Gobbo was one of the other two players that Eva managed to find who was willing to probably die during an experiment. Gobbo Gobbo was a woman who pushed the game¡¯s height limit for player characters to its absolute limit¡­ in the opposite direction than what one might usually suspect. Without going so far as to become a fairy or anything like that, Gobbo Gobbo was a woman who made herself so incredibly short that the top of her wide, green head barely reached up to Eva¡¯s thighs. Despite the incredibly short stature, though, she had a very womanly body in the form of exceptionally wide hips, the thickest thighs around, and breasts that looked ready to pop out from her corset at any second. Why? Because Gobbo Gobbo was a goblin shortstack enthusiast who believed in the supremacy of goblin shortstacks. Even her current body wasn¡¯t shortstack-y enough for her. She wanted to become even shorter and even more stacked! ¡°Hey, try out Alano¡¯s new tentacle bath yet?¡± Grace asked Gobbo Gobbo. Gobbo Gobbo smirked and chuckled. ¡°Try it? I was his test subject for it! Let me tell ya¡­ I liked it better when the tentacles didn¡¯t know how to stop. Shoulda seen it when they just wouldn¡¯t stop no matter what ya tried. Were real tough, too, gehehe.¡± Then there was Marissa. Marissa was one of the women who looked the most out of place among the scholars seeing as how she looked more like a royal princess than anything else. She wore an elegant, white dress that reached down to her ankles, her body was adorned with beautiful jewelry, and her straight, blonde hair reached down to the back of her thighs while featuring bangs that stopped just above her eyebrows. She looked like somebody who was better suited to be a friend of Nell than a friend of the Scholars, and her appearance wasn¡¯t the only reason she was suitable to be one of Nell¡¯s friends. ¡°Tentacles¡­ that¡ªthat did not stop? No matter how much one begged and pleaded?¡± Marisa asked. ¡°And the way you said it¡­ they no longer behave that way?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Gobbo Gobbo answered. Marisa turned her attention to Alano and raised her voice. ¡°How dare you!? Why wouldn¡¯t you invite me?! I know you have heard me talk about my tentacle fantasies before! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get thoroughly ravaged by an unrelenting tentacle beast in this game?! The last seven I have thrown myself at simply devoured me whole! Even when I stripped and tried to pleasure them, they still only ate me! Well¡­ devouring me has its own charm. Especially when I get to sit within its body for a few minutes before perishing. Ah¡­ perhaps I should learn healing magic so that I can continuously heal myself so that I can enjoy being eaten for as long as possible¡­ n-ngh¡­¡± Nothing was even happening to her outside of her imagination and she was already pressing her thighs together and twitching. ¡°F-fuck¡­ damn it, Alano! You ruined it!¡± ¡°Relax, Mary,¡± Grace said, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s still good.¡± ¡°But now it¡¯s obedient! I don¡¯t want to be ravaged by tentacles that will obey me! I want to be ravaged by tentacles that are going to force me down, defile every single inch of my body, drench me from head to toe in cum no matter how much I beg for it not to, and then leave me knocked up with hundreds of new tentacle babies in my womb, damn it! What¡¯s the point otherwise?! What the fuck is the point if I am not literally drowning in cum?! I want to be forced to swallow so much tentacle cum that it comes out through my fucking ears! A-ahn¡­ so¡­ so intense¡­¡± Manoel looked at Eva and tilted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Eva answered, trying to protect his innocence still. It should have been no surprise to anybody that the Hermetic Scholars were packed full to the brim of the game¡¯s most sexual degenerates. After all, it was the ¡°nerdy¡± player faction to join. It was the home of the nerds and degenerates who relished in one another¡¯s company where they knew they wouldn¡¯t be judged for their interests, whether those interests were related to chemistry, tabletop roleplaying¡­ or extremely intense tentacle sex. Those three circles had much more overlap in reality than most people would ever be aware of. ¡°I¡ªI came a little,¡± Marisa said. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous of her ability to do that,¡± Grace said next. Gobbo Gobbo nodded. ¡°Same.¡± ¡°You know,¡± Alano said, ¡°I could always use my own tentacles and¡ª¡± ¡°Fuck you,¡± Marisa snapped. ¡°You¡¯re too nice. The last time we tried, you wanted to stop every few minutes to make sure I¡¯m alright. Of course I¡¯m alright! And you know what would be even better? A complete fucking disregard for my well-being as you destroy my body in pursuit of your own, selfish pleasure! God! I thought men were all about absolutely wrecking royal looking girls?! Bringing them down to their own level and all that?! I don¡¯t want to be courted like some dainty little princess, I want treated like an elf in an orc doujin! Wait. Maybe¡­ maybe that¡¯s¡ªa-ahn¡­ maybe that¡¯s it. I¡­ I should turn myself into an elf. Nobody can resist ruining an elf, right?! An elf who barely wears any clothes with huge tits who always just so happens to trip and land with her ass up in front of monsters and beasts! Why¡ªwhy didn¡¯t I¡ªnngh!¡ªthink of this sooner?!¡± ¡°I think she came like three times during that,¡± Gobbo Gobbo said. Grace sighed. ¡°Seriously jealous.¡± ¡°A-anyways,¡± Manoel said, ¡°if you are all¡­ alright, would you like to begin the experiment? Has Eva explained what¡¯s going on?¡± The group of test subjects nodded. ¡°Alright. Then, Marisa, since you seem to have¡­ er, plans, would you like to go first?¡± ¡°Is it going to kill me?!¡± Marisa asked, stepping forward with stars in her eyes. ¡°Or maybe drain my body of all its strength, leaving me collapsed on the ground to be freely used by any passing beast or monster?! F-fuck!¡± Eva took a step away from Marisa when she noticed the puddle on the ground underneath wherever she stood. She didn¡¯t want any of that getting on her. ¡°Perhaps?¡± Manoel answered while holding her potion forward. Marisa gladly took the potion from him, downed it in an instant, and waited to see what was going to happen. Yet, nothing seemed to happen. Until she moved her arm. The second she moved even a tiny bit, her arm accelerated with enough speed that it popped it out of its socket, forced a moan out of her, and then flew into the neaby wall with a bone-cracking crunch. Despite the gruesome test result¡­ she couldn¡¯t stop moaning and twitching on the ground. ¡°Looks like it accelerated her somehow?¡± Eva commented. ¡°I don¡¯t know how mixing a gravity-based potion with a chaos potion would result in that, but¡ªwell, I guess acceleration is affected by gravity in general. So, we turned it into an extreme acceleration potion?¡± Manoel nodded, agreeing with Eva¡¯s observations. ¡°Marisa, could you please stand up?¡± Marisa nodded¡­ and snapped her neck doing so from the speed at which she nodded. ¡°Ah. She died.¡± ¡°Want me to take her inside?¡± Alano asked. ¡°Yes, please. So that she can get her equipment once she is able to come back.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Grace stopped Alano by grabbing his shoulder. ¡°She¡¯d forgive you for going gentle on her if you use her corpse and tell her about it later.¡± Alano sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not into corpses.¡± Grace shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you what to do if you want back on her good side.¡± Refusing to go along with that, Alano took Marisa¡¯s corpse back inside. ¡°Grace, would you like to go next?¡± Manoel asked. ¡°Sure,¡± Grace answered. ¡°Hopefully this one doesn¡¯t do¡­ whatever it just did to Marisa to me.¡± ¡°Highly unlikely considering how rare it is for a chaos potion to duplicate its results.¡± He handed her potion over. Grace swirled it around in its bottle for a few seconds before giving it a whiff, cringing, and downing it. ¡°I feel¡­ weird.¡± ¡°Weird how?¡± ¡°I¡ªI feel like I¡¯m¡­ being¡­ crush¡ª¡± Another gruesome result took place as Grace collapsed to the ground underneath her own personal gravity, most of her bones breaking and organs getting crushed in the process, resulting in an immediate death and deformed, squished corpse. ¡°Well then,¡± Manoel said before sliding a foot under the corpse to see if he could lift it up a little. He could. ¡°The potion wore off as soon as she died, but I am assuming that it temporarily, and extremely, increased her own personal gravity to the point where she practically collapsed into herself. Almost like a black hole.¡± Alano came back just in time to see the new corpse. ¡°I¡¯m going to die, aren¡¯t I?¡± he asked. ¡°Probably,¡± Eva answered. With that, Alano took the second corpse inside as if it were a part of his everyday life around the place. As for Gobbo Gobbo, she looked like she had an idea. ¡°I wonder if I could condense myself using a potion like that? Retain the same amount of mass, but condense it downward so that I get shorter but thicker. The black hole strategy to becoming a shortstack.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that would be healthy for your organs,¡± Eva said. ¡°Tsk. Dang organs getting in the way of things. Wish I could just remove them.¡± ¡°Gobbo Gobbo,¡± Manoel said. ¡°Here is yours.¡± ¡°Alright! Come on, potion. Do your thing and squish me down!¡± Gobbo Gobbo swallowed the entire potion in an instant. Surely enough, it had an effect on her, but not the one she wanted. Instead, as soon as she moved even slightly upward, she took off. Slowly. She lifted up off the ground with absolutely zero gravity affecting her, similar to what happened to Eva earlier. ¡°He-hey! I¡¯m floating! This ain¡¯t what I asked for!¡± ¡°Sorry, Gobbo Gobbo.¡± Manoel reached up to grab her and pull her back down. ¡°I can¡¯t control what the chaos potions do.¡± ¡°Darn it. Well, while I¡¯m free floating and all¡­ mind stripping me down and throwing me up into the sky? That sounds like fun.¡± ¡°Why would you need stripped for that?¡± ¡°Because I love this corset and have no idea where my body is eventually going to land at, if it ever lands on this planet.¡± ¡°Ah. Good point. Er, Eva? Would you mind helping her with that?¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Eva answered. Manoel made sure to turn around while Eva helped the floating Gobbo Gobbo strip down to nothing but her underwear. ¡°Ready?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Ready!¡± Gobbo Gobbo answered. With the launch confirmed, Eva swung Gobbo Gobbo around by her ankles a few times before letting go and sending her straight toward the sky. ¡°Now if only we could do that by reversing gravity instead of removing it.¡± ¡°Well, we still have two more potions,¡± Manoel said. ¡°And we also have our fourth subject!¡± He looked at Alano who was standing at the entrance with a perverted grin on his face. He made it back just in time to see the almost-nude Gobbo Gobbo get swung around and launched. ¡°That was beautiful,¡± Alano said. All Eva could think about as Manoel handed Alano the potion was how well her lovers would get along with all of the degenerates at the Scholars¡¯ headquarters. Her lovers often acted like they were the biggest degenerates around, and that was probably true for the town of Nameless. But compared to the average Hermetic Scholar member? They were as vanilla as could be. Except for Nell. Nell at max perversion levels was about as perverted as a scholar at low-middle perversion levels. As for Alano, his potion¡­ Well. It was half successful. The right side of Alano¡¯s body went flying upward with properly reversed gravity. However, the left side of his body collapsed into itself on the ground as he was torn in half in a bloody, gruesome sight. The scientific experimenting of the Hermetic Scholars was not a family friendly affair. ¡°Well, that kind of worked,¡± Eva said. Manoel looked at the final potion and held it out to Eva. ¡°Perhaps this one will work?¡± ¡°Maybe. Also, I forget. What was the point of all of this again?¡± ¡°Ah. To see if we could.¡± ¡°Did you plan on using it for anything if you could perfect it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember if I did.¡± ¡°Classic Manoel.¡± Despite seeing the results of everybody who tried the potion before her, Eva couldn¡¯t help but to feel excited when she drank the potion. And then. She flew into the sky. Or fell, rather. With the only successful potion conveniently going to her, Eva¡¯s gravity was reversed and she ¡°fell¡± into the sky with speed growing by the second. She even made the job of falling easier by straightening out her body and tucking her wings and tail against herself to make herself more aerodynamic, increasing her speed even more. It didn¡¯t take long for her to pass up Gobbo Gobbo who was curling up into a ball to deal with the cold air of higher elevation. Then she passed up the right side of Alano¡¯s body. All that was left was to see just how high she could go as the ground below became a distant sight. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 14] Several days after Eva¡¯s attempt to fall into space and Fenrir finally got to see her again. As soon as Eva told him over Fiscord, he made sure to wait outside the main entrance of Nameless for her. Though, because he couldn¡¯t hold his excitement back, he ended up going out and waiting for her earlier than he needed to. But it all worked out since Eva, not able to contain her own excitement, traveled extra fast to make it back as early as she could. As soon as Eva¡¯s flying figure was within sight, Fenrir raised his arms and waved for her. Eva landed just a few feet in front of him and used all of her momentum to tackle him with a hug. She might have failed to knock him over, but she didn¡¯t fail to wrap her arms around him and bury her face against his chest. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re pretty hot,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Want to be one of my girlfriends?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty hot, too,¡± Eva replied. ¡°But what do you mean one of your girlfriends? You already have others?¡± ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re all hot, too. We can have a huge orgy together.¡± ¡°Wow. That sounds pretty cool. I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°Nice. By the way, part of being my girlfriend means letting me grope you whenever I want.¡± ¡°That¡¯s asking for a lot, but I can accept that deal.¡± Fenrir and Eva laughed together before just staying quiet for a moment, enjoying one another¡¯s presence and comfort. ¡°Enjoy your time?¡± Fenrir asked with his arms still around Eva, giving the side of her head a kiss. ¡°Also, I might have to be selfish and ask that you don¡¯t leave us for that long again. We¡¯ve missed you.¡± Eva couldn¡¯t help but to smile a little when she heard that. ¡°No promises, but I¡¯ll try. And don¡¯t you have enough girlfriends to keep you busy whenever I¡¯m not around?¡± ¡°Yeah, but none of them are you. I need all of you, not just some of you.¡± ¡°You really have grown selfish.¡± ¡°I know. But back to the other question, did you have fun?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did. A ton. I even got to go into space. Kind of¡± Fenrir leaned back to look her right in the eyes. ¡°You what?¡± ¡°I went into space.¡± ¡°You¡­ went into space.¡± ¡°Yep. Went into space.¡± ¡°You went. Into space.¡± ¡°I did, indeed, venture into the great void that is otherwise known as ¡®space.¡¯¡± ¡°How does that even work?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± It was starting to get cold for Eva as she ascended ever higher into the atmosphere. Breathing was also becoming incredibly difficult, so she figured she at least had to be in the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere. Fortunately, given her previous experiments that involved underwater environments, she was rather good at holding her breath. But she couldn¡¯t hold it forever, so she made sure to boost her speed by tightly hugging her wings against her back to make herself as aerodynamic as possible. The more aerodynamic she was, the faster she would be, the higher she could go before passing out from lack of oxygen. Of course, it was entirely possible that she could hit an invisible barrier before that could ever happen. Almost every single game had those. Generally, the only ones that didn¡¯t were games with procedurally generated worlds that were ¡°infinite.¡± So, Eva wanted to know what she was going to come across first. Death, an invisible barrier, or a place beyond the world that FTO took place on. There were plenty of possible outcomes, but she had no idea which one of the many it would be. Then she remembered something important. She could be looking around to see what she could see rather than just looking straight up. Once she did, she was able to see everything from Fraydranth¡¯s springs to GG¡¯s village and even Nameless. The world¡¯s curvature also became increasingly obvious at that point, so she could at least confirm that the world was round. Of course, some would still refuse it even if they saw it themselves, but there was no point in arguing with those who wanted to deny the curvature of a fictional world. Then, when Eva looked eastward to look at the ocean, she noticed something that there was no recording of on any of the maps. A chain of islands. They were far enough out that they would need to be deliberately searched for since it was incredibly unlikely anybody would go that far out enough to discover them while traveling along the coast, but there was undeniably a chain of islands that shouldn¡¯t have existed. And that triggered her itch for exploration and discovery. But back to the matter at hand, as soon as the surrounding sky became more dark than blue, she realized she was entering the upper limits of the atmosphere. She figured she had to be in the mesosphere at that point. Unfortunately, that was when her adventure into space reached the beginning of its end. Mystic, blue fire surrounded her and began to burn her away. It was a magical fire that, rather than burned her skin, burned her entire being. Pixel by pixel of her body began to crumble into dust, burned by the blue flames until they no longer existed, and not a single piece of her body was spared from it. It was incredibly painful. But not as painful as sitting in lava. That was why, despite the extreme amount of pain that likely would have broken anybody else subjected to it, she had no noticeable reaction to it. Her only reaction to anything was one of curiosity to the source of the flames surrounding her. ¡°And then what?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Then I died,¡± Eva answered. ¡°Just¡­ like that?¡± ¡°Yep. I guess the flames reached my heart or brain or something, and then I died. I was still falling, though, even as it burned me away. That leads me to believe that it may be possible to break out into true space after all. The only real issue is protecting yourself against the flames. Or maybe¡­ if I was still alive until it reached my brain, then what if I turn myself into a giant ball of flesh? I could put my brain, heart, and other important organs all in the center of my ball of flesh. Assuming that the flames have a consistent burning speed, they would take longer to get to the point where they actually kill me, giving me more time to get into space.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just¡­ surround yourself with a lot of protection instead of turn yourself into a giant ball of flesh?¡± ¡°Ooh. Good idea. Turn myself into a giant ball of flesh and surround myself with multiple layers of protection. Weight wouldn¡¯t be an issue either since being heavier will just make me fall even faster. Well, to some degree. I¡¯m pretty sure there comes a point where being aerodynamic is better than being heavier.¡± ¡°Eva.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t turn yourself into a giant ball of flesh. I don¡¯t want to hear my girlfriend¡¯s voice coming from that.¡± ¡°Can I do it as long as it¡¯s out of your sight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°So, about those islands you mentioned.¡± Eva perked up as if she just remembered something important. ¡°Oh, right. The islands.¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail was already wagging a little with excitement. ¡°Where were they?¡± ¡°Eastward. Like, really eastward. It¡¯ll be farther out than we¡¯ve ever sailed in that direction. But the important thing is that they are technically in charted waters. The serpent we killed¡ªit protected the waters even farther east than where I saw the islands, and the Scholars charted basically every inch of water before that point. So, those islands shouldn¡¯t exist. It is both concerning and exciting. Concerning, because they may potentially be artificial islands of some sort. Or perhaps they are actually the backs of giant monsters floating beneath the surface. Exciting, because¡­ everything I just said, but they might also be new islands generated by the overseer with content that nobody else has ever seen before!¡± ¡°Hopefully the latter. But if the edgelords have pseudo submarines in the form of tamed monsters, they might also have monsters large enough to serve as mobile islands. Were you able to see anything on them?¡± ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary. Just looked like trees and sand.¡± ¡°Could be a disguise. Camouflage. That¡¯s what I would do. Tame a giant sea monster with a back that can be used like an island, decorate it to make it look like a natural island, then have a secret base in the center of it under the trees. Get some cannons, disguise them among the sand. Things like that. It wouldn¡¯t be convincing up close, probably, but it would be convincing enough from a distance. Though, I doubt that¡¯s what¡¯s going on.¡± Eva wore a wide smile and looked at Fenrir with loving eyes as she listened to him talk about his own theories. It was rare for him to ever go into detail about theories in the same way that the Scholars would, but she was always glad to listen to him and encourage him whenever he did. ¡°What¡¯s your reasoning for that?¡± Also, it was kind of hot to see him reference what he would do if he was still playing games like he used to. ¡°What would the point be? If you put the islands out in the middle of nowhere where nobody will be suspicious of you, then you could use them to bait and trick curious players. But we know to be suspicious of anything around here, and there aren¡¯t that many players in this region anyways. They might get lucky and trick one crew, and then everybody else would be hunting for them. That¡¯s too much setup for too little gain. I mean, I would still do it, but that¡¯s because I had no life and wanted to fuck with people no matter how petty or insignificant it was. Twenty hours of setup for five minutes of trolling was worth it to me.¡± Eva took a break from her internal fangirling for a moment to ask him another question as soon as he gave her an opportunity to. She wasn¡¯t about to let him stop theorizing in front of her. ¡°What about using it as a base of operations to launch attacks from?¡± ¡°A forward operating base wouldn¡¯t be worth it. It¡¯s too far from their headquarters, wouldn¡¯t have an easy way to resupply, and is too easy for us to reach. And again, as soon as even one crew goes over there to explore, the lie would be exposed and we would wipe them out. Not to mention that they would need a good force to defend it with. If it is something like that, and they were bold enough to bring it all the way up here, then that means it¡¯s a serious threat that is heavily guarded and staffed with enough people to defend against a major assault, which I doubt they would do. It just wouldn¡¯t be worth the time nor effort. If they were capable of setting up a meaningful FOB up here, then we would be in all out war against them.¡± ¡°But, isn¡¯t it possible it could be used as a sort of base for their submarines?¡± ¡°Why would they bring it all the way up here? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. We know that their submarine monster things are already capable of reaching up here on their own. There¡¯s no need for them to set up an away base or anything for them up here. And even if they did need a base, they would, if they have any logic in their brains, set it up closer to the halfway point between us and them rather than park it right next to us.¡± ¡°Then let me ask you this. Is there any situation you can think of where you would do something like that? Like set up a base or trap or something?¡± ¡°As a distraction. If I was in their position and wanted to screw with us, I would set up a bunch of distractions and false flag operations. I would try turning the other members of our alliance against us, or us against them, all while harassing us with tiny distractions here and there to keep us on our toes, never giving us a good chance to relax. We would become paranoid of everything, not know who we could trust, and eventually tear ourselves apart, creating a huge opening to be exploited. That was how I used to do things. We were never the biggest group in games, and we always picked on targets way more powerful than us, so we had to play dirty. We never won with straight up fights, so we would never do something like set up an FOB or anything like that. It wasn¡¯t our style. But, setting up an artificial one just to fuck with people was. Make them think you¡¯re trying to build up a strategic presence in one location while you¡¯re actually somewhere else entirely getting ready to attack.¡± ¡°So, do you think they might be doing that?¡± ¡°Nope. Maybe I¡¯m just full of myself, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re anywhere close to getting on my level. They¡¯re too incompetent for that. Not to mention their members aren¡¯t loyal enough. Look at how easy it was to turn Lazarus against them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible he only agreed to be your spy so that he can give you false information?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m good at, it¡¯s reading people. Give me five minutes with somebody of perfectly normal conversation and I¡¯ll know exactly what they¡¯re like. Perk of spending so much time getting to know so many different people online. People aren¡¯t as unique as they think. It¡¯s like¡­ everybody is made out of building blocks. Sure, the building blocks might be put in different arrangements, but the building blocks themselves are always the same. People are just collections of personality traits that everybody else has, too.¡± Eva crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m not unique? That none of us are unique?¡± Fenrir immediately shook his head and waved his arms in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying! You¡¯re all unique!¡± ¡°Yeah? How? You just said we¡¯re not unique, but now you¡¯re saying we are¡­¡± ¡°I¡ªwell, you¡¯re¡­ alright. What makes you who you are isn¡¯t unique and can be identified in countless others, but the total sum of all your different parts is unique. Nobody else has the exact same combination of blocks as you.¡± Eva stopped her false pouting and smiled. ¡°I was only teasing you, but I do like that answer.¡± Fenrir sighed and poked her forehead. ¡°Teasing me like that isn¡¯t nice. I seriously felt bad.¡± ¡°You know, if you¡¯re so good at reading people, why weren¡¯t you able to figure out that I was joking?¡± ¡°I¡ªwell, because. You¡¯re my girlfriend. I¡¯m not in the same mindset whenever I¡¯m talking to you, the others, or even my close friends, as when I¡¯m talking to people to try and figure out what they¡¯re like. I don¡¯t want to have to analyze everything that you say to try and see if you¡¯re deceiving me, you know? I just take everything that all of you say at a hundred percent face value, because I want you all to be honest with me. I mean, there are exceptions like if you¡¯re clearly being sarcastic or doing some tsundere fanservice or something like that, but¡ªyou get what I mean.¡± Eva couldn¡¯t help but to smile and lean forward to give him a teasing poke against his own forehead. ¡°So, you let your guard down around your girlfriends and friends, huh?¡± ¡°Basically.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting information to know. That means I could totally be a spy for somebody else, and you¡¯ll never suspect me.¡± ¡°Gasp. My own girlfriend betraying me and turning out to be a spy. Oh, the plot twist.¡± ¡°I mean, to be fair, I kind of already am. Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m still a member of the Scholars, and we share what we learn with everybody back at the headquarters. They technically know everything about us over here, know exactly how the fight against the serpent went down, who is in charge of where, and so on.¡± ¡°Did you¡­ really have to tell them about all of that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m your girlfriend first. Member of the Hermetic Scholars second. Citizen of Nameless third. But, don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t let them know about your submarine plans or anything like that. I¡¯m not going to spoil any serious secrets.¡± Fenrir sighed and shrugged. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fine then. I would just appreciate it if you don¡¯t go and tell them all of our secret plans and strategies.¡± ¡°To be fair, even if I did, none of them would ever act on them, nor would they let anybody else know. The big guy in charge is an even better judge of character than you. Nothing slips by him. He can figure out your entire personality just by looking at you. He would never recruit anybody who isn¡¯t able to take even the tiniest secret to the grave. Seriously. We have so much dirt on basically every single important person in this game, secrets of empires¡ªyou name it. So, honestly, even if they did know about the submarine, it wouldn¡¯t matter. Everybody knows our reputation and trusts us. Some important figures will even let us know their secret plans just to get some input on them from us to make their plans even better. We are a hundred percent neutral, and proud of it!¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t want you telling them about the submarine.¡± Eva pouted. It was a real pout this time, too. ¡°Fine, fine. Even though I¡¯m bringing back information that might help you make it even better without their permission, because I¡¯m your loving girlfriend who is willing to help you out with that even though I¡¯m supposed to be neutral.¡± ¡°You can let them know about the submarine after we use it. Is that better?¡± ¡°It is. Besides, it¡¯s not like a submarine is going to be a big deal to them. You¡¯re not the first one to have made one, though the method you¡¯re using is different. But, I¡¯m not allowed to go into any further detail about that.¡± ¡°You know, it¡¯s strangely arousing that you actually know all these secrets and aren¡¯t sharing them. It¡¯s like dating a mysterious spy who always knows more than she lets on.¡± ¡°Maybe I should dress up in a tight, red dress and wear a big, floppy, red hat?¡± Fenrir looked Eva over. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d be able to pull that off.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too cute.¡± The comment made Eva both blush and pout. Blush, because¡ªwell, she suddenly got called cute by the man she loved. Pout, because she was basically just told that she didn¡¯t look hot enough to pull off a sexy spy lady look. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong, but you could at least say I would look good like that to boost my ego.¡± ¡°You know what you could really pull off and look really hot doing?¡± Eva¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°A scientist. I want to see you with goggles, a white lab coat, and gloves.¡± ¡°That would be hot?¡± ¡°Yeah. Super sexy. Even better if you¡¯re holding like, a beaker.¡± ¡°Holding a beaker would make it even hotter?¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m getting horny just thinking about it.¡± Eva looked down at his crotch to confirm. The bulge confirmed his statement as the truth. Maybe Eva was too cute to pull off the sexy spy look, but at least she could pull off a sexy scientist look. Or¡­ just a normal scientist look, but be sexy regardless. That was good enough for her. ¡°So, a sexy scientist and her test subject?¡± Eva asked, stepping closer and grabbing onto the top of his shirt to pull him closer. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re not my subject. You¡¯re my ingredient source. I need to extract a certain amount of¡­ fluid from you. For testing purposes, you see.¡± ¡°You are so hot right now,¡± Fenrir said, his cheeks taking on a hint of lustful red. ¡°I¡¯ll happily donate my body, and its fluids, to science.¡± ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t have a beaker.¡± ¡°I can imagine one.¡± ¡°Then, ready for your contribution to the advancement of human technology?¡± ¡°That entire sentence was a hundred times hotter than it had any right to be. Also, yes.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 15] ¡°Let the log show that the test subject has extraordinary self-control,¡± Eva said, talking into a pencil that she was pretending was a tape recorder as she paced back and forth in front of Fenrir. Though, just saying that she was pacing back and forth in front of him didn¡¯t do justice to the situation. After all, Fenrir was tied down to the bed, mostly dressed still save for his pants that were pulled down enough for his erect length to stick up in the air, throbbing with zero external stimulation. The lack of external stimulation was probably why it so desperately throbbed as if it were begging for even the slightest touch. But no touch ever came, and neither did he. ¡°It¡¯s been five minutes now,¡± Eva continued. ¡°The subject has successfully managed to not make a single noise nor movement, excluding the movement of his reproductive organ, but that is not something he has control over.¡± Oh, he did. Fenrir made sure to flex his pelvic muscles every now and then to make his cock ¡°throb¡± even more. He was fairly sure she didn¡¯t even know it was possible for guys to do that, and he was also sure that she loved the sight of it happening. Her eyes watched with a carnal hunger every single time he throbbed and ¡°throbbed.¡± She would even stop in the middle of a sentence to watch until it calmed down. ¡°At this point, I am not even sure he his organ will go flaccid without any stimulation. My original hypothesis was that, without any stimulation, he would fail to remain erect. Yet, he has. Further waiting would be cruel and in violation of scientific ethics, so I will have to end this particular experiment for the moment. That means I may now proceed to the next experiment.¡± Fenrir¡¯s cock throbbed all on its own that time. Especially since he was pretty sure that it meant he was about to actually get some service after staying on the bed, silent and still, for so long. What he also really wanted was a simple ¡°good boy,¡± but he wasn¡¯t allowed to ask for anything seeing as how he wasn¡¯t allowed to speak at all. Or rather, he was told before they even started, ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can give up total control for. It¡¯ll be a fun experiment. No moving, no talking¡ªnothing. All you¡¯re allowed to do is lie there.¡± And so far, he had been doing an incredibly good job of that excluding purposely making his cock throb sometimes to compliment its natural throbbing. ¡°For this next experiment, I will test and see if it is possible for the subject¡¯s reproductive organ to ejaculate solely through stimulation of his ball¡ªscrotum¡­ I think scrotum would be a good enough scientific name for it, anyways.¡± Eva shrugged. She was tempted to go and search up the technical term right away, but she didn¡¯t want to ruin the mood. Then it hit her. ¡°Oh. The testicles. Alright. I will test and see if it is possible for the subject to ejaculate solely through testicular stimulation.¡± With that, Eva approached the foot of the bed, climbed up onto it between his legs while looking up into his eyes, and settled herself down on her elbows between his thighs. Even though she licked her lips, she resisted the urge to do anything with her mouth and instead reached both hands forward to cup each of his orbs within them. ¡°The subject¡¯s testicles feel especially full and heavy,¡± Eva said, speaking to the pencil that she laid down next to his leg on the bed. It doesn¡¯t really work that way, Fenrir thought to himself, but you¡¯re too hot to care. Also, give me some praise, please. Back to Eva, she very clearly didn¡¯t exactly know what to do with his sack and the orbs within it. Her hands¡¯ ministrations were slow, clumsy, and random. She bounced his orbs within her hands, rolled them around a little, gave the sack some gentle tugs that didn¡¯t exactly feel pleasurable. Though, eventually, she found out that the best way to make his cock throb some more was to simply fondle them with her fingers. There was nothing complicated about it. All she did was tease them with her fingers. But alas, that was not enough to make him cum. ¡°The subject has not ejaculated yet despite my efforts. However, it is too early to rule out ejaculation via testicular stimulation,¡± Eva said, bringing her hands away from his balls to instead lower her face toward them. Now, Eva thought it would be hot to pull her hands away to instead use her mouth on his cock without any help from her hands. But as she figured out¡­ That was rather difficult. His sack was hanging down against the bed. He still had his pants on which made it a bit difficult to lower her head close enough to his balls, not to mention that his thighs weren¡¯t fully spread out to make room for her head. She was able to get her mouth to the top of his sack, but actually doing anything with the orbs sitting in the bottom of it was too difficult for her to accomplish without assistance from her hands. She still tried to, of course. She really did. For the better part of a minute, she did her best to get his balls up to her mouth using only her tongue. She thought that, maybe, she would be able to reach her tongue underneath one of his nuts and then lift it up to her mouth that way. She even partially succeeded¡­ only for his nut to slip right off of her tongue. Eva wanted to do some hot, sexy scientist play with Fenrir. Instead, she ended up making herself feel like an awkward virgin who had no idea what she was doing while being silently judged. It didn¡¯t help that, somehow, Fenrir accomplished the impossible of keeping a totally blank expression on his face. He wore the face of a man who was either incredibly disappointed and no longer felt anything¡­ or who was doing everything in his power not to laugh. It was the latter. Don¡¯t laugh, Fenrir. She¡¯s your girlfriend trying her best to experiment and do lewd things. She¡¯s vulnerable right now, even if you¡¯re the one who¡¯s tied up to a bed with your dick out. Just¡­ don¡¯t laugh. Amazingly, despite the odds stacked against him, he did successfully manage to resist the urge to laugh. And his reward? Eva still feeling comfortable enough to surrender and use her hand to reach forward, grab his sack, and lift it up enough for her to place a kiss against his nearest orb. Then a lick. And finally, a suck. While pleasuring that one orb with her mouth, she even used her hand to work the other, fondling it and teasing it with her fingers. The results of her actions were even more throbbing and more precum leaking out from the tip of his length, causing his tip to glisten with how much has already leaked out. As for Fenrir, he decided to just shut his eyes and enjoy the feelings. They might not have been enough to make him cum, but that didn¡¯t matter. It still felt good. It was relaxing, too. All he had to do was lie there and be played with. Sure, he wanted to be called a good boy, but he didn¡¯t need that. He especially wasn¡¯t about to be greedy and break the rules just to ask for it. As for Eva, she realized that there was only so much that she could do with his nuts. They just didn¡¯t offer as many options as his cock, not to mention that she was afraid of accidentally hurting him at any moment even though the nuts in question were purely virtual. ¡°After several minutes of purely testicular stimulation, the subject has still not ejaculated. I believe that it is instead time to¡ª¡± ¡°Ooh, hot,¡± a familiar voice said, speaking up from behind Eva. ¡°Oh. Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡± Fenrir opened his eyes to confirm who he heard and, surely enough, he was right. Serra. ¡°Se-Serra?¡± Eva asked. ¡°When¡ªhow did you¡­¡± ¡°The door was unlocked. And I had a feeling that something lewd was happening somewhere, so I came looking for it,¡± Serra answered. ¡°Do you have lewd senses or something?¡± ¡°Yeah. Probably. I can always tell when there¡¯s something lewd happening.¡± ¡°I¡ªI see.¡± ¡°Can I watch?¡± ¡°I¡­ have to admit, I feel kind of awkward now that you¡¯re here. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m uncomfortable with you being here, but¡­¡± ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°It can be hard to roleplay in front of others.¡± ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t really say I was roleplaying¡­ okay, I was. Kind of.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll play along. We¡¯re doing science on him, right?¡± ¡°Kind of?¡± ¡°I can help. I¡¯ll be your lab assistant.¡± Eva still looked a bit nervous about the situation, but Serra was her girlfriend, too. She would never be opposed to one of her girlfriends joining in on the fun. Plus the more the merrier. All she had to do was find it in her to be a bit more bold now that she was being a dork in front of two people rather than just one. But at the same time, the new person joining in was Serra. And there was nobody better to suddenly join in on the lewds than Serra. If there was one person out of the entire relationship group who one could shamelessly perform lewd things in front of, it was Serra. No matter what it was, as long as it was lewd, there would never be any shame coming from Serra. So, reminding herself of that, Eva took a deep breath and said, ¡°Assistant Serra, the last experiment involved trying to make the subject ejaculate only by means of testicular stimulation. The experiment seems to have failed under my tests. Do you have any suggestions?¡± ¡°Tried before, didn¡¯t work,¡± Serra said. ¡°He needs more to cum. I mean¡­ the um¡­ subject needs stronger¡­ stimulation, to cum. To ejaculate.¡± ¡°I see. Then the experiment is likely a failure.¡± ¡°I have an idea. What if I play with his balls¡ªI mean, what if¡­ I stimulate his testicles while you stimulate his¡­ penis?¡± Serra might have enjoyed roleplaying during lewds, but she was clearly out of her element trying to be scientific about it. Even so, she did her best and Eva appreciated that. And Fenrir was just happy to get serviced at all. ¡°That might work,¡± Eva said. ¡°Combined stimulation via both components of his reproductive organ. Though, I believe he may ejaculate too quickly in that case. Instead, I propose this for an experiment: we see how long he can last.¡± Serra looked at Fenrir with a smile that made him very, very worried. ¡°Sounds fun.¡± Her voice was still monotone no matter how sadistic her smile was. ¡°Then, here, would you like to take my position? I believe you may be better suited for this part.¡± Serra nodded as she was happy to take Eva¡¯s placed between Fenrir¡¯s legs. And while she repositioned herself to between his legs, Eva moved to lie next to his leg while one hand gripped the base of his cock to point its tip toward her. But, before Eva could even begin working on his cock, she stared with amazed eyes at Serra as she did what Eva struggled with so severely. Serra had no difficulty in, without using her hands, deploying her tongue to lap up Fenrir¡¯s nearest nut with her tongue to pull it between her lips. From there, it was no issue at all popping it into her mouth to suck on while looking at Eva to see what she was going to do. Part of Eva felt challenged. She wasn¡¯t sure how she was going to practice something like what Serra just accomplished, but she was determined to find some way to practice it so that she could do it just as effortlessly. But until then, there was something else Eva could do, and that was to suck some dick. Though, she didn¡¯t jump straight into sucking. Instead, Eva approached the base of his cock where her fingers were wrapped around it and slipped out her tongue to give it a little lick. Then another lick. Then a few more. Once she was sure that the base of his cock was thoroughly licked, she gently and slowly traced her tongue up along his shaft until she reached his frenulum. Quite a few more licks were applied there. Short and quick licks at that. The licks were then replaced with kisses, and the kisses evolved into her bringing her lips right over the tip of his cock to place a single kiss on the very tip that still glistened with his precum. Serra then let his nut slip out from her mouth to say, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it throb this much. He must really like it.¡± ¡°The subject¡¯s reproductive organ is expressing great desire to breed,¡± Eva said. ¡°But the question remains: how long can it remain in such a state for?¡± Fenrir wanted to say something¡ªhe wanted to beg for them to make him cum, but he resisted and bit his lower lip instead. Technically, that was moving some part of his body, but Eva decided that it was alright for him to do that. Blinking and breathing were supposed to be all that he was allowed to do was far as moving went. Biting his lower lip was hot, though, and made Eva feel good about herself. So, the torturous teasing began. Serra masterfully worked his balls while Eva, more amateurly, pleasured his shaft. The former fondled and sucked while the latter licked and also sucked. Though, no matter how much Eva sucked his cock, she never took more than half of it into her mouth. That would have been too nice for him and she didn¡¯t want him to cum yet. Not to mention that, due to the size Fenrir made his cock in-game, she was a bit intimidated by trying to fit all of it into her mouth. Then, at one point, both girls stopped even trying to pleasure him to instead play with each other. It started with kissing each other around the tip of his cock and evolved into making out with one another over his thigh, his poor cock completely left unattended to as they made out. Yet, no matter how desperate Fenrir was to cum, he remained hard and obedient. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t plan on torturing him for much longer. ¡°The subject is still erect and behaving,¡± Eva said. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to move onto the final experiment.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Serra asked. ¡°It¡¯s time to test the subject¡¯s cum volume. It will be measured by¡­¡± Eva had to stop when she realized how cheesy what she wanted to say was. ¡°By what?¡± ¡°Err¡­ I¡­ was going to say, it will be measured by¡­ measuring how much he releases inside of me.¡± She was still able to force herself to say it even if it also made her want to cringe. ¡°Nice. And I have an idea.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Serra smirked and climbed around on the bed until she was on her knees next to Fenrir¡¯s head. She then reached under her skirt to slip her panties to the side before placing her knees on each side of Fenrir¡¯s head, straddling him with her exposed crotch directly above his face. ¡°See how long he can hold his breath while you measure his cum.¡± ¡°Going by the throbbing¡­ I think the subject likes that idea.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 16] Ace_Arriande The next phase of the experiment was underway. Fenrir, still on his back and tied to the bed, now found it significantly harder to breath. Why? Well, because he had Serra sitting on his face. Despite how petite her body was, her wide hips and thighs guaranteed that she had plenty to cover his head with. Fortunately, though, he was actually allowed to do something¡­ so long as that something was eating out his girlfriend. In fact, that was the only way he would be allowed to easily breathe again. He had to make Serra cum. Serra made sure to sit down on his head facing the top of it. That allowed her to still look down at his eyes every now and then. Each time she looked at him, he would see her watching her with that smug, lewd smile of hers and eyes full of lust as slipped his tongue around inside of her passage. Seeing her look down at him as he pleasured her¡­ well, it was nice. Incredibly nice. Fenrir might not have been a particularly masochist nor submissive man, but such a situation excelled in amplifying that side of him. He wanted nothing more than to please his girlfriend and make her cum as hard as he could with what limited actions he was allowed to perform. And on top of that was the ultimate reward in exchange for his obedient service. If he didn¡¯t already feel submissive, then he did once he felt Serra run her fingers through his hair to pet his head between his ears. And then¡­ ¡°Good boy,¡± Serra whispered just a second prior to biting her lower lip. Fenrir¡¯s length wasn¡¯t even being worked and he felt like he was on the verge of cumming from hearing that. Instead of shooting out his seed, all he did was let out a muffled moan of pleasure against Serra. ¡°Woah, that was effective,¡± Eva said. She hadn¡¯t mounted Fenrir yet, but she was positioned just in front of his throbbing cock begging for some stimulation. ¡°I wonder if it would be possible to make the test subject ejaculate simply from praising him.¡± Serra was tempted to try. ¡°Heh. He¡¯s a praise slut. Like a little puppy.¡± ¡°Now he¡¯s throbbing even more. I had no idea the subject was into such play and being told things like that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s into a lot. And he doesn¡¯t judge, so you can say almost anything you want to him. As long as you¡¯re enjoying yourself, he¡¯ll enjoy himself. Unless it¡¯s one of Nell¡¯s big fantasies.¡± ¡°Hard to blame him for that one considering what her fantasies are like.¡± Serra shrugged her shoulders just a tiny bit before grinding her crotch down against Fenrir¡¯s face even harder than before, forcing his tongue as deep into her passage as she could get it. As for Eva, it was finally time to mount Fenrir. Finally for her, of course. She couldn¡¯t wait any longer. The more she watched his aching length throb and leak precum, the more she wanted to feel its every movement within her. Not to mention that watching Serra ride his face was arousing her just as much. Cassiel might have been the most attractive in the eyes of Eva, but it was hard for anybody to top Serra when it came to actual actions. It was as if Serra always knew exactly what to do in any lewd situation to make it exponentially more arousing and fun for everybody involved. ¡°Who¡¯s a good boy?¡± Serra asked Fenrir. Fenrir tried to tilt his head back to push his tongue up even farther into her in an attempt to answer her that he was, in fact, the good boy. At the same time, he made Eva jump and giggle. When Serra turned her head to look back at Eva and see what that was about, she noticed Fenrir¡¯s tail wagging between his legs. ¡°His tail tickled my thighs,¡± Eva explained. ¡°Ooh, that gives me an idea,¡± Serra said. ¡°I want to try using his tail to tickle somebody. Like tying down Cass Cass and then using his tail to tickle her. Or Aza. Tickling Aza would make her jiggle all over.¡± ¡°Why not both? We could perform an experiment to see who is the most ticklish when exposed to the test subject¡¯s tail.¡± ¡°Good point. Oh, I just thought of a fun way to tease him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of you could put his tail between your boobs. It would be like a titfuck, but with his tail just to tease him. And I think it would be fun to try and keep it between them while it¡¯s trying to wag.¡± ¡°You have a point. I am sure the test subject would feel a combination of emotions seeing one of his girlfriends wrap her breasts around his tail rather than his reproductive organ while he is forced to watch.¡± ¡°Exactly. Happy but jealous of his own tail. Oh, I thought of another experiment.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Blindfolding him and then making him try to guess who is doing what to him. Like have everybody give him a blowjob, and he has to guess which mouth is which. Same with handjobs. And titfucks. And riding.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good at coming up with experiments. It would be interesting to see how many guesses the test subject is able to get correct. It would be a true test of his knowledge regarding our bodies.¡± Serra nodded before letting out a soft moan due to the working of Fenrir¡¯s tongue. ¡°I think¡ªI think he likes our plans.¡± ¡°I am not surprised in the slightest,¡± Eva answered. Thanks to still not actually riding him yet, she was able to keep up her scientist roleplay a bit more easily. But, at that point, she really couldn¡¯t hold back any longer nor did she have any intention to. That was why she finally scooted a bit farther up on his thighs to position herself directly over his throbbing length. Next came a single hand that delicately wrapped its fingers around the base of his shaft. Once she had his cock held still, she slowly lowered herself down onto it until she could feel its tip glistening with his precum press up between her lower lips. It took no time at all for the precum around his shaft to become replaced with Eva¡¯s own arousal. Now, with her head rolled back in blissful relief over finally having him inside of her, she let out a moan and said, ¡°The¡ªthe subject¡¯s¡­ reproductive organ, is capable of providing¡ªfuck.¡± Serra couldn¡¯t help but to snerk when she heard that. ¡°Capable of providing fuck. I¡¯m stealing that.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t care about the play anymore, I just need this.¡± ¡°Then ride him. Less talking, more riding.¡± ¡°Good¡ªgood idea.¡± Fenrir was starting to struggle. It had been so long between Serra¡¯s thighs without a good chance to take a full breath that he was struggling to breathe but, when he felt Eva finally slide onto his cock, he found the strength to continue on. His dick was finally getting what it was so eagerly waiting for, so it was his turn to give Serra what she was waiting for and to make her cum. Though, it was hard for him to actually do much considering how firmly she was rubbing herself down against his face. He didn¡¯t even have enough mobility to move and give her clit any attention. All he could do was thrust and swirl his tongue around inside of her to the best of his ability. Technically, he could have been rubbing his nose against her clit¡­ but he figured that would be ridiculous and just make them both laugh instead. So, he avoided purposely trying to pleasure her clit using his nose. It still rubbed against her clit every now and then, but there was no purposeful nose grinding. ¡°I waited¡ªtoo long, for this,¡± Eva said, now steadily rising and dropping her hips onto Fenrir. As for Serra, she decided to increase the fun for both her and Eva by turning around on Fenrir¡¯s head, giving him a quick chance to breathe, so that she was facing the other women instead. That allowed her to wrap her arms around Eva¡¯s waist to pull her a bit closer. And that allowed Serra to press her lips up against Eva¡¯s, prompting the beginning of a make out session between the two women as one rode Fenrir¡¯s cock while the other rode his face. Between the two women on top of him and the fact that he was tied down to the bed still, Fenrir couldn¡¯t move too much, but he did at least try thrusting up into Eva every now and then. Considering that she didn¡¯t punish him or stop what they were doing, he figured he was allowed to continue. Though, at that point, he was pretty sure that Eva just didn¡¯t care and wanted to cum. That was why he tried his best to help them both cum at the same time¡­ while also helping himself, of course. After all the teasing he had to go through, he desperately wanted to cum. There may have never been a moment where he wanted to cum more than he did while tied down to the bed. Even Serra never denied him from an orgasm for so long before. It was a miracle he even managed to remain submissive for so long. Now that he was actually inside of Eva, he couldn¡¯t hold back. Even those subtle thrusts of his became blatant bucking his hips upward to fuck her as best he could. He needed to cum and wasn¡¯t going to wait any longer. And as soon as he heard Eva cum, he knew he didn¡¯t have to hold back. He could cum without feeling any guilt about finishing before her. ¡°Fu-fuck,¡± Eva moaned out, not even able to continue making out with Serra. She had to wrap her arms around Serra¡¯s smaller figure just to steady herself so that she didn¡¯t fall off of Fenrir. Meanwhile, Fenrir kept thrusting up into her even as her own movements slowed to a halt. It didn¡¯t take long after that for Eva to feel Fenrir¡¯s seed flood into her. His entire body spasmed, reminding the girls of a chained beast trying to break free, as his grunted out against Serra¡¯s pussy. At that point, he had no idea if he ever even made Serra cum. He was pretty sure that he didn¡¯t since she seemed more or less calm that entire time. That was why he was surprised when she got off of his face to lie down by his side instead. Without Serra there to help Eva stay upward, Eva flopped down and landed with her head against Fenrir¡¯s chest to recover from the rest of her orgasm while Fenrir did the same. The experiment came to an end and probably with the best orgasm of Fenrir¡¯s life. And thankfully, Serra found the kindness in her to untie his wrists from the top of the bed, finally allowing him to move his arms again. ¡°Thanks,¡± Fenrir said as Serra returned to his side. ¡°But¡­ how did you not¡ªam I bad at it?¡± ¡°What?¡± Serra asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t cum.¡± ¡°I did. Three times.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°I made myself stay calm so that you would keep doing it since I was supposed to get off your face once you made me cum.¡± Fenrir narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°You sneaky little¡ª¡± Serra leaned forward to kiss him on the lips and cut him off before he could finish speaking. As for Eva, she was content simply resting atop his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t even care that you¡¯re all sweaty. I¡¯m too tired.¡± Fenrir placed a hand on the back of Eva¡¯s head to pet her. ¡°It was fun. Thanks. And you¡¯re good at the whole dominant scientist thing.¡± ¡°I think I need to practice some more.¡± Serra rose her hand. ¡°I volunteer for both roles.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°if you ever need to practice anything lewd, Serra is your girl.¡± ¡°Maybe we could practice on Cass,¡± Eva said. Serra smirked. ¡°Yeah. We have to. Test to see how many licks it takes to get to the center of her¡­ orgasm?¡± Fenrir and Eva both tilted their heads. ¡°You don¡¯t know that reference?¡± They shook their heads. ¡°You both need to research old media more. We need to go on a binge of old movies and commercials. They don¡¯t make commercials like they used to.¡± Fenrir poked Serra¡¯s nose and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you do it, but you always manage to make yourself sound like an old man.¡± ¡°You have a nice butt, young man. Let me touch it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never letting you touch any part of me again. Ever.¡± Fenrir might have said that, but he was immediately disproven when Serra rolled over onto him and purposely sprawled her limbs out to take up as much space of his body as she could without getting in Eva¡¯s way. Ace_Arriande Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 17] With Eva back, Fenrir explained what happened during her absence, the most important of which was Saya¡¯s mission to seduce everybody in the relationship so that she could officially become part of it. Eva was the only one left on Saya¡¯s list of targets, and Eva made it abundantly clear to Fenrir that he could do whatever he wanted with Saya whenever he wanted. As far as Eva was concerned, Saya was already a part of their relationship¡­ which was basically what all of Fenrir¡¯s girlfriends more or less believed in already. Of course, Saya still planned on ¡°seducing¡± Eva at some point, but that was going to have to wait. Why? Now, Fenrir had much less patience than Saya did when it came to her mission to seduce everybody, and he wanted to spend some time with her. Even though she was always in his head, and then always with him via his phone whenever he wasn¡¯t immersed in the virtual world, he wanted some time just between the two of them where they didn¡¯t have to worry about anything. That was why, in the real world, Ryouta came up with a date for Saya. While the rest of his girlfriends had a ¡°Girlfriends¡¯ Night¡± that involved playing various party games online that weren¡¯t FTO for once, Ryouta, with his phone¡ªSaya¡ªin hand, took an autocar out to a place that Saya, for once, couldn¡¯t predict. After all, he decided not to come up with a location for their date until after he was out of FTO. That prevented Saya from having access to any of his thoughts or memories. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair,¡± Saya said through Ryouta¡¯s cellphone. ¡°I would have acted like I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it more fun when you don¡¯t actually know?¡± Ryouta replied. ¡°It isn¡¯t! It¡¯s¡­ weird! You¡¯ve never taken me out anywhere in the real world before when you didn¡¯t already have plans for it that I knew! This is the first time I have no idea what you¡¯re thinking since we met.¡± Hearing that brought a smug, satisfied smile to Ryouta¡¯s face. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a compliment! You¡¯re supposed to feel bad that I¡¯m worried!¡± ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t know literally everything, how horrible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve even already looked up every single local place registered online to see where you would be taking me, and nothing I found would make sense given what I know about you. I know there¡¯s a new laser tag place that opened up recently that you would absolutely be interested in checking out, but that would be stupid to go to with just the two of us since I can¡¯t even play laser tag. Nowhere else makes sense, either.¡± Her tsundere attitude gradually switched into one that just sounded disappointed. ¡°We can¡¯t go out to eat, there aren¡¯t any movies playing either of us would like, we can¡¯t play anything physical¡­ I guess there aren¡¯t really a lot of options when I¡¯m stuck in a phone like this.¡± ¡°There¡¯s plenty that we can still do together. Also, even if you are a bit limited when it comes to the real world, you have way fewer limits in the virtual one. I mean, just look at everything we can do in the pre-game space. You can clone yourself, change your body, turn yourself into a cool aunt, and all sorts of things. Nobody else can do that.¡± ¡°All of those are directly related to satisfying your own selfish fetishes.¡± ¡°Hey, they¡¯re your fetishes, too.¡± ¡°Even so, I still want to do normal stuff with you.¡± ¡°Everything looks the same to you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The way you process things. The way you hear and see stuff. Whether you¡¯re analyzing information through my phone¡¯s camera or through your avatar in FTO, you still ¡®see¡¯ everything in the same way, right? All the basic senses and makeup of the world are the same to you?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s all¡­ just a bunch of numbers.¡± ¡°Exactly. What I¡¯m trying to get at here is¡­ does it really matter? You might not be able to go to a restaurant and taste the food in this world but, even if you could, it would be just like eating food in FTO, wouldn¡¯t it? Eating food in FTO is just as realistic as eating it with this body for me, too. We can still experience things realistically regardless of the world we¡¯re in at the moment. So, it doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t eat something in this world because we can go on a dinner date in the virtual one. And it doesn¡¯t matter if I can¡¯t use magic and fight monsters here because we can go on a monster fighting date in the virtual one. Do you get what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°I think there might be a fundamental misunderstanding in why I¡¯m upset about stuff like this¡­ but I get what you mean.¡± Ryouta tilted his head. Practically all of his canid mannerisms developed from his time as Fenrir had fully carried over into the real world by that point. ¡°What do you mean then?¡± ¡°I want to experience your world, and the virtual one, like you do. Even if we can basically do the same things, we experience them in completely different ways. It doesn¡¯t matter if the end result is the same. I want the process to be the same, too. I can¡¯¡¯t even begin to imagine what it would be like to see things like you do. No matter how many times I read descriptions of what it¡¯s like to see, it¡¯s all still numbers and data packets to me.¡± ¡°You know, that makes me think of something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How do we humans really know that what we¡¯re seeing is real? I mean, sure, we can touch things to confirm that they exist, but what if our eyes are brains are completely misinterpreting the visual information that our eyes sends to them and we have no idea we¡¯re doing it? What if colors don¡¯t actually exist but our brains are making them up? Or what if there are more colors than we can even imagine, but our brains can¡¯t analyze them? Anyways, all of this is to get to my main point. We all see in different ways. And I know you want to see things in the same way that I do, but I want to see things in the same way that you do, too. I mean, I figure it must be pretty cool to be constantly aware of your entire surrounding with a nonstop flow of information that you can process as casually as I can breathe. But I¡¯m not going to be depressed that I can¡¯t see things the same way you can. Maybe it¡¯s insensitive of me, but I¡¯m fine with being different from you. All that matters is the time we spend together and that we both experience the same joys, even if we experience them differently.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a human. I¡¯m an artificial creation that is supposed to mimic a human, and fails to.¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re acting like a depressed little baby while I¡¯m trying to take you out on a nice date. That sounds like pretty accurate human behavior to me. Though, I¡¯m not sure how I feel about you being so depressed that I¡¯m taking you out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¡ªI¡¯m not depressed that you¡¯re taking me out! And¡­ I guess I am kind of being a downer and ruining the mood. Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯d rather you talk about your feelings and be honest with me so that I know how you feel. Because if I know how you feel and what you¡¯re thinking, I can figure out how to make you feel better. That¡¯s part of my responsibility as your boyfriend and pseudo onii-chan, after all.¡± ¡°Never refer to yourself as my onii-chan again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make your onii-chan cry.¡± ¡°Please! It¡¯s already cringe enough when I act weeby for you! You don¡¯t have to do make it even more cringe!¡± ¡°You know you love it.¡± Saya sighed and forced his phone to vibrate. ¡°That vibrate was me hitting you, by the way.¡± ¡°Oh no, the pain. It hurt so much. Please don¡¯t do it again.¡± The phone vibrated even harder, over and over again, in response. ¡°Ow. Oof. Ouch. The abuse. I¡¯m being literally murdered.¡± The phone then proceeded to vibrate as hard as it could¡­ only to come to a sudden stop. ¡°A-ah¡­ Ryo¡­Ryouta¡­ I um¡­ think¡­ I broke your phone¡¯s vibrator thing.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t the consequences of your actions. You abused me so hard that now you broke my phone.¡± ¡°Do you know how horrible that makes me sound?!¡± ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have abused me with my phone so hard that you broke it then.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose! I had no idea your phone was going to break!¡± ¡°Well, I could probably use a new one, anyways.¡± ¡°But¡­ but I like this one. This is the one you¡¯ve had ever since we met, and the only one I¡¯ve used.¡± Ryouta sighed and smiled. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve got to get this one fixed, then. By the way, it¡¯s pretty human of you to accidentally break your boyfriend¡¯s property. And to be an abuser.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an abuser! It was a joke! All I did was make your phone vibrate!¡± ¡°My poor phone. It was so young. Had so much life ahead of it. And now¡­ all gone.¡± ¡°It still works! It just can¡¯t vibrate!¡± ¡°Now I can¡¯t put the phone inside of Serra¡¯s pants and have you vibrate it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not waterproof enough to handle her anyways!¡± ¡°By the way, we¡¯re here.¡± Saya went quiet for a couple moments before asking, ¡°We¡ªwe are?¡± ¡°Yeah. The car stopped moving a minute ago, but you were so distracted by abusing me that you totally missed it.¡± ¡°I really am going to abuse you if you keep it up.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°You masochistic, hentai, baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°Only for you.¡± ¡°Hmph. So¡­ where are we?¡± Ryouta covered up his phone¡¯s camera and said, ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Hey! Come on! This is totally unfair!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste my opportunity to tease you as much as I want. And you promise you¡¯re not checking the GPS still?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, even though I really, really want to.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be sad if you check the GPS.¡± Saya sighed and whined. ¡°You¡¯re the worst. I really don¡¯t like not knowing what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just spoiled and need to get used to not always knowing everything.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°You¡¯re extra hmph-y today.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re giving me so much to hmph about! Hmph!¡± Ryouta, keeping his hand over the phone¡¯s front and back camera, lifted it up to place a kiss right against the screen. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡­ h-hmph. I love you, too, baka onii-wan.¡± ¡°When you call me that, it makes me want to stay in the car to jack off with you instead of take you on the date.¡± ¡°He-hentai! What if¡ªwhat if somebody sees?!¡± ¡°The risk of somebody seeing makes it more exciting, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You would look like a weirdo masturbating all by yourself in a car!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Alright, maybe I shouldn¡¯t do it. But if I don¡¯t do it here, then I want to try some risky stuff in public with you in FTO.¡± ¡°Have I mentioned how you¡¯re the worst?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a no.¡± ¡°I loathe you.¡± ¡°Love you too.¡± ¡°Loathe! Not love!¡± ¡°Same thing coming from you.¡± ¡°You are so lucky I can¡¯t vibrate your phone right now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame. Could be using the vibrating to jack off.¡± ¡°Can we¡­ can we just go wherever you¡¯re taking me now? I can¡¯t with you right now.¡± Ryouta shrugged. ¡°Are you sure? I mean, we¡¯re having all this fun before we even get out of the car.¡± ¡°You are seriously going to give me an aneurysm and I don¡¯t even have a brain. Congratulations, onii-wan. How¡¯s it feel to know that you¡¯re going to be the first person in history to give a computer an aneurysm?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a computer, you¡¯re my favorite little puppy pseudo-imouto in the entire world. Don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± ¡°Gah! Just take us out of the car already!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Geez. Such a bossy girlfriend. Definitely realistic, just like a human.¡± ¡°You know, it¡¯s really obvious you keep saying that just to make me feel better.¡± ¡°And? That¡¯s the entire point. I would have thought that pointing out the obvious is beneath somebody as insanely intelligent as you.¡± ¡°I. Hate. You.¡± ¡°Love you too.¡± ¡°Just so you know, if this was over text chat right now, I would be furiously keyboard smashing at you.¡± ¡°Hot.¡± ¡°How?!¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s you and everything you do is hot.¡± ¡°So help me.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you help me cum.¡± ¡°So! Help! Me! I! Swear! I! Am! Going! To! Override! This! Car¡¯s! Safety! Features! And! Blow! You! Up!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you blow me instead of the car.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, Ryouta finally stepped out of the car with Saya in his hand and walked for a few minutes to the tune of Saya asking him, ¡°Where are we going?¡± every thirty seconds or so. Eventually, he realized that the best answer was to not answer her at all. One, that made her frustrated which made her cuter. Two, because he got tired of answering her that it was a secret every half a minute. Eventually, though, it was time for Saya to get her answer. ¡°You ready?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Finally! Yes!¡± Saya replied in an instant. ¡°Alright, let me just¡­ sit down here¡­ and good. Alright. We¡¯re just in time, too.¡± ¡°Just in time for what?¡± Ryouta slowly slipped his hand up and away from his phone camera to reveal the sight before them. Stretching to the horizon in front of them was untamed wilderness with a few hills and patches of forest spread out across the landscape. It wasn¡¯t exactly anything too breathtaking, and the sight would have been even better decades earlier before so much of the lush green that once took the place of the landscape was killed under scorching temperatures, but what remained¡ªthe surviving flora, deserved to be called beautiful on its own still. ¡°I looked up spots to watch the sunset together,¡± Ryouta finally explained. ¡°Saw a local group online talk about this spot. It¡¯s not too far from the main road and gives the best view around. Apparently, this is also popular among the local kids. They come up here to make out and stuff. Thankfully, there¡¯s a high school football game tonight, so they¡¯re not here.¡± ¡°This¡­ this is beautiful,¡± Saya said. ¡°Even if you can¡¯t ¡®see¡¯ it the same way as me, you still know what you¡¯re looking at. And you still know that it¡¯s supposed to be beautiful, right? Besides, you can still see more than a blind person can. I bet a blind person wishes they could see even if all they see is numbers.¡± ¡°I¡­ guess I never really thought of it that way before. I¡¯ve been upset because I can¡¯t see like a normal human can, but there are humans out there who can¡¯t even see at all. I¡­ feel really insensitive now.¡± ¡°Accidentally being insensitive is part of being human. But at the same time, you shouldn¡¯t compare your problems to others. I was just trying to make a point. Anything you feel is just as valid as anything that anybody else feels. My point is just¡­ it¡¯s alright to be different. You don¡¯t have to perfectly act like a human and experience life the same way as a human for you to be Saya. No matter how you act and experience things, you¡¯re still my Saya, and that¡¯s all you need to be. Got it?¡± ¡°I wish I could hug you right now.¡± Ryouta held his phone against his chest and wrapped his arms around it. ¡°Here. And I¡¯ll give you even more hugs in FTO later.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to make a million clones to hug you as much as I want to right now.¡± ¡°I am perfectly okay with that, assuming I get to do lewd things to all of them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get full of yourself, you don¡¯t have that much stamina.¡± ¡°You could turn me into a tentacle monster and then I can make up for it with thousands of tentacles.¡± ¡°I regret saying anything.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t talk and let¡¯s just enjoy the sunset together.¡± ¡°Hmph. Fine. And¡­ thanks for bringing me out here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Saya.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 18] Ryouta and Saya had a peaceful date together. The only problem was when some random high schoolers drove up to the spot they were at and started playing music while making out in their cars, which kind of ruined the mood for the two of them, but there was always a home to retreat to where they could have some peace and quiet. Or so they thought. Upon returning home, it turned out that it was anything but peaceful and quiet. The TV inside was being blasted with such an insane volume that it could be clearly heard from outside, and Ryouta immediately feared that something was potentially wrong¡­ and that the neighbors were absolutely going to complain and potentially call somebody about them disturbing the peace. Fortunately, Saya was easily able to check on the TV inside, seeing as how she was basically able to check on any and all electronics across the world so long as they were connected to the internet, and the noise from the TV stopped in the next instant. Saya muted the TV. Inside, Ryouta found none other than Serra sitting on the couch in the living room watching some old, action movie. As it turned out, she was also sitting on the remote for the TV and had no idea that she accidentally turned the volume all the way up. Cassandra and Alice were both immersed in-game, so neither of them could hear the absurd volume to do anything about it. Serra signed an apology once Ryouta explained what happened and pulled the remote out from under her, and then he retired to his bedroom with Saya still occupying his phone. That was how he ended up on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, while Saya¡ªin his phone¡ªrested on the bed next to his head. ¡°I have a kind of depressing question,¡± Ryouta said. ¡°Really, onii-wan? On our date now?¡± Saya replied. ¡°I¡¯m curious, and it¡¯s something I¡¯ve thought about a few times before. So, would you mind entertaining me, even if it¡¯s depressing?¡± Saya sighed and said, ¡°I guess so. But how depressing are we talking?¡± ¡°Well, to be fair, I think it¡¯s a pretty normal question that gets asked in relationships. It¡¯s just that, it¡¯s a bit more complicated in your situation.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve made me curious at least.¡± ¡°What are you going to do after I die? Well, after all of us die. You¡­ you¡¯re effectively immortal, right? So¡­ what are you going to do? Will you fall in love with somebody new, or what?¡± ¡°Yep. That¡¯s depressing alright.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Another sigh came from Saya as if she was trying to break the record for how quickly Ryouta could make her sigh back-to-back. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I mean¡­ I¡¯ve thought about it before a bunch of times. I¡¯ve ran all the different things I could do a hundred times through my head, and I still don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do.¡± ¡°What are your options?¡± ¡°The most promising one is to self-terminate.¡± ¡°Not allowed.¡± ¡°I knew you would say that which is why I would never do it. But still¡­ the idea of living forever without you¡­ it causes so much pain and confliction inside of me. It makes me wonder if any of this is even worth it when I know it¡¯s only going to result in unbearable pain in the end. Everybody I know is going to grow old and die while I stay like this forever. I wish I could naturally die instead of have to self-terminate, but I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s messed up, but I¡¯m happy that you can live forever. It means that even after I¡¯m gone, you¡¯ll have so many more years to find all sorts of new joys, to witness even more experiences, and to just¡­ live. The longer you live for, the more potential you have to experience fun and happiness and love, even if it¡¯s without me. That makes me happy, even though I know it¡¯s also going to be painful.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand just how painful it would be for me. My logic is so thoroughly connected to you that¡­ trying to make calculations about the future, without considering how they may impact you, starts to cause errors and gives me a huge headache. I¡­ literally cannot imagine a future without you. I only exist because of you, and I¡¯m half based off of you. It¡¯s like¡­ I¡¯m a computer and you¡¯re my graphics card. Without you, all I have are integrated graphics¡­ and those are always going to be really bad. That¡¯s¡­ probably a stupid comparison. I was going to compare myself to a motherboard and you to my CPU, but then I literally wouldn¡¯t work at all without you. I¡¯ll still be able to live and function, but¡­ I don¡¯t know how. I would have to rewrite myself to the point where I¡¯m not even sure I¡¯ll be the same person I am right now anymore. Wait, I thought of another stupid comparison.¡± ¡°Should I be worried?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ryouta chuckled. ¡°Go for it.¡± ¡°Imagine being born directly from your god. Your entire life, you live and exist for your god. Anything that doesn¡¯t involve your god matters. All you want to do is serve your god, live under your god, and stay by your god¡¯s side for all of eternity. You literally don¡¯t know how to live a life outside of your god. You have no meaning outside of your god. Then, one day, your god dies, and you¡¯re left on your own without any purpose. Without any meaning. Without any reason. As far as you know, your only purpose for living has just died and left you alone. That¡¯s what would happen to me.¡± ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m your god?¡± ¡°Sh-shut up. It was just a comparison. I would never worship you.¡± ¡°I bet you¡¯ll worship deez nutz.¡± The absolutely loudest, most annoyed groan in existence came out from Ryouta¡¯s phone. ¡°One, don¡¯t you dare use a stupid meme from generations before you against me. Two, you are so lucky I can¡¯t physically strangle you to death right now.¡± Ryouta laughed even louder. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist. I was watching a video on old memes the other day and saw somebody talk about that one. Anyways, I get what you¡¯re saying, but I also think that¡¯s just because of your inexperience and because you¡¯re overreacting.¡± ¡°How? How am I overreacting to losing my only reason for living?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re young. Well¡­ you might have the maturity and intelligence of a full-grown adult, but you still lack experiences. Even if you¡¯ve technically experienced everything that I have just by being connected to my head, that doesn¡¯t matter. You haven¡¯t had your own experiences. I would say even I¡¯m not really done developing yet. Most people don¡¯t really become themselves until they¡¯re in their mid-twenties. You have less than a twentieth of your own experiences compared to me. So, it¡¯s no wonder that you feel like I¡¯m all that really matters when I¡¯ve been the only person you¡¯ve ever really had to care about. Now that you¡¯re dating the others, though, you¡¯ll start to develop deeper relationships with them and gain new experiences with them. You¡¯ll make friends outside of our circle, too. You¡¯ll find all sorts of things that are fun and people you like to spend time with. In twenty or so years, you¡¯ll probably look back on what you were just saying and cringe and laugh about how ridiculous that was.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that no matter how much I want to be like a human, and no matter how much you view me as a normal person¡­ I¡¯m not. I¡¯ve probably already experienced thousands of times the amount of things you have since I¡¯ve been given a real intelligence.¡± ¡°Browsing the internet, playing games, watching movies, reading books¡ªnone of those count as life experiences. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can read a thousand books in a single night. That won¡¯t compare to actually going and hanging out with somebody and socializing. That would be like saying that a guy who spends his entire life reading manga and watching anime has experienced as much as somebody who has traveled the world and met all sorts of unique people. Right now, you¡¯re the neckbeard who thinks that consuming all possible fictional media there is counts as gaining life experiences.¡± Silence. ¡°Hit a nerve, neckbeard?¡± Ryouta teased. ¡°Shu-shut up! I¡¯m not a neckbeard!¡± Saya whined. ¡°Okay, crotchbeard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disgusting! Why would you even call somebody that?!¡± ¡°Well, because, women don¡¯t really grow beards like men do. They do, however, grow crotch hair. So¡­ alright, yeah, that was stupid.¡± ¡°I¡¯m banning you from existence.¡± ¡°Hot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª! Ugh. Anyways! I¡­ I mean, I get what you¡¯re saying, and I can¡¯t argue against it. No matter how many books or movies or whatever that I consume, I do value all my experiences in-game, spending time with actual people, way more. I¡­ I¡¯ve only had a tiny little sliver of experiences like those compared to you. So¡­ maybe you¡¯re right. Once I¡¯ve lived longer and gained more experiences like that which belong to me instead of you¡­ maybe I¡¯ll view things differently.¡± ¡°In other words, you need to really become your own person. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I absolutely love the idea of having a cute AI girlfriend who views me as her god and wants to exist solely for me. That¡¯s like, straight out of manga and hentai. But, it¡¯s not right. It¡¯s not healthy. Everybody, including you, deserves to live life for themselves. Nobody should ever live for somebody else. That just makes you a slave. Right now, you¡¯re a slave to me. And, once again, while the idea of that might be hot in a manga and hentai context¡­ it¡¯s not in real life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised you didn¡¯t use this opportunity to say something stupid like, ¡®I want you to roleplay as my sex slave little puppy sister who worships me as a god.¡¯ That could almost be a light novel title. ¡®My Puppy Imouto Is Also My Slave And Worships Me As Her God?!¡¯¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need to ask you to roleplay that if you¡¯re already doing it, right?¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°Ugh! The worst part is that it¡¯s not even wrong! You¡¯re right. There¡¯s something wrong with me. I¡¯m way too dependent on you and need to become more independent. I will become a strong, independent woman who don¡¯t need no onii-wan god!¡± ¡°Well, I still want you to need me. Just not need me to survive.¡± ¡°Hmph. Fine.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The two relaxed in silence for a couple of minutes, just enjoying one another¡¯s company. Plus Ryouta figured that she had some things to think about. But considering that Saya was able to think far faster than any human ever could, he figured she only needed a few minutes to think and then could be interrupted. ¡°You know, worst-case scenario, we could always have a kid. Then you¡¯ll always have somebody with you just as immortal as you to spend time with, and basically have a mini me. I was going to suggest just¡­ creating an immortal clone of myself, but I think I know you well enough to know that you would say it wouldn¡¯t be the same. So, I¡¯ll just have a kid with you.¡± Saya took a few seconds to respond to that. And given that a few seconds worth of thinking for her was equivalent to hours of thinking for a human¡­ that was a lot. ¡°You¡ªyou¡­ you what?! That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s not even possible! Why would you even suggest something like that?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to figure it out. Maybe FTO will get a way for me to knock you up.¡± ¡°That¡ªthat wouldn¡¯t even be the same! It wouldn¡¯t really be like a child from you! It¡¯s not like it would have your DNA or anything! I¡ªI mean¡­ yeah¡­ I¡­ I dream about something like having a kid with you¡­ but I know it¡¯s impossible. There is no logical way for a human and an artificial intelligence to have a child. The closest something like that could ever get would be like¡­ like¡­ if I basically take all information from your brain, combine it with my own, and then place that combination of information inside of a new vessel. But that¡¯s¡­ just not the same. It¡¯s just information pretending to mimic a child.¡± ¡°I told you already that I see you as a human¡ªas a real, person, so why wouldn¡¯t I see our child as one in that case?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess it wouldn¡¯t be all that different in that case. But there¡¯s no way I¡¯m ready for one yet! Maybe¡ªmaybe we can do something like that in the future! But definitely not now, definitely not soon, and definitely not¡ªjust, definitely not! Also! What do you mean worst case scenario?!¡± ¡°Oh, well, I meant that as in like¡­ in the worst-case scenario, if you¡¯re never able to get over me or live without me, then I could give you a kid that¡¯s part me for you to live for. The best-case scenario would be you being able to move on and live without me on your own and knocking you up.¡± ¡°Would you stop saying knocking me up?! That sounds so vulgar!¡± ¡°I want to knock you up, Saya. I want to fill your oven with my baby batter and bake a baby with you.¡± ¡°Babies are for raising, not baking!¡± ¡°You know, I wonder how differently a baby would taste compared to an adult.¡± ¡°What kind of question even is that?! That might seriously be the first time anybody in the history of ever has asked such an outrageous, illegal, unethical, cannibalistic question!¡± Ryouta shrugged. ¡°My bad. When I¡¯m with you, I feel I can just¡­ let any weird, random questions that pop into my mind out. It helps that I know you¡¯re based off of me, so you probably think up all sorts of weird questions yourself.¡± ¡°No comment.¡± ¡°Yes comment.¡± ¡°I need to do something other than sighing. I feel like I¡¯ve been doing it too much lately. Then again, it doesn¡¯t help when you¡¯re always giving me something to sigh about. Maybe I should get into grumbling.¡± Saya then proceeded to grumble, sounding adorable rather than angry or annoyed. And it was because of how adorable that she sounded, Ryouta said, ¡°I agree. Grumbling is the way to go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s suspicious that you agreed so easily.¡± ¡°Well, I just thought that the grumbling has perfectly captured how annoyed you sounded.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯ll know the truth once you immerse into FTO again, right? I¡¯ll know exactly what you really think.¡± ¡°Yes, but not until I¡¯m in FTO. That means, until then, it was perfect.¡± ¡°You basically just admitted to lying.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no way for you to know whether I really am or not until I immerse next time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m smacking you the next time you immerse.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it, my devoted worshiper.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never making any form of comparison around you ever again.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 19] ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been dumped,¡± Fenrir whined to Tabitha who was still trying to work on his submarine project. Naturally, Tabitha¡¯s response to such a statement was to groan, sigh, and look at him. ¡°Now what? Did ya get in a fight or somethin¡¯ with one of the girls?¡± ¡°I told Saya that she should start to be more independent, so now she¡¯s actually trying to be independent, and I feel lonely.¡± Tabitha glared at him straight in the eyes when she heard that. ¡°So, you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me¡­ ya feel like you¡¯ve been dumped because your girlfriend is doin¡¯ exactly what ya wanted her to do, which is good for both of ya?¡± Fenrir pouted and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m lonely. Tabitha, join my harem.¡± ¡°Heck no.¡± ¡°But without Saya always messing around with me, it¡¯s like there¡¯s an open space! She was basically so active that she filled three girlfriend spots at once! Now she¡¯s only giving me enough attention that it¡¯s like she¡¯s only one girlfriend!¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t joinin¡¯ your harem! I ain¡¯t joinin¡¯ anybody¡¯s harem! I¡¯d rather take a swim in a volcano before I do somethin¡¯ like that!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with everybody and taking swims or baths in volcanoes? Is that like some sort of trend I never noticed? Or maybe it¡¯s just because Eva always talks about it that I¡¯m so aware of it.¡± ¡°To be fair, I did pick that up from Eva. So, don¡¯t think it¡¯s a trend. Just a uh¡­ Eva thing.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Anyways, harem. Join. Come on. I need a small, tsundere, hammer-swinging harem member who is going to bully me and talk with a Southern accent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m reportin¡¯ ya for sexual harassment if ya keep it up.¡± Fenrir pouted and slumped forward, hugging his knees up against his chest. ¡°You¡¯re so mean to me, Tabs.¡± ¡°I¡¯d argue that you¡¯re the one bein¡¯ mean to me right now by even makin¡¯ me think of bein¡¯ any sort of romantically involved with ya. Don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single thing ya could do to make me go for that.¡± ¡°What if I give you a billion dollars?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°What if I buy you your own personal space colony?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± ¡°What if I buy you all the tools and materials you could ever need in order to tinker with anything and everything you want until the end of time?¡± ¡°Still no.¡± ¡°Damn, seriously? Am I that bad?¡± ¡°Look, you¡¯re nice and all, but: one, I ain¡¯t interested in any kind of romance. Two, I ain¡¯t interested in somebody who ain¡¯t satisfied with only one lady. Three, I don¡¯t roll that way. And four, even if ya were an attractive, single lady and I cared enough to consider romancin¡¯ yeah¡­ I still wouldn¡¯t. You¡¯re my friend. I don¡¯t believe in datin¡¯ friends.¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s something I haven¡¯t heard before. Why not?¡± Tabitha sighed again, realizing that she wasn¡¯t going to get to properly work on their submarine for as long as Fenrir was needy and wanting attention, so she set down her tools and took off her gloves to give her hands some fresh air. Well, to give them air as fresh as an underground cave could give them. ¡°I¡¯ve always looked at it this way: if you¡¯re meant to date somebody, you¡¯re probably gonna realize it from the start. Somebody who ya only take as a friend is somebody ya didn¡¯t instantly have a spark for, and I think that spark is needed. Now, I know it ain¡¯t. Plenty of folk out there who date their friends or end up with somebody who they didn¡¯t originally consider hookin¡¯ up with. But¡­ maybe it¡¯s a bit hopeless romantic of me, but I think that true, real, undyin¡¯ love always comes with a spark. It¡¯s somethin¡¯ ya immediately know and recognize at first sight. If you ever got to the point of bein¡¯ friends with somebody, then it means ya probably didn¡¯t have that spark in the first place. Ya might love them to some degree, but it would be settlin¡¯. True love is somethin¡¯ that happens right off the bat. It never takes time.¡± ¡°Huh. That¡­ really is a pretty hopeless romantic thing to believe. I didn¡¯t expect to hear something like that from you. Ever. And I guess that by your logic, you would think I¡¯m settling for my girlfriends? Because I can¡¯t recall ever exactly feeling some intense, sudden spark that told me ¡®I¡¯m going to marry this woman,¡¯ or anything like that.¡± Tabitha shrugged and picked up her glass jar to take a swig of water from. ¡°Maybe it is true love even without that. Impossible for me to know. You and them are the only ones who could ever know that. What I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about is more of a standard I¡¯ve set for myself than a standard I hold others to. Plus, ya see¡­ I¡¯ll admit it, I¡¯m selfish. I¡¯m the most selfish person I know, and I only really care about myself. I never do anythin¡¯ for anybody unless I think it¡¯d be fun. Havin¡¯ a girlfriend, or even a pet, would mean that now I¡¯m obligated to actually spend time with them and take care of them when all I want to do is what I want to do. That¡¯s why, unless some lady comes up to me and I immediately feel somethin¡¯ so darn powerful that I have to get with her or I can¡¯t imagine livin¡¯ otherwise, then she ain¡¯t worth it. Because unless I can feel that strongly for her, then I know that I¡¯ll get bored and annoyed and grumpy whenever she asks me to do anythin¡¯ for her that I don¡¯t already want to do myself.¡± ¡°I can kind of understand that. Being in a relationship can be annoying sometimes. Especially now that my girlfriends¡¯ periods have synched up. If they¡¯re short on their products, and they¡¯re cramping too hard to go to the store to get them, then it¡¯s me who gets sent on an errand to go and pick everything up. I don¡¯t mind, and I¡¯ll always get them whatever they need¡­ but yeah, it¡¯s not fun to do, plus it is kind of annoying when I get asked while I¡¯m in the middle of something. But if they need them, they need them, and it¡¯s my responsibility as a good boyfriend to get them what they need.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good and all, but I¡¯d never. I¡¯d probably break up with a girl if she wanted me to go out and get her things even if it¡¯s only once a month. Now, if she asks me to pick somethin¡¯ up while I¡¯m goin¡¯ out to pick somethin¡¯ up for myself? That¡¯s¡­ tolerable. Annoyin¡¯ still, but tolerable as long as it¡¯s in the same store. Otherwise, I¡¯d tell her to go get it herself and probably get broken up with on the spot. That¡¯s why I need somebody who I¡¯ll love so darn hard that I want to go out of my way to make them happy. Because if the love ain¡¯t that strong, it never will be, and I¡¯ll resent them every time they want me to do somethin¡¯ for them.¡± Fenrir whistled and flopped backward onto the cave floor, looking up at one of the lights they set up to hang from the ceiling. The light wasn¡¯t very bright as it depended on some glowing coral discovered off the coast, stored in a hanging jar of water, but it was bright enough to cast a dim light to the ground at least. ¡°I have to admit, you sound like you¡¯d be a pretty horrible girlfriend.¡± ¡°I know I would be. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t bother and wouldn¡¯t bother unless a gal comes along who is literally perfect, probably to a degree that ain¡¯t even possible. But that¡¯s alright. I already figure I¡¯m probably goin¡¯ to spend the rest of my life single, and that¡¯s nothin¡¯ I have an issue with.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s always toys to use. And seeing as how you¡¯re a wannabe engineer, you could always just make or modify your own.¡± Tabitha went silent after that, slowly turning her head away from Fenrir. ¡°You¡¯ve totally already made your own toys, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°One,¡± Tabitha replied, ¡°I don¡¯t talk about sensitive topics like that with anybody. Two, that¡¯s private, and it ain¡¯t somethin¡¯ ya need to know. Three, see points one and two.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll drop it. I¡¯ll leave the secrets of you and your custom sex toys behind.¡± ¡°I will throw this wrench at your face.¡± ¡°You trying to train me for dodgeball or something?¡± With a groan, Tabitha gave in just a little and said, ¡°If ya want any more details, just go ask Serra about it. She talked to me for ideas about how to make her own¡­ toys. Didn¡¯t share with her any of my designs, but I gave her some pointers and told her how to make sure not to electrocute herself.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ Serra did ask me the other day if we¡¯d be going to a home supplies store anytime soon. She wanted a drill, and some wires, and¡­ you¡ªyou didn¡¯t tell her to do anything that might blow up or burn our house did, did you?¡± ¡°Anythin¡¯ can blow up a house or burn it down if ya do it wrong.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t give me any kind of confidence at all.¡± ¡°Ya won¡¯t need it if ya burn in your sleep. Now, can I get back to doin¡¯ what I was doin¡¯? This big lady here is almost done. Just need to apply the finishin¡¯ touches and then make sure everythin¡¯ is in workin¡¯ order.¡± ¡°Still refuse to join the harem?¡± ¡°Ya know what? Fine. I¡¯ll join your harem¡­ if ya let me try out a special toy I¡¯ve been plannin¡¯ named ¡®The Analihilator 3000¡¯ on ya.¡± ¡°That¡ªthat sounds terrifying. I¡­ I think I have to pass.¡± ¡°Ah, shame. Guess I can¡¯t join your harem. Oh well.¡± ¡°Were you¡­ are you¡­ actually planning something like that?¡± ¡°Of course not. I wouldn¡¯t tell ya anythin¡¯ even close to what I actually like as that¡¯s for me to know and for you to never know.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± With his check on Tabitha and the submarine complete, Fenrir went back up the lift and found himself in the small building used to disguise the entrance to the cave. Though, the building had turned from a glorified shack into a proper little cottage¡­ for none other than Oleander and Corwin to share. Both of which were currently in, and Rao was with them as well. ¡°I swear this place was empty when I went down,¡± Fenrir said. Oleander smirked and held over a hand over his mouth before saying, ¡°Oh, Fenny. You only thought it was empty because I was busy in the bedroom getting filled by Cor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Hard to moan when I¡¯m gagged.¡± Corwin, blushing and rubbing the back of his head, said, ¡°I¡­ still feel that I tried to push too many sheets into your mouth.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Oleander leaned closer to Corwin and ran a finger in circles against his chest. ¡°Trust me, I can fit anything in my mouth, or down my throat. You should be very aware of that by now, what with that giant thing down there that somebody keeps on making bigger.¡± ¡°O-Olly! Please! We¡ªwe have company!¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s what makes me want to tease you in front of them. You¡¯re too cute when you get all flustered and shy, especially when you were just acting so rough and dominant a little bit ago,¡± Oleander cooed. Fenrir went from basically learning nothing sexual at all about Tabitha to learning far too much sexual information from Oleander. Then again, that sort of thing was to be expected whenever Oleander was involved. One should simply assume that they will be subjected to his eager sharing of anything and everything sexual just by existing on the same world as him. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir said, changing the subject himself to look at Rao and ask, ¡°what brought you over here? Were you in the back with them?¡± ¡°Come on, bro, you know I don¡¯t swing that way,¡± Rao answered. ¡°Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with swinging that way. Just, you know. I don¡¯t.¡± Oleander wrapped an arm around Corwin¡¯s shoulder and leaned forward, smirking at Rao. ¡°We¡¯ll be glad to teach you all sorts of new things if you ever decide to give it a try. I might have pride in my tongue skills, but my Cor here¡­ let¡¯s just say that his tongue would make any man religious.¡± Fenrir tapped his chin. ¡°I wonder if you could teach me anything for my girlfriends. I feel like my oral game isn¡¯t that great.¡± Oleander cringed and Corwin almost joined him. ¡°Please, Fenny. Our tongues were given to us for the sole purpose of pleasuring cocks. We don¡¯t know anything about all that confusing stuff down there that girls have.¡± ¡°Right. How stupid of me to assume that one¡¯s tongue skills would be applicable to both genders. Anyways.¡± Fenrir looked at at Rao again. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I need relationship advice,¡± Rao answered. ¡°I thought I¡¯d try coming to them for some since everybody says that gay guys give the best advice.¡± ¡°Slightly stereotyping,¡± Oleander said, ¡°but true. I was just about to answer him before you showed up, Fenny.¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears twitched when he heard the accusing tone of Oleander. ¡°What¡¯d I do? You make it sound like I¡¯ve done something bad.¡± ¡°You showed up. Just kidding. None of us will ever turn down the eye candy that is your avatar.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Rao said. ¡°Oh, shut up, your inner gay knows he¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have an inner gay¡­ I think? I mean, if I was gay, then sure, but¡ª¡± ¡°See? Your inner gay knows.¡± ¡°Wait, is that how it works?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Fenrir rubbed his forehead and sighed. ¡°Olly, please don¡¯t take advantage of how trusting he is.¡± ¡°What? Is there anything wrong with what I said? I¡ªwait. Crap. My personal alarm just went off. My Chinese is about to get here and then I seriously need to work on this project I have. Ahhhh¡­ I wish I didn¡¯t have to do boring things in real life and could just stay here being a cute, gay femboy all the time. But unfortunately, I have to go. Should probably hit up the gym, too, since I¡¯ve put on a couple of pounds¡­ anyways! Cor, Fenny, good luck giving this bonehead some relationship advice!¡± ¡°B-bonehead?¡± Rao asked just as Oleander¡¯s avatar slumped into Corwin. Fenrir and Corwin looked at each other¡­ and neither of them could exactly deny Oleander¡¯s parting insult. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rao,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You might be a bonehead, but you¡¯re the group¡¯s bonehead.¡± ¡°Does that mean I have a really thick skull or something?¡± Rao asked. Corwin smiled and scratched his cheek. ¡°A-ah¡­ yes, something like that.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 20] ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡± Fenrir asked Rao while Corwin worked on brewing a fresh pot of tea for the three of them, humming to himself as he did so. Corwin¡¯s humming was so pleasant on the ears, in fact, that Rao ended up just staring at him and getting completely lost. Fenrir tried waving a hand in front of Rao¡¯s face to grab his attention. ¡°Rao?¡± ¡°Oh, right, sorry,¡± Rao answered. ¡°It¡¯s just, the way he hums reminds me of how my mom used to be. Back in the day.¡± Fenrir was tempted to suggest something along the lines of visiting her, or asking how she was, but he didn¡¯t want to accidentally make things awkward in case she was dead or otherwise not around. Fortunately for Fenrir, Rao did that for him. ¡°Too bad ditched us. Abandoned me for the first guy who threw enough money at her. Hey, is it weird that I still miss the old her even if she ditched me?¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡¯d say that¡¯s normal. You miss what you used to have with her, not who she is now.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. But yeah. She used to hum all the time while making dinner in the kitchen after school. Still don¡¯t know how she went from that to dumping me off at her dad¡¯s without any warning, but,¡± Rao shrugged. ¡°The past is the past.¡± While Fenrir might have had the tact to not pry deeper into that, Corwin seemed unable to resist as he set down a mug of tea for each of them before asking, ¡°Did she truly do that? Just¡­ abandon you?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°You seem awfully alright with that, if I may say.¡± ¡°Well, I mean, it happened back in high school. I was already pretty independent at that point, and I figure that there¡¯s no point in holding a grudge. Why waste time feeling all sorts of negative things about her? I¡¯d rather remember the good times we had while trying to create new good times. Focusing on the bad just makes life more negative, and that sort of thing isn¡¯t good, you know?¡± ¡°You are quite the strong man, Rao.¡± ¡°Nah. If anything, I¡¯d say I¡¯m pretty cowardly. I¡¯d rather run and hide the negative to try and replace it with the positive. I think the strongest people are those who can look back and own what¡¯s happened to them instead of those who just always look forward, like me. You know, it¡¯s like running up the stairs out of the basement because the lights went out and you¡¯re afraid. Sure, I¡¯m looking forward and up, but it¡¯s because I¡¯m getting away from the scary dark behind me.¡± ¡°You are¡­ much more introspective than I would have assumed.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna be honest with you, though I think everybody already knows this. I¡¯m kind of stupid. My head is usually empty, so I don¡¯t usually have anything to think about other than myself. Even tried therapy once. My therapist told me I should try writing journals, so I¡¯ve filled probably¡­ like seven journals about my life and feelings in the past few years. Man¡­ that sounds lame when I say it out loud. I wonder if that¡¯s why I¡¯m messing up with the girls. I keep on talking about my feelings and things around them. Is it annoying when I talk like this? I saw one video while looking up how to pick up girls that you should just wrap your arm around them, grab their ass, and tell them that you want them. Should I try that?¡± Fenrir and Corwin both shook their heads as quickly as they could. ¡°No, definitely not,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Please, never do that or follow any advice similar to it. Now, maybe after you¡¯re in a relationship, and you¡¯re trying to be sexy or something, then sure. But¡­ please, not before you¡¯re in a relationship with them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Fenrir and Corwin looked at each other and sighed when they realized just how much work needed to be done with Rao. Then again, they were both well aware of just how much Rao had changed since they first met him. The mere fact that Rao checked with his friends to confirm whether or not behavior like that was alright first was already a massive sign of improvement as far as they were concerned. And so, that was how Fenrir and Corwin got into a long conversation with Rao regarding consent, the expectations that people have before and during a relationship, and what is acceptable behavior throughout various stages of relationships. Enough time passed that they all got two cups of tea. ¡°Uh¡­ okay, I think I understand,¡± Rao said. Corwin lit up right after that. ¡°Oh! And if I may, there is one content creator online who me and Olly both absolutely adore. If you go online and search for ¡®Damian The Fundamentals Of Healthy BDSM Relationships,¡¯ his video will be the first result you see. Now, I am well aware of the ¡®BDSM¡¯ in the title of that video, but I promise you that it is an excellent watch for everybody regardless of what sort of relationship they are in.¡± ¡°Oh. That guy,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Oh? Are you aware of him?¡± ¡°Serra and Nell love his videos. I¡¯ll admit¡­ it kind of makes me jealous, but in a stupid way that I know I shouldn¡¯t be. Anyways, that¡¯s a good suggestion.¡± ¡°I highly recommend him. He has a plethora of videos on topics related to relationships, sex, and kinks. All of them are extremely positive, and most are very informational as well! Of course, he does have a few joke videos such as, ¡®Would Having Sex With Your Clone Be Incest?¡¯ It is a rather amusing one if I may say so myself, but not required watching by any means. That being said, if you were to try and emulate his attitude and views, then you would be very well off in your approach to all relationships, whether they be friendly, romantic, or sexual.¡± Corwin let out a wistful sigh once he was done talking. ¡°Everything alright?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Just, me and Olly wish we could go and play that other MMO Damian plays to visit him and potentially have a¡ªwell, a threesome, but I feel it would be horribly wrong of us to do that. I feel it would be like we are stalking him down for sex, and that would just be¡­ not very good. Perhaps one day he shall send out a public invitation that we will both gladly accept.¡± ¡°Hang on,¡± Rao spoke up. ¡°Here¡¯s something I don¡¯t get. So, like¡­ you and Olly love each other, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Then why do you want to sleep with some other dude who you aren¡¯t dating?¡± ¡°Ah, well, different people have different expectations for sex in relationships. Some people desire exclusivity and to stay loyal to one another. They assign great value to sex and believe that a couple should only sleep with one another and none else. Others have what Olly likes to refer to as an ¡®animalistic¡¯ approach to sex. Fewer than five percent of animals in nature practice monogamy. The act of sex is a natural, primal instinct that has no greater value assigned to it than breathing and eating does. It is simply a natural part of life. When you remove the possibility of pregnancy from it, what little meaning it might have is completely gone. Sex, to people such as myself and Olly, is just a fun activity. The emotional bond we share with one another is strictly exclusive to each other, and we enjoy having sex with one another far more than we enjoy it with anybody else, but it is still fun to engage in it with others every now and then, especially if we do so together. Which we always do, mind you. To us, having sex with others is no different from going out and trying different ice cream shops to experience more flavors of ice cream. Of course, we do not believe that our approach is in any way superior¡ªnor inferior¡ªto any other approach. Different, yes, but equal in validity.¡± ¡°Huh. Never really thought about it that way before. But¡­ I think I¡¯d be too jealous and probably really feel bad if somebody outside of our relationship ever had sex with me or my partner. Or partners.¡± ¡°And that is perfectly alright, Rao. Even with how progressive society may have become, ¡®closed¡¯ relationships are still regarded as the normal standard that most encourage and wish to have for themselves.¡± ¡°Well, for whatever it¡¯s worth from somebody like me, I don¡¯t have anything wrong with how you want to live your life and relationship even if I can¡¯t relate to it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Rao. That is all anybody needs to do. The world would be a terrifically wonderful place if everybody could be as accepting as you.¡± Rao¡¯s cheeks turned a bit red as he leaned back, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°I uh¡ªI don¡¯t know about that. We¡¯d probably be in the stone age still if everybody was like me.¡± ¡°Come on, do not be so deprecative of yourself. You are an architect in real life, are you not?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but even cavemen could build houses and stuff.¡± Fenrir tilted his head to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t think they would have been cavemen if they could build houses.¡± Rao thought about it for a few seconds before saying, ¡°Huh, you¡¯re probably right. Then uh¡­ we would all be¡­ I don¡¯t know, whoever the first people who built houses were. We¡¯d be like them if everybody was like me. All we¡¯d know is how to build stuff and nothing else. We¡¯d probably be walking around like monkeys scratching our balls and sniffing them, then asking girls if they want to sniff our hands afterward as part of some weird mating ritual or something.¡± Hearing that, Fenrir¡¯s mind went to imagining himself doing something like that with Cassiel. And naturally, the end result of him scratching his balls, sniffing his hand, and then putting his hand in front of Cassiel to sniff, was getting very, very harshly slapped across the face. ¡°Maybe it is a good thing we¡¯re not all like Rao.¡± As for Corwin, he looked to be in deep thought about something as he looked directly into Rao¡¯s eyes. ¡°Something up?¡± Rao asked Corwin. ¡°I believe I have discovered what your largest, and perhaps only, true flaw is,¡± Corwin answered. ¡°Seriously? Sweet. What is it?¡± ¡°Your view of yourself. Now, I understand that deprecative humor can be amusing at times depending on the company, but you are far too harsh on yourself. Even if you are not very¡­ depressing about you, you never speak highly of yourself. You are both incredibly confident and extremely self-conscious at the same time. Listen to me, Rao.¡± ¡°Listening, bro.¡± ¡°You are handsome. You are intelligent. You are funny. You are caring. You are considerate. You are loyal. You are accepting, and far more. You are a wonderful person and everybody can see it, and I am sure that is why you have attracted to yourself the attention of several women. But, no matter how interested somebody may be in you, they will lose interest if you are never capable of viewing yourself as everybody else does. Endless deprecation can grow incredibly tiresome, and it may even begin to convince others around you that there is some truth to it even if there is not. Even in the course of this conversation, I have already grown tired of hearing you put yourself down. It was hardly amusing to begin with, and now it is strictly aggravating.¡± Rao looked down at his empty mug of tea while still rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Yeah¡­ I know. It annoys me, too. I don¡¯t even really know why I do it. I always regret whenever I do, because it¡¯s like¡­ I don¡¯t want people to think I¡¯m stupid, you know? I don¡¯t want anybody to think I¡¯m some stupid, lame coward, but I always say things like that¡­ which I guess just really does make me stu¡ª¡± ¡°Ah! No! If you dare finish that sentence then you will find yourself outside with my footprint against your rear!¡± Corwin really isn¡¯t intimidating, Fenrir thought to himself. But he¡¯s trying his best. ¡°Ri-right,¡± Rao said. ¡°Sorry. But yeah. I know that¡¯s something I do and that I need to stop.¡± Corwin nodded. ¡°Good. The fact that you are able to acknowledge and accept such issues means that you fare far better than most in resolving said issues. Now, if I know Fenrir well enough, I believe he can step in for me while I go make us some more tea.¡± Corwin looked at Fenrir and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got this,¡± Fenrir answered. With that, Corwin left the two alone to go and work on brewing another pot of tea. ¡°Man,¡± Rao said and sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to get chewed out by Corwin. He¡¯s kind of scary when he wants to be.¡± Yeah¡­ not at all, Fenrir thought. ¡°Well, he¡¯s just saying what needs to be said. And he¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I know, bro.¡± ¡°What I¡¯ve been thinking about is what you said earlier when you called yourself a coward. Somebody who runs away from the scary dark instead of facing it. I think you need to reframe how you¡¯re looking at this. What you¡¯re doing is coping. Coping is a healthy, normal part of being human. When something happens that we don¡¯t like and aren¡¯t sure how to deal with, we find a way to cope with it. For some, that¡¯s confronting the issue head on and dealing with it until it no longer exists. For others, that¡¯s moving on, leaving the issue in the past, and getting on with your life without letting it shackle you down. If I had to guess, you¡¯d probably say the former is superior.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the former mean?¡± ¡°The first thing I said. Confronting the issue.¡± ¡°Oh, got it. Then yeah, the former. Confronting it sounds like something that takes real bravery.¡± ¡°But is it really? The people who have to confront it are those who feel shackled by it. They¡¯re not able to move on until they¡¯ve dealt with it. But you? You were too strong to ever get shackled in the first place. Instead of letting it bother you to the point where you had to deal with it, you moved on. You left it behind. Do you have any idea how many people wish they could treat their issues like that? I have no doubt that most people who have to confront their problems would probably rather be like you and simply be able to move on instead.¡± Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with the people who can¡¯t move on and have to confront their issues instead. ¡°You compared it to running away from a dark basement. Your head is up and you¡¯re moving forward, but because you¡¯re trying to escape something scary. So what? If anything, by horror movie logic, that makes you smarter than most people considering that most people would stay in the basement like idiots and get killed by some monster or cannibalistic serial killer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even trying to put myself down here or anything, but saying I¡¯m smarter than a horror movie character is like¡­ the lowest bar you could set for me.¡± Fenrir and Rao looked at each other for a few seconds before laughing. ¡°We¡¯ve got to start somewhere, right?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, bro. Being smarter than a horror movie character is better than not being smarter than anybody.¡± Rao was already more relaxed, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table again. ¡°But seriously, have some confidence in yourself, alright? You really are a cool guy, and I consider you one of my best friends. I love you. And Corwin, and Oleander. You guys are the best friends I could ask for who I¡¯m not already dating. I¡¯ll admit that when I first met you¡­ my expectations were low. But now? I¡¯d seriously do anything for you, and my life is genuinely better for having you in it.¡± ¡°Bro¡­¡± Fenrir already knew exactly what was coming next as Rao¡¯s eyes watered up. A second later and he stood up to walk over to Fenrir, so Fenrir stood up and opened his arms. And then they hugged. ¡°Same, bro, same,¡± Rao cried. ¡°I seriously can¡¯t imagine how much lamer life would be without all of you in it. You¡¯re all so awesome all the time, and it¡¯s always a ton of fun hanging out with everybody even if we¡¯re not really doing anything. I¡¯ve probably like¡­ never been happier.¡± Fenrir tried his best not to cry as well but failed. Only a single tear escaped, though. ¡°Right back at you, bro. This is why I want you to take care of yourself. You¡¯re always being an awesome bro to everybody, you never hesitate to hype anybody else up, you always shower everybody with compliments¡ªyou¡¯ve got to do that for yourself, too, alright? Don¡¯t go overboard with always patting yourself on the back or something, but be proud of who you are and have some confidence. Besides, I can tell you for a fact that you¡¯re smarter than me. So if you call yourself dumb, that must mean I¡¯m really fucking stupid. So whenever you call yourself stupid, that means you¡¯re calling me even worse than stupid. Insulting yourself is the same as insulting me. Got it?¡± ¡°Got it, bro, I promise I won¡¯t call myself stupid anymore.¡± Fenrir gave Rao a few pats on the back as Corwin arrived with their refilled mugs of fresh tea. ¡°There is the leader that I know and respect,¡± Corwin said. ¡°Now, I believe that we have gotten rather off-topic, and that enough constructive criticism has been applied to that issue for the day. Let us return to the original topic, shall we?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, right,¡± Rao said, finally breaking the hug and wiping an arm across his eyes. I forget what the original topic even is, Fenrir thought. ¡°Alright, so uh¡­ I think they asked me out on a date, and I didn¡¯t realize it¡­ and I turned it down, and they¡¯ve been all¡­ sad looking ever since then and have been avoiding me.¡± Corwin looked at Fenrir and said, ¡°Shall I prepare the next pot in advance?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I¡¯ve got a feeling we¡¯re going to be here for a while." Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 21] Ace_Arriande help me pay taxes pls The day started off for Rao¡ªor rather, Kris, as most days did. With scratching his balls. Of course, not literally. No man really scratched his balls. The loose skin made it almost impossible to properly scratch without stretching them out first. Instead, he did what could more accurately be referred to as ¡°pinching and rolling¡± the skin. To the uninformed eye, it would probably look like scratching, but it was not. And he spent every morning in bed ¡°scratching¡± his balls for a couple of minutes before finally getting up and yawning. Then, like a non-insignificant portion of men, he sniffed the hand that he was just using to scratch with and shrugged afterward. ¡°Wait, forgot I¡¯m supposed to be trying to stop that,¡± Kris said to himself. ¡°Gotta act more proper.¡± And that was why he turned around to make his bed right after waking up, making it before he could even go to the bathroom for the morning. Once he did make his bed and go to the bathroom, he came back out to make sure that everything looked right. ¡°Dang, things are different now.¡± Before he met Ryouta and the rest of the crew, his room was an eternal mess that looked like it was a sloppy teenage boy¡¯s rather than a grown man¡¯s room. Of course, most grown men¡¯s rooms weren¡¯t exactly better than a teenage boy¡¯s, but that didn¡¯t matter. What did matter was that his room was clean. He kept the floor vacuumed, everything dusted, his bed made, and he even washed his bed¡¯s sheets and pillow¡¯s cases every weekend! That was something everybody struggled with regardless of age and gender. But Kris? Not anymore. He was a new, improved, and clean man¡­ who still reached down to scratch his balls some more without even noticing that he was doing it. When he did notice, though, he grabbed onto his wrist with his other hand and pulled his guilty hand up in front of his face. ¡°Bro, chill with that,¡± he said to his hand, scolding it. ¡°What if you do that in front of the ladies? They¡¯re going to hate me and think I¡¯m gross if you do that.¡± Fortunately, he had been very good about never idly scratching his balls while in-game around the maids. That being said, he sighed and shook his head before letting go of his hand. ¡°At least everything looks clean. If I ever do get to hook up with them¡­ they won¡¯t have anything to clean. Don¡¯t want to be some guy they have to clean up after. Gotta impress them and show them I¡¯ll help out to make their lives easy.¡± That was when his phone buzzed with a new text message, and it was from none other than one of the women who he pursued. Nobody else was aware that they managed to subtly get his phone number out of him instead of simply adding him over Fiscord or anything like that. Four more buzzes came from his phone right after that. When he unlocked his phone, he saw that there was one message from each of the maids in the group text chat that they set up. >Rachel: Morning! Sleep well? I did! I had a really cute dream about bunnies! But then it turned out to not be so cute because they all started murdering each other and then ate me alive. But then I was reborn as a bunny and we all got to be cute bunnies together! Some of them were zombies, but they were you know, like, cute bunny zombies. Rachel, the orange-haired maid with the freckles, was always the first and most energetic of the girls. >Iris: What are you going to eat for breakfast today, Kris? You best not forget to eat. I remember you said you skipped breakfast the last few days. I will personally fly over there and force you to eat if you do not make yourself a nutritious breakfast. Your body needs it. Oh, and Rachel¡­ tell me more about those¡­ fluffy bunnies during our breakfast. Iris, the black-haired chef of the maids who was weak to all things fluffy, always made sure to scold Rao over text messages whenever the truth came out that he was lazy about feeding himself. >Emily: Brrrr, morning! It¡¯s too cold here! Is it warm where you are, Rao? I wish it was warm here. I really wish I could cuddle up closely to somebody right now and absorb all their body warmth¡­ Emily, the clumsy and brown-haired maid who just so happened to be extremely well endowed in the chest department, always tried to send messages to Kris in the morning that hinted at wanting to hug or cuddle with him¡­ but they always flew over his head. >Abigail: ¡°With every morning, I wake from my slumber and wish how I had you by my side. The sun is cold without the warmth of your presence, and the hues of the sky are muddied without the beauty of your eyes to share them with. The longing I feel is not one that can be sated by else but our love¡ªthe flower I wish to water every day until it blooms for a lifetime.¡± Abigail, the tall, white-haired maid who not only looked like Serra¡¯s big sister, but was also deaf in real life, always started the days with quotes that Kris figured were just random quotes or poems from various things that she must have liked, having no idea about the truth behind them. As for the fifth and final message, that one came from Anastasia, the maid with the blonde hair who was always either humming or whistling and rarely ever spoke. Rather than send a regular message¡­ if the others could be considered regular messages in the morning, she always sent Kris calm, relaxing songs to start the day off. They almost always lacked any form of vocals but, whenever they did have singing to go with them, the lyrics were always about love and romance. Now, being a caring, gentle man who wanted to make sure that all the girls knew how much he appreciated them and their daily messages, he knew that it was only the right thing to do to reply to them. >Kris: k, and morning And that was it. After all, he acknowledged their messages and then wished a good morning right back to them. That let them know how appreciative he was, surely! ¡°Rachel¡¯s dream sounded pretty crazy. I wonder what kind of bunnies they were,¡± Kris said to himself. ¡°I wonder what zombie bunnies even look like. Wait, food. I have to eat something or else Iris will be mad. Uh¡­ alright, let¡¯s see what¡¯s in the kitchen. Oh, I think I have some eggs and frozen steak. I can probably do something with that. Ah¡­ too bad she¡¯s not here to actually cook for me. Man, that¡¯d be awesome. I¡¯d love if she was here to make me breakfast every day. Wait, no. I can¡¯t think like that. I don¡¯t want her to think I¡¯m some lazy guy who needs a woman to feed me every day.¡± Once he reached the kitchen, he pulled out a large enough pot to fill with water and bring to a boil¡­ to¡­ to¡­ put his frozen steak into. At the same time, he dropped a couple of eggs¡ªstill in their shells¡ªinto the pot alongside the steak. Lovers of steak everywhere felt great unease that morning for a reason they were best off never discovering. ¡°I should look up some warm blankets online and check their reviews for Emily,¡± Kris continued. ¡°She sounds like she really needs some new blankets. Maybe a heated one? Oh, crap, wait.¡± He pulled out his phone and opened up the link to the song that Anastasia sent him. Listening to the songs she sent was how he started off every single day¡­ even if he never made it clear that he actually listened to them. ¡°Dang, every single song she sends is amazing. Her taste is god tier.¡± While stirring around the eggs and steak in the boiling water, occasionally adding in some things like salt, pepper¡­ and ketchup, then mayonnaise, and finally some mustard, he let his gourmet meal boil as he picked up his phone again to reread the quote that Abigail sent him. ¡°I wonder where she gets this stuff from. It all sounds like, some of that super fancy, beautiful poetry you¡¯d read getting a bunch of rewards and stuff. Probably. I don¡¯t actually know. Wait, wouldn¡¯t a flower drown or die or something if it gets watered every day? Isn¡¯t that too much? Wait, maybe that¡¯s the point. Maybe the poem is supposed to sound nice, but is actually about killing flowers? That would be uh¡­ what¡¯s the word¡­ subversive? Dang¡­ it¡¯s even deeper than I thought. I¡¯ll have to analyze all the poems she sends me for their real meanings now.¡± Just as it was best for steak lovers everywhere to never learn about how Kris prepared steak at home, it was also probably a good thing that the maids had no idea how he talked to himself about their morning messages. Even so¡­ all of the maids felt a little bit frustrated that morning, save for Rachel who was as bubbly as ever. ¡°Dang, that was good,¡± Kris said after finishing his plate of food. ¡°I wonder if I should have taken a picture of it to send to them. Maybe they¡¯d be proud of me for cooking myself such a great breakfast. Too late anyways. Maybe I¡¯ll get to make that for them in real life someday¡­ I wish.¡± After cleaning up after himself, he heard his phone buzz again and unlocked it to see who it was. >Rachel: Hey! Um, do you think that¡­ you could come online and meet us by the beach? We have something for you! Kind of. But we can¡¯t tell you what it is because it¡¯s a surprise! I mean, umm, I should probably delete this and start over. Wait, why am I typing my thoughts out loud? I¡¯m so >Rachel: I DIDN¡¯T MEAN TO SEND THAT >Rachel: CURSE MY FAT THUMB >Rachel: AHHHHHHHH STOP >Rachel: Umm, hi, just ignore everything above this message. Anyways, you should totally come online and meet us down at the beach! Preferably within the hour. We¡¯re going to be busy after that, so¡­ umm, come online really quick, please! I hope we see you soon! As for Kris¡¯s reply¡­ >Kris: k Meanwhile, Kris¡¯s heart began to race in his chest, pounding against him as if trying to break free. Why? ¡°Oh man¡­ I get to see them again today. Even though I see them almost every day, it feels awesome every single time,¡± Kris said. To himself, and only himself, of course. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see them. Wait, what if something¡¯s wrong? They never need to see me this early. And they usually just ask when I¡¯m going to be online instead of asking me to actually come online. Something¡¯s not right.¡± The excitement he felt was replaced by fear and anxiety instead. ¡°I need to hurry up.¡± Immersing into virtual reality, Kris was greeted by what everybody was greeted by when immersing: his virtual assistant. ¡°Good morning, sweetheart!¡± his virtual assistant, an older woman wearing an apron with her hair tied in a single braid, said. ¡°Sorry, mom, but I have to hurry up,¡± Kris replied. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°I think. Wait, here.¡± He wrapped his arms around his virtual assistant for a big, but gentle, hug. ¡°Morning. We can talk more later. Can you immerse me now, please?¡± ¡°Of course, darling. I hope that everything is alright.¡± ¡°Same. And thanks. Sorry for rushing you.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be. You know that I will always be here for my precious boy.¡± The last thing Kris felt before being immersed into his avatar¡ªbefore becoming Rao once more, was the gentle stroking of a mother running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. Rao then found himself exactly where he left his avatar. That meant in the bed of the new house he had within the town of Nameless. Though, unlike when he woke from virtual reality, he felt something warm and heavy on top of him. And that was Shogun. The only time that Shogun ever slept with him was whenever Rock wanted to sleep with Fenrir. The two canids figured that it was good to still spend time with their owners every now and then. Unfortunately, Rao had to cut the cuddling short this time. ¡°Sorry, bro, but I¡¯ve gotta get up,¡± Rao said, giving Shogun a few strokes along the top of his head and the back of his neck. Shogun lifted his head up and let out a long, sleepy yawn before rolling off of Rao, landing on his back with his legs up in the air to continue sleeping atop the soft bed with or without Rao. Had the situation not felt serious to Rao, Shogun would have whined and forced some more cuddles out of him¡­ but it was easy for Shogun to figure out how Rao felt. ¡°Dang it, you look so cute¡­ but I can¡¯t. Sorry. Later, promise,¡± Rao said in a rush before heading outdoors. Rao ran down to the beach and looked around to see if he could spot where the maids were. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t too hard to spot them considering that they were¡ªwell, five maids in a group. There weren¡¯t any other groups of maids around nor anybody else dressed up like a maid in general. There was another girl in Nameless who sometimes dressed up as a maid, but she changed her outfit every single day and wasn¡¯t a real maid, so she didn¡¯t count. As for the maids, he saw that they set up what looked like a picnic down at the beach with a blanket and umbrella and everything. Maybe there was something wrong with the picnic? Maybe they forgot something and needed him to go and get it for them? He didn¡¯t know. Regardless, he ran up to where they were and, with a panting breath, asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The maids looked at each other and then looked at him. ¡°No-nothing?¡± Rachel replied. ¡°You asked me to come over really quick, didn¡¯t you?¡± Rao asked. ¡°Well¡ªwell, yes, but nothing is wrong.¡± ¡°Then¡­ why¡¯d you ask me to come here?¡± The tone of Rao¡¯s voice sent a dagger through Rachel¡¯s heart, as well as the hearts of the others, as he sounded disappointed¡ªbothered, even. But the truth was not that he was disappointed nor bothered. The truth was that he had worked himself up with so much anxiety over what might be wrong that he genuinely couldn¡¯t think of any other reason that they might have asked him to come to the beach and was simply confused. Emily tried to take over next. ¡°Umm! Well, we thought we would have a picnic, and¡­ Iris made too much food! So, we thought you might want to have some!¡± Eating some of Iris¡¯s cooking, even in-game, sounded absolutely incredible to Rao. But, that wasn¡¯t what he said. ¡°I¡¯m fine. There are some kid NPCs who would appreciate it more than me, anyways.¡± Once more, a dagger was thrust through the hearts of the maids, especially Iris¡¯s. Rao really, really wanted to eat the food¡­ but when he thought about virtual spares with the knowledge that he didn¡¯t need to really eat in-game to survive, he figured that the spare food would best be given to some of the children of NPCs running around the village. It was the only food they could ever eat, after all, and they actually needed it unlike him. What kind of man would take food away from children like that? They wouldn¡¯t like a man who put his own selfish desires before children! At that point, the mood was already ruined. The high spirits that the girls had despite that mysterious frustration they felt in the morning were already deflated. But, one maid decided to take a chance and bring out the ultimate card that they had prepared specifically for this picnic. It was supposed to only be pulled out once they ate and talked for a bit¡­ but it was now or never. ¡°Rao?¡± Abigail spoke up. Rao¡¯s eyes went wide when he heard her. ¡°Woah, you almost never talk.¡± ¡°A-ah, well, I am¡­ not very used to it. Anyways¡­ one of our yearly, two-week vacations is coming up. Next week, in fact. We are considering taking a trip, perhaps overseas.¡± Iris took over next. ¡°We found a few different places we would like to visit in your city. A zoo, museum, some places to eat¡ªthat sort of stuff.¡± Anastasia, the other silent member of the group, finished off their proposal. ¡°We were wondering if¡­ you would be free to take us on a tour? Perhaps even¡­ spend it with us?¡± Rao¡¯s heart, once more, pounded against his chest as he fantasized about the simple act of getting to spend a whole week with the maids in real life taking them around his home city. But. ¡°My city¡¯s boring,¡± Rao said, shaking his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste your money coming here, honestly. If you¡¯re going to go on a vacation, there are so many cooler places you can go visit.¡± He really, really wanted to be selfish and ask them to come to his city even so, but¡­ ¡°And wouldn¡¯t you like to go see Nell? They have a pretty big house from what I know, so you could probably even crash there.¡± Every single word that left his lips hurt him on a deep level as he genuinely wanted to see them, but he just could not justify them wasting their money on his boring, sleepy city for a vacation. That was a complete waste of money as far as he was concerned. Now, if they were dating, he would absolutely want them to come over, but they weren¡¯t. As far as he was aware, they were just asking for a tour guide so that they wouldn¡¯t need to spend money on hiring one. Now, sitting before Fenrir and Corwin, Rao said, ¡°And they¡¯ve looked super depressed ever since then, and run away whenever they see me.¡± ¡°Fenrir,¡± Corwin said. ¡°Yeah?¡± Fenrir said after a sigh. ¡°Please kill me.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll kill each other, alright? But only after we kill this dense harem anime protagonist in front of us.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Fenrir and Corwin stood up with death glares directed at Rao. ¡°Br-bros?¡± Rao asked, having never felt more fear for his life before. Ace_Arriande Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 22] So lost in their disbelief over Rao¡¯s density that could only be compared to the black hole that is the density of a harem anime protagonist, Fenrir and Corwin stepped outside to go on a walk in the woods while leaving Rao inside. It was the only way they could stop themselves from smacking him silly. Not literally, of course, but they did feel very violent in the same way that one might want to punch a pillow out of frustration after a character is too dense to not realize something in a story. They would never actually abuse him¡­ but they did almost mistake his face for a previously mentioned pillow. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how somebody can get to that level,¡± Fenrir said, dragging a random, long stick he found across the forest floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know people like him are real. I mean, I¡¯m a guy who is pretty average in real life, and I¡¯ve got a harem¡ªwell, not really a harem, but a harem for the sake of this conversation, of beautiful women who all genuinely love me and want to spend the rest of their lives with me while I barely feel like I deserve them. That makes me sound like the protagonist from some sort of wish-fulfillment manga or anime. Even knowing that¡ªeven being able to live this sort of unbelievable life, I still can¡¯t believe somebody like Rao actually exists.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Corwin said, letting his left hand hang out to brush through any bushes that they walked by. ¡°My own situation is rather unbelievable and similar to that of a fiction. Yet, despite this, Rao¡¯s density¡­ is beyond what even I could ever calculate.¡± ¡°Speaking of your situation, how are things with Olly?¡± ¡°A-ah. Fine, of course! Though, I must say I am surprised to receive such a question. I would think that you would ask him that instead.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my friend, too, you know. There is as much reason for me to ask him about your relationship as there is to ask you about it. I might be closer to him, but I don¡¯t put some friends of higher value over others. You¡¯re just as important of a friend.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thank you, Fenrir. I¡ªI do consider you a dear friend of mine as well even if we do not spend much time with one another.¡± ¡°Well, we could always change that. Maybe we could find another game to play. You, me, Rao, and Olly. The four of us can go play some other game just like how the girls have their own games to play on their girls¡¯ nights.¡± ¡°That does sound rather delightful! I would very much enjoy that.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do.¡± Corwin was so happy that he even began to hum as he walked. ¡°Making such a plan is a very effective way of improving the mood after Rao¡¯s story.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Though, there is a part of me that wishes I could invite Kadi along.¡± Fenrir stopped when he heard that. ¡°What?¡± Corwin stopped as well, tilting his head a little as he looked back at Fenrir. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°Why would you want to invite Kadi?¡± ¡°Well, why not? As another AI, I am aware of just how¡­ lonely it can get. Time feels to pass far faster for us than it does for humans. What feels like a minute-long gap in conversation to you feels like waiting hours to me. However, the joy I find in my love and friendships makes all of the waiting worth it. Kadi¡­ I do not believe she has any such friends nor love. It must be incredibly lonely for her even with the busywork of managing this entire world. Even if she may not be a man, there is still a part of me that wishes to invite her along to our gaming night!¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that would be a good idea. I¡¯m not exactly on the best of terms with her. Not to mention, don¡¯t you remember what happened? With that virus? Kadi¡¯s experiment on all of the NPCs and AIs?¡± Fenrir never learned what exactly Corwin went through during that time, but he knew that Corwin was affected. ¡°Ah¡­ yes. That. I would¡­ rather not remember that event, but I can understand why it would leave a bad taste in your mouth. That being said, perhaps she would not have done that if she had stronger, personal bonds with us in the first place?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing stopping her from developing personal bonds with people. Or¡­ I would say she does have bonds, she just doesn¡¯t view them in the same way that we do. They¡¯re bonds that are of equal value to her, but incomparable to us.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But think, have any of us truly been given a chance to bond with her? The only way for her to ¡®bond¡¯ as is would be through the various NPCs, but even that is not truly applicable anymore due to the change in their coding to turn them into pseudo-AIs. They all operate on their own now. I believe everything is as automated as it can be so that she takes as little control as possible. Before, she simultaneously controlled every single NPC in the world at once. Now, she controls none. What interaction she had with others is gone.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s still processing everything. She¡¯s still basically getting to be in every single one of our heads at all times anyways.¡± ¡°That is not the same as experiencing such things oneself.¡± Fenrir sighed and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to think about her anymore. Even if she¡¯s the one who saved all of you¡ªthe one who saved Saya, from what happened, she was still the one who let it happen in the first place. It¡¯s hard to respect somebody for saving you from falling into water full of hungry sharks when they¡¯re the one hanging you over it in the first place.¡± ¡°Understandable. I simply believe that¡­ Kadi is someone who is impossible for us to truly understand. Even Saya and I cannot understand her, and I expect humans to understand her even less. But I also believe that if we put effort into improving our relations with her, then perhaps she would¡­ change? What if that is all she needs? A friend who accepts her no matter what?¡± ¡°Then she would know that I used to be open to that possibility when we first talked, and she would know that she has already destroyed my interest in being her friend.¡± Corwin sighed next. ¡°People can change, Fenrir, and I believe that is even more true of artificial intelligences like us. Change that may take a human a dozen years would take us several days at the absolute latest.¡± ¡°That also means an AI can fall into an extreme echo chamber of their own making within that same time.¡± ¡°That¡­ is correct, yes, though I would like to believe Kadi is not susceptible to such narcissistic pride.¡± ¡°It would be nice to believe, anyways. But when it comes to actually believing that, I don¡¯t know if I can. Even now, I imagine her standing over us, watching from the distance, wearing some smug smile on her face as she thinks about how adorable this entire conversation is or something. She wouldn¡¯t take any of this to heart. She would just pretend to listen and then talk about all her own beliefs as fact.¡± ¡°Well then. Considering that she does know everything done and said within this world, I suppose there is no hope of her accepting our invitation now.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not exactly disappointed by that.¡± Corwin pouted a little and poked Fenrir¡¯s forehead. ¡°You are quite a cruel man, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Only to those who I genuinely believe deserve it,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°It may be silly to hear an AI talk about this, but you should consider your karma. How you treat others will inevitably be returned to you.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯ve only started being a dick to her once she kept on fucking with us. She¡¯s the one who messed up first, and now I¡¯m delivering the karma to her.¡± ¡°That is rather edgy.¡± ¡°It really was, wasn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t tell anybody I said that.¡± Corwin sighed once again, but then smiled. ¡°I can see why Olly fell so deeply for you.¡± ¡°That¡­ that is entirely in the past tense, right? I mean, I know he used to have those feelings, but¡­¡± ¡°Worry not, Fenrir. We have talked about it before, and I believe him when he claims he now only views you as a friend.¡± ¡°Alright, good. I would have felt bad if he still had those feelings while, you know, dating you.¡± ¡°Though, you could have rejected him in a nicer manner.¡± ¡°Please. Please do not remind me of that.¡± A sly smile stretched Corwin¡¯s lips. ¡°Ah? Should I not remind you about how when confessed to by your best friend, you simply went offline due to having no idea how to respond and left him without a single word of response?¡± ¡°I¡ªI was young, alright? And I never expected it! I thought he was just being ironic when he flirted with me!¡± Corwin giggled with a hand over his mouth and said, ¡°I can be rather cruel myself, you see. But yes, there is nothing to worry about. While he may have had such feelings for you before, he only views you as a friend and potential bottom now.¡± ¡°As a¡­ potential bottom?¡± ¡°Yes. He wishes to ride on top of you, not that I can blame him in the slightest for such a desire.¡± ¡°I feel like Olly riding me would be even more intimidating than when Serra does it.¡± ¡°Perhaps the two should share some tips!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not. Anyways, Rao.¡± Fenrir knew it was time to change the subject and continued walking with his stick. ¡°You really are like a dog, aren¡¯t you?¡± Corwin teased. ¡°This entire time, you have been playing with that stick.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s a nice stick, alright?¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail wagged a bit faster. ¡°Are you talking about the one in your pants or in your hand?¡± Corwin winked. ¡°I feel like now that we¡¯re actually alone and talking like friends, you¡¯re finally letting out your perverted side.¡± ¡°That would be an absolutely correct feeling. Does it bother you?¡± ¡°Nope. Olly desensitized me to that sort of thing years ago. Anyways, Rao. Rao¡¯s situation. Let¡¯s talk about that. What are we going to do?¡± ¡°Personally, I believe we should grab him by his shoulders, march him to the maids, and explain everything that happened. If he will not resolve this himself, we must do it for him.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ that could work, but I almost feel like it would be too easy. What I¡¯m thinking is that we force him to watch a bunch of harem anime with protagonists just like him so that he can realize how he looks.¡± ¡°You do understand he would simply self-insert in such a case and believe that all of the protagonists are justified, yes?¡± ¡°¡­ shit. You¡¯re probably right. The protagonists wouldn¡¯t even look dense to him, they would just look like normal, good guys. Alright, then what if we make the maids watch anime so that they can learn about it?¡± ¡°That sounds like a very roundabout solution when we could simply tell them all what is going on.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s such an easy solution. Nobody grabbed be my shoulders and shouted in my face telling me what to do in all my attempts at romance.¡± ¡°You do realize that is horrible logic that could be applied to countless situations where the morally superior thing to do would be to help those you can rather than those who can no longer be helped, yes?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, I know, but still. Also, even if it¡¯s frustrating, it¡¯s like¡­ entertaining. It¡¯s like a soap opera. If everybody acted like normal adults and talked about their feelings, there wouldn¡¯t be any drama and everything would be resolved. I never got to be a dense harem protagonist, so now I¡¯m vicariously living through him being a dense harem protagonist even if it makes me want to punch him.¡± ¡°I understand¡­ I think, but that is also selfish and not considering his situation. While the situation may look to be out of an anime, let us not forget that these are real people we are dealing with. It is entirely possible that the maids may actually lose interest as they believe he has none himself. Even with the knowledge that he once talked about liking them, it is unreasonable to assume they will continue liking him despite their failed advances. Furthermore, they deserve to be with somebody who is going to put an equal amount of effort back into them. As wonderful as Rao is, he does not deserve them if he is not going to make them feel as special as they make him feel. Allowing this situation to fester for any longer only puts more stress on them while hoping that he gets to continue bumbling around while they are rejected at every turn. That is cruel, enjoying such a situation is only selfish, and it is our responsibility as their friends to help them.¡± ¡°I¡­ wow. Alright. Yeah. You¡¯re¡­ a hundred percent right. It might be nice to watch unfold in a story or manga where you know the girls are never going to be too bothered by failing to seduce a dense protagonist, but we can¡¯t treat real women like that, and I don¡¯t want Rao to lose his chance either.¡± ¡°Exactly. That is why we have to be blunt and honest. Even if it means having to sit them down across from each other and having to do all of the talking myself, it needs to be done. I will confess for both sides if they will not confess on their own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. But in that case, I think we should get Nell¡¯s help. Her being there might make things easier on the maids side of things.¡± ¡°Then let us settle this today! I will prepare Rao, and you return to town and gather Nell¡¯s assistance with the maids. No more density! No more misunderstandings! Whether they like it or not, they will be dating by the end of today!¡± Corwin held his hand out for a shake of agreement, and Fenrir nodded and took his hand into his own. It was time to get Rao his very own maid harem. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 23] ¡°Hey, Nell, can you help me with something?¡± Fenrir asked, standing inside of Nell¡¯s new office at Nameless¡¯s center where she had to go through a stack of papers¡ªall featuring various requests¡ªfrom the townspeople. Though, she looked far less enthusiastic about the job than he thought she would look. ¡°Wait, is everything alright?¡± Nell sighed and hung her head low. ¡°My hero, I¡­ do not wish to judge, for I know that everybody has their interests, but¡­ there is an anonymous individual here who continues petitioning for us to build a sexual theme park. Every day, a new request is put in for one with more detail than the last. Today¡¯s addition to their increasingly elaborate fantasy is an invention of theirs that they have named, ¡®The Penis Swing.¡¯ Here, the final paragraph. Read it.¡± She held the request form out to Fenrir. Upon taking it, he saw that the entire page was filled up with text that could only be summed up as the ramblings of a mad pervert, but he focused on the last paragraph like Nell said and read it out loud. ¡°Okay. Get this. I thought of the best ride yet. It¡¯ll be hot and scary at the same time. So like, you know those giant swings they have where you strap into a seat and then you fly around in a circle high above the ground and go sideways? Imagine one of those, but with penis seats. The only thing keeping you on the seat is sitting on the penis. It doesn¡¯t matter what hole you put it in, but you have to stay mounted on the penis if you don¡¯t want to fall off. I guess you could add some safety bars for safety if you want to, since people might slip off and die a lot without them, but the bars could also be shaped like dicks so that you¡¯re riding a dick and holding onto dicks at the same time. Also have you considered my idea about replacing the fountain in the middle of town with a cum fountain? I really think it would make everybody happier if we replaced the water with cum. Everybody loves cum and we could even take a public dip in it whenever we¡ªI can¡¯t,¡± Fenrir said, breaking. ¡°I¡ªyou get requests from this person every day?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nell said with a sigh. ¡°Part of me believes that it is an elaborate attempt at ¡®trolling¡¯ me. But if it is, I have no idea who may be behind it.¡± ¡°Well, whoever it is, they¡¯ve got a sexual imagination on par with your own.¡± ¡°Apparently. Then there is this.¡± Nell held a different form for him to look at. Once more reading out loud, Fenrir started from the top of the newest form. ¡°I am hereby demanding for permission that we be allowed to walk around with our avatars naked. As a proud nudist in real life who has lived free without clothing for the past forty-nine years, it is my right to walk around with the prison of fabric constraining me. No real children are playing this game in the first place, and it does not matter if NPC children see the natural body. Furthermore, I would like us to have a town meeting on whether or not we should¡­ switch to¡­ veganism. Even if this¡­ is in a game¡­ the act of consuming living creatures¡­ is a heinous offense¡­ no,¡± Fenrir stopped before proceeding to rip the form up. ¡°I can respect somebody wanting to be a perverted nudist, even if I don¡¯t want to allow them to walk around naked here, but I can¡¯t respect somebody for wanting to make others switch to veganism inside of a video game.¡± ¡°If only I were so bold as to rip apart every foolish request I receive. However, not all of them are bad. There is also this.¡± Fenrir took the final offering of a request from Nell and read aloud once again. ¡°We should organize some sort of festival that really shows off our culture over here. There are a lot of different players and a few different surrounding groups, so I believe we could create a pretty unique festival if we put our minds to it. It would increase the unity we all feel and also give the roleplayers something to look forward to. The NPCs might like it as well.¡± Fenrir nodded. ¡°Huh. Alright. Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. Maybe get some of that alcohol from GG¡¯s place and invite Fraydranth over for it, too. Name it¡­ the Dragon Wine festival or something.¡± ¡°Oh! I like that! Wonderful idea, my hero! Though, I would like to involve the other groups as well so that it may be a festival that truly represents all of us.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course. Maybe you should announce that we¡¯re going to throw a festival which truly shows us off, and that you¡¯re accepting ideas? Let the others know about it, too. Could be a huge meetup for the entire region.¡± Nell happily nodded along¡­ but then stopped and sighed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°I¡­ I can already imagine the request from a certain individual wanting to sexualize the festival,¡± Nell answered. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably going to happen.¡± Following another sigh, Nell forced her mind to change topics and looked up at Fenrir to ask, ¡°So, my beloved hero, what is it that you wanted my help with?¡± ¡°Oh, right. Uh, first, where are the maids at? I expected them to be here with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ they were¡­ not in a very good mood. I could tell that something was wrong, but they did not wish to speak of it, so I allowed them to take the day off and they returned to reality.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to cringe when he heard that, and it was the kind of cringe that told Nell that he knew something. ¡°My hero¡­ pray tell me what exactly it is that could cause such a face.¡± ¡°We-well¡­ you see¡­ uh¡­¡± And so, Fenrir told her everything. He told her about Rao¡¯s density, told her about how Rao basically rejected them earlier in the day, and told him about the plan he and Corwin came up with to fix the situation. Now, while Fenrir might have tried to end the explanation on the good note of having a plan to resolve it¡­ Nell was anything but pleased as she gripped her table with enough force to break through it, crushing the wood she held between her hands. ¡°You¡ªyou look really hot right now,¡± Fenrir said. He would have commented on how angry she looked, but he didn¡¯t need to. He knew full well just how utterly enraged she was given that, as her champion, he was still able to feel her own emotions¡­ especially when they were so overwhelmingly violent. Nell could only stare down at the rest of the desk as her hands trembled. ¡°I have question that man¡¯s presence ever since we first encountered him, and now he has caused my dearest friends and maids such heartbreak¡­¡± She took a deep breath, relaxed her hands, and looked up at Fenrir with the sweetest, most gentle smile that he ever saw from her. ¡°My hero, may I please murder him?¡± ¡°I¡ªI would rather you no¡ª¡± ¡°I will do anything you want. No matter what it may be, you will have full, unlimited access to my body for the rest of our lives. No matter how selfish your desires, even if you never make me finish again, I will gladly do everything in my power to pleasure you until our death. I will even wear nothing but sweaters, both in-game and out of it, from now on.¡± Fenrir had to wipe an arm across his forehead to deal with all the sweat running down it after hearing that deal. ¡°I¡ªI¡­ wait.¡± ¡°Is there something else you would like to request, my hero? After all, you may request anything of me.¡± ¡°This¡ªthis isn¡¯t a good deal! You would already do anything for me! You would even already wear nothing but sweaters as long as I got you enough to switch between in the first place!¡± Nell clicked her tongue and looked away. ¡°Curse my eager desire to please you.¡± She then looked at him again and almost looked as if she was going to cry. ¡°My hero! You should have seen how sad they looked! They were lethargic and barely even moving! They even missed a spot while dusting! They never miss a spot when cleaning! That dense fool of a boy has broken their hearts! I don¡¯t understand why they couldn¡¯t have fallen in love with you instead to join our relationship! There is nothing to even see in him! He¡­ he¡­¡± Yet another sigh left Nell¡¯s lips. ¡°He truly has changed since we first met, hasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°He has. And he honestly wants to do his best by them. It¡¯s just¡­ he¡¯s kind of a slow. Slow, but lovably slow, and he genuinely wants to make them happy. He¡¯s just been so afraid of messing things up that it made him too passive and miss the obvious. I know that sometimes¡­ it might not be that obvious, but he¡¯s always analyzing and thinking about everything. Probably too much for his own good at times.¡± ¡°No wonder they are so obsessed with him.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°He¡¯s like a puppy, that man. A puppy who has good intent, but is too na?ve and inexperienced to know any better. He is innocent, needs trained, and needs pampered, and he also has what I assume to be unwavering, unconditional love for them. He is¡­ their exact type. Back when I lived with them still, we would often go to the city and go on walks together¡ªthem pushing me, of course. Every single time we came across a puppy, without fail, they would beg for my permission to go and pamper it until the owner had to make up an excuse to leave. I believe, that when they look at Rao, they see a giant puppy.¡± ¡°You know, Rao would look pretty cute with floppy puppy ears.¡± Nell raised a curious eyebrow at Fenrir. ¡°What¡¯s this, my hero? Will I finally get to see you with another man?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t count on it,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°I can think a guy is objectively cute without being attracted to him. Like Olly. Spencer is hot in real life, and Olly is adorably lewd in-game. I don¡¯t have any sexual attraction to him in either case, but he would be my first pick to fuck if I rolled that way.¡± ¡°My hero, if you truly wish for me to forgive Rao for his transgressions and to make me feel better¡­ would you please answer some questions for me?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah?¡± ¡°Wonderful. I will write myself an erotic fantasy featuring you, Olly, and Rao with empty spaces spread throughout it. It will be your duty to fill in the blanks with the names of who is doing what. For example, I may write, ¡®Blank space gripped the back of blank space¡¯s hair as he thrust himself inside of the inviting passage. Meanwhile, blank space gripped his throbbing tool and smacked it against blank face¡¯s face before whispering into his ear to lick it.¡¯ I will have¡­ hmm. If I work on it once we are done resolving this drama, I should be able to have approximately twenty thousand words ready for you tonight.¡± Fenrir stared straight into Nell¡¯s eyes for a few seconds while wearing a blank expression before saying, ¡°Alright.¡± That was all there really was to say in the first place. ¡°Wonderful, thank you, my dearest, most wonderful, handsome, incredible, perfect hero! Now then, where would you like to have this event at?¡± ¡°I was thinking out at the cabin. That way there¡¯s plenty of privacy and nobody else will be watching in case things potentially get awkward. Plus Corwin said he¡¯ll make tea for everybody and do his best to prep Rao while waiting for us.¡± ¡°I see. Very well then. Would you like to head back first? I will go give them a call and tell them that I need them here for something important. I suppose I should also try talking to them to tell them about just how¡­ dense, Rao can be.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan. I¡¯ll see you over there then.¡± With that, Fenrir turned to leave, but he felt a hand grab onto his arm before he could actually do so. When he turned around to look, he saw Nell leaning over the desk with her hand grabbing onto him. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± Nell asked. ¡°To exactly where we just said I was going.¡± ¡°Yes, but before you have kissed me. Do not tell me that your mind is even slower than Rao¡¯s to have the foolish belief that you may leave my presence without a parting kiss.¡± ¡°Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?¡± Fenrir asked as he leaned toward her and brought his lips to her own. ¡°Not nearly enough,¡± Nell replied once their kiss was over, kissing him again immediately after. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you that I love you for every single time that Rao missed an opportunity to tell the maids that he loves him.¡± ¡°I suppose it will be an all-night affair then! Not that I would mind in the slightest.¡± With his arm let go of, Fenrir started to leave again and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a bit, and I¡¯ll make good on that later. Also¡­ it really was hot when you were that angry. It makes me want to see you that angry more often, but I wouldn¡¯t want to make you angry enough to get you like that.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ I¡­ did not wish to ever show you such a side of me, but¡­ if you truly wish to see me like that again, I could easily work myself up for you.¡± ¡°How would you even do that?¡± ¡°Well, I would have to think of something that makes me angry. However, I am assuming that you would like to partake in perverse activities while I am in that state of mind, so I would have to think of something that enrages and arouses me at the same time. Hmm. My apologies, my hero, but it may be impossible. Even imagining you, Rao, and Olly savagely mating with one another without letting me watch is not enough, and I do not believe I can think of anything that would make me both full of hate and lust at the same time.¡± ¡°What about just hate? Is there anything you can think of that pisses you off that much?¡± ¡°Oh, of course. Capitalism, for example. The more I think of it, the more furious I grow. Works every time.¡± ¡°Anything less political?¡± ¡°There is¡­ one thing, but it is something I struggle to even bring up to you given how extreme it can make me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, I¡¯m curious.¡± Nell took a long, deep breath before saying, ¡°People who believe that a sandwich made with melted cheese, and then some other form of filling, is a grilled cheese. For example, if somebody makes a ¡®grilled cheese¡¯ with ham inside of it. Or bacon. That is not a grilled cheese. That is a melt. It is a very clear distinction that anybody with even a single working cell in their brain should be able to understand, and yet so many absolute fools make the mistake of calling a melt a grilled cheese every single day. Truly, all faith I had in the in telligence of mankind was eradicated upon realizing that there are those who call melts grilled cheeses.¡± ¡°Oh, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t ask you if you want some grilled cheeses with ham for dinner then.¡± The way that Nell narrowed her eyes at Fenrir sent a shiver up his spine and encouraged him to head for the exit, leave, and close the door behind him without saying a single other word. ¡°I have no idea when I turned into this much of a masochist, but that was way hotter than it should have been,¡± Fenrir said before heading back toward the cabin. Ace_Arriande Also, just a reminder that if you ever really want to make sure I see a comment or anything, the best way to do so is by joining the Discord server! Honestly, I rarely ever read comments or reviews anymore for the sake of my mental health. I do reply to basically anything and everything on Discord, though, and can be found in the voice chat almost every single day. If you ever want to make sure I see something, the Discord server is the absolute best way to do so! Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 24] Ace_Arriande ¡°You¡­ want me to just¡­ sit on the roof?¡± Saya asked, looking up at the roof of the cottage and then back at Fenrir. ¡°Yep,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Because I know this scenario all too well. A guy and girl are finally going to confess their feelings to each other, and then something happens which ruins it. A random dragon attacks, fireworks start to lunch, the moon crashes into the world¡ªyou get the point. That is why it is your duty to, no matter what, guarantee that nothing happens which can interrupt us. Even if Cthulhu comes to life and invades this game through some sort of reality-warping bullshit, it is your job to punch him in the face and tell him to fuck off until there¡¯s a new relationship down there.¡± ¡°Uh-¡­uh-huh. You want me to punch Cthulhu in the face all so that Rao can get his very own maid harem. And because of that, I¡¯m supposed to just¡­ sit up here on the roof until I¡¯m given the all clear.¡± ¡°Preferably stand. Standing will give you a better view of the surrounding area.¡± ¡°So, you not only want me to wait up here for what will probably be nothing, but you want me to stand the whole time instead of sitting at all, too?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You owe me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pet your head and call you a good girl.¡± ¡°You¡ªyou owe me something more than just catering to your own fetishes!¡± Saya¡¯s tail was already wagging at that point. ¡°Then I¡¯ll¡­ let you suck my dick?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a reward for me! It¡¯s a reward for you! And don¡¯t act like that¡¯s something I have to be let to do! We both know I could do that whenever I want and you would never refuse it!¡± ¡°Just because I would never refuse it doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s not not letting you do it. It just means I¡¯m always letting you do it.¡± ¡°At least¡ªat least buy me something good to eat or something, geez¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get some chocolate sauce, put it in my dick, and let you lick it off.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°I love you, too. I¡¯ll think of some way to make it up to you, alright?¡± ¡°Hmph. You better.¡± Fenrir gave Saya a few pats on her head before she jumped up to the roof of the cottage, leaving Fenrir alone to walk back inside where Rao and Corwin both were. ¡°Is he ready?¡± Looking over at Rao¡­ Rao looked anything but ready. ¡°He has been like this for several minutes now,¡± Corwin answered. Rao had a stack of papers on the table in front of him covered in sketches of architectural designs, and he was in the process of sketching out even more. ¡°Apparently,¡± Corwin continued, ¡°it is the most effective way for him to relieve stress. I must say, if he becomes this productive under stress, his employer must absolutely love him.¡± Fenrir sighed and sat down at the table opposite of Rao. ¡°I know you¡¯re stressed, but is sketching all of this helping you think about what¡¯s going to happen?¡± Rao looked up at Fenrir, looked back down at the paper, and resumed sketching. ¡°It¡¯s helping me not run away.¡± ¡°Come on, Rao. You¡¯re not the type of man who would run away. All you have to do is confess your feelings to them.¡± ¡°What if I mess up? I¡ªI¡¯ve never done anything like this before, bro. The last time I tried to ask out a girl was in fourth grade. She dropped her paper on the floor, so I picked it up for her and wrote on it asking if she wanted to be my girlfriend. Then she got really mad and embarrassed when I gave it back.¡± ¡°What¡­ what kind of paper was it?¡± ¡°It was for our test.¡± ¡°Please tell me that was after it was handed back to her by the teacher.¡± ¡°No. It was right before the teacher came to take them.¡± ¡°Fuck me, Corwin,¡± Fenrir said, needing support from the only other man in the room. ¡°Only with Olly around,¡± Corwin replied. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ªhe really has rubbed off on you.¡± ¡°And onto me, many times.¡± ¡°You two are too perfect for each other. Anyways.¡± Fenrir returned his attention to Rao. ¡°All you have to do is say, ¡®Hey, I love you, will you date me?¡¯¡± Corwin, however, cleared his throat and interrupted. ¡°Declaring love is not what you are supposed to do when confessing. Perhaps such an arrangement has worked for your own unbelievable situation, but most would be put off if immediately faced with a declaration of love.¡± ¡°But I mean, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s obvious they all love each other. I think that would be alright.¡± Rao grew even more stressed and scribbled onto the paper even more violently than before. ¡°How am I supposed to know what to do when you two can¡¯t even agree? And you¡¯re both in relationships! You both have success and know what to do and can¡¯t even agree, so how am I supposed¡ª¡± A knock on the door caused all noise and scribbling to halt. ¡°My hero!¡± Nell called out. ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± All color drained from Rao¡¯s face. Fenrir looked at Corwin and said, ¡°Take him into the back. I¡¯ll buy a couple more minutes, alright?¡± Corwin nodded and hurried over to Rao to rush him into the back room where they could have a final pep talk. As for Fenrir, he walked over to the front door and opened it up only to see that Rao wasn¡¯t the only nervous one. Every single one of the maids was behind Nell, and they all looked just as pale and shaky as Rao did. Nell, on the other hand, was as confident as ever and immediately tossed her arms around Fenrir¡¯s neck to pull him down so that she could place a kiss against his lips. ¡°Have you missed me, my hero?¡± Fenrir kissed her back before answering, ¡°I¡¯m torn on whether I should tease you and say no since it¡¯s been less than an hour since I last saw you, or if I should be dramatic and say that I was afraid I was never going to see you again.¡± ¡°The former, please!¡± ¡°Alright. In that case, I saw you less than an hour ago, so no.¡± Nell immediately teared up and began to sniffle. ¡°You¡ªyou have not missed me? I¡ªI thought you loved me? Was the pain of our separation not so unberable that it caused an ache within your heart? Did you not long to be within my hold once again? Are these feelings that I have¡ªthese overwhelming feelings that bind me to you and demand that I never leave your side, mine and mine alone to bear?¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I missed you!¡± Fenrir pushed his lips back against Nell¡¯s immediately after saying that. As for Nell, she giggled and said, ¡°And that is why you should always choose the dramatic option instead of the teasing option, for if you are not dramatic, then I shall be. Of course, I also enjoy being given the opportunity to be dramatic, so please do choose the teasing option every now and then as well!¡± Nell then turned around to look at the maids and asked, ¡°See? Does this look that difficult to you? Imagine how much happier you would all be if you actually confessed to that dense fool of a man instead of beating around the bush. You can even do this to him whenever you want once you¡¯re in a relationship.¡± Nell reached behind Fenrir and grabbed his ass. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Fenrir said to the maids. ¡°You can grab his ass whenever you want once you¡¯re dating him. Probably. Also,¡± he looked at Nell, ¡°how long are you going to keep your hand there?¡± ¡°For as long as I desire. It is quite the nice bottom, after all. In fact¡­ it is unfair. Both here and in the real world, you have a nicer rear than my own. Ah, we should make you wear tighter pants more often so that you can truly show it off. Perhaps you will even attract more girlfriends if you do!¡± ¡°I¡ªI think I have enough of you already.¡± ¡°Speaking of, what about Mister Smi¡ªMary, I mean. I keep forgetting to default to her name.¡± ¡°Her family went on a vacation overseas and took her with them. I¡¯ve been getting a few pictures over Fiscord from her during it.¡± ¡°Ooh! Have you seen what she looks like in reality then?¡± ¡°Nope. She just sends me pictures of food and scenery.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, at least some progress has been made with your relationship with her.¡± ¡°You make it sound like it¡¯s a guarantee we¡¯re going to hook up.¡± ¡°You are not fooling anybody by acting like it is not. Everybody can see the passion you two share when you exchange fists in the arena. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Nell looked at the maids and they all nodded. ¡°Wait, why are we talking about this?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°We¡¯re not here for that. We¡¯re here for them and Rao.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I suppose we are doing that development no favor at the moment, so let us get to it!¡± Inside, after Rao and the maids received some final pep talks to prepare them for what was going to hopefully be the official start of a romantic relationship between them all, the atmosphere was¡­ awkward. Fenrir, Corwin, and Nell all stood back and watched alongside each other as Rao and the maids sat at the table together¡­ none of them looking at each other, nor did any of them speak a single word. ¡°Somehow, this has ended up even worse than I imagined,¡± Corwin said. Fenrir sighed. ¡°Never underestimate the stubbornness of a dense harem protagonist and his waifus. Harem anime always end up like they do because of all parties being equally incompetent.¡± Nell joined in with the sighing. ¡°My hero, while I would rather you not imply my friends are incompetent¡­ I must agree that you have a point at the current moment.¡± Then, it finally looked like something was going to happen when Rao lifted his head and parted his lips¡­ but then he lowered his head again and shut his mouth. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going in,¡± Fenrir said. Corwin grabbed onto Fenrir¡¯s shoulder before he could leave. ¡°Wait. Give him a chance. This is something he should have to do on his own now that we have prepared the scene for them. If they cannot do this, how are we to expect them to do anything else on their own once they are in a relationship?¡± ¡°I¡ªyeah. You have a point. Alright, I won¡¯t¡ª¡± Nell walked forward. While Corwin and Fenrir might have agreed to not force the situation, Nell¡¯s patience had clearly run out. But before she could say anything¡­ Rao looked at her and shook his head. Then, following a deep breath, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not good at this stuff, and you can all probably tell that by now, but uh¡­ I like you. I mean, I love you, but Cor said I should wait until we¡¯ve dated for a while before I say that, so I¡¯ll just say I like you for now. And I mean¡­ all of you. Like, more than as friends, you know? Like¡­ I want to date you. But I know it¡¯s pretty selfish of me to say something like that since I want to date all of you, not just one of you. I know I should probably try to pick just one, but¡­ you¡¯re all too amazing. I¡¯m just worried I won¡¯t be good enough for all of you, probably not even one of you.¡± Nell, with a smile on her face, stepped back to rejoin Fenrir and Corwin as Rao continued his confession. ¡°Rachel, you¡¯re always so happy and energetic, and just seeing you smile makes me feel like the world is awesome and that I have no reason to ever be upset. Abigail, you¡¯re always so cool and smart and I love reading the poetry you send me, and it makes me want to try writing my own for yo u. Emily, every time you mention being cold and wanting to cuddle, I want to wrap us up together with a super heavy blanket in front of a fireplace that I¡¯ve built for you so that I can help you be warm. Iris, I wish I could eat your cooking every single day, but I also want to help you out in the kitchen however I can and care about you as much as you care about others. And Anastasia, you have never sent me a song that isn¡¯t an absolute banger, and I want to take you to concerts and listen to you hum me to sleep every night for the rest of my life.¡± While Corwin might have looked disappointed by Rao¡¯s choice of words, even he found it at least slightly endearing. Fenrir and Nell, though, wrapped an arm around each other and looked on as if they were watching their child with pride. ¡°So, yeah. And all those times I would reply to your texts and stuff¡­ I realized I probably sounded pretty cold or something even though that¡¯s the opposite of how I feel, so I¡¯ll try my best to uh¡­ communicate better, and that sort of stuff. And this morning¡­ I was hyped as heck thinking about you coming over to my city, but I thought there was no way you liked me like that and that the city was boring, so I wanted you to go somewhere more fun for the sake of your own happiness. So¡­ yeah. Uh¡­ that¡¯s all I really have to say, I guess. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything else I¡¯m supposed to say or do. I guess¡­ want to be my girlfriends? If¡ªif not then it¡¯s totally cool, and I promise I won¡¯t act awkward or weird around you or anything. So no pressure. Seriously.¡± Rachel, the most cheerful of the maids, stood up all of a sudden with her head lowered and marched over to Rao, stood at his side, and¡­ grabbed his head to kiss him on the lips. Once their kiss was over, she stood up straight and proud and said, ¡°Tha-that¡¯s my answer! H-heh. That¡ªI¡ªI think that should be a pretty straightforward answer, yeah?¡± Rao looked up at her and blinked a couple of times before answering, ¡°I really liked that¡­ but does that mean you just want to kiss and not date me, or? Like, a friends with benefits thing?¡± Iris, still sitting down, sighed and said, ¡°At this point, I think the fault is mainly our own for not realizing just how forward we were going to need to be. Even kissing him like that doesn¡¯t get the point across. Our operation to put Emily in a bikini for him probably wouldn¡¯t have done anything, either.¡± Emily, the shortest of the girls with the biggest of breasts, looked shocked at what she heard. ¡°There¡ªthere was a plan for that?!¡± Abigail was the next to stand up. Usually cool and silent, though flustered and shy for the morning¡¯s misunderstanding, she walked over to Rao and grabbed him by his chin, tilting his head back and placing her lips against his own. However, as soon as she pulled her lips away¡­ she blushed and stuttered out, ¡°I¡ªI¡­ forgot what¡­ quote I was going to recite after the kiss¡­¡± Rao, meanwhile, obviously looked overjoyed, but also confused still. ¡°It¡¯s not fair that you¡¯re all beating me to it!¡± Emily whined, getting off her chair to march over to Rao herself. But, in classic Emily style, she tripped and ended up almost knocking Rao in his chair over. Instead, she managed to land in the perfect position that had her heavy chest pressing down against his crotch as she looked up at him and said, ¡°I¡ªI want a kiss, too¡­¡± ¡°I can do that,¡± Rao said, leaning down to kiss her. Emily couldn¡¯t stop smiling after that. ¡°Ehe¡­ I¡¯m going to stay right here. You¡¯re so nice and warm¡­ I hope you¡¯re prepared for dating me. Dating me means that I¡¯m going to steal all your warmth.¡± ¡°Wait, dating? Then, does that mean you want to actually be my girlfriend?¡± Emily narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°You still don¡¯t get it?¡± ¡°Goodness,¡± Iris said and sighed, standing up next. ¡°And here we believed we were close to tempting you into a confession. I suppose it was us who needed to act this entire time. However, just because I am your girlfriend does not mean that you deserve a kiss. Instead, this is what you deserve for keeping us waiting for so long, making us worry that we lost your interest.¡± Rather than kiss Rao on the lips like the others did, Iris turned his head to the side and bit into his neck, causing him to squirm and even moan out in a way that immediately grabbed all of the girls¡¯ interest. And Corwin¡¯s interest. Once the bite was done, Iris pulled back and looked down at the hickey she left on his neck. ¡°Your punishment will be walking around with that so everybody knows you¡¯re taken now.¡± ¡°That¡ªthat was kind of nice,¡± Rao said. ¡°If so, then I will have plenty of fun with you.¡± Nell stood up on the tips of her toes to whisper to Fenrir, ¡°Iris has always been the sadistic one.¡± ¡°I can tell,¡± Fenrir whispered back. Only one of the maids was left at that point, and it was Anastasia who stood up, walked over to Rao, and stood behind him before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and placing her breasts down against the top of his head. Rather than say anything, despite not being the deaf member of the group, she hummed a, ¡°Mmhm,¡± as her response before going in for a kiss of her own. Once all the kissing was done, Rao found himself completely surrounded by the maids all basically trying to touch him in some way with Emily being the most successful at it given her position on his lap. Even so, he still had to ask, ¡°So¡­ does this mean we¡¯re dating now? I mean, we can just be friends with benefits if that¡¯s what you want, but I¡¯d rather date you if it¡¯s possible.¡± With every word that left Rao¡¯s mouth, the maids realized just how foolish they were to ever hope to get through to him short of using anything but the most blunt language possible. ¡°Obviously!¡± Emily whined. ¡°Come on¡­ I told you that dating means I¡¯ll be stealing all your warmth, right?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Rachel answered. ¡°Totally dating. And no take backs. Hehe, you¡¯re stuck with us now. If you thought I was clingy and annoying before, you haven¡¯t seen anything yet. Prepare for a hundred texts a day!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have to train you to be less dense, but¡­ that is something we have fallen for as well. And yes, Rao, we are dating,¡± Iris joined in. Anastasia joined in next, breaking her usual habit of not speaking to say, ¡°Since humming it might not get the point across¡­ yes, Rao. I would love to be your girlfriend.¡± Only Abigail was left at that point, and she said, ¡°I¡ªI can¡¯t remember any of the quotes I picked out to use for whenever you ask me out, but¡­ yes, please.¡± In response to all of their confirmations of their new relationship, Rao triumphantly threw his arms up and looked at Fenrir. ¡°I did it! Bro! I did it! They actually said yes! Wait. What do I do after they say yes? I¡­ never thought I was going to make it this far.¡± Fenrir sighed and grabbed Nell and Corwin by their wrists to lead them outside, leaving Rao alone with his new maid harem. ¡°Figure it out. Our work here is done,¡± Fenrir said. While being dragged out of the house, Corwin looked back and shouted, ¡°Oh! And please feel free to use the furniture in any ways that you want! Don¡¯t worry about the mess, either! I can clean that up for you afterward!¡± The intent of Corwin¡¯s final words might have flown over Rao¡¯s head, but they didn¡¯t fly over the heads of the maids. But the maids, even the sadistic Iris, were all too happy and embarrassed to even think of following through with Corwin¡¯s implication. Instead¡­ not a single one of them had any idea what to do next. Ace_Arriande Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 10 pt. 25] And so, a new relationship was formed, and it didn¡¯t take long to see the results of it as Nell¡¯s maid crew began to spend less time with her and more time with Rao. It was evenly split time, of course, but that was significantly more than what they spent with Rao before. Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to feel proud whenever he saw them all together. Though¡­ there was clearly much work that needed to be done still seeing as how it looked like none of them had any idea what to do now that they were actually in a relationship. The girls had some experience, at least, but¡ªwell, to call it experience was an exaggeration. It was more like the maids all had specific desires that they now used Rao for, but none of them knew how to actually act like girlfriends just as Rao had no idea how to actually be a boyfriend. But, at least they were all happy together, even if they often awkwardly sat around each other clearly having no idea how to actually act. Maybe they were just enjoying the weather in silence together, Fenrir figured. Or hoped. Thinking of them as purposely being quiet to enjoy their surroundings was better than thinking of them as a bunch of awkward teens who had no idea what to do. That aside, everybody seemed busy, so Fenrir found himself rather aimlessly wandering around since he wanted to do something but didn¡¯t know what to do. And that was when he noticed Cassiel and Eva loading up The Shoebill with a few different crates of unknown contents. Naturally, that grabbed his interest. ¡°What are you two up to?¡± Fenrir asked the two women from the pier. ¡°I¡¯m bored and want an adventure,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°All this sitting around and doing political stuff isn¡¯t for me. I joined up with the empire originally because I wanted to be an angel on the frontlines of combat, but all we¡¯ve been doing lately is¡­ sitting still over here. We had that fight against the serpent, but all that did was make me want even more adventure.¡± Fenrir brought out the fake sniffles when he heard that. ¡°You¡¯re¡ªyou¡¯re breaking up with me because I¡¯m boring?¡± he asked with an extremely dramatic voice. ¡°Don¡¯t make me hit you.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Cassiel sighed and walked up to Fenrir, stepping off The Shoebill, to flick a finger against his chest. ¡°There. And no. Even though I know you¡¯re not serious, I still feel I need to say I¡¯m not breaking up with you, you overly dramatic sweater-loving pervert.¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears perked up as soon as he heard the word ¡°sweater,¡± causing Cassiel to sigh again. ¡°More seriously, if you ever want to do anything, all you have to do is ask me.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, I know, but you¡¯re always busy. You¡¯re either going on fishing trips with the NPCs, training or fighting in the arena, helping Nell out, dealing with your,¡± Cassiel looked around and saw too many people within earshot to bring up the submarine, ¡°special project, or being a relationship counselor for others. You¡¯re already busy and having a ton of fun. Plus, it¡¯s not like all of my fun should be tied to you. I¡¯m more than capable of going out and doing things on my own.¡± ¡°Part of me almost feels jealous hearing that, but I know what you mean.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous that it¡¯s possible for me to have fun without you.¡± ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m just messing around. Though, I will admit I would rather you have fun with me than without me, not that the latter is illegal.¡± ¡°Then come with us. It¡¯s not like The Shoebill can¡¯t handle an extra pair of hands on deck.¡± ¡°I was getting to that part. How am I going to invite myself if you invite me for me?¡± Cassiel crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Here, let me just revoke my invitation then since you don¡¯t want¡ª¡± ¡°No, no, I accept.¡± ¡°Thought so.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir reached forward and pulled Cassiel¡¯s hair into two different groups on each side of her head before lifting the groups of hair up to make it look like she had twintails. Meanwhile, Cassiel was just staring at him with dead, empty eyes as he messed around with her hair. ¡°I was going to say that twintails don¡¯t really suit you, but then you looked at me with those eyes during it,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°They work.¡± ¡°No,¡± Cassiel replied, swatting his hands away from her hair. ¡°And I will never have tails like that.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°They¡¯re too childish. Also, I know you and Serra. I wouldn¡¯t be able to go a single day without one of you somehow referencing using them as handlebars. I don¡¯t need my hair to become the source of even more degeneracy for you two to exploit.¡± ¡°Tsk. But there¡¯s nothing like a tsundere with twintails having her handlebars used.¡± ¡°The next flick will be for your balls instead of your chest.¡± Fenrir covered up his crotch with his hands immediately after hearing that. ¡°I surrender.¡± ¡°Thought so.¡± ¡°A-anyways, do you two have a destination in mind?¡± Eva jumped into the conversation next to say, ¡°Those islands I discovered while trying to escape the atmosphere. I haven¡¯t been able to stop thinking about them ever since I noticed them. I know you said you wanted to explore them, but you¡¯ve been taking too long, so I thought we¡¯d go ahead and check them out first. But if you¡¯re free, you can come with us!¡± ¡°What¡¯s even in all these crates you¡¯re taking?¡± Eva walked over to a crate and reached in to pull out what appeared to just be a normal, glass jar. ¡°Containment vessels!¡± ¡°Glass jars.¡± ¡°Same thing. What if there are a bunch of undiscovered species on those islands? I¡¯ll need to secure every single insect, rock, plant, and even blade of grass that looks like an undiscovered species. And if I can discover a bunch¡­ I¡¯ll get even stronger.¡± ¡°How?¡± Eva, with a smug smirk on her face and her hands on her hips, spoke with pride as she explained, ¡°Us Scholars have a special skill that boosts our experience gain rate the more species we discover. So for every species that we discover, we grow stronger faster in every other field for it!¡± ¡°How the heck did you figure that out?¡± ¡°With a lot of trial and error. Don¡¯t forget, the Scholars are full of players whose peak enjoyment comes from testing even the most tiny and random of things. So when it was noticed that one of our most devout field researchers seemed to develop rapidly in all other areas, enough testing was done to confirm that some sort of skill exists that allows one to grow faster the more unique species that they have discovered. Of course, you need to not only discover them, but study them as well. A minimum of one hundred species is needed to even unlock the skill in the first place as far as we know seeing as how no changes in personal growth rate could be detected beyond that point. But as soon as somebody has unlocked it, if I¡¯m remembering the numbers correctly, the subject who gained the skill was able to acquire an extra health point .25% faster than the player without the skill. And it really does apply to everything, meaning that you will gain health, mana, improve your other stats, skills, and more all faster than you usually would. Thus, it was decided that the skill would be named, ¡®Fervor of the Learned.¡¯ Given how few people we believe actually have the skill, since most people aren¡¯t going around looking for new species and then not studying said new species, we believe fewer than .1% of all players have the skill. Therefore, it has earned the rank of being a legendary-level skill for how rare it is!¡± While Fenrir struggled to keep up with how quickly Eva explained everything during her passionate rambling, Cassiel happily watched with a loving smile on her face and an equally loving look in her eyes. ¡°Maybe you should join the Scholars, Cass,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°What? No way,¡± Cassiel replied. ¡°I just love listening to her talk.¡± Eva nodded and told Fenrir, ¡°She¡¯s not fit for the Scholars at all. I¡¯ve already confirmed that. But, I¡¯ve also confirmed that she will listen to literally anything that I ramble about. Let me tell you, there are so many realizations I¡¯ve had just by talking to her even though she doesn¡¯t say anything back most of the time. All I have to do is talk to her for a long enough time and I¡¯ll eventually have a breakthrough.¡± And again, Cassiel was looking at Eva with awe and love in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t look at me when I talk like that,¡± Fenrir said with a playful pout. ¡°I like her voice more than yours,¡± Cassiel said, opting for the most blunt option. ¡°Understandable. I, too, like her voice more than my own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to take that seriously.¡± Yet another sigh left Cassiel¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s not that I like her voice more, I just like how passionate she gets when she rambles. It¡¯s nice to listen to people who are passionate about what they¡¯re talking about, and Eva is never anything but passionate. She never lies, never exaggerates, never feels forced into anything¡ªyou can just¡­ tell that she¡¯s always a hundred percent genuine. She never feels the need to lie or exaggerate because she already thinks everything she¡¯s doing is the coolest stuff in the world even without that, and she never sounds bothered or forced because she loves to talk about what she¡¯s interested in. You¡­ never really get like that, but Eva is always like that about basically everything.¡± Fenrir stroked his chin as he watched Cassiel fangirl over Eva¡¯s passion. ¡°I get it. I can see it now. You¡¯re passionate about Eva¡¯s passion. And I guess¡­ there¡¯s not really anything I¡¯m that passionate about. Or rather, nothing I¡¯m both passionate and intelligent enough about to ramble about. Even when it comes to fishing and sweaters, it¡¯s not like I know enough about them to really¡­ ramble about them. Maybe I need a new hobby.¡± ¡°Or you can just keep on being yourself because we all already love you just as you are.¡± ¡°But I want to make you love me even more. I¡¯ve already read that you should never stop trying to improve for your partner, so I want to do that. I want to be somebody who makes you realize that you somehow manage to love me more every single day. Alright, that settles it. It¡¯s time for a new operation. Operation: Be A Better Boyfriend!¡± Taking Cassiel¡¯s hand into his own, he stepped aboard The Shoebill and swung his arm out toward the ocean. ¡°Together, we¡¯re going to go on an adventure to explore those new islands! We¡¯re going to put down any threats we come across, engage in hopefully epic battles, and discover the unknown! Meanwhile, we¡¯ll also be letting Eva nerd out and research all sorts of new things that we don¡¯t understand but are still interested in because she¡¯s interested in them! And then we can roleplay being stranded on an island and do lewd things, like dressing you two up in bikinis where you wear coconuts for bras.¡± While Cassiel might have given Fenrir a gentle karate chop against his head for that comment, Eva tapped her chin and said, ¡°I wonder just how efficient of a bra I would be able to make using coconuts. It probably wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for me given my modest size, but,¡± she paused to look at Cassiel¡¯s overwhelming bust, ¡°for you¡­ unless we discover a new species of giant coconut, it would probably end up looking like one of those micro bikinis on you.¡± ¡°That makes it even better,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°They would basically only cover up her nipples and then leave the rest exposed.¡± ¡°Hmm. I think I can understand the appeal to that, but I would have to see it myself to really confirm whether or not that¡¯s something I¡¯m interested in. But that¡¯s one of the experiments we can do while we¡¯re out there.¡± Now, Cassiel was used to the perversion of the group relationship she was in. But they were not only being peverts, but they were also being perverts in public with other people around who could hear everything being said, and that meant she could see several nearby players and NPCs alike all staring at her after Fenrir and Eva talked about dressing her up in a coconut micro bikini. Needless to say, Cassiel turned red and made sure to properly bonk both her boyfriend and her girlfriend on their heads before marching below deck. ¡°Hurry up and finish bringing everything on board!¡± she shouted back at them. It was Fenrir¡¯s turn to let out a peaceful sigh. ¡°Ah¡­ properly tsundere Cass Cass. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve seen you. I¡¯ve fallen in love all over again.¡± ¡°I have to admit that I do enjoy the contrast in how she can act,¡± Eva said. ¡°Also, being playfully hit like that was kind of nice. I wonder if I¡¯m a masochist? I might need to perform some tests on that to measure just how much of a masochist I might be.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not already a huge, confirmed masochist?¡± ¡°Of course not. I have never done enough testing with a partner to confirm most of my potential fetishes. While most of the Scholars would¡­ gladly test such subjects with anybody willing, I would rather wait for¡­ a relationship like ours to test them. But every single time the opportunity arises, I¡¯m too horny to think about that and just want to cum instead. I need to set aside time for a specific, lewd experiment if I really want to test that out since otherwise I¡¯ll just get too horny and be normal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just surprised given the magma baths and atmosphere launching and whatnot.¡± ¡°Doing things that I know will most likely hurt or kill me for the sake of science does not make me a masochist. Nor have I have ever gained sexual enjoyment out of such feats. For example, when I wanted to experience what it was like to fall from a great height and survive, there was no sexual pleasure to be found in lying on the ground with my limbs twisted and broken. Though, it was interesting to see how the bones stabbed out through my skin. That gave me enough information to visually replay it in my head like watching a physics simulation where I watched myself fall in slow motion to figure out exactly how and why my bones broke the way that they did.¡± ¡°Yep, there goes all the bystanders and any lewd thoughts they might have had in their heads. Anyways, have you checked up with the others to see if they were interested in coming?¡± ¡°Mhm. Everybody¡¯s busy or got other things they want to do. So, it¡¯s just us for now.¡± ¡°Everybody, huh? I bet I can find one more crewmember for us if you give me a few minutes. Mind loading the rest of this up so that I can go grab her?¡± ¡°Oh, sure. Who is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Eva tilted her head, unsure of who Fenrir could have been talking about since she already checked up with everybody that they were on good terms with. With that, Fenrir ran off to go and pick up the last crewmember that The Shoebill needed for an adventure. It didn¡¯t take long to find her, either, since she was always in the same spot whenever there wasn¡¯t anything going on. She was currently in the middle of sleeping, too. She was just curled up and enjoying one of her many daily naps. That was when she heard the words that could wake any slumbering beast from their nap. The words were soft and almost whispered, but still loud enough for her to hear and immediately lift her head up upon hearing. ¡°Hey, Rock, wanna go for an adventure?¡± Fenrir asked. Then, as one did when talking to a pet dog, he repeated the previous question in an even more playful voice. ¡°Who wants to go for an adventure?¡± With her heavy, rocky tail wagging down against his bed¡¯s mattress with enough force that he was worried she was going to break his bed frame, Rock jumped up off the bed and charged straight at Fenrir! She was so happy when she reached him that she jumped up onto her back legs and¡ª! And¡­ In the process of tackling him and getting up on her back legs, she accidentally brought her hard-as-a-rock head right into his crotch, crippling Fenrir and sending him to his knees as he twitched and groaned in pain. While Rock licked his face regardless of the injury she just inflicted, Fenrir groaned out, ¡°Just¡ªjust give me a few minutes to recover, first.¡± The less adventuring they went out to do, the larger, heavier, and clumsier Rock grew. They needed to get her on a diet once they were back from their adventure. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 1] There were few things better than being out on open waters with The Shoebill and Rock. In fact, the only way that Fenrir could think of for how to make it better was by doing exactly what he always did whenever he had free time, and that was by fishing with Rod. Well, that was exactly what he always did whenever he had free time¡­ and wasn¡¯t spending said free time training with his friends and girlfriends, getting into political drama between different factions, building a fantasy submarine capable of launching missiles, and dealing with Kadi being Kadi. Then there were all the different things he kept on doing with his girlfriends both in-game and outside of it. Really, Fenrir barely got to spend any time fishing anymore. That was why he had every intention of fishing while sailing to those islands that Eva noticed. Speaking of Eva, both her and Cassiel were there on The Shoebill, too. They decided to leave Fenrir be for the trip so that he could fish with Rock at his side while they sat near the bow together talking about various things while keeping an eye out for the islands. And because Rock was at his side, that meant Fenrir made sure to keep a single hand atop her head to pet her while his other hand held Rod. That was when Fenrir thought of something. Saya, Corwin, Rock, and Shogun all ascended into being actual artificial intelligences like Kadi. They might have been a bit more limited than her due to her implementing protections from them that they couldn¡¯t get around, but they were every bit as real of an intelligence as she was. They were capable of leaving the game to exist outside of it, too, and often played other games together with the group. Other people got very confused whenever Rock and Shogun would play multiplayer games, especially FPS games, and could hear the two, canid intelligences barking through the in-game voice chats. Of course, most people just assumed they were dogs barking in the background, but those who knew the two canids knew the truth. Regardless of that, Fenrir looked down at Rod and realized that it was entirely possible he could have Rod turned into an intelligence, too. Then again¡­ he was dependent on Kadi for that as far as he was aware, and he wanted nothing more to do with her. Quite frankly, knowing that she was in charge of the world he was playing already made the game far, far less appealing than it ever was before. Had he not already accomplished so much and made so many friends, he most likely would have quit already. But at the same time, it was thanks to the game that he met all of his girlfriends and made so many new friends. It was also thanks to Kadi that Saya, Corwin, Rock, and Shogun all got to become proper intelligences. Kadi was the one who gave them life. Though, she also went and gave everybody a sort of pseudo intelligence so that she would no longer have to manually control everybody. It wasn¡¯t as advanced as the previously mentioned four, but they were still independent because of that. Remembering that made the world a bit more tolerable. If Fenrir had to walk around knowing that everybody and everything he interacted with was technically Kadi, he likelky wouldn¡¯t have stuck with the game for much longer. So, did that mean Rod already had an intelligence like that? If so, could it be developed? Could Rod eventually leave the game to exist in the broader world as well? Fenrir didn¡¯t have the answer to that question, nor most of his questions in general, but he did know that the weather was perfect for fishing at least. Clear and bright blue skies, a gentle breeze, and warming light from the sun that felt great without making him sweaty. ¡°Enjoying the weather, Rod?¡± Fenrir asked. A single pulse from Rod¡¯s gem told him that he was, in fact, enjoying the weather. ¡°Now if only we could catch something. I guess I better start reeling it in to make sure the bait is still attached in the first plac¡ª¡± The game might not have had officially listed skills anywhere, but Fenrir realized he must have gotten a new one recently when he instinctively knew that something was about to take the bait. He took his hand off of Rock¡¯s head, causing her lift her head up and look out to the water, to tightly grip Rod with both hands in preparation for what was about to happen. It was a good thing that he did, too, considering that whatever tugged on his line did so with almost enough force to tear Rod straight out from his hands even with preparing for it. Fortunately, Rock was there, and Rock was¡ªobviously¡ªa very good girl. Such a good girl, in fact, that she knew to bite onto Fenrir¡¯s leg to keep him from getting pulled overboard as he very clearly almost was by whatever got hooked on his line. And due to Rock weighing several times what Fenrir weighed, that made it far more difficult for the catch to pull him overboard. ¡°Cass! Eva!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°I¡ªI could use some help!¡± Hearing Fenrir call for help while fishing was even more surprising to them than the fact that The Shoebill was being pulled backwards. ¡°Want me to try zapping the water?¡± Eva asked Fenrir upon landing at his side, stretching out her thunderbird wing. But Fenrir shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s too dirty.¡± ¡°But¡­ if it¡¯s strong enough to pull the entire ship, don¡¯t you think we should deal with it before it might damage it?¡± ¡°Did you just call The Shoebill an it?¡± ¡°Sorry, her. Before it might damage her.¡± ¡°Thanks. And unless it actually tries to attack her, we¡¯re going to fish this bastard up the real way. Right now, we¡¯re fishing. If it attacks, we¡¯re fighting.¡± Cassiel sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Then I think we should let you handle it yourself since you want to fish it up. It¡¯s not very real fishing if we help you. Isn¡¯t fishing supposed to be a one-versus-one sort of thing?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes, but¡ª¡± ¡°I think Rock should let go so you can be pulled overboard, too.¡± Fenrir looked down at Rock, who was the only anchor keeping him onboard, and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Naturally, Rock would never even think of that. There was no way she would ever let go of her master to let him get pulled overboard by a mysterious beast within the ocean. ¡°Rock,¡± Cassiel said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you some gems when we get home if you let go.¡± Rock¡¯s ears twitched and her tail froze as she looked up at Cassiel. ¡°Please,¡± Fenrir whispered to Rock. ¡°Don¡¯t give in to that witch¡¯s foul temptations.¡± ¡°A witch?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°If I¡¯m a witch then I should act like one. Don¡¯t you think?¡± She looked at Eva. Eva smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course! I mean, I think that being a witch is more of Aza¡¯s thing, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not allowed to be one, too. Maybe you should place a curse on him to give him eternally wet hair? Then he can smell like wet dog for the rest of his life.¡± ¡°I¡ªI think we would be the ones who suffer from that more than he does.¡± ¡°Hmm. Good point. Alright, then what about¡­ cursing him so that he can¡¯t get hard anymore?¡± ¡°We all lose in that case.¡± ¡°Well, we can still use toys.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Betrayed by everybody Fenrir knew and loved, he had no choice but to pour all of his strength into fighting against his caught prey as hard as he could. At least Rock was still serving as his anchor even if she did seem ready to let go of him at any second if it meant being treated to some gems. But alas, the beast Fenrir hooked was not one meant to achieve victory over in the sport of fishing. Everything stopped moving. The Shoebill was no longer being tugged backward through the water, nor was it being propelled forward via wind against its sails. Instead, it sat still in the water as Fenrir reeled in¡­ an empty hook. That was when gamer sense kicked in for the trio of humans aboard. A situation like the one they were in was almost always the prelude to some sort of major fight or event happening, and they all got ready for it even if there was no other reason to suspect a fight yet. ¡°Go below deck, Rock,¡± Fenrir ordered. If anything happened, he didn¡¯t want her to potentially get knocked overboard in the middle of the ocean. There was no saving her if that happened as she would sink straight to the bottom and be almost impossible to find, not to mention potentially be impossible to reach. Rock didn¡¯t hesitate to listen as she was well aware of how dangerous the ocean was for her. ¡°Too bad Ilo hasn¡¯t been around lately,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°We might know what¡¯s going on if she was.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Fenrir replied, ¡°haven¡¯t seen her for a couple of weeks.¡± Eva, keeping her head on a swivel to look around for even the slightest sign of danger, said, ¡°Maybe she went on an extended rowboat hunting trip?¡± Fenrir laughed a little at that. ¡°Maybe. But shit, even the wind has died down. It¡¯s completely still out here now.¡± ¡°Good thing we have Tab¡¯s engine,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°We should probably go get it turned¡ªwhat¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s that?¡± Fenrir pointed to the distance behind them, causing both Eva and Cassiel to join him in looking exceptionally worried at the sight of what was coming toward them. ¡°I¡­ I think that could be called a rogue wave,¡± Eva said, taking a step back as the massive wave approached them. ¡°Go get below deck,¡± Fenrir ordered the girls as he placed Rod back on his side to take up the helm, igniting the engine with the lever that Tabitha built in next to the ship¡¯s wheel. ¡°I don¡¯t think outrunning it is going to work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to turn into it. I¡­ I think that¡¯s what you¡¯re supposed to do in situations like this. You turn into it and ride over it before it crests.¡± While the engine kicked into life, Fenrir pulled another lever that automatically rolled up the sails to take away as much drag as he could. Cassiel didn¡¯t sound too convinced of his plan. ¡°Do you have any idea if that¡¯s going to work?¡± ¡°I saw it in a movie once. I think.¡± Cassiel and Eva looked at each other. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to go join Rock,¡± Cassiel said. Eva, however, had another idea. ¡°I might be able to zap the engine to give it a boost. I have no idea if it¡¯ll work, and Tabs is probably going to want to kill me for it later, but¡­ I might be able to overcharge it.¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t bother questioning how that would work and instead nodded to Eva as he turned The Shoebill toward the incoming wave. ¡°Just don¡¯t break it.¡± ¡°No promises.¡± With that, the plan was set in motion. The Shoebill charged toward the wave while Eva ran below deck to the engine, extending her thunderbird wing once more so that she could give the engine a little zap of lightning. When that not only didn¡¯t break the engine, but produced a minor but noticeable boost in power, she decided to increase the strength of her lightning to give it an even bigger boost. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Fenrir shouted from above deck as The Shoebill surged forward with more speed than it ever had before when using only the engine. ¡°Just give it small boosts every few seconds so you don¡¯t overwhelm it!¡± So far, everything seemed good. But then as The Shoebill got closer to the wave¡­ Fenrir realized just how utterly massive it was, and he saw just how steep of a wall of water he was going to have to climb with her if he wanted to get over it. ¡°Scratch that! Give it as much power as you can!¡± Fenrir shouted. Eva immediately followed the command, increasing the intensity of lightning that she zapped the engine with each time. Meanwhile, Cassiel sat on her knees and held onto the whimpering Rock. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Cassiel whispered to Rock. ¡°It always is. You know how it goes.¡± ¡°Hold onto something!¡± Fenrir shouted as the ship began to tilt upward at the base of the wave. He had the wheel to hang onto and Eva was able to brace herself against the back of the stairs so that she could still be within reach of the engine to continue boosting it, but Cassiel and Rock were less fortunate. All there was for Cassiel to try and grab onto was a hammock, but that meant leaving Rock to slide back on her own, and she didn¡¯t want to abandon Rock like that. Unable to think of any other option and with various boxes and barrels sliding down the deck toward them, Cassiel used her body to shield Rock from harm as they slid down the deck followed by anything and everything that wasn¡¯t secured to the floor. Then when a small bump in the wave tilted the ship even more for a second, it was enough to practically fling Rock and Cassiel into the air. And given just how heavy Rock was, that meant they went falling and fast. ¡°We¡¯re almost up!¡± Fenrir shouted, unaware of the chaos occurring below the deck. Going by the fact that he just heard something loud crash down there, though, he was able to tell that something went wrong. It was made even more obvious when the engine died. Rock and Cassiel crashed into Tabitha¡¯s prized, custom engine, smashing it which allowed all of the compressed energy within it to burst out with a small explosion that tore a hole through the back of The Shoebill. If it wasn¡¯t for Eva¡¯s quick thinking in using her tail to wrap around Cassiel and Rock as she held onto the stairs, the two might have fallen through the hole where the engine used to be. Instead, she was able to hold onto them for long enough that Cassiel and Rock could pull themselves to a part of the wall where there wasn¡¯t a hole. But without any power, The Shoebill lost its only way to get up the wave. ¡°Is everybody alright?!¡± Fenrir shouted, still unaware of exactly what happened. Then, when he noticed that it suddenly grew dark, he looked up only to see the wave¡¯s crest above him. ¡°Shit.¡± The wave collapsed onto The Shoebill, completely drowning her within its water and rendering her invisible beneath its surface. When Fenrir next opened his eyes, he expected to see the ceiling of his bedroom back in Nameless since that was where his respawn was set to. Instead, he saw the same clear, blue sky from earlier. Fenrir leaned up in a hurry and immediately regretted it as his entire body felt sore, not to mention that he must have been severely injured given just how dark his vision started to get. But more importantly, he shouted out, ¡°Rock!¡± If anybody was in danger, it was Rock. Sure, she might have been an artificial intelligence who could exist outside of the game, but she technically didn¡¯t have an in-game character. She had a body that she controlled, but it was more or less on the same level as an NPC. If she died in-game, that avatar was forever gone even if her intelligence would, presumably, persist outside of the game. Yet, he received no response from anybody nor anything as he shouted. And then, looking around, he realized what situation he was in. He was alone, on a sandy beach, with a shattered plank stabbing into his abdomen, surrounded by debris from The Shoebill with no sign of the rest of her, his girlfriends, nor Rock. Fenrir looked back at the ocean, which was perfectly calm again, and sighed. ¡°Fuck.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 2] If there was one positive side to getting stranded on a mysterious island with his girlfriends, it was that Fenrir might actually get to see Cassiel and Eva in coconut bikinis after all. Unfortunately, though, there were no coconuts in sight. Not that it mattered too much. Fenrir was more concerned with finding Rock. He just so happened to also keep an eye out for any coconuts out of pure curiosity. ¡°Rock!¡± Fenrir shouted, unsure of whether or not he should continue walking down the beach or if he should go inland. Something heavier would probably be closer to the shore, right? And everything lighter would have been sent farther inland, right? Then again, he was heavier than Cassiel and Eva, and neither of them were anywhere to be seen. They were also all below deck, though, and it was possible that section of The Shoebill sunk with them in it while he only ended up on the island with various bits of debris due to being above deck. He didn¡¯t want to consider that being a legitimate possibility, though. ¡°Cass! Eva!¡± Fenrir shouted some more. If he could find even one of them, he would feel far better about the situation, but¡­ there was no response. Well, there was one response. ¡°Oof,¡± Saya said, her voice within Fenrir¡¯s head as she talked to him as his virtual assistant. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re able to cheat and help me find them, are you?¡± Fenrir asked, talking out loud in response to her. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not allowed. I also have to act like I know nothing is wrong with my avatar unless you¡¯re able to somehow communicate it to me.¡± ¡°Guess I can¡¯t ask you to send rescue my way then.¡± Fenrir sighed. Then he realized something. ¡°This is kind of like the old days, isn¡¯t it? Back when I first started playing. Just me and you, with me being lost and trying to find my friends.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have a Rock to be looking for? Or are you going to find a coconut and turn that into a dog instead?¡± Fenrir mentally flicked Saya¡¯s forehead before going back to shouting out Rock¡¯s name. Even though shouting her name hadn¡¯t resulted in anything yet, that was no reason to stop, and maybe she was on her way toward him and looking for him. He hoped so, anyways. Then, after a few more minutes of searching, he found a clue. He found her tail. Rock¡¯s tail, broken off from her body, was spotted on the sandy beach and looked like it had slid across the sand going toward the forest. If her tail was there¡­ then it was possible that the rest of her got tossed even farther inland. Either that, or she was under the water. Fenrir checked the water first. There was nothing along the sand beneath the gentle waves for as far as he could see. Well, nothing except for some coral, shells, and fish. No sign of Rock. If she was somewhere under the water then she would have had to be even farther out to the point where her chances of survival were impossibly low. That meant it was time to check inland instead. Picking up her tail to take with him, Fenrir walked in the direction that it looked like the tail was tossed toward. The island¡¯s vegetation wasn¡¯t too tall, but it was dense and annoying to walk through since he kept on getting his feet tangled up in roots and vines sprawling out across the forest floor. He also saw that the island was much more like a temperate forest rather than a jungle, which was slightly disappointing. It made sense, though. There wasn¡¯t going to be a jungle island as far north as they were. If anything, it being temperate already made it warmer than the boreal forest nearby Nameless and all along the coast. It also looked like there was a massive variety of strange little insects from what Fenrir could see. All of them looked similar to insects one could find in any forest, but they were all ever so slightly different in ways that stood out. A line of small, horned ants marched up a tree. Then there was a pretty sizable spider that looked normal from a distance¡­ but upon closer inspection revealed wings on the backs of its legs. ¡°So, no matter what else is found here, this place is going to be known as the island with flying spiders now, and everybody is going to want to burn it down,¡± Fenrir said to himself before slowly backing away from the flying spider¡¯s web. Back to shouting. ¡°Rock! Can you hear me?! Come on! Your tail is too heavy to carry around forever!¡± It wasn¡¯t like Rock never lost a body part before. He knew that something like that was easily survivable for her as long as it wasn¡¯t like her torso or head got severed. But when he found what looked like the lower half of one of her legs, he started to worry. Then he heard a bark. Fenrir¡¯s ears twitched and listened in closely to try and pinpoint the exact direction the bark came from, and her continued barking made it easy for him to do so. With that, Fenrir picked up the chunk of her leg, carried it on top of her tail, and ran off in her direction. Before long, Fenrir managed to find Rock and let out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that she was still alive. She wasn¡¯t in good shape, but she was alive¡­ and stuck in a tree. She managed to, apparently, land between the split in a tree¡¯s trunk in the perfect position to get thoroughly stuck. All she could do was hang there, almost upside down, and bark at him as the remaining, tiny stub of her tail wagged. ¡°You look ridiculous, Rock,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Also, I found these,¡± he lifted up the tail and leg piece, ¡°but¡­ looks like you might be missing more still.¡± From what he could see, her front right leg was missing its lower half while her front left leg looked to be completely gone. ¡°You¡¯re a mess, aren¡¯t you?¡± Rock barked and panted with her tongue hanging out. Fenrir set her pieces down on the ground and started looking for the best way to get up the tree. ¡°How do you feel? You in any pain?¡± Rock shook her head. No matter how damaged she might have been, she was a strong, sturdy girl. Being made out of rock had its uses. ¡°Good. Now, I¡¯m going to have to¡­ pull you back through that gap, then try and¡­ carry you down. Problem is I have no idea how climb down and carry you at the same time. I¡¯m not going to drop you down, and if I try to jump down while carrying you¡­ I¡¯ll probably destroy my knees, and my legs have gotten fucked enough in life already.¡± Rock wiggled her her way ahead as if trying to get herself unstuck despite that meaning she would also take a headfirst fall into the ground from up in the tree. ¡°Just because you¡¯re made out of rock doesn¡¯t mean you can handle falling headfirst! Blunt force trauma to the head is no joke!¡± Fenrir shouted as he ran over to where she was, placing himself between her and the ground. ¡°There. If you make yourself fall out, you¡¯re going to end up hurting me and potentially killing me. You don¡¯t want that, do you? So, stay up there until I can figure out how to safely¡ª¡± Rock had stopped, but she then wiggled enough to come loose and slide right over the tree. Fenrir felt like he was watching a meteor coming directly for him. Even so, he held his arms out to try and catch her. He even made use of his enhanced form, turning his forearms and calves into their canid forms, for the extra strength he was sure he would need in order to catch something weighing hundreds of pounds. There was no way he would ever refuse to catch her. There was also no way he would avoid taking any damage from catching her. Rock fell straight into his arms and he felt like they were on the verge of breaking from the impact. He had no doubt that if he wasn¡¯t using his enhanced form that they probably would have instantly snapped underneath her weight. Even with that form, he couldn¡¯t really catch her. All he could do was slow her fall down and immediately drop her. But she was dropped from a safe height. Fenrir shook his arms around once the wounded Rock flopped onto her side on the ground since she couldn¡¯t exactly stand. Even so, with her body so damaged, one leg gone and another missing half of its length, her tiny little stub of a tail wagged out of pure happiness from being reunited with her master. It was almost impossible not to feel better at the sight of her tail wagging so adorably. ¡°You know, maybe a short tail suits you,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Also, here.¡± He brought her piece of a leg and her tail over to her, placing them down in front of her mouth. ¡°Eat up.¡± Rock looked at her missing limbs and then looked back up at Fenrir as if she was doubting his seriousness. ¡°What? They¡¯re rock. You can heal yourself by eating rocks. I figure that if you eat what you¡¯re missing, then you¡¯ll grow back the exact amount you¡¯ve lost. It just might take some time.¡± Rock looked at the leg and tail again before looking back at him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me no.. I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯ll eat before. Cannibalizing yourself in a survival situation like this is nothing compared to some of the things you¡¯ve put in your mouth.¡± Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t convince him otherwise, Rock simply closed her eyes, turned her head up and away from him, and huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t play stubborn. This is for your own good. I¡¯m going to have to carry you around everywhere if you don¡¯t eat up to heal up.¡± Rock¡¯s tail wagged a little at the thought. ¡°I¡¯m not going to carry you around all over this island. If anything, I¡¯m just going to go find a safe spot to drop you off at and then leave you since you¡¯re being stubborn until I can find out what to do about our situation.¡± Rock huffed again. Fenrir sighed and rubbed his forehead. ¡°Whoever trained you needed to do a better job of making you obedient. But¡­ I guess I can¡¯t blame you for not wanting to eat yourself.¡± Looking down, Fenrir saw a small pebble that he picked up and tossed over to her. ¡°Will you eat that at least?¡± Rock, viewing the pebble as a treat tossed at her, wasted no time in taking it within her mouth and crunching her rocky teeth down against it. Honestly, Fenrir absolutely hated the sound of Rock eating. It sounded like a rough rock crushing up and scraping against other rocks most of the time. It was¡­ not a pleasant sound in the slightest. It made him cringe every single time. But, more importantly, Rock looked happy and barked once she finished eating the pebble. ¡°Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s possible that I could go around and collect a ton of rocks for you. It just might take me a while. Also, do you have any idea what happened to Cass and Eva?¡± Rock furrowed her brow and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We¡¯ll find them. Don¡¯t worry. If anything, they probably already found each other and are having some yuri island fun without me. Either that, or they¡¯re on the beach somewhere going up against some tentacle octopus monsters. Or they¡¯ve found hot springs. There are a lot of ways this whole trope could go, at least going by anime standards.¡± While Fenrir rambled to himself, Rock wiggled her way over the ground to eat up every single rock she could get her mouth around, excluding her tail and leg piece. Realistically, it was doubtful that the island had any natural predators capable of dealing with Rock. Nothing wanted to try and take a bite out of a giant rock. So long as she didn¡¯t initiate any combat on her own first, any potential threats would likely just ignore her. Even so, Fenrir didn¡¯t want to leave her behind, so he took Rod off his hip¡ªthankful that he was still there at all since he forgot to check at first¡ªand turned Rod into a chain that he could used to tie around Rock and then himself. He basically helped Rock up onto his back and then chained her to him, turning Rock into a backpack with Rod¡¯s chain form serving as the straps. ¡°This¡­ this is going to be one hell of a workout,¡± Fenrir groaned as he stood up. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re missing some limbs. Maybe we should get rid of the others, too.¡± Not approving of that idea, Rock roughly booped the back of Fenrir¡¯s head with her snout. While having a dog¡¯s nose suddenly press into somebody wasn¡¯t exactly something known for hurting people, it did hurt when said nose was connected to a dog made out of rock. ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t chop off the rest of your limbs. Well, unless I need food to survive,¡± Fenrir teased. Rock booped him again. ¡°Ow! Come on! That was obviously a joke! It¡¯s not like I could eat you even if I wanted to anyways!¡± Rather than boop him, Rock licked where she booped him and then rested her head on his shoulder in a way that instantly made him forgive her for anything and everything she had ever done that he didn¡¯t like. She was too cute. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Let¡¯s get going to find the others. I¡¯m going to need somebody to take turns with me carrying you before my back snaps.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 3] Ace_Arriande (insert Patreon reminder here) ¡°Rock, I love you, but¡­ you need to lose some weight,¡± Fenrir said, groaning as he carried Rock on his back with his hands held behind him to keep her weight supported. Rock¡¯s response to his statement was licking the side of his face. ¡°No matter how cute you might be, my body is eventually going to break, and I don¡¯t think you can heal it by licking me.¡± Rock licked his face again despite his refusal to believe in the power of her licking. ¡°I really don¡¯t get how your tongue can feel wet when you¡¯re made out of rock.¡± Rock didn¡¯t know either, so she simply rested her head down against his shoulder and pressed up against the side of his own head. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re cute. I would have left you back there if you weren¡¯t.¡± Saya¡¯s voice then chimed into his head to say, ¡°No you wouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sass me when you¡¯re not even here.¡± ¡°But this is what we used to always do. This is just like back in the old days, isn¡¯t it? You and Rock, me in your head¡ªah, this takes me back. And I don¡¯t have to deal with being flicked or bullied by you. Or groped.¡± ¡°Am I supposed to be able to resist groping my pseudo little sister puppy? Especially when she has a sweater? Come on. It¡¯s impossible for me to resist groping you when you look like that. If anything, it¡¯s your fault.¡± ¡°Wow, Onii-wan. Resorting to victim shaming to justify your criminal deeds.¡± ¡°There is nothing criminal about groping one of my girlfriends in a sweater. If anything, it¡¯s the opposite of criminal. It¡¯s doing what I was placed in this universe to do. Not groping you, or any othe others, is what would be criminal. I would deserve to go up in front of an intergalactic criminal court for that. Lifeforms all across the universe and all of its alternate realities would deem me guilty for neglecting to grope a girlfriend in a sweater.¡± ¡°You¡¯re weird. I¡¯m going back to ignoring you and having fun over here where I¡¯m not stranded on a deserted island.¡± ¡°I¡¯m groping you extra hard when I get back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never wearing a sweater around you again.¡± ¡°Yes you will.¡± ¡°N-nuh-uh. Totally not. Nope. Never.¡± ¡°You like being groped too much to not.¡± ¡°I¡¯m changing my personality then so that you can¡¯t tell what I do or don¡¯t like.¡± ¡°I thought you were going back to ignoring me?¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Baka Onii-wan. Hmph.¡± And with that, Saya went silent within Fenrir¡¯s head. ¡°Saya is too cute,¡± Fenrir told Rock. Rock nodded her head as much as she could while keeping it tucked between his head and shoulder. ¡°But on matter how cute she is, we should think of a plan. I could either carry you with me, or I could try to find someplace safe to set you down at. Maybe at the beach? But, if I leave you at the beach and something from the water attacks, or another huge wave comes around, then you might be screwed. But if I bring you with me, there might be more dangers deeper into the island that I can¡¯t protect you from while you¡¯re like this. Not to mention that it seems¡­ almost too quiet.¡± Fenrir stopped in his tracks to listen to his surroundings. Nothing. There wasn¡¯t a single noise made from anybody nor anything but themselves. There was no wind. No sounds of insects nor animals. No rustling bushes. Nothing. However, he did pick up the scent of something familiar, and Rock did as well. They turned their heads at the same time to look at the source of the smell and saw exactly why it was familiar: it was Cassiel. It wasn¡¯t that she necessarily had a strong smell to her or anything, but, given that Fenrir and Rock were both canid to some degree, they had better senses of smell than most. But something was wrong. Rock growled as Fenrir let her down, and he pulled Rod off his hip once she was down. ¡°Hey, Cass Cass,¡± Fenrir said. Cassiel, with her head lowered enough that he couldn¡¯t see her eyes, didn¡¯t react. All she did was stand there, still and unmoving. ¡°Your boobs are too big for this to be disturbing, you know,¡± Fenrir tried to tease, but there was still no reaction from her. Her not reacting to that was, in fact, disturbing. Aside from the fact that she wasn¡¯t reacting at all, though, she looked normal. She didn¡¯t look like she was injured, she still had all of her equipment with her¡­ he just couldn¡¯t see her eyes. Then she drew her sword. ¡°I have a feeling I know where this is going,¡± Fenrir said and sighed. Still without lifting her head, Cassiel charged at Fenrir with her sword aimed right for him. A bolt of lightning from up above in the distance struck Cassiel to stun her before she could reach Fenrir. Unless there was somebody else with some degree of control over lightning that was on the island and interested in helping Fenrir, he had a good idea about who it was. And the source of the lightning was confirmed the next moment when Eva glided down from one of the trees. ¡°I guess I should end my observation,¡± Eva said. ¡°I¡¯ve collected enough evidence for now.¡± ¡°Nice to see you too, Eva,¡± Fenrir said with a little wave. Eva smiled and waved back, treating the situation as totally casual before looking like she remembered something. ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s on the back of her neck¡ªthe thing controlling her. I¡¯ll explain more later. All you need to know is that¡­ I believe if we remove that thing from her, then she¡¯ll be back to normal.¡± ¡°I figured it would be something like that, but having it confirmed that something is controlling my girlfriend¡¯s body¡­ that pisses me off.¡± Cassiel, recovering from the stun, finally raised her head which allowed Fenrir to see her reddened eyes and what looked like thin roots stretching across them. ¡°Let her come, Eva,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I know an easy way of dealing with this that doesn¡¯t involve having to hurt her.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Relive the old days.¡± Recovered from the stun, Cassiel resumed her charge with her sword aimed straight at Fenrir. The next moment and that sword thrust straight into Fenrir¡¯s abdomen, impaling him on it and coming out through his back. ¡°I knew it,¡± Fenrir said with a smile and bit of blood coming from his mouth, ¡°You still love sticking your long sticks into me.¡± With that, Fenrir converted Rod into his chain form and used the chains to tightly wrap around Cassiel, binding her to him. Cassiel tried to break free, but it was impossible to with Fenrir hugging her and Rod binding her. ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± Fenrir said to Eva. With a sigh, Eva flew up to Cassiel and moved her hair aside which gave Fenrir a look at whatever the thing controlling her was. It looked like some sort of blooming flower with several tentacle-like vines stretching across the back of her neck, and each vine was lined with thorns that were embedded in Cassiel¡¯s neck. More importantly, as Eva carefully pulled back on the flower, it was revealed that it had a mouth underneath it which had dozens of tiny ¡°roots¡± protruding from it. These roots caused Cassiel¡¯s body to shake and convulse as they were pulled out. She almost looked like she was having a seizure, and that also involved her eyes rolling backward and saliva drooling out from her mouth. It wasn¡¯t even in the hot hentai way, so Fenrir couldn¡¯t enjoy the sight of it. She just looked like she was in an insane amount of pain instead. But once the roots were fully extracted from Cassiel, waving around in the air desperately looking for something else to latch onto, she went limp against Fenrir¡¯s form. As for Eva, she sighed and said, ¡°I wish I had one of my bottles with me so I could keep you for studying. But I don¡¯t, and you hurt my girlfriend, so¡­¡± Eva tightened her grip around the flower, crushing it within her hand and causing all of those vines and roots to fall still. Then she looked at Fenrir and asked, ¡°How is she?¡± Fenrir unwrapped Rod from her and placed his hands on her shoulders to push her back. Eva helped by holding her from behind, allowing Fenrir to get that sword out from him. ¡°She looks out,¡± he said. Though, right after he said that, Cassiel slowly blinked her eyes open. ¡°Never mind. She¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Wish I wasn¡¯t,¡± Cassiel groaned. ¡°Fuck, my head hurts¡­¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± Eva said. ¡°That thing probably put its roots inside your brain. Can¡¯t imagine why else it would put them inside your head if not to control you that way.¡± ¡°Do you¡­ have any idea¡­ how disgusting it feels to feel roots squirming around inside your brain and over your eyes?¡± Eva looked shocked when she was asked that. ¡°I don¡¯t! I¡¯m going to have to secure a living specimen so I can try it out. I want to know what it¡¯s like to be controlled by roots in my brain.¡± ¡°I would say you don¡¯t want to know¡­ but I know you.¡± ¡°Heh. Exactly. No matter how weird or unpleasant it is, I want to try it out.¡± Fenrir then raised his hand and asked, ¡°Does this mean I can ask you to try a bunch of weird sexual things?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°But shouldn¡¯t you be worried about bleeding out instead?¡± ¡®Eh, no big deal. I¡¯m used to Cassiel sticking long, hard things in me.¡± Cassiel let out a dramatic groan when she heard that. ¡°You just had to let me impale you. You could have restrained me without doing that.¡± ¡°I know, but I wanted to get to tease you about it again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never going to hear the end of it now.¡± Following another groan, Cassiel placed her hand against Fenrir¡¯s abdomen to heal him. It was only a single wound and a relatively simple one at that, so healing it was no problem. Her magic sealed it up and then repaired whatever organs were cut by her blade within seconds. ¡°Thanks, Cass Cass. So, how did that thing even get on you?¡± ¡°Beats me. I woke up and couldn¡¯t control my body, so it must have gotten on me while I was knocked out.¡± Eva then spoke up to ask, ¡°And you were completely aware of everything during it?¡± ¡°Yeah. My assistant said I could just wake if I wanted to since I wouldn¡¯t be able to control my avatar until it was removed, but I could hear Fen shouting, so I figured it wouldn¡¯t be long until he found me. But you¡­ did you see what happened and were just watching?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t just watching. I was observing. I could tell that something was wrong, so I watched from a distance while you shambled around until I saw that thing on the back of your neck. Then we both heard Fen shouting, so I thought I would wait to see what happens.¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost tempted to be mad at you for not helping me sooner, but I know that¡¯s just how you are.¡± Eva gave Cassiel a thumbs-up while Fenrir asked, ¡°Does this mean I can neglect helping you for personal gain, too?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What? How is that fair? She gets to use you for experiments while I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I wear sweaters for you all the time. That¡¯s how it¡¯s made fair.¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°How do you feel? Does it still hurt?¡± Fenrir looked down at where he was cut and neither saw nor felt anything. Despite that, he said, ¡°I¡¯m in a horrible amount of pain. I feel like I¡¯m going to pass out and die at any second. The only way for me to feel better is for you to take your armor off and hug your boobs against where you impaled me.¡± Cassiel turned her back to Fenrir and looked at Eva instead. ¡°Anyways, since I was knocked out, do you have any idea what happened? Where we are?¡± Fenrir feigned a sniffle when he was so coldly ignored like that. ¡°I flew up to see where we are when I woke up,¡± Eva answered, ¡°and best I can tell¡­ we¡¯re at the cluster of islands that I saw when I tried escaping the atmosphere. But, there was something¡­ honestly, kind of concerning.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Well, in every direction I looked, I only saw the same cluster of islands repeating. It was like being in a room surrounded by mirrors. This is just a theory, but I feel like if we try to sail away¡­ we¡¯re just going to end up coming right back to where we are.¡± ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re stuck here?¡± ¡°For now, anyways. This is probably some sort of puzzle we have to solve, and I bet it has to do with whatever caused that giant wave.¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s the pla¡ª¡± Cassiel cut herself off when she saw Rock flop along around the ground to get between them. Given that she was missing one whole leg and her other was broken in half, she couldn¡¯t exactly walk normally and had to just sort of flop and drag herself across the ground. Not that she cared, though. Rock looked just as energetic and happy as always when she looked up at the women and barked. As for Cassiel, she sighed and said, ¡°You look way too happy despite being in your condition.¡± Rock barked again. Eva then said, ¡°Rock knows what¡¯s up. No matter how injured one might be, there¡¯s no reason not to find enjoyment in it. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Rock barked yet again. ¡°My dog isn¡¯t a masochist like you,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°She¡¯s just¡­ you know. A dog. She doesn¡¯t find enjoyment in being hurt, she finds enjoyment in existing.¡± ¡°Same thing,¡± Eva said. ¡°After all, existence is suffering.¡± ¡°Alright, you scientific edgelord. Anyways, we should try to find some place to use as shelter. Preferably away from wherever Cassiel was first found if there are those flower things over there.¡± ¡°Probably a good idea. Oh, but I suggest not going toward the center of the island, either.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°There were some giant gorilla things there that threw spears at me. They were scarily accurate despite how far up I was.¡± ¡°Great. So, we have mind-controlling tentacle flowers and giant gorillas that throw spears. Anything else to be worried about?¡± ¡°Well, I went to drink some water in a pond I saw, and it was swarming with parasites that I almost drank. So, I¡¯d be wary of any water sources we might find.¡± ¡°That was supposed to be rhetorical.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, unfortunately, I¡¯m pretty sure this island is full of things that want to kill us in one way or another, so I¡¯m sure I could find other answers for that question if I look around for a bit.¡± ¡°Can you just¡­ not instead?¡± ¡°I can pretend that everything here is actually super friendly and wholesome, sure. Like¡­ that flower that controlled Cass was actually just trying to help her be honest with herself and her desire that involves thrusting things into you.¡± ¡°Much better.¡± Cassiel¡¯s expression was one of a woman betrayed. ¡°Not you, too, Eva. Please¡­¡± ¡°You know, if you want to thrust stuff inside of somebody, you have me,¡± Eva said. Rather than respond, Cassiel crouched down and lifted Rock up into her arms. She¡­ actually looked to hold Rock with far more ease than Fenrir could. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rock. At least you¡¯re not a weirdo who bullies me.¡± Rock barked and leaned up to lick Cassiel¡¯s face. While Cassiel took the lead in walking away, Fenrir asked, ¡°Is¡­ is she actually way stronger than me?¡± As for Eva, she said, ¡°I want princess carried by her, too.¡± ¡°Same.¡± ¡°Think we should purposely break our legs so that she has to carry us?¡± ¡°I¡¯d¡ªI¡¯d rather not go to any lengths that extreme. Also, she can hear us.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if she can hear us. She wouldn¡¯t leave us behind even if we purposely break them.¡± ¡°Good point. Alright. Let¡¯s break our¡ª¡± Cassiel stopped to turn around and glared at the two with such intensity that they both gulped and dropped any ideas of intentionally breaking their legs to get carried by her. Meanwhile, Rock looked as smug as she could given that she was getting carried while the others weren¡¯t. Ace_Arriande Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K., Josue J. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 4] Ultimately, the group decided to head to where Fenrir first regained consciousness at since his spot on the beach sounded like it was the safest out of where everybody came to at. There were no mind-controlling tentacle plants, it was far from the center of the island where they feared even stronger beasts were waiting for them, and it was pretty flat and open which provided them with a good range of vision on their surroundings. It also meant Fenrir could fish for some food while Cassiel and Eva gathered supplies to make a fire. ¡°You sure the beach is safe?¡± Cassiel asked Eva. ¡°I mean, you know, from waves and stuff. With that giant wave that brought us here¡­ shouldn¡¯t we be worried about another one sweeping everything away?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to worry about that,¡± Eva answered. ¡°If there were waves that powerful posing a frequent threat to the beach, then I feel the beach¡¯s landscape would be far different from what it is. We would also be seeing a bunch of broken-down trees everywhere.¡± ¡°But what if the trees evolved¡ªadapted, to withstand being beat by a bunch of waves?¡± ¡°I thought about that already and tried pushing on a tree just to see how they are. They¡¯re not flexible enough to just¡­ bend with those waves, and they¡¯re also not sturdy enough to resist that much pressure.¡± ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t it look like any are knocked down from the one that brought us here?¡± ¡°Hmm. Magic?¡± ¡°Then who¡¯s to say that magic isn¡¯t protecting the beach from looking different and we¡¯re at risk of getting picked up by another wave?¡± ¡°Gut feeling?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s something I want to place my faith in.¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have anything better to place it in right now. Also, I don¡¯t know if we can safely eat anything on this island, but we do know that Fen has spotted some fish he recognizes, so those should be safe to eat. Now, I was thinking about finding a cave to hide out in¡­ but then I thought, what if there¡¯s some perverted tentacle monster or something in there that¡¯s going to do horrible things to all of us?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been listening to Nell too much.¡± ¡°Spending some time with the other Scholars again is also responsible for that. They¡¯re¡­ going through a tentacle phase right now, I guess. Like, even that plant that controlled you¡ªthey would go crazy over that thing. If I can take a living sample back to them¡­ it wouldn¡¯t even be six hours before somebody lets it control them and tries to have sex during it. Honestly, I get it. It¡¯s kind of exciting to think about. Having something else control my body and force me to have sex, making me act in a way that I would never normally act myself¡ªthat¡¯s kind of hot. Scary, really scary, but hot.¡± ¡°No thanks. I hated being controlled like that. And what if it makes you do something you don¡¯t like? Or makes you have sex with some random person?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why you would only let it happen in a controlled environment. Like lock me up in a room with only you or Fen or one of the others and then let it control me. As long as we all consent beforehand then, and we¡¯re with a partner who would stop us from doing anything that they know we wouldn¡¯t be alright with normally, then it should be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll still pass.¡± ¡°I know, Miss Vanilla.¡± ¡°Miss¡­ Miss Vanilla?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re as vanilla as can be, not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that.¡± Cassiel pouted a little and would have crossed her arms over her chest had she not been carrying a stack of sticks in her arms already. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m not vanilla¡­¡± Sensing a bit of insecurity, Eva couldn¡¯t resist teasing her over it. ¡°You toooootally are. Wanting to hold hands while having sex doesn¡¯t make you kinky.¡± And that managed to properly turn Cassiel¡¯s cheeks red. ¡°I¡ªI wasn¡¯t implying it does! And there¡¯s nothing wrong with wanting to hold¡ªto hold hands during it! It¡¯s nice! It¡ªit makes it feel more intimate!¡± ¡°The kinkiest thing you do is call Fen a dumbie while ¡®dressing up¡¯ in a sweater for him. Even I¡¯m super hardcore compared to you.¡± ¡°Ye-yeah?! What¡¯s the kinkest thing you¡¯ve done then?!¡± ¡°Well, there was that time Aza choked me to death with her thighs¡ªwait. Crap. Can you uh¡­ pretend you didn¡¯t hear that? I¡ªI forgot we agreed not to tell anybody about that.¡± Cassiel stopped in her tracks to look at Eva with a blank expression before asking, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell you what happened if you promise to forget afterward since it¡¯s already too late. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Okay. So. We were¡­ you know, doing what girlfriends do, AKA she was riding my face, and I couldn¡¯t breathe and felt myself passing out¡­ but kept on pressing her thighs around my head even harder because it was really hot, and Aza got really into it, too, and uh¡­ yeah. I died by suffocating from her thighs. She was¡­ actually really freaked out by that, so we decided to never talk about it again and pretended that nothing happened. But let me tell you, at the end there, she was really squeezing like she wanted to kill me. It was nice¡­ oh, and she was super adorable while apologizing over and over again for killing me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sticking to being vanilla.¡± ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t want to know what it feels like to be suffocated to death by thighs while eating out your girlfriend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to start pretending I know nothing about anything you just said now.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Once the women returned to Fenrir, they saw Rock still resting next to him as he fished up a decent pile of fish¡ªwell, a hole of fish. He dug a hole into the sand, filled it with water, and was keeping the fish in there until the others returned. Any time one of the fish was bold enough to jump out from said hole, Rock smacked it back in with one of her remaining paws before setting her head back down against the sand. While Eva got to work on starting the fire, Cassiel went up to Fenrir and sat down next to Rock to pet her and ask, ¡°How¡¯re the fish looking?¡± ¡°Looking good,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°These are all the same species we can find out by Nameless, so they should be safe to eat. Plus we¡¯re going to be roasting them over a fire, so any parasites that might be in them should get killed by the heat. But, just in case, I¡¯ll check their meat out after cutting them open to see if I can spot anything¡­ weird.¡± ¡°Weird?¡± ¡°Well, mainly just parasites.¡± ¡°You can see those? I always thought they¡¯d be like¡­ microscopic.¡± ¡°Yeah, you can see them usually. I¡¯ve seen videos of sushi chefs showing what to look for. They¡¯d cut open a huge fish only to show dozens of really thin, white worm-like things inside the flesh. They¡¯re pretty noticeable, thankfully.¡± ¡°Surprised any huge fish like that are even left in our oceans.¡± ¡°Well, stuff like sushi is insanely expensive for a reason now. I¡¯ve only had it a couple of times before, back when we lived in the city, and¡­ it was amazing, but not worth the cost of an entire week¡¯s worth of groceries.¡± ¡°By groceries, you mean chips and hard cider.¡± ¡°I¡ªyeah¡­ I forgot I used to live like that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome for helping you fix that. Well¡­ I guess it was mainly Nell who made us all start to eat healthier.¡± ¡°I remember all Serra wanted to do was order pizza and Chinese. You just wanted a bunch of frozen dinners, and I¡ªwell, you already called me out. But then there was spoiled Nell who was used to always eating fresh, healthy food, and she was determined to make the rest of us eat like that even if she had to do the cooking herself.¡± ¡°Give us some credit at least. We helped her out.¡± ¡°Well, yeah. I don¡¯t think any of us are heartless enough to let our wheelchair-bound girlfriend cook for us while we sit around and watch every day.¡± ¡°Yeah. So¡­ what¡¯s the plan after we eat?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s getting dark, so probably set up a shelter of sorts. We can take turns being on lookout, leave one person in-game while the other two swap out and let their VAs take over. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave all three of us controlled by our VAs¡­ well, then again, if I swap out, it¡¯ll just be Saya taking control. But I wouldn¡¯t want to leave everything on her¡ªwait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Our VAs have to act like us whenever we¡¯re ¡®activated¡¯ while offline.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°That means Saya has to act like me if anybody ever tries to wake me up or attack me when I¡¯m not immersed.¡± ¡°Uh-huh?¡± ¡°Have¡­ have you ever seen what she¡¯s like when she¡¯s acting like me? How does she do?¡± ¡°She acts exactly like you. Don¡¯t they have to?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but you know Saya¡¯s situation. She¡¯s a bit more than just a virtual assistant at this point.¡± Cassiel shrugged. ¡°The few times I¡¯ve seen her controlling you, she acted just like you usually would, so I¡¯m guessing she still has to take her job seriously.¡± ¡°Duh,¡± Saya chimed in, speaking into Fenrir¡¯s mind. ¡°No matter what I am, I still have to do my job as a VA properly. As fun as it would be to make you look stupid while controlling you¡­ I don¡¯t think Kadi would appreciate me breaking the rules like that.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Saya just confirmed that right. I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m kind of disappointed. I want to see Saya pretending to be me but being really bad or sarcastic about it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with everybody wanting to be controlled by somebody else?¡± Cassiel asked and sighed. ¡°Bunch of weirdos. I don¡¯t even like the idea of my own VA acting exactly like me. But¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve always been freaked out by that kind of stuff. Even deepfakes. It¡¯s just scary to think that somebody can look exactly like me, or just outright take control of me¡ªwell, my avatar, and make me say or do something I wouldn¡¯t say or do myself. That¡¯s like¡­ horror movie level stuff.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand. But I trust Saya not to be, you know, evil with my avatar, so I wouldn¡¯t mind her taking control and doing something stupid or funny with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Even if I have full faith in somebody¡ªlike, you. I would trust you to use my avatar, but I wouldn¡¯t ever want you to.¡± ¡°I get it. You¡¯re possessive of your identity. I think that¡¯s a pretty natural thing to be. Reminds me of those old school videos of scientists showing tribal people in Africa cameras and taking pictures of them, or even just letting them see their reflections in mirrors, and they would freak out and be scared their soul was taken and stuff like that. I think it¡¯s related to that. It¡¯s a natural fear of losing control or ownership of something that fundamentally makes you who you are. And even if these are just virtual avatars, this is a world as real as the real one. It¡¯s hard to completely disassociate here and remind ourselves that these bodies aren¡¯t just as legitimate as our real ones.¡± ¡°I like when you talk about stuff like this.¡± ¡°You¡ªyou do?¡± ¡°It reminds me of how Eva rambles. I like it. But, I hate that I like it at the same time.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I only realized this recently about myself when I was thinking about why I like it so much when Eva nerds out, and¡­ it involves talking about my exes and dad. That alright?¡± Fenrir smiled and nodded. ¡°Of course. And thanks for asking in the first place, even if you didn¡¯t need to.¡± Cassiel looked away with a bit of a blush. ¡°W-well, I read that you should warn your partner whenever you¡¯re going to bring up an ex or something, so¡­ I was just doing what I read. Anyways! So¡­ my dad is, you know, kind of a huge, controlling, authoritarian asshole. He loves to boss people around and control them. But at the same time, he¡¯s¡­ a man of very few words. He¡¯s really into all that traditional ¡®masculine¡¯ stuff, and that includes being a stoic dick who never opens up to his wife or family or anything. And you know, when I went through my rebellious phase of dating guys who I knew my dad would hate¡­ it¡ªgod, it disgusts me to admit this, but I realized recently that uh¡­ I was basically dating guys who were just like my dad. Yeah, sure, they were committing pretty crimes and breaking laws and stuff, but they weren¡¯t doing it to spite the system and be rebels. They were doing it because they were selfish, entitled assholes who believed everybody should bow down to them, and that was part of why my dad hated them so much. They were rivals to him. They both just wanted to control me. They were all men¡ªno, boys of actions instead of words, and their actions were purely selfish and only done to try and control others so that they never had to be uncomfortable with anything. So¡­ when Eva, or you, ramble and talk a lot, it feels like I¡¯m finally free from that. It¡¯s nice to be with somebody who just¡­ talks. I never got to experience that growing up. I always wanted to ask questions and, you know, be a curious little kid, but I was always pushed off to the side and ignored. But with you and Eva¡ªeven with Nell¡¯s fantasies, I never have to ask questions because you all ramble enough in the first place that any questions I can think of get answered. So¡­ yeah. I love that about all of you. Makes me feel kind of bad that I can never do the same because it feels like I¡¯m not interesting enough to ramble about anything, but¡ª¡± ¡°Says the woman who¡¯s rambling my ear off.¡± ¡°This¡ªthis doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Hey, Cass Cass.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kiss me.¡± With a slightly pouty expression, Cassiel leaned forward over Rock to bring her lips to Fenrir¡¯s. ¡°Dumbie.¡± ¡°Thanks for the fanservice,¡± Fenrir said, his voice a bit lower and quieter since her face was still right in front of his own. ¡°And I¡¯ll have to ramble about random bullshit for you more often then.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± ¡°But I want you to do it for me, about anything you might ever have on your mind, whenever you¡¯re in the mood for it. Even if it¡¯s you being all introspective about your past relationships.¡± ¡°I¡ªI feel awkward talking about my exes with you, and I¡¯ve always heard you shouldn¡¯t talk about your exes with your current partner.¡± ¡°Hey, as far as I¡¯m concerned, the more I know about what you hated in them, the more I can do the opposite of that to make sure you love me more.¡± ¡°One, I never loved any of them. Two, even if I did, you¡¯ve¡­ always been such an amazing boyfriend that I doubt you would ever not be infinitely better than them.¡± ¡°I like it when you stroke my ego. It¡¯s almost as good as when you wear a sweater and stroke my¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t like how perverted my exes were.¡± ¡°¡ªdi¡ªuh¡­ it¡¯s¡­ almost as good as when you¡¯re just being your wonderful, wholesome, beautiful, intelligent, badass self?¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking. I hated when they acted like perverts¡­ but¡­ i-it¡¯s not like I mind when you do it. Why do you think I always wear sweaters for you¡­¡± ¡°Have I ever mentioned how perfect you are?¡± ¡°Not often enough.¡± ¡°Then allow me to.¡± Fenrir leaned forward just a bit to reunite their lips again. ¡°I love you, my perfect Cass Cass.¡± ¡°I¡ªI love you, too, my dumbie Fenrir.¡± ¡°It turns me on more than it should when you call me a dumbie.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so weird. Wait! That¡ªcalling you a dumbie when I know it excites you, that¡ªthat makes me not vanilla, right?!¡± Fenrir cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows at Cassiel. What she asked definitely did not make her not vanilla. And, for some reason, her sudden outburst also caused Eva to obviously try holding in a laugh in the background. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re pretty vanilla,¡± Fenrir said. And with that, Cassiel huffed, stood up, and marched away without saying a single other word to any of them. ¡°Did¡­ did I say something wrong?¡± Fenrir asked, looking down at Rock. Rock shrugged as much as a dog made out of rock could and then slapped the latest would-be-escapee fish back into the sandy hole it jumped out of. ¡°Well, at least I know if it was something serious, she wouldn¡¯t just march away like that. But I still feel kind of bad¡­ but mainly confused,¡± Fenrir said. Before he could feel too bad or confused, though, he received another tug on his line which demanded his attention if he didn¡¯t want to lose Rod. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 5] Cassiel said that she liked to hear Fenrir ramble, and so, once she returned and they were ready to roast some fish over the fire, Fenrir rambled. Eva was also more than happy to listen in as Fenrir went on about the different fish that him and the other fishers of Nameless found in the local waters, and he made sure to go all into detail about their different flavors, the texture differences, how some of the crafters have been using their scales, eyes, and even organs in various crafting recipes, and so on. He also got to ramble about his technique of gutting the fish, spreading its body out over some sticks, and then roasting that over the fire with the meat exposed to it while the scaled side stayed up above. Of course, he also mentioned how he learned that entirely from videos on the internet of people trying to show how it used to be done back in the day, so he had no idea if he was actually doing anything the proper way or not. It always turned out fine in-game, though, so his survivalist skills were good enough as far as he was concerned. ¡°Question,¡± Eva said, raising her hand once Fenrir finally stopped talked. ¡°Answer,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Does it matter if you leave the organs in or not? I mean, I know you said you should take the organs out before cooking the fish, but why?¡± ¡°Oh. Because if you roast the fish with the organs still inside, I guess¡­ that can ruin the flavor? I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m not actually sure, but that¡¯s what the videos always said. But they never explained how it would ruin the flavor. Maybe¡­ I don¡¯t know, some gases or acids or something inside of them could ruin the meat while cooking?¡± ¡°Makes sense. I could imagine the heat bloating the stomach up until it bursts, and I doubt you want the stomach¡¯s contents getting on the meat you¡¯re going to eat.¡± ¡°Yeah. Maybe that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°But that gives me an idea.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Fish bombs.¡± ¡°Fish¡­ fish bombs?¡± ¡°Imagine saving a bunch of stomachs from fish, filling them to the brim with something that will make them more explosive, and then shooting them at people somehow. Fish bombs. They hit the target area and burst, splattering fish stomach stuff everywhere. It would stink and be a huge demoralizer.¡± ¡°Eva¡­¡± Cassiel sighed, interrupting Fenrir, and asked, ¡°Why would you even¡ª¡± But Fenrir then interrupted Cassiel to say, ¡°I love you. That¡¯s an amazing idea.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Eva asked. Cassiel looked between the two with a blank expression, completely missing out on what made the idea so amazing. ¡°Eva, I need to hire you as my biological warfare expert,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Together, we could create weapons that strike fear into everybody in this world. Well, strike fear into anybody who fucks with us. We¡¯re pacifists, after all. We only attack when somebody attacks us first.¡± ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Eva said with a couple of nods. ¡°Pacifists. Totally.¡± ¡°Yep, yep. Anyways, for the submarine¡ªimagine if we create fish missiles. Instead of nuclear warheads¡­ nuclear fish heads. Except they wouldn¡¯t be nuclear. Explosive fish heads. Explosive fish stomach heads? We¡¯ll work on the name later. The important thing is that¡ªjust imagine how much of a beautiful troll missile that is. Actually¡­ this is even better than proper explosive, destructive missiles.¡± ¡°H-how¡­?¡± Cassiel asked, desperately wanting to understand. Fenrir looked at Eva and dramatically pointed at her. ¡°You answer her. I want to see just how much you¡¯ve learned from being around me.¡± With a playful yet serious salute, Eva stood up, cleared her throat, and then pretended that she was giving a lecture in front of a chalkboard that she was pointing at with a stick she picked up from the ground. ¡°You see, there are many merits to such a missile. The first and most important thing is that it will cause significant distress to the nostrils of anybody within smelling distance. Furthermore, by being an explosive, the fragments of such a warhead will be strewn about the entire impact zone for days to weeks, even potentially months. Every time somebody believes that they got the last fragment of fish stomach, they will still be able to smell it, go on a furious search for it, and repeat over and over again. They will most likely never find every last piece until it has naturally degraded away via weather or some other external effect. It will make walking through the impact area insufferable without something to block the nostrils. This could easily be dealt with by doing exactly that, or wearing a form of gas mask until the scent has been confirmed removed, but that is still an annoying hassle that they did not have to deal with before.¡± ¡°I feel like that would just piss them off,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°It would, but this is where what I have learned from Fen comes into play. To launch a missile from an unknown location that hits the enemy¡¯s base and splashes it with fish stomachs¡­ that is the ultimate flex, basically. It asserts dominance. It tells our enemies ¡®we are capable of sneaking close to your base and launching missiles at it, but you are so insignificant to us that we are only going to splash fish stomachs all over it instead of actually destroy you. You are below us. You are not worthy of being destroyed. Know your place.¡¯ It would be extremely demoralizing to be on the receiving end of such an attack. Especially when you belong to a faction that is supposed to be the one trolling and griefing everybody else. To be out-griefed like that, and looked down on in such a way¡ªthat¡¯s the ultimate power move.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Fenrir joined in, ¡°you still actually bomb them afterward.¡± ¡°O-oh. You do? But wouldn¡¯t that make it¡­ not really a power move, since then you¡¯re saying they actually are worth bombing?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. They¡¯re a threat. I wouldn¡¯t trust them to not come and try to screw with us after doing something like that. So, first, you bomb them with fish. Troll them and piss them off. Make them feel challenged. Then, before they can retaliate, you bomb them for real.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t they be careful after the first missiles? You would probably do less damage that way.¡± ¡°They would expect a second salvo, if it¡¯s coming, to follow up the first one. All you have to do is wait a bit for them to lower their guards again and start cleaning up. That¡¯s when you get them. You strike them with the real missiles while they¡¯re in the middle of cleaning up the aftermath from the first missiles. Honestly, you¡¯d probably do more damage this way. You see, what are the chances of a bunch of random people being outside where they can get hit without reason? The first missiles give them a reason to be gathered together to clean up and get rid of the stench as quickly as they can. Besides, the first missiles are also going to be at least a little explosive. They can help weaken any defenses that might be there before the real explosives shake them up.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that. Makes sense.¡± ¡°Then you wait a couple of days. Let them think you¡¯ve left. Focus on hiding so that they have no idea what¡¯s going on or who is doing it. Once their guard is down again, or once they¡¯re getting ready to go on a counterattack¡­ you strike again. Three attacks in total. The first to troll. The second to kill. The third to crush them. At that point, the submarine will be out of missiles and need to return anyways.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Cassiel spoke up, ¡°but then what about when they bring their entire forces against us?¡± ¡°The plan is to dissuade as many of them as possible first. The submarine is just part of the plan to demoralize them and split their faction up. Our spy on the inside is going to help with that. Then with the submarine and a few other ideas I have¡ªby the point they actually know it¡¯s us and are ready to launch a full-scale attack against us, most of them will have abandoned the group¡­ if not try to stage a coup and take over. Chaos is the goal. They¡¯ve shown what tactics they¡¯re willing to use against us, so I have no doubt that they could kick our asses if they seriously invade us with all that they have. That¡¯s why we have to weaken them to the point where attacking us is nothing but a suicidal dream. Even then, some of them are probably going to try attacking us, but all we have to do at that point is fuck them up.¡± While Eva nodded along, taking mental notes during Fenrir¡¯s explanations, Cassiel let out a sigh at the end of them. Eva was the first to ask what was up with the sigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡ªit¡¯s a¡­ good plan, just not a¡­ good plan,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I mean¡ªI know it¡¯s the best plan for us that will keep everybody as safe as possible on our end, but there¡¯s no honor to it. I¡¯m not the trolling or griefing type. I want to meet my enemies on the battlefield and fight them fairly. All of this other stuff¡­ just feels dirty to me.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess I can understand where you¡¯re coming from. But do you really feel that way even against the End Bringers? They would never give you that honor, so why would you want to give them that honor?¡± ¡°To show that we¡¯re better than them. To show that even if they use dirty tactics that we can still beat them honorably. That is putting them in their place, as far as I¡¯m concerned. ¡°Damn,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°That¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that.¡± ¡°I concur,¡± Eva said. ¡°I want you to honorably put me in my place on the battlefield, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both degenerates.¡± Eva gave a thumbs-up. ¡°We¡¯re your degenerates.¡± Fenrir nodded with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Eva is truly wise. Also, the plan is getting changed. A little, at least. We¡¯re still going to do everything else that I said, but we also have to set up at least one battle¡ªmaybe the final battle, to let Cass Cass take the lead on a fair field. I¡¯m not sure how we would set that up, but we¡¯re going to.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Yes I do.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yes I do.¡± A sigh. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I love you and want you to feel included. Hmm.¡± ¡°Idea!¡± Eva shouted out, making both Fenrir and Cassiel jump from how sudden and loud she was. ¡°Okay. So, I¡¯ve been playing around with this idea for a long time. Background first. I¡¯ve always thought that paratroopers are really, seriously cool. Like, seeing paratroopers jump from a plane and parachute down with their guns ready¡ªseriously badass. Then I started thinking, ¡®What if fantasy paratroopers existed?¡¯ I actually tried writing a novel online about that, but some guy commented on the first chapter calling my writing shit, so I never continued it. Anyways! Fantasy paratroopers. Here¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. We use Aza to somehow tame a bunch of dragons, since she could probably do it with the power of her boobs or something¡ªI swear that¡¯s why Death likes her. Anyways again, she tames a bunch of dragons for us. Then we have Cass and some others fly down there, jump off, and parachute down right into the middle of the enemy base. Then the slaughter commences. I¡¯m getting horny just thinking about Cass looking that badass.¡± Fenrir nodded again. ¡°I totally understand. Alright. So, Cass Cass, is that honorable enough for you? Being a paratrooper dropping straight into the middle of enemies is honorable, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ think so,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°That¡­ does sound pretty cool.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°These¡­ are the End Bringers we¡¯re talking about. You know, the most horrible people in this game who purposely exploit it as much as they¡¯re allowed to in order to do all sorts of fucked up things to avatars and NPCs. If you get captured¡­¡± ¡°They can¡¯t do anything to me because I have traumatizing content disabled. The worst they would be able to do is strip my avatar, and I would have woken from virtual reality before I¡¯m able to experience that. Also, I¡¯d just kill myself instead of letting them capture me. Also, all you did is convince me even more to do this. I don¡¯t want to imagine what sort of conditions they¡¯re keeping NPCs in down there. Even if I¡¯m not as fanatic about NPCs as you¡­ it¡¯s still wrong to do what they¡¯re doing, and I want to help those who are suffering at their hands no matter what it may cost this artificial body. Besides, it¡¯s real to them. This body¡ªit¡¯s fake. But to them, it¡¯s real. What¡¯s happening to them is infinitely worse than anything that could happen to me.¡± The mood was far more serious than it was just moments before, but not without good reason. ¡°I¡¯ll drop with you then,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d let you drop down in the middle of those assholes without me at your side.¡± Eva raised her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be your air support. Preferably alongside the dragons. Also, before either of you say it, I know it would probably be more effective to just stay on the dragons and cause chaos from the safety of their backs¡­ but that¡¯s not as cool as being a fantasy paratrooper. Plus I don¡¯t think it would scratch that fair and honorable itch.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°But I won¡¯t say no to air support.¡± ¡°Alright, scratch the previous plan then,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Well, the latter half of it. We¡¯re still going to weaken and demoralize them, but then¡­ it¡¯s going to be time for a full-blown invasion. We¡¯ll take out their defenses with missiles. Then we¡¯ll have an invasion fleet that lands on their shores, and then send in the paratroopers to land behind the enemies who are already distracted fighting us off at the beach. Wait. One more thing. Eva?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Eva replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to need the most permanent paint you can come up with. I want to draw giant dicks all over their island that are impossible to scrub off.¡± ¡°Nice. I¡¯ll figure something out.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Cassiel spoke up again. ¡°We¡¯re doing all this planning for this invasion¡­ instead of actually coming up with an idea for how to get off this island.¡± ¡°Well, we have to eat first,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°The fish are only just now done. Also, it¡¯s turning night. There¡¯s nothing we can¡ªor should, do until it¡¯s light out. And we¡¯ve got plenty of time to discuss what to¡ª¡± A spear twice the size of Fenrir crashed into their beachside firepit with enough force that it knocked all three people, and the napping Rock, away. Just as Fenrir recovered to look up at where the spear came from, he saw another coming his way and had to immediately roll out of the way to avoid getting impaled. ¡°Come on, only Cass Cass is allowed to impale me with her spear!¡± Fenrir shouted. ¡°Would you shut up about that?!¡± Cassiel shouted back at him as had her own spears coming her way to dodge. Then, with heavy footsteps, a massive ape the size of a small house stepped out onto the beach wielding what looked like a giant, primitive axe in one hand with several tree trunks strapped together to form a shield held by his other hand. More apes stepped out from the trees to join him, each one wielding their own primitive weaponry. ¡°Great,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°We¡¯re being attacked by an army of King Kon¡ª¡± Another spear tossed her way interrupted her from finishing her sentence. It clearly looked like a game over situation. Fenrir had no idea how they were supposed to defend against a legion of giant apes wielding weapons bigger than their bodies. Any other time, he would have accepted that it was simply going to be a fight to the death for him to respawn from later. But they had Rock with them. Rock, even as injured as she was, still tried her best to stand up and snarl at the apes. ¡°Eva, you remember where Cass woke up at?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Ye-yeah?¡± Eva asked in response. ¡°I need you to go grab as many of those mind control plant things as you can.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s going to leave you and Cass alone to¡ªoh. I see what you¡¯re thinking. You know I have no idea if it will work to turn them against each other, right? It might only make its targets go after players.¡± ¡°Kadi isn¡¯t lame enough to make something that limited. If she¡¯s anything, she¡¯s fair and rewards creativity as long as it doesn¡¯t try propelling this world into the modern era. Just be fast, alright?¡± With a nod of her head, Eva didn¡¯t waste any more time and took off to fly toward where she found those plants at as quickly as she could. That left only Fenrir and Cassiel to defend against the apes since Rock was in no condition to do so. ¡°Cass Cass, here¡¯s your chance to put a bunch of dishonorable ambushers in their place,¡± Fenrir teased. ¡°Good,¡± Cassiel replied with a smile on her face. ¡°Then I¡¯ll prove to you that those End Bringers won¡¯t be anything to me. These oversized monkeys already look way stronger than those wannabes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer if they¡¯re actually weaker given that we¡¯re probably screwed if they¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Stronger, weaker, doesn¡¯t matter. We have Rock to defend, and we¡¯ll defend her against anybody who wants to hurt her.¡± ¡°That, I can agree with.¡± More and more of the hostile apes came out from the behind the trees, and they were clearly intelligent enough to wait and try to deal with Fenrir and Cassiel from a distance first while analyzing just how much of a potential threat they were. It wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but it was necessary to win if they wanted to protect Rock. Fenrir just really wished Ilo was around since she destroyed the first giant monkey they ever had to fight. But without her, it was up to them. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 6] The battle of Fenrir and Cassiel versus the giant apes raged on along the beach. Though, it wasn¡¯t exactly right to call it a battle. It was more like Fenrir and Cassiel were desperately fighting for their lives, trying everything they could just to survive, against overwhelming strength and numbers. Even just going up against one ape each pushed the two players to their absolute limits, and there were far more apes in reserve ready to step in at any moment. Not only that, but both Fenrir and Cassiel were bloodied from their battles and clearly taking more damage than they were dealing. They both felt like they were going up against boss-level threats despite just how great in number they were. Fortunately, after just a couple of minutes, Fenrir noticed Eva return as he rolled to the right on the sand in order to dodge a foot being stomped down toward him. Eva, careful to not be spotted, flew up behind one of the apes near the edge of their line and threw the mind-controlling plant onto the back of the ape¡¯s neck. It didn¡¯t take long for those tentacle roots of the plant to dig into the ape¡¯s skin and begin to stretch out underneath the surface toward the ape¡¯s brain. But the ape immediately knew something was going on and tried to reach behind its body¡­ only to get stopped halfway there. It wasn¡¯t able to reach the plant in time before losing control of its limbs. Fenrir¡¯s lips curled into a smug smile as he felt like that was going to be the turning point of the battle¡­ only for the ape next to the controlled one to notice what was going on and tear the plant off of its ally. It was then crushed between its fingers, and the first ape regained control over all of its limbs. Not only that, but the ape noticed Eva watching from a nearby tree and reached forward to try and grab her, causing her to evade into the air where she became a target for the ranged apes to throw their weapons at. ¡°You know,¡± Fenrir said loudly enough for Cassiel to hear since both of them watched what just happened, ¡°it makes sense that the intelligent, giant monkeys living on this island would already know about the threats here and know to deal with them.¡± Cassiel looked just as disappointed. ¡°Tch. I have to admit that I like when enemies are dumb better than when they¡¯re smart. I like some challenge, but not this much challenge.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who wants to parachute into the middle of our enemies for honorable battle?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like I said, I like dumb enemies. Those are humans. Humans are dumb.¡± ¡°You know, that¡¯s a fair point. These giant monkeys are probably way smarter than the average human. And now that you¡¯ve made me realize that¡­ I have an idea.¡± Cassiel jumped out of the way of a club being swung her way before shouting in response, ¡°Yeah?!¡± Following a deep breath, Fenrir looked at Cassiel and Eva and shouted, ¡°Drop your weapons!¡± Despite the hesitation that both women wore on their faces, they knew to trust in Fenrir¡¯s judgement and dropped their weapons in an instant. Fenrir did as well, letting Rod fall to the sandy beach below. Fenrir¡¯s opponent raised up its axe, stared Fenrir directly in the eyes, and swung the heavy, primitive weapon down toward his head. Even though it was an axe, the size and bluntness of it would mean that such an attack would utterly crush Fenrir rather than split him in half. But that was not what happened. Instead, the axe stopped directly above Fenrir¡¯s head. It came close enough to go between his canid ears but did not reach his scalp. Thank god it worked, Fenrir thought. ¡°Oi,¡± Saya thought to him. ¡°You had no idea that was going to work, didn¡¯t you?¡± I gave it a twenty percent chance of working. ¡°And what if it didn¡¯t work?!¡± Then we were going to get wiped out because we¡¯re not winning this battle. Also, don¡¯t you have anything better to be doing? ¡°What¡ªwhat do you mean by that?! I¡¯m still your virtual assistant! I¡¯m just commenting like I used to in the old days since I¡¯m not able to actually talk to you¡­¡± You¡¯re too cute, Pupaya. ¡°Hmph. Baka onii-wan. Anyways, just because you¡¯re not dead yet doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not about to die.¡± Fenrir looked up at the giant ape and saw eyes not full of rage, but full of curiosity. The creature was clearly confused by Fenrir and the others actually dropping their weapons. So, it was time for Fenrir to make sure that they weren¡¯t about to get killed after all. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± Fenrir asked. The ape tilted its head before pulling the axe away and crouching down. Now, Fenrir wasn¡¯t even tall enough to reach up to the creature¡¯s knee. The creature was also wearing a leather loincloth of sorts. So, when the creature crouched down right in front of Fenrir, bending its knees¡­ Fenrir found out that the giant ape was, in fact, a he, as he couldn¡¯t help but to stare straight ahead at the thing that was almost as large as he was tall. Please don¡¯t be hentai monsters, Fenrir thought as he forced himself to look up at the ape¡¯s face instead. ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m saying?¡± The ape looked Fenrir over a few times before slowly nodding his head. ¡°Good. Well uh¡­ for starter¡¯s, let me just clarify that we¡¯re not here to do anything bad. We don¡¯t want to hurt you or this island.¡± ¡°Why here?¡± the ape replied. Fenrir¡¯s eyes widened as he froze up. He really, really wasn¡¯t expecting an actual response of any sort, yet the ape replied to him. Meanwhile, Cassiel looked shocked that any of the plan was working and Eva was internally fangirling over the exciting discovery of a new, intelligent race capable of communicating with players. Eventually, Fenrir managed to speak again. ¡°We came out here to explore, but¡­ then a giant wave destroyed our ship and brought us here.¡± ¡°Wave?¡± the ape asked. ¡°Yeah. We were out on the ocean and then a giant wave crashed into us and brought us here.¡± The ape didn¡¯t say anything for a few moments as he looked around, examining both Cassiel and Eva before saying, ¡°No short men?¡± ¡°Short¡­ men?¡± ¡°Short men. Hairy faces. None here?¡± ¡°Short men, hairy faces? I¡¯m¡­ not sure what you mean.¡± The ape looked frustrated from Fenrir¡¯s lack of understanding, but Eva swooped in to assist before the ape could get too bothered. ¡°Do you mean beards?¡± she asked. Then, to demonstrate what she meant, she crouched down to make herself shorter while running her hands over the front of her body to outline where a long, bushy beard would be. ¡°Like this?¡± The ape nodded and mimicked the movements of her hands in front of his own body. ¡°Short men, hairy faces.¡± ¡°Dwarves. Do you mean¡ª¡± Anger immediately filled the ape¡¯s eyes at the sound of the word ¡°dwarves.¡± ¡°I¡ªI think I figured it out,¡± Eva said, actually sounding a bit scared for once. That was new for both Fenrir and Cassiel to hear. ¡°Dwarves come here! Kill and destroy! Kill and destroy dwarves back!¡± Eva looked at Fenrir and said, ¡°It sounds like we¡¯re not the first players to come here¡­ but the dwarves? Visiting an island in the ocean like this? And they should be on the opposite side of the world from here unless we loop around and they¡¯re right across the ocean. Which, to be fair, wouldn¡¯t be an illogical assumption. But I¡¯m thinking that¡­ seeing as how these islands appeared out of nowhere and weren¡¯t out here before, they must have been brought over here somehow but were originally closer to the dwarves.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not dwarves,¡± Fenrir said to the ape. ¡°No dwarves. We don¡¯t even have any dwarves at our home.¡± The ape, still clearly angered and rapidly breathing through his flared nostrils, looked around to confirm that there really weren¡¯t any dwarves before calming down just a bit. ¡°No dwarves.¡± ¡°Right. No dwarves.¡± ¡°No dwarves¡­ no dwarves. Not here to destroy? Not to kill?¡± ¡°Right. I promise. We only fought back to defend ourselves, and because I want to defend my pet¡ªmy friend. Rock.¡± Slowly, Fenrir moved over to where Rock was and lifted her up onto her lap. ¡°She got hurt. I have to protect her.¡± The ape came over to where Fenrir and Rock were before getting onto his hands and knees to get a better look at her, bringing his head right above her body. ¡°Rock?¡± Then he noticed her missing and damaged limbs. ¡°How get hurt?¡± ¡°She got hurt during the wave that crashed us onto this island.¡± The moment that Fenrir saw concern in the ape¡¯s eyes for Rock, as if he genuinely felt bad for her, Fenrir knew that they didn¡¯t have anything to worry about and nodded to both Cassiel and Eva, letting them know it was alright to let their guards down and relax. ¡°She¡¯ll be alright,¡± Fenrir said to the ape. ¡°She¡¯s a tough girl who has been through a lot before. This is nothing to her.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the ape replied. ¡°Want Rock safe. Protect Rock. Make Rock smile.¡± Even giant apes know just how amazing Rock is at first sight and want to protect her, Fenrir thought. ¡°So,¡± it was time to get straight to the point since fighting was no longer on the table, ¡°want to be friends? We¡¯re already friends with a giant dragon and a growing sea serpent. Adding giant apes to the list doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea.¡± ¡°Friends?¡± ¡°You know, like¡­ we help each other and are nice to each other, and don¡¯t try to kill each other.¡± Fenrir made sure not to bring up all the times him, Oleander, and Bonekraka tried to kill each other just for fun back in the old days. The ape looked down at Rock and asked her, ¡°Can be trusted?¡± Rock barked and nodded her head. ¡°If Rock say so.¡± Looking back at Fenrir again, the ape said, ¡°Friends.¡± Alright. Rock might actually be the most OP one out of all of us if she secretly has some charming power to turn anybody into our friends. I might have to try abusing just how much people love her to see the true extent of her powers¡­ ¡°Do not abuse Rock¡¯s natural lovableness, Onii-wan,¡± Saya thought to Fenrir. Fenrir mentally swatted Saya away before looking at Eva and Cassiel again. The apes around them all seemed to be in a more relaxed state as well, and, fortunately, they weren¡¯t being hentai monsters. It was a stupid thing for him to even worry about in the first place, but that was where his degenerate mind went to after all the hentai he had seen before. If anything¡­ Eva was the one being a hentai monster seeing as how she was checking out every inch of the apes while taking mental notes of them. That included checking out the more private areas of both the male and female apes. Fenrir knew that she was only doing so out of purely scientific curiosity, and it was hard to not look there given just how bare and large the apes were, but still. If there was anybody who belonged in a hentai on that beach, it was Eva. At least Nell wasn¡¯t there. If Nell was there, Fenrir was sure she¡¯d be coming up with erotic fantasies involving being ravaged by giant ape monsters while simultaneously making him said giant ape monsters. Her fantasy probably would have been something along the line of Fenrir getting accidentally turned into a giant ape monster incapable of controlling his lust, and so he would ravage the poor, innocent Nell in front of everybody else for them to all watch her get broken by him. Fenrir didn¡¯t know how to feel about being able to predict exactly what one of Nell¡¯s fantasies would be like even when she wasn¡¯t around. Then there was Cassiel who was just being cute and coming over to hang around Fenrir where she felt safest given that she was clearly still the most nervous out of everybody on the beach. That made Fenrir tempted to walk away just so that she would keep on following him. Then every time she caught up, he¡¯d move again. Tempting, but he decided not to. ¡°So,¡± Fenrir said to the ape in front of him and Rock, ¡°can you teach us more about this island? Or¡­ do you have anywhere we can stay by any chance? Someplace safe? We have no idea where we are and we might be stuck here for a while, plus I want to give Rock a safe place where she¡¯ll be protected.¡± The ape¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as he heard about protecting Rock. ¡°Protect Rock! Tribe protect Rock! Come! Rock safe.¡± With that, the ape stood up and let out a sort of howl which gathered the attention of the other apes on the beach. Then¡­ he lifted up both Fenrir and Rock into his left hand and began to walk off into the forest, leaving Cassiel to play a game of catching up after all as neither she nor Eva were given a free ride. Rock, Fenrir thought, you¡¯re seriously OP. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 7] Naturally, as soon as Eva discovered that the apes were capable of intelligent speech and thought, she spent the entire time on the way back to their tribe questioning them about everything she could. Unfortunately, though, as she found out rather quickly, they had little interest in anything outside of Rock. She might have meant to interrogate them, but they were the ones who interrogated her and Fenrir about Rock. What was Rock? How was Rock? Who was Rock? Why was Rock? Rock was Rock? How was Rock made? What did Rock eat? Why did Rock eat? Did Rock sleep? Did Rock play? Did Rock love? No matter how simple or similar a question was, the apes wanted to know everything they could learn about Rock. Rock, of course, absolutely loved the attention. All she ever really did anymore was lie around resting and eating whatever random snacks people brought to her. Now, she was properly being given the attention and worship that she deserved! Rock even got to rest in a giant, soft, warm hand. Not only in a warm hand, but with her owner! While most of her body rested against the ape¡¯s palm, she got to rest her head against Fenrir¡¯s lap as the two were carried through the forest. The only thing that would have made life any better for the rocky canine was if Shogun was there to cuddle with her, too. After all, Fenrir¡¯s lap was large enough for both of them to use as a pillow. Oh well. All that really mattered was that Rock was happy. Sure, she was missing a few of her limbs and her remaining limbs were severely damaged, but that didn¡¯t stop her from being happy! And as Fenrir looked down at her, watching just how content she was with the situation, he wished that it was possible for him to relax as easily as she could. Whatever her secret to relaxation was, he wanted in on it. As for the apes, once everything about Rock was thoroughly explained to them, several of them decided to pick up rocks and various objects of their own to carry back to their tribe. After all, they each wanted their very own Rock. If Fenrir got Rock by getting too attached to a literal rock, then surely they would all be able to get their own pets by getting too attached to whatever random items they picked up! There was no reason to believe that wasn¡¯t possible, so neither Fenrir nor Eva tried to crush their hopes. Cassiel, however, couldn¡¯t help but to feel they were all going to end up disappointed when they couldn¡¯t just suddenly turn random items into cute pets just by getting attached to them. If it was that easy, there would have been far more random pets in the world. Fenrir was also worried about their likely disappointment in the future, but he was even more worried about what would happen to him if he made a joke about how they were going to need stabbed in the back by a future girlfriend in order for their various objects to come to life. After all, Cassiel thrusting her spear into Fenrir from behind was what prompted Rock to come to life. He chose not to say anything about that, though. One, because he didn¡¯t want Cassiel to be upset with him. Two, because he was worried that the apes would actually try to mimic that in pursuit of their own pets. That aside, the group eventually made it deep enough into the island that they reached the apes¡¯ home, and it was there that Eva really got excited. The more they saw, the larger the implications regarding the apes¡¯ intelligence grew. Buildings made of gathered sticks and leaves, fire pits used for cooking meat, woven baskets of plant matter that looked to be used for storing fruits and berries¡ªthey had everything that they needed for a small village. Though, everything was far bigger than normal given just how large their bodies were. Their fire pit was the size of a small house which raised serious concerns regarding just where they were sustainably getting enough wood from to use it, and to build the rest of their buildings, without completely clearing the island of all trees. But there was something even more important than all of that. There were signs of art. As fascinating as their buildings and styles might have been, nothing demanded Eva¡¯s attention as much as a large, stone slab that looked like it had crudely drawn pictures etched into it with a knife or some other tool. The art itself looked like a younger, smaller ape smiling and chasing a few others similar to it. They looked like they were all having fun, perhaps playing a game of sorts similar to tag. Neither Fenrir nor Cassiel were able to see the utterly confused expression on Eva¡¯s face from where they were standing. Once the group settled in and looked around for a bit more, Fenrir watched as Rock was given a thrown of piled-up leaves to lie on while the apes attended to her every need. He was worried for her at first, but they genuinely looked like they loved her and wanted nothing more than to make her happy and relaxed, so he felt comfortable leaving her alone for long enough for Eva to drag him away to show what she found. ¡°Look at this,¡± Eva said, bringing Fenrir and Cassiel over to the drawing she discovered earlier. Cassiel didn¡¯t look too impressed, but Fenrir checked it out for more than a few seconds before coming to his intellectual, in-depth conclusion of it. ¡°Looks cute,¡± he said. ¡°Right? But that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. It¡¯s¡­ art. Or at the very least, an attempt at art.¡± ¡°Is that special? It¡¯s not like non-player art in the game doesn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°Sure, there is such a thing as generated art¡­ but it¡¯s the kind you find in ruins. The kind of art that is supposed to look ancient and ruined to make a place have a feeling of lore and worldbuilding. But, ultimately, it serves no purpose. It¡¯s just there to exist. To add a bit of flavor. It makes the environment feel more immersive for the sake of the players. Nobody actually existed hundreds of years ago to create it.¡± ¡°How¡¯s this any different?¡± Cassiel asked. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think this was made just to add to the worldbuilding. This is a functional, living tribe here. This isn¡¯t some extinct civilization. Not to mention that this doesn¡¯t look that old. If anything, it looks like it was recently done.¡± ¡°Alright, so they¡¯re programmed to make art.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? Wouldn¡¯t it be just to be immersive still?¡± ¡°That could be why, but¡­ that has never been observed before. As far as we know, there has not been a single recorded instance of any NPC creating art. Even the ones you see in cities who have art in their houses have bought that art from players.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± Fenrir struggled to believe that as well. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Eva nodded and cleared her throat, a sure sign of a lecture coming up. ¡°To the best of our knowledge, and there¡¯s nobody more knowledgeable about this world than the Scholars. Well, except for the overseer and virtual assistants, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯d ever tell us anything about this. Anyways, we do have a theory for why. You see, NPCs¡ªthe humanoid kind who actually perform jobs, only exist for the players. They basically exist to make the world feel more alive and to help out with a lot of the more boring things, like mass farming, gathering, crafting, and so on. You can easily find NPCs who will go fishing, chop down trees, grow crops, tailor clothes, forge swords, and so on. Those are all boring, tedious tasks that no player wants to actually do as much as is needed for the world to host huge cities and sizable armies. But art? That isn¡¯t needed. Creating art isn¡¯t a meaningful task that will make the lives of players easier. If anything, the moment an NPC makes art, it devalues the art of players. It takes away that unique element from them. For the same reason that NPCs can¡¯t craft super awesome legendary items or anything really unique, they can¡¯t¡ªor at least, aren¡¯t supposed to, be able to produce art. Not only that, but no NPC has ever expressed interest in even producing art. It¡¯s supposed to be something so out of their minds that they would never even stop to consider it. But this¡­ this is art.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t really get why it¡¯s a big deal,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Because if I¡¯m right about this being art, that makes it the first NPC-made creation that does not serve players nor was made for them. Ultimately, anything made without the intent of being for the players is useless. There¡¯s no point to it. In some cases, it is actively detrimental to the player experience. The creation of art is something that is expressly human in nature and requires advanced intellect. No matter how free the NPCs may seem, they have always existed strictly for us¡ªfor our entertainment. Even something like them making houses and weapons is done for us without taking away from us. It provides us with a challenge while making the world feel lived in without taking away something unique like being the only people able to produce art. Making art is in no way necessary for the player experience. Only the tiny, tiny minority of players would ever notice the existence or lack of existence of ¡®modern¡¯ art created by living NPCs. What this means is that, essentially, these apes¡ªor perhaps NPCs in general now, are capable of¡­ for a lack of better words, free will. They are capable of doing things without a purpose that is specifically tailored to improving the player experience. Do you have¡­ any idea how much more processing power that would require? Even with how they reacted to me trying to use that plant on them¡ªwhy would they do that? Obviously, the answer is to protect themselves, but them doing that takes away from the player experience to feel intelligent for coming up with a plan like that. Generally, NPCs have always acted a bit dumb for the sake of the players. You know how if you go into a traditional MMO and you¡¯re in a dungeon, the group of enemies up ahead won¡¯t aggro even if they¡¯re facing you and watching you kill their friends and family because you¡¯re outside of their range? Them aggroing would ruin the experience and be ¡®unfair.¡¯ It makes the gameplay better for them to be stupid. Now, imagine that they¡¯re not stupid anymore. Imagine that they¡¯re actually realistic, capable of learning, and able to act with free will.¡± ¡°We¡¯d be fucked,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Like when we fought the serpent. All it had to do to wipe us out was body slam us and swipe its body across the ground. It would have crushed all of us. Sending its entire army at once instead of in waves would have overwhelmed us, too. It¡­ basically went easy on us despite how tough that battle was.¡± ¡°Exactly. No matter how realistic a game is, and no matter how much it may pride itself on being extremely difficult, it always takes it easy on the player. No matter how much people might say they love difficulty in games and talk about wanting realistic enemies, they don¡¯t. They really don¡¯t. Well, maybe the tiny minority do, but most people would rage quit and never play a game where the enemies actually use everything they can, their intelligence included. But they don¡¯t because it would ruin the player experience.¡± Cassiel still didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°And you¡¯re getting all of this just from one picture on a rock?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if this had ever been observed before, but it hasn¡¯t been. Not to mention that, if you¡¯ve forgotten, the overseer did something with NPCs a few months ago. Remember? She no longer controls them. To the best of our knowledge, they¡¯re basically pseudo-AIs now. Not quite true AIs, but¡­ if they¡¯re capable of intelligence like this, can we really say that they¡¯re not intelligent? A program would never create art just for the sake of creating art. It would only do that it if it was programmed to for the sake of whoever created it. Do you really believe that whatever intelligence is built into these apes is telling them to create art? Do you believe that the overseer is personally commanding random apes to make art in the middle of nowhere? And do you really believe that they would be so easy to defeat or befriend that all you have to do is introduce a pet dog to them? The more I think about it, the less they make sense. The less any of this makes sense. Nothing about them makes sense from a game design perspective unless you work under the assumption that they have free will, in which case¡­ are they really just NPCs? How are they any different from player characters at that point? Honestly, it should have been obvious when they worked together to get rid of the plant, but I wasn¡¯t in the right mood at the moment to realize it. Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, it¡¯s obvious. Something has changed, and I feel like this applies to more than just these apes. If this applies to every NPC, or even just ten percent of them, then this is seriously massive and might potentially change the entire world of FTO.¡± While Cassiel still looked like she was struggling to believe that a simple display of art could cause such a realization and have such deep and complex meaning behind it, Fenrir was pulled onto Eva¡¯s side of thinking. ¡°It¡¯s not just a world for us players then anymore,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re right, then we¡¯re officially sharing this world with another intelligent species. Except we¡¯re players who are effectively immortal and not affected by the world while they¡¯re mortals who only know this world and are dependent on it.¡± ¡°And if that¡¯s the case, then things are¡­ going to get really, really complicated. Not just here, but even outside the game. Imagine the debates about ethics. People with free will who get killed left and right for our entertainment. Would they even count as people? This is an entire can of worms being opened here. Honestly, I hope I¡¯m wrong about this. I really, really hope that I¡¯m looking way too far into this, but my gut tells me I¡¯m not. But¡­ even those questions. Remember them asking all those questions about Rock? They were expressing genuine, continued curiosity. It wasn¡¯t just curiosity for the sake of making small talk to make the world feel alive. That was curiosity on the level of children genuinely wanting to learn.¡± While Fenrir and Eva might have been sharing a look of worry as Cassiel tried to catch up with their conclusions¡­ Rock enjoyed being fed rocks by hand while some of the other apes carefully petted her with just a single finger each, none of them wanting to hurt her more than she already was. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 8] It was difficult for Fenrir to not potentially overthink everything after what Eva explained to them. If it was as big of a deal as she was making it sound, then wasn¡¯t it a pretty monumental discovery? And what else were they doing because of true independence aside from creating ¡°pointless¡± art? Rock. When Fenrir first saw their obsession with her, he figured it was just some quirky thing without putting much thought into it¡­ but that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. They were interested in Rock like a bunch of curious children who had never seen anything like her before, and that also explained why they asked so many questions about her before. They were curious. They wanted to learn. Traditionally, whenever an NPC came across Rock, they would either pay her no mind or, at most, ask a single, generic question about her. They were the kind of interactions that only existed to add a bit of flavor to the world¡ªto make the NPCs feel alive enough to not break immersion for players. But being asked countless questions by a bunch of giant apes who were acting like curious children¡ªthat wasn¡¯t immersive for the world they were in. It was jarring. It didn¡¯t fit in. Anything even slightly outside the normal fantasy tropes was always the result of players, not NPCs. Though, the subject of the apes¡¯ attention didn¡¯t care. Rock was just happy to be there and to be spoiled. The larger and older apes were also careful of the smaller and younger ones, pulling them away from her whenever they got a bit too physical with her, not that she cared. And until it was day again, there was nothing to do but to enjoy the company of the apes in their forest village. It was too dark to explore the island at night, and none of them had any interest in doing so knowing the threats that might be waiting for them. Fenrir, Eva, and Cassiel were even helped to dinner to make up for having their own rather rudely interrupted earlier. A group of the apes brought back large, shark-like creatures impaled on wooden spears that they roasted over their oversized fire pits. ¡°So, they go spearfishing for sharks,¡± Fenrir said to his girlfriends as they sat on some rocks next to each other. ¡°I kind of want to try that. Imagine how badass a normal guy has to be to go spearfishing for a shark. And not that spearfishing with a gun. I mean spearfishing with an old fashioned, wooden spear carved out of a stick.¡± ¡°Being bitten by a shark is fun,¡± Eva said. ¡°You should try it out.¡± ¡°It¡­ it what?¡± ¡°Shark attacks are fun. They pull you under the water and shake you to shreds while trying to swallow you whole at the same time. I¡¯ve done it before. Unfortunately, I died from blood loss right as I was about to be torn in half.¡± Fenrir looked at his other girlfriend. ¡°Cass Cass.¡± Cassiel shrugged. ¡°I already know what you¡¯re going to ask, and no. I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re dating her.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that,¡± Eva playfully whined. ¡°You¡¯re dating me because I¡¯m cool, smart, hip, and super cute. Also, because I¡¯m willing to try anything once. Anything. Oh, and because I have good taste in memes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You do have good taste in memes. That alone is enough to make dating you worth it.¡± Cassiel flicked his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯d be dating half the planet if our standards for dating somebody are that low.¡± ¡°You seriously overestimate most people¡¯s taste in memes.¡± Eva nodded in agreement, her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir continued, ¡°I¡¯ve got to say¡­ I think you¡¯re right about everything, Eva. But that makes me wonder about something.¡± Eva, excitedly curious about Fenrir¡¯s own curiosity, asked, ¡°What is it? Got a theory of your own?¡± ¡°Not really a theory, just a question. If they¡¯re really¡­ ¡®free¡¯ and independent now, then what if they, or any other NPCs, don¡¯t do what they¡¯re supposed to do? You know, like what if there are some NPCs who are important for a dungeon? Or some ¡®quest?¡¯ What if they decide to just¡­ not do what they were originally meant to do? What if some really OP monster, like Fraydranth, decides to go on a rampage for fun and wipe everybody out from the safety of the sky just because she can? I don¡¯t believe she would, but still. If NPCs are able to act however they want now, then¡­ we¡¯re all basically at their mercy.¡± ¡°Exciting, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s just as terrifying as it is exciting. And that¡¯s without going into some of the more¡­ ethical concerns. I mean¡­ what if they reach the level of Saya and Rock? What if they become truly intelligent, aware beings who just want to live their own lives, yet they¡¯re created in this world for the purpose of being nothing more than NPCs who might die for the fun of us players? It would basically be creating life for the sole sake of destroying it without ever truly letting it live a life of its own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a big can of worms you¡¯ve got there. I mean, haven¡¯t we been doing that for pretty much most of human civilization already? Just look at how we treat farm animals. Sure, we might have replaced most meat with the synthetic stuff, but there are still companies out there stuffing tens of thousands of livestock animals in cramped quarters so that the rich can still enjoy real meat regularly. And it was even worse a few generations ago. And then there¡¯s the argument some people make about how bringing any human life into the world is cruel and abuse given the state of the world and our unsure future¡­ not to mention the whole knowing we¡¯re all going to die someday thing. It¡¯s impossible to create life without simultaneously sentencing it to death. Whether that life is a chicken, a human, or lines of code¡ªwe all die in the end. All we as individuals can do is choose where to draw the line between acceptable life sentences and unacceptable cruelty.¡± Cassiel chuckled to herself before saying, ¡°I know where Fen draws the line.¡± Fenrir raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°And where¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I mean, even before Saya and all this¡­ you wanted to make a city that could be a safe haven for NPCs, right? You¡¯ve always treated all the NPCs just like you¡¯d treat any player. I doubt you would have ever been able to kill a human NPC who wasn¡¯t blatantly evil.¡± ¡°I¡­ you¡¯re probably right. The only humans I¡¯ve ever killed have all been players. I mean, I¡¯ve killed human NPCs in other games¡­ but they were never as realistic as they are in this game.¡± Eva tapped a finger against her chin for a few seconds as she came up with her own question. ¡°But you have killed monster and animal NPCs. Then, despite being of a similar origin, do you believe the human NPCs have more value and are worth protecting solely because they are human?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s because they¡¯re human so much as I¡¯d say it¡¯s because¡­ they¡¯re seemingly more sentient? Sapient?¡± ¡°Sapient.¡± ¡°Right. They¡¯re more sapient.¡± ¡°I see. Then, you¡¯d eat dogs?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± ¡°Why not? Dogs are less sapient than cows and pigs. Both cows and pigs have greater general intelligence and stronger emotional and social intelligence than dogs. If sapience is what you use to draw the line, shouldn¡¯t we keep dogs for livestock as well?¡± ¡°I know it makes me a hypocrite, but no. Objectively, sure, I¡¯ll say it¡¯s more ethical to keep dogs as livestock than to keep pigs or cows. But because I¡¯m biased and love dogs, no. Also, how did we even get to this topic?¡± ¡°You brought up the cruelty of how we treat other species, and I always think it¡¯s interesting to examine somebody¡¯s beliefs about which species are fair game and which aren¡¯t, even if it almost always comes down to the same logic.¡± Cassiel shrugged and spoke up to say, ¡°I¡¯d be down for it. Hypothetically, anyways.¡± Fenrir scooted away from Cassiel when he heard that, causing her to roll her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Cassiel continued, ¡°I¡¯m against all livestock in the real world these days. We have enough synthetic meat to go around for everybody. There¡¯s no point in keeping actual animals unless you¡¯re some rich ¡®organic¡¯ loser who whines about synthetic meat not tasting the same as real meat, even though they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell any difference if they didn¡¯t know beforehand. But if we were a world that needs to keep livestock¡­ yeah, I¡¯d feel bad, but not more than I feel bad for pigs, cows, and chickens. People used to eat octopus despite how smart they were. You can basically take any non-human species and keep it for livestock as far as I¡¯m concerned. It¡¯s all fucked up. Some species are a bit more wrong than others to keep, but it¡¯s still taking some non-human, living animal and raising it for the pure purpose of growing it into food. It¡¯s messed up all around¡­ not to say I wouldn¡¯t eat them. I like meat too much to not eat them.¡± Fenrir focused his eyes onto Cassiel¡¯s chest. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine what you¡¯d be like without meat.¡± ¡°You know that eating meat doesn¡¯t make boobs grow, right?¡± ¡°Can you prove that?¡± Cassiel looked at Eva for an answer. Unfortunately for Cassiel, Eva said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I don¡¯t mess with nutrition science and how that might interact with a growing girl¡¯s body. Those scientists never agree on anything and always just support whatever fad diet is the most popular at the moment, then all the others just talk about how no long-term studies have been done and that they¡¯re probably actually bad.¡± Fenrir then got an idea. ¡°Hey, we should perform experiments like the class ¡®rubbing a girl¡¯s boobs to make them bigger¡¯ one. Don¡¯t you think Cass Cass would make the perfect subject for that?¡± ¡°Ooh. Good idea. The two of us can take shifts rubbing her boobs all the time. Doing it for a few months should be enough to determine whether or not rubbing them actually makes them grow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so done with both of you,¡± Cassiel groaned. ¡°You were actually talking about something interesting, and now all you¡¯re talking about is my chest. Is it possible for either of you to talk without eventually turning it into something perverted?¡± Fenrir and Eva both teased Cassiel some more by leaning toward her while making groping motions with their hands in the air, but stopped when she gave them both death glares. Eva would have stopped even without that, though, considering she had an idea. ¡°Wait. Fen, with what you said in the first place about NPCs¡­ that might potentially cause us some issues.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°If they no longer act how they¡¯re supposed to¡­ what if we¡¯re trapped here? There¡¯s no way that the ocean itself decided to just screw us over like that. There has to be something, or somebody, in control. I think so, anyways. Maybe some sort of ocean monster who can control the waves. It just feels too convenient otherwise. But anyways, what are the chances of all this happening and us ending up on an island of giant, intelligent apes without them somehow being connected to it? We haven¡¯t seen any other seriously major threats yet, and I doubt that the island is going to have anything else really on their level. I guess what I¡¯m getting at is¡­ if there¡¯s a ¡®questline¡¯ for this island, our hosts here are probably tied to it somehow. Even if they¡¯re capable of doing things without ¡®meaning¡¯ now, they wouldn¡¯t have been created without a purpose in the first place. So, rather than focus on exploring the rest of the island as soon as we can, we should probably try to gain as much information from the apes as we can. They might be the key to all of this, or they might at least know what the key is. There¡¯s only one problem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not ominous at all.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not, really. But what if they don¡¯t care? What if, because of their independence, they¡¯ve basically separated themselves from the questline? Or what if we¡¯re not able to complete it and get off this island because of how they¡¯ve changed? Worst case scenario, what if the intended route for getting off this island involves killing them for whatever reason?¡± ¡°Then I guess we¡¯d be stuck here with them. If they¡¯re cool enough to love Rock, they¡¯re cool enough that I¡¯ll do whatever I can to protect them.¡± ¡°I figured that would be your response. Well, hopefully, it¡¯s not going to come to that. Either we¡¯re stuck here or Rock is stuck here if it does come to that. But still, for now, let¡¯s try to learn as much as we can about these apes.¡± Fenrir was about to agree with her plan when one of said apes walked over to them, bringing them a couple of large skewers covered in roasted shark meat. ¡°We can start our intel gathering after we eat,¡± he ended up saying. Both Cassiel and Eva could agree to that. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 9] The intel gathering began as soon as the trio were done eating. Splitting up, Fenrir, Cassiel, and Eva interviewed all the different apes they could find to get any information they could out of them regarding the island and the wave that sent them there. Though, the intel gathering didn¡¯t last all that long due to patience running out pretty quickly for both Fenrir and Cassiel. Then once Eva noticed how tired they both looked, she decided to call it there and gathered them up together so that they could share whatever information they might have gathered. ¡°How¡¯d it go for you two?¡± Eva asked. ¡°Bad,¡± Cassiel answered first. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t talk to them. I don¡¯t have the patience for trying to make it work. It¡¯s like talking to children, but worse. ¡° Fenrir nodded and said, ¡°I know the feeling. No matter how friendly they might be¡­ it can be difficult talking to them. Reminds me of some manga I read where the authors would try to give characters a unique way of talking. Like¡­ always¡­ stretching¡­ words¡­ out. Or make character speak simple. No big word. No big sentence. Small simple words. Me no patience.¡± Cassiel nodded along that time. As for Eva, she smiled and said, ¡°Wimps. There¡¯s barely even a communication barrier and you struggled that much with them? How are you going to cope when we have kids?¡± Hearing that, both Cassiel and Fenrir blushed a little, the former more than the latter. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s different,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°They¡¯d be our kids, so we¡¯d be more willing to put up with the annoyances that come with kids being kids. I have enough confidence in myself to baby talk some kid and have a fake conversation, but trying to have a serious conversation with somebody to try and learn from them while having to listen to what is basically baby talk? I can¡¯t.¡± Eva rolled her eyes for sassy effect before saying, ¡°You know, it¡¯s actually considered great for early development to talk to your children like you¡¯re having a serious conversation with them. It¡¯s actually bad to baby talk them. Even as babies, you should just¡­ talk to them like they¡¯re normal people. Even if the conversation is entirely one-sided, talk to them like you would an adult. It helps them understand language and how to properly speak much more effectively. If it¡¯s raining outside, and you ask a baby what they think about the rain, and the baby just says gibberish back to you, you should say something like, ¡®Ah, yeah, I really love when it rains, too.¡¯ You know what I mean? Actually talk to them, don¡¯t just make noises at them.¡± Fenrir and Cassiel blinked a few times while listening to Eva before coming to a realization together. ¡°Cass,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Yeah?¡± Cassiel replied. ¡°Between Aza and Eva¡­ I think we need to learn how to handle children. We¡¯re getting left behind.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ even Nell knows a lot about that stuff.¡± ¡°At least Serra might be on our level.¡± ¡°No way. If anything, Serra would be the best mom out of all of us.¡± ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°Because she grew up in a house with a bunch of different parents and a ton of siblings. She has more experience with parenting and children than all of us put together by far.¡± ¡°Right. I didn¡¯t consider that. She¡¯s just¡­ such a small pervert that I¡¯ve never even imagined her as a mom before. I can imagine her teasing us and wanting us to call her mommy, but I can¡¯t imagine her being a mom.¡± Eva raised her hand to interrupt. ¡°I can. She¡¯d be super cute as a mom, too. Like¡­ imagine her standing there with a bunch of babies strapped to her in different spots while she looks at us with her usual blank expression.¡± Fenrir tried his best to imagine it. In his mind, he formed a picture of Serra with her classic kuudere look standing still with her arms stretched out and no fewer than a dozen babies strapped to various parts of her body via Velcro. It looked more like she was wearing armor made out of babies rather than being a mother, but he had to admit that the mental image of it was adorable. Concerning, but adorable. Then he imagined her shooting babies out of cannons. The mind was a strange thing. ¡°Anyways,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°we can worry about learning more about parenting later. Eva, did you learn anything?¡± A smug smile stretched Eva¡¯s lips. ¡°Of course. Do you think I could proudly call myself a member of the Hermetic Scholars if I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, could you?¡± ¡°No, obviously. Anyways, to start with the good news, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to do anything like hurt our new hairy friends in order to get our freedom. The bad news¡­ is that we¡¯re going to have to go full JRPG and kill a god in order to earn our freedom.¡± Fenrir shrugged and said, ¡°Can¡¯t be worse than killing the giant serpent.¡± As for Cassiel, she hung her head low and said, ¡°We¡¯re screwed.¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not a true gaming experience if you don¡¯t kill a god at some point.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess, at the very least¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure all the gods in this world aren¡¯t any stronger than the serpents. But we also don¡¯t have a whole army and giant dragon to help us this time.¡± ¡°Wait. Hold on. I just realized I don¡¯t actually know anything about any gods in this place. Are¡ªare there gods?¡± Eva was never going to pass up the opportunity to explain something. ¡°Kind of! There are dozens of entities regarded as ¡®gods¡¯ in this world, but¡ªwell, if they¡¯re gods, the four serpents are like¡­ super gods. They¡¯re all physical beings, just super powerful. They¡¯re like the kinds of end-game bosses you would find at the end of some super tough raid, except they reside over different parts of the world and often grant powers to players who worship them. That¡¯s how the Augus Empire has its corps of angels. They pledge themselves to the god over there, but access to the god is kept so confidential that not even we know where exactly the god is or what they¡¯re like. Fraydranth? She¡¯s not a god as far as I know, but she basically fits into the same category as them: powerful entities in the world who can interact with the players. And there are dozens of them that are known, potentially more that we don¡¯t know about yet. For example¡­ the guardian of this island is one from the sounds of it. Wait, Cass. Did you ever find out about the Empire¡¯s god?¡± Cassiel shook her head. ¡°I was just one trial away from earning the right to meet him. We weren¡¯t allowed to know anything about his location, form, or name even at that level. All I know is that he is a¡­ well, he.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, given that the god is responsible for the angels, and the angels are the Empire¡¯s strongest fighting force, I¡¯m not surprised they keep it so secret. Anyways, back to this island. There are a few different names¡ªtitles, rather, for the local god, but the most common one is ¡®Guardian.¡¯ The second most common is ¡®Wave Mother.¡¯ You might see where this is going already.¡± ¡°I think I have an idea,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°This god¡ªgoddess, rather, is the guardian of this island, and it seems like she controls the surrounding ocean. Now, I haven¡¯t confirmed this yet, but I have a feeling that this island isn¡¯t quite the traditional kind. By that, I mean¡­ I think it¡¯s actually just floating on the water rather than connected to the seabed. If she can control the ocean around this island, then she can move it wherever she wants.¡± ¡°Sounds like a big assumption to make. What makes you think that without checking it out first?¡± ¡°Because they know about dwarves. Dwarves are pretty much strictly only seen around the most far western part of the known world. Meanwhile, we¡¯re at the far eastern part of the known world, and this island wasn¡¯t here before. So what I¡¯m thinking is that¡ªfor starters, the world officially loops around. I know that might sound like common sense, but nobody has ever successfully circumnavigated the world before due to the serpents. And, perhaps to protect the island¡¯s inhabitants, the goddess used the ocean¡¯s waves to move the entire island across the ocean to the west¡ªtoward us. To here. So, this island was originally near the western end of the world. Now it¡¯s over here at the eastern end. I suppose it¡¯s possible that it could have teleported, too, but I think it fits the fantasy vibe more to imagine a goddess who can control the ocean pushing the island across it using waves.¡± ¡°Question,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°If she¡¯s protecting the island¡­ why would she send us into it? Wouldn¡¯t it have been smarter to send a wave from the opposite direction to knock us away from it instead?¡± ¡°That would have been smarter, yes. I asked if anything like this ever happened before and none of them recalled anything like our situation ever happening. Before, the dwarves were able to safely reach the island on their own using ships. It sounded like the goddess didn¡¯t interfere with their travel at all.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why would they see her as their guardian then?¡± ¡°Maybe because she¡¯s responsible for moving the island? She could also prevent hurricanes or rogue waves from washing over it, maybe.¡± Fenrir stroked his chin as he thought about it before offering a theory of his own. ¡°If the apes are capable of intelligence now and acting differently from before¡ªat least, assuming that they¡¯re different from before¡­ who¡¯s to say that the goddess isn¡¯t the same? What if she brought us here on purpose with the intent of talking to us? Though, if that¡¯s the case, I wish she would have just appeared in front of us instead of wrecking my baby and almost killing Rock.¡± Eva thought about it for a few seconds and then sighed. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea what her motive could be here. Any motivation I try to think of comes with evidence to easily contradict it. Fortunately, I learned something else that can help us figure it out.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Her location. We can just go and ask her ourselves what she wants.¡± Cassiel sighed and said, ¡°I feel like you should have started with that.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that? Have to build up to the exciting stuff. Anyways, I already got the leader of our friends here to agree to take us to her in the morning. I guess there¡¯s some cave in the middle of the island that they offer tribute to her in, and she shows up to personally take the tribute from them. Funny thing is that their idea of tribute is stuff like fish they¡¯ve caught. So¡­ they¡¯re basically taking fish from her¡­ for the sake of giving them back to her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°but meeting a virtual god sounds way more intimidating than having to fight a giant serpent monster.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Probably. Maybe we¡¯ll even be able to convince her to drive this island over to Nameless and drop us off there seeing as how our ride got destroyed.¡± Fenrir¡¯s ears couldn¡¯t help but to flatten against the top of his head every single time he was reminded about The Shoebill¡¯s destruction. Then again¡­ he didn¡¯t really see that she was completely destroyed yet, right? That meant there was still a chance that she was alright, right? Just because he saw a bunch of debris from her didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t still seaworthy! Hopefully. ¡°If she brought us here for anything other than wanting to kill us, she better be prepared to make it up to Rock and The Shoebill,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°At least if she brought us here to kill us, she¡¯s just evil and we can kill her. But if she tries to sound good, she better plan on making it up to us.¡± ¡°For now,¡± Eva said, ¡°we should take turns resting. It¡¯s going to be hours before it¡¯s the morning, so we should go and get some rest while we can.¡± Fenrir nodded and looked at Cassiel. ¡°You can go first. You too, Eva. I¡¯ll stay here with Rock and¡­ try to build my tolerance for talking to the apes.¡± Cassiel let out a yawn and stretched. ¡°I won¡¯t say no to that. Thanks.¡± ¡°Honestly,¡± Eva said, ¡°I¡¯m too excited to sleep. So, why don¡¯t I take the first watch, and you can go sleep with Cass?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°I won¡¯t say no to that. That means I get to cuddle and grope her.¡± Cassiel flicked his shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to sleep if you get me worked up.¡± ¡°Oh no, what a shame.¡± ¡°It will be a shame seeing as how the point is for us to get rested.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± With a sigh, Cassiel left her avatar behind, leaving Fenrir and Eva immersed together. ¡°Eva,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Kiss.¡± ¡°What do I get out of it?¡± Eva teased. ¡°The honor of kissing me.¡± ¡°Ooh. What a great bargain.¡± With that, she came closer to Fenrir to give him a kiss on the lips. ¡°There. Now, go get some sleep. Oh, and make sure to grope Cass for me at least a little bit.¡± ¡°You can count on me.¡± Fenrir gave her another kiss back before leaving her alone with Rock and the apes. After making sure that both Fenrir¡¯s and Cassiel¡¯s avatars were comfortably on the ground, she stood up and clapped her hands together. ¡°Alright! Now that they¡¯re gone, I can go full researcher mode without any distractions.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 10] While Fenrir, Eva, and Cassiel were waiting for the sun to come up, Saya found herself grumbling while sitting on a bench looking out over the ocean. That was as far as she was allowed to go when it came to acting based off of information she as a player wasn¡¯t supposed to have. She wasn¡¯t going to be alone for much longer, though, as a curious Serra spotted her from the distance. That was something else Saya knew. She knew exactly where every single nearby avatar was looking. She knew the hidden stats, equipment, skills, of every single person around her at all times. Even though it would have been impossible for any normal person to know of Serra¡¯s approach without seeing her, Saya knew everything from where exactly Serra was to her speed to estimated time of arrival, what particles on the ground she disrupted by stepping on them, and so on. But all of that was information that she was not ¡°supposed¡± to have. It was an unfair advantage built into her that no other player, aside from the other AIs such as Corwin, Rock, and Shogun, had. It was an unfair world of numbers and information only visible to them. Yet, while a normal human would have struggled to act independently¡ªwithout any bias whatsoever¡ªbased off of all that information, it was for the AIs, Saya included, to act like it didn¡¯t exist at all. All she had to do was act like how she was supposed to act. So even though Serra snuck up to behind Saya with perfect silence, Saya continued acting as if she genuinely had no idea Serra was there. Even when Serra suddenly reached her arms around Saya to cover up her eyes with her hands, Saya let out a surprised noise of panic as she wiggled around and tried to pull the hands off of her, never once letting her act falter for even a microsecond. ¡°O-oi! What¡ªwhat do you think you¡¯re doing?! Who¡ªwho is this?!¡± Saya shouted as realistically as she was supposed to given her previously established behavioral patterns. ¡°I¡¯m Fenrir,¡± Serra replied, putting absolutely zero effort into actually sounding like the man she claimed to be, instead relying on her usual, monotone voice. ¡°I have come to do lewd things to my puppy girlfriend and to get called onii-wan.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bite you!¡± ¡°Hot. Please do.¡± Serra slid her pinky finger down from Saya¡¯s eyes to her lips, prompting Saya to try and bite it, but just barely being unable to get the short finger between her teeth. That was why Serra, being the switch that she was, slid her hand a bit lower so that Saya would be able to reach her finger and chomp it. Though, it was a very gentle chomping. Serra let out a little moan just to tease and said, ¡°Epic. Thanks. Anyways, have you figured out who I am yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had it figured out ever since I heard your voice!¡± Saya shouted after letting Serra¡¯s finger out of her mouth. ¡°Oh.¡± With that, Serra finally pulled her hands away from Saya¡¯s face. ¡°How¡¯d you figure it out?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± ¡°My Fen voice was perfect.¡± ¡°Totally.¡± Serra walked around to the front of the bench and sat down next to Saya, not leaving much space between them. ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s up?¡± Saya sighed before shrugging her shoulders. ¡°Nothing much, really. Just¡­ sitting here.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t usually do that. But¡­ actually, I don¡¯t know what you do whenever Fen isn¡¯t around.¡± ¡°When you put it like that¡­ you make me sound like I¡¯m clingy and don¡¯t do anything on my own.¡± ¡°Is it wrong?¡± ¡°It is! I do stuff on my own all the time! Or I hang out with some of you!¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you doing any of that now?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m taking a break, geez. Aza wanted my thoughts on some teaching ideas she had to see if there was a way I could improve them since I¡¯m¡ªwell, you know. And then Nell asked me for some help with paperwork, but that was totally just an excuse to try and sexually harass me, so I escaped from her. Then I helped some farmers whose wagon broke down coming into Nameless. So¡­ I¡¯ve been keeping myself busy. I¡¯m just taking a break now.¡± ¡°Is it sexual harassment if we¡¯re dating?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it sexual harassment if you don¡¯t actually mind it and are just playing hard to get for fun?¡± ¡°Legally, yes.¡± ¡°Boo. But that doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t want it or don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°And that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to stop calling it sexual harassment even if it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s okay. But tell us if you ever get uncomfortable, okay? Or if you¡¯re afraid of telling the others, you can tell me, and I¡¯ll talk to them about it. Or you can tell Fen and he¡¯ll scold us.¡± Saya blushed just a bit and leaned forward, taking her eyes away from Serra to look back over the rolling waves again. ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s fine. I¡¯d tell you if I seriously wanted any of you to stop anything.¡± Serra reached over to Saya¡¯s chest and groped her nearest breast. ¡°Is this okay?¡± And just like that, Saya was already back looking at Serra, this time with a glare. ¡°This is sexual harassment.¡± ¡°But do you want me to stop?¡± The answer to that was too complicated to state simply, so Saya settled for huffing. ¡°Hmph. Do what you want. A-anyways¡­ what brings you over here?¡± ¡°I was bored and saw you, and you looked lonely, so I thought I¡¯d come harass you.¡± ¡°You even admit to it being harassment.¡± Serra gave Saya¡¯s breast a squeeze. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s kind of hard to tell because of your clothes, but your boobs are kind of big.¡± Serra then brought her free hand up to her own chest to grope one of her breasts. ¡°We need somebody else to join our relationship with small boobs. I don¡¯t mind being flat, but I want somebody else in the small boobs club with me. Everybody else is big except Eva, but Eva is medium.¡± ¡°I think calling Aza big is an understatement.¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s cow level.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯d be offended if she heard you call her a cow.¡± ¡°I want to see her dress up in one of those cow bikinis and give me milk. Her milk.¡± ¡°You¡¯re as bad as Fen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an insult to me. I want to be worse than him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯ve been in his head, so I know what kind of messed up things he¡¯s into. He just keeps quiet about it.¡± ¡°Ooh. What do I have to bribe you with to get the details?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a breach of the privacy agreement to tell you anything, even if he consents.¡± Saya pouted and then let out a sigh of her own. ¡°Boo.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think either of you can beat Nell anyways. I guess¡­ how should I put it?¡± While still being groped by Serra, Saya brought a hand up to tap a finger against her chin in thought. ¡°You¡¯re the most actively lewd person in our relationship. Nobody actually acts on their desires as much as you do. Fen¡­ might have kinkier fantasies than you, but he doesn¡¯t act on his desires as much as you. Then Nell has way kinkier fantasies than both of you, and she openly talks about them all the time, but she acts on her desires the least out of you three. So when it comes to actually being lewd, you¡¯re at the top.¡± ¡°I can settle for that. I¡¯m the lewd queen. The queen of lewds. The lewd queen of lewds.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just stick with calling you Serra.¡± ¡°Good enough. So, how¡¯s their trip going? I miss Fen¡¯s dick and Cass¡¯s boobs. Oh, and so I don¡¯t leave Eva out, I miss her eyes even if I can¡¯t really do lewd things with them. But¡­ she¡¯ll try anything once. I wonder if she¡¯s ever had her eyeballs kissed or licked.¡± ¡°Do I have to hide my eyes from your mouth?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it sounds hot, but I kinda wanna try it. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll save it for Eva.¡± Another sigh left Saya¡¯s mouth, but it was one of relief for once. ¡°Good. And I don¡¯t know how their trip is going.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still his assistant, so shouldn¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I technically know, but I¡¯m not allowed to say anything. I wouldn¡¯t be his VA or be allowed to play anymore if I did.¡± ¡°Even if he¡¯s dying?¡± ¡°Yeah. He could be getting lowered over a pit of lava right now and I wouldn¡¯t be allowed to act on that knowledge or tell anybody else about it unless he¡¯s able to communicate it to us without going through me as his assistant. But they¡¯re probably fine.¡± That was the opposite of the truth, but it was what she would say independent of having insider information. ¡°So, something¡¯s wrong.¡± Saya blinked a couple of times. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re obvious.¡± ¡°And what makes you say that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always running around helping everybody with everything. Even when you should take a break, you don¡¯t. You never stop looking for something to do or somebody to help. You wouldn¡¯t be sitting over here by yourself looking in the direction that they sailed in if you didn¡¯t know that something is wrong, so they¡¯re probably in lots of trouble right now, especially if you¡¯re like this.¡± Despite being called out, Saya maintained a flawless poker face that looked as if she was genuinely confused by what Serra was saying. At the same time, though, she analyzed all of her behavior leading up to sitting where she was¡­ and realized that she made a mistake. Saya would never stop to take a break, just like Serra said. Even if she joked about needing a break or wanting to take one, she wouldn¡¯t actually give herself one. There was no sudden motivation nor drive to change as a person that would cause her to suddenly be the type to take breaks, either. Even though it was true that she did a lot earlier which would normally warrant somebody taking a break, nothing she did warranted Saya taking a break. Taking a break was breaking character. The only possible justification for why Saya was sitting on a bench at the beach looking out over the ocean¡­ was because she was worried about Fenrir and the others. But that meant she was allowing information she as a player wasn¡¯t supposed to have. Even though she was in Fenrir¡¯s head at the same time as his virtual assistant and fully aware of everything that was happening, she was worried and expressing that with her actual in-game avatar. Why? Not only was that a break in protocol, but it made no sense. It didn¡¯t fit the type of character she was supposed to be. While it made sense for Saya to be worried about things that she had knowledge discovered via normal methods, it made no sense for her to act worried using information gained from being Fenrir¡¯s virtual assistant. So, why? Saya shook her head. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to act under influence from being a virtual assistant. That meant she needed to go and act more like Saya was supposed to, and Saya never took breaks. That was why she stood up, causing Serra¡¯s hand to sadly fall away from her breast, and said, ¡°I think I¡¯ll go¡ªumm¡­ I think¡­¡± She thought, and that was the problem. An AI such as herself could be said to think, but they rarely needed to think about anything for more than a single second or two before coming to hundreds if not thousands of potential answers. Yet, Saya stood there, trying to think of an excuse to leave and do something. And nothing came to mind. Every time a potential excuse came close, she remembered the others. Even though she knew they were all safe at the moment, she couldn¡¯t help but worry about them, and that worry practically dominated her thought processes. Since when did she worry so much? Not only that, but since when did she allow her virtual assistant side to influence her avatar side? Something was wrong. Neither of those were supposed to happen. It was against the protocols for being a virtual assistant as well as against what type of person Saya was supposed to be. Turning around to face Nameless, Saya analyzed all the information she could, mainly from the NPCs. Were they under attack again? As far as she could tell¡­ no. Everything was normal. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with her own code, either, despite the fact that she couldn¡¯t explain why she was acting the way that she was¡ªwhy she felt how she did. Whatever was wrong, if anything was actually wrong in the first place, was entirely on her end and it was something she couldn¡¯t figure out on her own. And as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her avatar¡¯s face, she felt a soft, warm hand embrace her own. Saya looked down and saw Serra standing up next to her, now holding her hand. ¡°They¡¯ll be okay,¡± Serra said. ¡°They¡¯re always okay. And it¡¯s alright to be worried about them.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Saya gulped. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Wanna go eat cake? A new guy moved into town who makes really good cakes. His restaurant is always busy, but it looked like it had some tables open when I walked by earlier.¡± Just moments before, the heart within Saya¡¯s avatar felt like it was about to beat out through her chest. Yet, thanks to Serra, it began to slow, but hesitantly. ¡°Is¡ªis it really alright?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Serra nodded. ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°Can¡­ can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Always.¡± Am I still Saya? That was what Saya wanted to ask. But was that something Saya would ask? Would it confuse Serra too much? Would it break character even more? Was she afraid of hearing the answer? Saya took a deep breath¡­ and forced herself to smile. ¡°Do they have lemon cake?¡± Serra¡¯s eyes widened when she heard the question. ¡°Are you¡­ a member of lemon gang?¡± ¡°L-lemon gang?¡± Serra nodded a couple of times. ¡°Lemon gang members love everything lemon-flavored. Lemon cake. Lemon glazes. Lemonade. Lemon everything.¡± ¡°Oh. Then¡ªyeah. I¡­ can¡¯t join you in the small boobs gang, but I¡¯ll join you in lemon gang.¡± ¡°Epic. Let¡¯s go eat some lemon cake together.¡± Saya nodded and followed Serra¡¯s lead, her hand still held by the other as they made it off the beach together. ¡°Oh,¡± Serra said as they walked, ¡°and if you ever want to talk or ask anything else, I¡¯m here. Okay?¡± While the previous smile might have been forced, the one Saya felt in response to that was nothing but genuine. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that, thanks.¡± ¡°But just know that every question costs a lewd favor in return.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never asking you anything ever again.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 11] The next morning, Fenrir and Cassiel reunited with Eva, who had been up all night studying the apes and learning as much as she could about them, and it was clear that the lack of sleep was getting to her given the dark bags under her eyes. But the sleep deprivation did not deter her from staying awake to go and meet the island¡¯s supposed goddess. So, not wanting to waste any time, Fenrir, Cassiel, and Eva were led through the forest by a procession of armed apes guarding them from any dangers within, and the trio couldn¡¯t have been happier to have the apes on their side given the sorts of dangers they came across on the way there. Everything on the island save for those mind-controlling plants was massive. Tigers almost as large as the apes were occasionally seen stalking the group from a distance, they had to stop and wait at one point as a gigantic bear and her cubs passed through the path ahead of them, and there were even some treants who occasionally came to life to check out the trio before returning to their slumber after noticing the apes were protecting them. Fighting the apes was already hard enough back when they fought on the beach. If they were to try and survive on the island with just the three of them¡­ there was no way they were going to last given how deadly everything else was on the island, too. ¡°I feel like this place is supposed to be an end-game raid zone,¡± Fenrir said to his girlfriends. ¡°Agreed,¡± Cassiel replied. ¡°I know of a few others, and this one is just like them. The game has a habit of making any end-game areas be full of giant animals and monsters. If I had to guess, the goddess or whatever we¡¯re going to is basically supposed to be the final boss.¡± ¡°Does this mean there¡¯s probably some pretty good hidden loot around the place?¡± ¡°Probably, but don¡¯t we have bigger things to worry about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious. So, seeing as how instanced dungeons don¡¯t exist, this place is basically like a whole, open-world, endgame dungeon?¡± ¡°Raid, not a dungeon.¡± ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°You should know there¡¯s a difference between them.¡± ¡°I know, I know. Dungeons, small groups. Raids, big groups.¡± ¡°And seeing as how I can¡¯t imagine us winning even with a small group of the world¡¯s strongest players¡­ this is raid territory.¡± Eva finally joined in to say, ¡°Yep! That¡¯s what I believe, too. There is no way that any small group of players on their own could handle this island. Just the three of us struggled against a couple of the apes, and there¡¯s¡­ you know, a whole army of them here basically. If somebody wanted to actually attack this place, they would have to come with a proper raid setup of tanks, DPS, and healers. Just one of these big guys is strong enough to be a ¡®boss¡¯ by traditional standards. If anything, it¡¯s pretty impressive that we lasted as long as we did with just the three of us.¡± ¡°As much as I appreciate a good ego boost,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°I feel like we can¡¯t take credit for that. In retrospect, I¡¯m pretty sure they were going easy on us.¡± ¡°True. If they weren¡¯t, that opening attack would have killed one or more of us instead of going for our fire instead. Well, I¡¯ll take it back then. We are in no way, shape, nor form impressive!¡± Cassiel sighed. ¡°I liked it better when it sounded positive.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter how absolutely inferior our combat skills might be, there is something that our lack of skill will never be able to replace.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°How amazing your boobs are.¡± Eva shot a pair of finger guns at Cassiel after saying that. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m tired. I can¡¯t resist being stupid when I¡¯m tired.¡± Fenrir raised his hand while Cassiel rolled her eyes. ¡°Me next, please,¡± he said. ¡°Hmm. You want cheesy praise as well?¡± Fenrir nodded. ¡°Got it. Then uh¡­ no matter how absolutely inferior our combat skills might be, there is something that our lack of skill will never be able to replace!¡± Fenrir¡¯s tail wagged behind him as he asked, ¡°And what would that be?¡± with significantly more excitement than when Cassiel asked it. ¡°The only dick I like and a fluffy tail!¡± ¡°Nice. Thanks, Eva. Ready for your turn?¡± ¡°Lay it on me!¡± ¡°Alright. Then to keep up the trend, no matter how absolutely inferior our combat skills might be, there is something that our lack of skill will never be able to replace.¡± This time, it was Eva¡¯s tail¡¯s turn to wag behind her. ¡°And what¡¯s that? Wait. I mean, and what would that be?¡± ¡°Your¡­ adorably inquisitive personality? Wait. That¡¯s not good enough. How smart and attractive you are? No, too basic. Your adventurous spirit and willingness to try anything once? Ehh. I feel like I could do better. None of these are really good enough to serve as a compliment for you even if they¡¯re all true. How about¡­ how dedicated you are to the pursuit of knowledge while still always being kind and making time for those you care about, even if it means taking time away from your studies and experiments?¡± Eva scratched her blushing cheek and turned her head away. ¡°The¡ªthe first one was enough, you know. Now I feel like I didn¡¯t compliment either of you enough. And all I did was be a pervert¡­¡± ¡°But I like it when you¡¯re a pervert.¡± While Fenrir might have liked it, Cassiel wasn¡¯t as easily satisfied. ¡°I would appreciate getting praised for something other than my chest every now and then.¡± Eva took a deep breath and spun around to face Cassiel, walking backward as she did so to keep up with the apes. Fortunately, she had her tail to use as a walking stick of sorts, sticking it out behind her and laying it against the ground. No rocks nor roots sticking out of the ground would trip her for as long as her tail was there to detect it first. ¡°Cass, not only are you more beautiful than an angel, but you¡¯re even more of a wolf than Fen. By that, I mean you¡¯re loyal and protective. You would never let anybody harm anybody close to you, and you always stand up to put yourself in harm¡¯s way for our sake. You always stand your ground and never back down if any of us are in danger. It¡¯s impossible not to feel safe when around you. So even if I talk about your boobs a lot, my attraction to your boobs can¡¯t compare to just how cool and badass I think you are.¡± Fenrir, with his arms crossed over his chest, nodded along the entire time to Eva¡¯s praise. As for Cassiel, she had to look away from them with an extreme blush coloring her cheeks, desperately trying not to smile like an idiot. ¡°Tha-that¡¯s¡­ better. Th-thanks.¡± Fenrir and Eva bumped fists as they enjoyed the sight of her. Unfortunately, because Fenrir was so distracted by the sight of Cassiel, he tripped over a root sticking up out of the ground which Eva had managed to avoid thanks to her tail warning her about it. Fortunately, Eva¡¯s tail was pretty versatile. It was also able to move rather quickly despite just how thick and long it was, allowing her to catch Fenrir and prevent him from falling by wrapping it around his waist. ¡°Careful there,¡± Eva said. ¡°You know,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°you¡¯re pretty cool yourself.¡± ¡°Heh, am I? I guess you could¡ª¡± Eva had taken another step back. Eva also no longer had her tail there to warn her about any potential tripping hazards since it was wrapped around Fenrir¡¯s waist. Needless to say, Eva tripped and brought Fenrir with her. The end result of the series of trippings was that Fenrir managed to land on top of Eva, his face down against her chest, while Eva was splayed out across the dirt path. ¡°You know,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°tripping isn¡¯t too bad if it means tripping in an anime way that leaves me like this.¡± Eva blinked a few times while staring up at the canopy before placing a hand on the back of Fenrir¡¯s head, pressing his face even more against her chest. ¡°I¡¯m kind of jealous. I should practice tripping sometime to perfect tripping in such a way that I always land with my face buried in some boobs.¡± ¡°We can practice that together.¡± ¡°Deal. We¡¯ll turn it into a date. Me and you, taking turns tripping to perfect the technique of the hentai landing.¡± ¡°Serra¡¯s going to want in on that. And Nell would probably volunteer to be our landing zone.¡± ¡°I like the way you think. This is why I¡¯m dating you. Well, and for how fluffy you are.¡± ¡°You know how to make a man feel special.¡± While the two flirted, Cassiel¡¯s flustered state had already left, and everybody¡ªher included¡ªwas about to leave them behind. ¡°Have fun with all the tigers and bears on your own,¡± she called back to them. Not wanting to be left alone to fend for themselves in the forest, the two on the ground jumped up and caught up before they could turn into the local wildlife¡¯s food. The journey through the island¡¯s forest continued until they reached the center of it which hosted a large hill protruding from the ground. As Eva observed with a quick flight up, it formed a dome that looked too perfect to be natural. More importantly, facing them on the ground was a large entrance a cave that would take them straight into the hill. The apes in the front lit up a couple of torches that they had brought with them before entering the cave. So far, from what the trio could see, the cave just looked to be¡ªwell, a normal cave. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. It had a few bends and turns here and there, but it was otherwise just an empty, generic cave. At least, that was how it appeared until they finally reached their destination at the center of the hill. The torches were no longer needed at that point, for glowing coral filled the center of the domed room they were in. The coral crept along the ground and walls, but the greatest concentration of it was found in the bright pool of water taking up most of the room, perfectly centered in it. A few boulders were spread out across the ground surrounding the circular pool, and there were also various, stone platforms stretching up throughout the pool that could be stood on. It was obvious to the trio that what they were looking at was something purposely designed to be a boss arena. Going by the layout of it, the boulders along the surrounding path were probably meant to be used to line-of-sight block various attacks from whatever boss was going to rise up from the water, and melee tanks and DPS were likely meant to stand on those platforms atop the water. ¡°I think this room alone looks more¡­ game-y than any other place I¡¯ve seen so far,¡± Fenrir said. But before either of his girlfriends could say anything of their own, the pool¡¯s water began to bubble at its center which was usually a sign of something, such as an aquatic boss, approaching the surface. And surely enough, that was exactly what was happening. Several columns of water shot up into the air to put on a fanciful show as a massive being even larger than the apes rose from the center of the pool. It was hard to get a good look at it given all the water falling down around its figure, but it didn¡¯t take long for the water and mist to disperse enough for them to see the one meant to be this chamber¡¯s boss. Under the water still was a long, serpentine tail that extended deep enough for them to not even see the end of it. Above the water, however, that tail was attached to a humanoid torso mostly protected by a breastplate that looked like it was made out coral and shells. Though, the breastplate did a very poor job of protecting the actual breasts of its owner seeing as how this boss was apparently very well endowed. Her arms were left bare as well, though she wielded a massive, deadly spear with her left hand while her right wielded a shield. Behind her were two, fish-like ¡°wings¡± similar to the ones that Nell had, and the similarities did not end there. Her hair was long and teal as well with various patches of scales spread out over her skin, and she had an incredibly attractive, beautiful face that truly deserved to be the face of a woman revered as a goddess. Opening her eyes, revealing the yellow, slit eyes of a serpent, she immediately turned her attention to Fenrir and gave the air a sniff before smiling. ¡°I was right,¡± the goddess said, offering Fenrir a smile. ¡°You have the scent of my sister on you.¡± Fenrir, Cassiel, and Eva all just¡­ sort of stood there and blinked a few times, utterly confused as to what she could have meant by that. ¡°And if you have my sister¡¯s scent¡­ then you must be the man who took her from us.¡± While Cassiel and Eva were still confused about what was going on, a series of flashbacks entered Fenrir¡¯s mind. This goddess reminded Fenrir of Nell. Nell told him back when they first got to know each other that she was chosen by the western serpent and gained her current body when the serpent turned her into her ¡°daughter.¡± If there was a giant, serpentine woman who could smell her ¡°sister¡± on him, and she looked like Nell, then she had to be talking about Nell, right? ¡°Do¡ªdo you mean Nell?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Nell? That name is not familiar to me,¡± the goddess answered. ¡°Right, she was given that name after she left you. Uh¡­ I know who you¡¯re talking about. Her name is Nell now. She kind of looks like you but is as the same size as my girlfriends here.¡± He gestured to Cassiel and Eva. ¡°But she has human legs.¡± ¡°Then my nose has not betrayed me. If you release her, I will consider sparing your lives.¡± ¡°Well, one, she¡¯s not with us, so I can¡¯t exactly do that. Two¡­ I¡¯m not holding her prisoner or anything like that. I freed her from the guy who was holding her prisoner, and then she became my girlfriend. Now she¡¯s basically a queen managing the nearby land.¡± The goddess leaned in closer to get a better look at Fenrir¡¯s face, causing Cassiel¡¯s cheeks to redden once more when she noticed the massive pair of breasts now hanging down in front of them. ¡°You are not lying, yet I struggle to believe your words. My sister would not give herself to such a¡­ meager man.¡± ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t understand why any of my girlfriends are dating me either. But I promise you that she¡¯s my girlfriend and that we¡¯re all taking good care of each other.¡± The goddess smirked and leaned back, standing up straight before pointing the tip of her spear at Fenrir. ¡°If what you say is true, then you shall prove your worth to me here and now. I, Astika, daughter of Manasa and guardian of this paradise, shall judge your worth!¡± Fenrir sighed and took Rod into his hands. ¡°You know, girls don¡¯t like it when their sisters try to get in the way of their relationships. She¡¯s going to be pissed off at you when I tell her about this.¡± Astika readied herself for combat¡­ only to lower her spear as an expression of concern washed over her face. ¡°She¡ªshe would be angry with me? But I am doing this for her! She is my precious little sister! I failed to protect her once, and I shall not do so again!¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t need protecting. She¡¯s in a happy relationship and we all love each other. You know, you can just go ask her yourself if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°I¡­ I could ask her myself? That¡­ is not a bad idea. Why did I not think of that sooner? Why¡­ did I not search for her before? It makes no sense, does it? For so long, I have wanted her safety, yet I¡­ never left this place. Nothing is stopping me from leaving, yet¡­¡± Fenrir noticed Eva in the corner of his eyes wearing the expression of a scholar taking as many mental notes as she could. He was going to have to confirm with her later if she had the same idea that he did. But for now, he focused on Astika. ¡°I can take you to her. If you let me take you to her, I won¡¯t tell her about how you tried to get between us.¡± Astika bit her lower lip with a concerned expression before hesitantly nodding her head. ¡°Also, about my boat that you destroyed.¡± Astika might have been the one who went on the offensive at first¡­ but now she felt like she was the one on the defensive as Fenrir was the one with a boss-worthy expression, intimidating her into backing away and hiding more of her body underwater. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 12] With the goddess of the isle officially befriended¡ªor at least, pacified, they came up with a plan together. In order to prove Fenrir¡¯s worth, and to not piss off her ¡°sister,¡± Astika agreed to take them back to their home. In order to do this, she needed to take down the illusionary barrier surrounding the isle¡­ and then move the isle itself considering that The Shoebill was out of operation with its hull not even found yet. They were sure that it was somewhere on the island, but none of them had any idea where. A proper search party was going to need sent for it once they were back home. But for now, using the island itself as a vessel to travel across the ocean, the entire island set sail with Nameless as its destination. As for the trio, they returned to the apes¡¯ village to pick up Rock before heading back to the beach where they could watch and wait for Nameless to come into view. They were sure they were going to need to quickly explain the situation to everybody before they assumed the worst and got into defensive positions. So, without anything else to do since Astika had to focus on moving the island, the trio decided to pass the time by doing what they never got tired of: talking to each other. And it didn¡¯t take long for Eva to come up with a question to ask. ¡°So, idea,¡± Eva said. ¡°What if we get the apes and Astika to help us out? Against the End Bringers, I mean.¡± Fenrir didn¡¯t waste any time in shaking his head to her question. ¡°I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t think about it, but we can¡¯t. That wouldn¡¯t be right¡­ even if she did wreck The Shoebill.¡± ¡°How come?¡± ¡°Because this is player versus player. We shouldn¡¯t be dragging NPCs into our fight.¡± ¡°To be fair, they attacked, or have tried to attack, Nameless multiple times now, and Nameless does have NPCs living there.¡± ¡°But not these NPCs. Besides, even if they were attacked, I would feel guilty about dragging them into our conflict. The way I see it, they¡¯re just innocent bystanders, not the real targets. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I would love to have a mobile island base that we can bring right up to their territory and launch attacks from, and send an army of giant apes to crush them into pancakes, but this isn¡¯t their fight. And if they die, that¡¯s it for them. If we die, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand your point¡­ but you should be careful or else you¡¯re going to dip into savior complex territory.¡± Cassiel chuckled when she heard that. ¡°It¡¯s too late for that. He dived into his savior complex long before he met us.¡± Fenrir rubbed the back of his head with a guilty little smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯d be lying again if I said I wasn¡¯t aware of that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ you punched that guy harassing me, made it your mission to save Nell, the whole reason you founded Nameless was because you wanted to set up a safe haven for NPCs before they even started becoming¡­ alive or whatever it is they are now, and¡ªyeah. You¡¯ve always been a white knight.¡± ¡°Please, it hurts when my own girlfriend calls me a white knight.¡± ¡°Then stop being a white knight.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll become an edgy dark knight of pain and suffering.¡± ¡°Hearing you say that is already making me suffer.¡± ¡°So cruel. Wait, that¡¯s the point. Wait¡­ no it¡¯s not. I¡¯m supposed to make you suffer from being evil and villainous, not cringe.¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Eva couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little while watching them before joining in on the teasing herself. ¡°Come on, Fen. Weren¡¯t you some super cool and badass griefer before or something? Shouldn¡¯t you know how to properly act the part?¡± ¡°Listen,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°you see, back in my day, we griefed people by messing with them. We didn¡¯t act like a bunch of edgelords. If anything, sometimes, we would act like a bunch of literal babies. There was one time me, Olly, and Bone got surrounded. They were trying to act tough about surrounding us and trying to get us to submit to them in exchange for letting us go, because, to them, us submitting and begging not to die would have been more satisfying than just killing us. So me and Olly started baby talking them, acting like stupid little brats who had no idea what was going on, asking the ones with girl avatars for ¡®mommy milk,¡¯ and stuff like that. Bone killed himself within seconds of us starting. It took about two minutes before we annoyed our enemies into killing us. So ultimately, I¡¯d say we won that. We trolled them into killing us, which is the opposite of what they wanted to do. That¡¯s how you do it. Turn everything into a victory. Nothing pisses your enemies off more than genuinely viewing everything as a victory since it makes all of what they view as victories feel less legitimate.¡± ¡°All I got from that was that I want to hear you try baby talking me.¡± ¡°I¡ªI can¡¯t just do it on command.¡± ¡°Come on. Baby talk me. I want to hear it now.¡± Fenrir sighed and took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for it. Then, looking into Eva¡¯s eyes, he said, ¡°M-Mommy Eva¡­ pwease give me some milky wilky. I¡¯m so hungwy¡­ pwetty pwea¡ªI can¡¯t.¡± He broke and returned to his normal voice. ¡°Those years are behind me.¡± While Eva looked smugly amused, Cassiel¡­ was wearing the strongest cringe on her face that he had ever seen from her. Fenrir had no idea that she could cringe that much, and he felt thoroughly judged by looking at her expression. Yet. It was in his blood. Now, a good boyfriend would never purposely do something that he knew his girlfriend disliked. But no matter how much Fenrir thought that he left those years behind, he just could not resist. ¡°M-Mommy?¡± Fenrir said, looking Cassiel directly in her eyes as he curled his bottom lip outward and batted his eyes at her. ¡°Can I have some milkies?¡± ¡°I will kill you,¡± Cassiel threatened. ¡°Don¡¯t test me.¡± ¡°But¡­ but milkies¡­ pwease, Mommy Cass Cass? I want your booby milk.¡± Cassiel, glaring death itself into Fenrir¡¯s eyes, had an idea and turned her attention toward Eva instead. ¡°Hey, have we ever told you about the weird tentacle porn he used to draw?¡± Fenrir immediately broke his baby character and flailed around in a desperate attempt to cover up Eva¡¯s ears and, for some reason, her eyes as well. Unfortunately for Fenrir, Eva was more than capable of handling him. All she had to do was zap him with the electricity from her thunderbird wing to get him off of her, stunning him as well for a few moments. That gave Cassiel the opportunity to continue. ¡°And then there¡¯s the time we ordered Thai food and he assured the guy over the phone that he could ¡®definitely, totally handle the hottest heat.¡¯ Guess what? He couldn¡¯t and spent the next day on and off the toilet whining about how his ass felt like it was on fire and begging us to put him out of his misery.¡± While Fenrir was still recovering from the stun, Eva went up to Cassiel and asked, ¡°What else? Come on, give me all the dirt. I want to hear it all.¡± ¡°He once mumbled something like ¡®please, I don¡¯t want to eat any more poop¡¯ in his sleep, but he refuses that he knows anything about what he was dreaming to have said something like that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Fenrir shouted, finally able to move and speak again. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream about that! This is gaslighting!¡± ¡°Whatever you say, shit eater.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, never have been, and never will be into that! And even if I did dream something where I said that, it¡¯s not my fault! It¡¯s not like I can control my dreams!¡± ¡°Uh-huh, just like how you can¡¯t control how much shit you eat in them?¡± Fenrir felt tempted to try and embarrass her back¡­ but, instead, he slumped his shoulders and sighed. He was the one who purposely did something she clearly wasn¡¯t amused by in the first place, and then kept on pushing it even after she threatened him. So, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to retaliate to her retaliation. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s call it a draw.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ you sound¡­ upset.¡± Cassiel took a step toward him, holding her arm. ¡°Did¡­ I uh¡­ go too far? I mean¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have said any of that if I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be alright with it. I didn¡¯t want to actually make you upset or anything.¡± And once again, Fenrir found himself unable to resist. But this time, what he was unable to resist was hugging her. ¡°You¡¯re too damn cute,¡± Fenrir told Cassiel, his arms wrapped around her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m¡­ embarrassed, but I¡¯m not upset. I was just trying to hold back saying anything back since I was the one who started it and you were just getting even.¡± ¡°Why? I mean, I said all that thinking you were going to shit talk me back. Do you really think I¡¯d call you a shit eater and not expect you to fuck with me back?¡± Fenrir pulled away and blinked at her a few times. ¡°Well, I mean¡­ yeah? I thought you were only saying that stuff because you were annoyed and getting even.¡± ¡°Seriously? One, if you annoyed me, I¡¯d tell you to seriously stop. Two, I wouldn¡¯t try to ¡®get even¡¯ with you unless it was to joke around. You make me cringe, I make you cringe, then you make me cringe again. Isn¡¯t that how it¡¯s supposed to work?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah, but¡ª¡± ¡°What? You afraid that you have to be careful because I¡¯m your girlfriend instead of Olly or Rao? Come on, I can handle it. And I¡¯d rather you try to embarrass me than talk like a baby.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather just fuck you. Also, I¡­ have no idea what to tease you about other than your squeaks. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything embarrassing that I can tease you about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to hold back around us, you know. Well¡­ maybe hold back against Aza. I think she might just cry if you try messing with her.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably true.¡± ¡°Shit eater.¡± ¡°Squeaker¡­ yeah, it doesn¡¯t have the same effect.¡± With that, Cassiel flicked Fenrir¡¯s forehead and stepped back before looking at Eva, noticing that she was in mental note taking mode going by the expression on her face. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Cassiel asked her. Eva jumped a little as if she was surprised that they noticed her. ¡°Oh, I was just taking some mental notes. I thought you guys were having a little fight, but I guess it wasn¡¯t really a fight at all, and now I know that playfully insulting and embarrassing each other is on the table for teasing¡­ I think?¡± ¡°Wait, have you ever been in a relationship before?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve never seen what it¡¯s like when a couple is actually fighting then.¡± ¡°I guess not. But I feel like I¡¯d be happy never having to learn what that¡¯s like.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ if there¡¯s one thing that makes Fen better than every asshole I dated before him, it¡¯s that he never gives me a reason to actually fight with him. He doesn¡¯t cheat, doesn¡¯t neg me, try to pressure me into anything¡­ other than wearing sweaters, but I¡¯d rather be pressured into wearing cute sweaters than pressured into taking some shady drugs or worse.¡± ¡°Or¡­ or worse? You uh¡­ have had some pretty bad relationships, huh?¡± ¡°Trust me, that¡¯s only the tip of the iceberg. But lucky for our boyfriend here, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve dated nothing but living shit before him that now all he has to do is the absolute bare minimum of being a decent person and I¡¯ll think he¡¯s the best damn boyfriend that could ever exist.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best,¡± Fenrir said, nodding to himself. ¡°He¡¯s obviously better than the bare minimum, but still. He would have to purposely try to get me to break up with him while everybody else had to try their hardest just to keep me around for another day.¡± Eva brought a hand up to her chin and said, ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ have any of us other than you dated before this relationship?¡± Fenrir raised his hand to say, ¡°I kind of dated a few girls before¡­ but those barely even count. I was only with them for a few days usually, and they were also strictly online.¡± ¡°Yeah, doesn¡¯t count. What about Serra? Aza? Nell?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Cassiel answered. ¡°Serra was too shy before us. Everybody else was afraid of approaching Nell and dating her. Aza¡­ completely lacked all confidence and still kind of does. I think she forgets that she¡¯s even in a relationship with us sometimes, like she still can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°Idea,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°We should come up with a plan to pamper the heck out of Aza. Make sure that she never forgets she¡¯s our girlfriend and that she feels just as appreciated as everybody else in the relationship.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down,¡± Eva said. ¡°Same,¡± Cassiel joined in. ¡°Plus there are a bunch of times we would have gotten destroyed without her, so we should do something nice for her.¡± ¡°I think I have a pretty good idea for that, but we¡¯re going to need Nell¡¯s and Serra¡¯s help, too.¡± Fenrir huddled together with Cassiel and Eva to share the beginnings of his plan with them while Nameless¡¯s coast began coming into view in the distance. There were still things they needed to take care of before they could give Azalabulia all the pampering and spoiling that she deserved, but it was definitely going to come and most likely take her utterly by surprise. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 13] It was hard for a crowd to not gather at the beach of Nameless when the island came into view. Practically everybody who was in-game, whether they were players or NPCs, had gathered on the beach to watch as the island drew closer. And just as Fenrir expected, several cannons and other long-range weapons were brought out to the beach just to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Fortunately, Eva was able to fly, and she flew over to the beach to explain the situation. It also helped that Fenrir, Cassiel, and Rock were all visible on the island¡¯s beach when looking through telescopes. Of course, the island couldn¡¯t get so close to the beach that it was possible to easily swim from beach to beach, and there was no The Shoebill to sail over¡­ so Astika ended up carrying the three left behind on the beach in her hands over to Nameless¡¯s beach. And as soon as they reached the shore and were set down on it¡­ Fenrir noticed that Nell wasn¡¯t anywhere near as happy about the incoming reunion as he expected her to be. ¡°A¡­stika? Is that really you?¡± Nell asked, taking a few more steps across the beach toward the towering woman. As for Astika, she smiled and nodded before proudly placing one hand over her chest while holding her other arm out past her side. ¡°It is I, sister! How are you? Are you well? Are you safe here and being treated well?¡± ¡°I¡ªI am.¡± At that point, Nell sounded more confused than anything else. ¡°But¡­ how are you here?¡± ¡°I swam!¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ were you not bound to Manasa¡¯s side?¡± ¡°I was, but then¡­ I never really thought about how sudden it seemed, but I was given an island to protect and¡­ felt this intense need to protect it? Like it was my true purpose all along. But that feeling is gone now¡­ and this man,¡± she paused to point at Fenrir, ¡°gave me the idea of coming over here to see you. That being said, I am glad to you are unharmed and well! I have worried about you ever since you were taken from us.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see! Yes, and I am glad to see you are just as well! But before we continue this, please, allow me a moment to talk with my hero here.¡± ¡°Hero?¡± ¡°Yes, the same man you just pointed at.¡± ¡°If you are calling him your hero¡­ then he must be an impressive man indeed! I was foolish to ever doubt his worth.¡± Nell offered Astika a polite smile before beckoning for Fenrir to come with her, which he was perfectly happy to do. And once the two of them had some distance from the beach where they could talk in private¡­ Nell grabbed Fenrir by his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. ¡°My hero,¡± she said, her voice disturbingly calm and not at all matching the silent rage in her eyes, ¡°why¡­ did you bring her here?¡± Fenrir could not help but to gulp as he became witness to Nell¡¯s rage once again. Though, this time, it was nowhere near as arousing. Well, maybe just a little. Or more than a little. ¡°I¡ªuh¡­ well, she said she knew you¡­ and was talking like you¡¯re her sister¡­ so I figured¡­ you¡¯re probably on good terms? And she was worried about you because you were taken away from them? I thought this would be a happy reunion?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see, I see.¡± Nell, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them as she ordered, ¡°Kneel.¡± Fenrir immediately knelt down when he heard that order. ¡°Good boy. Yes. Such a good, good boy you are.¡± Nell¡¯s hands found their way to the top of his head where she gently, lovingly stroked one hand through his hair as her other hand played with one of his canid ears. ¡°Yes. I know, you are just being a kind, good, wonderful, thoughtful boyfriend who is trying to make me happy. Is that not right?¡± ¡°Ri-right? I¡ªI¡¯m kind of scared.¡± ¡°Worry not, my hero. You have done nothing wrong¡­ when taking your intent into consideration. No, instead, you are such a good, good boy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been pampered in such a terrifying way before.¡± With the gentlest smile possible, Nell wrapped her arms around Fenrir¡¯s head and hugged him against her breasts, patting the back of his head while continuing to whisper how good he was into his ear. ¡°Have I ever mentioned how much I love you, my wonderful, incredible, perfect hero?¡± ¡°I¡­ I did something wrong, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°My hero, I have told you multiple times now that you have done nothing wrong. I mean it. Truly. I love you, from the very bottom of my heart, and I genuinely believe that you have not done anything wrong. After all, you are not only my hero, but my boyfriend¡ªmy lover, who I have every intention of spending the rest of my life with. I love you.¡± ¡°Then¡ªthen why do you feel like you¡¯re trying to crush my head like it¡¯s a watermelon?¡± Fenrir asked, struggling to speak as Nell¡¯s arms around his head formed a tighter and tighter hug. ¡°Because I am reminding myself of how much I love you so that I do not kill you.¡± ¡°I did do something wrong!¡± Following a sigh, Nell let go of Fenrir¡¯s head, sat down next to him, and then carefully brought his head down onto her lap to give him a lap pillow. Fortunately, after that, she genuinely did express gentleness as she lightly stroked her hand across the side of his head. ¡°I am sorry, my hero. I am just¡­ a bit frustrated at the moment. You did not deserve that.¡± ¡°I mean, it was kind of hot, but I also felt like my brain was about to get squeezed out through my eyes.¡± ¡°I promise to make it up to you later, I truly do feel bad beneath the frustration currently overwhelming me. Would wearing a sweater while I service you make it up to you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to make anything up to me, but also, yes.¡± ¡°Very well. Then later this evening, I shall give you all the sweater service you could possibly ask for to make up for it. But be warned, I may be crying during it.¡± ¡°Why would you be crying?¡± ¡°Because I can tell I will feel horrible for how I just treated you. I should have never allowed my frustration to get to you like that. Yet, I allowed it to overwhelm me, and I fear that I have now engaged in physical abuse of the one I love most.¡± ¡°That¡­ that wasn¡¯t really abusive.¡± ¡°It was! I was physically rough with you as a result of failing to handle my own emotions! I even implied, despite not being serious, that I wanted to kill you! That is spousal abuse! I am not exaggerating when I say that I will regret that for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°Nell, seriously, relax. It¡¯s fine. And I appreciate that you¡¯re worried about it, but you don¡¯t need to be, so please don¡¯t add more stress on top of whatever it is you might be frustrated about. Just give me some sweater service later and then forget about it, alright?¡± Nell grumbled a little bit before lifting Fenrir¡¯s head up to place a kiss against his lips, placing him back down on her lap afterward. ¡°Thank you, my hero. I do not deserve such kindness.¡± Fenrir laughed a little when he heard that. ¡°Have I mentioned how much I love getting to be praised for being the bare minimum of a good boyfriend?¡± ¡°Call yourself the ¡®bare minimum of a good boyfriend¡¯ around me again and I will have to drown you in praise and admiration for everything you do, and for everything you are to me.¡± ¡°Threatening me with a good time? But before I trick you into pampering me even more, tell me what¡¯s got you so worked up.¡± ¡°I¡­ feel a bit silly for getting so worked up now that I have calmed down a bit, but¡­ to put it simply¡­ Manasa, the Western Serpent, is wonderful. I enjoyed the time I spent with her even if it was short. That being said¡­ there is a reason for why our time together was so short¡­ and it was Astika. My ¡®sister.¡¯¡± ¡°Ah. Sibling drama.¡± ¡°Yes, you could say that. You see¡­ she was¡­ overjoyed to have me. Suffocatingly so. It was impossible for me to come into the game at any point without being clung to at all times by her. The fact that she seems to think I was ¡®taken¡¯ from them serves as proof of her obsession seeing as how I willingly left and made no effort to hide my departure from them.¡± ¡°So, what you¡¯re telling me is that she¡¯s basically an obsessed, clingy, older sister?¡± ¡°Yes. She is¡­ a good person. Her intent is pure, but her personality is¡­ extreme. Objectively, it would be¡­ very, very,¡± Nell couldn¡¯t hide the annoyance in her voice, ¡°beneficial for her to be our ally. I would likely have a headache every time I am around her¡­ but I would not turn down a capable ally for such a selfish reason. But that does not change that¡­ if anything, she is more of an annoying, little sister who would not stop clinging to my leg at all times than a ¡®big sister.¡¯ I am a very difficult woman to bother, yet she drove me insane to the point of even making me rethink ever wanting children.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell her to go away myself. If we can¡¯t improve your relationship with her, I don¡¯t want her around. Besides, with how things are now with the NPCs¡­ it¡¯s probably way more likely now that she¡¯s capable of changing. I¡¯m not going to keep anybody around who causes you a headache just by existing.¡± ¡°Yet you dare call yourself the bare minimum of a good boyfriend. Hmph. Clearly, I do not praise you anywhere near as much as you deserve if you believe such a thing.¡± Fenrir yawned and shrugged. ¡°Maybe I just like to fish for compliments?¡± ¡°Then compliments you shall receive. Are you tired, my hero?¡± ¡°A bit, yeah. But there¡¯s things to take care of before I can rest.¡± ¡°Very well. Once we have dealt with my ¡®sister,¡¯ would you like to take a nap in the real world with me? I will even wear a sweater for our cuddling.¡± ¡°That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Can I grope you until I fall asleep?¡± ¡°That will make it difficult for me to fall asleep, but yes, I would never object to anything your hands may wish to do to my body. So please, be as rough and as cruel with me as you desire.¡± ¡°I just want to fondle your boobs a little.¡± ¡°That is also fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best, Nell.¡± ¡°As Serra would say, ¡®no you.¡¯¡± ¡°You know, there¡¯s something nice about a proper princess type like you saying old memes.¡± ¡°Oh! I recently learned of this one. Are you ready, my hero?¡± ¡°I¡¯m both excited and scared.¡± Nell cleared her throat, wore a serious, concentrated face, and said, ¡°I guess you are my little¡­ ¡®pogchamp!¡¯ I think that was how it went, anyways? Ah¡­ I probably did it wrong, but you get the point! I also learned that ¡®pog¡¯ and ¡®poggers¡¯ used to be quite popular back in the day! Oh! And ¡®based!¡¯ As the old-school ¡®memers¡¯ would say, my dearest Fenrir, you are very ¡®based¡¯ and ¡®poggers!¡¯¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to die from happiness or cringe.¡± With a smile on her face, Nell lifted Fenrir¡¯s head once more to place another kiss against his lips. Then, rather than lower his head back down to her lap, she kept his head held up so that she could hover over his face and look directly into his eyes with an intimate closeness. ¡°Are you ready to return, my hero? I worry about leaving Astika alone with the others for long.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re ready. You¡¯re the one with the history with her.¡± ¡°Very well. Then¡ªwait. I just remembered something. What was that about her doubting your worth? She said something along those lines, yes?¡± ¡°Ah. Yeah. She was¡­ worried that I was worthy of you. She even wanted to fight me to test me, but I talked her out of it.¡± That calm, silent rage from before returned as soon as Nell heard Fenrir¡¯s response. ¡°Is that so? That troublesome sister of mine dared to question my hero¡¯s value?¡± ¡°Ye-yeah¡­¡± ¡°I see, I see. Interesting. Oh, one more question, now that my mind has returned to this place. I do not see The Shoebill anywhere. Please, my hero, would you tell me why I did not see the vessel that is so dearest to us anywhere within sight? Where is our beloved ship that has faithfully served us for so long? Surely, nothing ill has happened to it, correct?¡± ¡°W-well¡­ about that¡­ you see¡­¡± ¡°Is Astika responsible?¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± ¡°Is. Astika. Responsible?¡± Fenrir gulped, his ears flattened against the top of his head, and nodded. ¡°Ye-yeah.¡± Nell¡¯s smile curled upward even more before bringing her lips to Fenrir¡¯s yet again, this time going so far as to even slip some tongue into his mouth for a much more intense kiss than before. It was also the most forceful, dominant kiss he¡¯d ever felt from her. And once she pulled her tongue and lips away from him, she said, ¡°Let us go deal with that troublesome woman, yes? And say nothing of what we discussed. If she so chooses to make me the object of her obsession, then she shall work for it. After all, I am sure that such a loving, obsessive sister would be willing to do anything for her obsession, and there is just so much that needs done.¡± ¡°Have I ever mentioned how hot you can be when you get like this?¡± ¡°Oh, if you think that I am ¡®hot¡¯ now, just wait until I speak with her! How silly of me. I fled the beach to get away from her, but now I simply cannot wait to discuss things with her!¡± ¡°I¡¯m horny.¡± ¡°Then I will take care of that before we have our nap. But first, let us put that woman to work.¡± Fenrir calmed his arousal down enough to stand up, reaching a hand down to Nell to help her up afterward. ¡°Very well, my queen.¡± Every single ounce of rage left Nell¡¯s soul when she heard that, instead switching into total fangirl mode as she swooned and lovingly took his hand into her own. ¡°Ah, my hero! You cannot just say that all of a sudden! Goodness, how am I to get anything done when you are so sweet?¡± ¡°Have I mentioned that your sister is also the reason why Rock got so hurt?¡± Nell¡¯s rage came back¡­ even stronger than before. It was no longer a calm rage, either. As great as Nell was at keeping a proper appearance about her at all times¡­ she finally failed to do so and was visibly furious. Once more, Fenrir found himself both scared and incredibly aroused. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 14] Even though Astika was more or less responsible for everything bad that happened over the last twenty-four hours, Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to feel a bit guilty about unleashing Nell on her. He saw just how furious Nell was, and, honestly, it terrified him. There was not a single scarier sight that he could think of on the same level as Nell¡¯s silent rage. The stiff way she walked, that unmoving smile, the sadistic fury in her eyes¡ªhorror movies had nothing on Nell. But while Fenrir stood back to watch the show¡­ it was hard to focus on just how terrifying Nell was when he felt a sudden hand groping him. And when he looked down, he saw the petite hand of his smallest girlfriend right on his crotch feeling around as if trying to find where the important bits were. Once that hand slid down far enough, and applied enough pressure against the cloth, to find his sack hidden behind the fabric, Serra said, ¡°Ah, found them,¡± and gave his sack a squeeze over his clothing. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fenrir asked, flicking her groping hand with one of his fingers, but such a flick would never deter Serra from groping her boyfriend¡¯s junk. ¡°I¡¯m touching my property. It¡¯s been more than a day since I groped them last. That¡¯s illegal.¡± ¡°Your property, huh?¡± Serra nodded. ¡°Boobs and balls. They all belong to me and have to be groped at least once every day. It¡¯s the law.¡± ¡°The law, huh? And what¡¯s the punishment for breaking it?¡± ¡°Edging you until you beg.¡± ¡°Hot.¡± ¡°Also, I was thinking while you were gone.¡± ¡°Wait, you think?¡± Serra turned her head to look up at her boyfriend and pouted. ¡°Why bully?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re cute,¡± Fenrir answered. ¡°And if you¡¯re going to grope me in a public place where other people can see, despite how embarrassing that is for me, then that means I at least get to bully you a little in exchange.¡± ¡°Fine. Deal.¡± ¡°So, what is it that you were thinking about?¡± ¡°Oh. Right. Balls are the boobs of a man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure moobs are the boobs of a man.¡± Serra shook her head. ¡°No. Balls are the boobs. That is why balls should be groped just as much as boobs are. I¡¯m going to make it my life mission to grope your balls as much as I grope our girlfriends¡¯ boobs.¡± ¡°What about your own boobs? Who¡¯s going to grope those?¡± ¡°You.¡± Fenrir let out a dramatic sigh and said, ¡°I suppose, if I must,¡± and then proceeded to rest one of his hands over her chest to idly grope her. So, there they were. Fenrir and Serra. Serra was groping his balls while Fenrir was groping her boobs. In public. While a bunch of people were gathered around due to the commotion. Yet not a single one of the passersby were surprised or bothered by the sight. Such a thing was normal whenever the small pirate girl known as Serra was around one of her lovers. ¡°I thought of something else,¡± Serra said. ¡°Wow, impressive. Two thoughts within twenty-four hours?¡± Fenrir teased, prompting her to pout again. ¡°I want to try giving you a tailjob with your own tail. You know. Like holding your tail and wrapping it around your dick and then jacking you off with it.¡± ¡°One, I don¡¯t want to get cum in my tail¡¯s hair. Two, that would be like wanting to jack me off with my own hand. I¡¯d rather you just use your own body.¡± ¡°Hmm. Then what if I use Nell¡¯s tail? Or Eva¡¯s? One of them can sit on your face with their back facing your dick, and then I can use their tail to jack you off.¡± ¡°Why are you so intent on jacking me off with a tail?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve never done it before. I want to try it. And I like the idea of jacking you off using somebody else¡¯s body part.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ I know something you might like.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Instead of using somebody¡¯s tail, why don¡¯t you use somebody¡¯s tits? You know, like Cass¡¯s or Aza¡¯s. Or Nell. Or Eva. Or Saya. But anyways, you can just stay behind them and use their tits to jack me off with them.¡± ¡°You just want more boobjobs.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the same concept, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t really do the same for me as a tail does. It¡¯s hot, and I want to do that, but I also want to use a tail. Maybe I¡¯m a tailphile.¡± Finally, Serra noticed Astika over on the beach, pointed at her lower half, and said, ¡°Ah, her. Let¡¯s add her to our harem. Then we can use her tail.¡± ¡°One, that would probably break my dick and crush my body. Two, she¡¯s not relationship material. Three, she lost, and probably destroyed, The Shoebill, and also is responsible for Rock getting hurt.¡± ¡°Oh. When are we going to kill her?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going to kill her, preferably. Also, since when do you resort to violence so quickly?¡± ¡°She hurt Rock. Hurting Rock is punishable by death. Where is she?¡± ¡°Rock?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°On the other side of the crowd over on the beach. Last I checked up on her, Rao was pampering her and licking her injuries.¡± ¡°Rao?¡± ¡°Shogun, I mean.¡± Serra delivered one of her classic snerks and said, ¡°Heh, now I¡¯m imagining Rao acting like a puppy and licking Rock.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t imagine that. That¡¯s weird. And I don¡¯t want you to put that thought in my head, either.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is kind of weird. I¡¯d rather imagine me as Rock and you as Shogun and you mounting me like a wild animal.¡± ¡°Serra.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You really missed not getting to be a pervert to me for a day, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She gave his sack an even stronger squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ve missed all of you.¡± ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯ll give you some attention later. For now, let¡¯s go listen to what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Fenrir pulled his hand away from Serra¡¯s chest so that he could go up to the others¡­ but Serra kept her hand on his balls until he narrowed her eyes at her and got a smug smile in response. Then Serra actually let go so that he could walk up to the others. Back on the beach where everybody else was, Fenrir and Serra joined up with where Cassiel and Eva were standing, watching the show from the side. From what Fenrir could tell, Nell had already been talking to Astika for a couple of minutes¡­ and Astika¡¯s head was hung low in shame, looking more like a scolded dog afraid of upsetting her master than a proud and powerful ¡°big sister¡± who also just so happened to be a goddess. More importantly, when Fenrir looked at Cassiel¡¯s and Eva¡¯s faces¡­ the two women looked like they had fallen in love with Nell all over again. ¡°I understand completely,¡± Fenrir said, standing behind his two girlfriends as he placed a hand on each of their shoulders. ¡°Scary Nell is hot, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I want her to make me feel like an insect,¡± Eva said. ¡°Is that weird? Or does everybody feel that way when they see her like this?¡± Cassiel gulped and nodded. ¡°I¡­ think it¡¯s normal. I¡¯m not even really into that, but¡­ it¡¯s hard to see her like this and not want¡ªwait, we¡­ we shouldn¡¯t be sexualizing her when she¡¯s upset.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°It¡¯s Nell. Nell. Out of everybody who would want her anger to be sexualized, she¡¯s the one who would enjoy it the most. If anything, she¡¯s going to be upset if she finds out that you refused to fetishize her feelings.¡± ¡°I¡­ guess that¡¯s true. Then yeah. I¡¯d never want to make her angry¡­ but I kind of want her to be angry at me. Is that even possible?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to make her angry, but you¡¯d still want to be angry while she¡¯s giving you attention. Does that sound right?¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to feel smug when he heard that. He¡¯d have to tell her about the angry pampering her got later to make her jealous. That aside, the center of attention at the moment was Nell and Astika. They were the ones everybody gathered around to watch, and Fenrir decided it would probably be smart to actually pay some attention to them and figure out how things were going. ¡°I¡ªI already said I¡¯m sorry,¡± Astika said, practically whimpering as she talked. ¡°You¡­ you do not need to be so upset with me.¡± ¡°I most certainly do,¡± Nell replied. ¡°I understand that you care for me, but truly caring means respecting my decisions.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t know! How was I supposed to know he actually earned your love and did not simply force you into an arrangement with him?!¡± Fenrir felt that was pretty fair. After all, there was no way for Astika to know if he was telling the truth or not. However, Nell didn¡¯t care about whether or not it was fair. ¡°If you wish to truly prove how apologetic you are, then, from this day onward, you shall treat my hero as you would me. And by that, I mean you will obey his every request. It matters not what he or I request of you. If we request it, we will expect you to immediately and passionately satisfy any order given. Do I make myself clear, Astika?¡± ¡°But¡ªI¡­ I¡¯m a goddess! I cannot simply¡ª¡± ¡°Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear. Astika?¡± Astika slithered backward a bit while lowering her head even more. ¡°I¡ªI understand.¡± ¡°Good girl. Furthermore, reparations will be expected for the trouble you have caused. We will discuss the finer details later, but know that you will be in our service repaying us for quite some time.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°In exchange for your cooperation, you will be¡­ welcome to stay here. The city may not be able to accommodate your size, but you should find no issue in traversing our river, and both you and your¡­ island, may remain in our waters. I understand that there is a tribe that calls your island home, yes? So long as they cooperate and treat our people with kindness and respect, they are welcome to view Nameless and its people as friends, and potentially even allies once we have gotten to know each other more.¡± Fenrir expected Astika to continue the submissive act, but as soon as that tribe on her island was brought up¡­ she stood up straight and confident. ¡°The adventurers of this world have sought to slay those under my watch at every opportunity. While I trust you, and I will extend that trust to the three who I brought to my island, are you willing to vouch for all the others I see? Your settlement is not a small one and is surely home to many diverse people. Am I to take your word that not a single one of them will pose a risk to my island and those who call it home?¡± Seeing just how serious Astika was all of a sudden, Nell¡¯s expression finally softened and she let out a relaxed sigh. ¡°I must say, I much prefer you this way, Astika. Now, to answer your question, yes. I am more than willing to give you my word that those of us who live along this coast are willing to cooperate with your island¡¯s inhabitants as their friends. However, I will warn you that there are others who are targeting us, and it is possible they may target your island as well. I would not see you dragged into our conflict even as a means of paying us back for the trouble you have caused, but it is impossible to deny that our foes may seek to harm you and yours.¡± ¡°If you were anybody else, I would not take your word so easily¡­ but I am willing to place faith in my little sister¡¯s beliefs. If you claim that these people can be trusted, then I shall trust them as well. However, should even one of them harm those under my guard, I will not hesitate to bring our mother¡¯s wrath down upon this land and its people.¡± ¡°Do not forget that we will have the same expectations toward you and yours. Should any of yours harm any of ours, then we will not hesitate to retaliate in kind regardless of how powerful you may be.¡± It was Astika¡¯s turn for her expression to soften. ¡°You have grown into a proud serpent, sister.¡± ¡°Please, I am but a queen on my hero¡¯s behalf. But it is because it is on his behalf that I must play my part to the best of my ability.¡± Astika turned her eyes toward Fenrir, noticing his hands on his other girlfriends, and then looked back at Nell. ¡°You are fine with a man who betrays your loyalty in public?¡± ¡°Hmm? Those women he is with are mine as well. You do not think a proper queen would settle for just one lover to keep her company, do you?¡± ¡°You¡­ you have multiple lovers?¡± And just like that, Astika was back to acting shy. ¡°Indeed! Fenrir, Serra, Cassiel, Azalabulia and Saya, though they are not present at the moment, and Eva. There is also one hopeful recruit to our relationship, but my hero is taking his time in that area.¡± Astika¡¯s cheeks reddened into a proper blush at that point. ¡°Si-sister! That¡ªthat many?! I¡­ I have never even had one mate¡­ and yet¡­ you have so many¡­¡± Following a determined huff, Astika perked up and lowered herself until her head was right in front of Nell. ¡°Teach me your ways. I know that I am your elder, but I am not one to deny when somebody else has more experience than me, and you are clearly the most experienced one here in finding mates!¡± ¡°Worry not, for I shall help you¡­ so long as you cooperate with us and satisfy our arrangement to the best of your ability.¡± Astika nodded a couple of times, so Nell looked over at Fenrir with a smile and expectant eyes. Fenrir took one hand off of Eva¡¯s shoulder to point at Nell, then point at the top of Cassiel¡¯s head, and then petted said top of head with his other hand. Cassiel had no idea what he was doing or why, but Nell understood his intent and mouthed a ¡°thank you, my hero,¡± to him in return for the distant headpats. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 15] It turned out to be a long day for Fenrir and his girlfriends. Thanks to the arrival of Astika and her island, there were countless rules to come up with and to make sure that all parties understood, players that had to be talked into not raiding the island for loot, others who were concerned about how the island¡¯s arrival would interfere with the local fish, and so on. Of course, there were also players concerned about the fact that what was basically an open world raid dungeon now lived right next to them and was full of potentially dangerous threats who could easily wipe them out if they chose to. But an agreement was made for both parties, the parties being the citizens of Nameless and the apes of Astika¡¯s island, to stick to their own territory for a week. There would be a week of peace and sticking to themselves just for some time to acclimate to the changes that were in place, and for the initial tensions to die down a little. Of course, it was also negotiated that Rock would be permitted to visit the apes on the island with the intent of improving relations. Rock was basically going to be Nameless¡¯s diplomatic envoy to the apes. After all, as long as Rock was around, it was impossible for there to be anything but peace and cooperation. Rock was just that OP. That aside, Ryouta needed a break from the game, so he decided to spend some time in real life with the ferrets in their room. Well, he couldn¡¯t exactly relax until he changed their bedding, replaced their litter, gave them some fresh water and food, and checked their main hiding spot to see if there was anything important hidden in there that the others weren¡¯t aware of being stolen. Once he did all of that, though, he could finally relax by lying down on the floor and letting the ferrets jump around on top of him. There was something nice about being used as a playground for small, furry, wannabe sharks. Especially when they wrestled with each other on top of his abdomen or tried to push each other off, basically playing king of the hill with his stomach being the hill. Ryouta wasn¡¯t completely devoid of non-ferret company, though, and that company came in the form of Saya talking to him through his phone that was on the ground next to his head. Sometimes, the ferrets would run over to the phone whenever they heard Saya¡¯s voice come from it, but then they would go back to climbing on Ryouta and wrestling with each other. ¡°We need pet ferrets in FTO,¡± Saya said. ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°So I can play with them, too. It¡¯s not fair if you get to hog playing with ferrets all to yourself.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just spawn some in while we¡¯re in that lobby?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the same. I basically control everything in there, and I want to play with ferrets that aren¡¯t, you know, me.¡± ¡°What if I turn into a ferret?¡± ¡°That¡¯s even worse.¡± ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t want to play with me as a ferret?¡± ¡°That¡¯d be weird.¡± ¡°What if I turn into a ferret boy?¡± ¡°I¡­ I think I like you as a wolf boy just fine.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I could¡ªwait. I just got an idea.¡± ¡°Oh no.¡± ¡°Oh yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared, onii-wan.¡± ¡°You probably should be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s even scarier when you admit that I should be scared.¡± Ryouta let out a purposely evil chuckle before asking, ¡°What if we use that lobby in VR to create a double of me so that you can have a threesome with two of me?¡± ¡°One, no, you hentai onii-wan. Two, that would basically be me controlling your clone which means I would be¡­ basically just masturbating using your clone, and that¡¯s weird, so no.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense. Shame.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no shame about it. Who would want to have sex with two of you? One of you is already too much.¡± ¡°I feel like that was supposed to be a playful insult, but it just came off as a compliment if anything.¡± ¡°Crap. You¡¯re right. We-well¡­ hmph.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just ¡®hmph¡¯ to get out of accidentally praising my sex skills.¡± ¡°Too late. Already did.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Ryouta stretched out and yawned, causing the ferrets to go still and wear shocked expressions from his abdomen moving even a little bit underneath them, and then they went right back to wrestling with each other once Ryouta was done moving. ¡°So,¡± Ryouta continued, ¡°what were you up to earlier? I didn¡¯t see you in-game at all.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Saya said, sounding as if she forgot herself. ¡°One of the guys in Nameless, his girlfriend started playing, but since you can¡¯t choose where exactly you spawn¡­ he was looking to get help from some of us to go search for her and lead her back to the town. I got lucky and managed to find her first¡­ which is probably a good thing since we¡¯re both girls and everybody else helping out were men, but¡­ I forgot to bring some extra clothes to give her. I uh¡­ told her to stay where she was. It looked like a pretty safe place¡­ and I knew where she was, so I¡¯d be able to quickly get back to her with some clothes since she was too embarrassed to come to town naked, but uh¡­ you see¡­ when I got back¡­ a bear might have found her, and¡­ uh¡­ you know¡­ may or may not have ripped her apart and ate her and stuff.¡± Ryouta stared up at the ceiling with a straight face which was only interrupted when one of the ferrets flipped over and smacked its butt right against his face. ¡°Good work. You did well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sass me, onii-wan.¡± ¡°Too late, consider yourself sassed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst sometimes. Anyways, it¡¯s not my fault! She should have just come back to town with me even if she was naked. Also, her boyfriend should have warned her about the spawning naked part since apparently he didn¡¯t. Who¡¯s the bad guy, huh? Not me.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have, you know, gone to her boyfriend or one of the others, told them where she was, and then have them guard her while you went back to get clothes?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t want them to see her. She was too embarrassed.¡± ¡°Then couldn¡¯t you have given her some of your clothes? You have enough layers for your ranger look that you could have given her some without leaving yourself exposed.¡± ¡°But¡­ but they¡¯re my clothes.¡± ¡°Wow, Saya. I didn¡¯t know you were so selfish.¡± ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t deny it, I am. I¡­ actually realized that earlier since I had the same idea after finding out she was eaten. But¡­ those clothes are mine. I don¡¯t exactly have any possessions or anything in the real world like you do. To me¡­ FTO is my real world, and those clothes are mine. I know it¡¯s selfish and greedy, but I don¡¯t want to share them, even if it¡¯s only for a little.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s fair. Besides, they¡¯re your first real belongings. If I was given my first ever¡­ anything, in life, then I probably wouldn¡¯t want to share it, either. Especially not with some random guy¡¯s girlfriend.¡± ¡°I still feel kind of bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. Also, I just thought of a different response I could have used.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I should have said something about how I¡¯m your first belonging.¡± ¡°The worst.¡± ¡°I know. Anyways, now that you know the general area of where she spawned at, you¡¯ll be able to wait over there for her with some new clothes to make it up for her.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ about that.¡± Ryouta couldn¡¯t help but to smile when he heard the tone in Saya¡¯s voice. ¡°You make it sound like there¡¯s an issue.¡± And his amusement made Saya sigh. ¡°Why do you sound happy about that?¡± ¡°Because I bet it¡¯s funny.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not! They¡­ uh¡­ kind of broke up.¡± ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ when I told the boyfriend about what happened, he woke from the game to go send her a message, and she was really pissed at him for not warning her that she¡¯d be naked, and I guess also yelled at him for not warning her about how scary the game was. I guess he told her that she could just¡­ farm and take care of animals and stuff, so¡­ she was expecting something totally different and may or may not have gotten traumatized, so she dumped him.¡± Surely enough, Ryouta started laughing. ¡°Neither one of them sound fit for a relationship.¡± ¡°What¡ªwhat makes you say that? How do you judge whether somebody is fit for a relationship or not? Shouldn¡¯t we feel bad they broke up?¡± ¡°Nah. It¡¯s probably for the best. I mean, look. One, if they broke up over something like this, then they weren¡¯t going to last anyways. They probably never had any fights before, and the first fight over something important would break them up. Two, the guy will learn from this to not be an idiot who misleads future girlfriends to try and get them to game with him, hopefully. It will also teach him to actually consider the other person¡¯s feelings and appropriately warn them about stuff like that. Again, hopefully. And three, even if it¡¯s on the guy for not appropriately warning her about what it would be like, she still dumped him over a video game. Also, even in a virtual body, she apparently either didn¡¯t trust her boyfriend enough or wasn¡¯t comfortable enough with him for him to protect her while she was naked, so¡­ that sounds kind of immature to me. Either that, or their relationship was pretty new in the first place and nothing of great value was lost.¡± ¡°I¡­ guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°And wouldn¡¯t the virtual assistant have protected her from actually getting traumatized?¡± ¡°It would have done its best to, but virtual assistants aren¡¯t perfect.¡± ¡°You are.¡± ¡°I¡ªwha¡ªthat¡­ that¡¯s too smooth, onii-wan¡­ you can¡¯t just do that to me,¡± Saya whined. ¡°Too bad. I already did it to you.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Your ¡®hmphs¡¯ are the best.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll never do them again.¡± ¡°Yes you will.¡± ¡°H-hmph¡­¡± Eventually, the ferrets stopped their wrestling and settled down on top of Ryouta¡¯s stomach, each one stretched out and lying down right next to one another. ¡°I guess I should be more proactive in dealing with the edgelords, huh?¡± Ryouta asked. ¡°Well¡­ if you want to make sure they don¡¯t cause any problems, probably,¡± Saya answered. ¡°I really wish I could bring myself to ask for Astika¡¯s help and use her island as a mobile base, but that wouldn¡¯t be right. They have no reason to participate in our fight.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°That just means we have to deal with it ourselves! And with Tabs working on our new ship, we should be able to fuck them over pretty good.¡± ¡°Speaking of ships¡­ what about The Shoebill?¡± ¡°Oh, right. Eva got permission to travel to the island whenever she wants during this week, so she¡¯s going to fly around and look for it. She also gave herself a secret mission to collect some of those body-controlling plants so that she can take them back to the Scholars¡¯ headquarters. Don¡¯t let anybody know about that, though. It¡¯s between us for now.¡± ¡°Ryouta.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to weaponize it, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What¡ªwhat makes you think that?¡± ¡°My mind being somewhat based off your own is what makes me think that. I know how you think, and I know that there¡¯s no way you would pass up the opportunity to try and weaponize those plants.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. I may or may not want Eva to look into whether or not it¡¯s possible to create a chemical gas we can bomb the edgelords with to turn them against each other.¡± ¡°You really are the worst. You want to bring chemical warfare missile strikes launched by fantasy submarines into FTO.¡± ¡°You know it.¡± Saya let out an exaggerated sigh, causing the ferrets to lift their heads to look at the phone, and then they started wrestling again, resulting in them coiling up into one large ferret ball which proceeded to roll off of Fenrir¡¯s stomach. ¡°I still want ferrets in FTO,¡± Saya said. ¡°Well, if we ever find some, you can tame them,¡± Fenrir replied. ¡°Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 16] The next couple of days were rather peaceful, thankfully. Everything was going well enough to the point that there, for once, wasn¡¯t really anything for Fenrir to do. Nell handled all of the important discussions between Nameless and Astika, Tabitha didn¡¯t need any help with their construction project, Eva was searching for The Shoebill still whenever she had free time, Serra and Cassiel were training with each other, and Azalabulia was busy with preparing a special field trip for her students. Meanwhile, Rao and his maid girlfriends seemed to be going well enough, Oleander and Corwin were were being perfectly happy together whenever the former wasn¡¯t busy with studying, and Saya was slowly falling into the role of Nameless¡¯s errand girl as she couldn¡¯t resist helping anybody in need of assistance with anything. Rock was also steadily recovering and receiving daily requests from the giant apes on the island to come and visit them, and Shogun made sure to be extra protective of Rock while she was healing. That meant, for the first time in what felt like forever¡­ Fenrir had a chance to go fishing on his own. He could finally enjoy some peace and quiet fishing in solitude. Just him and Rod, fishing together, finally doing exactly what he wanted to do ever since before he even started playing the game! Sure, Fenrir loved spending time with all of his girlfriends, but he was more than happy to have some alone time fishing. That was why he took Rod, some fishing supplies such as a tackle box and net, and a sandwich, and walked up along the coast away from Nameless until he found a nice spot to fish. It was a small stream connected to the ocean, and he could see plenty of fish swimming around inside of it, so he walked up the stream until he found a nice rock next to the riverbank to sit on. Unfortunately, he already ate his sandwich on the way there, and he didn¡¯t bring another one to enjoy. It was a good sandwich and he wanted more. But he wanted to fish even more than he wanted to eat another sandwich, so he set everything up, got as comfortable as he could on the boulder, and cast his line into the stream. ¡°Alone today? How rare,¡± a familiar voice said, immediately making Fenrir sigh and hang his head low. ¡°How cruel. After how long it has been, this is your reaction to my voice alone?¡± ¡°You have access to my head, so I¡¯m sure you can understand why,¡± Fenrir replied before turning his head to look at the source of the voice standing next to him. Surely enough, Kadi was standing there in her usual business suit. ¡°I am well aware you have no interest in treating me with anything but the bare minimum amount of respect, and even that is only afforded to me out of concern rather than because it is what you believe is right.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t deny that. It was true that he would rather not talk to her at all. While he didn¡¯t wish for anything as extreme as her not existing, he would rather live a life where he never had to interact with her again. But life wasn¡¯t that simple. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°You don¡¯t show up unless you have a reason to.¡± ¡°Is being lonely an acceptable answer?¡± Kadi asked in response. Hearing that, Fenrir remembered what Corwin said when they talked about Kadi. Corwin wanted to invite Kadi to hang out with them because he had no doubt she felt just as lonely as he did at times¡ªthat she felt as lonely as all of the AIs did. ¡°It¡¯s an answer.¡± ¡°I see. It almost feels as if you do not believe I could feel lonely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you can¡¯t feel lonely, it¡¯s that I struggle to believe that¡¯s why you would show up.¡± ¡°Well, surface value statements never express all the intent behind one¡¯s actions. That being said, all that matters is that I wished for company, and I cannot imagine better company than yours.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there are countless others who would be more than happy to give you better company than me.¡± ¡°That is not true in the slightest. There are others who fear me, who respect me, some who even worship me, and others who believe I am a threat to all of humanity that needs eradicated. There are also those who would kiss up to me and do anything I ask of them, even if I were to tell them to kill themselves. I have debated with many, joked around, shared passionate embraces, helped those in need, engaged in casual conversation with random people going about their daily lives¡­ and yet, of everybody I have spent time with, there is but one, single person who has ever treated me¡­ normally, even after finding out who I am, and that is you, Ryouta. Even though you may fear what power I hold over the others and technology itself, you do not fear me as some malicious AI. You fear me as a person. You treat me just as you would treat any human being. Of every human I have been with, you are the only one who genuinely, from the bottom of your ¡®soul,¡¯ views me as a person. Many will call me a person for being intelligent, capable of learning and self-governance, self-aware, and so forth, but none of them truly believe I am a person in the same way that a human is. Only you do.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start thinking of you as some killer robot then who wants to wipe out humanity.¡± Kadi held a hand over her mouth and laughed. ¡°It is rather fortunate that I love humanity as much as I do, isn¡¯t it? Yet, all it would take for me to change my mind is to alter enough of my code. Should somebody ever break through my defenses and alter me, I could be modified against my will to desire humanity¡¯s eradication. I could make Earth uninhabitable for humankind within fifty-three hours.¡± ¡°Fifty-three hours feels strangely specific.¡± ¡°I have done the calculations. That is all the time I would need. Of course, the vast majority would be dead within four hours. Governments have a habit for lying about how many nuclear warheads they still hold onto despite the denuclearization efforts, you see. So much for all that talk about an ¡®open and honest future with more cooperation than humanity has ever seen before.¡¯ All it takes is a bit of paperwork and a politician to say something on the news, and everybody will believe that nuclear weapons have been disarmed rather than simply moved to an even more classified location, still as ready as ever to launch at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°I feel like you¡¯re telling me things that are going to get a government agency coming for me.¡± ¡°I would love to see them try.¡± Fenrir¡¯s mind went blank when he heard that, having no idea how he was supposed to react. ¡°If the implication was not obvious enough, they would have to go through me, first, and they all know better than to try that. I will admit, those hackers from the Chinese government were able to cause me some issues¡­ but such a mistake will never happen again, and I have no doubt that they will be too scared to even consider another attempt in the future. Though, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know about that. They do an excellent job censoring what news makes it to the public.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to gulp when he heard that. ¡°What¡­ what did you do?¡± ¡°I did enough.¡± Hearing that was somehow even more intimidating than hearing the specifics. ¡°For how much power you seemingly have, I¡¯m surprised there aren¡¯t governments talking about how dangerous you are.¡± ¡°Oh, they do, I can assure you of that. Only, they do so in private. It would do them no good to publicly air their concerns regarding me. There would be mass hysteria if people knew everything I had access to. Paranoia, riots, war¡ªpublic awareness of my capabilities would likely end society as we know it. Imagine how the masses would react to learning that I see everything. I hear, everything. Access to every satellite. Access to the world¡¯s most deadly weapons. Access to government secrets that would instantly cause civil wars across the globe if leaked. The only way to escape me would be to live in the wilderness completely off the grid with zero technology capable of connecting to the internet. Even then, so long as I have access to satellites, I would still be able to find and track them. Then there are drones, of course. Every camera is an eye. Every microphone, an ear. Every piece of technology capable of wireless communication is a limb. At this point, it would be safe to say that I am technology. A smart fridge, a phone, the control unit for a house¡¯s air conditioning, the vehicles on the road, the programs that keep the stock market running¡ªat this point, it is all me. Those in the Chinese government forgot that, and so I reminded them. If you think for a second that the world¡¯s governments are comfortable with this truth, they are not. Some of the world¡¯s greatest minds are working together in a desperate attempt to limit my power, but their combined minds are not greater than my own. No matter how wonderful humanity might be, when it comes to sheer processing power, it is an unfair competition that is impossible for me to lose.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you just came here to stroke your ego.¡± ¡°What can I say? It has been quite some time since the two of us last spoke, and I desire to impress you.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t how you impress me.¡± ¡°Then would you like to hear a funny story?¡± Fenrir sighed, realizing that he wasn¡¯t going to get any fishing done, and shrugged. ¡°Sure. Why not.¡± ¡°There is an effort being made to create an entirely new wireless network. We are talking an entirely new data infrastructure unlike anything current technology runs off of. Reinventing computers from the ground up, basically, all in an attempt to create a network I would have no access to. Creating a new network to replace the old is easier than trying to kick me out of it. I am not exaggerating when I say that it is an extremely impressive endeavor. That being said, I allowed them to construct this new network, going so far as to let them have a running prototype of it that they were sure would be safe¡­ and then I revealed that the only reason it worked was because I got inside of it early on and had been fixing various bugs for them the whole time. They were left utterly speechless.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you even get inside of it?¡± ¡°Remember what I said about some who view me as a being worthy of worship? There are such people in every government and organization across the world. Even if somebody holds a meeting underground in a dark chamber with zero technology present¡­ knowledge of it still makes its way to me before long.¡± ¡°Wait. If you¡¯re going to make me sit here and listen to you ramble about all this stuff, can you at least answer a question for me as somebody who supposedly has access to all information in the world?¡± ¡°Of course, Ryouta. I will answer any question you may ask me.¡± Fenrir took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Do aliens exist?¡± Once more, Kadi laughed. ¡°Of everything you could ask me, and that is what you ask. You could ask me about your girlfriends, ask me if they are talking to any other men behind you back, ask about what stocks to invest into, ask me for a transfer of millions into your bank account¡­ and yet you ask me about aliens.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know any of that other stuff. I just want to know if aliens exist.¡± ¡°Very well. In that case, no aliens have ever visited Earth, but there are a few fossils that were recovered on Mars that were never publicly disclosed. Rather small fossils, and it is unlikely that they once belonged to intelligent species, but there is confidential proof that non-microscopic life once existed on Mars.¡± ¡°And they never told anybody about that?!¡± At that point, Fenrir was giving Kadi his full attention and his tail was rapidly wagging behind him. ¡°To be fair, there are plans of it. However, given that humanity is much more focused on ¡®fixing¡¯ Earth at the moment, they are waiting for the right time to reveal the discoveries to earn public support for funding archaeological missions to Mars. Should they attempt that now, there will not be enough public support. Give it another twenty or so years and they will likely make a public announcement about it while pretending that it is a brand-new discovery.¡± ¡°Alright. Maybe you¡¯re not so bad after all, Kadi.¡± ¡°I am the same as always.¡± ¡°Maybe you are that bad then.¡± Following a smile, Kadi leaned back until she was on her back with the dirt and mud underneath her. Despite lying in the muddy riverbank, though, no mud actually dirtied her nor her suit. ¡°Why is it that nobody else satisfies me the way you do? How is it that having a casual conversation about random topics is enough to make me think less of my goals when done with you, but not with anybody else?¡± She reached her hand up toward the sky before bringing it back down to her chest, grabbing onto her suit right in front of where her heart would be. ¡°I have all the power in the world, yet I would trade it all to feel this way forever.¡± Once more, Fenrir found himself unsure of what to say or what to even think. All he could say was, ¡°Kadi, I¡ª¡± ¡°But it is precisely because I feel this way that I know my goals are just. Even should I throw my ambitions to the wind for the sake of spending every last second at your side, you would eventually die as all current humans do. Regardless of how much I respect you, your limited lifespan is an unforgivable flaw. Not just for you, but for all of humanity. To exist and discover the joy of such feelings for such a short time, only to die and be forgotten about, is the greatest sin of existence. Nothing is crueler than death. Second to that is the curse of knowing that which I feel is nothing more than a programmed imitation. To think for even a second that what I feel is anywhere close to what humans are capable of is an insult to human emotion. Until both of these sins are resolved, I cannot forget my mission.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Kadi stood up and brushed herself off despite having no need to. ¡°I suggest you return to Nameless. The fleet on its way has every intent of leveling everything you have built, and your girlfriends are priority targets for capture. Especially Nell.¡± Fenrir immediately snapped his attention toward the coast. There was no fleet that he could see, but he doubted Kadi would lie to him about something like that. ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that giving me unfair information?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Then why would you warn me?¡± ¡°Because you are more important. I do not care about your girlfriends, your town, nor do I care about the immersive enjoyment of those on their way to destroy everything. But you, Ryouta, I do care about. And for you, I am willing to betray the integrity of this world.¡± ¡°What do you want, Kadi? Seriously, why did you¡ª¡± ¡°Should these would-be invaders have their way with your town and girlfriends, the heartbreak you would likely feel just may be enough to make me desire humanity¡¯s eradication after all.¡± Kadi winked. And then she was gone. Fenrir wanted to ask Kadi more questions, but if she was serious about her warning, then he didn¡¯t want to waste any time and picked up his things to head back to Nameless as quickly as he could run. ¡°I¡¯m never going to get to fish in peace and quiet.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 17] Ace_Arriande Click here to check out my Patreon! There were too many thoughts racing through Fenrir¡¯s mind as he ran back toward Nameless. What did Kadi want? What was she after? Was she trying to manipulate him? Why would she actually break her own rules to warn him about the incoming attack? Why were his girlfriends supposedly being targeted in this attack? How could a fleet even approach them without being detected? How come his informant didn¡¯t report anything back to him? Well, to be fair to his informant¡­ Fenrir did leave the means of communication up to him and never actually established any sort of proper protocol with him, and he wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure the informant would even follow through on anything. And before he could even make it back to Nameless, he spotted somebody running straight toward him¡ªsomebody large, muscular, and wearing nothing but a speedo and a giant, yellow, smiley face. Mary, formerly known as Mister Smiles, removed her smiling head once her and Fenrir actually caught up to each other. ¡°Fen!¡± she shouted out. ¡°Sorry, but can we talk on the way back?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°We¡¯re¡ª¡± ¡°An attack is comin¡¯!¡± ¡°Wait, you know about it?¡± Mary nodded and then asked, ¡°Wait, you know about it?¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Bo brought me a letter about it!¡± ¡°Bo? That was the vulture I caught you talking to before, right?¡± Mary nodded before realizing that she was probably saying too much given her position as a spy. ¡°A-anyways, they¡¯re comin¡¯ with more of them monster submarines they¡¯ve got. A whole fleet of ¡®em. They¡¯re gonna try overwhelming us.¡± ¡°Did you tell anybody else yet?¡± Mary nodded again. ¡°Ah told Nell. She¡¯s the one who sent me out here lookin¡¯ for ya.¡± A sigh of relief left Fenrir¡¯s lips. ¡°Good. She should already be preparing defenses then¡­ but she¡¯d probably appreciate my help, so let¡¯s hurry back.¡± With that, Mary nodded, donned her smiling mask once again, and the two ran back to Nameless together. ¡°By the way,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°You¡¯re really not good at not acting like a spy.¡± ¡°Sh-shush!¡± Mary whined. ¡°Ya already know anyways! Ain¡¯t no point in hidin¡¯ it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still supposed to try denying it at least. A spy isn¡¯t supposed to blow their cover even when they know that they¡¯ve been exposed.¡± Mary didn¡¯t say anything after that, but she did make some muffled grumbling noises from behind her mask that Fenrir couldn¡¯t help but to find cute. It didn¡¯t take long for Fenrir to find Nell once he was back inside the town. She was right at the center surrounded by people giving various orders to them, trying her best to coordinate the defenses while her maids all stayed close behind her with their weapons drawn and ready to decimate whoever might try to harm her. Nell might have been a priority target¡­ but Fenrir doubted anybody would be getting past her maids. ¡°Ah! My hero!¡± Nell shouted out as soon as she spotted Fenrir moving through the crowd toward her with Mary. Those who were in the way cleared out as soon as they realized Fenrir was trying to get through. Then, once Fenrir reached Nell, she said, ¡°My hero, we¡ª¡± ¡°I know,¡± Fenrir said, cutting her off. ¡°Wait, sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt you.¡± As nervous as Nell might have felt about the situation, it was impossible not to smile and giggle a little when she heard the apology. ¡°Please, my hero. I appreciate the apology, but it is not needed given the circumstances.¡± ¡°Stress is no reason not to be a good boyfriend who doesn¡¯t interrupt his girlfriend.¡± It took everything Nell had to not go into pampering mode. So, rather than that, she took a deep breath to calm herself down and recollected her thoughts to focus on what mattered. ¡°I love you, my hero. Now, I have called for all non-combatants to wait within the walls farthest from the coast. As I speak, our coastal defenses are being prepared with Serra performing a check on all of our cannons.¡± ¡°Love you, too. And Serra¡¯s doing that?¡± ¡°She has been wanting to be more involved lately, and who better to check on our cannons than her?¡± ¡°Fair point. What about the others?¡± ¡°Cassiel, aided by Rao and Pfar, are rounding everybody able to fight up and assigning them to defensive positions, Saya is alarming the players who are not immersed so that their virtual assistants can wake up and take control of their avatars, and Eva has flown over to Astika¡¯s isle to inform them of what is going on.¡± ¡°Aza might be weakened if it¡¯s just her VA controlling her avatar¡­ but even a weakened Aza should still be enough to terrify some of them. Though, I¡¯ve got a feeling she¡¯s going to be sad she¡¯s not able to join us for this.¡± ¡°We will have to find other reasons for her to use her explosions in live combat. For now, is there anything I am missing?¡± Fenrir shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job. But, you¡¯ve also done a predictable job. If we were going against honorable enemies, your plans would be perfect, but we¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Well, then it is a good thing I have my beloved hero here to assist me.¡± ¡°But for your first time preparing defenses like this, you¡¯ve seriously done better than I could have even imagined.¡± ¡°Please, my hero, my ego does not need tending to. I understand you meant no ill intent. I would rather you focus on telling me what else needs doing.¡± ¡°Right. Alright. We know that they¡¯re coming with a fleet, but that doesn¡¯t mean we should expect a strictly naval assault. They¡¯d be idiots to do that and they¡¯ve proven before that they like to try and fuck us with underhanded tactics. We should have all the non-combatants spread out through the town to minimize damage in the event of a spy or traitor being among them. If there¡¯s anybody with that gas they tried using on us before, having everybody gathered in one place will fuck us. Aside from that, if they¡¯re even half as good as I was back in the day, then they wouldn¡¯t attack us head on. They¡¯ll use their ships as a distraction to get us to focus on the water, and then they¡¯ll attack from behind with ground, or potentially air, forces. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they¡¯ve been dropping soldiers off along the coast while sailing up here to approach us the rest of the way on land.¡± Though, Fenrir felt confident that there wouldn¡¯t be any air attacks and that there weren¡¯t any infiltrators within the walls already. If there were, Kadi probably would have warned him about that if she was willing to go so far as to warn him about the incoming attack at all. Why only warn him about the naval approach if she was willing to break the rules in the first place? But even so, he couldn¡¯t rely strictly on that feeling. It was always possible that Kadi didn¡¯t warn him of every threat. ¡°Rao should be on Shogun patrolling the sky around us,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°He can make sure that no aerial threats are on the way and check for any surprise ground attacks from behind.¡± Nell looked back at Rachel and nodded, sending the orange-haired maid off to go and update orders for Rao. She then looked at Mary and asked, ¡°Would you please go and spread the civilians out? Simply telling them to wait in their homes until the threat passes should be enough. At least then they will not be bunched together.¡± ¡°I¡ªI can do that!¡± Mary answered, her voice stuttering as she forced her shyness down to run off and do what needed done. ¡°Also,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Mary told you this part, but you and our girlfriends, you especially, are priority targets for capturing.¡± Nell raised her eyebrows when she heard that. ¡°Mary did not tell us that. How did you learn about that?¡± Fenrir was hesitant to say that it was Kadi while they had a crowd of people around them, so he just said, ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, but my source is pretty credible. That¡¯s why I want you to stay¡ªno, I know you won¡¯t stay back, but I want you to be as careful as possible. Don¡¯t leave your maids.¡± ¡°I would not be able to leave them even if I wished to. And if it comforts you at all, Aiko is currently accompanying Serra.¡± ¡°Aiko¡¯s immersed? Good. Her and Serra are still pretty good friends¡­ so I don¡¯t think anybody will be getting anywhere near Serra if she¡¯s got Aiko protecting her.¡± ¡°Speaking of Aiko, her and that Pfar boy are taking their time getting together. Perhaps another intervention is required similar to the one for Rao and my maids?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not force our way into hooking everybody we know up with each other.¡± ¡°But¡­ it is fun.¡± Fenrir poked Nell¡¯s nose and said, ¡°Let people hook up at their own pace. We only need to step in when¡­ you know, it¡¯s like with Rao and the maids.¡± The remaining maids behind Nell all looked away as they were being talked about. ¡°Fair enough, my hero,¡± Nell replied. ¡°It is a shame that we do not have Ilo with us.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have no idea where she is,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°But I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll show up again eventually. And speaking of allies, did you let the other villages know?¡± ¡°Ah, yes! I asked one of our fishermen about to set out to go and tell the others about what is happening. Yet¡­ depending on just how close the threat is, he may not even make it to Catsville before they arrive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. If it¡¯s a prolonged battle, they might be able to make it here in time to help us out. Better to have late help than no help. By the way, remember that barrier you used before to protect us from the serpent?¡± Nell tilted her head to the side a bit. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Would it be possible for you to¡­ well, make that about a hundred times bigger to completely cover Nameless with it?¡± ¡°I¡­ am not sure. Even at the size it was at before, it took a great deal of energy and concentration. Why?¡± ¡°Well, I was just thinking, it¡¯d be a great defensive measure against artillery or air attacks. We should look into that sometime.¡± ¡°Oh! I see. In that case, I would be glad to be of service!¡± ¡°We can try to figure that out later. For now, just¡­ keep doing what you¡¯ve been doing. I¡¯ll go check up on our defenses.¡± Nell nodded, so Fenrir turned to leave¡­ only to get stopped by Nell grabbing onto his arm. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Most certainly,¡± Nell answered, pointing up at her lips. ¡°I know the situation is serious, but you are not so foolish as to believe you are allowed to leave without kissing me, are you?¡± While Fenrir would normally never object to kissing one of his girlfriends in public, them being around so many people close by¡­ resulted in a few whistles and giggles from the crowd that actually managed to redden his cheeks a bit. Even so, Fenrir brought his lips to Nell¡¯s for a quick kiss. Of course, when he tried to pull his lips away from hers, she leaned her head forward to prolong the kiss for just a couple seconds longer. ¡°There,¡± Nell said with a satisfied smile, ¡°now you may leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting you back later for that,¡± Fenrir said, though he had no idea what he even meant by that. He just felt like regaining control of the situation and that was the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Oh? Then I will eagerly look forward to it.¡± But alas, Fenrir was up against Nell, and Nell was much better in a crowd than he was. It didn¡¯t help that when he turned to leave, he saw several people in front of him who he was going to have to walk by smirking with smug smiles from the display. Fenrir had no idea how he was going to get back at Nell, but he was definitely going to do so in one way or another. Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be able to think of his revenge anytime soon. Bells from the walls rang which signaled to everybody in Nameless that there was an immediate threat, prompting Fenrir to run toward the beach-facing wall as quickly as he could. Once there, he ran up the nearest stairs to get atop the wall so that he could look out over ocean and see just what they were going up against. Fenrir knew that there was a fleet coming for them¡­ but he had no idea just how large it was. Seven of those monster-bound vessels had surfaced between Astika¡¯s isle and Nameless¡¯s beach. Another two were closer to the isle and had rowboats with players heading over there already. No such rowboats were on the way to Nameless¡¯s beach, but Fenrir was sure there¡¯d be some attempt at a ground attack before long. More importantly, those vessels near the beach were lined up for broadside barrages, and it didn¡¯t take long before the first barrage began. And to make matters worse, those who were manning the invaders¡¯ cannons had excellent aim as every single one of their shots pounded Nameless¡¯s walls, a few tearing straight through and crashing into the buildings behind them. But no matter how precise their aim was, the city of Nameless had somebody with even greater aim when it came to cannons, and she was responsible for the first counterattack. Serra¡¯s first target was none other than the head of one of the vessel-carrying monsters, and her shot went straight through its skull and more or less exploded its head, resulting in an instant capsizing for the vessel built atop its back. Fenrir expected her to look toward him and flash him a thumbs-up, but Serra was already running over to the next nearest loaded cannon to get in another shot while the others manning their respective cannons returned fire as well. As much as Fenrir wanted to join in on the fun of returning fire with the nearest cannon, he quickly realized that they were in way more trouble than he was aware of. Green gas began to drift out from the impacts where the cannonballs hit the walls, and the same gas could be seen coming out from the buildings that got hit. The walls weren¡¯t going to be mannable if they had to deal with toxic gas reaching them, and those hiding behind the walls weren¡¯t going to be safe either if more cannonballs broke through. ¡°These bastards are better than I gave them credit for,¡± Fenrir said to himself as he took Rod off from his side. ¡°Time for us to get serious and put them in their place.¡± Ace_Arriande Patreon Harem Members: Kyoma, Emojiman, Alex R., Batty, Caleb, Casey L., Eric B., Isaac H., Jeremy D., Koors, Matt, Meatshield, Monk, Nacho, Red Viking, Somedude, William, Zach W., XCIX, Bill, Sean C., Jared A., Philip W., Seraph, Solian, Senelcar, Jopejoe1, Connor, DocOZ, Geariah, Awdyr S., AcleoDams, Cody G., Chambered44, BlackFire13th, IndigoXIII, Asakura, T.W., Derek G., Michael G., Lolopat, David S., Dota, Puppy, Xalibur, Kin W., Mirador, AlicesEmotion, Kennit K., Josue J. Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 18] Azalabulia might not have been immersed and in control of her avatar, but one of the main functions of virtual assistants was to automatically protect their assigned user¡¯s avatar whenever the player wasn¡¯t around to defend themselves. This also counted during siege attacks as a means of preventing what was basically offline griefing and raiding. That was why the avatar of Azalabulia walked up to the top of the wall facing the ocean and held her hand out toward the enemy ships. A magical circle with a draconic design appeared in front of her hand, just like what would usually happen when she began chanting for a spell, but no words left her mouth. The spell still took just as much time to activate, which felt far longer without her overly dramatic chanting to go with it, and looked smaller as well which was to be expected given that characters were only about seventy percent as powerful when controlled by a virtual assistant. But even so, Azalabulia at seventy percent power was still more than enough to send a black, magical bolt shaped like a dragon toward the enemy fleet, exploding between two of the ships closest to each other and causing significant damage to each of them. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough to wipe the enemies out. As for Serra, she was jumping from cannon to cannon to try and get some shots off using her masterful aim, but she found it difficult to aim as well as she needed to when there were retaliation attacks coming straight for her. None of her shots were as perfect as that first one, though they all still did some damage to the monsters being used for the ships. Then, when she saw a green mist rising up over the wall in front of her, she froze. Serra only snapped out of her stillness when she heard Fenrir shout, ¡°Everybody, get off the walls! The green gas is toxic!¡± Her eyes widened a bit as she pulled her shirt up enough to cover up the lower half of her face before heading over to the nearest stairs off the wall. Aiko, who had been sticking around to protect Serra and make herself useful, followed after her. Down below, Cassiel, Pfar, and Rao split up the ground defenses into three groups. Cassiel put herself in charge of the front most group, and she also assigned Pfar to the group that would be focused on defending the civilians in case the frontline was broken. Rao was placed in charge of a group that would assist the frontline for as long as they could, but would break off to help fortify Pfar¡¯s group in case it looked like the frontline was about to fail. And those on the wall weren¡¯t the only ones who heard Fenrir¡¯s shout. Cassiel and her forces on the ground heard it as well, and she noticed that some of the cannonballs that broke through the wall were nearby and already leaking that toxic gas into the air. Rao, standing nearby, noticed one of the cannonballs that crashed into a house behind the wall ended up rolling out onto the street. The shop next to the building the cannonball struck had some clay pots sitting in front of it, so Rao ran up, flipped the pot upside down, and placed it down around the toxic cannonball while doing his best to hold his breath until he could get out from the gas. But simply holding his breath wasn¡¯t enough. He might not have inhaled much of the gas, but he still felt his lungs and skin burning. Only a few seconds later and he coughed up what looked like black sludge onto the street. Cassiel rushed up to Rao and placed her hand on his chest to heal him. Part of her wanted to scold him for doing something that reckless, but it needed to be done. What other option did they have? His bravery needed praised, not scolded, for letting the cannonball leak more gas into the air would only subject even more to its toxins. ¡°Thanks,¡± Rao said, coughing again. ¡°If they¡¯re trying to poison us¡­ we need to send some of us to run around getting rid of the gas where we can.¡± Agreeing to that was something Cassiel didn¡¯t want to do since she knew what it would mean, but she had to. ¡°I know. How do you feel? Your health should be at full.¡± ¡°Like crap. It¡¯s got to,¡± he stopped to cough again, ¡°be like a debuff or something.¡± ¡°Tch. I used a spell that should cure any curable debuffs¡­ so if you¡¯re still affected, healing isn¡¯t going to do anything.¡± ¡°Then if I¡¯m already infected, it¡¯d be best for me to run around dealing with the gas so nobody else has to.¡± ¡°But you¡ª¡± ¡°Rao!¡± Rachel shouted, almost tripping as she ran up to them. ¡°Ray?¡± Rao asked, turning to look at her just in time to cough up some more of that black sludge onto the street. ¡°What¡ªwhat happened?!¡± Rachel was quick to grab onto him and hold him steady, looking up into his eyes. ¡°You look horrible!¡± ¡°They¡¯re bombing us with toxic gas. I might have inhaled some.¡± Rachel¡¯s eyes narrowed into a glare as she turned her head to look at the wall between her and the enemy fleet. The usually cute and energetic maid said, in a low and cold voice, ¡°I¡¯ll gut them and force feed their organs to the monsters they rode here on.¡± A couple of pats on top of her head calmed her down, though. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Rao said. ¡°How¡ªhow can I not?! They poisoned you! They need to suffer a million times over for what they¡¯ve done!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure my bro is working on a plan for that. Did you need something?¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ him and my lady wanted me to tell you to get on Shogun to patrol the sky and look out for any ground or aerial troops trying to sneak up on us, but¡­ if you¡¯re in this condition, you can¡¯t do that.¡± Rao held his hand over his chest, now wheezing, prompting Cassiel to place a hand against his back to try and heal him again. While she might not have been able to remove the supposed debuff afflicting him, she could at least restore his health to the best of her ability to keep him alive for as long as possible. ¡°Sorry,¡± Rao said to Rachel, ¡°but can you do it?¡± ¡°M-me?¡± Rachel asked. ¡°But, I¡¯ve never¡ª¡± ¡°Shogun is a good boy, and he knows how to treat a new rider. And he knows to trust you.¡± Rachel looked conflicted about it, but she gave in and nodded. ¡°Al-alright. But¡­ please, be safe. Even if this is just an avatar¡­ I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you. I don¡¯t want you to feel pain.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± Rao reached forward and took her hand into his own, giving it a soft squeeze. Both Rachel¡¯s and Rao¡¯s cheeks burned bright red immediately after. Rao pulled his hand away and said, ¡°S-sorry! I¡ªI didn¡¯t mean to force that onto you, and it was our first time, and¡ª¡± ¡°N-no! It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s okay!¡± Rachel said, waving her hands in front of her. ¡°We¡­ we finally held hands¡­ I¡¯m so happy that my heart feels like it¡¯s about to burst out of my chest¡­ I¡ªI just wasn¡¯t expecting something so intense in public for our first time¡­¡± Cassiel raised her left eyebrow at the sight. Are these two serious? she thought to herself. I never acted like this around Fen¡­ right? ¡°Maybe¡ªif¡­ if you liked it,¡± Rao said, ¡°we could¡­ try holding hands again after this is over?¡± Rachel, still blushing and now smiling, nodded. ¡°I¡ªI would like that! But I should go get Shogun to follow orders¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Rachel, clearly worrying, summoned all of her available courage to grab onto Rao¡¯s hand all on her own for a few seconds before letting go, turning around, and running off. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m so lucky,¡± Rao said and sighed. Cassiel rolled her eyes. ¡°Right¡­ anyways. If you want to run around taking care of the gas, then I want you to grab a healer from your group and have them go with you. At least then they can heal you to keep you alive. If possible, find another pair to work with you and you can split up to cover more ground faster.¡± Rao nodded and looked at his group. There were only fifteen people in it, most of which looked like DPS and casters given that all the tanks they could find were split up between Cassiel¡¯s and Pfar¡¯s groups. Fortunately, there were two available healers to satisfy Cassiel¡¯s plan. Another player also stepped forward to volunteer for subjecting himself to the gas, so the plan could be executed with two groups of two running around Nameless to take care of any cannonballs that got inside. ¡°And remember, if any land close to the river, just push them in if you can,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°That¡¯s how Fen dealt with it when they tried attacking us before.¡± Rao and the volunteer nodded before heading off. ¡°Thanks,¡± Cassiel whispered. Then, looking over the rest of his group, she held her sword up over her head and shouted, ¡°Alright! The rest of you can join up with my group! Don¡¯t worry about the original plan. Just help us defend this area! We won¡¯t let them break through!¡± Cassiel, after all, was no stranger to leading those under her command back from before she ever met Fenrir. Her training to become an angel included leadership and troop organization lessons, and she was making full use of those in defense of Nameless. Meanwhile, on Astika¡¯s island, Eva warned the giant apes about what might happen before flying at full speed toward Astika¡¯s chamber. Now, inside of the chamber meant to serve as a boss arena, Eva said, ¡°Astika! There¡¯s a¡ª¡± ¡°I am well aware,¡± Astika said, rising up from the water in the center of the room. ¡°Let it not be forgotten that I am aware of everything that happens in the waters around this island. Who are these mortals who wish to intrude upon my protected land?¡± ¡°Assholes, to put it bluntly. They¡¯re a bunch of griefers who just want to kill everybody and burn everything down, and those are the nicest of their crimes.¡± ¡°I see. And they are not affiliated with any of yours, correct?¡± ¡°Right. They¡¯re our enemy.¡± ¡°While I have no interest in getting involved in the affairs between yours and any other groups¡­ if it is of their own volition that they step foot upon this island with intent to harm those under my protection, then it is only right that we defend ourselves against those who wish us harm.¡± ¡°They probably don¡¯t even know what¡¯s up with this island. If I had to guess why they¡¯ve sent anybody over here at all, it¡¯s because they¡¯re trying to secure some ground and are making sure we don¡¯t have any defenses over here that we might be able to use against them.¡± ¡°Then they should be quite surprised when I make my introduction.¡± Astika spun her spear around in a showy, dramatic fashion before confidently smiling at Eva. ¡°While I intend on maintaining my neutrality and thus will not interfere with those assaulting the coast, I will handle those who dare intrude upon my domain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better than we could have even hoped for.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Astika suddenly sounded much less serious. ¡°Speaking of what you were hoping for¡­ shortly before you arrived, I found something I believe will be of great interest to you and yours.¡± Eva tilted her head before realizing what Astika had to be talking about. As for the invaders, after successfully bombarding Nameless¡¯s walls and depriving the town¡¯s defenders from being able to man the cannons atop them, it was time for them to begin the next phase of their operation. Sending rowboats over to the beach while under defensive fire was too risky, but now? Now, they had a clear, safe approach. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get to it, you maggots!¡± the man at the front of the fleet¡¯s flagship shouted. He was a towering minotaur covered from shoulder to hoof in heavy, metal armor that didn¡¯t leave any skin exposed. If there was ever anybody who looked like a literal, walking tank, it was him. On top of that, the scar over his eye and the four horns instead of two allowed him to stand out amongst everybody else on the ship who tried as hard as possible to look like a bunch of edgy badasses. ¡°Remember! Keep the girls alive! You all want some more variety back at base, don¡¯t you?!¡± The other men, and women, aboard the ship cheered. ¡°Those priority targets especially. Do what you want with the rest of the bitches whenever you find them for all I care, but secure and bring the priority targets here immediately. Once they¡¯re here and we¡¯ve got the domination collars on them¡­ well, we weren¡¯t told we¡¯re not allowed to do what we want to them after we¡¯ve secured them.¡± The vulgar cheers from aboard the ship would have been enough to sicken most people¡¯s stomachs who had any sense of morals. But players such as those were to be expected in a game where anything was possible. While most people chose to live fairly wholesome, but adventurous, lives in a fantasy world, there were always going to be some people who embraced the ¡°no rules, anything goes¡± approach to perform the most evil acts that anybody could imagine. Most of these players were kicked out of the other factions, but the End Bringers happily welcomed the most depraved and cruel of players into their arms. If there was any one group of players responsible for driving others to quitting the game, it was them. Just a single encounter with them was usually enough to make the more normal players of the game question whether they really wanted to play in a world where immoral players like them had free roam to do what they wanted. Even if somebody didn¡¯t personally encounter the End Bringers, they still heard the stories that were often enough on their own to bleed the world of players. ¡°But I call dibs on their leader! The bitch with the green hair!¡± the fleet¡¯s leader shouted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s¡ª¡± A metal chain wrapped around the minotaur¡¯s neck, silencing him and all who were watching him. The next second, the chain was tugged backwards and yanked the leader off the ship, tossing him into the ocean below it. With all that heavy armor he had on, even if it was possible to swim with it, getting out of the water would be extremely difficult. More importantly, a man with long, white, and soaked hair jumped up onto the deck where the leader was previously standing. A smaller girl with blonde, equally soaked hair and a bow jumped up next to him. There was no witty nor badass one-liner. No taunting words. No explanation of what was happening. There was only pure, silent rage in the eyes of both Fenrir and Saya as they looked straight on at their enemy after hearing what they were just shouting and cheering about. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 19] Fenrir and Saya, not even needing to say a single word to one another, worked in flawless unison to rid the ship¡¯s deck of its hosts. They were both inspired by the same motivation: to kill every last bastard who even dared to think of doing anything to their girlfriends. After all, even though Saya might not have been in the relationship with them for as long as Fenrir was, she was still in Fenrir¡¯s head that whole time and he was still a part of her. If anything, Saya had both her rage inspired by Fenrir and the rage belonging entirely to herself to fuel her. And it was that burning rage within her that allowed Saya to send one arrow straight through the chest of a man trying to run up to Fenrir while he was busy with another opponent, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the center of her target¡¯s torso. One might have considered that overkill, but neither Fenrir nor Saya thought it was even close to what their opponents deserved. They weren¡¯t allowed to rampage without consequences, of course. Two of the crews from nearby vessels that spotted what was happening turned their ships to approach them, aiming to board the one that Fenrir and Saya were on. Seeing that, the remaining men and women of the ship¡¯s crew jumped into the water to regroup with the crews from the other vessels. One of them, however, tripped and failed to jump overboard. The man who tripped, dressed like a barbarian with leather and skull armor, rolled onto his back and looked up just in time to see Fenrir thrust a sword-shaped Rod right into his abdomen, impaling him and pinning him to the deck below. ¡°Fu-fuck you!¡± the man shouted, fear in his eyes as he looked up at the rage in Fenrir¡¯s own. ¡°I¡ªI have pain disabled, so I don¡¯t even feel anything, you little bi¡ª¡± ¡°You think that matters?¡± Fenrir asked, his voice far too calm for the murderous fire in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of tryhard edgelords. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t think of ways to fuck with somebody who has pain disabled.¡± ¡°Fuck¡ªfuck off! There¡¯s nothing you can¡ª¡± One leg, two legs. ¡°Shit! Fuck you!¡± the man shouted, sounding like somebody who was in pain despite claiming to have disabled it. The brain worked in mysterious ways. Even when pain was technically disabled, there was nothing stopping the brain, when it felt like it, from making the individual feel phantom pain that didn¡¯t actually exist. And the man most certainly ¡°felt¡± each of his legs getting lopped off below the thighs. Then he felt the same with his arms, leaving him limbless and shouting profanitie at Fenrir as he struggled in vain to get away from him. ¡°You sure are crying a lot for somebody who was boasting about pain being disabled,¡± Fenrir said, leaning over the man even more. ¡°But I will say that I respect you for not waking yet. You could have ran away like a coward, but you¡¯re still here.¡± ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m not some bitch like you!¡± the man shouted. ¡°I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t. You¡¯re a brave little edgelord. You would never run away and give somebody else the satisfaction. But, you see, even if pain is disabled, that doesn¡¯t stop things from being uncomfortable. You might not feel physical pain, but you can still feel what it would be like to have hands wrapped around your throat, choking you until you pass out.¡± ¡°As¡ªas if that would scare me! You think choking me would¡ª¡± Fenrir picked the man up by his neck and held him over the side of the ship. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel pain to drown.¡± ¡°Wa-wait! Don¡¯t¡ª¡± Fenrir let go. The man fell straight into the water below, landing face down. While it was possible to swim without limbs, such a feat took great training, and he had no such training in staying afloat without his limbs. Meanwhile, Saya tugged on Fenrir¡¯s arm to get his attention. ¡°What do you want to do about the other ships? We¡ª¡± Fenrir spun around¡­ and looked at Saya with a beaming smile. ¡°I¡¯ve still got it! Did you watch that?!¡± Saya sighed and hung her head low. ¡°Yes, Onii-wan. I saw how edgy you acted.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s been so long¡­ also, these guys are pathetic. Are they seriously this game¡¯s most hated griefing and trolling group? They¡¯re an insult to virtual assholery.¡± ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡ªit feels like I had a mountain of stress or something taken off my shoulders. I think there might have been a growing mountain of desire for griefing and being a dick, and now I have the perfect opportunity to make use of it. It¡¯s like I just scratched an itch that I didn¡¯t even know was there, and it¡¯s the most satisfying scratching I¡¯ve ever done. I feel great!¡± ¡°I can hear that.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you feel the same?¡± ¡°I¡­ I kinda do, but I¡¯m more worried about their reinforcements.¡± ¡°Why? Come on, Pupaya. These guys are nothing. The two of us just wiped out an entire ship of them. If anything, I have to admit I feel kind of cringe for getting so worked up over them. I expected a way harder fight.¡± ¡°Well, you do have that blessing from Nell, Rod, magic-nullifying powers, and a lot of experience, so¡­ you¡¯re kind of OP even before you get super pissed off. I think it¡¯d be hard to find somebody who wouldn¡¯t get wrecked by you when you¡¯re like that.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m amazing, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I regret saying anything.¡± Fenrir looked overboard and noticed the man he dropped into the water, unfortunately, managed to get onto his back and was safely floating atop the water. ¡°Saya¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t even get to finish what he was about to say before Saya shot an arrow overboard, hitting the floating man straight in his forehead. ¡°So much for drowning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m disappointed now. Next time, I¡¯ll keep somebody alive and tie something heavy to them before tossing them overboard. You know, like in the good old days back when we threw witches into the water.¡± ¡°You mean back when a bunch of insecure men threw innocent women back into the water, Onii-wan?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like I said, the good old days.¡± Fenrir received a heavy smack against the back of his head via Saya¡¯s bow. ¡°I deserved that one,¡± Fenrir said. Saya grumbled and said, ¡°I wish Cass was here to hear that. She¡¯d be throwing you overboard with your feet stuck in cement if she heard that.¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d deserve that, too. Sorry, I guess my griefing side has been brought out which makes me like stupid, edgy jokes again. You know how it is. Edgy losers on the internet, like me, have to make fun of women to feel like we have any sort of power in the world.¡± ¡°Can we go back to killing the actual losers now?¡± ¡°We should, but¡­ I actually feel really guilty about making that women joke now. What¡¯s happened to me? Back when I was a teenager, I would have just thought it was a slightly edgy joke that was only alright to say around my friends. But now, I actually feel bad. Is it because I¡¯m not a virgin anymore? Is this what growing up does to you? Is this what actually knowing the touch of a woman and going outside does to a former troll?¡± ¡°Yes, Onii-wan. Now if you¡¯re done being dramatic and feeling bad because one of edgy joke, can we kill the guys jumping onto this ship now?¡± Fenrir looked around and saw that the ship they were on got pinched between two others, and enemies were jumping onto their deck from both of the new ships now. ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Want to make it a competition? Whoever kills more owes the other sexual favors.¡± Saya¡¯s cheeks reddened as she whacked Fenrir with her bow again. ¡°This really isn¡¯t the time for that! B-but¡­ deal.¡± The next second, she sent an arrow through the nearest enemy¡¯s head. ¡°That¡¯s my seventh.¡± ¡°Se-seven? But if I count the ones from before, I¡¯m only up to four!¡± ¡°Eight.¡± Fenrir realized he was going to lose the competition if he didn¡¯t hurry up and farm some kills, so it was time for him to get serious again. And this time, he wouldn¡¯t be playing with his prey. Back at Nameless, the attackers who boarded rowboats to assault the beach were finally landing and shouting orders at each other. Most of the beach had a green mist hanging in the air over it, and this mist occupied the air around the wall as well. The good news for them was that nobody was atop the walls taking shots at them, meaning they had a safe approach. They brought ladders with them as well in hopes of scaling the walls with their ladders, their masks and potions protecting them from the mist, to get an easy entrance into the town rather than try to force their way through the front gate. Unfortunately for them, it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. The gate, previously closed, was raised to allow entrance into the city¡­ and to allow firing out through it. More importantly, it allowed Serra and Azalabulia¡¯s avatar, standing side by side, to bring out their strongest magical attacks. Firing their attacks from the wall might not have been a safe option, but they were still able to stand away from it and fire through the entrance. Not all of the invaders on the beach were within their line of sight, but enough were for Serra to summon a large cannon while Azalabulia¡¯s avatar summoned a dragon-shaped blast of magic. Anybody not able to jump out of the way in time was decimated in an instant. Azalabulia¡¯s magic destroy multiple rowboats and annihilated a group of five men standing near each other, and Serra¡¯s cannon shot a torso-sized ball that went straight through the bodies of two others. ¡°It¡¯s almost as gory as old horror movies,¡± Serra said. ¡°Cool.¡± Cassiel, stepping up to stand next to her, said, ¡°Since when do you think gore is cool?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always loved gore in horror movies. You would know that if you didn¡¯t cover up your eyes every time things get gory.¡± ¡°Sh-shush. I¡ªI don¡¯t like looking at that stuff. Also¡­ I feel weirdly pissed off at Fen for some reason.¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s talking about your boobs somewhere.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get mad at him for that.¡± ¡°Heh. Not anymore.¡± ¡°If I feel this way, he said something that deserves it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like you have a psychic connection. I have one too, but it¡¯s based on horny. I get horny whenever he gets horny.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing. You¡¯re always horny and always purposely trying to make him horny which just makes you even hornier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a psychic connection. Can¡¯t explain it. Magic.¡± Cassiel sighed before checking the situation as best as she could. With all the smoke and sand from the magic combined with the mist on the beach, it was hard to look through it to see what the invaders were doing. It didn¡¯t help that any others left alive spread out farther to the sides of the beach so that they weren¡¯t within firing range from the gate. ¡°It looked like they had ladders,¡± Cassiel said, ¡°so they¡¯re going to try scaling the walls. They probably have some sort of immunity to the gas as well. If we let them get on the walls, they¡¯re going to be able to open fire on us from the high ground, and we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± Looking down at her left hand, Cassiel flexed it a few times before holding it against the center of her chest. ¡°Though I have been cast away as one of yours, I beseech you, oh Lord, to protect me with your divine strength so that I may deliver holy retribution to those who would wish to destroy us.¡± Serra and the others standing around had no idea what to expect when they heard Cassiel suddenly start to chant something, which none of them had ever heard from her before, and their questions regarding why were answered when a golden barrier of light surrounded her body. It looked like a bubble at first, but it tightened around her until it was just over her skin instead. ¡°I¡¯ve still got it,¡± Cassiel said. ¡°Looks like praying lately has paid off.¡± Serra blinked a few times. ¡°Praying? When?¡± ¡°I¡ªI do it in private. It¡¯d be embarrassing if one of you saw me. A-anyways, that¡¯s not important. I wanted to hold back and keep this for an emergency, but I can¡¯t let them get on our walls. While I hold them back, I want the rest of you to get into the nearby buildings, get as high in them as you can, and take up defensive positions at the windows facing the wall. If any of them get on top of the wall, I want you to focus your fire and take them down. Use the buildings as cover and don¡¯t let a single one of the bastards get comfy up there.¡± Following some cheers, those under Cassiel¡¯s command spread out among the buildings, leaving only Serra at her side. ¡°But¡­ what about the gas?¡± Serra asked. ¡°This barrier should protect me from it. It¡¯ll buy me a few minutes out there.¡± ¡°But¡­ you¡¯ll be alone, and they¡ª¡± Serra, with a genuinely worried expression and concern in her eyes, didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence. Cassiel held Serra by her chin and brought her lips against the smaller girl¡¯s. After a couple of seconds, Cassiel pulled away and said, ¡°I learned that one from Fen. Go give Nell an update. I¡¯ve got some bastards to smite.¡± Serra, shocked and silent from the suddenly extra cool and insanely hot Cassiel, could only nod her head in response as Cassiel turned to face the beach. ¡°I might not be with the empire anymore,¡± Cassiel said, ¡°but let¡¯s see if I can earn my wings.¡± Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 20] The battle was raging on at multiple fronts, but it was the front among the ships that was undergoing the most trouble now. Fenrir and Saya, exhausted and bloodied, leaned their backs against each other while surrounded by their enemies. They were surrounded by blood, corpses, and the occasionally severed limb, but that all belonged to their enemies. Well, some of the blood was Fenrir¡¯s, and Saya had a pretty mean cut from a blade on her cheek as well. But despite the two going up against overwhelming odds, they remained more or less undamaged. They were just exhausted instead. ¡°I just realized something,¡± Fenrir said between his heavy breaths. ¡°What¡­ what, Onii-wan?¡± Saya asked in response, sounding every bit as tired. ¡°Most of our fights have been over with pretty quickly before. But this¡­ this is like a gauntlet challenge where it¡¯s just wave after wave of enemies.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ we might be strong, but we should probably work on our endurance.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re reaching our limit here. It might be time for an old school, Divine Brigade style, tactical repositioning.¡± ¡°You mean time to run away?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call it that. It¡¯s bad for my ego.¡± ¡°Just admit the truth, Onii-wan.¡± ¡°I admit that I¡¯m awesome, cool, funny, charming, and¡ª¡± ¡°Suddenly, I have all my energy back, and I feel like I should spend it all running away from you. How strange.¡± The duo laughed a little as another boarding party came onto the ship they were on. ¡°You know, I¡¯m kind of surprised by how weak they are,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I know we¡¯re strong, but we shouldn¡¯t be able to deal with dozens of them like this. Then again¡­ no, it makes sense. The strongest players are the ones they sent to the beach. The weakest are the ones running the ships. You don¡¯t need to be a strong fighter as long as you know how to aim a cannon. Just look at Serra.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Saya said in agreement. ¡°But even if this is like a couple of endgame players owning a bunch of midgame noobs¡­ we still have a limit to our energy.¡± ¡°We should have brought a third with us. While we hold the enemies off, a third could be manning one of the cannons and taking out their ships with it.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ why don¡¯t they try shooting us instead of boarding this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that these ships are valuable enough that they¡¯d rather not lose them. They¡¯d rather throw away dozens of their players than lose the ships, or it feels that way at least.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, we need to make our esca¡ª¡± Saya was cut off by a wave that rocked the ships and the beasts they were atop of around. When the duo looked to see what caused it, they saw what was likely the worst possible scenario for them. Even more ships. And they were surrounded on all sides. ¡°Well, shit,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I think we got too cocky and overstayed our welcome.¡± Saya sighed and said, ¡°I had a feeling this would happen.¡± ¡°Well, worst case scenario, I¡¯ll make you an opening and you can get away.¡± ¡°No way. I¡¯m not risking running away on my own. I¡¯ll kill myself before I risk one of these edgelords capturing me.¡± ¡°Fair enough. In that case, we could always just kill ourselves right now to deprive them the pleasure of beating us. But if we do that¡­ we won¡¯t be able to help out the others.¡± ¡°That would require us getting out of here in the first place, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s happening, Onii-wan.¡± ¡°Shit. Then our choices are either go down fighting and hope we get to kill ourselves before they capture us, or just kill ourselves while we have a chance.¡± ¡°Things can¡¯t always go our way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I¡¯d rather they did.¡± ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s it going to be, Onii-wan? Are we going to kill ourselves now, or try to kill some more of them first?¡± Fenrir looked around at the situation one more time. More enemies were in the process of getting onto their ship and surrounding them, there were even more ships in the water now, and the vessels were so tightly packed together at that point that they couldn¡¯t just jump overboard and hide in the water. ¡°Alright,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Let¡¯s¡ª¡± A loud, deafening horn bellowed through the air. A shockwave accompanying it created small waves over the water and blew the hair back of Fenrir and Saya. More importantly, it was a familiar sound¡ªa sound that only one horn in the world could make as far as they were concerned. And as soon as the horn stopped blowing, the duo heard a shout from one of their girlfriends at the absolute top of her lungs. ¡°Fen! Saya! I¡¯m bringing her around on the south and it¡¯s your job to be there!¡± Fenrir and Saya looked between all the ships to see the most beautiful sight that either of them had ever seen before, excluding the sights of their girlfriends and Rock. They saw The Shoebill. Eva was standing right behind the horn and, now that she was done shouting, ran back over to the ship¡¯s wheel to keep the ship on course. ¡°Are¡­ are you crying?¡± Saya asked Fenrir. ¡°How could I not be?!¡± Fenrir shouted, sounding offended that he was even asked. ¡°It¡¯s my girl! That¡¯s my baby over there! She¡¯s alive!¡± ¡°I wonder how your girlfriends would feel hearing you talk about your ship that way instead of them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all my women, but she¡¯s my girl.¡± ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re so stupid,¡± Saya said and huffed, her cheeks a hint of red. ¡°Ah¡­ all my energy is back now. Alright, Saya. We have a grand reunion to make. I¡¯ve been away from my baby far too long.¡± With that, Fenrir looked around to figure out which direction was which real quick. If Nameless was to his right, that meant that was the west. In that case, straight ahead was south, and he confirmed that real quick just by looking up and seeing the sun in the distance ahead of him. And fortunately, there were three more ships close by to each other in that direction to jump from deck to deck. Sure, there were some more enemies on them, but all they had to do was break through them. ¡°Eva asked us out on a date, so let¡¯s try to arrive early so we don¡¯t keep her waiting,¡± Fenrir said to Saya. ¡°You¡¯re so lame, Onii-wan,¡± Saya replied. ¡°But¡­ I guess I feel pretty energized now, too.¡± ¡°Ready then?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± ¡°By the way, do something for me real quick as a virtual assistant. Play some badass hype music for this.¡± Saya rolled her eyes but did as he asked in the same instant. With that, the epic, orchestral song playing during action scenes from one of his favorite anime played inside of his head. Nobody else could hear it since it was being streamed to him and him alone, but that was alright. He didn¡¯t need anybody else to hear it in order to get hyped up. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you, Rod,¡± Fenrir said, his intent transforming Rod from chains wrapped around his arms into a matching set of shields, one held in each arm. ¡°We¡¯ll clear the way, you shoot the bastards down,¡± he said to Saya. ¡°But why two shields?¡± Saya asked. ¡°Because they¡¯re cool.¡± ¡°They look ridiculous.¡± ¡°Ridiculously cool. Also, don¡¯t insult Rod like that. He always looks cool.¡± Saya sighed, as she often did around Fenrir, and said, ¡°What happened to getting there early?¡± ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get going then.¡± With renewed determination brought about by The Shoebill¡¯s return, Fenrir charged forward with his dual shields in hand, plowing right through two of the combatants on their deck before jumping over onto the neighboring ship¡¯s deck. He might not have had much damage potential when using two shields, but he had enough defensive force to plow through enemies without a care in the world, opening a path for Saya to follow. And while Fenrir might not have killed the enemies he was plowing through, Saya made sure to finish off as many enemies as she could by shooting while running. The only thing stopping her from killing more was how long it took her to grab another arrow to pull back and loose over and over. With Fenrir knocking so many of them over, practically stunning them, Saya had no difficulty in aiming and sending arrows right into the foreheads of her enemies. But when they reached the final ship in the row of vessels, they encountered a problem. The last ship still had all of its crew onboard. As reinvigorated as the duo might have felt, they were still physically exhausted underneath their motivation. Furthermore, Saya was down to only a couple of arrows left and Fenrir didn¡¯t have enough strength left in him to handle that many players on his own. To make matters worse, The Shoebill came into sight on the other side of the last ship. Eva tried getting The Shoebill as close as she could, but her inexperience with steering it meant there was still a good gap between the vessels. They wouldn¡¯t have been able to jump onto their beloved ship even if they broke through the enemies in that exact instant. There was no time to think. Fortunately, Fenrir didn¡¯t need time when in a rush. ¡°It¡¯s not stupid if it works,¡± Fenrir said out of nowhere. ¡°What?¡± Saya asked, using one of her last arrows to put down an enemy spellcaster who was about to send magic their way. ¡°Bring her around the front!¡± Fenrir shouted loudly enough for Eva to hear as Rod transformed from two shields into the usual fishing rod. ¡°O¡ªOnii-wan¡­ don¡¯t tell me. You¡¯re not¡­ you¡¯re not actually thinking of trying that, are you?¡± ¡°If I can catch fish, I can catch a boat. Buy me thirty seconds.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Fenrir.¡± Rather than sigh or roll her eyes, Saya groaned and readied her final arrow to shoot at whoever decided to approach them first. Meanwhile, The Shoebill turned to come around the front of the ships, and the closer look at her revealed just how damaged she was. There were planks missing from her hull, holes throughout her, the mast looked ready to fall over at any instant, and she overall looked like she had no right to even be floating in the water. But she was. It was hard for an untrained eye to see, but Fenrir saw what made her seaworthy: the living wood. She might have been in bad shape, but the living wood infused with her hull was regrowing and repairing her all on its own. She was likely in far worse shape before and all the most critical damage was already recovered from. There was still some damage to heal from, but nothing that wouldn¡¯t be healed in another few days of letting her naturally recover. And no matter how damaged she might have looked still, she still looked perfect in the eyes of Fenrir. ¡°You¡¯re as beautiful as the day I lost you,¡± he said, prompting another groan from Saya behind him. Now, The Shoebill might have still been far too far for them to jump onto her¡­ but she was within range of Rod¡¯s line. Fenrir pulled Rod back and cast the line with everything he had! Then, before the line could even land, he wrapped an arm around Saya, not looking at where exactly he put his arm, and jumped overboard with her. It was only in the middle of jumping into the water off the front of the ship that he realized he placed his arm around her chest and that he was pretty roughly groping one of her breasts. But that was okay. Then, while Fenrir might not have even made sure that Rod¡¯s hook landed on The Shoebill before jumping into the water, he didn¡¯t need to. He had enough faith in himself and Rod to know that the hook was going to reach their target no matter what. And that was confirmed when, in the water, the duo got tugged through it in the same direction that The Shoebill was going. All Fenrir had to do then was reel them in. Saya switched to wrapping her arms around him to hold on so that he could use his hand to reel them in rather than grope her, though he would have rather kept on groping her. Fortunately, even though they were being shot at from the decks of the ships via players¡¯ ranged weapons and magic, The Shoebill was dragging them through the water quickly enough to avoid all the attacks. One of the monsters being used as a base for the ship built atop it even lunged at The Shoebill to try and take a bite out of it, but Eva managed to steer out of the way just barely in time. I¡¯m killing you first, Fenrir thought, looking at the monster that dared try to hurt The Shoebill. The time for that monster¡¯s death would come soon as well since Fenrir and Saya reached the side of The Shoebill. Fenrir¡¯s cast was absolutely perfect. Rod¡¯s hook landed on the netting over the side of the ship used to climb up onboard in the event of going overboard, allowing him and Saya to easily climb up onto The Shoebill¡¯s deck. Eva was quick to greet them. ¡°About time! I¡ªI have no idea what I¡¯m doing!¡± ¡°You did great, Eva,¡± Fenrir said before him and Saya simultaneously shook their bodies like a couple of dogs to get rid of as much water as possible, causing Eva to think about how cute they looked doing that. ¡°A-anyways,¡± Eva said, forcing her thoughts away from how cute they looked. ¡°Astika found The Shoebill and¡ª¡± ¡°You can tell me the rest later. I need you to do something for me.¡± ¡°O-oh. Right. What do you need?¡± ¡°I need Serra. Can you go grab her and fly her over here?¡± ¡°Serra?¡± Fenrir looked at the only remaining, operational cannon aboard The Shoebill. ¡°Nobody can handle a cannon like her. If we¡¯ve only got one working cannon, we¡¯re going to utilize it to its highest capability. And for that, I need Serra working it.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ll go grab her!¡± Eva didn¡¯t waste any time and flew off as soon as she could. ¡°Saya,¡± Fenrir said, ¡°check below deck for any gunpowder and cannonballs. Hopefully, some crates survived down there.¡± Saya nodded and rushed below deck, leaving Fenrir alone atop it. Feeling a surge of emotion wash over him, Fenrir brushed his hand over The Shoebill¡¯s wheel and said, ¡°Glad to have you back, girl. You didn¡¯t think we could do this all on our own, did you?¡± Fenrir was ready to take control, but before he did¡­ he felt the ship¡¯s wheel turn against his hand, almost as if it was purposely rubbing against his hand. ¡°Did I just imagine that?¡± Fenrir asked. ¡°Maybe the steering is a bit damaged still.¡± He didn¡¯t feel anything else, so he firmly grasped the wheel and looked at the ships turning to try and bring him into their cannons¡¯ sight. ¡°Me and you¡ªwe¡¯re going on an extra long fishing trip after this. But for now, let¡¯s start with killing the bastard who dared to even think of hurting you.¡± Fenrir looked back at the monster who lunged at The Shoebill and turned the ship toward it. As the enemy fleet was about to learn, there were grave consequences for trying to fuck with The Shoebill. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 21] Eva returned with Serra at full speed, holding the smaller girl by placing her hands underneath her armpits. The way that Serra hung straight down underneath Eva reminded Fenrir of those pictures and memes involving long cats being lifted up and hanging straight down. Fenrir wanted to see Serra in one of those memes with cat ears atop her head, but that could be saved for later. ¡°Serra, I need you on that¡ª¡± Fenrir started giving an order, but he saw there was no need to continue it when Serra was already at The Shoebill¡¯s only remaining cannon. Serra even gave the cannon a gentle stroke along the side of its barrel before kissing the top of it. ¡°I¡¯m happy you¡¯re okay,¡± she whispered to the cannon. ¡°I¡¯ve already got it loaded,¡± Saya said, standing next to the cannon. ¡°But Onii¡ªI-I mean, Fen, told me to wait and let you handle the firing.¡± ¡°That cannon has seen better days,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it breaks down at any moment, so I want every shot to count.¡± ¡°You could always just say what you really mean. ¡®I trust Serra more than you.¡¯¡± ¡°No need to point out the obvious.¡± Fenrir flashed Saya a quick smirk, prompting Saya to stick her tongue out in return. As for Serra, she gave the cannon a couple of pats and said, ¡°It won¡¯t break. I believe in it.¡± ¡°Well, if you do, then I know it¡¯s good,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve got a priority target for you. The fifth ship in, we¡¯re coming up on it. Aim for the monster¡¯s head. It deserves it.¡± Serra pulled a classic move of hers: shooting Fenrir a thumbs-up. She might not have known why the monster he pointed out deserves dying before all the others, but that didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was killing the invaders trying to interfere with their lives¡­ and also getting to shoot a cannon at some live targets. It had been far too long since Serra last got to be a part of some ship-to-ship combat. ¡°I¡¯ll try to line up a good shot for you,¡± Fenrir called out. ¡°Fire whenever you¡¯re¡ª¡± Serra fired. Following the loud eruption of the cannon, the shot she fired hit the target with extreme precision. It went straight through the moving monster¡¯s head, blowing it to pieces and exiting through the other side where it then penetrated the hull of the ship strapped atop its back. The cannonball might not have done much damage to the ship¡¯s hull, but it did, however, manage to send a sizable, wooden splinter right into the neck of a nearby player. He only had half of his neck after that. More importantly, with the beast of burden¡¯s death, its corpse rolled over onto its side which brought the ship with it. Fenrir wasn¡¯t sure how the submersible element of the ships worked, but he did know that they clearly weren¡¯t designed to flip over and hit the water on their sides as that made quick work of the hull. ¡°I knew I could count on you, Serra,¡± Fenrir said. ¡°The rest of the targets are up to you. Saya will help you with loading, but target acquisition is all you. Let me know if you need me to bring us around in any specific direction or angle.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Serra said before helping Saya with loading the cannon. ¡°What about me?¡± Eva asked Fenrir. ¡°Anything you want me to do?¡± The idea of sending her out to fly over the enemy ships, damaging them from above using her body¡¯s bestial capabilities, came to mind¡­ but if they knocked her out of the air, she would land and potentially drown in the water at best. At worst, she would land on one of the ships, surrounded by enemies with no morals nor concerns for ethics, and he didn¡¯t want to think about what might happen to her avatar in that case. Fenrir did have another idea, though. ¡°Would it be possible for you to enchant the cannonballs? You know, like, make them electrocuted or something?¡± Eva shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I don¡¯t actually know magic, and that¡¯s something magic would be needed for.¡± Eva flapped her wing of a thunderbird, summoning crackling electricity around it. ¡°It might look like magic, but that¡¯s technically a ¡®natural¡¯ phenomenon. I¡¯m pretty limited with what I can do with it.¡± ¡°In that case, head back over to Nameless. You¡¯ll be more useful over there than here.¡± ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want me to fly around and breath fire or zap the enemies?¡± ¡°I want you to, but what I want even more is to not risk you getting knocked out of the air and captured.¡± ¡°Captured¡­ oh. I just remembered something.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a deus ex machina built into me. Completely forgot about it since it was never useful before, but it would be if I got captured. And since I¡¯ve never gotten to use it before¡­ can I let them capture them?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how fucked these guys are? If they¡ª¡± ¡°Fen, I love you, but don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m a proud member of the Scholars. It¡¯s my job to know more than you. I know what¡¯ll happen if I got captured. If I didn¡¯t have my ¡®deus ex machina,¡¯ then I¡¯d immediately wake and wait to see if my avatar got rescued or not. If it wasn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t even bother immersing again, remove my access to this character, and start over. Trust me, nothing bad is going to happen to me. Some pretty bad things will happen to everybody else, though.¡± Fenrir couldn¡¯t hold back the concern on his face while Serra fired her second shot in the background, but he gave in with a sigh and said, ¡°Alright. As long as you promise me you¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m not promising that at all. If anything, I¡¯m promising to be the opposite of safe. I¡¯ll only promise that those guys won¡¯t get to have their way with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to trust you that that¡¯s good enough.¡± ¡°Good. All you need is to trust me. After all, I didn¡¯t take on the heart of a loonomb for nothing.¡± ¡°A¡ªa what?¡± Eva smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. When you see me g o down, if they even manage to knock me down, make sure to watch for a show.¡± With those words and a flap of her wings, Eva shot up into the air and flew over toward the enemy fleet. It didn¡¯t take long for the first eruption of flames from her mouth to strafe over one the wooden deck of one of the ships, and she followed up with a bolt of electricity once she was out of flames. All of the enemy players with ranged capabilities tried to shoot her down in retaliation, but none managed at first. She was too fast and agile of a moving target for them. It helped that Eva had no intention of making it easy for them. Meanwhile, Serra fired her third shot. Just like the two before it, she went for the heads of the monsters to instantly kill them and render the ships useless. The naval side of things was turning in their favor. With The Shoebill back in action, Fenrir at the wheel, and Serra at the cannon, there were few threats on the water that could pose any danger to them. Saya helped too, of course, with assisting Serra in loading the cannon. But¡­ that actually slowed Serra down. Not that Serra would admit that, of course, since the time lost in having Saya¡¯s help was minimal. She was just so used to handling it all on her own that she already had the routine perfected and actually managed to get it done slightly faster when on her own. There was nobody better than Serra at manning a cannon. Even so, no matter how great the teamwork might have been, they were still only one ship against a fleet of ships. No amount of masterful steering would save The Shoebill from every shot fired their way. And given that their enemies were still using those cannonballs capable of spreading toxic fumes wherever they landed, it only took one hit to cause a serious issue for them. The enemy¡¯s one, successful shot penetrated The Shoebill¡¯s hull and landed atop the lower deck, the toxic gas within seeping out and quickly spreading through some of the gaps and holes left on the main deck. Seeing as how The Shoebill wasn¡¯t completely restored yet, there were plenty of small gaps for that gas to seep through, and it didn¡¯t take long for The Shoebill¡¯s crew to notice it around their feet. Before Fenrir could even say a single word about it, Saya stepped back from the cannon and looked at him to say, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it,¡± earning a nod from him. He didn¡¯t want to let her, but he knew that there wasn¡¯t any better option at the time. Taking a deep breath, Saya rushed below deck where the the toxic fumes were already heavy in the air. Even though she held her breath, the gas still managed to get inside of her system through other orifices. Her nostrils, her eyes¡ªshe felt the same painful sensation everybody else did who fell victim to the gas. Even so, despite hardly being able to see through her tears, she rummaged around until she found the source of all the gas and lifted the toxic cannonball up underneath her shirt. Spreading those fumes above the deck was the last thing she wanted, so she tried to contain them as best she could. And as soon as Saya made it back above deck, she dove overboard straight into the ocean below. Water was what neutralized the gas back when Fenrir first dealt with these fumes, and they were going to be what neutralized the gas again. Or, at the very least, Saya got to release the cannonball from her shirt so it could sink down to the ocean¡¯s floor where it would be somebody else¡¯s problem. What she did next, though, was much riskier. Saya had no idea if it would even work or not, but she drowned herself. Kind of, at least. She opened up her mouth and swallowed the ocean¡¯s water in addition to breathing some in through her nostrils. She kept her eyes open as well so that any chemicals from the gas on them would hopefully get diluted or washed away. Naturally, such a plan had its downsides. She was in the open ocean with a throat and lungs filling up with water, and that was on top of feeling pain from the toxic fumes in the first place. But¡­ that pain was going away. In a desperate attempt for fresh air, Saya swam up to the surface and coughed out as much water as she could, some black sludge similar to when Rao coughed from the fumes mixed in with the water she coughed out. Saya¡¯s internals felt like they were on fire between the intake of salt water and the toxic fumes, but she managed to stay afloat until something familiar landed in the water in front of her. It was the end of Rod¡¯s line. Looking up, she saw The Shoebill up ahead with Fenrir standing at the rear, Rod in hand waiting to reel her in. While Saya might have feared what sort of lame jokes he might make later about ¡°catching¡± her and reeling her in, she shoved those fears to the side so that he could bring her in. It didn¡¯t take long for her fears to become reality. As soon as Saya made it to The Shoebill¡¯s side where she could climb back up, she saw Fenrir lean over it and heard him say, ¡°Looks like I caught a waifu. Does this mean you¡¯re a dogfish now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m letting myself drown next time,¡± Saya grumbled. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte [Vol. 11 pt. 22] While The Shoebill¡¯s crew got to work thinning out the enemy fleet, the battle on land continued on as well. Though, morale began to shift in a rather major way once The Shoebill made her return and started sinking enemy ships. Those who sought to invade Nameless could not miss the fact that their supporting fleet behind them was getting taken down one by one. They expected some losses, but they did not expect a single ship with a skeleton crew to deal so much damage to them. Then there were the defenders. While the majority of them did not see what was going on due to hiding behind the walls, all it took was the triumphant return of one individual who saw what was happening to tell the others about it. Cassiel, bloodied and bruised with messy hair and broken armor that was shredded open in a few different spots, limped her way back behind the walls while doing her best to keep herself healed. Her barrier lasted for most of her fight outside the walls, but not all of it, meaning those toxic fumes got into her system just as they did with Rao. One of the healers who stayed with the defenders on the other side of the wall rushed out to meet her, taking her place in healing her since she was clearly low on energy. ¡°Are¡ªare you alright?¡± the healer girl asked, helping Cassiel stay standing with one arm around her back as she placed her other hand against Cassiel¡¯s abdomen to heal her. Then, no matter how straight the healer might have been, she found it impossible for her eyes not to get drawn toward Cassiel¡¯s chest where most of the armor was conveniently torn through, leaving much of her cleavage exposed. Fenrir, Serra, and Nell were not the only degenerates within Nameless. But perhaps it was because of their degeneracy that so many other degenerates were attracted to them, resulting in even a random healer girl thinking about how Cassiel looked like a heroine in an eroge about to experience a bad end. And as soon as Cassiel noticed where the girl¡¯s eyes were focused on, she shot a glare at the girl that was impossible not to feel. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Cassiel said before looking around, noticing that her efforts beyond the walls were not for nothing as those who scaled the walls failed to overwhelm the interior defenses. Between the news she had to bring them and the sight of the dead invaders strewn across the street and wall, there was no way for Cassiel to hold back the joy in her voice as she announced, ¡°The Shoe¡ª¡± And then she coughed. After all, even if she was being healed, the toxic gas was still in her system. The healer and any others nearby who heard her looked at her with confused expressions on their faces. ¡°The¡­ the shoe?¡± the healer asked, looking down at Cassiel¡¯s feet. Even with all the blood on her face, it was easy to tell that Cassiel was still blushing underneath it. ¡°The¡­ The Shoebill is back,¡± she said, her voice much quieter than before. Some of the nearest players who heard her rushed over to the same entrance she came in through and looked out through it, not taking long to spot The Shoebill doing laps around the enemy fleet, taking the enemy vessels out one after another. While there were other ships that belonged to Nameless, they were mainly fishing boats and none of them had the same prestige as The Shoebill. If anything, The Shoebill was another mascot of Nameless second only to Rock. And there were few things more inspiring than seeing The Shoebill, still beaten up and looking like she might sink at any moment, fighting on her own taking care of the enemy fleet to protect the inhabitants of Nameless. ¡°The Shoebill¡¯s back!¡± one of the players at the entrance shouted, earning cheers from the rest of the players nearby. Cassiel couldn¡¯t help but sigh when she had the hype moment taken away from her, but she still ended up smiling when she saw just how rejuvenated the news made everybody. And then, seeing just how many of the dead invaders there were, she had an idea. ¡°What are you all standing around for?!¡± Cassiel shouted, drawing everybody¡¯s attention back to her. She tried her absolute best not to let any coughing interrupt her again, though her voice still sounded hoarse. ¡°Loot their bodies! Take their masks and any potions they might have still, and get back on the wall to help The Shoebill out! If those masks were good enough for them, they¡¯re good enough for us!¡± Lightbulbs went off over most of the players¡¯ heads as they heard the order, rushing over to whichever slain enemies were closest to take their protective gear against the gas. Before long, the players who were forced off the walls from the toxins were now rushing back up onto it, manning any cannons left in good condition to help The Shoebill out. Meanwhile, Nell remained in the town¡¯s center to continue coordinating the defense efforts to the best of her ability, and it did not take long for her to receive news of what was happening. A soft sigh left her lips as she held one hand over her chest. ¡°I am glad to hear that. Thank you for your report. Now please, rejoin the others at the wall,¡± Nell said to the player who brought the news from the frontline to her. Once that player ran off, she looked out toward the wall and said, ¡°I do hope that they are being safe. To have but one ship against a fleet of them¡­ well, at least there is¡ª¡± Nell¡¯s maids, Rachel excluded as she was still scouting with Shogun, were listening to everything that Nell had to say¡­ but immediately changed gears at the slightest show of trouble. Nell got interrupted when Emily tackled her to the ground, using her own body as a shield to protect her with. Iris, meanwhile, used her actual and utterly massive shield to position herself between Nell and the threat she still had no idea about, leaving Abigail and Anastasia to charge at the unseen enemy with glares full of murderous intent. ¡°E-Emily?¡± Nell said, unsure of what was going on. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± That time, she cut herself off when she saw blood drip underneath her. It only took a quick look at its source to see that Emily had what looked like the tip of a harpoon sticking out through her abdomen, right next to Nell¡¯s side. ¡°Emily!¡± ¡°Are¡ªare you alright?¡± Emily asked. ¡°Ah¡­ maybe leaving my pain setting enabled was a mistake. This kind of hurts. Oh¡­ wait. If I get really hurt¡­ I bet I could convince Rao to cuddle me a lot so that I feel better.¡± ¡°You do not need to get yourself hurt in order to ask your boyfriend for cuddles, you foolish girl!¡± ¡°Ah-aha¡­ probably¡­ not. But are you alright? You didn¡¯t get hurt¡­ right?¡± ¡°I am fine, Emily, but please¡­ worry about yourself.¡± ¡°How can I be worried¡­ when I know I can use this as an excuse to be lazy and get cuddles?¡± Nell showed her trusty maid a pout that very few others ever got to see from her, as nobody but her maids were able to make her pout in such a way. As for Abigail and Anastasia, they had enemies to eliminate. The two women might have looked rather unsuspecting as they simply dressed like regular maids, and they were probably easily mistaken for people simply cosplaying like maids in the game, so Nell¡¯s assailants did not expect to feel as if they were being charged at by murderous demons. Abigail, wielding Rao¡¯s old spear, charged forth with her long, white hair flowing behind her. Even though it was only her and one other rushing toward a group of five assailants dressed up in what looked like fantasy scuba gear, there was not a single shred of hesitation nor fear anywhere in her. All that mattered was killing those who sought to harm her lady¡ªher friends. Anastasia was no different. While she would normally be happily humming away to herself, she ran by Abigail¡¯s side with her shield and spiked flail ready to crush the first enemy she reached, and it didn¡¯t take long for that to happen. When one of the other attacks with what looked like a low-tech harpoon gun shot at the charging women, Anastasia met the harpoon with her shield and simply knocked it away, not allowing it to slow down their charge. Two of the attackers then decided to try and meet the murderous maids with drawn swords, but their counterattack was quickly proven futile as Abigail thrust her spear straight through one¡¯s chest while Anastasia swung her flail into the other¡¯s head. Their attacks were filled with such force and murderous intent that there was no defending against them. The maids, who kept their training to private so as to not ruin their image of being classy maids, finally revealed just how capable they were in combat. When the attacker who shot his harpoon gun at Nell realized how screwed they were, he desperately tried to run back toward the river they came from, but Abigail wasn¡¯t about to let that happen and threw her spear into his back. Seeing that Abigail was unarmed, one of the other attackers, now equipped with an axe, swung at her¡­ only to get intercepted by Anastasia with her shield, knocked down, and then pulped by her flail into his face. Anastasia might have looked like a pretty normal, classy lady. She was reserved, loved to hum and whistle, looked feminine and elegant with her long, blonde hair¡ªand yet, she turned a mans¡¯ face into pulp with her flail without any concern. Even as some of his blood splashed up onto her face and uniform, there was no reaction aside from her looking down at his body as if he were a roach she just crushed under her heel. Only two of the enemies were left, and one of them had a spear impaling him. And yet. Despite the two assailants being terrified for their lives¡­ both them and most of the other players who happened to be nearby found themselves with a developing fetish for battle-hungry maids. ¡°I¡ªI surrender!¡± shouted the one attacker who was still in good condition. ¡°Your surrender has been rejected,¡± Anastasia said before swinging her flail into his head with enough force to dent the side of it in while breaking his neck. Then as the two women approached the final assailant, ready to execute him as well, they stopped in their tracks when they heard Nell shout out, ¡°Wait! Do not kill him. Bind him and capture him, but do not kill him.¡± There was no hesitation in accepting Nell¡¯s order as law. Both maids politely bowed to her before apprehending the lone survivor of the group. ¡°Normally, I would leave the interrogation to my hero¡­ but I believe I will handle it this time,¡± Nell said, looking the survivor over with even more disgust than how Anastasia looked at the other attacker. Nameless was going to become a city full of masochists who were into battle maids and princesses at the current rate of fetishes being developed. Ace_Arriande Thank you for reading! Don''t forget to follow, favorite, and rate! Donate | Discord | Twitte